Sometimes I convince myself other places in British Columbia can’t compare to the west coast of the province. Big cliffs, massive trees and awesome outdoor adventures are always just outside my door, so why would I go inland anyway?

When I was a kid, my aunt and uncle got a cabin on a lake just outside of Merrit, B.C. I remember rowing around the lake for hours, dragging two fishing poles out the back of the boat and catching endless trout. Twenty years later, I decided to go back and see what the interior has to offer. I’ve been to the interior lots in the past 20 years. However it was for visiting people in Vernon or just blasting through on my way to Alberta or Saskatchewan. I really hadn’t enjoyed the interior for what it has to offer.

Whenever I’m driving east, I use Hope, B.C. as kind of a marker for the beginning of the end of large trees and big canyons with heavy rushing water. Once a person starts dropping down into places like Merrit or Kamloops, the trees get smaller and the landscape turns dry and desert like. It really is shocking going from a place like Tofino on Vancouver Island to a place like Merrit. The contrast between the two is massive, but they really aren’t that far from each other.

It took about four hours to reach our destination after catching the ferry from Victoria to Tsawassen. Of course the four hours includes wrong turns and wasted time. However we arrived just in time for dinner with the family. Immediately, I began to feel the interior love.

The following morning, I was the first one up. A boat tied to the dock sitting in a bath of the rising sun, called for me to jump in. I placed a fly rod with a dry line out the back of the boat and began exploring the lake I once knew. Loons called out across the water to each other, while a family of ducks swam in and out of the tall grass avoiding me at every turn. These were the only sounds echoing across the lake surface. An hour passed, and my rod continued to strike out on the fish front, so I went in for breakfast.

My aunt could not have made a better breakfast: blueberry and banana pancakes, moose sausage, eggs, a fruit platter and fresh coffee all put together on a little propane stove–a real kind of down-to-the-roots meal. Everything about it was so rewarding. Food made with love and family around to enjoy it is a perfect way to get ready for the day.

My cousin and I decided to drive into Logan Lake for 9 holes of golf. My uncle, who wasn’t interested in playing, joined us as our ball finder and cart driver. The course itself was great; my game was not. My younger cousin continuously hit 300 yard drives straight as an arrow while I continued to have a good hole followed by a bad one, and it eventually led to a five stroke loss. A wee bit of pride hit. However the kid is good, and I would get a bit of revenge later in the day.

Just like breakfast, my aunt did it again for dinner: barbequed moose steaks, corn on the cob, potatoes, chicken kabobs, wine and beer–perfect fuel for the evening’s events.

With dinner over and cleaned up, my uncle, cousin and his wife along with myself decided to bring in some classic family competition with a best of three horseshoe match.
After exchanging barbs for about an hour and a half, my uncle and I came out with a two games to one win, and I gained a bit of revenge from the earlier loss in golf. We enjoyed the moonrise and a few fruit cocktails before calling it a night.

The following morning it was time to move on. There were no 12-foot rollers crashing on the shore next to a lighthouse or seals barking while sun bathing on some rocks. However, there was plenty of quiet mixed with a landscape reminiscent of the wildest. I can honestly say, it was the most relaxing weekend I’ve had in years and I will make an effort to spend more time in the outdoors of British Columbia’s interior.

Fresh fruit stands became dots on the horizon as trees began to grow into green giants. I knew we were back on the coast, and I really enjoyed every minute spent in the interior over the weekend, but nothing beats the west coast of British Columbia.

Story and Photography Greg Miller

 

Tags: bc, british columbia, canada, fishing, golf, interior, lakes, Merrit, relax, relaxing, travel, Vernon

This entry was posted on Friday, August 28th, 2009 at 9:38 am and is filed under Fish, Locate, Profile. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.