Two different worlds

It is summer time, time to drive away from the official world, time to drive away from the pandemics.

While taking a rest in an information center, we take some tourism booklets. We find that Penticton is sandwiched between two lakes (Please forgive my ignorance.) It must be a beautiful place. We change our plan and drive toward Penticton. We first land by Skaha Lake, the southern lake. It is a beautiful lake with little development. The parking lot is completely full. We manage to find a place to park at a nearby street. Walking on the sunny beach is very relaxed. The only sign of pandemics is the signs reminding people for social distancing.

We decide to spend a night at Penticton. But the camping sites are all full. So We drive to another lake, the Okanagan Lake north of the city. Downtown Penticton is at the lakeside of Okanagan. Beach is very crowded, yet relaxed. There is a Japanese garden in the beach area, which we like very much.

We drive around and look around. We learn that many lakes along Okanagan Valley are connected by Okanagan River. When we drive along Okanagan River, many people are floating down, from Okanagan Lake to Skaha Lake, with beer in their hands. Look at the beaches. Look at the river. The whole city is in a festive mood.

The second day, we drive south along Route 97, flanked by endless orchards and vineyards. When we saw Osoyoos Lake, we take a detour toward the other side of the lake. This turns out to be the Osoyoos Indian Reserve. There is a huge residential development there. We take a tour of the site and drive out. Just outside the Indian Reserve, there is an ecological reserve. We take a walk into the reserve. This is a desert ecosystem, with hardy grasses and cactus. We are enamored about the cactus. We pick some and plan to bring them back home. But soon the bottom of our shoes, the side of our shoes and our pants are all cactus, sticking firmly on us with their prickles. We quickly abandon the cactus in our hands.   

We drive further south to Osoyoos. Osoyoos Lake is supposed to be the warmest freshwater lake in Canada. This makes Osoyoos a hot tourist destination. The name Osoyoos comes from soyos, a native word for narrow. Osoyoos Lake narrows down at Osoyoos. This makes a perfect residential area. We manage to find a parking spot, have lunch by the lakeside, and dip in the lake for some time. The water is not especially warm. But anyway, this is Canada. Downtown is quite crowded. As a tourist destination, it is full of hotels, which crowd out much else. We don’t hang around for long and keep driving east.

We stop at Greenwood, the smallest city in Canada. It used to be a booming mining town. When mines were exhausted, it became a ghost town. Then World War II started. The Japanese were interned. They were supposed to be sent east of Rockies. But the mayor of Greenwood volunteered to house them in their empty city. Twelve hundred Japanese found their home in Greenwood during the war. Many stayed after the war. An old Japanese lady volunteers at the information center. She gives us a detailed tour of the museum. Her parents were interned in Greenwood during World War II and stayed after the war. She has ten siblings. Surely it was a great place to raise a family.

We plan to spend the night at Christina Lake. The lake is indeed very beautiful. But the provincial park is day use only. Campgrounds are not by the beach. So we drive on further, arriving at Castlegar. At downtown is the Millennium Park. We stop there and ask for the direction of a campsite. A lady tells us to go to Syringa Provincial Park. It is a 17 km scenic drive along the mighty Columbia River, a real joyful ride. When we approach the campground gate, a sign says campground full. We ask the doorkeeper at the campground, an energetic young boy. He tells us to try Pass Creek Municipal Campground.

It was already pretty dark. We were getting nervous. We manage to find the campground before complete darkness. Unfortunately, it was completely full, as expected. But the lady was very sympathetic to our dire situation. She allowed us to park at the parking lot and set up a tent on the lawn nearby. She charged only ten dollars for our stay and apologized profusely for not having a fire pit and a dining table. But we don’t really need much amenity.

On the road, many of us are concerned about showers and other amenities. Sometimes, shower rooms are over crowded or shower facility is under repair. But most campgrounds are close to lakes or rivers. Instead of complaining about showers, we can brag about swimming in the Columbia River.

Back at home is equally relaxed. Public swimming pools are closed. We went to swim in the Sasamat Lake, the warmest lake in Vancouver. It seems to us that Sasamat lake is as warm as Osoyoos Lake, if not warmer. The first time we went there, it was so crowded. The park was closed to incoming cars. We manage to park on the road, along with many other cars. Later, we usually go there around 7pm, when some already left. We can always find parking easily. Even at the most crowded time, the lake is very quiet. Most people hang around by the shore or at the beach.

There are two different worlds. One is the official world of pandemic. The other is the unofficial world of normality. People are coming outdoor in record numbers.  Provincial Parks are so popular that some have to restrict entry. This has never happened before.

Many people are living a normal life. But few are willing to talk about it. Afterall, anyone could get sick, anyone could die. If one brags about his bravado and later gets vanquished, he becomes the laughingstock of the media. The public opinion is definitely one sided.