Spence Bridge park to HWY 12 Forest service park Aug 16th.

Wake up to the sound of a train blowing its horn, 8am not too bad. Last night a guide with some tourist in tow came to side beside me and down to the rivers edge to do some gold panning.  The guide showed how it done and the group seemed to be quite taken by the gold bug. This morning I see the campers next to me have the same fever. Later two fly fisherman appear to try their luck on trout.

I leave heading east on hwy 8 towards to Merritt 63km of twisting Nicola river and mountain side road, with new pavement, the air is thick here with smoke and so few pics are  taken.  Merritt is a logging town with a mill and a lot of mobile homes.  At Merritt I get onto hwy 97 south for a while until 5a turn off, also a curvy road to Princeton, a very scenic town.  I take a real time video drive through before heading east on hwy 3 to Osoyoos which must be high season as the last time I'm here
it was a ghost town.

Heading on hwy 97 and area of fruit trees and wineries, visiting one winery for a few samples.  Picking the wrong one as they make pink and white wines, I do a fair bit of spitting while the wine tours shuttle appears to make the room very busy.  The deal is you pay $5 at the door and that entitles you to 3 1/2 glasses, they are not so good at counting, I have my 3 half glasses and spit out the next 5. No sale to me today, not really into pink wines, they seemed very proud of their rose.

Driving through row after row of wineries and fruits trees to Oliver, a very nice swimming area and onto Penticton where riding a float device seems to be the thing to do. I go to Peachland which does not have any peach trees but a very long beach park area when I do go for a swim.

Driving briefly into west Kelowna a very high traffic area which I really not interested in . The head down hwy 5 to Merritt a freeway posted limited 120km.  My car there days can't muscle up the long hill such that I barely manage 90km the whole way. I guess the old car is getting tired.  At Merritt I do groceries buying BC red fish, very cheap but given that it comes from the Pacific and cold water should be fine.  $4 a pound is really cheap by any standards, they have cod but I know that is not local and likely packed in a salt solution  that wipes out any flavor but does give it a couple months self life. Fill-up at $1.31

Back west bound on hwy 12 to a Forest service recreation camp, free again and choice a site by the river.  Everything goes fine until I take the last sip from my beer and am stung by a yellow jacket wasp on my inside lip.  I now have a fat lip and seem to be affecting my right jaw too.  Later that night there is yelping by coyotes once again,  I guess they got a kill. auto 606152, 586km today.