ABC Wednesday
March 28th, 2012

K is the letter of the week.

I decided not to wander too far from home and to show you a little of the town we live in - Keremeos.

A nice, neat town nestled along the banks of the Similkameen in the shadow of K Mountain, Keremeos began as a Hudson's Bay Company trading post in 1860, and since it was first founded it has moved twice before it finally found a place to settle down.

Today the well preserved early 1900's buildings give the town a distinctive Old West feel.

With cattle ranching, hay ranging, fruit growing and vineyards the mainstays in the surrounding community in the summer you will be delighted to find the wineries open to tourists and the highway lined with fruit stands.

Coming into town from Penticton the first fruit stand you will see is one of the largest and I think the most attractive as our elder daughter did all the art work that distinguishes it and makes it known Canada wide amongst visitors.  It is announced by this sign peaking over the hill a mile or so from town.

Spanning the Similkameen River is the Red Bridge, one of only a handful of covered bridges remaining in North America.  It is a reminder of the time when the Great Northern Railway ran up the Similkameen River to Hedley and Princeton, - it is now a highway bridge to the Ashnola and the Cathedral Lakes Park.

I hardly know which picture to show you, - it is all so beautiful in the park.  The lakes are like exquisite jewels set amongst the granite of the mountains, and the hiking trails take you through a truly wild

Overlooking Keremeos, high above in the hills above the ranchland, are the Keremeos Columns, natural basalt columns nearly 100 feet high, extending for some distance along the face of a cliff northeast of the town.  Formed from thirty million year old volcanic activity the columns can't be seen from the main road, but one must seek permission from private landowners before hiking up to their splendour.

Here is a picture of Keremeos, taken from the columns....

Keremeos also has western Canada's oldest flour mill, and the only one remaining with most of its machinery intact.  Careful restoration has included the reconstruction of an operating water wheel and flume.  The mill was built in 1877 by Barrington Price and his store, with its 1894 wallpaper still in place is now an exhibit space full of intriguing hands on displays.

We also have rodeos, - the Chopaka  Rodeo on Easter Sunday, hosted by the 

Lower Similkameen First Nations

and the traditional May 24th rodeo hosted by the local Elks' Lodge and the Community

Great exciterment, - lots to do here, and it is a lovely Valley.  Do come and visit.....

For more wonderful K's click here and visit at ABC Wednesday, hosted by Mrs. Nesbitt and her Keen helpers.