As I stand on the deck of the Prairie Princess, a Waterways company luxury houseboat docked in Sicamous, on this mid-April day, Mara Lake is a swath of deep blue waters stippled with sunlight.
We are about to cast off on a three-day cruise along one of B.C.'s most scenic getaways in the heart of the Shuswap.
Shuswap Lake, like an untidily scrawled "H" on our map, borders the town of Salmon Arm in the south, and touches small resort communities such as Sicamous, Wild Rose Bay, Blind Bay and Chase in the course of its meandering shoreline.
My travelling companions and I are greeted on board by our hosts: skipper Darren, and first mate, pilot and navigator Noah. A "Welcome Aboard" hamper stuffed with goodies sits on the kitchen counter and alongside
this, like a still-life painting, is a bowl spilling over with the Okanagan's bounty - apples, peaches and strawberries. Our fridge, well stocked with provisions from DeMille's Market in Salmon Arm, includes Okanagan's liquid ambrosia - wines from local vintners.
Our home away from home is impressive. The Genesis 60 houseboat (not the largest of Waterways fleet) has three cabins, two bathrooms, a kitchen that boasts a full range of modern appliances and a bright lounge flanked by large picture-book windows. Above the fireplace is an entertainment centre: CD/DVD player and satellite flat screen TV.
On the upper deck, we discover an eight-person hot tub, wet bar, TV and music consul and, pièce de résistance, a curly-tubed water slide.
First up this afternoon is a tour of the prestigious (and challenging) Hyde Mountain golf course, one of many golfing greens in the Shuswap area. Lunch on the deck of the Loggers Restaurant commands spectacular views of the lake, but the sun has disappeared and clouds gathering over the distant mountains look ominous.
Back on the boat we dock briefly at Sicamous where Bahama John, a gregarious six-foot-eight giant who owns a Southern-and-Bahamian fusion style restaurant in town, arrives on board with our first night's dinner: spicy Bahamian beef ribs, jerk chicken and coconut-flavoured brown rice.
The rest of the afternoon is spent leisurely cruising north. We listen to Noah strumming his guitar, sip wine, nibble snacks and gaze at the passing scene. Salmon Arm Lake reveals its secrets: cottages half hidden among the evergreens, craggy cliffs rearing against scudding clouds, sheltered coves and narrow inlets. Later in the summer these waters will swarm with canoeists, sports fishermen, water-skiers and windsurfers; bikers and hikers will test the winding forest trails. For now the only activity is an osprey guarding its nest on top of a wooden piling and an eagle lazily riding the thermals.
We tie-up at Hungry Cove to sip after-dinner wine and chat around a beach campfire. In mid-July the cove will echo to the sounds of rock music from moored houseboats and boozy beach parties in full swing.
We wake up the next morning to fog and drizzle and putter over to Salmon Arm dockside where Blue Canoe Bakery owners Al and Sandy Boucher deliver us a bagged lunch. Only fresh local ingredients make up their crisp salads and their nutty brown-bread cheese and ham sandwiches. Their pièce de résistance? Brownies covered in a rich chocolate, melt-inyour mouth icing.
The Okanagan is renowned for its wineries and the Shuswap area boasts seven. Doug MacMillan of MJ Shuswap Wine Tours drives us to three family-run estate wineries where their wine listings wax lyrical.
As a farewell meal we are invited to dine at Table 24 in Salmon Arm, an upscale restaurant where my braised lamb shank in a Merlot and cinnamon sauce is fit for royalty. Who could ask for anything more? Travel Writers' Tales is an independent newspaper syndicate that offers professionally written travel articles.
