Planing and packing for a road trip is never easy. We all know that. But in my household, we never seem to leave a stone unturned.
Paper plates? Check.
Clothes? Check.
Cups? Check.
Makeup? Check.
Plastic cutlery/forks/spoons? Check.
Snacks & beverages in the cooler? Check.
Coffeemaker? Check.
(Yes, I said coffeemaker. We have a single-cup coffee maker that’s damn portable and makes folks do a double take when they see what it is…LOL)
So the decision to drive to Penticton was unlike no other road trip we take. We packed Goldie the Bubble Car (yes, my car has a name…don’t judge!) to the brim with our stuff, made sure Daniel was updated (Daniel is my proper British gentleman…err…GPS), and headed off on our adventure through the rural/urban jungle known as Interstate 5, the Cascade Mountain Range and North-Central Washington State.
Before we left, I came across a tweet from Hard Row to Hoe Vineyards saying that if we were on our way to WBC 13 to let them know and we could stop on by. I couldn’t resist, being that I’d heard a lot of things about Hard Row and I’d been wanting to visit for quite some time now! I wasn’t disappointed!!
I was really impressed by their offerings…especially their whites and the Shameless Hussy Rosé! Later on, at the conference, I had the opportunity to try their “Good in Bed” Sparkling Wine, which I loved!
After the detour to Hard Row, we headed towards our hotel in Omak, WA, where we had decided to spend the night.
Now, there’s really not that much in Omak, being that it’s a town of roughly 4800 people. But there is a Best Western right off the main drag and there’s a shopping center, as Omak is the “urban center” for Okanagan County. There’s also a great little restaurant next to the Best Western called Koala Street Grill. The Sydney Salmon was the most amazing salmon I’ve had in a long time!!
As night fell, as did I. A long day of driving made for an early night for me. Knowing that the next day, I would be in Penticton, though, made me excited for what was to come!!
