ChuteLake in 2013

In the summer of 2002, Britta and I biked a small section of the Trans Canada Trail (the Kettle Valley Railroad section, from Chute Lake to McCulloch Lake). We started at Chute Lake just north of Naramata. There's a story about that start that'll have to wait for another blog entry. The following year, the entire region around Chute Lake, all the way to Kelowna, was caught in the midst of a terrible forest fire. 

I hadn't been back to Chute Lake since that bike trip until Marco and I took the opportunity, between rain showers in the "sunny" Okanagan, to drive up to the lake in August of 2013. The first thing I noticed about our 2013 trip was the condition of the road, While it had never really been a great road, this time it was decidedly worse than I'd ever seen it. Nonetheless, we crawled our way around huge potholes as I wanted to show Marco the lake, and see for myself what the burned out area would look like, 10 years after the fact.

 Sometimes I can't help myself. Shacks and boats 
MUST be photographed. (2013-08-27)

Compared to ten years earlier, Chute Lake is deserted (2013-08-27)

It really looks like it's been a long while since anyone rented these 
boats for a bit of fishing, What era are those life jackets from?! 
(2013-08-27)

Looking down to Chute Lake from the pub/restaurant. 
See the regrowth in the burned-out forest.(2013-08-27)

The Trans Canada Trail. This is the spot 
Britta and I left from on our bike trip. (2013-08-27)

A shack... CLICK! A photo! (2013-08-27)

 A rental fleet that's not getting much action these days. (2013-08-27)

The pub/restaurant is "must see BC"; out of another era. (2013-08-27)

The pub/restaurant is "must see BC"; out of another era. (2013-08-27)

 Some of the accommodation at the Chute lake resort. (2013-08-27)