Vacation in the Okanagan and Shuswap, BC

Dave and I both got back last night from separate vacations in the Okanagan Valley and Shuswap lake, BC. I spent Monday-Thursday in Kelowna with Shandra--took a leisurely drive through the Rockies, stopping in Canmore for a hike, and then staying overnight in Revelstoke on Monday. The forecast called for sun all week, so we pushed on to Kelowna on Tuesday, only to find a warm but cloudy few days, with not a lot to do in the smallish vacation/retirement town. We managed to entertain ourselves: toured some beautiful vineyards/wineries in the area (Summerhill Estates, the Quail and Finch? and Mission Hill), treated ourselves to some great food, and relaxed on the beach (despite the clouds). All in all, it was a very relaxing week, so we really shouldn't complain, but I think both Shandra and I were feeling a little TOO relaxed by the end of the week, and craving some sunshine and activity!
Luckily, our girls weekend began with a gorgeous day on friday and we headed to Sicamous to pick up our houseboat with 9 other girls: 11 of us in total! The boat was comfortable, and the girls were lots of fun. We docked overnight at the "party" beach--Neilson beach-- both nights: felt pretty old since it seemed many of the other boaters were in their early 20's or even late teens, but we had a blast regardless. Saturday we motored out to an island where some of the girls jumped off the cliffs, and we all enjoyed being circled by motorboats asking us if we were the "Budweiser Girls" (we were all wearing matching Budweiser cowboy hats).
Dave met up with a group of 22 guys on friday in Sicamous to head out for a similar weekend: although it seems they enjoyed much more beer and burgers, and much less fruit and yogurt than our boat. Not surprisingly, we found their boat on Neilson beach on Saturday night, so had a fun time dancing on their boat til all hours of the night.
We made it home at a reasonable hour last night, in preparation for my first day of work today. I will post more photos of Kelowna and Sicamous once I get them from Shandra. Here are a few from our camera of the "calm after the storm": ++ boats on the beach the morning after a late night.