Small towns. Big mountains!

Typical September weather

September is my favourite month of the year in British Columbia. Cool nights. Warm sunny days. The aroma of ripe peaches, apples, plums, and pears. And clear skies.

Well, usually clear skies. This September started with an explosion of wildfires in diverse areas from the upper northeast corner of the province to the southwest, and on Vancouver Island. I planned to explore a variety of small towns nestled in the mountain ranges between the Okanagan Valley and the BC/Alberta border.

Gatzke Orchards Oyama BC

Driving north from my home city of Penticton at the bottom of Lake Okanagan, toward Vernon at the top of the lake, I stopped at Gatzke Orchards in Oyama to stock up on fresh fruit, and at the Village Green Coles bookstore to check on their supply of my Death in the Vineyards mystery novels.

I continued to Revelstoke, a former railway town in the Columbia Mountains. It is a popular skiing, cycling, paddling, and hiking destination. I had a pleasant night at a condo-style hotel in downtown Revelstoke, located near restaurants and shops. The next morning, I fueled up with a large latte and tasty omelet at the Main Street Café before heading toward Golden.

Golden BC

Situated in the Rocky Mountain Trench between the Canadian Rockies and the Purcell Mountains, Golden is surrounded by six of Canada’s most stunning national parks: Yoho, Glacier, Banff, Jasper, Kootenay, and Mount Revelstoke. 

Unfortunately, the spectacular mountains were well hidden by the smoke. Luckily for me, I have driven through this area several times before, and although I missed the familiar presence of the mountains, the town of Golden was fun to explore.

From Golden, I turned south toward Fairmont Hot Springs for a two-night stay. Fairmont Hot Springs is located in British Columbia's Columbia Valley, situated between the Purcell Mountains to the west and the Rocky Mountains to the east. The resort has both mineral-rich pools for guests and natural, undeveloped hot springs, accessed by a trail from the resort's RV park entrance. The pools are a pleasant way to relax after a long day’s drive.

Fairmont Hot Springs, smoky

The next morning, I drove to the trailhead of the 25-kilometer Markin-MacPhail Westside Legacy trail, running from the highway at Fairmont Hot Springs north to the town of Invermere. 

The paved Westside Legacy trail has numerous benches, picnic tables, viewpoints, and three public toilets. It has a variety of easy sections and tougher areas, including sharp corners and gut-grinding hills.

I confess. I stopped at the top of the last two-kilometer descent into Invermere. It was a steep hill with several switchbacks, and I didn’t have the energy to fight my way back up the incline. My 46-kilometer round trip was an enjoyable workout, even though the view of the magnificent mountains was obscured by smoke.

Markin-MacPhail Trail

Later in the afternoon, I drove to Invermere and poked around the downtown area while listening to the First Friday live music event in the square.

The next morning, I soaked my sore muscles in the mineral pools before heading south. 

With plenty of time to get to my next destination, I took a side trip to Kimberley, a former mining town that in the 1970s marketed itself as the Bavaria of the Rockies to stimulate tourism. The town is nestled within the Purcell Mountains, which are a sub-range of the larger Columbia Mountains system, located west of the Rocky Mountain Trench. 

More recently, the town of Kimberley abandoned the Bavarian theme, focusing on their mining history and mountain recreation to boost tourism. My tacos at the Hourglass Bar & Kitchen were spectacular, as was the ginger-peach iced tea.

Kimberley BC

By the time I arrived at Cranbrook, my patience with the ever-present smoke was running out. I cancelled all of my upcoming reservations and continued driving for a few hours to get closer to my hometown.

Instead of a ten-day slow poke around enjoying the best time of the year for road trips, I decided to go home. It was a disappointing end to my plans, but I had rediscovered Invermere and Kimberley, plus the Markin-MacPhail Westside Legacy trail was a new adventure for me.

You might have noticed Sparky’s absence on this road trip. My little adventure buddy succumbed to age-related problems on May 2nd, 2025. I deeply miss his company.

Cheers

Lynda

Sparky, star of the Isla Mujeres Mysteries and Death in the Vineyards Mysteries!

Grab your copy today.  Available at online book stores.

Cover to Cover, multi-author event @ColesPenticton

 

CANNED: crime novel set at Penticton brewery

John Arendt
about 22 hours ago

Crime novel set at Penticton brewery

Canned, by Lynda Lock, is set in Penticton’s thriving brewery scene

Lynda Lock’s book, Canned, is a crime story featuring Penticton’s brewery scene. The book is the fourth in Lock’s Death in the Vineyard Mystery series, all set in the South Okanagan. With Lock is her dog, Sparky, who is also featured in the novel.John Arendt/Summerland Review

A crime novel, written by a Penticton author, it features the city’s thriving brewery scene.

Canned, by Lynda L. Lock, features Jessica Sanderson and her mutt, Sparky, in the aftermath of an accident at a fictional craft brewery in Penticton.

While police investigate the death, Sanderson — who is not a police officer — also does some sleuthing and uncovers clues in the case.

While Lock describes the book as a beach read, the story also touches on drug use and addiction, which are noticeable in the city and throughout the country.

“My stories are fluffy, but I also want them based on fact,” she said.

The book is the fourth in Lock’s Death in the Vineyard Mystery series, all set in the South Okanagan.

While her previous B.C. novels feature the region’s wineries and wine culture, Canned involves a death at a brewery.

“I’ve always had a soft spot for the breweries here,” Lock said.

She is familiar with the world of craft beer as she and her husband Lawrie moved to Penticton in 1992, and in 1995 the couple opened Tin Whistle Brewery Co, in partnership with Linda and Richard Grierson. It was the 12th craft brewery to open in the province, and the first in Penticton. The group sold the brewery in 1998. 

Lock’s novel, Canned, was released around 30 years after the brewery started, and 24 years after Cannery Brewing, another well-established Penticton brewery was formed. The release also occurred around the Okanagan Fest of Ale, the long-running Penticton beer festival. 

In addition to her four Okanagan novels, Lock is also the author of the Isla Mujeres Mysteries, a series of seven books all set in Mexico and written when she lived in the area. She has also written three children’s books.

Canned on 293 pages and is available through Amazon Canada and other booksellers.

A launch party for Canned is scheduled for Sunday, April 27 from 1 to 3 p.m. at Cannery Brewing, 198 Ellis St., Penticton. The public is invited to meet the author and have their books signed.

In the beginning: South Okanagan's 1st craft brewery

 

Logan Lockhart
Apr 2, 2022 3:25 PM

The start of the South Okanagan’s brewery scene can be traced back to 1994

Early results indicated that Tin Whistle was a success shortly after its official opening in 1995

The late Lawrie Lock, one of the co-founders of the South Okanagan’s first brewery, pictured in the mid-1990s inside his business. (Photo courtesy of Lynda Lock).

When Lynda Lock and her husband, Lawrie, moved to the Okanagan from Vancouver in 1992, they wanted to put their passion for being adventurous to the test.

Their idea of starting the region’s first brewery may have been simple, but to many, it was too ambitious. The two individuals, along with Lawrie’s sister and brother-in-law, Linda and Richard Grierson, embraced the challenge.

Front: Steve, Richard Grierson, Lynda Lock, Dave Prechel.
Back: Lawrie Lock and Linda Grierson

And from there, Tin Whistle, the South Okanagan’s first brewery, was born in 1994.

“For us to do the brewery, it was just a fun, crazy thing to try,” Lynda said.

At the time, there were eight wineries in the Okanagan. Before their arrival from the Lower Mainland, the Locks always believed they were destined for the wine business.

After realizing the opportunity they had to lead a new scene in the region, however, their approach quickly led to excelling in the brewery business.

“With wine, we didn’t have a clue,” she said.

“You had to grow the grapes and then you harvest them, crush them, go through a bunch of other stuff. So we just decided to stick with something much easier.”

Early results indicated that Tin Whistle was a success shortly after its official opening in the summer of 1995.

But little did the Locks know that their venture would be partially responsible for starting the now vibrant brewery scene in the South Okanagan.

“It was amazing how well it was received at that time,” Lynda said. “And today, you see about 10 breweries within 20 kilometres of each other.”

Opening Tin Whistle didn’t come without feedback from skeptics within the community, who believed the idea of owning a sustainable brewery wasn’t possible in what was known as “wine country.”

“People said ‘are you crazy?’ and I said, yes, I guess we are,” she added.

Lynda Lock is proud of the legacy Tin Whistle, the South Okanagan’s first brewery, has left on the community almost 30 years later. (Photo courtesy of Lynda Lock)

The family sold Tin Whistle in 1998 after three years of existing among the South Okanagan’s first-ever breweries. Lock’s husband passed away in 2018 due to Rapid Onset ALS.

That didn’t come before he sparked the idea to start the community’s very own beer festival, better known today as the Okanagan Fest of Ale.

“Lawrie told the sales manager at the Penticton Trade and Convention Centre about this festival in Victoria,” Lynda explained. “They checked it out for themselves and then in the spring of 1996, a board of directors at the centre decided to do the same thing right here.”

Since then, the festival has been a community success each year. The 2022 edition of the Okanagan Fest of Ale is set to begin on May 14.

Reminiscing about the start of the festival and what Tin Whistle’s legacy has meant to Penticton after all these years still makes Lock as proud as ever.

“It’s nice to get a little bit of acknowledgment that we as a group of four people did something kind of cool and different and has helped spawn this other part of the tourism scene,” she said.

Alexis Esseltine and Tim Scoon purchased Tin Whistle Brewing on Oct. 30, 2020, and continue to call the business “the original craft brewery of the South Okanagan.”

Tangled Isla #20 in Best Sellers in Canadian Women Writers!

 

Tangled Isla Book #7, Isla Mujeres Mysteries

#20 of the Best Sellers in Canadian Women Writers.

Grab your copy today!

Has an unidentified killer of several Florida women relocated to the tropical paradise of Isla Mujeres?

Leading up to the busiest time of the year on Isla Mujeres, four young women similar in appearance to the Florida victims, are unaccounted for and have been reported as missing by concerned friends.

Longing for a reunion with her island friends Jessica Sanderson returns to Mexico on a solo visit, leaving her partner Mike Lyons with the challenging task of babysitting her legendary and finicky dog, Sparky.

When Jessica arrives on the island she is persuaded to participate in the annual children’s parade, wearing the Minnie Mouse costume. The parade is disrupted by an unexplained event, and Jessica becomes entangled in the mystery of the missing women.

Will Jessica be able to solve this mystery without the help of Sparky, her famous clue-finding pooch?

Available in online bookstores.

CANNED! My new mystery novel celebrates 30 years of craft brewing in S. Okanagan

 

Tin Whistle Brewing Company was created in 1995 by Lawrie and Lynda Lock, and Richard and Linda Grierson.

(Front) Steve Emshay, Richard Grierson, Lynda Lock, Dave Prechel  

(Back) Lawrie Lock, and his sister Linda Grierson

Photo credit Angela Prechel: 

1^st South Okanagan craft brewery, Tin Whistle Brewing Company

It began in 1995 with a phone call between Lawrie Lock, and his sister Linda Grierson. In 1994, Linda and her husband Richard, suggested that the four of us open the first craft brewery in the south Okanagan. 

It took a year to buy a property, remodel it, order custom-made tanks and equipment, and more importantly learn how to make English-style ales.

We opened the Tin Whistle Brewing Company in August 1995 with three ales; Penticton Pale Ale, Whistle Stop Dark, and Rattlesnake ESB. 

Three months later we changed the names to Coyote Pale, Black Widow Dark, and kept Rattlesnake ESB. By 1996 we had added Peaches and Cream, and Killer Bee Dark Honey.

In 1998, local businesswoman, Lorraine Nagy, approached us, asking if we were interested in selling our company. Yes, we were! We had enjoyed the challenge of the startup and were ready for a new adventure.

Lorraine Nagy remained the owner of Tin Whistle until 2021, when she sold it to the current owners, Alexis Esseltine, Tim Scoon, and their family.

Congratulations to Alexis and Tim for steering Tin Whistle Brewing Company on a fresh new course. Follow the link below to see their interesting array of new products.

https://www.tinwhistlebrewery.com/

~

My newest murder mystery is set in Penticton BC, 

The Craft Brewery Capital of Canada!

Canned Book #4

Canadian holiday ideas: Okanagan Fest of Ale, April 11th & 12th 2025

Food, fun, music, and amazing craft beers!

Follow this link for the video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kta9H8K3Rv4&t=210s

Okanagan Area Breweries

"Enjoy Okanagan hospitality and great craft beer year-round in Penticton.  Recently named Canada's Craft Beer Capital by Lonely Planet, and one of the Best Beer Towns in Canada by Expedia, and one of the Top 10 Best Destinations for Beer Enthusiasts, 2018 by askmen.co  Penticton's booming craft beer scene won't be BC's best-kept secret for much longer."

"Penticton boasts a lively craft beer scene.  It is home to 7 craft breweries which makes Penticton the beer capital of BC with more breweries per capita than any other Canadian city!"

"Long before the craft beer craze the city has acted as host for the Fest of Ale.  The annual festival features craft beer and cider from BC and beyond and is one of the longest-running and largest beer festivals in the Pacific Northwest."

"Many local establishments offer a great selection of craft brews and fabulous fare. Make plans to check out the year-round local craft breweries in the sudsy Okanagan."

Canadian holiday ideas: Herring Neck Dory Festival, July 17th to 20th, 2025

My plan for the foreseeable future is to promote Canada in any way that I can. Today's post is about Newfoundland, our most easterly province.

The annual Grassroots Cultural Festival in Herring Neck Newfoundland takes place July 17th to 20th, 2025. (Close to Twillingate and Iceberg Alley.)

Great Music, Fun Competition, and a Whole Lot of Community Spirit.

This community-based festival highlights some of Newfoundland's greatest traditions. From Kitchen Parties to Rowing Races and everything in between, the Herring Neck Dory Festival has fun for the whole family to enjoy.

The four-day festival will take place July 17-20, 2025.

Stay and play in Canada!

Nearby Twillingate, and iceberg alley

Best Sellers in Canadian Women Writers - Top 100

 Two of my mystery novels made the top 100 list. 

Trouble Isla hit #97, and Treasure Isla hit #99!! 

Grab your copy today, and join the adventure.

Available on most online bookstores

Isla Mujeres Mysteries

Treasure Isla

Trouble Isla

Tormenta Isla

Temptation Isla

Terror Isla

Twisted Isla

Tangled Isla

Death in the Vineyards Mysteries

CORKED

SMASHED

CRUSHED

When the world fell silent, by Donna Jones Alward (The Halifax Explosion December 6th, 1917)

When the world fell silent  (follow to purchase)

I just finished reading this fascinating historical novel about The Halifax Explosion by Donna Jones Alward. On 6 December 1917, the explosives-laden SS Mont-Blanc and SS Imo collided in Halifax Harbour, Nova Scotia, causing a massive explosion, a tidal wave, and fires. Nearly 2,000 people died and thousands more were injured in the largest man-made explosion (until the nuclear bombs). 206 people were blinded mainly from the window glass in their homes. Curious people watched the collision of two ships and the subsequent fire that set off the explosion. The Canadian National Institute for the Blind was formed on March 18th, 1918 to assist and re-train the blind survivors. 🇨🇦🇨🇦🇨🇦

(The novel is also available on Kindle.)

Additional note: the Halifax explosion took place in the middle of the 1st World War when thousands of young Canadians were shipping out to Europe.

It was followed by the virulent Spanish flu, a devastating and previously unknown form of influenza, that struck Canada hard between 1918 and 1920. This international pandemic killed approximately 50,000 people in Canada, most of whom were young adults between the ages of 20 and 40. These deaths compounded the impact of the more than 60,000 Canadians killed in service during the First World War (1914-18).

Inadequate quarantine measures, powerlessness against the illness, and a lack of national coordination between military, political, and public health authorities hindered the efforts of countless doctors, nurses, volunteers, and members of charitable organizations who were risking their lives to ensure that a large number of the ill and their families survived. The Spanish flu was a significant event in the evolution of public health in Canada. It led to the creation of the federal Department of Health in 1919, which established a partnership between the various levels of government and made public health a shared responsibility.