Local photographer, writer releases book of South Okanagan, Similkameen and Boundary photographs

A Landscape Like No Other: South Okanagan, Similkameen & Boundary Country is a new book of colour photos by Richard McGuire

South Okanagan photographer and writer Richard McGuire is celebrating the local region with a new book of his photography and bite-sized text descriptions of area landscapes, landmarks, communities and history.

The paperback coffee table book contains 60 pages with 47 full-page colour photographs and is titled: “A Landscape Like No Other: South Okanagan, Similkameen & Boundary Country.”

“Many Canadians and people outside Canada have no idea such a special corner of Canada exists,” says McGuire. “We have semi-arid, desert-like landscapes with plants and animals not found anywhere else in Canada. We have grasslands, ponderosa pine forests, blue lakes, vineyards and orchards. Even jagged rock formations and mountains with alpine tundra.”

Continue reading “Local photographer, writer releases book of South Okanagan, Similkameen and Boundary photographs”

Osoyoos Desert Centre cuts ceremonial ribbon for new boardwalk

MLA Roly Russell (in red) and Lee McFadyen, president of the Osoyoos Desert Society, cut the ceremonial ribbon to open the new boardwalk. At left is MP Richard Cannings. The walk was built over the winter by Osoyoos business C3 Industries, and was completed in early April. (Richard McGuire Photo)

A little rain and wind didn’t stop a ceremony to officially open the new 1.5-km boardwalk at the Osoyoos Desert Centre on Thursday, April 21 – the day before Earth Day.

The centre opens for visitors this Saturday, April 23.

Cutting the ceremonial ribbon were Boundary-Similkameen MLA Roly Russell and Lee McFadyen, president of the Osoyoos Desert Society. Continue reading “Osoyoos Desert Centre cuts ceremonial ribbon for new boardwalk”

Cycling around Osoyoos, B.C. in late November

I ride my Rad Power RadMini foldable e-bike on 89th Street north of Osoyoos in this selfie taken with a timer. The bike’s fat tires are excellent when riding off pavement. (Richard McGuire Photo)

I don’t normally post daily bike rides to social media as some people do with apps like Strava.

It can appear self indulgent — kind of like posting photos of your breakfast — and when I ride I’m more focused on getting exercise and enjoying the scenery than recording my ride.

I’m making an exception today because:

  • We’ve had a spell of gorgeous weather in Osoyoos, B.C. in the South Okanagan with temperatures at the end of November and early December climbing into the teens Celsius;
  • My ride on November 29, 2021, marked 5,000 km since I got my Rad Power RadMini foldable fat-tire e-bike in July 2020. That’s about the distance of Osoyoos to New Brunswick;
  • I recently got a Nikon Z6ii mirrorless camera that’s light enough I can take it on rides and shoot images with something other than my phone;
  • We live in a truly outstanding bicycling part of Canada and I want to encourage more locals to get out and ride and people elsewhere to consider a cycling holiday here in the South Okanagan.

Continue reading “Cycling around Osoyoos, B.C. in late November”

Winter e-biking: Learn from my mistakes and falls

Richard McGuire rides at Kettle Valley Recreation Area on his Rad Power RadMini with knobby tires and chains for winter conditions. (Richard McGuire photo)

By Richard McGuire

Most years, the first snowfall has signaled it’s time to put my bicycle away for the winter.

But last summer I bought my first electric bike, and I was having too much fun to put it away when we got an early snowfall on October 23. Besides, my sister in Halifax, who commutes by bicycle through the winter, encouraged me to keep going. Just watch for ice, she warned.

So although I’m an experienced cyclist, I’m a newbie when it comes to winter cycling. I hope that you can learn from my mistakes and falls.

  • Watch video on YouTube:

My e-bike is a Rad Power RadMini with four-inch-wide fat tires. The fat tires are good on snow, but their 20-inch diameter limits their ability to ride in snow deeper than a few inches.

The South Okanagan of British Columbia, where I live, has mild winters by Canadian standards, and its semi-desert climate means there’s often no snow, or the snow isn’t very deep. But with a short drive, you can be at a higher elevation and real winter conditions. Continue reading “Winter e-biking: Learn from my mistakes and falls”

Ebikes, Seniors and Osteoarthritis – How an ebike has changed my life

Richard McGuire rides on the KVR Trail up the west side of Skaha Lake between Okanagan Falls and Penticton. (Richard McGuire Photo)

Watch video on YouTube:

I’ve been a cyclist since I was five years old, but four years ago the osteoarthritis in my knees made cycling much more challenging – especially dealing with the many hills in the South Okanagan.

But cycling – like swimming – is excellent exercise for those with osteoarthritis in the knees. You’re not carrying your full weight on your knees and it’s low impact. Cycling strengthens leg muscles which – in combination with other exercises and medication – makes the arthritis more manageable.

When I rented an ebike in Vancouver in October 2019, I was hooked. Nine months later, after doing research and waiting six weeks because they were back ordered, my Rad Power Bicycles RadMini arrived. It’s a foldable (but heavy) ebike that I can load into the back of my car and take to interesting places.

With a traditional bike, I was no longer able to get up steep hills, and I had to walk my bike up, which defeated the purpose. Now, I’m able to increase the electric pedal assist and pedal up steep hills, still getting a good workout.

On flat ground, I can use minimal pedal assist, getting more or less the same exercise I would get on a traditional bike.

Ebikes allow seniors to continue cycling later in life and they’re a great way to get out and see the beautiful South Okanagan.

Cycling is fun. I feel like a kid again.

Osoyoos woman releases book about her lifetime struggle with childhood trauma

Bonnie Dust. (Richard McGuire Photo)

An Osoyoos woman, Bonnie Dust, has released a book telling of her lifetime struggle to cope with the impact of childhood trauma.

“It’s a Long and Winding Road: Finding Peace After My Struggle with Childhood Trauma” is a personal account of her mental health problems and a psychiatric system too eager to prescribe high doses of stupefying medications.

On the surface, Dust, now 71, appeared to have a normal childhood. She grew up on a farm near Osoyoos, British Columbia in the 1950s and 1960s. She rode horses and excelled in school and Girl Guides.

But for years she kept a secret about her encounters as a young child with an older man who lived nearby – encounters that left her traumatized. Continue reading “Osoyoos woman releases book about her lifetime struggle with childhood trauma”

Hello (again) world!

Richard McGuire

Welcome once again to richardmcguire.com.

In the past, this website has simply redirected to my Richard McGuire Photo website (richardmcguire.ca). Today I’m relaunching richardmcguire.com as a separate website, Richard McGuire Publishing, focusing more on the written word.

Watch this space for articles and commentary on subjects of interest, both to the South Okanagan of British Columbia and in the wider world.

This space will also be used to showcase books written by other writers, which I’ve been involved in publishing. Continue reading “Hello (again) world!”