India, July 13 -- Most of the attention British Columbia, Canada's westernmost province, gets is for its mountains and rainforest-dotted coastline, but the interior has its jewels too, namely the Okanagan Valley.

The Okanagan is composed of a cluster of small cities and towns that were built around Okanagan Lake and Highway 97, the longest continuous north-south highway in North America. The route stretches from northern California to the British Columbia-Yukon border in northern Canada and spans just over 2,500 miles-the Okanagan Scenic Highway portion is 130 miles.

Sitting on the unceded territory of three Interior Salish nations: the Syilx, Secwepemc, and Nlaka'pamux peoples, the Okanagan is filled with everything from tall mountai...