Mary-Jo in the Okanagan

The Fall is upon us

2010-08-30T09:34:00.000-07:00

This morning at around 5.45 am, a loon was singing out in the lake - I love that sound, at this time of year though it also is a harbinger of fall - we have lost all the heat on the lake it seems and that is a little sad - there are lots of things that I love about the fall but this summer has just whizzed by.

September is going to be fun though - we have several large tours arriving to take advantage of the fall wine season - which is nice - the wine season extends our tourist season well into October which really didn't use to be the case.

Some of our itineraries for both the north and south Okanagan have evolved nicely this year, in the south the 5 hour tour has really been better received by our guests - so next year, I will look at how often I offer the 3 hour "Simply Sipping"

The Map Book and Visitor Planner sales have gone well - so we should be finished up on time and start the distribution process - that does take more time and energy than I previously imagined - maybe I am just getting a little older. I am pleased with some of the new ideas in the book this year - so the product is evolving nicely to a premiem product in our marketplace. Yahoo!! it has been a lot of work over the years.

Wine Tours.... a great new season has started

2010-05-02T12:41:00.000-07:00

It is a very exciting time for us. We have developed several new tours for the 2010 season and they are going great guns!!! - so..this is a pretty nice way to start our summer season.

The new"Discover the Gold in the Golden Mile" features lunch and a special tasting at Hester Creek. Kathy Mercier (of Hester Creek) gave us a great "discover your wine palate tasting" that was followed by lunch by the Dolci Deli - it was delectable.

Our guests had great comments "this is better than any wine tasting I had in Europe" and "I can't believe that this is available in the Okanagan" So it bodes well for the season this summer - I am very excited about all the new offerings this year.

Just yesterday, I completed a custom tour that incorporated the new comprehensive tasting at Black Hills Winery. WOW... this tour, which was conducted by Dan Yoja, was worth every penny, he is a very knowledgeable guide- we even had the unique opportunity of doing a barrel tasting!!! This is a great new product for Black Hills -and it was the highlight for many in our group.

Another, Great Discovery for me yesterday was the wines of Young and Wyse - Michelle Young presented thier new vintages at lunch - both the Merlot and the Shiraz were presented - I loved thier Merlot - it had great colour and aroma and worked perfectly with the Chicken and Camembert sandwich that I had chosen - I am going to work hard to find a way to incorporate this new winery into our tours - this is a great find for newcomers to the region.

Our new bus worked well - it is much nicer to be able to stand up getting on and off the bus and we have a real fridge on Board so our water and little snacks are just the perfect temperature - the speaker system also worked well yesterday - its nice to start the season with something new for our long time customers - MJ

Easter Week

2010-04-05T11:07:00.000-07:00

The past couple of weeks have just gone by so fast - that I find it hard to hard to believe.

I attended the Calgary Golf Show and while attendance was a bit of a dissappointement - we did get good participation in our gift package so that was nice. While I worked that weekend, some people came by and said that they had already received the 2010 Map Book and Visitor Planner in the mail, so they didn't need to pick one up at the show. They were very complimentary about the Map Book - so I was pleased that our distribution is paying off - several said that they had already planned and booked trips to our area. Yahoo!!

We are now in the process of finishing up our Tear off Map - of the Vernon area - this is very popular locally and it should be out in early May so I have a rather large deadline looming for that project.

Wine Tour bookings have started - which is always a sign of the new season starting - we are excited about the development of a new Golden Mile Tour, which will feature lunch and pairings at Hester Creek and finish the day at Inniskilling for an ice wine vertical tasting - should be a wonderful day showcasing the wines in the region.

Finally Easter, which is one of my favorite times with the family. Spring is in the air and it is just nice to celebrate with the ones you love. We had a weekend full of family - one night at my mothers' with all my brothers and sister (we are all getting older, so it is nice to have occasion to visit all of them) followed by dinner at our home for all 8 of our grandchildren and thier parents - Easter Ham and Scallops Potatoes - easy and homey for me to share with the family - Happy Easter Everyone!!

Edmonton Golf Show and the Rocky Mountains showing off thier best

2010-03-18T07:43:00.001-07:00

Spent last weekend at the Edmonton Golf Show. We are trying to be more aggressive this year with the distribution of the Vernon and North Okanagan Map Book- so we have really enhanced our direct mail campaign into our target markets of Vancouver, Edmonton and Calgary - and we has supplemented these direct mail campaigns with attendance at trade shows in these same target markets.
Our give away contest was quite a nice weekend here in Vernon, that features; a round of golf for 2, a wine tour for 2 as well as 2 nights accommodation - people were directed to go to the website, in order to enter the draw. We had quite a good response which is great!!!- the more people who access http://www.virtualvernon.com/ for thier information, the better the exposure for our advertizers - so this is a great first step.
On the way back from Edmonton, I decided to turn off at Red Deer and take the road to Rocky Mountain House that connects to the Banff Parkway- luck was with me, because it was a sunny clear day and there had been recent snow in the pass - so the parkway was simply spectacular - breathtaking.
I think this drive is one of the most beautiful in the world - at least it is the most awe inspiring drive that I have every been on, the conditions could not have been better to see the Great Divide and the Glaciers in thier sparkling winter glory - it was worth the whole trip and the long drive home to get the opportunity to see the mountains at this time of year - simply wonderful.

Onwards to Edmonton and other spring initiatives

2010-03-09T10:59:00.000-08:00

MJO Tours is going to the Edmonton Golf Show this weekend - March 9 and 10 - the potential number of visitors to that event is 10,000!!! So I am counting on this to be a great way to promote our Map Book and Visitor Planner as well as the tours we offer to the Okanagan - We have put a good giveaway package together (with golf and wine tours included- what could be better!!) so I am hoping that we see some great results. Have to admit though, that the weather here, which is simply wonderful now -is going to be hard to leave - Edmonton is still a little chilly for my tastes.

In order to augment the awareness of the North Okanagan in Alberta, we will also be doing a direct mail of our Map Book and Visitor Planner to over 25,000 households in the Edmonton region. yeh!! In another two weeks, we will be in Calgary with our direct mail as well as attend the Calgary Golf Show.

On another note the initial sales of "Eat Well" our local food and farm guide is going well. We are focusing on farms and local foods around Vernon and the concept has been very well received and our first edition every should be on the streets by May.

MJO Tours in the south Okanagan, will have a new 20 passenger bus this year!! Which is great news for our product down there, we will have a 3 hour scheduled tour every morning with pick up from all the hotels in the area and then in the afternoon - we will have a 4.5 hour hour which will include wine and food pairings, exclusive vertical tastings at a variety of wineries - this is our real show stopper because the experience is not available anywhere else and really provides a great wine country experience- this high end tour will change daily throughout the season rotating between the Black Sage Bench, to the Golden Mile and will also feature a day of touring the Similkameen Organic Wineries. Our first tour of the season has already booked whew!! but these tours will be great. Get your friends and join us if you can take the time

Spring is in the Air

2010-03-02T14:59:00.000-08:00

We have been very lucky here in Vernon, our winter has been almost none existant and today it is sunny and bright. Today, we are finalizing some of our summer wine tours - it is always an exciting time to see what we can provide that is new and exciting. Our goal, of providing high end exclusive tours of the area, really depends on our suppliers and we are so lucky to be working with wineries that really get it and every year they seem to be increasing thier offerings and their special experiences - so simply wonderful to work with. http://www.booktheokanagan.com/okanagan-vacation-packages/index.php
Our first trade show is in Edmonton, Alberta - March 13-14 - a big crowd is expected and we have our website and brochures all ready to go- so I am looking forward to seeing the response.
I have decided to drive to Edmonton, in order to drop off the Map Books as I travel to Edmonton and just ensure that some of the high traffic area along the route have our maps - this is such an important time to get our message out - sometimes I have to stop and not get too overwhelmed there always seems to be so much to do and just not enough hours in the day.

2010-01-28T11:01:00.000-08:00

The new 2010 Map book and Visitor Planner has arrived , distribution has started with 20,000 being delivered to homes in Vernon and another 25,000 to targeted homes in the Vancouver area. Response has been great!! - people have really liked the new clear photos and the easy to navigate sections in this year's guide. The Winter Cover wrap with our Winter Carnival photo has also been very well received - and ...now we have the e-book ready to distribute TAKE A LOOK!!http://epaperflip.com/aglaia/viewer.aspx?docid=1cd5b98a4d37464eac553c3310059b96 Send it to all your friend and family that are thinking of making Vernon thier next holiday destination!!!

Give us your input- we are starting to work on our next booklet right away so if there are articles that you would like to see, or images that you think we need to really showcase this area - just let us know

2009-11-06T08:59:00.000-08:00

This weekend, November the 7, we have donated a Wine Tour and Wine Pairing Dinner to benefit the Performing Arts. The wine tour itself will be fun - off season staff have so much more time to talk to the clients so that will be awesome. We have also created a wonderful dinner menu with paired wines but I have already been cooking for 2 days and now I am a little nervous about pulling it all off - here is the menu
To Start
Mango Curry Crab in Wonton Wrappers -
Pairing Sumac Ridge Gewurztraminer 07
Lobster Bisque
Pairing Burrowing Owl Chardonnay 08
Seared Sable Fish Pairing Viognier Rousanne Marsanne 08
Cantaloupe and Cream Sherry Granita
Beef Tenderloin with Wild Mushroom Stuffing
w/ Port Wine reduction
Rutabaga/ Green Beans/ Stuffed Tomato
Pairing Burrowing Owl Merlot 2003, 2004, 2005
Pear St Helen
Pairing“Impearfection” from Forbidden Fruit Winery
Cheese Platter to Follow

Anyway ....wish me luck - it will be a great way to appreciate our local wines and produce but I am a little nervous - this being the first time.

Fall Wine Festival in the Okanagan

2009-10-14T14:16:00.000-07:00

Just returned from a very successful Fall Wine Festival Tour - the tour itself consisted of 3 nights accommodation and 4 days of activities including two rounds of golf but the real highlight was the 2 Winemaker's Dinners.

The first was at Burrowing Owl Winery and the evening started with wonderfully paired appetizers served in the wine cellar with the sounds of a harp softly playing in the background - it was an extraordinary experience really. Then, the dinner was 4 courses featuring such items as "Brandy infused Bisque" paired with 2007 Chardonnay" - a simply delightful evening - with everyone very pleased with the food and the experience as a whole.

The second night - we travelled from Osoyoos to See Ya Later Ranch in Okanagan Falls. The trip itself did seem a little long but the meal once again was simply delicious. This evening featured library wines from the See Ya Later Ranch and Hawthorne Mountain Vineyards(some of my personal favorites) and wonderful food such as Pan Seared Queen Charlotte Sable fish - an evening to remember for some time!! a bit smaller, more intimate crowd and a night none of us will soon forget .

Most are already asking about next year, which speaks for itself in terms of having a great break from reality right here at home in the Okanagan.

Sunday, one of the first real days of summer

2009-05-31T17:11:00.000-07:00

Wow, today was a great summer day - David and I decided to go biking with Colleen and John - it was my first bike ride of the season, so they were kind to me and we just rode the Back Enderby road to Grindrod and back - a short and fairly flat road.
It was perfect, the fields were such a great colour or colours of green - with the river flowing gently just beyond the fields - it is days like this that I realise just how lucky I am to be living here in Vernon - we are so close to so many truly beautiful little spots.
When we arrived back at the house, the grandkids were over having a swim - they are getting to be really strong in the water - all in all a great day - finally summer... and we can be outside again- I am thrilled

Planet Bee

2009-05-26T11:34:00.000-07:00

Today was great fun - I met the grandkids (all seven) at Planet Bee and Ed gave us a tour of Planet Bee while we made a video for the website - it is fun to watch the different little personalities and what sort of information facinates them - Finn really wanted to see the queen bee and Loch was facinated by the "bee dance" and how they found thier way back to hive - the little ones ofcourse were way more interested in the honey sticks and some of the stuffed animals - but is was a nice way to spend some time with them and Ed from Planet Bee is a very patient man - I think it will look great on the site -

Intro

2009-05-20T12:26:00.000-07:00

Hi I am Mary Jo O'Keefe and I own and operate MJO Tours and the Virtualvernon website in the Okanagan. As a long time resident of the area I have a passion for the Okangan and my community that I would like to share with you. Last November I was elected to Vernon City Council and currently sit on many boards such as the Downtown Vernon Association, Vernon Chamber of Commerce, O'Keefe Ranch, Greater Vernon Advisory and others - I will provide you with insights into this region and some of its delights that you should be sure not to miss.

first post

2009-05-20T12:18:00.000-07:00

Well, the season finally started for us after a cool spring. We booked 2 tours in the South Okanagan for the spring wine festival - fantastic time to see wine country because the wineries are all open but ... not so buzy so the winemakers really have time to talk to you and give you great insight into the wine making process - so our response was great "Bill and I (and all of us) really enjoyed you and Mikey's hospitality and expertise. It really was a slice of heaven!! It was a day of memories and flavours! Nothing needs to be changed, it was perfect! Thank you,"

These two tours were a great start to our season - we are looking forward to the rest of the summer.