A Place Called "Moose Chin"

We Canadians know our geography. At least, Canadian geography. So we know that Canada boasts a city called Moose Jaw. We are quite sure, thank you very much, that Canada does not have a city named Moose Chin. To suggest that we do is really quite absurd.

Apparently our friend Mark has the inside scoop on such things. Last week he introduced us to a "place called Moose Chin". We questioned, we mocked, okay, we downright ridiculed.

We were wrong. We were so wrong. I would like to introduce to you a little town called Vernon. "The natives called this place "Hun-cul-deep moose-chin" or jumping over place. The city is named for George Forbes Vernon the Chief Commission of Lands and Works. This town of 24,000 is the major business centre for the northern Okanagan. It is located at the junction of four valleys, the Priest, the Pleasant, Coldstream and Mission. The pleasant Valley stretches 75 north past Armstrong and Enderby to Sicamous on Shuswap Lake. The town is also bordered by three lakes: Okanagan, Kalamalka and Swan and has great sandy beaches accessible to all."

Sounds great. Maybe Mark will take us there sometime-if we can ever stop laughing.