The Big Day

Day 13. Penticton to Beaverdale. 89 miles. 4331 feet elevation. Weather perfect

Lake Okanogan was the beautiful backdrop to about 50 miles of my riding today. The kvr trail slowly climbs from the south end of the lake up and over the mountain. As it weaves back and forth, you get to watch the lake below, and eventually, as you move further north, you get to look down on Kelowna, which is probably one of the prettiest areas in Canada.

One of the train tunnels on the trail was especially interesting. It was long enough that it was dark all the way through it. Someone had wired it so that lights would come on in response to a sensor as you move forward – just one light at a time. Unfortunately, these sensors were just a little bit off, and it felt like you were going to fall into the void, and then the light would come on. To add further to the fun, they had also wired in a train whistle. As you got into the middle of the dark tunnel with light barely illuminating your path and the lights already turned off behind you, a train whistle starts going off. These Canadians have a great sense of humor.

Today, I was also fortunate to ride across Myra Canyon. It has something like 12 huge railroad trestles. By the time I reached Myra Canyon, I’d been peddling uphill for about 45 miles. I laid down on a bench and fell asleep next to one of the trestles. I’m not even sure how long I slept, but it sure felt good. I was a little surprised that one of the kind Canadians had not put a blanket over me while I rested.

The trestles were part of the Canadian Pacific Railroad and have been rebuilt. It’s a beautiful ride. One that when Gloria and I did it the first time in 2019 we decided we had to bring our family to do it and in fact we did two years ago. That particular day has become part of the folklore of our family as one of the family members decided to take their own unique route to the start of the ride and ended up doing some four wheeling in their minivan.

All the fun and the beautiful views did come at a price. This was the longest day that I’ve ridden so far. The elevation gain was on the lower side of what I’ve been doing, and gratefully, it was mostly gained via rail trail, meaning a low grade. But it was still almost a 90-mile day, and I didn’t get into Beaverdale till almost 8:00.

Thankfully, I was staying at the Last Resort, which is a set of cabins with a common shower and kitchen. They had left me dinner,  breakfast, and lunch for tomorrow. The beers we’re left unused, but it was a thoughtful gesture. It was sure nice to have a meal when I arrived so late.