May 16, 2014

Think trucks, RVs, and ATVs and you can imagine the kind of country I cut through today. The usual route heads further south before north again. My very soul rebelled against that idea after all the hard work of a few days ago. The only alternative is a cross country road with 40km of dirt road. Luck proverbially changes third time around and did it pay off. The first part of the day wound around ranch lands and cottage country. Isolation would be the word of the day.  Naturally, I fretted about the condition of the coming dirt road so was very relieved to come across a couple of cyclists coming my way.  They assured me the road was very bike-able. To add to the luck, I came across a country store with a restaurant in the middle of nowhere where I enjoyed a very delicious burger. To give you a sense of the place, here people roll up on their ATV to use the pay phone beside the road.

The dirt road turned out to be packed hard for most of the way with some potholes and bumps. It certainly far surpassed the Kettle Valley Railtrail, which I tried for a few kilometers but is impassable by touring bike. It’s an ATV trail! I snub my nose at you because the road I took more than made up for whatever you could have offered oh trail. I write a lot about sight but the smells and sounds are equally arresting, especially off the beaten path. It rained a little so as I rolled through the ranch lands the birds seems to sing with joy at their newly washed world. The grass lands also have a pleasant, distinctly sweet aroma. I couldn’t inhale enough of it. Sadly, these are things you miss when you’re on a highway.

Finally, coming down the mountain into the Okanagan Valley was more than I had hoped for. I knew the region has much to offer but the transition from semi arid forest and grassland to lush orchards was dramatic. I was flying down a winding road so couldn’t stop to capture the transition. Coming down into Summerland, I kept thinking this is what the writers of Genesis must have imagined as Eden. Because the valley is narrow here, the orchard are located in compact pieces on the hillside much like the iconic vineyard of Italy for example. The apple trees are just in bloom and the lilacs at their fragment peak. You could tell people prized their agricultural lands here where just a town over in Peachland, I saw one orchard and it wasn’t even peaches.

Road Report:147km
The Princeton Summerland road is half dirt as mentioned. If you up for a little adventure, you can ask for more pleasant cycling. Expect some bumps and you’re set. The Okanagan Highway is busy and doesn’t allow for a lot of scene gazing.