Tuesday, 8 May 2012

Day 7- A Stone's Throw to Vernon

Woke up early despite my best intentions to sleep in. Relaxed around the house and made breakfast before packing and heading out by 11 AM. I felt relaxed but fatigued. Luckily today is a nice and short 60 KM day to Vernon.

I made my way back into Kelowna and located a bike shop to have my bike looked at. The mechanic was too swamped with work for me to get an appointment, but for 5$ he spent a few minutes adjusting my brakes, and it seemed to do the trick. I had been on the right track yesterday, I just lacked the fine tuning. Before I left Kelowna for good I satisfied my ice cream craving at a local shop and took some pictures of Ogopogo. I dont see why people cant get a good picture, its just sitting downtown. Hmmmm.

The first 15 KM out of Kelowna was through boring industrial, airport, and commerce area. After a 1 PM roadside lunch of rations and fresh veggies, I hit the road again and was soon back into the beautiful lakeside cliffs and farmland dominant area.

Being in the Okanagan Valley like I have been for the last two days, there is an abundance of apple orchards and vineyards along many sections of the highway. They smell great and add a very scenic quality to the area. I have always heard people talk about the Okanagan Valley, and now that I have arrived I find it rather different than I imagined. The climate and landscape is a lot drier than I expected, and if not for the prolific number of farms, I could be fooled into thinking that it is not the agricultural centre that it is.

After two more hours of beautiful scenery, I reached the outskirts of Vernon, and one wicked hill later I am coasting into town. I ride through town and make a left turn out into the countryside to Caitlin's family's house, where I am sleeping tonight. The O'Learys are very kind and welcoming, and provided me with a great supper and dessert. I continue to be thankful for the support I have recieved so far.

Tomorrow I will begin making my way into the beautiful Rocky Mountain territory, where I will be travelling the next few days. In particular, tomorrow I will be travelling 140 KM to Revelstoke. I look forward to more fantastic scenery to come.

I really needed the extra rest that today afforded; I can feel how tired I am, and I have a few more days until my next scheduled rest day in Calgary.





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