Day seven took us from Penticton to Vernon. It was the
midpoint in the ride in terms of distance and days. The distance of today's
ride was suppose to be 118 but with some creative detours, we were able to
stretch it to 130 though the extra was on the flat and so the vertical was 1150
by RJDs Garmin, which is always less than MapMyRide. The extra detours
were always to put us on quieter roads where we could enjoy the scenery without
all the traffic. We also stopped by Joanne and Lee's for lunch which
added a few more metres. It was the
longest ride so far. Though not conveyed
by the MapMyRide distances, we actually have had each day being longer than the
last for the first seven days.
The shocking news for all this data, it was our second lowest
calorie output day. And after our load at the Penticton Buffet where we
ate all we could to power us through what was suppose to be a big day.
The Okanagan I think lived up to expectation. We did stop
early at a fruit stand and bought BC cherries for a higher cost than Washington
cherries at Superstore. The cherries lasted the whole day and were a nice
treat. The weather was typical Okanagan weather and the woman at our
hotel's front desk even described it as hot (as we like it). The views
were more beautiful than the pictures will convey. On a bike you get to
see orchards and properties that are missed by car traffic because they are
behind you and only evident when you stop to look behind you. We saw
plenty of cherry and apple trees though I am sure there were other fruits as
well. At this time of the year, the grapes are not evident enough to know
if they are red or green but acres of vineyards.
RJD saw a few sail boats as we cycled but the motor boat was the
most common water vehicle. We did watch someone slalom skiing for a few turns.
Just not to leave you with the impression that every day is
idyllic, today was supposed to be a heavy traffic day and it lived up to the
expectation. The climbs included Harley motorcycles with no mufflers and
diesel trucks pulling RVs to negate the tranquility that one might expect
riding through comparable vineyards in France. If you recall rides in
France where traffic gives you many feet of margin and pass at a few kph faster
than you to avoid startling you, this is not true for all Canadian drivers.
I look forward to the quiet days ahead as we leave the weekend vacation traffic
of the Okanagan behind.
Got to our hotel and the hot tub was hot and the pool open so we
could relax and stretch to get ready for tomorrow. Tomorrow, the ride of
mountain lakes. Stay tuned.
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