May 18, 2000 – Day 11

I took a lot of pictures on this trip, and, as you have probably noticed so far, a lot of them aren’t very good. But I’d like to think they add a bit of charm to this, feeling a bit more raw and in the moment.

On some days, such as this, I end up with a lot more pictures than I do journal, so there will be days which are image heavy. While the pictures are in order of how they were shot, they are not in sync with the events in the journal (there’d be a lot of clumping if that was the case!)

It’s funny, but early on in this day I mention flipping a coin to choose the route I’d take. In a few days it’s going to become apparent how fateful that coin flip was. A hint can be seen at the progress map on the end.

May 18- Day 11

It was a dry night, no dew in or on the tent.

I’m by a beautiful peaceful river, the birds are singing and the sky is blue… so why don’t I feel happy? Maybe because I’ve got nobody to share it with. I think I’m the type of person who feeds off other peoples emotions, which is probably part of the reason I’m always helpful. But when I look at this gorgeous scenery I can’t help but think “that’s nice, when do I leave?”

Before I left, the English couple gave me a cup of tea, and I gave them a poem. It was the same one as before, but for them it was even more appropriate.

It’s almost noon, I’m at Keremeos, and I’m totally, totally torn. I get different opinions from everyone about which route to take from here. Some recommend going up to Kelowna and then over the #1, while others recommend the #3 all the way. Which is worse? Neither. Which is better? Neither. Which is shorter? NEITHER! How did I choose? In the end, I flipped a coin.

Time spent cycling: 8:44:05!
Distance traveled: 166.91km!
Total distance: 632km
Average Speed: 19.1 kph
Maximum speed: 78.1 kph
Current Location: Bear Creek Provincial Park (outside Kelowna)

Oh my god am I in pain! My left knee is killing me, I can’t even walk properly. I am serious, this HURTS! But today had its upside as well. As you can see, I covered a lot of territory today. Nearly 167km! Not bad, eh?

The land here was mostly arid, desert like in quality. Dry enough that the fields I passed needed constant irrigation.

Quest for Babes: as a side note, when I was in Keremeos, I heard I had missed two young ladies also crossing Canada by bicycle by only two hours. I was tempted to hurry to catch up with them, since the person who told me also knew their general route, the #3 (Crowsnest highway). Largely because I could use the company, a bit because I thought I could use them in the story. In the end, though, I changed direction and headed north…

I headed for Penticton with visions of gloom and despair about my choice. They are both bad choices, but the north route has two advantages. First I will pass Kelowna, which will allow me to update everyone via internet. Second, I heard that the hills aren’t quite as steep (with a couple of exceptions) and the roads have broad shoulders.

As I headed up another seemingly endless uphill, I came to Yellow Lake, which is basically a giant aquarium. You see, because it’s a very still lake, it has very little oxygen, and thus no fish. To fix this they installed two giant air pumps at either side and run it as needed to keep oxygen levels up. Thus fish can thrive and be caught by anglers.

On a sidetrack, I should note that despite the hardship that you’ll hear about further on, the weather was great and I stopped a few time for fresh apples and oranges. Mmmmmmm… fruit has never tasted so sweet as it did then! I also picked up a 1950’s SF novel at a yard sale in Hedley.

After Yellow Lake, it was almost all downhill! My God did I cover ground! By the time I hit Penticton it wasn’t even 2 o’clock! My average speed was around 25kph, and frequently I was in the 60-70kph range. In fact, at one point I recorded my trip down one of the hills, including a near accident at of 50 on a unseen bump.

Penticton was surprisingly big! It was really nice with tons of attractions. An airport, a beach, a huge lake, boat rides, water skiers, malls… I left it as soon as I bought some Tiger Balm for my knee. The red kind, extra strength. That and a bag of cheddar popcorn.

I was cocky after this last run, and thought I could make it to Kelowna before 8. For as far as the eye could see it seemed the road hugged the coast line. For a long time it did, and I was doing 30kph on the straightaways. Then I hit Summerland, and it kicked me with a nasty surprise. I guess coastal folks don’t like highways going through their backyards, so it was a loooong walk uphill for me as I went around it. Then it went down and I made up for lost time, until the next one, and the next, and the next.

Finally, after passing Westbank, it was downhill to Kelowna. By this time my knee was in so much pain that I couldn’t walk on it without gritting my teeth or screaming. I kept peddling because it hurts less when I don’t stop. This was agony, but I had to make it to Bear Creek, the nearest provincial park, where I hoped to do the same thing as the night before.

I could just write for a few pages about my pain, but I’ll skip to the end. I made it to Bear Creek at 8:30, with about 45 minutes of sunlight to spare. You can see Kelowna from the lakeshore, but I’ll have to backtrack 7km just to get to the turnaround to get there. I found a nice couple from Holland here on holidays who didn’t charge me a dime and gave me tea and cookies. I love good people.

So, I’m staying here at least one day. After that, my knee will decide. Which way I go is equally uncertain (either through Kelowna, or on a local road this side of the river) but I have time enough to worry about that tomorrow.