I’m Going The Wrong Way

Something was noticeably amiss when I started my ride this morning. Although, not immediately. Immediately, the ride was very much the status quo as I found myself eating (and stocking up) at Subway which was conveniently located just down the road from last night’s stay at the Rider’s Motor Inn.

Upon leaving Subway though, that’s when I noticed a distinct difference in today’s ride. Not only was the wind at my back but the sun was in my face. The latter being particularly odd for someone who is supposed to be travelling west. Hey, I’ve never seen the sun come up in the west. Of course, it didn’t, but I figured that would be the only time on this trip I’d be able to use those lyrics! For the first time since this journey began I was heading east. Towards Ontario (No-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o!).

While technically I was riding towards Ontario (ugh), Kelowna is actually the next (and likely final) detour point en route to Vancouver. However, with Kelowna being a bit far for one day, my destination for today was Vernon, which is about 120 km east of Kamloops.

Today’s ride started rather easily and I found the road out of Kamloops to be very scenic. Then again, most roads out here seem to have that quality. The first 25 km were particularly easy, not to mention aided by a slight tailwind. Not enough of a tailwind to significantly affect my pace but it’s always nice to have the wind at your back.

The ride became significantly (yet expectedly) more challenging at Monte Creek where I followed Highway 97 and was immediately greeted by a long, steep hill. This was definitely the most significantly climb I had seen lately. And, having looked at the map before I started, I anticipated this sort of climbing would make up the better part of my morning. In reality, it wasn’t that bad. And it wasn’t a full 10-20 km climb that the elevation chart had led me to expect. I have to say, elevation charts are generally very deceptive. But today, it was in my favour.

Deceptive can also be used to describe weather forecasts. On many times on this trip I’ve found myself thinking about the second instalment of the Back To The Future trilogy where they travel into the future. 2015 to be exact. Clearly their prediction of incredibly accurate weather forecasts didn’t really pan out. Then again, the lack of hover-boards and flying cars is equally noticeable. Anyway, today’s weather forecast clearly called for westerly winds all day. Not uncommon on this trip. But with me actually travelling east today, I was looking forward to finally enjoying a westerly wind. Movie Quote Alert: Get used to disappointment.

About halfway through today’s ride it was more than a little obvious that I was facing a headwind – again making me feel that I could bike around the block and have a headwind the entire time. I know, first world problems. Fortunately, the headwinds were kind enough to hold off until after the bulk of the day’s climbs were behind me. And, to be completely honest, the headwinds did not dominate the day. I was just completely surprised by their appearance in the first place.

The rest of my ride went very smoothly and was very enjoyable. I stopped a couple of times along the way to eat and/or take some photos. I passed a couple other cyclists along the way as well as a lot of very beautiful scenery. There was also some not so beautiful scenery as I passed what was once a seemingly lush mountainside forest but it now just a vast collection of burnt trees from a forest fire gone by. I don’t know how long ago the fire in question destroyed this area’s forest, but the grass surrounding the burnt trees leads me to believe it was several years ago. Side note: I later learned that the fire was in 2003.

The ride into Vernon was yet another beautiful ride. As I rapidly coasted down a long hill towards the city, the views were stunning as I gazed at the lake, the mountains, and orchards of fruits and vegetables (although, mainly fruits) growing in abundance. The temptation to pick a few was very strong. The again, the speed of my descent made that less than feasible. Maybe another time.

I pedalled my way through town towards my Warm Showers host for the night. I was planning on arriving between 4:00 – 5:00 pm and I was right on schedule. I like when that happens. Along the way there were more scenic views including a small but nice beach area. It was clearly a popular place as there certainly wasn’t a lack of people enjoying it.

My day came to a successful conclusion with the meeting of my Warm Showers host, Glennis. And once again it was another great Warm Showers experience. Glennis was very welcoming and we had some great conversations which included some incredible stories of her worldly travels! Fascinating and entertaining! We also wasted no time in solving all (or at least a majority) of Canada’s political problems. If only Steve, Justin, and Tom would take our calls. Hmmmm … perhaps we should start a new political party. Oh, and there was an excellent dinner in there too. Did I mention Glennis shares my appreciation for ice cream? Yes, today was another very good day.

Today’s totals:
Distance travelled: 120.46 km
Ride time: 5:25: 58
Average speed: 22.17 km/h
Maximum speed: 57.36 km/h