What amazing scenes we viewed on our ride today. It goes to show that hard work definitely pays off. We started the day knowing it was going to be our longest ride this week at 130km and that there'd be a lot of climbing. We woke up cold, again (you'd think we'd learn, even now I'm laying on my mattress thinking it's supposed to be warmer tonight 😃), our tent fly was wet from dew meaning I threw it in a garbage bag and put it in my duffle. We hit the road at the earliest time so far, 7:20, and began our ride by going across a covered bike/pedestrian bridge. The next 33 km was on a road that runs parallel to the Hwy but across the river. It was a lot of rolling hills, but a very quiet road. The only issue we had with the road was that about 1/3 of the road was bumpy which is extremely hard on your hands, elbows and knees. The rolling hills continued until about km 70 where a small incline began. From our elevation chart it had looked worse than it was, which was appreciated. At about km 80 a steeper grade began until 88. It was so hot, or is so hot, that this section was so hard. The road has little to no shade at all along it, so every tree that cast the smallest shadow became a break to drink water. Also there was a tailwind but it was the same speed as we were biking so it felt like there was no wind, then we'd stop and there'd be wind. Temperatures hit 34 degrees today in places. We finally made it to the rest stop at what we thought was the top but was told that there was more to the top yet, there wasn't. It was a few rolling hills and then one very long downhill, with such a nice grade that I hit 68km/h. Sara was ahead of me and then I see her look back just as I noticed a pothole in the road. Now typically cyclists will shout out to eachother and signal with our hands if there's debris on the roads, potholes, turns etc., however on a downhill that fast it is extremely hard to do, which is why sara looked back, to check if I had avoided it too. Following that were a lot of downhills where we were going in the 50s and 60s. It was a great relief and so much fun. There were so many beautiful views, it was hard not to stop to take a picture even on the middle of a downhill. We reached Penticton where the roads were busy for the Canada Day long weekend celebrations. I had a close call, I was biking through an intersection watching that the light wouldn't turn yellow so Sara and I could both make it through when all of a sudden a vehicle started turning left from the incoming traffic, even though I had the right of way. I hit my brakes and thankfully she did too so I continued but she was mad at me, so Sara came to my rescue and signalled that the lady had been in the wrong. So, thank-you for your prayers, they kept me safe today. The rest of the ride was uneventful, although I had no idea there were so many little provincial parks just out of Penticton on the Hwy. We stopped at one briefly for some shade and water. We made it to the Peach Orchard Campground turn off and were biking alongside the lake, I got really excited about going swimming. However, the road turned away from the beach and up a short big hill, which I didn't feel like walking or biking down to and then back up from. Thankfully right beside our campsite is a fast flowing creek. Sara and I went and sat in it for a bit letting the quite cold water soothe our aching muscles 💪.
The Well, which is a church plant out of Kelowna, brought us Chili for supper, it was delicious, thank you! My bike had stopped shifting properly so I asked our mechanic, to take a look, it was a quick adjustment which he explained how to do, so I should be all set to go.
Now to one and all, may the Lord bless you, May the Lord keep you and May the Lord cause his face to shine on you and give you his peace. Amen
130.6 Km
5h55min biking
68.7 km/h top speed
Avg speed 22km/h approximately
The Well, which is a church plant out of Kelowna, brought us Chili for supper, it was delicious, thank you! My bike had stopped shifting properly so I asked our mechanic, to take a look, it was a quick adjustment which he explained how to do, so I should be all set to go.
Now to one and all, may the Lord bless you, May the Lord keep you and May the Lord cause his face to shine on you and give you his peace. Amen
130.6 Km
5h55min biking
68.7 km/h top speed
Avg speed 22km/h approximately