Day 16 Kelowna to Cherryville BC
After a great rest day in Kelowna - Jacqui and I walked a few kilometers of the famous Kettle Valley Railway and
generally just had a great time visiting - Jacqui rode out with me through Kelowna this morning. That was great since
getting through Kelowna on a bicycle is a bit challenging. We rode down to the floating bridge across the lake and across
the bridge on the 'sidewalk.' That was Ok, if a bit tight on the two convention bridge sections that connect to the floating
part. Then we took a lovely bike path (which heads to the right as you come off the bridge) under 97 and along the harbor
into downtown Kelowna.

Finally we rode east on city streets to eventually connect to CA 97. We had a bit of a delay when a piece of sharp metal
did in both my rear Top Touring tire and the thorn proof tube in it. It slashed through the sidewalk of the tire and through
the quarter inch thick tube, And I thought that combination was indestructible! We walked our bikes four block or so to a
good bike store and I bought a Specialized Nimbus EX to replace the TT 2000. That was as close as I could come to a
700c touring tire in Kelowna. It is a 700x28 which is almost the same size as the Conti 700x32. With luck, it will be good
for the rest of this tour.

97 was not ideal riding in Kelowna. It is a busy four lane road with no shoulder and lots of turn lanes to make life eve
more interesting. On the other hand, it has a slower speed limit and more courteous drivers than any similar road I have
ridden in the States! After leaving Kelowna, 97 is a moderate speed freeway with a good shoulder until Winfield, where
we stopped for lunch and then Joy headed back to Kelowna. Actually we made an intermediate stop to replace Jacqui's
front derailleur cable which broke.  I just happen to carry several since my rear shifter eats cables...

North of Winfield, CA 97 becomes two lanes with no shoulder or a very small shoulder. There is a moderate amount of
traffic including big trucks, so this is not a section for timid riders. Still, traffic is slower and more polite than it would be
on a similar road in the US, so it isn't a big deal: you just need to pay attention to the traffic coming up behind you and
react in such a way as to avoid problems. Note that I had to do the same thing when we stopped for lunch in Winfield and
a oblivious driver pulled out into my path in the shopping center where we ate a Subway. It is nice to ride without paying
much attention, but better to adjust you level of attention to match the circumstances. It is also very nice to have a good
mirror when riding on shoulder-less roads with traffic. 

CA 97 turns back into a four lane highway with shoulders well before Vernon. When you get to the Provincial Park south
of Vernon - there are signs and you can see a large number of RV sites down by the lake , you can go down to the old
highway and ride it instead on 97. Much nicer and it avoids a big hill Shortly after the old road rejoins CA 97, there is an
intersection with signs for Coldstream. Turn left there and descend steeply down to the lake, then head east across the top
of the lake. Very nice riding!

After the long, nice ride across the top of the lake, Kalmalka Rd intersects BC 6. This is a two lane road with OK
shoulders to Lumby. It was being re-paved today, but that only cost me a short wait. After Lumby, where I stopped for an
early supper at The Chicken Place - it was good , Hwy 6 narrows and climbs through a canyon and then descends steeply
(7% grade near the end) into another canyon. It was quite nice to change from grinding up a long hill in the hot sun to
riding in shade alongside a river in a narrow canyon.

That canyon eventually widens and there is a nice flat, straight section that ends with several hills. Eventually 6 turns south
and begins to head up to Monashee Pass. When that happens, another road continues on 'into' Cherryville.. There really
isn't any one Cherryville, but just a bunch of parts of the town strung out along the road for half a dozen miles. About a
mile down that road is a general store where I stopped for a snack and to ask about the two B+Bs located farther down
the road. The I rode about 5.5 miles to the second B+B which is very beautiful and also very bicycle friendly. And, oh yes,
it has an inter-net connection so I can upload this ride report / web page. 

Tomorrow I plan to ride over Monashee Pass, take the ferry across Lower Arrow Lake and ride up to Nakusp