It is a cold wet morning at Myra Canyon Ranch on the first day of our ride. It has stopped raining now and we can see a little patch of blue sky. After looking at the maps and talking to our host, we realize that we are at the south end of the section with the trestles and tunnels, which is the Ruth Station access point. No problem, we will bike back towards Myra Station and then turn around. It is only an extra 12 km and we have a shorter day planned anyways. Our plan is to bike to Chute Lake today. We load the bikes and gear into the back of the truck and our host shuttles us up the road to Ruth Station. As we wind our way up the road, we are quite happy that we did not try to bike from the ranch to the trail. As we gain elevation we start to see snow on the side of the trail. We cannot believe that we are starting our trip in snow! It is beautiful though and the sun is coming out. The feeling of excitement is in the air and we are like two kids on Christmas morning. We unload our bikes from the truck and pack the gear onto our bikes. We are finally here! This is really happening!
The morning is cool and crisp. The sun is coming out and the fall colors surround us as we ride. We stop at the first trestle to look out over the valley. It is a beautiful fall day. There are 18 trestles and two tunnels on the route between Myra and Ruth Stations. The trail is closed to motorized vehicles. The trail is beautiful, well maintained, and it is a nice easy ride. I love riding through the rock bluffs on either side of the trail. We pass several hikers and bikers. Everyone is happy to be enjoying this awesome morning. There are a lot of larch here and the needles have started to turn yellow and drop, so the trail is covered in yellow and orange needles. It may be a cold and wet time of year to ride but it is incredibly beautiful and I am quite happy to do a fall adventure. As I am riding along, I can see train trestles on the other side of the canyon and suddenly realize that I am looking at our trail. The trail winds all around the edge of the canyon.
After we reach Myra Station parking, we turn around and find a spot for a lunch break. It is nice to ride through the canyon a second time. It is amazing and riding through a second time we can go a bit faster without so many stops. When we cross Ruth Station parking where we started, we cross over to a more used trail. Here we can see signs of vehicles, ATVs and motorbikes. The trail is more rough and in some sections there are a lot of potholes. We cross one more trestle as we head through this section to Chute lake. It is definitely a more difficult ride with some very rocky sections and we often have to wind our way through very large puddles. This is the section of trail that our host from Myra Canyon Ranch warned us about, asking if we had patch kits for our tires. Apparently a lot of people wreck their tires here. Fortunately our tires are holding out. This is one of the sections of the KVR trail that has become multiuse and is no longer restricted to bikes and pedestrians.
Halfway between Ruth Station and Chute Lake we start encountering vehicles. The trail is wide enough for cars and it looks like a local hangout place with several fire pits at the lookout points along the trail. The last 6 km of the ride to Chute lake is on the Chute Lake Road. I am feeling extremely glad that we planned a stop at Chute lake because there is no way I can bike further today. I am ready to fall off my bike! We are really looking forward to some nice wine and a warm fire!
We ride into Chute Lake lodge, park our bikes and head into the lodge. It is a pretty spot and the lodge looks nice. As we are registering and buying our bottle of wine, we look out the window and there is a massive hail storm. Holy crap! We made it just in time! We booked a glamping tent which looks like a lot of fun. We grab our bikes, head out to our tent, pour a glass of wine and cuddle up under the nice warm blankets on our beds. This is awesome! We rode a total of 52 km today! Woo-hoo! We are pretty amazing! Mom and daughter, first day of our bike trip completed!
We finish our wine and head into Chute lake lodge. We sit down by the warm fire and order some food. The staff are fun and the food and drinks are awesome. I am enjoying a bowl of stew with mashed potatoes. I swear this is the best stew ever, especially after riding 52 kms on a cold day! I am drinking an amazing drink recommended by the bartender but not on the menu. It is awesome. I’m not sure what is all in it but there is crème de cacao and egg whites. Mom is having a burger and a whiskey sour – also both amazing! After our meals, we head back to our tent and light a fire in our wood stove. We share some laughs and soon after, we both fall asleep, happy and warm in our beds.
