It is our last day biking. The sky is blue and it is a beautiful morning. I get the water for the coffee going. The smell of fresh coffee on a cool crisp morning after a night of camping has been one of my favorite pleasures since I was in my late teens. The smell of coffee warming the air as it percolated in the old camping coffee pot. Now we have an ultra light, French press coffee pot that is perfect for hiking and biking, allowing us to enjoy the pleasure of a hot coffee in the morning anywhere that our adventures lead. The importance of simple pleasures in life cannot be overstated. Sometimes, the ritual of a morning coffee is the one thing that pulls me out of bed and keeps me going during dark times. During good times, a simple thing like the smell of coffee can bring a flood of beautiful memories. Today it brings a smile to our lips and warms us to our toes as we sip coffee and pack up camp under the rising warmth of the morning sun.
Today we have to start our morning ride with an 8 km stretch along the highway. It is less than ideal to ride along the highway, but the weather is good and it goes quickly. Soon we are at the bridge where the highway crosses Vaseux creek. The trail picks up on west side of the creek. As we leave the highway behind us, we are again surrounded by the peaceful sounds of the water and birds. The trail is flat and mostly straight. It is an easy ride and we chat happily as we cruise along the trail. It is almost a bit sad that is our last day of biking.
We stop in Oliver for lunch and then hit the trail again. It is an easy ride along the canal south of Oliver. We are passing behind orchards, vineyards and farmland. Eventually we hit the end of the trail at road 22. We run into a couple and chat for a minute and are given some instructions so we can avoid some highway riding. We turn east towards the highway and find another section of trail that runs south, parallel to the highway. Eventually our trail runs out and we are onto roads. We are able to take a few back roads to avoid the highway but eventually we join the highway at Peach Hill Farm Market. We take a small break and enjoy some fresh pressed apple juice. We ride for only a couple of kilometers and take 87th street which brings us down into Osoyoos. Originally our plan was to stay at sẁiẁs Provincial Park; however when we arrive there the park is closed for the season and we cannot stay. This is quite disappointing given the beautiful weather as well as packing all of our gear and only being able to camp one night with it. We turn back towards town to try to find somewhere to stay. Many places have closed for the season, and the ones that are open are full. We head over to the bridge to cross the lake where there are a myriad of hotels and motels. Again we find that many are either full or are closed for the season and some look somewhat sketchy. Eventually we find a motel that looks suitable and has vacancy. We luck out and get a ground level room on the beach. Perfect. We can safely store our bikes and enjoy some wine on the beach after dinner. This is a very nice way to end our adventure. Cheers!
We are already planning our next trip! I am not sure where yet, but it will be fabulous. When? Perhaps in the spring. Would we recommend this trip? Absolutely! It was a fabulous adventure. If we were not in the middle of a pandemic, I think it would have been nice to stop at a few wineries. Originally we had planned to do the trip earlier but fires struck and we had to postpone. October was a beautiful time and I can imagine it was less busy than during the summer months. The tradeoff was more unpredictable weather and some campsites and wineries were closed for the season. I think one day we would like to try another section of the trail in the early summer.