Day Two Beaverdell to Myra Canyon

Day Two Beaverdell to Myra Canyon
71 km

My favourite part of camping, is waking up early in the morning,  lying, snug as a bug in a rug, in my sleeping bag listening to the forest come alive around me.  Rocks snoring is somehow comforting during these early morning hours as it seems to match the rhythm of the forest. The air is crisp, and the early morning light hits the tent, almost inviting you to breakfast.  As I wrestled with the thought of leaving my warm cocoon, I reflected on yesterday.  Although, we only covered 70 km, it was such a full day.  I think that is the reason touring by bike is so rewarding.  Driving that same section of country could have been accomplished easily in less than one hour, yet on a bike it took an entire day.  A day full of mental and physical challenges, laughs and frustrations.  A day where stopping to photograph a simple wild flower was a thrill.  Yep - we are hooked!  It's time to get back on the bike.

Our second day on the KVR did not disappoint.  It was a day of Rock Slides and Clear Cuts.  Rob's "GEO" background got the best of him, and we stopped to photograph each and every slide, examine the rocks, talk about what might have caused the slide or slump.  He was in his element (pun intended :)) and I thoroughly enjoyed both his enthusiasm and an opportunity to get off the bike and rest!

The clear cuts, reminded us of BC's logging history, and the continuing quest to find sustainable means to log and to find balance.  Several of the cuts had been replanted and the seedlings were beginning to grow.  Other areas had been left to Nature, and it was evident how the forest was changing as the birch trees were winning the race to reforest.

The day was a full day of uphill.  Thankfully, the grade of the rail trail was gentle, so it was doable.  Changing terrain was our biggest challenge.  Once again we found ourselves on hard pack, loose gravel, washboards, sand and almost every surface in between.  Mentally challenging to say the least.  Our spirits were lifted near the end of the day.  Just after passing by McCulloch Lake, two moose ran across the trail in front of us.  We must have spooked them as they were deep in the forest before we had the chance to pull out the camera.

Nearing camp, we stopped to take in the panoramic view of Kelowna and the lakes below.  The sun glistened on the city and the lakes looked so inviting.  As we sit in camp, enjoying our Chilli and chocolate pudding (dinner of champions!) we are pouring over our maps.  Tomorrow, we tackle the Myra Canyon and the 18 trestles.  Our goal is to get an early start and enjoy our coffee and oatmeal as we peer into the canyon below.  Now that sounds like something worth getting out of the sleeping bag for!

Giggle of the Day

We are cycling through bear country, so poop on the trail is always a source of conversation.  On our first day, we regularly say bear scat.  Fortunately, we didn't see bears, however we can tell you in detail what they had for last nights dinner.  To our relief, today we did not see any bear scat.  However, as we rounded a bend in the trail we came across the biggest mound of ^&*% you have ever seen!  I declared we have found Bigfoot....and ROb, quick as wink, replied, "No Big Splat."  For the remainder of the ride we were on the watch!