The Okanagon valley

Hello dear readers. I hope you are having a wonderful day. I am. I awoke this morning in a 'low-spray' cherry orchard in Summerland, British Columbia. After enjoying a huge breakfast (oats and stewed rhubarb from our hostesses garden) Seth, Natalie and I went for a hike down into a gorge. From above it looked like the Grand Canyon, surrounded on every side by vineyards and orchards. From below, it was another river that flows into the beautifully large Okanagon lake.

This area of British Columbia is very special. I am in the Canadian desert. As we rode down into Osoyoos down Anarchist's summing (which was so steep and full of intense switchbacks!) I knew I was entering a very different ecotone of our ever diverse country. The raid shadow effect makes this area very arid, lending to the unique flora and fauna which occupy the area. Because it is a dessert with such huge lakes in the middle, orchards and vineyards flourish from intense irrigation. We visited the desert centre on our way out of the very HOT Osoyoos, and saw the preserved desert ecology: the Sage Brush, Prickly pear cactus, Antelope Brush, Yellow bellied racer snakes, and black widow spiders. It was interesting to feel like I was in a different country, but within Canada.

We cycled along the Okanagon lakes up to a provincial park, completing another 97km day, and this one was sure a toughy. We left late, had a huge headwind in our faces, and had to battle it out with a ton of hills. I may have given up had it not been for my teammates. We were so relieved to arrive at the BEAUTIFUL park, with high arid cliffs, and a beautiful body of water. We preformed to the campers at the park the next morning, only to be very inspired by their sincerest support! The audience was fun, and wonderfully responsive to our questions. One couple was so excited to tell us of their endeavours to live responsibly. Their RV was made by a company that uses 100% post consumer products to build the vehicles! It was nice to have some positive reinforcement from adults. Our regular high school venues can often be trying. But not this afternoon's performance.

Coming downhill, my bike buddie and I whizzed back into Penticton for a 2 o'clock performance at the high school. Here our audience really seemed to enjoy our punny jokes and goofy human made toasters, sinks, fans and computers. We got some more of that precious positive feedback from the youth of Canada. It was another successful performance to 300+ grade 9's.

Have I told you of the blissful feeling of riding 100km in a day, into the wind, and uphill? Well, it's phenomenal. What makes it most special though I think, is to cycle down into a beautiful campground, welcomed by hugs from your teammates, and warm beet-veg-quinoa stir fry, made with care; to pitch my beautiful tent, and walk down to the doc, sharing with my friends the joys and emotions of the difficult day in my saddle. It is so blissful to sit on the doc, and sing quiet songs with your friends, watching the moon rise over the mountains, and just consider for a moment, how lucky I am. How my body feels totally spent, but my soul just wants to keep on rising like that moon.

I hope you will rise to your limits too.