In Penticton: the ride to the south

July 13, 2023

A five bird day! I haven’t had a day like this since February back in SLO and Morro Bay, when I spotted 35 new species in five days.

So that’s exciting. Also though we enjoyed a pretty nice bike ride, an out and back south of town. It’s another repeat - we followed the exact same course five years ago on our ride to Osoyoos - though like yesterday we didn’t realize this until the night before when I finally got around to rereading the journal of our previous visit to the region. Not only did I not remember we’d ridden this way, but neither of us even remembered we’d ever been to Osoyoos. This came up on our drive to Penticton yesterday when we passed the turnoff to Osoyoos and Rachael remarked that the name sounded familiar. I assured her that we’d never been there, and speculated that it sounded familiar just because we’d have seen signs for it last time around.

No matter. It’s a fine ride, easily worth repeating every five years.

This morning’s look at Okanagan Lake. Brighter today.

This red-tailed hawk looks so fluffy, like a plush toy. I wonder if he’s a youngster.

Four mile long Penticton Channel cuts through Penticton, connecting Okanagan and Skaha lakes. It’s a channeliztion of the formerly meandering Okanagan River, which before channelization was rich with salmon spawning beds. It’s peaceful this morning but will look much different when we return in the heat of the afternoon.

After biking along the Penticton Channel, for the next several miles we ride on quiet Eastside Road alongside the eastern shore of Skaha Lake.

Near the south end of the lake, we leave Eastside Road for McLean Creek Road as it skirts around a prominent formation that rises above the lake. Continuing beside the lake on Eastside Road is also possible, but not today - it’s closed through this stretch for a construction project. It’s just as well, because otherwise we’d have missed McLean. It’s a beautiful ride, easily worth the bit of additional climbing involved.

#165: Cedar waxwing. I’ll post another photo of this bird if I ever get a complete shot, but this one slipped into the interior of the tree too quickly for me.

McLean Creek Road comes to an end when it drops back to lake level at Okanagan Falls.

This cattle guard again! I remember it from five years ago as about the worst cattle guard I’ve ever seen.

Just before Okanagan Falls we come to the turnoff for Oliver Ranch Road, another cycling delight with a feeling similar to McLean. I say we, but I really mean I because Rachael left me behind at the cedar waxwing sighting. I assume she’s a mile or two ahead of me by now and I’m starting to keep an eye out for her coming back at me but I really don’t know because for some reason our Garmins aren’t talking to each other today so I don’t know her location.

A mile into Oliver Ranch Road the phone rings. She’s come to a barricade and is turning back, and wants to let me know. It takes some back and forth before we figure out what has happened and where we are with respect to each other. When she dropped down to Okanagan Falls, her Garmin steered her back north toward Penticton on Eastside Road, and she’s come to the same barricade she encountered from the other side earlier. As a result she’s actually behind me, not ahead, and we’re less than a quarter mile apart.

I pedal slowly for a bit waiting for her to catch up until I come to the long drop to Vaseux Lake and wait there in case she wants to take any video on the descent. And she does.

Descending toward Vaseux Lake on Oliver Ranch Road.

Oliver Ranch Road ends at its junction with Highway 97. This was our planned turnback spot, so once we bottom out we just turn around and start climbing again, retracing our route back to Penticton. We get about halfway up this climb when I decide to stop for a shot of Rachael on it, and that’s all she needs to make her escape. I won’t see her again until we’re both back at the room.

Looking across the north end of Vaseux Lake.

Skaha Lake isn’t the quiet, peaceful scene we passed through two hours ago.

The Penticton Channel looks different now too, clogged up with hundreds of drifters making their slow way down the channel on floatation devices. It looks pretty unappealing to me, spending three hours baking in the sun lying on floatation devices with the traffic on Highway 97 roaring on one side. But that’s just me. It’s obviously very popular.

Video sound track: In Your Own Sweet Way, by Dave Brubeck

In other news

So now we know. Dr. Lin contacted me yesterday to see if October 31st would work as a surgery date. My first thought was that it was too early, and besides it’s Halloween, which sounds ominous. After sleeping on it and talking it through this morning though, we’ve changed our minds. Other than leaving us with a pretty short tour of Spain this fall it actually works out pretty well. We’ll have reached Valencia, the planned end point of the tour, in time to fly home for the surgery; so the impact will be that we’ll lop off the two weeks on Mallorca we were planning at the end.

Which will leave us with roughly a seven week tour, the shortest overseas tour we’ve taken since going vagabond. On the other hand though, it’s still longer than any other tour we’d ever taken before then.

After living with the uncertainty for the last few months it’s nice to finally know so that we can resolve some outstanding issues about this fall and winter. We’ve been thinking about it for awhile so it doesn’t take long to settle everything. We talk it through over pizzas at Trattoria Napolitano and then walk back to the room and get to work. In addition to cancelling our bookings in Mallorca, we booked a return flight from Valencia, booked an Airbnb in Portland for the month of November, booked another one in Tucson for six weeks, and sent off an inquiry to a hotel in Valencia to see if they’ll hold our suitcases for a couple of months.

And, since that’s not quite enough planning for one night, we also roughed out a concept for next year. Assuming everything goes well this winter, we’re thinking of another nine month tour next year - three months in the Schengen Zone, three in the U.K. again, and then back to the Schengen. Under our current thinking we’d start about the first of March, somewhere far enough south that it works that early in the year. Mallorca would be just right.

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2023 Bird List

164. Cliff swallow

165. Cedar waxwing

166. Killdeer

167. Eastern kingbird

168. California quail

Today's ride: 43 miles (69 km)
Total: 672 miles (1,081 km)

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Janice BranhamSorry Mallorca didn't make the cut, but it's good to hear that the surgery date is settled. We could meet up in Valencia around 10/22 if you're still there.
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9 months ago

Scott AndersonTo Janice BranhamThat would be amazing! We will be in Valencia on 10/22, as it happens. That’s the day we plan to arrive, and then stay there for four nights before flying home.
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9 months ago

Susan CarpenterGood news regarding a firm surgery date. And you once said you wanted to see Spain in the spring!
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9 months ago

Scott AndersonTo Susan CarpenterWell there’s a coincidence. I’ve just been imagining what Almeria might look like in the spring.
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9 months ago

Steve Miller/GrampiesGlad about your surgery date but drat, we will just miss you by a week in Valencia. Oh well, another time.
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9 months ago

Patrick O'HaraI don't normally congratulate people for having a surgery. But, in this case, I'll make an exception. Congrats. Hopefully, you'll be in tip top shape for Sa Calobra when you make it to Mallorca.
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9 months ago

Scott AndersonTo Patrick O'HaraThanks, Patrick. I’m really anxious to see what I’m like when I come out the other end. I’ve been on calcium and beta blockers and a reduced heart rate for about 30 years now. Things could be quite different.
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9 months ago

Scott AndersonTo Steve Miller/GrampiesAw, c’mon. Just peddle a little faster.
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9 months ago

Kelly IniguezIt will be good to have the surgery done, and look forward.

When do we get to see what seven weeks in Spain looks like?
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9 months ago

ann and steve maher-wearyYes it’s good news on your surgery date. And exciting plans for the new year!
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9 months ago

Scott AndersonTo Kelly IniguezOh! I didn’t realize I’ve never published our fall Spain itinerary. It’s all planned and booked, but I’m not sure when I’ll publish it. Maybe on a slow news day.
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9 months ago