Day 1: Vernon to Glenemma - Our slow roll around Canada 2022 - Part 1 - CycleBlaze

May 15, 2022

Day 1: Vernon to Glenemma

Here we go

After 3 days riding, we have finally landed in a motel with wifi and I am able to update the journal.  Hats off to all those who post daily their rides and who put in a big effort to write up interesting posts, because quite frankly, I'm exhausted and laying on the bed with my legs up seems a bit more appealing to me at the moment.

Anyways, I will start with day 1.

Not surprisingly we slept poorly. Luckily the ride was a short one today.

All 4 weather apps, yes I downloaded another one, were predicting rain starting in the early afternoon.  Not the sunny start we were hoping for but that's ok. 

The final packing was done. We weighed our gear. Was this helpful for me to know? I don't think so. I don't need a number to tell me it feels heavy and all it did was psych me out. 

We wobbled out the door just before 11 and one short hill and a mere 5 blocks later, we stopped for our first break. We were meeting some of our family at a park to say goodbye and share in some birthday cupcakes and cookies. Always nice to have the support of your family cheering you on. We will miss the granddaughters dance recitals coming up in June, which is disappointing.

After sharing some cupcakes and saying our goodbyes it was time to go
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Steve Miller/GrampiesWhat did the weights turn out to be?
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1 year ago
Leslie and Rob CookeHmmmm I wrote the weights down, now where did I put that paper? I believe my gear weighed an extra 41 pds and Robs 52 pds. It would of been interesting to see, had the tour continued, how the bikes would of handled that weight over a period of time.
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1 year ago

We had a 2 hour window of no rain so we were soon on our way leaving Vernon and following Old Kamloops road along the length of Swan Lake before joining up with the busy hwy for a couple KMS.  It has a big shoulder but the roar of the vehicles as they zip by at 100 KMS is deafening. 

Just past O'Keefe Ranch we were able to exit the hwy onto a back country road. There was no shoulder to ride on but also no traffic. We could hear the redwing blackbirds singing, kinder on the ears and nerves. Lovely.

Otter Lake Rd
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We had a fairly long, steep hill which brought us to the top of the bench.  The views down the valley north and south would of been so much better had it been a clear day.  As it was, it was starting to drizzle.

It took a bit of pushing
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View north to Enderby
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We joined back up on the highway for a few more kilometers before we reached our campground.  We stayed here in 2019 on our overnight get-away on the tandem.  It's a great little spot and Tim the owner is kind and very personable.

We had a lot of fun riding the tandem but it sadly just hangs on the wall now
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We managed to erect the tent before it started raining in earnest. After making Rob a birthday supper of instant noodles, croissants, chips and cupcakes we crawled into the tent and listened to the rain pattering on the roof of the tent and called it a day.

Wet everything
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No pictures of castles on our trip
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Salmon River - running pretty high. I love the pop of red color
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Accommodation: Tim's by the river campground - $25

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Keith AdamsSorry your adventure began with a wetting. Hope that's a one off and not a trend.
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1 year ago
Leslie and Rob CookeTo Keith AdamsHi Keith - well.... it's been a colder than normal spring especially in comparison to the heat dome we had last year in June. Hopefully it improves.
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1 year ago