#Kettle Valley Railway Trail

[charlesandmartine]

Wednesday 28th June 2023

Three surprises: firstly the Australian Pinot Grigio was ok, secondly an error message came up on the Toyota telling us we have a slow puncture, possibly, and thirdly it was 34 degrees today! In Canada!

Naramata was founded in 1907 by a highly successful Irish born soft fruit farmer, John Moore Robinson. He was offering acreage to people interested in fruit ranching. The new town was to be built for people of good character, no riff raff. And that is by all accounts pretty much the way it still is today. It is the thinking man's Penticton; large town down the road.

About the same time as all this, the Kettle Valley Railway was being constructed linking Naramata to Hope where we came from yesterday. The name of the town has a interesting story behind it. Our John Moore Robinson had a bit of an interest in spiritualism and the wife of the local postmaster, Mrs Anna Gillespie, was a prominent medium. In a seance she channelled the voice of the Sioux Indian Chief Big Moose. The Chief spoke of his dear wife 'Narramattah', calling her the 'Smile of Manitou '. Robinson was moved by all this and the name stuck. Naramata, not Big Moose. Interesting thing was that Mrs Gillespie was caught up in the San Francisco earthquake, so she clearly didn't see that one coming!

Well enough of all that. Naramata is a cumly little town and anyone with a few bob would find it highly agreeable. We just needed a few things to do in the short time we are here. The local museum equipped us with a little map and a few ideas. We rejoined therefore the Kettle Valley Railway trail just up the road and walked 7 km along it as far as the tunnels and then 7km back. A British engineer, Andrew McCulloch, apparently designed it in 1910 but the really impressive part of it is that a) it was built at all and b) the skill and sheer hard graft involved in building it. Men came from Italy, Scandinavia and central Europe and it is said it took black powder and muscle to build it. Today it is a fantastic recreational facility so high up above the Lake Okanagan with such great views across it. We were regularly overtaken by cyclists buzzing along the wide gravel avenue of Apache Pines. It felt very Mediterranean as the sun beat down and we were engulfed by the strong perfume of the pine forest which hung heavily on the breeze and all in peace and total silence save for the scrunch our feet made on the gravel path. Unlike the Mediterranean, there were no Cicadas chirping in the undergrowth.

High scores for bird watching. Red Tailed Hawk, Pileated Woodpecker, Barn Swallows and a female Hummingbird!

Bryson, who always has high praise and a passion for Great Britain says that we might be a very small, over populated country but we all too often underate what we have. He says that we might not have the highest mountains, the largest lakes, the longest rivers, but what we have is an awful lot of fantastic stuff packed into a very small space. What we have witnessed here is a sort of Great Britain on steroids. Huge mountains, massive lakes and vast rivers. What we have seen so far is totally mind boggling and we can't wait to see even more.

ps. We went to get some more of the Australian Pinot Grigio from the local very expensive store and they've run out, completely!!!! So now we are down to cheap Australian Riesling!!! Not sure how Martine will cope with that!

We will have better economic choice when we can get to a saver supermarket.

pps No bears on the trail, but apparently we have something else to worry about now. Rattlesnakes have been spotted! I don't know about anyone else, but sucking venom from a third party backside would truly make it a memorable holiday.

[dougrobyngoold]

Myra Canyon Hike - Kelowna, BC, CAN

We did a great hike today with Ray and Cheri in Myra Canyon. This bike/ped trail follows the old Kettle Valley Railway tracks through the canyon.

Lots of historical information available throughout the trail:

Awesome day with our awesome tour guides!!!

[islandscrivener]

Rain stopped and got a 62 km trail ride in on the Kettle Valley Railway Trail https://www.instagram.com/p/CfAkezPLeny/?igshid=NGJjMDIxMWI=

[billandkenride]

Beyond Hope

We cycled 101 kilometres on Tuesday. Sunny skies and great trails. We are now in the Kettle Valley Railway (KVR) section of the Trans Canada Trail and will start today with just 10 kilometres to the Coquihalla Summit. On the other side somewhere is Princeton, where we plan to stay tonight.

The Othello Tunnels are a cool part of the KVR and we recommend a stop at Coquihalla Canyon Provincial Park if you’re driving by.

Our steeds had some glitches yesterday. Another flat and some broken spokes, but they're ready to gallop again.

Have a happy Wednesday and thanks for checking in.

Cheers,

Bill and Ken

Song of the Day

[brendantravellog]

Kelowna

Saturday

Leading up to our trip to BC’s interior, we were concerned we might need to call it off due to the multitude of wildfires plaguing the area. Fortunately, as we got closer to our travel date, the fires seemed to be avoiding Kelowna.

The morning of our trip, we packed our bags, stopped by Livia cafe for breakfast, and were on our way. While the drive began well, we were soon delayed by the horrible traffic between Langley and Abbotsford. Quite a bit frustrated, we finally made it out of the traffic jam after half an hour and were on on way with only a couple of restroom and gas stops.

We made it to Kelowna around 5 and ventured to the Eastern edge of the city to our AirBnB in Rutland. The basement suite was quite lovely with a private entrance, a large bedroom, an comfortable great room and kitchen, and a washroom with laundry machines. 

We dropped off our stuff and quickly headed back to downtown Kelowna for dinner, as I foolishly only had a pastry for breakfast. We found a cool looking spot called Gather that had Korean and Italian food, but without a reservation, we weren’t getting in. Instead we wandered over to BNA Brewing which had a small food stand inside called BoxcAr. Ivy had a Noodle Salad while I had a Root Beer Pork Banh Mi, both of which were delicious. 

After dinner we walked around the area a bit before retreating from the heat back to our car and our suite.

Sunday 

We slept in a little bit, but not so late to miss out on our planned hike in the morning. We were on our way to the Myra Canyon Trestle Trail along Kettle Valley Railway, but got fed up once we realized we’d have to drive on a gravel logging road for several kilometers. We quickly turned back and parked at the KLO Creek Regional Park and walked along the creek for a couple of hours. 

It was a nice hike, but we were pretty famished afterwards because we skipped breakfast, so we headed into town and stopped by Bright Jenny Coffee Roasters for a muffin and some cold brew coffees. It was a really nice space in an industrial area with a relaxed vibe to it. 

After our coffees, we drove around and checked out the hilltop residences to kill some time before going to see a movie to beat the heat a bit. We watched Old by M. Night Shayamalan (check out my other blog for my review). After some groceries, we went out for an early dinner at Salt & Brick, a tapas restaurant with a rotating menu. We had a Lobster Roll, Confit Duck, Yam and Salami Waffle Cone, and Fried Halloumi, which were all really tasty. Afterwards we stopped for some Frozen Yogurt at TRU in the Mission District. 

Monday

Ivy had a short Zoom class Monday morning with a student trying to brush up before a quiz, so we stopped by Third Space Coffee in the Landmark development for a quick breakfast. We both had Nitro Cold Brews and Chocolate Croissants, which were underwhelming. However, the outdoor patio space was incredible and allowed us the chance to chill before her class.

Amazingly, the class only lasted 15 minutes, so we were quickly up and out again. We drove around West Kelowna for a while to kill time before our appointment at Mission Hill for a private lunch and a tour of the wine cellar. The lunch consisted of a Shrimp and Sea Asparagus starter, a Chicken with Morels and Gnocchi main, and a Apricot and Cornmeal Cake dessert. Each course was pair with a different wine - Sauvignon Blanc, Reserve, and Ice Wine - our favourite of which was the Ice Wine.

After a bit of a rest back at the suite, we took some salads we bought at the grocery store to Gyro beach along Lake Okanagan for a relaxing evening. While the water was cold, the beach was very sandy, making for a lovely experience. Oddly the lake was very shallow, with the water only ever making it up to our waists despite going past the buoys. 

Tuesday

We started early with a trip to Kempf Orchards for some cherry picking. We got about 8 pounds of Lapin cherries before calling it quits and heading to Sprout Bread and Coffee in the Cultural District for an Iced Coffee, Long Black, and Blueberry Danish. We explored the cultural district and visited the Kelowna Art Gallery and Mosaic Books before returning to Gather (this time with a reservation) for lunch. Ivy had the Bibimbap while I had the Kimchi Orzo. We shared the frites platter as a starter which included some delicious fried gnocchi.

After lunch, we headed back to the suite, as Ivy had a 3 hour class. I spent the bulk of this time checking out book and comic stores unsuccessfully trying to track down some specific comics. Once I got back, I relaxed while Ivy finished her class. Afterwards, we stopped by Parlour Ice Cream for a couple of scoops each. I had the bubble gum and creamsicle in a cone, mainly for nostalgia reasons, while Ivy had the Vanilla and Whiskey Hazelnut. 

After ice cream, we drove to Shannon Lake with the hopes of finding a quiet spot to swim, but it turned out to be quite swampy, so we just took some photos instead. We ended up back at Lake Okanagan, but at a more remote beach - Sarsons Beach Park. This once was a lot quieter than Myra, but the beach and lake were much rockier.

Wednesday

After packing, we went back to Sprout for the same drinks we had the day before and a Monkey Bread and Chocolate Croissant. We continued our exploration of the Cultural District by strolling Kasugai Gardens before heading to Kelowna Fruit Stand for some fresh fruits and vegetables.

Our final stop before leaving was Frankie, We Salute You!, a vegetarian restaurant located in the Landmark business park. This place was really popular and we only avoided a long wait by getting there around 11:45am. We each had a cocktail - with Ivy having a Watermelon Basil Margarita and I having the Blood Orange Ginger Lemonade with Gin. Ivy had the mushroom patty burger with vegan cheese and sesame fries while I had a Buffalo tempeh caesar wrap with sesame fries. Everything tasted great and proved that good vegetarian food doesn’t need to try and pretend it’s meat. 

After lunch, we headed back, with the same traffic jam between Abbotsford and Langley. Once we passed that bottleneck, it was smooth sailing again before we got home and relaxed. 

All in all it was a great trip. We’ll definitely be back soon if only to experience the sandy beach and great vegetarian food again.

[synergyenvironmental]

Have you ever walked through the Othello Tunnels ? The Othello Tunnels are located east of the town of Hope in British Columbia in the Coquihalla Provincial Park. They are a series of old train tunnels and bridges that cut through solid granite walls over the Coquihalla River. Early in the 1900’s the Canadian Pacific Railway was connecting the southern coast of B.C to the Kootenays, the best route option being through the Coquihalla Gorge. The route no longer has railway tracks and has been restored as part of the Kettle Valley Railway Trail, it is a gorgeous walk accessible to all and the stunning views of water below and cliffs surrounding. It is incredible that the infrastructure could be built, let alone 100 years ago. https://www.instagram.com/p/CMgfB7YjtN0/?igshid=pccl8bx4ykkg

[littleshackonthehill]

After 3 days straight of driving to get home from the cabin, I’m happy to be back at the Little Shack and out getting my daily walk in! Instead of a frozen lake, my route now takes me into the valley below our house and along the historical KVR Trail (Kettle Valley Railway). You never know what you’ll spot in the trees along the trail❤️ https://www.instagram.com/p/CMe-zcShA6p/?igshid=1pzu8r2bom9cw

[mdrewjackson]

Day 25 of the ride to Vancouver: Hydraulic Lake to Myra Canyon. Today’s highlight: the Myra Canyon trestles, the best known stretch of the Kettle Valley rail trail. The route wraps around the steep-walled canyon for 10 kms, and features 18 trestle bridges, 2 tunnels, and stunning views. Most of the bridges were rebuilt after burning down in a massive 2003 wildfire. We rode over the bridges that summer just days before they burned down. We remember watching footage shortly after of the bridges burning like roman candles. As we ride over them today, we’re struck by how authentic they look and feel. The only difference is they no longer smell of creosote (they use less toxic stuff to preserve railway ties these days). It’s an epic bike ride — and a popular one. Hundreds of cyclists are riding this section. Kinda surreal, after seeing just two or three cyclists a day for weeks. (at Myra/ Kettle Valley Trestle Trail) https://www.instagram.com/p/CD5NK5HD_Og/?igshid=v2epjlam1e5x

[naturalhealthgodsway]

Forced Staycation? Spring Break? Here's some ideas for you

Scheduling among working mothers has become a sudden issue with the COVID-19 situation causing governments and health authorities to declare gatherings below various thresholds to no longer take place. This has churches moving online, schools shutting down, and parents scrambling to figure out what to do with their kids so they can work. Where I live here in BC Canada, Spring Break has just started. This means parents here had already planned for those two weeks. Some had planned on going for a spring vacation while others had planned to send their kids to spring camps, etc. Many spring camps are halting while others are small enough to fit under the regulations and are still going.

Staycations for those on Spring Break should now be a serious consideration. As a single working mother myself, vacations were out of the budget for much of my kids growth years. With no alimony or child support coming in outside of the benefits offered by the provincial and federal governments, choosing forms of work that would let me still be a parent whenever the kids were home from school, was a constant challenge. In 2010 I began working for a small business in town and 2 years later, I was given my first 10 day vacation period! This was one week with weekends on either side and one of them being a long weekend at that. I couldn't have asked for a better time slot!

We live in Kelowna BC Canada, right in the middle of the Okanagan Valley and considered a tourist trap by many around the world. I decided we would play "tourist in our own town", and each weekday had a different theme. One day was museum day where we visited several different museums. Another day was all about animals. We visited a local kangaroo farm, a goat cheese operation, a crocodile rescue operation, etc. We took a day to visit the Kettle Valley Railway museum and train ride. A different day was eating at restaurants we'd never visited before. We hardly eat out at all, so this day was a bit of a pickle to figure out because we eat at home pretty much all the time. We figured out a mid-morning treat, a lunch and a dinner and finished this particular day at our favourite icecream haunt. We might show up at this place once or twice a year, but we try to make it a yearly summer ritual if possible to have one cone from this place.

One day we'd decided to walk the Myra Canyon trestles. The day started out well, a bit cloudy, and we kept overtaking another walking group in front of us even with stops to chat with a chipmunk, admire cliff faces, etc. We sat down for lunch off the trail and then decided we should head back to the van before the sun peaked. Unfortunately for us, some of those cliff faces we'd admired on our way to that point, became horrific heat reflectors on our way back! All three of us were suffering heat stroke by the time we reached the van and anything else we may have planned for that day was scrapped so we could recuperate. Some of these theme days took more money than others to do, so I was grateful for the vacation pay I was able to put toward this staycation. Prior to this particular event finally taking place, spring and summer activities often looked like the following:

The One Hour Walk Adventure that I wrote about earlier this month was a big one that we'd do. Walking to the lake and either spending time on the beach or at the water park, or both. I will write more about this particular past time in greather depth as we get closer to summer. The kids would play outside in the fenced yard climbing the trees or chasing each other around the yard or riding their bicycles in the alleyway. One of these stories will make it into an article about teaching resiliency. This is something many new parents were not taught themselves, so this article may be a shocker for younger millennial mothers when they come to it. This tomboy makes no apologies however. If you don't build resiliency into your kids, you get the huge raft of mental health cases that are rising all over the first world nations. Picnics at the park can be a fun way to take lunch or dinner outside without buying anything beyond what you already have in the fridge for use at home. Re-purposing it to take in a basket takes creativity, but it gives all of you fresh air and a change of scenery for a meal. One thing you should try to avoid doing, is giving your younger children too much screen time. Don't plunk them in front of your device to get them out of your hair. This actually causes long term slow brain degradation in the cognitive areas necessary for problem solving and people reading. We already have teenagers that can't describe their own feelings and have to point to emojiis to tell you what they are feeling. Be a rebel and ensure your own kids don't grow into that problem. Be a rebel and teach them how to be productively busy. ADD/ADHD is way over diagnosed because too many kids are more active than teachers want them to be. This level of activity is actually a boon that can be directed into household chores, yard work, gardening, washing the car, painting the fence, doing dishes, helping make meals, setting the table, vacuuming furniture, putting away toys, reorganizing the book shelf, etc. The busier you have the kids when their energy levels are high, the easier they will focus on their homework and schoolwork later. There is a direct medically-confirmed connection between lots of activity prior to cerebral output actually being beneficial. Kids need to run and play and get the wiggles out. This burns off excess energy and helps them think more clearly with all that added oxygen their activity sent to the brain. Avoid giving your kids foods high in sugar and food colouring. Many cereals and packaged lunch-type snacks have ingredients high in both. This exacerbates energy levels and brain function. Look for cereals on store shelves that have as few of these ingredients as possible. Ingredient lists without these ingredients are your go-to as a mother. Your kids will get their needed sugars from the produce you buy in the produce section. If you want help figuring out a schedule that works for you and your little ones over the long term, Taming the Clock is one of the coaching modules I offer. We go over your daily activities, we go over why it all feels rushed and harried, we ascertain what activities and actions are necessary and which are unnecessary and put together a method of dealing with daily life that works for your household in a calmer, more manageable pace. If you are now forced to work from home and the kids are forced to now be educated at home, there are SO many resources available coming out of the woodwork to help you out. Truth be told, this virus crisis may actually force a slow-down around the house that might give all of you a much-needed breather. Embrace that. If you want help figuring out how to embrace that, Taming the Clock can be tailored for that purpose as well. Book your SPA session (single parent assessment) and let's chat. Read the full article

[vankurver]

Samstag, 27. Juli Othello Tunnels Campground

Zwischen Okanagan Lake und Hope ist wieder eher liebliche Landschaft mit skurilen Wolkenformationen zu sehen. Grüne und gelbe (zu wenig Wasser?) Hügel durchzogen von Tannenwäldern und vereinzelten Tannen (viele kleine junge Grüne dazwischen), Birkenhaine an kleinen Seen, Wiesenblumen ... Sage und schreibe FÜNF Windräder bei einer ansonsten langweiligen Fahrt auf der 97 C und dem vierspurigen Highway 5, wo überall Schilder stehen: „strong wind crossing“ ...

Die gesamte Strecke haben wir nicht einen einzigen Zug gesehen und gehört. Damit wir keine Entzugserscheinungen bekommen, machen wir im Coquihalla Canyon P.P. eine acht Kilometer Wanderung, u. A. durch die Othello Tunnels: eine ehemalige Eisenbahntrasse der Kettle Valley Railway mit fünf Tunneln, die 1914 durch eine fünf Jahre dauernde Meisterleistung durch völlig unwegsames Gelände gebaut wurden. Warum die Strecke stillgelegt oder gar nicht erst in Betrieb genommen wurde konnten wir nicht rausfinden.

Und weil wir keine Hin- und Rückwege mögen sondern Rundwege, sind wir durch einen zauberhaften Märchenwald, den Hope-Nicola Valley Trail, zurück zum Campground und sitzen jetzt schön am Feuer!

[charlesandmartine]

Friday 30th June 2023

Happy Birthday Amanda.

Up early because we were changing locations, but first we needed to get this troublesome tyre sorted. Mr Enterprise said we needed to take it to their preferred tyre provider KAL Tires. They were on route to our next location and in Penticton, some 6 or seven miles away. We rocked up on the forecourt just after eight in the morning just after they opened for the day. They were rammed packed and really couldn't commit to a finish time, so given that Mr Enterprise couldn't provide a replacement car, we had to get it fixed; after all we had a date with the Kettle Valley Heritage Railway. All aboard at 10.30 sharp. Basically we had very little time to hang around tyre emporiums. Mr Enterprise gave us an alternative, Fountains Tires just around the corner. They were very nice, but also very nicely sucked their teeth and said you wouldn't believe how busy they were today. We agreed we wouldn't, but what could they do for us. I left Martine to be a little tarty and explain that it would ruin our holiday if we couldn't be on the road in an hour.

They cracked on, fixed it and refused to charge us!!

We were on our way; 20 km to the railway, stuck in traffic, sweltered in the building heat, screamed into the railway yard at 10.26, the engine whistle sounding in that maunful North American sort of way they have a habit to do. Slung the credit card at the ticket lady and ran down the platform as the guard shouted 'all aboard '. I parked the car.

The train took us 10km along the standard guage track from Summerland along the original Kettle Valley Railway Line (the same line as the trail we walked 2 days ago) passing farms, wineries (the Dirty Laundry Winery), rivers and forests. The 104 year old engine, now converted to run on oil, was uncoupled at Trout Bridge Canyon and brought us back again. Not originally on this line but as a 4-8-0 would have had similar capability to an engine required to pull heavy ore up a 2° gradient. We thoroughly enjoyed our journey, the ticket inspector gave a running commentary and spent some time sitting talking to us. He said that it was the UK that was inspirational in the establishment of Heritage lines in Canada, although some were struggling and could face closure. The traveller's faces reflecting the same glazed little boy enthusiasm you meet anywhere in the world as soon as a steam engine puffs around the bend.

After lunch we set sail for our next two night stop in Salmon Arm. To get here we had to travel the long winding road alongside the complete 84 mile length of Lake Okanagan, momentarily stopping at 'Save-on-Foods' store to pick up supplies in Kelowna and walk along the lakeside at Peachland, another of our old friend Mr Robinson's town creations. The bright shiny supermarket more than adequately provided us with a rubbery chicken and a most fine selection of locally produced Canadian SB. It has, I would like to confirm, proved exceedingly pleasing on the palette and could well be the start of a long and fruitful relationship.

Our bed for the next 2 nights is in a very well appointed basement with an agreeable outdoor space from where this missive is being crafted.

ps well over 30° C again today.

pps Canada is proving more and more pleasing as we progress north. 200km today

ppps we bought some Tim Tams.

pppps it's Canada Day tomorrow.

[1inawesomewonder]

Othello Tunnels (Kettle Valley Railway)

Othello Tunnels (Kettle Valley Railway)

The salmon are running the Coquihalla River. (Captured from a video I took) Looking back through the tunnels along the Coquihalla River. A space between the tunnels on the side of a mountain. Water rushes through gorge after gorge along this river that feeds the mighty Fraser River. These gorges are some 300′ deep in spots along the river that carved them.

[maggiewookinshella]

Kettle Valley Railway Trail Blog and Riding Guide - Part 3 from Princeton to Hope

Kettle Valley Railway Trail Blog and Riding Guide – Part 3 from Princeton to Hope

Day 9 – Princeton to White Sands Coalmont – 15.61km ridden (365.75km overall)

Our last easy day turned out to be a bit of a slog riding into Princeton so we decided on a half rest day riding out. We intended to ride only about 18km to Coalmont where we would relax the rest of the day. We had a…

[billandkenride]

Water Blogged

The population of the lower mainland is 2.75 million. I think there were only 2 people on the trail Monday. We skirted around YVR and turned south and followed a dyke by Boundary Bay airport to Avenue Zero. Our ride then took us east as we straddled the U.S. border.

The weather wasn't great but the ride sure was. We covered 135 soggy kilometres. One flat tire and a loose fender but all in all the bikes are performing swell.

We leave Chilliwack this morning, and plan to get to the trailhead of the Kettle Valley Railway (KVR) north of Hope by late afternoon.

Cheers,

Bill and Ken

Song of the Day

[zoomrunning]

Follow @zoomrunning for more running inspiration! Want your picture posted? Hit us a DM! @anygivenrunday: 26km of biking and 22km of running the kettle valley railway trail, drinking wine and celebrating 2 years of marriage and another trip around the sun {for me on Wednesday}🎉 It was definitely a weekend well spent with 2 of my favourites💑🐶❤️ Hope you guys had a great weekend too! // Get inspired with a fresh set of running clothes! Check the link in bio. http://ift.tt/2iY7p6g

[mylifephotographybycaley]

"Coquihalla Canyon Provincial Park, popularly called the Othello Tunnels is a provincial park located near Hope, British Columbia focused on the canyon of the Coquihalla River and a decommissioned railway grade, now a walking trail, leading eventually to Coquihalla Pass. Originally part of the Kettle Valley Railway, five tunnels and a series of bridges follow a relatively straight line through the gorge, which is lined with sheer, flat rock cliffs." #travelbc #exploretheworld #explorebc #hwy5 #coquihalla #coquihallacanyon #coquihallariver #explorehope #tourismhope #beautifuldestinations #beautifulbc #supernaturalbc #othellotunnels #decomissionedrailway #river #destinationbc #bcadventures #coquihallaprovincialpark #hopebc #explorecanada #mlpbycaley #iphone6s #hellobc #embracehopebc #beautifulbritishcolumbia (at Othello Tunnels)