Suddenly its Winter!

We spent the first 10 days of November trying to squeeze in as many bike rides as we could.  We had been away a lot over the late summer and early fall and out of a routine and had missed the stimulation and exercise of our usual bike rides.  And ski season was looming, we needed to get in shape!
The weather was a bit dull but there had been no snow, not even any frost.  We bundled up and took off! 

Fields still green along Swan Lake in late October after the morning mist evaporates

We did all our favourite rides starting by riding out around Swan Lake.  The cold morning mist was persistent over Swan Lake so when we got to the intersection of Pleasant Valley Road and Highway 97,we took a detour to Swan Lake Nursery to warm up over a coffee.

 I find Swan Lake Nursery kind of a funky place.  It is not at all pretentious; there is no fancy coffee makers, just brewed coffee in a Styrofoam cup  and fresh home-baked pastries.  The local fruits and vegetables sold here are at the lowest prices of anywhere else in Vernon.  Bins of a half-dozen varieties of local apples were sitting outside, surrounded by piles of squash and multi-coloured peppers There were even late season local raspberries. We browsed around the store for quite a while.  They now carry a selection of trendy women's' wear and its fun to check out the kitchen and garden gadgets.  When we finally did get back on our bikes the mist had lifted and we biked home under a warm blue sky.

Another day we drove out to Roger's Food, a local milling company.  Before leaving our car in their parking lot I went into their bulk store to get nuts, grains and dried fruits for homemade granola and my Christmas poppy-cock.  The ride from here to Armstrong is all on country roads.  We made it to the Brown Derby in time to order the $2.99 breakfast special, the best little breakfast deal on the planet.
Another day we did the loop out through Coldstream to Lavington.  We took a short side trip down Howe Drive to the Coldstream cemetery on our way.  After a bowl of hot soup at the Blue Nose Deli in Lavington we headed home up along Buchannan Road.
Our current favourite short ride is east along Okanagan Landing Road to 34 Street where we turn left and struggle up Mission Hill.  Its a gasper but by the time it morphs into Commonage Road, the view down to Okanagan Lake makes it worthwhile.  Just after turning onto Bench Row Road, you can stop and explore the dog walking area hidden in the planted forest, part of the water reclamation project.  The ride home is all downhill, first along undulating Bench Row Road and then down the paved Longacre Trail  that eventually winds down to Okanagan Avenue.  This is a 15 km loop.

The very still Kalamalka Lake from the scenic viewpoint on November 10

Our final bike ride of the season started with climbing up 34 Street, then skirting around the outside of the Cadet Camp, following the bike path  alongside Highway 97 south which continues onto Clerke Road.  Where this meets Highway 97 we carefully crossed the highway and continued along Kalamalka Lakeside Road  to the recently upgraded viewpoint which now has bathrooms and picnic tables.  The ride overlooking Kal Lake is spectacular.

 

 A lone canoeist floated on the lake below.   The sloping hill down to the lake is dotted with high-end homes all the way to the turn off to Kekuli Park.  We realized how cold the air was when we streaked down the hill to the beach and we were surprised to find two boats in the water.  One was just being pulled out but the other took some keen fishermen out into the still steel-grey water.  We were glad to have a soak in our hot-tub when we got home.

Keen fishermen taking off from Kekuli Park November 10

Then this week, after a 10 day trip back to Alberta, we have returned to winter.  There is no snow in the valley but Silver Star and Sovereign Lake are both open for cross-country skiing and Silver Star opened today for downhill skiing.  We had a good day of skiing on Monday and will return tomorrow for more.  The bikes are hooked up to the roof of the garage and the ski gear is out and ready!

first day of skiing at Silver Star November 23