# KVR - heading west .. Gravel and fun ......



## Guest (Sep 12, 2009)

I got up early this morning. And headed out to go exploring on one of the more famous cycling trails, located mere feet from my front door.

I went up to the Kettle Valley Railroad, and headed west from the parking area. West toward Okanagan Lake and down the Naramata section of the old railroad.

It was cold at the parking area, 3 degrees when I started out. But dressed to the nines, armed with tubes and a pump, and a chain tool and Bear Bells off I went.

3 hours of absolute joy in the mountains, disrupted only by getting a wasp sting on the roof of my mouth, while still an hour or more from the car .....................

Most of this was at 5,000 feet or above. All on gravel, washboard roads. 

I need to do this more often, but if I do, I might have to buy a mountain bike ...  .... wonderful fun.

I am attaching a few pictures here, most of them are  here , to save RBR some server space. As usual, some words in the Blog and pictures under the "Ride Reports" tab.

Let me know what you think.

TMB


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## MB1 (Jan 27, 2004)

I love dirt roads and that last pic is a fantastic view but what I am really wondering is how many bikes are too many???


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## Guest (Sep 12, 2009)

MB1 said:


> I love dirt roads and that last pic is a fantastic view but what I am really wondering is how many bikes are too many???



Holy Cow MB1!

I've never had been made a sticky so fast!!

Tomorrow, I head east from the parking lot, hoping the pics are as good as today.

I have come to the conclusion - and this was hard to get to - that I only ride so many .........

so ...........

If I don't ride it at least once a month - it goes.

Period.

At some point you have clear out the clutter, you know?


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## MB1 (Jan 27, 2004)

toomanybikes said:


> ...If I don't ride it at least once a month - it goes.
> 
> Period.
> 
> At some point you have clear out the clutter, you know?


Ya but..... 

Our winter bikes sit for at least 8 months a year but we will never get rid of them.


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## Guest (Sep 12, 2009)

MB1 said:


> Ya but.....
> 
> Our winter bikes sit for at least 8 months a year but we will never get rid of them.



Those are different though ........


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## OldEndicottHiway (Jul 16, 2007)

The orange rocks: bike _and _jersey.

Holy cow...are you sure that's not Chelan??? 


P.S. I will hunt down and kill that wasp, if you'd like.


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## Guest (Sep 13, 2009)

OldEndicottHiway said:


> The orange rocks: bike _and _jersey.
> 
> *Holy cow...are you sure that's not Chelan??? *
> 
> ...



Does look similar doesn't it? A little "greener" up here but otherwise ...........

Orange is a GOOD colour.





OldEndicottHiway said:


> The orange rocks: bike _and _jersey.
> 
> Holy cow...are you sure that's not Chelan???
> 
> ...


The only other people I saw out this morning were involved in a 36 hour "adventure race" , teams of 4 and they were taking up pretty much the whole path.


I was heading into the cut in this picture and had to speed up to get by one of these teams, sun was starting to get higher and as I went into the shadow - all the insects were out.

Damn, I knew right away what it was and spit it out - if it isn't dead now ........

Swelling starting to go down, so hopefully all good.

I have an appointment with another part of this trail tomorrow.


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## Don Duende (Sep 13, 2007)

Sweet roads. Makes me wish I had gone with a cross bike instead of a road.


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## rcnute (Dec 21, 2004)

Thou leadeth a charmed life, sir. I rode some gravel trails last night (Discovery Park in Seattle, where a cougar was caught last weekend). Fun! Nothing like those, though.


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## Guest (Sep 13, 2009)

rcnute said:


> Thou leadeth a charmed life, sir. I rode some gravel trails last night (Discovery Park in Seattle, where a cougar was caught last weekend). Fun! Nothing like those, though.



No, RC.

Not always.

Not often.

But .......... tomorrow ......... even more piccies from another ride ................


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## zmudshark (Jan 28, 2007)

Don't envy 2many, trust me on that one.

The rides may be great, but...


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## Touch0Gray (May 29, 2003)

I got to ride around in town on my single speed today....Waterloo has a "Wiener and Kraut" day, city-wide garage sales. town is all roped off and there is public drunkenness. One would think in a town that has the home or Trek Bikes that there would be some SWEET finds in garage sales....not so, but i did stop at a buddies house and drimk a few of his beers!


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## Guest (Sep 13, 2009)

Touch0Gray said:


> I got to ride around in town on my single speed today....Waterloo has a "Wiener and Kraut" day, city-wide garage sales. town is all roped off and there is public drunkenness. One would think in a town that has the home or Trek Bikes that there would be some SWEET finds in garage sales....not so, but i did stop at a buddies house and *drimk* a few of his beers!



??????????

How many beers??


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## OldEndicottHiway (Jul 16, 2007)

toomanybikes said:


> Does look similar doesn't it? A little "greener" up here but otherwise ...........
> 
> Orange is a GOOD colour.
> 
> ...



OK well hopefully the wasp is dead. If not, remember I have that wonderful "wasp killing racket" (only takes 10 or so swats) available for rent, cheap.

Orange and yellow. My fave colors! (except on cars) Still kick myself that I didn't go with the "mustard" De Rosa. Ended up with purple...but it was still pweeeeteee!

Have a blast on that ride tomorrow, and have pity on me...I'm on call for twenty-four hours straight starting at 0600. No NNC fun for me!


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## OldEndicottHiway (Jul 16, 2007)

Touch0Gray said:


> I got to ride around in town on my single speed today....Waterloo has a "Wiener and Kraut" day, city-wide garage sales. *town is all roped off and there is public drunkenness.* One would think in a town that has the home or Trek Bikes that there would be some SWEET finds in garage sales....not so, but i did stop at a buddies house and drimk a few of his beers!


Oh boo hoo. 

Why can't my town have a "no traffic day?" 

That sounds like perfect fun!


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## Touch0Gray (May 29, 2003)

not enough to fix my crappy typing, lol
btw, what made you think eating a wasp was a good idea?


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## Touch0Gray (May 29, 2003)

there was a wiener dog parade too...about 40 or so...lol, one had a chicken suit on, I figured it was one of those Jenny-O turkey franks! Too bad I didn't have a camera with me.......
*CRAP, *yes I did, my cell phone has one now.......damn


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## Guest (Sep 13, 2009)

To be truthful, eating a wasp seemed like a really bad idea.

At the time.

Now, it seems like an even worse idea.

The swelling has pretty much gone down but, you know when you get something stuck in your tooth and you can't stop working at it ??


Well ............

I just keep working at that spot, it's driving me nuts.

Happened to me once before, years ago, on San Juan Island. 

I hate wasps.

I'll take lots of pics tomorrow ( now that I have a new battery), to make up for those of you that can't be out ..  

Ruth Station around the lakes to Lakevale, and south from there to Carmi is the plan.


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## Touch0Gray (May 29, 2003)

moral of that story......breath in through your nose and OUT through your mouth!


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## rodar y rodar (Jul 20, 2007)

Niiiiice. Not being able to ride that KVR is one of the things that most bums me out about being 86ed from Canada. Then again, there are lots of rides I COULD hit up, but never have. I`ve read on other forums that a lot of the trail has been over run by ATVs in the past few years. Does it seem that way to you, or are people likely making a big issue out of a few isolated incedents?


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## Guest (Sep 13, 2009)

rodar y rodar said:


> Niiiiice. Not being able to ride that KVR is one of the things that most bums me out about being 86ed from Canada. Then again, there are lots of rides I COULD hit up, but never have. I`ve read on other forums that a lot of the trail has been over run by ATVs in the past few years. Does it seem that way to you, or are people likely making a big issue out of a few isolated incedents?



I have seen a few ATV's. Certainly not over-running the trails and for the most part I have found the ATV riders pretty courteous about sharing.

The ATV's have a pretty clear right to be there too, there are lots of signs up saying that the next X km are maintained through the hard work of such and such ATV club, or telling people to watch their speed, etc. All posted by ATV clubs.

No such signs evident from the cyclists.


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## Guest (Sep 13, 2009)

Day 2,

A few pics here, more  HERE ,

Early morning.

Fabulous riding.

After two days of getting beat up on the washboard though, I hurt.

My arms and shoulders ache, and I'm _Tired_.

What a lot of fun though.


TMB


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## zmudshark (Jan 28, 2007)

How many flats?

Never mind, just checked you blog.

That's lot of flats!


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## Guest (Sep 13, 2009)

zmudshark said:


> How many flats?
> 
> Never mind, just checked you blog.
> 
> That's lot of flats!



That's as many flats as I've had in the last two years combined.

All in one morning.

Lots of sharp rocks and stones ........... lots of pinch flats.

I should have taken the tubulars, I will next time.


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## JP (Feb 8, 2005)

Nice adventure. I'm thinking more gravel roads in my future.


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## tconrady (May 1, 2007)

Wow TMB! That looks like it was a lot of fun! It certainly doesn't hurt that it was beautiful scenery as well!

Bear Bells??? I understand the concept but do you mount them on your person or on your bike?


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## Guest (Sep 14, 2009)

tconrady said:


> Wow TMB! That looks like it was a lot of fun! It certainly doesn't hurt that it was beautiful scenery as well!
> 
> Bear Bells??? I understand the concept but do you mount them on your person or on your bike?



I have a set of two bells on a velcro strap which if hiking you could put around either a wrist, or a loop of a pack.

I wrapped the strap around the seat stay at first, above the brake bridge and it just about drove me batty, so I took it off, and put the strap through the camera cord, dangling out of my back pocket.

Still made noise but not metallic, much more "bearable"


TMB


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## rodar y rodar (Jul 20, 2007)

Looks good in that direction, too. The bit about ATV clubs doing trail maintenance seems to have slipped the minds of the people who wrote the other reports I read. Thank you for pointing it out. It sounds a lot like the way that it seems to slip Sierra Club et Al`s minds that mtb riders do a big part of the trail maintenance on the East side of the Tahoe Rim Trail.


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## Touch0Gray (May 29, 2003)

toomanybikes said:


> I have a set of two bells on a velcro strap which if hiking you could put around either a wrist, or a loop of a pack.
> 
> I wrapped the strap around the seat stay at first, above the brake bridge and it just about drove me batty, so I took it off, and put the strap through the camera cord, dangling out of my back pocket.
> 
> ...



bears don't like cowbell?


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## Guest (Sep 14, 2009)

rodar y rodar said:


> Looks good in that direction, too. The bit about ATV clubs doing trail maintenance seems to have slipped the minds of the people who wrote the other reports I read. Thank you for pointing it out. It sounds a lot like the way that it seems to slip Sierra Club et Al`s minds that mtb riders do a big part of the trail maintenance on the East side of the Tahoe Rim Trail.



The only ATV's I have ever met on the trail pull over to allow bikes past.

My family are away this weekend ( at least Saturday anyway .... I think) so I may see if I can get the stretch from Lakevale Station to Carmi sub-d in.


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## zmudshark (Jan 28, 2007)

The Provincial Park Rangers are advising bikers in British Columbia and other Rocky Mountain parks to be alert for bears and take extra precautions to avoid an encounter.
They advise park visitors to wear little bells on their clothes so they make noise when hiking. The bell noise allows bears to hear them coming from a distance and not be startled by a hiker accidentally sneaking up on them. This might cause a bear to charge.
Visitors should also carry a pepper spray can just in case a bear is encountered. Spraying the pepper into the air will irritate the bear's sensitive nose and it will run away.
It is also a good idea to keep an eye out for fresh bear scat so you have an idea if bears are in the area. People should be able to recognize the difference between black bear and grizzly bear scat.
Black bear droppings are smaller and often contain berries, leaves, and possibly bits of fur. Grizzly bear droppings tend to contain small bells and smell of pepper.


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## Guest (Sep 16, 2009)

zmudshark said:


> The Provincial Park Rangers are advising bikers in British Columbia and other Rocky Mountain parks to be alert for bears and take extra precautions to avoid an encounter.
> They advise park visitors to wear little bells on their clothes so they make noise when hiking. The bell noise allows bears to hear them coming from a distance and not be startled by a hiker accidentally sneaking up on them. This might cause a bear to charge.
> Visitors should also carry a pepper spray can just in case a bear is encountered. Spraying the pepper into the air will irritate the bear's sensitive nose and it will run away.
> It is also a good idea to keep an eye out for fresh bear scat so you have an idea if bears are in the area. People should be able to recognize the difference between black bear and grizzly bear scat.
> *Black bear droppings are smaller and often contain berries, leaves, and possibly bits of fur. Grizzly bear droppings tend to contain small bells and smell of pepper.*


OK, you just gave away your age ...........


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## Mosovich (Feb 3, 2004)

*Tires..*

Here's an idea take some of the bumps out.. Try a wider tire like a Michelin Jet.. Seems to help on our dirt roads.. If I had that out my door, I'd never be home!


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## Guest (Sep 16, 2009)

Mosovich said:


> Here's an idea take some of the bumps out.. Try a wider tire like a Michelin Jet.. Seems to help on our dirt roads.. If I had that out my door, I'd never be home!



The Michelin Jet is nominally a 700 x 30 tire.

They measure closer to 32.

The tires on the bike are nominally 700 x 32's that measure close to 35.


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