On Wednesday morning in Wenatchee WA, it was 75 degrees at 7 am. I decided not to ride and drove to Bend OR, a 6-hour drive. This morning, I was up early and on the road again. Home – that’s where I wanted to be. It was a fun road trip. I rode 180 miles on 8 new trails. The Myra Canyon Trestles was the top trail – I want to ride it again – so glad Terry lives nearby.

This morning, we went on one of Terry’s favorite rides – around the airport – which included riding the Oaknagan Rail Trail.

A side branch of the trail goes to the University of British Columbia – Kelowna.

We continued straight:

We stopped at a favorite farm stand so Terry could buy more fresh peas.

Understandable. Over the past two days, we have shelled and eaten a lot of peas. Such a delicious treat.

Miles = 18. Thank you Terry for your generous hospitality. After our ride, I packed up and drove to Wenatchee WA.

Terry and I left early, it was going to be a hot day (as hot as Sacramento).

This part of the Kettle Valley Trail runs along a steep-walled canyon and (surprise) is quite flat.

In a 7-mile stretch, there are 18 trestles and 2 tunnels. The scenery is spectacular.

Fantastic ride. Miles = 17.

Up early to avoid the heat. This was not a long ride, but it sure was beautiful. There were lots of people (many with dogs) walking and riding the trail, even a group of 5 young men in full military gear marching single file.

After 7 miles, the trail ended but you could continue riding a road

until reaching the Keith Wilson Bridge.

I crossed over to continue riding on the other side of the Vedder River.

At the end of the ride, I crossed over the Vedder Bridge.

This must have been a great place to fly fish. There were 25 fishermen in the small section, more standing on the rocks on the shoreline. I watched for a while because I was sure some of those fishing lines would get tangled but none did.

Miles = 15. Finishing early meant I had plenty of time to shower and pack before leaving Chilliwack and driving eastward to Kelowna.

I left in time to have breakfast at Fox & Monocle, a bakery/cafe at a marina very close to the Swartz Bay Ferry Terminal. I took the 12 noon ferry to Tsawassan.

Galliano Island:

1 1/2 hours on the ferry and a 2-hour drive to Chilliwack. Canadian speed limits are much lower than in the US. On freeways. 100km/hour = 60 mph on the Trans-Canada Highway which I stuck to, but I was easily the slowest driver on the road.

After the bike ride, it was just a 30 minute drive to Butchart Gardens. The sunken garden (once a rock quarry):

Walkway to the rose garden:

The scent of roses was strong.

Path in the Japanese garden:

I had a late lunch at the Blue Poppy Restaurant – the best seafood chowder I’ve ever had.

Walkway to/from the parking lot.

Another 30-minute drive to tonight’s VRBO in N Saanich. This one was special.

I was able to leave my packed-up car in the driveway while I went for a ride. I headed east first.

The paved trail ended, but it was still rideable.

No trucks on the bumpy wooden bridge – good idea!

I turned around after 9 miles and headed back but continued on to get more miles. At a fork in the trail, a sign pointed to downtown Victoria. and the Empress Hotel and Inner Harbor were just 3 miles away. Let’s go!

A bicycle counter! At 11:30 am, 1180 bicycles had already passed by.

Cycle tracks made riding in the city so safe.

No high tea for me. Time to ride back, load the bike, and drive to The Butchart Gardens.

Last night I made myself anxious about getting to Victoria today. I wanted to go through Port Angeles, a 2 1/2 hour drive from Lacey WA, but there were no ferry departure times in mid-afternoon. There was a ferry at 5:15, but there were no reserved spaces left. The alternate choice was to drive to the Tsawassan Ferry Terminal, the ferries left every hour and reservations were available. Tsawassan was a 3 1/2 hour drive, through the Seattle/Tacoma corridor, and you must arrive one hour before the ferry leaves even if you have a reservation. The solution to all this was to NOT ride this morning and leave early. As I was checking out, the person behind the desk was also an Arlete (with 2 t’s), she was born in Mexico. I asked how she pronounced in Spanish, but there was no difference from how I pronounce my name.

5 mph traffic for an hour through Everett WA made me glad I left early. I arrived more than an hour ahead of time. Many people lock their vehicles and walk to the food/shopping building:

Passenger vehicles on Deck 2. Big trucks on Deck 1.

The ferry to Swartz Bay took 1 1/2 hours and wound between many scattered islands

A very nice newly-built AirBnB tonight. My little apartment was on the left side of the house and just perfect.

Another cold morning and it stayed that way for the whole ride. I wondered what was on the sandwich board sign up ahead.

Uh-oh. I decided to at least ride the 3.7 miles before turning around.

When I got to Manning, the barricade had been moved slightly. I could see hikers and a cyclist up ahead. Ok, time to see if I can get through. I talked to a couple of cyclists riding toward me, they said the work crew at the other end had waved them through. Cool!

Only a short stretch of non-tree-lined trail.

Near Buxton, a 700-foot-long curving trestle, 80 feet high.

Back in town and headed to the AirBnB to my vehicle, I spotted a new business and stopped for an iced mocha. Great end to a very good ride.

Miles = 28. Next stop: Lacey WA

Rather cold this morning, I didn’t leave until 8 am, it was in 57 degrees. Row rhymes with “cow” – the trail got its name because two farmers got into a huge fight.

At 7 miles, I came to the first glimpse of Dorena Dam, barely visible through the trees.

For this trip, I decided to get a small tripod to use with my phone.

The trail followed the north side of the lake for many miles.

Row River:

At 17 miles, the trail ended at Culp Creek. I took a break here and had some breakfast before heading back.

As I crossed this trestle, I looked to the right and spotted one of Lane Counties famous covered bridges. Lane County has the most covered bridges on this side of the Mississippi River.

At the next trestle, there was another one but a bit disguised because it was being refurbished. I found a dirt side trail and was able to see this:

Miles = 34. Then I drove to Banks OR where I stayed at a super-nice AirBnB.