COLUMN: Riding the riding for fifth straight summer | Opinion

Final week, I cycled across the using of South Okanagan-West Kootenay for the fifth yr in a row. I take seven days to cowl the paths and highways, stopping at cafes and eating places alongside the way in which to fulfill with constituents and experience with them on their trails.

This yr I took care to fulfill in open-air patios the place we may discuss at a distance. And as soon as once more the experience lived as much as its expectations — good conversations on all kinds of matters, nice climate and the beautiful surroundings throughout this lovely using.

I began the experience with a couple of fellow cyclists at Glenfir, about eight kilometres north of Naramata on the Kettle Valley Railway path. We arrived in Penticton in time for breakfast and a shock go to by Mike Farnworth, the B.C. Minister of Public Security.

Because the Christie Mountain fireplace was nonetheless burning and the Emergency Operations Centre was solely a block away, I took the Minister to the EOC to debate the hearth preventing and evacuation responses and classes discovered from earlier years.

After an ice-cream cease in Okanagan Falls and lunch in Oliver, I acquired again within the automotive at Osoyoos and drove to Huge White, the northwest nook of the using.

I met with native businesspeople over breakfast the subsequent morning after which acquired again on to the KVR path at McCulloch and cycled the 60 km to Beaverdell. We met a number of teams of cyclists on the path who all praised the route whereas strongly suggesting that or not it’s maintained in higher situation for cyclists.

At Carmi, we handed a BC Wildfire checkpoint holding individuals out of the Carmi Creek space the place a hearth was actively burning. The girl manning the checkpoint was stuffed with reward for the bottom and air crews preventing the hearth and one other on Solomon Mountain throughout the valley.

Over pizza in Rock Creek, I had a quick chat with the native faculty principal about faculties reopening and an extended discuss with a neighborhood businessman in regards to the bettering financial outlook for Beaverdell as individuals transfer to and recreate within the pure great thing about the West Kettle Valley.

The subsequent day I continued down the KVR path to Rock Creek, the place I toured the brand new Riverside Centre, an thrilling new addition to the area that gives customer info, social providers, a trails workplace and banking providers provided by the Osoyoos Credit score Union.

We had supper on the Keg and Kettle Grill in Halfway, a brand new restaurant that’s doing a thriving enterprise in difficult occasions.

On the fourth morning, I met up with Ciel Sander, the native path coordinator, for the experience as much as Eholt and all the way down to Grand Forks. Ciel graciously lent me her fat-tired e-bike, stating that the floor of this part is in horrible form and troublesome for regular bikes like mine.

Members of the Grand Forks cycle membership met us close to Eholt (in the course of the very darkish Hodges Tunnel to be actual!) and identified the issue in sustaining rocky and sandy components of the path when it’s shared with motorized vehicle site visitors.

Due to these fats tires (and the electrical pedal help!), I arrived for lunch in Grand Forks on time the place one other group had gathered for discussions on the sidewalk patio with matters starting from issues round 5G cell tower rollouts to politics in any respect ranges.

I dropped in on the brand new bike retailer in downtown Grand Forks to talk with the proprietor about encouraging biking (bike shops all over the place have been overwhelmed by enterprise throughout COVID) whereas I surreptitiously checked out e-bikes with fats tires.

Since Grand Forks marked the center level of my journey, now is an efficient level to wrap up this column and I’ll end the report subsequent week. Comfortable trails!

Richard Cannings is MP for South Okanagan-West Kootenay.