• British Columbia (and nearby),  Coquihalla,  Cycling & Cycle Touring,  Trip Reports

    Brodie to Spences Bridge: Another Spur of the Kettle Valley Railway

    Three years ago we rode most of the Kettle Valley Railway, following the old rail bed from Midway to Hope, with a side trip to Osoyoos. The Kettle Valley Railway has another side spur or two, and on this weekend we followed the spur going from Brodie to Merritt and on to Spences Bridge. On the previous trip we had passed through Brodie, but had headed south to Hope, whereas this time we were headed north to Merritt. It must have been a huge job to dismantle the railway, but it is much appreciated by cross country cyclists. The old bridges, tunnels, washouts, old stations and water towers provide an…

  • British Columbia (and nearby),  Coquihalla,  Hiking & Scrambling,  Trip Reports

    Coquihalla Mtn: and Jim Kelly Peak Too

    Two weekends ago we drove up the Coquihalla highway, past the old toll booth (deactivated last year), and up a wide and good gravel road (Tulameen FSR). At the junction with Illal FSR I for some reason thought to try and drive the last 3km despite the cross ditches. After going about 300m and maybe 5 ditches we decided this wasn’t the best idea, but there was no room to turn around. I managed to drive in reverse a bit to a place where I could just barely turn the car around. On the way out we heard a loud psssstt sound and I thought we had a puncture, but…

  • British Columbia (and nearby),  Coquihalla,  Cycling & Cycle Touring,  Okanagan,  Trip Reports

    Kettle Valley Railway: Exploring BC on Our First Cycle Touring Trip

    It was a Monday and it was raining in Vancouver. Gili  and I packed the car with two pairs of bikes, a children’s trailer, panniers, sleeping bags and mats, some food, and all the rest of the equipment that we needed for about 12 days of riding. It was about a six hour drive to a small town called Midway (midway across BC east to west) where we planned to start the ride from. After we passed Hope, the skies cleared and the sun was shining. We were on our way to ride the Kettle Valley Railway. Once upon a time there was a gold rush in British Columbia and…