Day 7 - Osoyoos to Greenwood, B.C.

After another good sleep in the tent I'm off for the 20+ km hill (aka 'mountain') leaving Osoyoos. I'm super stoked - with a healthy dose of reservation. My only goal is to make it to the top - bike, walk, or crawl. I've got some incentive to get up there - some friends who used to live in our neighbourhood now live there - and have time for a visit with me!

As I leave the campground, I immediately see three deer grazing just outside the entrance. What a nice surprise!

Approaching the hill, I tell myself, "You've done Cyprus Mountain fully loaded - you can do this one too - it's not all that different". (I find I'm starting to talk to myself a lot lately.)

The ride started off slow and steady. I've gone into 'granny gear' pretty quick and am looking for my guideposts. Before I know it, I got to the furthest section that I could see from the valley and wasn't anywhere near the 20 km point - hmmmm - that means there is much more to this hill than can be seen from the valley - oh boy. Here's a pic from someone's driveway while starting the climb.

It is all a bit of a blur now, and the sequencing is a bit muddled up, but what I recall from the climb is a stunning view at the 10 km mark (half way up) and a crazy hairpin corner that all the big rigs were crawling up with their engines geared way down.

The climb was brutal. I took lots of breaks and I managed to stay in the saddle for the climb (no walking or crawling necessary).

At the top of the mountain, I was impressed with the animal statues that mark different roads and I was thrilled to find that the road to my friends' home was relatively flat and their home was reasonably close by. After a warm welcome and a hour of fabulous chatter and catching up, I filled up a couple water bottles and had to get on the road again. Visiting these friends and their dog (our late dog's boyfriend) gave me such great energy - I am so glad we have stayed in touch over the years.

As I left my friends' home, another deer in the field wished me well on my journey.

Climbing that hill felt like I'd made so much progress to my destination of Greenwood, but really, I still had a long, long way to go. I rode to Rock Creek (fueled up with a sandwich and a coffee), Midway and then finally got to Greenwood by mid afternoon.

This was my first night figuring out accommodation as I rolled into town after a ride. I probably should have done a bit more research ahead of time, but I didn't (lesson learned).

I checked in with a couple local sources - a coffee shop and the info centre - they recommended to go to the municipal campground (in the middle of town).

The municipal campground caretakers were a really nice young couple that did their best to help me feel comfortable. The campsite was basically a big field off the side of the highway. It had a toilet (no shower) that had to be locked at night due to 'vagrants'. There was no bear cache. I paid to stay the night ($15.00) - and after about 10 minutes I re-assessed my decision. It would have been a great spot with the truck and trailer, but me on my own in a one-man tent just didn't feel right. Instead, I rode down the road half a kilometer and booked my first night at a local motel.

My accommodation was probably the cheapest I've paid for a motel in over 10 years and it felt like paradise! It was clean, had warm water, soap and shampoo, a little fridge, a coffee pot, a door and windows that locked and room to do some much needed stretches.

When checking into the motel, I asked the woman motel owner about the upcoming hills - as I'd heard they are quite significant coming out of Christina Lake. She replied to me, "If you made it up the hill coming out of Osoyoos, you will be able to manage the one coming out of Christina Lake". I am choosing to believe her - because I want to.

Day 7 - May 20, 2026

Time Started: 6:00 am

Time Stopped: 3:00 pm

KM Travelled: 88.7 km

Elevation: +1,500 / - 1,041

Special Stuff: Friendship that last over time and distance