KLR on the KVR june 2010

[Lycan1]

Originally Posted by Morinite

Outstanding RR Lycan.

I'm in the army and have been for quite some time now, anyway in the early 90's my unit (a group of about 120) did a forced march with all our gear (about 70/80lbs each) that's not including water, rations, bug juice etc.. The brass called it "adventure training" well after about 350 km and 9 days later it was anything but an "adventure'!! My feet were just hamburger my back and legs were in knots and I did not have much FUN at all... Well that was 20 years ago and I degress. I'm a KLR dude myself now (A20) that I bought new in 06. I try to get out as much as I can when I can. I now want to do this trail by myself (I don't ride alot with others).

Question 1: How did you fair on fuel and what did you use for communication? As I travel alone mostly I need to contact "9er long hair" regularly..humph!!

Cell service is good in a lot of areas, read higher elevations. Fuel is no issue with the KLR as the trail is criss-crossing civilization at enough points that you will rarely see 1/2 a tank used before the next opportunity to fuel comes up. Plenty of spots to camp along it as well.

Question 2: Is there a wet season there? I don't want hit this trail at the wettest time of the year.

The time of year that we went it was dry most of the way. Just north of Beaverdell and north of Tulameen would be the only sections that might be a problem in the wet, but it would have to be torential for days before I would worry about it.

Thanks for sharing.

Get out there and do it, you will not be diappointed! Easy route for just about any bike, certainly KLR friendly, especially if the Paulson wash out has a new bridge. Doable if it doesn't.

[dave6]

Originally Posted by Lycan1

Get out there and do it, you will not be diappointed! Easy route for just about any bike, certainly KLR friendly, especially if the Paulson wash out has a new bridge. Doable if it doesn't.

Wow, new bike congratulations.

[Lycan1]

Originally Posted by dave6

Wow, new bike congratulations.

Thanks Dave. I am loving it so far, I'll see if I still love it after tomorrow's oil change and general maintenance day. Certainly easier to spot on the trails.

Stay tuned for more pictures and further report. I might have to change the thread title to KTM on the KVR.

[dave6]

2 of my buddies are going on the B.C. Trailie ride as well, their names are Derek and Greg riding 08 KLR and a V-Strom with semi loud pipes. I have a new Super Tenere on order, should be here in August.

[Lycan1]

Originally Posted by dave6

2 of my buddies are going on the B.C. Trailie ride as well, their names are Derek and Greg riding 08 KLR and a V-Strom with semi loud pipes. I have a new Super Tenere on order, should be here in August.

I'll look for them and say hi. Let me know when your beast arrives, maybe we can hook up for a ride so you can show it off. I am actually going to try a GPS on this ride to see just how technologically challenged I really am.

[Terence FFM]

Wow, awesome ride report. I wish I had gotten into offroad riding back when I was still living in that neck of the woods. When I see pictures like those, I realize what an opportunity I missed out on.

At least you have helped show me the error of my ways and I promise that someday, I will post a ride report that is hopefully half as good. (At the very least it will probably contain lots of pictures of my bike having naps along the way.)

[Gone D]

I'm posting so I can find this ride report again. I want to do this ride.

[Scott_PDX]

Nice Ride Report and great follow up info guys. I'm making intial plans to ride up there from Portland Labor Day week, and do a couple sections. Read this report a couple of times and keep making notes.

Anybody else thinking of being up that way around Sept 5th and want to ride a bit, let me know.

[Lycan1]

The Adra Tunnel is being repaired and can now be accessed for the first 100 meters although the path leading up is blocked by concrete blocks to prevent vehicles bigger than a trials bike.

The short bypass conecting the upper and lower path has been widened and graveled.

The Bellevue trestle has new rails and decking and can be ridden across. Just before (1.5 km) the Myra Canyon west parking lot you will cross the Little White Forest Service road. Go south (up) the road to get to the bypass (turn left / east). Some of the signage is missing and the rest is very small. Pay attention and you can easily follow it around the south End. There are some tough sections as they do not seem to be maintaining it . Lots of tree fall across the path east of Pooley Creek bridge. One small but steep-banked stream crossing east of that.

Penticton; The campground at the south end just before the highway climbs up and out gives access along the west edge of Skaha lake and will take you all the way to Oliver. It does pass through Banbury Green Campground, which is one of my favorite campgrounds.

Brookmere south to Coalmount road; there is an easy bypass to the right marked "Coalmount". When you get to the road go across the small wood bridge to carry on south on the KVR right of way.

Pictures to follow.

[dave6]

Oh by the way, the big sandy slide /wash out ( the one you wiped out on) between Coalmont and Princeton now has a steel tunnel going under it KTM guys have to duck going through now.

[Lycan1]

Originally Posted by dave6

Oh by the way, the big sandy slide /wash out ( the one you wiped out on) between Coalmont and Princeton now has a steel tunnel going under it KTM guys have to duck going through now.

Good to know Dave , thanks.

[BigT]

Wow, what a breathtakingly beautiful place to explore.

[bross]

Originally Posted by dave6

Oh by the way, the big sandy slide /wash out ( the one you wiped out on) between Coalmont and Princeton now has a steel tunnel going under it KTM guys have to duck going through now.

You mean this one...



we rode that section from Coalmont to Princeton on the way home from the BC Big Trailie Ride.

[Lycan1]

Thanks for the video! That is much easier than riding up and over.

[Lycan1]

My obsession with this facinating piece of Canadian and British Columbian History continues, so I did a couple of sections after the BCBTR6 this year as I wandered the province for a week afterward. I started by jumping on the trail near the dam along Old Hedley Road east of Princeton and ran up to Summerland. Easy sailing along this stretch.





I camped at Banbury Green as I did last year in the same spot right on the lake beside the KVR right of way that bisectes the campground. You can run from Oliver north to Penticton's south end. In the morning I set off north toward Penticton. The line dumps out into the campground at Penticton's south end just after the last light and before the highway heads up the hill and out of town. I had a little wreck along this stretch. I was cruising along at about 30 kph in a section where the weeds were narrowing the trail. I did not see the huge rock that had fallen off the rock face to my left and was hiding in the overgrow weeds. I just suddenly found myself lying on my right side with both Gobi bags lying back down the trail. After I picked up the bike (mostly unscathed, cases excepted) I asessed the damage. Right case fine, reattached. Left case main latch broken, case fine. A few Zip ties and a ratchet strap and I was on my way again. There were bear warning signs back at the camp about a black bear and her cub on this stretch, but when I asked the guy at the camp office he said he thought they had caught them. further up the trail I see a dead partially eaten fish and bear droppings! OH CRAP (litteraly)! I stand on the pegs and start honking the pathetic horn and ramp up my speed and noise. I make it to the camp at the north end with only a few hairs still standing up on my neck (too bad the ones on my head are giving up).







I follow the GPS through Penticton to Naramata and head up the hill to the KVR. Just head up to where the fancy new houses are being built and you will find a way onto the line.



From there I head toward Chute Lake along the line. The Adra tunnel is well under way to being restored and re-opened. Donations are still accepted toward this end and a credit to the people doing it! The rough little bypass from the south entrance up to the north in the meantime is graetly improved; widened graveled and easy. At the top you can now go to the tunnel entrance that last year was blocked by concrete blocks. They have taken these and stagered them along the entrace to keep out vehicles. They are using concrete squares and blow on concrete to strengthen and stabilize the interior of the tunnel. I was able to go 100 meters inside. I look forward to the day it is all done!!







A little further toward Chute lake I stopped to comune with nature; A black Bear stood in my path and was easy to spot on the trail ahead. I took it's picture then started honking and revving the engine. It did not like the noise and wandered off the trail. The path was wide and I felt fairly sure had it charged I wuld have just barely (pun intended) time to turn the bike around and flee. Not like a few days later when I encountered the huge grizzly, but that is for another thread.



Past Chute lake I came to the Bellevue Trestle. The signs about motor vehicles are gone and there is fresh decking and rails. so I carried on across and on to the Parking lot at the west end of Myra Canyon. 1 and a half kms before the parking lot Little White Forest Service road intersects the trail going up the hill to the south. Follow it up the hill to the south to join the Myra Canyon bypass. I checked out the parking lot and gate first but respected the signs. The bypass at the west end is not well maintained and signage is becoming poor. I did have the GPS running and will try to add the track at some point. I may need help from a more GPS savy inmate. Other than rough and rocky it is good until the Pooley creek bridge. The last 100 yards down to the bridge on the west side is narrow and fairly steep but nice gravel. East of the bridge there is a lot of dead fall and I got to practice driving over logs. Further up the path and just before you can see the trestles I had to traverse a small creek. It had a few logs floating in it that would have been more hinderance than help so I stomped in and tossed them. After planning my path carefully as there were lots of big slippery round rocks. Down the bank I went. It was about a 45 degree drop to and back up from the stream. The picture does not do it justice at all and makes it look easy. I bottomed out the forks going across. Afterward only my boots and gloves were wet and I felt I had acomplished something. I also hoped there were not any more of these.


















Finnaly I could see why I had come and it made it all worth the effort. The Myra Canyon Trestles across the canyon!







With that seen I carried on to meet a logging road at the east end following it to Mile marker 71 taking a hard left and heading east to meet up with Hwy 33. I turned left and followed it back to Kelowna.

I did, later that day, take hwy 8 west out of Merritt to Spences bridge, stopping to snap a couple of pictures of the remaining trestles along that stretch. Most of that stretch would be impassable except on a very nimble lightweight bike. It (almost the whole way) runs across reservation land that you need permission from the chiefs to access. I could see a few sections of raised railbed that were collapsing. It is still interesting to see the line which is clearly visible from the highway in most areas.







That was it for this years update, but I will be back again. Some things are worth revisting.