Day 9/10

By Kathryn Ahvenus, Vernon

We were fortunate to have been hosted in Kamloops at the  Coast Hotel, Wyndham Hotel Hampton Hotel and the Fairfield Marriott in Kamloops, thank you so much for your hospitality and for giving us such a wonderful overnight stay.
We woke up to a tailgate breakfast in the parking lot at the Motor Home (Thanks Ken!) to fuel us for a day ahead.

With great sadness we said goodbye today to Bill-our incredibly talented bus driver, thank you Bill for persevering through tight corners, powerfully smelling bike gear and of course the ferry over and over and over! South Okanagan Charters sent Bill along for the ride, and he was a great addition to our team. Safe travels Bill!

It was a great day for a  ride, overcast but dry but we were fighting a headwind for most of the day as we journeyed from Kamloops towards my hometown of Vernon. As a group however it was a tough day, we were missing two of our riders and after nine days together the loss was acute.Breathing issues and a family emergency were the reason for their absence, we sure missed you guys and you’ve been in our thought!

To a large extent this entire ride is about overcoming obstacles and appreciating what our little ambassadors go through on a daily basis. After a brief but delicious lunch in Falkland, thanks to Sedo’s Deli, we we are back on Hwy 97 facing the wind, determined to make our destination safely and on time.

When we got to our stop in Monte Creek a surprise visit from a family Cops For Kids had supported was there and shared their story with us, which helped keep us going to Vernon.

Upon arriving in Vernon at Boston PizzaWe were greeted in Vernon by an awesome crowd of family, friends and three ambassadors Aeon, Liam, and Olive. Boston Pizza is not only a strong supporter in Vernon through our Jail & Bail event each year, but they also generously sent pizza dinner for the team in Vernon also. Thank you to Sean for supporting us year after year.

After dinner, we gathered in a room at the Prestige Vernon Lodge for some team awards and socializing as an annual tradition. Kyle and I were rookies this year and feel very blessed to have been able to join the ride this year and be part of such an amazing group of people! Tomorrow, the pedalling is easy but we will finish our journey and say good bye to our new friends that helped us conquer this awesome journey.

Over (Ovah)

Kathryn