Day 390
Kate
It was wonderful to finally meet Kate. We had been exchanging messages for the last 6 months, she was a mine of information about our trip and a great source of support too. It felt strange, we were friends already, just yet to actually meet.
Kate's close neighbour, Nisa, and her dog Morley, were also there to greet us. To say Morley is cute is a major understatement. She has the biggest eyes, limpid pools that just draw you in. After the usual greetings and dog toy throwing we all settled down to have a natter. Nisa it turns out is a fantastic chef and would be feeding us over the next few days. We had no objections to that.
We had a few really relaxing days. The heat had really been getting to us, me especially so Kate’s was a cool sanctuary. Both Kate and Nisa took us out to explore the area. We visited a fab local farmers’ market, had a drive all around West Kelowna, met Tom6, Kate’s son, and were soon coveting his house and especially the hen house! The highlight was a fun afternoon at Frind winery. It would have been rude not to do a wine tasting when we had dozens of wineries on our doorstep and a designated driver in Kate. Frinds is new, just a few years old and the only one based by the lakeside.
Unfortunately Friday came around far too quickly. We had arranged to meet Carla in town, and then Kate led us to the start of the KVR. This was the first time we had seen Kate on a bike and she was a total pro. Her upper body was totally still, all her energy concentrated in her legs, propelling her uphill. OK she was on an E-bike but at nearly 80, she was kicking our butts. She led us on a scenic and virtually traffic free route out of town, past where she had farmed in the past and finally uphill to the KVR. With one more hug goodbye we were off uphill. Hopefully we will meet Kate again soon.
