Visitors and locals with a curiosity for Kelowna’s agricultural heritage and a hankering for light activity will get a real kick out of a guided cycling tour through Kelowna, as I did recently.
Monashee Adventure Tours in Kelowna offers guided cycling tours around the back-roads of Kelowna, through orchard country and breathtaking private gardens, and unforgettable lookout points over the expansive lake and valley. Ed Kruger, guide and owner of Monashee Adventure Tours regales his clients with facts about how Kelowna got its name, how orcharding has changed from its original methods to present methods, how the surrounding mountains got their names, and a host of other fascinating factoids.
The bicycles are available to small or large groups, and range from comfortable hybrid mountain bikes to the endlessly clever Electronic Assist Bike, which functions like a regular bicycle but gives the rider an extra boost with its small and soundless motor. Riders will enjoy a moderate amount of exercise while riding this bicycle, but the beauty of this ride is in the vast area one can cover without ever really breaking a sweat. Hills are no longer a chore!
Typically Ed stops at a winery or 2 along the way to enjoy a tasting and meet the personalities behind the business. What I love is that you see so much more countryside from the saddle of your bike, you get to smell the fragrant blossom-scented air… basically, the experience is a million times more tactile and personal than from the seat of a car. Ed ends his bicycle tours at a nearby winery so that visitors can linger on the patios overlooking the vineyards and lake, take a winery tour, and then indulge in the menu and get some retail “therapy” in the wineshop!
Monashee Adventure Tours’ bicycle rides range from pleasant orchard and back-road bike trips to more demanding wooded trail rides fit for the more advanced cyclist. They are a terrific way to learn about the region you find yourself in, and to savour the beauty of your surroundings.
This article is written by or on behalf of an outsourced columnist and does not necessarily reflect the views of Castanet.