Bikers on the move

A big Heroes pump up for everyone who hopped on their bikes to go back to school and work after the summer.

It’s great to see people braving the rain and busy streets to cut back on carbon emissions, save on gas prices and get a little exercise in the process.  

We especially love the hard-core cyclists who steam up Chute Lake hill into Kettle Valley after a hard day at the office, it’s a breeze in the morning and often we have bikes pass us at 50 km/h while we sit in traffic, but it sure must be hard coming back in the late afternoon.

We also love the daily morning rat race of kids of all ages who blaze out of their homes and bike to school.

At our son’s school, the bike racks are full and bikes lined up along the fences. It’s great to see and if it's anything like when we biked to school as kids, it’s one of the best moments of the day — pure freedom on two wheels with mom and dad out of earshot.

Keep on riding kids.

Pickers

We aren’t talking about the army of 20 somethings, often from Quebec, who descend upon the orchards in late summer to pluck the ripening fruits from trees and vines.

We are talking about the quiet pickers who I often see bending over to scoop up a tossed can or grocery bag, a round of fast food containers or errant beer cans.

This summer, I noticed more often than in the past that our beaches and parks were clean and often free of debris.

We owe a round of Hero hugs to our Okanagan citizens who take a few moments to scoop up trash and put it where it belongs.They keep our favourite spots a little bit cleaner and greener, which is a part of what defines the Okanagan lifestyle.

Trailers

We live in mountain-biking-and-hiking heaven here in the Okanagan.

The other day, we were wondering who keeps the trails in such perfect condition. Sure, there are our parks and rec team, but we heard there are amazing volunteer groups that are behind the building and maintaining of so many of the top trails in the Valley.

They cut trees, shore up paths, move gravel and map the routes we love, turning our trails into some of the most accessible and well maintained anywhere in the world.

The next time you pass someone on the hillside who is helping make the trails better, be sure to thank them on behalf of the team here at Heroes. Well done.

To share your Ordinary Hero story, please contact: [email protected]

This article is written by or on behalf of an outsourced columnist and does not necessarily reflect the views of Castanet.