wineries ride: sometimes no wine on ride

[shootingstar]

I know to some people here, a wineries bike ride, means something quite tame.

Well, if you choose it "right", it can be some hefting over hills when those scenic vineyards grow on layers of hillsides, etc. Especially after a lovely large lunch at a winery restaurant. We chose not to drink any wine at lunch today ..just so we could ride better.

Just a wine tasting for us, means sharing less than 1/4 oz .between 2 of us.

We're in Kelowna (Okanagan Valley of British Columbia). yea, kelownagirl and LBTC are lucky gals to live in this area.

[Tri Girl]

Simply gorgeous!

[buddha_bellies]

Oh! I'm so jealous!! How long are you staying in the Interior? Which wineries are you visiting? The fall color there must be beautiful!

We have some wineries out in Langley too. Of course, nothing like where you are now. And from what I remember, the Interior is quite hilly too

[shootingstar]

Oh! I'm so jealous!! How long are you staying in the Interior? Which wineries are you visiting? The fall color there must be beautiful!

We have some wineries out in Langley too. Of course, nothing like where you are now. And from what I remember, the Interior is quite hilly too

Summerhill, the above winery..easy on lst day. Yesterday was just Gray Monk. WE passed by Arrowleaf but did not drop by. Today will be Quail's Gate..which we've been to several times. They have a gorgeous vineyard, lake and mountain vista view from their dining area. My partner had some cycling business matters in last few days so I'm just adding a couple days to make it more vacation for both of us.

Hey, I work in Langley, but live in downtown Vancouver. Still don't know the wineries at your end yet. But geez, Langley is so freakin' sprawley.

fyi where I work, we are adding more cycling routes to that area..in fact what you can see now...it floats over the river.. To be opened next summer.. I'll keep you guessing..

[buddha_bellies]

Summerhill, the above winery..easy on lst day. Yesterday was just Gray Monk. WE passed by Arrowleaf but did not drop by. Today will be Quail's Gate..which we've been to several times. They have a gorgeous vineyard, lake and mountain vista view from their dining area. My partner had some cycling business matters in last few days so I'm just adding a couple days to make it more vacation for both of us.

Hey, I work in Langley, but live in downtown Vancouver. Still don't know the wineries at your end yet. But geez, Langley is so freakin' sprawley.

fyi where I work, we are adding more cycling routes to that area..in fact what you can see now...it floats over the river.. To be opened next summer.. I'll keep you guessing..

Oh no, I actually live in East Vancouver and work in d/t too. I was just out in Fort Langley over the weekend and bike with a few friends. It's really great out there! I love how there's just miles of open road with no stop lights. Do you take the skytrain out to King George and bike the rest of the way? That's quite a commute you have!

I've only been to two wineries out there: Township 7 and Fort Wine Company. Apparently Township 7 won some sort of award for one of their whites.

Are you talking about the overpriced Golden Ear bridge? LOL Do you know if they've designated walkway for cyclists? I've heard that the Canada Line skytrain bridge (the one that goes over the Fraser River from Vancouver to Richmond) is supposed to have a walkway next or below the track for cyclists and walkers. That would be so cool! I never bike out to Richmond w/o driving there first 'cos I am scared of going over the Authur Lang.

[shootingstar]

No, the 2nd last station. then bus. then walk 15 min.

Biking from station to where I work would be a serious decision on a regular basis --there are many wide transport trucks on that route. Construction is still going on at certain points. I only commute by bike part way.

There will be protected bike and pedestrian bike path along the Golden Ears bridge. You can now see the nearly completed bridge now at different points in Langley. Against the mountain range, it seems to float with its white bridge cabling, like a ship suspended in air. It is a different look than the Alex Fraser River bridge.

There will be intrepretative signage and benches to sit down on the bridge to reflect the history of the area (aborigina/First Nations land), salmon, etc.

Yes, the bike deck to the airport should be great. With the Arthur Laing bridge, I just tell myself, that those cars probably overspeeding at least 100 kmph won't hit me, on the road bridge curve. I'm not sure if you are aware, but a police officer in Ontario was killed on an equally fast highway..and he was standing legitimately on a marked right-hand road shoulder with his cruiser in the same shoulder lane.

I don't trust airport road traffic, because there are drivers in a hurry or they don't know the road directions too well (which why my partner's relatives from Germany asked HIM to drive them in their rented car from the airport to our home).

[ms pepperpot]

I don't think my post is that relevant hear as I'm in a different continent, but my other half and me frequently drive from the south of spain to the UK. when we've done this we've stopped in various wine areas. This has made me really want to cycle some of these areas -eg Bordeaux or the Loire (my preference). I love the idea of a few days cycling round the chateaux of the loire. the issue is - what do do with all the wine my other half would want to buy?

[shootingstar]

I don't think my post is that relevant hear as I'm in a different continent, but my other half and me frequently drive from the south of spain to the UK. when we've done this we've stopped in various wine areas. This has made me really want to cycle some of these areas -eg Bordeaux or the Loire (my preference). I love the idea of a few days cycling round the chateaux of the loire. the issue is - what do do with all the wine my other half would want to buy?

I would love to hear more about cycling experiences in Europe! That area of France has always interested me. We don't seem to get enough different descriptions in TE forums about cycling outside of North America. I always enjoyed reading such discussions..and dreamin'

By the way, my partner was in London with another guy (and several other European cities, plus Germany) for a month this past spring. He was quite impressed by the highly active cycling advocacy work in London and did meet with some folks there on their work. They did do some cycling, but focus was more to meet and chat up with advocates.

For instance my partner, who has relatives in Germany and did do some more loaded cycling touring on his own this year by the Rhine in Black Forest region, said that in Germany, there are hardly any wineries have restaurants nor cafes attached.

He did sample wine from his relative that he visited...since there is a family inn and restaurant. There is family vineyard down the road that is managed by other people who pick the grapes for family to produce wine.


Yea, right...why haven't I gone cycling in Germany yet..since I have an beloved translator... one day life and timing will be still ok .. hopefully. Except he wants to cycle somewhere else different...

[ms pepperpot]

It's pretty rare for vinyards in Europe to have restaurants attached, or even be easy to visit. Certainly in France it would be very unusual, it can be quite hard to visit anywhere that actually makes wine.

The UK is a bit different, I think because our wine industry is mostly much newer. My partner and I have visited one by bike and I'd like to maybe spend a weekend touring round a couple.

[ms pepperpot]

As a slight derail, I agree that the cycling advocacy here is pretty good. Generally UK cyclists tend to complain about how poor it is for cyclists here, but I think that's because we compare it with places like the Netherlands and Denmark. I've just got back from a couple of weeks in the south of spain (not cycling) and I was struck by how few cyclists there were compared to how many people cycle here everyday.