On April 1, 2005 I set off across Canada on my bicycle. Or at least I'd planned to cross Canada. These pages are an account of that trip, as told through travelogs I sent to friends. I hope you enjoy the ride!

After riding from Princeton to Penticton on the old KVR, I felt obligated to write to the media about the sad condition of the trail. Here's the letter.

Dear CBC,

Will Webster here, out in the wilds on my bicycle taking on the old Kettle Valley Railway Trail. Just came over the Three Lakes Pass between Princeton and Penticton in fact.

The Kettle Valley Railway right of way is truly a national treasure if ever there was one. If it has not been so designated, it most certainly should be.

Andrew McCullough's railroad was one of the finest engineered anywhere, and its role in the settler years of the Okanagan and West Kootenays was integral and well documented.

Sadly, I have to report, despite the spanking new bridge at the second Trout Creek crossing, and the decked and walled trestle down below, the trail is not in good shape.

It is sandy and torn up, mostly as a result of heavy, fast, All Terrain Vehicle (ATV) use for 15 kilometers on either side of Bankier, and for seven kilometers west of Faulder.

This is a sad state of affairs, not just for cyclers, but for hikers as well. In the two years since I last rode the KVR, I've seen this particular stretch go from tough, to almost impassable in many places.

I'm not simply railing about how the ATV traffic affects cyclists. It's more than that. In many places, the railbed is being eroded as fast moving recreational machines tear up the surface and send it blowing over the edges, reducing the surface depth. In these places the large rocks, once used to hold the rails and ties in place, are becoming exposed. There are safety issues in that, people could trip and fall, cyclists lose their balance, horses damage shoes.

Most of the ATVers I've talked to about the issue get their back's up when I broach the issue with them. They say they have just as much right to be there. In a sense I agree, but no one has the right to vandalize or cause damage to such a treasure. If used properly, driven at low speeds, ATVs might actually help to compress the surface of this now world famous trail. There must be some way we can stop the abuse, and work together to keep the trail in good condition for all who use it.

Unfortunately, I don't think the ATVers agree. However, unless we can get such an agreement from recreational vehicle drivers, it may be necessary to do something drastic to protect the trail before it is ruined and word gets out to the travelling public.

Every year hundreds of people from Europe, Asia, the USA and right here at home, hop on a jet, get out their bicycles, and come ride the KVR. If we damage the line, if we make it too tough to ride, then all the communities along the way will lose out on the tourist-generated revenue these people represent.

There are many good reasons to totally ban the use of ATVs anywhere on the the Kettle Valley Railway. They are environmental, social in the sense of public safety, and economic. The simple fact that some people believe they should have the right to rip through the forests, at high rates of speed, on machines best-known for rolling over and crushing children, simply does not stand up to the need to preserve the KVR from the damage that is being done.

Emblematic of the whole two-day grind, as I rolled down the last hill into Penticton, I was suddenly faced with a ATVer moving about 40 kilometers-an-hour up the hill, being chased by a dirt bike. They didn't slow down, in fact they smiled and waved, as they sped by within a meter of me.

Before I was totally down the grade, they sped by going the other way, losing me in their dust. Then, just before I exitted the line, I came upon the pair, parked in a pick-up truck right across the grade, blocking my path.

They were smiling, and had a good time. I was cleaning dirt from the sunglasses and bicyle components, waiting for them to clear the right of way so I could continue. All I felt was sad.
Will Webster
Kaslo BC