Jun 28, 2008
Gordon Lightfoot - The Railroad Trilogy
And when the young man's fancy was turning to the spring
The railroad men grew restless for to hear the hammers ring
Their minds were overflowing with the visions of their day
And many a fortune lost and won and many a debt to pay
For they looked in the future and what did they see
They saw an iron road running from the sea to the sea
Bringing the goods to a young growing land
All up from the seaports and into their hands
- Gordon Lightfoot - The Railroad Trilogy
Mara – Canyon Hot Springs / Albert Canyon- 128 kilometers / 79 miles
We decided to aim to be ‘on the road’ by about 7:15am that morning to beat the heat as well as some of the holiday traffic as there was a long day ahead and I was on Galley Duty meaning that my team was responsible for cooking so I had to get into camp as early as possible to help with the set up and preparation of the meal. Cooking for about 40 people certainly does take some organization.
Galley Duty explained
Galley Duty means that the group (about 7 people per group) is responsible for cooking and cleaning for the rest of the group. The workload for this is shared and it’s important to establish from the outset who is responsible for cooking (eg. figure out who can make more than Kraft Dinner) and then also establishing who is the Crew Chief (who is good at delegating work). Everyone else is responsible for chopping, setting up the tables, serving the food, bleaching the wash bins, cleaning up the camp, putting away the bikes, locking up the truck and making the site ‘bear proof’. It sounds easy but it is a huge responsibility as hungry bikers are grumpy bikers and because of the quantity it does take some coordination.
On the road again
The cycle around Mara Lake was beautiful – as it was still early it was nice and cool and the views over the lake were stunning. The water was as smooth as glass and a few boats bobbed along the docks. Mara is quite a touristy area and as it was the start of the long weekend most campgrounds and resorts were fully booked and people were just heading out to make the most of the long weekend and gorgeous weather.
We veered off of the main route by popping into Sicamous to check out the town and see if we could find a Tim Hortons. It’s a nice small town with a ‘lazy’ feel and is located along the north end of Mara Lake. A Tim Hortons was in order and I indulged in a vanilla coffee and two cruller donuts. So good – it’s amazing how much I can eat these days and am always, always ready for a Timmy’s..!
The Last Spike
We decided that the next stop would be at Craigellachie where the last spike was nailed in the trans-continental railroad. The ‘nebulous dream’ to build the trans-Canadian railway became a reality on November 7th, 1885 when the last spike on 3000 miles of steel linked the lofty mountain passes, to the prairies, and over a thousand rivers. It welded the East to the West. A small info booth and plaque marked the spot. The area was also a mosquito breeding ground (I am pretty sure that they knew it was a tourist-hot spot and therefore an appropriate lunch spot!) so we looked around as quickly as possible b and then headed on our way..!
Three Valley Gap
I met up with Jane and biked with her for the rest of the afternoon which was long but exciting day as we decided to go on a helicopter tour at Three Valley Gap. It was a bit of a spontaneous decision but well worth it..! We had a 30 minute helicopter ride over Three Valley Gap and over the glaciers, near Revelstoke and around Mount English. There were huge glaciers covering the area as the weather (up until this weekend!) had been relatively cold so the snow melt was lower than normal. I’ve never been in a helicopter before so that was an awesome experience – the feeling of ‘hovering’ above the earth was great. There was a light breeze which would catch the helicopter every once in a while and it would ‘bounce’ along through the air. It was nice to also see the mountains so close up and from above rather than from the side or from within. The pine trees looked like fine green slivers cut into the earth. It was also interesting to see how much clear cutting does go on but is ‘hidden’ away from the main traffic areas as until I saw the view from above, I didn’t really know how extensive it was..!
Jane and I had a great time but were a bit nervous after because we still had about 40 kms of uphill left to go in the blazing heat before camp --- and it was already 2pm..! Yikes! Unfortunately that didn’t stop us from hitting McDonalds along the way to indulge in a milkshake (where we met up with Dennis!). I must admit however, although the milkshake stop (eg. postponing the inevitable) seemed like a good idea at the time, the last 30 kms into camp were sooo long and soooo hot. I could feel my energy levels dropping as we continued on Highway 1 (still the TransCanada). Every once in a while we’d pass a clearing along the Illeclilewaet River and then ‘feel’ the cold glacier stream before we actually saw it. So refreshing..! The traffic wasn’t too bad either which made the last 2 hours of uphill a bit more bearable. It was tempting not to jump into the stream just to have a break from the soaring heat which seemed to radiate off of the asphalt. I actually began to look forward to the trucks flying by us as they would come so close in certain sections that they’d actually provide a much needed breeze.
It was like a mirage to see the Canyon Hot Springs sign. I was immediately handed a cold beer and handed a recipe book to make Italian dressing for the salad as the rest of our Galley Crew was already hard a work making a fantastic Oriental noodle dish with marinated chicken. Dave was our cook and I am sure that he is the next Jamie Oliver as he did a fantastic job and the meal was devoured by 40 hungry bikers. Ross did a great job grating the cheese (I laughed about that joke for about 20 minutes..!)
After dinner we cleaned up, set up for the breakfast and bear-proofed the area. I was absolutely 120% exhausted after the action packed, long and hot day! I fell asleep instantly knowing I’d have to be up early to help prepare the breakfast (scrambled eggs!) at 6am for the last part of our Galley Crew responsibilities and the long, hot climb over Rogers Pass.
Jun 27, 2008
Bedouin Soundclash - "When the Night Feels my Song"
I'm on the rocky road,
Heading down off the mountain slope,
And as my steps echo (echo) louder than before
Another day is done,
Say good-bye to the setting sun,
See what I found, turn back to the ground just like before
And hey hey hey, hey hey hey (hey!)
Hey Beautiful day (hey! hey!)
Hey Beautiful day
Hey, hey hey hey...
- Bedouin Soundclash - "When the Night Feels my Song"
Pritchard to Mara- 104 kilometres / 64 miles 
I was pretty sure that the TransCanada and the CP Rail trains both went directly through the campground that night..! Our campground was pretty much on the highway which made for an interesting evening of hearing trucks downshift and trains haul their loads through the mountains 24/7. Having said that, I still managed to sleep relatively well and was looking forward to the day ahead – blue skies, delicious breakfast and a bit of a challenging day up into and out of Salmon Arm.
I had arranged to meet up with my Aunt and Uncle who live enroute in Salmon Arm with Brendan, Andrew and John to have a tour of their gorgeous horse breeding farm (they are breeders of Oldenburg Dutch and Canadian warmblood horses). I knew that it was going to be a bit of a tough climb heading past Chase and into Salmon Arm so Brendan and I had arranged to meet at the Tim Hortons at the top of the hill in Salmon Arm and then head to the farm. Little did we know that Salmon Arm is pretty much all hills and once you get up to the top of one, there is another waiting for you just round the corner.. and there is a Tim Hortons on every hill. So, poor BC ended up having about 10 cups of coffee and 5 donuts at the wrong Timmys. Ah well..!
It was great to see my Aunt and Uncle – their farm is incredible and their home is my ‘dream home’. It’s set in the heart of the mountains just off of the Trans Canada outside of Sa
lmon Arm, overlooking a huge rolling green valley which provide a home to about 30 warmblood horses. There is a large riding arena, stables and an area set aside for dressage etc. It was nice to have the opportunity to combine the trip with a family visit. We headed out to the field where my Uncle was cutting hay and had a chat with him as well before continuing on our way. By this point it was about 30 degrees and incredibly, incredibly hot….! BUT, better too hot than too cold and thank goodness it hasn’t rained on us… yet.
Andrew and I made an emergency pit stop outside of an old Texaco station and stocke
d up on OJ, oatmeal cookies and more water. It’s always tiring when you look down at your odometer and realize that it is already nearly 4pm and you still have about 40 kms left to cycle that day to get to camp. The good part of getting in a bit late was that it had cooled off a bit by this stage and we also had pulled off of the TransCanada onto 97B which was much quieter and more relaxing. I find that on the TransCanada you always have to be aware of what is beside you, in front of you and also behind you. Whilst the shoulder is generally quite good it can also be a bit unpredictable with pieces of rubber and some glass. The other good part about the day was there was a rumor that there was a pool at this campsite – and man, did I ever need one..!! That and a very, very cold beer..! Mmmmmmmmmmmm….
We pulled in at about 5:30 after a nice downhill and a quick stop to chat with Tony and Darlene who were also taking a slow day. That and the fact that they’d stopped about 10kms back where Tony had a craving and bought a 
watermelon from a roadside market…. which he was carrying back to camp..!
The best beer that I’ve had in ages was handed to me ceremoniously by Terry as we pulled in. It was once of those moments when you really, really, really cant think of 
anything more refreshing than the cold beer. I owed him one for that big time..! The campsite was lovely – set in a lush pine forest and with loads of picnic tables in the sun and just a few minutes away from Mara Lake. I could already smell a fabulous dinner being cooked up by the Galley Crew. We put up our tents, had a fab dinner and I took a well earned swim. A super relaxing day. I fell asleep to BC calling out from his tent, ‘Hey, is it me or is there a skunk around’… at which point I realized that the motorcycle gang camped near to our tent were smoking copious amounts of pot..!
As I am writing this entry 2 days later I can also share a bit of an ‘incident’ that I had that night. I woke up at about 3am to go to the washroom. This is always a frustrating feeling because once you start thinking about it then you will definitely have to ‘go’ – no matter how hard you try to ignore it… nothing is worse than the prospect of leaving a nice, cosy warm sleeping bag to walk through a cold, dark forest, through wet grass and to use a dark toilet area.
My imagination started to run wild as I made my way back to the tent and started to realize that it was super dark and I could hardly see a thing (not helped by the fact that I wasn’t wearing my contacts/ glasses). I breathed a huge sigh of relief as I saw my tent and was just reaching for the zipper to open it when the headlights of a car passing along the highway happened to bounce off of the shiny chrome rim of…. a motorcycle..!!!! I was about .5 seconds away from crawling into the motorcycle gang tent..! I nearly wet my pants (again). I am pleased to report that after that incident I did manage to find my tent and was exceptionally happy (and relieved!) to be safe and sound in my own sleeping bag..!!
Jun 26, 2008
Tom Petty - "Into the Great Wide Open"
Into the great wide open,
Under them skies of blue
Out in the great wide open,
A rebel without a clue
- Tom Petty - "Into the Great Wide Open"
Merritt - Pritchard - 147 kms / 91 miles
We were a bit slow off the mark this morning thanks to a huge, huge pancake breakfast. A perfect way to start the chilly and incredibly windy 13 degree morning. A heavy wind had picked up that night and was blowing its way though the camp making tent-folding a significantly more complicated task than it should normally be..!
The route for the day had been provided to us on the Cue Sheets and there were two routes – both around 145kms but one bypassing Kamloops and the other going straight through it (with an uphill..!). We did the bypass as it followed the river and promised to be much more scenic.
As soon as we began to leave Merritt we realized just how much the very heavy tail wind was helping us along… it was so strong that we hardly had to peddle at all..! At one stage I tried drafting behind Brendan and then I literally could completely stop spinning and let the wind push me along the 5A highway into Kamloops.
Over the subsequent 70kms of highway the mountains became much less rugged and the pine tree cov
er soon gave way to scrub grasses and rolling hills. In the valley there were loads of farms and hay fields straddled by giant silver irrigation systems and John Deere tractors. As we continued on the hills seemed to continue to ‘fold’ and they became rounder and more rolling as we rode through the valleys and around the cold grey lakes. The colors of the bright purple and yellow mountain flowers, the cottonwoods and tumbleweed set against the olive-green hills were incredibly striking. I felt like I was walking straight out of the set of a John Wayne movie..! The wind continued to push us along and the sky clouded over with some huge striking clouds that seemed to threaten rain but never deliver (thank goodness..!).
We were a bit slow off the mark this morning thanks to a huge, huge pancake breakfast. A perfect way to start the chilly and incredibly windy 13 degree morning. A heavy wind had picked up that night and was blowing its way though the camp making tent-folding a significantly more complicated task than it should normally be..!
The route for the day had been provided to us on the Cue Sheets and there were two routes – both around 145kms but one bypassing Kamloops and the other going straight through it (with an uphill..!). We did the bypass as it followed the river and promised to be much more scenic.
As soon as we began to leave Merritt we realized just how much the very heavy tail wind was helping us along… it was so strong that we hardly had to peddle at all..! At one stage I tried drafting behind Brendan and then I literally could completely stop spinning and let the wind push me along the 5A highway into Kamloops.
Over the subsequent 70kms of highway the mountains became much less rugged and the pine tree cov
er soon gave way to scrub grasses and rolling hills. In the valley there were loads of farms and hay fields straddled by giant silver irrigation systems and John Deere tractors. As we continued on the hills seemed to continue to ‘fold’ and they became rounder and more rolling as we rode through the valleys and around the cold grey lakes. The colors of the bright purple and yellow mountain flowers, the cottonwoods and tumbleweed set against the olive-green hills were incredibly striking. I felt like I was walking straight out of the set of a John Wayne movie..! The wind continued to push us along and the sky clouded over with some huge striking clouds that seemed to threaten rain but never deliver (thank goodness..!).
Prior to leaving camp there was a rumor that there was a cinnamon bun stop at the Quilchena Hotel so, of course, even though we’d eaten 4 pancakes each for breakfast we decided to stop. The hotel was gorgeous and completely redone in its original Victorian style from 1908 when it was originally established during the rugged days of cattle ranching. It now serves as a restaurant, a bar and a hotel. One could almost hear the cowboy boots from years gone by clump across the floor in the wood paneled saloon. The bullet holes in the bar area memorial to wilder times when the Legendary 
Outlaw the Grey Fox (Bill Miner) was held at the hotel.
A lovely setting and I can imagine it would be a fantastic venue – especially if their coffee and cinnamon buns were anything to go by..! Soooo good. After that snack it was difficult to get back on our bikes again but fortunately the wind once again pushed us along.
Just before our turnoff we noticed a group of TdC cyclists gathered around a truck. We stopped and found out that it was one of the 2006 TdC veterans who had scoped out our route and waited for us to arrive so he could provide us with cold water, granola bars, cookies etc. It was
so awesome – he had even made a sign which said, ‘Tour du Canada Rest Stop’..! One thing I’ve really noticed is the loyalty that all the TdC vets show. Even on our first night in Merritt another vet from the 2006 year stopped by with cold beer and to find out how things were going. It is fantastic to hear such glowing reviews and notice how the vets all say, ‘it was awesome’ as their eyes glaze over and their minds race back to the sense of freedom and anticipation that each day on the TdC tour delivered. It’s nice to know that there
is such a strong support group as it makes the long days shorter and the tough climbs easier – after all, the pain goes away but the sense of achievement will last forever..!
After the snack we said our goodbyes and headed down a gravel route to bypass Kamloops. Another gorgeous route past huge cattle and horse ranches with lovely homes set against a backdrop of rolling hills. It seems like another planet when one thinks of the hustle and bustle of Oxford Street in London..! It was a bit tricky on the gravel with a road bike especially as the terrain was quite hilly but it was totally manageable if taken slowly. It would have been fantastic to
have tried it on my mountain bike..!
I had an interesting experience along this route – whist cycling I suddenly felt a strange pain in my side that felt like a cramp of some sort but then felt something a bit more – movement… like wings against my skin under my t-shirt. I suddenly realized that I’d been stung by a bee and that the bee was still in my shirt..!! Fortunately I am not allergic to bee stings and it scared me (and Andrew who thought I was having a heart attack) more than it actually hurt. Yikes..!
We ended the day on another totally Canadian link – the Trans Canada Highway..!! The shoulder on the Trans Canada was great – wide, smooth and paved so made f
or an excellent 40kms ride into camp.
Outlaw the Grey Fox (Bill Miner) was held at the hotel.A lovely setting and I can imagine it would be a fantastic venue – especially if their coffee and cinnamon buns were anything to go by..! Soooo good. After that snack it was difficult to get back on our bikes again but fortunately the wind once again pushed us along.
Just before our turnoff we noticed a group of TdC cyclists gathered around a truck. We stopped and found out that it was one of the 2006 TdC veterans who had scoped out our route and waited for us to arrive so he could provide us with cold water, granola bars, cookies etc. It was
so awesome – he had even made a sign which said, ‘Tour du Canada Rest Stop’..! One thing I’ve really noticed is the loyalty that all the TdC vets show. Even on our first night in Merritt another vet from the 2006 year stopped by with cold beer and to find out how things were going. It is fantastic to hear such glowing reviews and notice how the vets all say, ‘it was awesome’ as their eyes glaze over and their minds race back to the sense of freedom and anticipation that each day on the TdC tour delivered. It’s nice to know that there
is such a strong support group as it makes the long days shorter and the tough climbs easier – after all, the pain goes away but the sense of achievement will last forever..!After the snack we said our goodbyes and headed down a gravel route to bypass Kamloops. Another gorgeous route past huge cattle and horse ranches with lovely homes set against a backdrop of rolling hills. It seems like another planet when one thinks of the hustle and bustle of Oxford Street in London..! It was a bit tricky on the gravel with a road bike especially as the terrain was quite hilly but it was totally manageable if taken slowly. It would have been fantastic to
have tried it on my mountain bike..!I had an interesting experience along this route – whist cycling I suddenly felt a strange pain in my side that felt like a cramp of some sort but then felt something a bit more – movement… like wings against my skin under my t-shirt. I suddenly realized that I’d been stung by a bee and that the bee was still in my shirt..!! Fortunately I am not allergic to bee stings and it scared me (and Andrew who thought I was having a heart attack) more than it actually hurt. Yikes..!
We ended the day on another totally Canadian link – the Trans Canada Highway..!! The shoulder on the Trans Canada was great – wide, smooth and paved so made f
or an excellent 40kms ride into camp. The only problem is that my right knee is starting to act up as I’ve been pushing rather than spinning up the hills. I have to make a mental note to take things a bit easier tomorrow and work on my 'spinning'.
A wonderful dinner was served by the Galley Crew and dessert was my favourite – chocolate rice crispie squares!! Mmmmm….!
Another great day – the longest one yet and once again full of all of the very best that Canada has to offer..!
A wonderful dinner was served by the Galley Crew and dessert was my favourite – chocolate rice crispie squares!! Mmmmm….!
Another great day – the longest one yet and once again full of all of the very best that Canada has to offer..!
Jun 25, 2008
Frankie Goes to Hollywood - "Relax"
Oh oh
Wee-ell-Now!
Relax don't do it
When you want to go to it...
Merritt - REST DAY
Wee-ell-Now!
Relax don't do it
When you want to go to it...
- Frankie Goes to Hollywood - "Relax"
Merritt - REST DAY
I woke up with a minor headache – I blame the altitude and the exercise..!! Putting the pieces together from the pubcrawl the previous evening we recalled that there were some high-potential breakfast areas in town. We were sooo right – a huge (HUGE) hot breakfast was served up at the local diner with real, unlimited coffee. It was exactly what we needed..!
As part of our adventure into town we also found the local Laundromat which was also completely decked out in th
e latest country western look. There was a photo of nearly every possible country western singer hanging on the walls – all framed and all very tastefully done. It was actually a huge place and I don’t think they’d ever seen so much lycra invade the building at once..!
We all then split off and headed our own separate ways to explore the town, head to Walmart, look for Starbucks and get reacquainted with the outside world. It’s strange – in this sort of environment it’s so easy to forget what day of the week
it is or that there are things going on in the world… I genuinely and well and truly feel as though I am on holidays..!
The rest of the day was totally relaxing and we ended it back at the pub with a fantastic huge meal. All in all, a great day and exactly what we all needed as we prepared to ease into the saddle again for our journey from Merritt to Pritchard…!
As part of our adventure into town we also found the local Laundromat which was also completely decked out in th
e latest country western look. There was a photo of nearly every possible country western singer hanging on the walls – all framed and all very tastefully done. It was actually a huge place and I don’t think they’d ever seen so much lycra invade the building at once..!We all then split off and headed our own separate ways to explore the town, head to Walmart, look for Starbucks and get reacquainted with the outside world. It’s strange – in this sort of environment it’s so easy to forget what day of the week
it is or that there are things going on in the world… I genuinely and well and truly feel as though I am on holidays..!The rest of the day was totally relaxing and we ended it back at the pub with a fantastic huge meal. All in all, a great day and exactly what we all needed as we prepared to ease into the saddle again for our journey from Merritt to Pritchard…!
Jun 24, 2008
Zorba the Greek - Elton John (the Bread and Beer band)
Zorba the Greek - Instrumental (1969?)
Music by ??
Produced by Chris Thomas
Recorded 1969 at EMI Studios,
Abbey RoadNever released (The Bread And Beer Band)
(A bit like the Coquihalla, this song starts slow, slow, slow and steady and then goes absolutely crazy through to the end...!)
Hope to Merritt
111 kilometers / 68 miles
Looking back on the day I can say that it was one of the Top 5 days of my life.
Everyone was nervous setting out that morning – I was super chatty, BC was quiet and Andrew was a nervous wreck. All of the ‘Newbies’ seemed to be waiting around camp – perhaps trying to postpone what lay ahead… the dreaded Coquihalla. We set off at around 8:00am and within about 500 meters from camp I immediately sensed that we were climbing. My legs said that we were climbing but the road looked like it was going downhill… It was a really strange feeling and is a common ‘optical illusion’ in road biking – your eyes say one thing but your legs say another. The lesson here is, ‘always listen to your legs’ and man oh man were they ever already burning…!
Fortunately Andrew was behind me and he noticed that I wasn’t using my small chain ring properly (eg. not at all) so while I got a lesson in the differe
nce between the big cog and the small cog, Brendan had pulled out the map and was trying to figure out if we’d just biked 10kms, uphill and in the wrong direction. We stood at the side of the side of the road humming and hawing and consulting the GPS…Not really trusting the map, the GPS or our instincts continued on to one of the ‘chain up areas’ and got directions from a heavily bearded transport trucker who assured us that we were indeed on Route 5 and we had a fun few hours of climbing ahead of us..!! Everyone seems to raise their eyebrows and say, “You’re going to bike the Coquihalla..?!”
I’d love to say that I breezed the remaining 20kms of the climb but I didn’t – it was tough, a lot of work, very sweaty, I ate 4 peanut butter sandwiches along the way, drank 2 liters of water, and worked my small chain
ring like cr
azy. It was tough but not impossible and I managed to maintain an average speed of about 9kms / hour over the 8% grade. BC, being a power-legged triple-chainer, sped off ahead so Andrew and I took it slow. We both have double chain rings rather than triples which makes a HUGE difference. Where we have resistance in our lowest gear, triple-chainers are still ‘spinning’. This means that we ‘double chainers’ expend twice the amount of energy going up hill.
We stopped every 5kms at the chain-up areas for water and food and to assure each other that it was going really well… And it genuinely was – I had expected much, much worse and the difference between the gradual 8% grade climb vs the 11% climb that we’d done the day before was huge.
When we reached the summit at 1244metres I was quite relieved, very sweaty and TOTALLY excited about one of the things that I am learning about road biking:
What goes up, must come down. And man, did the Coquihalla ever go down and it was sweeeeeeeeet……
With the wind at our backs we literally flew down… no, SOARED down, the highway. It was absolutely, without a doubt the most exhilarating thing I’ve ever experienced in my life and I hit my new speed record of 72kms / hour. Awesome.
It was the best reward that we could have ever imagined after what we’d pushed so hard to achieve. We met up with Ian at a rest area where we all inhaled huge plates of nachos,
more peanut butter sandwiches, bananas, refilled our water bottles, and indulged in ice-cream and then excitedly got back on to our bikes eager for more rewards from the wonderful Coquihalla Highway. And it did not fail to deliver – amazing, amazing views of the Coastal mountains - a bear playin
g in a stream alongside the road, a moose grazing in a field of tall grass…. We saw the cedar trees turn to pine and the once rugged hills start to roll. There was not a cloud in the sky and the traffic was not too bad. It was a fantastic, fantastic ride. Absolutely breathtaking and I could not imagine doing it any other way than by bike.
We left the highway and turned onto a smaller, less trafficked, paved road into a more ‘rural’ and scenic area. The road was lined on either side with ranches and the hills rolled us the final 30kms into camp at Merritt. Again, amazing scenery – we were absolutely spoiled.
It’s awesome how the senses become so alive as you look around with your eyes, feel the road under your bike, smell the pine, and hear the birds, cows, sheep, taste the fresh unpolluted air… . Again, it’s really tough to put into words how beautiful it was – I was awestruck. It was the first time in so long that I really ‘relaxed’ and really, truly appreciated being alive and having the opportunity to see Canada at this level. Monumental day.
What made the day so enjoyable as well was that we decided to really take it slow and well and truly enjoy it – we soaked it up – why rush back to camp to shower and set up a tent if you can cruise up and down the hills at your own pace, stop and take photos, chat and snack and, more importantly, take the time to look around. A valuable lesson to learn early on in the trip..! We cruised into Merritt at about 5pm ready for dinner.
A fantastic meal was served at the campground by Galley Crew 3 who put on a feast of burritos followed by strawberry shortcake for dessert. Everyone was in fine form and there was no shortage of cold beer as we would have a Rest Day in Merritt.which meant no biking the following day..!
The Merritt Pub Crawl
Brendan, Andew, Dave and I decided that a change of scenery was in order so we ventured into Merritt which is the "Country Music Capital of Canada". The whole town has a country music theme and there are images of country western singers such as Michelle Wright painted on the sides of the buildings.
We ventured into a local bar and so began the pub-crawl of Merritt. Brendan was the instigator of the pub crawl and Andrew was the instigator of the drinking game that brought out the shots of whiskey and more pints...I was the instigator of the best BBQ chicken wings I’ve ever had.
The pub crawl ended many pints later in the only other bar in Merritt (directions provided to Brendan by three local 13 year-olds) and then well and truly ended at the 7-11 (you can see BC on a mission for icecream in the photo) where we bought impromptu midnight snacks of ice-cream, M&Ms and penny-candy.
A fantastic day – great company, great views, great weather, great food, great biking, and lots and lots of laughs. What more could one want!
Music by ??
Produced by Chris Thomas
Recorded 1969 at EMI Studios,
Abbey RoadNever released (The Bread And Beer Band)
(A bit like the Coquihalla, this song starts slow, slow, slow and steady and then goes absolutely crazy through to the end...!)
Hope to Merritt
111 kilometers / 68 miles
Looking back on the day I can say that it was one of the Top 5 days of my life.
Everyone was nervous setting out that morning – I was super chatty, BC was quiet and Andrew was a nervous wreck. All of the ‘Newbies’ seemed to be waiting around camp – perhaps trying to postpone what lay ahead… the dreaded Coquihalla. We set off at around 8:00am and within about 500 meters from camp I immediately sensed that we were climbing. My legs said that we were climbing but the road looked like it was going downhill… It was a really strange feeling and is a common ‘optical illusion’ in road biking – your eyes say one thing but your legs say another. The lesson here is, ‘always listen to your legs’ and man oh man were they ever already burning…!
Fortunately Andrew was behind me and he noticed that I wasn’t using my small chain ring properly (eg. not at all) so while I got a lesson in the differe
nce between the big cog and the small cog, Brendan had pulled out the map and was trying to figure out if we’d just biked 10kms, uphill and in the wrong direction. We stood at the side of the side of the road humming and hawing and consulting the GPS…Not really trusting the map, the GPS or our instincts continued on to one of the ‘chain up areas’ and got directions from a heavily bearded transport trucker who assured us that we were indeed on Route 5 and we had a fun few hours of climbing ahead of us..!! Everyone seems to raise their eyebrows and say, “You’re going to bike the Coquihalla..?!”I’d love to say that I breezed the remaining 20kms of the climb but I didn’t – it was tough, a lot of work, very sweaty, I ate 4 peanut butter sandwiches along the way, drank 2 liters of water, and worked my small chain
ring like cr
azy. It was tough but not impossible and I managed to maintain an average speed of about 9kms / hour over the 8% grade. BC, being a power-legged triple-chainer, sped off ahead so Andrew and I took it slow. We both have double chain rings rather than triples which makes a HUGE difference. Where we have resistance in our lowest gear, triple-chainers are still ‘spinning’. This means that we ‘double chainers’ expend twice the amount of energy going up hill.We stopped every 5kms at the chain-up areas for water and food and to assure each other that it was going really well… And it genuinely was – I had expected much, much worse and the difference between the gradual 8% grade climb vs the 11% climb that we’d done the day before was huge.
When we reached the summit at 1244metres I was quite relieved, very sweaty and TOTALLY excited about one of the things that I am learning about road biking:
What goes up, must come down. And man, did the Coquihalla ever go down and it was sweeeeeeeeet……
With the wind at our backs we literally flew down… no, SOARED down, the highway. It was absolutely, without a doubt the most exhilarating thing I’ve ever experienced in my life and I hit my new speed record of 72kms / hour. Awesome.
It was the best reward that we could have ever imagined after what we’d pushed so hard to achieve. We met up with Ian at a rest area where we all inhaled huge plates of nachos,
more peanut butter sandwiches, bananas, refilled our water bottles, and indulged in ice-cream and then excitedly got back on to our bikes eager for more rewards from the wonderful Coquihalla Highway. And it did not fail to deliver – amazing, amazing views of the Coastal mountains - a bear playin
g in a stream alongside the road, a moose grazing in a field of tall grass…. We saw the cedar trees turn to pine and the once rugged hills start to roll. There was not a cloud in the sky and the traffic was not too bad. It was a fantastic, fantastic ride. Absolutely breathtaking and I could not imagine doing it any other way than by bike.We left the highway and turned onto a smaller, less trafficked, paved road into a more ‘rural’ and scenic area. The road was lined on either side with ranches and the hills rolled us the final 30kms into camp at Merritt. Again, amazing scenery – we were absolutely spoiled.
It’s awesome how the senses become so alive as you look around with your eyes, feel the road under your bike, smell the pine, and hear the birds, cows, sheep, taste the fresh unpolluted air… . Again, it’s really tough to put into words how beautiful it was – I was awestruck. It was the first time in so long that I really ‘relaxed’ and really, truly appreciated being alive and having the opportunity to see Canada at this level. Monumental day.
What made the day so enjoyable as well was that we decided to really take it slow and well and truly enjoy it – we soaked it up – why rush back to camp to shower and set up a tent if you can cruise up and down the hills at your own pace, stop and take photos, chat and snack and, more importantly, take the time to look around. A valuable lesson to learn early on in the trip..! We cruised into Merritt at about 5pm ready for dinner.
A fantastic meal was served at the campground by Galley Crew 3 who put on a feast of burritos followed by strawberry shortcake for dessert. Everyone was in fine form and there was no shortage of cold beer as we would have a Rest Day in Merritt.which meant no biking the following day..!
The Merritt Pub Crawl
Brendan, Andew, Dave and I decided that a change of scenery was in order so we ventured into Merritt which is the "Country Music Capital of Canada". The whole town has a country music theme and there are images of country western singers such as Michelle Wright painted on the sides of the buildings.
We ventured into a local bar and so began the pub-crawl of Merritt. Brendan was the instigator of the pub crawl and Andrew was the instigator of the drinking game that brought out the shots of whiskey and more pints...I was the instigator of the best BBQ chicken wings I’ve ever had.
The pub crawl ended many pints later in the only other bar in Merritt (directions provided to Brendan by three local 13 year-olds) and then well and truly ended at the 7-11 (you can see BC on a mission for icecream in the photo) where we bought impromptu midnight snacks of ice-cream, M&Ms and penny-candy.
A fantastic day – great company, great views, great weather, great food, great biking, and lots and lots of laughs. What more could one want!
Jun 23, 2008
Lenny Kravitz - "Are you gonna go my way"
Though I'm not paid I play this game
And I won't stop until I'm done
(But what I really want to know is)
Are you gonna go my way
And I won't stop until I'm done
(But what I really want to know is)
Are you gonna go my way
- Lenny Kravitz - "Are you gonna go my way"
Day 3 – Mission to Hope; 92 kms / 57 miles
I am pleased to report that I slept phenomenally well and, in spite of a heavy dew and chilly temperatures, had no problems in dismantling my tent and getting into my gear in under 30 minutes.
A word about bicycle shorts as they are a saving grace on the trip – they are tight and constricting but they definitely, definitely work. However, having said that, I do feel like I am wearing a giant gel-filled pamper (which may be useful when I see the hills). I also ‘waddle’ like a duck. I invested in quite a good pair of bicycle shorts with extra gel padding which promises to ‘super sonically’ mold to the body. In a last and final way to protect my bottom from the saddle I have a ‘gel over-lay’ on my already gel-filled saddle…. Essentially, I have more gel between my saddle and my bottom than Johnny Depp had in his hair in the 1980s.
In the short run-up to doing this trip I told a few people what I was going to attempt. The initial reaction for many people is to laugh and then say ‘Boy, is your butt ever going to be sore’. They then offer all sorts of suggestions on what to do to alleviate this. One of my favorite suggestions (I have not yet tried it) is to get a nice thick steak from the local butcher shop, wrap it in plastic wrap, duct tape it to your saddle and then bike on it all day. By the end of the day the steak will be incredibly tender and you can pull into a campsite and BBQ it for dinner. Delicious.
We had a fab breakfast of French Toast made by Galley Crew 1 and then I set off with John who is originally from Scotland and is an excellent biker with years of experience. He did Tour Pacific several years before in the most extreme weather (lots of rain and freezing cold!). We could not believ
e our incredible luck with the weather as the sun shone down on us the entire day, the temperature sat at around 20 degrees, there was a fantastic tail wind. The mountains were visible off in the distance. One could clearly see Mount Baker and also the craggy peaks of the Seven Sisters. The views were stunning and it seemed like there was a photo opportunity around every bend. It was a totally surreal day and I had to keep pinching myself to ensure that I wasn’t dreaming. I had definitely forgotten how absolutely stunning Canada really is.
One of the highlights of the day was a huge hill – my first downhill – and it had an 11% grade which is quite steep. I am pleased to report that I hit my highest speed at 62.9kms / hour on the downhill which was such an exhilarating experience. I had to really bite my tongue to stop myself from yelling at the top of my lungs,
“Yahooooooooooooooo!!”
It’s a bit daunting to pick up this speed on the downhill as you go so fast that you feel every wobble of the bike and have to be incredibly aware of every bit of road under you, in front of you and also take into consideration the landscape as a sudden cross-wind around a bend can send you flying off of your bike. All the same, it was awesome and I totally, totally enjoyed it and according to John, this is just a taste of what is yet to come…!
We ended up taking a 6km side trip to the Harrison Hot Springs. Harrison is a pleasant resort town which is made famous by the natural hot springs and also the sandcastle competition. The beach was packed and Harrison certainly takes advantage of its strategic location around the hot springs with loads of little shops, restaurants and cafes. We stopped for lunch and had a fantastic sub and also tucked into our peanut butter sandwiches and chatted for about a
n hour before hopping back into our saddles and setting off for Hope, the chainsaw carving capital of Canada.
Between Agassiz and Hope I was again reminded of the importance of the forestry industry to Canada’s economy. At one point I was cycling along sandwiched between a CP rail train packed full of lumber and a giant logging truck overflowing with fresh cut cedar logs.
Passing through the Fraser Valley we finally reached Hope and checked out a few of the chainsaw carvings. There was a range of themes – religious icons of the Mary in front of churches, wolf carvings in the parks, giant eagles, horses…. Hope is a very quiet but very historic Canadian town set in the heart of the Fraser Valley and on the Fraser River.
John and I thought that our day of cycling was nearly over but we failed to realize that there was a little surprise in store for us… a steep, 11% uphill into camp that kept going up, up, up and up. Every time you thought you were at the top then it would roll up again. I huffed and puffed my way through it and stopped once to swear at the road and nearly fell off of my bike as my clips didn’t come off as smoothly as I had hoped. I was averaging around 4km / hour which was painfully slow as my legs were burning. This is when I suddenly wondered if I had gotten myself into a huge mess as if the rest of BC (especially the Rockies) was like this then I would be in big, big trouble. I don’t think I’ve ever been so happy to see the campground and get off my bike for the last time that day. When we pulled in the campground manager chuckled and said, “Now, what would you say if I told you that there was a flat route that you could have taken to get here..” Apparently there was an alternative route that completely bypassed the climb but wasn’t on our maps… I must admit, as much as it hurt, I’m glad we did the climb.
Upon arriving at camp, I was incredibly relieved to hear that EVERYONE found the hill difficult and that it was certainly not an indication of what lay ahead. BUT it was an introduction to our first huge challenge - Route 5 – the steep Coquihalla Highway. A lovely word to say (just rolls off your tongue) but an absolute nightmare to climb...
Camp that night was in another very historic area – the Othello Tunnels which were built around 1918 as part of the Kettle Valley Railway which starts in SE British Columbia. The Othello Tunnels were built by a Scottish engineer who was commissioned to build the tunnels so that the trains coming through (need to look this up as can't remember exact details)….. The engineer who laid out the route for the railway was also a Shakespeare fan which is why a lot of the names along the route related back to Shakespeare – Othello Road, Portia, Lear, Iajo, Juliet Creek etc. The Kettle Valley Railway is no longer in use because the snowfalls in the area were so heavy that it was nearly impossible to maintain the railway.
Andrew, John, Brendan and I made the 2km walk through the forest down to the Othello Tunnels. The walk was well worth it as both the tunnels and the landscape was spectacular. There were some wicked rapids flowing down through the gorge and the tunnels were literally cut through the mountains and were just big enough for a train to pass through. The scenery was amazing – huge moss covered pines, giant boulders, fast moving water and gorgeous lighting for photography. Again, I was reminded how spectacular Canada is in its natural beauty. It was one of those moments when I knew that the words I write on this blog will never even come close to describing the beauty o
f what we saw.
If anyone is interested in actually seeing the area, the original ‘Rambo’ movie was filmed by the Othello Tunnels and apparently Sylvester Stallone lived in a log cabin in the mountains during the filming. Classy.
We were a bit late coming back for dinner but fortunately Galley Crew 2 saved us some of their finest cuisine – a fantastic stir-fry with brown bean-hummus and pita.
We were handed the Cue Sheets for the following day’s route over dinner which made quite a stir as everyone was a bit ‘shaken up’ from the climb which had ended the day. Tomorrow we were going to do the 40kms uphill over the Coquihalla as part of the 111km ride into
Merritt. Apparently this is one of the toughest climbs of the entire TdC so everyone was nervous and looking at maps and GPS systems. The Newbies were gleaning tips off of the Hardcores and the Hardcores. There were rumors of people thinking about leaving at 4am and walking the 40k rather than biking it… Yikes..! I just figured that if I got stuck or, ‘bonked’ I would hitch a ride with a logging truck.
I am pleased to report that I slept phenomenally well and, in spite of a heavy dew and chilly temperatures, had no problems in dismantling my tent and getting into my gear in under 30 minutes.
A word about bicycle shorts as they are a saving grace on the trip – they are tight and constricting but they definitely, definitely work. However, having said that, I do feel like I am wearing a giant gel-filled pamper (which may be useful when I see the hills). I also ‘waddle’ like a duck. I invested in quite a good pair of bicycle shorts with extra gel padding which promises to ‘super sonically’ mold to the body. In a last and final way to protect my bottom from the saddle I have a ‘gel over-lay’ on my already gel-filled saddle…. Essentially, I have more gel between my saddle and my bottom than Johnny Depp had in his hair in the 1980s.
In the short run-up to doing this trip I told a few people what I was going to attempt. The initial reaction for many people is to laugh and then say ‘Boy, is your butt ever going to be sore’. They then offer all sorts of suggestions on what to do to alleviate this. One of my favorite suggestions (I have not yet tried it) is to get a nice thick steak from the local butcher shop, wrap it in plastic wrap, duct tape it to your saddle and then bike on it all day. By the end of the day the steak will be incredibly tender and you can pull into a campsite and BBQ it for dinner. Delicious.
We had a fab breakfast of French Toast made by Galley Crew 1 and then I set off with John who is originally from Scotland and is an excellent biker with years of experience. He did Tour Pacific several years before in the most extreme weather (lots of rain and freezing cold!). We could not believ
e our incredible luck with the weather as the sun shone down on us the entire day, the temperature sat at around 20 degrees, there was a fantastic tail wind. The mountains were visible off in the distance. One could clearly see Mount Baker and also the craggy peaks of the Seven Sisters. The views were stunning and it seemed like there was a photo opportunity around every bend. It was a totally surreal day and I had to keep pinching myself to ensure that I wasn’t dreaming. I had definitely forgotten how absolutely stunning Canada really is.One of the highlights of the day was a huge hill – my first downhill – and it had an 11% grade which is quite steep. I am pleased to report that I hit my highest speed at 62.9kms / hour on the downhill which was such an exhilarating experience. I had to really bite my tongue to stop myself from yelling at the top of my lungs,
“Yahooooooooooooooo!!”
It’s a bit daunting to pick up this speed on the downhill as you go so fast that you feel every wobble of the bike and have to be incredibly aware of every bit of road under you, in front of you and also take into consideration the landscape as a sudden cross-wind around a bend can send you flying off of your bike. All the same, it was awesome and I totally, totally enjoyed it and according to John, this is just a taste of what is yet to come…!
We ended up taking a 6km side trip to the Harrison Hot Springs. Harrison is a pleasant resort town which is made famous by the natural hot springs and also the sandcastle competition. The beach was packed and Harrison certainly takes advantage of its strategic location around the hot springs with loads of little shops, restaurants and cafes. We stopped for lunch and had a fantastic sub and also tucked into our peanut butter sandwiches and chatted for about a
n hour before hopping back into our saddles and setting off for Hope, the chainsaw carving capital of Canada.Between Agassiz and Hope I was again reminded of the importance of the forestry industry to Canada’s economy. At one point I was cycling along sandwiched between a CP rail train packed full of lumber and a giant logging truck overflowing with fresh cut cedar logs.
Passing through the Fraser Valley we finally reached Hope and checked out a few of the chainsaw carvings. There was a range of themes – religious icons of the Mary in front of churches, wolf carvings in the parks, giant eagles, horses…. Hope is a very quiet but very historic Canadian town set in the heart of the Fraser Valley and on the Fraser River.
John and I thought that our day of cycling was nearly over but we failed to realize that there was a little surprise in store for us… a steep, 11% uphill into camp that kept going up, up, up and up. Every time you thought you were at the top then it would roll up again. I huffed and puffed my way through it and stopped once to swear at the road and nearly fell off of my bike as my clips didn’t come off as smoothly as I had hoped. I was averaging around 4km / hour which was painfully slow as my legs were burning. This is when I suddenly wondered if I had gotten myself into a huge mess as if the rest of BC (especially the Rockies) was like this then I would be in big, big trouble. I don’t think I’ve ever been so happy to see the campground and get off my bike for the last time that day. When we pulled in the campground manager chuckled and said, “Now, what would you say if I told you that there was a flat route that you could have taken to get here..” Apparently there was an alternative route that completely bypassed the climb but wasn’t on our maps… I must admit, as much as it hurt, I’m glad we did the climb.
Upon arriving at camp, I was incredibly relieved to hear that EVERYONE found the hill difficult and that it was certainly not an indication of what lay ahead. BUT it was an introduction to our first huge challenge - Route 5 – the steep Coquihalla Highway. A lovely word to say (just rolls off your tongue) but an absolute nightmare to climb...
Camp that night was in another very historic area – the Othello Tunnels which were built around 1918 as part of the Kettle Valley Railway which starts in SE British Columbia. The Othello Tunnels were built by a Scottish engineer who was commissioned to build the tunnels so that the trains coming through (need to look this up as can't remember exact details)….. The engineer who laid out the route for the railway was also a Shakespeare fan which is why a lot of the names along the route related back to Shakespeare – Othello Road, Portia, Lear, Iajo, Juliet Creek etc. The Kettle Valley Railway is no longer in use because the snowfalls in the area were so heavy that it was nearly impossible to maintain the railway.
Andrew, John, Brendan and I made the 2km walk through the forest down to the Othello Tunnels. The walk was well worth it as both the tunnels and the landscape was spectacular. There were some wicked rapids flowing down through the gorge and the tunnels were literally cut through the mountains and were just big enough for a train to pass through. The scenery was amazing – huge moss covered pines, giant boulders, fast moving water and gorgeous lighting for photography. Again, I was reminded how spectacular Canada is in its natural beauty. It was one of those moments when I knew that the words I write on this blog will never even come close to describing the beauty o
f what we saw.
If anyone is interested in actually seeing the area, the original ‘Rambo’ movie was filmed by the Othello Tunnels and apparently Sylvester Stallone lived in a log cabin in the mountains during the filming. Classy.
We were a bit late coming back for dinner but fortunately Galley Crew 2 saved us some of their finest cuisine – a fantastic stir-fry with brown bean-hummus and pita.
We were handed the Cue Sheets for the following day’s route over dinner which made quite a stir as everyone was a bit ‘shaken up’ from the climb which had ended the day. Tomorrow we were going to do the 40kms uphill over the Coquihalla as part of the 111km ride into
Merritt. Apparently this is one of the toughest climbs of the entire TdC so everyone was nervous and looking at maps and GPS systems. The Newbies were gleaning tips off of the Hardcores and the Hardcores. There were rumors of people thinking about leaving at 4am and walking the 40k rather than biking it… Yikes..! I just figured that if I got stuck or, ‘bonked’ I would hitch a ride with a logging truck.Fantasic, fantastic day..!!
Jun 22, 2008
The Clash - "Should I Stay or Should I Go"
Should I stay or should I go.
Should I stay or should I go now? Should I stay or should I go now?
If I go there will be trouble. And if I stay it will be double
So come on and let me know, should I stay or should I go...
- The Clash - "Should I Stay or Should I Go..."
Vancouver – Mission; 84 kilometers, 52 miles; Day 1
Everyone was up bright and early and had their bikes out and on full display… it was a bit like ‘peacocks on parade’ in some respects – everyone showing off their latest in lycra fashion, gadgets, gear, recounting war stories and discussing both the route, their individual and group strategies and the day ahead. The divide between the ‘Hard Cores’ and the ‘Newbies’ was pretty clear and seemed to correlate with age… the Hard Cores were generally the older (above 40s) and the ‘Newbies’ where more or less all those in their 20s and 30s. I am pretty sure I was immediately sussed out as a ‘Newbie’ when I told everyone that my Trek is the one that ‘Neil Armstrong’ won his first Tour de France on… ah hem…
The Hardcores had the best bikes with the most flamboyant gadgets – odometers, stopwatches, heart monitors, GPS, huge panniers, special shoes, designer jerseys, fancy chain-rings, and the cuts and bruises to document the years and years of experience that they had under their belts. The Newbies were quieter, kept to themselves and paced nervously waiting for Bud to tell us when we could go to the first stop, the Anthropology Museum parking lot where we would have our group photo taken.
It felt good to be in the saddle and the ride down to the museum calmed my fears a bit. The team photo was taken very aptly in front of the Anthropology Museum and was framed by two very large totem poles… a lovely setting for a photo and everyone was in good spirits.
It took about 3 minutes for someone to crack the joke, ‘Are we there yet…?’ which was followed closely by ‘I have to go to the bathroom’…
I was feeling nervous and relaxed at the same time – it was good to have the ‘one day at a time’ attitude. As soon as you start to treat the TdC as a ‘race’ then you have already lost. Just in chatting to the others on the trip I quickly realized that everyone was in it for the ‘experience’ – in the sense of experiencing the beauty of the country and its people and the only way that you can do this is to take your time and look around.
After the team picture we headed down to Spanish Banks Beach and ceremoniously dipped our back wheels in the Pacific. We had officially begun the Tour..! As you can see from the picture, I bought the bike to match my cycling jacket...
The weather was gorgeous – blue sky and a chilly wind. As we all started together the group was quite big and we cycled through Vancouver through some of the main streets as well as some residential areas. It looks like a great city – very green and lovely along the waterfront. We hit a few hills up in what I think is an Italian part of Vancouver – the houses were all set back from the street and gated. As the Italians were playing the Spanish in the Euro 2008 football / soccer there was quite a festive ambiance. 
I received my first lesson in ‘drafting’ today so was feeling quite pro particularly since I learned how to ride a road bike today. Look out Lance Armstrong. Basically, drafting is when you cycle behind another person with about 1 foot between your front wheel and their back wheel. When done properly they ‘cut’ the wind for you and you can coast behind them. It is tricky because you have to have a lot of trust in the person in front. Generally you will pick up speed quite quickly and have enough confidence in the lead person to know that they will not suddenly slam on the breaks and also that they use the appropriate signals to warn you of upcoming debris on the road, signs, red lights etc. Sometimes huge groups of people can draft together in various formations… I am not that sophisticated in my riding so have not yet ventured to that level of expertise..! I enjoy looking around at the cityscape far too much..!
Canada is Tim Hortons
We did about 40kms at which point I was not exhausted but I could certainly tell that I was in need of some food… and a peanut butter sandwich wasn’t going to cut it. The Tim Hortons sign was a gift from heaven. Even better, it was a Tim Hortons AND a Wendys!! A sea of lycra invaded the premises and pretty much ate the place clean. I ate a quarter-pounder burger with fries and a large coke plus a peanut butter sandwich. Man, I was hungry..! I am beginning to realize that I am not only going to cycle my way across the country, I may also eat my way across the country. Even the guys in the group were amazed at how much I could pack away in a matter of seconds!
It was good to get out of Vancouver as the stop and starts because of the traffic lights and the intersections made it difficult to put in the kilometers. It is also hard because you have to really concentrate on what is going on in front, beside, and behind your bicycle. Little thing
s like not seeing a car door swing open in front of you can make a simple stretch of road a fatal one. Sitting on two skinny wheels in 3-lane city traffic with sound of huge engines revving up behind you and traffic coming from all directions in front of you is a good way of reminding yourself you are not as invincible as you may feel.
Canada is Cedar and Lumber
The afternoon cycle was fantastic – we went along a very smooth and scenic section of Route 7 for about 10kms. Here I got my first taste of what was ahead. Images and smells which I believe are quintessentially Canadian – the huge lumber mills along the river framed by blue skies and the smell of fresh cedar in the air as the giant 20,000kg logger trucks fly by on the road. It reminded me of “Beachcombers” – a television program that I used to watch as a kid. I’m pretty sure that it was filmed in Canada… It was a really gorgeous ride which I thoroughly enjoyed.
Another feature on the landscape which I enjoyed seeing was the long CP rail trains which seem to go on for miles and miles. You can hear them off in the distance about 5 minutes before you actually see them and feel the road under you tremble as they rumble by. They are usually heavily loaded with grain (I saw a number of carriages which read ‘Canadian wheat board’) as well as lumber and other freight.
We reached the campground at about 3pm – just enough time to enjoy a few more hours of sunshine and lay on the grass along the lake, watching the herons along the bank and the fish jumping high out of the water. It felt good to know that Day 1 was ‘under the belt’ and that I’d survived my first proper day of road biking..!
Tent City
Today was also a first on the tent-front. I bought a ‘Marmot’ 2-person tent just before I left. I took a bit of a risk in not ‘test driving’ it first because when I opened the bag there were a lot more pieces – particularly ropes – than I would have imagined for such a small tent… I tried really hard when choosing my tent to be sensible yet have something big enough that I could call home for the next 72 days. Well, I shouldn’t have worried as my tent is one of the smaller ones in the group..! There are some people that have peg palaces – huge 5 (at least) person tents with fold out chairs, thick air mattresses etc. It was funny to see everyone erect their homes for the first time and then do the tour of the ‘tent city’. It’s so colorful and there are tents of all shapes and sizes. Things have come a long way since the ‘traditional’ tee-pee style of tent covered in animal hides..! Brendan and I strategically staked out the neighborhood, established where the snorers were and then set up as far away as possible from them..!
Dinner was fabulous – fresh trout, salad, and rice topped off with a commerative ‘Day 1’ cake for dessert – delicious..!! Well done to Group 1 for a true culinary experience!
I received my first lesson in ‘drafting’ today so was feeling quite pro particularly since I learned how to ride a road bike today. Look out Lance Armstrong. Basically, drafting is when you cycle behind another person with about 1 foot between your front wheel and their back wheel. When done properly they ‘cut’ the wind for you and you can coast behind them. It is tricky because you have to have a lot of trust in the person in front. Generally you will pick up speed quite quickly and have enough confidence in the lead person to know that they will not suddenly slam on the breaks and also that they use the appropriate signals to warn you of upcoming debris on the road, signs, red lights etc. Sometimes huge groups of people can draft together in various formations… I am not that sophisticated in my riding so have not yet ventured to that level of expertise..! I enjoy looking around at the cityscape far too much..!
Canada is Tim Hortons
We did about 40kms at which point I was not exhausted but I could certainly tell that I was in need of some food… and a peanut butter sandwich wasn’t going to cut it. The Tim Hortons sign was a gift from heaven. Even better, it was a Tim Hortons AND a Wendys!! A sea of lycra invaded the premises and pretty much ate the place clean. I ate a quarter-pounder burger with fries and a large coke plus a peanut butter sandwich. Man, I was hungry..! I am beginning to realize that I am not only going to cycle my way across the country, I may also eat my way across the country. Even the guys in the group were amazed at how much I could pack away in a matter of seconds!
It was good to get out of Vancouver as the stop and starts because of the traffic lights and the intersections made it difficult to put in the kilometers. It is also hard because you have to really concentrate on what is going on in front, beside, and behind your bicycle. Little thing
s like not seeing a car door swing open in front of you can make a simple stretch of road a fatal one. Sitting on two skinny wheels in 3-lane city traffic with sound of huge engines revving up behind you and traffic coming from all directions in front of you is a good way of reminding yourself you are not as invincible as you may feel.Canada is Cedar and Lumber
The afternoon cycle was fantastic – we went along a very smooth and scenic section of Route 7 for about 10kms. Here I got my first taste of what was ahead. Images and smells which I believe are quintessentially Canadian – the huge lumber mills along the river framed by blue skies and the smell of fresh cedar in the air as the giant 20,000kg logger trucks fly by on the road. It reminded me of “Beachcombers” – a television program that I used to watch as a kid. I’m pretty sure that it was filmed in Canada… It was a really gorgeous ride which I thoroughly enjoyed.
Another feature on the landscape which I enjoyed seeing was the long CP rail trains which seem to go on for miles and miles. You can hear them off in the distance about 5 minutes before you actually see them and feel the road under you tremble as they rumble by. They are usually heavily loaded with grain (I saw a number of carriages which read ‘Canadian wheat board’) as well as lumber and other freight.
We reached the campground at about 3pm – just enough time to enjoy a few more hours of sunshine and lay on the grass along the lake, watching the herons along the bank and the fish jumping high out of the water. It felt good to know that Day 1 was ‘under the belt’ and that I’d survived my first proper day of road biking..!
Tent City
Today was also a first on the tent-front. I bought a ‘Marmot’ 2-person tent just before I left. I took a bit of a risk in not ‘test driving’ it first because when I opened the bag there were a lot more pieces – particularly ropes – than I would have imagined for such a small tent… I tried really hard when choosing my tent to be sensible yet have something big enough that I could call home for the next 72 days. Well, I shouldn’t have worried as my tent is one of the smaller ones in the group..! There are some people that have peg palaces – huge 5 (at least) person tents with fold out chairs, thick air mattresses etc. It was funny to see everyone erect their homes for the first time and then do the tour of the ‘tent city’. It’s so colorful and there are tents of all shapes and sizes. Things have come a long way since the ‘traditional’ tee-pee style of tent covered in animal hides..! Brendan and I strategically staked out the neighborhood, established where the snorers were and then set up as far away as possible from them..!
Dinner was fabulous – fresh trout, salad, and rice topped off with a commerative ‘Day 1’ cake for dessert – delicious..!! Well done to Group 1 for a true culinary experience!
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