First Leg Complete

Well it's Friday night and I've arrived in Crescent Valley, with stops in Hope, Princeton, Osoyoos, and Christina Lake. It's been about 660km so far, spread over five days of riding. Tonight I'm cozy at Suzanne and Bruce's house (Lani's parents) after a hot shower and a wonderful dinner.

The first few days were really hard, but I'm feeling stronger every day (or maybe the advil and TigerBalm is just kicking in?). Every muscle in my legs is sore to the touch, but after riding for a few minutes each morning they loosen up.

Lunch at the Sasquatch Inn on the way to Hope

The ride to Hope was pretty uneventful. In the campground I met three other cyclists on similar trips: Yvon from Quebec City, Leslie from Ontario, and her boyfriend Ulrich from Denmark. We agreed to ride together to Princeton the next day ... I never thought it would be so easy to find a partner!

Yvon, Leslie and Ulrich in Manning Park

The Hope-Princeton Highway actually has three summits to climb, and it rained for each one! This made for I think the hardest day of my life, battling cold, lack of fitness, and a heavy bike. I had serious doubts about whether I would be strong enough mentally to finish the trip. Leslie and Ulrich decided to stay the night in Manning Park after the Allison Pass summit while Yvon and I agreed to ride together until Keremeos. We finally arrived in Princeton that night at 9pm, 13.5 hours after we started!


Exhausted at the final summit of the Hope-Princeton

But it just got better from there as I got stronger. The climbs (including Anarchist Pass and the Blueberry-Paulson) are going more smoothly, and all the little towns along Hwy 3 are wonderful. Touring on a bike you get to stop at each viewpoint, park, or town along the way. I've never appreciated the Similkameen River before until I biked beside it for a day and a half (from Manning Park to just outside of Osoyoos). The road also followed parts of the picturesque Kettle River as well ... it sure would be fun to bike the Kettle Valley Trail.


Bromley Rock and the Similkameen River

Ooo, this is going to be a long one.

People are very friendly. I don't think I've paid full price anywhere yet, and there's always someone willing to strike up a conversation. Just outside of Grand Forks and elderly couple approached me and started talking. As they were leaving a few minutes later, the wife gave me some money and told me that my next meal was on them ... how often does that happen!

In Keremeos we met a 50 year old, 250 pound German man, dressed in a golf shirt and khaki shorts, with 35kg of gear who was riding the Kettle Valley Trail on his cycling journey from Vancouver to Halifax. Proof positive that anyone can go exploring on a bike.

Next I'm off to climb with Dave in the Valhallas for three days. Hopefully a weekend in the mountains will help my body recover from this first push.

Thanks to everyone who has offered places to stay along the way, it is greatly appreciated!

Cheers,
Dave

Ready or not, here I go!

Well, the departure day has finally come. I've been running around frantically trying to sort out all the details which got put off until the last minute. I leave Monday the 25th in the morning, with my first stop in Hope. In order to meet a friend in the Valhallas this coming weekend, I've set my first deadline of Friday night in Slocan (the previously posted route has changed already).

The panniers have been packed three times, and each time better than the last. Here is a picture of the bike with loaded panniers.



Since a lot of people have been asking, here is a list of all the gear I'm taking with me (F/R+R/L = Front/Rear Right/Left Pannier, Handlebar = Handlebar bag).

Edit upon trip completion: I've updated this with things that were added (*) or sent home (**) along the way. This leaves a setup that I was very comfortable living off of for 3 1/2 months. I didn't miss any comforts of home except maybe a bigger camp towel (nothing sucks more than having a difficult time drying yourself after a cold swim). A big plus was the Whisperlite stove, spice kit, and decent size pots ... I was the envy of other cyclists in the campgrounds while cooking delicious meals. Trust me, 50% of your time is spent eating, thinking about eating, or talking about eating.

Bike
MEC Rear Rack, MEC Front Rack, Ortlieb Classic Rear Panniers, MEC Front Panniers, Front pannier covers (FL), Fenders, Aero bars (Thanks Sinisa!), Mirror, Front light, Rear light (AAA), Front / Rear Reflectors

Tools
Pliers with cable cutters (FR), Cassette lockring remover (FR), Small adjustable wrench (FR), Allen keys / screwdrivers (Filzer Tool) (FR), Chain tool (FR), Spoke wrench (FR), Pedal wrench with homemade chain whip (FR), Tire levers (FR), Patch kit (FR), Chain lube (FR), Brush (FR), Zip ties (FR), Duct tape (Everywhere), Spare rags (FR), Presta - Schraeder conversion valve (Bike), Bike lock cable / key (FR), Pump (Rack), Brooks Tension Tool (FR)

Spare Parts
Spare tubes (2) (FR), Chain links (FR), Spokes (Rack), Cables (FR), Brake pads** (4) (FR), Spare rack clamps (FR), Spare rack bolts / nuts (FR)

Personal Hygiene
Campsuds (RL), Shampoo (RL), Razor (RL), Deodorant (RL), Camp towel (RL), Toothbrush / Floss / Toothpaste (RL), Toilet Paper (RL / Handlebar), Nail Clippers (RL), Little plastic trowel** (RL), Sunscreen (RL / Handlebar), Chap stick (RL), Bug repellant (RL / Handlebar), First aid kit (RL), Bag Balm (RL)

Food Equipment
MSR Whisperlite Stove (FL), Stove repair kit (FL), Pots + gripper (FL), Fuel bottle (2) (FL), Bowl (FL), Cup (FL), Spoon / Fork / Knife (FL), Swiss army knife (Handlebar), Dish towel (FL), Spices (Garlic Powder, Italian, Curry Powder, Salt, Pepper, Chili Powder) (FL), Olive oil (FL), Spatula (FL), Lighter (2) (FL + Handlebar), Matches (Handlebar), Camel back bladder (RL), Scrubby pad (FL), Food waterproof stuffsack (Rack / RL), Water treatment (FL)

Camping Equipment
Western Mountaineering Caribou Sleeping Bag (RR), Sleeping bag stuff sack (RR), North Face Tadpole 2 Tent (RR), Tent poles (Rack), Tent footprint (RR), Tent stuffsack (RR), Thermarest Go-Lite (RR), Thermarest Pillow (RR), Sleeping bag liner (RR), Headlamp (AAA) (Handlebar), Cord (RR), Ziplock bags (RR), Small Collapsible Saw** (RL), Fishing Kit* (FL), 6m of Cord / Clamps for Clothesline* (FL)

Clothes
Cycling shorts (3 **one pair sent home) (RL), Cycling tops (2) (RL), Cycling gloves (2) (RL), Zip off pants (1) (RL), Shorts (1) (RL), Synthetic shirt (2) (RL), Underwear (2) (RL), Sandals (RR), Socks (4) (RL), Toque (RL), Waterproof stuff sack (RL), Sunglasses (Handlebar), Fleece jacket (RL), Waterproof jacket (FR), Waterproof pants (FR), Waterproof shoe covers (FR), Bandana (RL)

Hiking specific stuff
MEC Genie 30L Backpack (RL), Shoes (RR), Compass (Handlebar)

Climbing specific stuff
Harness (RL), Climbing Shoes (RL), Chalk Bag (RL), Reverso (RL), Locking biner (2) (RL), Daisy (RL), Long sling / biners** (multipurpose) (RL)

Electronics
Garmin GPS** (AA) (Handlebar), Cycling computer (Bike), IPod (Handlebar), IPod charger / connection cable (RL), Acer Aspire One Netbook (RL), Netbook charger (RL), Headphones w/ built in microphone (Handlebar), Camera (AA) (Handlebar), USB A/Mini B Cable (RL), Spare AA/AAA batteries (RL), Cell phone (Handlebar), Cell phone charger (RL), Watch (Handlebar)

Misc
Notebook / pen (Handlebar), Needle / thread (RL), Speedy stitcher** (Thanks Dave!) (RL), Wallet (Handlebar), Passport (Handlebar), Important document copies (Seatpost), Ski straps (Bike), Map* (Handlebar), Good Book* (Handlebar)

Edit upon trip completion: Carrying things on a bike significantly shortens their life span. For example, start riding with an unripe banana and it will go straight from green to brown, entirely skipping the yellow stage. Things that broke along the way and had to be replaced were: bike pump, fork (cutlery), spoon, rear light, mirror, camera (not replaced yet), cycling computer, one cycling jersey, camelback, helmet (run over by a camper van), and sunglasses. During the trip I wore out two sets of tires and a set of pedals. The only mechanical problems I had were two broken spokes and six flat tires.

I'm also carry rice, lentils, split peas, pasta, oatmeal, ice tea powder, hot chocolate powder, pancake mix, granola bars, trail mix, and sidekicks (emergency bonking prevention) in a sack on the rear of the bike. This will also serve as a shopping bag for fresh food at the end of the day.

We don't have a scale, but I estimate everything weighs between 40 and 50 pounds (including the food). This extra weight (particularly the weight forward of the front fork) turns my responsive road bike into a stubborn beast which doesn't want to turn or stop ... hopefully I'll get used to this.

Well the weather forecast looks great so far ... wish me luck!

Trip Overview

Last summer, I came to the embarrassing realization that don't know very much about Canada. While I've travelled through a lot of the Western US, I haven't been East of Calgary. So this summer, I'm taking the time to travel across Canada by bicycle. It's going to take approximately 3.5 months, starting at the end of May.

Here is my preliminary route plan. Much of the Eastern route will change as I hear other peoples experiences along the way.

While I will be visiting family and friends along the way, most of the riding will be done by myself. This will be a new experience for me, and I'm counting on the generousity of Canadians along the way to help me through any problems that may arise.

I'm going to try to keep this blog short and full of pictures ... enjoy!

Cheers,
Dave