Vancouver!!!

All done!

Otherwise a pretty uneventful day.  Got an early start so I could get to Vancouver at a reasonable time, and really just put my head down and powered through the longest day of the entire trip - 97.25 miles from the Tim Hortons in Hope to the beach in Vancouver.  It was cool and cloudy for most of the day.  The mountains started strong around Hope but slowly faded into rolling hills.  Ate lots of wild blackberries along the way - that was one of my favorite parts from California, so I was happy to find them here.

Alicia flies in tonight and tomorrow we head off to Victoria for the next part of our adventure!  So while my fun continues, I'm going to let the blog end here.  If you're keeping score at home, it was 10 days, 745 miles, and lots of swimming, climbing, and peach eating (millions of peaches!). 

But hey - if I turn south, Seattle is only 2 days away, and from there...ahh, it'll have to wait for next year.

Vancouver!

Speeding along

I couldn't get past Hope last night, but that was sort of the original plan.  But, that does leave me with about 100 miles to Vancouver today - fortunately I've already done 65 so I am zooming my way to the end.  Finish strong, Dave!

Awesome downhill

This was the descent into Hope.  It allowed me to forgive the headwind and unexpected uphill before this.  I held steady around 35 MPH and topped out at 42, which seems to be my terminal velocity.  I once hit 43, but on these huge hills I seem to always hit 42 but no faster.  Maybe I need a steeper hill.

Manning Park, part 2

This morning I went out on another hike - a longer one up Windy Joe Mountain, about 5 hours round trip.  I ate too big of a breakfast and felt sort of awful when I started, but that passed as the enormous pancakes I ate were converted into energy (way to go, body!).  I had a nice view from the top.  The pointy mountain to the right is Mount Frosty, the highest point in the park.  The peak to the left is even higher, but is in Washington, USA!  The glow around it must be freedom :)

Manning Park, part 1

It was a ridiculous climb up to Manning Park from Princeton, but at least I had been expecting it.  I got to the park around 3:00, found a campsite, ate a snack and went out for an afternoon hike.  I had heard the Lightning Lakes were nice, so I did a loop around Lightning Lake (the others are Flash, Strike, and Thunder Lakes.  Cute).  It didn't look like much but it took over two hours!  But it was lovely.

Still alive!

Had no service in Manning Park, thus lack of blog updates, or proof of wellbeing for loved ones.

Will post pictures, etc, ASAP!

Oh no, fake rain!

Aah!  3:00 AM lawn sprinklers!  Stay strong, tent!

Oh no, rain!

After Green Mountain Road I was on Highway 3 to Princeton.  The highway is called the Crow's Nest Highway - check out the sweet logo!

The road was just slightly uphill along a river all the way to Princeton.  I stopped in the middle at the tiny town of Headley, and it started raining.  Not pouring, but pretty legit rain.  I hanged out at the mining museum for a while, and eventually gave up on the rain stopping.  I waterproofed everything I could, changed from sneakers to sandals, and was on my way. 

I'm getting back into the mountains!  The Okanagan was a nice break after the Rockies, but now I'm getting into the Cascades.  Despite the rain it was a great afternoon, although I was happy to reach Princeton and get a hot cup of coffee.

Sticking with the new plan, I'm off to Manning Park tomorrow for an afternoon of hiking.  Anyone I've mentioned it to has said that Manning Park is really pretty and full of great hiking, so I'm excited for tomorrow!  Hope for nice weather!

Nighthawk

Check out all the pleasant Canadian city names vs. Nighthawk, USA.  We don't mess around with our city names!

Uphill, then up some more

The bike shop in Penticton recommended that I avoid the highway by taking Green Mountain Road out of town. It was a beautiful climb up a canyon. The road emerged into a more open space, and I figured I'd go around the bend, and start heading downhill. I checked the elevation on my phone - 1950 feet. But the road didn't go down, it kept going up! Every so often it would appear to be peaking, so I'd check the elevation - 2150, 2300, 2600 - it wasn't just that it kept going, it was the comical number of false summits. I finally hit the real top at 2950, a full 1000 feet above where I first thought I might be done. But despite constantly mocking my lack of judgment, it was a great climb. Not too steep and lots of turns - my favorite kind! And when I finally passed the summit I got to BOMB down the other side!

Cycling event

The entire region is getting ready to celebrate my arrival in Vancouver!

Short day in the Okanagan

Got on the road from Kelowna and took the scenic way to Peachland.  Peachland is a tiny town right on the lake, and it was really nice.  I sat by the beach and ate a sandwich and called Alicia to go over some stuff for next week.  Then I went for a swim.  Finally I realized I had been at that one spot for an hour and a half, so I started going.  I got about a half mile down the road when I got to "downtown" Peachland, and saw a spot renting stand-up paddleboards.  I put my name on a waiting list and got some coffee across the street.  About 30 minutes later I was paddling around the lake, standing on a board.  It's really fun!  I guess they say it's a good core workout.  I paddled out pretty far, jumped in, then laid on the board in the sun.  I paddled parallel to the beach, into the shore, then back to the start.  I still had 20 minutes left so I did another mini lap and jumped in again.  Stand-up paddleboards... I'm a fan.

Next town was Summerland.  How could you not be excited to go to Summerland on a sunny summer day?  Sadly, Summerland was not as nice as Peachland.  The town was mostly up on a hill rather than down at the water.  I was all excited to get ice cream in Summerland and I couldn't even find that.  I say they revoke the name "Summerland" until they put in ice cream stands at every corner.
Last town at the end of the lake was Penticton, where I am now.  I got my ice cream there, as well as some advice from the bike shop (don't take the Kettle Valley rail trail, it's rocky - too bad).  I swam some more and otherwise sat around.  Now I'm in my tent at a  somewhat sketchy campground.  All of Penticton feels somewhat sketchy, can't really put my finger on it.

Before I went to the campground I checked out the casino in town.  I expected only slot machines, but was pleasantly surprised to find a few table games.  I played $5 blackjack for a while and walked away up $10.  So no matter what happens, Penticton, I'm leaving town tomorrow with your money!

Warm Showers

Last night I decided on the route for the remainder of the trip.  I was in Kelowna after my grueling ride on Westside Rd and deciding whether to stay or push on to Peachland or Summerland.  Consulting the map, I decided that if I continued on, I'd almost guarantee that I'd get to Vancouver too early, and I'd regret losing a day I could have spent doing something out here.  So here's the plan:
- Today, bike to Penticton.
-  Thursday = Princeton
- Friday = Manning Park.  Take an afternoon hike.
- Saturday = Morning hike, then bike towards Hope, maybe reach Chilliwack
- Sunday = Vancouver

So, the shortened days are today and the time in Manning Park (which is the Cascades in Canada, I think).

Anyway, after figuring this all out, I had to find a place to stay.  The hostel around the corner was full and I was on my way to another place when I though to try Warm Showers.  That is a website that connects touring cyclists with someone who can host them for the night.  I pulled up the map and there was someone in West Kelowna, which was great because that was on my way for tomorrow.  I called and I got all set up!  He was very, very gracious to put me up on such short notice!  I ate dinner in town and then headed out to West Kelowna.  I got my warm shower, and even a bed and a beer.  That's high luxury for me at this point.

So if you read this Rob, thanks again for everything!

Okanagan peaches

I just ate a peach that was so good that I had to sit down.

Westside Rd

Rather than follow highway 97 through towns to the east of the lake, I took little Westside Rd that went right along the western shore.  It was amazing - like Big Sur, if you replace the ocean with a lake.  There was an incredible amount of climbing - it was steeply up and down the entire day, but it's beautiful to do that along the shore, you get such different perspectives of the lake at different angles and elevations.

Beer update

Tragically, nothing really to note yet.  The beer from Banff brewing company was very good, but probably only available at the restaurant (and not AMAZING, anyway).  I had the "Wolf Tavern Lager" at the Wolf Tavern in Golden, and some English Ale in Revelstoke.  Tap lists have been very short and not really local beers.

Some of the beer fun two years ago was passing through the territories of different local breweries.  All the bars in Montana had beers from Missoula, Butte, Helena.  Colorado bars had beers from all over Colorado.  But sadly  not seeing a big selection of Calgary beer or Okanagan beer.  Maybe I need to try harder and drink more :)

Route update

Today was the day of the big route decision - continue west on the TCH through Kamloops and approach Hope from the north, or turn south into the Okanagan Valley, then to Hope from the east?

I'd asked a lot of people for advice and the response is usually that the Okanagan is nice but busy.  And that it's full of fruit stands, which is a nice plus. 

But of all the people I asked, two opinions carry the most weight.  First was a cyclist I met the first day who had come through the Okanagan, he liked it.  Second was a cyclist I met today in Sicamous as I was agonizing over this decision.   He had come via the TCH, and he said it was really, really hot west of Kamloops (I had heard that from others, too).  He thought the Okanagan was less busy than the TCH and that it was full of cyclists. 

So, I vote with the cyclists who unanimously were in favor of the Okanagan.

And - as soon as I turned south, traffic dropped off considerably, especially big trucks, which have almost disappeared.  We'll see if it stays this light as I get further down, but for now this has been a terrific change from the traffic and noise I had been with for the last couple days.

Sicamous

I'm told that the favored pun is along the lines of "that's as sick a moose as I've ever seen"

Waterfall

I passed a small sign today for a trailhead to Gorge Creek.  Sounds nice, right? I want to make sure I enjoy the mountains while I'm here, so I started hiking up this random trail.  I quickly got to this waterfall, and went for a swim in the little pool, even standing under the waterfall.  It was cold!  It makes sense, I think the water probably woke up this morning as part of a glacier.  Further up the trail was another waterfall, although I didn't swim again. 

You never know what you'll find in these little, poorly marked places unless you look!

Plain iron spike

Is that a dig against us and our fancy golden spike?

Speed lines

I'm not sure what this truck is carrying but it sure is going fast!

Camping in the park

Got psuedo-permission to set up in the town park last night.  Well, enough people told me "no one will bother you" that I went for it.  No problems with people (or the Man) but I did have two thunderstorms that rolled through, with lightening and wind and everything.  It was pretty cool and maintained my faith in my tent - everything stayed dry and staked down.  As I eat breakfast the fly is across the street drying in the sun.

Here's the view from my tent this morning.  All the fog is along the river.  Not too shabby.

Hey!  That river is the Columbia River - the same one that flows to Oregon! 

Let me upgrade you

$1.99 to turn french fries into poutine?  That's an easy decision.

Revelstoke

Made it to Revelstoke yesterday.  Sort of similar to the previous day - a tough, hilly morning followed by a long, late afternoon downhill into town.  In the middle was Rogers Pass, about 6 miles of pretty steep uphill.  Worse than  the hill, though, was that the road went through these tunnel-like avalanche sheds.  I always had a shoulder, but trucks and motorcycles are really loud in there - pretty nerve racking.  But, I made it up to the visitors center, and then it was a delightful 70 km drop into Revelstoke.

I has checked the forecast for a few towns before I left and was surprised that Revelstoke seemed much hotter than towns to the east.  Turns out I'm down at about 1500 ft above sea level, while Banff was above 4000.  So that explains it.

From here I'm not 100% sure of my route, but most advice has been to turn south at Sicamous and head down the Okanagan valley.  They grow a lot of fruit there, so I'll hit up some farm stands and see how BC cherries compare to Michigan cherries.

Selenium?

My sardines are an "excellent source of protein, vitamin D, and selenium".  If instead it said "now with no selenium" I'd think, oh good, I wouldn't want that in my food!

I guess I have a lot to learn about selenium.

Northy!

51°30.747N - the farthest north I've ever been in North America!  I think this is also the northernmost point of the Trans Canada Highway, but no signs to mark it.  Are signs like that a particularly American thing?

Mountains ahead!

Quick recap

Made it to Golden (British Columbia!) today, which was the goal.  I was in Field at 5:00 and still had 57 km to go, however long that is.  I went over the continental divide just before Field, and it was quite a nice downhill along the Kicking Horse River.  I did have a headwind today, which was rough.  More actual hills too, especially before Lake Louise.  Anyway, between Field and Golden the road took a 90 degree turn to the west, and I suddenly had a tailwind that helped along to Golden, even down that 10 mile hill, when I needed no help.  I was prepared for an 8:30 arrival, bit got in just before 8. 

Another big day tomorrow to Revelstroke, and then I'll be I  terrific shape for an on time arrival in Vancouver!

Brake Check

Something awesome is about to happen!

Moose and Squirrel

This intersection made me very,  very happy.

No caption needed

Kilometers

I am LOVING kilometers.  In the US I only do 70 to 80 distance units per day.  In Canada I can go 130 units!  I feel so strong!

Banff!

This was goal for the day, good to start off with a successful first day!   85 miles, 135 km, woo!

Also passed through Canmore, about 30km earlier (that's right, I use kilometers now).  Both Canmore and Banff have a touristy, resorty feel.  Not that there's anything wrong with that!  They're both very nice and have beautiful views and seem like a lot of fun.  Canmore also has the Nordic center from the 1988 Olympics, so if you're ever in the area and have the urge to go cross-country skiing, Canmore is the place to do it.

I'm all set up at the Tunnel Mountain  campground.  It's an enormous campground that is all filled except for the walk-in sites, which is perfect for me.  I'm currently eating dinner at the Banff Ave brewing company.  I recommend the Head Smashed IPA!  But I also recommend they rename the beer, right?

Mountains!

Holy crap!

As Daryl said, Calgary was not right up against the mountains.  It was about 30 miles until they started to take shape, and 50 miles until I was "in the mountains"  (it's gradual, hard to define a threshold).

Once I really got there, the clouds started to clear and the sun came out and I could really see all the mountains around me.  A really amazing few minutes when they all started to come into view in the sunshine.

And I've never seen mountains like this.  I've been told that they are lower than the US Rockies but they're TALLER.  They're also really sharp and steep and closely packed together.  I'm clearly no geologist and pictures never do it justice, so I'm stuck with lame descriptions like "they're awesome".

Mountains!

Holy crap!

As Daryl said, Calgary was not right up against the mountains.  It was about 30 miles until they started to take shape, and 50 miles until I was "in the mountains"  (it's gradual, hard to define a threshold).

Once I really got there, the clouds started to clear and the sun came out and I could really see all the mountains around me.  A really amazing few minutes when they all started to come into view in the sunshine.

And I've never seen mountains like this.  I've been told that they are lower than the US Rockies but they're TALLER.  They're also really sharp and steep and closely packed together.  I'm clearly no geologist and pictures never do it justice, so I'm stuck with lame descriptions like "they're awesome".

Mountains!

Holy crap!

As Daryl said, Calgary was not right up against the mountains.  It was about 30 miles until they started to take shape, and 50 miles until I was "in the mountains"  (it's gradual, hard to define a threshold).

Once I really got there, the clouds started to clear and the sun came out and I could really see all the mountains around me.  A really amazing few minutes when they all started to come into view in the sunshine.

And I've never seen mountains like this.  I've been told that they are lower than the US Rockies but they're TALLER.  They're also really sharp and steep and closely packed together.  I'm clearly no geologist and pictures never do it justice, so I'm stuck with lame descriptions like "they're awesome".

When in Rome...

Canadians love dill potato chips!

Mountains?

They're behind those clouds... I think...

Landed in Calgary

It's dark but I expect to wake up in the morning right next to the Rocky Mountains.   I can't see them now but I know they're out there, and that is very exciting.

Tuna security

I have two cans of tuna fish with me, just to give me a head start on food for the trip.  In Boston, TSA seriously deliberated over the amount of water in a can of tuna, in case it was too much and they had to confiscate it (they did take my sunscreen).  In Toronto, the security guy looked at the can and said "what, you don't like the food on the airplane?"

I've always liked this country!

Off to Canada!

Another year, another long trip... I think this is a good habit.

This year is Calgary to Vancouver, across the Canadian Rockies.  My expected route (see map above) is 660 miles and takes me through Banff, Lake Louise, and many other beautiful, mountainous spots. 

This actually started as a plan for both Alicia and I to go to Scandinavia and bike from Oslo to Copenhagen.  We never really got around to planning it and felt we had run out of time to pull together a trip to Europe.  So we thought about places in North America we would like to see, and decided that Vancouver Island sou did good.  Last year we did the same thing - planned a trip to Zion National Park, and then I found a starting point that would give me a nice bike ride to Utah.  So this year we did the same thing, and Calgary was just the right distance from Vancouver to make it into a trip.

Sadly, the mapping program I've used in the past has gone under, so you won't be able to see my currently location on the map.  But I do have a Google map of my route, so you can follow along on that.

I did add a Canadian data plan to my phone, so I will be able to send updates from the road, but they might be a little thin on pictures unless I can find WiFi.  I could quickly burn through my 100 MB allotment.  But, I'll do what I can and I do promise amble pictures of mountains and rivers and maybe even the inside of a grizzly bear.

Anyway, I've just landed in Toronto for a 2 hour layover.  I land in Calgary at 1 AM (!) but I do have a campsite reserved.  It's 15 miles from the airport, I'll probably wimp out and take a taxi.  I promise to make up for my laziness tomorrow, though!