I am there

So this is me at Sunset beach near downtown Vancouver.  Getting here from Hope was an adventure in itself. I woke and had a lazy morning taking my time to take down the tent and then went into town to have a leisurely breakfast. I did find a nice home cooked restaurant that was really perfect.  I had a great breakfast and then I left Hope about 11 am.  Leaving Hope I realized I had miscalculated how far today''s bike ride would be instead of 130 km it was 150km.  A significant extra chunk to do, but I thought I could still do it, as I had done 140km the day before (with lots of hills).  The first stretch was rolling hills, but really pretty with a gently winding road.   When we got closer to Chilliwack the mountains parted and I was in the delta.   After that there is one big hill that needs to be climbed.  Its about 1.2 km long and 9% grade.  I had taken a photo of the hill before I took it on. Once I was over and back in the delta, I stopped at a blueberry stand for 2 baskets of blueberries.  Each was about 3lbs and big! all for $5 each! So I sat and munched on berries for a while, then thought  should check my messages so went to pull out my phone and I could not find it AT ALL.  I searched everywhere for it and it wasn't on my or in my backpack.  So I reluctantly biked back to that hill (without the trailer) and climbed it again.  I found the phone sitting on the side of the road near where the hill had started. So I technically did the hill 3 times, although without the trailer it was a lot nicer!  


I plugged away for the rest of the day and reached Maple Ridge about 9 pm at about 130km mark.  With only 20km left I decided to keep on trekking, I should be in a nice warm hostel by 10 and a refreshing shower was awaiting me.  At Port Moody, I got lost twice as the signs aren't very clear it was a construction area and that complicated things.  I had one lady point me back the way I had come, and when I had returned to the construction zone I met a cyclist PJ.  PJ was a really nice guy who by now should be living in Calgary as that was his plan then.  What made PJ special is that he only had 1 leg, the other was only down to his knee.  He had it removed as a child do to a rare form of cancer.  Now that was not a limitation for PJ, as he could easily out peddle me with just one leg compared to my 2! I was very impressed.  He is training for the para-Olympic team and I bet he will make it.


He showed me a route and biked with me for a stretch until it started to get dark where he had to turn around.  The route was hwy 1, but said bikes single file. later on I ha a van stop and give me a handful of change as his wife had seen my banner.  That is where I saw a sign saying "freeway starts"   but I didn't see any signs saying "no bikes". So I kept going, and biked through some very nasty construction.  Now its really dark, and this nice cop pulls over, lights a flashing yelling at me to get off the freeway.  I tried to say I didn't see a sign not to be here but I'd get off, he didn't get it, but I repeated I'd get off.  His car was almost smooshed by another car while I was there.  I peddled up a little and there was a car with a flat.  The cop told her that she couldn't change the tire there as it was too dangerous, then told me to throw my bike down the embankment which I did and my trailer.  Luckily Hwy 7 is a block from there so I was able to continue on on hwy 7.  I finally made it downtown around midnight.  I did stop for McD's and to charge my phone for 45 min.  And entering downtown ancouver I met a cute 20 yr aussie who was travelling Betty was her name.  She been o a greyhound in the states prior to being in Vancouver and had made a couple criminals who had gotten out on parole.  In the states when your released you get a free bus ticket anywhere.  Well she facebooked them which I don't understand.  Anyway I turned her around as she was going the wrong way.  How I knew that given I had just arrived in Vancouver was funny in its own right.  Well I kept on going and biking downtown looks really sketchy at 1am, but I finally made it to the hostel which turned out to be a sweltering sauna.   


Given how tired I was I should have been able to sleep through anything, but even after my cool refreshing shower, I had a hard time sleeping. 


So I made it in 10 days of actual biking.  It was 1,150 km total to this point and I did another 50km to visit a friend who helped me get to the airport and is going to help get my bike & trailer home.  When I got home I weighed myself and had lost 11 lb.  Not bad for 10 days of biking!  From the day before my Ride to conquer Cancer last week of June to end of first week of August (6 weeks) I lost a total of 18 lb.  or 3lb a week.  







Location : 117-145 Glenhill Dr, Cochrane, AB T4C 1H2,

A new Hope

Leaving Sorrento a few days ago I wondered if I could make it to Vancouver in 4 days doing over 500 km. Then battling that 50s kmh head wind and only making it to Kamloops meant that the remaining days would be long ones.  I have been up at 5am and on the road till 9pm both days with a nap in the middle of the day on both.

Talking with the owner at the campground last night I have been lucky as the temp is usually 38 C at this time of year and its not uncommon for it to hit 48 C there. I have to say that I never knew that and would have been dead by now if it had been.

So I have had another flat tire making it 4 now and have seen 2 snakes. Just for those keeping score.

So today I had a really tough day as the road was never just flat. It was either going up at 8% grade or down.  Now going up was tough but I had another windy day which added to it. And downs can be challenging with a trailer, but throw in the wind and I had to go down pretty slowly.  So it took me nearly 7 hours to do 75km and I arrived at Bostan Bar about 1.  I went to a restaurant and nearly fell asleep while waiting for my food to arrive.  So yes I had a great nap outside under a big cedar tree once I had finished lunch/breakie. Oh I have been trying to find a fruitstand but either they were closed last night and this evening or they didn't exist like the rest of the day. So tomorrow morning I am going to go get lots of fruit alas from Coopers and not a local stand but fruit I will enjoy.  I so wanted to sink my teeth into a peach today. I biked along day dreaming of all the local fruits I could eat... Mmmmmmm.

Oh the posted picture is of Hells gate. Yes I did enter and yes I did make it through alive.  I liked this shot as I am in one tunnel and you can see the next one.

After Boston Bar the road slowly calmed down and so did the wind.  It was a whole and an utter joy when the road became flat and I could actually bike at more then a snails pace. If you include the Sorrento to Kamloops day which the road was most gentle rolling but had brutal winds. It would be 3 days since I last had a level gentle ride, I was very elated.

Today I did 140 km, and tomorrow I think will be about the same if I want to hit the coast. But I am sleeping in till 8, having a warm breakie perhaps and buy some fruit before going on hwy 7 to Vancouver.

Oh! The 2 guys I met in Salmon ARM, they had just arrived at Bostan Bar as I was leaving, I found that quite funny.  I also ran out of water about 30 min from BB. So I was glad to get there, although I had to buy water as the town is on a boil advisory.

So I have my tent right next to the Fraser River which I will photo tomorrow. I also have 2 neighbours who are biking. One has come from the states and is more touring then biking and another who has flown in from Europe and has done a variation of my trip but he did the Kettle Creek trail.  I will have to do some research on that one, but I already know my bike would die quickly on that trail.

Well time for sleep.


Location : 63405-64273 Tom Berry Rd, Hope, BC V0X 1L2,

Fraser Canyon

I realized I forgot to post a pic I took of the ride leaving Kamloops and some other thoughts. The couple who had offered me their lawn to crash on in Kamloops were not home so at 10 that night I had to make a decision.  Stay at an unbuget hotel or bike 10 km up the hill going the wrong way and stay at the hostel.  The next morning while I was climbing the hill a lady stopped on the freeway to chat. It turns out that the hostel in Kamloops is where the drunks in town hang out. So it looks like I made the right decision after all by staying at a hotel.

Which makes me think I should find some place to stay at in Vancouver. Where I had hoped to stay, he hasn't responded for at least 2 weeks.

Last night I biked 50 km to Spenses Bridges and stayed at a nice campground there. The owner allowed me to pick apricots from the trees. Fresh ripe sun warmed apricots are just devine!



Oh.... Anyone want to give me q massage? My back n legs are really sore n tired.

Location : Fraser Valley A, BC,

Wind ward

I left Sorrento very late in the day, it was after 3 before I finally departed.  The weekend was fantastic and it was hard to leave this special place. It was hard saying goodbye to everyone but I am hopeful I may see a few again in Vancouver if I am lucky.

My legs were well rested which was very good because as soon as I left the wee hamlet the wind started to blast me and it rarely relented. It was only 80 or so km to Kamloops but I didn't arrive till after 9.  There some smaller hills that need to be climbed but with the added wind it was brutal.  I was very reflective today and strangley the wind made it easy to focus. 

There was a couple times where it wind became mire of a crosswind and I had to lean into the wind to just stay on the road.  This is kinda neat and weird at the same time, until a passing semi cuts off the crosswind and then your really off balance.

I decided to get up really early as the forecast was q high of 32 and I didn't want to be on the road when that occurred. So I was up near the crack of dawn and climbing the hill out of Kamloops. That is quite the climb even when you are refreshed, its nearly 10 km of straight hill. 

From there I took hwy 1 to Cache Creek which was very dry and very very challenging as you climb over a hill just to go back into the valley to climb out again.  Thus happened over and over and I started to get frustrated.  My legs just didn't have what the ride was demanding. As I got close to Cache Creek even though the road looked flat it was tough as it seemed to take FOREEVER to cover the remaining  distance.

I finally arrived in Cache about 12:30. And had lunch and a light nap in a small ant filled park until 4.  I then git directions and info and a Yummy icecream cone.  I am charging my headlamp as I am about to either bike another 30 km to Bridges or perhaps Outing which is 85 km tonight.  It's 195 more km to Hope and I would like to be in hope tomorrow. I know that is, very ambitious but its possible.  Well its 5:30 so its time to continue....

Location : Cache Creek, BC V0K 1H0,