We've been thinking of cycling across Canada for a few hours now and the time has come! We set out on a 3 month journey from Vancouver to St. Johns on May 31st riding only on 2 wheels. The family van will be supporting us the whole way and conveniently carrying our gear.
Our adventure will be updated here on this blog site as we travel. See you on the road!
CycleCanada2010@gmail.com

Sunday, October 3, 2010

Memories

it seems like forever ago we were cycling...

A few numbers from the cycling trip:

72 days total (64 cycling days - 8 days off)
10 provinces
8 days over 150km - 42 days between 100 & 150km - 14 days under 100km
8 provincial capital city's
64 nights in a tent
2 chains
10 tire tubes
2 tires
1 gear shifter cable
2 cassettes
112 Cliff bars
2 bee stings
322 mosquito bites (all in Manitoba!)

7665.49 total km's
23.7 km/h - total average speed
119.77 km/day - total average km's per day
323 hours of riding

What an experience!!
If you want some more information just e-mail me CycleCanada2010@gmail.com I'd be glad to share.

I've also got some pictures up on line of the complete cycling trip, e-mail me (CycleCanada2010@gmail.com) and I will send you the link.

A must do for everyone Canadian!! Have Fun!!

Tuesday, August 17, 2010

Bikes boxed up

The bikes were tired so we boxed them up ready for the trip home. Leaving St. John's today, a quick stop over in Halifax then home.
I will get our cycling numbers together with pictures once I get home and post a few more. the un-official total was 7665.80km!

Sunday, August 15, 2010

St John's...and Done!

Well...we couldn't go any further East today....we ran out of road!!
The wind got up at the same time we did this morning and even though we left camp at 8:30am it was right there with us. Our average speed was only 22.07km/h that's a long day when you have 140km to do! But knowing that we didn't have to get back on the bikes tomorrow gave us the power to push on. We got off the highway and weaved our way through St. John's....past George Street and down to the Harbour. We found a nice little dock to dip our tires into the Atlantic Ocean and get some final pictures. What a feeling!!
I'm not really sure what I'm going to do tomorrow...no where to ride.
Thanks to everyone for their ongoing support, we couldn't have done it with out you!
We just cycled across Canada....holy &#%@! Yipppppeeeeee!
See you soon

Saturday, August 14, 2010

And then there was 1

We've been planning this trip and thinking about the end for a long time now...I can't believe that tomorrow is the last day! The cycling gods have decided to test us right up until we touch the water, today the winds were coming from the South/West (the directions we were going) and they are calling for North/West winds tomorrow - again...the direction we are going! Come on!! we can't just glide into St. John's and call it a day....we have to battle through the weather one last time?!?!
I guess it will make it even more bitter sweet...
The rain has been blown away and today was sunny and warm, tomorrow sun but +17 high. We will try to leave the camp site early in the morning to get a jump on the final cycling day of Cycle Canada 2010!
It's been an amazing trip, a lot of ups and downs (not only on the road but physically and mentally) but we all survived the trek together and I'm thankful for the "team" we had. Without them, I don't know if we would have made it this far...thank you.
I will write one more when we get into St. John's tomorrow afternoon...but then we have a date with George Street to attend.
Thanks everyone for your ongoing support...can't wait to get back home!!

Thursday, August 12, 2010

It's the Final Countdown!!

If I could cue the song from Europe..."The Final Countdown" It would be playing as you read this! It's been running through our heads for the past few days.
The title of the last post was referring to the fact that we still have to be prepared for what lies ahead of us until the end. It's great to think it's all sun and downhill but in reality there is still the every day cycling issues to contend with....right up until we hit the Ocean in St. John's. An example is the gear shifter cable that broke on me a couple of days ago...issues could still be out there for us. Like this beautiful weather we are having....reminds us of BC when we left in May?!? today was a high of +13 and rainy...
We have been battling with the wind and the clouds for the last 2 days...sometimes we have the wind at our backs and make up some good time, but it always changes with the roads and we are fighting to get up to 20km/h. We are so close that we just push through anything that gets thrown at us! The landscape of NL right now is lots of trees and a few lakes every once and a while, I can't wait to get out to the ocean and have a little change of scenery...tomorrow I get my wish.
We have a few friends/family that know people in St. John's so I think we have a spot to dip the tires and then it's off to taste the drink of NL!!
It's the final countdown....danna naa naa...da....na..na.na!

Tuesday, August 10, 2010

Still some cycling to do...

I'll dive right in here...so our ferry left 2.5 hours later than scheduled (so we naturally thought we'd arrive 2.5 hours later...) not the case. We still made our destination of Port aux Basques at 1:30am, apparently the ferry doesn't usually go that fast, but we were late for something! (we over heard a couple of Newfoundlander s talk and I think that's what they said) So we got to a campground in the early am and set up our tents...beautiful clear sky and the stars were shining bright. Got some sleep but was up at 9:00 to start the first day cycling in Newfoundland. Back to the ferry terminal and a quick stop at the info center to get a picture at the "welcome to NL" sign. I don't know what I thought NL would look like but it is very scenic and a beautiful place. We cycled beside the ocean for a bit on the first day and then we dove deep into the wooded "hills" of the land. Long rolling hills with "mountains" all around us. The sky has been overcast since we got here and we had rain on the first day and over night as well. This being our last stop, I pictured sunny skies to the end...
Our second day started out with more of the long hills and still overcast, Corner Brook was 60km away and we had no trouble getting there....well if you call breaking a shifting cable on my bike and a flat tire no trouble then we're fine. We fixed the flat and I rode 30k in my hardest gear to get to Corner Brook, where I got my cable replaced. I'm sure my legs will thank me tomorrow. A big thank you to Cycling Solutions, good quick fix!!
The skies cleared and the sun came out this afternoon, so we are getting our first taste of beautiful weather.
We are down to the final 5 days...

Sunday, August 8, 2010

Last Province!

Well...we just killed Nova Scotia!! 2 days...day 1 - 119km day 2 - 172km! and we're done. Got to North Sydney this afternoon with time to spare. Apparently your need to book ferry's ahead of time (not like Vancouver) so we had to frantically call 2 nights ago and settle for a 7pm departure on Aug 8. Originally our departure date was Tues Aug 10, everything else was sold out, but one came available and we snatched it up! (We're getting smarter though...we've already booked for the ride home)
Weather has been fantastic, sunny and warm both days. We cycled through what seemed like BC for a little while (with much lower "hills") trees everywhere and curving roads through valleys. Once we got past that point it was cycling beside the Bras d'Or Lake, which was beautiful. I think the excitement to get to our last Province has driven us these past 3 days and now it's only 7 days left through the terrain of Newfoundland. The excitement will turn very quickly to the last few days and then it's off to George street!!
Note to Legs, lower backs and butts: hang in there guys...we promise this will all be over soon! (until the next race of the year ;)

Saturday, August 7, 2010

Single Digits...

I can't believe that we are counting down from 10! We finished PEI yesterday with a trip into Charlottetown and a tour of the Cow's Creamery factory...then we had to continue on to Wood Island where the Ferry takes us over to Nova Scotia. Road conditions were good on Trans Canada HWY #1, wide shoulder and surprisingly not a lot of traffic. The dark clouds moved away and the sun came out for our last day in PEI.
We are on the Ferry now heading to our 9th province!

Thursday, August 5, 2010

Atlantic Ocean!!

Since the last post, we've seen a lot. We crested over the hills of New Brunswick's Fundy National Park and had our first look at the Atlantic Ocean! What an exciting feeling...we still have a ways to go to dip the tire into the water but seeing the Ocean was very uplifting. We stayed 1 night in the park and rode to Hopewell Rocks the day after to walk on the ocean floor. An amazing sight and feeling...I'm allowed to walk on the ocean floor but I can not touch the water until we get to St. John's.
Our path took us up the bay of Fundy into Moncton, through Dieppe and up to the north/east side of NB to Cap Pele, a campsite right on the shore. We had a quick time out in Dieppe to check the bikes in at Mike's Bike Shop and came out with new cassettes and chains each...our bikes thanked us. We knew they had to be changed and Mike's was very accommodating to do it so quickly, in the middle our our ride day. What a difference that made, it was like we were riding new bikes...no skipping of gears anymore!
The weather changed on us over night and we actually had some rain for a change, the next morning it was cloudy and misty as we rode along the north shore of NB towards PEI. On any clear day I think I would have taken 300 pictures....instead of the 50 I took (thanks Dad!). We got the the Confederation Bridge and had to put the bikes on the back of the van to get across...I was wanting to cycle it but the authorities had spoken!! So now we are in PEI and enjoying our last day off until the end of the trip. Our Lobster dinner at St. Ann's Church will last us into next week...so now it's a 10 day push to the grand finally!
Exciting but sad at the same time!




Sunday, August 1, 2010

Brunswick New...

Traveling through New Brunswick has been exciting for us, although the pathways of Quebec still hold the top rank the beauty of New Brunswick is right up there. We've been heading south for a few days following the Saint John river, back and forth from side to side, each little town has a bridge crossing over it and roads on either sides. The weather has been amazing...in the mornings the sun is bright and the air has been cool....cycling along the rivers edge and taking in the scenery of the hills is very beautiful. We stayed in Grand Falls overlooking the Gorge and in Woodstock at Connell's campground (C...C....C...Connell!!) We got out of there just in time, as the Old Home Fair was rolling into town!
We cycled through Fredericton today, stopped in quickly to eat ice cream at the lighthouse and spent some time chatting with a friend. And of course we couldn't pass through with out stopping at the bulk barn...it's been the 1st one since Ottawa (we were all running dry!). The day ended after 164km but we were excited to get to Upper Gagetown...because tomorrow we're off to the bay of Fundy!
It's amazing to think of all the places we've been to during this trip, as we cycle during the day they are consistently running through our heads...we have to remind each other some times of the little towns and city's we've stayed in. This Country is stunning from one end to the next and every day we are thankful for living here. A few more days and we will experience it to the fullest extent....Can't wait for St. John's!!!!

Thursday, July 29, 2010

East Coast

Cabano, Quebec...never heard of this little town before but we are enjoying our day off here. A campsite by the lake, pub down the road and live bands playing in the park on Wed nights...how much better can it get?
We've been cycling with the wind for the past few days and this riding thing is getting very easy, from Quebec to Riviere du loup was a quick 2 hour ride...then we turned South and got slapped back into reality. La Route Vert had us cycling along the Saint Laurence river looking across at old Quebec, a very busy path but cycling friendly and very scenic! Once in Riviere du loup la route vert turned into gravel so we quickly re routed onto the trans Canada (hwy 185)...we've been spoiled on the roads of Quebec and getting back onto the highway took us back to the prairie days and northern Ontario.
The days are running out on our trip, we are actually on the east coast! the next 2 weeks will be exciting, lots of provinces still to cycle through and tonnes to see!

Monday, July 26, 2010

La Belle Province - Quebec!

OK...I had this big long rant about how the winds in Canada are always against us and this prevailing winds thing (west to east) was a farce...until today...today I take that all back. It's still up for discussion but today we had N/W winds at our backs and were cycling at 35 to 38km/h. We got from Trois Rivieres to Quebec City in record time. Following hwy 138 (la route vert) along the north side of the Saint Laurence river was amazing, all the little towns were very unique with their old architectural buildings and big churches. We have been talking french to each other around the camp fire...Which I did get started on the first try last night....thank you....thank you! We have voted the cycling route in Quebec to be the best so far, a lot of designated lanes for bikes without the transport trucks flying by....sorry Alberta, Quebec's in the lead now.
We will tour around Quebec this afternoon and then head across the river tomorrow. I think there is a MEC in Quebec that I have not been to yet!!

Saturday, July 24, 2010

Thank You Ontario!

Yes it is true, we have completed Ontario! We will be crossing over into Quebec today from Hawkesbury and Heading to Montreal. This Route Vert in Quebec seems to be very popular for cyclists! I think we will be staying on it for the most part. We had quite a day in Ottawa, a very scenic ride along the parkway, then up to the Parliament buildings to get a few pictures, down Sussex drive and out the east side on the rockcliff parkway. What we thought was a 106km day ended up being 133km, we took some side roads to stay off hwy 174 (17), it was a little busy and road conditions weren't very good.
So we tackle Quebec for about a week, we are still looking up the word tent in french, but I think we might be able to squeak by with all of our combined education.

Tuesday, July 20, 2010

On the road again

Well, we decided to continue, not like there was an alternative. Very slow & sluggish after 2 days back in the saddle, Junetoberfest has to be the main reason, and all the drinks we were forced to consume!
Got up to North Bay at 11:00 on Monday and ended up doing 138km to Driftwood Provincial Park. Maybe we should have eased back into this cycling thing! a nice campsite right on the water and we were able to take a swim after our ride. Today we got to Cobden...what?? you don't know where that is? a small town along hwy 17 with a campsite at the information centre, right downtown!
We will roll into Ottawa tomorrow, but it better not be a long day as the birthday girl needs to have some of the day not on the bike.
After that it's only 1 day left in Ontario...

Wednesday, July 14, 2010

Stage 1 - complete

So after 44 days on the road we made it from Vancouver BC to North Bay ON (Stage 1). We are taking a short 5 day break right now and will continue the ride next Monday. Relaxing a bit in Muskoka and then some repairs and reloading for the second stage. Junetoberfest should be interesting this year, as we have not been practicing at all. Go team chesnut brown!!
More updates to come and our East coast route soon.

Sunday, July 11, 2010

Pushing on

We've been following the shores of lake Superior for a week and every turn is a breathtaking scene, and now it's Lake Huron! Every time I've been through these areas it's been in a vehicle at 100km/h...it's such a beautiful place at biking speed.
We got to Sault Ste. Marie on Friday afternoon after staying at a beautiful beach side campsite at Agawa Bay. The fog that rolled in and covered the sky seemed fake and made the waves of Lake Superior look eerie...kinda cool! One of the best campsites we've stayed at.
Our day off in the Soo was relaxing, got to watch some Tour de France, take in some lunch by the water and catch up with some old friends.
Back on the bike Sunday morning with Algoma Mills as our destination. 153km ride with the wind in our face the whole way...no matter what direction we biked it seemed to follow us. We still made good time but we have a 5 day rest ahead of us so I think that is driving us to power forward.
We have seen many other bikers on the road (a lot more in Northern Ontario in the past few weeks), a lot of riders cycling for charities. A group of 4 cycling for inpatient care for cancer patients, a solo rider raising money for people with brain injuries, another group of 3 riding from Van to NY raising money for 3 different charities....it's like its own little world out here. i find it interesting to follow their stories as they cycling along (links are posted on the side if you wish to have a look).
I will post the schedule for the East coast in a few days and update our totals...until then we have another 150km to get to Sudbury tomorrow and then 130km to get to North Bay on Tuesday!

Wednesday, July 7, 2010

Wawa!

Well, we made it to Wawa today...home of the big goose! Cycling in Northern Ontario has been a fantastic experience. The traffic has been very courteous to us, swinging wide when passing and a few honking fans, even some picture takers! I think the yellow vests mark us from a mile away! The weather has been very good to us the past few days, sunny and hot (and humid...good ol Ontario). Apart from the lack of Bulk Barns in the past few towns (Nipigon, Terrace Bay, Wawa) I think we are surviving quite well, the support crew is finding every deal in every grocery store along the way and we are eating some good meals.
The bikes are holding up to their tasks, but we have fired our mechanic and will try to find someone who knows how to adjust derailleurs properly in the next small town (so anyone in Agawa Bay who's looking for a job...)
We might have cell reception in the up and coming days, internet on the other hand has not reached the north yet!! (HAHA)
Cycling strong and loving the adventure!

Saturday, July 3, 2010

Ontario North

The trek continues...finally we hit the Ontario border this past week. We were thankfull to leave the mosquitos behind and take on the beautiful lakes of Northern Ontario. The weather has been kind to us, nothing we can't handle. Cycling into Thunder.....Thunder......Thunder Bay!! we had nothing but sun and +30 temp (with humidity...of course). Taking refuge at a resort...Chez Sargents sure feels like it, we have the day to rest and recoup.
In the week prior we had one of our toughest days on the road...now you would think that the winds of the flat prairies would get the best of us but it was actually Northern Ontario that affected us the most. The winds were blowing south/west that day...and wouldn't you know it so were we! Not the happiest times of our lives. We pushed through the 102km day and were glad to see the campground that evening. We check the wind direction every night and morning hoping that it will be in our favour (a huge difference cycling at 32km/h rather than 17km/h)
We have 1 week to get to Sault Ste Marie and then we will push 3 x 150km days to finish phase 1 of the trip in North Bay. Phase 2 will commense after a short break (Junetoberfest) and start back up in North Bay on July 19th.

Saturday, June 26, 2010

Manitoba



















June 23rd, 2010

Just by fluke we had to camp in Minnedosa for the night...oh darn as this was the view of our camp site. We enjoyed the site by the water, without mosquitoes, and a beautiful sunset.


June 26th, 2010

We made it to the PEG! after side winding through the province of Manitoba (keeping off Hwy #1) we rolled into town on Friday. The shoulders of Hwy #1 were paved as we came into town (unlike the rest of the province) so we took the hwy through the centre of town and out the other side. We start back up on Sunday and take Hwy 15 out the east side. Staying at Birds Hill Park just north of the city and took a trip to MEC today for some supplies before hitting Northern Ontario. We will all morn the US loss today (for you know who)...but I think a trip to the bulk barn will certainly turn these frowns upside down.

Tuesday, June 22, 2010

Rain...Rain...Sunshine!

Well...we've made it to Manitoba, with style! Today we started with clear skies and then was chased by dark clouds for a while, we hid in the family van for 1.5 hours as the rain came down. Once semi cleared (mainly tired of sitting in the van) we started up again with our goal of the Manitoba border in hand. We had storm clouds to the west of us, but lucky enough for us the wind was in our favour! At a steady speed of 37km/h we whipped down the #1 highway and made up for lost time. Across the Manitoba border and into Elkhorn in no time. Our support crew were even caught napping...we got to them so fast! (a rare occasion...their heroics on this trip has been outstanding).
After our detour in SK we had to make up for lost time, so we decided to try Swift Current to Moose Jaw in 1 day....and succeeded! (never again we said...never again) the 176km ride for the day gave us a good indication of what Ironman athletes go through (after a 3km swim and before a 42km run). Apparently we have some more training to do...
Looking forward to our well deserved day off in Winnipeg, only 3 days to go!!

Friday, June 18, 2010

Heavy Rainfall Warnings...

Ahhh the prairies...We have had fairly descent weather for the most part. We slept through a thunderstorm in Bow Island, but since then the storms have been rolling around the prairies and above our heads as we ride. Staying a night in Tompkins SK with family was surly a blessing, as the storm ripped through and dumped close to 3 3/4" of rain in less than an hour...imagine we were tenting!! (a big thank you to Gladice and Wally for their hospitality and great home cooking). After trying the next day to brave the storms, not 1 but 2 blown tubes (on the same tire) told us that the day was winning. Needing supplies and deciding to wait out the storms for the afternoon we traveled back into Medicine Hat. The days have been altered and our usual Sat day off is no longer. We are hoping for better weather to cycle through in the next few days to get back on track.



















One of our favorite pictures...coming over the Crowsnest pass in the Rockies.

Tuesday, June 15, 2010

Alberta...

We made it to Medicine Hat today...not the distance we were hoping but the rain got the best of us this afternoon. (and then the sun came out...Doh!) We are hoping to get to Tompkins tomorrow (145km) to visit some old friends but with rain in the forecast for the whole day we will see how far we get. Trying to stay dry.




Pic was back on Fri June 11th, coming over the Crowsnest pass (Goodbye to BC - :(

Saturday, June 12, 2010

Day 6 Osoyoos to Greenwood

It was windy last night! We all thought our tents would blow away with us inside!!

We woke to a beautiful, calm, sunny day. Enjoyed our breakfast by the water and headed out at 9:50am to conquer the mountains. The SSC went into town to do some banking and get some groceries and conveniently met us at the viewpoint about halfway up the hill. It actually wasn't as bad as we thought it would be. Slow and steady but not the same burning in the legs that other climbs have induced. After about 20kms of climbing we wondered if there was a summit but it came and we celebrated ~ Anarchist Summit at 1240 meters. The beautiful sunny day and gorgeous scenary below made the ride that much more enjoyable. The roads were well maintained with a nice shoulder which was clear of rocks and debris. Being a Saturday there weren't that many vehicles on the road, mostly just RVs and tourists. We had a nice ride today and saw a lot of deer along the road. It is quite fun to pass through all the small cities and towns (albeit sometimes very briefly as some of them are small), we get to see all the hidden treasures of Canada. The SSC went ahead and found a campsite at Boundary Creek Provincial Park. It was just before Greenwood and right off the highway. After biking 80kms we arrived at 3pm and everyone was able to relax for a bit. The SSC went for a quick run before dinner and then we all enjoyed a huge amount of pasta. Obviously followed with hot chocolate and Baileys for desert!

We are over 1/2 way through BC!

Day 5 OFF

We slept in a bit today which was nice but unfortunately woke to rain. We decided to postpone the big breakfast we had planned until it cleared up. We treated ourselves to Tim Hortons coffee which isn't something we will do often (must maintain the budget)! TBD went into town to the library to get a few things done on the internet. SSC hid out in their tent and caught up on some reading. We had our breakfast for lunch and then everyone relaxed and did their own thing (nap, puzzles, read, organzied, computer). Our bug/rain shelter has proven very useful so we are able to have a common area. The sun did come out but the wind also picked up. We had a great dinner of fajitas and went to bed early. We have the massive Osoyoos hill to climb tomorrow...

Day 4 Princeton to Osoyoos

TBD woke up today feeling a lot better then we thought we would. Don't get us wrong, we were sore and stiff, but we could actually walk! The sun was out (which is always nice) and we had our usual breakfast of Oatmeal, coffee/tea and packed up. Since the campsite was right off the highway we were able to jump on our bikes and got on the road at 9:50am. It was partly sunny, the roads were still great on this stretch of highway and we were headed downhill. We rode downhill for 80kms today. Not too much traffic and we picked up some good speed. Met the SSC in Hedley around 11:30am for a quick snack. Today's ride was quite nice (much easier) then yesterday and we saw the SSC in another 30kms just past Keremeos. Enjoyed lunch on a sunny patch of grass overlooking the town. The SCC went onto Osoyoos and TBD still had 50kms to ride. The wind picked up a bit so the flats and downhills weren't quite as fast as they could have been. From the elevation charts we were expecting a few hill climbs around 80kms and there they were. Quite a few short but intense climbs - we stopped at the top of each one to catch our breath. They saved the best climb for last but what goes up must come down so we were able to cruise into Osoyoos with "ease" at about 4:30pm. We passed the SSC out for a run through town and met them back at the campsite they had found. It was a beautiful sunny day and we were camping RIGHT on the lake at Nk'Mip Campground. They had picked an amazing site and the view of the lake and mountains surrounding us was stunning. Since tomorrow is our day off we will are lucky to spend 2 nights here. After the 120km day we were happy to have nice clean showers and watched the sunset over the mountains as we ate an amazing dinner. Looking forward to resting our muscles tomorrow!

Day 3 Hope to Princeton

OK - we are back online and ready to post a few updates!

Today we rode 136 kms and why we decided to do this massive day on this stretch we're still not sure. This day may prove to be our toughest of the trip! It rained during the night and was still trickling down when we got up. We packed up and by the time we left at 9am things had cleared up (for the time being). We started out and were promptly greeted by a climb - great warmup. We got another flat tire during this climb so we fixed that up and continued on. Even as we headed downhill we didn't pickup much speed with the strong headwind against us. It was now overcast and colder. We met the SSC and had a quick snack and would meet again in 20kms for lunch. They picked a great place for lunch but as they were waiting for us a black bear decided to join them so they quickly decided to relocate. TBD slowly made our way up the hills and finally met them for lunch. After lunch we pushed on and made it to Allison Pass 1342m! We were rewarded by a great downhill there. Met SSC again at Manning Park Resort (69kms) and dedided we would push on. There were a few campsites in the area but it would have been a really cold night at that elevation. SSC went ahead to Princeton to find a campsite and we enjoyed the great stretch of downhill that followed. We were expecting one more climb and weren't disappointed - it was another summit!! Sunday Summit 1243m and our legs were burning. The stretch of road between Hope and Princeton was quite nice. There was a nice shoulder and the vehicles were considerate. There never seem to be as many vehicles at the actual summit? The sun came out as we rode into Princeton at 5:30pm and we met the SSC to take us to our campsite. We camped at Rivers Edge RV Park and it was great. The first priority was to crack a beer and enjoy our victory!! We had a great patch of grass right on the river with showers and drinking water - we were "happy campers". Played a quick game of Rummikub and headed to bed.

Sunday, June 6, 2010

Day 2 Mission to Hope

Woke up today and everything was soaking wet!!! Fortunately (somehow) we stayed warm and dry in our tents. It was overcast but not raining. We had breakfast, packed the van with the wet gear and set out around 10:30am. On the way out of the campsite we met up with an RV that housed 3 cyclists biking from Vancouver to New York (5,500km) to raise money/awareness for Diabetes and Cystic Fibrosis.

The roads were pretty good today and the wonderful smell of woodchips was in the air. We set out following a familiar road - the same route we have run in the Haney to Harrison running relay for the past 2 years. We were making great time and all met up at 40kms just before "Shelley's big hill"! We also saw our other cycling friends again while we were stopped for lunch.

Said goodbye to the Super Support Crew (SSC) and would meet them again at the campsite - it is their daily task to scout out the campgrounds and find us a good one to call home for the night! We proceeded on and had a good ride. 96kms later we pulled up to Wild Rose Campground in Hope BC and found SSC basking in the sun with all our gear hanging out to dry. It was wonderful!

SSC headed out for a run and The Biking Duo (TBD) stretched out after a good days ride. The campground was great - nice hot showers and we set up our tents on the lawn beside a gorgeous view of the mountains. We were able to have dinner together under the "hootananny" (our bug/rain shelter) before calling it a night.

Saturday, June 5, 2010

Quick update

It's difficult to Blog when your on the road all day and camping at night...
We are currently in Greenwood BC, week 1 is complete with a day off in Osoyoos and now we tackle the kootneys! Weather is being nice, sunny and high of 28 today (makes up for the rain & cold at the beginning of the trip). We are all still in good spirits and talking to one another!!!
I've posted the rest of the route getting us out of BC and will update the next provinces in the days to come. bye for now

Day #1 - Vancouver to Mission

A typical rainy day in Vancouver to see us off, we started at Kits beach (a frequent place for us) and took the sea wall past downtown to science world. A nice leasurly ride as we leave Vancouver for the last time... We took hwy #7 and didn't have too many problems with traffic (nice wide shoulders). A flat tire 2 hours in made for some entertainment, thanks to Dan for his bicycle bag of tricks! We continued through the pouring rain, only to stop once to wait out the downpour. As we rode on we could see the "welcome to Mission" sign in the distance...a second flat tire right at the sign was our first day to a tee. Camping in the pouring rain the first night was not what we all had in mind...but we prevailed!

Thursday, May 27, 2010

Last few days

Trip up to Squamish was a good practice run. Weather was good on the way up but down poured on the ride home Tuesday. I'm hoping for some Ontario weather to start this trip out, not typical west coast rain!!

Sunday, May 23, 2010

Side Trip

We are going to be cycling up to Squamish tomorrow morning, to get some longer rides in before we leave. The van will be supporting us along the way, catching up to us for lunch and bringing up the camping gear. We will be camping overnight and cycling back to Vancouver on Tuesday. This will be a good trial session for the main event!

Friday, May 21, 2010

The journey awaits

The cycling journey across Canada is just around the corner...are we ready for it...HA! I don't think we will ever be but we are excited to start it. Training when we can and trying to think of everything is really hard work.
The route through BC, AB & SK is planned and we are just finalizing MB & ON.