Rollin into the Okanagan

After a long day from Sunshine Valley into Princeton, I was looking to slow my pace down a bit. My legs and mental fortitude had been feeling fatigued most of the day so I scoped out some free camping at a rec site, picked up a few beer and set up camp.
The next morning I woke up at about 6 am, took a trip into the bushes and promptly decided to take a rest day of sorts. Hopped right back ibto bed until about 8:30, took a leisurely brekkie and then rolled back into Princeton to pick up some groceries.
Finally hit the road around 11 am and took a nice, pleasant, flat ride down the Similkameen River. Man, it never got above 20 degrees today but holy cow was it ever DRY. I drank about as much water in the easy 70 km day as I normally would doing 100+ kms in +26. All without a single drop of sweat forming on my brow. The air was just sucking the water from me.
Anyways. Took an extended lunch break in the town of Hedley, where I copped a cinnamon bun and sausage roll from the general store (both were pretty dece) and loaded up on water at the park next door.
Only clocked in another 35 km or so after that and rolled into a campground outside Keremeos around 3:30 pm.
Seeing as I was there so early, I did some maint work on the bike I had been putting off, ate a big dinner, took my first shower in 4 days, then walked around looking at plants untik the mosquitoes forced me into my tent for the night.
Looking ahead, I made the mistake of plotting my route through BC into google maps and learned that I have over 500 km to go, with 5500m of total uphill. Aaaaaaaaa.

Post-dinner beer and a short hike for the scenic backdrop

Drying some of the more odorous bits after a quick wash in the river

The Fraser Valley

Well, this may be a long posting.
I did hit on the idea of doing little aside posts to cover miscellaneous things that don't make it into the more journal-y posts.
So, the Fraser Valley. Lots of things I wasn't too pleased about.
It was crowded. There were people and development everywhere. Even on the secondary highways, there was constant traffic going by until about Harrison Hot Springs, where it slowed down a bit.
The Fraser Valley is also an expensive place to camp. There are practically no options for free camping, unless you want to trespass or break some laws. And forget about the BC Provincial Parks. They are uber expensive (35$ a night for basic tent spots) and on the weekend they fill immediately with Vancouverites.
Anyways, after a night in Goldenears Park, I pedalled along the neverending sprawl until Mission, where the craziness of Vancouver began to subside.
Climbing up to Harrison Heights, and zooming down the other side, I came out into a beautiful valley of farmland framed by dramatic hills. I was making great time with a tailwind so I opted to make a detour to Harrison Hot Springs. Seems like mainly a resort town but you can swim in the local indoor pool for 10$, and get your mineral springs experience. I slogged my bike up some insanely steep hills to Sasquatch Provincial Park afterwards, only to find out that the campgrounds were full. Despite the assurances of a park employee that "some spots will probably open up", I had a brief argument regarding the possibility of camping in the day use area. More on that fun conversation in another post, but I ended up biking back down towards Agassiz. Two hours and an emergency coffee break later, I was just rolling into a campsite when I threw my chain on a downshift and totally bent my little ring up front.
After a few beers, a few tears and some emergency picnic table bike surgery I decided I needed to backtrack 30 km to Chilliwack to get a new ring.
Unfortunately, after rolling into town the next morning (a Sunday), the only bike shop open did not carry road bike chainrings so I was forced to wait another night for the other bike shop to open.
This ended up working out alright actually. I met a really cool and also really good looking woman who bought me a coffee and drove me out to the Chilliwack River to show me some awesome campsites. After parting ways with her, I hit up the local brewery (Old Yale Brewing) which not only happened to have some of the best beer I've had on this trip, but also had a deal for two big slices of pizza and a pint for 10$. And it was also live music night! I maybe ended up spending a lot of time and money at the brewery, but after a long, and not great 3 days in the Fraser Valley it was exactly what I needed.
The next morning I hit up the other bike shop where I had the new part purchased and installed in 15 minutes flat. The new chainring is actually smaller (makes hills easier) and sturdier than the old one so bonus. The rest of the day I spent biking back up to Hope and onwards into the mountains.

(Screams internally and externally)

Side Story: The Hill from Hell/Hope

I've heard the stories. It's featured prominently in almost every cross Canada cycling blog. It's the first test of your desire and resolve to hump a 70 pound bike over the Rockies.
Rising to an undetermined height (if there was an elevation sign at the top I was too busy sweating into my eye to notice), 9 kilometers long, constant 7% gradient, no flat sections, no downhills.
I averaged 10 km/hr and probably lost about 2 pounds of water weight sweating it up that monster.
It was hot. It was long. It was actually not that bad.
I luckily had a tailwind up it but the gradient never really got up into the double digits so it wasn't horribly difficult, it just took forever. I feel bad for the teo older guys, Ray and Leon who I met at the top. They did it on recumbent bikes and left Hope at 9 am. I left Hope at 3 pm and beat them up...
And speaking to the local resort owners on the other side of the hill, its one of the worst ones I'll have to manage between here and the prairies.
Bring on the Mountains, you'll have to throw more than that at me to keep me from the Atlantic. 💪

Hill: 0 Legs: 2

Should have done this trip in 1960, the hill would have been 55m shorter

The Cascades

Looking at the calendar, it's been exactly three weeks since I left Whitehorse. Crazy, it feels like months. And there's still so much Canada left...
After some monday grocery shopping in Hope, I set out for the mountains and the Crowsnest Pass Highway.
After climbing up out of the Fraser Valley, I rolled into Sunshine Valley. Wanting to save some money after the expensive Island and Greater Van area, I was keen on looking for free camping.
However, a quick inquiry at the resort revealed that tent camping was only 10$ for the night. And that included access to the pool and hot tubs. Seeing as it was already 5 pm, I was convinced.
The next morning I woke up to a chilly mountain morning and set out to roll down the other side of the hills.
Jokes on me it was uphill for the next 2 1/2 hours to Allison Pass (elevation 1342 meters). That means that I did almost 1500 meters of climbing in the 3 1/2 of pedalling from Hope to Allison Pass! Not bad. Rolled into Manning Park Resort with the appetite bred by hours of sweaty climbing and decided to spring for lunch at the resort. So much for saving money I guess.
After the pass there was a pretty mighty downhill. I made some excellent kilometers while hardly turning a pedal. Until I hit the next big hill...
I am now convinced that the BC road engineers take perverse delight in plotting every highway up the tallest available hill. This hits home particularly hard when you look 500m down into the valley and see the logging and mining roads meandering along perfectly flat river terraces.

All this and a tent site (with water and power!!!) at Sunshine Vallet Resort for only 10$

Well guarded on my lunch break between Hope and Princeton

Victoria and Vancouver; Confusion and Traffic

While I was still on Saltspring, I was in contact with a Warmshowers host couple who lived down in southern Victoria. With a place to stay, I decided to do the 35 or so kilometers down for the night.
After departing the ferry terminal, I was immediately directed by signage to one of the famous bike paths of Victoria I had heard so much about.
It seemed like I could follow it all the way south to my host. Theoretically, I could have, but I took a wrong turn 3 km in and ended up way out west, having to basically wing it with Google Earth and my own poor understanding of Victoria to find my way down.
Eventually, I made it, and my hosts for the night dropped me off downtown, where I made trips to all you can eat sushi, MEC, and a decent little bar.
After some light brekkie, I headed out early the next morning, biking along the very nice bike path system to the Mile Zero monument, a pilgrimage for all Cross Canada cycle tourists. I dragged my bike down and over some driftwood to dip my tires in the ocean and began taking a nice scenic ride up to the ferry terminal.
On the ferry, I actually met a girl (on tinder actually, lmao) who was on the same boat. While chatting, she offered to drive me out a ways on her way to pick up a transmission part. I obviously accepted, and got to skip like 35 km of busy Vancouver driving. Right where I was dropped off, I happened to walk into a Trek Bicycle dealer that was holding a grand opening event, where I copped some free snacks and won a free pair of sweet red cycling socks that match my bike.
Then it was a harrowing trek along super busy highways and crowded-in gas stations and strip malls to Maple Ridge. It was late but the best bet for free camping seemed to be about 15 km away in Goldenears Park. I was quickly dissuaded from doing some secretive backcountry camping when I passed a bear that seemed to be very interested and not at all afraid of me. Paid for some expensive camping and told the park attendants how much BC parks suck compared to the Yukon. The girls in the campsite over read me a kids novel called Gangster Gramma and then I caught up on some blogging and hit the hay.
Aside: so much doesn't make it into these blog posts. This post was hyuge and it barely scraped the surface of the last 24 hrs! So many little things and details that get missed.
P. S. Thanks Steve and Melissa!

The Walls of Saltspring

Following a few super restful days with Bernard and Sue, I headed south out of Parksville. Another scorcher of a day in the saddle but I finally learned how to take it easy and took some winding, quiet backroads. The highlight of the day was definitely my visit to Riot Brewing in Chemainus. The beer was about average, but the tap girl (Angela) was an absolute treat, and super cute and friendly.
After grinding up some hills to Ganges, I settled into a campground just outside town.
The next day, I woke up and passed on cooking breakfast to sample the local bakery. Ended up having a smorgasbord of baking and spent a bit too much probably. After a bried wander and some casual planning, I set out for the brewery on the island. It was back up the mega wall of a hill outside Ganges, and then I spent the rest of the day wrestling with the mega hills younger but still formidable brothers. Not gonna lie, Saltspring is a rough island to ride a bicycle. Every time you turn a corner there's some other god-awful steep hill staring you down. I only did about 30 km of riding, but it wiped me out more than 120 km from Whitehorse into the Coast Mountains did.
Anyways, took a very European lunch of apples, fresh goat cheese, and beer and then caught the ferry down to Victoria.

The South Island(s)

Rolling into Campbell River a few days ago and it was like crawling out of the bush after years. The logging roads and clearcuts suddenly started giving way to coffee shops, hobby farms, and pottery shops.
I camped a night in Campbell River itself and saw some of my first raindrops of the trip. The next day, I decided to take the 10$ ferry over to investigate Quadra Island. I rolled off the ferry and immediately ran into a farmers market and cafe. After spinning around the 8 km loop of the island, which has an amazing amount of hills crammed into it, I picked up a few beers and headed over to Rebecca Spit Park.
Beautiful spot, and I saw a group of people doing the beer on the grass thing, so I invited myself over. This turned out to be a great idea. Ended up drinking through my beer and playing some solid volleyball.
As it got later, decided to camp at the (expensive) campground and hang out with my new buds. Drank way too much beer and hung out around some fires until I ran out of stamina and had to cash it out.
The next day I crushed out a long day from Quadra to my Uncle Denny's place in Parksville; 130 km.
After enjoying the luxury of showers, laundry and dinner we woke up and took a day trip to Denman Island.
Will probably spend one more day in Parksville planning and resting and then do a trip to Saltspring and Victoria.

The Enchanted Forest of Quadra Island

Enjoying the views enroute to Denman Island

Dances With Logging Trucks

May 15
Spent a pretty nice evening in Port McNeil last night. Considered poking around to find some free camping but the local campground lured me in with the promises of cheap tent camping and free hot showers. Luckily, the campground was a short walk from the local IGA (and the liquorstore).
Woke up to +5 degrees and had a hard time dealing with it after the hot days. After a breakfast of leftover pie and instant coffee, I hit the road. Let me tell you, cycling the North Island Highway is an experience.
The shoulder is only about a foot wide (with baggage, my bike is about a meter wide), and sometimes it disappears entirely. Meanwhile, you have logging trucks flying by you at upwards of 120 km/hr. There were a few times I could probably have reached out and touched the trucks as they went by.
After a long day, with lots of breaks, I finally called it quits at about 6 pm and 95 km. There is a major drought of rest stops and campgrounds on the North Island, so I set up camp along the headwaters of the Eve River, way up in the hills. Numerous locals by the way, advised me against camping up there, because "Theres animals out there in the wilderness".

Recovering from the logging truck roller coaster in Woss

Welcome to Fantasy Island

Yesterday I took a solid rest day in Prince Rupert while I waited for the 8 pm ferry departure. Since I saved on accomodations (thanks Chris and Chelsea!) I felt inclined to buy myself lunch and sample the full suite of beers from Wheelhouse Brewing. Impressions were alright, the best was probably the IPA but I definitely think Sherwood Brewery in Terrace has them beat.
Spent the rest of the day lounging in the sun working on my sunburn.

Ferry ride was short and uneventful, the rumble of the engines kept me from getting a good sleep.
Arrived on the Island and got a text from Uncle Denny and Sue welcoming me to Fantasy Island. Taking a quick coffee and water break in Port Hardy and then its on the road.
Now that I'm all done with ferry schedules, I'm in full loosy goosy mode and I'm just gonna be a free spirit and go as far and where I feel.

Life along the Skeena - pt. 2

May 13th
Left Terrace around 2:30 ish, after a quick run to Dairy Queen and a water bottle fill at a gas station outside town.
Started grinding up the endless 15 km of hills outside town around 3:00, and rolled down the last one around 3:45, so not a bad pace at all, especially considering the +25 heat.
Even down by the Skeena it was hot this afternoon, and I found I was  losing a lot of strength and cramping up more because of it.
Luckily, I was only going about 60 km down the road to the Exchamsiks River Park. When I rolled in around 5:30 PM, the place was deserted, but a number of guests swung by during the evening.
The first guest was Steve from Terrace and his family. After a few minutes of chatting, Steve asked "Hey, do you want a crab?". Yes, he wasn't joking. He went back to his boat trailer and pulled out a little crab, still alive and fresh from the ocean. He expertly murdered and split it using his bare hands and a nearby rock before hopping back in his truck and taking off. Shoutouts to Steve.
Next guest was a guy whose name I did not get but will call the firewood maniac. As I was eating some crab and veggie soup, he showed up. Shorty after he noticed my small campfire and offered me some firewood. When I finally accepted, he proceesed to pull two 7 ft logs from his truck and buck them up right there with a chainsaw. So now I have enough firewood to run my woodstove back home for two days straight. Shoutout to the unnamed firewood maniac.

May 14
Woke up to clear, sunny skies and expected another hot, muggy day.
As the day evolved though, the wind picked up off the ocean and it was actually quite cool the whole day.
With the wind blowing non-stop, I didn't make the best time back down the Skeena, but I was still withon striking distance of Prince Rupert by about 4 PM.
After taking a quick break to assess my camping options, I pulled into the campground at Port Edward. But, just as I was setting up my tent, I got an emaila notification on my phone.
A host on a bike touring hospitality app (Warmshowers) had offered me a place to stay for the night.
I wasn't too keen on cycling another 13 km so late in the day but the prospect of saving 25$ and meeting some new people was enough to convince me.

Hopping on the ferry Tuesday at 8 PM to Vancouver Island and that will be the end of schedules and plans!

"Hey, do you want a crab?"

Donut break along the river

Life along the Skeena pt. 1

The Alaska ferry rolled into Prince Rupert on the 11th, and I was amazed to see it was actually sunny.
After leaving the ferry, and then immediately going back for the water bottle and bike lock I left onboard, I did some quick grocery (ie. donut) shopping and left town. I only went about 30 km out of town to Prudhomme Lake and spent the night at the Provincial Park.
The next day, I got up and descended down to the Skeena River. It was a gorgeous day, with most of the road being totally flat and wind-free, not to mention the gorgeous scenery and abundant flowers.
About 20 km from Terrace, the road moved away from the river, which turned out to be unfortunate, as the temperature promptly rose to +20 and the road went up a series of hills.
After struggling into town, I was aimlessly cycling around when I ran into Sherry and Murray, who were out for a bike ride. After a quick chat, they invited me for a free beer, which I obviously accepted. Over beers, they invited me to stay the night at their amazing property 11 km north of town. They even cooked me dinner and let me take a shower. Words honestly cannot express the gratitude I feel towards this amazing couple for opening their home to a complete stranger the way they did. It was definitely the highlight of the trip so far, amd made the 145 km bike ride to Terrace worth it.
Unfortunately I now have to go back to the coast to catch a ferry to Van Isle. Unfortunately it is also +25 today so I might perish enroute. Fingers crossed!

Trying not to die in Terrace heat

Its not all bad I guess

Skagway, Alaska
May 9th

I was definitely a bit too much of a hero yesterday. Pushed myself 120 km to Tutshi Lake so I could camp at the boat landing. Took me about 7 hours on the bike so not a terrific pace.
The camping at the boat launch was really nice! Lots of mosquitoes but I got a fire going and they left me alone.
Woke up to a prettt chilly morning and hit the road around 9 am. Wind varied from none to a tailwind so I fricking flew all the way to the summit.
Took a hot minute to tighten my brakes and noticed that my front shifter cable was almost frayed through.
Filmed a white knuckle descent of the White Pass, reaching 65 km/hr, and I could probably have hit 70+ if not for excessive use of my brakes.
Rolling into Skagway was beautiful. Its about 20 degrees and all the leaves are coming out. Two cruise ships in town so its pretty bumpin. Dropped my bike off at the shop to get the cable replaced and went for lunch (and beer).
No pics because I think that might overload the potential of the Skagway Library wifi.

Out my front door

Today's been a bit of a mixed bag so far.
I kept thinking of last minutes things to do or triple check on, so I ended up leaving the house an hour later than expected. I started rolling down the road around 10 am only to turn around at the bottom of the hill when I realized I had forgotten my glasses on the table.
Once I actually got rolling, the wind picked up a bit more than expected.
Forecasted wind: 10 - 20 km/hr
Actual wind: 20 - 45 km/hr
Then I threw my chain and wedged it between two gears, where I had to take a bolt out of the gearset to free the chain.
Things turned around when I reached Carcross, as I met a pretty cool tour bus operator who was very enthusiastic to hear about my tour and my family history in the area.
He even bought my coffee and cookie and encouraged me to follow my dreams.
I also got some pastry on the house from Caribou Crossing Coffee.
Major shoutouts to you guys! It really turned my day around.
I'll probably go another 1 - 2 hours depending on how my legs feel before stopping for the night.
Probably won't do another post for a few days as I will be in Alaska until the 11th.

A well rounded diet. Possible Snickers sponsorship?

Test run to Tagish

May 4th
Loaded up the bike again today and headed out to Tagish to test everything out.
Probably picked one of the worst possible days to so it, as the wind was right in my face all the way to Carcross. As I came up on Emerald Lake, the wind really started howling off Bennett and at times I swear it was gusting to 60 km/hr (later confirmed by CBC) Even after doing some cycling in Manitoba, that's a strong frickin wind.
Going nose into the wind for five hours was pretty shitty, and at times also very scary when the wind shifted and caught my panniers broadside. But once I got to Carcross, the sun poked out and I was able to take a solid coffee break.
Luckily, the wind was much nicer on the way into Tagish and I almost had the road to myself.
Top speed for the day: 47 km/hr
Low speed for the day: 9 km/hr

May 5th

Today started out not so radical.
Set out from Tagish intending to use the 20 km to the Alaska Highway as a nice little warm up. Unfortunately, the wind was back up to 60 km/hr again, so my nice little warm up was actually an hour and a half slog through rain showers and crumbling chipseal.
The wind finally caught me on the back when I turned north though, and I just frickin jetted back to Whitehorse with  few stops to stretch, eat, and talk to members of the local cycling club (shout-out to Trena Irving for the free Cliff Bar)
Still a few spooky moments when I caught a crosswind at high speed, but I more or less have the balance down for bike touring.

Total distance: 235km

Total time on the bike: 12 hours

Average speed:  19.6 km/hr

All in all, probably the worst two days I could have picked to do the test run (because of wind), but I am not totally turned off bike touring, so I think its still on.

Lmao, look how low my handlebars are

The coffee break that saved my life after 5 hours in the wind

Gear List

Managed to get my bags more or less packed for a dry run out to Tagish tomorrow.
I took the opportunity while packing to keep a running list of my gear for the trip.
I always found it really interesting to read what other people take on bike tours or long distance hiking trips, so I'll post all my gear here! My bike is scary heavy right now so I might try paring it down a little bit but here's what I have so far:

Bike and Baggage:
2015 Devinci Tosca
Toppeak Super Tourist rear rack
Evo Voyager front rack
Arkel Orca 45L pannier x2
Ortlieb Sportroller 25L pannier x2

Mess Kit:
Spoon
Fork
1.8L pot
Frying pan*
Travel mug
2L water bladder
Bic lighter x3
Primus Classic Trail stove
Fuel canister
Water purification tablets
Dish towel
Tupperware mug/bowl
Lavender scented dish soap (also serves as shampoo!)

Med Kit/Toiletries
Bandaids
Sterile gauze
Sterile bandage
Antiseptic ointment
Acetaminophen
Cloth tape
Forceps
Nail scissors
Strepsils lozenges (also anti-worming!)
Desloratidine
Deodorant
Toothbrush
Toothpaste
Face cloth
Floss
Sunscreen
Hand sanitizer

Clothing
Socks x4
Underwear x3
Sweater x2
Tshirt x2
Bike shorts x2
Zip off pants
Toque
Gloves
Buff
Cycling jerseys x3
Towel
Swim trunks
Light belt
Warm jacket*
Light jacket
Arm sleeves
Leg warmers
Running shoes

Bike Stuff
Helmet
Sunglasses
Cable lock
Exustar SPD shoes

Camping gear
MEC tarn 2 tent
Sleeping bag
Thermarest

Toolkit (Heavy!!!)
Screwdriver for racks x2
Spare brake and shifter cables
Spare chain
Chain breaking tool
Spoke wrench
Crescent wrench*
15 mm wrench
Sandpaper
Spare brake pads
Electrical tape
Chain lube
Epoxy
Zip ties
Shop towels
Spare inner tubes x2

Easy Access Toolkit
Tire levers
Patch kit
Multitool
Allen keys
Mini pump
Spare inner tube

Electronics
Samsung A5 phone
SJcam 5000 camera
Wireless bluetooth speaker
2000 mAH battery pack
Headlamp
Rear light
Spare AAA batteries

Misc
Sewing kit
Whistle/waterproof match container
Toilet paper
Large garbage bag
Cordage
Waxed twine
Diamond sharpening rod
Space blanket
Permanent marker
Notebook
Pens and pencils
Folding leatherman knife
Hori hori digging knife
Duct tape

Holy crap, so much stuff. No wonder my bike is so heavy. Things marked with an asterisk are items I might take out to save some weight. I also have food of course, but I don't feel like it belongs on the gear list.

Early stages of planning

Its much much heavier than it looks

FPBP

Well, I've wanted to ride my bike across Canada for about a year and a half now, and in a week I will be starting off at last.
I plan to use this blog as my main outlet for progess updates and to let people know about all the cool shit I find.

Currently working through all the prep that needs to happen and spending too much money getting all the gear locked in.
Also trying to get as many pre-trip miles in as possible now that I'm not working but the weather has only just started to cooperate in the last week or so.

Rough timeline for those interested:
May 8th - Leave Whitehorse, bike ~120 km to Tutshi Lake
May 9th - Bike to Skagway and catch ferry at 8 PM (Alaska time)
May 11th - Arrive in Prince Rupert
May 15th - Take BC ferry to Port Hardy
May 16th - Arrive in Port Hardy, start cycling down Vancouver Island
Late May/Early June - Take ferry to Vancouver, start cycling east
Late June - Calgary
Mid/Late July - Manitoba
Mid August - L O N D O N
September - Gaspe/Maritimes?
Late September/Early October - Fly home

A lot of that is just my best estimate. I am still not sure of how far I can bike day after day and what kind of detours might pop up.

Government wages = new gear all around