bikearky - a weblog of my veggie powered cycling adventures

Day 5: Johnstone Creek Provincial Park to Christina Lake

colin — Fri, 15 Aug 2008 02:53:28 +0000

If yesterday was a tough day, today was not the most enjoyable. The distance ridden was not large, and the climb quite gentle, but it was very hot, with the heat hitting as I closed in on Grand Forks. Today surpassed the heat of the previous day. I did get to finish with a swim in Christina Lake, which aided in my (mental and physical) recovering.

Day 4: Stemwinder to Johnstone Creek Provincial Parks

colin — Wed, 13 Aug 2008 07:00:00 +0000

Lots of photo’s today. It was a tough day, with a long climb some describe as the most challenging of the ride Vancouver to Banff: Anarchist Pass. I started the day after a good rest, enjoying the stay at Stemwinder—though with a flat (the previous day’s tube repair did not hold). I also started to wear board (surf) shorts over my bike pants to protect my legs from exposure—which helped a lot!

Day 3: Manning to Stemwinder Provincial Parks

colin — Wed, 13 Aug 2008 01:00:00 +0000

Following my only icy morning, I headed off on the cruise down to the east gate of Manning Provincial Park at 8:20am. I stopped at the store just east of the gate (the east gate diner iirc?) to pick up a ‘sports drink’ and a snack for breakfast. As I was setting up to leave a car pulled in that had passed me on the climb the day before (3 bicycles on the roof). We had a good chat about cycle touring. The occupants were moving back to Ontario after living out in Vancouver for a couple years. Their trip east was a journey! They had planned for three weeks travelling south of the border through exploring National Parks. After leaving the Provincial Park, the smallish climb up Sunday Summit was next.

Day 2: Beyond Hope — and my first mountain pass

colin — Tue, 12 Aug 2008 03:00:00 +0000

Yes, I know the title is a little cheezy/a double entendre. I was on my bike before 8 for my ride to Hope where I planned on having lunch and picking up some food for dinner/breakfast. My first mountain pass was to follow and I was unsure of how I would manage. It proved to be pretty tough, possibly the most challenging climb for me of the whole trip. One thing that this climb taught me, in conjunction with the many that followed, was that sports drinks make climbing much easier (i.e. they keep you hydrated far more than water alone). I began carrying one at all times, then two later in the trip—for reasons that later posts will highlight.

Day 1: Vancouver to Harrison Mills (Squawkum Park)

colin — Mon, 11 Aug 2008 03:00:00 +0000

Given that I was up until close to 4am the night before, I had a bit of a late start today. I was off and on my bike around 10:30. I was unsure how far I would get, aiming for somewhere between Mission and Hope (interesting town names!). The Fraser Valley is very flat, and I stopped in the late afternoon, not wanting to push too far on my first day, at Squawkum Park.

Day 0: Stanley Park seawall

colin — Sun, 10 Aug 2008 01:00:00 +0000

I went for a late ride with a couple friends tonight. We round from the downtown east side following the Trans Canada Trail loop that circumscribes Stanley Park and the seawall trail—after weighting out a bit of rain. We stopped at English Bay so I could dip my tires in the Pacific Ocean. Getting across the sand proved a task—and cleaning off the sand was a pain. We ended up heading out to Foundation for a late feed, staying to well in the morning chatting.

leaving tomorrow

colin — Sat, 09 Aug 2008 21:43:02 +0000

I have finalised the last of the tasks I needed to get done, and with possible rain forecast for Monday, I will be leaving tomorrow (Sunday). I packed all my gear into my trailer yesterday as a final test pack and will take it out for a 20km ride this afternnon, following the Trans Canada Trail loop that circumscribes Stanley Park and the seawall trail.

around Vancouver

colin — Thu, 07 Aug 2008 04:48:05 +0000

I have started to get in some kms around Vancouver before I start my trip west on the 10th or 11th. On Monday (4th) I did a lap of Stanley Park with a friend to watch the sunset. I did some riding around town on Tuesday and Thursday finalising some things. On Wednesday afernoon I had a good ride from Vancouver up to Whytecliff Park and back, a little over 60km and a little under 2 hours.

Vancouver: route planning

colin — Fri, 01 Aug 2008 16:51:10 +0000

I have been in Vancouver for a few days now, reading up on some recent trip logs and refining the route i will take. This has enabled me to determine topography and actual climbs that i will be riding. Some are more than a little intimidating and impressive at the same time. I am feeling a little daunted and have some excited anticipation for the ride.

flying with my bike, round 2

colin — Wed, 30 Jul 2008 17:04:13 +0000

My flight from Sydney (Australia) to Vancouver (Canada) has reinforced some past thoughts—the most clear being that I actually look forward to travelling with a pack and nothing else. As an aside, airlines are getting finicky about travelling with gear.

I arrived at the airport before the check-in counters were open, and still only just made it through to the gate just before boarding (more than 2.5 hours to process). I had to repack my CELLO (bike and trailer) twice after being told that it was 'too heavy' to be taken on a plane. When i previously travelled with my bike, I had my shoes inside the case as well. On this trip, I had my shoes in with my luggage. I also had to take my pedals out to make the weight!