Day 30: South Bend, 0 miles

September 25th, 2009

First, I spent the early part of the day enjoying the B&B. This was certainly a very big upgrade from the tent, and there was a lot to take in. The B&B was a very interesting place – all done in Victorian style and little tea cups included.

Baptiste got released from hospital with a neck brace and with credit to him seemed to be in reasonable spirits and somewhat accepting of the whole thing. I don't know of I would have handled it quite as well.

We all sat down for a fantastic dinner at the end of the day with the addition of Ed, the Texan who was also staying at the B&B.

I also received a bit of good news for the day. I found out that Clare, the wife of my good friend Iain, gave birth to their baby daughter Evie!

Day 29: Ocean City – Raymond, 48.30 miles

September 24, 2009

Once again, Baptise and I set off together. While it was nice to have a companion, I tended to go slightly faster than Baptiste and often had to wait for him catch up at the break stops. He was never too far behind though, and in fairness was carrying a lot more stuff than me.

We stopped in a little cake shop in a town along the way and stuffed ourselves full of some very tasty brownies. I am sure this wasn't the diet of a pro cyclist, but it sure beat power bars. The town was also no place for a pro cyclist – or any cyclist for that matter. I think this part of the world only barely realises what cycling is; there were just no provision mades for cyclists at all.

We then carried on out of town, over the hills, where you could clearly see the effects of a hurricane that had come through the area. Large areas of trees had been ripped from the Earth.

I reached the little town of Raymond and was waiting for Baptiste when I heard sirens which I remember thinking seemed a bit out of place for a small town. Next thing I knew, a car stopped by me and the driver asked, "Are you cycling with a friend?"

"Yes", I answered hesitantly.

"He has been involved in an accident, but he is conscious and is just back on the other side of the bridge," the man informed me. The sirens I was hearing were for Baptiste.

So, I cycled back to find Baptiste lying on the pavement with fairly serious road rash, surrounded by fire engines, ambulances, policemen and paramedics. Still, he seemed in relatively good spirits (all things considered), and he had managed to set up his camcorder to record the event. Apparently, a car was making a left turn as he came down the hill and obviously didn't see him. The car hit him, and he went flying trip right over the top of it.
At the hospital several hours later, we found out that he had suffered a compression to his spine and would need to be kept overnight at the hospital for observation. It could have been a lot worse but was obviously going to put his trip on hold for a while.

However, as the saying goes: every cloud has a silver lining, and the silver lining here was the kindness of strangers. From the moment the accident happened, people went to such great lengths to help. From the policeman, James, who took our bikes to the station and gave me a lift to the hospital and then later bought our bikes to the B&B to the nurse who provided me with a packed lunch – everyone was just so great to us. With incredible kindness, Lynne, the radioographer at the hospital, even realized that we had nowhere to go, and arranged for us to be put up in his B&B. Beverley and Desiree, the innkeepers at the B&B, also went out of their ways for us, shuttling us back and forth from the hospital and town, providing us with meals and me a very much needed cold beer (it had been a very long afternoon). There were numerous other people who all offered support to us both and I really was overwhelmed by the kindness and generosity of strangers.

Day 28: Quinault - Ocean City, 47.79 miles

September 23, 2009

With a mild hangover, but a much lighter bottle of Bacardi, Baptiste and I spent the earlier part of the morning trying to get our things dry after a heavy overnight dew.
Once we had packed up our stuff and set off, we made a quick stop at a salmon fishery to see lots of little fishies being bred. This trip seemed to have a general salmon theme going to it – all quite interesting though.

For this part of the ride, we decided to take the coastal route as opposed to the 101 as it looked a bit more scenic and seemed to carry less traffic. When we got to the coast, we found a massive sandy beach. Baptiste rode onto it and I happily followed along to perform – in classic style – a favourite cyclists’ maneuver. Riding on the sand quickly bought my momentum down to a speed of 0 at which point I scrambled desperately to get my feet out of the pedal clips. I failed dismally and ended up splat lying in the sand much to Baptiste's amusement.

Just a we were riding off the beach, we met a couple of ladies who were just departing their holiday cottage and gave us a big bag of food. How kind of them!

A few miles further we discovered a blackberry bush and stopped for a bit of afternoon snacking. Mid-snack, a car came by and parked directly opposite us. It seemed a bit odd but not to be deterred, we carried on with our munching only to be rudely interrupted by an amplified voice from the car.

"Move your bicycle to the other side of the fog line...thank you."

Just moments prior, Baptiste had asked me "when do we stop eating?" I guess this was our answer.

Later that day, we arrived at Ocean City campground and made a shared meal from the food we'd been given earlier. The donated fake crab certainly added a new dimension to Ragu and pasta.

Day 27: Bogachiel State Park – Quinault, 63.97 miles

September 22nd, 2009

I set off early to a good start. At the same time that I changed the battery on my speedometer, I also changed the setting so that I was able to see my average speed. For the first couple of hours, I kept challenging myself to see how good an average speed I could actually keep up and found it to be about 16 mph. Not bad for a fully loaded bike…in the heat. The only flaw was that I quickly ran out of water and was quite relieved when I finally found a place to refill my bottles.

As I reached the coast, I met up again with Baptiste, the Frenchman from the ferry. We decided to ride together as we were both heading for the same final destination for the day. There were three campsites, of which two were closed. Baptiste – ever the adventurer – suggested that we went to one of the closed ones where presumably we would get all the facilities but wouldn't have to pay. Sneaky! I liked it! (But extend sincere apologies to my parents).

It was worth it! We ended up with the best campsite right on Lake Quinault –perfect for a quick swim before we settled in for the evening.

On top of that, I just happened to have been carrying a bottle of Bacardi since the ferry crossing which I had really "sensibly" bought at Duty Free. While it wasn’t exactly what I needed to be lugging around on my bike, it was perfect for this kind of night. It seemed, to me, like the most sensible time to dispose of the extra weight, and so with that, Baptiste and I settled in for a rum and coke evening and put the world to rights.

Day 26: Port Angeles - Bogachiel State Park (just past Forks), 63.91 miles

September 21st, 2009

After a bit of messing around at the tourist office and at Safeway to buy more Kraft dinners and supplies for my new favourite cyclist breakfast of peanut butter on tortillas, I met up with an English guy called Nick who, again, was cycling from Alaska to Argentina. These people and their cross-continent rides really made my ride look like an amble round the park. Damn them!

I set off, and about 10 miles out of town had that horrible feeling that every cyclist sooner or later experiences. At first, the bike didn't feel quite right, it was slightly swaying back and forth. Initially and as every cyclist does, I ignored it hoping that it would go away. However, after another couple of pedal revolutions, I knew my worst fears had been realised... My very first puncture of the trip! Fortunately, Nick came past a few minutes later and was able to lend me a pump as mine, I discovered, had died.

One large staple now removed from the back tyre - always the blasted back tyre (which is harder to fix) - I continued along my ride. I rode past Lake Crescent, a beautifully clear lake with nice wiggly roads all the way round it. The only downside of this leg of the trip was the seemingly unending hill that I had to conquer when I got to the end of the lake.

I finally got to Forks, which has made a name for itself as being the Twilight Zone. Apparently this is the place where the author of the Twilight Zone came from and she had used various places around town in her book. It seemed to me like an awful lot of hype, but perhaps I am missing the point not being a Twilight Zone fan!

I wonder how a town devoted to selling Twilight Zone paraphernalia could make any money, but then again I got the feeling that this might be where the real victims of America's economic downturn might live.

Oh, I also stayed the night at my first hiker biker site. Something the Americans have set up to cater for those without a vehicle. Congrats to the Yanks.

Day 25: Victoria - Port Angeles, approximately 10 miles (speedometer battery died)

September 20th, 2009

Despite thinking that I'd probably be up at the crack of dawn, I had a fantastic lie in and then went off on my way feeling well rested. I was also on my way having had a shower, a chance to do laundry, a packed lunch and a full belly too. A big thanks to Ursula.

I had an absolutely fantastic ride round the coast into downtown Victoria; I could see why the city had such a good reputation.

I then caught the ferry across to America via Port Angeles. On the ferry, I saw another loaded bike, but it looked a little odd. It had camouflage on it, was loaded to the hilt and had of all things a light fitting strapped to the back. At first, I made the assumption that it belonged to a vagrant of some description.

During the journey, though, the owner of said bicycle introduced himself and it turned out he was a Frenchman by the name of Baptiste who was cycling from Alaska to Argentina (I thought my ride to San Diego was a big feat, but I guess it doesn't matter what you do in life, somebody is always doing something bigger and better!). The light fitting was apparently going to be converted to a camera tripod so he could record video while he rode along, and the camouflage was there so that he wouldn't get spotted during "stealth" camping exercises. He wasn't exactly the person I expected from the look of the bike, but he seemed like a nice guy.

Having arrived in Port Angeles and with a long wait and a flash of my passport, I had reached America with diddly squat open. After some searching, I managed to find a Subway restaurant open and while the sandwich was satisfying, the company was a bit disconcerting. It was here that I met a colourful man whose advice was plentiful. I will try to give you some of the highlights:

1) Eat 2 teaspoons of extra hot cayenne pepper each morning
2) Completely overdose yourself on salt (can't remember exact quantity)
3) Read 4 psalms of the bible every day (one every 2 hours). Read them like this (on day 1 of the month read 1,31,61,91, on day 2 2,32,62,92 etc.)
4) If you are about to get run over by an 18 wheel truck don't say "Sh**" , say "Hallelujah".
5) We all don't weigh anything but are in fact holograms in gods imagination. (Obese people would I thought find this particularly good news)

Points 1 & 2 were, of course, backed up by long references to cell and molecular structure and a little bit of medical background as he slurped away on his extra large subway fizzy drink... After that encounter, I started cycling away from Port Angeles in search of safer more normal friends, but realised I was being a bit of a plonker travelling so late in the day. In the end, I turned around and spent the night in Port Angeles at the local RV park where I was kept awake by a drunken man shuffling around my tent. The fun of the local RV park!

Day 24: Ganges - Victoria, approximately 35 miles (speedometer battery died)

September 19th, 2009

This morning, we stopped off at the Fall Fair that had given us all the accommodation issues the night before. It reminded me of Buriton (small village that I grew up in) fetes. The secret to winning at Buriton fêtes was to enter into competitions that you knew nobody else would enter. e.g. Largest broad beans sown on a Tuesday, etc. Similar techniques seemed to have been applied at Gange's Fall Fair. That said, there were some interesting things, and I enjoyed the morning.

Later, we continued our ride to Victoria, over the other side of Salt Spring Island and across on the ferry back to Vancouver Island on the other side. It was a great ride into Victoria which was all on a bike path through countryside and into suburbia. We spotted a dear on the ride and was slyly taking a photograph while a local watched on with some bemusement. Apparently the gardens around here are considered restaurants to the local dear. Obviously a bit of a pest to the avid gardener.

Finally got to Victoria, where I said my farewells to Louise and set off to find my friend Alex's Mum, Ursula, who very kindly put me up for the night despite my uselessly late warning of my arrival.

Day 23: Nanaimo - Ganges (Salt Spring Island), 40.47 miles

September 18th, 2009

I vaguely made the offer to Louise to join me cycling down to Victoria. I think it is safe to say that Louise was not your hardcore cycle tourist, so I was a bit surprised when she took me up on the offer. The first part of the ride was on a horrible main road, but we were soon on fantastic country lanes following the coast. Louise was a bit slower than me, so I took the opportunity to snack on roadside blackberries and a little bit of apple scrumping in various rest stops as she caught up.

Later, we caught the ferry over to Salt Spring Island and then cycled over to Ganges. Here, we ran into problems. Apparently, the Autumn Fair was in town the next day, and so all accommodation was fully booked. By fortuitous luck while asking directions, we met a couple called John and Anne who kindly offered us their spare room. Not quite sure what we would have done otherwise because my tent would have been an exceedingly tight squeeze for 2, I was very grateful to John and Anne.

Day 22: Nanaimo, 0 miles

September 17th, 2009

Today, I decided to take another day off from the bike, and instead hired a car to visit Tofino which is reputed as being one of the most beautiful parts of the island. It is a long way from Nanaimo to Tofino and the road was very windy with no shoulder, so sharing a car with a fellow cyclist like a good idea.

My fellow cyclist was Louise, a French Canadian who gave me the opportunity to brush up on my French. Sorry, correction. It gave Louise the opportunity to brush up on her English (the Queen's English no less and not this funny North American version)!

First stop on the way was Cathedral Grove with its big big giant Douglas fir trees and a rather ominous sign saying "In case of high winds, please evacuate the area immediately". Having witnessed a comparatively small tree be blown over once before in life, I was pleased that it was a fairly calm day but kept listening for any strange creaking and was ready to run at any point. The trees themselves were mighty impressive though - just about ready to convert into a nice living room table!

The next stop was a salmon ladder near Port Alberni. Here, we had the pleasure of seeing salmon jump several feet up a waterfall (the stupid ones that failed to spot the ladder). It is one of those things that you always see in pictures but don't really believe it happens until you actually see it.

Then we drove over the hills to Tofino where I was reminded of driving my Nissan Micra along the A272 (another under powered car and windy road). The trick as I learnt then is to not lose momentum but at the same time keep the car on the road. Louise looked a little bit nervous, so I was sure I had remembered the right technique! (Mother - it is OK, I have taken a bit of creative writing license with this last bit...)

After a hike at Ucluelet around the Lighthouse Loop, we made our way into Tofino. I am sure Tofino would have looked nicer had it not been raining. Still, if it was going to rain, I would much rather be in the car than on a bicycle, so the day worked out well. On the way back, we stopped off at a place where, apparently, you are pretty much guaranteed to see Black Bear but by the time we arrived we were there in the dark. I am fairly sure we saw a bear but given the light conditions, there is a good chance it could have just been a large bunny rabbit.

Day 21: Nanaimo, 0 miles

September 16th, 2009

Much of the day was spent faffing on the Internet.

Mum and Dad should avert their eyes now...

...because today, I did a bit of a sneaky one and bought myself a computer from a local shop (name not disclosed so that they don't track me down) knowing full well that I was going to make full use of their 14-day no quibbles return policy and would return it two days later.

It was very useful to be able to have a computer for a couple of days but still failed to get the blog up to date -- observant readers will notice this entry appeared several weeks after the 16th...

Nice to have my first full day completely off the bike!

Day 20: Vancouver - Nanaimo, 22.27 miles

September 15th, 2009

Today saw more trekking around to more bike shops, and I finally found a wheel! Hooray...

$150 lighter, I went on my way with a new, non-cracked, super dooper A319 Mavic Rim in Silver. Now, I could go into the details of why the A319 is a far superior rim to the A119 (which is what I had before) but I will spare you...

And I wanted black but by this point I realised that beggars couldn't be choosers. I was just going to have to live with non matching front and back coloured wheels. The shame of it! What would the other cyclists say??

I tried to go to the Vancouver Space Centre but they were firmly shut, which was a little disappointing. So, instead I had a quick wander round the Museum of Vancouver.

Back on the bike, I pedalled across Vancouver and over to Horseshoe Bay. It was a great ride along Marine Drive, which is obviously where those with cash to burn in Vancouver buy their houses. All in all, it was great views over Vancouver Harbour and a very pleasant ride for the day.

When I got to Horseshoe Bay, where I was to catch the ferry to Nanaimo, I was treated to a spectacular sunset on the ride across. I arrived in Nanaimo to find a super hostel right downtown and happily rested my weary legs. I popped out of the hostel for a bit in search of something to eat but failed. I found an open Wendy's drive through but they wouldn't serve me because "You have to be in a car to be served...." Aghhh!

As if the drive through frustration wasn't enough, I still hadn't seen any sign of those nice Nanaimo Bars that I was expecting to see all over... I would have to track them down in the morning...

Day 19: Vancouver, 17.99 miles

September 14th, 2009

I finally discovered why my back wheel has been failing; it was because it had a large crack in the rim. Much of the day was spent cycling around the bike shops of Vancouver to a) learn more than a man ever needs to know about bicycle wheels, b) find out that that bike wheels are not cheap, and c) discover that few stores actually stock wheels but many people were happy to build me one which was even more expensive and not entirely trustworthy quality -- after all, to build a wheel you have to know what you are doing, don't you?

I did however find myself a $5 Indian curry lunch and soon discovered why it was only $5...it was because they skimped on the chicken. Fortunately my Mother's years of tutelage came into play, and I soon corrected them on the error of their ways! A good full belly for me, but not such a good experience for the person following me into the bathroom at the youth hostel the next morning!

Day 18: Vancouver, 15.22 miles

September 13th, 2009

I spent the day wandering around Vancouver and seeing the sights, including Stanley Park and Granville Island Public Market. As I rode my bike around Stanley Park, I discovered there was a one way system involved. I discovered this as cyclists going the other way kindly pointed this out to me, using expressions such as "Excuse me, sir, but you appear to be heading in the wrong direction. Would you mind ever so much doing an about turn?"... Well, o.k., that wasn't quite their exact terminology, but I am fairly sure that was the message they were trying to convey!

I met one lady with her young son next to her playing on the beach. Surrounding the young lad were hundreds of piles of rocks that had all carefully been balanced on top of each other. The lady turned to me as I was admiring them and said in a very unassuming voice "He has been at it all day!" - obviously he hadn't.

Day 17: Mission - Vancouver, 49.47 miles

September 12th, 2009

Today, I had a great ride into Vancouver yet again treated to fantastic weather. The weather gods have certainly been on my side for this trip! Started coming through the Vancouver suburbs and it felt good to be back into a big city.

I caught up with a charity bike ride and was pleased that, despite my load, I was able to keep up with them. One older gentleman, I fear, did not share my pleasure as he blasphemed in my direction something as I overtook. I also helped one guy on the ride who had a puncture. He seemed to have all the fancy flash gear but didn't actually know how to fix a puncture!

Arrived in Vancouver to find the first hostel I arrived at full. This definitely was not cricket. Everywhere else I had been was pretty much closing down for the end of the season, so I was a bit taken aback to find somewhere full. After a bit of searching, I ended up in the HI which was probably a better bet.

I spent the evening wandering around Vancouver and felt particularly under-dressed with everyone (particularly the women) were dressed to the nines for their Saturday night on the town. I, on the other hand, was in my rather fetching $2 sandals, socks included of course - always a fashion statement.

I feel I am definitely becoming fitter and my stomach doesn't look quite so festivally plump (to quote South Park's Cartman - "I am not fat, I am festivally plump").

Day 16: Hope to Mission, 69.71 miles

September 11th, 2009

Today started with yet another trip to the bike shop. There was definitely something not right with the bike, and it surely had nothing to do with the weight of the cyclist...

For the last couple of days, I had been cycling without a back brake due to my rear wheel buckling again (for my non-cycling friends, when you buckle your wheel, it rubs against the brakes slowing you down with each revolution and leaving you with the choice of either going slowly or not having a back brake). Whilst not a safe option, it seemed better than not going anywhere. After a few days of good fortune, I thought I'd better get the bike checked out before my luck ran out.

So with the wheel straightened by the nice man (who also sent me away with some spokes just in case I needed them), I was off again. I made a quick stop at Harrison Hot Springs which seemed to be the hangout of the rich -- with a float plane tied up at the dock no less (when I am all grown up and have made my millions, I think I would quite fancy one of those, but for the time being, a push bike will have to suffice). Harrison Hot Springs was a great spot. A stunningly beautiful lake.

I had a (expletive removed) of a hill shortly after I left the Springs and just as I grunted to the top, a man pulled into his driveway and called me over for a chat. Apparently his record time for the hill was 8.5 minutes. Bully for him I thought. I had no idea how long it had taken me but, considering I had stopped "to admire the view" a couple of times, I was pretty sure it wasn't 8.5 minutes.

Anyway, he invited me in to admire his house and gave me a much needed glass of water. His wife even offered me a shower. I don't know if this was a hint due to the pleasant aroma I was emitting, or if they were just being nice...

Just before I said goodbye, the man and I had an odd conversation that went something like this:

Him - Can

you hear that noise? I don't think it is a train.

Me - Well, your RV is still running but I assume you realised that

Him - Oh yeah that is what it is...

Weird.

Refreshed and on my way, I finally made it to Mission just after dark. I found out the closest campsite was miles out of town and having cycled back and forth several times to discover this, I ended up sneaking into yet another park for some more "stealth" camping.

Day 15: Boston Bar - Hope, 43.45 miles

September 10th, 2009

Last night I fell asleep after drinking a few beers that I had bought. There was one lone survivor left this morning when I woke up, and I didn't want to carry it onwards. It was nice and cold, and it seemed a shame to waste it. So, I decided that there was no better way to start the day. Perhaps, I should have stayed for that meeting at the Alano Club in after all!

There was a good steep climb to start of my day, followed up by my very first tunnel of the trip. I stopped off at a place called Hells Gate, which was a tourist trap. I skipped the over-priced cable car and hiked to the bottom of the gorge. After all, I needed the extra exercise! Hells Gate is the narrowest part of the canyon and the place that the salmon have the most issues swimming up. Hence, their human friends have built a nice little salmon ladder for them and to ensure there are plenty for the dinner table. I saw thousands of salmon in the water (apparently a run was going through). I tried my best to get the woman to allow me back up the cable car for free but alas my English charm was not up to snuf today. Back up I hiked.

Then, I rode into Hope with a quick stop on the way for some Kraft noodles. Yet another staple for my journey. The campsite in Hope was great - right on the edge of town and on the banks of the Fraser River. I was looking forward to waking up to my view!

Day 14: Spences Bridge to Boston Bar, 52.74 miles

September 9th, 2009

Yet another day of some serious headwind and a bit of rain to add to my misery made today one of the more challenging ones. And there were also some serious hills to add to my plight. So much for everybody telling me I would have a gentle ride down the canyon. Again, never trust the advice of a non cyclist!

I was now starting to wish I had taken the Whistler route on my way down to Vancouver -- something I had debated over for some time, but I did see some interesting places along the way. One shop in particular, right out in the middle of nowhere, just sold cowboy hats. There must have had a selection of over 1,000. Goodness knows how they stayed in business.

I went through the town where the Thomson and Fraser Rivers meet. It was quite cool; the Thomson is clear while the Fraser is murky. Apparently, it takes over a km for the two to fully mix.

Along the way, I also passed Jackass Pass -- looked like Deadman River wasn't the only thing named after Paul. Ho ho ho...

Just before I arrived, I was treated to my first ever sighting of a wild bear! A black bear ambled across the road in front of me. Fortunately, it was far enough away not to be a worry but at the same time close enough for me to get a good view. Sadly, he wasn't up to posing for a quick photo.

Soon after, I found a place to set up my tent but after a bit of consideration, thinking a) it was raining quite hard and b) I had just seen my first bear only a few minutes before, I negotiated with myself and checked into the local hotel (I am my mother's son), and half an hour later, I was sat in a bath (a real luxury) with a beer in hand.

Not such a bad ending to a miserable cycling day after all...

Day 13: Cache Creek to Spences Bridge, 31,93 miles

September 8th, 2009

I spent the morning in the library trying to get this blog going (you may have noticed that it's slightly behind the times in terms of updates). Until today, my attempts at keeping a diary had been completely non existent. Fortunately, the Internet was free and I had until 2:00 because it was Tuesday until the library closed. I think the library saw three customers the whole time it was open...and that includes me.

The towns I've been visiting are not large.

I set off down the Thomson river in the direction of Lytton to be hit by a full head-on wind. By the time I had got to Spences Bridge, I had had enough and stopped at the local bar for a consolation pint. After cycling at an average speed of well under 10 mph I definitely felt I deserved one.

I asked the bartender where to pitch my tent, and he pointed in the direction of a free campsite across the river. We know I like free, however, I have learnt that nothing in life is free. To get across the bridge, I had to sign the angry locals petition, showing my support in keeping the bridge open to cars (the closing was set to take place the next day). I felt it wise to sign just so I could be allowed across.

I eventually arrived at the campsite only to be greeted by a yapping dog, whose owner then popped his head out of his antiquated RV to tell his dog to shut-up and then offer me some fish he had caught earlier in the day. It was an excellent meal of fresh fish followed by the quintessential bear conversation, which then somehow turned into a "I once was tazered" conversation. Suddenly the bears didn't seem quite so scary anymore. Nice fish though...

Day 12: Kamloops to Cache Creek, 55.76 miles

September 7th, 2009

He shoots he scores! Today I got myself a free breakfast at the Holiday Inn. I had made a quick stop there to ask directions and asked - almost in passing - if they knew of a good cheap place to eat. I was invited by the nice lady to their breakfast, and there was no need to ask me twice! It was by far the best breakfast I've had so far and it was all free!

What I've been seeing lately is really dry country (resembling a cowboy movie - I may have stole that line from the Daily Planet but it is true). I also spoke to Mum today who is making good progress and had been out for lunch with next door neighbour's, the Granny's for lunch.

I passed Deadman River, obviously they had named a river after my friend Paul who goes by the very same surname. It was a tough climb up to the top of a pass, but it provided a spectacular view over the lake. Later, I arrived in Cache Creek to have a few ales at the local tavern. Apparently the barman had only made $100 the day before. Somehow I could understand why...

Perhaps slightly drunk after one too many refreshing ales, I set up my tent at the back of the park and went to sleep, worrying a little (once again) about my illegal camping activities. In the end, I needn't have...the next morning, all the grounds keepers came by and gave me a very hearty hello, not the least bit concerned about where I was camped.

Day 11: Kamploops, 34.58 miles

September 6th, 2009

Today was a rest day in Kamloops, giving me time to sort out an issue with the bike and buy some pegs for my tent, since I lost my peg bag. Doh...

It was nice to be in a big town again where the grocery store doesn't quadruple up as the grocery store, gas station, liquor store and fast food joint with everything well overpriced.

The Alano Club here made me a good cheap breakfast and then asked whether I would like to attend their morning meeting. I declined not quite sure what kind of a meeting they would want to recruit me for... Having finished my breakfast though it seemed a wise choice to make a sharp exit (stage left)! I've since learned that the Alano Club is the BC version of Alcoholics Anonymous. Some might call this divine intervention??? I call it a lucky escape.

Cycled up to a campsite miles out of town (this was supposed to be my rest day) and finding it overpriced and nowhere near anyplace I could get some food ,I came back down the hill to find some food and a park to set up my tent and sleep in. After a long time, I finally fell asleep. I'm still not used to this "guerrilla" camping. Next thing I knew I was woken up in the middle of the night by the sound of gunfire and flashes all round the tent. A little excessive for illegal camping I felt, but I cautiously and nervously opened the tent to see what trouble awaited me. Bang! Another firework went off at the top of the park. Bloody teenagers!

Day 10: Clearwater - Kamloops, 74.76 miles

September 5th, 2009

While making my way from Clearwater to Kamploops, I stopped in a town called Barrière. There was big excitement happening in town. The annual rodeo was on, and I was faced with a bit of a dilemma. Should I spend the $10 to go the rodeo (something I've never been to before), or would the $10 entry fee be better off in my pocket. In the end, I decided to miss all the excitement and continue on to Kamploops.

During the day's ride there was a dramatic change scenery. Apparently Blue River is classified as having a temperate rain forest, whereas Kamloops is regarded as being in a dessert. I was quite taken aback by the sudden change.

I also saw some dear on the ride today. Finally left the highway...and with it, the logging trucks, which can get a bit tedious at times. Crossed the river by a free boat and rode down a fantastic quiet country road from McClure into Kamloops while watching the sunset.I slept behind the back of a church (in my tent) and spent the whole night paranoid that I was going to get caught and found myself up really early in the morning. I didn't get caught and everything was fine, but I think I'll opt for more sensible, free places for camping in future.

Day 9: Blue River - Clearwater, 79.13 miles

September 4th, 2009

So if I thought Valemont was a one horse town, I'm not quite sure what that makes Blue River!

I set off early with an OJ to keep me going courtesy of a now-hungover Kasey. Apparently she had been out to 3:30 in the morning and wasn't feeling her best. Not quite sure where you go to until 3:30 in the morning in the exciting town of Blue River but there you have it...

Day 8: Valemont - Blue River, 59.65 miles

September 3rd, 2009

Ahhh...got my washing done with the help of the Korean lady. This was good; I could see my socks were on the verge of getting up and walking away. The nice Korean lady also gave me a foil-wrapped baked potato to eat. The Korean couple thought I was odd when I didn't peel my jacket potato. I thought they were odd when they didn't smother their potato in lashings of butter and sour cream...but I kept my silence.

They were also kind enough to let me use their laptop, but I didn't do very well because all the settings were in Korean and had to guess where to click half the time. I ended up going to the library to use their Internet but then that all came to a grinding halt when a little lightning hit Valemont and off went the power. Apparently the last time this happened the power went out for 13 hours. Why did I feel reminded of Tuvalu?

Valemont has a salmon spawning creak where salmon swim all the way from the Pacific ocean up the rivers to spawn their eggs. They then die! Pictured is one of the dead ones. I did see living ones, but the dead one made a better picture!

I left Valemont with the lights out and headed to Blue Water which allegedly (according to the man in the library) was all down hill. Not quite sure how, then, the first 20 miles involved a serious climb!

Finally, I arrived in Blue River -- in the dark and in the rain and a bit miserable too. It was not a very inspiring ride along the highway, and it felt like even when I was going downhill that I was having to pedal extremely hard just to get anywhere. I am blaming strong headwinds this time and certainly not the cyclist. You would have thought that I would have learnt from last time at night in the rain! Note: There really is nothing in these valleys. I think I saw a total of about three buildings between Blue River and Valemont.

In town, I found a pub where I had an excellent dinner. I asked the nice barmaid, Kasey, about where I could put up a tent (preferably for free) and she volunteered her back yard with a "Don't worry my Dad won't mind." Yes, it was a little awkward turning up to a house which was a converted church/shop/school (although I don't know that the conversion had ever been finished given the looks of the place), but the Dad was, to Kasey's word, extremely friendly and very accommodating. Within about two minutes of me starting to set up the tent, he invited me inside and gave me a mattress to sleep on. Apparently his brother had done a similar trip across Canada and so he knew how appreciated strangers' hospitality can be.

Day 7: Lucerne - Valemont, 63.50 miles

September 2nd, 2009

Much of today was spent cycling through Mt. Robson Park on the Yellowhead Highway. To prove their was no end to my camping culinary expertise, I mixed up my now-regular pasta lunch with some Kraft Dinner instead of pasta and Ragu. I sat by Mt. Robson and enjoyed the view.

I also spoke to my Dad today. Mum's surgery had gone well with no complications so that was very good news.

Later, I took a short hike to the Overlander Falls and read the story of the Overlanders. Makes you think of what they must have gone through all in the search of gold. I also stopped by Mt. Terry Fox -- his story makes my ride look like an amble stroll around the park. Incredible guy!

Then it was into Valemont, where I treated myself to a Chinese dinner...and I think I may have kept the Chinese in business for the evening seeing as I was their only customer. Valemont can generously be described as a one horse town. Just to make it better while I was there, they were digging up the whole high street so you had to dodge round JCBs to get to the shops...or should I say shop...well, maybe I'm being harsh...I think there were three shops there.

I spent the night at the local RV park which was run by an elderly Korean couple. Proud of my negotiating skills, I successfully bargained them down to $10 for the night and was able to enjoy the first shower in a while. Phewy or should that be Pooey...

Day 6: Lucerne (Mount Robson Park), 28.37 miles

September 1st, 2009

I started the day by finding elk grazing all round my tent! Most of the rest of the day was spent wandering around Jasper, and I even treated myself to a couple of lunch time beers (concluding that "Traditional" is, in fact, a damn fine ale.)

I went to the camping shop to get the right gas canister for my stove and discovered that despite having a degree in engineering, I was unable to master a simple attachment of a canister onto a stove. I did, in fact, have the right one all along. (If only I had done mechanical engineering and not electronic!)

I also spoke to my Mum and let her know that I was thinking of her before her surgery (she was having her hip replaced). She seemed in fairly good spirits about it so that was reassuring.

Dinner included another burger and chips (this one at just $5.50). At these prices, there was no need to have pasta and Ragu; I could easily convince myself this.

Foolishly, I set off far too late to Lucerne, which is a campground about 20 miles out of Jasper, and it got dark about half way there. The trucks whizzing by in the dark was not fun. Then, at the half way mark, I reached the Jasper park gate. I was thinking I was about there, but then the lady there said I still had 12 km to go. She turned out to be a little wrong, a few moments later, I saw a sign saying 13km to Lucerne campground, and that extra km made a world of difference. Just at that point, it started to rain and a few minutes later I could see a fierce lightning storm in the distance. This was not good!

I ended the day/ride feeling very relieved that a) the storm never quite hit me fully and b) knowing that I had finally made it to the campground safely.

Day 5: Rampart Creek - Jasper, 96.20 miles

August 31st, 2009

Today, I was up early to the sight of another fantastic day weather-wise. So far, the weather has been nothing short of fantastic. I rode my bike up the Sunwapta Pass to the Columbian Icefields. A challenging hill I believe is the polite terminology. I did treat myself to a few stops along the way - to take photographs you understand and not to rest. Actually, Tom said he didn't have to wait that long at the top for me...but maybe he was just being kind.

The two of us cooked lunch just by the Athabasca Glacier part of the Columbia Icefileds (lunch, this time, was pasta and Ragu...with sardines instead of tuna...variety, you see).

We took a walk up to the icefield, which was pretty impressive. I tried desperately to remember my GCSE geography on how glaciers work, but the grey matter wasn't doing its job. I think we were stood on terminal moraine though, looking at the glacier. There were lots of signs telling you not to go on the glacier -- one of them said something like, "While our guides are well trained in glacier rescue, on the last 3 attempts they have been unsuccessful." The signs worked for me...

The rest of the ride was supposedly all down hill. Yeah right! The first thing we came across was another climb to the top of the Sunwapta Canyon. I have learned that you can never believe what anyone says when it comes to hills or distances, particularly when they are a non cyclist.

Along the way to Jasper, I stopped to help one man change his car tyre. Unfortunately, Tom didn't hear me yelling to stop and continued cycling on and had to wait for ages at the next rest stop for me to finally catch up.

The rest of the day's ride was long - over 90 miles for the day, and I really started to bonk towards the end (not that kind of bonk, but the cyclist-getting-knackered kind of bonk). Tom on the other hand was on fire, so a bit of drafting seemed to do the trick. We saw a mountain goat though and passed an impressive rockfall. And as we arrived in Jasper just after dark, we were treated to seeing elk crossing the road.

We a had a bargain meal ($6 Burger & chips) washed down with a pint of Traditional (which tasted like an exceptionally good ale, but I'm not 100% sure if this was in fact the case or if even a Bud Light would have tasted just as good on such an occasion).

At the end of the long day, I set up camp and said my farewells to Tom. He was off early, cycling to Prince Rupert with an average of over 200km a day. I initially had vague thoughts of joining him, but fortunately, for once, sense prevailed.

Day 4: Lake Louise - Rampart Creek (Icefield Parkway), 63.21 miles

August 30th, 2009

Onto the Icefield Parkway today. I was feeling quite nervous -- not really sure what to expect of a road of over 200km and no town in between. Armed with a tip from the bike shop guy to "stick my thumb out" in a worst case scenario, I started out on my way.

Turns out, there was no need to have worried. There were plenty of stops along the way, and I was able to drink water straight out of the creeks too. The bike guy was likely right though; I'm sure that in a worst-case-scenario situation, one of the hundreds of RVs that passed me on the road would have picked me and my gear up in no time at all.

The scenery along the road was nothing short of phenomenal. The Bow Summit and the view over Peyto Lake in particular was amazing (despite the long ride up). I began the ride along the parkway alone, but soon caught up with four other cyclists. I rode with them for a little while but was unable to keep up. I'd like to suggest that this was because I had a full load, but there is a minor possibility that they were just in better shape than me...hard to imagine I know.

Later, I met up with some other cyclists, a guy called Peter and his wife on a tandem bike as well as another Englishman called Tom who was also riding the full length of the parkway. They rode at a far more reasonable pace, and I ended up riding with Tom for the next day as well to the end of the parkway.

That night was spent at Rampart Creek for the night, where Tom and I shared a campsite and met up with another English guy and his wife who shared a couple of beers with us and also lent their stove. Frustratingly, the gas canister I had carried for the last 100km did not fit the stove I had bought. I wasn't pleased, but I wasn't going to take it back now. With the aid of my new friends' stove, I made pasta with Ragu along with some tuna. I foresee this becoming a favourite.

I've discovered that camping in Canada's back country most always takes conversations toward one topic: bears. One guy suggested that if we met any black bears we could scare them away and give them a good kick up the backside to shoo them off. I wasn't convinced and was fairly sure I wasn't going to be kicking any bears. All the talk did was make me super paranoid and so everything I had with me that had even a remote scent was carefully put away in a bear container provided by the campsite, leaving me safe for the night.

Day 3: Lake Louise, 30.20 miles

August 29th, 2009

After a quick stop at the horribly overpriced supermarket, I decided to stay in Lake Louise another night because of all the good things to see here. I spent my day cycling up to both Lake Louise and Moraine Lake, and they were both absolutely spectacular. The ride to both were not easy, but so lovely to see...and I enjoyed the pleasure of not having a fully loaded bike for the day.

Thinking the youth hostel was a bit pricey, I decided to stay at a campsite and shared the spot with a few other backpackers. One backpacker had been travelling for the past 3.5 years on his beautifully maintained 1973 BMW motorbike, visiting far off places including Australia and Russia all on German plates. He mentioned that his travels couldn't last forever though and would likely have to stop in the next 2.5 years to return to the business he shared with his brother (who apparently has been slightly annoyed by his business partner's nearly 4-year absence).

I seem to lose all sense of self-consciousness inside my tent, so I didn't feel the need to worry about my snoring so much this night (for some reason, being inside a tent gives a false illusion of sound proofing - obviously not the case). I've decided that I prefer sleeping in my tent though. I feel more comfortable there, I enjoy the bit of privacy I get, and it's a lot cheaper too ($7 as opposed to $42 in the hostel).

Day 2: Canmore - Lake Louise, 61.13 miles

August 28th, 2009

Having had a good night's sleep in my tent, I woke up to a beautiful day in Alberta. Being in the mountains and bearing witness to such great scenery, any questioning thoughts I may have been having about whether I had made the right decision were now quickly disappearing and the adrenaline was beginning to flow. (Editor's note: the cause of such adrenaline - and such cheap camping - has been deleted to save my parents from the shame of their dishonourable son...although it's really not as bad as this note might lead you to believe...)

Cycling into Canmore, I stopped to get my clicky gears adjusted (by another nice bike man). I had a breakfast outside Safeway and then continued on my way to Banff.

Following a quick stop in Banff, I then joined the Bow Valley Parkway onto Lake Louise.

Fantastic scenery! Quiet road! Sun still shining! This is why I had come!

The only thing I would have changed is the amount of training I had done before I left for this trip, and at the end of the day, I virtually collapsed and walked my bike up the last hill into Lake Louise.

Lesson #1 on this trip: A fully loaded bike makes a significant difference.

Tired, I spent the night at a youth hostel and although I was exhausted, I spent a good part of the night wondering if I was the annoying sod that kept everyone up by snoring. I suspect I probably was.

Day 1: Calgary - Canmore, 70.16 miles

August 27th, 2009

Starting with a not-so-easy walk to the airport shuttle pick-up spot at the ungodly hour of 5:45 am, carrying both a boxed bike and a box of my sole belongings for the next couple of months, my trip began as a bit of a challenge. From catching the bus to checking in at the airport, struggling with my boxes left me wondering how on Earth I'd be be able to carry all of this stuff all of the time on two wheels.

Things didn't get any better when a) I was charged an extra $50 for a luggage surcharge (the bike is only small) and b) I discovered was assigned the dreaded middle seat on the plane.

Things began to get better after a quick seat swap while the hostess had her back to me, giving me a bit more room to spread out, enjoyed my home-made lunch and watched a movie (Sunshine Cleaning). The time in the air was uneventful.

But everything changed once I landed. That's when the adventure started.

At the airport, I had to first put my bike together. This not only took a long while, especially pumping the tyres up with the hand pump. Then I had to find a place to change while keeping an eye on the bike. In a stroke of ingenuity, I changed behind the large cardboard box the bike had been packed in - no doubt a special treat for any passengers just landing!

Soon after, I was making my way through Calgary but not before making a quick photo stop at a sign outside the airport that so perfectly summed up the aim for my trip: Non-stop to San Diego. Stop California Dreaming.

Making my way across Calgary involved an early visit to Canadian Tire for some last-minute alterations to the bike and to pump up those tyres properly...and then I was really off, cycling out on the Trans Canada towards Canmore wondering what the hell was I doing, what exactly was I in for and how my legs could be so sore so soon!

Continuing on across the plains of Alberta, I stopped at Chiniki for a quick microwaved chicken pie, which slightly exploded in the store owner's microwave (I made a quick sharp exit). A highlight in Chiniki was learning that I had wireless internet access; Chiniki is a small native reserve, so I figured if I could get wireless here, I should get it just about anywhere.

Once it started getting dark, I was fortunate enough to stumble across a campsite almost by accident. There, I set up my new tent for the first time (in the dark). Afterwards, I visited a nearby gas station and snuck into the toilet to wash as the campsite had no washing facilities. Oops! I got caught with my shirt off by the attendant who was coming in to clean, just as I was creating a nice little swimming pool on the floor. He seemed alright about it though. In fact, he gave me a pot noodle, not quite sure why, but never one to complain when it comes to free stuff, it was pot noodle for dinner! I also think he offered to give me the end-of-the-day sandwiches, but I wasn't really sure and opted not to take them just in case I had to fork over money for them in the end.