May 25, 2007. Distance: 104, Odometer 796
Kelowna, BC - Enderby, BC

Tired today and getting stiff in weird places like my right tricept, wrists and left shoulder blade. I attribute my low day today to my lousy sleep last night. I'm getting the impression that high-quality sleep for as many as 10 hours a night is essential for a good riding day. I buckled and turned into a campsite tonight and it's not to shabby! I'm clean and well-fed. I powered up the ol' iPod and I'm ready for another day tomorrow!

May 24, 2007. Distance: 102.3, Odometer 691.
Olalla, BC - Kelowna, BC

Woke up all crusty and stiff this morning, what without having a shower in a few days. The hills were back again this morning but things brightened up when an RV/Tent place let me use their showers. It took a little while of convincing and I even offered to pay but in the end they let me use their stuff... Showers do a heck of a lot to brighten a day, especially when I haven't had one in a while. I stopped in Penticton for lunch and did some good riding. It was easy with the beautiful scenery. Cycled along Okanagan Lake, the infamous home of the Ogopogo monster. AH! It's not hard to imagine why people from all around the world choose the Okanagan Valley as their vacationing spot. Tonight I'm stealth camping again. This time in a foresty spot outside of Kelowna. There are walking trails and ATV tracks, but I haven't heard or seen anyone since I arrived, so I'm sure it's safe. My usual tactic for these situations is to hang around the area for a good time, an hour or more, to see what the traffic is like. I don't want to be seen by many people, not for privacy, but for safety really. Tonight I tried sleeping on my mat and sleeping bag alone - no tent. It worked for a few hours, until the bugs woke me and kept me up well past midnight. I know I'm an expert camper now that I can set my tent up in the complete darkness. In the morning, I scared a couple of guys walking their dogs along the path. I wonder what they think of me: some crazy homeless guy? I've never had any problem, but I think if I had to prove my senility I may have trouble; well, that is if I didn't have a hat.

May 23, 2007. Distance: 108. Odometer: 593

Outside Princton, BC - Outside Olalla, BC

Stopped in Princton today for supplies. First civilization I've seen in a few days and I'm excitingly sporting my new haircut. I meet with a cycle shop store owner who consoles me saying that the highway I took was ambitious and that I won't encounter anything that difficult again for a long time. That made me really happy. Like I graduated from bicycle touring school. He gave me the impression that I was hearty for making it out of there alive. It's good knowing that the difficulties that I encountered were acknowledged by someone else, justifying my thought that I wasn't a weakling, it was the damned route! I read in a touring book that when searching for a place to stay, asking a store owner about nearby campgrounds could trigger the idea of camping out in their front lawns, so I tried it tonight. It was a valiant effort, but Olalla is little more than a trailor park and the people I asked not only didn't know of any campsites but didn't have any lawn to lend, although they seemed genuinely disappointed at their inability to help out. No matter, I made my way down a few more kilometers and stealth camped again on the side of a hill. The view is beautiful, over looking a range of hills and watching the sun set on them and the town down below. Amazingly I have cell phone reception and call friends and family to end the evening underneath a sky full of stars brighter than I've ever thought possible.

May 22, 2007. Distance 65 km. Odometer: 484

Manning Provincial Park - Outside Princeton

Stopped riding today out of pure exhaustion. I climbed two harassing summits today - Allison's Pass (1300m elevation) and Sunday Pass (1250m elevation) for a grand total 2600m of climbing. I remember as a kid, riding a few kilometers on my bike was an accomplishment to brag to friends about. I never thought I'd do the same, but straight up with a bicycle that weighs similarly to a motorcycle with pedals. My exhaustion and complete isolation numbed that part of my brain that fires when I have a bad idea - you know, to stop me from carrying out the idea. Well, I decided on a whim that I should cut my hair off. But all I had was a small mirror and my camping knife. But that didn't stop me. So not only do I feel crazy, but now I look crazy too. It doesn't help that I'm so sore that when I roll over at night I wake myself up.

May 21st, 2007. Distance 72 km, Odometer: 419
Outside Hope - Manning Provincial Park

Basically completely uphill today. I was told that this highway (hwy 3) from Hope to Princeton would be 'scenic' and 'beautiful' which I now know are code words when applied to highways for 'treacherous' and 'idiotic to attempt on bicycle, loaded or not'. Looks like this highway is an old logging road used mainly by truckers. I haven't seen a gas station or town or person since I got on here. Just mountains and steep uphills. I think the road engineers decided while designing this road that they'd challenge themselves by tackling the highest mountains in the areas... you know, to tell their buddies about. Little did they know that a hundred years later, I'd be attempting it on bicycle, cursing their names if I knew them, but cursing their existence regardless. Tonight I'm stealth camping again. I found a bank by a huge river underneath a bridge to set up camp. The river was too cold to bathe in since it was fed from the melting of the iced-capped mountains. I dipped my foot in and it's never been the same since. So to clean up, I warmed up some water with my camping stove. It's awesome being by this river. I can't hear anything but it's rapids, not even the highway only 50 meters away. The only problem is that rivers are the favourite feeding spots of animals so hopefully they won't think of me as dessert.

May 20th, 2007. Distance: 114 km, Odometer: 348

Burnaby, BC - Outside Hope, BC

Couldn't find a campsite tonight, so I biked as far as my little stick-legs could pedal me, and then I found a nice, plot of non-private land (or, at least I thought it was non-private land) to settle on for the evening. It was nice. Well, it was by the railroad tracks which provided a wonderful soundtrack for the evening. At one point during the night, I mistook the rumblings and thunderous roars of a passing train for a pack of ravenous grizzlies that had surrounded my tent. I'm lucky that my brain corrected the mistake before I scared myself into a sleepless night. This form of camping, stealth camping (named so because you're not supposed to leave a trace when you depart) had me feeling good about myself - something about being able to avoid paying the relatively steep price of $20-$25 for a plot of dirt at a campsite without much of an inconvenience - something about complete freedom. It rained all day today and it was fine. I like knowing that my rain gear held up and only a few things on my cycle dampened. Note to future tourists: panniers need to be lined by plastic bags on the inside AS WELL AS pannier covers. If they aren't waterproof the covers will still let in a minute amount of water.

May 19th, 2007.

More touristing in Vancouver, including sampling Dim Sum with Peggy's family, checking out China town and North Vancouver by ferry and Peggy's favourite sushi place for supper. Good food and company. Not too much to complain about, fir shure.

May 18th, 2007. Distance 39.4 km, Odometer 233.6

White Rock - Burnaby, BC

Riding in the city is stressful for me. I mean, normally, it's no big deal because I know and follow traffic rules and I'm used to it. When I'm fully-loaded and there are cars zooming by, I feel like the slightest misjudgement of a driver can send me hurtling. Bridges are the worst. In Vancouver, there are a few of them, and of course the people who live there know which ones are cycle-friendly. This vital information wasn't on my map and, as luck has it, I chose the least accomodating route. The bridge was quite long and highway-like, without even an inch of shoulder. I wasn't surprised that I had a few honks and disgruntled looks from drivers, but, hey, what could I do? Burnaby is the home to my good friend Peggy, who I met on exchange to Costa Rica. She was an EXCELLENT host and guide, showing me the hot spots in Vancouver. We went out with another friend from the exchange, Bess, to a Tapas bar where we watched flamenco dancing while sipping on local microbrew. Great times. These are the sort of friends that, even though we haven't seen each other for 7 years, after a few moments, it's like we never left each other to live separate lives. Meeting up with these girls, I realised that great friends are definitively like that: time independent. We hung out just like we did years ago, without skipping a beat. And it was wonderful.

May 16th, 17th, 2007.
White Rock

Just hanging out, having a good time with my bud, Gail! Who knew: There's a big white rock in White Rock

May 15th, 2007. Distance: 96.4 km, Odometer: 194 km
Duncan, BC -Duke Point Ferry Terminal - White Rock, BC

I've been lucky so far to be able to ride rain-free during BC's rainiest time. Today was no different. I left Duncan early and rode hard to make it to the ferry terminal 50kms away to make the 12:45 ferry. I would have made it, but along the way, I blew a tire. It wasn't as bad as I thought it would be with 60lbs of gear on my bike. In my mind, I was thinking I'd lose control and veer off the side of a precipice, or, if I was lucky, into traffic. But neither of those. Just a slight pop and no loss of control. The rest of the trek for the day was a little nerve-racking because I used the last bicycle tube that I had, meaning if I blew another one, I'd be up a poopy creek without a paddle. I've already broken the first commandment in bicycle touring: Thou Shalt Not Depart Without at Least two Spare Tubes, You Cheapskate.
So I missed the 12:45 ferry and had to wait a few hours for the next one. I took the time to relax, have lunch and tune up my bike. I ended up making the gearing worse, but don't tell that to Paul, my bike repair guru. He wouldn't be happy.
The ferry ride was typical but the scenery made me feel excited for the mountainous trek ahead in the BC interior.
The rest of the ride for the day was on mainland BC and was beautiful. I took side-roads through farmland mainly, which was accompanied by pungent farmland smell. I didn't mind, of course, considering the alternative was freeway exhaust. There is something about the smell of farms that is energizing for me...
I arrived in White Rock at 9pm - a 12 hour journey today - and am amazed at how many fancy houses there are here. I'm here visiting a friend for the next couple of days, and recuperating.

.

May 14, 2007.

Just hanging out in Duncan, buying supplies and taking in the fresh Vancouver Island air. It smells even sweeter than I remember. Oh, and working in the garden. I want one when I grow up.

Some people think of me as a trailblazer figuratively, but here I'm proving it literally as well.

May 13, 2007. Distance: 47.0 km, Odometer: 97.5 km
Goldstream Provincial Park - Duncan

The ride today was demanding. Since the airport, everyone who I spoke to warned me of the Malahat mountain along the way to Duncan. I wasn't sure what to expect. The uphill climb started early and was continuous. At one point the incline was so steady that I couldn't tell it was a hill, and I thought there was something wrong with my bike because I was sweating my balls off over my granny gear. When I unknowingly reached the summit, I pulled over to fix a problem with my rim and met a nice couple from Sudbury. When the lady told me I was in fact at the summit and that it would be down hill to Duncan, I almost kissed her. I might have if I wasn't caked with sweat. The views were amazing and made the arduous, self-esteeming shattering climb tolerable. I sang all the way down the other side of the mountain and into Duncan to meet with the family I lived with for 3 months while doing a Canada World Youth exchange. It's fantastic it be here.

May 12th, 2007. Distance: 50.5 km, Odometer: 50.5 km
Victoria Airport - Goldstream Provincial Park

My adventure started in the Timmins airport. My Dad and I arrived early, but not early enough as there was a line up. The bike was checked without a problem, but the ticket lady was obviously put out by the line up, and then with me having a bike box. She told us it would be $105 for the additional luggage. I thought bikes were $50 despite of my luggage, and told her so. I'm not sure what happened, but after my Dad offered to pay, she refused the money altogether! I couldn't understand it. Maybe she caught one of the news media I've been on recently and suddenly felt philanthropic.

Things brightened up when the guy at security was a buddy of mine from school and the gym, Brian. I had sent him, along with 130 of my closest friends, an 'event notice' on facebook.com letting him know I was raising money for the hospital. He and I started chatting and when I told him I was cycling across the country, he remembered the cause and gladly took out his wallet to fish for a donation. All of this while he was scanning my luggage for WMDs or whatever they look for. It makes me smile thinking about it and it made me glad to be from Timmins.
While in the air, it occurred to me, but very vaguely still, how huge Canada is. I mean, I was in an ultra fast plane and it took 4.5 hours to get to Vancouver. And that's just half way. I think cycling will provide the ultimate sense of Canada's magnitude. MAYBE, it's my complete vagueness of this sense that I've let myself do the trek! Thank God for my daftness, otherwise I may never leave the house.

The first day of riding was crazy. I cycled down to "Mile 0" of the Trans-Canada Highway where there was a busload of Asian tourists waiting. When the tour guide saw me, I guess he also saw an opportunity to show this clients something interesting, so he started asking me questions and translated what I said into Asian (Japanese maybe?). Well, the crowd just lost it. I'm not sure how many photo graphs were taken of me in front of that "Mile 0" sign, but it was lots. One of them asked if I was Terry Fox, and I said no. It was flattering, and I left the group waving and wishing me luck. Good times. I stayed in Goldstream Provincial Park, a park saturated with larger trees than I've ever seen, ever.

Mini Tour to Kettle Lakes Provinicial Park

Last weekend I had my first "shakedown". I'm not sure why we call a short trial tour a shakedown, but I guess it's because it's like shaking the tour foundation to see if there are any loose parts: literally (on your bike) and figuratively (with your planning and packing).

shakedown |ˌʃeɪkdaʊn| noun informal
• a test of a new product or model, esp. a vehicle or ship : the high-orbit shakedown of the lunar module had its merits | [as adj. ] the software is expected to enter its final shakedown phase by the middle of September.

This one was short: 50 kms out of town there is a provincial park which I stayed at for a night. It's closed but a friend said that I could get in easily and without hassle. The packing went great... Well, I mean I had enough room for all my stuff plus my biochemistry text book. However, and not surprisingly, I forgot a few important things:

- Utensils: I stirred my meals with a stick I found that I deemed 'relatively clean' and transferred my slop into a bottle to eat from.
- Measuring cup: thank god for Nalgene bottles.
- Tire pump (went back home to pick it up)
- ear plugs: a necessity when alone in the woods and every noise could be interpreted as a rabid monster out to get you.

Otherwise the trip went great. I had the entire provincial park to myself... Which was kinda weird at times. Every noise that was made were from animals or the wind. Most of the time, it was nothing, sometimes it was a moose watching me from the other side of the campground, or an anonymous animal getting out of the lake and running by my tent in the middle of the night. The ride back was less than perfect with heavy winds and rain. I got to try out my rain gear though and it kept me dry and warm magnificently.

Thanks to Kettle Lakes Park for their generous hospitality. If any of you read this, I left $8 under the side door for my stay.
(Days 'till departure: 11)

A Working Equipment List

The equipment list is currently as follows and will be updated as it becomes more complete.
Last Edit: June 11, 2007

Camping:
Gas stove: Dragonfly, MSR
(2) 650 ml gas container: MSR
Kitchen set: Blacklite, MSR. I sent home the pan to cut down on weight
Sleeping bag: MEC Phareo (-7C)
Sleeping pad: Big Agnes, insulated, self-inflated.
Tent: Hubba Hubba (that means you, ladies), MSR
Homemade tent footprint (improvised tarp)
Head lamp
Pocket knife
rope: 50'
Duct tape
camp soap
Tarp: 9' x 12', for cowering
toilet paper

Bicycle:
Devinci Caribou C2: w/ disc brakes
Rear and Front Racks: Journey, Axiom
Fenders
Front and Rear Panniers: Champlain, Axiom, with covers
Handlebar Bag: Radisson, Axiom
3 bottle cages
3 water bottles + 2 1L Nalgene bottles
Cycle computer
Helmet
Bike gloves
2 spare tubes
1 spare tire: TopContact, Continental
Pump/ tire gauge
bell

Misc:
Microfiber towel
Bungie cords
Nylon straps
12 W solar panel: Sent home!
Kodak DX4530 digital camera, 3 batteries, memory card, lenses, cord
Maps: of every province and major city
Backpack
iPod, headphones, charger
First Aid kit
Ayn Rand's "Altlas Shrugged"

Clothing:
2 pairs quick-dry pants/shorts
2 pairs biking shorts
1 pair rain pants
2 quick-dry t-shirts
2 quick-dry long sleeve shirts
1 fleece pullover
1 rain jacket, Goretex
1 pair bike shoes: Shimano SH-MT70
2 pair running socks
water-proof booties
long-johns: sent home in Alberta
tuque
Sandals
wool socks
2 pairs normal socks
2 pairs underwear

Food

On tour I usually have WAY too much food. I mean, I could live on the food I carry for days and days if I wanted to. Why do I do this? A few reasons. I don't like knowing that I don't have any food on me. Some people cycle without any and buy at their first opportunity. I feel safer knowing I could live for a while on my supplies if need be. Also, I like variety so I carry a wide assortment of snacks and meals. The cost is having to lug around a few kilos of pasta, oatmeal, trailmix, energy bars, etc.

Paul and the Art of Bicycle Maintenance

My buddy Paul was gracious enough to lend me his Friday afternoon and expertise to teach me about bike maintenance. I figure it'll come in handy and according to him, if I remember everything he said, and with the right tools, I'd never need to bring the bike in for another tune up again. I'm not sure I have that much faith in myself, but it's a nice thought.

We went through everything from changing a tire to tuning up the brakes and derailleurs, as well as more than a few of my brother's beers. Hey, it's a team effort! Team Phil!





This is me learning what a pedal is.











Paul, Bike Guru










The happiest day: When I used my Advanced Macro- economics (Romer) and Econo- metric Methods (Johnston, DiNardo) text books as a bike stand. They didn't work well, but it still brought a smile to my face.
(Days till Departure: 32)