Distance over last 5 days: 432 km
Total distance: 432 km
Well now! Look at the stupid thing I've done - forsake a comfy bed and house, regular meals, and the presence of family. All in the pursuit of "expedition". But I'm finding out this can be a lot of fun and a real test of determination.
Naturally there was that lump in the throat that hung around for what may have been a couple of hours after leaving home. As I approached my destination for the day, though, I knew that my hosts would be like a home away from home, and they were!
Day two meandered through Chilliwack and Agassiz before ending at an affordable riverside campground in Hope. Along my way I met several other cyclists. Ron and Coreen, on their blue custom-built tandem bike, caught me snacking on trail mix. We rode together until Rosedale, where the couple treated me to lunch (thanks again you two!). After sharing about their many tandem touring trips across Canada, they gave a word of warning about the steep climb out of Hope that I would be facing on day two. At camp in Hope, I met Nico, an Englishman touring from Vernon to Mexico. It was great to compare experiences, and learn about the jacuzzi waiting for me in Manning Park! I took a side trip to visit the Othello tunnels at the edge of Hope - a great sightseeing trip that I'd recommend to others.
Day three, Hope to Manning Park, was the truest test of my climbing ability with a fully loaded bicycle (coming in at roughly 100 lbs). Most likely the greatest single-day elevation gain of the entire trip, Allison Pass is roughly 1300 m above Hope. The route swung past Hope slide, the site of a large landslide in 1965. A couple of kilometers from the summit, the air took on an alpine quality, and the water infused the air with an ice-cold mist. Snow still covered the ground at the summit, where it was time to throw on a windbreaker for the freezing 8 km decent into Manning resort. It was a testy 70 km, but the jacuzzi helped me relax for the descent into Princeton.
What has been perhaps the most beautiful day of travel yet, cycling to Princeton took me past dramatic cliffs, beautiful ranches, and over a range of ups and downs. So farI slept by the similkameen river, which is unusually high and fast this year (hmmm, I wonder why?).
Now I am writing from my couchsurfing host's place in Osoyoos. I was aided by a strong tailwind, narrowly escaping the rain that I sensed was chasing me all day. My tired legs patiently scaled the final set of hills 20 km out of town, before making the short, famous drop back to the river that offers views which frequent the travel brochures. Now I just need to get enough rest for tomorrow's difficult climb up anarchist mountain.
Total distance: 432 km
Well now! Look at the stupid thing I've done - forsake a comfy bed and house, regular meals, and the presence of family. All in the pursuit of "expedition". But I'm finding out this can be a lot of fun and a real test of determination.
Naturally there was that lump in the throat that hung around for what may have been a couple of hours after leaving home. As I approached my destination for the day, though, I knew that my hosts would be like a home away from home, and they were!
Day two meandered through Chilliwack and Agassiz before ending at an affordable riverside campground in Hope. Along my way I met several other cyclists. Ron and Coreen, on their blue custom-built tandem bike, caught me snacking on trail mix. We rode together until Rosedale, where the couple treated me to lunch (thanks again you two!). After sharing about their many tandem touring trips across Canada, they gave a word of warning about the steep climb out of Hope that I would be facing on day two. At camp in Hope, I met Nico, an Englishman touring from Vernon to Mexico. It was great to compare experiences, and learn about the jacuzzi waiting for me in Manning Park! I took a side trip to visit the Othello tunnels at the edge of Hope - a great sightseeing trip that I'd recommend to others.
Day three, Hope to Manning Park, was the truest test of my climbing ability with a fully loaded bicycle (coming in at roughly 100 lbs). Most likely the greatest single-day elevation gain of the entire trip, Allison Pass is roughly 1300 m above Hope. The route swung past Hope slide, the site of a large landslide in 1965. A couple of kilometers from the summit, the air took on an alpine quality, and the water infused the air with an ice-cold mist. Snow still covered the ground at the summit, where it was time to throw on a windbreaker for the freezing 8 km decent into Manning resort. It was a testy 70 km, but the jacuzzi helped me relax for the descent into Princeton.
What has been perhaps the most beautiful day of travel yet, cycling to Princeton took me past dramatic cliffs, beautiful ranches, and over a range of ups and downs. So farI slept by the similkameen river, which is unusually high and fast this year (hmmm, I wonder why?).
Now I am writing from my couchsurfing host's place in Osoyoos. I was aided by a strong tailwind, narrowly escaping the rain that I sensed was chasing me all day. My tired legs patiently scaled the final set of hills 20 km out of town, before making the short, famous drop back to the river that offers views which frequent the travel brochures. Now I just need to get enough rest for tomorrow's difficult climb up anarchist mountain.
Good luck on your climb!
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