Holiday in Cambodia

Last week my cousin Jonathan invited me on a day trip around BC in his plane. We flew from Victoria to Chilliwack to have some brunch pie, then up to Pemberton for lunch. The power was out at the pub by the airstrip though so we left hungry. The return leg of the trip took us over Whistler and Nanaimo, where the pub was open for business. The sketches of Jon's Cessna, the mountains, and the clouds are the best of the trip.

Thanks again, Jonathan!

The next leg of my summer trip was flying to Cambodia via China. My Mom and I left Vancouver at noon Monday morning and landed at Phnom Penh, Cambodia's capitol, around 11 pm last night. The 12 hour flight from Vancouver to Guangzhou, China went relatively quickly. I brought enough books and gadgets to keep myself occupied. Sitting around the Guangzhou airport for five hours was a drag but at least I got to taste ten dollar watermelon juice.

All I've seen so far of Phnom Penh is the back of a tuk-tuk and a grocery store. The view from my balcony is a bit different from Kitchener-Waterloo though.

Day 10, 11 & 12

Getting through the rest of the Kootenays was the best cycling I've done so far. The weather was beautiful, the roads were mostly well-paved, and the scenery shifted frequently from semi-arid plains to temperate forest. I managed to make it from Nelson to Fernie over days 10 and 11 which is the best I've done for distance so far-315 km or so. I definitely felt every climb and bump this morning though. The 50 km up the Crowsnest pass to the Alberta border was a tough slog, especially with a headwind. After crossing the border the winds just got worse too. According to the info booth worker this isn't even that bad. Once a week they get winds up to 100 km/h apparently. Hopefully the wind turns and pushes me all the way to Calgary.

Day 8 & 9 - The Kootenays

Day 8
I set off early from Grand Forks to get through Christina Lake and over Mt. Paulson before the day got too hot. Part way up the mountain the beer I had the night before with my campsite neighbours seemed like a pretty bad idea. My legs were fine but my head didn't want to have anything to do with cycling. Even without a hangover this is becoming the theme of my days though. Now that I've been cycling for a couple weeks (including the warmup on Vancouver Island) physically I could go all day but mentally I totally get bored. I start dreaming about sitting around the house and relaxing or something else similar. So I focus on the clouds, or the trees, or my front wheel until my thoughts quiet down.

I ended up getting to Nelson though, where I'm staying at my friend Mike's place. I took today off to see the town and rest up before the big push to Calgary. I can see why everyone I've met said to stop here. The beaches are great, the town is picturesque, and the Saturday market is tons of fun.

Next stop: Creston.

Day 6 & 7 - Over more mountains through Osoyoos and Midway

Day 6
As I've moved southeast from Merritt the land scape has gotten progressively more arid. Dusty scrub brush pops where tall trees used to be, shade disappears, and the breeze dries your throat. To get to Osoyoos you hit the real extreme of British Columbia desert. There's a huge climb to conquer before you ride down into the valley where the town cradles a narrow lake.

I left early though and the ground was just heating up as I rolled in. After resting at the beach I decided I should do another stretch of cycling to camp at a provincial park near Rock Creek. I had been warned twice that there was a big climb going east on highway 3 but I thought it wouldn't be too bad. Big mistake. It turns out "big" can also mean endless. I kept going up and up but at least some clouds obscured the sun. Switchback after switchback passed behind me; I started taking more and more breaks as the ride went on. Finally I made it over the summit but the sun was setting and I was 15 km away from the site, feeling miserable.

I would have been sitting in a hotel bed, eating local fruit, if I was a smarter person. I finally made it to Johnstone Creek at 10-something exhausted and with little water. A family also staying the night informed me the pump was broken. Awesome.

Day 7
The big ride up the night before meant a big ride down in the morning. I filled up on water and Okanagan cherries and it felt like last night was just a bad dream. After a stop lunch in Midway, which is adorable, I'm off to Grand Forks. I'm pretty sure there isn't a mountain in the way.

Day 3,4 & 5- The Coquihalla, Merritt, and Princeton

Day 3 - Up the Coquihalla

The first stretch of the Yellowhead highway leaving Hope goes up the side of Coquihalla mountain and I was bit nervous for my first mountain pass. I also needed to make it to the meditation centre by 5 pm at the latest. My plan was to stuff myself at dinner so I'd have lots of energy for the ride. Cycling is great for gluttons.

I set off at 5:30 am and the climb started immediately. Only a slight grade but enough to notice it's not flat. 50 km on the real mountain pass starts and the grade keeps increasing up 8.5% for the final 5 km section. I went up and up, waiting for the horrendous part to start. I imagined  my leg muscles screaming, my knees being ripped to shreds. Instead I came around a bend and the road leveled out. There was a big sign beside the highway: "Coquihalla Summit - 1244 m". My first climb was no problem at all. The last 30 km I serenely coasted down.

I heard later that the long, gradual climb was designed for transport trucks and that some other mountain passes will be more of a challenge.

Day 4 - Merritt

Continuing up the Yellowhead highway to Merritt was an easy ride. Perfect for a Sunday morning.

After Merritt I got my first flat when a piece of metal wire found its way into my front tube. The sunny day didn't seem quite so nice while I was changing  the tube with trucks cruising by. At this point I was on the 97c going to Kelowna. But as the road started going up into the next set of mountains there was a sign prohibiting any vehicles that couldn't go at least 60 km/h from continuing. I thought long and hard about how I would convince a cop I had missed a sign posted at eye level 2 ft from the road if one happen to stop me. I decided I couldn't pull it off and headed off to Princeton down the 5a.

Kelowna probably sucks anyway.

Day 5 - Princeton

Heading towards Princeton turned out to be a great idea. The ride was mostly downhill, including a 3 km stretch of 7% grade that made my eyes water it was so exhilarating, and the weather got sunnier the further south I went. The guy at the cafe said that they didn't even get the storm that drenched me last night (Silver lining: the bike is clean again). The ranchlands and rivers made it the prettiest part of the interior I've seen so far.

Princeton is a nice, little town. The highlight was definitely meeting a couple of fellow cyclists doing the exact route I am but the other way. Apparently the whole ride on highway 3 into Alberta is just grand.

Next stop: the desert.

Day 2 - Harrison Hot Springs

I've made it to Harrison Hot Springs. The ride out of Vancouver yesterday was nice and flat on Highway 7. I out waited the rain in the morning and only had a few light showers before I stopped at "The Campground." Very creative! That was about 100 km away from North Van, a bit east of Mission. Rainclouds hung around the mountain the whole way for eerie views, especially when traffic thinned out.

I enjoyed a quick dip in the thermal pool, now it's time for lunch and a quick ride to Hope where I'll stop for the night. Tomorrow I'm heading up the Coquihalla highway to a 10 day meditation course near Merritt. I'm pretty sure using a computer--or doing much of anything--isn't allowed so this is it until July 7th or 8th.

Inaugural Post

"You should post updates about your trip online," my cousin Brian says, grinning, "So we can follow along on your adventures."

We were working our way through a long goodbye as I finished packing my bags. I had wanted to do just what he suggested but I lacked some spark to start writing. A week has passed and that seed of interest, of obligation to my audience of one, is now driving my fingers across the keyboard. I'll be posting stories and pictures of my trip away from Southern Ontario and into the wilds of Western Canada as often as an internet connection and my fingers will allow.

We're already partway through the story though. I left Ontario the morning of May 20th with my friend Ashley. She was headed to a ranch in the Rockies to work for the summer and needed someone to keep her sane on the drive out West. Four days and 4000-or-so kilometers later we had made it through storms, rolling plains, curious antelope, decked-out pharmacies, and mountains to Vancouver. Ashley and I parted ways and I needed my own transportation: I was in the market for a sexy bicycle. I spent ten days in Vancouver finding a steed and camping gear before heading to Vancouver Island for a two and a half week, trial-by-fire introduction to cycle touring. It went smoothly; lots of relatives were happy to show me a good time. I rarely was rained on, even. That's a big improvement from my memories of living in Port Alberni as a child.

Now I'm sitting in North Vancouver on Dave and Julie's fold-out couch dreaming of tomorrow's ride out of Vancouver and into the Rockie Mountains.

Wish me luck Brian!