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rest in Calgary
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Dear All:
First, since I've had a request, a log of the places we've been and stopped on the first week and a bit of our cross Canada cycling tour:
So far it's been all Trans-Canada Highway 1.
May 5 left Port Coquitlam to a rest stop someplace between Agassiz & Hope
May 6 to a rest stop just short of Lytton
May 7 to Cache Creek and a hotel room with hot showers and warm beds. The hotel manager made no secret of the fact that she preferred having Hell's Angels as guests rather than cyclists but she rented us the room anyway.
May 8 about 120Km, The first 90 had a lot of climbing to Kamloops and we took some great film of the area on the way in. Next 30 Km of mostly down hill and flats c/w a tail wind. We stopped at the end of the divided highway east of Kamloops and waited for Doug's friends who came and picked us up and took us to their place about 30 Km shy of Salmon Arm where we were given a barbeque supper, an evening around the campfire, showers and a warm place to sleep.
May 9 A late start saw us get only as far as a view point overlooking the lake just short of Sicamous. In practicle terms we were really in Sicamous because the next morning we hopped on the bikes and coasted the 7 K's into town. At breakfast we talked to a fellow about a cyclist he had known from Italy. It had been his dream to cycle across Canada and he finally made a start. A little more than a week into the trip he had been killed and eaten by a bear. That was it. That was the whole story. Not really inspirational for a couple of guys cycling into the Selkirks and Rockies - bear country.
May 10 Through Revelstoke and up the first 25 Km's of the climb to Roger's Pass. We spent the night in a closed picnic area by a river. Really a beautiful spot with good facilities although being off-season the wash house was locked. Doug took a bath in the glacier-fed river; foolish boy.
May 11 Our longest day so far. 45 more Km's up to the summit of Roger's Pass in the Selkirk range, the highest point on the Trans-Canada took 3:45 Hrs We took a break and drank the Tusker beer that I had brought down from Mt Kilimanjaro. The next 80 K's took just a little over 4 hrs and had some crazy down hill runs and the scariest and (possibly) stupidest thing I've done in my life. We went into a tunnel on a steep down-hill and about 100yrds into it it was completely black. I couldn't see the road or the wall of the tunnel, just a small square of light at the far end. I aimed for it and held on. Then I heard the truck. The transport was flying down the hill behind me and I heard him enter the tunnel. I had to get over and couldn't see the wall but I had to try for it anyway. I swung right and felt gravel under the tires straightened out just as the transport flew passed at about 120KpH. I heard and felt him pass but didn't see him as he was running without lights. Doug was ahead of me and pedalling like a madman. He cleared the tunnel about a second and a half in front of the truck and then swung over to the shoulder. It was all very close. I count this as my first near-death experience. Unfortunately we didn't get any of it on film.
We cycled into Golden, took a room and ordered pizza and beer.
May 12 Left Golden late. We passed through our first time zone someplace yesterday though I didn't see the sign. Right out of town there was a road block. We were told that there had been a rock slide about 10Km up the road and that it would take about an hour to clear it. We chatted with the flagger and persuader her to let us through so we could get a jump on traffic by riding up to the next check point. At the next check point we were held up and told "an hour." After an hour an 'white hardhat' came passed and said, "an hour and a half." We talked our way through to the next check point and then to the one after that. Finally, after about 2 1/2 hrs, we had covered the 10 Kms to get up to the slide. I was so disappointed. The slide consisted of a few dozen rocks strewn across the road for about 30 feet. A car couldn't get through but it would be easy for a bicycle or motorcycle. About 30 people were standing around preventing traffic from proceeding. We were told, "an hour." By 3:PM we'd used all of our patience. We ran the blockade. We grabbed our bikes and just started walking through the slide area. Two 'white hardhats' just turned their heads and walked away, One yelled at us to stop. We didn't break stride and were through it in 30 seconds. On the far side of the slide we found about 5 miles of parked traffic. Some folks had been there for over 6 hours being told, "An hour, an hour." We started riding passed yelling things like, "They're lying", "Abandon hope", "Turn back now" and "You're here for the night." Having lost 4 hours to a hazard that we walked across on 30 seconds our plan to make Lake Louise, Alberta had to be abandon so we spent the night in Field, B.C. We had a really good time talking, drinking and laughing with about a dozen people who had been trapped by the slide and decided to just call it an unscheduled vacation day. We camped behind the only gas station in town.
May 13 We awoke to a heavy frost. No surprize really since some of the waterfalls that feed the Kicking Horse River we camped beside are still frozen. We started up 'Field Hill' the last real climb through the Rockies before the long slopes down the Eastern Face to the prairies. About 1 Km from the top Rob Lunney and his daughter Kate came passed in their van so (having no pride) we through our bikes in and caught a ride all the way to Calgary where we were treated to food, wine, good music and good company. I feel vaguely as though we cheated but I won't tell anyone if you don't. It was mostly down hill anyway.
And that's the story so far. We're hanging out in Calgary for the day and will start out again on Monday. I hope this helps for people who want to stick pins in a map. And a special message for those of you with Voodoo dolls, "You can pull some of the pins out of my ass now. I'm sore enough on my own."
Keep those cards and letters coming. I love every one of them. It's a little harder to get to an e-mail service on this trip than on the last so I may be a bit slow in responding but I will write back.
Love to all, Brent
Dear All:
First, since I've had a request, a log of the places we've been and stopped on the first week and a bit of our cross Canada cycling tour:
So far it's been all Trans-Canada Highway 1.
May 5 left Port Coquitlam to a rest stop someplace between Agassiz & Hope
May 6 to a rest stop just short of Lytton
May 7 to Cache Creek and a hotel room with hot showers and warm beds. The hotel manager made no secret of the fact that she preferred having Hell's Angels as guests rather than cyclists but she rented us the room anyway.
May 8 about 120Km, The first 90 had a lot of climbing to Kamloops and we took some great film of the area on the way in. Next 30 Km of mostly down hill and flats c/w a tail wind. We stopped at the end of the divided highway east of Kamloops and waited for Doug's friends who came and picked us up and took us to their place about 30 Km shy of Salmon Arm where we were given a barbeque supper, an evening around the campfire, showers and a warm place to sleep.
May 9 A late start saw us get only as far as a view point overlooking the lake just short of Sicamous. In practicle terms we were really in Sicamous because the next morning we hopped on the bikes and coasted the 7 K's into town. At breakfast we talked to a fellow about a cyclist he had known from Italy. It had been his dream to cycle across Canada and he finally made a start. A little more than a week into the trip he had been killed and eaten by a bear. That was it. That was the whole story. Not really inspirational for a couple of guys cycling into the Selkirks and Rockies - bear country.
May 10 Through Revelstoke and up the first 25 Km's of the climb to Roger's Pass. We spent the night in a closed picnic area by a river. Really a beautiful spot with good facilities although being off-season the wash house was locked. Doug took a bath in the glacier-fed river; foolish boy.
May 11 Our longest day so far. 45 more Km's up to the summit of Roger's Pass in the Selkirk range, the highest point on the Trans-Canada took 3:45 Hrs We took a break and drank the Tusker beer that I had brought down from Mt Kilimanjaro. The next 80 K's took just a little over 4 hrs and had some crazy down hill runs and the scariest and (possibly) stupidest thing I've done in my life. We went into a tunnel on a steep down-hill and about 100yrds into it it was completely black. I couldn't see the road or the wall of the tunnel, just a small square of light at the far end. I aimed for it and held on. Then I heard the truck. The transport was flying down the hill behind me and I heard him enter the tunnel. I had to get over and couldn't see the wall but I had to try for it anyway. I swung right and felt gravel under the tires straightened out just as the transport flew passed at about 120KpH. I heard and felt him pass but didn't see him as he was running without lights. Doug was ahead of me and pedalling like a madman. He cleared the tunnel about a second and a half in front of the truck and then swung over to the shoulder. It was all very close. I count this as my first near-death experience. Unfortunately we didn't get any of it on film.
We cycled into Golden, took a room and ordered pizza and beer.
May 12 Left Golden late. We passed through our first time zone someplace yesterday though I didn't see the sign. Right out of town there was a road block. We were told that there had been a rock slide about 10Km up the road and that it would take about an hour to clear it. We chatted with the flagger and persuader her to let us through so we could get a jump on traffic by riding up to the next check point. At the next check point we were held up and told "an hour." After an hour an 'white hardhat' came passed and said, "an hour and a half." We talked our way through to the next check point and then to the one after that. Finally, after about 2 1/2 hrs, we had covered the 10 Kms to get up to the slide. I was so disappointed. The slide consisted of a few dozen rocks strewn across the road for about 30 feet. A car couldn't get through but it would be easy for a bicycle or motorcycle. About 30 people were standing around preventing traffic from proceeding. We were told, "an hour." By 3:PM we'd used all of our patience. We ran the blockade. We grabbed our bikes and just started walking through the slide area. Two 'white hardhats' just turned their heads and walked away, One yelled at us to stop. We didn't break stride and were through it in 30 seconds. On the far side of the slide we found about 5 miles of parked traffic. Some folks had been there for over 6 hours being told, "An hour, an hour." We started riding passed yelling things like, "They're lying", "Abandon hope", "Turn back now" and "You're here for the night." Having lost 4 hours to a hazard that we walked across on 30 seconds our plan to make Lake Louise, Alberta had to be abandon so we spent the night in Field, B.C. We had a really good time talking, drinking and laughing with about a dozen people who had been trapped by the slide and decided to just call it an unscheduled vacation day. We camped behind the only gas station in town.
May 13 We awoke to a heavy frost. No surprize really since some of the waterfalls that feed the Kicking Horse River we camped beside are still frozen. We started up 'Field Hill' the last real climb through the Rockies before the long slopes down the Eastern Face to the prairies. About 1 Km from the top Rob Lunney and his daughter Kate came passed in their van so (having no pride) we through our bikes in and caught a ride all the way to Calgary where we were treated to food, wine, good music and good company. I feel vaguely as though we cheated but I won't tell anyone if you don't. It was mostly down hill anyway.
And that's the story so far. We're hanging out in Calgary for the day and will start out again on Monday. I hope this helps for people who want to stick pins in a map. And a special message for those of you with Voodoo dolls, "You can pull some of the pins out of my ass now. I'm sore enough on my own."
Keep those cards and letters coming. I love every one of them. It's a little harder to get to an e-mail service on this trip than on the last so I may be a bit slow in responding but I will write back.
Love to all, Brent
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