If you have ever thought of cycling across the continent , floating downhill under sunny skies, wafted along by a zephyr at your back - - - dream on !.
Our intrepid cycling correspondents tell it like it really is.
Journal - Sea to Sea
Part One
May 25th - Ladner to Mission
Wonderful sunny day started with Al Hollinger supplying breakfast at Ricky's in Ladner for all of the participants that were hungry. A wonderful Scottish piper kept us all entertained while family and friends said their goodbyes.
At 9am 30 of us put wheels in motion with as many again support riders who cycled with us, some as far as Mission.
Brian Riggs had a fall walking and pulled some muscles in his shoulders - very painful. Marilyn Murphy had a terrible day 8 with flat tires - four in total - and finally ended up buying new tires and tubes. Not to be left out, Renaud Prefontaine decided to keep her company by having a flat tire.
Other than those incidents, we had a beautiful day, arriving in Mission at approx. 1:30 - 3:30.
Dinner was salmon and vegetables with cake and strawberries for dessert.
May 28th - Summit to Merritt
The snow line on the mountains almost reached our campsite at the toll booth. Some people found ice on their tents, but nothing stops us. The cooks of the day got the porridge boiling and after consuming two large pots and with lunches made, we were on our way at 9:30 am. Cold and raining again, it was only one hour before the sun came out and again we were overdressed. We all had a lovely ride to Merritt which on arrival was sunny and WINDY. Great for drying tents and clothes.Sonie rode 30 km after coffee break and seems to be back in tip top shape. Peter had his tire blow out on the 4 km downhill just before the 256 turnoff to Merritt.
Faye and Barton generously supplied the dessert for supper, as well as offering to wash our cycling clothes. What wonderful hosts to have in Merritt.
The trip so far has been challenging, but a wonderful experience with 30 fun-loving people who love to cycle.
Marthe Lambert also reports: I climbed the summit with Louise and the group. We had all kinds of weather - snow, hail, rain - and it was cold, but we all made it and had nice warm cabins. Today the ride to Merritt was great weather and lovely scenery. I had a flat tire 6 km. from the town, and tonight I am profiting from my friends, Faye and Barton.Monday May 29th - Merritt to Kamloops 104kms
Out of bed at 6am and after morning bathroom chores it started again. Eating, packing, personal tents, etc. Camp tent and repacking our truck with our 60 large bags. Ready to roll at 9am. Faye and Barton showed us the way out of Merritt and also rode with us for 30 kms. Thanks again, Faye Wilson and Barton Howes!!
Peter Baron, Ed Baron and Helene rode from Kamloops to Merritt on Sunday to meet us and rode back to Kamloops with us on Monday, showing us the way.
The day was sunny but cool. We had rain clouds on each side of us as we travelled through the Nicola valley. A real beautiful ride along Nicola Lake and Stump Lake. Rolling hills and farm land, finishing the day on cardiac (Cardew) hill, 4 kms in length and the last two very steep!!!
Kamloops TV, CFJC photographed and interviewed some members as we rode and also Ed Ungrin and Shirley Fisher had an interview on Tuesday. Great press in Kamloops. Great people too!! Ed was able to contact a few people and a bus picked everybody up in camp and took them to Kamloops on their day off. Saved us a 10km ride and what a hill!!
As the trip progress, I hear stories that have happened on previous days that have been kept quiet. But as I hear of them, you can be assured, I will share them with you. Back to the Coquihalla, as you know it was very cold. Jack Carson was the last one in and Arnold Smith wanted to help Jack in some way cause he was sleeping in the woodshed. Arnie lit a fire in the rain, to heat up some rocks to warm up Jack's sleeping bag. He used his paniers to carry the rocks over, but they were so hot that they burned a hole n the bottom of the panier! But that didn't stop Arnie, he persisted and Jack DID have a warm sleeping bag for the night. Jack said the rocks were still warm in the morning! As for Arnie, who was also sleeping in the woodshed, his sleeping bag got wet so he searched out a warm cabin and found an empty couch to sleep on.
Our Monday night dinner was catered by Ed and Clarice Ungrin and family. Chili, bread rolls, salad, chips, lemon glazed cake, chocolate macaroons, beer and wine coolers, etc. We all know how the Queen feels now when she travels. Clarice, Ed and family, THANKS A WHOLE BUNCH!! You spoiled us.May 31st - Kamloops to Barrier - 66kms
We had quite a bit of rain on our day off, May 30th, but the sky is nice and clear today as we travel to Barrier. Helene who rode to Merritt with Ed and Peter to meet us and then rode back the next day went to her place of work, made us a cake 3ft by 2ft with mountains, rivers, lakes and cyclists on it. A real work of art. We really apprciated it Helen and still are! THANKS A BUNCH HELENE!!
Anyway, out of the campsite in Kamloops and downhill for about 10kms. Nice way to start out in the morning, across the South Thompson River bridge (Hay 5) and on the Barrier. Nice cycling weather, beautiful scenary but we did have a few flat tires, about 6 in the group. Everybody had refreshing showers, some partook in beer and wine beverages and everyone had lots of laughs.Thursday, June 1st - Barrier to Clearwater - 60kms
Nice weather again 18-20 degrees, white puffy clouds, nice shoulders to ride along the North Thompson. Camped at Dutch Lake Motel righton the lake surrounded by the weeping willow trees. The Clearwater News sent a reported out and interviewed three riders on the highway. He also took pictures of Marthe Lambert, Louise Major and Rejean Audet, what we call the French connection. We camped on Dutch Lake, played German and French music and even danced to New Orleans jazz.
Friday, June 2nd - Clearwater to Blue River - 111 kms
Another lovely day again around 20 degrees with white puffy clouds. A long day but we all made it safely. We saw deer and brown bear cubs along the road as we continued to follow the North Thompson river. A long ride day, anywhere from 6 to 8 hours depending on the fitness of the riders. Nice camp site but we found out it had ticks. Some people found them on them. Only one shower for the whole camp (one for males and one for females), but somehow everything worked out. Early night as most people were tired after such a long day.Saturday, June 3 - Blue River to Valemount - 90kms
Another beautiful day. Very cool in the morning (0 degrees and 5am) not a cloud in the sky, but soon warmed up to about 25 degrees. Nice easy ride, rolling hills and large craggy mountains covered with heaps of snow. The truck stops 30kms from last camp and then lunch is wherever we want to stop, normally beside cool mountain stream. About 30kms from Valemount a CN train derailed at 2am the night before. It was quite a mess. 13 rail cars all over the place and the grain cars split open. It wasn't very long before the bears started to come out of the hills fro a free meal. About 10 kms from Valemount another hill. It seems just when our gas tanks are on empty there is always another hill.
Sunday, June 4th - Valemont to Jasper - 127kms
Spectuacular sunny warm day. Not a cloud in the sky. About 30kms into our trip we were able to see Mount Robson without any cloud cover. It is really a sight to see. Lots of hills to climb along our travels but really beautiful scenary. Lots of sightseeings of bear, moose and elk. With such a long day your energy level gets very low at the end. It is sort of like sucking on a straw of a milkshake when the container is empty. Most riders become members of the "Aching Butt" club today, but we have a day off tomorrow so we have lots of time to recover. We also crossed from BC to Alberta and enetered a new time zone.
Today, because of the distance we had two coffee breaks, one at the usual 30kms and another at 60. Boy were we ever happy to see that Budget truck. It helped everything but our sore butts.Monday, June 5th - Jasper - Rest Day
Time for people to wash clothes, send e-mail, letters and postcards. Really appreciated after yesterday.
Today is a good time to explain how the kitchen duties are shared.The first riders to finish the day put up the tents. One for eating 12'x 24' and a smaller tent for cooking and meal preparation. We have nine cooking crews consisting of three members each. These are picked by a hat draw. Each team cooks the evening meal and breakfast the next morning. They also put out the stuff for lunch and we all make our own lunch. The next morning after breakfast of course, the camp has to be dismantled and packed back into the truck along with approximately 60-70 bags.
Individual dish washing is left up to each member and as a group we all pitch in to clean the cooking dishes. The cooks start cooking at 6am and by 8:30 am we are normally all packed up, having our shoulder massages and exercise session and on our way. Not bad for a bunch of oldies.
From now on I will try to persuade other members to give their views and feelings on how the ride is going for them.
Tuesday - June 6th - Jasper to Columbia Ice Fields
To reach our goal of Wilcox Creek Campground, we had to cycle 107kms and climb from 1000m to 2100m (about 6500 ft). The day started very well with sunshine and puffy white clouds. It was a gradual climb for the first 70kms and then the weather changed with a very strong headwind coming off the Columbia Ice Fields. It never let up for the next 37kms. About 10kms of those was at the last and had a 8% grade. About eight riders had to accept a ride intocamp. The rest took from 7 1/2-10 1/2 hours to complete the ride. We all ate late and were in bed not long after. No dancing that night. The weather was very cold, about 0 degrees at night. A lot of animals sightings, deer, elk, moose and bears.
There was a lot of stories that night, but I was too tired to write them down. The best thing that happened that day is that it DIDN'T rain. The scenary is absolutely spectacular and we were lucky enough to have great weather so we could wee the mountains. It is a route that everyone should travel at least once in a life time.
Wednesday, June 7th - Columbia Ice Fields to Mosquito Creek Campground - 100kms
After having a good night sleep we were quick to get started. Besides, it wasn't very warm - 2-4 degrees. The next stage was over the Sunwapta Pass and then downhill for about 25kms. Nice riding by boy, was it cold. Everyone bundled up for the ride down. A fairly nice day, overcast but no rain. About 50kms out we reached Saskatchewan River Crossing. We all stopped, if nothing else to make use of their toilets and hot water to wash up a bit. Our next leg is up and over the Bow Summit whichis about 2150m from a start of 1450m at the crossing. We passed Bow Lake at the bottom of the Bow Glacier and it was still 75% frozen. It was very cold and at this point we still had another 20kms to go to camp. No doubt about it, it is still winter in the Rockies!!
We all made it and a few accepted a ride in the end so they were able to cook, but we all arrived in one piece. It was not as difficult as the previous day but nothing to be sneezed at. Dinner was great - three different types of chili, mashed potatoes, gravy and lots of it topped off with a beautiful dessert.
Thursday, June 8th - Mosquito Creek to Banff 118kms
A fairly uneventful day. A lot of downhill to Lake Louise and from there half took Highway #1 and the rest took #1A to Banff. Nice wide shoulders to ride on. We saw a black bear and a four year old moose, still with velvet on his horns. It didn't start raining til we got 10kms from Banff. We are staying in a hostel (Tunnel Mountain) tonight. Nice hot showers, washing machines and kitchen facilities. It is sure nie to be clean again. By the way, before we could reach the hostel, we had to ride up a 1 1/2 km hill. Always seems the same, at the end of the day. Never mind, the prairies aren't far off.
Arnie has rejoined us today. His medical problem has improved and he sure is a lot of fun to have along.
Alex lost one of his saddle bags at the hostel. It just disappeared, so as you can imagine, he was quite upset as it contained most of his personal effects and his passport. When sitting down for dinner across from Arnie and discussing the situation, Arnie said - "Oh, there was one turned into the office, a red one." Alex said "that's mine! Why didn't you tell me"? Arnie replied "you didn't ask". Even after this, they are still best friends.
Noreen, our fitness coordinator writes:
After having a "free" day in Jasper on Monday, June 5th, where everyone caught up on laundry, e-mail, telephones, walking rather than riding, we then have three hard days riding and camping.
The ride down the Ice Fields Parkway from Jasper to Banff is magnificient - postcard country at its best. rugged snow capped mountains, rushing rivers, forests and wildlife. It's no wonder people come from all over the world to see this. Of course, most of these people "drive" not bike. This was very hard riding nd we arrived at Wilcox Creek, 107 kms from Jasper absolutely dead. There was a cooking hut and outhouses, but no showers. Very cold night as we just passed the ice fields.
The next day's ride, 104kms to Mosquito Creek was not quite as difficult but the camping facilities were much the same. Beautiful setting along the rushing creek with majestic mountains.
Easier ride to Banff, hills not as long or steep but cold to start and rainy as we came up the long hill to the hostel. First night inside in two weeks!
Our group has been so helpful and supportive and even after a hard day we have lots of laughs and chatter. Our cooking teams have produced amazing meals even after gruelling days. This support and encouragement of each other is what keeps us going. On to Calgary and flatter roads.
go to - Part Two
Back to main journal