Today is my last day in British Columbia. Tomorrow I'll continue pedaling south until I cross back into the good 'ol U.S. of A after nearly a week here in BC. I'd highly recommend anyone to see this part of British Columbia. People here have been very friendly. This morning I got up and did my laundry and then went on a search for spare tubes. There are three shops here within walking distance and between all three they only had two tubes in the size I needed but that should get me by. I don't expect to have any other flat tires but you never know. Around 11:00 I took off for the golf course and was cursing my decision to golf when I found out it was straight uphill the entire way there. While that part wasn't fun it was a great course and it was a good way to spend an afternoon.
Last night outside of where I'm staying was an event called Market Fest. It happens four times a summer and they block off Baker Street (which is where everything is) and have a band on each end and all sorts of vendors on each side of the street. It was nuts. There were thousands of people out last night so it was definitely an experience. Here are a few pictures from that.
Here are some photos from golf today:
That was looking down from the green on #10. Pretty spectacular.
Not much for photos. Tomorrow I have a couple big climbs and a bunch of rollers so it will be another challenging day. I thought I'd use the rest of the space to answer some questions I frequently get on the road.
How much does your bike weigh? When it's loaded with gear, probably around 90 pounds. I don't weigh it because that would be depressing. You don't notice the weight when you're going on a flat surface (it's geared differently than an normal bike) but you do when you're starting out and going up hills.
How many times do motorcyclists say, "You know that would be easier if it had a motor on it!"? At least three or four times a day.
What are drivers like? For the vast majority, very good. Some of the drivers in Idaho weren't as courteous but for the most part I've had good luck. The speed limits in Canada on these roads at least are much lower than our highways so that helps.
What do you bring for food? I make some meals ahead of time that just need boiled water to cook and I bring a small camp stove. Otherwise I'll stop at places and eat. I bring a lot of snacks too.
How do you train for something like this? Get a lot of miles in on the bike. Ride a lot of hills and ride significant miles at least once a week with weight on the bike.
Do you get tired of hills? Yes.
How fast do you go? On flat road, around 9-13 mph. Going up hills, probably anywhere between 5-9 mph depending on how steep it is. On downhills, I can hit 35+ mph if it's steep.
Do you get bored riding long distances? In rare cases, yes. But up here that hasn't been the case because everywhere you look there's something incredible to see.
Tomorrow is off to Metailne, Washington. Three more days to ride (two long days and one short one) and then the trek back home!! Until tomorrow...
No comments:
Post a Comment