Rocky Mountains Near Cranbrook

Monday 30 May 2011

Day 1, May 30th, Vancouver to Hope (144km)

Port Moody: End of the Pacific
Charles Warner once said “There's no delight in any pilgrimage like the beginning of it.” Today was the start of it. My plans are vague and the route is far from certain but I'm ecstatic. For once, time is of no meaning and each fork in the road opens the door to new possibilities. Let's take the road as it comes and see what Canada has to offer.

Farmland Harrison Mills
Port Moody seemed like the logical place to start. Over 100 years ago, Port Moody was the last stop on the railway. Today it's a sleepy little city sandwiched between the mountains and the inlet. Rocky Point Park is where the Pacific ends and the land begins. A quick dip in the ocean and off I went under cloudy skies.

1906 Kilby General Store
Lougheed highway was flat and fast. A modest tail wind and fresh asphalt made the first 55km from Port Moody to Mission a breeze. After 90km, I was ecstatic to see the sign for Harrison Mills. Years ago, I was fortunate enough to get a Co-op job at the FVRD and spent the summer out here. A quick detour to the 1906 Kilby General Store revealed nothing had changed. It was like a time warp. Exactly how I remembered it from 13 years ago.

After climbing Mount Woodside and zooming into Agassiz for lunch, I quickly finished the final 40km into Hope on tired legs. Unfortunately, the library was closed but I was able to leach power for my netbook from a plug outside the building. Tonight I'm camped at Tetle Yet Campsite in Hope along the windy Fraser River.

Swollen Fraser River Near Hope
Tomorrow, B.C.'s coastal mountains should challenge tired legs. The folks in Hope say there's still snow at the summit of Allison Pass in Manning Park.  From Hope, it's almost 50km to the summit.  I'm not too sure whether I'm going to high altitude camp or make a go at Princeton tomorrow.  Hills are the devil's work but a deal with the devil is the quickest way to get in shape.

Sandpiper Golf Course Harrison Mills
Distance: 144km
Average Speed: 22.1km/h
Maximum Speed 62.5km
Time: 6:31
Odometer: 144km

8 comments:

  1. GOOOO Mark!!!! GO!!!! TJ

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  2. Good to see you're keeping a blog for this!

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  3. Joanna Pedersen30 May 2011 at 19:47

    Looking forward to following along!

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  4. Go Zipfy go! Don't get distracted by 'em cowgirls :)

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  5. "For once, time is of no meaning and each fork in the road opens the door to new possibilities. Let's take the road as it comes and see what Canada has to offer.." :)

    I will come check on you everyday Mark :)

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  6. You're like his mom Sike...

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  7. Thanks everyone. Si-ke, those bells must have kept the bears away today. It was kind of scary when that mother bear looked me straight in the eye.

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  8. Haha... sure! How about swinging down to Florida and riding across Texas.

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