Day 2, May 31st, Hope to Princeton (139km)

The Coastal Mountains

Allison... I have a cousin named Allison.  From all accounts, she's a sweet girl who loves nature.  My sincerest hope is she's nothing like the Allison I met today, an Allison known as Allison Pass.  From the B.C. Randoneur Club, I knew that the Crowsnest Highway through the Coastal Mountains involves a massive climb through 2 mountain passes before a crazy descent into Princeton.  Online, some bike tourers say this is most difficult climb on the route across Canada.  Many journeys have ended because of the brutal ascent through these mountains.

Junk Cache

Starting in Hope, I quickly made my way to the fork in the road. Today's choice was the Coquihalla Highway to Merrit or the Crowsnest Highway to Princeton.  Both routes involved steep, energy sapping climbs.  My choice today was the Crowsnest Highway.  Just outside of Hope, the Crowsnest Highway begins to climb to the Hope Slide almost 20km away.  Evidence of how brutal the climb is could be found beside the road in the numerous junk cache's left by bikers trying to lighten of their loads.  

The Hope Slide

After a climb of over 600m over almost 20km, I made it to the Hope Slide.  In 1965, an earthquake triggered a slide that literally left a mountain split in half.  Four people were killed in the slide and 3km of the Crowsnest Highway was buried in up to 70m of debris.  Today the remaining debris field is massive.  It's difficult for a picture to put in perspective how big this slide was.

Black Bear About 100m Away

From the Hope Slide, a quick 15km stretch of flat road takes you through the Sunshine Valley.  After cycling through the valley, a brutal 30km ascent to Allison peak begins in earnest at the western edge of Manning Park.  While I took a picture of the entrance sign to the park, a truck pulled up beside me.  Out popped a guy who casually pointed out there was a bear behind me.  Sure enough, 100m in the distance a black bear was checking me out.  He seemed harmless so I ignored it and resumed my trip.

Normal Irishman.

After 5km of climbing, I took a break for a snack and inflated my rear tire because it was slowing me down.  Out of nowhere, 2 Irish guys appeared from below.  The boys from Ireland are here on a 3 month visa and plan to cross the border into the U.S a little down the road.  At first, I thought they were going faster than me so I let them go while I continued with lunch.  After resuming my climb, I caught up to the Irish guys as they took a break beside the road.  The 3 of us continued on together.  It soon became apparent one of them was superhuman and he quickly left me and his buddy well behind.

Allison Pass Summit Behind Me

While the two of us labored up the hill, A mother bear and two cubs appeared 50 feet beside the road staring us straight in the eye.  Needless to say, we were a bit shocked and weren't going to stick around for a picture as we quickly zoomed by.  Today we saw 5 bears and countless deer.  The high snowpack is forcing them down from surrounding mountains to forage for food.  Eventually, 62.5km outside of Hope and averaging 12.5km/h we reached Allison summit at 1342m in just over 5 hours.  At the summit, we found the superhuman Irish guy hanging out in sandals and a jacket having another snack.  He must have been there for half an hour.  After stopping by Manning lodge for a real lunch, we found out the high altitude campsite at Lightning Lake was closed because of snow.  The Irish guys decided to descend 10km to Mule Deer Lake and call it a day.  Near the lodge, I had seen a sign saying Princeton was only 66km away.  It was 2pm, rainy and my legs felt like rubber.  In retrospect, it would have been smart to call it a day.

Hippy Took My Picture

From Allison summit the Crowsnest Highway descends almost 350m over 35km and exits Manning Park. By the side of the road past the exit, I met a hippy in his 50's who mentioned he had ridden from Hope to Princeton when he was 16 years old.  He was a really interesting character and offered to take my picture beside the road.  

1282m Sunday Summit

After a 35km, 350m descent the Crowsnest Highway ascends 290m over 8km to the top of Sunday summit.  I was suffering and out of water.  Inexplicably, I'd forgotten to fill my bottles at the lodge.  It took an hour to ascend to Sunday summit at 1282m.  Sunday summit is just 60m below the height of Allison pass.  On the descent to Princeton, I ran into a torrential downpour that left me chilled to the bone.  The irony of being out of water in the middle of a downpour kept popping out of the back of my mind.  My legs gave out.  Even on the flats I could barely get my bike up to 20km/h.  Drivers on this highway are really friendly.  A lot of them were honking in encouragement.  I guess it was a rather odd sight seeing someone cycling through heavy rain so late in the day.  After 8h:55m of riding time, it was finally over.  There was no way I was going to camp in that downpour so I found a motel in Princeton to dry my clothes.  Tomorrows ride should be a lot easier.  It's going to be downhill.  Downhill for almost 100km.  The legs finally get a break.

Western Gate at Manning Park Before the Climb to Allison Summit

Distance: 139km
Average Speed: 15.5km/h
Maximum Speed: 60.4km/h
Time: 8:55
Odometer 283km

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

Packing List

Bicycle Equipment & Tools

Raleigh Sojourn touring bike

Ortlieb front & rear panniers

Ortlieb handle bar bag

1 Bungee strap for rear rack

2 Water bottles

1 Bike helmet

1 Flashing rear light

4 Zip ties

1 Tire patch kit w. tire levers

1 Chain break tool

1 6/8/10mm wrench set

2 Extra spokes & spoke wrench

1 Allen key set

1 Chain link remover

2 Extra tubes

1 Emergency folding spare tire

Cycling Clothing

3 Cycling shorts

3 Cycling jerseys

1 Long sleeve merino wool
1 Mizuno long sleeve

1 Gortex rain jacket

5 pairs of socks

1 Pair hiking/cycling shoes

1 Biking gloves

Other Clothing

1 Pair of flip flops

Running shorts

2 T-shirts

4 pairs underwear

Long track pants

Lightweight wool sweater.

Camping Gear

1 Drake 0 Deg goose down sleeping bag

1 Therm-a-Rest Prolite Plus sleeping pad

1 Three season 2 person tent

1 Small inflatable pillow (For the princess in me!)

Kitchen

1 Whisperlight International Stove & 1L fuel bottle w. fuel (White gas, kerosene, diesel, gasoline, tequila: it burns anything combustible)

1 Can opener

1 Fork, spoon, knife

1 Light soup pot

1 Frying pan

1 Dish soap

1 Scrubber

Other Items

1 First aid kit

1 30cm mesh bag for air drying hand washed clothing strapped to the rear rack.

1 Sunglasses

1 Bottle of Deet

1 Sunscreen

1 Pack of cold & cough tablets

1 Towel/Washcloth

Toiletries: Nail clipper, tooth brush, toothpaste, floss, deodorant, shampoo/conditioner, soap & soap dish, toilet paper, polysporin.

1 Head lamp

1 Clothesline w. clothes pins

1 Notebook, pen & maps

1 Bike lock

1 Wallet w. cards & ID

 Electronics

1 Battery powered alarm clock
1 Cellphone w. charger

1 I-Pod

1 Samsung N220 netbook w. charger

1 Canon S90 camera w. charger & spare battery

1 USB camera cable

1 8 gig flash drive

General Setup:
Rear Panniers:  Stuffed to the brim with camping equipment and clothing.  The tent rides on top of the back rack in a dry sack anchored with bungee cords.
Front Panniers: Electronic gear and kitchen equipment are stored in these smaller panniers.  Placing heavier items forward helps balance out the bike.
Bar Bag:  Map, camera, bug repellent and other daily necessities.

Notes:
With the exception of the electronic gear and the princess pillow, this is a thin setup.  My plan is to carry 1 to 2 days of food depending on the distance between services.  Bike services are readily available in most cities and towns across Canada.  To keep weight down, I'm not going to bring a chain whip, rear cassette remover and monkey wrench.  Any popped spokes on the cassette side of the rear wheel that require these 3 items for repair will have to be fixed at the next available bike shop.

A few cycle tourers have noted that a stove is not required but I plan to do a lot of camping.  Camping gear is probably half the overall weight.  For those not interested in camping, it's possible to credit card tour Canada from hotel to hotel.  Other options include a website called couchsurfing.org that allows members to crash on the couches of other members. 

Ortlieb Panniers

What kind of panniers should I buy?  10 years ago my buddy J and I backpacked Europe on a prayer and a whim.  We were broke.  So broke that the first hurdle was getting into England without customs officials asking for proof of funds.  Without knowing it, we both ended up buying the exact same red/black MEC Brio 60 liter backpack back in Canada.  J got to London a few days after I arrived.  My first thought when we met under the Statue of Nelson at Trafalgar Square was how did he get my pack?  I guess when it comes to cheap packs, we both had a good eye for bargains.  Needless to say, MEC no longer sells the red/black Brio 60.  Perhaps with good reason.  There's probably a few people in Europe still looking for two hooligans with  red and black backpacks.   

When it comes to panniers for cycle touring, everyone I ask seems to say Ortlieb is the way to go.  At first I was skeptical... than I found out they were made in Germany.  Aware of the brand, I started noticing them everywhere on my training rides through the city.  Following everyone's good advise, I picked up the following:

Ortlieb Bike Packer Classic (Pair)

Ortlieb Bike Packer Classic 40L Pair: Waterproof rear pannier.  "Waterproof" seem to be the key words for any bike pannier on the wet coast.  Hermetical roll closures on this top loading pack were designed to ensure rain and the elements remain outside the pack.  Other features that drew me to it is the patented mounting system that makes loading and unloading the bike easy. The packs include a rear facing reflective patch. and a shoulder strap that allows tourers to easily convert this pack into a day pack on rest days.

Ortlieb Ultimate 5 Bar Bag

Ortlieb Front Roller Classic 25L Pair: These complimentary waterproof packs offer the same features as the Bike Packer Classic in a smaller package.  My plan is to load heavier items such as my cooking stove and netbook into the front to help balance out the weight of the bike. 

Ortlieb Ultimate 5 Classic Bar Bag: Perhaps its overkill but a bar bag seems like a good idea for widgets that need to be accessed on the go.  From camera's to snacks and maps, there's endless uses for this versatile 7L bar bag.

The front and rear panniers plus the bar bag give me a total of 72L of storage space.  Time will tell whether it's an excessive amount of space considering the goal is to travel light.

Buying a Touring Bike

So... what is a touring bike? What sets it apart from regular road bikes and do I really need one?  Last week, over breakfast, my brother told his roomate from France had completed a trip from Vancouver to San Francisco on a $50 bike purchased off Craigslist.  With the exception of a couple of breakdowns, the bike performed better than expected.   The whole trip cost him $700 including the rideshare back to Vancouver.

My budget for a bike is not $50.  Like most people, I'm caught up in an age of technology where the information available on the internet overrides the senses with an endless stream of information.  We become delusional about what we want rather than what we need.  After setting my budget, I finally outfitted myself with a Raleigh Sojourn http://www.raleighusa.com/bikes/steel-road/sojourn-11/.  It's a tank of a bike with elements of simplicity in its design.  It is the simplicity of its mechanical parts that I hope will make repairing it easy on the side of a road.  Some of its main features include:

•  A wider wheel base to smoothen the ride and reduce pedal luggage conflicts.
• Heavy duty 36 spoke CTX Freedom Trekking double wall rims designed to increase load capacity.
• Avid BB5 road rotor brakes for increased stopping power under wet conditions.
• SKS front and rear fenders.
• Brooks B17 aged leather saddle.  Reportedly one of the most comfortable saddles on the market.
• Reynold 520 Butted Cr-Mo w/CNC dropouts frame designed for a softer ride than rigid aluminum frames.
• Bar end shifters that will shift by friction.  

Detractors of this bike have noted that rotor brakes are difficult to fix.  However, the performance benefits offered by rotor brakes in wet conditions make them a logical choice for Vancouver.  At a shade under 35lbs the Raleigh Sojourn is considered heavy.  Heavier by almost 2lbs to 7lbs than other similar touring bikes on the market.