"famous frances"

Greetings from Powell River, BC-

Dave and I packed up our soaking tent at 5:30 this morning and left our otherwise (for the pouring rain) beautiful, majestic treed campsite and made a 20mile dash for our 8:10 ferry. We arrived at the ticket station just to hear our boat's departing horn (which means it was already pulling out of dock). So we're waiting out the next 4 hours in a cafe until the next big boat leaves for Comox. If the weather stays dry- they're calling for sun- we'll attempt to ride another 50 miles to this evening's campsite.

This is our third day of riding and we've been having a blast. Okay, time is limited but here's a quick recap:

Day 1- we rode out of the city along the seaside bike bath. Despite threats of rain, clouds parted and a beam of sunshine followed us the entire day. We meandered past commercial loading docks, lush green parks, and the most unbelievable glass high-rise buildings. I've never seen so much glass - really impressive. Turning north, we made our way through the bucolic Stanley park- great views of the city skyline, horse-drawn carriages, and totem poles. We crossed an enormous steel bridge out of the park, on to North Vancouver, made a lot of turns, got a bit lost, and ended up on a long stretch of road winding through hills, along the coast. Dave thought it was the San Marin County of BC- big houses, fancy cars; Dave almost t-boned a Rolls-Royce(?). All around, a great ride to our first ferry at Horseshoe Bay. - Oh yeah, I saw my first black squirrel- jet black. I almost ran over him.

Day 2 was a burly day with intermittent rain showers and a lot of hill climbing. We stopped at a roadside grill and put down some disgustingly delicious burgers, fries, rootbeer, and heaping icecream cones. It seems we're burning calories faster than they can be replaced. We ended the day with another ferry ride to Saltery Bay (south of Powell River). By the time we were off the ferry, the rain was coming down, and we had to set camp in unfavorable conditions. Under a dripping tarp we prepared dinner- avocado, tomato sandwiches, two cans of tuna, and a family-sized box of Annie's mac and cheese. It could of been Mom's tuna casserole; Amazing how good everything tastes after a day of riding, even in the rain.
It rained through the night; my tent couldn't handle it. Water seeped in through the bottom seams, forming small puddles on the floor, and the ceiling dripped through the night. Without bothering to change clothes from a sweaty day of riding, we crawled in our sacks and hoped to fall asleep before we noticed how wet we were about to get.

Stay tuned.

And...they're off!!!!

Jeremy and I touched down safely in Vancouver on Monday night brimming with excitement and running on no sleep. After a couple flight delays for Jeremy, he finally landed a full 5 hours after me. While waiting, I got to enjoy various views of the Vancouver airport, sleep a few cat naps, almost finish my book, eat a shitty sandwich, and listen to almost my whole Ipod. Once he touched down we quickly got comfortable with our neighborhood and the Cassandra hotel just outside the city center.

We figured out, as we slurped down bowls of Pho, that neither of us had any idea about Vancouver. We'd spent so much time looking into the U.S. part of the route that we failed to really research the Canadian portion. Vancouver, as it happens, is a truly special and thriving Canadian hot spot and its been a blast to check out the city. I have my sights set to return here after my bank account heals from this trip (if it ever will. B.C. is expensive). Despite a rainy rainy forecast for the duration of our Canadian leg we're pumped none the less to explore British Colombia. Coming here is a reminder of how much for granted we take our friendly neighbors to the north.

Tomorrow we head out for North Vancouver and Roberts Creek provincial park with an 80% chance of rain. Wish us luck!!

cheers,

David

It's a mule.

Fully loaded and ready to go- my dress rehearsal ride through the scenic Champlain valley had me thinking, "damn, my bike is heavy; I'm glad I didn't try to tackle any hills today.".... and that's exactly what we'll be doing a few days into our ride- tackling hills... I mean, the CASCADE MOUNTAINS!!  Even with plenty of room left over in the panniers, I'm seriously thinking of trimming down.  Out with the mountain pie irons, kerosene lantern, texas hold'em set, and terry cloth robe.

Seriously, though.  This mule told me were going to have an incredible journey.  

See you on the western side, Davey.

Packin' Heat!!

Packing the bike in the box wasn't hard..but then again wasn't easy either.  I'm not sure how Jeremy's experience is going to be (seems like he'll have expert help) but mine took me only about two tries before I was comfortable.  It is disconcerting to see the vehicle you'll be relying on for a month on the road in pieces.  Not to mention, knowing how airlines have historically handled things like guitars, doesn't exactly settle the mind either.   After watching a painfully done YouTube video (www.youtube.com/watch/v=P2jCN2nVnNY) about how to pack a bike box, I gave it a shot.  Taking your bike to pieces is easy.  Let's hope that putting it all back together again when we get to Vancouver will be close to the same.  

I went through two boxes trying to fit my large frame into the box.  It still is a stretch being that the fitting for the seat post pokes over the top edge of the box by about 1/4 inch. I suppose I'll have to be generous with the bubble tape.  I feel much better after learning that I can jam my panniers and bed-roll in with the bike.  I am sure they will provide needed padding to insure against airline roughing.  Flying with camping gear requires some creativity.  Naturally, I can't end up with any excess baggage when I arrive, so all of my equipment has to ride in disposable containers.   We'll know more come travel day on Monday.  Wish us luck.

Cheers, 

David

Please Join us.......

Join us as Jeremy and I (David) ride our bikes from Vancouver B.C. to Big Sur, CA throughout the month of September 2008.  As we are able, we'll post pictures and stories from our adventures down the Pacific coast.  You can track our whereabouts and relative havoc we are wreaking on our bodies.  In your own way you can enjoy the ride.  

Cheers, 

David