Cycle Touring - The Galloping Goose Trail, Shawnigan Lake and the Kinsol Trestle

Greetings readers.  Yes, I am still alive.  It has been a long time since my last blog post and it seems I've already forgotten how to write.  I have no excuses other than living a busy life with different and new interests.  I am sure many of you will be surprised to receive a notification of a new blog post from me and many will not even remember that you have subscribed to my blog.  Here's to everyone reading this that have kept up on their cycling adventures and keeping your dreams alive and to those that have made their dreams come true.  I know some of you have made that trek across the country, have achieved numerous bike tours, have taken on an overnight cycling and camping trips, and/or have finally jumped in and purchased that new bike.  Cheers!

In the meantime, please enjoy this video I created from footage from my last cycle tour in August of 2014.  Hopefully the video speaks for itself so I no longer have to write all about it.

---> Click Here to Watch Youtube Video <---

And for those whom have kept in touch with me and have lost touch with directly and indirectly through this blog, and you probably know who you are,..  yes, I do miss the times we've had.  Here's to friendships made.  !

Cycle Touring - Squamish British Columbia

I must start off by being honest in saying that the title of this post should have been Whistler, BC rather than Squamish.  Now you may already have an idea on how this trip had ended even before continuing on to read.  But for those who want to continue on reading, here's the story...


Day 0, Thursday July 25

The days leading up to this bike trip has not been my typical over-preparation and over-planning like the good boy scout I usually try to be.  In fact, it wasn't until the very last minute that I was able to secure a place to stay in our intended destination!  There were a lot of distractions with work, life and daily grind.  I would have liked to be more prepared for this trip, but be it as it may, we were going no matter what.

Thursday evening was the time for packing as the following Friday at the crack of dawn we would be on the road.  I will be going on this trip with my usual cycling buddy Matt who has also had a week full of distractions., so neither of us are quite 100% prepared.
A few new equipment and gear I will be taking with me on this trip to test out for the first time.  A new lightweight sleeping bag, a new air mattress, new HD action video camera and most importantly, a new bike!  Well, not a new-new bike but a new-to-me bike, a bike that I had just built from frame up using an early 90's Tange cromoly double butted frame - yes, a steel bicycle! The bike weighed in at a piggish 32lbs including racks and fenders and everything durable and made to last. This will now be my dedicated touring bike as it is the one I have full confidence with not to break down in the middle of nowhere.

Newly built bike on it's first major bike camping trip

My packing was rushed!  I even forgot to bring a pair of pants.  Can you imagine forgetting pants??  Although the weather forecast was nice all weekend, it does tend to get cold overnight where a pair of pants would have helped warm me up a little.  Oh, and before I continue on, here's a dumbass move I decided to do.  I thought it would be a great practice to carry heavier than what I would normally carry on a trip like this, thinking to myself that the weight I will be carrying on future longer rides will be much heavier than this, so I packed up my trailer with things I would never use! A heavy U-lock and chain, unnecessary tools, extra shoes, more water etc.  This was a mistake made due to over-confidence.  A lesson that will be learned greatly.
So, stress levels were a little high when we found out that most, if not all, campgrounds around Whistler was fully booked for the Friday night.  It was almost midnight and we leave in 6 hours and I've yet to find a place for us to stay.  I was ready to accept this as stealth camping is always an option.. something I had always wanted to do.  Stealth camping is basically setting up camp somewhere in the bushes where no one can see us.  There is also the choice of knocking on people's doors and ask if we could set up tents in their backyards.  As a final resort before I went to bed, I posted a somewhat of a plea on my Facebook page asking if anyone knew anyone in Whistler that can offer us a patch of grass in their front lawn or backyards so that we could set up tents and be gone by following morning.  Surprisingly enough, a few minutes later, I get a private message from one of my friends.  They had a friend that was offering us a place to stay in Whistler! Woohoo! Crisis averted!  It's a wonderful thing to have such amazing friends backing you up.
2am I fall asleep. It will be in 3hrs that I will be waking up so that we can get on the road as early as possible.  3hrs of sleep will not be enough.  Lesson learned once again.


Day 1, Friday July 26

5am.  I'm wide awake.  Feeling energized and no signs of any lack of sleep.  I have 1 hard boiled egg and 1 piece of toast for breakfast.  Will this be enough until lunch time?  We shall find out.
Matt arrives a little later than planned.  After last minute checking and packing of gear we are off at exactly 7am.  We were both quite excited at this point.

Myself and Matt ready to ride

A chilly morning ride. Our legs and lungs will not be tested until we cross over onto the North Shore.  It should be a great warmup ride.  Our first challenge came upon the fork on Main St / Cotton Drive in North Vancouver where the road splits into Lower Level Rd and 3rd St.  If one split is called 'Lower' level, then you can guess what 3rd Street is.  Yup, a fairly decent incline.  Something I was set on avoiding by taking Lower Level Road.  Unfortunately, as we enter Lower Level Rd., signs saying 'construction ahead, no cycling allowed'. Argh!  We had no choice. We had to go up 3rd St.  Oh well...  we may as well get this over with as there will be plenty more where that came from...  much much more!
The rest of the ride all the way to Horseshoe Bay was quite tame as expected.  Only the short blip on Capilano Road to get up to the Trans-Canada Highway was the next early challenge.  However, as soon as 9am hit, I get a call from one of my clients saying they're having server problems and no one is able to get in.  Aarrrgh!  Remember, this is a Friday and it's still a work day and I'm supposed to be working!  Worry set in at this point and I'm thinking to myself, 'Am I going to have to bail on this bike trip??  It's a server problem and that's pretty critical and I can't just push that off until I get back!'  After making a few phone calls from the side of the highway, luckily I was able to walk the clients through on doing a full system reboot. The reboot fixed the problems and continue on we go!  Yes! another crisis averted!  However, this bike ride seem to have been filled with 'negative' energy so far.  Still, all smiles here!
Ahh, the Sea-to-Sky highway...  most locals know this to be a beautiful and very scenic highway.  It is what connects Vancouver and Whistler.  A lot of improvements have been made to this highway since our Winter Olympics in 2010 and it shows greatly as it now has wide shoulders for the cyclists to ride on.  But there are still some areas where the shoulder seem to disappear and it gets pretty sketchy.  For the most part, it is still a nice and safe highway for bicycles to ride on.  Unfortunately, with the beauty comes the dreaded hills.  Huge hills and some go on and on for kilometres at a time.  This is what lead to my downfall., the damn hills.  To those of you who are reading this that have followed my previous blogs, you may remember that I have had some injuries that I've been taking care of for now nearly a year.  Rehabilitation on these injuries have been going so well and progress has been excellent!  I thought I was ready.  I thought I was in the best condition that I can be to take on this challenge.  Unfortunately I was wrong and evidently, this bike trip has come too soon and a bit too ambitious.

taking a break on the side of the highway

As we tackled all the hills in front of us, my hip and knee pains started to come back.  My quads started cramping up to the point where my legs would fully lock up.  This kept on going throughout the ride and we still have a long ways to go.  I was not tired. But my legs are constantly locking up, there is nothing more to do but stop, wait until the muscles release, then try again.  But the hills kept coming and there are more to come.

It was hot.  But the scenery was gorgeous!

Nearing the Brittania Beach Mining Museum, a large hill faced us.  This was at the peak of the afternoon where the heat was at it's highest point.  This hill destroyed me.  I had to get off my bike a few meters at a time just to ease the pain from my quads locking up.  I was wishing this would be the last big hill before Squamish.  Was I ever wrong.  As we got over this hill, we reached the Mining Museum where a nice long break was taken.  I have also been having stomach pains by this time so the public restroom was a very welcomed stop.  It is around 2:30pm now and we still had not had our lunch.  It's funny, while suffering during a bike ride, you never find yourself getting hungry.  You have this mindset that you just have to keep going.  The whole goal was to reach Squamish, have our lunch, and then continue on to Whistler.  This may have been a terrible plan now that I look back on it.
Immediately after leaving Britannia Beach, one of the biggest climbs I've seen hit us.  It was a long ride up to Squamish.  My legs were gone.  There was no second wind I've been hoping for.  I am ashamed to admit that I needed to get off my bike and push my way partly up this hill.  This is where I decided that I was not gonna make it to Whistler this day.
Finally, Squamish.  Time to reassess the day.  As much as all the difficulties that I/we have had so far, the scenery was amazing.  Through all the pain I was having, there was never a time where I would not look up and enjoy the surrounding trees, ocean and rocky mountain sides.  I have driven my car on this highway many times before, but inside a car you miss so much of the outside world and it passes you along without notice.  Riding your bicycle through this at 12km/h is the perfect speed to enjoy the beauty that is given to you.  You hear the birds singing, the waterfalls coming down the mountainsides, you see hawks and eagles soaring above you,.  even the roar of the metallic trucks that whiz past you becomes somewhat musical.  I am still enjoying myself despite the hardships.

Did I mention the scenery was gorgeous?

It is about 3:30pm, there is still plenty of daylight to make Whistler.  Here I am considering maybe I can continue on after a nice meal.  A very welcoming Golden Arches awaits us.  This has become a godsend stop on tours such as this..  $1 dollar large drinks all summer and plenty of water and ice to fill our bottles, a place to wash up and gorge food that is bad yet so good on a day like today.  Just perfect to try and get my salt content back which I have lost so much of.  Maybe I can make it after all.
.
Maybe not.
After sitting on a nice comfortable chair for 30 minutes, getting up became a shock.  My hip joint and groin has become so inflamed that it was very painful just to walk let alone get back on the bike.  Uh oh, not good.  This was it., this is my end.  I apologize to my friend Matt who I'm sure would have been able to keep going without me holding him back.  I had to make alternate plans.  I had to find a campsite for the night.  Off we go to the nearest information station to look for campsites.  And while there, I would ask what the remaining 50km ride to Whistler was like to see if it was attainable.  The girl at the Info booth, who was a knowledgeable cyclist herself, tells me that from here it gets even tougher.  There is still another 50kms and 2200 feet of climbing to do before arriving in Whistler.  Well, that settles it, there is no way I can make it.  Even Matt decided it was too much to keep going.  The girl gave us directions to a campsite and we were off.  The ride to the campsite was one of the nicest bike rides we've had this day.  It was through a long bike path away from the main roads, sheltered from the sun under trees, AND it was all flat.  I had no idea this bike trail existed until now.  Arriving in camp, we took our time in setting up our tents. There was still a lot left of the day.  Plenty of time to ride around and enjoy the remaining day without any punishment in attempting more hills to climb.  We paid for and setup camp and waited until we were both hungry again for dinner.  I had called my friends who had offered us a place to stay in Whistler telling them that we will not be able to make it there tonight.  Thank you soo so much guys for the offer, too bad we couldn't make it.  You guys rock!

much in pain arriving at our campsite

Our humble little spot for the night in Squamish

The rest of the daylight during the evening passed quickly.  We headed into town for a quick dinner and we were back in our campground before dark.  This became a time of assessment for tomorrow's ride.  It will all depend on how I feel when I wake up.  At this moment, I am finding it nearly impossible to tackle any more damn hills.  Sleep came fast.


Day 2, Saturday July 27

It got quite cold overnight.  I could have used those pants that I forgot to bring. sigh.  4am hits and nature came calling.  I did not want to get up!  But I couldn't hold it much longer.  I got out of my tent to walk over to the porta-potties.  I quickly found out that my hip and quads were burning and extremely tight. It was quite difficult to walk.  This would answer my questions of whether I can ride today or not.  I got back in my tent trying desperately to get back to sleep but I couldn't. No matter how tired I was, my body seems to still be pumping of adrenaline.  It took another 2hrs before I zonked back to sleep.  1hr later it was time to get up.

Morning view of my Mayacycle bike trailer from inside my tent

It was at this moment when I had decided that I would take the bus home.  I left it open for Matt to decide whether to take the bus home with me or to ride home alone.  I am glad that he chose to ride home as that's what I would have done if the situations were reversed.  We packed up our gear, had a quick breakfast from leftover dinner and off we went to the bus depot.  The ride was cool and crisp and I wasn't feeling too much pain in the hip.  I was tempted to try and ride home, but I knew deep inside that the first hill we tackle that my legs would soon give up.  So those thoughts of trying to ride quickly went away.  The station was still closed at this time and the bus will not be leaving until about 9:15.  We decided that this is where we would part.  Matt will head off while I wait for the bus for another hour or so.  Thanks Matt, my apologies for having held you back and not being able to ride home with you.
Waiting at the Greyhound station had me thinking of a lot of things.  Feeling discouraged and defeated I can only question myself if I was built for this kind of stuff.  If I had it in me to be able to travel long distances with a fully loaded bike and do it day after day after day.  I was never really tired during the ride and I was never having to breathe hard.  This showed that my conditioning is where it should be but no matter how fit I was, if the legs are locking up and the hip is in so much pain, there is no other option but to stop.  It's extremely frustrating and discouraging.
The bus finally arrive and they were able to put my bike and trailer in the luggage compartment with plenty of room to spare.

The bike and trailer fit nicely in the bus luggage compartment with plenty of room to spare.

This was the final leg of my journey.  I may as well enjoy the bus ride home as much as I can.  It was still a beautiful and scenic drive.  Looking at the big hills we were climbing from the bus' point of view, it was clear to me that I had made the right decision.  There was no way I could have ridden back. This was later confirmed by Matt that the ride back home was terrible as it seemed even worse and it was a hotter day with no shade as he was on the other side of the highway now.  A great call on taking the bus home.
Arriving at the bus terminal in Vancouver, I still had to find a way to get home.  There is always the skytrain in which I have taken before with my bike, but today I am pulling a bike trailer which make it impossible to get on the train.  There is always the option of trying to ride home, a ride that I had done a hundred times before.  Certainly this will be my choice if I can't get anyone to pick me up.  Fortunately, after a few hours of waiting around at the station, I get a reply back from my brother that he would be coming to pick me up.  Another rescue from one of my bike trips.  This reminds me so well of my Sunshine Coast bike trip 2 years ago.

Vancouver Bus and Train Terminal

So now what?  Back to the drawing board?  Which drawing board would that be??
This was a humbling and an eye-opening experience.  There will be some big decisions to be made from here on.  I am glad that this happened now and not while on a much bigger and much tougher bike tour.

Please check out the video I made of the trip taken with my new HD Action Camera.  No footage were taken of the pain from riding I promise!

--> Click Here for Squamish Trip Video <--

And just for fun, here's video footage of me riding my touring bike pulling a trailer on a BMX track!  LOL!

--> Touring Bike on a BMX track! <--

Cycle Touring - Victoria, British Columbia, Canada. Day 0 Planning and Packing

Tomorrow, Friday Jul 27, I will be embarking on a 3 day, 2 night bicycle trip to Victoria, BC. Armed with a little more knowledge and experience from previous cycling and camping trips, my goal for this trip is to go slow, no rushing, and be as relaxed as I can be. I am going solo. I have no actual destination. Only the city of Victoria comes to mind. There will be no backup plans, no one to contact while I am there and no one to 'rescue' me if I get into trouble. It's gonna be great.

The plan is to start riding by tomorrow (Friday Jul 27) afternoon.  Make my way out to Tsawwassen BC where the Ferry terminal is located and camp the night there.  Luckily, I already have my first campsite booked up.  It is at friends' place who happen to be out of the country at the moment and have given me permission to set up camp in their backyard.  This will be the first leg of my journey.  At the first crack of morning sunlight, I will have to get up early and try to catch the 7am ferry to Swartz Bay ferry terminal.  And from then on, I have the full day to cycle to Victoria.  I am still undecided where I will be camping on my second night.  This I will decide along the way.

Today, Thursday, DAY 0, was spent planning my trip and packing up all my gear.  Experimenting on how to pack as efficiently as possible and make use of the limited real estate that I have on my bike and trailer.  I am already realizing that I need smaller gear...  small, small gear.  My tent is big, my sleeping bag is huge, and my sleeping pad is gigantic.  I know I have to pack as minimalistic as possible but these items are necessities, I could barely fit them all in my trailer.  Does this mean I will have to purchase the smallest gear I can afford?  The smaller the more expensive things get...  sigh.. :( .  For now, I will make due with what I have and I'll think about buying new gear in the future.

All the gear that I will be taking with me

I created a video blog of what I am taking with me and how I packed all my gear into my trailer and bike.  I also would like to show you how my Mayacycle trailer connects to my bike on the second video I made.  Please click on the links below.

-->The gear I am taking and how I pack them into my Mayacycle trailer<--

-->How My Trailer Connects to my Bike<--

Tomorrow I set off for my trip to Victoria.  Nerves are somewhat setting in but I am very anxious to get going.  There is a chance of rain tomorrow but I don't think I will let that stop me from going.  Rain or not, I will have to eventually endure all sorts of weather nature throws at me.  I can only gain experience from it and a necessary one at that.  It is almost midnight and I am still wide awake.  My biggest problem right now is that I may not get any sleep tonight as I am too excited to get going.

My next blog update will be tomorrow night at my first campsite.  I know most of you will be following me through Facebook through my Twitter updates., but to those of you who are not on my facebook list, you can visit me via Twitter here https://twitter.com/604Bluelight .

Good night for now.

Cycle Touring: My First Multi-Day Bike Trip - Sunshine Coast, BC

I've finally done it, a multi-day cycling and camping trip...  destination - Sunshine Coast, BC.

The Sunshine Coast, BC - Planned route of my bike trip

I have been waiting a long time for a bike camping trip and I finally jumped into one a few weekends ago.  The planned trip was to go cycling along the Sunshine Coast, BC up to Powell River from my home in Burnaby and back.  This was to be a 3 day, 2 nights trip totaling 400Kms with return trip.  Well, it didn't quite go off as planned..

Day 0 - Packing and Preparation 
Being quite the boy-scout, I tend to over-pack. This is probably my first of many mistakes on this trip.  Seeing as it was going to be a 3 day trip, I wanted to make sure that I was completely self-sufficient and prepared for anything that could happen on the road.  I made sure I packed all the tools I needed in case I had to make roadside repairs. I made sure I had enough clothing for the duration of the trip, in cases of rain and cold nights as well. The obvious things such as my tent, sleeping bag, bike lock, food, water etc. were all packed.  The downfall of being all prepared for anything is that all that weight starts to add up.  All the gear I am bringing will be packed in my Maya Cycle bike trailer and with the 13lb trailer I am reaching 50lbs of total pulling weight.  This does not even include my bike which is nearing 30lbs in touring form.  This will become very evident through the course of the trip.

Pre-Planning and Packing

At this stage, I was very excited and could not wait for the coming morning.  I would need to get an early sleep (difficult for an insomniac) as I need to be on the road at 8am sharp. However, I have not been feeling well all day having stomach aches.  I just chalked this all up to pre-trip jitters and nerves. I knew that as soon as I got on the bike and started pedaling that all the nerves and 'sickness' would go away... 2nd mistake, stay tuned.

Day 1 - Bright and Early. Let's do this.
Breakfast, 1 hard boiled egg, a bagel and a banana. I made sure not to have anything that would not sit well in my stomach yet be enough to hold me down until lunch break which would put me 4 hours away on the Ferry.  Destination, Garden Bay BC, Hotel Lake Campsite. Total Kms for the day, 135.
8am sharp. Off I go. Extremely excited to get going. I had a big smile on my face all morning.  The first stage of my trip from Burnaby to Stanley Park/Lion's Gate Bridge would be a piece of cake as it is mostly downhill or flat.  I rode mostly on the Central Valley Greenway all the way to Downtown Vancouver which was very relaxing and a perfect start to get my legs all warmed up.  Riding through downtown was also a breeze with the separated bike lanes. Oh what a beautiful city to ride through and not have to worry about cars hitting you.  I made it to Stanley Park and Lion's Gate bridge in record time.

Reaching the Lion's Gate Bridge in record time.

From Lion's Gate Bridge to Horseshoe Bay.  I will call this my second stage of my trip.  I had to catch the 12pm Ferry from Horseshoe Bay to Langdale which meant I had to be there at least 30mins before sailing out for boarding. 3rd mistake, a scheduled deadline that must be met. I must pedal and pedal hard to get to a destination. This is when the hard work starts.  A big part of this mistake was taking Marine Drive from Lion's Gate all the way to Horseshoe Bay.  I had planned out that I wanted to avoid Hwy 1 at all costs and Marine Drive is the only option.  It turns out that Marine Drive is a longer route and full of rolling hills! This was indeed a mistake in planning as I now realize that I should have taken Hwy 1 to Horseshoe Bay.

Scenic Marine Drive from Lion's Gate to Horseshoe Bay

Granted, Marine Drive was a very scenic ride and very beautiful. Unfortunately, there was no time to enjoy it as I had to catch a ferry.  The rolling hills made it quite tough especially pulling nearly 70lbs of weight including bike and trailer.  But alas, I made it to the Horseshoe Bay Ferry Terminal with time to spare. 11am. 3hrs from when I started. There will be plenty of time to rest waiting for the ferry and the 1hr ferry ride itself.  Waiting at the ferry terminal, I couldn't help but laugh at myself at how exhausted I am and I still have 90kms to go! haha..
On the ferry, out of sheer luck, I ran into my brother-in-law, Ric, who I was to meet up with at the campsite for the evening.  The plan is to join my sister and her family at a campsite they were staying at during the week. This way, I will have company on my first night of camping.  Ric was on his way from a Vancouver meeting to join my sister and niece who was already at the campsite awaiting his arrival (they live in Sechelt which is also on the Sunshine Coast).  The ferry ride was so quick as I had someone to talk to the whole time.  I forgot to have my lunch. Oh well, there will be plenty of time to eat while I'm on the road. We had a small discussion about how long it will take me to get to the campsite.. I had so much confidence in making it to the campsite before dark as I had 7 hours of daylight to go, I had done century rides(100kms) before well within 5hrs so I thought 'Noo Problemo!' Ric, on the other hand, thought it would be very impressive if I made it there in 7hrs or less.. (just a reminder, Ric knows the terrain very well). Before the ferry ride was over, Ric had asked if I wanted to throw my bike and trailer in his SUV and hitch a ride with him to the campsite.  I politely laughed at that idea and mentioned that this trip was all about the bike ride!  Thanks anyways!  We parted ways as we got off the ferry and will soon meet up again in the evening.

Langdale Ferry Terminal to Sechelt BC
As I got off the ferry, I knew that there was to be a long and steady uphill if I had stayed on the Sunshine Coast Highway.  Knowing this information, I decided to take Marine Drive (that name again) into Gibsons which was to be a nicer and easier route... another mistake coming up I foresee.  Well, it was indeed a nice ride, very scenic and all downhill.  All downhill? This could only mean one thing, I will have to climb up a hill at some point.  And as soon as I reached Gibsons at Molly's Reach restaurant, it was indeed nothing but up I can see.  I was warned about a street that was 21 percent incline by some cyclists before I got on the ferry. I knew for sure that I wanted to avoid that street.  Sure enough, at Molly's Reach Restaurant, there it was, dead smack in front of me.. the dreaded School Road.  Signs saying 21 percent incline and NO Trucks Allowed!

A Google streetview capture of the dreaded School Rd. sign. 21% incline, No trucks allowed!

A little worry set on my face as I look up what seemed to be a neverending street staring me in the face.  So I pull out my trusty GPS (iphone) and looked for an alternate route. NOTHING! All my other choices were to backtrack a few kilometres and all uphill.  I decided to take a rest stop, eat some granola bars and contemplated my choices.  There was no way I was going back.  I decided that I would just walk up the hill and push my bike and trailer up it.  That was my best decision at the time.  So off I go.  No more than a few feet of walking and pushing my bike, an old ankle injury started to haunt me once again, an ankle injury from a skiing mishap back months ago that's really never quite fully healed.  My ankle started hurting.  I had to stop and realized that there was no way I can push my bike up this stinking hill which is nearly a kilometer long.  My ankle does not hurt while pedaling my bike so I had no other choice... I had to ride up this monster.  I pedaled my heart out up one of the steepest incline I've ever ridden.  I can only imagine what the people in cars were thinking as they pass me, were they cheering me on or were they calling me crazy in their heads?.  The bike was heavy, the trailer was heavy, the heat was scorching.. but I kept pedaling.., I had to.

This is the only picture I took of School Rd. The monster hill I rode up on.

Finally, at the top of the hill was Sunshine Coast Hwy. Here I will rest under a tree which seemed to be the only shade that I've come across today.  This was the 4th mistake of my trip. Here I am thinking I may have wasted all my energy for this whole trip just climbing this hill alone. The heat was getting to me, and the stomach aches I had from the previous night has not gone away, I was exhausted.  But still, I must go on. There is still 66Kms of riding to go.
The ride to Sechelt was uneventful.  All I could think of was how hot it was.  I guess they don't call this the 'Sunshine' Coast for nothing!  It was so hot that my MP3 player overheated and died in the heat, my accompanying music is gone, I was not very happy with that.  The ride towards Sechelt wasn't overly difficult. It was fairly flat for the most part. My confidence was building once again as I was making good time.  I even took my time in some areas just to take in and enjoy some of the sights and take pictures, which was the whole point of this trip. The Sunshine Coast certainly is a beautiful place, I just wished I wasn't in such a rush.

Overlooking the Strait of Georgia at Davis Bay

As soon as I reached Sechelt, there was only one stop that was absolutely necessary.  It came by the way of the Golden Arches.. yes, McDs! Normally, I wouldn't even think nothing of a McDonald's stop but today it was a welcomed stop. $1 dollar drinks any size all summer! And I was hoping getting some food in me will give me more energy and help settle my stomach down a bit.  A burger, fries and a large pop.. yes I know, so bad for you, yet it was soooo good!  My 5th mistake was made here.  Armed with a large pop, I did not even think for one second that my water bottles needed topping up, I still had a good amount of water with me but evidently, it wasn't going to be enough.

Sechelt to Garden Bay.
This whole time of my bike ride, my sister has been in contact with me via text messages wanting updates of my current location and constantly asking me if I wanted to be picked up.  I think she knew, much more than I did, of what was ahead of me.  Still having full confidence that I would make the whole trip to the campsite before dark, I simply told her not to worry and that I would be there soon.  I was determined to make it, there was no way in hell that I would ask for assistance, no way!  I was still 45kms away not knowing the terrain ahead of me., But 45Kms is just a cakewalk comparing from what I have ridden in the past. Hah! Was I ever wrong.  This was to be one of the biggest mistakes I've made, #6.  Know the terrain you will be cycling on ahead of time!    I have completely underestimated this bike ride.  The hills were long, the hills were steep.  It was non-stop, they kept coming and coming.  UP and down, up and down.  The downhills were fun and gave me time to rest, but they were all short lived.  My quads were burning, and my calves were tightening up.  There were a few occasions that my quads would completely lock up that I couldn't even keep standing on my stops.  It was punishing and painful, but I had to keep going.  I couldn't stop as I was running out of daylight.  The enjoyment of the passing scenery was replaced by focus and drive to keep on pedaling.  At this point, I had ignored some of my sister's text messages just so I wouldn't have to stop and reply to them.  I knew what she would have said anyways, and my reply would be the same, 'I'll be there soon, don't worry!'.  But in the back of my mind, I was the one getting worried.

Pender Harbour - slowly running out of daylight

My pace was extremely slow. The roads were killing me.  Every stop, my quads would lock up and I would need at least 5mins to get going again.  But when I was riding, nothing else mattered, just keep on going until the next rest stop.  I was so focused on not stopping that I even skipped on some of the items I see on the side of the road, mainly money, yes I saw a couple of toonies on the ground that I didn't bother stopping to pick up, I even passed on an LED flashlight that was sitting on the side of the road just so I wouldn't have to unclip from my pedals.  This meant that I was also skipping out on the scenery that was simply passing before me.  This was no longer enjoyable, in fact it was more punishment. I had exceeded my limitations and was only being pushed by the drive to make my destination.  Oh, and by this time I had already run out of water, I had run out 10Kms back, and there was no civilization in sight.  It was already 8pm and I was only 10Kms away.  But during this time of year, 8pm show no more sunlight.  The roads were getting dark and dangerous, the shoulder non-existent, the twists and turns of the roads would certainly make me harder to see from cars and trucks on the road.  I had to make a decision.  And the toughest decision I had to make was succumbing to my sister's and brother-in-law's requests that I be picked up... in my mind, a rescue.  A failed attempt at reaching my destination.  And to be only 10kms away to the finish line was a tough thing to swallow.
Ric came quickly enough and picked me up at the side of the highway. I was devastated.  But during the drive to the campsite, the 10Kms I gave up on quickly turned out to be a great decision. The roads were unlit, no shoulders and completely forested over. AND, more damn hills.  My pain of giving up eased up a bit as I had made the right decision.  I still had to put up my tent, eat, shower and take into consideration that my 5yr old niece had to be in bed soon.  It was almost pitch dark when we got to the campsite.  I was greeted by a whole bunch of strangers who seemed to know what I have been doing all day.  All my sister's and bro-in-law's friends who happen to be on their same annual camping retreat in the same campground.  All claiming what I had just done was extreme and borderline crazy.  This group included a triathlete and some of the most fit people I know.  Maybe they were all just trying to make me feel better for not making it all the way, maybe they meant it, but I now tend to agree with the 'crazy' part.
Ric put up my tent for me as they rushed me to get a shower so that they can feed me.  I showered, I had spaghetti, and I had plenty of replenishment.  There was very little time to sit around and chit chat with the whole group, but as I sat down with a bunch of strangers, I looked up at the sky and saw the most stars I have ever seen in a long time. The Milky Way was so clear and I must have counted over 7 shooting stars in a span of 30minutes.  I have been a city boy too long, this stuff is amazing.  As the night came to an end, I lay in my tent bundled up in my sleeping bag under the most amazing star-filled sky and thought to myself, 'this is what makes this whole trip worth it'.

Day 2
Sleep, puke, flu'ish, vommit. Sleep, puke, flu'ish, vommit, rinse and repeat.
That is all.

Day 3 - Time to go home.

ahem.  Seriously, that was pretty much it for Day 2.

But sure, let's reflect on that day...

Waking up to this view as I unzip my tent confirmed that the previous day's hardship was all worthwhile.

The original plan for Day 2 was to get up early in the morning, ride to the next ferry terminal at Earl's Cove and make my way out to Powell River.  I was going to leave my tent and trailer at the campsite so that I can return to it at the end of the day. Camp overnight once again at the same spot and make my way home the following morning.  This would have been the perfect plan!  Unfortunately, this did not go the way I had wanted.
I woke up at 5am because nature came calling very early from the previous night's binge drinking of liquids to replenish what I had lost during the day.  I tried going back to sleep but for some reason I couldn't.  No matter how tired I was, I could not sleep again, I noticed my heart still pounding quite heavily as if I was still riding my bike. I layed there for at least the next hour until the exhaustion finally took over again and I passed out.  I can still remember the dreams I was having that night.  My dream was,.. get this..  I was on a bike pedaling.  Weird dream eh?  The whole night I had that dream.
I never woke up again until around 10am.  I was feeling very sick., sick to my stomach and feeling quite dizzy.  There go my plans of riding out to Powell River today.  I will be bed-ridden all day.  My stomach aches from the previous days has gotten progressively worse.  And to add, I am now feeling flu'ish and can't seem to keep my food down.  I have caught a bug.  Heat exhaustion is what my camp 'mates' are calling it.  But I think heat exhaustion is only part of it., I did not feel well.  And to top it off... diarrhea.. gross. That's the last mention of that.
There really isn't much else to say about Day 2 other than I spent the day when I wasn't sleeping in my tent trying to enjoy myself and putting on a happy face for everyone so they don't notice what I am going through.  It was a beautiful campsite, I could have easily enjoyed myself if I wasn't feeling so crappy.  They had kayaks! I LOVE kayaking!  ..but no, was just too sick.  Everyone was so good to me, making sure I was well fed and taken care of. These complete strangers are becoming friends.  Everyone.  And their children are all fun and beautiful.

No, I was not actually kayaking. Was too sick to enjoy the lake.  :-(

As comfortable as everyone tried to make me feel, and in addition to feeling quite sick all day, something else was stressing me out.  All I could think about was how I was going make it home the following morning.    If I wasn't able to make the whole journey to the campsite from the ferry in 7 hours with full of energy and strength, how am I going to make it back in my weakened, sickly state?  I had to get back home the following day as I have work on Monday and the thoughts of trying to ride back was really scaring me at this point.  I don't think I am capable of the whole ride back.  And the last thing I will do is ask anyone for help.  If you know the type of person I am, asking anyone for help is not in me.  I love offering my help to anyone but asking for help just isn't me.  It's a pride thing, and yes, it's a downfall at times.  I put myself in this situation and I need to get myself out of it. And the thoughts are definitely stressing me out and actually making me feel more sick.  I think my sister and brother-in-law were showing the same concerns.  And when the conversation came up about my trek back home there was no hesitation on their part.. They wanted to drive me home.  I had refused this offer several times before caving in.  A few plans were discussed but very few were considered due to the state of my health.  The best solution was for me to be driven all the way to the Langdale ferry first thing in the morning and I would find my way home from there.  This was 72Kms and a total of 144Kms with the drive back so I was really quite hesitant on their generous offer.  But yes, I know, family is family and we are always out for each other's best interest.  I did accept the offer in the end.  I will be driven to the ferry and someone on the other side will come pick me up.  This is what I told them so that they will be comfortable in thinking that I will be driven home safely all the way.
I have to apologize for this little lie as I did not get anyone to try and pick me up from Horseshoe Bay.  I decided that I would ride this end of the journey even in my sick and weakened state.  Sorry guys!  It is only 43Kms and with plenty of daylight hours to get home.  I can actually take my time and enjoy this ride home.
So with all the stressful thoughts aside, I was finally able to relax and enjoy myself a little, actually a lot.  I got to spend time with my sister's family and my darling little niece, their friends and families and the wilderness and beauty that surrounded us.  I was feeling much better now.  I spent all night at a campfire surrounded with friends until it was time for bed.  Once again, a beautiful star filled sky hovered over me as I closed my eyes to sleep.

Day 3 - Time to go home.
8am sharp once again is the time to leave for the ferry.  This time I did not have to rush and pedal hard just to make the 10am departure.. I had the luxury of a brand new Mercedes SUV driving me there.
I packed up my tent and gathered all my gear.  Stuffed my bike and trailer in the back of the Benz and bid my farewells.  Not everyone was awake at this time so I said goodbye to those who were.  Maybe next year I will try this venture again and have better results.  Thanks for everything Sis, I owe you bigtime.
The ride to the ferry along the same stretch of highway I had ridden on 2 days ago was quite the eye opener.  At every hill and every turn we made, I was constantly thinking to myself 'Did I just do that??!' These are the types of inclines and descents that when I see other riders riding on that I would think of them being crazy.  Have I become one of those people that I myself think are crazy?  Maybe, quite possibly.  Having seen what I've just been through, I now fully respect what I have done and no longer see it as being a failure.  Would I do this ride again on a 30lb bike with a 50lb trailer? Probably not.  But I will be more smart about it, more efficient and packing a whole slew of 'lessons learned' for the next time.  This has truly been a wonderful learning experience that I can use for future longer bike trips.
As we approach the ferry terminal, this is where Ric had asked who was going to pick me up on the other side.  I finally told him the truth that no one is picking me up and that I will be riding the rest of the way home.  It was the only way that I thought that would satisfy me with this whole trip, a feeling of personal achievement.  I don't think he was too thrilled about the idea but clearly understood my position.  We said our goodbyes and I was on my own once again.  Thanks Ric, your help was immensely huge! I promise not to make fun of the mirrors you bought for your bike anymore. ;D

In the ferry

On the ferry

The ferry ride was another quick one.  I had filled up all my water bottles full of ice and water from the pop fountain machines preparing for what is to be a very hot ride home.  Nerves were setting in again as I am still feeling quite weak and not so sure if I can get on my bike and pedal home.  But soon enough we will find out.. the ferry is now docking to let me off.
Knowing full well that Marine Drive was full of rolling hills, I decided to ride on the highway this time around.  Hwy 1 to be exact.  As some of you may know that coming from the Horseshoe Bay terminal onto the highway was a very long and steep incline.  This was a sacrifice that I had to make as the alternate option of many rolling hills was not appealing at this moment.  I prefer fewer longer inclines over many shorter, rolling hills.  Unfortunately, I did not take into account that there would be no shade while on the highway. It is all open road and today was a very hot day.  The heat was scorching, and the pavement was blinding. The heat caused by the cars also added to the overall temperature of the ride.  This was not going to be fun.  All I can look forward to is getting off the highway and onto sidestreets and residential neighbourhoods where there will be plenty of trees and shade.  Fortunately, I only had to ride to Lion's Gate Bridge and from there I can take shelter from the heat at Stanley Park and the downtown Vancouver highrisers.

Every underpass was a welcomed stop from the scorching heat of the highway

I saw many roadies today with their $5000+ carbon bikes, probably thinking what a poor sap I am with all the gear I'm pulling

I took every opportunity I had to rest at the few shaded areas on the hwy. I still had 40kms of riding to go.

I got off the highway onto Taylor Way going towards Lion's Gate Bridge.  It was one of the best downhill rides I've had on this trip.  I was really enjoying myself knowing full well that I will soon be going across the bridge and into Stanley Park where I can rest some more and take in the beautiful scenery.  I was literally 'Yeeehawing' all the way down Taylor Way simply because... it was fun!

On the Lion's Gate Bridge

The Beautiful Stanley Park

Gorgeous view of the inlet

All these great view has made my sickness go away!

Riding through Stanley Park I had made a quick stop to rest when I realized I had no food left, and I was starrrving!  So my rest was short-lived as I continued on in search of the perfect food stop.  Onto the downtown Vancouver core I go!  Once again, a beautiful city to ride through especially with all the separated bike lanes. The best way to see the city is by bicycle!  Searching for that best place to stop where I can buy food and keep my bike and trailer close by without having to worry about it being stolen was a bit tricky.  I knew it had to be within an arm's distance of my bike with the least amount of people traffic.. a smokey vendor would be perfect.  But out of the corner of my eye I see a big sign that said $1 per pizza slice!  I couldn't resist so I jumped off my bike and ran in for some slices. I think I had 3 extra large slices and that was more than enough to set me for the day.  I brought a chair out so that I can eat while being with my bike at the same time.
I took my time riding the rest of the way home as it was still early in the afternoon and I had no reason to rush home.  On my way, I decided to stop by my brother's house so that I can drop off the tent and sleeping mattress that I had borrowed from them through MEC.  No one was home to greet me so I decided to take a short nap on their lawn.  I also took the opportunity to use their garden hose to give myself a quick spray.  That was the best thing to do on a hot summer day.
Finally, after my short rest and nap, I proceeded to go on my final leg of the trip.  It was all uphill from here on, but the incline was manageable.  I no longer had to worry about rolling hills and massively steep uphills.  It was everything I had done numerous times before.
Upon my arrival, no one was there to greet me.  No cheering fans to see me across the finish line, no trophies, no awards.  It was only my own personal victory.  And it was perfect.  An amazing experience come to an end.


Total Distance Covered:  approx 268 Kms according to Googlemaps
Total Distance on Bike:   156 Kms - bike computer
Vertical up:        2240 meters
Vertical down:   2090 meters - iPhone GPS tracking
Total money found:    I would have made 5 bucks if I had stopped to pick them up
Total Roadkill:   1 - a garter snake slithered right on path of my wheel. I couldn't stop. Splat.
Total Weight lost during the trip:   10lbs in 3 days.

Everytrail GPS tracking using iPhone4

Please check out the GPS tracking of the whole trip using my iPhone and Everytrail app here https://www.alltrails.com/explore/recording/cycling-the-sunshine-coast--2 . Keep in mind that the tracking is quite flawed as on a few occasions I had lost complete signal to my iPhone and when I lose signal, the GPS goes nuts.  But at least this map will give you an idea of how my trip went including all the elevation changes I had to endure.


MayaCycle Bike Trailer

As promised from a previous blog that I would provide updates on my bicycle trailer by Maya Cycle as I use it on my cycling ventures.  This is the first time that I have used the trailer travelling this distance and carrying this kind of load.  As expected, the trailer performed admirably without any problems.  The convenience of the legs acting as kickstands is a godsend.  I don't think I could ever go on long trips anymore without this feature.  As seen from the many pictures I took and the countless amount of stops I made that the bike and trailer is always standing.  It made my life so much easier that I can stand the bike anywhere especially when it mattered most, when I (the rider) was at my weakest.  I can personally thank my trailer for allowing me to leave the bike standing while I crunch over at the side of the road in pain because my quads were locked up.  The bike and trailer has even acted as a crutch when I couldn't keep myself standing due to the pain.
Carrying a 50lb load is probably the most I would carry on the trailer, although the trailer has proven to carry in upwards of over 60lbs, I personally would not carry any more than 50.  It's not to say that the trailer can't take it, but it is more for my own personal sake.  Carrying that kind of load is grueling, especially if you are facing countless amounts of hills.  I'm just glad that the trailer only weighs 13lbs because with all the gear I had, it would have weighed a lot more if the trailer was a tank!
Upon reaching my campsite, the trailer proved itself once again.  With the 'wheelbarrow' feature, it was so easy to move all my gear around especially at my weakened and sickly state. And the trailer and bag was compact enough that it fit right under my tent fly for easy access and at the same time standing up on its legs keeping the bag off the dewy grass.
There are a few things that I learned on this trip regarding the Maya trailer;  as slow and grueling it is to climb hills pulling the trailer, when you go downhill you go fast, really fast.  Now this may sound like a lot of fun, but it can actually be quite dangerous.  Make sure your brakes are 100% functioning and in top condition, because you will need them and need them a lot.  Also, going too fast on a downhill can sometimes give you the trailer 'wobble' effect where the trailer feels like it's wobbling behind you and wanting to pass your bike.  I found myself in this situation a couple of times.  Now this is not Maya trailer specific but actually applies to all trailers be it on bikes or on cars.  The Maya trailer being a single-wheel trailer actually reduces this effect significantly, but it still exists.  The best thing to do is to avoid putting yourself in the situation where 'trailer wobble' can occur., meaning don't go too fast!  I did, however, find myself going over 60Km/h on a downhill on a few occasions where I had no problems at all with 'trailer wobble'.  I wouldn't recommend going that fast too often though.  Another thing I've noticed while pulling the trailer is that it creates a lot of squeaks and creaks and all sorts of odd noises that you've never heard from your bike.  I was constantly checking on the rear stays and dropouts of my bike to make sure there isn't anything lose or broken.  There never was any. It's just the nature of the trailer I would guess.  One thing I would recommend, and I wished I had some with me, is to use Grease!  I would grease up the fork joint where the trailer connects to the fork, and I would grease up the fork where it connects over the axle on the bike. This will greatly reduce the squeaking and odd noises being caused by the trailer and possibly lengthen the life of the trailer and bike due to obvious wear from friction created.  I will surely be doing this on my next bike trip with the trailer.

Great shot for my good friend Marta wherever she may be right now. ;-)

Well, there you have it, a real life, unbiased review of the Maya Cycle Bike Trailer.  I couldn't have made this trip without my trailer...  Just me and Maya out in the open road.