CCCT 2012 - June 6, 2012 - Day 18

Cross Canada Cycling Tour - Wednesday, June 6, 2012 - Day 18
Yahk to Cranbrook, BC. Trip 69.96 Time 3 hrs 59 mins Max 47.3 kph
We got up at 6:00 AM. It was still raining. I had a banana, blueberry muffin and hot chocolate for breakfast. We put our rain gear on and set off for CRANBROOK at 8:00 AM. It was quite cold. Felt like around +2C.  We had a nice paved shoulder most of the way but had to watch out for the rumble strip. I had to stop and take my glasses off. They were all fogged up. We arrived in MOYIE at 11:00 AM very soaked and very cold. We went into the gas station convenience store for a pit stop. It was $1:00 to use the toilet but the manager waved the fee for us since we were cyclists. We both had a hot chocolate and tried to thaw out our hands and feet. We continued on to Cranbrook. Our spirits got a lift when we saw a sign for Timmy's at 11 kms. We arrived at the Visitor's Centre at 1:00 PM and went in to ask about motels and what to expect on the way to Fernie. Not much in the way of facilities. Just a B&B in Jaffray. I got the address and phone no. in case we needed to call them.  Also, the weather should be much better tomorrow. The VC staff told us there was a motel about 1 km further down the road with laundromat facilities so we headed there. It turned out to be more like 2 kms further down the road. By the time we arrived at the Kootenay Country Inn we were both "bivering" to borrow an expression from Bev. Although it was +8C with the wind chill it felt more like -2C. Managed to get a room for $55 (reg. $ 65) with free breakfast and wi-fi. We quickly unloaded our bikes but had to change rooms as the bed had a broken leg. I was already in the shower trying to thaw out when Bev came back with the key to the room next door which was much larger. We were able to easily get our bikes in the new room. After transferring all our gear Bev quickly got into the shower and tried to warm up. She then went off to a nearby grocery store while I hooked up to the Internet. I had a chat with Shirley Gillette in Ottawa and my sister Marie-Jeanne in Oakville on FB. Worked on blog Day 19. After gathering all our laundry and putting it in one of my rear panniers, Bev went off to the laundromat. I lay down for a nap at 5:00 PM. Bev joined me after finishing laundry. I got up at 6:00 PM. My left shoulder was quite sore so I put an ICY/HOT patch on it. We walked over to the OFFICE and got vouchers for our "FREE" breakfast at a nearby Husky Truck Stop Restaurant. We must pay 15% gratuity!!!  Walked over to East Side Marios for dinner. We both had beers and spaghetti and meat balls @ $53.27 + tip. We returned to our motel room and watched game 4 NJ vs LA. NJ won 3-1 in O/T. Off to bed at 10:00 PM. Noisy couple in room above us with dog who kept thumping his tail on the floor!!! What a carry on. Creaking floor boards, banging doors, scraping furniture, TV blaring, etc. Didn't seem to bother Bev. I was awake until midnight!!!
Bev and Roly

CCCT 2012 - June 5, 2012 - Day 17

Cross Canada Cycling Tour - Tuesday, June 5, 2012
Rest Day
Several Trains passed during the night starting at midnight and hourly after that. Two crossings so horn blarring at each. Reminded me of the trailer park in Jensen Beach, FL, where Barrie and I stayed for several days a few winters ago. My alarm went off at 6:00 AM. It was pissing down rain which it had been doing all night. Bev moaned something about having a day off. I quickly agreed not being one that enjoys cycling in the rain. We slept in until 9:30 AM!!! It was still raining, very windy and quite cold. We had our usual oatmeal, banana and hot chocolate for breakfast. I worked on my blog while Bev watched TV. Sam, the motel manager, came by to see if we were OK and asked if we needed fresh towels. I told her there was a leak in the bathroom and there was some water on the floor. She said the shower sometimes leaked but I'm pretty sure it was coming from the toilet tank. She came back a few minutes later with a stack of fresh towels. The rain let up a bit so we decided to go out for a walk to the nearby grocery store. While paying for our groceries I remarked I could feel quite a draft coming through the doors. The cashier said they'd had a break in last night. The thieves were after the money in the ATM in spite of the ATM door being wide open to indicate there was no money in it!!! Alarms and dogs scared them off. We returned to our motel room and had sandwiches and date squares, diet coke and tea for lunch. Lay down for a nap at 1:40 PM. Sam came by again and knocked on the door and asked about paying for the extra day. I was still dressed so went to the office to pay. She took $10 off as she didn't have to come in and clean our room. I went back for my nap. Got up at 5:00 PM. Still raining. I worked on blog Day 10. I walked to gas station for some beers. Bev used microwave to warm up some Chinese food for me and a Hungry Man Turkey Dinner for herself. We watched TV. Local time appeared to be one hour ahead so I checked out time changes. I found out that Yahk is on Mountain Time i.e. 1 hour ahead. Set both our watches ahead 1 hour. We packed up our panniers for an early morning departure. Bev made ham and cheese sandwiches for tomorrows lunch. There wasn't a hell of a lot to do or see in Yahk especially when it's raining.
Bev and Roly

CCCT 2012 - June 4, 2012 - Day 16

Cross Canada Cycling Tour - Monday, June 4, 2012 - Day 16

Creston to Yahk, BC. Trip 47.10 kms Time 3 hrs 35 mins Max 44.6 kph
We were up at 7:00 AM, had our fresh laundry packed and ready to go. We walked over to the A&W for breakfast. I had an egg, sausage muffin. Bev had hers with ham and chocolate milk. Back at the room we loaded our panniers on our bikes and put our rain covers on. It was overcast and starting to spit. We cycled over to a nearby Dollar Store where I got some new bungee cords. The ones Bev had loaned me were starting to fray. I got rid of them. We cycled to the Visitor's Centre, went in and got our BC passports stamped for the 6th time and collected a collapsible plastic water bottle with carabiner.
We cycled to Yahk, BC. It was tough going - mostly uphill and a nasty head wind. The skies cleared up and the sun came out. We met Kim and Deb from Grand Forks, BC. They were travelling somewhat lighter than we were and looked to be in much better shape. They caught up to us and stopped to chat with us. They were also on their way to St. Johns but mostly camping "off road". We went our separate ways and met up again in Yahk where they had stopped for a smoke!!! and to fill up their water bottles and where we planned to spend the night. We had another lengthy chat. I checked out Kim's front pannier SURLY racks and BIG EARL pedals. I liked the idea that his front handlebar bag sat on top of his front rack similar to a rear trunk bag thus freeing up the handlebars for aero bars.
Checked into Yahk Motel at $65 + taxes per night. After unloading our bikes we cycled to a nearby grocery store to look for something to cook up for dinner, etc. We cycled back to the motel and dropped off our groceries and went in the opposite direction for ice cream. The ice cream shop had a map of the world on the outside wall and visitors/customers were invited to place a pin on it to indicate where they were from. We saw a pin stuck in the Czech Replubic so assumed it was the young couple we had met earlier on their way to Vancouver. Someone had already stuck a pin in Ottawa. On the way back to our room we stopped at the gas station and picked up a couple of beers. I checked out the wi-fi. It was kinda flaky. We managed to get the motel BBQ fired up and cleaned up and cooked our bratwurst weiners for dinner and had them with some cheese and bread. I worked on my blog while Bev watched TV. She was asleep by 9:15. I was off to bed at 10:00 PM

Bev and Roly

CCCT 2012 - June 3, 2012 - Day 15

Cross Canada Cycling Tour - Sunday, June 3, 2012

Balfour Beach Inn Motel (our room bottom right)

Day 15 - Balfour to Creston, BC. Trip 88.19 kms Time 5 hrs 57 mins Max 56.8 kph

Early morning view of Kootenay Bay

We were up at 6:00 AM and after a quick breakfast of instant oatmeal, Greek yogurt and Hot Chocolate we checked out at 7:30 AM. We cycled to the nearby ferry terminal and went into the bakery. I thought I'd died and gone to heaven. I remarked to Bev that if I lived nearby I'd be dead in a week. We got some date squares and a sausage roll for me. We went outside and met Pascal who had just arrived and was also waiting for the ferry. He was still camping and had taken a "rest day" hence the reason we had caught up to him. I took a photo of him. He took a photo of us and our bikes.
There was no charge for the 35 minute ferry crossing. Once we arrived in Kootenay Bay we faced a 3 km climb. We had to get off our bikes several times and do some walking while pushing our bikes up the steep uphill. The sun came out making our climb even more difficult. The entire 85 km ride to CRESTON was one hill after another. The first "Rest Area" was at 54 kms. Bev had to go in the woods to relieve herself. About 5 kms and several hills later I cycled right past the "Rest Area". I got shit for not stopping as Bev informed me she needed to go again!!! I guess I still have a lot to learn???
About 10 kms from Creston we came upon a roadside ice cream shack. I decided I needed to treat Bev to make up for my "faut pas". We both needed a break and the ice cream was delicious.

Scenery on the way to Creston

We arrived in Creston at 4:30 PM and checked in to the Hacienda Motel. I emptied one of my large rear panniers and stuffed all of our laundry in it and took Bev's sleeping bag out to let it "breathe" while she had gone over to the shopping centre to get some groceries.
We cycled into town to a laundromat and did a load of laundry. I went over to the nearby Broaster and got a cheese burger for Bev and some fried chicken for myself. I was quite thirsty and had a Brisk while waiting and a diet Pepsi to go. After folding our laundry we cycled back to the motel. Had our showers and went over to the motel bar for a beer and food. Bev was still hungry. I ordered a Pad-Thai and Bev had a noodle and veggie dish recommended by the waiter. It was very good.
It had been quite a long and difficult day. We were both exhausted and were soon off to bed at 10:00 PM

Pascal on his way to Montreal

Bev and Roly

CCCT 2012 - June 2/12

Cross Canada Cycling Tour - Saturday, June 2, 2012
Day 14 - Castlegar to Balfour, BC. Trip 82.31 kms Time 5 hrs 11 mins Max 48.3
We were up early and dressed for a rainy day. Bev made tea and instant oatmeal. I added 1/2 banana and mixed nuts and raisins to my oatmeal. We also had the muffins provided by Frank, our motel manager for breakfast. They were rather bland. We finished packing and loaded our gear on our bikes and set off for NELSON, BC, at 7:50 AM. It was overcast and just spitting a bit. My bike felt very heavy. I had touble going up inclines. After about 6 kms I stopped and checked my rear tire. It was low!!! I got my pump out and pumped it up. I went for another 10 kms and had to stop again as my rear tire was soft again. I had a slow leak!!! This was a new tire and tube which I had purchased in Christina Lake the previous day!!! I pumped it up again. At 12 kms Bev saw a sign for "Bike & Lawnmower Repair". We stopped and went up to the house and rang the door bell. A big dog started barking. Thank goodness it was inside. I was just about to give up when the "repairman" came out of the side door with his large black dog. I explained my problem and asked if he could help me fix it. He agreed to fix my flat for $10!!! I thought this was a bit excessive but under the circumstances I agreed. I had a feeling that I would end up doing most of the "fixing" myself. Once we got my rear tire off and the tube out and inflated he used the fish pond in the front yard to find the "slow" leak. I marked the spot with some chalk that came with my patch kit. I scraped the tube, put rubber cement on it, waited until it dried and applied a patch. Once again he did the water test only to find out that we had missed the hole by a cm. Took that patch off and proceeded to apply my last patch. Did the water test again. Still leaking!!! but on the opposite side of the patch this time. It was then I realized I was dealing with a "SNAKE BITE". Bev loaned me a patch from her kit and after the 3rd water test it was OK. My "Mr. Tuffy Strip" that goes between the tire and tube had a bit of a tear in it so I decided to leave it out. The tube seemed a bit oversized for the new tire but we managed to get it stuffed in and re-inflated once we got the tire back on the rim. The tire wall indicated Max PSI 88. I pumped it up and checked the PSI with my Zéfal pressure gauge. It read 90 psi. Close enough. Larry, the Russian, agreed not to charge me for the repair as I had done most of the work. He said we should look up his son, Michael, in Montreal!!!
We set off for Nelson again at 11:10 AM. We hadn't gone very far before Bev had to stop for "nature's call" and so we had a snack. We set off again. I began to feel a "thump, thump" coming from the rear tire at 32 kms. Then a BIG BANG!!! My rear tire had blown right off the rim. I pulled over to the side of the road at a driveway entrance. Fortunately there was a large sheet of plywood lying on the ground off to the side. It came in handy for placing all my gear on and flipping my bike over so I could work on my rear tire. I had to put one of my new thinner tubes in my new tire and pumped it up to 80 psi. It was now 12:30 PM so we decided to have lunch before setting off again. Bev had prepared PBJs the night before plus a hard boiled egg and an orange. We re-loaded my panniers and set off for Nelson and 1:30 PM.

Scenery on the way to Balfour, BC

We arrived in Nelson at 2:00 PM and stopped in at the Visitor's Centre to get our BC passports stamped and to get information on the Balfour/Kootenay Bay Ferry, etc. We cycled to a nearby mall and Bev went into Save On Foods for groceries for snacks, breakfast and lunch. We cycled to the edge of town where we saw a DQ. It was a hot day so we decided to treat ourselves to an icecream cone. We cycled along the river to BALFOUR, BC, another 34 kms of quite hilly, winding, light traffic road. Very scenic. We arrived at the Balfour Beach Inn at 5:30 PM just ahead of a huge thunder and lightning storm.

Sergio enjoying a "mini-pint" or two

I went in to the Pub/Rest to ask about a room. A guy at the bar said the rooms were around $100. I asked for something around $80??? He went off to check with the owner and came back with $75  for a nice room overlooking the Bay. We unloaded our bikes and no sooner did we have our gear and bikes in the room did the skies open up. What a terrific storm over the Bay. It was over in 1/2 an hour so we were able to walk back over to the Pub/Rest for a cold beer and dinner. I asked the waitress "Marguarita" what was on draft. I didn't recognize any of the beers so she came back with a couple of mini-pint samplers. We both chose the lighter lager and Fettucini Alfredo with Chicken. We watched the hockey game LA 2 vs NJ 1 in O/T. We had a nice chat with a couple at the next table who assured us we would have a nice ride down to Creston tomorrow once we managed to get up the 3 km climb after getting off the ferry. Also it promised to be a nice sunny day with calm winds. They planned to go out on the Bay to do some fishing.
We returned to our room where I worked on my blog before going off to bed at 10:00.
Bev and Roly

CCCT 2012 - June 1, 2012

Cross Canada Cycling Tour - Friday, June 1, 2012
Christina Lake - Paulson Summit - Castlegar, BC. Trip 41.25 kms Time  1:33:55 hrs Max 52.2 kph

Bob of Wild Ways in Christina Lake, BC

Since we weren't being picked up until after lunch we slept in until 8:30 AM. I had tea, oatmeal, Greek yogurt with nuts and raisins and 1/2 a banana for breakfast. Did some packing and checked e-mail. I called Doris using my cellphone to appoint her as my representative for the "reading of the will". I left a voice mail on her cellphone. I then  called home and spoke to MJ. I told her I would like to have Doris represent me. She said I should confirm this in an email which I did.
I worked on my blog. Re-did May 24th and added 2 photos. We had warmed up quiche for lunch. Bob, from Wild Rides, called at 12:15 PM to say he would be around to pick us up in 1/2 an hour. We finished packing and put all our gear and bikes out front ready to be loaded in Bob's large 12 passenger van.

When Bob arrived, Peter the motel manager, helped lift our bikes up onto the large roof rack while Bev and I loaded our gear in the back of the van. Bob then drove us up to the PAULSON PASS (El. 1535m) and dropped us off. We were only to happy to pay him $50. After unloading our bikes and our gear and loading our bikes Bob wanted a photo for his Website. We were glad to oblige. I also took photos of Bob and his Van and the Paulson Summit sign.
We put our warm gear on and set off for CASTLEGAR. It was pretty well downhill all the way. I noticed a slight wobble coming from my rear tire!!! Not sure what that was all about. Our average speed was 26.35 kph usually it's in the low teens!!! We still had to stop a couple times to get the blood flowing in our hands and butts because of the constant braking.
I got a little ahead of myself when last working on my blog so am having to backtrack a bit.
We arrived in Castlegar at the Visitor's Centre at 3:00 PM and went in to get out BC passports stamped and to ask about the route to the BALFOUR FERRY and motels, etc. We cycled to the Flamingo Motel after picking up Bev's bike which had fallen over in the parking lot. We also had to put her chain back on. We managed to get a nice room at $75 (reg $85). After settling in and changing we walked 3 + kms to the "FAIR". We had to ask for directions as there were no signs to point us in the right direction!!! It was just out of sight around the corner a couple blocks away.
We had both worked up quite an appetite from the ride down from the Paulson Summit and the walk. There were all sorts of vendor carts selling a variety of fast foods from A to Z. I chose roast beef, cheese and tomato on a bun with Yam fries. Bev just had Yam fries. There was a concert about to start but we were more interested in getting back to our motel room. We were facing a long uphill walk and there didn't seem to be much in the way of public transportation. We asked a few people about the bus schedule and one person even looked it up on her i-phone. It seems we had just missed the last bus at 6:30 PM. She offered to drop us off at our motel. We gratefully accepted but asked to be dropped off at a nearby Pub as we wanted to get a pint of beer before retiring for the evening.
I've forgotten the name of the Pub but it sure had an interesting collage of T-shirts and Jerseys from the 4 corners of the world decorating every inch of available space on the walls and ceiling. I took a couple photos. We then walked a short distance back to our motel where I was able to check my email and FB.
Frank, the manager, came by with 2 rather pathetic looking muffins for our breakfast. We watched a 2 hour episode of "TOUCH" while I worked on DAY 25 of our journey. Then it was off to bed at 10:30. Had trouble falling asleep. The bed was quite uncomfortable.

Pub in Castlegar

Bev and Roly

CCCT 2012 - May 31st

Cross Canada Cycling Tour - Thursday, May 31st
Day 12 - Greenwood to Christina Lake, BC. Trip 74.65 kms Time 4 hrs 22 mins Max 55.9 kph

This picture needs no explanation!!!

The Bakery in Greenwood with a cool 55 Chevy out front

I woke up at 2:30 AM and suddenly realized that I hadn't turned off my GPS and plugged it in to charge it before going to bed last night. I got up to go to the bathroom and turned off my GPS and plugged it in. When I went back to bed it was raining steadily. I thought, let it rain, as long as it stops before we set off in the morning. We were up at 6:00 AM and since we didn't have anything for breakfast decided to cycle into town to the bakery for our breakfast. I had hot chocolate and ham and scrambled eggs on a toasted Kaiser bun. Bev had the same. We also got a rather large cinnamon/pecan/honey glazed bun to go. Bev put it in her handle bar bag. We cycled back to the motel and finished packing, loaded our gear on our bikes and set off at 8:00 AM for Grand Forks. We hadn't gone very far before Bev wanted to stop. Without asking she got the cinnamon bun out and started eating. It was still warm from the oven and the smell of it was driving her crazy!!! Very unlike Bev to just have finished eating breakfast and to want to have something else to eat so soon afterwards.
It took us 1 hour and 20 minutes to reach the EHOLT summit at 1033m or to cycle 15 kms. Afterwards it was a steady decent all the way into GRAND FORKS. I took the time to mount my camera on my handle bars using my Gorilla Pod and shot a video part way of our decent. We arrived in G. F. at 11:00 AM and stopped at the Visitor's Centre to ask about the route and what sort of facilities we could expect on the next climb. We were told that the PAULSON summit was a very difficult climb and that we could get a ride to the summit from Bob who ran a company called Wild Ways in Christina Lake. We called Bob and he said he would drive us up to the summit for $50. We both agreed that this was a rather good deal and would definitely be better than killing ourselves trying to cycle up the 1535m Paulson Pass.
When we came out of the Visitor's Centre we met Pascal from Montreal who was also cycling as far as Montreal and possibly on to Newfoundland. He was on his own and mainly staying at camp sites. He asked about our cycling experiences so far and was amazed that we had managed to cycle up the Anarchist Pass. We had a picnic lunch before setting off for Christina Lake where we would contact Bob at his shop there.
We arrived in C.L. at 2:00 PM and rather than go up to the summit so late in the afternoon decided to spend the night in C.L. Bob offered to do any necessary "maintenance" on our bikes. Since I was still having trouble with my rear derailleur I asked him to check it out. I also needed to replace my rear tire as I was very uncomfortable riding on my skinny spare tire which had a small split in the side wall.
We went off to check in to a motel just around the corner that Bob had recommended which was a bit more expensive than I preferred at $74. I managed to talk him down from $84 I think. We quickly unloaded our panniers and stored them in our room. It was a very nice room with full kitchen facilities. We then cycled back to Wild Ways and Bob took my bike down to the basement workshop to work on it. He put it up on a bike stand and spun the front wheel. He informed me that my front hub also needed attention as he could feel a rumbling coming from it. When I put my hand on the frame of my bike I to could feel a slight rumbling. So now it was the rear derailleur, front hub, rear tire and a cleaning of the chain. By the time this trip is over I'm going to have a fully rebuilt bike.
Bev and I left my bike in the capable hands of Bob and went off to do some grocery shopping. We walked for 15-20 minutes to the nearest grocery store, bought some food for our supper and for breakfast, etc. It was now time to go for a cold beer. It was pouring rain!!! A lady, standing in line behind us, at the check out counter offered to give us a lift. Like an idiot I said we were just going up the road a bit to the pub for a beer and it wasn't really necessary to give us a lift. We got thoroughly soaked!!! Oh well, all the more reason to have a second beer while we dried off and waited for the rain to let up.
Eventually the rain stopped, the sun came out, and so we walked back to the bike shop. My bike was ready. It only cost $143.25 for the repairs and a new tire and tube. Bob agreed to pick us up after lunch tomorrow and take us up to the Paulson Summit. We would have preferred earlier in the day but he had a couple of meetings to go to.
I cycled back to the motel while Bev walked. On the way she stopped at the corner ice cream stand and got some ice cream to go with the strawberry/rhubarb pie which she had bought earlier at the bakery shop across from the bike shop. Once back in our motel room I helped Bev prepare dinner. We had pork chops done up in fried onions with mushroom soup and mashed potatoes and, of course, you already know what we had for dessert.
After cleaning up I worked on my blog. My notebook froze when I tried to add a photo. Lost everything!!! I was not a happy camper. To frustrated to start over. Watched TV until 11 PM and then was off to bed.
Bev and Roly

Could have used some of this "Singer" power while going up the hills

Posted in Sparwood, BC on Friday, June 8th, from the Causeway Bay Hotel