The long and winding road

The Pacific Rim Highway is very hilly. There are plenty of terrible uphills and downhills. Just before heading out for the day, we stopped to ask a construction worker what to expect up ahead, and he said that there was this big hill named Hydro Hill. He said "[we] will know when we hit Hydro Hill" … and we did. They don't just give any hill a name in this neck of the woods. It was very steep, windy, and seemed to go on forever. I was in my lowest gear (on a mountain bike!) going less than 4 km/h, but I rode the whole thing. You would’ve been proud if you seen it – with the gear and a headwind too. There was another major hill heading east out of Port Alberni. This one wasn't as steep, but it lasted for over 9 km (no joke - we measured it on our odometer!). The worst part was that we could only see about 400 metres ahead of us, and it seemed to peak just around the corner, but we were wrong and disappointed far too often.

It wouldn’t be fair to talk about the uphills without the downhills. The one coming down from Hydro Hill was a solid 18% grade. On many of the downhills, we had to go onto the main road since it was far too windy and we were going too fast to safely make our way to the bottom along the shoulder, if there was one at all. Many stretches up/down a mountain had a rock face on one side, and a steep drop on the other, with a visibility of around 50-200 m. But somehow we lucked out with the traffic and there were no cars behind us as we zoomed down the hills. Just past Hydro Hill, I hit a max speed of 58.3 km/h in a headwind and using my breaks, and I tried to slow down because I realized that if a gust of wind came from my side, I would've been thrown off my bike and sprawled along a 100 m stretch of the highway, maybe not in one piece. We had a headwind all day, which made some of the downhills feel like uphills. It wasn’t a strong headwind, but it was consistent and we definitely felt it. It seemed to take forever to get to Port Alberni, which at first we thought we could make on our first full day of cycling. Port Alberni is a quaint little town, with nice people that like to chat us up. We enjoyed talking with them for a bit, but since we were on a bit of a deadline to meet up with Travis in Victoria and we wanted to find a place to stay for the night that I got a little impatient. We weren't rude to them, but it made me think that maybe people think that Torontonians seem unfriendly since we're used to direct, efficient answers.

After Port Alberni, we were looking for a place to camp as we cycled down the summit. We wanted to camp by 6-7 pm every night so we're sure we don't get stranded in the dark without a tent pitched or a place to stay. We ended up in MacMillan Provincial Park, but camped behind a concrete barrier after a river. The forest is starting to look like a BC forest in this area, with tall trees and the moss that is on almost all the branches. It was a solid day of cycling, and we get to do it again tomorrow.

Fun facts, stats and lessons learned

Distance travelled today: 99.31 km

Total distance travelled: 145.80 km

Starting point: somewhere along the east side of Kennedy Lake, by the side of the road.

Our Route: Took Highway 4 into Port Alberni, turned left at Johnston Road, and continued on Highway 4. The roads were in excellent condition, although there was no shoulder for the first 50 km (which could've been very dangerous), then a small shoulder, then a decent shoulder as we approached and left Port Alberni. The only place with a less than great stretch of road is the 10 km leading into Port Alberni from the west, where there were plenty of potholes, cracks, no shoulder and lots of traffic.

Ending point: MacMillan Provincial Park, along the side of the road near Cathedral Grove.

• Summited 2 peaks today. Summit west of port Alberni: 240 m; summit east of Port Alberni: 411 m.
• Maximum speed: 58.3 km/h.
• Vehicles must wear winter tires or chains from October 1 - April 30 along these roads. That's just a week ago. We really lucked out with the weather.
  

  

• Saw two black bears today along the side of the road, grazing along and eating. We were no less than 30 m from one of them.
  

Day 4

I have one word for the day: HILLS! and lots of them! It was actually a long day of hills. We summited two mountains (one was 240m and the other 411m.... but the 240m summit was HARD. it was steep, a lot of uphills with a few downhill/flats. It was MUCH harder than the 240 suggests).
When we woke up and started packing up our gear I went over to talk to the road crew guy holding the stop/go sign to ask about the weather for the day and the roads ahead. He said if it rains it will rain a bit and it won't last long, but it's probably not going to rain at all (there were slight sun showers that lasted like a few minutes and were comparable to the cool zone at wonderland). But regarding the hills, he said there are two really bad ones: Kennedy hill (the hill in front of us that we stopped in front of), and hydro hill. He said once we got to the two lane highway we're in the clear (have a few ups and downs, but the worst of the hills are over until Port Alberny). He was really nice and said that if we hit the road before 8am we could have the whole lane on the other side of the pylons, but after 8am the road crew would be there working on the roads. Unfortunately we left after 8am but they still let us use most of the area on the other side of the pylons so we didn't have to deal with local traffic! Much safer!!! It was a hard hill for sure, but nothing compared to Hydro hill (when I asked the road crew guy how I would know when we reached Hydro hill he just said "oh, you'll know" and we did!). When I started swerving I decided to walk. It was too narrow (one lane), had no shoulder, was INCREDIBLY windy and steep, and had a lot of logging trucks driving past. I just didn't feel like it was safe to bike up and swerve into traffic. Michael, being Michael, cycled it. He has a lower gear set than me so kicks my ass on the uphill. I still beat him at the downhill. ...Unfortunately the uphill is more important, especially when we start tackling the Rockies...
One of the biggest highlights for the day would be the bear sightings! We saw two bears! The first was pointed out to us by a guy driving in the opposite direction. He stopped to tell us to stop and take a look. That bear was on the other side of the road. The second bear was on the same side of the road as us, down a gully. It was really cool to see! The bears were happy out just grazing and both left after realizing they were being watched.
Another thing to note is the amazing weather! So far, three days of great weather! Not too shabby!! (esp since BC is known to have a lot of rain!).
I also want to say thank you to all the drivers who gave us a lot of room on the road! We really appreciate it! (and most ppl did give us our space!!! so thank you bc!!). And no thank yous to those who didn't. Like if there is an empty lane beside you, there's no need to ride close to us, or speed right beside us! We get it, you're faster. Good for you, your motor is faster than our thighs. You win! Now give us our space so we don't get hit!
After summitting the 240m mountain (killer mountain I should say), it was a decent ride into Port Alberni. There was one are where Michael and I both walked up a hill because it was too dangerous to cycle it (it wasn't ridiculously high, but there was NO shoulder, a lot of traffic, and a lot of potholes. the likelihood of falling or veering into traffic was too high). But other than that it was a decent ride into Port Alberni. Leaving Port Alberni was a different story. There was a 10km uphill out of the city (or town?). It was long and difficult climb! It just seemed to last forever! But finally, we summitted it and started looking for a place to
camp out! We found a provincial park on the map and headed for that (MacMillan park) only to find out that there is no camping at MacMillan. Instead we decided to camp out at the side of the road. We pitched our tent behind a concrete barricade so we would be safe, and passed out (Michael was passed out the whole night, I woke up every so often as cars passed by and kept honking for whatever reason!). But our hard day is now over! Now onto Nanaimo tomorrow!

Surf's up, dude!

Last night we stayed at Bella Pacifica Campground on Mackenzie Beach, and again, we were late to leave the site. We got up at 6am, but because we were still figuring out our gear arrangements, we cooked our breakfast, and we had some unforeseeable mishaps (I had a flat in my sleeping mat), we didn’t end up leaving until 10 am.

We were set on going surfing in Tofino, and this ended up being the perfect day to do it! After walking into town to rent gear, we took a cab to Cox Bay to surf. The scene was incredible – blue skies all around, waves crashing into the shore from the oceanfront (not too big, but perfect for beginners like me and Nicole), and a really warm sun on our backs. Nicole did do surfing once in New Zealand, and so she was trying to tell me how to stand on the board. We must’ve looked ridiculous! We kept on trying to stand on our board, wipe out with flailing arms, laugh about it and then eagerly getting back onto our board for the next wave. Even though they were all short lived, both Nicole and I managed to stand on our board a few times by the end! Take that surfing lesson! There were so many places offering lessons, but I’m glad we didn’t go with them because I had so much fun just fooling around with the surfboard anyways!

Today we started biking. We didn’t leave until 3:30pm, but we still managed to go a fair distance. There were short but rolly hills along the Pacific Rim, and a tail wind really did us well. Some points were very interesting as on both sides of the highway was a forest so thick that it seemed like it was nighttime only a few metres away. We stopped at the side of the road along Kennedy Lake to set up camp before it got dark and to not push it too hard on our first day of biking. I’m about to go to sleep soon, as the sun is setting over the mountains. There’s a small waterfall on our right, and the sound of the lake on our left. It felt good to just pause for a minute and try to take it all in.

Fun facts, stats and lessons learned

Distance travelled today: 46.495 km

Total distance travelled: 46.495 km

Starting point: Tofino (Bella Pacifica Campground)

Our Route: Took The Trans Canada Highway the entire way. There was a bike path along most of the Pacific Rim Highway (Highway 4), and a shoulder after the junction with the Ucluelet Tofino Highway. Road conditions were excellent.

Ending point: somewhere along the east side of Kennedy Lake, by the side of the road.

• We should not have bought as much food as we did. We bought way too much food in Tofino because I thought that it’s better to be safe than sorry (We have enough to last us to Victoria). Big mistake when trying to carrry it all on our bikes! We got a lot of fresh food too, which definitely weighs us down. Next time, stock up on the dried foods, and just buy enough fresh food for the day.
• Nicole found her gear very top heavy, and I was stronger on the uphills. We’re going to try an arrangement tomorrow where I will get more heavy gear, and I will be drafting off of her the whole way.

Day 3

Since we didn't get our surf in yesterday, we decided to delay our start time until after surf o'clock. We got all our camping gear packed away again (last night we camped at a campground just across the street from the Botanical Gardens") and then headed into town to go surfing! We rented our gear at "Long Beach" rentals and went surfing at Cox Bay. It was so fun! We decided to forgo the lessons and just give'r for two hours and figure it out ourselves. Standing is overrated, right? WRONG! We stood up all by ourselves! (we don't actually have photo proof of that....we mastered the standing after we took the pictures... and let me just say that when i said "mastered" i meant we were able to stand up and either fall down soon after, or stay standing while the waves passed us by). But it was a blast!
We ended up leaving Tofino officially at 3:30 and hit the road! We only went for 2hrs and completed approximately 45km before calling it a night. At about km 30, we stopped off at the junction (where the road either veered towards Ucluelet or Port Alberny). There, we talked to three older men who were traveling in the opposite direction who warned us about the road ahead. They recommended camping at Lake Kennedy because the hills were really bad up ahead and we probably shouldn't do it in the dard (long, windy, narrow, trucking route, no shoulder). So, as we were coming up to a large hill, there was a road crew working. We asked where we could camp in the area (ie no more than 2hrs bike ride away) and they recommended just at the side of the road before the hill. So that's what we did. It was a good sleep and we had tons of daylight to set up camp and get ready for tomorrow! It was a beautiful day and we officially cycled 46.495km! Now i'm just worried about the massive hills that we are supposed to face tomorrow!

Will it fit?

This morning we got up and sorted out all our gear. I was very worried at first that it wouldn't all fit in our packs. I picked up my front and rear panniers at the MEC in Vancouver on the way to the bus station, so I had no opportunity to see if I would be able to carry everything. On top of that, every time I spoke with Nicole prior to leaving, she kept telling me "I hope there's room in your panniers because there isn't in mine for everything I have." Of course, she did have most of the communal gear. It took all morning to sort out the stuff, and we were very surprised to find out that... it all fit!!! Just have a look at Nicole's blog to see what gear we brought. One interesting thing to note is that I packed fewer clothes for this four month expedition than I usually do for a weekend regatta. Hygene is overrated anyways, right?

It was a very nice, sunny day, so we took a stroll into Tofino. We were hoping to go surfing, but we spent too much time on packing our gear that we were too late for the surfing. So instead we did our grocery shopping for the next couple of days, and after going through the checkout, we realized that this might last us until Victoria!

We're chilling right now at the Field Station, even though we've checked out already, and just as I'm posting this, the school that is staying here made too much food and wants to feed us dinner! I'm going to enjoy that right now! Tonight we camp for the first time; let's see how well prepared we are for this! Tomorrow we start cycling.

Day 2

Today we woke up around 8am and started sorting/splitting up and packing our gear (listed below). That took a VERY long time. We were hoping to go surfing today but because our packing took so long, we'll have to tackle that tomorrow morning and push back our arrival in Victoria by a few hours or a day. But Tofino is very nice. I really like it, but I don't think it quite lives up to the hype. We'll see if I change my mind tomorrow after the surf on Long Beach....

Our gear list:

Bikes:

Nicole:

-road bike

-puncture proof tires

-2 spare inner tubes

-LED, and front and back lights

-Handlebar mounted mirror

-Bike computer

-Front basket pannier

-Two rear panniers (56 L total)

-Clipless pedals

-2 water bottles

-Seat-mounted storage

-Reflective stickers

-bike pump

-spare spokes (2 for front tire, 2 for back)

-CO2 cartridge

-Helmet

-waterproof bike lube

-bike shoes

-bike lock

-swiss army knife of allen keys and screw driver bits

--tire boots

-puncture repair kit

-3 plastic pieces to help change a tire

-allen key (for pedals)

Michael:

26 x 1.5” Armadillo puncture proof tires

Self sealing tubes (2) + 2 regular spare tubes

Handlebar mounted mirror

Back lights (3 – turtle lights on my helmet and seat, larger one on my rack)

Front lights (2 – turtle light on the mirror, larger one on the handlebar)

Bike computer

Front basket pannier

Two rear panniers (56 L total)

Clipless pedals

2 water bottles

Seat-mounted storage

Bull-horn-like handlebar attachments

Reflective stickers – all over my bike! She looks oh so pretty with the new makeover

Helmet

bike pump

spare spokes (2 for front tire, 2 for back)

bike shoes

swiss army knife of allen keys and screw driver bits

3 plastic pieces to help change a tire

pedal wrench

rag

spoke tool

foam seat

Clothes and gear:

Nicole:

-3 pairs of bike shorts

-3 short sleeved bike jerseys

-two thin long sleeved shirts

-down vest

-windbreaker

-waterproof jacket

-waterproof pants

-long spandex pants

-3 sports bras, 5 pairs of underwear

-3 pairs of short biking socks, one pair of knee-high biking socks

-bathing suit

-towel

-gloves

-scarf/hat tube

-toque

-waterproof helmet cover

-bike shoes booties

-waterproof salomon trail runners

-flip flops

-waist/arm band reflectors

-regular shorts

-sweat pants

-Religious pendant with Immaculate Mary from Eva

-2 dry sacs (10L and 25L)

-camera

-2 spare camera batteries

-emergency blanket

-cup

-headphones

-female products

-cards (ID, bank card, health card, MEC card)

-cash

-razors

-deodorant

-hairbrush and ties

-toothbrush

-toothpaste

-headlamp

-book

-diary and sketchbook

-sunglasses

-sleeping bag

-sleeping matt

-netbook

Michael:

-2 pairs of biking shorts

-3 short sleeved jerseys

-waterproof pants

-spandex pants

-one cotton t-shirt

-one quick dry warm underlayer

-waterproof/windproof jacket

-fleece long sleeved top

-polo shirt

-regular shorts (double as non-biking shorts and bathing suit)

-4 pairs of underwear

-4 pairs of socks

-toque

-scarf/hat tube

-gloves

-sunglasses

-bike shoe booties

-waterproof helmet cover

-ankle and sash reflectors

-Religious pendant with Immaculate Mary from Eva

-towel

-lenses

-lens solution

-lens case

-toothbrush

-tooth paste

-glasses and case

-razors

-deodorant

-camera

-2 spare camera batteries

-book (how not to be eaten)

-emergency blanket

-letterman

-cell phone

-cup

-head lamp

-ipod

-ipod speakers

-headphones

-spare batteries

-camera usb

-sleeping bag

-sleeping matt

-waterproof trail runners

-flip flops

Communal Gear

-tent

-backpack and waterproof cover for westcoast trail

-soap/shampoo/dish detergent

-sunscreen

-tea

-backcountry meals

-cliff bars

-2 tarps

-water filter

-water purifying drops

-water neutralizing drops

-first aid kit

-fuel canister

-fuel

-stove

-insulator for cooking

-flipper

-can opener

-utensils

-pots

-duct tape

-ties

-hand sanitizer

-insect repellant

-toilet paper

-combination lock

-pain killers

-floss

-sewing needle

-compass

-waterproof matches

-vasoline

-bungy cords (one long and two short each)

-15m of nylon rope

-toe nail clippers

-tweezers

-wet naps

-chamois butt’r

Heading to the start - by air, land, and water

This morning I was exhausted from yesterday’s regatta and last night’s wine and cheese. I had so much fun at both events (winning is fun!), and I would like to thank everyone who came out to the semi-formal Wine and Cheese! Frédérique was kind enough to drive me to the airport, and she has been so generous to me in helping with getting my stuff together. I don’t know how I would’ve been prepared at all without her. We said our last goodbyes at the airport, which for some reason still didn’t seem real to me. I know I will miss her throughout the trip.

Today was all about travelling to our starting destination – by plane, bus, and ferry. I left at 7:15am Montreal time, and finally arrived in Tofino at 10pm local time. The rides were fairly enjoyable, albeit rather long. The bus was nice enough to drop us off close to where we’re staying – the Clayoquot Field Station – but we still had to carry our boxed bikes a good 500 m, which seemed like 2 km. We were trying to get all our gear in order tonight, but that's a tall order. Right now it’s 1:12 am and I’ve just finished assembling my bike. Bedtime soon.

Day 1

I am so excited for this trip! This entire year Michael, Travis and I have been planning and saving for it. Every conversation we had had at least one mention of our elation and anticipation. Now that it has officially become a reality I am even more excited, but for the first time since this cycle was just a casual mention, I'm scared for what may lie ahead. It will be an adventure of a lifetime where we expect to meet amazing people, see and do amazing things, and push ourselves to the limit! However, some days will just suck. There will be days of bad weather, steep inclines, sickness, fatigue, discomfort, etc. Those are the days I'm scared for. But, my fear fades quickly and is soon replaced with the more prominent, longer lasting excitation! (...and don't worry, Michael's girlfriend bought him a book from MEC called "how not to be eaten" and it talks about how to not become prey to cougars and bears. I thought it was a joke at first, but it's not! ....good title I must say...).

Before I start to talk about the trip so far, I want to say some thank yous:

First, I would like to thank Aaron at Gears and Grinds in Kingston. He gave up two of his days off to open the store for me to get my bike ready for this trip. I made the special trip up to Kingston for two consecutive weekends because although I have visited numerous bike shops across Toronto and in Queenstown, NZ, I have never found anyone who could match Aaron's knowledge base, his eagerness to educate, and his superior customer relations. For those of you who will see me cycle during some part of the route (in person or via the pictures we will post on the blog), you will probably see me wearing a 'gears and grinds' jersey, donated by Aaron. For those of you interested in buying a bike, or need anything from a bike store, I highly recommend making the effort to go to Kingston! www.gearsandgrinds.com

Second, I would like to thank Eva and Tom Lagan (my Godmother/mother's cousin and her husband). You two have helped us out A LOT by lending us your camping gear! Not only have you saved us time (one less thing to shop for), but you have saved us a lot of money and stress! Thank you so much for this, and for all the support you have shown us!

Now back to our trip so far:

One thing I noticed passing over Alberta/BC: THERE IS STILL SNOW ON THE ROCKIES!!! That will be interesting.... I arrived in Vancouver from Toronto approximately 30min before Michael (who was flying in from Montreal). Only Michael and I are doing this portion of the trip. We will be meeting Travis in Victoria on the 7th.
After the 5hr plane ride, we took a taxi to the greyhound station, taking a detour to MEC (both Montreal and Toronto were sold out of 56L panniers so we got them to hold one set for Michael....risky, but we still made it on time, if not early for our bus!). After leaving the bus terminal at 1:45, taking the ferry to Nanaimo and then busing to Tofino, we arrived around 10pm. The bus driver was really nice and dropped us about 200m away from our hostel. That was really appreciated seeing as how we got in around 10pm so it might have been hard to grab a taxi, and we had a LOT of gear. I had a backpack on my back, there were two bike boxes, and one garbage bag with my two full panniers and michael's two empty panniers. We would carry one bike box at a time for about 10m, then go back for the other piece we left behind. It was heavy, awkward and dark. And the driveway seemed to last forever! Finally we made it in to "Clayoquot Field Station" And started assembling our bikes until approx 1am local time. Our roommates were two brothers from Toronto who drove over. They were very friendly, and luckily went to bed around the same time we did (so we didn't keep them up too late lugging in our gear from the outside common room). It was a long, tiring day, and it hasn't quite sunk in that we are actually doing this! I'm not gonna lie, I'm a little scared for our cycle because on the bus over it was impossible not to notice the amount of long and steep hills we will have to tackle!

Prelude

This has been something that I've always wanted to do.

Although there are many travel destinations around the world, we plan on travelling in our own backyard this summer, as there is so much to see and do. We will experience Canada through everything it has to offer, from observing the beautiful scenery to meeting different people and cultures along the way. We're not doing it to say that we've "cycled Canada", instead, our goal is to have fun and enjoy our time as we travel around Canada by bike. Our route is longer than most other people who have done this thing before - going from Tofino to St. John's, and taking detours along the way, such as through the Icefields Parkway and Gaspé Peninsula. This will test us both mentally and physically, as we will need to cycle an average of 90 km/day throughout the trip to stay on track. Our planned route is over 25% of the circumference of the earth, and we will take four months to complete the journey.

I figure that this is an excellent time for me to do this trip since I don't have any strict commitment, and who knows what I'll have after I completely finish school eons from now. Plus, there are many more adventures that I want to go on throughout my life, and I need to fit them all in somehow.

I'm relly looking forward to all the activities that we have planned, including: camping under the stars, canoe/portage trip in Algonquin, hiking the West Coast Trail, rock climbing in Squamish, surfing on the coasts, whitewater rafting on the Ottawa River, and sea kyaking on the Bay of Fundy. I'm also excited to discover some hidden gems along the way.

I'd like to thank Frédérique for helping us get the kegs for our "Kegger Fun!raiser" (where we raised a net $270) and to everyone who showed up to support us. Below is a photo of Nicole, me and Travis with a friend at the kegger. Also, thanks to the McGill Outdoors Club helping us get our trip started through the $200 Adventure Grant. We're in the process of getting all our equipment together, and these funds will go a long way!

I've been looking forward to this trip ever since Travis and I met up in Calgary for drinks last July. Nicole and I have been talking about doing this for quite a while, and now we are actually making this trip happen! As the starting date approaches, it's starting to become real to me, and I can't talk about it without getting really excited! Flights are booked for me and Nicole, and we should arrive in Tofino on May 3rd.

Let the journey begin!

Preamble

Sitting here with Michael, four days before he leaves for Tofino and 7 before I fly to meet him in Victoria. We figure its about time to get this blog set-up.