Day 7 Rogers Pass

Day 7, May 31 Revelstoke to Golden, km 646 to 799, 153 km today.

We left Revelstoke at 6:40 using the access road from the east end of town; it was the steepest hill of the day. The road from Revelstoke to Rogers Pass summit was surprisingly easier than anticipated; also the rain stopped and the sun came out just as we approached the summit. That's when we started to get some really nice views.   Here's a shot of Susie at the Rogers Pass summit arches; eat your heart our McDonald's. We saw black bear today just beside the road; he took off as soon as car from the other direction slowed down. At the summit there were lots of ground squirrels around the summit rest stop. After the summit it was a quick ride through the snow sheds down. After getting down into the next valley the road goes up again about 240 m before descending gently toward Golden. We arrived in Golden about 5 PDT which was 6 MDT. This was a satisfying knowing we had made it over one of our longest and greatest elevation gain legs of this trip.

Day 6, May 30 Sicamous- Revelstoke km 646, 77 km today.

It started out cool and remained so all day; overcast with light rain. The Trans-Canada follows the Eagle River for most of the way to Revelstoke; generally the grade is good. Just as we got to Craigalachie the skies opened up and it poured. So we got under cover at the rest stop at the “Last Spike” and had a snack. While we were there a tour bus pulled in and we talked to an Australian couple who had just competed in a triathlon in Germany. They said that it was cold and damp there as well with the water temperature being about 16 C. We also talked to a couple of birders who were participating in bird survey. We took pictures at the monument. While we were there the rain stopped making the ride nicer. We also stopped at Three Valley to take pictures. This the place where Grandpa Nakatsu was sent during World War II to work on the road. His gang's job was to blast out the roadbed on the south side of the lake just across from the CPR mainline. His task was to look after the dynamite cache, which is kind of odd because he was sent to Three Valley as a threat to national security. The road continues to climb gently until Summit Lake, about 10 km from Revelstoke. We checked into the Revelstoke Lodge for the night. It was an easy 5 hours from Sicamous so we will be well rested for the Rogers Pass tomorrow. Elevation at Sicamous 331 m 1139 ft at Revelstoke 443 m 1453 ft.

Day 4, May 28, Cache Creek-Kamloops, 85 km

So what else is new; the temperature is cool with a forecast of showers during the day. From 97 it's a left turn onto the TransCanada (1) and steady climb out of Cache Creek. For the desert part of BC, it is surprisingly lush this year. As we crossed innumerable streams, we knew why. They have had a lot of rain recently and the streams are full and muddy. The road is busier now but it is easier to ride. The hills are not as steep, and there is a paved shoulder all the way. About 10, we got hungry and ate our lunch. There were several nice long runs that got us going over 40 kph; of course that meant making climbs to get them. The open country is very pretty although I could imagine what the heat must be like in the middle of summer. After crossing the Thompson River at Savona, we had great views across Kamloops Lake. The lake was mirror smooth and reflected the barren hills perfectly. About an hour put of Kamloops, it started to rain; after that it was get hot- take off the jacket and get cold- put on the jacket. At Kamloops, we stopped at Costco to pick up some supplies and add to our lunch. Called and talked to Shirley to let her know that we had arrived. After that we went to the Visitor's Bureau and got motel information, and the directions to a bike shop. We picked up brake shoes for Kanji's bike and road to Valleyview to sign in at the most easterly motel, TransCanada Motel ($60). Kanji lubricated the brake cable on Susie's bike, and changed the brake shoes on his. Shortly after Danny, Shirley, Shelley, Devon and Mya arrived. We went to the Oriental Garden for dinner; a great meal of Japanese and Chinese style food. The we got some ice cream and went back to the room for dessert and talk. Mya entertained us with her energy. We plan to get up early have breakfast and then head off in our own directions.


Day 5, May 29, Kamloops-Salmon Arm-Sicamous km 469, 137 km today.

Danny knocked on the door at 6, so he, Shirley, Susie and Kanji went for breakfast at Harold's Family Restaurant. We had their special of 4 French toast, two eggs, two sausages, and bacon. With all the food last night Kanji had to get Susie to help finish breakfast. After returning to the motel, we packed and said our goodbyes. It was raining and about 12 on leaving; eventually the rain stopped for a while. The road to Chase was perfect- flat smooth- which allowed us to make good time. We arrived in Salmon Arm at about 2 so we decided to continue on to Sicamous. The ride to Sicamous was up and down but generally very good; the traffic was steady but considerate. Susies bike started to act up along the way. A dose of chain oil help one problem but she started to have difficulty shift her front derailleur into low. Kanji spent about an hour getting instructions from the internet, and then adjusting it. He had to raise the unit, adjust the stop screws and let out the cable a bit. After showers we went for food and then back to have a rest.

Bike Trip 2010 May 27

Day 3, May 27, Lillooet-Cache Creek, 91 Km (331 km on Susie's bike)

It was raining and about 10 C when we woke up so we did not rush out on the road- got going at 9:30. During the night Kanji got up to do some computer work and repair the inner tube from Susie's bike. Susie had a nice nap after breakfast. After breakfast Kanji got the password for WiFi and sent a bunch of e-mail. We stopped at the pharmacy on the way out of town, crossed the muddy Fraser River, then turned north on 99. Following the east bank of the Fraser took us up and down many times, also crossing the CNR. A lot of the land that we passed through seemed to be Indian reserves; here is an interesting headwood?. Eventually we left the Fraser and climbed into a small valley on the east side which meant more climbing, and some pushing. After reaching the summit, we made better time with long runs down and short runs upward. Along the way the Ts’kw’aylaxw Band has a Graymont mine operating where they are taking limestone for concrete. About 2 hours out of Cache Creek it started to rain so we put on more clothes. We took a room at one of the first motels we came across, Sage Hills Motel. It was $60 for a nice clean room. There aren't a lot of stores in town so we will have to pick up brake shoes in Kamloops. The hills have taken their toll on them. The trip on the back roads has been tough physically because of the hills and some less than perfect highways; on the other hand, it has been great to ride on relatively quiet roads with very considerate drivers. After we got on 97, we were shocked back into reality with the traffic.

Bike Trip 2010

Day 1, May 25, Nanaimo-Horseshoe Bay-Whistler, 107 Km

Caught the 6:30 a.m. Ferry. Brother Don dropped us off. Rained lightly on and off all day, temperature was cool, we're guessing 10C. Left Horse Shoe Bay at 8:15 and had a flat tire within an hour. The ride along Howe Sound was flat on average, with a coast down following every uphill. The road itself is excellent with a nice bike lane all the way to Whistler. Nevertheless the experts are right; wherever there is a bike lane, the drivers tend to drive closer to you than they would on a road of the same width with no white line. Squamish has really changed; it used to be a small village with gas stations and couple of restaurants on the main street which was also the highway. Now it's a bustling place with a controlled access highway running through it. The ride from Squamish was a steady climb especially the 6.5 km through Cheakamus Canyon, but you have to make up the elevation at some point. The coasts downhill were a welcome break, but you always knew that you would have to pay with an equivalent uphill ahead. Whistler has changed a lot since I ski patrolled here in 1969-71. Now it's as you see on TV but then it was an unorganized group of buildings around the original ski lift. I was able to recognize the main runs on Whistler plus a few that have been added. After we checked in a the hotel and were walking around town, we saw two black bears eating grass on a Blackcomb run. The Whistler Inn and Suites is very nice with a covered locked area for bikes. The village is interesting to walk through with everything the tourist would need and then some. This is the slow season; it must alive during ski season or summertime.

Booked the room 69 plus tax 81 through the visitor centre. Nice large clean room with hot bath; there was a sauna which we didn't use because Susie had no bathing suit. Bought a few food items at the IGA and ate at around 7.

Day 2, May 26, Whistler-Pemberton, Lillooet, 132 Km

Overcast and 7 C, 7:30. Ride to Pemberton was unexpectly downhill to 670 ft then it was 17 km along 99 to the start of 15 Km up a lot of 15% grade. We walked a lot today, taking 4 hours to cover the 15 km from the start of hill to the summit. We reached the Duffy Lake Summit of 4300 ft at 2:00 where we fixed a flat on Susie's bike. It started raining at the summit and only letup when we got to Lillooet. Going down was great at first, with gentle slopes that pushed us along. When we got closer to Lillooet, we encountered some ups and downs especially through Cayoosh Canyon. Going down the 13% hills forced us to use our brakes quite a bit. Booked into the First Canada Inn, a little tired. The road after Pemberton was very rough places. Lilloet seems like a nice little town with services for tourists like us. There are a number of hotels and motels and a few restaurants.