Day 5 Princeton to Summerland

Up at 6 like usual, but was surprised at the amount of dew for this arid area.  We were on the road at 7:30.  We cycled back to Princeton and took the Old Hedley Road for about 30 k until it joined up to Hwy 3.  The Old Hedley Road is on the north side of the river. Had never been on that road before.  No traffic, fast, but old pavement bumpiness.

We had a SAG stop at k 35 and then again at k 65 which was pretty much the end of that downhill section.  Time for a pbj sandwich chased by a bottle of water. After that it was uphill for 12 k. Not real bad, but I was down to 12 kph for a bit. Another SAG stop and pbj sandwich at k 88. It was getting pretty hot by then, and Grandpa DeWolde was feeling it, along with most others.

Biking with Ed V (OR) is like watching a perfect cyclist. He rides so smooth. His upper body never moves.  And John S (MB) kind of surprised me with his speed and endurance, gotta say.

We had a nice descent coming down Hwy 3 towards the Hwy 97 junction. Ed V  was already ahead and then Brigette blew by me in the tuck position. I was doing 55, too slow, so I tucked too and at least broke 60 for a short bit. We also got our first taste of headwind today and in general it was windy along Skaha and Okanagan Lakes.   The breeze off of Lake Okanagan was at least cooler.  The wind and heat dries you right out.

We biked into  Penticton on the bypass with four others and Doug S (FL) had joined us earlier too. We detoured into town to find a DQ for a break and something cool, like chocolate milk.  But we also had our final SAG stop just up the road, about 15 k before our camp.

We got into camp at the Peach Orchard Camoground at 2, pretty bagged. As cyclists came in, you could see it on their faces. It was our longest day and it was 37 degrees by the time we got to Penticton. Supper was brought in by a CRC church plant from Kelowna called the Well. Chilli, buns, salad and it was devoured. I think everyone had seconds.

After supper we had a nice surprise -  special jerseys to celebrate Canada's 150th birthday tomorrow.  Created quite the buzz as they look pretty sharp.  Tomorrow everyone knows what to wear already.

Totals for the day - 135 klm, 5:00 cycling time plus 1:30 pit stops, and a 27 kph average.  Good day with great scenery.

Day 4 Manning Park to Princeton

No trains by Manning Park, so that was nice. The morning was cool, around 9 degrees, so I was in no hurry to get out of my sweats, still we left at 7:50. It's going to be a short day. We'll pay for it later.

The first 30 klm was downhill, followed by a 7 k hill. It was pretty warm at that point and the skies were clear blue.  There was some road construction going on so we had to stop a couple of times and would leave again in bunches. One flag lady said "it's going to a fast downhill ride here" and it was. Little traffic and fresh pavement.   The 37 to 50 k section was a mixed bag of ups and downs, followed by a fast 20 k downhill into Princeton.

The road was a little rough in some sections and I had a water bottle work its way loose and flew out. I stopped, walked back up the hill a bit and found it. All good, ha.

Our camp is just past the ball parks a klm past town. We were early, so helped unload gear truck of bags. set up tents, and biked back to town to enjoy a breakfast at the Cowboy Coffee Shop and catch up on blogs etc.  Albert C (AB) and George vdk (ON) were already sitting here.  Now it's 2:30 and I'll head back to camp, unless they have pie here.  There are about 6 others here currently.  It's pretty hot out now, pushing 30 I think.

Tonight's dinner is being hosted by the Princeton Baptist Church, which everyone appreciates.

Today's totals: 72 klm, 2:45 cycling time, and a 26.6 kph avg.

Day 3 Hope to Manning Park

We left Hope Secondary around 7:30. The temperature was nice and the first good climb started at k3  and went all the way to k18 where we had our first rest stop by Hope Slide.  So that was a 15k grind and I was usually at 9-10 kph. Took us an hour and a half.

But then we had a glorious downhill for the next 18 k. That was a good reprieve. Then the next 18 k were uphill again.  What I find is that people really get spread out on days like this. At our first stop there were a lot of cyclists,but when we got to the SAG stop at k58 there was no one and even after 5 minutes there were no other cyclists showing up.  We were told there was a dozen ahead of us.

The final part to Manning Park Lodge was fast!  I hit 67 kph and the road was smooth.  As it was only noon I ordered lunch. Chicken salad and apple pie. Albert C (AB) and George vdk (ON) were already there at the restaurant just finishing up. We camped at Lone Duck group camp, a couple  of klm up the hill by Lightning Lake. Basically look around and find a spot to pitch your tent.

After supper I was talking with a younger cyclist who said how much he was enjoying the trip and that he found a great sense of community.  Later I heard that on this tough climbing day he hung back with an older cyclist who was really being challenged by the hills.  Some people walked a bit here and there and the last ones came in around 4.  I'm on supper prep duty all week so started that around then.

People were tired for the most part, but the general vibe was good and some fears were laid to rest as this was one of those "I don't look forward to this" days.  The day wasn't super long distance wise, just intense.

Totals for the day 73 klm, 4:00 cycling time, with a 18.5 kph avg.  

Day 2 Abbotsford to Hope

There's also the other side of Sea to Sea. Sleeping bags is a misnomer. Should be called sleepless bags. And why must trains rumble and blast horns at 2 am?

Today was a fast ride. At camp I saw Eric S (MI) who I know from 2008 and 2013 looking for a someone to ride with, and then Brigette G (BC) joined us, as did Ed VdP (OR) who did part of 2008. Brigette said she didn't want to lead because she feared she'd be too slow. But soon she led us out of Abbotsford and on S Parallel Rd she was doing 35 kph!

Going through Chilliwack was fun because it's where I live and that part of the ride followed my usual training route.  We stopped at Cornerstone CRC, my home church, for snacks etc. There was a good crowd including a handful of 2008 participants from our church.  It was nice they could say hi to a lot of people from that ride.

Our next stop was for early lunch at Agassiz CRC. Five kinds of soup to choose from along with buns.  Was very good. Stayed there for 45 minutes and it was a little tough finding the legs again. There was some pretty good hills on the way to Hope, up and down. A cyclist saw a bear run across the road.

Got into Hope at 1:15 where it is very windy, like Taber AB, so tent set up is challenging, but wet clothes dry really fast.  Soon I start helping with supper prep. We no longer have sweep teams, replaced by service teams. My team, for this week will assist with supper prep every day at 4. Cooking is done outdoors on grills.  I am currently enjoying my first choco  milk, very good as always.

Totals for the day: 95 k, 3:27 pedalling time, and a 27.7 kph avg.
After supper about 20 of us walked to town to the DQ, desert and carbs for tomorrow.

Day 1 Langley to White Rock to Abbotsford

First day's ride, what we've all been waiting for.  Perfect weather and spirits are high. After breakfast in the mess hall we gathered in our service groups (formerly sweep teams) by the gear truck with our bikes and left Langley around 10 am. First flat for a cyclist around 10 klm out.  We were to stay in our groups today so it was a slower go, and we arrived in White Rock just before noon for the traditional tire dipping, photos and also prayed the Lord's Prayer as a group.

The ride to Abby had a really good climb on 8th Ave with a 20 per cent grade at one point. Later we had a nice downhill and I cracked 60 kph as did most did I'm sure.  As we were to stick with our groups today, the ride was a little uneven speed wise. At one point a few cyclists from another group sped by us. I said to Doug S (FL) that I hate it when people pass me. Not that I'm competitive or anything, I just don't like getting passed    He says "me too, it really ticks me off".  Ha, I think I have my cycling partner for tomorrow.

We arrived at Gateway CRC at 3 pm.  My sister in law Esther was kind enough to shuttle a few of us to her place for showers.  Getting back to camp, I spoke with Jim B (CA) who said he and Rudy F (IA) biked right past the church and so put on an extra 10 or so klm.

Gateway hosted us for an awesome supper of pulled pork sandwiches, salads, and dessert.  Greatly appreciated, especially by those on camp supper duty.

It was a great day in general, bringing back many fond memories of 2008 ride like Billy D cruising by on his Harley.

Totals for the day - 80 klm, 3:41 actual cycling time, and a 21.7 klm per hour avg.

We Have Arrived!

It's Sunday morning, breakfast at the Trinity Western mess hall is done, and there is a bit of quiet time before the celebration/kick off service starts at 9.

I got here around noon yesterday, a little early, and got a good shelf spot for my two allotted laundry baskets. A difference this year is that 1 or 2 week riders only get 1 basket.  The truck will be packed.

A food supplier came and loaded up the kitchen truck. I saw boxes of Doritos and Lays chips going in.  Stuff I like but don't normally eat. But when cycling there is a lot of salt lost in sweating, so the chips replenish that. I'm good with that.

After supper in the mess hall, it was orientation time.  First words from our chaplains support team who are both cycling as well. Saw that Psalm 72:8 was where the term Sea to Sea came from.  He shall rule from sea to sea.....

Our tour manager, Ed Witvoet, who directed us in 2008, is back, is the man here and does a fantastic job.  Ed ran over all the rules and procedures for the tour. Then a bike safety guy spoke and gave us all the cycling rules of the road, the do's and don'ts, and the takeaway from that was "ride paranoid" which is a good reminder because I don't always do that. No ear buds allowed while cycling.  I do at home, but not here. Safety first. We want to get there.

My room mate here is Peter Kempe. He comes from Taber AB and when we met, he already knew I was born there!  Thankfully he's not a snorer so sleeping was not too bad.  Not like Billy D in 2013.

Today is church, then cycling tests to make sure we know how, and probably more orientation.  Then tomorrow we ride to White Rock, dip tires, pray together, and then cycle to Gateway CRC in Abbotsford.

Michael Jackson

This past year I have been training for Sea to Sea 2017.  My favourite long ride is to my brother and sister in law's place out in the country just SE of Abbotsford. About a 90 klm round trip. I get to their place, take off my helmet and gloves, lay them by my bike, and then grab a lounger by their pool and pull sandwiches and Cliff bars from my jersey pockets and munch away until they're all gone. My brother once asked me if I was a squirrel.  I usually sit there too long because when it's time to go, it's as if rigor mortis has set into my legs. They don't want to go. At all.

A couple of weeks ago, I went to my bike to head home and noticed one of my gloves was gone. The left one to be exact. I can only imagine it was Shadow, their dog who would do such a thing.  A quick walk about search was not successful.  I was a little frosted, but had to go, so I did, with only one glove. Yup, one glove, just like Michael Jackson.  But not by choice. Not like MJ. This was not a fashion statement. These are the gloves that I biked across the continent with in 2008 and have been with me on every ride since.  Bummer!

The next day it occurred to me that one of the reasons I ride, and certainly the reason that Sea to Sea exists, is to help alleviate poverty through out the world. The people that benefit are people that have likely never owned a pair of cycling gloves let alone all of the other things we enjoy and perhaps take for granted. So thanks Shadow, for helping  me to remember what this is all about in the first place.