CCCT 2012 - May23

Cross Canada Cycling Tour - Wednesday, May23rd
After posing for the obligatory photo at Mile 0 we reloaded our bikes on Bob's truck and he drove us over to the sea shore. Fortunately the tide was out as neither Bev or I fancied dipping our wheels in salty water and risking any corrosion to our bikes. After taking some scenery shots and convincing Bob that I would photo shop our bikes in (he was threatening to throw our bikes in the water) he agreed to drive us to Swartz Bay so we could catch the 11:00 AM ferry to Tsawwassen. Bob didn't want to get caught up in the ferry queue and risk not being able to turn around so he dropped us off at a parking lot about 6 kms from the ferry terminal. We unloaded our bikes and gear and after loading our panniers set off for the ferry terminal. Unfortunately we missed the 11:00 ferry and had to wait for the next ferry at 1:00 PM. When paying for the ferry crossing I asked the attendant for a Senior's discount. She asked to see our BC Gold Cards which of course we weren't able to produce. I complained that it was a form of discrimination as we were Seniors in Ontario. Later when I checked our boarding passes I noticed that she had given us Senior's Passes and had only charged us $2.00 each for our bikes. That sort of made up for the 2 hour wait. Just as we were boarding the ferry I discovered I had another rear tire flat. I was able to pump it up enough to wheel my bike unto the ferry. I took my previously flatted tube up to the lounge along with my patch kit and pump and after the 3rd attempt managed to get my tube repaired.
Our departure was delayed by 15-20 minutes so it was 3:00 PM when we arrived in Tsawwassen. Once we were able to go below to our bikes I quickly pumped up my rear tire again so that I could wheel it off the ferry. We found a quiet place by the restrooms where there was a picnic table and proceeded to fix my flatted rear tire. This meant I had to take all my panniers off to make the necessary repair. Finally we were able to start cycling towards Delta at 4:00 PM.

We cycled as far as Ladner and stopped at the Sundance Motel. It was $89 for a room but we didn't feel like cycling in rush hour traffic and it appeared a storm was brewing. We put away our bikes and walked over to the PUB for a cold one and dinner. I had Fish & Chips (2 pieces) and Bev had a snitzel burger with fries. Very good. It was $29 + tip. I took some pictures of Serbio enjoying a beer & watching the hockey game NJ vs NY. Soon it was time to get some sleep to see if we could put some kms on our bikes.

CCCT 2012 - May22 to





Al, Shirley & Holly



Cross Canada Cycling Tour - Tues, May 22nd

We were up at 6 AM. I had to go out to the garage and put my cycling shoes and inserts outside to try and get them to dry off. I should have done this yesterday evening when we arrived but got distracted with getting re-acquainted with Al and Shirley whom I hadn't seen since the mid 90s. Al had prepared scrambled eggs and enough pancakes to feed the 5,000 for breakfast. We had Maple syrup and homemade zuchinni jam to put on our pancakes. It was very delicious.

There was no way we could cycle up the steep hill from the house to the main street so we loaded all our gear in Al's trunk and back seat and walked/pushed our bikes up the hill while Al went before us to lead the way. Once we reached the top of the hill we loaded our bikes for a "photo op" in front of the lake. Al then drove on ahead of us into town where he dropped off Shirley at the local super market where they would spend some time doing some volunteer work filling out grocery orders for shut-ins. Al continued to show us the way to the Mill Bay Ferry landing and prayed that we would be safe and have a great ride across Canada.

We boarded the ferry for Brentwood at 9 AM and sailed at 9:15. It only took 15 minutes to make the crossing. It was a sunny, calm day. The ferry cost $7.50 each and $2.00 each for our bikes.

Once we reached Brentwood we met a group of 20 or more CCCTS cyclist getting on the ferry. We didn't have much time to exchange pleasantries as bikes and pedestrians are loaded on the ferry first. We were faced with cycling up a rather steep hill. We asked a local out exercising her dog for directions. She suggested we turn right at the first side street which would eventually get us to the main road leading directly south to where Bob Alexander lived in Esquimalt. It was a very pleasant day and a nice easy ride with little or no traffic all the way into town. Made a few stops so Bev could make wardrobe changes as it went from cool to hot to cool to hot, etc.

We arrived in Esquimalt at 12:00 and pulled into a shopping mall so Bev could make a pit stop. We also had lunch which consisted of ham and cheese sandwiches and cranberry loaf for dessert which Shirley had so kindly packed for us prior to our departure from Cobble Hill. Hmm Hmm good!!! I called Bob and got his voice mail and left a message saying we would be arriving in half an hour. When we arrived at Bob's trailer we found a note on the door saying he was out doing some shopping and would be back shortly. We didn't have long to wait. A good thing as it started raining but only lightly thank goodness.

I was still having problems with my chain coming off, so after a quick beer for me and a cup of tea for Bev, Bob agreed to take us to a nearby bike shop. We loaded my bike in the back of his pickup truck and drove to a the bike shop. In spite of being quite busy they agreed to adjust my derailleurs. While waiting we went to a local coffee shop for coffee and carrot cake for me. We returned to the bike shop to collect my bike only to find out that I had no rear brakes and needed new brake pads. I also needed to get the rear derailleur straightened out and the cable needed to be replaced. The mechanic agreed to do the brakes but didn't have time to do the derailleur repairs. It would have to do for the time being. We drove back to Bob's trailer and called my friends, Terry and Annie Mildare, whom I had met while on posting in Yaounde in the early 70s. They agreed to meet us for dinner at Christie's Roadhouse Inn at 7:00 PM.

Since we had some time to kill I got my Notebook out and tried to get on Bob's Wi-Fi. It took a while to get the "Security Code" sorted out but once that was done we were able to check our e-mail, etc. The bike shop called to say my bike was ready. Bob and I drove out to the shop and what initially was to be a $19.99 tune-up turned out to be a bill for $106.00. Oh well - at least now I knew I could count on my brakes. By the time we got back to the trailer it was soon time to freshen up and go out for dinner.

We arrived at Christie's at a little after 7:00 PM and found Terry and Annie waiting for us. It was great to see them and swap stories and catch up on old times. As we were leaving Bob pointed out that John Marsden, a former colleague from External Affairs, was at the bar having a beer. I went over and said hello. I only wish now that I had thought to get a photo of John to send to the O' FARTS back home.

We returned to Bob's trailer and decided to have an early night. Bob agreed to drive us to the ferry at Swartz Bay and to stop off at Mile 0 for a photo op on the way. We decided not to rush off and aim for the 11:00 AM ferry to Tsawwassen.
To be continued . . . .

Bev and Roly at Mile Zero



Bev, Annie, Roly, Terry & Bob
Dinner at Christie's Roadhouse Inn



CCCT 2012 - May21

Cross Canada Cycling Tour May 21 to ...
Monday, May 21st. Got up at 6:30 and dressed for cold wet weather. It was raining and we planned to cycle from Nanaimo to Cobble Hill. After loading our panniers on our bikes we said goodbye to Dan, Jean and Pat and set off at 8:20. We had been told to take the Bike Trail at Hammond Bay Road and Hwy 19. We first of all had to negotiate a very long steep hill in order to get on the "Trail"./ Unfortunately the "Trail" turned out to be poorly marked and had a lot of very steep climbs, several of which we had to walk up. All in all it took us 2 hours and 40 minutes to get out of Nanaimo on onto the main highway heading south towards Ladysmith. Fortunately we stopped at a Tourist Information Centre (TIC) to get out of the cold and rain for awhile. The girls attending the TIC advised us to get off the "Trail" at the next light otherwise we would have to double back in order to get on the highway. They also offered us some delicious macaroons which we very gladly accepted. Also, as if the cold and wet weather wasn't enough to put a damper on our day, my chain kept coming off and jamming.
We arrived at the Timmy's in Ladysmith in time for lunch. A hot bowl of vegetable soup and hot chocolate and the fact that the rain had stopped helped to lift our spirits. I called Al Hardy in Cobble Hill to let him know that we were in Ladysmith and would probably arrive in Cobble Hill around 4-5 PM./ We set off again and were making fairly good progress when it started raining again. Bev got thoroughly soaked when an RV hit a puddle just as it was passing her. After passing through Duncan I managed to get a flat in my rear tire. There was nowhere to get off the highway. Had to make the repairs at the side of the road on the paved shoulder. Fortunately, Bev had her rear light flashing which helped to warn motorist that we were in difficulty and making a repair. This didn't seem to make any difference to them as they still passed us going well over the speed limit of 90 kph.
Eventually we arrived in Cobble Hill at 4:45. Once again I called Shirley to get direction as to where to get off the highway (I forgot I had printed/written the instructions on the reverse side of the instructions that Al had sent me for getting to their house). We stopped at the main gate and were given a map and instructions on how to find Al and Shirley's house. The guard also told us that it was all "down hill" and quipped have fun getting out. Little did we know that it was like "suicide hill". We had to have the binders on all the way down it was so steep. Bev thinks she now needs to get new brakes. We could smell the rubber burning.
After 90 kms of wet, cold, gritty highway cycling it was good to be safe and sound in Cobble Hill at last. We were able to store our filthy bikes in Al's garage along with his shiny BMW and his Golf Cart. In spite of wearing "booties" my cycling shoes and socks were soaking wet. We stripped off and showered and got dressed for dinner. We also took advantage of Shirley's state of the art laundry facilities to wash and dry our filthy cycling gear. Thank you very much Shirley.
Al had prepared a delicious dinner of his renowned meat balls with mashed potatoes and a superb home made wine. One of the finest home made wines I've ever had the pleasure of tasting.
We were very tired and because we wanted to get an early start were off to bed by 10:00 PM after Shirley counselled us against cycling across the Malahat and showed us an alternative route which would be more "biker" friendly by taking the ferry from Hill Bay

CCCT 2012 - May 14-20

 Monday, May14, we finally managed to get away at 10:50 AM and headed for Belwood, ON, a small town near Kitchener-Waterloo where we planned to spend an evening with Beverly's son, Clayton and family who live there as she wanted to leave her car with them for the summer. I had to unpack one of the bike boxes that we had packed most of our panniers in so that I could add my bike tools as they would be confiscated if I tried to carry them on to the plane. When we opened the trunk we discovered "Serbio" who had stowed away in one of the bike boxes. I found "Serbio" on the highway in Serbia while cycling across Europe last year and had rescued him. He accompanied me all the way to the Black Sea and returned home with me. He is now an honorary Canadian. Well what could we do! We couldn't send him back home or leave him behind! He would just have to come along with us for the rest of our Cross Canada Tour.

We had a lovely visit with Beverly's family and friends in Belwood and even found time to go into town where we bought ham, tomato, cheese, lettuce and mayo sandwiches at the local convenience store and found a lovely spot by the lake to have a picnic.

We flew out of Waterloo Airport on Tuesday, May 15, with WestJet to Calgary/Vancouver. In addition to our airfare, $321 each, we also had to pay 3 x $50 per bike box and $50 for the overweight bike box that we had packed most of our panniers in plus $20 for the extra box  plus taxes for a total of $248.60. Had a bit of a scare going through pre boarding security as the X-ray machine picked up some strange looking metal objects in one of my front panniers which I had to carry on board with me as there wasn't enough room for them in the extra bike box. Turned out it was the tent pegs!!! They let me take them on board as I didn't seem to present a threat to on board security. Whew!!!

We arrived in Vancouver at 10:00 PM after leaving Waterloo at 7:00 PM including an hour's stopover in Calgary. So, after doing the math I figure it only took us 2 hours to fly from Waterloo to Vancouver??? Go figure. We deplaned and proceeded to "Oversize Luggage" to collect our bike boxes. After a short wait they were dropped off by the baggage handlers and were found to be all in good shape. Beverly's daughter, Brandy, soon arrived and helped us wheel our "luggage" out to the taxi stand. An airport security person got on her walkie-talkie and called for a "Disabled Person" van which arrived a few minutes later. We had a bit of a struggle getting all 3 boxes in the back of the van but by putting the middle rear seat down we were eventually able to get all our luggage on board. It was a half hour ride from the airport to Brandy's downtown apartment at Denman and Barclay which cost $40 plus a $5 tip for a very patient driver. It was now going on 2:00 AM Ottawa time and both Bev and I were quite exhausted as was Serbio for that matter. He made himself comfortable in Brandy's bed!!!

We spent 3 days in Vancouver and during that time we had a picnic at English Bay which is a short 2 block walk from Brandy's apartment. We also unpacked and put our bikes back together. We had had to take the rear fenders off both bikes; the front racks off Bev's bike; remove the pedals; loosen the handlebars and remove them. After removing the wheels and deflating the tires they were ready to be packed. On Thursday, May 17, we decided to go for a bike ride around "The Sea Wall" which is also a couple of blocks away from Brandy's apartment but first we had to get the brakes on Bev's bike adjusted and rent a bike for Brandy. Fortunately there are several bike shops on Denman a short walk away from where Brandy lives. After getting the brakes adjusted and the tires pumped up on both our bikes and renting a bike for Brandy we were ready to go riding.

Friday, May 18, Bev's friend, Aprille, picked us up at 10:00 AM and drove us out to Whistler with stops at Shannon Falls and Brandywine Falls on the way. We saw a mother bear with her 2 cubs along the road. There are signs posted all along the road warning people not to stop to take photos or feed the bears. It was a very long day especially for me as I'm not used to doing so much walking. Aprille had packed several sorts of sandwiches, curry puffs, drinks, etc so we were able to enjoy a delicious picnic after visiting Shannon Falls.

 

Saturday, May 19, I was up quite early (6 AM) in order to load our panniers, etc on our bikes. We planned to take the bus to Horseshoe Bay and the ferry from there to Nanaimo. We were ready to go at 8:00 AM and made our way to Denman and W. Georgia to wait for the 257 Express bus to Horseshoe Bay. The first bus to come along was FULL so we weren't able to get on. The 2nd one was a slow bus and the driver told us another Express would be along in 6 minutes so we let it go. While we were waiting for the 3rd bus to come along 2 other bikers turned up. They decided to go to the previous stop to get on ahead of us. We were a little ticked off about their rudeness since by now we had been waiting almost an hour. Sure enough the next bus to come along was FULL and our 2 rude bikers had managed to get their bikes on the front racks. We waited for a 4th bus to come along and luckily the bike racks were unoccupied. When I tried to put my bike on I couldn't get the front wheel clamp to fit over my front rack so the driver wouldn't allow my bike on as it was not safe. He was worried my bike might fall off and damage the bus!!! While I was struggling to get my bike on the front rack the girls had loaded all our panniers on the bus. They all had to be unloaded!!! We were pretty frustrated by this time and so decided that we would be better off to cycle to Horseshoe Bay. We said goodbye to Brandy and set off for Horseshoe Bay at 10:30 AM. After crossing over the Capilano Bridge we arrived at Hwy 1 but weren't able to continue cycling as there was a "no bikes allowed" sign. I had learned my lesson in France so I wasn't about to take a chance here in Canada. While we were stopped at the side of the road trying to figure out which way to go a "good samaritan" pulled over and being a cyclist herself was able to point us in the right direction. Just around the corner there was a ramp to get on the bike path that would take us along the highway all the way out to Horseshoe Bay. I had dressed for riding on the bus and ferry so soon had to take off a layer of clothing as it was a lovely sunny day with no wind at all. We arrived at the ferry at 11:40 AM and were able to get on the 12:00 PM ferry sailing for Nanaimo after paying $14.95 each and $2.00 each for our bikes plus a "fuel surcharge" of $1.40 and port fee of .30 cents.

After getting off the Ferry we cycled up several rolling hills to 5112 Hammond Bay where we are presently spending a couple days visiting Beverly's childhood friends. Total distance cycled was 31.47 kms in 2 hrs 36 mins at and average speed of 12.09 kph. Some of the hills were quite challenging especially since our bikes were fully loaded. Tomorrow we set off for Cobble Hill near Duncan to visit with Al and Shirley Hardy.

Bev and Roly

Cross Canada Cycling Tour 2012

Only one more week before we (Beverly and I) leave to begin our CCCT. Preparations are well under way. We leave Ottawa on May 14th and drive to Belwood where Beverly plans to leave her car with family. We then fly out to Vancouver from Kitchener-Waterloo on WestJet the following day. We plan to spend a few days with Beverly's daughter, who lives in Vancouver, and finalize our preparations for our tour i.e. buying fuel for our camping stoves, instant meals, peanut butter, etc. On the 19th we will take the bus/ferry to Namaino to visit Beverly's old school day friends  and on the 21st we will begin cycling from Nanaimo to Victoria stopping in Cobble Hill near Duncan to visit with former DFAIT colleague Al Hardy and his wife Shirley. While in Victoria we will be staying with Bob Alexander, also a former DFAIT colleague, and his friend Gayle. We hope to touch base with Terry Mildare and his wife Annie, two people I met while on posting in Yaounde, Cameroon, in the early 70s. We have kept in contact over the years via snail mail and now by e-mail.
Well that's all for now. Will try and post some pre-departure photos later.
Roly

Diabetes and/or MS Research

Beverly and I appreciate your support for:

Diabetes research
or
Multiple Sclerosis

https://ocp.diabetes.ca/OD/csCustomerDonation.asp

https://mssociety.donorportal.ca/Donation/DonationDetails.aspx?L=en-CA&G=20&F=541&T=GENER

Thankyou