Wednesday 31 August 2011

Killer Bike

When I was a teenager, I went to visit my brother Trevor in Calgary. We went to an Indian buffet one day and watched a thin woman in athletic attire down three heaping plates of food in the time I ate one. Trevor is no slacker in the eating department, but even he couldn't keep up to this woman. We searched for explanations, but at the time we could not fathom how such a small and fit-looking person could consume so many calories in one sitting. Well, mystery revealed, Trevor. I'll bet good money that woman was a cyclist!

Running is physically intense, but you don't generally do it for 5 hours a day; and hiking takes you too far away from civilization to really pig out (you have to carry whatever you eat, after all). Cycling, on the other hand, is a foodie with a small appetite's dream sport. Never before have I been truly concerned that my body might simply run out of fuel. I don't normally need to eat a whole lot, but staying properly nourished on the road is serious business.  I'm not sure Trevor could even afford it.

I decided at the last minute to bring along a stove and pot set for this trip, and I think that was a good move. I'm not exactly cooking gourmet, but it's nice to have a hot dinner and tea at the end of the day. I've also been able to cook over an open fire as the campsites in the area all have grills attached to the firepits.

Also, while the islands may not have much in the way of restaurants and markets, what they do offer is generally excellent - fresh, local, organic and made with love. The best meal I've had so far was lunch on Orcas Island yesterday at Mia's Cafe. The atmosphere was as charming as the name, and the food - sweet potato curry soup and a black bean and beet burger with cous cous salad on the side - was DELCIOUS.  With friends and regulars dropping in and out to chat, the place had such a homey feeling it made me want to join the island book club and just stay put. Sooner or later one of these islands is gonna catch me...

Once again my travel diary is all about food. Of course, culinary adventures were not the only kind to be had on Orcas.  The island isn't all that big, but what it lacks in length, it makes up for in height. After riding a hilly 8 miles into town, I sipped a London fog at a cutesy cafe and braced myself for the steady climb up to Moran State Park.  The park has several trails, lakes, waterfalls etc. but the main point of attraction is Mount Constitution, the highest peak on the San Juans. The local challenge, said the park officer, is to bike to the summit in the same number of minutes as your age (hardly fair for a ten year old!). Apparently a 17-year old and a 90 year-old have both done it.

I couldn't believe anybody expected me to bike any more uphill, let alone up a mountain. Unfortunately I have a hard time backing down from a challenge, and after an hour of setting up camp and chatting with the neighbours (more about them later) I was refreshed and ready to tackle the beast.

And beast it was. Holy crap.  I pumped up that mountain in my lowest gear, cardio system in overdrive, like my life depended on it. About 20 minutes in, I began to feel faint. This was a problem. Not in that I didn't have food, but that I was afraid to stop.  Earlier in the day I had discovered that starting uphill on a bike with clipless pedals is nearly impossible. I pined for the sesame snap just out of reach in my handlebar bag, but forged ahead. My heart sunk at the sight of every switch back above me. Obscenities would have flowed from me had I had enough breath to shout them. Finally, after 35 of the most grueling minutes of my life, I saw one of the park signs ahead. "Yes! Finally, I made it!"

I couldn't believe my eyes. "Little Summit," the sign said. Little? As in, the first, lower peak?
Am I really that old?

 At this point it was getting on in the day, and extreme exhaustion combined with my increasing terror at the thought of riding back down the mountain knocked some sense into me. I set out along the trail, hoping to see the viewpoint from Little Summit before heading back down.

 And then I ran into Iris and Jeff from Philadelphia. Iris with her New York accent and boldness of opinion was a carbon copy of my Aunt Margaret in voice and mannerism. Their luxury style of travel and incredulity at what I was doing felt strangely familiar. In the end, they offered to put my bike in their rental car and drive me the rest of the way up, and then back down, the mountain. (I quickly realized that I was in fact not far from the summit. Too bad!) The view from the top was truly astounding. Mount Baker, Mount Reiner, the Cascades, Vancouver, Victoria, Seattle, and the San Juans were all visible, though nobody could quite agree on what was what.

 Unfortunately, when I replaced my wheel at the bottom of the hill, my brakes went a little wonky.  This was nothing new, and I knew I could fix it with a little tinkering, but poor Jeff and Iris were quite concerned. Eventually I convinced them to let me go and work on it in camp while they got on with their vacation (funny how worried people can be more of an obstruction than a help sometimes).  I walked away with Iris still beckoning behind me, offering me bananas.

Back in camp and free of pressure, I was able to fix the problem in no time.  Later I shared a fire with Adam and Sarah, a couple from Toronto who I had met earlier in the day. It turned out that Adam was from Victoria and Sarah was from...you guessed it! London, Ontario. I guess we all end up on the West Coast...In any case, they were super friendly and gave me some great tips for Lopez Island. Jerry and Veronica had also recommended a visit to Lopez, so I decided to make an extra San Juan stop, despite the fact that the island was glossed over in my guidebook.

Yesterday morning, after an early breakfast I hiked to a nearby waterfall and back around to Cascade Lake for a glorious swim (I was feeling pretty sticky).  I came back to the campsite to pack up just as Sarah and Adam were setting out to hike Mount Constitution (smart move).

The downhill roll back into town would have been good fun but for a strange clicking noise that gained volume every time I gained speed. This led me to stop at every turnout to remove/readjust something on my bike in hopes of fixing the problem, with no luck.  I headed to the bike shop in town and discovered that my front hub needed readjusting. The guy working there was very knowledgeable and a good sport about letting me pick his brain in an attempt to become slightly more handy.  The hub adjustment did the trick, and after lunch at Mia's I was back on my way to catch the 3pm ferry over to Lopez.

Will have to save the Tour de Lopez for my next post, as I need to grab my stuff in camp and catch another ferry. Here's hoping my clothes are dry...

 Love,

Dana

Monday 29 August 2011

Island Life

Last April, in the midst of studying for my first year law exams, I went to the bathroom in the Fraser building and discovered my first gray hair. Yesterday I rolled out of my sleeping bag and found that hair sitting beside me. How's that for symbolism?

On Saturday, after a lovely goodbye picnic with my friend Iva at James Bay Market, I rolled out of Victoria on the first leg of my journey. Determined not to miss the one and only daily ferry from Port Sidney to Friday Harbour, I left plenty of time. In the end it only took me 1.5 hours to get to Sidney (the route felt much longer last time but perhaps that was because I was operating on precious little sleep!) This gave me some time to check out the pretty seaside town and grab some groceries.

Goodbye picnic with Iva

Struggling to keep a straight face for a border officer who was clearly trying to get a rise out of me (it's not fair when you can't joke back!) I passed through the U.S. border and onto the ferry to San Juan Island. On the ferry I met a couple from Calgary - but the man was originally from London, Ontario. Small world! (We Londoners seem to get around; my Mom and arrived in Tavira, Portugal last year only to find another guy from our hometown getting off the same bus!)

The ferry did not arrive until 7pm so I hoofed it from the harbour out to the campground I had reserved, squinting to see through the setting sun. The reason for the exhorbitant price of my reservation quickly became aparent as I rolled into the grounds. First of all, any place that uses the word "resort" hardly classifies as a campground. By the time I hit the luxury lodge I knew I needn't be worried about bears or clean water. Shi shi though the grounds were, it was a beautiful spot. The hiker biker sites were nice and secluded at the end of the grounds, and I just happened to luck into the most picturesque spot overlooking one of several lakes. There was also a very friendly older couple from Portland in the site next to me - Jerry and Veronica. Jerry told me that he had ridden the entire Oregon Coast with his son when was only 9 years old! Just when I was starting to feel pretty badass...

Yesterday morning, after a somewhat mucky swim in the lake, I packed up my lunch and gear for the day and headed out to explore the island. My first stop was Roche Harbour, which I think must be an alternate spelling of "rich" given the patrons. Between the historic hotel and villas, gorgeous flower gardens, quaint craft market and swanky marina (anybody wanna buy a yacht?), this was a playplace for the wealthy. Little did they know I was riding most of what I owned.

Passing the pool, tennis court and airport, I came back onto the road and carried on to the English camp, the occupation site of the British army in the 1860s during a territorial dispute with the Americans.  I saw an osprey nest and learned a bit of local history before pushing back up the massive hill that led down to the camp (all the points of interest on this island seem to be at the bottom of steep inclines, as though to test how resolved you really are to see them).  I stopped again down the road at San Juan County Park to eat lunch while watching a kayak lesson unfold in the cove below. 

My next stop was Lime Kiln Point State Park - apparently a great whale watching spot, but no sightings yesterday unfortunately :(  Yet to see a whale on the West Coast! 

I lingered on the rocks at the park before heading on to the American camp at the Southern tip of the island. There I learned some more about the history of the dispute over the island from a very knowledgeable information centre employee. Turns out the whole issue centered around an overly vague treaty clause (blame the lawyers!)  That and a man shooting a pig. Go figure.

History aside, the prairie camp by the coast was beautiful in the late afternoon sun. This was my last stop for the day. Another hour and a half of cycling and I was back in camp.

American Camp
It was a long but very relaxing day of touring. I wanted to make the most of the fact that my camp was already set up for the night and I didn't have to ride with all my gear. Also figured I might as well start training now, as there are many more miles ahead.  I'd like to think they will be slightly less hilly (Victoria doesn't even know the meaning of the word) but really, who am I kidding? The fact that my map of the area shows no topographical changes on San Juan Island but several on Orcas Island is hardly promising. Thank god for granny gears, and Luke at recyclistas who convinced me to go for clipless pedals! 

I spent the evening sharing Jerry and Veronica's fire.  We had a great chat, and they offered to let me stay with them at their campsite on Whidbey Island, where I will soon be heading.  One of the best parts of traveling is meeting so many generous people who are excited to hear about what you're doing and want to help you along the way. 

Time to catch my next ferry!  Ciao for now,



Dana

Friday 26 August 2011

The Journey Begins

Dreams are like seeds - full of potential but easily blown away (or stashed in the kitchen drawer).  Still, when watered and nurtured in the right kind of soil, a kernel can sprout into a towering tree, the likes of which you could never have fully imagined.
My dream to bike down the Pacific Coast began a few months after I moved out to Victoria. It was renewed on a hiking trip I took with some friends this July along the Juan de Fuca trail.  Counter-intuitive though it may seem, pushing my body to the point of exhaustion for four days straight was incredibly invigorating.  The fresh air and beautiful coastal views, of course, added to the rush.  On our last night, we got into camp late and ended up sharing a site with an English girl, who generously allowed us to form a small tent city around her. In the course of telling us about her travels in Canada, she mentioned that she had biked down to San Francisco from Victoria.  “Don’t tell anybody, but it's actually not that hard,” she divulged.  This got me thinking about that old dream of mine. I knew I needed a break from school, and September would be the perfect time to go – off-season but still good weather.  Plus I could visit my cousins…
Next thing you know, I was replacing my freewheel and learning how to adjust the tension of my shifter cables. I couldn’t even identify my shifter cables two months back!

Between finishing work, hosting visiting friends and family, and moving out of my house, the last month has been a (somewhat panicky) flurry of activity. In the midst of the chaos, I’ve done my best to prepare for this trip. With the help of the staff at Recyclistas - an awesome bicycle co-op in Victoria - I’ve given myself a crash course in bicycle repair and maintenance. I’ve also gotten to know half the staff at MEC on a first-name basis whilst selecting my gear.  Yesterday I returned from an overnight test ride to the Sooke Potholes  (about 50km away from my house) brimming with excitement for what lies ahead, if a little sore...
As this is my first bike tour (who needs a weekend trip when you can just keep going!) what I’m really aiming for is to learn a whole lot – about bikes, the landscape I'm traveling through, and myself.  Another of my goals is to share my thoughts and experiences with you, my friends and family, along the way.  I honestly don’t know how easily or how often I will be able to access the internet, but I know there will be plenty of time to reflect and write.  I hope to update this blog regularly, but at the very least, there will be words and photos to share when I get back.
I should mention that although my route is mainly along the coast, I decided to start out by passing through the San Juan Islands and down Puget Sound before cutting west (one of the suggested routes in my guidebook). Tomorrow is the big day. I will be cycling to the Sidney ferry terminal and catching the ferry across the U.S. border to San Juan Island.  Since the ferry is late in the day, I’ve reserved two nights at a campground near the harbor to give myself time to explore the island.  Then it’s off to Orcas Island for more adventuring! 
Catch you on the road,
Dana