#longhaulsaga

[longhaulsaga]

Saturday, May 6, 2017 – Kootenay National Park to Fairmont Hot Springs Part 2

Kilometres: 86

Our next stop was Invermere. The road to Invermere was much busier than the highway in the morning – conservation officers were checking boats to make sure people had appropriately cleaned the bottoms of their boats and didn’t bring any invasive species from lake to lake. We found a nice picnic bench to have lunch at, overlooking the valley. The landscape had changed quite dramatically from the other side of the pass.

In Invermere, Rebekah spent a few minutes casting an advance ballot in the provincial election (signs were everywhere along the highway). We stocked up on groceries, and found an alternate route to Fairmont Hotsprings (where our warmshowers host waited) along the side of Windermere Lake. It was a beautiful route, with signs promising the construction of a cycling trail along the side of the road in the next few years. We crossed some cattle grates, some forested areas, and large paddocks. The road had a few potholes here and there, but was very quiet. It was still windy, but not as bad

Just before we reached our warmshowers hosts‘ that night, we passed some Hoodoos on the side of the road. Our hosts were kind, and very welcoming, serving us a delicious dinner, and a very warm place to spend the night (much drier than the previous night!). We enjoyed chatting to them about their experiences riding a tandem in randonneurs – including the Paris-Brest-Paris! – and their newer hobbies and favourite places to explore in the area.

[llamatravels]

Llama loves Clear Lake 

[longhaulsaga]

Tuesday, May 16, 2017 – Creston to Crawford Bay

Kilometres: 85

It was hard to leave Creston after an incredible stay. We said our farewells to Daniel and Christine, promising to visit again, and hit the road. It was wet, and great. Because of the unpredictable conditions (and snow) at the top of the pass on highway 3, we’d decided to take the ferry to Nelson before picking up the TransCanada trail at Castelgar.

The morning was consistently damp and rainy. We passed our first cycle tourists since Canmore – two guys on a super old-school tandem who were heading in the opposite direction of us. We waived and kept going, wanting to keep our momentum in our descent. The road snaked along Kootenay Lake and provided some beautiful views. One tourist stop was the “glass house” which was made years ago out of old embalming bottles. Took a brief look from the outside, and then continued on our way.

We had one great stop at the Crawford General Store. It seemed to carry everything from lumber to books, to antiques on its second floor. As we were warming up with a hot chocolate on the deck, the owner (in his 80s) stopped for a chat. He was a keen cyclist, and knew so much about the area – we learned later that he’d authored several books! He’d ridden several sections of the TransCanada Trail and told us to look forward to the Bulldog Tunnel.

Hitting the road again, we decided to try to find a place to stay in Crawford Bay as it was getting late. We found a campground with hot tubs for a decent price, which was great. We took full advantage of the hot tub, a welcome relief after a chilly day.

[longhaulsaga]

Wednesday, May 17, 2017 – Crawford Bay to Nelson

Kilometres: 44

It was an easy day – we decided to get up early to catch the ferry over Kootenay Lake and then spend the rest of the day in Nelson. It is the longest free ferry ride in Canada, as it’s considered part of the provincial highway system.

First we had a short climb to get up the ridge to get to the ferry. We blasted down, enjoying the lack of traffic, and took in the beautiful views along the lake while waiting for the ferry. The temperatures were still a bit cool, but it was exciting to explore a new part of BC.

Rebekah hadn’t been to Nelson before, and got several tips from her friends who grew up there. First though, she got her hub serviced at Gerick Cycle and Ski – while checking it in Creston (thanks Daniel for letting us use your tools!) we’d discovered that it was pitted again. We’d ordered the part to Nelson, and the shop overhauled the wheel in a few hours.

It was fun exploring Nelson, we stayed at the municipal campground close to the city centre. We went to one of the new breweries, and had some delicious muffins at a local cafe. Nathan found a cheap fleece to help keep him warm in the cooler evenings.

That night as Rebekah was making dinner in the shelter provided by the campground, she spotted a bear very close. It was young, and ran away as she stood up. We found out the next day from a conservation officer that it was a nuisance bear, who had grown a taste for garbage. Luckily it didn’t return that night.

[longhaulsaga]

Wednesday, May 3, 2017 – Calgary to Canmore

Kilometres: 121

It was hard to say goodbye, but we eventually pulled ourselves away from the wonderful hospitality of Lauren and her family, and hit the road. We explored more of the city’s great bike paths, and soon found our way to the edge of the city after crossing many bridges, and rolling through suburbs. At one point google maps wanted us to go up a very bike hill with a single track path – not ideal for our touring load! – so we wove our way through the backroads of a suburban neighbourhood.

Just as we reached the edge of the city, Rebekah checked her phone to find two voicemails – one from MSR saying that the package should have arrived, and another from Lauren saying the new fly was delivered just an hour after we left! We spent a few minutes debating turning back, checking to see if it would be faster on public transit, but it would have added an extra 3 hours to our day, and we were expected at a warmshowers hosts’ place that night. Thanking Lauren for agreeing to forward it on to Creston, we turned our wheels West.

One thing we didn’t consider when planning our route West was the wind. Today was especially difficult with a headwind of 30km/h with gusts up to 50km/h. We biked the side highway 1A, added a few extra kilometres to our day by going through Cochrane and avoiding the TransCanada highway. The scenery was gorgeous, the sun was out, and the wind made our progress frustrating and slow. The landscape rose up from foothills into the Rocky Mountains, and we were burning a lot of calories to stay upright in the wind at times.

We’d guessed that we’d be in Canmore by 6pm, however because of the wind we arrived closer to 8:30pm. The final stretch was challenging with beautiful mountain views – we even ran into some big horned sheep on just outside of time.

Our hosts Kirsten and Lyle were superstars. Rebekah texted them letting them know we’d be late, and Lyle’s response was that it was no problem and he’d have a warm shower, dinner, and a cold beer waiting for us when we made it. Lyle even met us at the entrance to the town to show us the shortcuts through the bike paths to their house. They were hosting another cyclist – Daiske from Japan who was biking across Canada – and we had a great evening with them, sharing stories of the road, exquisite food and wonderful company. We fell asleep very quickly, with tired legs, warm hearts, and full bellies.

[longhaulsaga]

Chichen Itza part 2

More photos... 

[longhaulsaga]

Wednesday, March 15, 2017 ­– Acayucan to Coaztacoalcos

Kilometres: 81

We decided that we wanted to see the sea once more before heading into Chiapas, so we made our way towards Coatzacoalcos. The cuota was fine for the first part of the day, but as soon as we turned onto the road to Coatza, the shoulder proved difficult. It was flat, but there was a bit of a headwind and the shoulder was very rough, full of vegetation, and uneven surfaces. It went on like that for 5km or so, which wasn't too bad, but was a bit frustrating after the fast, smooth pavement of the highway.

Traffic getting into Coatza was chaotic, it reminded Rebekah that she was missing the quieter highways like the one we'd taken to Cosamaloapan. We stopped briefly at a big grocery store on the edge of town before managing to get across 3 lanes of traffic to the turnoff to downtown. We were there fairly early in the day, which was a nice change.

First stop, the beach. The area was a bit sad – it seemed like in the quiet season everything shut down. The waterfront bikepath was very uneven, and surprisingly had an area with the olympic flag flying high. We checked a few hotels along the water, but weren't satisfied with any. It was hot, and a bit stressful, but luckily we figured out where the downtown area was. Soon we'd found a good hotel that offered breakfast. Our next challenge: finding denatured alcohol for our stove. We looked around for about an hour, asking at the hardware stores without luck, and several pharmacies. About to give up, we looked at one more pharmacy close to our hotel and there it was! A shelf full of 90% denatured alcohol (most pharmacies only had 70%, which doesn't work very well for our stove.

Please with our find, we set out to find some dinner. We'd read about a Chinese buffet nearby, but it was too pricey for our budget. Getting hungry, we decided on a local pizza joint. This time we had more luck with ordering, and they made us a custom veggie pizza (yay!). Later that evening, we researched possible routes to San Cristobal. The 145D highway looked like it might not have many services, so we read other cyclists' accounts of some of the libre roads.

[longhaulsaga]

Wednesday, January 25, 2017 - Tepatitlán de Morelos to San Juan de los Lagos

Kilometres: 79

We knew we were heading to a pilgrim city, but we had no idea how intense it would be. The ride from the day was full of rolling hills, and thankfully a tailwind. Arriving into the city centre, we were overwhelmed by the number of vendors in the streets. Most were selling one of five things: leather products, sweets and caramel, shoes, or religious items. Apparently at some times of the year it can get hard to find accommodation because of the number of visiting pilgrims.

The pilgrimage site is an image of the Virgin of San Juan de los Lagos. It is the second most visited pilgrimage site in the country, with millions of people visiting every year. Pilgrims bike or walk hundreds of miles to the site to either pray for a miracle, or thank the Virgin for completing a miracle. Many also arrive by bus. It was a bit hard to find a basic mini-super or grocery store in the city centre because it was so full of stores advertising items for the pilgrims.

[longhaulsaga]

Sunday, January 22, 2017 – Mexico City

Kilometres: 0

In the morning, we headed once again to Chapultepec to meet Nathan’s friend Antonio. Almost every Sunday the city shuts down one of its main streets for the morning to make room for runners, cyclists, and other methods of active transportation. They even had a kids’ area and a place where people could Antonio showed us around the park, including the lake which was incredibly busy with boat rentals, and lots of vendors selling junk food and other trinkets.

It took us a while to decide what to do, and after deciding that the Frida Kahlo museum was a bit too far away for the day, we went up the Torre Latinoamericana (Latin American Tower). An impressive skyscraper in the skyline of Mexico City, built in the 1950s and famous because it survived the 1985 Mexico City earthquake without damage. It was amazing to see the city sprawl throughout the valley, and luckily the smog wasn’t too thick that morning.

After bidding Antonio farewell, we went to the local Tourist Police office to report Nathan’s wallet being stolen and his credit card being used, as requested by his bank. Unfortunately, as it was Sunday they didn’t have a fluent English speaker working, however Rebekah managed to convey the basics and with the help of an officer in another location who the tourist police manager called, we could explain the details. The manager was incredibly excited that we had the details of when and where the card was used. It took an hour or so to get the details down, but overall it was a fairly successful experience. 

Monday, January 23, 2017 – Mexico City to Guadalajara

Our flight wasn’t until later in the day, so we spent the morning shopping for bike parts with Jackie, helping her find a new chain and new cassette with lower gears. We enjoyed lunch at one of the terreza restaurants, overlooking the streets of Mexico City.

The afternoon went by quickly as we packed up and took the metro to the airport. We were incredibly thankful to Jackie’s family for their generosity, and to Jackie for taking the time to show us the city.

It was a smooth ride back to Guadalajara, and we got back to the Casa Ciclistas around midnight.

[longhaulsaga]

Tuesday, January 3, 2017 – Balandra Beach Rest Day / Baja Ferries

Kilometres: 8

We finally had a proper beach day. The ferry departure was scheduled for in the early evening, and it was less than 10km from the beach. So after bidding our new friend farewell, we settled in for a relaxing beach day. Unfortunately, the morning was more windy than the night before, and our tent attempted to take flight while Rebekah was taking it down. End result was a slightly bent pole, not the end of the world, but a bit of an annoyance.

Most of the day was spent listening to podcasts, hanging out, and watching the crowd begin to form at the beach. It was a great day, especially since we were shaded by our palapa. Eventually we packed up our things and pushed our bikes through the sand back to the road. It was the perfect way to say goodbye to Baja.

When we reached the ferry we saw two familiar faces – the Pedaleurs from Switzerland. We'd seen them a few days before and knew we were on the same ferry. The boarding process started a full two hours ahead of departure. Bicycles go through last. For security, every passenger had to press a button which randomly decided if the officials had to check your bags. Both the Pedaleurs and us unfortunately got the red light, which meant we had to open a few panniers (the officials didn't bother checking them all).

After dropping off their luggage, foot passengers board a bus that takes them 1km to the ferry. For us cyclists, we biked over after waiting at the end of the line, and put our bikes against the walls. The set up reminded us of all the hours we'd spent on BC Ferries back at home. We locked the bikes, and hid away a few panniers before climbing the many, many stairs to the passenger lounges.

Every ticket has an assigned seat in the passenger lounge, however most people were not too worried about it. We found seats close to the ones we were assigned, and put down our things. The seats were similar to those on airplanes but with much more legroom. They were playing movies in Spanish  full blast (with English subtitles), and some were quite violent (the new Ben Hur, Tut). They thankfully stopped around 11pm. Each ferry ticket also includes a free dinner.

Although we had our sleeping bags with us, we didn't bring them out and so had a bit of a hard time sleeping. Baja Ferries veterans were already stretched out on the floor around the passenger lounges, and upstairs near the restaurant. Next time we'll sleep better.

[longhaulsaga]

Wednesday, May 10, 2017 – Monday, May 15, 2017 - Creston Rest Days (continued)

Total kilometres: 44

We spent some time working on job applications, updating the blog, and hanging out with the cats. One of the highlights was attending the Creston Bird Festival and enjoying a tour of the local wetland via big canoe! On one of our last days in town, we gave a brief talk to Christine’s elementary class on our bicycle trip. It was a great experience.

[longhaulsaga]

Wednesday, May 10, 2017 – Monday, May 15, 2017 - Creston Rest Days

Total kilometres: 44

Our stay in Creston was fantastic. It was so great to catch up with Daniel and Christine, and go for adventures with them – whether it was bike rides, exploring second hand bookstores, going to the farmer’s market, relaxing and cooking together, or trying the surprisingly good Thai food at one of the local restaurants. Our hearts were full, and deeply enjoyed the rest, relaxation, and social time.

[longhaulsaga]

Tuesday, May 9, 2017 – Moyie Lake Provincial Park to Creston

Kilometres: 101

It was an exciting day – we were going to get to see and stay with our friends who had moved to Creston less than a year before. Moyie Lake was gorgeous in the morning, with incredible reflections. As we traced the lakes and rivers down the highway it was easy to tell that the winter had been intense – most of the streams and rivers had flooded banks and there was a lot of debris at the edges of the water.

We had a quick stop in Cranbrook, where lots of locals at the Tim Hortons asked us about our trip, and wanted to know if we’d taken the TransCanada trail that was being upgraded. We were assured that it was a good trail, but maybe not ideal for fully loaded bikes between Cranbrook and Alberta. Sounded like a possible route for the future, however!

After passing through the very quiet (and slightly eerie) town of Yahk, we were excited to turn our wheels onto Highway 3 (the Crowsnest) and head towards Creston. Our friend had recommended a side route into the town which turned out to be beautiful. It was golden hour, and the whole valley felt like spring. We could smell the cherry and peach blossoms in the orchards, and the views were spectacular with the mountains glistening in the sun. Finally it felt warm!

It was amazing to catch up with our friends in Creston – we were excited to spend several days exploring the area, resting and catching up.

[longhaulsaga]

Monday, May 8, 2017 – Wasa Lake Provincial Park to Moyie Lake Provincial Park

Kilometres: 65

The next day was once again fairly easy. The morning was beautiful with the fog and the frost. We were passed by several trains, and were spoiled by some beautiful rest stops along the way. The sun was shining, and we enjoyed biking along the valleys. Eventually the road veered West and we bid farewell to the Rocky Mountains. It was nice to have gone past our first mountain range, and we knew we had several more to pass before reaching the coast.

Soon we were at the next Provinical park – Moyie Lake. A ranger greeted us and let us know that before the May long weekend all parks were free with limited services as they prepared for the first big camping weekend for the year. It was exciting, and we found a nice place for the night. The lake was incredibly flooded, with the water almost taking over some of the campsites at the lake. We were amused by the ground squirrels in the area, trying to find any scrap of food among the campsites. There were a few families around, and a great playground. It was a nice place to wander and explore in the afternoon.

[longhaulsaga]

Sunday, May 7, 2017 – Fairmont Hot Springs to Wasa Lake Provincial Park

Kilometres: 63

Had a leisurely start to the day, not sure how far we wanted to go. After saying goodbye to our hosts, we hit the highway. The conditions were very easy – we had a tailwind and had a lot of small descents throughout the day. It felt like a fast day. The wind had subsided and we watched as the valleys slowly widened out, and the trees changed to more of a mix of deciduous and coniferous.

We passed through some old towns with lots of railways, some done up to attract tourists to historic sites. It felt like a great day just cruising down the road with a decent shoulder along the highway.

Rebekah had several phone calls that day, including making decisons about where we were going to rent with a friend when we got back to Vancouver. In the afternoon we came across the fork in the road – did we want to go to the closer provincial park at Wasa Lake or turn towards Kimberley (would add a day before we arrived at our friends‘ place in Creston). After some discussion we decided to head to Wasa Lake.

It was a bit confusing when we arrived at the park. It was open, but there were very few people around and all of the washrooms were locked. We weren’t sure if someone would be asking for us to pay. We enjoyed a quiet afternoon, and enjoyed relaxing by the lake. The water level was down considerably. It was nice to have an easy day, and to have time to relax and catch up on podcasts in the afternoon. 

[longhaulsaga]

Saturday, May 6, 2017 – Kootenay National Park to Fairmont Hot Springs Part 1

Kilometres: 86

It was a cool start to the morning. We climbed some slow hills in the mist, enjoying the views of the trees by the river as we followed the valley, and the mountains peeking out between the clouds. After climbing for a while, we reached a beautiful lake at the top of the pass. There were a few transport trucks passing us, but otherwise the traffic was quiet.

After the lake we went on an exhilarating descent into Radium Hotsprings. On the way down we saw our first bear, eating dandelions on the side of the highway 10m up the slope above us. We passed too quickly to take a picture (who wants to stop while enjoying a descent to take a photo?!) – but a rental RV heading in the other direction was happy to stop in the middle of the road, craning out of their window to get the picture.

The descent continued in a steep, beautiful canyon with rocks towering over the road. The view over the valley on the other side was beautiful, and we enjoyed warming up over hot drinks at one of the local coffee shops in Radium Hotsprings. We’d started early, but had a ways to go for the rest of the day.