As usual, this journal of our trip is behind. It will be a test of memory writing this entry; being lazy, I neglected to update my written daily notes. Perhaps Geoff will fill in any missing holes. One immediate hole I can point out is the map below, the route into the city of Vancouver is not at all accurate when you zoom in. Perhaps I will post the exact route sometime, it would be a useful thing to have on the internet.

Day 51

The 30km into Revelstoke were indeed easy: it was downhill the whole way. I feel sorry for all of the suckers who cycle Canada from West to East, most of the mountain passes we did had a much larger downhill then uphill, being due to the fact that Vancouver is at sea level, and the other side of the Rockies is at an elevation. In Revelstoke we tried phoning the host we had arranged, Enid, with no luck (it turned out there was a family emergency). Thus, we accepted April's offer and headed over to her house. We dumped our stuff off and headed to the farmer's market with her friend. There, we met Brigitte, who was selling her home-made organic breads. She is the hostess we would be staying with the next night. Yes, we were on a legitimate couch "surf" in B.C., with hosts arranged for four out of six nights. After picking up a few things at the market, we went down to a field where there was a North America wide ultimate frisbee tournament. The best frisbee skills I have ever seen. Back at April's house, we stayed to converse a bit, cooked ourselves some spaghetti, and then headed to the music festival on our bikes. We watched from the outside of the fence, it was very pricey to go in. The highlight for me was an African duo who did some traditional drumming. Of course I couldn't tell, he told us, but they were doing different drumming styles from around the continent of Africa. That night we had a comfortable camp-out in the living room.

Day 52

We woke up before everyone else (April has a few room-mates), packed up, and left while people were just starting to wake up. Our ride into Enderby was very pleasant, I thought. We stopped for lunch at a dairy in Sicamous to have our lunch under a gazebo, watching the llama, donkey, and dromedary camel in the petting zoo. The milk we bought was very delicious, and it came in a glass bottle, which made it all the tastier. Ice cream was also had. From Sicamous we turned south, down highway 97A. It was a pretty ride, winding it's way right along the coast of Shuswap lake. We had energy to spare, it seems, as we were really pushing ourselves with speed, doing some serious drafting. There was a bit of a hiccup finding the house of Brigitte and her husband Werner. We eventually figured it out. It turned out to be at the top of what I would like to call a mountain. It was just over six kilometres of uphill from the town to their front door, and much of it was a fair bit steeper then highway grade.

Werner and Brigitte live in a garden paradise. Being on the top of this mountain, they have a beautiful view of the surrounding landscape. They said that sometimes they are above the cloud-line, and that it is wonderful to look our above the clouds. Their house was built by Werner some years ago, soon after he and his family emigrated from Switzerland. He likes Switzerland, and one of his children moved back, but he found it too restrictive for him. He took us on a tour of their property. They grow almost, with only a few exceptions, all of the food they eat. There were three separate vegetable gardens, fruit trees, berry bushes, bee boxes, and more. They kept animals until most of their six children moved out, when it became more trouble then benefit. They call it a harmonic farm, which they describe as being a step beyond an organic farm. For example, instead of adding nitrogen based fertilizer to the soil every year, certain vegetables are planted in proximity to other partner vegetables, where one will be good at depositing things into the soil that the other needs, and vice versa. Werner has a book about it. He also has a book about the time he, his wife, and his four children (the smallest of them quite young), spent a year sailing on a 36' sailboat, including a crossing of the Atlantic. Perhaps you have realized that we had come across a very unique and interesting family.

We had a very delicious barbecue for dinner, with their two very friendly wwoofers, one from Japan, and the other from Germany. We stayed up late around the fire talking about the harmonic farm, the sailing adventure, and other things.

Day 53

A farm house wakes up early, and so we were on the road at a decent hour. I don't need to tell you that the first six kilomtres were very easy. The rest of the ride into Kelowna was passable, and sometimes trying at times, when there was no shoulder. We stopped at a fruit market for lunch, and then trudged on. Our next surf (actually, Warm Showers) was with a couple named Sue and Ken. Their directions led us to their summer condo just a few blocks away from Okanagan Lake. Sue rushed out, after we had rung up, to give us both a hug. It is a very pretty two story unit in a larger building, which they don't spend the majority of their time at. Their winter home is on the side of a mountain where there is some very good skiing. They had panniers ready and packed in their living room; they were gearing up for an upcoming three month trip. We found out that they have been addicted to touring since about 2000, having done more trips then I know of, and enough to make counting them difficult. Mostly in North America (eg: Florida and back), but some in Great Britain and maybe somewhere else. We had a lot to talk about. That night we went for a walk along the beach and saw some of the sights of Kelowna. It is a very pretty town, and we were told that, being in the Okanagan, it barely ever rains in the summer, and there are no bugs. My mother was born in Kelowna, and there spent the last two of the twelve years that my grand parents lived there.

The next day was taken as a rest day. In the morning Geoff and I updated this journal just for you, dear reader. In the afternoon, Sue took us to visit two of the many local vineyards and wineries. The first one we went to just because of the view of the surrounding valley, and at the second we took a tour. We heard all about its history, the reasons that its location is ideal for growing grapes, all the different kinds of grapes they grow, the processes of making both red and white wines, and finally, how to properly taste a wine, along with three samples. They were very good, although the last red was rather drier then I'm used to. One thing I found interesting is the meticulous care they take in labeling each oak barrel of wine, telling exactly where in the vineyard the fermenting grapes inside the barrel were picked. This allows them to decide which parts of the land make the best wine. I had enough trouble picking out the grape-fruit aroma from one of the wines we sampled, which our tour guide insisted was there.

Also in Kelowna, Geoff signed up with a wwoofing account and found a farm in Oregon which was willing to take him in for a couple of weeks this month. Thus his plans for the summer became complete: he would ride to Vancouver, then to Seattle, then to join in on an organized cycle from Seattle to Portland with 10,000 other cyclists, and then to the farm, and then to spend some time with his girlfriend on her family's Oregon ranch.

Ken seemed to get great joy out of planning a cycling trip. Similar to the kinds of directions he makes for himself and Sue, he typed up and printed out a list of turns for Geoff and me to take, giving us a painless trip into Vancouver. The directions started about 120km from downtown Vancouver, so we had to get there first.

Day 54

The next day was a very pleasant ride. The good cycling quality of the roads was proven by the countless road cyclist we saw doing day trips. Each with a near massless bike, tight spandex, aerodynamic water bottles, and crouched over until their chins nearly touched their handle bars. We rode west out of Kelowna, then south along the lake to Penticton on the 97. We stopped for lunch on the bank of a canal, and watched what seemed like the entire population of Penticton float by on inflatable tubes and rafts, most of them with drinks in hand. It was a very hot day, and theirs seemed to be an ideal activity, although I was confused as to why none of them were at work. We stopped at a fruit-stand in Keremeos, a town which must hold some kind of record for largest fruit-stand to population ratio. We ate some cherries at the first stand, and then rode by about 14 more in a row, and that was the extent of the town. Other anomalies included the very skinny man with long hair in a white robe we met. He was riding a reclined bike and pulling an enormous and heavy trailer, with a peaked roof, big enough for him to sleep in. We also passed a Buddhist monk, trying to hitch a ride.

We stopped for the night at Stemwinder Provincial Park. It was a tiny but nice little place, with about 15 campsites and nothing more. Geoff went swimming in the very cold river. After our dinner, a guy in a trailer invited us to his site for a glass of wine. We obliged. He was an interesting fellow named Michael. He had struggled with some hard drugs, but was now clean. Very friendly, and an aspiring artist. He showed us his portfolio, which was impressively large considering that he has only been painting for two years. He must have some natural talent, because most of it was very good.

Day 55

As we were leaving the next morning Michael came over to take some photos of us leaving. He said he might try a painting of us, and so I gave him my contact information, in the case that anything comes of it. This day, and the next day, were to be the difficult days of the trip from Revelstoke to Vancouver. We were to ride through the very large Manning Provincial Park. Sue and Ken warned us about Allison pass, which was supposed to be a long and arduous ascent. Before that was Sunday Pass, which we were not warned about. We started climbing Sunday pass pretty early in the day. It was extremely difficult for me, especially under the blazing sun. It was different from other passes we had done in that it was relatively steep. Sometimes we could see, in the distance, the hill continuing up on the west, while road in front of us turned distinctly to the east, which was a rotten feeling. We made it to the top, hot and bothered (or what we thought was the top; it went up and down for a while near the end, which is never appreciated). We met some Quebecois tourists on a tandem bike at the top, which was nice to see. We pulled into the trees for lunch, but it turned out to be a failure. We got one sandwich in before we were driven out by mosquitoes. We went up the road to eat in the sun. I found relief a little while on in a cold river, which had probably been part of a glacier only hours before. We both dunked our jerseys in and rode with them sopping wet. Then there was some very nice downhill. We stopped at a day-use only area for dinner, and parked our tent just into the trees. We were actually paid to stay at this place, I spotted ten dollars on the ground about 100 metres into a hiking trail, and gave half of it to Geoff, who was, afterall, the one who bent over to pick it up.

Day 56

This day worried us. We had just done the very grueling Sunday Summit, and we calculated that Allison Summit would be in about 25km, the one Sue and Ken had mentioned. We arose very early, at 5:40, so that we wouldn't have to do another climb in the heat of the sun. It was very cold in the morning. We rode about 20km of relatively flat road before we saw a sign indicating that we had reached Allison Summit! Apparently, all the work had been done on the previous day. We gave each other a big high-five and the rest of the day was downhill. We were flying for douzens of kilometres, and it being so early, there was no traffic to get in the way of our super-sonic speeds. We passed a number of touring cyclists, and yelled a Doppler shifted "Good Luck!" as we flew by. We stopped on the way down to do a short hike, unfortunately all of the flowers that it was supposed to highlight were out of bloom. We met a father and daughter doing a cross country cycle there. It was their first tour, and their second day. I felt very sorry for them, having to climb that hill so early on in their trip. There were wild raspberries, ripe and ready for eating, along the side of the road everywhere.

Eventually we arrived in Chilliwack, where our next stay had been arranged. Another very hospitable couple, and also seasoned touring cyclists. Everyone in B.C. seems to think that they live in the best part of it. We had a delicious dinner, and heard about their many trips. They also do a lot of hiking. The one that stood out for me was in the foot hills of a Himalayas. It was also here that Char, the wife, told me that I should ride down the west coast, given time. I considered it seriously, and looked through her maps, journal, and photos, from when she and her husband had done it. I could say much more, but I am running out of time, here at the library. It is a shame that I don't have any photos to post from our stay.

Day 57

It was a strange feeling setting our that morning, knowing we would finally be in Vancouver that day. It was similar to the first day, when it felt like just a day trip. It felt like just another day, and not the last day. Thanks to directions from both Char and Ken, we didn't have to touch a highway the whole day. But we did have to make about 50 turns. The time rolled by, being very concerned with not missing a street sign. We didn't stop for a real lunch, we were too anxious to get to our destination. The beginning of the trip was mostly done on farm roads, which gradually became more populated. Eventually we crossed the bridge into Vancouver. We followed a bike path for quite some time which traveled underneath the elevated light rail public transit service. We made it to the house of Geoff's girlfriend's parents, in the Kitsilano neighbourhood, just west of down town.

Ann, Cassy's mother, was just about to head for the ocean-side pool to do some laps, when we arrived earlier then expected. So we quickly changed and went with her to the beach. And so, on Saturday the fourth of July, 2009, we both took out first ever dips into the Pacific Ocean. It was a great feeling. It wasn't even very cold. On the way home we stopped for dinner at a restaurant for a victory meal.

Day 58

The Reimers are very good family friends of our family, and their daughter Diedre, who is my older brother's age, lives in Vancouver with her husband Aaron. On this morning I rode down to go to church with them. The pastor and his family are planning a trip across the country next summer. After church, I went and saw Diedre's appartment, and then off to Aaron's parent's house for lunch. There were a bunch of people there. Delicous buns, meats, cheeses and more. I watched a recording of the previous day's exciting tennis Match at Wimbledon. We then played a rousing game of Settlers, using both the Seafarers and Cities and Knights expansions. unfortunately Diedre won.

Geoff spent the day at the art gallery, where there is a temporary Dutch exhibition, featuring Vermeer and his contemporaries. I didn't ask much about how it went. That night we went to a beach barbecue where we met some of Ann's friends. We were right next to a drum circle. It started out with about 5 people and their drums, and as people trickled in, it grew to a very large circle a couple douzen drums strong, with dancers and everything. We watched the sun go down over the Pacific.

Day 59

In the morning Geoff and I headed to MEC. By this point I had decided that I would be continuing my trip down the west coast, and so if Geoff and I were to split up, we would need to each have certain things for ourselves. I purchased a hammock to sleep in for my trip, as well as my own stove.

Ann is a very good host, and carefully helped us plan our itinerary. The feature of this day was our trip to Granville market. Granville Island (although not quite an island) houses an enormous market where one can buy near anything. Our purpose was to get groceries; Geoff had offered to play chef in the evening. It was quite a remarkable place. That night Geoff cooked up a very delicious tofu storm. Ann's husband had just come back from China, understandable jet-lagged. He manages or owns a factory there, but I don't know much about it.

After dinner, while Geoff showed off some of our trip's pictures, I went to a near by park where Diedre and Aaron, and some of their friends I had met, played a game of frisbee. It was fun to watch, I just caught the end of their second game. They play in a Vancouver league with hundreds of teams and seven levels of competition. After the game, Diedre, myself, and a couple of nice people went to a pub for wings night.

Day 60

In the morning, Geoff walked down the street to a bakery to get some cinnamon buns. We spent the morning doing some chores for our trips to come. In the afternoon I went to a couple of bike shops to pick up some tools to be able to maintain my bike. Geoff cooked dinner again, a curry.

The evening was very well spent. Ann Geoff and I went to see the play Othello at Bard on the Beach, which is an outdoor summer Shakespeare festival. It was a really fantastic performance, and my first time to see the play. There was an interesting portion after the show called "talk-back", where the main actors came out at the end of the show, to a special area, where there was a question and answer period. It as very strange to have just seen these people in the very dramatic last scene of the play, with several murders and a suicide, come out smiling. We were up late into the night packing afterwards.

Day 61

We managed to get our bikes loaded, and said some good-byes to Ann and her son Josh. We rode off towards the ferry, which is just outside of Vancouver, about 40km to the south. It went smoothly enough, until we came to a tunnel under a river, which looked like a bridge on the map. There was a big sign outside of the tunnel, saying that bikes were prohibited. We didn't feel like riding it anyways, it was long and dark with no shoulder, and the rush-hour cars were moving at highway speeds. We soon realized that making our 11 o'clock ferry would be impossible. There was to be a shuttle through the tunnel for bicycles at 11, so we decided to back track and take the city bus right to the ferry dock instead. We missed one by a couple of minutes, and had to wait a while for the next one. Sure enough, the bus broke down a few blocks after the tunnel, so we had to ride anyways. It was a nice enough ride to the dock. We had a pleasant ferry ride, from Vancouver to Sydney, a town about 25km north of Victoria. Having missed our intended ferry (they come every hour), Geoff purchased a bus ticket on the ferry that would take him to the next ferry, which would in turn take him to Port Angeles, Washington. So, before the ferry landed, Geoff put his bike in a spacious compartment under the bus, and we said a very sad good-bye. There are few people one can travel with for two months straight, and not get sick of. Geoff is one of these people. As he said when we were saying good-bye, we have probably spent 55 of every 60 minutes of the last 60 odd days in each other's company.

And so, I rode off alone into Sydney, and Geoff zoomed away on the bus. I assume it worked out successfully for him, I haven't talked with him since. It was a very pleasant ride to Victoria. I saw a sign that said that Victoria is Canada's "cycling capital". There are bicycle paths everywhere.

The son of another set of family friends, the Browns, lives in Victoria, or rather, the town of Langford just west of Victoria, with Amy and their four-year-old son Ethan. I phoned him up and very happily arranged a last-minute visit. They're renting a beautiful house on the edge of a small lake. It was nice to get to know Amy a bit, whom I have only met once or twice, and catch up with Jeremiah. I also hadn't seen Ethan in quite some time. A lively little fellow who reminds me of his father. We had a great meal on the barbecue. Jeremiah let me try his bike, which he has souped-up in an excellent way. It is rigged with an electric motor in the hub of the front wheel, and a big battery on the back rack. It will cruise at speeds up to 45km/h, in conjunction with some light pedaling, when the right handle is revved, and the battery will last for 40km. It gets him back and forth to work faster then a car or the bus.

Day 62

In the morning I went for a little cycle around town which ended at the library where I spent the morning. In the afternoon, while Jeremiah was at work, Amy, Ethan and I went to a place called Witty's Lagoon. It is a very scenic hike down to the ocean, where we found a nice beach. There were very old trees along the way, with a few waterfalls. Living only a few minutes away from the ocean must be great, and it sounds like Jeremiah and family are taking advantage of it. We walked along the shore finding crabs, jelly-fish, and clams. Ethan had energy and then some. He had a good nap in the car on the way home. For dinner pizza, and then a trip to the grocery store.

Tomorrow starts my solo trip to San Francisco, I'll catch the ferry to Port Angeles at 10:30. It being a very popular route for cyclists, I'm hoping that I might find some people to travel with along the way. I don't have a ticket home yet, I'll do that once I have an idea of my time-line. I think it's about another 2000km. This online journal will continue, and Geoff, at his desire, will cease to write and start to read. Wish me luck.