Swift Current to Chaplin

Gopher death row just east of Swift Current. There was a dead one about every ten feet. The gophers had their colony on both sides of the freeway and every time they went to visit their neighbors they were playing Russian Roulette with cars. Hawks were circling overhead. Some were actually quite fresh and I briefly considered cooking one up to add to my can of stew but couldn't go through with it. Such a waste of perfectly good gopher meat.

Combine bone yard near Herbert. This is where old combines who are too old to work any more are put out to pasture.

The great salt lake of Chaplin. They get some sort of Sodium compound from the precipitates which settle out of the water here. Had an easy day today with only eighty five kms. Good steady tail wind. Didn't want to get caught out in the middle of nowhere with a storm brewing so ducked into Chaplin and camped here. Had a quick cruise through the town on the way to the campground and noticed a small billiards place on main street so I'll go and see if these flatlanders can shoot pool after supper.

Piapot to Swift Current

Icey wind picked up even more today. The one huge benefit was that it was blowing straight out of the west. It is a chellenge to find shelter from it. Mostly I just flattened myself out in the slight indent made by culverts under the road. The second photo is of the first wooden prairie grain elevator which I saw in Gull Lake. They are dying out. The third is the most impressive roadside memorial I've have seen.

Made it to Swift Current in pretty good time and camped just East of town.

Piapot

The little town of Piapot stood buffeted by the unrelenting prairie wind. Lightning flashed in the dark sky to the North. The livery stable sign creaked in the erie silence. Curtains were drawn by unseen residents. When a lean tanned stranger rode into town. Slowly looking all around. For a a place to put his MEC tent and wireless internet. What he found was a vacant lot behind the town hall and a cheerful group at the Piapot saloon He had a big hot cup of tea with a stiff shot of rye in it to thaw out his blue fingers and a cowboy named Travis paid for the drink because his stories where so entertaining.

Brooks to "The Hat"

Just as you leave Brooks, heading east, there is a small pretty lake which they have made into a park. I was surprised to see two large pelicans paddling around. Maybe they have fled the mess in the Gulf of Mexico! Before long the country side flattens out. Not much to see. Grass and sky for km. after km. Sky that goes a heck of a long way. When you see a train off in the distance you can see the whole train. Us mountain people are not used to this. If you look closely at the center picture you will see four antelope. They are quite shy and did not like me stopping and taking their photo. They were a fair way away but definitely within 300 magnum range. The bottom photo is of a little gopher who came right up to me and hinted that I should share my last snack bar with him. He carefully groomed my fingers with his tiny paws to make sure he got every last bit. He was a pro scrounger for sure. Cold wet day most of the day. Raining hard by the time I ran out of steam at Medicine Hat. The forecast tonight is for rain mixed with snow so hope that is done by morning. Had to get a cheapo motel and throw my stuff in the dryer. Brought the bike into the room to clean and lube the chain and shifters as it was starting to blow shifts. Too much salt and sand in the works.

Calgary to Brooks

Over the last several days I have been tied up in Calgary but was finally able to get away today. One of the last jobs was to pick up Heddy's new (to her ) bike. Here she is trying it out in the back alley. It will be fine for zipping around Prestwick but not for mountain passes. It was snowing when Jason and I left Calgary this afternoon. He was to take me to Bassano which was as far as I got before Ruby got sick and I had to turn back. At least it was not snowing there so I climbed on and got going - this time with the Bob trailer. Lots more room for camping gear. Good thing I have decent rain gear because it got the torture test today. Every time a big truck went by I got hit with a wall of water! See bottom photo. When I was about twenty km. from Brooks I was doing about twenty km an hour so thought "good I'll be there in an hour." No such luck. The wind swung around and was hitting me almost head on. With fifteen km. to go I was making fifteen km. an hour. With ten km. to go I was down to ten km. an hour. At that point I realized with a shock that theoretically I would never get to Brooks! It was like the half life of radioactive elements we learned about in High school. They never totally decay, just loose half each time. Nevertheless I did eventually wobble into Brooks and lugged the bike, complete with good camping gear into a warm dry motel room.

Elkford to Calgary

Early Friday morning May 21st Richard dropped me off and I started cycling for the border. The trip had taken a day longer than intended so far and now it was urgent that I get as far as possible. Shelley was headed in my direction to take me North and home to Calgary as today was Graduation day at SAIT. The climb over the Crowsnest pass is one of the easier ones because you have been gradually climbing ever since leaving Creston. From Sparwood it is only a couple hundred meters gain in elevation to get over the top. It was not raining but snow laden clouds raced by low overhead. The air was cold enough that I could see my breath and I went along like a steam engine. After a short pause at the summit for a photo the weather was looking menacing. Not far into Alberta a snow squall started. Just then our big blue Titan truck came around the corner! Excellent timing. After a happy hug with Shelley I piled the bike into the truck and promptly fell asleep in the back seat. We got to Calgary just in time for me to have a quick shower and change. Then it was off to SAIT to go to grad ceremonies. In the picture with Shelley and me are nephew Jason and his Honduran girlfriend, Nadia. The next few days will be spent in Calgary looking after outstanding things there. Then the next phase - hoboin' across the prairies.

Fernie to Elkford

May 20th was a good day to drink coffee, eat breakfast and chat in Sandy's kitchen. It was warm and dry in there and outside the rain poured down. I stalled for a couple of hours but the rain was not letting up. If anything it was increasing so once again I pulled on the full rain suit, said our goodbyes and headed out. It wasn't actullay that bad. It is mostly only slightly uphill to Sparwood and a strong rainy tail wind pushed me along. In Sparwood I paused at the cafe by the big truck for a hot chochlate and a muffin. Inside were was a Dutch couple cycling West. They had to head into a strong headwind and nearly freezing rain. I chatted with them for a few minutes offering encouragement and then Richard Mosiondz popped in the door. He had taken time out of his busy day to pick me up for a visit with him and Darlene. I would not go past Elkford without paying our long time friends a visit. They live on a horse ranch south of Elkford and raise Morgan horses. Richard works at Fording River mine and Darlene commutes daily to Fernie to Falkins Insurance. On top of this busy existance is the running of the Coalminers Gallery framing business. I was able to return the favour of a ride from Richard by taking photos of his horses which are ready to sell. Darlene is an excellent cook so I probably gained back a couple of the pounds I had been losing.

Moyie to Fernie

I got an early start from Moyie to make up for the short day before. Conditions were very good with a good tail wind and I made fast time to Cranbrook and points East. The warm wet weather had swollen the Elk River to what looked to be pretty close to full flood. That is about two weeks early because it usually doesn't peak until the first week of June. By Afternoon I was in Fernie and stopped in to say hello to old friends Sandy and Bernie Pulsifer. I had intended to go a bit farther that day but was easily persuaded to spend the night. It was a chance to have good chats and catch up on family news. Bernie introduced me to his new Border Colllie. He has enlisted the dog Kinna to help in his fight with cancer. Kinna is a high energy dog and that rubs off on Bernie. When you have a Border Collie you can't just sit around and watch T.V. Shown is the dog pulling mountain bike arrangemant which Bernie has set up. The same set up works with cross country skiis in the winter. Bernie was wearing his latest wonder drug chemo set up that day. What is even better for beating cancer is a good attitude and Bernie has that in spades. We had a delicious barbecue on their comfortable patio and talked late into the evening. The warm memories generated from that visit will stay with me for a good long time. Good luck Bernie.

Erickson to Moyie

May 18th turned out to be a soaker. I got into the full goretex suit including the booties and started making some kms. anyway. Riding in a downpour even with good raingear is not the best situation. By the time I got to Moyie I was ready to throw in the soggy towel but there is no place to stay in Moyie! My good luck held and Amy at the store told me of a couple who were getting a cabin ready to rent. It turned out to be fine. Craig and family raise Siberian Huskies near Moyie and were pleased to have me as their first guest. They made me a hot mug of tea and I shared pictures of the trip so far with them in their home. Below is a photo of the cabin.

Riondell to Erickson

May 17th I was up early and cranking down the Lake. On the main lake the wind usually blows from the south in the afternoon so I wanted to get down the lake before the wind started up against me. Above is a shot of the old grey Creek store. Couldn't go by there with out stopping for a cold pop. As the day wore on the weather got cloudier which is better than sweltering along. CBC was telling me that there were thunder storms headed my so when I got to Creston I was looking for a place to hide from them. I was directed to the campground in Erickson which turned out to be perfect. Had my tent set up under some trees but when it started to rain they told me to move it up on to the bandstand. There I found a huge old couch which drew me to it like a magnet. In about thirty seconds I was sound asleep. When snooze time was over I made use of their laundry room to do a small load. While waiting for that, two interesting people came over to chat. Carlos and Yolanda are language professors from Mexico. They brought over a bottle of good red wine and we sipped on that while solving the world's problems. One of the nicest aspects of travelling is bumping into new people and getting their view on things. All the exercise and glass of red wine gave me the best nights sleep yet.

Gray Creek and Balfour

May 16 th. turned out to be a busy and interesting day. The day had been set aside to give Beth a hand around the place and have a visit with Uncle John in Gray Creek. One of the small jobs Beth needed done was to repair a broken hinge on a garden gate. After a bit of sleuthing I found a fellow back in the bush above Gray Creek who did an excellent job of welding it for me. Once we had introduced ourselves he said "Oh If you are Jim Oliver's son you might like to see this." He took me out to the back of his shop and there was Dad's old jeep. It had passed through various hands and eventually ended up slowly mouldering into the ground in a junkyard up in the bush. I asked him not to crush it just yet. We might like to resurrect it for sentimental reasons. Then it was over to Uncle John's for tea and a tour of his projects. His latest was a deluxe gazebo where he can put his feet up and enjoy the view out towards the mountains. Uncle John will be ninety in July and is still very much in charge of his own affairs. Then it was a quick trip back over to the other side to go to the barbecue. Bruce gave me the tour of his boat the "Misty Winds" and brought me up to speed on happenings in Fort Mac. Before long the lobster pot was boiling and we were dropping them in. Haven't had fresh lobster since I was in New Brunswick so it was a treat. Great time had by all but I had to pull out early and catch the boat back to the other side. I saved treats from the barbecue for Beth and Buddy.

Trail to Riondell

May 15th turned out to be a good travelling day. Not too hot or cold and with a slight breeze from behind. Rolled past Castelgar and along the river past the Hydro dams on the kootenay. had a quick lunch in Nelson and pushed on along the West Arm of Kootenay lake. Dropped in to see Auntie Beth in Nelson but missed her. Stopped for a rest and took a few minutes to admire the home built from the top three decks of the old Nasookin stern wheeler. It was nice to see it being kept in good condition. Before jumping on the Ferry I checked in to see if workmate Bruce Woolaver was in at the Balfour Beach Inn. Too bad - just missed him as he was out in his boat. It had been a pretty long day but the steepest part was still to do coming up out of the ferry landing. Even after turning off to Riondell it is still uphill steady for another four kms. It was good to finally feel the bike crest over the top and start to pick up speed down into Riondell. Here Beth and little Buddy were happy to see me. I had only been there for a few minutes when my cell rang and it was Bruce in Balfour. He said "Ian you have to come back tomorrow. I am having my big annual barbecue and lobster cookup!"O.K. I knew what I was doing the next day. This was not to be missed. Fresh lobster from Nova Scotia and a party on the beach.

Day off in Trail

The next day was one of recuperating in Trail. The big climb on the day before took a lot out of me so it was a good idea to recharge for a day. Gave the bike a good check up, cleaning and lube. It seems to be holding up pretty well. Did laundry and pedalled around the neighborhood with Keenan. In the evening we all sat down to a big pasta feed at the Callander restaurant. A perfect place to build up your carbs. All the pasta you can eat!

Over the hump to Trail

May 13 was the longest day yet with a steady climb out of Christina lake. On this hill there is no break. It is an unrelenting grind for thirty five kilometers almost all right down in bottom gear going about five km. an hour. I had arranged to be picked up at the top by Shelley's brother Steven to do a side trip to trail rather than going straight through to Castlegar. Steven picked me up as arranged and we made it in to Trail in time to go to Keenan's soccer practice. One of Keenan's favorite things is to plink away with a sling shot so we made a target and did that too.

To Christina Lake

After two days of R and R in the Okanagan it was time to get rolling again. Billy made good on his promise and gave me a head start on the days ride. Before long I was up to and over the Anarchist summit and heading down to Rock creek.

From Rock Creek the road follows the river slowly climbing as you work your way East to Midway and Greenwood. I grabbed a hot dog from a vendor near the old hotel there and reminisced about the time brother Jamie and I spent a night in the Hotel while on a soggy motorcycle ride through to the coast. I think that was in September of 1979 but it doesn't seem like thirty years ago. From Greenwood it is a steep climb up to the summit at Eholt. The road down from Eholt is one of the best rides you will find. It slopes steadily down to Grand Forks. You don't have to turn a crank for twenty kms. From Grand Forks it is a short haul into Christinna Lake. The weather looked not bad for a change so I had a chance to set up my little tent and make myself comfortable for the night. The tent was close enough to a plug in to charge up my batteries and go on the internet. Got to bed early with dreams of the infamous Blueberry - Paulson dancing in my head.

The next day I was rested and anxious to get rolling but had to reconsider my priorities. Did I want to make good time or did I want to enjoy the trip to the max? Carrie's buddy Bill Sliva wanted to go to the trap range at Oliver and blow clay pigeons out of the sky.

He offered to make up any time lost shooting by giving me a lift so that settled it. As you can see from the pictures, that is what we did. Bill gave me a beautiful model 1100 which was right on the money. Any time the clay was anywhere near the bead when I pulled the trigger it would disappear in a cloud of red dust. At first I couldn't hit anything but eventually I was starting to get the hang of it. We blasted away for multiple rounds and I could see how it could come to be a passion. You are competing against yourself to keep your score up. After a while we had to call a halt as a big mulie doe had wandered right out in front of as we blasted away. Incredibly it ignored the blast of our big twelve gauges and the shattering clay. Then another appeared behind and followed the first doe out into our field of fire. The only thing I could think of to explain their behavior was that many fruit and grape growers install boomers to scare away birds so they are used to the constant boom as they go about their feeding. Interesting and fun afternoon which I will long remember. Thanks Bill.

The next day was one of puttering and relaxation after four fairly hard ones. Carries computer needed attention and her lawn needed mowing. In the afternoon Shauna and I explored the bluffs above Penticton and visited a small new winery just above her home on the lake. We bought a bottle of deluxe wine to take home after sampling what they had to offer in their small tasting room. Eric and Shauna and I were joined by Eric's daughter, Leanna at a small bistro for a leisurely dinner where we thoroughly enjoyed each others company and the good food and wine. Didn't pedal an inch! Pretty nice.

On to the Okanagan

Sunday was not a day of rest. It looked like an easy pedal to Keremeos and then over a short pass and down to O.K. falls. The one wild card when you are cycling is the wind. This can half or double the time taken to get to your destination. This day the wind gods conspired to blow me back to Princeton. Nevertheless I hunkered down and slowly gained ground towards Keremeos.

After a noon break in Hedley I eventually rolled into the first fruit stand so far. A fruit stand is a good thing when you are on a bike. There are always cold drinks and juicy things you can bite into by the side of the road. It took two hours after leaving Keremeos to make the climb up to Yellow lake. The little canon camera I am using was scratching for light when I got this shot of a guy in a canoe. Fish were jumping everywhere. It was nearly dark by the time I zipped down the other side to O.K. falls and Gramma Carries house. There a smiling Gramma Carrie and a big hot bowl of Chicken noodle soup was waiting for me.

Princeton

Hope up to the Allison pass is a long grind and it would be a killer in the heat. Thankfully it was a wet windy day when I left Hope and it was freezing at the summit. I was up above the snow line at the summit. Toque, winter gloves, thick sweater, long pants and jacket were the things to have on. After the big climb it was a relief to be finally headed down hill to Princeton. But just a minute - The road wound down to the pleasant Similkameen River and started another long climb! That afternoon was spent cranking slowly uphill to the Sunday summit while keeping an eye on the weather behind me. A whiteout snow storm was closing in and threatening to blast me off the mountain. The storm and I both arrived in Princeton at the same time. The tent idea did not look to good at this time so once again I found a small but clean and cheap motel to hole up in for the night. Before calling it a day I had a quick look around the the little town which I called home from 1974 to 1976. An old house which was divided into four apartments was home for me and my lover at that time. I found the it still in use, divided into inexpensive apartments and inhabited by young couples. A faint odour of Ganja still clings to the place. After a quiet moment of reflection in front of the old house I headed back to the Motel. It had been an awfully long day and a warm dry bed sounded pretty good.