Ready to go....

Thursday, May 6

Today was a day to "truly" get ready to start the ride. We took a 2 1/2 hour training ride around the Maple Ridge area once again. This was the day to make sure that the bikes were ready and to do some laundry. Who knows when laundry facilities will be available again!! Packing is in progress as I write this. Goals have been set for the first 3 days of our ride and believe it or not some of my nervousness seems to have been reduced. Just making the decision to begin has helped. We are actually going to do this. 2 1/2 years of planning and tomorrow we actually begin. St. Johns here we come....

Kevin =1. Sue =0

More training and last minute preparations....

Wednesday, May 5

Not much excitement today. Took 2 hours to ride 8.6 km. No it was not because of the hills!! We were on a last minute shopping trip. Grocery store, post office, bank, and a stop for lunch. Great training!! Rode back towards Vancouver and returned to Maple Ridge on a very busy Lougheed Hwy. (Collin I hit 46 kmh today). Think we will set out "for real" on the "adventure" on Friday morning.

Kevin = 1 Sue =0

Back to training....

Tuesday, May 4

In case anyone is confused, we are just following our plan. A few days in Maple Ridge for "training" before the real journey begins. We decided to ride from Maple Ridge to Mission on the Dewdney Trunk Road and return by way of the Lougheed Highway or Hwy. # 7. First 15 km seemed to take forever. Then we figured out why. We had been gradually climbing. 10 km downhill on curvy roads in about 10 minutes, pretty much riding the brakes the entire way. Never knew what might be around the next curve. Quite fun actually. Looking forward to those downhills in the mountains. But you know the climbs are still a concern!!! Tomorrow another training ride.

Kevin =1 Sue =0

And we are off.....

Monday, May 3, 2010

Via Rail surprised us with an early arrival at Vancouver. It took about an hour of work to get our bicycles and gear ready for riding. Thank you Via for putting up with our gear spread across the station. Off to our official "getting the tires wet" in English Bay. Thank you Amy for your patience waiting for us to arrive and for being our official photographer. Sure was nice to have a friendly face to see us off. With google maps and written instructions from a local cyclist in hand, we were headed for Maple Ridge. Gusty winds, tons of traffic and our limited maps made our first day an interesting one. Highlight of the day was probably riding across a major bridge with 4 lanes of traffic flying by in each direction. And they call this a bike route!!! Arrived at our good friends house in Maple Ridge at 5:30. Thanks Nancy, Gashaw, and Michael for use of your house for the next few days. It is really nice to have good friends like you.

Daily distance = 65.01 km. On the bikes = 4 hours 35 minutes. Average speed = 14.18 km. Maximum speed = 47.15 km.

Kevin = 1 Sue = 0

And then there were mountains...

Sunday, May 2, 2010

Another leisurely day on the train sitting mostly in the Park Car with its glassed walls and roof watching Alberta pass us by. Then the mountains appeared with their "majestic snow covered" peaks. Another few minutes of nervousness as the mind wandered to our coming climbs. A 45 minute stopover in Jasper allowed us to stretch our legs along the main street. Jasper was much quieter than other visits we have made to it. Numerous "bear" and "big-horned sheep" sitings today. The mountains with all their splendour continue to mess with my mind. Need to get riding!!!

Kevin=1 Sue=0

A Nasty Surprise....

Sunday May 2

Food on the train is really good....scenery through Northern Ontario leaves a little to be desired. Scrub trees and more scrub trees. Sorry to insult any arborists who might like poplar trees. Entering Manitoba was actually kind of nice. A 4 hour stop in Winnipeg left us with enough time to exercise our legs by explopring the forks of the Assiniboia and the Red Rivers and visit the "Forks Market" reminding us of the Granville Island Market but on a smaller scale.

A nasty surprise awaited us as we entered Saskatchewan. Snow!!! Yes, I said snow, and we are starting a bike ride in less than a week! A little bit more to play with our brains.

Due to abnormal freight traffic we have found ourselves 1 1/2 hours behind schedule arriving in Edmonton. But then again we will probably have to get used to being behind planned arrivals. Life has definitly "slowed to a crawl".

Kevin =1 Sue =0

A long slow ride....

Friday, April 30, 2010

After leaving home (and saying goodbye to the cats) we meandered our way to Orillia and had a leisurely dinner. Off to Washago to catch the train just before 1 a.m. Talk about service! The train stopped with the baggage car right at our luggage. Loaded the bikes and hockey bags and they then moved the train ahead to exactly our car so we could board. (You would think we were unable to walk!). Sleeping on the train was a little bit "iffy" as we were not used to the noises and the movement of the train in our "cozy" cabin for two. Meals are really quite good and everyone seemed to be friendly (even if most people think we are nuts). If you are not in a hurry, the train is a great way to travel. If you are an impatient person, take an airplane. (Yes, I realize, this is "the kettle calling the pot black."). Day 1 of the adventure....slow. Me wonders if this might just be a trend!!!

Kevin=1 Sue=0

On the way to the train....

Here we go!!! After 2 days of madly packing we are actually ready to go. 2 1/2 years and here it is. Packing bicycles into boxes for transportation was a bit of an adventure. "Just turn the handlebars and remove the pedals" to quote the Via Rail box. Sure!!! I guess only bicycles built for children fit into their boxes. With a little work on the box, and a whole lot of "Tuk" tape, they slid right in.

As promised in the last posting, an official weigh-in took place. Sue's bike and gear = 92 pounds. Kevin's bike and gear = 106 pounds. (I knew that I did not want to know this information.)

A thank you to both family and friends who have been so supportive of us as we prepared for this adventure. Your well wishes have truly been "inspiring". Next posting probably sometime in the next 3 1/2 days on board the train. Washago here we come!!! Vancouver look out!!!

Kevin = 1 Sue = 0

Last Minute Scramble.....

With only 4 days until departure (Friday at 12:40 a.m.), the last minute scramble has begun. From training rides, to last minute bike details, to packing for the trip, to Blackberry issues, to dinner invitations (heck our social schedule in the last 2 weeks has been busier than for the last 10 years combined....maybe everyone considers them 'last suppers'), we have been busy. Hard to believe all the planning is finally coming together.

As can be seen in the latest picture, an awful lot of 'stuff' must go on the bikes. A weigh in is planned for today to see how much weight we will be carrying. Maybe this is a detail we should 'not' want to know. One last post will hopefully happen before departure.

Kevin=1 Sue=0

17 Days To Departure....

Everyone has been telling me I needed to update the blog so here it is. In the last 2 months lots has happened very little to do with our coming adventure. Preparation has continued, of course, to get away by the end of the month. A bad fall in our bush during Maple Syrup Season resulting in a sore knee and then a badly cut hand has slowed training but not stopped it. (Never thought I would say thank goodness for turbo-trainers).

Our training has now moved outside as the 3 feet of snow went away quickly (too quickly for Maple Syrup Season). Our bikes were missing in action for a period of time when they were in the "shop" for their final tune-up. Two new back wheels later and a complete cleaning and bearing check, they are now ready to go. (Dam near paid for a new bike!!!!) Still need to put the new rubber on them and do some test rides fully loaded. We are "really" looking forward to our coming "adventure" (a whole lot scared as well) and cannot believe it is only 17 days until it begins. Lots of things to wrap up before then!!!!

Kevin = 1 Sue = 0