I left Vernln just after 8 AM after a fantastic hearty breakfast and a warm goodbye to the O'Learys. I noticed right away I felt considerably well rested and energetic as I bobbed down the road out of Vernon. The extra rest and food had certainly done me a world of good. I made great progress all morning long as I happily cruised along in one of my best moods of the trip so far.
The terrain was transitioning back into thicker and damper forests, much like those near hope, and signs warning to carry snow chains began reappearing. You could tell I was reaching the next set of mountains. In time I arrived at the beautiful Mara Lake, and the road winded between its curvatures and the forested cliffs surrounding the valley. Some of the best riding yet.
As time passed, I could see the beginnings of the Rocky Mountains begin to approach as I winded around up and down misty forest roads. The weather was cool and overcast with a little rain; pretty decent for cycling but bad for pictures.
I have noticed tht there seems to be an increasing number of tourist attractions, both private and govrnment run. There were hot springs, a goat farm, a suspension bridge over a waterfall, and even a medieval themed enchanted forest complete with castle and dragon. The one I stopped for however was the Last Spike. It is the historical site where the final spike of the Canadian Pacific Railway was driven into the ground, marking the completion of the ocean to ocean railway. This is a big part of our history, and played a major role in the formation of Canada, so I thought it was pretty cool.
The road continues to traverse dense forest and lakeside vistas, all in the shadow of the beginnings of the Rockies. Fantastic Scenery, but I am beginning to feel tired and sluggish. I have completed over 100 KM but still have 40 KM of slow going until Revelstoke.
After the exhausting final leg I arrive in the quiet mountain town of Revelstoke, and after a quick grocery run, find my way to Lamplighter Campground. They have free wifi and an indoor kitchen where I can cook and keep my stuff away from bears. Which reminds me, they are at it again with the crazy bear decorations everywhere. One sign in particular made me laugh. It was a painting of a field of nice flowers with a great big grizzley bear sitting in the middle, as if to say that even an innocent field of flowers could be harbouring an extremist bear, ready to liberate your limbs from your body. So no "stopping to smell the roses" in the mountains. Ever.
There is a group of chairity cyclists staying at the same campsite as me. They supported by an RV and clocking a fast pace, but I hope to run into them again in the future. I had a lengthy conversation with one of their members about their expriences and the chairity they support. They are raising money for the Canadian Humanitarian Society and its efforts in Ethiopia. They run a successful program where they pay Ethiopian familys 20$ a month to adopt an orphan. The money is enough to feed the whole family, so both the orphan and family mutually benefit. They are lacking funds for facilities such as schools however. Thats where their fundraiser comes in. They are a nice group of people and Mark asked me to tell my friends. It is called the Chain Reaction Ride and they have a website and blog.
No comments:
Post a Comment