Canada by Bike

My grand adventure began today! I've been waiting for this moment for 18 years and here I am standing at Mile 0, ready to start. Mile 0 is the official beginning of the Trans Canada Highway. Flushes of heat were running through me, as I double checked to make sure I had everything I needed for my day. I took some photos and a video. Earlier this day, I collected a special rock from the Pacific Ocean that I carried with me on the entire trip, and dipped it into the Atlantic Ocean once I reached it. I still have this rock today as a memento of my cycling ride across Canada.

Here I am on the ferry leaving Vancouver Island behind, heading to the mainland of BC. The first day wasn't so bad, except for a flat tire. The roads were busier and dirtier than I expected. I had a close call with a double trailer truck, but luckily made it unscathed. I learned that cars pass really close to cyclists and it is good to stay to the right as much as possible. On the ferry, I met Will from Australia, who kayaked from Yukon to BC. Adventure lovers are everywhere!

I was able to cycle to Mission from Vancouver today. 110 km was my average distance for the first two days. We found this great motel near the highway where we got to spend a night for free. Thank you Diamond Motor Inn! My body was starting to feel sore and I was looking forward to a short break at Harrison Hot Springs to recover. June is when berries are in season in British Columbia. I was taking breaks from cycling to munch on salmonberries and raspberries growing near the roads.

I am happy to report that I had a whole day to relax. Harrison is a magical place with a picturesque location. We found a hiking trail which took us through the hills to a beautiful lake, however, the water was too cold to swim in. Then we visited the town, learned about the Yeti who has been seen here many times. We enjoyed the hot springs - which is basically a public swimming pool with hot water pumped from the original spring - but it was still nice and relaxing.

Riding up Sunday Summit, roughly 70km at a 4-7% incline, was harder than I thought. After getting to the top I sat down by the road sign and couldn't get up. I felt so weak and tired. My mom brought a blanket and covered me. I felt nauseous and shaky. Only later I found out that most cyclists break this distance into 2 or 3 days and I covered it all in one day! I had no more energy to keep going and, even though the plan was to cycle to Princeton, I decided to camp here. There was a big parking lot on the other side of the road. I didn't see any signs forbidding camping. We had a big fire and I went to sleep. In the morning I found wild Arnica growing on top of the mountain.

Surprisingly, I was able to cycle the next day and I felt great. The ride to Pentincton was harder than I thought it would be. For the most part I was going downhill, yet there was still quite a bit of uphill. That area of Canada is quite beautiful. I loved riding through the Cascade Mountains. I saw a deer, rode along a beautiful river, and finally made it to Pentincton. It is a cute town located between two lakes, one is very cold and the other is less cold. I was lucky to find a charming motel with a kitchenette, and here we stayed for 2 nights. The host was super and offered us a discount. My son had fun at the beach and we enjoyed visiting the Japanese gardens.

A friend of a friend named Tee lived near Vernon and I was told to connect with her, so I did and was able to stay at her place for couple of nights. She is awesome! A real gentle, loving nature soul. She took us to Leon’s hot springs and I instantly fell in love on this wild adventure. There was a beautiful waterfall close to the road leading to the springs. We stood there for a bit and enjoyed the sound of rushing waters.<br>Hot springs are magical and I got inspired to find more of them. Tee had a wonderful garden and it was lovely walking barefoot on the warm grass grounding my energy.

We got to camp here in this beautiful place. We found a rest stop that was kind of 1 hidden and no one bothered us. The clouds were hanging so low in the morning, I felt as though I could touch them. I absolutely loved riding through this valley, there was something super special about it. The high mountains on both sides, I felt small and once more humbled. The air was different too. Oh, and there was this cool pocket of rainforest climate with giant Devil Claw plants growing, alongside giant cedar trees.

After Vernon I entered high mountains. First Three Valley Gap, then Revelstoke, then uphill to Rogers Pass. It was a challenging ride but the majestic views made it well worth it. I even saw some wild animals; a mountain goat with her kids.

It was a long and steep ride today but I made it! Rogers Pass is at 1330m, and it is cold here! I had to pull out my warm clothes and quickly put on a hat as my head started to hurt. The air is mountain air, fresh, crispy, just perfect. I'm feeling very tired, cold and it's getting dark so quickly; we decided to spend a night in the closest motel we could find which ended up being in Golden, BC.

Riding through Glacier National Park was pure magic! I haven't seen so many glaciers in all my life. The colour green was different here, so intense with lots of moss and mountain flowers growing, including bog orchids. Because of the glaciers, there were many tunnels built to protect drivers from avalanches. It was quite scary to ride through them as there is no shoulder and the lane is shared with big trucks which are driving at full speed. I rode so fast through them and luckily made it through safely. Once I passed Golden, I entered a new range of mountains.

Once I passed Golden, I had a steep incline and once I made a turn I entered a new range of mountains. It is so different here. It seems more rocky and dry. The road has changed too. I no longer have a shoulder to ride on and it is quite scary to be riding so close to big trucks. I officially entered a stunning Yoho National Park.

I ended up spending 5 nights in Golden as my mom had to go to Calgary for her eye surgery. She basically lost her eyesight in one eye after a near collision in Vancouver. What a relief that she is doing better and will regain her vision completely. I was happy to leave this expensive town. This was my last day in BC, riding through Yoho National Park, passing through Field all the way to Banff. It was an epic ride, full of wonderful snowy mountain peaks and a big uphill just before Field.