Vancouver to Grand Forks, BC: June 28th - July 3rd

Hey there everyone!

So, I have been on the road for six days now and have had a load of adventures and travelled some very interesting country.

My trip began on June 27th when I arrived in Vancouver. Upon arriving at the Holiday Inn, I decided to grab a bite to eat in the restaurant. I met a gentleman named Zain from Waterloo, ON. Crazy, I come all the way out here and meet someone that lives only hours away from my home in Woodville. Zain was very generous and besides buying my dinner for the evening he offered to take me to MEC the next morning and to Kit's Beach so I could dip my toes in the Pacific Ocean. I was so grateful for all of his help and the time he took to ferry me around. Thank you Zain!!

I began cycling that afternoon and made it to a town called Pitt Meadows. I had no idea where to stay so I went searching the backroads in this area. I came upon a house with a playset out front and cows. I thought to myself, "This looks decent." So, I went to the door and asked the family if they knew of anywhere that I could pitch a tent. The gentleman, John, said there was a campground 20 km down the road... Then he talked with his wife, Yvonne and they said I could just throw my tent on their lawn. Shortly after, while I was setting up my tent, they then offered me to stay downstairs in their home. I felt completely welcomed into their family and I had a great stay. Their little girl, Alison was quite cute, and she told her Mom that she was going to write about me in her journal!

I continued on my way and made it to Hope, BC that day and stayed in a campground for the night. I cycled a total of about 120 km and felt pretty good as I had not yet encountered the mountains...

On day 3 of cycling I left Hope and headed towards Manning Park. During this ride I tackled a mountain that was about 1200 m high-eeek - Alison Pass. It was a good challenge and I must admit, I did get off and push for a bit. Upon arriving in Manning, I checked into a hostel. I met a man named Roy who was hiking the PCT Trail. Roy was 64 years of age and it completely blew my mind that he was hiking that distance at that age!

During Day 4 I cycled from Manning to Keremeos. Early in the morning I stopped to put another layer on as it was raining and chilly and I met up with three other cyclists. Two were headed my way and Jeanine was headed towards Vancouver. I had a nice chat with them while they were having breakfast. Gaston, Simon (father and son), and I headed out towards Keremeos. It was a good day for cycling as it was not too hot and we had to climb Sunday Summit. We saw two mule deer on our ride and also saw bighorn sheep and elk caution signs. We made it in good time, had some cherries from a local fruit stand, and then went for a Thai dinner on Canada Day.

The next morning we went out separate ways as they were headed towards Kelowna and I was still travelling on Hwy 3. I made it to a small town called Midway and ended up staying in a motel as it was a tough day. You have to wonder if you are sane, when the cows are even looking at you funny! I climbed Anarchist Summit, just outside of Osoyoos which is a 26 km climb. Ouchee! I made it with lots of breaks and stops to check out the Okanagan Valley.

That brings me to today! I woke up this morning and I was a little achy from the yesterday's climb, so I decided to take it easy. I am in the library in Grand Forks at the moment and I have met some neat people today as well. When I stopped at a cycling shop here, I met Justin and Stenya, who were very neat and adventurous people to talk to. As well, I went into a small bakery, in which Dave and Therien were fabulous to talk to. I will end up cycling about 80 km today by the time I reach Christina Lake where I will stay at a campground. I was going to go to Castlegar, but the Blueberry-Paulson Summit is a good climb and I want fresh legs tomorrow to tackle that. Then onto Nelson and I will probably stay in Salmo tomorrow night as after that, there is a 30 km climb to summit Kootenay Pass. I should end up in Alberta by Tuesday evening if everything goes well.

Okey dokes, this is the update as of now. There are a lot more adventures, but I only have a limited amount of time here before hopping back on my bike and cycling the last 20 km of the day.

Take care everyone, I miss you lots, and I look forward to hearing from you!

Smiles always,
Ashley :)