Bicycle Tour Plans Are Final, Tickets Are Bought and Train is Boarding

Finally, the departure date is here and a train ride up to Vancouver is booked with both of our names on it.  Getting to this point has been monumental, to say the least. We have agreed that trying to get this trip off of the ground could perhaps be the hardest part of the journey. Neither of us had any idea how difficult it would be to plan this trip and line everything up into its right place.  Placement, we discovered, is an essential component. We have narrowed our material lives down to 4 saddle bags each, and deciding what stays and what goes has been interesting. By interesting I mean its been downright thought provoking, creative, characteristically defining and emotional. Endless trips to REI, scouring bikes stores in multiple cities, attending used gear sales, countless checklists, first aid courses, grocery runs…LOTS has been done to prepare.

Both bikes needed some modifications. We added pedals, toe cages, relief seats, new tires, front rack, rear rack, speedometer, front and rear lights, water bottle cages, new break pads and handle bar grips. And just as that was finished, my [Gillian] bike was STOLEN! Two days before departure.

This journey started as an idea that we both held and when we first met.  The idea was unleashed and soon sprung alive into action. Since then it has been something we have dreamed about every night, literally. Every night on the phone would imagine out loud, describing in detail the campgrounds we would stay at, the epic picnic spots we would come across, the feeling of riding with the wind in our hair, the smell of salt, and the freedom and challenge we would inevitably feel. Being distance runners we both understand the power in visualizing before a big event, and we have done that to the max, but we had better not get ahead of ourselves because we still have no idea what we are in for! and that’s part of the excitement!

Overwhelmed in Canada

 

The train ride was just as expected, long but beautiful. The views to be seen in Oregon and Washington were phenomenal when there was openings in the tree lines.  When the tree lines would disappear from around the train tracks we could see vast mountain ranges covered in clouds, rivers tinged with teal because of the clarity, and beautiful green farms laden with sheep. Being from California Gillian and I both have been alarmed at the amount of fresh water that is in abundance. Ever since crossing the Oregon border it has been raining incessantly. It has been a consistent drizzle that is enough to get you wet, but not enough to completely soak you. There was a point along the train ride where we would spot an overflowing waterfall pouring down the side of the mountain every couple of minutes.

We are planning on making one last modification to the bike once settling into Vancouver. When we can find a bike store we will buy fenders for our bikes so we don’t have to deal with the tires spewing ground water on us.

Before beginning our journey we are planning on spending a few days in Vancouver to enjoy the tourism and let ourselves recover from the 35 hours of traveling. On Thursday we will bike the first leg of our journey into Victoria where we plan on spending the weekend. This will be the last of our Canadian adventures as we will then focus all of our attention towards the coastal route. Both of us are antsy to begin the trip and very excited for what is to come. Hopefully the weather will treat us well while we begin our traveling.
– Colin

And We Thought Northern California Was Green

Crossing the U.S. border into Canada was a treat.  just before crossing the national line we were greeted by hundreds of bald eagles. The eagles stood at the edge of the ocean perched on rocks in the tide pools. I can’t begin to explain what it was like to see so many bald eagles at once.       Departing from the train station on our fully loaded bikes in a foreign city in the rain was a shocker. We were falling head first into this odyssey. After a long time spent gathering ourselves at the train station we hardly made it a block before we had to stop to adjust our bags, attempt at covering our gear with ponchos and fix our bikes-which were mangled from spending the train ride inside of a cardboard box.  Our bikes were wobbly under the weight, our legs were wobbly from 30+ hours of sitting on a train, and Colin was wobbly from reading directions while cycling,  but we clenched our teeth, cycled through downtown and within a few miles we were ecstatic and feeling awesome.  We are still in awe at how lush and green it is here, Vancouver is a city in a rain forest. The bay backs the city up against the Olympic mountains, which are snow capped and swallowed by immense clouds. It is alive with plants, covering every square inch. Ivey crawls up the buildings, huge trees line the streets, flowers are bursting from every plausible space.  It is a beautiful city with rivers and bridges, warfs, ferries, water taxis, parks, massive swimming pools and trails hugging the water line.       The food in vancouver is delicious and the sushi…is off the charts. Sushi here is extremely inexpensive, fish is abundant and fresh. Today we ate the best sushi either of us have ever tasted; we are forever spoiled. And for lunch, we ate fish and chips down by the warf…they were the best fish and chips I’ve ever met!  It would be easy to spend more time here.  tomorrow we are off to Vancouver island to see Victoria and the Buchart gardens. Our serious mileage also begins tomorrow.  – Gillian

Photos From Butchart Gardens

On our rest day we took a side trip to Butchart Gardens, which ended up being only a semi-rest day because we still rode our bikes 13 miles from the campground to the gardens. But it was well worth it, the gardens were absolutely beautiful. I have never seen anything so well manicured. Every last flower is given the highest attention to detail.

The entrance to the gardens is covered in Wisteria Flowers.

Overlooking one of the beautiful gardens.

Hidden secret cove on Vancouver Island. Looks like this harbor has been left untouched for hundreds of years.

Cycling and Camping on Vancouver Island

Enjoying fresh produce and good cooking at the campground. Each campsite had its own personal fruit tree.

Cycling into Victoria with Washington Cascades in the background.

Naked protesters standing on the steps of British Columbia’s Legislature Parliament Building.

Secret: The Freshest, Bestest Fish is in Vancouver, Canada

Our week in Canada is finally coming to a close. Just as our anxiety is building to begin the biggest part of the trip! Both Gillian and I are very excited to hit the road today.

Unfortunately the forecast looks like it will be raining once again. This coupled with one thousand feet of climbing should make for a challenging day. We were able to squeeze in a big breakfast this morning at Floyd’s cafe and contrary to what the forecast says, we have clear skies so far. Maybe we will have luck on our side for the rest of the day. Even though we are glad to be returning the U.S. we are going to miss the food scene here in Victoria. We both agree that we have had some of the best seafood of our life here. We will have high standards to meet the next time we eat seafood back home. We are now topped off with fuel and ready to sustain ourselves on the road. Onward we go! – Colin

Coming back to the USA

The first few moments of beginning the journey in Port Angeles were a little overwhelming. We couldn’t believe that this was actually beginning. Total green thumbs. Although we did feel a sense of reassurance once we got to our campground. One of the most picturesque campgrounds of the trip, situated right next to Cascade Lake.

Taking the ferry back into Port Angeles, Washington with the cascades in the background.

Cyclist Awareness sign

Riding next to tall trees and Cascade Lake

Seriously rethinking our decision to ride down the coast. This is less than a mile into the journey and we are feeling completely overwhelmed at this point.

Riding along Cascade Lake

Cascade Lake

Surviving the Hoh National Rain Forest

Free Camping in the Hoh National Rainforest

Last night we free camped on somebody’s patio. They weren’t home of course. It was an old barn house on hunting land, they allow hunters to camp on their land in exchange for a small fee. They probably didn’t expect to have cyclists on their back porch, but you gotta do what you gotta do out here. We are cycling through a rainforest…which means lots of rain and lots of trees. It is beautifully green, but makes for a wet tent and two very wet people. Everyday  is a quest to find food, stay dry, and move forward…but along that quest we have seen the bluest of blue lakes, snow capped mountains, tide pools, dense rain forest, and some of the most beautiful campgrounds ever. We biked through a dreary rainy cold town called Forks, which is the town the Twilight series takes place in, for those Twilight  lovers out there. We also happened upon a massive bald eagle eating lunch next to the road which was pretty cool to see. Today we hit the coast and have the ocean at our side for the first time, it feels great to be by the ocean. As beautiful as the rainforest is we are desperately pedaling south in search of the sun and some warmth! We guesstimate that by Sunday we’ll be at the Washington/Oregon border.  – Gillian

Kalaloch State Beach

Cool driftwood entrance to the beach

Gillian Fitch loving the vast openness of the beach

Huge driftwood log

Driftwood on the beach

View from the campground with the sun holding off the weather in the distance.

Mmhhmm! Now That is What I Call Fresh Fish

After our experience of free camping on private land we biked another twenty miles to Kalaloch State Beach (ka-lay-lock) where we decided to wait out the weather. Kalaloch ended up being a very unique campground and definitely one of the best campgrounds that we have been to so far. After the great experience that we had while resting up and relaxing at Kalaloch, I decided to officially name my bike after the campground. For reference, kalaloch translates to “a good place to land.”    En route to Twin Harbors campground, located just outside of Wesrport, Wa, we stopped at an oyster shop. Here we bought 1 lb of locally caught Halibut and a 1/2 lb of locally caught steelhead. Once at the campground, we cooked them up with quinoa and stir fry and had another excellent dinner. I have no problem saying that this is the best fish that I have ever had. Never before have I enjoyed seafood so much as I have in the northwest, thanks Chris for the recommendation to indulge.     After leaving Twin Harbors, Gillian and I began the day with what seemed like would be a very wet and rainy ride. Despite the wet weather we soon fell into a nice rhythmic tempo and began enjoying the views of the mist covered bays and inlets.

Finding a rhythm on a gloomy day

This ride so far has been our favorite ride yet. We will have to see which ride will end up trumping this one.     At the end of the ride we finally made it to a KOA campground, located in Bay Center, Wa, where we met several of the greatest people. The staff at the campground were unbelievably nice. I honestly didn’t think that this kind of hospitality existed anymore. We were also very lucky in our arrival date because there was a clam chowder cook-off that we were invited to as well as a root beer float social that followed. Keep in mind that Bay Center is an oyster farm town, so this chowder was definitely one of a kind. Each of the entries were household recipes cooked up by seafood experts. Gillian and I both had our fare share of tasting just to be sure that we made the best decision possible, what a treat.     Not only were all the staff amazingly kind, but we were able to receive inspiration and encouragement from two other touring cyclists that we met there. Stefan from Switzerland and Ines from Germany were completing their touring ride from Los Angeles to Anchorage! And we thought our trip was far! Both had much to say about their trip that I was able to soak up like knowledge coming from a book. These two were very easy to talk to and had lots to tell us about their experiences. It was great being able to drink a beer with the two of them. Stefan mentioned touring Iceland on bicycles which he said is his favorite touring ride, he has completed it three times! So perhaps one day we will travel to Iceland and tour the country with Stefan the proper way, on bicycles.   – Colin.