Up and Up We Go

Crazy Creek Suspension Bridge

Terri's cooking crew, Renee-Lise, Graham, Larry and Terri, and we did supper on July 4th and breakfast the next morning.
Alex and Mike of Tour du Canada 2006, met us at the Kamloops by-pass with refreshments and snacks, July 2nd

Holly pounding in the Last Spike of the Canadian Pacific Railway
Good stretch needed after a long, slow climb!!

Taken outside the shop, Beryl's Books and Beans in Sorrento
On the edge of Nicola Lake.
Three Valley Gap Resort
Mount Revelstoke
Holly was finally able to get a picture of Terri at the top of a climb.
Taken inside a snow tunnel
Approaching the first snow tunnel after Roger's Pass
Holly enjoying a bowl of cereal at Roger's Pass Summit
What a sign!!
Three Sisters Mountains
Canadian Pacific Railway Train passing along Kicking Horse River in Golden, near our campsite on rest day, July 6th.
Well, here we are back on the road again! Day 6th and July 3rd. ( I think!) Beautiful scenic ride along highway 5N along Lake Nicola. Around every bend in the road there is another picture to take of the splendid mountains. The day was warm and we had a bit of a tail wind. The landscape became drier looking and less trees on the mountains as we approached Kamloops. There was a Kamloops by-pass and, to our surprise, there were two guys at the corner with a Tour du Canada sign waving the cyclists in. Their names were Alex and Mike and they had done the tour in 2006. One was from Vancouver and the other from Penticton. They had drinks and snacks for the riders as they came by. What a kind jesture! I think they said someone had done that for them the year they did the tour and they wanted to "pay back" the deed. Then we had a real long descend into Kamloops going, of course, to Tim Horton's for lunch. Met a lady, Joan, who had cycled across Canada last year with her husband, starting right after she had retired. They went across a a bit further north and only had one day of rain the whole three months away and only had one flat tire and that happened in Newfoundland. Back on Highway 1 and another 45k to camp in Pritchard. Landscape still mountainous but dry and trees also suffering with pine beetle infestation. Distance today was 147k. Well, now into day 7. Had a very long climb out of camp this morning. Enjoyed coffee in Sorrento at a shop called Beryl's Books and Beans. Great riding with rolling hills and, again, beautiful scenery but heavy traffic. Thank goodness for nice wide shoulder. I'd say they are at least 3-4 feet wide. Had a delicious ice-cream cone at a fruit market in Salmon Arm. It was hilly on either side of Salmon Arm but sceneryis amazing as we cycled along Shuswap River and Lake and other small lakes along the route. We stayed at Whispering Pines at Mara and rode 97k. Today, we had a long descend to highway 97B. I clocked in on my odometer at 68k/hr.!!! One or two others topped at 73k/hr. Beautiful sunny day and not as hot as yesterday. Spectacular mountain scenery the whole day. Just can't take enough pictures. A few good climbs. We cycled through the town of Craigellachie, the site of the last spike ceremony for the transcontinental railway. We cycled by Revelstoke National Park and took some photos of Mount Revelstoke. It is just so amazing the trees on the mountains are so cylindrical shaped and tall! We stayed at Canyon Hot Springs for the night. Distance today was127k. Now the last day before rest day. Onward to Golden. Roger's Pass was a long climb but we geared down and everyone reached the Summit. All the long climbs cause me to gear down to the lowest granny gear and between 8-10k/hr. Before the pass, we had to cycle through three snow tunnels and then five after the summit. Had a very steep descend after the summit. Once again, a few more long hills that were just as tough as the climb up Roger's Pass. All the cyclists felt this was the toughest day so far and were glad to see camp. We also had a headwind most of the day. At camp in Golden, there was no hydro till after 10pm. So took a quick dip in the Kicking Horse River just to cool off from the ride. Water was extremely cold and moving fairly rapidly. Everyone should have an opportunity to experience the spectacular beauty of our Great Rockies. Our rest day today, July 6th was rainy off and on with a heavy downpour mid-afternoon.

Biking in the mountains is very deceiving. The road seems to be flat or downhill but your gears and legs tell you you are climbing. We haven't figured out quite the reason why but we think it has something to do with looking up at the mountains. The other spectacular thing is that despite how steep the side of the mountain is, the trees are perfectly straight, reaching for the sun. It is an amazing sight.

We will be crossing Kicking Horse Pass in a day or two, that should be fun. Enjoy our blog and comments are appreciated.

Terri and Holly