So I failed today's competency test. I was booked for a ferry ride directly to Victoria from Seattle and I overslept, not waking up at my alarm or even becoming aware of the time until 10 minutes after the boat had departed. Tomorrow is now going to be the day of return to Canada. Great, all the more time to bike circles around the city and try to find something of interest.
Todays stops of interest were the Volunteer Conservatory and the Central Library. Both fascinating in their own rights. The Conservatory had displays of Chrysanthemums, cacti, and ancients (plants that have existed for a very long time). The Library is a modern structure with an overhanging roof and walls of interlaced steel and glass. Very aesthetically pleasing, especially the views of downtown from the top floor.
Tuesday, November 16, 2010
Sunday, November 14, 2010
Day 74 - Seattle, Washington
Hey Dear Reader!
This will be one of the last posts of the blog due to Thomas arriving in B.C. today after riding the train from L.A. to Seattle and taking the Clipper ferry to Victoria. I am hot on his heels after arriving in Seattle myself this evening. I am checked into the Green Tortoise Hostel and was given a free spaghetti and meatball dinner. A welcome surprise after nearly twenty-one hours of train travel.
To pick up where I left off last, I went skiing with Chris and Courtnie Tuesday morning after nearly a foot of snow fell on Mammoth Lakes through the night. He works at Mammoth Sporting Goods, where I met him, and had no problems grabbing a pair of rental ski's, boots and poles to prepare me for a short bootpack up one of his favorite runs on the unopened Mammoth mountain. I had not forgotten how to ski and cranked some delightful turns in the thin layer of powder. An awesome way to share some of the stoke felt by the locals. I packed up the next day and was pleasantly surprised to see the snow was only sticking in the high elevation town. At soon as I hit the highway the ground was bare and cycling was comfortable in the cool air with warm sunshine on my back.
Leaving Mammoth I rode to Bridgeport; infamous for its uniquely cold climate. The valley somehow creates a cold trap and this town is often the coldest in the country. I met Joanne the bartender that evening, at the Sportsmens bar while quenching my thirst after a good day of riding. Upon asking her about good places to camp she was able to find two locals, Ryan and James, who were willing hosts for a couchsurfer. They thought I was unprepared for the cold and were kind enough to offer their home to me in the hopes that I wouldn't be uncomfortable in the great outdoors. After being accommodated for two nights in Mammoth I was again lucky to be put up by these nice guys. It was certainly cold enough to warrant going to a new acquaintance's home to sleep by a woodstove.
Even better was going to the nearby Travertine hotsprings in the morning. It was undeveloped and therefore free and virtually empty of anyone else. With an assortment of small pools it was wonderful to get away from anyone else and take in the mountain views while soaking.
Onwards from Bridgeport I visited another hotsprings, Walley's, near the community of Minden. This was of the developed kind but was well worth the admission due to the cold of eastern California near Lake Tahoe. Camping that night was quite tolerable in comparison with Bridgeport's overnight lows, but frosty.
I had heard that Reno, only a day's ride north, had a train service going to Sacramento, meaning that I could skip a gruelling climb up the Kingsbury grade to begin crossing the Sierra Nevada range without having to ride it. If you saw the Kingsbury grade I have no doubt you would have done the same. That was a no-fun uphill.
Back in Nevada again, I visited Reno, a city much like Las Vegas. Reno is a smaller, down-sized version of Las Vegas, but it has the same glittering repulsion that will keep me away from Nevada for a very long time. Casinos require sunglasses, always.
After my hotel stay in Reno I was up early and ready to go for a train ride. Of course the train was an hour late, so I opted to jump on the bus, due to it being cheaper, departing earlier and taking less time to cross the same distance. Time warp, thousands of pedal strokes flashed before my eyes and 'whump!', the warm air of Sacramento hit me with a humidity I hadn't felt in a long time. Visions of high passes covered in snow melted from memory as I broke into a sweat, off with the thermal layers!
Sitting by the Sacramento river I contemplated a convoluted array of emotions. I realized that I was homesick but not in the common interpretation of the word. I was sick of being leered at by Americans due to my accent and longed to be in Canada, where I don't speak self-consciously. Long over-stressed vowels seem to have become an American stereotype of Canadians. I still can't even hear the difference.
So it is not home that I crave, to the point is that I don't want to spend more time in the U.S.A.
This will be one of the last posts of the blog due to Thomas arriving in B.C. today after riding the train from L.A. to Seattle and taking the Clipper ferry to Victoria. I am hot on his heels after arriving in Seattle myself this evening. I am checked into the Green Tortoise Hostel and was given a free spaghetti and meatball dinner. A welcome surprise after nearly twenty-one hours of train travel.
To pick up where I left off last, I went skiing with Chris and Courtnie Tuesday morning after nearly a foot of snow fell on Mammoth Lakes through the night. He works at Mammoth Sporting Goods, where I met him, and had no problems grabbing a pair of rental ski's, boots and poles to prepare me for a short bootpack up one of his favorite runs on the unopened Mammoth mountain. I had not forgotten how to ski and cranked some delightful turns in the thin layer of powder. An awesome way to share some of the stoke felt by the locals. I packed up the next day and was pleasantly surprised to see the snow was only sticking in the high elevation town. At soon as I hit the highway the ground was bare and cycling was comfortable in the cool air with warm sunshine on my back.
Leaving Mammoth I rode to Bridgeport; infamous for its uniquely cold climate. The valley somehow creates a cold trap and this town is often the coldest in the country. I met Joanne the bartender that evening, at the Sportsmens bar while quenching my thirst after a good day of riding. Upon asking her about good places to camp she was able to find two locals, Ryan and James, who were willing hosts for a couchsurfer. They thought I was unprepared for the cold and were kind enough to offer their home to me in the hopes that I wouldn't be uncomfortable in the great outdoors. After being accommodated for two nights in Mammoth I was again lucky to be put up by these nice guys. It was certainly cold enough to warrant going to a new acquaintance's home to sleep by a woodstove.
Even better was going to the nearby Travertine hotsprings in the morning. It was undeveloped and therefore free and virtually empty of anyone else. With an assortment of small pools it was wonderful to get away from anyone else and take in the mountain views while soaking.
Onwards from Bridgeport I visited another hotsprings, Walley's, near the community of Minden. This was of the developed kind but was well worth the admission due to the cold of eastern California near Lake Tahoe. Camping that night was quite tolerable in comparison with Bridgeport's overnight lows, but frosty.
I had heard that Reno, only a day's ride north, had a train service going to Sacramento, meaning that I could skip a gruelling climb up the Kingsbury grade to begin crossing the Sierra Nevada range without having to ride it. If you saw the Kingsbury grade I have no doubt you would have done the same. That was a no-fun uphill.
Back in Nevada again, I visited Reno, a city much like Las Vegas. Reno is a smaller, down-sized version of Las Vegas, but it has the same glittering repulsion that will keep me away from Nevada for a very long time. Casinos require sunglasses, always.
After my hotel stay in Reno I was up early and ready to go for a train ride. Of course the train was an hour late, so I opted to jump on the bus, due to it being cheaper, departing earlier and taking less time to cross the same distance. Time warp, thousands of pedal strokes flashed before my eyes and 'whump!', the warm air of Sacramento hit me with a humidity I hadn't felt in a long time. Visions of high passes covered in snow melted from memory as I broke into a sweat, off with the thermal layers!
Sitting by the Sacramento river I contemplated a convoluted array of emotions. I realized that I was homesick but not in the common interpretation of the word. I was sick of being leered at by Americans due to my accent and longed to be in Canada, where I don't speak self-consciously. Long over-stressed vowels seem to have become an American stereotype of Canadians. I still can't even hear the difference.
So it is not home that I crave, to the point is that I don't want to spend more time in the U.S.A.
Monday, November 8, 2010
Day 67 - Hell freezes over...
Mammoth Lakes, elevation 7800', is cold today. The high elevation is quite different from the summer temperatures of Death Valley. When I arrived early today I was disheartened to see snow falling after biking through rain and gusty headwinds, but every local I met was ecstatic at the prospect of skiing powder when the ski resort opens in just four days. Their collective exuberance is irresistible and I am excited about the coming winter season even though my skis are a far distance away. With a few hundred miles remaining to Sacramento, the nearest train station servicing Seattle, I may have to make the most of the transportation system and use a bus to get closer to Canada. That is the least preferred option. Another option is to tuck my tail and ride back in the direction I have come, south, seeking warmer weather at lower elevations for the duration of my U.S. stay. Ideally the recent heavy snowfall will melt by Wednesday and I can resume bicycling highway 395 to Lake Tahoe before turning West to descend into central California and the train to Seattle.
Couchsurfing.org has provided no hosts in Mammoth(due to extremely short notice), but while shopping at a local gear shop for socks to wear while doing laundry I met Chris Reid. Chris gave me his number to call him in an emergency and sent me on my way while finishing his shift. After doing laundry I headed uphill to the Davison St. Guest House, a local hostel, with the intention of calling Chris to hang out after I had found my own accomodation to avoid causing any last-minute inconvenience. As I struggled through the snow, Chris, with his girlfriend Courtney, recognized me. Obviously I am the only person bicycling with a trailer and gear in Mammoth Lakes. They walked with me past the hostel and to their nearby home, where I stored my gear before joining them on the walk to Bingo. As old as it sounds, the Bingo crowd was quite young. Within the first few rounds Chris won $50 and in the last round I was so lucky as to win $91. I will admit to having had more fun in my lifetime, but drunken Bingo is quite easy and fun.
When I departed the town of Lone Pine yesterday I had intended to go to Bishop, but when I was unable to find a couchsurfing host I assumed the remaining 40-miles to Mammoth Lakes were reasonable to finish off the day with. I was very, very wrong. From Bishop the highway climbs extensively, ascending to Tom's Place at 7000' from 4140' before climbing higher to Mammoth Lakes. I rode towards Hot Creek, a hot springs that had been closed to bathers, unbeknownst to me and my meager research, for over a year. Upon arrival I made camp less than ten miles from Mammoth Lakes village and collapsed into my tent, falling into a dream-filled sleep.
Lone Pine is adjacent to the aesthetic Alabama hills and was a great place to spend a day of rest. Further west from Lone Pine and Alabama Hills is Mount Whitney, California's highest peak at 14,505'. Mounts Williams and Langley as well as Lone Pine peak made for a great backdrop to my campsite overlooking the townsite. Alabama hills is filled with fascinating geological formations in the form of a multitude of rounded boulders, at some points appearing very jumbled together and at other's looking exquisitely sculpted into eye-catching formations. Alabama hills are claimed to be one of the Earth's oldest surface rock formations.
Couchsurfing.org has provided no hosts in Mammoth(due to extremely short notice), but while shopping at a local gear shop for socks to wear while doing laundry I met Chris Reid. Chris gave me his number to call him in an emergency and sent me on my way while finishing his shift. After doing laundry I headed uphill to the Davison St. Guest House, a local hostel, with the intention of calling Chris to hang out after I had found my own accomodation to avoid causing any last-minute inconvenience. As I struggled through the snow, Chris, with his girlfriend Courtney, recognized me. Obviously I am the only person bicycling with a trailer and gear in Mammoth Lakes. They walked with me past the hostel and to their nearby home, where I stored my gear before joining them on the walk to Bingo. As old as it sounds, the Bingo crowd was quite young. Within the first few rounds Chris won $50 and in the last round I was so lucky as to win $91. I will admit to having had more fun in my lifetime, but drunken Bingo is quite easy and fun.
When I departed the town of Lone Pine yesterday I had intended to go to Bishop, but when I was unable to find a couchsurfing host I assumed the remaining 40-miles to Mammoth Lakes were reasonable to finish off the day with. I was very, very wrong. From Bishop the highway climbs extensively, ascending to Tom's Place at 7000' from 4140' before climbing higher to Mammoth Lakes. I rode towards Hot Creek, a hot springs that had been closed to bathers, unbeknownst to me and my meager research, for over a year. Upon arrival I made camp less than ten miles from Mammoth Lakes village and collapsed into my tent, falling into a dream-filled sleep.
Lone Pine is adjacent to the aesthetic Alabama hills and was a great place to spend a day of rest. Further west from Lone Pine and Alabama Hills is Mount Whitney, California's highest peak at 14,505'. Mounts Williams and Langley as well as Lone Pine peak made for a great backdrop to my campsite overlooking the townsite. Alabama hills is filled with fascinating geological formations in the form of a multitude of rounded boulders, at some points appearing very jumbled together and at other's looking exquisitely sculpted into eye-catching formations. Alabama hills are claimed to be one of the Earth's oldest surface rock formations.
Thursday, November 4, 2010
Day 64 - Lone Pine, California
Solo!
Just to say it still has a nice ring (sorry Thomas.) The Broemeling brothers have parted paths as of November 1st. Unwilling to box and fly with my bicycle I will continue solo going north-bound, until I am unwilling to go on. What makes me unwilling? Severe rain or longing to see the ocean come immediately to mind. Thomas has flown to Las Angeles for further vacation before returning to Jasper.
I left the South-West of Las Vegas for Pahrump via highway 160. Immediately after leaving the city limits I came upon a big pass, but got to watch a spectacular sunset as I coasted down the back slope after making the summit. Woke up on the roadside the next day; after listening to the highway all evening I was irked that I had been too tired to find a place further from the highway. Regardless of where you freecamp, the desert plants provide nothing for cover. Don't try to hide out there.
After Pahrump, hit a huge downhill and descended into Death Valley. No surprise, it almost killed me to hit sea elevation and the temperatures that come with it. Chose to forgo a stay in Furnace Creek and biked on, through the night, to get closer to the end of Death Valley. Made it to Stovepipe Wells twenty-four miles away, and made camp after biking with nothing but the starlight to guide me. The minimal traffic was a good thing, because I couldn't take my eyes off the beauty of the desert sky. As I glanced back during my ride, I could still see the glow of Las Vegas, it was two days of bike riding away and I was re-affirmed in my happiness to be getting further away from the craziness.
After resting in Stovepipe Wells, I began ascending one of the most grueling summits yet. Towne Pass (almost 5000') was 18 miles of uphill in blistering heat. It cooled slightly as I rose higher, but the exertion was insufferable. Claimed a siesta halfway up in the shade of the only tree in Death Valley. It was very surprising that I didn't find more bleached-white bone carcasses of cyclists who had died en route.
Came over the top and had a white-knuckle downhill ride back to sea level. Heat returned and I gingerly rode into Panamint Springs to stay on my third night.
Woke up today and left Panamint Springs to resume climbing. Instead of sleeping in and not starting until noon, as I had foolishly done in Stovepipe Wells, I leapt out of bed before sunrise and packed up just in time to start biking when the first rays of light began to scorch the hills again. I don't even want to imagine what this place is like in the summer. Definitely the right treatment to make one appreciate winter; go ride a bike through a desert.
Just to say it still has a nice ring (sorry Thomas.) The Broemeling brothers have parted paths as of November 1st. Unwilling to box and fly with my bicycle I will continue solo going north-bound, until I am unwilling to go on. What makes me unwilling? Severe rain or longing to see the ocean come immediately to mind. Thomas has flown to Las Angeles for further vacation before returning to Jasper.
I left the South-West of Las Vegas for Pahrump via highway 160. Immediately after leaving the city limits I came upon a big pass, but got to watch a spectacular sunset as I coasted down the back slope after making the summit. Woke up on the roadside the next day; after listening to the highway all evening I was irked that I had been too tired to find a place further from the highway. Regardless of where you freecamp, the desert plants provide nothing for cover. Don't try to hide out there.
After Pahrump, hit a huge downhill and descended into Death Valley. No surprise, it almost killed me to hit sea elevation and the temperatures that come with it. Chose to forgo a stay in Furnace Creek and biked on, through the night, to get closer to the end of Death Valley. Made it to Stovepipe Wells twenty-four miles away, and made camp after biking with nothing but the starlight to guide me. The minimal traffic was a good thing, because I couldn't take my eyes off the beauty of the desert sky. As I glanced back during my ride, I could still see the glow of Las Vegas, it was two days of bike riding away and I was re-affirmed in my happiness to be getting further away from the craziness.
After resting in Stovepipe Wells, I began ascending one of the most grueling summits yet. Towne Pass (almost 5000') was 18 miles of uphill in blistering heat. It cooled slightly as I rose higher, but the exertion was insufferable. Claimed a siesta halfway up in the shade of the only tree in Death Valley. It was very surprising that I didn't find more bleached-white bone carcasses of cyclists who had died en route.
Came over the top and had a white-knuckle downhill ride back to sea level. Heat returned and I gingerly rode into Panamint Springs to stay on my third night.
Woke up today and left Panamint Springs to resume climbing. Instead of sleeping in and not starting until noon, as I had foolishly done in Stovepipe Wells, I leapt out of bed before sunrise and packed up just in time to start biking when the first rays of light began to scorch the hills again. I don't even want to imagine what this place is like in the summer. Definitely the right treatment to make one appreciate winter; go ride a bike through a desert.
Monday, November 1, 2010
And more pictures! Day 60 - Las Vegas departure
Well Las Vegas has been discovered and now it's time to move on into California.
There are three new albums of pictures linked above for your viewing pleasure.
The Halloween pictures are often blurry due to an unsteady hand... deletions will have
to be done at a later time.
Thank you Brent and Francisca for accommodating Thomas and I.
There are three new albums of pictures linked above for your viewing pleasure.
The Halloween pictures are often blurry due to an unsteady hand... deletions will have
to be done at a later time.
Thank you Brent and Francisca for accommodating Thomas and I.
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