Tuesday, June 7, 2011

Day 10: Yard Creek Provincial Park to Revelstoke, BC (60.78)

Above is a photo of us at the the Last Spike. This monument marks the
spot where the final piece of the CNR was laid binding the country
from one side to the other. Strangly, more so than any city we've
reached, this milestone gave me the sense that we're really starting
to cover some ground. Today we inched close to a marker of our own.
Two kilometers into tomorrow's ride we will hit a total of 700 km on
our trip odometer. This is further than Vanessa and I have ever
traveled on a bike trip and we've covered the distance in about half
the time we have in the past.

Tomorrow will bring us to another landmark on our trek across the
country. Once we ascend out of Revelstoke we will begin the climb up
Roger's Pass. This should by all accounts be the largest barrier
remaining between us and Newfoundland. I should mention here that
cell reception is spotty and it will likely take us two days to reach
Golden, the next major centre, and it may be a day or two before we
can post or make contact.

Although we still have some distance to go, BC has been an incredible
experience. We've hit everything from scorching heat to freezing
cold, peaceful farmland to harsh mountainous terrain. Through all
this, one of our biggest challenges has been to make sure we never
lose sight of the fact that this is not just a physical challenge, but
a experience to be enjoyed. With this in mind Vanessa and I have
started some trip traditions. One is that we never let an opportunity
to eat chocolate lava cake pass us by. The other is when we hit a
place that interests us we make sure we take some time to get to know
it. Golden is the next place we may take a rest day. Nestled between
the Selkirk and the Rocky mountain ranges it should be an interesting
place to visit.

Tomorrow is calling for rain, but the forecast has eased down from
thunderstorms in the last twenty-four hours. Hopefully we will wake
up tomorrow to, at worst, a smattering of rain for the climb out of
Revy.

2 comments:

  1. If I remember correctly, the roads from there all the way to Calgary are pretty insane - be careful guys!!! We are all excited for you and so proud of you.

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  2. We're all mentally pushing you up the hill. Love to you both!

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