Brandon on a Bike

Day 6: Ladysmith to Gulf Islands National Park Reserve: McDonald Campground Today's Distance: 31 miles Total Distance: 225 miles I had ambitious plans today.  The BC Ferry system (and one Washington State Ferry) have proved to put a kink in my plans multiple times. I feel like they should be working around my schedule, but I guess they don't really care that I'm trying to bike through part of one country and 3 states.  Since I didn't make it across yesterday to my original destination (Sidney), that means in order to not lose a day I would need to go 33 miles, and get on 2 ferries, all before catching another ferry to Anacortes. The only issue is that the ferry from Sidney to Anacortes only runs once a day this time of year and it leaves at 12:05. I'll finally be heading back into the US which means I need to arrive about an hour early to go through customs.  I mapped out the ferry schedule and basically I'd need to be on the road at 6am riding hard t...

Day 5: Rathtrevor Beach Provincial Park to Ladysmith Today's Distance: 38 miles Total Distance: 194 miles I was so exhausted last night that I actually got a pretty decent sleep, until about 5 or 6am when I woke up freezing.  When I'm in my sleeping bag I'm either too hot or too cold. Regardless, I got up and tried making oatmeal until I got impatient and just decided to pack up and find a spot to eat on the way.  I could already tell my knee was hurting just as bad as it was yesterday so I took an Ibuprofen and stopped in at a Serious Coffee nearby.  There was a quilting club meeting and I noticed every single one of the ladies had the exact same hairstyle; a short, gray bob...kinda funny.  Got a cup of coffee and a breakfast bagel and caught up on emails, made some phone calls, played around on social media, and just chilled for a little.  I started getting unexpected encouragement from friends and fam all around the same time, which was more helpful...

Day 4: Powell River to Rathtrevor Beach Provincial Park Today's Distance: 55 miles Total Distance: 156 miles This morning I caught the 8:05 ferry to Comox on Vancouver Island.  I had an actual breakfast onboard instead of just a Clif bar, even though I wasn't really hungry.  Every one keeps telling me that food is fuel when biking so I forced myself to fill up.  This ferry was like a mini cruise ship and it took about 75 min to cross over to the other side. Comox marks the official start for the journey south to Mexico. Yay!  I never really explained on here but I've been kinda going in the wrong direction since Vancouver.  I could've just went south to Victoria initially and been outta this country in a day, but I wanted to see more of BC so I did what's called the BC Coastal Circle Route.  To say it's been challenging is an understatement, but it's been totally worth it and I'll have memories of this beautiful landscape for a lifetime.  I...

Rest Day Total Distance: 101 miles I think my ride being cut short yesterday was a blessing in disguise because last night I started feeling like I had a fever and this morning when I woke up I felt exhausted still.  I decided to take a break today and just rest. Watched some football and started getting rid of stuff that I don't need to lighten my load a bit. Even 5lbs probably will make a difference.  Today was also good because it gave me a chance to actually read ahead in my guidebook and at least have an idea of the route I'm going to take in Washington.  Grabbed surprisingly good tacos at a little spot in town called Costa Del Sol and watched the supermoon lunar eclipse.  I'm glad I took a rest today. 

Day 3: Saltery Bay to Powell River Today's Distance: 18 miles Total Distance: 101 miles I woke up feeling like I didn't sleep at all last night.  Once in my tent every little sound got my heart racing.  In my mind it was a bear or a crazy killer woodsman or Bigfoot.  Even though I was exhausted I just couldn't fall alsleep and even when I probably was asleep I didn't really feel like I was sleeping.  Does that make sense?  I've never slept in a mummy sleeping bag before. I'm a side-sleeper and I like to sprawl out a little but a mummy sleeping bag is more for sleeping on your back and is super restricting.  So that sucked.  And I was actually pretty cold too. I remember telling a girl that worked at REI that I don't really get cold easily, but on this trip so far I've been cold everyday haha.  I forced myself to get up in the morning because I had a 75 mile day.  I'm so sore today so I spent a long while stretching out.  While stre...

Day 2: Gibsons to Saltery Bay Provincial Park Today's Distance: 50 miles Total Distance: 83 miles Even after such a difficult day yesterday, I woke up determined and ready to conquer the day.  I mean how could it really get any worse?  I checked the weather and it said cloudy in the morning and then nice and sunny (low 60's) in the afternoon.  It's already looking brighter (pun intended).  My clothes were still a little damp from last night so I spent the morning drying everything with a blow dryer.  That put me behind a little so I had another late start today.  Made some coffee, ate a Clif Bar and I was off.  Since I didn't make it to Roberts Creek last night, I had an extra 9 miles to make up to stay on schedule.  Riding on the Sunshine Coast was really nice for the first 20 miles then I hit the first really steep hill of the day. Conveniently enough there was a Wheatberries Bakery at the bottom of the hill,  with a nice view of the...

Day 1: Vancouver to Gibsons - Sep. 24th Today's Distance:  33 Miles Total Distance: 33 Miles Well this is it, my first real day of riding!  Got a later start than I expected partly because I stayed up so late last night but also because I had to keep adjusting all my equipment.  This was my first time fully loading up my bike and wow what a difference it makes.  Because there is so much weight in the back, any time I lift up the front end the bike wants to pop a wheelie or fall over on its side. Not cool man. I started to get a little worried that maybe this was a bad idea to not practice at all beforehand. After a coffee and a bagel I was off and getting a little more used to the weight on the bike.  My original destination was Roberts Creek Provincial Park where I would be camping but as you can tell from the start of the post I didn't quite end up there; more on that later. I started with a nice ride along the Seawall which is basically like a boardwal...

Got up today and walked down the street to grab a coffee. There's like 2 coffee shops per block here but for some reason I couldn't find the particular one I was looking for, so I ducked into a nearby tea shop. I normally like my coffee black so I can taste what the cup is all about, so I don't know what got into me ordering a latte.  I think I was just trying to be fancy.  Tasted like a cup of warm heavy cream...should've just had a tea.  I walked around for a bit during the day just waiting on my bike to be ready.  I didn't really see much worth noting because I wanted to stay near the bike shop but I did get quite a bit of people-watching in.  Some observations: I'm the only one wearing shorts. Lots of Asians...but not like Chinatown Asians, more like Irvine Asians (I'm part Asian so I can say that). Every one here seems fit and active; just as many pedestrians and cyclists as there are motorists.  Canadians are like Americans but goofier. So my ...

Ah Vancouver, what a lovely place to be. I was able to restore an otherwise frustrating and wasted day by going on a little night time adventure. I wanted to check out this spot Alibi Room that's on the edge of an area called Gastown. Because I was bikeless, I decided to use their public transportation. I know it sounds weird, but getting to know a city's metro is something I look forward to.  It's a great way to people watch and get a feel for where everything is in that particular city.  NYC has the Subway, London has the Tube, Paris the (stinky) Métropolitain, Buenos Aires the Subte, Munich the U-Bahn, and Vancouver the SkyTrain.  I've never met a metro I didn't like...except maybe Brussels'...but that was probably just my fault.  The SkyTrain is clean, roomy, and compared to others I've seen, much more mellow...although I didn't get to see it during busy hours. I took the millennial line to downtown and got to really see the city for the fir...

Ugh. Didn't really expect to be writing anything negative this soon. But, ugh. Today was rough...and this is supposed to be the "vacation" part of the trip!  As I wrote in my previous post, I didn't sleep a wink last night because of my epic struggle trying to pack my bike. I got an hour or so of shuteye on the way to Seattle, which helped a lot, but then my flight to Vancouver got delayed a couple of hours. Got another hour of sleep on that flight and was happy to see that my bike box made it to Vancouver in one piece!  It did go through an inspection, but it didn't look like things got moved around too much so that's good.  I maneuvered the oversized box to a quiet, less busy part of the airport and my goal was to put the bike together and ride 53mins to the house I'm staying at.  What a wonderful and cheap way to see the city right?  The problem is that apparently I can't put a bike back together. I was good with the pedals, handlebar, and back rack...

Well, not quite. I'm still at the SD Airport on my way to Seattle in about 45 mins.  I am sleepless though.  In typical Brandon fashion, I waited til last minute to pack.  I was up all night battling to fit my bike into a cardboard bike box. It's not as easy as one would think!  First of all, I'm not very gentle when it comes to packing. I usually just stuff everything in with no regard for the items being packed.  Then add in the fact that I've never taken apart a bike before and you got a STRUGGLE.  Regardless, I figured out a way to tape that sucker shut and it is currently making its way into the airplane's cargo (I hope). I'm extremely pessimistic about my bike making it to Vancouver in one piece. And even if it does, I wonder if I can put the bike together once I get there.  Oh, did I not mention that I have very little cycling experience?  Well yeah. Wish me luck!

This is a list of all my gear and everything I'm taking with me.  Hopefully it's useful for anyone planning a trip of their own. Bike Stuff Bike Components: Novara Safari Touring Bike (2016) A530 SPD Sport Road Pedals CatEye HL-EL135 Front Bike Light CatEye Omni 3 Rear Bike Light CatEye Urban Bike Computer - Wireless Bike Tools/Accessories: Pearl Izumi X-Alp Seek VI Shoes Giro Savant Helmet Ortleib Back Roller Classic Panniers Novara Patch Kit Pedro's Tire Levers Topeka Peakini 2 Master Blaster Mini-Pump Lezyne Power Water Bottle Cage x 2 CamelBak Podium Big Chill Water Bottle x 2 Kryptonite KryptoLok 2 U-Lock Nova Seat Bag Topeka Mini 9 Multi-Tool Bike Peddler Take a Look Mirror (did not use) Spare Tubes Straps (for bike rack) Chamois Cream WD-40 Chain Lube Bike Clothes: Pearl Izumi Quest Bike Jersey Pearl Izumi Long Sleeve Jersey Novara Strada Road Bike Shorts x2 Giro Bravo Bike Gloves Pearl Izumi Elite Soft-shell Bike Gloves Nike D...

Only a handful of people know this as I write this first entry, but I've decided to ride a bicycle from Canada to Mexico along the Pacific Coast!  ...And I leave tomorrow for Vancouver, BC!  What?!  Yep.  I'll be doing this alone and will be Bikepacking along the way; basically riding from campsite to campsite, southbound along the coast, with all my gear loaded on my bike. Why you ask?  Well, that's where it gets complicated when explaining to friends and family.  In my mind it makes sense.  There are a lot of reasons why I decided to do this now.  How i've tried to explain it to others is that a little over a year ago I had back surgery and ever since, I feel like i've just been in a "funk".  It's difficult to explain what that means exactly, but the bottomline is that I just haven't felt like myself since.  I've picked up bad habits along the way and I don't imagine things getting any better without a major detour or shock to my l...