What A Time To Be Alive

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 Strait Of Georgia, so I stopped in for a breakfast sammy and a coffee.

River I crossed in Sechelt

The hill was really tough, but I took breaks when needed and broke it up into smaller sections so I wasn't thinking about how far I still had to go the whole time. That approach seemed to help out a lot throughout the day and I really did need it. The forest-lined scenery was gorgeous but the winding, rolling hills proved to be tougher than any other bike ride I've ever done. It felt like I was trying to bike up Big Bear or something.  I realized that yesterday wasn't just a fluke, this crap is seriously hard. And not just physically but just as much psychologically.  Again I found myself having to fight off that little negative voice in my head. When your mental game is down in the dumps like that it's hard to appreciate how beautiful your surroundings are.  The way I tried to combat that was to celebrate the little victories, like making it up a hill, and to stop and just enjoy the view every now and again.

The physical challenge is actually harder than I expected as well.  I have to keep reminding myself that it's not a race.  It's a slow grind and my legs will improve more and more as I get used to cycling.  I'm more of a sprinter than I am the long distance type, so this is going to take time.  At one point today I was about halfway up a steep climb and I put my legs down to take a breather and one of my quads started to cramp up.  I tried to get in a position to stretch it and then my hamstring started to cramp up too!  So I adjust my weight more to the other leg and that legs starts cramping up as well! Ha!  It would've probably been a funny sight to see except there was nobody around.  My football buddies can attest  to me being prone to cramps (my coaches forced me to drink pickle juice before games cause apparently that helps), but I've never got them in both legs at the same time and on both sides.  All I could think about after that moment was my buddy Crespo saying, "That sounds like so many cramps ahead for you!!!" when I told him I was doing this.  I guess he had a point.  As easy as it might sound, I just need to do a better job at remembering to drink water. And I also need to remember to breathe deeply. These little things I know will make a huge difference.

Going up...

Looking back.

I stopped off for lunch in Madiera Park where my only options were Japanese food and ice cream...random. So I got a bento box and filled up my water bottles at the ice cream shop. I finally met another person who was doing a bike tour. A Canadian guy named Chad, that was doing a 4 day trip similar to mine around BC.  He gave me a heads up that the rest of the way to the ferry was just as hilly as what we just finished.  He was right. So I put my music on my phone speaker and just went for it.  I passed a couple lakes, the most memorable being Ruby Lake that had these little mini islands dotted everywhere. At last I hit the ferry terminal and chatted it up with an older dude who once completed a bike tour from Canada to Big Sur but had to head home when his friend got super bad allergies.  If you're reading this, I really hope one day you'll be able to take enough time off to finish what you started!

By the time the ferry dropped us off at Saltery Bay it was night time. I know, I know...I said I wasn't going to ride in the dark again, but this time it was only for a mile.  Being all alone on a forest road when it's pitch black is FREAKY!  When I got to the campgrounds it was complete darkness there as well, other than my bike light.  For some reason I expected people to be sitting out by a campfire, roasting mallows and sharing stories, but the place was completely deserted except for an RV in one lot and a tent in another, that I could tell had a couple bike tourers.  I chose a lot close to the other tent just so I didn't feel like I was all alone out there.  This was like one of the creepiest things I've been apart of in a long time but I had to man up cause I really had no other choice.  So I put my headlamp on, setup my tent for the 2nd time ever, and called it a night.

What I Learned Today (I'm going to try to include these at the end of each post. They'll be cycling related but also applicable to every day life because after all I'm out here for self-improvement):

•I learned to break my bigger goals up into smaller, more achievable goals.  Although the end goal was to make it to the top of the hill, it made it more manageable when I just focused on making it to that tree, then to that sign, now that bush, and eventually all those little goals got me to the top of that hill. 

•I learned to drink water more often even when I'm not thirsty.  What you do now affects how you feel later.

•I learned to remember to breathe. 

•I learned that it's ok to take breaks even just for a little bit.  I always came back feeling better for it.