Tuesday, July 5, 2005
Day 8 – Distance: 92.44 km
Merritt to Kamloops, BC
Well, today truly was a gift day. Hwy 5A is a not-heavily-traveled road, and mostly relatively flat. It follows Lake Nicola, Stump Lake, and others, and again the scenery was beautiful. It reminded me in many places of Muskoka, as it would have been before the monster “cottages” crowded the shorelines. The morning was quite hot, but it cooled a bit in the afternoon. We met for lunch beside the road, and were able to get down to the lake and sit on a large log which had obviously been used for that purpose many times. Loons kept popping up in the water, and purple grasses (ornamental in Ontario – a fescue perhaps?) blew softly on the shore in front of us. As Al Haig always says “too much happiness”!
I had intended to look up the “Kamloops bypass”, and to take my hybrid bike on it if the gravel wasn’t too bad. However, I hadn’t checked my map, and didn’t know the name of the road, and so I passed it by before I noticed I was climbing a rather long grade, of which I had been warned. I kept my head down and kept pedaling, and at the first leveling off, I got off the bike and waited for my heart rate to slow down. Meanwhile, Adele and Monique, who had put her bike onto the car just before the grade, came back, and as I was just about to start out again, they took my bike bag and fanny pack so as to lighten the load. As it turned out, the rest of the hill was relatively easy, and I had no problem finishing it. Hopefully, when it comes to the long passes through the rest of the mountains, there will be times when I can pull off, rest, and continue again. I’m just not very good at starting uphill; I need some momentum to get seated on the bike properly. I’ll have to practice getting on the bike like the guys do – I still use the female method of having a leg on each side before I start. Anyway, I’m kind of proud of myself that I did manage to do the hill, and hope I’ll keep getting stronger so when I get to Kicking Horse, I’ll be able to kick back.
We’re sleeping at a campsite, but basically staying at the home of Keith and Kathy Boughton, who are friends of Adele and Norm. It certainly was a treat to have a home-cooked meal, and to feel so at home. We are having a rest day tomorrow, and our muscles are looking forward to it immensely.
Merritt to Kamloops, BC
Well, today truly was a gift day. Hwy 5A is a not-heavily-traveled road, and mostly relatively flat. It follows Lake Nicola, Stump Lake, and others, and again the scenery was beautiful. It reminded me in many places of Muskoka, as it would have been before the monster “cottages” crowded the shorelines. The morning was quite hot, but it cooled a bit in the afternoon. We met for lunch beside the road, and were able to get down to the lake and sit on a large log which had obviously been used for that purpose many times. Loons kept popping up in the water, and purple grasses (ornamental in Ontario – a fescue perhaps?) blew softly on the shore in front of us. As Al Haig always says “too much happiness”!
I had intended to look up the “Kamloops bypass”, and to take my hybrid bike on it if the gravel wasn’t too bad. However, I hadn’t checked my map, and didn’t know the name of the road, and so I passed it by before I noticed I was climbing a rather long grade, of which I had been warned. I kept my head down and kept pedaling, and at the first leveling off, I got off the bike and waited for my heart rate to slow down. Meanwhile, Adele and Monique, who had put her bike onto the car just before the grade, came back, and as I was just about to start out again, they took my bike bag and fanny pack so as to lighten the load. As it turned out, the rest of the hill was relatively easy, and I had no problem finishing it. Hopefully, when it comes to the long passes through the rest of the mountains, there will be times when I can pull off, rest, and continue again. I’m just not very good at starting uphill; I need some momentum to get seated on the bike properly. I’ll have to practice getting on the bike like the guys do – I still use the female method of having a leg on each side before I start. Anyway, I’m kind of proud of myself that I did manage to do the hill, and hope I’ll keep getting stronger so when I get to Kicking Horse, I’ll be able to kick back.
We’re sleeping at a campsite, but basically staying at the home of Keith and Kathy Boughton, who are friends of Adele and Norm. It certainly was a treat to have a home-cooked meal, and to feel so at home. We are having a rest day tomorrow, and our muscles are looking forward to it immensely.
posted by BikingBabe at 1:59 PM
1 Comments:
Hey Nynka!
I finally found the email where you gave me your blog addrress. How is it going? Wow you are amazing! Looking forward to seeing the next blog report from you. HOpe the past week has gone well for you.
Hugs! Marie
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