JUST IN CASE YOU WERE WONDERING....

The numbers are in folks and here are some broken down stats from the trip.

Hope you dig!

THE TRIP....

LOS ANGELES CA - VANCOUVER BC 

3326 kilometers/2067 miles

1 April - 14 July 2016 (106 days)

Total days ridden: 51

Total Av. Distance per day: 31.38 km (19.5 miles)

On the days I rode: 65.22 km (40.51 miles)

1000 km - Bodega Bay CA (Day 31/14 riding days - 71.43 km/44.38 miles per day)

2000 km - Newport OR (Day 51/15 riding days - 66.66 km/41.42 miles per day)

3000 km - Ladysmith BC (Day 86/15 riding days - 66.66 km/41.42 miles per day)

3326 km - Vancouver BC (Day 94)

States/Provinces covered: 4 (California, Oregon, Washington, British Columbia)

California: 1629.27 km (1012.38 miles) - 46 days

Av. Distance per day: 35.92 km (22.32 miles)

On the days I rode: 67.89 km (42.18 miles)

Oregon: 719.19 km (446.88 miles) - 22 days

Av. Distance per day: 32.69 km (20.31 miles)

On the days I rode: 65.38 km (40.63 miles)

Washington: 524.88 km (326.15 miles) - 15 days

Av. Distance per day: 34.99 km (21.74 miles)

On the days I rode: 74.98 km (46.59 miles)

British Columbia: 446.93 km (277.71 miles) - 23 days

Av. Distance per day: 19.43 km (12.07 miles)

On the days I rode: 49.66 km (30.86 miles)

Biggest Single Day: 

Day 10

San Simeon CA - Big Sur CA

110.32 km (68.54 miles)

0810 - 2030 (12h 20m)

Time On Bike: 8h 27m 35s

Highest Max. Speed: 70.4 km/h (43.75 mph) 

Day 6 (Saturday 9 April) - Lompoc CA - Pismo Beach CA

Highest Av. Speed: 19.7 km/h (12.2 mph)

Day 52 (Wednesday 25 May) Lincoln City OR - McMinnville OR

Biggest Pass Climbed:

Leggett Hill CA: 581 meters/1906 ft (Day 36)

Total Calories Burned:

50 010 (Av: 980.58 per riding day)

Total Weight Lost:

7 kg/15.4 lbs

Sundays Ridden: 2/15

Mondays Ridden: 7/15

Tuesdays Ridden: 10/15

Wednesdays Ridden: 10/15

Thursdays Ridden: 7/15

Fridays Ridden: 8/15

Saturdays Ridden: 7/15

Cities visited: 6 

Los Angeles (3 days)

San Francisco (4 days)

Portland (7 days)

Seattle (7 days)

Victoria (4 days)

Vancouver (7 days)

Cars Hired: 4 (13 days total)

San Francisco (9 days)

Portland (1 day)

Seattle (1 day)

Port Angeles (2 days)

Bicycles Used: 1

Los Angeles - Vancouver (3326 km/2067 miles)

Trailers Used: 2 

Trailer #1: Los Angeles - Portland (2160 km/1342 miles)

Trailer #2 - Portland - Vancouver (1143 km/710 miles)

Flat Tyres in 106 days: 1

Bike - 0 

Trailer #1 - 0

Trailer #2 - 1 

(Day 61 Portland - Clatskanie)

Accommodation Breakdown:

Camping: 39 nights (36.45%)

Hostels/Hotels/Motels: 45 nights (42.06%)

Hosted: 23 nights (21.5%)

TOP 5 PERSONAL HIGHLIGHTS

1. YOSEMITE NATIONAL PARK CA

2. MONTEREY GRAND PRIX, LAGUNA SECA CA
3. CITY VISITING 

4. OLYMPIC NATIONAL PARK WA (HURRICANE RIDGE AREA)
5. RIDING THE CALIFORNIA COAST (BIG SUR IN PARTICULAR)

TOP 5 RIDES

1. DAY 94 (SECHELT BC - VANCOUVER BC)

2. DAY 77 (PORT TOWNSEND WA - PORT ANGELES WA)

3. DAY 52 (LINCOLN CITY OR - MCMINNVILLE OR, PM SESSION)

4. DAY 10 - (SAN SIMEON CA - BIG SUR CA)

5. DAY 89 (PARKSVILLE BC - COURTENAY BC)

TOP 3 CITIES VISITED

1. VANCOUVER

2. SAN FRANCISCO

3. SEATTLE

PHOTOS FROM VANCOUVER

I've enjoyed the past week of well-earned rest and (mostly) relaxed sightseeing here in Vancouver.

After the first 2 nights with Warmshowers hosts Ian and Lis, I shifted to a hostel in the Jericho Beach area which is kind of like the Beverly Hills of Vancouver.

The weather each day has mostly followed a pattern of raining overnight and early morning followed by clearer skies and sunshine for 4 -5 hours each afternoon only to watch the sun disappear behind a bank of dark clouds for sunset each evening.

With daylight here until 10 pm each evening, there has been plenty of time to explore on the hoof and I've covered some miles even now I'm off the bike.

Enjoy the pix!

\

THE FINAL DAY?

DAY 94

WEDNESDAY 6 JULY 2016

SECHELT (PORPOISE BAY PROVINCIAL PARK) - VANCOUVER

1040 - 2030

69.3 km (43.06 miles)
Av.Speed: 15 km/h (9.3 mph)
Max. Speed: 69.7 km/h (43.3 mph)
Time On Bike: 4h 36m 07s

The generosity shown by a random local in Jimmy is the stuff of legend.

There is never a price to be placed on such acts of helpfulness.

As a result of Jimmy's actions, I was in a much better position when I awoke on Wednesday morning than I otherwise would have been.

And although I realised I still was not out of the fire, so to speak, it was likely that I could at least get myself back into town and take it from there.

I surely made the 4 kilometers back to Sechelt first thing, but it was obvious when the remaining bolt holding the draw arm together also snapped in half, that it may well have been over before it began.

At this point, I was contemplating the unthinkable of having to actually end my 3000+ km trip by taking the bus into Vancouver.

If there was a way out of this predicament however, I was equally committed to finding it.

Off The Edge Adventures was once again my go-to who once again referred me on to the local building supplies.

In the meanwhile, the OTEA mechanic had made the somewhat genius suggestion to employ the use of hose clamps to sure up the dodgy draw arm, regardless of whether or not I was able to bolt it back together.

With this sage insight, I attended Gibsons Building Supplies (GBS) and ran the problem by them.

Whilst I'm sure it was beyond a "regulation" building supplies issue, we cobbled together some new bolts and lock nuts as well as a slew of aforementioned hose clamps, which I applied liberally to the problem area.

$5.65 and about 45 minutes later, I was out of there and back on the road to Vancouver with my heart in my mouth and everything else crossed double.

I'VE EMPLOYED ALL SORTS OF THINGS TO MAKE REPAIRS ON THIS TRIP, INCLUDING CABLE TIES, STICKING PLASTER, PIECES OF TORN-UP ROAD MAP AND ON THIS OCCASION - NUTS, BOLTS AND HOSE CLAMPS!

SO, WILL HE ACTUALLY MAKE IT??

It's a bit of a shame I didn't see any more of Sechelt than the bicycle shop and the hardware store 'cause it otherwise looked to be a sweet little town.

Well I did also stay overnight in Porpoise Bay which is essentially all part of the Sechelt Inlet and extended my Sechelt experience ever so briefly late in the morning to the bank, library and supermarket.

SUNSET ON PORPOISE BAY

With all the additional drama, it was 1 pm before I eventually wheeled out of town.

The most exasperating part of having a breakdown at this point was that there was so little distance to cover to finish my trip - 60 km in total, which was to be broken by two 30 kilometer stints.

From Sechelt, the first 30 would get me to the Langdale Ferry terminal for a 35-minute crossing to Horseshoe Bay, from where the final 30 would take me into Vancouver and the now much anticipated finishing point of my tour.

The hilly grind to Langdale was completed by a 2-kilometer/200 foot pull up the side of a hill and a ripping 650 foot/70 km/h scream down the other.

So that was the reason for all the "Trucks Check Brakes" signs at the top....

I reached the vehicle gates at the bottom of the hill and within 5 seconds of me coming to a complete resting stop came a PA announcement that the "Queen of Surrey" was now fully boarded and about to set sail.

What ferry sets sail at 2.38 pm without me on board, I wondered?

The 2.40 ferry does apparently and with another 2 hours until the next departure, it seemed like an appropriate time to contemplate where I might have made up those 2 minutes at any given point during the morning.

After an extended barrage of audible obscenities directed at no-one in particular, I reluctantly accepted my fate and also took time to re-consider what time I might be arriving in Vancouver.

The trolley so far was holding its own, so this was at least one less thing to concern about.

I had told my next Warmshowers hosts via email about 6-8 pm as an ETA and it was now not going to be any earlier, for sure.

The 35-minute crossing, when it eventually happened, was a beauty.

It was probably the final vindication I needed to convince me that it had been worth taking the extra days to travel this way after the experience of Vancouver Island had left me with serious doubts.

I began wheeling out of Horseshoe Bay at 5.45 pm and I was reasonably confident that it could take anywhere up to 3 hours to get where I was going.

8.45 was surely close to as late as I would have wanted to arrive.

I immediately diverted from the chaos of Highway 1 and onto the more sedate and stunningly beautiful Marine Drive.

The weather once again was off the scale and the chosen route quickly revealed itself to be the one and only I would have wanted to take.

I surely could not have prescribed up anything better for the final run home.

I COULD NOT HAVE DREAMED UP A MORE GORGEOUS AFTERNOON TO ARRIVE IN VANCOUVER

And aside from a single wrong turn, I made it all the way through to the home of my hosts by 8.30 pm.

GLORIOUS VANCOUVER HARBOUR

LITTLE SUR

DAY 92

MONDAY 4 JULY 2016

POWELL RIVER - KENTS BEACH

1750 - 1930

35.22 km (21.88 miles)
Av. Speed: 17.1 km/h (10.6 mph)
Max. Speed: 67 km/h (41.6 mph)
Time On Bike: 1h 47m 53s

I kind of wish I'd left this late in the day a little more often throughout the tour.

The only reason I got away with it today was that I had such a short distance to cover.

Everything else about it was good aside from those goddamned hills.

30 kilometers only it may have been but I was made to work pretty hard for it.

Eventually, a high-speed, runaway 500 ft pass dropped me down to Kents Beach campground after 1 hour and 40 on the road, late in the day.

After showering, I sat down by the water's edge with around 1.65 million mosquitoes and tried to enjoy my road dinner with one hand whilst swatting away with the other.

I also tried to take in the otherwise lovely setting at the same time whilst taking a few moments to contemplate what I was about to achieve.

Now only 2 days out of Vancouver, I was more focused than ever to get there in one piece and finish my trip as positively and gloriously as possible.

DAY 93

TUESDAY 5 JULY 2016

KENTS BEACH - SECHELT (PORPOISE BAY PROVINCIAL PARK)

1040 - 1800

57.02 km (35.43 miles)
Av.Speed: 16.4 km/h (10.2 mph)
Max. Speed: 61.3 km/h (38.1 mph)
Time On Bike: 3h 28m 16s

The area of coastline between Powell River and Vancouver is broadly known as the Sunshine Coast and it was suiting me much better than Vancouver Island had done.

As I rode the highways and took in the lovely scenery and general quietness of the place, I was forming the opinion that it was all much closer to what I had IMAGINED Vancouver Island to be like.

VI had felt more like the suburbs with a major, shitty freeway running right through the guts of it which was certainly not what I was experiencing on this side of the water.

I also knew that it probably wouldn't last as I moved closer to the urban areas of Vancouver so all the more reason to lap it up whilst I could.

With only 3 kilometers from Kents Beach to the Saltery Bay ferry crossing, this morning kind of took care of itself.

CROSSING FROM SALTERY BAY TO EARLS COVE

Landing on the other side in Earls Cove right on 1 pm was an opportunity for a bite of lunch before taking on the afternoon itinerary of a 60 km ride through to Porpoise Bay.

It also was a good time to get off the road and wait for all the exiting ferry traffic to clear out to wherever it was going.

I grabbed a sandwich before pumping up the hill and on my way south along the Sunshine Coast Highway.

By the time I rode through the town of Madeira Park at around 2 pm, the weather was really turning the magic on.

All previous cloud cover had cleared and it was close to perfect riding conditions, in spite of the hilly terrain.

I had also decided in the meanwhile that the Sunshine Coast is Canada's answer to Big Sur on a slightly smaller scale - Little Sur, shall we call it.

No extended passes here, but plenty of short, sharp pinches that were offering up plenty of grunt.

I felt that I was working as hard as at any stage of the trip so far and at this rate arrival in Vancouver in just over 24 hours was looking sweeter than ever.

Sweat and toil aside, I was certainly enjoying both the scenery and relatively low traffic volume and took time to respect the journey as much as the destination with some choice stops along the way.

COOPER'S GREEN WAS A LOVELY STOP TO MAKE JUST OFF THE SUNSHINE COAST HIGHWAY

METAL FATIGUE

Not long after I took this photo, disaster struck along Redrooffs Road when my troublesome trolley collapsed in a heap, yet again.

This time, it was a little more serious as the quick release pin which is 50% of what holds the draw arm in place had succumbed to what was clearly metal fatigue and snapped in two, resulting in the whole unit collapsing and dragging along the roadway behind me for a distance until I could bring it to a stop.

On a narrow roadway, it was not ideal but it was at least pretty quiet.

I wandered around in a flap for about 10 minutes or so, trying to figure out what the fuck I was going to do and it was whilst returning to my gear by the side of the road that a fellow in an SUV pulled over and offered his assistance.

He introduced himself as Jimmy and asked how he could help.

The best I could think of was a lift into Sechelt, which was the next major town, now less than 20 km up the way.

No problem, he said.

I loaded my gear on board the large vehicle and in the meantime was able to check on Jim's iPhone for a bike shop that may have been open at 4.50 pm and after making contact with Off the Edge Adventures, they were open for another 30 mins apparently.

We would be there in 20, I told them.

On arrival, I presented my problem although after a bit of a scout in the workshop, the news was not great and they referred me to the local hardware store, which likewise was about to close for the day.

We scrambled quickly and were able to grab a nut and bolt there that would at least get me out of trouble until morning.

With my chosen campsite only 4 km out of Sechelt, Jimmy was good enough to drop me all the way and dispatched me and my rig in the bicycle camp of Porpoise Bay Provincial Park right on 6 pm.