July 29, 2016 Kamloops --> Merritt - 59 miles

Spirituality means to me living the ordinary life extraordinarily well. 

As the old church father said, "The glory of God is a human being fully alive."

William Sloane Coffin

My heightened emotional state continued today as I biked from Kamloops to Merritt on the old Merrit Highway - Hwy 5A. After a final long slow incline of a couple of miles, I was rewarded with a two lane curvy road, basically flat or mild rolling hills, alongside golden brown grasslands bordered by distant mountains. Colorful wildflowers stood out even more against the golden brown backdrop.

As the ride proceeded, I all of a sudden found myself "back in the mountains." At about the 8-9 mile mark, the road suddenly took a sharp downward descent for 2-3 miles with those majestic mountains so close I felt I could almost touch them. Although I would have liked to take a picture, what I wanted more was to just take it all in and enjoy the moment. Once again, I felt overcome with emotion - the overwhelming and constant beauty I have biked through these past 10 days have felt somewhat like a bombardment upon my mind and senses, almost too much to take at times. A love gift. Can there be such a thing as too much beauty? Too much awe and gratitude? I was once again reduced to tears as I soared downhill, mindful that this was one of those special moments I will carry with me forever. And, in the future, I suspect that there will be times when I will close my eyes and be sustained by the memory of this special moment.

After the long descent, I rode for many miles alongside various scenic lakes. The road at this point was curvy flat, again with occasional slightly rolling hills. It was quite warm and I was beginning to feel the heat.

After the lake segment, I began a phase of grasslands and marshes. I stopped for lunch at a marshland designated for birds in the area, and watched for a while. A gentleman on a brand new BMW motorcycle stopped by and I commented on his pretty bike. He beamed that I had admired the motorcycle, and proudly told me that he was on his "maiden voyage," from his home in Victoria to some friends' cabin up the road at Stump Lake (one of the lakes I had ridden by). After admonishing me to use plenty of sun screen, he left to continue his ride. 

I continued on to Quilchena, where I took a break to have a Magnum ice cream bar in honor of my sister. Also got some cold water for the remaining 15 miles to Merritt. I had tried to book a room at the historic Quilchena Hotel for tonight at Pam's suggestion, but it had been reserved for a family wedding. I believe that the family must have been arriving just when I got there. A young man came over and asked all the usual questions re the bike ride, etc. 

The remaining 15 miles to Merritt were pretty easy going, except that it was getting hotter and hotter. I gratefully checked in to the Copper Valley Motel - the very friendly owner smiled and told me it was a good thing I had made a reservation earlier since they had no vacancies. There is a big music festival in Merritt this weekend, and I had a hard time finding a room. 

I settled in, then walked to the little town for dinner. Since I wasn't that hungry, I opted for a Subway veggie delete. Listened to a little of the live music outside, then returned to the room for the evening. I could feel a wave of contented tiredness now that I have a few days rest coming. Pam is picking me up in the morning. 

I am going to take a few days off from blogging, and just rest and relax as I prepare for the journey to Seattle and home. By my calculation, I have ridden approximately 1632 miles since starting the ride, which includes the 530 miles in the last ten days. Attached is a map with the British Columbia loop just completed. 

July 28, 2016 Falkland --> Kamloops- 50 miles

I felt very emotional as I concluded my morning studies and prayer. No particular reason - I felt happy, sad, centered, awed, vulnerable. In short, alive. I had a good cry. A cleansing cry of gratitude and a renewal of hope. I have often read that "it is all about the journey, not the destination." Or, I often meditate on Rilke's  "Live your questions now, and perhaps even without knowing it, you will live along some distant day into your answers." This odd ride I am on, with its minute by minute changes and uncertainties, has added a more heightened dimension of listening and discernment to my "living in the present moment" philosophy, i.e, lessons about focusing on the journey itself and not the end game.

I also have to add that it feels incredibly vulnerable to put these personal thoughts and emotions out there for people to read. Exposed. But to truly share this bike adventure and journey I am on, I want you to get some insight into who I am and how the events of the day affect me. It is another example of not letting my fear that you will see who I am and perhaps not like what you see get in the way 

So, it was in this state of mind that I headed out towards Kamloops, paying particular attention to the beautiful countryside, the farms and grasslands, the mountains bordering the fields, old farmhouses and barns, blue skies and those incredible cloud formations. 

After 11 miles, I stopped at a spot in the road called West Wold and had breakfast at the Hwy 97 Diner.  It was vintage cafe, with pictures, mementoes, juke box and more from the 50's. Had one of the best cheese omelets ever, served by a very friendly waitress who looked as though she may have had a hard and interesting life. But had managed to come through with grace and a kind spirit. She blessed my day.

The next 30 miles to the outskirts of Kamloops were a breeze. Flat or mostly downhill country road with interesting scenery of all types. I consciously took it all in. Sang a few songs to myself. Even listened to the soundtrack from "The Way," which is one of the best biking soundtracks ever, as well a a reminder of that special hike across Spain that I survived with my sister last summer. Good memories. 

My emotional "reverie" was severely tested once I reached Kamloops and began the journey to the other side of town where my motel was located. Google lady sent me on another of her goose chases, only this time it was in the middle of town, not down a dirt road. It was very hot, and the way out was up a very very steep hill, that I actually got to ride twice due to Google lady. Started losing my zen a little. Thankfully, I finally got headed in the right direction and arrived at my motel in time to do laundry and get a little rest.

For dinner, I walked next door and had Chinese chicken with vegetables. Quite delicious, colorful and healthy. 

Tomorrow I have a challenging ride of 60 miles to Merritt, where Pam and Carin will pick me up. I realized that I will have ridden approximately 530 miles in the ten days since I left them, including a good number of mountain passes and sizeable inclines. A pretty good little feat. My next challenge will be determining how best to get to Seattle.

July 27, 2016 Kelowna --> Falkland - 58 miles

Headed off early since I had a 58 mile ride ahead of me today, all along Hwy 97. The first leg was approximately 30 miles to Vernon through mostly flat roads intermixed with mild rolling hills. Farms and colorful fields lined the road.

 About halfway to Vernon, I entered what is called Lake Country, precisely because there are a series of beautiful scenic lakes running along side the road. 

I made good time and got to Vernon at approximately 11:30 am. Stopped by A & W for a root beer float, since it was getting quite warm and I wanted something refreshing to go along with my lunch apple. I had noticed a group of people playing in a park across the street and sauntered over to watch during my break. It was a lawn bowling club. As I watched, a gentleman player smiled across the fence and asked, "Do you understand the game yet? The goal is to get the bowling balls close to the little white target ball. The bowling balls are not perfectly round and you have to take that into consideration." I nodded that I had a very basic beginning of understanding. He smiled and proceeded to bowl. 

As I headed out of town, I noticed that my bike was a little wobbly due to the fact that I was losing air in my rear tire - my first flat of the trip! I have to admit that I have been happily surprised that I had had no flats so far. Stopped and unloaded the bike and fixed the flat. I was not able to determine the cause, and will explore that later when I have time. I was please with how easily I was able to make the repair and resume the ride.

The final 28 miles were mostly through the country along flat roads interspersed with a number of rolling hills that pushed my tired legs. More farmland and small hills. It was quite warm, and I had to stop frequently to drink water.

I gratefully arrived at the Highland Motel in Falkland at approximately 3 pm.  Falkland is essentially just a few buildings and businesses along the side of the road, but very cute. The motel was small and quaint, and had a lovely grassy area out back near the railroad tracks. Across the street in the opposite direction was a large hill with a Canadian flag. My room was essentially a large clean suite, and included a nice tub to soak in and good wifi. Very happy. And the price was right - approximately $40 in US dollars. 

I was pleasantly surprised to learn that there was an awesome little restaurant next door. I had a delicious skillet macaroni and cheese dish with chicken and broccoli, accompanied by homemade corn bread. Right up there with some of the best meals I have had. 

Tomorrow I ride about 49 miles to Kamloops. I hope to get off fairly early to try and avoid the heat as much as possible. I had enough points to book a free room. 

Finally - an update on the jaw pain problem. There has been a vast improvement since I took the stronger pain med that one time, and I have not taken any more yet. However, that is not to say It has totally gone away, and I continue to monitor the situation. I have taken to chewing on one side. My guess is that I need to have my bite adjusted when I return home, as I think an uneven stress may have caused the TMJ like symptoms. So much for my amateur self-diagnosis. 

July 26, 2016 Beaverdell --> Kelowna - 52 miles

When I woke up, I gratefully realized that my jaw was not aching. A vast improvement from yesterday afternoon, and no need to take more meds. 

Went through my morning routine, then joined the Victoria women for a few moments during breakfast before heading off on the 50 mile ride to Kelowna. We exchanged contact info, and several invited me to stay with them if I returned to Seattle via the Victoria ferry. Nice women.

My ride on Hwy 33 was fairly similar to yesterday's - a combination of flat road and rolling hills, culminating in one long slow fairly steep incline to the Kelowna Rock Creek Summit of over 4000 feet. As I rested at the top,of the summit, a couple towing an RV pulled  over and stopped to talk. They were eating ice cream, and offered some to me, which I gratefully accepted. It was quite warm, and the ice cream tasted like a well deserved reward.  This couple was from Kelowna, and I got some good info regarding the route to Vernon and Kamloops the next few days. Also found it rassuring that I was done climbing for the day, and there was a long long downhill into Kelowna to look forward to. 

I coasted into Kelowna and arrived at my motel around 2:30 pm. Spent the next couple of hours taking care of business with AT&T; checking the maps and adjusting the route for tomorrow; finding a place to stay in the small town of Falkland for tomorrow; and organizing myself for tomorrow. Had to ride my bike a couple of miles for dinner. 

Tomorrow's ride is 60 miles, although supposedly no mountain passes or steep inclines. Still, I will be glad to get this long ride over with, given that I have ridden 7 straight days and my legs and body are tired. Plus, I do suspect there will be some of those rolling hills thrown in somewhere...

As I get ready for bed, I am pleased to report no jaw pain, and I have not taken any meds since yesterday afternoon. Hopefully, this positive turn of events will continue. 

July 25, 2016 Midway --> Beaverdell - 42.7miles

I didn't sleep well last night, mainly due to some pain in my right jaw that seems to have intensified in the last few weeks. My various "consultants" have suggested TMJ issues or trigaminal neuralgia. Whatever it is, even though intermittent, it is very painful and the effectiveness of the Advil I have taken on occasion seems to have diminished. Before I left Austin, I had seen my dentist about this just in case it was a cavity or cracked tooth. I had been having occasional bouts of jaw pain then that I attributed to muscle spasms, easily alleviated by Advil. The operative word here is occasional. Luckily, he prescribed an antibiotic and stronger pain med just in case I was on the road and the issue became more intense. At the end of today's ride, I felt the need to take the stronger pain med - thankfully, it helped immensely. More on that later. But for now, back to the events of the day.

Somewhere during the ride yesterday from Osoyoos to Midway over Anarchrist Summit, I had become aware of a sense, or discernment, that it was nearing time to start heading back towards Seattle, rather than continue all the way to Fernie, then south to Montana. Maybe start looking south sooner than later and crossing the border into the US. I can't explain it other than to say it felt like a discernment sort of thing. When I spoke with Pam and Carin last night re the next phase of my route, I did not mention this. However, they suggested that while the ride the past few days through the mountains, etc was a big accomplishment, maybe I should not continue east - wow, an independent confirmation of what I had sensed. I felt I should pay attention to that. Then, I met the 6 women from Victoria who invited me to ride with them, and started looking at that route last night. The thought occurred that I could ride with them a few days, then loop back towards Vancouver on the way to Seattle. Seemed like another message. 

I met up with the cycling women at breakfast, and they enthusiastically urged me to join them. I contacted the place where they were staying at Beaverdell and found there was a vacancy. Seemed like another sign. So, they took off around 9 am, riding the Kettle River Valley trail, a loosely gravelled road. I told them I would meet them in Beaverdell later, as I had a few things to take care of before leaving. 

What I learned after the women left was that the KRV trail was probably not suited for a loaded touring bike because of the loose gravel. So, around 11:00 am, I left the motel taking the highway route. As I was in the parking lot, a man on a fully loaded touring bike was stopping at the restaurant. He had left Osoyoos at 5 am and ridden the same route I did yesterday over Anarchrist Summit. He was very friendly and, like me, just happy to see a another touring  biker - they have been few and far between on this trip.  Turns out he is a Canadian teacher who does these rides in the summer through this stunning scenery as a means to renew himself for the next school year. I get it. 

Shortly after I got underway, I met another fully loaded touring biker coming from the opposite direction. He pulled over and we chatted. Again, I think we were both just so happy to see another touring biker. Turns out he started his ride from his home in Czechoslovakia 10 months ago, riding south through Europe, then on to Cape Town South Africa, where he caught a flight to Vancouver. He was on his way to Calgary to catch a flight home. Interesting fellow.

I proceeded on to Beaverdell, much of the time along the Kettle River. The road was fairly flat, with occasional minor inclines. However, it was quite warm, and I found myself stopping frequently for water. Stopped at a rest area for a lunch of an apple and the remaining cherries from Keremeous. 

Never did see the Victoria women on the trail along the way, and pulled into my little cabin around 3 pm.  My jaw was extremely painful, so I went ahead and took the stronger pain killer for some relief. Thankfully, it kicked in shortly. Took a hot shower and a nap, awaiting the arrival of the Victoria women. When they hadn't shown up by 5:30 pm, I walked across the street to Marley's - the only place in town to get something to eat - and had a delicious BBQ chicken sub. 

When I got back to the cabin, two of the Victoria women had arrived. The others came rolling in around 7, and I sat and visited with them while they ate dinner. They all apparently met when their children were in pre-school and remained connected through the years. Their kids are now in their 20's. Very interesting women from a variety of backgrounds and professions. I enjoyed visiting with them. 

Before going to bed, I communicated with Pam and Carin regarding possible routes back to Port Coquitlam/Vancouver, and learned there don't appear to be very good options. Apparently, some of the roads I had considered did not allow bicycles. So, Pam suggested I ride to Merritt - approx 4 days ride from here - and they will pick me up there. My plan for tomorrow is to ride to Kelowna, possibly with some of the Victoria women part of the day. Will sleep on the options after Kelowna and touch base with Pam and Carin tomorrow. I am just way too tired to deal with it all tonight.