Shut Up Legs Tours

In no particular order and in addition to this previous blog : Nescafe instant cappuccino and mocha are great camp fare but only seem to be available in Canada.  Wish I could get it here in the US too. Talk with your riding companions about the route every day before you ride.  What will the lead person do if he/she decides to deviate?  How do you communicate stops?  What to do if separated (cell phones are not completely reliable)?   Decide if you can ride alone or not BEFORE the trip.  Understand what your companions want before the trip.  You may not be a good match, for instance, if you want someone within sight all the time and your companion is much faster and does not want to wait all the time.  This is the most important dynamic to talk about especially if you are not comfortable route finding alone and are potentially slower than others and in a small 2 - 5 person group where it is very easy to get separated during long days and i...

When we started the day I had no expectations of good riding. As it turned out we had a great day starting with catching the early ferry since Rick and I had both got up early. So, we made the 7:20 out of Lopez instead of the planned 10:40 getting there only about 10 minutes before they closed the gate. We had breakfast at Calico Cupboard in Anacortes, a little city that reminded me of Benicia, CA in a way.  Then we set off on another boring highway route 20.  That changed soon when Rick said let's make a left at Whitney Bayview Rd.  That eventually turned into Farm To Market Rd and then over to route 11 or known locally as Chuckanut Rd.  What would a woodchuck chuck if a woodchuck could chuck a nut? Then when we got to Bellingham, Rick consulted some local garage salers and got directions to the bike path/boardwalk into downtown Bellingham and our hotel.  Way to go Rick and great way to end the trip. Bellingham bike trail boardwalk. A really nice d...

Originally, we had talked about going to Orcas Island today but since we were going to come back to Lopez for our campsite anyways we decided to make it simple and just tour around Lopez.  I'm glad we did since it was a very relaxing day with us only putting in around 20 miles on unloaded bikes - a treat in itself. Shark Reef straight between Lopez and San Juan Islands Out by Shark Reef Park Hangin' out by Shark Reef Park A surprising number of farms and ranches on Lopez Is Riding over to Agate Beach Park A view of Agate Beach Iceberg Pt Marker for defining the CA/US border out at sea Enjoying an end of day beer at Islander Restaurant If you are looking for the slow life then Lopez Island is your ticket.  It is very quiet and very mellow. That night Rick and I took advantage of the campground grill to cook our first real dinner of the trip - steak, fresh salmon, wine, onions and peppers. We went out for ice cream and chocolate after dinne...

We cycled up the Galloping Goose and Lochside trails from downtown Vic to Sidney where we caught the ferry to Anacortes and then out to Lopez Island. Kiara went with us for about 1/2 the way until he turned off to join his friend who lives on the island for a couple days or island exploring and camping. Rick, Kiara and I said our good-byes. Then Rick and I continued on to the ferry.  This is a view of the Anacortes harbor. We got into Lopez Island, set up camp, and then went out for dinner at the Bay Cafe which had been recommended by some island/sailing people we met at the ferry dock in Anacortes. View from the Bay Cafe on.Lopez Island 

We hung out in Vic today just pedaling around a little to see some of the city and checking out a couple local brewpubs.  Kiara met a friend for lunch and caught up to us later. The Dude Rick styling around Vic Downtown Vic harbor Seaplanes were coming and going out of the harbor regularly The newest bike add-on in Canada to discourage cars coming close The Vic capital building The Swan was very nice and I would recommend it for brew, lodging, and food.  Rick and I sampled most of their beers and found them excellent.   I did not see the Swans rooms but the location downtown was perfect.  Their buffalo style chicken wings were pretty good according to Rick who is knowledgeable of these things from living in Rochester, NY for 40 years. Rick and I chatting up some Vic locals at Swans The beer list at Swans Rick after some strong beer

We cannot wait to get out of Nanaimo even though the downtown bakery Mon Petit Choux recommended at the visitor center was one of the best.  We heard all kinds of weird things about Nanaimo from a story there were many women who thought of themselves as witches to that most of the bars were owned and run by the Hells Angels. Regardless of the truth of any of that, we were more than ready to ride on to Victoria.  Rick eating a healthy breakfast - Sarah take note On the ferry to Victoria Pulling into Sidney which is about a 20 km ride from Vic Local do-gooders in Vic  The bike trail system in Vic is extensive and very heavily used by the locals for commuting to work and for leisure.  We made it to Vic and stayed on good roads with light traffic.  If we had understood better we could have taken a trail all the way. We celebrated our arrival to Vic and the impending departure of Kiara with two Longboat Chocolate Porters from Phillips brewi...

This was supposed to be another downhill easy day that turned into over 3000' of climbing and over 60 miles.  My legs and brain by now are beyond tired and are not begging for time off, but, demanding it. This Granny Smith apple pancake and good coffee at Red Bench started the day right We got on the road and it was beautiful scenery.  The road was hell!  The traffic was non-stop trucks, RV's, and cars.  The shoulder was very narrow in spots.  The climbing was way more than I had anticipated.  I would see a hill and mentally just melt and just spin up them and not even try to power my way through anything. Then a big semi and trailer combo beeps his horn at me and I see his trailer coming over the rumble strip and getting ready to crush me into the metal railing.  I am almost ready to jump off the bike and go over the rail when the trailer straightens and goes no further into the shoulder.  I realize then it is time to remember "Shut up Leg...

We were lucky last night to score a campsite at the Provincial Park.  We just happened to be talking with the ranger when the reserved campsite owners (two German college coeds) showed up with their backpacks.  The ranger asked them if they would be willing to share and with an affirmative we were set. Kiara had scored a bottle of Chocolate Porter which we enjoyed down by the stream last night.  I would never have bought this and have never enjoyed beer with added flavorings like chocolate, but, this is the exception to the rule - very, very good and highly recommended. The ride to Whistler was tough.  Many more climbs than advertised and my legs are tired.  When trying to take my arm warmers off my watch strap decides to break.  Off comes the watch into the road.  I stop immediately to get my altimeter/watch and a lone car comes around the bend and runs it over.  This watch is too expensive to replace - bummer. The scenery is beautiful and ...

We biked from Lillooet to Pemberton today which encompassed about 5K ft of climbing and descending with many of the sections in the 10 - 15% grade up and down and the total ride around 60 miles long! I just showered at the community center and feel great.  It was one of the toughest if not the toughest climb of the whole ride due to the grades and distance. The road coming out of Lillooet.  It is so hard to capture the grandeur of this place. We took our helmets off on the long climb Check out Rick's description of Kiara descending this.... I have not posted for quite a while due to issues with electronics access in Canada and am connecting using a computer at the Pemberton library for which they charge $1 for two days of access 1 hour each day.  The lst two days have been really tough going with over 5K feet of climbing each day and more than 60 miles.  The legs have done well but want a rest.  Will they get it?  We "hear" it is all do...

I am still trying to say Lillooet correctly.  Something like lil - loo - et.  That shouldn't be hard. We decided to take another dirt road today since the last one had turned out so well.  We were warned by one that this would be too much for our touring bikes and by others that it was too steep.  We were told that it was a beautiful road too.  So, off we went on Kelly Lake Road. Before the climb along Kelly Lake Here we go and this sign was not kidding The climb was 14% for 5km and then kept going at a less steep rate for about another 7 km or so.  Then there was rollers for about 7 km and then a long steep downhill. Rick ripping on the downhill. Once we came out of the trees and finished the descent then we could see Bridge River which is in a huge canyon. In Lillooet we first ate a late lunch at the bakery and then had spaghetti and meatballs at a Greek restaurant - italian at a greek restaurant called Dinah's Place was probably no...