May 10-Day 4.  

85 km today/365 total km

I had a great ride today….made all the better because of few hills!!!  The scenery was spectacular….was on the inland hwy so overlooked the water.  So much green around, and beautiful flowers and yards!  Ok…animal count for the trip….slugs-3, worm-1, birds-hundreds, deer-4!!!!  They were so cute….the first two hid behind a tree and watched me go by before they bounded off….I couldn’t get my camera out fast enough to take a photo of them.  The other two were a ways ahead of me….and traffic stopped to let them cross the road.  

Tomorrow I’ll take the ferry from Nanaimo to horseshoe bay….and then I’m not sure how far I will get.  

May 9 - Day 3 to Courtney

Hello everyone….my three day total is 282.68 km.  Not bad.  That’s not counting the elevation gain, nor the approx 2 km where I pushed the bike because I couldn’t pedal any more….usually when it was 8%grade!!!!  The GPS is much too smart, and somehow knows that I’m not peddling anymore and it stops adding to the total!  Whatever.  

I was hoping to make it to Courtenay tonight so that tomorrow I only have about 70 km to Parksville and Ted’s sister’s place.  It wasn’t easy finding a campground….and it feels like $42 is an exorbitant amount, but I got a hot shower and I’m stealing power from an unoccupied site.  
I’m trying to eat and drink….but I’m certainly not replacing the calories that I’m expending.  There just weren’t many services the past few days.  I’ll get a good feed tomorrow night I’m sure.  
Thanks for following and all the encouraging texts….i love them 🩷🩷🩷.  Service should be better from now on.  

This was my campsite last night.  The campground was closed but I made camp here.  I slept with my bear spray close to me and placed my food far away….but only heard the birds chirping during the night.  I slept about 12 hours….and I’m packed up a ready to go as soon as I finish breakfast.  Plan is Campbell River today….maybe a bit farther if I’m up to it.  I could have gone a bit farther yesterday….but no services for 70 km.  It’s a cool overcast day today with some rain last night.  Have a good day everyone 😀

Hello 

May 8 - Day 2 to Sayward

Day 2….starting slowly.  Just rode from the campsite into town, and now will have breakfast I hope.  This was my free camping spot this morning….didn’t really want to leave!  

Made it to sayward….well the restaurant right off the highway.  I’ll go check out a campground when I’m done eating.  Woss didn’t have a restaurant open….so not much for dinner last night, nor this morning.  So I just finished lunch/dinner and I ordered another sandwich.  Might it in a few hours, or save it for tomorrow.  Not much service here, and likely none at the campground, so will update when I can.  

May 7 - Day One to Woss

The rear wheel has been baptized in the waters of Queen Charlotte Straight to signal the beginning of the adventure.

 The cell service up here is pretty sketchy so the chance of live tracking for the next couple of days is unlikely.  She may not even get to make a post herself, but between me and Lorraine, we will try and post updates as we know more.  I think an InReach Mini may be waiting for her when she reaches Parksville.

Ted

What a day!!!!  I’m so excited that to be started….but I do have to admit that last night, while lying awake it bed, I was trying to figure out how to get out of this trip😂😂😂 .  But this morning, I was raring to go!!!  The temperature was great, no rain today and very little wind.  My plan was a campground 30 km from here, but I got there much too early in the day….so kept on going to Woss, for a total of 107km 500 m elevation gain.  

I thought that this road would be quiet….but it’s super busy, cars, trucks, campers and loads of logging trucks.  The shoulder is gravel, most of the time hard packed but sometimes deep loose sandy rocky mess.  

I made it into Woss around 1700, and sought shelter from the rain in an open gazebo in a park.  No restaurant so a gas station burger did the trick.  

I met a fellow cyclist….from NZ.  He left Vancouver 5 days ago, plans on taking the ferry at Port Hardy up to prince Rupert, then cycling up to Tuc!!!!  Now that is crazy.  If anyone thought what I’m doing is crazy….I’m quite sane in comparison !

 I can’t up load any photos, but maybe Ted can of the campsite.  

I’m not sure of the plan for tomorrow…..might be 75km to Sayward, or 140 to Campbell River.  Stay tuned!  

Lucille 

Day -1. Tomorrow I start

 I’m in Port Hardy tonight, ready to depart tomorrow morning.  I still need to pack up my bike, but it shouldn’t take too long in the morning.  The rain should be stopping in a few hours, and the forecast looks like sun in the morning.  Not sure how far I will get tomorrow….and there’s not much cell service along the way so may not get a live track tomorrow.  

Day -2!

 We are sitting at the Horseshoe Bay ferry terminal in our way to Port Hardy for the beginning of the next chapter of my life.  

After 27 years, and over 1700 missions, I have retired from STARS, I have hung up my helmet for the last time and I bid a fond farewell to all my coworkers.  STARS was a job that I loved, a place where I made a difference to someone’s life every time I climbed into the helicopter.  My last mission was on April 29, and just a few days earlier, I was lucky enough to be on a mission to Jasper where we flew overtop the snow covered mountains….and of course took a lot of selfies.  A final farewell took place on May 3rd to all my coworkers where I shed a lot of tears.  Although it was the most difficult decision to make, it’s time for a change.  

So you may be thinking, what’s next…..not being one to sit around, I have decided I needed some time to decompress, I’m told that it takes about a year.  So I have planned a cycling trip across Canada…solo.  Ted is dropping me off, and my first cycling day is May 7th…..15 years ago to the day that I stood on top of the world.  I plan to do a lot of soul searching during my trip, and try to figure out what I want do with the rest of my amazing life that I’ve been given.  

Follow along if you like, and any texts you send me while I’m cycling will come to my Garmin bike computer.  Feel free to send some tough love if you think I’m going too slowly or taking too many breaks!!!!  😀😀😀.   

I’m planning on cycling for 3 months, as the distance of the route that I have chosen from Port Hardy BC to St John’s NL is about 8400 km, camping along the way…stopping to stay with friends when possible.  It’s going to be an adventure….

Check-in/OK message from SPOT Lucille

Device Name: Lucille
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GPS location Date/Time: 06/28/2019 22:23:06 NPT

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