Category: On the Road – Canada

Alice and the Big Sur

Alice and the Big Sur

As I’ve got older, I’ve become increasingly less comfortable flying. I know, I know …. I’ll be senile and in a nursing home shortly.  Despite the fact that everything you read says it’s just about the safest form of transport, there’s something about a lump of metal sailing through the air 10,000 m above the ground that just doesn’t sit right with me. So, on my flight from New York to San Francisco, when we’d boarded and were waiting in the queue on the runway for take off, the sound of a hydraulic pump in the left wing shrieking as it continually turned itself on and off didn’t make me a whole lot more comfortable. Continue reading “Alice and the Big Sur” →

An off … who, me?

An off … who, me?

I didn’t have a long way to go for my 16th day on the road. I’d heard a lot about Jarbidge, the start (or in my case the end) of the IDBDR and I wanted to spend my last night there. It was only about 300 miles away, but I also wanted to see Trinity Lakes and the springs, 100 miles to it’s north. Also, not knowing what the fires were actually doing, it made sense not to expect to get too much riding in that day. Little was I to know, there were other things that would influence what I was going to achieve. Continue reading “An off … who, me?” →

Heading south

Heading south

The weather report from last night hadn’t quite come to bear, but it was still pretty cold at 8 degrees, with a nasty wind howling through the mountains. I layered up with an undershirt, long sleeved shirt and jacket (all merino) under my riding gear. I’d purposely bought these as I could wear any number of layers depending on just how cold it got. I thought they should have been able to handle just about anything – was going to test them today. Added to that were the pair of newly bought long-johns. Again, to think I sent some home a week ago – stupid, stupid, stupid!

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Doing a Dave Ramsey

Doing a Dave Ramsey

Without local knowledge I would definitely have had to turn back from Seymour Arm. It proved to me, once again, the benefit in asking people for directions and using local knowledge, even if you don’t think you need it. Dave Ramsey is one of the best I’ve ever met at doing this. As a result, he makes lots of friends and goes to some interesting places. 

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So there is a Seymour Arm

So there is a Seymour Arm

It was time to catch up on a few emails and the blog. It is a bit of a job, but one that I enjoy. It’s nice to see the output and I know from past experience that having something to look back on and a physical record of a trip is worthwhile. I wrote up my last ride into the Flinders Ranges and the printed eBook that I did from my journey to Oman is something I’m really glad to have. Reckon I’ll do the same with this adventure.

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(Mis) Adventure at Big Bar

(Mis) Adventure at Big Bar

Chuck the publican was great last night – very helpful with directions although he’s never been off the bitumen. The roads north of here are pretty remote and not at all well marked, either on maps or the GPS. I was going to try and find the Big Bar ferry on the way to Williams Lake and, because I couldn’t plot a route, was going to be winging it.

Continue reading “(Mis) Adventure at Big Bar” →