Daily dose of adrenaline

Seven days ago, Rob and I left Vancouver with only a vague idea of what we were getting ourselves into. After a week of being on the bike, averaging 100km/day, having gone up and down two passes, the intensity and immensity of this trip has become apparant. Before I get into my feelings so far, here is a breakdown of our journey up to today:

Day 1: Vancouver to Agassiz, 150km

Day 2: Agassiz to Manning Provincial Park, 80km

Day 3: Manning Provincial Park to Princeton, 100km

Day 4: Princeton to Keremeos, 70km

Day 5: Keremeos to Chute Lake, 90km

Day 6: Chute Lake to Kelowna, 43km

Total: 533 km

We are currently taking a rest day in the Okanagan Valley, where the Okanagan Lake carves through mountains, fields of fruit trees and wineries, and a dry land that gets barely any rain (and lucky for us, we haven't had any so far).

It amazes me how much ground you can cover in a day on a bike, and how your legs alone can carry you so far. This trip is hard. Carrying 70+ pounds on your bike for 7 hours every day is physically challenging, but even moreso, emotionally and mentally trying. Because there's no one telling you to keep pushing up that hill that seems to never end; there's nothing to keep you going except your own will. So you need alot of it.

But this trip is also an insane, exhilarating adrenaline-rush that tests your limits. It exposes your weak spots, allowing you to learn so much about yourself that is always kept hidden in the simplicity of every day living. Essentially, this trip is a trip.

The generosity of people never ceases to amaze me. In Keremeos, after the rodeo (yes, a real rodeo, with everyone decked out in full cowboy gear), we were taken in to a family's farm for the night. We were entertained with beer, burgers, stories, laughter, and good old redneck comedy.

Every where we go, people are eager to learn what we're doing, and wish us the best as they give us directions that (usually) guides us. In Kelowna, we are staying with a Servas host, a woman named Linda who has opened her doors and made us wonderful meals out of the goodness of her heart. We are accumulating karma, and will pay it forward in the course of our lives.

This trip is an adventure. From Princeton to Kelowna, we got inaccurate information about a "good trail" for bikers, and ended up traversing up a mountain and spending the night at the top with little food and water. We eventually made it to Kelowna the next day, having added in some mountain biking on our road bikes, a serious uphill, and spectacular views. Sometimes screw ups are necessary to keep things exciting. Atleast, that's one way of looking at it.

Today, rest. Tomorrow, we continue riding north to meet with Salmon's Arm, where we hop on the 1A to take us east through the Rockies. I curse the mountains going up, but love them going down. As my mood shifts various times during a day, there is always a constant backdrop to fall back on: my legs keep turning, turning, burning.

At the rodeo in Keremeos: a hundred kids try to pull a ribbon off the calves tail to win a prize.