Arriving in British Columbia gives us a whole new sense of welcome. Instead of a grumpy US border guard, we are greeted by a friendly official who wishes us a safe journey. Of course there is a network of cycle paths through Vancouver - and cyclists are on the road as part of everyday life! On a beautiful cycle path through the forest in the suburbs, a policeman waves to us and comments to his colleague: “Here comes the future!” We spend a week visiting in very different ways: with Gili, Maya and their two sons - never physically met before, but a lively exchange of information in Mexico connects us - we learn more about the cycling city, the best gelati and sights to discover. On a trip to Stanley Park, we mingle with the usual rental tandems, watch hydroplanes take off and land and marvel at the dragon boat festival that is currently taking place. At Vanessa’s - we were guests of Geni and Peter in the south of the USA at the same time - rest, relaxation and a happy reunion. And finally at Grin Technologies - the innovation factory where all our electronics come from - a company like a big family, inspiring, creative, full of lively talent. The bike is brought back into perfect shape, stories and experiences are exchanged, a thousand vehicles and bits and pieces in production are marveled at and of course they have a bed for cyclists on the road..
After this full program, we leisurely roll off eastwards, heading home. Barely out of the city, we enjoy a relaxing rest day with Carole and Jeffrey, learn to appreciate salmon berries on a leisurely walk through the rainforest and share travel memories of the near (since we met them in Baja California) and distant (in their younger years they were on a big bike tour through Europe themselves) past. Here we are in Berry Paradise. And where there are berries, bears are not far away: on the way towards the Rockies, on our first ‘proper’ day of cycling in Canada, we promptly encounter one for the first time. Presumably a young black bear, not huge but still impressive, he plods leisurely along the path perhaps 40 meters in front of us. Completely unimpressed by and uninterested in us, he moves on his way, and when we carefully and loudly continue a few minutes later, there is no sign of the animal. A magical experience. Last but not least, we round off the eventful day with a relaxing dip in a natural hotspring. We’re happy to go on like this!
And on we go, on the Kettle Valley Rail Trail. An unpredictable pleasure: always in the middle of nature, often quite remote, with spectacular views, tunnels, bridges and optimal gradients. But sometimes sandy, undulating, full of potholes and crossing streams, with insurmountable barriers or simply washed away by a landslide - and information about where which obstacle is waiting or has already been repaired can only be reliably obtained from oncoming cyclists for the next few kilometers. A beautiful, exhausting adventure! And it’s all the better that there are local trail angels like Ciel and Mark, who are committed to maintaining these unique routes and even supply the amazingly numerous toilets with paper! Ciel spontaneously invites us off the road for a swim, we can spend the night in their garden and Mark makes blueberry pancakes with salted margarine and maple syrup for breakfast. Yummie! 😋
From all the shaking - now on the Columbia & Western Rail Trail - a weld seam on our roof construction unfortunately tears after more than 19,000 km. Luckily, we still manage to get on with our journey, using some makeshift rope repairs. And after a few days - almost like in Mexico - we drive past a garage where John willingly helps us out and, to top it all off, provides us with fresh radishes from his own garden. Once again, a big thank you to all our spontaneous supporters. You are simply great, and without you a trip like this would be unthinkable!
Boy, so far Canada has been quite bearable in terms of mosquitoes, contrary to our expectations. But not today! We barely arrive, don’t even manage to get off the bike without getting our first bites. Keeping the flame still to light a mosquito spiral - an exercise in perseverance. Rita puts up the tent fully masked, I hope the bike is halfway stable enough, let’s get in! Celebrating the greatness of an enclosed space! Slowly cooling down and organizing luggage. Humming concert to fall asleep.
Fortunately, the day usually consists of many other moments. Snacking on every berry imaginable in the Fraser Valley - blueberries, saskatoons, strawberries, huckleberries, cherries for a change, raspberries from the field. Marvel at mountains, bathe in ice-milk cold rivers, gaze over untouched valleys and discover museums. The geography of the Canadian Rockies is incredibly bike-friendly. Next to us, peaks often rise to over 3000m, while the passes in the wide U of the glacier valleys usually offer barely 1000m of ascent. Along the glacier-blue waters of the Kootenay River, adorned with purple cushions of flowers, we ride through endless coniferous forests - young green, older dark trees and burnt silver - towards the continental divide. After that - at least in theory - it’s all downhill on the ideal route to the Atlantic 😉
For a few leisurely days, we are on the road with Jannik through Banff National Park. He’s also been on the bike for over a year and has lots of anecdotes to tell from Turkey, Georgia and New Zealand. The three of us have a great time cooking, chatting, hiking and hoping to spot some wildlife. A great hike to one of Mount Victoria’s glaciers - like Yosemite before it - shows us not only its own beauty but also how spectacular our mountains at home actually are. Hordes of tourists make a pilgrimage here to see the milky blue Lake Louise, glacier mills and peaks beckon. Familiar scenery for us, spiced up with - in our eyes - unique bear moments, unfamiliar creatures along the way and other subtle differences. As a small anecdote, we should mention our involuntary bear hang near the visitor parking lot, which the rangers comment on as “perfectly executed, but still attracts bears”.
However, our paths soon diverge again. Jannik continues to explore the mountains towards Jasper in the north, while we head for the badlands and prairies in the east.
