Into the States..

INTO THE STATES

So where have I hung out last week? From Carol on Gabriola Island and the Coombs fair on Vancouver Island I continued my way to Tofino while camping at some pretty spots. The road was challenging though with some slopes up to 18% and narrow winding roads with big lodging trucks passing. Luckily for me, my knee seems to be getting stronger. Tofino is beautifully located on the western shore of the island and attracts many visitors in summer. Apart from its location, there was another reason I wanted to go there. Eight years ago, when I visited this part of Canada, I met some lovely people from Tofino and I wanted to say hello to them again. Only problem was that I only had a photo of their house to go by, thinking that would be easy enough. Well..I assumed wrong! After many hours of riding on my bike and asking around I had to give up, surprisingly ending up at a family's bbq. Since I was not able to find the people back I was looking for and given the fact that prices are pretty steep in summer, I decided to leave the next morning. I still had time to go on a whale watching tour in the afternoon before taking the bus back to Nanaimo (with the bike in the storage compartment). From their I headed south.

The hospitality I encountered before on Gabriola Island turned out to be no exception. Cycling with a fully loaded bike opens up a whole new world. People come up to you and ask you where you are going. They give tips about the route and many times offer you a place to stay. Quite extraordinary when you are not used to that. But I thankfully accept. So last Friday evening, before leaving Canada the next day, I was looking for a place to pitch my tent since it was getting late. So I asked a man on his driveway if he knew a spot in around. He told me he did not live there but would get the owner for me. This man, being somewhat older, was seizing me up, top to bottom. Finally, he asked me where I was headed. I did not know then he had been serving as a police officer in Victoria for over 30 years. He must have relied on his experience when he decided I was not a villain, just a harmless, sweaty guy in need for a place to sleep. To cut a long story short, he invited me to camp in their garden. Within moments they pulled out a table and chair to accompany my tent, I could take a shower, was treated with ice-cream and blackberries and bacon and eggs on toast and a muffin in the morning. Pete (which was his name) and his friend Duncan had just come back from 5 days of fishing salmon. They had been friends since childhood, lived far apart for many years due to different work assignments, but were reunited after retirement, which in the case of Pete came early due to the nature of his work (at the age of 51, after 31 years of service). That meant he could do what he liked best: go fishing with his friend. Now that did not always go well with Bea, his wife, who took on her the job of maintaining the garden (and a big garden they have!). As she jokingly put it: 'We are signing the 'divorcing papers' in summer'. As there is a part of truth in every joke, she would have liked some more together time with Pete. Yep, even after so many years marriage, a relationship still needs work! Having said that, I admire them for their sense of humor and having been together for so long!

In the morning Pete drove me with the bike in the back of his big Dodge (they are all big here) to the ferry where I ate the smoked salmon he had given to me the day before. Actually, his basement looks a bit like a salmon processing unit, where he cleans, filets, smokes and vacuum cleans the salmon they catch. I have had a lovely stay and luckily, the remaining salmon was not confiscated at the US immigrations office. Thanks Pete, Duncan and Bea (plus their two ‘pointer’ dogs)!

If you think, that is easy going, being invited all the time to lush places with bathroom facilities and free food, think again! You will have to conquer steep slopes, hot weather, itchy sensations at different parts of your body, noisy traffic and (involuntarily) inhale vast amounts of exhaust fumes. But I can truly say, so far I am loving it. I love being out there by myself, being self equipped and self-reliant, enjoying the beauty of nature and meeting new people. Every day brings something new and unexpected again, being it the changing weather or the occasional bear on the road.

I am in Seattle for the day, returning this afternoon to yet another lovely family, who I met on the ferry to Port Townsend (which means I am now in the United States!) and invited me over to their house on Marrowstone island. I will not go into detail again. But I will say they have the most beautiful view over the sea inlet going to Seattle. Plus they have a hot tub…Being outdoor people themselves, they seem to have found a good mix between work (being both doctors) and leisure. Getting to that point meant sacrifice as becoming a doctor here means many years of studying, working up to 80 hours a week and investing a minimum of $150.000 for college. In other words: commitment required. For their work, Chris and Gemma have been stationed in Alaska and the Dominican Republic. Now, they do not travel half as much as they used to do before getting their two children (who are named Finnula and Cian after their mother’s Irish heritage), but with a place and a view like this, do you really need to?? Having been invited numerous times themselves to people's houses when they lived and traveled abroad, they - as they put it - were happy they could do something back. They are a loving family and I am grateful I could spend a couple of days at their home.

Seattle is a big city, and the presence and number of homeless people made me realize that Holland is a good place to live. Apart from that I am getting restless: the big city is not my thing. So tomorrow, I will leave for the road again, after having the spokes of my rear wheel checked at a local bicycle shop: I have been a bit too fanatic trying to get a hardly visible buckle out of my wheel. As a result, I have a (slightly) buckled wheel now and some damaged spoke nipples for using an incorrect spoke tool. Mm..not very clever, yet another vital lesson learned! After that I will head south for the road following the Hood Canal and then turn east towards Mount Rainier and Mount Saint Helens in the Cascade Ranges. I will be in for some tough riding and beautiful scenery. To be continued…

Lots of love, Haakon

Canadian hospitality!

Less than a week has passed but it feels a lot longer. New experiences abound giving the impression that time can be stretched. Arriving at Vancouver gave me some stress: has my bike arrived safely, without any serious damage? And can I put it back together again? I troubled my head about how I should put my front wheel back in place but after 2 hours in the lobby of the airport, I was able to ride out safely.

No exclamation mark yet:-) as this trip was only going from the airport to the hostel downtown, about 25 km. I spent the next two days walking around town, visiting the anthropology museum at UBC (university of BC), strolling along Kitsilano and - last but not least - going to Canada's outdoor shop, the MEC. I still needed a small stove, fuel bottle, water purification tablets, a 10 lt water pouch, gloves, a hat and a pair of long cycling/running trousers. Mission completed. On top of that a lovely Swiss couple with the appropriate names Simon and Simone offered me their unused pepper spray and food leftovers (they had just finished a five week loop around the Rockies). Ready to go!

The thrill came the next day. After having my picture taken in front of the hostel, I took off with nice sunny weather heading for the ferry to Vancouver Island at Horseshoe Bay. The thrill, however, was short lived. First, an anxiety wave came over me when I realized I was going on this trip with lots of uncertainties and leaving behind the safety and security of home. To top it off I left Margit behind, and her absence made me feel lonely and sad. After crossing Lion's gate bridge, the initial mix of emotions was replaced by concerns of more practical nature: these so called hills are kiling! Granted, it was my first day on the bike with about 30 kg of luggage, but this was nothing like cycling in Holland. Together with the fact that I have a weak right knee, I realized I probably have to reconsider my initial planning of cycling 80 km a day. A new situation calls for a new strategy! And the new strategy has to be less is more, allowing more time to enjoy both the people and nature along the way. On the ferry to Vancouver Island I bump into a friendly lady who has cycled most of Canada and the States. As we talk about cycling, cycling equipment and Canada, she invites me to stay over at her house at Gabriola Island, off Vancouver Island. I react somewhat reserved at first, until I realize this is exactly what less is more is about! So I join her to her home (after yet another steep hill coming from the ferry!), where I have my own room and toilet: sheer luxury! And the location in the middle of the woods is stunning. I end up staying one full day, at which we first go to yoga class, visit Saturday's farmer's market, tour around the island looking for petroglyphs and popping in a friend's house. These friends work as local craftsmen, being a metal worker (him) and a glass blower (her). They make a pretty good representation of the island's population, since it consists for a large part of artists and musicians. At night I am lucky to find myself at the yearly Salmon Barbecue, both a social and fundraising event for the community building. Some of the young children performing are extraordinary.. The next day I set off for Tofino, saying goodbye to Carol and thanking her for her great care. That night is my first camping-in-the-wild night! I was given an address of a Dutch owned camping by some nice people at the Coombs' fair (Rob, Suzie and Janet) but the Dutch lady waived me firmly away. Camping was great, and my first chance to hang all my food up a tree, great fun! But bears might not be my biggest worry. As a biologist at the Gabriola ferry told me, bears are after your food, whereas cougars are after you! (that phrase kind of impressed me). So I hold my blatter until the morning..She also told me that Vancouver Island holds one of the biggest cougar populations in the world, that grizzlies only populate the northern part of the island and that black bears are good climbers for they have actual thumbs (as opposed to grizzlies). I am on the road again, heading for Tofino, a place on the island's coast I visited 8 years ago. I am taking my time, probably averaging about 50 km a day, and enjoying what happens to cross my path. I am posting this story without pictures, they will follow shortly. I am still trying to find out how I can resize/shrink multiple pics at the same time (for a samsung tab). Suggestions are welcome:-) I am using Quickpic now, although they claim that multiple resizing is possible, I have not found it yet. Till next time! And very cool to read all your replies!

Welkom op mijn weblog / welcome to my weblog!

Via deze website houd ik je op de hoogte van mijn fietsreis van 7 maanden door Noord- en Zuid-Amerika. Dat heeft enige voorbereiding gekost, naast mijn werk op het OVC in Almere en mijn studie aan het ILS van de Radboud Universiteit in Nijmegen. Gelukkig is alles goed gegaan en ben ik nu officieus eerstegraads docent aardrijkskunde (geslaagd!). Officieus, omdat de diplomauitreiking in oktober is, waar ik jammer genoeg niet bij kan zijn.

Hieronder heb ik twee kaartjes toegevoegd van mijn geplande reis. Margit komt me 30 september de eerste keer opzoeken in San Francisco. Twee weken later vliegen we allebei vanaf Los Angeles, zij terug naar huis en ik naar Peru. Eind december komt ze me voor de tweede keer opzoeken, dan voor 3 weken vakantie in Peru. Ik zit dan waarschijnlijk in Chili en zal per bus terug reizen naar Peru (mijn fiets achterlatend in veilige handen).

Vanaf nu kun je hier regelmatig nieuwe verhalen en foto's vinden, en via de kaartkun je zien waar ik me bevind. Informatie over mijzelf en de reis die ik ga maken vind je in het profiel.

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Laat gerust af en toe eens een berichtje achter!

Liefs en groeten,

Haakon

Through this website I will keep you updated of my cycling trip for the next 7 months through North and South America. To get to this point I have quit my teacher’s job at the OVC in Almere. Next to my work and preparation for the trip, I have successfully completed my recent studies in becoming a geography teacher. Unfortunately, due to my trip I will not be able to attend graduation in October.

I have added two maps of my planned trip hereunder. Margit is planning to visit me from the 30th of September for 2 weeks around the San Francisco area. After two weeks she will return home, while I will continue my trip to Peru. In December she will visit again for a three week holiday in Peru.

Stories (verhalen) and photos (foto’s) are found under the tabs at the top of the page. The map is located under kaart and a short profile description is given under profiel.

If you want to receive a notification every time I post a story, you have to register for the mailing list on the right. And leave a comment whenever you feel like!

Enjoy and abrazo, Haakon