Editor’s Note: Hello There, I’m George’s son Ross, and I’m helping my father with getting some of these posts up, as he deals with using limited technology in remote placse. He’s got a little bit of a backlog, but he’s accounting for everything. There will probably also be additional photos from Week 1 comin soon too. You can read a bit about my dad’s motivations for this trip here.

After a train ride to Bellingham on Wednesday, May 14,2014, I was picked up by my son and a friend who had a pickup to carry my bike and gear to Blake’s house for a one night stay . Thursday morning began the final preparation, which included gear selection, attachment configuration and bungee options. Finally, around 1:00 p.m. I launched on my journey. Crossed the border ar Sumas and headed down a mix of bike friendly roads as well as the Trans Canada highway, complete with 3 lanes of fast moving traffic. (Yikes) Did 45 miles to Chilliwack where I found an RV park and after a celebratory steak dinner, took advantage of WiFi and skyped with Kathy. Verizon is $.89/minute voice but free texting so we text to set up the Skype call. Played guitar a bit, so glad I brought it. Flat ride today so cruised at 12 mph. 3 hrs 50 minutes, 46.02 miles. NOTE: Day’s mileage includes local restaurant and other indirect travel.

Friday 5-16, went to McDonald’s for breakfast, met a motorcyclist and chatted about work issues and road conditions on my route. Road the Trans Canada out of Chiliwack and made great time to Hope where I had a Subway foot long. High winds and steep hills greeted me as I entered Fraser Canyon plus a lot of weekend traffic. Emory Park campground was full so ended up at the RV park nearby,complete with hot shower, laundry and another sub sandwich. 3 hrs 15 minutes, 51.57 miles

Saturday 5-17, made cowboy coffee and oatmeal for breakfast and took off in cooler weather, stopping briefly in Yale to take a few pics. The one thing I had been dreading about the Fraser River Canyon was the tunnels. All 7 of them. The first one offered the direction to cross over to the narrow pedestrian “catwalk” and pedal against onrushing traffic in the noisy tunnel. At the end was a traffic sign that clipped my pannier as I tried to exit. I did one more like that, ran another on the road, and the remainder offered a warning light button to assist the process, although few vehicles slowed down or gave much leeway. Had an oversized bad tasting burger in Boston Bar which was a terrible choice, considering the hills that came next. Arrived in Lyton hoping to get an RV Park, but found it was run down with nobody at the office. Pushed on to Skihist Provincial Park where I found a quiet campsite, cooked a can of chili and some rice, played guitar and turned in. 5 hrs 57 minutes, 63.26 miles

Sunday 5-18, got the oatmeal going and worked on the rear deraileur. Launched in sunshine but eventually had some showers. The back end of the bike is protected by a 5 mil trash bag and nylon pannier cover, while the front panniers are waterproof and the tent is wrapped with the tarp footprint. My rear pannier, which holds the clothes is lined with a large Ziploc bag as well. The B.C. rest areas have big pit toilet buildings, which allowed me to get out of the rain and take a nap. More 4-36 hills today, meaning 4 mph up and 36 mph down. I noticed many closed businesses – restaurants, motels, and produce stands. As with previous days, lunch was trail mix and power bars. Made Cache Creek by 4:30 and booked the Sage Hills Motel, after some French tourists recommended it. Free laundry and wifi. Circled around town and got beer, Canadian rye whiskey, and pizza, which bungeed neatly on the front rack. WiFi seems to be everywhere so I Skype with Kathy whenever possible. 4 hrs 54 min, 50.86 miles

Monday 5-19, enjoyed my first motel stay and got over to breakfast at a local spot, Yem’s? recommended by a “tree planter” staying next door. Tree planters are everywhere this time of year and endure hard work in the woods for good money and food. Many are college students or recent grads and often are from eastern Canada. I began with arm warmers and jacket, but several granny gear hills forced me to shed the layers. Thus far I’ve ridden mostly with just lycra shorts and jersey. 20 miles of 4-36 hills into Clinton where I got a great deli sandwich from a food cart parked in a motel. The lunch lady was very nice and her mother gave me some fresh baked cookies which helped propel me the rest of the way to 100 Mile House. The Cariboo highway was busy with rough chipseal shoulders and usually a “rumble strip” to keep cyclists from falling asleep:) Begbe Summit was very long and steep, reducing my speed to 3 mph at times- hard to keep the bike upright. Located an RV park in town but first a massive Chinese food dinner. Then set the tent up in the rain and needed newspaper to sop up the floor. 6 hrs 49 min, 71.79 miles