May 2001
June 4th
Kelowna, B.C.
Home Sweet Home here at the Wiebe family residents of Arnie Kelly
Aaron Kristen Rebecca and Robert
Just over two weeks and for many the holidays would just be
coming to a close. For these semi retired adventure enthusiasts
it's only just beginning! Have begun ironing out all the small
details of how to pack, best food for the money, and of course
the getting in shape bit of it. To date things have gone relatively
smooth aside from an old injury Rob has reaggravated However this
has allowed us to enjoy some grand fetes (hearty feasts) with
great company. The Swiss girls have braved the long hot days to
continue westward. A special thanks to mom (Lenora) and the homestyle
cookin we enjoyed including the cheesecake I have dreamt of for
so long. Poor friends were tired of listening to me rave about
it but once tried, recipes were being swapped as fast as stories
are exchanged at last light. The mountains are now behind us with
the Okanagan Valley upon us with afternoon swims being much more
pleasant than the icy cold river streams and not our proudest
moments! We need no reason to party but took advantage of a great
location in the Rogers Pass to celebrate Rob's birthday on the
31st of May in the comforts of our short stay in the log cabin
west of the pass. Hot springs a delight! -TRENT
Completely struck with horror when I twisted my knee on a little
hike Trent and I made around our evening camp, 6km over the Rogers
Pass. Aside from the immense pains which were the least of my
worries there were the thoughts flashing through my mind "Oh no
this is the end and so soon!, My knee felt it was broken" but
after lying a few minutes on my back I realized it was the same
injury I had several months ago at work and a few days of rest
would have me back on the road again and indeed here I am cycling
again getting stronger day by day. It was our first major obstacle
and I know there will be many more to come. Trent has helped me
a lot taking care of me when I needed it " Thanks for the coffee
mon ami" and know there will be opportunities to help him when
he needs it and I will! We are a team! The adventure has begun…
- ROB
June10th
Ellensburg, WA USA
After a beautiful sunny Sunday spent in Kelowna we went up to
the Kettle Valley Railway. Having to climb over a steep gravel
road for more than 8km made us really feel the many Sleeman's
(Canadian Beer) we took the day before. Rain, silence and the
tressles (wooden rail bridges) were very scenic. We entered the
U.S of A at Oriville WA after a severely persistent questioning
by the immigration officer. "Where are your vehicles?" "Why do
you want to cycle across across the USA?"
That evening we nearly burned down the state of Washington as
my stove almost exploded. The stove is OK again thanks to Bill
and the very customer friendly company in Seatle. MSR. Welcome
to America Rob as the " customer is always right." The Okonagan
Valley offered easy riding along the many orchards and the Columbia
river but difficult to find a good sleep. The first night in our
new country (with both of us being foreigner's) we were scared
off by locals, then came the "Killing Fields". A dry open desert
offers little shelter and when your finished at night you take
what you can get. Turns out we slept next to a number of remains
of local wildlife and one fresh smeltering cow left us wanting
to become vegetarian in a hurry…
Back into the mountains we set off to have an easy Saturday "
Lets just do the Blewett pass and then stop" we said, but highway
97 direction south to Ellensburg thought otherwise. It started
off at a very gradual slope but kept going on and on and eventually
after some 20km going up hill , steeper and steeper it finished.
All things will end and also the Blewett pass so around 5 o'clock
we stood on top of it sweating, panting, hungry and turning cold.
You know, temperatures go to an extreme low at these heights (4102
ft.)All turned well that evening after filling up the stomach
with Trent's homemade macaroni. Try it sometime! A few burps and
then rolled into the warm and a bit 'smelly' sleeping bag.
Now were breaking our heads over the oh so important weight factor.
The cycling dutchman has been shedding some of the extra's with
his regular weekly burnings of socks, books, and underwear. Not
sure if it is a spiritual ritual or he's trying to lessen the
load for OL'Gertude(Rob's bike) as Betsy(Trent's) still tips the
scale a little less… Stay tuned for more
July 2001
August 2001
September 2001
October 2001
November 2001
December 2001
