Biking up Mt.Washington

[datzenmike]

Well as most know I rarely drive to work and bike in instead, no mater the weather. Well if it snows I don't but we don't work if that happens anyway. A guy at work biked through the interior of BC to the coast and to the Queen Charlotte Islands and down the coast by ferry to Vancouver Island and biked home from there. It's about 280Kms (a one nighter if you hurry but an easy two night/ three day trip otherwise) I wanted to try this last year but I let it slip by. This year is hopefully going to be different.

 

So to see how well I can go I challenged myself to a bike ride from home at sea level, to the ski chalet on Mt. Washington. I would guess about 10 miles to the chain up area at the bottom and a couple of miles up to the chalet at 3,400 ft. Got up at 4 AM and with helmet lamp flashing began the easy climb from sea level up to the inland island highway north west.

 

The first picture was too dark but by the time I got half way I was crossing the pen stock where water from the dam is piped down to the powerhouse. Just enough light to see the 10 foot diameter pipe going under the highway.

 

 

Starting the long uphill

 

 

Still going up. Got to be at least an 18% grade. At least it's cool here and getting cooler as I get warmer. Jacket off and lots of Gatoraid.

 

 

Top of the hill looking across the plateau towards the mountain. Still shady and cool.

 

 

Alpine pool. Everything growing is a month behind the lowlands. Had to take something for pollen allergy because of the flowering grasses.

 

 

Almost there. That's Georgia Strait andTexada Island with the mainland behind it.

 

 

Taking a breather at the chalet. Got in at two minutes to 9. So well under 5 hours.

 

 

Didn't stay at the chalet long but pulled over here for 10 min or so.

 

 

This guy whizzed past me but within a couple of Km of downhill coasting I caught up. We talked for a while and then he went on ahead. Just above his head over on the mainland you can see a smudge of white from the pulp mill at Power River.

 

 

The steepest part is at the start just above the chain up area. (picture 2 and 3) Let me tell you that was scary. Even with glasses I had to blink like crazy my eyes were watering that bad. Fuck the cars I used the whole road to make the hairpins. It was fast and friggin' amazing!!!! FTMFW!!! The knobby tire whining was drowned out by the roar of the wind. Fastest I've ever been on two wheels....wut a rush.

 

On the flat lands near the pen stock is the Puntledge River.

 

 

Home before 11 o'clock!!!.

 

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[DAT510]

We make fun of Canadians all we want...

But Canada is beautiful..

 

Good job Mike! :thumbup:

[datzenmike]

I'm bagged.....

[Guest 510kamikazifreak]

I was just going to post, Nap time Mike?

 

:rofl:

 

 

Good on yah , thats a good trek :thumbup:

[INDY510]

.

Are you doing double days now?? .... wake up at 4am,, crash by 1:30pm .... wake up at 6pm ... crash at 12am .... wake up at 4am?

[the nice machine]

nice!!! i know 20 year olds that won't even check their mailbox unless they drive to it. cool stuff thanks for posting this. i haven't done any long rides yet this summer, i think i will now.

[pharouh]

I'd love to do something like that! I have a bike and haven't taken it out once this year.

 

you da man!

[datrod]

Damn.

I just did a two hour ride this morning. Thought I was gonna die, I've only been doing it for a month but every ride I push just a little more.

One day I'll do a 50 mile or so.

 

Good for you Mike.

[datzenmike]

I ride about 8 miles a day return to work. It gives me two 20 min workouts and time to myself. If I have a shitty rough day I can go slower and if I have leftover energy I pound it home. I started riding about 12? years ago maybe longer but off and on the first 2 years. If I missed riding in the winter I found it takes about 3 months to build up stamina and breathing. So I bought some rain pants and a waterproof shell, several pair of warm gloves, toque, head and tail lamp for my helmet and kept riding through the winter. In December/January it's still black in the morning when I leave.

 

Winter is usually slow, so sometimes I get to work and there's nothing so I ride 5 miles to Cumberland el. 500ft then down home for a round trip of about 13 miles?

[king bee66]

holy shit, mike is walter white

 

[DAT510]

holy shit, mike is walter white

 

 

Hahaha

[datzenmike]

Even have a mole on my left cheek. At least I'm better looking. hahahahaha

[DAT510]

Even have a mole on my left cheek. At least I'm Canadian. hahahahaha

Fixed

 

 

:lol:

[HRH]

You know, I'm a little bit more worried about the condom bag on your bike seat Mike. Do you have butt lice? :rofl: Seriously though, it looks beautiful.

[datzenmike]

It's a shower cap to keep the seat dry in the winter. Nothing like a shitty wet day and a cold wet ass on the way home even if it stops raining. It also makes the seat and bike less attractive looking to the crack heads (I did come out from work one day to find my front wheel missing and the batteries from my flasher another time. I mounted the flasher on the back of my helmet along with the LED headlamp. ) and it's 'slippery' and my ass chafes less.

[HRH]

I thought Canada didn't have crack heads? Or at least polite crack heads? ;)

[Guest 510kamikazifreak]

I ride about 8 miles a day return to work. It gives me two 20 min workouts and time to myself.If I have a shitty rough day I can go slower, and if I have leftover energy I pound it home. I started riding about 12? years ago maybe longer but , If I missed riding in the winter I found it takes about 3 months to build up stamina and breathing. So I bought some rain pants and a waterproof shell, several pair of warm gloves, toque, head and tail lamp for my helmet and kept riding through the winter. In December/January it's still black in the morning when I leave.

 

Winter is usually slow, so sometimes I get to work and there's nothing so I ride 5 miles to Cumberland el. 500ft then down home for a round trip of about 13 miles,

and I am gonna start checking that record store by the post office for 510freak

 

Minus a couple words,then plus a couple at the end

[datzenmike]

Record shop in Cumberland?

[Guest 510kamikazifreak]

Record shop in Cumberland?

 

Yup right beside the Post Office :w00t:

[datzenmike]

I'll look next time. I get coffee at the Wandering Moose or the bakery across the street. Love that store on Courtenay.

[datzenmike]

So this Saturday I left the house at 4:30 and biked in the dark up island along the old highway to Campbell River, rode inland about 3Km to the air port and took the inland highway home past Mt. Washington. Sign said 53 Km to Courtenay so round trip is at the least 106 Km and I'm 6Km south of there, and I stopped off at Cumberland for some biker show and shine thing. I would guess easily 120 Km or just shy of 75 miles. 2 1/2 hrs up and 3 1/2 to home or 6 hours at an average 12.4 MPH. Ow!! I feel good! do da do do do da do (I knew that I would now) as James Brown would have said.

 

I saw 9 deer and one jumped out withing 30 feet in the dark, scared the shit! Still in the dark later there was a small grrrrr sound and I turned my helmet light down to the right and there was a friggin' raccoon. Must have scared him as he was on his way home from a night of raiding garbage cans.

 

 

This week I'm further east looking west. That's Mt Washington. Although the profile looks like George, that not who it was named after.

 

 

I had to follow the road inland slightly, unfortunately the sun was well up by the time I got to the ocean side

 

 

 

It's for sale too

 

 

On the way back around nine, I was passed by a dark blue 510 heading south. Lou was that you? I was at Dove Creek crossing about 1Km south of Mt Washington turn.

[datzenmike]

Well I guess I'm suffering from later life crazies. This weekend I biked through the mountains in Strathcona Park to Gold River and back. Since the mill closed the down town has shrunk and there's no motel. So I biked back 24 miles over the hump and stayed in the Park. 120 miles yesterday in 13 hrs and 70 miles back home today in about 8 1/2.

 

First had to bike to Campbell River in order to cut across the mountains. Say this on the side of the road... with side car too!!!

 

 

 

Echo lake... I didn't try it. Mountains coming.

 

Road sure isn't bike friendly. It's like this all the way.

 

The Upper Campbell Lake joins Buttle lake at the narrows. This is where I'll cross over to the other side. The narrows are behind the trees on the left. You can sort of see the road on the far shore line.

 

Road food. Toasted multi-grain, peanut butter, raisins and fresh blueberries. Mid afternoon and getting warm.

 

 

Looking south at the narrows crossing. Buttle lake goes another 30? miles further, but I'm going west. Just right (west) about a Km is the camp site where I will spend the night. It's still 24 miles to Gold River and unknown to me, no-where to stay the night. Had to peddle 24 miles back to the camp in the park.

 

 

The upper end of Campbell Lake looking west. Gold River is up the valley just past the last mountain on the right.

 

 

Elk Horn Mountain

 

 

 

Made it to Gold River about 5:30, had some supper and headed back. Near Mote lake near Crest Mountain half way back to camp. This was the last sunlight I saw till the next morning.

 

 

My meager camp. Crashed for the night. Woke in the dark with the warden warning me to stay neared the pick nick table, cougars, blah blah blah. Slept on gravel, something I only recommend if you have biked for 13 hrs.

 

 

The ride home was uneventful. My boys and ass are sore. Half way to C.R. I started getting a headache. I always carry Tylenol, Advil antacids etc in a bottle (this is my work back pack) but I guess I ran out. Turns out it was only a caffeine withdrawal (loltz) Got a 24 oz coffee in C.R. and now on the 39 mile home stretch on almost level highway.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

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[Skib]

holy shit, mike is walter white

 

 

 

 

 

[HRH]

Damn Mike, you're an animal!!!! I think I should go ride my bike.

[I'm BLUE]

mmmmmmm blueberries.

 

 

Thanks for sharing the oics !