Nanaimo to Parksville

Today I’m starting off with a picture that I took in Vancouver, but that’s ok. I didn’t really take any photos yesterday because I was too busy hauling ass up 2,000 feet of elevation gain. I saw this eagle when I was riding through Stanley park. It was cool to see such a magnificent animal up close(ish).

Here’s my ride from yesterday.

It was pretty intense going up and down all those hills with my 100lb load. On the road, some cyclists passed me up and chatted for a minute while we were climbing a hill. One of the cyclists told me there was a really nice campground nearby. So I checked it out, it’s called Rathtrevor Beach Provincial Park.There were way too many kids there. It was like a suburbia in the woods with all these families and SUV’s and camper vans. I found a place to stealth camp for the night because I was too exhausted to move on. Overall, good day, but my knees aren’t at 100% strength or resilience right now. I’m going to try to ride high on the back of my saddle so it’s easier on my knees. On my way out of the park this morning, I ran into a couple from Holland, they were interested in where I was from and where I was going. The man gave me a few tips… such as, if you want to be able to stand up when you’re riding, you want a thicker frame than I have, because otherwise it will wobble the minute you get off the saddle. He’s right. The thin tube is pretty flexible and wobbles like jelly when I stand up. Bummer. Noted for next time! Maybe I should have invested in a Surly Long Haul Trucker bike, I heard they’re a dream for touring. Overall, I’m still pretty happy with the bike I’ve got though. I haven’t gotten a single flat tire in 200 miles. That’s something to be thankful for. Knock on wood!