On the Road from Bellingham, WA 12/28/09

Friend (Joe) - Hey Peace Rider man, it's been awhile since I've heard from you? What's happening?

PR - Yeah, I know. Sorry about that, too many distractions. I crossed the border Christmas eve and made it to the outskirts of Bellingham as the sun was setting. I didn't make Tony and Marie's place in Fairhaven on the south side until after dark.

The last time I talked to Marie, Tony hadn't made it back from an Antarctic cruise. I was pleasantly surprised to find him at home when I knocked on the door. He had just arrived a few hours before me as it turned out. He was very glad to be home but seriously jet lagged after several long flights starting in Punta Arenas, Chile. He only had a few days at home before another cruise began. But at least he got to spend some time with Marie and their two young boys. He just left this morning.

F - Which way did you go from Hope?

PR - Since I was already in Hope and close to Trans Canada Highway One I headed in that direction. I switched back to touring tires before I left. It was mostly downhill or flat so I was in Chilliwack by early afternoon. But yikes it was noisy with lots of fast moving trucks and cars. I was glad to turn off and head into downtown Chilliwack. I picked up a new rain jacket I'd ordered and had sent ahead to the local Post Office.

F - Where to after that?

PR - Tom Webb, my Warm Showers host in Kamloops, had given me a map with a rural route to the border heading due south from Chilliwack then west. I past Sardis going south and was supposed to hang a hard right at Keith Wilson Rd. but kept going to Yarrow Central Rd. By this time it was well into the afternoon. The thought came to me that it might be easier finding a camp site on Yarrow Central Rd. which appeared to be closer to the Veddar River than the other way. From here it gets pretty interesting.

F - How so?

PR - Well, I had just passed the turnoff to Cultus Lake when a van pulls over on the opposite side of the road and a man gets out. I'm getting used to this happening by now. We have a conversation. He's a long distance cyclist and was curious about my journey. He asks me if I am familiar with Warm Showers. "Of course," I respond. "I tried calling the one host family in Chilliwack that was listed but only got an answering machine." "Yes," he responds, John and Caroline are friends of ours. They are out of town on a bicycle trip. My wife and I are also Warm Showers hosts. I need to check with her to see if it's okay for you to stay with us but I'm sure it will be."

Now what are the chances that in the whole area it would be the second and only other Warm Showers host to stop with a place for me to stay the night?

F - You're being taken care of?

PR - Yes, and I'm very grateful for it. Gary gave me directions to his place and said he'd catch up with me later. He would be back at 5:00 PM after a trip to town he said. I'd have to hang out for a couple of hours.

F - So what did you do in the meantime?

PR - I had to back track a short way to the Cultus Lake turnoff then head up and over the hill to their place near the Lake. I still had plenty of time to kill so cruised by their house. I wanted to be able to find it after dark. It wasn't hard to pick out, a bicycle hung from the second story balcony as a Christmas ornament.

I headed to the lake next and rode along a gravel trail near the shore. Flocks of geese were calling lake bound as darkness fell.

This is the time of year the locals have the place to themselves, the tourist season over. I could imagine the place packed during the summer. But all was quiet now. A few people were out trail walking beneath a canopy of tall trees along the shore.

F - Sounds idyllic?

PR - You know it was very serene in the waning light reflected off a mirror glass surface. This lake is in a park so there is not wall-to-wall houses around the shoreline.

Memorial benches were placed at regular intervals along the shore. The first one I stopped at said "Forget Me Not." This brought back special memories, of a poem I'd written with that title. Hmm, many friends and family in addition to these souls unknown to me have passed. I remembered.

F - So eventually you found your way back to Gary's place I presume?

PR - Yes, he returned when he said he would and Sheryl his wife a short while later. We had a lovely evening together. Gary is a retired school administrator and Sheryl a teacher at a local college. Both are very active outdoors. Gary is recovering from a bicycle/car encounter. He is a randoneering cyclist, something I knew nothing about. These hard core and hardy cyclists cover long distances in a relatively short time. He was hoping to be well enough to qualify for one of these events in Paris held every four years.

Gary filled in the blanks for me with computer printed maps of Bellingham and a route to my friend's house. I left the next morning.

F - From Cultus Lake how far did you go?

PR - I made it all the way to Bellingham. I was a little surprised at that but the rural roads to the border and beyond were flat and fast riding. It helped that I had some tail wind. The roads are laid out in grid fashion, north to south, east to west

Ducks, mostly mallards leapt into the air from roadside water courses as I passed. Swans with their grayer cygnets rested in many of the fields I passed. I really enjoyed the ride, the sights and yes, even the smells.

At the intersection of Sumas Way and Vye Road I stopped and called Ron Benczi. He is a reporter for Global TV in Vancouver. I had been in touch with him since Hope trying to arrange a TV interview. When I called him again from the Chevron Station on the corner he said a cameraman was in the area looking for me, stand on the corner and make yourself more visible he advised.

F - And you connected?

PR - Yes we did, Kevin MacDonald the cameraman, found me shortly after I called Ron and he filmed an interview with me then some shots of me riding along Vye Rd. and up to the border.

You know the Christmas spirit was also alive and well at that busy intersection.

F - What do you mean?

PR - While I was waiting for the cameraman to arrive, Bruce Kloosterman gets out of his Paragon Feed truck parked near a pay phone booth where I had parked, walks over to me and hands me $10.00 Christmas gift. Before he can escape I ask his name. In the process I tell him many people are praying for me. He gives me a big smile and says prayer is the most powerful force in the Universe. I couldn't disagree. He said he was supposed to be retired as he closed the door and drove off. Nothing like leaving Canada on an incredible high mixed with a tinge of sadness!

F - What are your plans now?

PR - My bicycle is in a local shop being worked on. It should be ready soon. I am also waiting for several packages to arrive in the mail. It could be a couple of days yet before I head south from here. It's been a wonderful time though to kick back for awhile and get rested up for next phase of the journey.

See you down the road a piece.

F - Look forward to it.