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Day 5 - Kamloops to Salmon Arm
We hope that you enjoyed the trailer for Cam & Ken's Cross Canada Adventure! It's gonna be a great show!
Today was a good day! We would say that it was our best day, but it will be hard to beat the first day which was perfect in so many ways. However, we do both agree that today was our best "riding" day. The morning was particularly good for Ken - we made great time as the terrain was generally flat. We have been riding with a tailwind the last three days, which wasn't present today, however, the sun was shining hot right from 10AM when we started, so we appreciated the slight headwind that served to cool us off through much of the first two-thirds of the day or so. We made very quick time over the first 54 kms to lunch in Chase BC and were feeling great as we inhaled chicken and salad purchased from the local grocery store.
Today was a good day! We would say that it was our best day, but it will be hard to beat the first day which was perfect in so many ways. However, we do both agree that today was our best "riding" day. The morning was particularly good for Ken - we made great time as the terrain was generally flat. We have been riding with a tailwind the last three days, which wasn't present today, however, the sun was shining hot right from 10AM when we started, so we appreciated the slight headwind that served to cool us off through much of the first two-thirds of the day or so. We made very quick time over the first 54 kms to lunch in Chase BC and were feeling great as we inhaled chicken and salad purchased from the local grocery store.
Perhaps our readers are wondering what we talk about as we ride on the open road. Here is an example of a conversation from this morning's ride:
Ken motions for Cam to ride up beside him on the wide shoulder. Cam removes his earphones as he does so.
Ken: "Apparently dogs and monkeys are the only animals that understand when humans point"
Cam: "You interrupted (the listening of) God's word (audio version) to tell me that?!?
Ken: "...sorry..."
Ken motions for Cam to ride up beside him on the wide shoulder. Cam removes his earphones as he does so.
Ken: "Apparently dogs and monkeys are the only animals that understand when humans point"
Cam: "You interrupted (the listening of) God's word (audio version) to tell me that?!?
Ken: "...sorry..."
We are entering "Lake Country" Lunch was followed by a very steep climb out of Chase up to the lookout over Little Shuswap Lake. It went fine for both of us, but as Ken crested the hill, Cam heard a gasp and an "Uh-oh"... Ken's Garmin GPS unit was missing from the cradle on his handlebars. We had been checking out the map during lunch, so we knew it must be on the road somewhere over the last 3 kms, so Ken started to head back down the hill while Cam found a nice piece of someone's lawn to have a nap while he waited. No sooner had Cam gotten comfortable did Ken reappear, having found his Garmin lying face down on the road about 100 metres back. Cam was disappointed to miss an opportunity for a rest, but got back on the bike.
It was not long before his disappointment was relieved as they had now reached the Okanagan with some of the world's most beautiful lakes. As they rode down the other side of the hill they had just climbed, Cam caught a draft of some freshly budded spruce boughs and suddenly realized that (1) he was feeling awesome after the two very tough days and (2) how beautiful the country is that we are doing this riding adventure in. Rather than having to focus his attention on the next kilometer or the next turn of the pedal - which was much of the last two days - he breathed in the fresh air, and soaked in the beauty of this "Lake Country". We know that we are going to have more tough days, but as we get in better riding condition every day, we are going to appreciate more of the beautiful country that God has gifted us with as we pedal through it.
Speaking of the "joy" in the journey, a billboard helped us to remember how lucky that we are to be able to take this journey together over a couple of months. We think that the pictures below are self-explanatory in how they did that for us....!
It was not long before his disappointment was relieved as they had now reached the Okanagan with some of the world's most beautiful lakes. As they rode down the other side of the hill they had just climbed, Cam caught a draft of some freshly budded spruce boughs and suddenly realized that (1) he was feeling awesome after the two very tough days and (2) how beautiful the country is that we are doing this riding adventure in. Rather than having to focus his attention on the next kilometer or the next turn of the pedal - which was much of the last two days - he breathed in the fresh air, and soaked in the beauty of this "Lake Country". We know that we are going to have more tough days, but as we get in better riding condition every day, we are going to appreciate more of the beautiful country that God has gifted us with as we pedal through it.
Speaking of the "joy" in the journey, a billboard helped us to remember how lucky that we are to be able to take this journey together over a couple of months. We think that the pictures below are self-explanatory in how they did that for us....!
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Cam was also very encouraged by the afternoon''s ride. While it included many hills (see elevation profile above) and a temperature of 26 degrees Celcius, he found that he had extra fuel to burn and wasn't labouring the same way he had through the Coquihalla. The training and the previous days' riding are starting to pay off and so both he and Ken finished the day feeling awesome - so much so that they decided to head out for the night to see a movie (and spend some of that "fun" money that Cam had budgeted!).
Ride Details:
- Distance: 112.1 kms
- Riding time: 5:25 hours
- Average speed: 20.2 kms/hour
- Climbing: 2,099 feet
For more ride details, see Strava. More photos from today can be found in the Photo Gallery.
Ride Details:
- Distance: 112.1 kms
- Riding time: 5:25 hours
- Average speed: 20.2 kms/hour
- Climbing: 2,099 feet
For more ride details, see Strava. More photos from today can be found in the Photo Gallery.
Salmon Arm