Homeless But Not Hopeless: August 2014

Sunday 17 August 2014

Conclusion to my Cheap bicycle tour over the Canadian Rockies

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This bike tour over the Canadian Rockies from 100 Mile House, British Columbia to Edson, Alberta on a Walmart bought cheap bicycle just goes to show that it is not necessary to invest a bunch of cash on a "proper" touring bike; it held up without a single issue and performed flawlessly.

This means that touring on a bike doesn't have to be expensive, I found a plethora of amazing places to camp for free and the whole experience made me engage all sorts of amazing people and for a trip that cost me roughly $300 (excluding the cost, or there lack of the bicycle) over 12 days and a little under 700km it was more that worthwhile.

With a little bit of McGyvering to mount my backpack to the rear rack using bungie cords and the base of a milk crate I put together this setup for a little over $200, bike included.

Now, I don't condone doing as I did and returning the bicycle to walmart when I was finished with it (yes, they took it back) but seeing as I have my hard wearing touring bike in Thailand I honestly had no need to own a second set of wheels.

Linked below is my experience of this trip with amazing photos of the adventure, wildlife I encountered, jaw dropping views and stories from each day I endured.

Day 1: http://homeless-but-not-hopeless.blogspot.com/2014/07/01072014-cycling-rockies-on-cheap-bike.html

Day 2: http://homeless-but-not-hopeless.blogspot.com/2014/07/02072014-cycling-rockies-on-cheap-bike.html

Day 3: http://homeless-but-not-hopeless.blogspot.com/2014/07/03072014-cycling-rockies-on-cheap-bike.html

Day 4: http://homeless-but-not-hopeless.blogspot.com/2014/07/04072014-cycling-rockies-on-cheap-bike.html

Day 5: http://homeless-but-not-hopeless.blogspot.com/2014/07/05072014-cycling-rockies-on-cheap-bike.html

Day 6: http://homeless-but-not-hopeless.blogspot.com/2014/07/06072014-cycling-rockies-on-cheap-bike.html

2 Days of Rest in Jasper, Alberta : http://homeless-but-not-hopeless.blogspot.com/2014/07/07072014-08072014-break-from-cycling.html

Day 7: http://homeless-but-not-hopeless.blogspot.com/2014/08/09072014-cycling-rockies-on-cheap-bike.html

Day 8: http://homeless-but-not-hopeless.blogspot.com/2014/08/10072014-cycling-rockies-on-cheap-bike.html

Thursday 14 August 2014

10/07/2014 - Cycling the Rockies on a Cheap Bike. Day 8 - Rockies X2, done deal!

Distance cycled: 98.7km
Average speed: 22.3Km/h
Moving Time: 4h25m
Elevation Ascended: 626m
Burned Calories: 2945kcal
Burned Fat: 382g
Total Distance on Current trip: 688km
Distance until I have cycled the circumference of Earth: 12,291km
Money spent: $8

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It took a long time to gather myself this morning to get back on my bike, I was tired and worn out. However this was the last day I had to cycle on this trip so instead of cooking breakfast I treated myself to the magnificence of mcdonalds for not only breakfast but also lunch.
I knew that such fast food would not sustain me for long but the crap is delicious. It was silly of me to set off on the road from Hinton to Edson without proper sustenance but I did it anyway.
The road being roughly 90km was long, tedious, bumpy, straight and boring as all hell. However I was treated to 45km/h (mostly) tailwind, but there were times where the wind gusts were so brutal I would almost be swept off my bike and crashing in the ditch.
For the times I was getting blown in the correct direction I gunned it, pushing my speed to the max.
Back in Hinton I bumped into a few people with whom I work and who offered to take some of my belongings, I graciously declined because I started with all the things and I must finish with all that I brought. In hindsight it would have been a good idea to give at least some of my belongings to these guys because I managed to loose my sleeping bag that fell from my rack somewhere along the highway. Damn the bumpy Albertan roads!
It wasn't just the roads being bad here in this province but also the truck drivers, many of them would not give me a wide birth and with the slipstream and the strong winds I was blown around all over the place.
Eventually and exhaustedly I made it to Edson where I would be working for the next 2 and a half weeks so I met up with the crew, unloaded my bicycle, did my shopping for the next week and as much as I would like to have said slept, I and the rest of the crew had to help unload the semi filled with trees. It was a couple of hours of free labour but it was great to see everyone again.

So, there we have it, yet again I have cycled over the Rocky Mountains but this time on a crappy bicycle that I have in fact grown quite fond of.
The bicycle held up better that just ok, it did the job without a single problem. Proof that you don't need a good bicycle to go on tour.

Starting work tomorrow as the last day of this holiday period is now over.

09/07/2014 - Cycling the Rockies on a Cheap Bike. Day 7 - Goodbye Glorious Rockies and Enter the Uninteresting Hills of Alberta.

Distance cycled: 94.9km from HI hostel, Jasper to 2km west of Hinton, Alberta.
Average speed: 18.1Km/h
Moving Time: 5h14m
Elevation Ascended: 1388m
Burned Calories: 3760 kcal
Burned Fat: 488g
Total Distance on Current trip: 589km
Distance until I have cycled the circumference of Earth: 12,390km
Money spent: $5

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I've mentioned this before on my blog but having to leave good places where I have met great people and had an awesome time can be difficult, it is the comfort and fun of hostels I enjoy most and getting back on my bike and heading off alone I'm leaving this feeling behind; but doing so brings adventure, it may be by myself but meeting others and sharing experiences is easily found around the corner.
After gathering myself and loosely attaching my belongings to my bike I set off to go check out Maligne Canyon on my way out of Jasper, it was a bit of a detour including a steep climb but somewhat worth the effort, the rapid water rushing through the deep crevasses were ok but not much in this national park could beat the panoramic vista of being on top of Whistler mountain a few days ago.
Although here I did two cousins from Germany and Switzerland on their first tour on bikes and I shared all the advice and tips I could to help them out on their journey.
The soaring peaks of the Rockies lit up under the afternoon sun were breathtaking to behold, a 360 panoramic with near fluorescent turquoise blue lakes, milky blue river water and a bunch of wildlife including another black bear on the side of the road and a trio of elk grazing.
A good chunk of the afternoon I was benefited by strong tailwinds blowing me out of the valley and the Rockies towards Hinton where it was obvious that the fantastic views mentioned above was going to end and the not quite well maintained, arrow straight, divided and dull highways of Alberta had begun.
Still, the people I met on the road today were friendly as one man offered a ride to the top of a hill that I was tackling a woman named Sue simply stopped and wanted to chat with me about my adventures around the world.