PASCI project

Tuesday October 14th, 2003
A New Bicycle Journey

On this bright morning we finally set out on our bicycle journey. The regular rain has given way allowing us an excellent day to give the first pedal stroke in the direction of Argentina. We stop at least five times to ask for directions but manage nonetheless to make our way out of Vancouver in the direction of the United States. The day is perfect, we sing and laugh it’s good to be moving. We cross the border at dusk and set up in the dark in a vacant lot and sleep like babies for thirteen hours. The next day we ride all day in the rain. Johanne’s raincoat doesn’t work and she is cold and wet as we pull over to camp by a beaver pond near Bellingham WA. We find a raincoat before moving on, it is a highly technical piece of clothing, bright yellow and made of creaky plastic, but we barely do (move on that is). The rain is warmer than the day before, but it is driven by a wind that stops us in our tracks. So we gather apples from a nearby tree, but still the wind stops us in our tracks. We continue at a snails pace (slow and steady with a carapace) and haven’t left south Bellingham before a kind woman offers us tea and shelter from the storm. We accept and this is how we go from the driving rain to a warm Jacuzzi in the space of twenty minutes. Our new friends Irene and Louis send us on our way the next day invigorated and with a supply of excellent dried fruit.

We continue on in the direction of Seattle. It rains much of the time but we’re still enjoying ourselves. We arrive in Seattle, our longest day yet, twelve hours of riding and approximately 150 kilometers. Near midday Johanne hits a pothole that was hidden by my bicycle until the last instant and flips her bike in a complete arc. Bertrand (her bike) weighs so much that neither of us can really lift him so this is no small feat. We arrive at our host Brian’s house late in the evening Johanne has a bruised hip and shoulder, Bertrand’s back wheel is untrue and we are both dead tired.

For the next few days we recuperate in the warmth of Brian’s home. He is extremely generous with us and we pass time together listening to his enormous record collection, eating extremely well, and drinking good wine. We visit the city, interview a couple organizations, finish the articles from Vancouver and it’s time to go. We board the ferry for Vachon island and we’re off.


		Home --> English --> Trip Log
	Tuesday October 14th, 2003 A New Bicycle Journey On this bright morning we finally set out on our bicycle journey. The regular rain has given way allowing us an excellent day to give the first pedal stroke in the direction of Argentina. We stop at least five times to ask for directions but manage nonetheless to make our way out of Vancouver in the direction of the United States. The day is perfect, we sing and laugh it’s good to be moving. We cross the border at dusk and set up in the dark in a vacant lot and sleep like babies for thirteen hours. The next day we ride all day in the rain. Johanne’s raincoat doesn’t work and she is cold and wet as we pull over to camp by a beaver pond near Bellingham WA. We find a raincoat before moving on, it is a highly technical piece of clothing, bright yellow and made of creaky plastic, but we barely do (move on that is). The rain is warmer than the day before, but it is driven by a wind that stops us in our tracks. So we gather apples from a nearby tree, but still the wind stops us in our tracks. We continue at a snails pace (slow and steady with a carapace) and haven’t left south Bellingham before a kind woman offers us tea and shelter from the storm. We accept and this is how we go from the driving rain to a warm Jacuzzi in the space of twenty minutes. Our new friends Irene and Louis send us on our way the next day invigorated and with a supply of excellent dried fruit. We continue on in the direction of Seattle. It rains much of the time but we’re still enjoying ourselves. We arrive in Seattle, our longest day yet, twelve hours of riding and approximately 150 kilometers. Near midday Johanne hits a pothole that was hidden by my bicycle until the last instant and flips her bike in a complete arc. Bertrand (her bike) weighs so much that neither of us can really lift him so this is no small feat. We arrive at our host Brian’s house late in the evening Johanne has a bruised hip and shoulder, Bertrand’s back wheel is untrue and we are both dead tired. For the next few days we recuperate in the warmth of Brian’s home. He is extremely generous with us and we pass time together listening to his enormous record collection, eating extremely well, and drinking good wine. We visit the city, interview a couple organizations, finish the articles from Vancouver and it’s time to go. We board the ferry for Vachon island and we’re off.