Flats and Hills

The view of Osoyoos from the top of Anarchist Summit

It’s been quite the first week. The actual biking is difficult but going well, and we’re really enjoying the beginning of our big trip. BC really is beautiful, but there’s a hell of a lot of hills. We said ‘goodbye’ to the Fraser River on May 3, we crossed the Cascade Range and we’re currently (as of May 7) in Castlegar in the Columbia Mountains. The weather has been as varied as the elevation: sun, wind, hail, and rain.

Our accommodations have all worked out so far. We’ve had very kind hosts through Mennonite Your Way and Warm Showers, and have also done a combo of staying in motels and campgrounds. One of our Warm Showers hosts offered up his book store to sleep in. I had crazy dreams that night and I don’t think it’s a coincidence we were sleeping between the Fantasy and Sci Fi shelves. 

If we were to have corporate sponsors for this trip they would most likely be No Name canned tuna and Tylenol. Our least likely corporate sponsors would be Bontrager, the company that manufactured our tubes. We’ve had four flats in the first five days, which has been far and away the biggest challenge and also the biggest morale killer. Karen got a flat tire within the first hour of Day 1. We had technically left Vancouver, but just. The one upside is that while our combined mechanical intelligence is very sub par, we’ve changed so many flats that now we feel like we could qualify to be on an F1 pit crew since we can change tires so quickly.



Karen changing the first of many flats. Time elapsed since leaving home: 58 minutes


Also noteworthy is that we started going out 14 years ago today. There’ve been ups and downs throughout the last 14 years, but hanging out with my best bud every day has made it all pretty awesome. Except for the flat tires.



A Steller’s Jay sitting on one of our not-so-stellar tires 



Karen’s BC Book of the Week: A River Captured: The Columbia River Treaty and Catastrophic Change

Comments

  1. Will GiesbrechtMay 7, 2025 at 6:17 PM

    It's so good to hear from you. Life has challenges whether you're bicycling or riding in a wheelchair. I'm sure you understand my point. Wishing you God's a blessing and all the health and strength you need to reach your final destination. We are praying for you.
    Will & Diane

    ReplyDelete
  2. Will GiesbrechtMay 7, 2025 at 6:20 PM

    By the way, happy anniversary!

    ReplyDelete
  3. Scott JanzenMay 7, 2025 at 8:48 PM

    Happy anniversary! Also, love the caption on the last photo. We visited the police free Anarchist Summit last summer during a stay in Osoyoos.

    ReplyDelete
  4. Connor MacLeanMay 8, 2025 at 8:00 AM

    I know it's just he beginning, and people can eventually taper off with post blogs as their adventure goes on. Please, I beg you... do this the entire trip hahahahaha even if you're not biking!! <3 LOVE YOU BOTH

    ReplyDelete
  5. HelenMay 9, 2025 at 9:46 AM

    Happy travels, Matt and Karen. and Matt, the writing is excellent! Wry and delightful!

    ReplyDelete

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