Bellingham To Surrey, BC

9/8/2014

We were out the door at 9:00 AM but just as we were about to pedal away, we received a surprise visit from a local shaman. After a 10-minute "smudge" ritual to drive away evil spirits from the bikes, we finaly set off on our two week adventure.

Departure at 9:00AM

'Shaman Steve' came to smudge us for a safe trip

The ride to Blaine was scenic and pleasant without much traffic to contend with ... it was Sunday. After a homemade sandwich lunch at the marina park in Blaine, we worked our way to Canadian customs at the truck border cossing. After a few miscues, we figured out where walkers and bikers check in with Canadian immigration. After clearing customs, our route quickly took us to King George Blvd. This was a busy road but it did have a wide shoulder making the ride unpleasant due to traffic but relatively safe. After 13 miles and a long hill climb, we arrived at the Canadian Inn, Surrey, at 3:30 PM.

It was a very sunny and hot day so we walked a mile to visit Kelly's Pub which was full of friendly Canadians. After ice cold beers, we finished at the Planet India for dinner.

Friendly Canadians at Kelly's Pub near hotel

Dinner at Planet India

6 Comments

poppa hy

9/7/2014 08:32:51 am

Miss you guys already......................
We finihed the humus and will eat the rest of the chicken tonite.
Love

krink

9/7/2014 11:07:40 am

I admire what you're doing! I rode for an hour today
and was ready to take a nap!! xoxo

Gyongyi

9/7/2014 06:17:42 pm

I'm glad you had a pleasant start...and it looks like the weather is perfect. I hope it continues that way right down to the finish!

Gordon, "is that you?"

9/8/2014 04:35:18 am

Great way to start your journey! Safe peddling and don't leave anything for the bears!!! love to you both!

Krink

9/8/2014 07:03:31 am

You made it!! We're so proud of you Debbe( not u Steve)xx

poppa hy

9/9/2014 09:36:15 am

g;ad you found your way...
Where did Steve painter get to see you?

Author

The Trip Journal is Steve Szirom's account of his British Columbia Sunshine Coast bike tour. Posts will be made regularly depending on the availability of Wi-Fi.

As a matter of definition when I mention "road shoulder" it means the following : no shoulder (0 feet), small shoulder (0-2 feet), moderate shoulder (2-4 feet), wide shoulder (greater than 4 feet)

Route

The Sunshine Coast bike tour covered 426 miles with a total cumulative climb of 20,000 feet. The detailed route is shown here.