To start on Day 1, click here: You're Doing What??
June 29th - After 2 days of CRAZY, we actually slept in! I think we got up around 8:30. We had no where to go and nothing to do. It was a down day and we were actually going to make it a down day. The girls woke up crazy excited about getting to see the baby and once she woke up, that was where 100% of the girls attention went. They love babies and played with her non-stop until she was ready for her mid-morning snack and then they played with her until her nap. It was really nice for Shane and I to be able to just sit and chat with Suzanne and Christopher while enjoying great coffee in ceramic mugs. Some of the luxuries of home that we are missing on this trip!
The night before, during our insane 18 mile ride from the Cultus Water Park, we had been promising the girls a meal out. We had not gone out to eat since day 3 (when we realized that going out to eat is almost NEVER worth the expense!) but after the last few days we had endured, we all felt we deserved a meal out. There was a Rancher's Restaurant or Diner only about 2 miles away so after our relaxing morning, we packed up and headed down to the Diner for some brunch. It was a short ride, but our legs felt every push and it was barely at all hilly, but our legs felt every inch we gained in elevation! At one point I thought we were going downhill and I was only going 4mph! Wow, that is really awful, but it turned out to be SLIGHTLY uphill, so I didn't feel so terrible about my lack of energy. We had done so much in the previous 3 days, that I was in dire need of a full day's rest!
We were at the diner for over an hour, because, you know.....we can really pack away the food! I ordered 3 eggs, 3 bacon, 3 sausage and hash browns and proceeded to eat ALL OF IT!! I would have licked the plate if I wasn't worried about how that would look to the other patrons. We all ate like crazy.
By 12:30 it was still raining so we decided to just set out. We were going to a honey farm and the grocery store to pick up dinner and the rest of the day was just gonna be down time. We rode all the way (3 miles) to the honey farm just to discover it was closed, bummer! So we headed to the market to get some food.
Have I mentioned how much we eat? We filled the basket FULL of food. We were gonna make hamburgers and a salad, plus all the fixings....then we grabbed eggs and sausage for the morning and some potatoes and yogurt and cheese and cereal for the girls!!! We could barely fit the food in the 3 bike bags we had with us. While we were in the store, a really nice woman came up to us to ask us about our travels. Through some conversation we discovered that she also homeschooled and would love for us to come and stay on their farm. They have horses and were willing to let us stay in their camper and would let the girls ride the horses. I took her business card and said I would contact her through email if something might work out. I love all these types of things that just come about because of the way we are traveling. People just want to help and be a part of our experience. It is amazing.
We got back to the house and everyone was gone. The family had gone on a hike for the afternoon. Suzanne had lent me the password to their computer and I was busy re-routing our trip back to Vancouver. We were supposed to stay with a couple near the Cultus Lake Waterpark, but they lived 1000 feet up in the hills and we had already done the waterpark so I was trying to get us back to Vancouver a different way...staying in Golden Ears Provincial Park for 3 days. I sent the couple a nice email saying that we had changed plans and that we would not be heading their way anymore. I felt bad, but I figured it wouldn't be a big deal to bail out on them. If nothing, I figured they would be relieved of the burden of hosting a family of 4 with two young children.
Now that we had reached our furthest east destination, we did not have to be in such a hurry on the return trip. It would be nice to take it easier on the way back. The trouble was that Golden Ears Park was going to be a 60 mile ride. I knew we could do it, and it would be nice to be there for 3 whole days....but the ride there was going to be a bit long and exhausting! It was a lot of work to try and figure out the best route to take. I also wrote down a campground along the way just in case we were too tired and couldn't make the whole 60 miles. It was SO nice to be able to use a computer, cuz my phone makes things really difficult and I think it is inaccurate sometimes!
Around 2:30, the family returned which was fantastic for the girls. They had been passing the hours playing with Drifwood, the lovable family dog, but now they could play with the baby again!! Nothing better than that! Except then Suzanne asked the girls if they had found the books yet! They had not, and that passed another 2.5 hours while they looked at every book on the shelf. In the evening, they had a previous engagement with some family so Shane and I made a spectacular dinner that was ready and waiting when they got home. It is so wonderful to be in a kitchen and able to cook in a pan that is bigger than our tiny backpacking pot!
It was so fascinating being around an infant again. I remember vividly how difficult those first few months were, but to actually see it really made me appreciate how far we have come with the girls and them being so self sufficient. During dinner, Suzanne and Christopher couldn't eat together, I had totally forgotten those days...one of us eating and the other feeding a baby...then switching off.
Oh, those are SUCH hard times! It goes fast and slow at the same time, however that can be possible! That night, I went to bed with a full happy belly and with a grateful heart. I admire Suzanne and Christopher so much in allowing us to stay with them and in their motivation to raise their daughter while still staying active and doing things together as a family. I wish them all the best and ANY TIME you guys are in California, you are welcome to stay at our house. It would be our privilege to host your family!!
June 30th - I have not woken up happier than I woke up on this day. I knew that we only had 2 miles to ride to Camperland Resort! This was were the 2nd waterpark is located. Jill did not wake up quite as happy. The instant she woke up she said, "I am NOT LEAVING!!!" She wants to move in with this family! When I mention the waterpark she was a bit more willing to go, but only if she got to spend the morning with Ivy. Suzanne got up and made the girls a special breakfast of toast and egg in a muffin tin - which they LOVED!!! And that is so incredibly sweet considering I know she is quite sleep deprived!
I also got an email from Keith, who I had bailed out on the night before. He was so incredibly disappointed that we were not heading his way, practically heart broken. He said he had been bragging to all his friends about these KIDS that were on an 800 mile bike ride through BC! How he wanted to be able to meet this incredible family and talk with the girls about what they think about this trip.....I was so sad reading his email and realizing how disappointed he was.
I told Shane it just wasn't worth it to let this guy down! He was willing to pick us up in his car so we didn't have to cycle up the crazy hills, so I sent him a second email....saying, we could come. Really, it was going to be way better to take two days to get to Golden Ears instead of a 60 mile ride! I emailed him back and let him know that we could come to his place if he was still willing to pick us up. We were quite done with hills for now! I also figured that we could go out to the horse stables in the morning and then get to Chilliwack in the afternoon and pick up dinner for Keith and his wife. It should all work out great.
When the girls muffin/egg/toast was ready, Shane and I made some eggs and sausage and pulled out all the leftovers and had a huge feast for breakfast. Even on a down day our bodies seem to require huge amounts of food. It feels gluttonous to eat so much when we are only cycling 2 miles today, but really....we have to eat when the opportunity arises...
When we got to Camperland we could instantly tell it was a kids PARADISE!!! Kids everywhere, huge playground, pool with a slide, and a waterpark next door. There is almost nothing else you need.....unless it is a movie shown at dusk.....but they had that too!! We set up camp (we were here for 2 nights, another great treat!) then we headed over to the waterpark.
This one was way more mellow than the Cultus lake, but still loads of fun!! The girls were off for hours, we hardly saw them. Eventually, they needed food so we snacked (almond butter, apples, larabars...all the regular staples) and then had a candy draft - the best way to divvy miscellaneous candy to 4 sugar
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| Watching E.T. |
July 1st - CANADA DAY!!! We had not intended to go back to the waterpark again, but it was a SCORCHER (probably 80 degrees) so we paid for the girls to spend the whole day at the park again. Shane and I sat in the free over look section and got to listen to Sirius/XM Hits station on supper power blast all day. Oh my...some of those songs are still stuck in my head on these long cycling days. There was another couple up there who loved the story of our trip and when the girls came up they had tons of questions for them, and gave the girls some lamb kabobs they were having for lunch, for all their hard work! AWESOME people!!!! Shane was able to go watch the World Cup, so he had a break from the HITS station for a little bit....lucky guy!
After 7 hours at the waterpark the girls were tired and we headed back to camp, and AGAIN, after 10 minutes, they wanted to go back to the pool. Their energy is just absolutely endless! We are so grateful for this long span of time we have had where we did not have to cycle a lot.
Unfortunately, I never heard back from Keith. I hope I did not hurt his feelings! I also canceled with the horse stable lady since we wouldnt have time anymore so she was totally disappointed, too. But the biggest bummer is that we have to get up in the morning and cycle 60 miles to Golden Ears Provincial Park! That is going to be a long, exhausting day!
NEXT POST- A RIDE WITH A FELLOW CYCLIST
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