Day 2 – Hello Trans-Canada Highway

Abby Baby

What a day. I apologize in advance that this is a wordy one. There’s just so much to share!

Had the great pleasure of having Nate and his adorable daughters, Anna and Lily, join me for the first stretch to Abbotsford. Together we formed a great team, with Nate shielding off all the wind, and the girls and I telling him he’s doing a great job. Go Nate! Jokes aside, it was a blast. He lead the way through some very nice, peaceful streets in Langley. A welcomed contrast to what came with the Hwy 1.

Oh and he also gifted me “Wilson” the duck. Just look at him and tell me he’s not perfect (talking about the duck, but I guess Nathan isn’t bad either.)

Carbs o’ Clock

Found this random and amazing Quebecois restaurant, “Brodeur’s Bistro” out on some side road in Abbotsford. I crushed a tasty buttermilk chicken burger along with an amazing $3 crème brûlée.

Gave me a nice rest, and shelter to wait out the rain. …Or so I thought.

Highway 1 Fun

Nope, absolutely pouring from the moment I got in there. Which was quite the welcome moment. A tad sketchy with the poor visibility at times, and the huge semis ripping by.

What They Don’t Tell Ya

• You get absolutely drenched. Not just from the rain, but from the traffic creating puddle tide waves.
• You see all of the road kill much closer than you’d like (RIP poor little skunk)

But honestly, getting out of the bigger cities was the worst of it. Once past Abbotsford, it was smooth sailin’. And there’s some amazing bike routes that take you to cruise through the quiet Chilliwack farm lands.

Hope – You Just Don’t Make This Stuff Up

Ok well first, I need to mention that I was desperately seeking calories in any form. Crushed a medium, stuffed crust pizza from Pizza Hut, and enjoyed the magnificent view of the river.

Met a local, Richie, who explained to me why that the river floods on a yearly basis due to the melting snow from the mountains. He also showed me a super cool 100 year old baseball that’s his most prized possession.

I concluded the day by making my way down the block to the nearest campground. I was greeted by a kind lady who was just about to close up shop. She told me to pick any spot, so that’s exactly what I did. Right away, was in awe as I found this site overlooking that river. Looked like something truly out of a dream.

At that point I was cold, exhausted, and dreading setting the tent up as it was getting darker. At that same time, the lady pulled up once again and warned me that it might rain tonight. She goes “If you want, you can sleep in the men’s washroom. There’s nobody here, and you can just lock it. It’s warm and it’s clean.”

I couldn’t tell what was more ridiculous. Her offer, or me considering it.

Well, needless to say, I took it, and I have no regrets whatsoever. Warm and clean as promised. And wall outlets to charge my devices, hooks to hang my clothes, and my very own warm showers.

Ok, that’s it. Goodnight from my private suite. Hahaha