I have had several days of no service, so have not really been online or in touch at all much, so I thought I would just do a quick Q&A, update and coffee date all rolled into one! For coffee, since I am "on (perma) holiday," and it is almost my birthday, I will treat myself to a large non-fat peppermint mocha WITH whipped cream, thank you very much. That reminds me, can I still get my birthday drink at Starbucks if I am in Canada? I am not sure if I will have the chance to find out... Maybe I will just buy myself a milkshake later to make up for it.
If we were having coffee, I would give you a quick update that I am having a blast, BUT the weather is weird!! It was 27 F the other morning and then in the 70s that day, and then two days later, it was in the 90s F during the day and I went swimming! Sorry, Canada, but can you please make up your mind, eh? Actually I am not complaining, but I am a bit burnt. Tan line photos to be revealed later!
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| Okanogan Lake Beach |
And now, onto a few of your questions! As a side note, I have had a lot of questions about planning, gear and logistics, so that will be a post (or maybe a few posts) of its own! Coming soon...
Jenny asked: are your parents worried about you doing this, or are they used to things like this? They could pipe up in the comments, but they probably won't, so I will answer for them. YES times two. They are worried, and my Mom tracks me like a very loving stalker, but they are also used to this and know that I am loving it. I don't think they worry about my abilities, but probably about other people who are not looking where they are driving, or are maybe creepy, or not nice people. As a side note, my Dad met me a couple of weeks ago and we ate too much, went hiking and rode bikes (!) together, so he is happy to have an excuse to travel too! Mom/Dad; want to add anything here?
Anonymous asked: Now that you're up in the "wilds of Canada," have you encountered any wildlife? If you are asking about bears, Anon, not yet! However I have seen moose, beaver, elk, marmots, a bald eagle, geese and lots of the usual deer, birds and squirrels (plus some dead things on the side of the road). My favorite is the heard but not seen: the dawn chorus of birds in the morning. I have also heard coyotes at night and loons and geese in the mornings!
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| I did find this Sasquatch. |
San asked: Were you sad to sell your home? I am glad you asked! I actually closed on the house last Friday and I could not be happier. This will likely be a post of its own at some point, but it had some hiccups but nothing big, and I am now officially homeless. I love it! So....NO, not sad in the least.
Stephany asked: What's one of your unpopular opinions? I would say the fact that I don't love dogs. I know, Stephany, you are probably now blacklisting me, and I do think Dutch was the cutest thing! However, I don't like the hair, or the licking, or the jumping. I don't like people who say, "but he is friendly" as their dog jumps and licks. If the dog is well behaved and leaves me alone when I want to be left alone and doesn't smell or shed, I can get on board. Otherwise, I would prefer to be alone. Sorry dog lovers.
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| This is Jelly. I like her a lot when she is sleeping. |
Lisa asked: How do you charge your phone? As I am often camping for several days at a time where they is no electricity, I have an Ankor 20,000 mAh portable battery charger (like this). You are probably saying, but what does all of that mean? My phone is about 3,100 mAh (milliamp hour), so I could technially charge it about six times. However, I have several (11!!) other electronics, so normally I can go about 4-6 days without power before my battery bank dies too. It is a little bigger than a deck of cards but it totally worth the weight. If you are ever thinking about buying one, I suggest Ankor as I do not think this is one of those things you should cheap out on.
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| Ankor battery pack |
Coco asked: Do you get scared? Hell yeah, but probably not of what you may be thinking. For instance, I am not really scared of bears per se. Sure, if one is near me, I am, but I don't dwell on it, if that makes sense. What I am scared of is riding on the side of the highway and some numbnut hitting me from behind, or maybe a ladder or a bolt or a piece of wood falling off someone's car and nailing me. Or me hitting a patch of gravel or getting a flat tire and falling right in front of a car. Then of course there are little daily worries, like where my next water source is going to be and whether or not I will be able to find a spot to sleep that is not obvious to the not-nice people that my parents are worried about. But those are mostly manageable.
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| Riding on the side of the Coquihalla highway. Not fun. |
My Mom asked: where do I park my bike when I go to use the restroom or go into the store, etc.? When I go to the bathroom, I just lean it up against the portapotty or bathroom, which is 90% of where I use the restroom when I am in civilized areas. If I am in the woods, well you know the drill there. In that case, I lean it up against a tree. If I have to go inside somewhere, I try to lean it against a window where I can sit, or if there is outside seating, I try to keep it within eye's length. When I go into the grocery store, I have a small lock that I use, but I don't take all of my stuff (bags) off of it; I just get my electronics, put them in my pocket, and go in and hope for the best.
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| Parked at the grocery store |
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| Parked at the bathroom |
Okay, that's enough out of me! Now it's time for you to answer questions!
If you are a parent, would you worry about me? What is the strangest or biggest animal you have seen in the wild? What is one of your unpopular opinions? Do you get scared when you travel?
I will definitely get very scared with my girls go travel by themselves. But that’s a long way to go until they get there. I traveled for work quite often to new places. Once I arrive midnight at Panama, as I was riding the taxi alone in the middle of the night to small streets, I got quite scared as anything could happen. Since then, I never booked evening arrival flights if going to an unfamiliar place.
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I am guessing that the fear of the parent likely never goes away. I am sure their first time will be scary for you, but also every time they leave. However, at some point you have to trust that your kids are going to do what they learned and will be careful. Obviously, we can never avoid random accidents, but we can't live our lives in fear of that. I think that you are very brave yourself and will teach your kids to be brave too (but to make good decisions!)
DeleteThis is Lisa! I am sure I would worry if I was your parent because worrying seems to be part of the job (like right now as I sit at the gate waiting to board my flight, I am worrying about Paul because he had an allergic reaction to sunscreen on his face - even though it was a sensitive skin formulative from cetaphil!! I am worrying about his discomfort snd if he will be teased at school.) I know you are very smart and capable so I would worry about the stuff that is out of your control - and mostly I would worry about all the idiotic drivers out there. Are you finding Canadian drivers to be less lunatic-like in their driving? I hope so!! Because drivers here are absolute lunatics and it’s gotten so bad post pandy.
ReplyDeleteAs a North American, the strangest and biggest animal I have seen in the wild was all the many kangaroos that would hop across the campus where I studied abroad in Australia! It was quite a site for a girl from North Dakota to see. But it seems like nothing for my Australia classmates!!
I share your opinion about dogs… and I know there are many dog lovers in the blogging community so I hope that no one is offended but I hate that it’s assumed that you are fine being jumped on and licked. I am quite scared of dogs so I really do not want to be jumped on and nipped at. There are some dogs I like because they don’t jump on me but that seems to be the exception, not the rule… it makes me think - what if I just like handed you my toddler and had them lick your face. Would that be normal/acceptable? I mean he is very cute and funny and we adore him but I wouldn’t expect you to want that kind of show of affection.
I do not get scared when I travel. I have traveled alone more than I have traveled with company, although travel has mostly been to large cities like Paris. I think there is a way a person can carry themselves that gives the ‘do NOT f with me’ message. I also did quite a bit of day hiking alone in NC when I was on garden leave. There were lots of warnings about snakes and bears and such posted on trails so I tried to make a lot of noise and sometimes I would sing on the trail to make it clear that I was coming so stay out of my way, snakes!!
Haha! So much here to unpack! Re parent, I agree. It is part of the job, and likely never goes away! I would say that the Canadian drivers are better most of the time, but since I left, no matter what, the 18 wheelers are the most courteous (everywhere)! The people in sedans often don't even move over, even when they have room!
DeleteI bet kangaroos are like squirrels, which is to say, kind of annoying in an urban setting, and just normal in a rural one. As long as they leave me alone, I don't mind them, but I hate tame wild animals! Re your kid jumping and licking me, I don't like that either and sometimes feel the same way about kids as I do about dogs when the parents seem to think it's okay for their kid/dog to be annoying in public.
I have a very VERY good RBF and I use it a lot when I am traveling. Unfortunately, it does not work as well on snakes and bears, but I have run into many of both of these animals and 99% of the time, they run away before I even notice them! So I am not too worried about them either.
My favourite thing in this entire post is this line: "My favorite is the heard but not seen." YES, YES, YES!
ReplyDeleteIf you are a parent, would you worry about me? Yes. But it sounds like your parents love and support your decision and trust your wisdom. Everything in life is inherently risky. I remember when my very colicy babies both ended up as belly sleepers being terrified to admit this to my doctor. She said: While back is best, the single most dangerous thing you could do for your baby is put them in a car seat and drive to this appointment. I think about that line a lot. We think nothing of driving - often when we don't really "need" to - but it the most dangerous activity we could do! All that said, please be so safe my friend <3
What is the strangest or biggest animal you have seen in the wild? Moose? I've seen black bears at a distance, but they looked smaller and less imposing than the moose? I did see a DEAD BLUE WHALE beached once which was insane. So sad, but also...insane!
Do you get scared when you travel? When I'm alone in certain contexts, yes, but I rarely travel alone. I've never been internationally solo. I got married young and we tend to always travel together. That said, my husband travels solo ALL THE TIME. He's had a few crazy experiences, but clearly managed to survive them all!
A dead blue whale? I need to know more! Did you get close to it? Was it absolutely huge? I saw a dead humpback on the beach, and of course I went as close as I could, although it smelled to high heaven!! It was fascinating though to be able to look at it from such a close vantage!
DeleteAnd don't you love the dawn chorus!? Although the 4 am Canadian goose alarm is a little obnoxious.
I am 100% with you on dogs, though I really WANT to love them. The jumping and licking and wet noses…. I do have two cats and they have their own challenges…but at least they aren’t big enough to knock me over ;)
ReplyDeleteCan we just talk about the cucumber/zucchini on the front of your bike in the pic of you parked at the grocery store? Heheh that gave me a giggle. If it’s NOT a vegetable I suppose I’ll have another giggle at my being mistaken. Maybe I have veggies on the brain.
As always I loved reading your post and following along with your adventures!!
Laura! I was wondering if anyone would comment on the cucumber, and YES it is a cucumber. It is hard to get in veggies while biking, especially now that it is getting warmer and they often don't travel well. However, some of the harder ones are okay, carrot, cucumber, apple, so I get those. However, it doesn't fit well in a bag! So I strap it on the front. I have also had carrots, Fritos and a banana on there too! I am sure by the end of this trip it will be a long list of weird things that have been strapped to the bike. Thanks for following along!
DeleteI would absolutely worry about you if I were your parent; it's my job. And the reality is that a woman out travelling solo is more of a concern than a man. And so many people drive inattentively! I've just made myself worried now, thinking about it. Thanks.
ReplyDeleteProbably doesn't really count, but the biggest animal I've seen out in the wild is a whale while out whale watching in Alaska. Just astonishing. Beyond that, bison in Yellowstone. A bear in Pennsylvania.
I used to travel by car on solo trips often in the summertime. By plane as well. I wasn't scared, except on highways that were very winding and had those concrete walls. The only reason that scared me is because of a recurring nightmare I have about losing control of the car on roads like that. Ugh.
Unpopular opinion: I absolutely detest self checkout. I resent that they expect me to do an unpaid job and be happy about it, AND pay full price, AND bag my own groceries. I think it's bullshit. They make huge profits in this era of shrinkflation and price gouging, and then they downsize staff and make me an unpaid employee. No.
I am sorry I made you more worried about bad drivers. To be honest though, I was probably more at risk while driving in Oakland, than I am driving on the side of the highway. Although there are bad drivers everywhere.
DeleteI love your rant about self checkout! I find it faster, so I don't mind being unpaid if I can get out as fast as possible. Also, I bag my own groceries anyway because either the person is not there or they do a crap job anyway, so I would rather Tetris my own groceries and NOT have the bananas under the canned corn, thank you very much. So I am pretty much doing everything anyway, so I may as well get it done faster.
If I were your parent of course I would worry about you...every second of every minute of every hour of every day...regardless of what you were doing. That's what parents do! One of the blessings of being a step parent is that (at least for me personally), I don't worry about anything with the boys. I just get to love them and be along for the adventure.
ReplyDeleteAs your friend though, I would be more worried about you not being on your trip and missing out on your big adventure. YOLO!
Congrats on being homeless!!! That has to feel so good to have the house off your plate.
YOLO indeed. I think my parents also feel happy that I am out on my trip and not missing out on life's adventures, even though they are worried about me. As you say, it is kind of their job. This is why I don't have kids; I don't want to have to worry about someone all the time! Once my coworker, who is maybe 20 years older, got a phone call in the middle of the night and he saw "KY" pop up on his screen and he thought it was me, so he answered it to make sure I was okay and did not need to be bailed out of jail or something! It turned out it was his son's friend KYLE who had dialed him on accident. However, this coworker is a parent to (and is worried about) everyone, bless his heart! I am not that kind of person though. Sorry kids! DND is on!
DeleteI never ask for whipped cream when I get a coffee drink, but if they ask me if I want it, I always say yes. That's my rule for myself.
ReplyDeleteLook, dogs are not everyone's thing. My dog does not lick or jump, but she definitely lunges at strangers (especially strangers on bicycles) and she smells 90% of the time. LOL. She brings me a lot of joy, but I can see why she might not be everyone's cup of tea.
I do not have near as many miles as you do on a bicycle, but I was a bike commuter when I lived in Minneapolis and I was hit by a car twice (once there was no damage, once I broke my hand) and I think cars are probably your biggest danger!! I'm worried about you driving on roads with narrow/no shoulders and getting taken out!!
Interestingly, since you mentioned it, I think if you ask a long distance cyclist what their biggest fear was, they would say DOGS! There are so many people who do not fence their dogs (even though they live on a bike path/common route) and some of them are downright scary. Yesterday, a dog bum rushed me and I said a stern NO and got away, but I checked my heart rate and it jumped from around 120 to about 155 in the span of seconds. It is an adrenaline rush, but not one that I like!!
DeleteI am not offended at all by people who don't like dogs! It's personal preference. And I totally see the point of not wanting a dog to be jumping all over you, licking you, etc. I try to be very cognizant of that fact when I'm out with Chip and Lucy. Yes, *I* think they are quite adorable and everyone should love them, but not everyone is a dog person AND people have real fears when it comes to dogs that need to be taken into account. When I had Dutch, I also hated when people would tell me their dog was friendly and come right up to him because, Dutch was deaf and blind in the last years of his life and a dog getting all up in his personal space made him very scared. UGH.
ReplyDeleteMy mom was worried about me flying to Chicago by myself and staying at a VERY SAFE hotel, lol. There is no way she'd want me doing a bike trip alone. I think I could convince her if I needed to (aka, I am an adult!), but it's not something I want to do so we don't have to worry about that.
OMG YOU SOLD YOUR HOUSE CONGRATULATIONS!!!!!!!!
Thank you! I think for parents, they will be worried no matter what, but I am sure that it does get easier with certain things over time. For instance, your first time going to Chicago alone she probably worried, but maybe the next time, she won't worry quite as much??
DeleteI don't really like people saying, "my dog is friendly." I would prefer they ask, "do you mind?" Also when a dog is running at me and barking, I don't care how "friendly" he is, I am scared, so get him away from me please! I am like Dutch!
I wish I still had the confidence I had in my 40's. Still young enough to take risks, but old enough to have acquired some wisdom and prudence. I'm so proud of you for going on this adventure! However, I worried about Karl for years, but quietly, in the background. Life is to be lived, but I probably am at the same risk level as you are. Karl used to tell me, "Mom, I'm safer on an aircraft carrier in a hot zone than you are driving to Reno
ReplyDeleteOh, and happy birthday niece! Love you!
DeleteHello Aunt! I agree; I love this age. I am just the perfect mix of smart enough but still risky (I think!?) I do think that heart attacks and car accidents are the death of most people so just try to avoid those and you will be good (as I ride on a road with no shoulder and then go and get a hamburger afterward...)!
DeleteI enjoy reading about your travels and I admire you for doing it! If I were your mother, I'd be worried no matter what you were doing! I think that's just how mothers are. I have a very healthy respect for wild animals. I suppose the biggest one I've seen is a moose. They are so unpredictable and can go bonkers at any moment. I love that you saw a Sasquatch! 😂
ReplyDeleteThe sasquatch was very friendly! He even let me do a few selfies with him.
DeleteIf you were my daughter I would be worried but after the normal fussing would send you off, and try to be excited for you ... that's part of being a parent. I couldn't do what you're doing. I have been on safari in Africa and we saw elephants, lions and hippos in the wild. I also saw a beached brydes whale on K'gari, still alive, I'm hoping the rangers got it off the beach.
ReplyDeleteOh that must have been hard to see a live beached whale!! I would be really rooting for them to save it, that's for sure!
DeleteI love the way you put it, worried but excited! I think that's the way of life, isn't it??
I am 5 days late to this party! LOL Such a busy week. But what an interesting post! If you were my child I would absolutely worry about you!! The biggest animal I have seen in the wild was a bear cub, which means that momma is not too far behind so we hightailed out of there.
ReplyDeleteScary! Bear cub is no bueno!! You know Mama is nearby and that is probably the worst place to be!
DeleteI would definitely worry if my hypothetical child traveled alone... I think it's part of the job. My mom still "tracks" me when I travel alone overseas, haha. Obviously my travel hasn't been quite as "remote" as yours but I think you're smart and capable and your parents know that. It's still great to know they keep an eye on you from afar and even meet up with you when possible.
ReplyDeleteI have a power bank for travel and it's one of my most important travel essentials. I have an old Anker powerbank (which still holds up quite well) and a newer (wireless) magsafe powerbank from Inui (which works great!).
I'm curious to hear how long the Inui bank will last over several days. For example, how many full charges could you get in your phone before it dies?
DeleteYou would NOT have liked my boy Mulder. He was sweet and we did NOT let him jump on people, but gosh he would try and might do it anyway. He barked like mad and we had to vacuum EVERY DAY. For you, he would be better loved from afar. Our previous dog Genevieve was a lady, did not bark or lick or jump. She might politely lick your toes if you were wearing sandals. She did shed. Before Mulder I had never had a barky dog before and they scared me. Now I'm very casual about them.
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