Hard to leave paradise

I will now be attempting to catch up to where I am now, leaving out most juicy details and death-defying stories for brevity's sake. I'll probably spell things incorrectly too, out of a newly developed detestation of scrabble. I'd try and use that word too, out of spite, "detestation." Probably get called on it and lose my turn.

Allow me to enlighten you on my current training regimine:

1. Ride a bus for 55 hours from Whitehorse. Make sure to sleep as little as possible just to put some hair on your chest.
2. Drink lots of beer and wine on the dock. This is always good practise for a cycling trip.
   
3. Waterski -- apparently this uses a completely different set of muscles than cycling. This is good because you don't want to tire out your cycling muscles before you start.
   
4. Do a quick training run to make sure your bike is in order after shipping it from Whitehorse. Make sure you fall off when your chain gets caught between gears while going up a hill. Make sure you're solidly clipped in when this happens, so that when you fall sideways, you tweak your knee. Hopefully it will swell up so that you can convince your family of your need to stay just a few more days to heal sufficiently.
   
5. Think lots about your impnding departure on cycle, without actually doing it. Instead, eat ridiculously large poritons of food, and convince yourself that the fatness you're gaining now translates directly into km/hr later.
6. Waterproof your stuff. Lesson learned from a 3 day training ride which kicked your ass and water-logged your feet.

So as I said, I'm in southern BC, visiting with family. I've been here for just over a week, and Katherine left for her cycling tour a few days ago. Now I find myself getting some last minute supplies (including a re-psyching up for cycling), and getting ready to hit the road. The climb out of this place is the hardest one on the trip, it starts on a mountain, and the first hill is 20 km long. It's possible I'll expire on the way to the top. Look at the pic below, see the never ending slope going off to the left toward Heaven, disappearing behind the point? That's the hill. Only the first km of it though. *shudder*




Okay, I have to go and eat myself stupid, as per my training regime. It's very strict you know. Then I hope to dream beautiful dreams of anti-gravity pulling me up hills (failing that, sails, or a motor). I will be getting on a bicycle in the next few days. Wish my buttocks luck. Keep me in your prayers, I keep hearing stories of cyclists getting eaten by bears and the like. Although the way I'm rolling, I'd probably eat IT before it ate me.

Stay and play safe, little kittens.