Zombie Land

I feel like I just escaped the plot of a horror movie. Or as Kimberly appropriately said lets get out of zombie land! A closed gas station, with no others for 30 miles in either direction was the location. To truly get a feel for the sketchiness of this place, gas was priced a dollar more per gallon than anywhere else we have seen in the US, and upon peering in the window a sign said local calls only was placed above a string tied to a can with a cow skull sitting next to it. Lastly today’s business hours were 8:00 to 12:30 then 3:30 to 5, this is a gas station right off the interstate with exit sings saying gas and food… someone needs to get better.

The Cast included Marilyn and Myself, Jonny from Chicago who like us had his gas light on, Kimberly from Sun Valley who had luckily just stopped to clean her windshield, and last but certainly not least the group milling about a decrepit RV with the plan to wait till morning for the gas station to reopen. That plan wasn’t sitting well with Jonny or us and luckily Kimberly didn’t feel like letting us make the local news with the latest triple homicide. So she suggested we all pin it back down the high way 30 miles to the nearest gas station. Needles to say I didn’t think we were going to make it! On the drive out to BC my car barely got 400 km to a tank, and after a new air filter I was luckily to get 500 km. Now with my car fully loaded, gas light on, and the odometer reading 560ish… lets just say I was a little nervous but with Kim following in case either of us ran out of gas we all barreled down the highway. Now, I know that you all are saying why would you be barreling down the highway when your are trying to conserve gas... all I can say is we were just sticking to the plan, pin it to win it.

Finally with the gas station exit in site we see Jonny pulling some questionable maneuvers around an RV. At this point I could feel my car starting to sputter, the exit came just in time and upon reaching the gas station Jonny informed us he was coasting on fumes since the highway explaining his shoddy driving. We all rejoiced and thanked Kim. If around Sun Valley Idaho visit Kimberly’s B&B The Spruce Inn, located in downtown Hailey. The final odometer reading was 612 Km; good old green peace green didn’t let me down. We have had some kinks so far in our courtship but I feel we are starting to understand each other’s limits.

I I know Robby is going to blame it all on me… but I don’t want to get type cast as a guy who runs out of gas. All I can say is for close to 50,000 kms of road trips in the last two summers two close calls isn’t too bad.
Note to everyone no matter how good the book your reading is, never let your tank go below ¼ of a tank. This is an unspoken rule I have learned from the master of all things car related, Mr. Pickard.

Finally Starting to Get Caught Up

So much to tell since our Chilcotin adventure! After getting back to Whistler late Sunday night I had a message from T bag that Tyler and I both worked Monday morning at 8:30, ouch! That week Tyler, Matt, and myself hit the bike park hard to let our legs a rest from the pedal fest incurred in the Chilcotins. The big bike highlight had to be the full day of bike park laps, followed by an evening loop of RDS we scored after some rain making for perfect conditions (soft, slick, and steep), followed by burgers and beers a Dustys Pub. It was Matts first time down RDS and in his own words “there is no way you can be prepared for what your getting yourself into”, said with a huge smile on his face!



As much fun as the riding was my body took a beating. As they say when it rains it pours, I had done well with injury’s all season and I guess it was just my time. Crash 1 involved a dust cloud and me blowing a berm, resulting in a shredded upper left side. The next days crash had me heading over the bars into a pile of rocks… again with the left side but the lower body taking most of the damage this time (I also had two flats and ruined a new tire on this ride, not a happy camper!). After one day of managing to keep the bike upright, I was hit with the third and final blow, after a few laps of a rebuild to Dirt Merchant I came up short on the new creek gap and went down hard ripping ligaments in my right rotator cuff and left thumb. Lets just say I looked in rough shape with a sling on one side and splint on the left. Although not ideal, if I was going to get injured that was the time to do it, with Marilyn arriving in a few days and me heading home in about a week.



The day finaly arrived to pick Marilyn up from the airport and after a short but nice visit with my Aunt Tiny in Vancouver I arrived just in time to greet her in the terminal. We spent a lovely afternoon cruising around Stanley Park and the Vancouver Aquarium. Later we meet my Aunt Lois where she treated us to a delicious diner at the Fish House. If ever in Vancouver I recommend this place to anyone who enjoys seafood. Other highlights of our time in BC include beautiful day sightseeing on the peak of Whistler, and a picnic at the train wreck.





The drive home has been amazing so far with sight seeing in Seattle, the stunning coastline of Oregon (words cannot describe it, you need to see it for yourself!!!!), and a quick dip in some natural hot springs in Idaho. More to come on the drive home once I sort through the hundreds of photos accumulating on my camera.



I have mixed feelings about leaving but I know I will be back so that has been a big help. I have already heard of one epic ride I missed and it wasn’t even 24 hours after leaving... whether or not my shoulder would have allowed it is another story. Tyler and some buddies from work biked up the ski hill and camped out overnight on the peak then descended back to the village at the crack of dawn before the mountain opened for the day. Tyler is truly living the good life… “My life is your vacation” is the saying that comes to mind when I think of him these days. It was a great summer of riding buddy and I can’t wait till our next adventure! Have a fun and safe winter in Whistler. Although a recent late night phone call (4 am PEI time) tells me I have looking forward to getting schooled at Brookvale in my near future. I won’t name names but this is a direct quote “I have been hammering out some B vale laps lately, and I’m gonna beat you at your own game benny!” is what was said and I say even with my gimp arm to bring it on!

I’m in no position to complain as I had an amazing summer, although my recent injuries keep me from bagging a few rides on my to do list: yummy nummy, hey bud, the new kyber pass entrance, comfortable numb (I know that one is pathetic), and lastly tanquil lake… I guess that means I know what I’m doing next summer. It was great to reunite with some old friends this summer and great to make some new ones. A huge thanks to the crew at Summit Sports for taking us under their wing, you know where to go if ever in Whistler and in need of anything bike or ski related.

So MUCH to tell..... so little time!

Sitting at a truck stop in Oregon. Haven't updated in forever as I have been exploring the west coast with Marilyn, am/was broken (video was all shot the day prior, but I plan to ride fisher creek tomorrow), and am lazy. Will update soon with a full account of the last little while!

Whistler Edit from Ben Crook-Hanna on Vimeo.

... till next time