Trying One
Permanent #70: "O&H"
by Harold Bridge

The combination of age and "Been There, Done That" leaves me very selective about what I set out to do.

2010-08-19 was the sort of day that left me with little excuse not do go for a "Permanent 200".
What I came up with was a smidgen over the basic 200, according to "bikely"; 200.1 kms!

After a photo with date and time imprinted, I left the wagon by the Pitt Meadows ESSO, and was away promptly at 07:00 and heading east along #7. Although cool, the wind felt soft so that I seem to cut through it easily.

The road works around Silverdale proved to be more of a problem going west than they had going east.

My usual route on Rte 11 south's west sidewalk was closed for seismic upgrading, with, would you believe, a sign telling you use the east side walk. But no instrutions on how to get across there!

One feels very naked on the highway when shoulder to shoulder with F250s, but there was no cursing or horn blowing as has been the case in the past.

The friendly people at the Yellow Barn signed my control card and served me a coffee and a muffin, leaving me refreshed enough for a non stop ride to Popkum. Once refueled and with control card signed, I encircled the roundabout and head north up 9 a short distance.

At the turn off I went under the Rosedale Bridge for a quiet ride along Camp and Hope River Roads to the back streets of Chilliwack.

By the time I got back to the Yellow Barn I felt it wise to have a meal, a tasty bowl of Chilli served the purpose.

North Parallel etc wasn't as bad as I expected, except that it being a working day I was sharing NP Rd with tandem trucks. Dealing with Abbotsford left turns can be exciting, but vacation time or something, the traffic wasn't too bad.

It is worth using the grotty path when going north over the Mission Bridge and by putting a control at the Mission Tim Horton's, one can avoid the hairy sprint to the northwest.

The ride on #7 west can be tedious in the face of a norwester. But my luck held and I was romping along with quite a fast ride. Fast, that is, on the flat or downhill. But I still demanded a low gear for the drags, I was getting tired.

I got to the Kennedy Road intersection at the right time and I could get through the stationary traffic to the ESSO station and was signed in at 18:40. 11:40 total time, 09:49 riding time.

I must have been doing something right; I was 159 lbs when I started and I was 159 lbs when I finished.

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August 20, 2010