Fraser Valley Flatlander
Permanent #18, 203 km
Ride date: February 12, 2020
by Karen Smith

Permanent #18 with a Chilliwack Start
Feb 12, 2020
11 hrs 11 min

What a difference a month makes! No frosty roads, above zero temps and a riding partner! Wow! Life is Good!

Gary and I started just after 8 am in 4 degrees. We had a high of 9 in Abbotsford and finished in 6 degrees.

My knees had really been bothering me for the last couple of weeks, so we had to ride pretty slowly at the start. Gary is always a good sport and will ride anyone's pace.
Thanks Gary!!
The stiffness and soreness finally went away around the 130 km mark where I finally found my groove. And I felt like I finished strong. : )
The next day, my knees were better than they had been in weeks!

We saw at least 21 eagles on our way to Birchwood Dairy. We saw 16 in one tree!

We had 3 detours!
The first one was the construction detour on 272 which has been there for months. This time we took the detour onto 32nd over to 264. I actually think that it is faster that way....

The next detours were the result of the recent storms.
Oh, No! River Road was closed! We were going to have to go back and up and then down some big hills. But we talked to the workers and they let us through.
The road was mostly cleaned up, but you could see where mud, trees and debris had been across the road.

Then the hill going up 240th, after our Fort Langley stop, was closed. Oh No! Again we talked with the workers, who let us through. Phew!
Again you could see where the mess was, but it was mostly cleared up.

Because we started so late, we finished in the dark. I never like going through those farm roads in the dark. Should have started earlier...
We had very light rain for the last 12 km.

Within 300 m of the finish, now in a residential neighbourhood, an off-leash dog, walking with its owners, darted out at Gary. Scary!
Close call, and so close to the finish!

All in all, we had a good ride. Next one will be after the time change, yeah...
: )
Karen