Day 22: Langley, BC -> Chilliwack, BC

Date: Tuesday, June 6, 2023
Start: Langley, BC (Staying with a friend)
End: Chilliwack, BC (Staying with family)
Distance: ~75km

Another day started in a nice comfy bed.  It had now been almost a week since I'd last slept in my tent and I was starting to get used to the comforts of home.  I woke up and banged out the previous days blog post.  When Nancy woke she asked what I wanted for breakfast and first offered up eggs as an option.  I'd been thinking about eggs the day before because I usually eat at least 2-3 of them a day but hadn't had any since the start of the ride.  I immediately said yes to eggs and she made some wonderful sunnyside up.  I dipped my toast in the yolk and wondered if I might just get away with buying a dozen, carrying them, and eating them raw each morning.

I miss eggs.

The goal for the day was Chilliwack where I'd be reuniting with a cousin - Joel - who I hadn't seen in almost 25 years.  This meant an 80-ish kilometer ride on a very hot day, but through the flat farm country of the Lower Mainland and Fraser Valley.  I'd told Joel I'd be there by 5pm which meant that giving myself some time to get lost...I should leave noon and have time to spare.

Nancy and I chatted throughout the morning and reflected on times past and those yet to come.  She also helped me tape up the broken seal on my Hyperlite bag which had opened up over a week ago.  I honestly don't know if I could have done such an excellent job without her and I think we were both proud of the work!

Nancy was not going to let me leave hungry and served up a lunch of quinoa salad and avocado.  Again, it hit the perfect note.  I don't get many veggies when out on the bike and was SOOOOOOO happy for them!

Eventually it was time to start packing and saying our goodbyes.  I regret I couldn't stay another day but the tide and time wait for no man, and I have many dates to keep and many miles before I sleep.  Nancy escorted me out of the building and this time the parting was a sad one knowing I wouldn't soon return.

Sarah is like a sister to me.  Nancy is like a mother, and has been so wonderful to me.  I loved every minute of her company and relaxed like I haven't been able to since before I left on this trip.  I'm sure we'll see each other again this year, but I will always cherish the time we had to visit and get to know one another better.  Thank you for everything Nancy!  I couldn't have asked for a better host and friend on this trip!

After parting I went out to the road, checked the directions on my phone, and had another small cry from the parting.

The ride was almost identical to the one I'd done from Hope to Langley the week before.  Because of this I didn't take many pictures!  But there were some highlights to share.

When I arrived in the Lower Mainland a friend asked me if I'd seen Mount Baker.  I had no idea what they were asking about, so assumed the answer was no.  Today I found Mount Baker though!  It was in the distance - located in Washington State - and was towering over everything else around.  It was half snow covered which only helped articulate it's size:

At some point I passed a kind of kids park/petting zoo thing and passed this gem:

At some point I saw a border crossing into the US, only helping to solidify how close I was to the US!

As I kept going East the mountains came closer and closer.  The valley met the hills, and I was slowly running out of flat land.  Fortunately the flat lands kept going up the valley and I passed dairy farms, hazelnut farms, and MANY berry farms.  Strawberries were about to come into season and the air was sweet with the smell of berries.

The farmland around here requires irrigation, and its common to see elaborate sprinkler systems watering the fields.  The water seems to sit in the ditches around the fields and I doubt it moves or drains.  Combined with fertilizer and manure it creates some pretty unsightly water!

I eventually reached Chilliwack and whereas I'd skirted around it last time, I now headed straight into it.  I went through the section of town that sits along the highway: light industrial buildings, fast food restaurants.  The local transit workers were on strike, and rang my bell as I passed them.

Eventually I passed into residential Chilliwack along the river.  It was gorgeous.  My goal was found soon thereafter.  The house of my cousin Joel.  He was out when I arrived but made sure I could get in.  I showered, typed up a blog post, and then Joel returned.

Joel is a cousin and we're related through our grandparents.  More than that however, we grew up on the same street and our families had been close.  His brother had been one of my closest friends in elementary school.  We hadn't been in contact for almost 25 years, but there was never a moment where I thought this might be an awkward reunion.  We grew up in a tight knit community.  I think any of us could drop in on one another and it would be like old times.

And it was.

We shared a beer and I met his family (I'm going to be intentionally vague about them to protect their privacy).  We spent a long time catching each other up on where each of our family members were and our own histories over the last 25 years.  We had a remarkable amount in common but also lots of interesting differences.

Dinner was steak, veggies, and sweet potato fries.  I took the first bite of steak and realized it might have been years since I'd last had one.  The flavour immediately unlocked something deep down that said "You've been wasting time not eating steak more often!".  His family is awesome.  It was the little things.  The smirks, the mischievous sense of humour, just a small movement of the eyes...they all reminded me of their relatives I'd grown up with in Ayer's Cliff.  And they really funny.

I've spent most of my life single.  This is largely because I've felt that I had other things to do before I could move in the direction of a relationship and family.  At times I've wondered if I'd made the right choices, but largely was too focused on school/career to get caught up on it.  Visiting so many people recently who have taken steps on that path has had me thinking about it again.  But sitting around that table with such an awesome family has made me realize what I might be missing out on.  Because it was an incredible group of people and I loved every minute I spent with them.  This is to say that you're all awesome and I hope it's not another 25 years before we see each other again!

No photos of this part of the trip for privacy reasons!  Thank you to Joel for taking in this rolling stone!