Day 11

Looking back at fifty, I can’t help but smile at the absurdity of Day 11. It started with Josh offering us his minivan and ended with us being "radio stars". I drove Josh to work, and we ended up in a radio booth where the DJs introduced us on the air. It was a bit surreal to be talking about our trip to the whole city of Kamloops, but I think we managed not to sound like complete fools.

The middle of the day was a frantic exercise in logistics. We had spent so much time meticulously packing for the train out west, and here we were, not even halfway through, trying to find bike boxes to "squish" our frames for a bus trip. But then came the final pivot—calling U-Haul and realizing it was actually cheaper and more flexible than the bus. It meant we could stop whenever we wanted and actually see the mountains we weren't biking over.

We treated Josh and his family to a pizza dinner to say thank you for their incredible warmth. Leaving family is always a bit tough, but we were eager to get moving. We didn't get much further than Sorrento before dark, but having the gear in the back of a truck felt like a strange kind of victory over the mountains—for now.

Josh has offered us the use of their minivan for the day. Blue and I Josh drop off at the University, but first Josh has to go a local radio station to give a weekly update. Josh and the DJs invite us into the booth and we get introduced "on the air". It was slightly unnerving but I am fairly confident that we did not make ourselves sound like fools.

Wendy and our friend who is with us were listening to us on the radio while we started calling bike stores for extra boxes. It is annoying having to repack our gear not even halfway through our trip. Our friend and Blue take the minivan to pick up boxes and we start disassembling the bikes and squishing them into the boxes.

We decide to try calling U-Haul again and it turns out to be cheaper than the bus. Wendy still has her cold and is feeling very worn out, so we settle on the U-Haul. It will allow us to have stops along the route and possibly take side trips. We treat the family to a pizza dinner, say our goodbyes, and start driving. We do not get far before it gets dark and we stop at a motel near Sorrento for the night.