September 30th, 2014
Facts about Shames Mountain
Located 35 Km west of Terrace BC, Shames is a small ski area in huge terrain. Just the drive to the resort on a clear day is worth the trip for the spectacular views of the coast range. With only one double chair, a T bar and beginners handle tow, this area can’t handle a lot of skiers, but then it doesn’t have to.
With 1600 feet of vertical, 28 Trails and 45 hectares (111 acres) of Natural Glades it is not Whistler but with an average snowfall of 1,200cm (40 feet) a year there is plenty. In fact, Shames supposedly holds the record for the most annual snowfall of any lift-operated ski area in North America.
Today’s Highlights
Andrew writes: Snacktime on the bridge…stopping ‘early’…
Cycling Stats
Starting point: Terrace, BC
End Point: Exstew Rest Stop
40.7 km travelled
16.1 km/h average speed
47.9 km/h maximum speed
2:32 time on the bike
What happened…
Andrew writes: Waking up and making love…what better way is there to start the day I ask you? If you agree, be sure to give your loved one a squeeze tomorrow morning and see where the universe takes you.
Cheryl treated us to a lovely zucchini and bernaise omelette this morning. Her homemade rhubarb-raspberry jam on toast was a real treat as well. Then we set about packing our bags and bikes. Both Sandy and Cheryl came outside to keep us company, and ask us questions about our biking setup. I taunted Cheryl to give Amanda’s bike a quick-spin, but I think she was a little put off about riding in sandals on a 160lb bike; fair enough.
We put Terrace in the rear-view mirror around 11am and rode along flat road on the north side of the Skeena River for about 40km before stopping for lunch at the Exstew Rest Area. While Amanda was making lunch I decided to put up a tarp, since it was raining off and on again today, and in the end we just elected to stay the night. It’s such a nice relaxed feeling just deciding to camp off the cuff, as opposed to frantically trying to find ‘the perfect spot’ as the sun is going down.
We still have about 100km to Prince Rupert, and three days before our ferry leaves. Tomorrow will likely be a lot like today was. Gosh, I hope so!
Amanda writes:There’s a few luxuries in the life that I’ve noticed I’ve been missing. When Andrew and I sleep we usually sleep bare skinned and tangled in the sheets. If you were to come into our room and see the legs tangled together you wouldn’t know whose is whose (except for maybe Andrew’s hairy legs). We’ve also intertwined ourselves and been very comfortable wrapping ourselves around each other. In our tent, we both have shaped individual sleeping bags which up to this point have been zipped up to our chins and we’re both buried in our respective bags with wool layers underneath. There have been few nights of falling asleep cuddling in each others arms. I miss that. Sleeping in a bed for two nights allowed us to snuggle. We didn’t sleep bare skinned as it’s not our home but just enjoying Andrew’s embrace reminded me how much I miss it.
Another intimate luxury we used to enjoy at home was bathing together. Showers were very common and baths were occasional and more of a treat. And while we didn’t shower together as Andrew ended up going out for a beer with Sandy, it’s something that I’m sure we’ll enjoy in the near future when we splurge and get a hotel. At this point the hot shower on my own was a delight. And what can I say, my day started with a warm embrace and a hot shower; that should guarantee a good day!