Mel and Lisa in the McGill Alumni News!

MELANIE ARSENAULT, BEng’06, and LISA RANKEN, BEng’06

Mon, Jul 12, 2010

Alumni Update

They call themselves Pedaling Feat. Their mission is to raise $50,000 for the fight against cancer. Their method of choice: biking 6,000 kilometres across their home and native land, Canada.

Melanie Arsenault, BEng’06, and Lisa Ranken, BEng’06, make up this dynamic duo. Together, they left the Mile Zero marker in Victoria, B.C. on June 25, and they are now in the middle of a 70-day cycling trek that will end in Charlottetown, PEI, later this summer.

Along the way, they’re chronicling all the challenges and victories on a fun and enlightening blog, named after their team. Read it here >>

While both riders note that biking across Canada has been a lifelong dream, it was the lost of a close friend of Lisa’s that set the wheels in motion for their ambitious journey.

Funds raised through their efforts will benefit the research of Dr. John C. Bell at the Ottawa Hospital Research Institute.

Check out their website for more information >>

Click here to go to the McGill Alumni website.

Days 10 to 12 - Castlegar, BC to Revelstoke, BC

Day 10 - Castlegar, BC to New Denver, BC

The Slocan Valley is one of those places that few people know about, and those who do know about it want to keep it a secret. It is home two huge lakes, Upper and Lower Arrow Lakes, which are widening of the Columbia River and located between the Purcell and Kootenay Mountain ranges.

The ride had very little traffic and so we didn’t need Lois to follow us for most of the day. Bryan drove ahead and waited every 10km or so as we weaved through the twists and turns of the valley. The views were stunning, especially when the rain stopped in the afternoon.

There was no cell phone reception in the Valley, so when we arrived in New Denver we had to ask the locals where to camp. We had a mini celebration with fireworks on the beach that night! Nova had fun running around the park and meeting other campers.

Lisa found some lamas.

Day 11 - New Denver, BC to Halcyon Hot Springs

The Blondes arrived mid-morning to relieve Bryan from the driver duties and literally increase the chattiness of our adventure by 300%. Kirstin, Karin and Meghann showed up and the energy level of Pedaling Feat took a bounding leap forward. The girls brought their bikes, and each took turns riding with us for one third of the day.

A Lesson called: LOIS - Level 1

We arrived in Halcyon Hot Springs, and discovered the beauty of hot springs after a long day of riding. Not to mention the view of the mountains from our campsite... with red wine... life is rough!

Day 12 - Halcyon Hot Springs, BC to Revelstoke, BC

A not-so-early start got us going around 11am. We had a beautiful ferry ride across Upper Arrow Lake. There are plenty of free ferry services in BC, due to the abundance of huge lakes.

We rode 65km to Revelstoke in 30 degC weather, loving every minute of it (except when we had to send a scout car to look for more bears)!

Each girl brought something special to the ride.

Karin - Bears (3 sightings in 2 days, thanks Karin!)

Meghann - Rain and Song (It’s either raining or we’re singing while riding with this girl)

Kirstin - Hills galore (Minimum 6% uphill is Kirstin’s gift to us)

Days 8 and 9- Osoyoos, BC to Castlegar, BC

Day 8 - Osoyoos, BC to Grand Forks, BC

We were sad to leave the adorable town of Osoyoos, but we had to get an early start for our 100km day. We rode through Rock Creek to an adorable town called Greenwood.

It would be physically impossible not to stop in this town. It had a very "Olde West" atmosphere, and it felt like a John Wayne movie set from the 50's.

The ride into Grand Forks was windy and refreshing. Bryan and Nova were there to meet us! Nova looked even bigger than the last time we saw her in Calgary. After some hot dogs and s'mores, we were beat and in bed quite early.

Day 9 - Grand Forks, BC to Castlegar, BC

After saying goodbye to our driver/volunteer/entertainer of 7 days, Andres (and his girlfriend Jasmine), we were on the road to Bonanza Pass, a 1535m elevation pass through the Monashee Mountain range.

The climb started off gradual, so much so that Lisa was confused as to whether we were going up of down. I believe

the quote of the day was, "So, are we climbing? Because otherwise that was a really hard downhill." After dementia was over-ruled by Bryan and I, we decided not to put Lisa in Lois and take her to a doctor. Instead we continued climbing until the road narrowed and we were on our easiest gear and grunting up the mountain. It was a pleasant downhill coast into Castlegar where we found a nice campground on the river. Castlegar is situated in a large valley right at the point where the Kootenay River meets the Columbia River.

The best thing about Castlegar is that there is a DQ there.

Day 6: A whole lotta climbing!

Day 6: Princeton to Osoyoos, BC



The ride from Princeton to Osoyoos included over 1,600m of climbing through some of the most beautiful scenery yet. We saw Mule Deer and bambi, badgers and mountain sheep along the way. After 60 kilometers of riding, we ended the day off with a 20 km mountain climb, in the middle of the day, in the Canadian desert. Yes. We are nuts!









Team awesome. Roadside.










Osoyoos, BC




Osoyoos is the Canadian desert. It is home to rattle snakes and badgers. Also home of what they claim to be the biggest fireworks in all of Canada!!

The 20 km climb. Go legs go!

















Pedalers, after the 20 km uphill. We survived!










We had a great time in Osoyoos celebrating Canada Day! It started out with a yoga class to stretch out our sore muscles. Heavenly! We then headed to the pancake breakfast put on at the Town Hall and watched the parade go by. After the parade, we were joined by Jasmine, before heading to the local Desert Centre to learn about the Canadian desert. We were surrounded by cacti, sand, and low lying shrubbery - so unique! We then went around to wineries of the Okanagan Valley to taste the best wines Canada has to offer. It was a fantastic Canada Day. We ended it off with the 'biggest fireworks in Canada' - which was the perfect end to our day off.








Canada Day parade in Osoyoos. Best float of the entire event. Osoyoos Fire Fighters!















Pedaling Feat at the Church & State Winery in Osoyoos. Meet John - He donated $100 to the Ottawa Hospital Foundation. Great day!

Osoyoos, the following morning. Heading out for our 100 km ride to Grand Forks, BC (Day 8!)

Days 3 to 5: Bring on the Mountains!

Pedaling Feat takes on the mountains.

Sore bums, legs, arms, backs and shoulders aside... the last 5 days of riding through the mountain ranges and valleys have been incredible!

Day 3: Team Pedaling Feat in Hope, BC.

From hope to Manning Park (Day 3), we reached an altitude of 1,342 m! Most of the day was spent climbing to the summit where we found a great spot to park Lois for the night and make delicious pizzas on the campfire!

Top three highlights (we like to call them 'small victories'):

1. Reaching the summit of Allison Pass after countless kilometers uphill.

2. Lois' CAUTION sign is tied on tight. Safety first!

3. Many a local giving us supportive waves, honks and fist-pumps out the window, as we rode along.

On days 4 and 5 we rode from Manning Park to Keremeos, BC. The ride was full of small hills and beautiful valleys. We reached Keremeos to find fruit stands, wineries and dutch mills galore! We took a welcomed break and munched on some delicious Gouda cheeses, a wine tasting (or two) and stopped to pick up some local cherries. We then parked Lois for the night and broke out the Mexican food... fajitas!

Day 4: On our way to Princeton.
























Sunday Summit! The second highest point between Hope and Princeton, BC (Allison Pass being the first!).



















Mel and Andres (our awesome driver) farming in the cherry fields of Keremeos!

Cerilia Winery: One of the family-owned local wineries in Keremeos.

View of our campsite in Keremeos!

Days 1 and 2 - Victoria to Hope, BC.

Our jerseys were ready, bikes all tuned up, the hope of seeing a killer whale lingered and the anticipation of day 1 was upon us.








Mel and Lisa in our Pedaling Feat Jerseys.









We woke up on Friday morning to sunshine! Our team of five, including Saskia, our fellow rider for the day, and Jenny and Simon, our awesome drivers, met at Mile Zero to kick off our cross-Canada tour.





Mel and Lisa at Mile Zero, in Victoria, BC.













We made it to the ferry in no time (with a quick pit stop when Saskia's chain fell off!), and enjoyed a few hours of relaxation. We finished off the day with a 40 km ride to Langley, BC where we stayed at Eagle Wind RV park, which lucky for us, had a hot tub!!!

Mel and Lisa on the road from the ferry.

Day two started off cloudy and cool. The road was flat and the rain stayed away! We were surrounded by gorgeous mountains the whole ride and followed the Fraser River until we reached Hope, BC.

Once in Hope, we decorated Lois with our Pedaling Feat sign and relaxed in the sunshine to rest our sore legs (and bums!).

Simon and Lisa mounting the Pedaling Feat sign on Lois.

Mel, Lisa and Lois. Day Two - Langley to Hope, BC.

Lois on the road to Hope.

The next few days promise to be a challenge with mountains galore!

More Pedaling Feat adventures to come.

The Countdown is On!

We hit the road tomorrow morning at 8 a.m.!!

This past week has been a flurry of last-minute preparations and travel from Ottawa to Calgary and then from Calgary to Victoria in our fabulous RV, Lois. She is a 1985 Ford Corsair with attitude. We love her!

Kamloops pit stop. Lots of hills, but Lois took them all on without a hitch.

We spent two days on Vancouver Island at the Gillingham's relaxing and enjoying the outdoors. Susan and David spoiled us rotten with delicious seafood.

The Gillingham's Lighthouse. Beautiful!

We went on a little rowboat ride and were lucky enough to see a seal and some blue herons up close.

Click here to see a video of our discoveries while rowing!

More updates to come!

- Lisa and Mel