Tuesday 12 August 2014

Ode to Canada's Highway 3

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Canada's Highway number 3
Yes siree it's the 3 for me
Hwy 3's the one I like
Cruisin' along on my bike
From the Pacific to the flat Prairie
Hwy 3's the place to be

At dawn every day, back on the move
Mp3 pumping, I'm back in the groove
At dusk every day it's time to stop riding
Find a safe camp and go into hiding

Vancouver to Hope, rode with Bruce
Wind behind us, fast and loose

Hwy 3, in the breeze
Up the Anarchist Pass it's a puff and a wheeze
Met crazy Paul running down - crazy way into town!

Highway 3 here we go
Up the hills I'm pretty slow
But once I'm on the other side
Hang on tight enjoy the ride

Who'd've known: Canada makes wine
Thousands of acres of grapes on the vine

Riding the Rockies, blimey it's hot!
Cycling these mountains takes all I've got

On the Paulson Pass met Chris n Andy
Missing his wife, getting quite...hungry

At 20k an hour I see a lot more
Breath-taking scenery; wide-open jaw
Summits & lakes, torrents & streams
Roadside vendors selling fruit & ice creams

Hundred miles a day it's an 8-day ride
Over high passes and down other side
20k an hour, enjoying the views
Detached from reality, missing the news

At noon if I can I jump in a stream
Rinse out my kit, get myself clean
At the end of the week I'll find a motel
Jump in the bathtub to soak out the smell

Maple syrup on my pancakes
Eggs & bacon, hashbrowns too
Sausage ham & tomato
Coffee please - and where's the loo?

Hwy 3 for he who dares
Watch out for grizzly, black & brown bears
Hwy 3, who dares wins
$2,000 for littering - use the bear-proof bins!

Half way up the mountain is the place that I stop, it's neither at the bottom nor at the top
Half way up the mountain is the place that I sit - there's no other place quite like it
[apols to AA Milne]

Hwy 3 feel the heat
Crazy suntan on my feet
Wind's been kind I'm glad to say
When it blows it goes my way

Chevys & Harleys, RVs, the odd truck
Watch out for cyclists, please give a...fig

One-armed Neil, still awheel
Cracking jokes every line
Lives in Creston, hi-vis vest on
Even in the bright sunshine

For the eyes it's a feast
Going west or going east
For the cyclist it's a test
Going east or going west

Hope to Princeton and beyond
Of hwy 3 we're getting fond
Rock Creek, Greenwood, Castlegar
Hwy 3's the best by far
Glad I'm not stuck in a car

Continental divide at the Crowsnest Pass
Downhill to New York from here?
You betcha sweet ass!
Out of the Rockies
Onto the plains
Down on the Prairie
Where it seldom rains

Gettin' my kicks
Climbs not too steep
Route 66: watch and weep!
Also known as the Crowsnest
Highway 3. It's the best!