Randolph Westphal is not your average tourist. This German visitor, along with his two dogs, Nanook and Chinook, is currently traveling through B.C. and Alberta, as part of a world wide tour to raise awareness about cancer, which he has been personally battling since 1987.
He has survived 28 cancer surgeries, and 40 operations on his left leg which he nearly lost in an accident in Argentina in 1996. Despite the hot weather, you will find him well covered from head to toe, a necessary precaution against the sun, especially as he suffers from skin cancer.
“On this particular part of my tour, I started in Vancouver, travelled to Hope, then up hill all the way to Manning Park - in the rain - this was not a small hill,” stated Westphal. “From there I went through Osoyoos, Revelstoke, Creston, Golden, and Lake Louise. Then Kenmore, Calgary and over Highway 11 to Jasper, leaving the rain and floods to follow behind me.
“When I reached McBride, I found out that between McBride and Prince George, there was nothing - no places to stop to recharge the batteries on my bike, which needs to be done approximately every 100 kilometers. So I changed my route and ended up in Clearwater where I stayed five nights.
“Everyone in B.C. is very friendly, and, especially in the smaller towns, my accommodation has been given to me - two nights at the Jasper Inn, two nights at the Clearwater Inn, and one night at the Wells Gray Inn, as well as one night here in Barriere at the Monte Carlo Motel. People are very generous when they hear that I ride for cancer awareness.”
Westphal and his dogs will be continuing south, leaving the Monte Carlo Motel at 5 a.m. on Wednesday morning for Kamloops. They travel in the early morning hours and stop around noon to avoid the worst of the afternoon heat of our interior summer weather.
For those who would like to read more about his travels, visit his website randolph-westphal.de.