Or by another title we have given it,“Richard and Debbie’s Great Adventure”. Yes,as I am sure you have figured out by now,today’s blog entry (as well as the next few) are not about cycling. What?? A cycling blog talking about something other than cycling,that shouldn’t be…it’s….wrong.
Anyway back to the purpose of this post,our “Great Adventure”. Not only is this week a great adventure for us,being our 35th and getting to this point in time a ‘great adventure’as well,it is also our first vacation away from home in quite a few years. Preparing for this trip the past week has allowed me some time to reflect on just what a wonderful adventure it has been for the two of us with highs and lows but far more highs than lows. Sickness and health,richness and poorness,love and sorrow,laughter and tears. In other words many of those things you say in your wedding vows which only really sink in when you experience life together in this great adventure called marriage. I wouldn’t trade a single minute of it for anything. It has been quite a story,but that is not what this entry is about,it is about our trip to Saltspring and Victoria for our 35th Anniversary.
So here we are today and have embarked on a mini “Great Adventure”and as I write this we are sitting in our room at the amazing Hastings House Country House Hotel. We left home a bit early on Saturday as Debbie was a bit ‘ansty’to be on our way. Since we had plenty of time we decided to stop at our favourite Starbucks at 200th St and 86th for a coffee to start the day. The power went off as we were waiting for our drinks so the trip started a bit ominously. We soon discovered that the power outage was a little more widespread than the local Starbucks. Our attempts to leave Langley were thwarted by a traffic jam on 200th Street due to traffic lights not working. I turned off 200th and took an alternate route and we were on our way.
I think Debbie's excited about the trip,
It was a beautiful day and we arrived at the ferry terminal in plenty of time allowing us to relax and enjoy the ocean breeze while sitting at a picnic table next to the car. The ferry ride on the Queen of Nanaimo allowed us more time to relax as we ate our lunch and then ventured out onto the deck to admire the views and let someone else do the “driving”.
Not having been to Saltspring Island before,this was a new adventure for us. We weren’t disappointed because from the moment we drove off the ferry and into Ganges we fell in love with the place.
We drove into Ganges to have a look around the village before checking into our hotel since check-in time wasn’t until 3 and we had arrived in Ganges just before 2 PM. It turns out that there is a weekly Saturday Market Place in the village every Saturday between April and October so we decided to take in the local color and characters. We ended up meeting some of the most friendly and fascinating people we have ever met,as welll as a few ‘characters’,of which there are more than a few. But the atmosphere,the tranquility and the easy going manner of the people here was enviable and a very welcome change from the stress and much more hurried lifestyle even in Langley. Each person here I am sure had there own story have what brought them to Saltspring Island and what keeps them here. To find out more I purchased a book written by local writer Roger Brunt titled The Salt Spring Chronicles that tells the stories of several of the local residents and how they came to be residents of this beautiful place.
A view of Ganges Harbour from our room.
Upon checking into our room at Hastings House we were taken on a short tour of the place and given a short history by very friendly and attentive staff. This place has greatly exceeded our expectations with beautiful scenery,lovely english style gardens and with a beautiful view of Ganges Harbour. It very much is a park like setting and we have been treated like royalty. If you are looking for excitement and bustling activity,then this isn’t the place for you. It is instead the picture of peace and tranquility and has an amazing atmosphere and leaves you with an overwhelming feeling of harmony and peace. We can’t wait to explore the immediate surroundings and gardens. It is a very historic place where they also grow some of the herbs,vegetables and even lamb for their highly rated restuarant which we will get to experience on Sunday for our anniversary dinner. In the meantime,we were able to enjoy an afternoon tea served from a beautifully restored former living room adjacent to the dining room. We took our iced tea and snacks out to the patio to relax and take in the surroundings. After tea we wandered to the grounds and sat in a couple of the Adirondack chairs situated around an open green space overlooking the harbour. After a long day,we retired to our room and sat up for a while quietly reading and reviewing the day. Life is good.
The beautiful thing about riding a bike is that it will take you places you can’t go by car and allow you to see things would wouldn’t normally see while driving or even as a passenger as the scenery passes you by so quickly you end up missing so much. Not so on a bike and it can take you exploring in places difficult to get to otherwise. If you see something interesting,you stop and enjoy. If you see a road or trail you haven’t explored before,away you go. If you meet someone interesting you stop and have a wee chat. It is an amazing experience and if you don’t walk,run or cycle,you are missing a great deal of what our local environment has to offer along with some amazing scenery and experiences. And if you think “normal”cycling can be amazing,cycling with a recumbent trike is an order of magnitude more amazing. On the trike I have my own natural “3D big screen”with a 270° view without me turning my head.
One of the most wonderful aspects of cycling is the ability to just head out on a ride..anywhere,no destination in mind nor route planned,just go wherever the road/trail and your feet take you. This past Sunday was precisely one of those days for me. I had originally planned to go for a ride on Saturday morning but a call from the bike shop who sold me my trike called to say the remaining accessories I originally ordered with the trike had arrived. This meant a trip into Vancouver to pick them up and a bit of shopping on the way home.
After arriving home,I installed the accessories which included a side bar for holding a handlebar bag,new pedal straps and a front light mount. While I was at it I re-installed my homemade lighting system as Fall and darker evenings will be here soon enough. This ended up taking me well into the evening so a Saturday ride was out. I had not intended to ride on Sunday,but with the beautiful sunny day,my trike was calling my name so out I went leaving home at about 11:30 AM. Here are some photos taken along the way.
I headed out toward Glen Valley,along 240th where I came across several cyclists riding in the RSVP event from Seattle to Vancouver. I knew of the ride this weekend,but thought it was the usual Friday and Saturday and was not expecting to see them on Sunday. I ended up riding along with several,talking to a few as I rode. I would soon leave and re-join them at various points along my way as they cycled some of the same route as I did. I stopped briefly at Muench Bar picnic site and then over the Golden Ears bridge (encountering and riding with more RSVP riders). After getting over the bridge I decided to look for a coffee shop I had heard of from a Velomobile builder who lives in Maple Ridge and wrote in his blog about it. That’s when I discovered the very picturesque Shoreline Park along the Fraser River with a view of Barnston Island to the south. I stopped for a coffee and a delectable chocolate dessert (it’s okay I burned that off quickly enough ). I then discovered a trail along the Fraser and decided to follow it which was a part of the Pitt River Greenway. I rode all the way along to and under the Pitt River bridge and back via a paved MUP that runs parallel to the Lougheed Hwy and back via Harris Road,Airport way and the Golden Ears bridge. Here is a map and data of the route taken.
It was a very soggy morning as we started out from Fort Langley to head to the Tynehead Park Trail opening and ribbon cutting ceremony in Surrey. The Fort Langley group ride was organized as a Valley VeloRiders ride and I was joined on the ride by Will Danicek and Angus Hawksby. Only the three of us turned out for today’s event and ride from Fort Langley. There were two other cycling groups setting out to support this event. A group from Maple Ridge (see Alex Hope’s blog post and photos) and a group coming from Surrey’s King George Sky Train station were also planning to be at the event. We met with most of them at Tynehead. No doubt the poor weather had a great deal to do with the low turnout,but in spite of it we all had a great ride and a great time. Due to the weather Angus and I (Will continued on to Barnston Island) returned back to Fort Langley a slightly more direct route than planned via the Golden Ears Way multi-use path and 96th Ave.
Here is a map of the entire ride. The intent from our group was to attempt to ride as much of the route there and back as off the road as possible using area trails and multi-use paths. Our intent was for the ride to be a leisurely family friendly ride to demonstrate that there are a growing number of family safe areas to bicycle. With the addition of the new Tynehead Park trail,a connection to North Surrey from North Langley and Maple Ridge now exists beyond 176th where the Golden Ears Way multi-use path ends. With the addition of the new Tynehead overpass,Barnston Island is also more accessible via a safer route.
The three of us arrived at Tynehead in plenty of time taking a short trip to the bridge for photos before heading back around the Tynehead trail to join others at the ribbon cutting at 11:30. After cycling west on the trail which was quite a downhill,we stopped briefly at the VACC booth to have a look at the display and chat with a couple of other cyclist gathered there before heading to the bridge. As it was quite a hill back the way we came and to give Angus a breather as his asthma was acting up in the muggy wet weather we headed back by choosing the more northerly section of the trail which was much less of a hill. It also gave us an opportunity to check out some of the other information displays along the way. After returning back to the park entrance we arrived just in time for the ceremony. Through representation from Surrey (Bob Bose),Langley (Gayle Martin) and Coquitlam (Richard Stewart),as well as City of Surrey and Metro Vancouver Parks staff we were given a summary of the project and a little bit of the history of the park and trail project. The federal government was also thanked for their contribution of $1 million which allowed the trail to be paved. After the short speeches Bob,Gayle,Richard proceeded to the vine ribbon prepared by Metro Vancouver Parks staff for the ribbon cutting ceremony and photo opportunity.
All told about 40-50 people braved the poor weather to turn out for the event. Around the park trail there were interpretive displays and booths set up,including one from the Vancouver Area Cycling Coalition. Caterers were also present to provide food and beverages allowing us to gather and sit at the wet picnic benches to eat as the rain let up somewhat. As we “refueled”we had the opportunity to hear from Richard Stewart who provided some insight into the issues and many jurisdictions that are involved in such projects. He was able to illustrate to us some of the complexities involved which gave many of us more of an appreciation for what it takes to take on and complete such a project let alone get it off the ground. It further illustrated to us that advocacy for such facilities and infrastructure has to be thought of as long term commitments by all involved.
I had been around this trail a few weeks prior to be a bit prepared for today’s ride and as mentioned even though the weather was less than ideal it did nothing to “dampen”our spirits and I believe everyone had a great time and enjoyed seeing this new park and trail with its focus on being pedestrian,cycling and family friendly in an area also seeing such massive urban growth alongside infrastructure that is assuredly not pedestrian,cycling,or family friendly. It shows more than anything,that one type of infrastructure does not have to be sacrificed in favor of another,and that there is room and a need for both.
It was a short bike ride today. It would normally have been a group ride for an informal cycling group that I lead called Valley VeloRiders but likely due to other commitments I was the only one of the group took advantage of the fine cycling weather for today’s ride.
It was a great day for a bike ride and the weather couldn’t be better. I had thought of doing a much longer bike ride today,but with the Canada Day ride last week I am ahead of schedule for meeting my distance goal for the month and I did have a few things to take care of at home. Besides Debbie and I had agreed to meet at Euphoria Chocolates for coffee and a muffin after the ride. We then decided to enjoy the rest of the day together.
Well since the title of this post is “Another milestone”I had better get on with just what that milestone is. With today’s ride I have just passed the 10,000 km mark since I started recording my cycling distance in March 2008. I had just started back into cycling casually a couple of years prior to that after a 30 year hiatus. Most of this is covered in my “About”and in previous blog posts,but the gist of it is that I only started into cycling as a casual interest to supplement other methods of exercise I started in 2004 to do something about my rapidly declining health and dramatically increasing weight. Well little did I know just what this “casual”cycling interest would lead to and now here I am 10,000 km later even more committed to cycling than ever. Many non cycling friends and aquaintences have thought me crazy and/or obsessed,but if they were to truly understand what cycling has done for me they might reconsider. It is currently one of the most important aspects of my life and when increased levels of chronic pain threatened to cut it short,I stubbornly refused to accept it and found another way to keep cycling. And here I am now 10,000 km later,over 4000 km of which have now been ridden on my recumbent trikes.
Cycling has become as much an emotional,spiritual and physical experience that many cannot comprehend. In the 3 1/4 years it has taken me to reach 10,000 km,I have participated in and successfully completed,the following events:
To some completing these events and accumulating 10,000 km cycling may not seem like a major accomplishment as I know many cyclists that regularly cycle 8000+ km per year,but all of these personal milestones were hard fought considering that when I started an exercise plan in 2004 at 50 years old even walking 100 meters was an extremely painful experience. However I persevered through the pain having been inspired by others far worse off than I. Few can imagine the emotion that consumed me after completing the first BC Lung Trek for Life charity bike ride.
There is much more to come as I have just made a further commitment to long distance cycling by joining the BC Randonneurs Cycling club submitting my application on July 1 at the Canada Day Populaire registration.
So here is a summary report of what 10,000 km on a bike looks like.
Progress Summary Report for rjedge1954
Count:
768 Activities
Distance:
10,002.89 km
Time:
508:06:26 h:m:s
Elevation Gain:
77,459 m
Avg Speed:
19.8 km/h
Avg HR:
141 bpm
Avg Run Cadence:
–
Avg Bike Cadence:
84 rpm
Calories:
411,202 C
Here is the map and data for the ride today which helped me to reach this 10,000 km milestone.
I close with one of my favourite quotes and part of my email signature.
“Pain is temporary. It may last a minute,or an hour,or a day,or a year,but eventually it will subside and something else will take its place. If I quit,however,it lasts forever.”–Lance Armstrong
I was having a bad day after spilling coffee all over the kitchen floor,breaking the mop handle in an attempt to clean it up and being unable to concentrate on my studying for the Canadian Investment Funds training course so I decided to go for a bike ride to hopefully clear my head. The stress of work,extra studying for the insurance course,mutual funds training course,and exams have been taking their toll. I needed to get some fresh air,so a leisurely bike ride was in order. I took both my Canon T90 camera and the GoPro to hopefully get some photos/videos of the eagles nesting by Derby Reach or whatever else looked like a good photo/video subject. I took some video while riding and got some good shots at Derby Reach so I at least made some use of the time. I just need to do some editing of the videos,develop the film so I can see the results.
I did manage to get a look at one of the eagles in the nest through my binoculars,but nothing that would have made for a good photo. Another day maybe. After stopping for a while looking for activity around the eagles nest it was now getting later in the afternoon,I called Debbie at work to meet me at Derby Reach where we had a sandwich and enjoyed the beautiful evening and view together. I needed this to re-energize and get back on track as I have classes for the CIFC all day Saturday and Sunday and then the exam on Monday.
Alas,the day was salvaged and ended on a high note. Here is the route.
As we start another month and end the first quarter for 2011,it seems fitting for me to do a review of my cycling season so far. For many people cycling season is just starting. I am not just referring to people in colder and more snow bound climates. Even here in lotus land this is the case for many cyclists. I can’t say I blame them as we do not live in the best of year round climates,but I do think that we live in a climate that does allow for cycling year round.
You see for me cycling season starts on Jan 1 and ends on Dec 31. This was a decision I made a couple of years ago because the benefit of doing so far outweighed any inconvenience or discomfort that may come my way due to inclement weather. In fact the more I ride in inclement weather,the greater my tolerance is for even poorer conditions. It’s funny how that works. My varied weather riding experiences have also helped me to put together a collection of gear that enables me cycle year round as comfortably as possible.
But I digress,back to the subject of this post which is a first quarter cycling review. It was a pretty good winter and so far this year I have managed to get in more cycling than either of the last two years in spite of a much more hectic life. So far my cycling has only been interrupted by a week in January due to a bad cold,and a week and a half in late March due to a very painful attack of gout.
So here are my first quarter cycling statistics.
Total Distance Cycled:635 km Recumbent Trike distance:291 Dahon Folding Bike Distance:344 km Total Calories burned:23,155 No. of Bike Commutes:74 Elevation Gain:5,643 meters CO2 Saved:0.11 tonnes
I log all of my rides using a Garmin Edge 305,Blackberry Bold 9700 with GPSpeedometer and an online tracking service called RideWithGPS. I also take photos and videos of many of my rides using a variety of camera gear. My ride photos can be found at my Flickr and Zenfolio photo sites and the videos which I am just starting to get into can be found on my You Tube Channel.
I still have some cycling goals to achieve beyond my monthly,quarterly,and annual distance goals and hope to achieve my 10,000 km goal (since starting cycling seriously in March 2008) by the end of June. My lifetime cycling goal is to simply keep on cycling as long as I am alive.
Well,here I am at the 2nd Annual Vancouver Tweed Ride where there are about 30 other like minded cyclists gathered to have some fun on our bikes and strut our stuff. Other photos of the ride can be found on my Flickr site.
Due to the poor weather the ride will shorter than planned. We will be cycling from Stanley Park ride along the Hornby bike lanes and then stop to cheer on a bike Polo game. While stopped at the game prizes were given for the best mustache,most dashing Lady,most dapper Dan,and the “tweediest”. What a surprise when I won the prize for looking the tweediest.
After this we would then end up at the London Pub on Main Street for a nosh and to imbibe in a finely brewed beverage and discuss the day’s events. I decided not to join in as it was getting late in the afternoon and I didn’t want to keep Debbie and Lisa-Marie waiting any longer. I cycled to the CN station on main and called Debbie to pick me up.
In spite of the weather I felt the ride was a great success and was the most fun I have had in the rain since I was a kid. It didn’t hurt winning the prize for being the “tweediest”
You have to wonder were this country’s environmental priorities are when an Environmental Assessment that took only a few months glosses over the impact of 3.7 million tonnes of greenhouse gases the tar sand project would emit annually,but bike lanes in Toronto which shouldn’t even require an Environmental Assessment takes a year just to find an E.A. consultant to prepare the report. The full sad details are in the link below.
There have been many changes over the half century or so that I have inhabited this this earthly realm with many of these changes positive,but too large a number have been less than positive. Many of them have been dramatic and would be too numerous to count. Since this is mostly a cycling oriented blog and as I am also involved in local cycling advocacy I will limit my comments to that subject. This is probably no surprise to most people who know me as it is a subject I am passionate about. The reasons for which are covered in other posts on this blog.
Anyway,onto the subject of this discourse has been a while in coming. One of the less positive changes that have occurred since my early school years is the visible lack of children cycling to school and the dramatic increase in motorized transportation to and from school. I’m not talking about buses,but children being driven to school by their parents. I know that one of the reasons given for this has been the danger to children due to the many predators out there but that is a subject for another time. I would certainly not want to minimize this or the legitimate concerns by loving parents but I am not an alarmist either and believe that there are ways to minimize this danger and allay parental fears. I also believe that cycling to school,particularly in numbers would be safer than walking in this instance but again that is a subject for another day.
Another change that I find discouraging is the apparent lack of outdoor activity with children today. This is obvious when traveling through residential neighbourhoods and seeing very few children playing outdoors or even visible outdoors. This has had rather dramatic negative results and is being reported on an increasing level in the last few years. Epidemic obesity,diabetes and many other negative health issues are being reported on a nearly daily basis. Oh sure you say,we know this is happening with adults and many of us are in this boat (myself included but happily now in the past tense). My real concern here is the alarming news of what is occurring with childrens’health at an epidemic rate in younger and younger children.
Well there is good news. Part of this good news is that there are solutions and I firmly believe that cycling is one solution to this problem with so many additional benefits. The health aspects I can personally attest to. If at the venerable age of 56 and in a few years I can reduce my weight by 70 lbs,reduce my blood pressure,cholesterol and blood sugar (I am diabetic) to the point that I am medication free then think of the positive results in a much younger body with its ability to recover much faster. Additionally,the dramatically improved cardiovascular and overall fitness along with the many environmental benefits make it a win-win situation for all. It is for these reasons that I have so much trouble comprehending the all too frequent anti-cycling sentiment I see in so much media today. Increased cycling benefits everyone,from reduce health care costs,lower absenteeism due to health issues,reduced GHG emissions,reduced dependence on oil. It even benefits those who appear to be the most resistant,motorists. I am not so naive as to suggest that cycling for transportation is for everyone (though certainly recreational or fitness cycling is) but for every person that decides to cycle instead of drive it means one less car on the road. If enough of those people for whom cycling is a viable means of transportation did so then we would see very dramatic and visible changes.
Reduced GHG emissions.
This would be very visible in a very short period of time. Just as I have seen a dramatic increase in the smog levels in the last few years in the Metro Vancouver area in pace with the increase in population and resultant increase in motor vehicle traffic,I am sure that with a dramatic increase in cycling and transit for transportation we could see this improve in short order. For the first time in my memory,we had air quality warnings for several days in April 2010. I was dramatic enough that I recall that the North Shore mountains were hidden by a smog haze during this period. Having been born and raised here,I have never seen this occur that early in the year. Over the last 10+ years,this was an event for the summer during those hot inversion layer days,but never before June. Unless there is a change in culture,this is only going to get worse.
This improvement will be seen all the way from Vancouver to Hope. What many people may not realize is that decisions regarding motorized traffic in Vancouver affect those of us out in the valley in a dramatic way. Because our weather systems for the most part move from west to east and due to the geographical make-up of this area pollution generated in Vancouver has a huge impact to us living farther east. It simply funnels up the valley and is hemmed in around us by those same mountains. This year I have seen more days when the mountains to the north and east were totally obscured by smog than at at any time in the past,and it is getting worse not better. Along with it are increased lung health issue by many affected already by compromised respiratory system.
lReduced GHG’s have been shown to occur elsewhere where cycling as transportation is actively encouraged and is now at a level in some cities in Europe that cycling is the preferred method of transportation. Many countries and cities in Europe have recognized this much sooner than we have and are way ahead of us on this. To those that say,well that’s fine for them but we have weather issues. Well I have some news for you,many of these cities in Europe have the same issues but enjoying a “cycling as transportation”participation rate as high 30-40%,and they cycle (as I do) through the winter as well.
Reduced Traffic Congestion
Yes even here in Langley where I live there is traffic congestion. Anyone traveling around certain areas of Langley will recognize this. Areas such as Glover Road (Langley Bypass to Springbook),208th street (64th to 88th) and 200th street anywhere near Willowbrook Mall. In fact around Willowbrook Mall,it has has been recently acknowledged by Langley city/township officials that 200th street has now reached its capacity at certain times of the day and there is no more room for road infrastructure changes to improve the situation and the Township is now looking at 196th or 192 as a possibility to offload some of this traffic.
On Saturday afternoon were in Abbotsford to do some shopping and I was shocked at how that area has been impacted by traffic congestion. It has been a while since I have driven out there and the change was very visible. I commented as such to my wife at the time. As someone who has to drive to Abbotsford on a daily basis to work she acknowledged my observation indicating that she has seen this increase over time.
This post is starting to get a little long here so I will get to the point and reason I was prompted to write this. In spite of the bad news,I was greatly encouraged today by a You Tube video I saw posted on Copenhagenize which is a blog about the subject of cycling as transportation. The really
encouraging thing about this video is that it involves some of the very people I have had on my mind of late,children. Specifically in this case it is the least likely segment I would have expected this positive change to come from,high school kids. Shame on me for my preconceptions. This is certainly one area that I don’t mind being corrected on,the idea of high schools kids not only adopting cycling as transportation,but doing so safely. They are not only obeying the rules of the road,but teaching others to do so as well and in a area known to be one of the most cycling *unfriendly* areas in North America,Florida. Anyways,here is the video. It is important to *listen* to what these kids are saying as well as viewing what they are doing.
Maybe change is on the way after all. To see these high school kids go to the effort to make such a positive change in their community and area of influence is indeed encouraging.
After a wet weekend,which we have not seen in over a month,it was nice to have a dry morning for my bike commute to work. Don’t get me wrong,the rain was welcome and much needed. Things had become pretty dry around here. The weather report indicated that it was cooler this morning,but it didn’t feel any cooler than previous morning rides. It is interesting that in the last month with the beautiful and hot weather we have been having,I have been seeing quite a few other bicycle commuters but this morning,not so much. My morning ride data is below.
Anyway,it was a pretty uneventful ride but nice to be back on the bike after a couple of days watching the garden get watered without me having to do anything. At least it meant I got to watch a bit of soccer over the weekend. A good preparation for the start of the English Premier League season coming this weekend. I am looking forward to it. After checking the upcoming TV schedule,it looks like I will will still be able to watch 3 EPL games each weekend and in HD with having to re-subscribe to Setanta. That will save me some money which is a good thing. Besides Setanta’s pre,halftime and post game coverage is really bad as in almost non-existant. From what I can see,TSN HD,Rogers SportsNet HD and Score HD will all get different games at different times on the weekends and that is definitely a good thing.
As the Whitecaps go,they are still doing well and still at the top of the NASL conference but it it won’t be until the end of the month for another home game as thay are on a long 5 game away trip. Excitement is continuing to build as their entry into the MLS is getting closer. There has been quite a bit of player acquisition and releases of late as I assume they continue to build towards the MLS season. Marlon James,follows Justin Moose as they have both been released recently and the Whitecaps have signed striker Jonathan McDonald from Club Sport Herediano of Costa Rica’s Primera Division. The Whitecaps have also have traded midfielders Ricardo Sánchez and Jonathan Steele to FC Tampa Bay for future considerations. Things are looking up for an exciting first season in the MLS.
). I then discovered a trail along the Fraser and decided to follow it which was a part of the Pitt River Greenway. I rode all the way along to and under the Pitt River bridge and back via a paved MUP that runs parallel to the Lougheed Hwy and back via Harris Road,Airport way and the Golden Ears bridge. Here is a map and data of the route taken.
