Monday, September 05, 2005
Shopping Day
I didn't ride today. The weather wasn't actually that great this morning and I was greeted with this when I woke up....rain.
So I thought it would be a good day to head to the shops for a bit of retail therapy. I headed to the usual haunts MEC on west broadway, the boardroom and west beach on West 4th. I only left about lunchtime but I didn't get back till 6pm (which was too late for a quick visit to Fromme now that the weather had cleared). So I decided to make the most of the daylight I had left and I drove to the top of Seymour. I had done this before but I needed to go again! I took some more photos of course. It's a view of Deep Cove apparently.
After getting to the top I took a quick visit to Deep Cove. It's SO peaceful there. There are some houses on the shores and it would be an amazing place to live!!!
It was a pretty stressful day. I almost caused a couple of accidents around town! Nothing too bad though, it was all about not really knowing some of the local road rules... Also while I was driving out of a car park in Deep Cove I started driving on the wrong side of the road. Some poor lady was coming the other way and probably didn't know what was going on!
I didn't get all the shopping I wanted to do done so I'll have to brave the rush again when I'm in Van next....without the car this time!
So I thought it would be a good day to head to the shops for a bit of retail therapy. I headed to the usual haunts MEC on west broadway, the boardroom and west beach on West 4th. I only left about lunchtime but I didn't get back till 6pm (which was too late for a quick visit to Fromme now that the weather had cleared). So I decided to make the most of the daylight I had left and I drove to the top of Seymour. I had done this before but I needed to go again! I took some more photos of course. It's a view of Deep Cove apparently.
After getting to the top I took a quick visit to Deep Cove. It's SO peaceful there. There are some houses on the shores and it would be an amazing place to live!!!
It was a pretty stressful day. I almost caused a couple of accidents around town! Nothing too bad though, it was all about not really knowing some of the local road rules... Also while I was driving out of a car park in Deep Cove I started driving on the wrong side of the road. Some poor lady was coming the other way and probably didn't know what was going on!
I didn't get all the shopping I wanted to do done so I'll have to brave the rush again when I'm in Van next....without the car this time!
Sunday, September 04, 2005
First day of riding....
Well today was the day to finally get some riding in. I've been trying to hook up with some local people via some websites but I didn't manage it today.
So I borrowed Jens car, piled the bike into the back and headed out to Burnaby Mountain. I've ridden here before but I can't really remember where. Being my own tour guide this time really helped and I recognised some of the trails that I did. I asked some locals some directions and headed down (or up!) the first trail I could find. Later on I discovered the name was Dead Moped (apparently). I quickly abandoned it though in favour of riding up the gravel road. I eventually made it to a road that woudl take me to the top of the hill (Simon Fraser Uni) but I opted to follow the advice I'd been given and push up (backwards) a trail called Mels. It was a pretty hard push and I actually ended out going down the wrong trail! Of course I only found that out once I looked at the map again.. It was quite short and pretty unsatisfying so I went to the top again in search of the trail I intended to go down, Upper & Lower Snake. The push up seemed much shorter this time and at the start of Snake I met up with a guy called Matt who was riding a Stinky. He suggested that I miss upper snake and offered to show me nicoles. It was good to be riding with someone so I accepted. As it turned out I was a much stronger rider than he was (he was a bit older) but i didn't mind. We rode nicoles and lower snake twice. Matt had to go but I decided to hit it again at more speed. Lots of fun.
I headed home to refuel and decided to try for a run up Seymour. It's so sweet being able to ride to the mountain from here! So I pedaled up to the Trailhead of old buck and asked some directions from a local who had actually spent some time in Papakura!! We also had a little conversation with Thomas Vanderham; we lent him an allen key.
Anyway up old buck. A definite push. I might have been able to ride up but I'm not really in the mood for that sort of stuff and I'm not that fit at the moment anyway. Once at the top there is a trail called Baden Powell from which you can take any number of trails. I was aiming for a trail called Severed Dick but I settled on the first one I came too! It was called Team Pangor. My second real taste of the shore! It was a nice trail. Lots of low structures and most of them reasonably wide with different options. The flow wasn't all that bad either. I took some photos of the trail...
I was still being pretty careful since it was my first day and I was basically riding alone (even though there were others on the trail) but I still rode alot of the structures. I'm not sure how long it took me but I didn't really consider another push to the top. Time to head home.
One last thing. There are giant slugs here. They are everywhere.
So I borrowed Jens car, piled the bike into the back and headed out to Burnaby Mountain. I've ridden here before but I can't really remember where. Being my own tour guide this time really helped and I recognised some of the trails that I did. I asked some locals some directions and headed down (or up!) the first trail I could find. Later on I discovered the name was Dead Moped (apparently). I quickly abandoned it though in favour of riding up the gravel road. I eventually made it to a road that woudl take me to the top of the hill (Simon Fraser Uni) but I opted to follow the advice I'd been given and push up (backwards) a trail called Mels. It was a pretty hard push and I actually ended out going down the wrong trail! Of course I only found that out once I looked at the map again.. It was quite short and pretty unsatisfying so I went to the top again in search of the trail I intended to go down, Upper & Lower Snake. The push up seemed much shorter this time and at the start of Snake I met up with a guy called Matt who was riding a Stinky. He suggested that I miss upper snake and offered to show me nicoles. It was good to be riding with someone so I accepted. As it turned out I was a much stronger rider than he was (he was a bit older) but i didn't mind. We rode nicoles and lower snake twice. Matt had to go but I decided to hit it again at more speed. Lots of fun.
I headed home to refuel and decided to try for a run up Seymour. It's so sweet being able to ride to the mountain from here! So I pedaled up to the Trailhead of old buck and asked some directions from a local who had actually spent some time in Papakura!! We also had a little conversation with Thomas Vanderham; we lent him an allen key.
Anyway up old buck. A definite push. I might have been able to ride up but I'm not really in the mood for that sort of stuff and I'm not that fit at the moment anyway. Once at the top there is a trail called Baden Powell from which you can take any number of trails. I was aiming for a trail called Severed Dick but I settled on the first one I came too! It was called Team Pangor. My second real taste of the shore! It was a nice trail. Lots of low structures and most of them reasonably wide with different options. The flow wasn't all that bad either. I took some photos of the trail...
I was still being pretty careful since it was my first day and I was basically riding alone (even though there were others on the trail) but I still rode alot of the structures. I'm not sure how long it took me but I didn't really consider another push to the top. Time to head home.
One last thing. There are giant slugs here. They are everywhere.
Buses...
The one thing about staying with Paul and Jen is that there aren't that many buses passing by. I do rate the buses here though. Most of them have bike racks at the front for the many cycle commuters here and they still have electric trams in the city. They also have a rail system but I digress...
Today was filled with a few enrands. Assemble the bike and prepare for a month of biking!!
The first thing I noticed was that my derailer hanger was bent. I tried bashing it with a hammer for a while but it never really straightend completely. So I bussed down to the local Cove bike shop and got myself a new one. I also checked out some of the stuff they had down there of course. Mostly Cove and Giants. Lots of cool riding clothes too. I managed to only walk out of there with my new hanger, some tire levers and a set of maps for the local mountains. A miracle!
I also decided to check out the local MEC (my favourite store) and John Henry Bikes. I was actually getting bit lost and whipped out a map to find out where I was and this lady pulls up and asks me if there is a Starbucks in the mall she was driving into!! Could I have looked like anymore of a tourist??!?!
I got back and finished assembling the bike and then headed into town for some more errands. The mission was to find a Rogers store so I could get a sim card. As it turned out it was going to cost $50 for the card PLUS airtime. It was going to be cheaper to roam!! It wasn't a total loss though I ate some quiznos and looked at plenty more shops! I also forgot to mention that I had maccas and a&w already too...the diet isn't exactly containing all the food groups at the moment....
Here's a photo I took while walking over the Granville bridge in a failed attempt to get to the big MEC...
And one of the complex I'm staying in, there are heaps of these around. I took the shot from the balcony.
These are actually built on indian land. I'm not sure how they work things here but there are bits of land that have been given back to the native people. In this case a 99 year lease has been obtained to build these things. It gets re-negotiated after that.
And another pano....
It's the Burrand Inlet. View from the hill the condos are built on.
Today was filled with a few enrands. Assemble the bike and prepare for a month of biking!!
The first thing I noticed was that my derailer hanger was bent. I tried bashing it with a hammer for a while but it never really straightend completely. So I bussed down to the local Cove bike shop and got myself a new one. I also checked out some of the stuff they had down there of course. Mostly Cove and Giants. Lots of cool riding clothes too. I managed to only walk out of there with my new hanger, some tire levers and a set of maps for the local mountains. A miracle!
I also decided to check out the local MEC (my favourite store) and John Henry Bikes. I was actually getting bit lost and whipped out a map to find out where I was and this lady pulls up and asks me if there is a Starbucks in the mall she was driving into!! Could I have looked like anymore of a tourist??!?!
I got back and finished assembling the bike and then headed into town for some more errands. The mission was to find a Rogers store so I could get a sim card. As it turned out it was going to cost $50 for the card PLUS airtime. It was going to be cheaper to roam!! It wasn't a total loss though I ate some quiznos and looked at plenty more shops! I also forgot to mention that I had maccas and a&w already too...the diet isn't exactly containing all the food groups at the moment....
Here's a photo I took while walking over the Granville bridge in a failed attempt to get to the big MEC...
And one of the complex I'm staying in, there are heaps of these around. I took the shot from the balcony.
These are actually built on indian land. I'm not sure how they work things here but there are bits of land that have been given back to the native people. In this case a 99 year lease has been obtained to build these things. It gets re-negotiated after that.And another pano....
It's the Burrand Inlet. View from the hill the condos are built on.Friday, September 02, 2005
home away from home
Well, I made it....not without some major dramas though but that is always the way isn't it??
Packing at the last minute is definiately one of my specialities ;O) The main issue this time ws trying to get some new tires onto my bike. A combination of ordering stuff at the last minute and not knowing what I was doing really sucked some time.
I'm currently at Paul and Jens place in Vancouver. These guys are really a godsend and make my visits to Van so much more comfortable. Props to them ;O)
A quick run down of events so far. Then I'll try and do and more frequent update.
The flight over was pretty packed. I think it has to do with the fact that the flight's final destination was London. The usual AKL - HON - LAX route I take is usually much less full... Also despite crossing everything I had I didn't get a plane with the new personal entertainment screens... Thankfully I was sitting next to some nice Amercian / Kiwis on their way back to Chicago for a wedding. We talked...alot.. It helped pass the time.
They got off in LA and I stood in the usual HUGE "others" line at US immigration. It's always the same except this time I got the pleasure of leaving two digital fingerprints and a photo for the CIA files! I better start wearing gloves.... The other LA highlight was going through the second set of security with the USC Trojans gridiron team. It was honestly just like being in the movies. There were lots black guys and they were all talking the talk and walking the walk. There was one dude with with an afro with one of those combs in it too! Funny!
The flight to Van went without a hitch really. Just before take off an old Chinese lady asked to sit in the vacant seat next to me and then preceded to pray! Not really what I needed....
From then on in it was sweet. Jen picked my up from the airport and i crashed in their spare room. Sure beats a hostel eh?
Packing at the last minute is definiately one of my specialities ;O) The main issue this time ws trying to get some new tires onto my bike. A combination of ordering stuff at the last minute and not knowing what I was doing really sucked some time.
I'm currently at Paul and Jens place in Vancouver. These guys are really a godsend and make my visits to Van so much more comfortable. Props to them ;O)
A quick run down of events so far. Then I'll try and do and more frequent update.
The flight over was pretty packed. I think it has to do with the fact that the flight's final destination was London. The usual AKL - HON - LAX route I take is usually much less full... Also despite crossing everything I had I didn't get a plane with the new personal entertainment screens... Thankfully I was sitting next to some nice Amercian / Kiwis on their way back to Chicago for a wedding. We talked...alot.. It helped pass the time.
They got off in LA and I stood in the usual HUGE "others" line at US immigration. It's always the same except this time I got the pleasure of leaving two digital fingerprints and a photo for the CIA files! I better start wearing gloves.... The other LA highlight was going through the second set of security with the USC Trojans gridiron team. It was honestly just like being in the movies. There were lots black guys and they were all talking the talk and walking the walk. There was one dude with with an afro with one of those combs in it too! Funny!
The flight to Van went without a hitch really. Just before take off an old Chinese lady asked to sit in the vacant seat next to me and then preceded to pray! Not really what I needed....
From then on in it was sweet. Jen picked my up from the airport and i crashed in their spare room. Sure beats a hostel eh?
Thursday, August 18, 2005
The Plan
Its been far too long since I've been home so i'm planning a little jaunt down memory lane....
I've got the leave approved and barring a few details i'm on a jetplane on the 1st of September. Hooray!
It's all about biking this time and since I've only got a limited time i've made a list of things I want to do.
Ride some trails on the North Shore - There are two main trails I want to ride. CBC and Neds. This was the limit of my experience there last time and I didn't even get to ride Neds cos I got a flat tire
Ride at Whistler - This apparently is the mecca for lift accessed biking. I had the chance to go in '03 but I didn't take it. I'm not going to make the same mistake again. Let's see what all the hype is about.
Ride at Rossland - Heaps of good memories from here. I want to ride Oasis, hit Lawsons large and try and clean the first section of the structure on Rock n Roll. Also I'm keen to see some of the new trails I've been hearing about
Go to America - I have been to NYC but that's it. I'm off to visit my friend Kirsten in Portland and check out Niketown.
That's about it actually. I've got a month so I'm going to try and fit in some other stuff along the way. One of those things is to write in this blog and post lots of photos. I suspect I'm going to get bored of that...we'll see.
I've got the leave approved and barring a few details i'm on a jetplane on the 1st of September. Hooray!
It's all about biking this time and since I've only got a limited time i've made a list of things I want to do.
Ride some trails on the North Shore - There are two main trails I want to ride. CBC and Neds. This was the limit of my experience there last time and I didn't even get to ride Neds cos I got a flat tire
Ride at Whistler - This apparently is the mecca for lift accessed biking. I had the chance to go in '03 but I didn't take it. I'm not going to make the same mistake again. Let's see what all the hype is about.
Ride at Rossland - Heaps of good memories from here. I want to ride Oasis, hit Lawsons large and try and clean the first section of the structure on Rock n Roll. Also I'm keen to see some of the new trails I've been hearing about
Go to America - I have been to NYC but that's it. I'm off to visit my friend Kirsten in Portland and check out Niketown.
That's about it actually. I've got a month so I'm going to try and fit in some other stuff along the way. One of those things is to write in this blog and post lots of photos. I suspect I'm going to get bored of that...we'll see.
