A day trip along the Sea to Sky highway #99 - April 6, 2009

It was a beautiful sunny and warm day here in Vancouver yesterday and still being a little sore from the long bike rideon Sunday I was determined to get out and enjoy the weather. I decided to check out both the views and progress on the major upgrade to the Sea to Sky Highway - Highway 99 which leads north to Whistler and beyond - my planned turn around point was to be the Tantalus viewpoint north of Squamish. The highway is about 80% complete on its major upgrade - I had hoped to be able to take the new Horseshoe Bay - Eagle Bluffs by-pass which the media reported as been opened but it was closed today for some finishing work. The only main area with heavy construction is in the town of Squamish where they are 4 laning the highway through a vibrant growing town.

The plan was to stop at a number of the sites along the way - I usually do those on the east or north bound route on the way up and on the west or south bound on the way back - much easier than trying to cross the highway. There are many other stops that one came make that I didn't stop at on this trip - Alice Lake Park, Smoke Bluff and Squamish Chiefain to name some.

------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Here is the story of my trip through Sea to Sky country.

Stop #1 - the new trailhead parking for Deeks Lake and Howe Crest trails:

My first stop turned out to be a pleasant surprise - I had heard that the trailhead for the Deeks Lake and Howe Sound Crest trail has been moved to the Porteau Cove Rd development so I wanting to check that out - well just off the Highway is the new parking area for those who don't want to venture up the rough gravel road to the actual trailhead some 3.7 km from the parking lot. This is one of the views that awaits anyone who stops at this site.



Stop #2 - the Old Britannia Beach Mine Site:

My second stop was in at the old Britiannia Mine site - now a developed tourist attraction the area is also undergoing a major re-birth with a housing development above the original townsite.
I was battling the sun in trying to get a good shot of the old restored mine.




Stop #3 - A short walk to the gorgeous Shannon Falls:

The third stop was at Shannon Falls - a small provincial Park that has this large waterfall as its main attraction - there is also a connector trail to the Squamish Chief from here.




Stop #4 - An off the beaten path stop at Cat Lake Forest Service Site:

My fourth stop was not a regular one on my usual sorties to this area but rather a spur of the moment one - it is a visit to a small forest service campsite at Cat Lake - the turnoff is just past Alice Lake Park and just before the turnoff to Brohm Lake - you follow a narrow and in places rutty gravel road into a base parking area - from there it is a short 2 minute walk down to the Lake - there are some 30+ walk in campsites around the lake - it is ice free and there were only a few patches of snow lingering around.

Years ago this use to be a real rowdy and problem site but since they closed the road and made people walk into the campsites and have an on duty operator in the peak season things are a lot quieter now.




Stop #5 Tantalus Viewpoint:

The fifth stop was my turnaround point at the Tantalus viewpoint - here you get an unobstructed view of what many call the Alps of Canada - the Tantalus Range of the Coast Mountains - while close to civilization they are mostly inaccessible due to the Squamish River having to be crossed. Views like this help enforce the thought that this highway drive is one of the most spectacular in the country.




Stop #6 - Brohm Lake Forest Tour:

I am now southbound and make the sixth stop of the day - the Brohm Lake Forest site my next stop. There is a well defined network of both hiking and biking trails here - I have done most of them on previous visits to the area.




Stop #7 - Lunch at Mcdonald's at Walmart in Squamish:

My seventh stop isn't pictured here as it was time for lunch so the McDonalds in the Walmart in Squamish filled that void.

Stop #8 - Garibaldi Viewpoint - Highway:

The next official stop was at the Garibaldi Viewpoint - here you get a great view of the gem of the Diamond Head area of Garibaldi Park - Mt Garibaldi.

The second image is of the Squamish Chief - a major rock climbing area - also trails lead up the backside to the summit of the Chief.

I had hope to make my next stop the Murrin Lake Park - but there was construction going on there and the access into the parking area was restricted so I took a rain check on this one this time.



Stop #9 - Porteau Cove Marine Park:

The last stop on the southbound trip was at Porteau Cove Provincial Marine Park - this is a gem of a Park offering camping right on the shores of Howe Sound - the southerly most fjord in North America - it has a sunken ship offshore and great diving opportunities - the views on this crystal clear day were outstanding - I could have stayed there for many hours just taking in the scenery but I didn't want to have to tackle the rush hour traffic so I started the trek back to Vancouver.



As it was there was some sort of traffic congestion at the highway just as you approach the Horseshoe Bay - Marine Drive exit - not wanting to wait I took the lower or Marine Drive approach to Vancouver and then took Park Drive through Stanley Park and past English Bay which seems to have more people out sunning themselves than on some summer days.

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Today I will be taking it easy in preparation for tonights bike ride - it will be nice to be able to ride in just a long sleeve t-shirt and my shorts.

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Also will need to start the process of getting the next FOYP work party list of participants going - this next one is a mid-week one and is usually the easiest one to fill as we have many members who are retired and want a mid-week experience.

Cheers

Dennis

My 50+ km ride in the Pacific Populaire Bike ride April 5, 2009

Today I got up early and loaded the bike into the back of the truck for a short drive to Riley Park and the start of the Pacific Populaire bike ride - notice I typed ride not race for while many it is a race this event is for the average Joe - the distance are 25, 50 and 100 KM on mostly bike friendly roads in Vancouver and Richmond - it is meant to serve as a season opener for both the racer and recreational rider.

Here's a link to the web site:

http://www.randonneurs.bc.ca/pacpop/index.html

This year I didn't pre-register but did arrive at 7:30 AM for a 9 AM start - there were a few people already there - as you will see I am glad that I arrived early - also to my surprise was who was working the registration booth - one of our bike escorts for the past couple of years who recently became a mom and is taking a break for riding.


The sign tells it all - this year they had a record turnout and over 200 same days registrations - it took so long to get everyone registered that they delayed the start of the ride by 30 minutes.


People waiting to register - the weather was warning up - some filtered sun but no rain which has plagued this event in recent years.


Most of these people are getting ready for the 100 KM start - they had to do a major re-route because of the unfortunate incident where the sister of a prominent Vancouver politican was found mudered on Friday - the route was to go straight pass the crime scene but the police hadn't yet re-opened the area for use. I started a couple of minutes later and we headed in the opposite direction.


This scary picture of me was taken by my biking friend Gerald - he is one of the bike escorts has well.


Here's one of Gerald - he rode up from Yaletown so he had a few kms on his odometer by the time he arrived - he had to wait in line for his registration but he did have me to chat with.


On the 50 and 100 KM ride there is only one control point and that is the Scout Camp on Dyke Rd in Richmond - there is a timing check there and also some food and drink as well as washrooms for all to use - for the 50 ride - it is considered the half way point although it is actually 27.7 KM to this stop - I took me an hour and twenty minutes to reach this point - except for some short uphills at the start and onto the Arthur Laing bridge the route is basically flat in Richmond - I find the wind to be the biggest challenge as it seems to come at you regardless of what direction you are cycling - the winds were light today so that didn't interfere with my timing that much.


There is a stretch along Dyke road in Richmond where we do an out and back for several kms - it is also a rather scenic ride as we follow the south arm of the Fraser River almost into the fishing village of Stevenson. The temperature was starting to warm up nicely - almost took off one layer but stay with my choice of a long sleeve T and a short one over top - did carry my light jacket in my pannier.


On the way back over the #2 Road Bridge you get a good view of the Speeding Skating Oval for the 2010 games in less than a year.


Well 2 hours and 49 minutes and 51.4 kms later I am back at the start - I was tiring coming back up from the river crossing - the route up Hudson St then along 59th Ave and then onto the Ontario St bike route isn't that steep as it climbs gently just tiring as this is my longest ride of the year.

Once we have had our control card stamped and other admin stuff taken care off I received this pin to add to my collection.

I waited about 10 minutes for Gerald to finish and then we grab some more food and he rode with me back to the truck - I then loaded the bike into the truck and headed for a bite to eat.

I was back home shortly after 1 PM and did a slow burn as my internet connection keeps starting and stopping. Probably time to give Telus a call as I don't think it is anything in my system.

-------------------------------------------------------------------

Haven't forgotten about doing a photo essay on the Convention Center opening - probably work on that tomorrow.

--------------------------------------------------------------------

Canucks on the tele in a couple of hours - sure hope that they can bounce back tonight and that way make it more of a must game for the Flames on Tuesday.

---------------------------------------------------------------------

Another biking event that Gerard put me onto was one in conjunction with the Cherry Blossom Festival - so I guess researching that ride will be my after dinner dessert.

Cheers

Dennis

The new Robert Lee YMCA is taking shape - April 4, 2009

The new Robert Lee YMCA is really starting to take shape at the old familiar corner of Barclay and Burrard in downtown Vancouver - while the building won't open to the public for another year - several reasons for this - 0ne - there needs to be much more work done on the adjacent tower - two - who would want to open during the Olympics - also the construction crane on the Y part came down this past week. The building has basically reached it max height.

I have been watching the progress of this project for the past 2+ years as I spend my entire working career with the Y and look forward to using the facilities of the new building when it opens in May 2009.

The building is named after Robert Lee - a successful businessman here in the city who contributed $2 million to the project - I got to know Robert over my years working at the Y and he is a great person to sit in the Health Club lounge and have a chat with on a variety of subjects.

Today on my way back from the open house for the new Convention center I stopped to get these images of the project. Here in words and pictures is the story of the building taking shape.

Burrard St view - here we see the old front of the building - most of the higher fencing around it has been removed - the crane is part of the tower - two new floors will be added to the top of the existing building - that will house the Child Development center.

Burrard St view and new construction along the lane side of the project.

A view from the First Baptist Church parking lot - this appears to be the new gym judging by the high ceiling.

Another view from the parking lot

Looking down the lane - construction closest to left of picture is for the Patina tower.


Looking down Barclay Street towards Burrard.


View from beside the IGA - much of the glass is already in place.

This will be the atrium between the old structure and the new complex.

Lane view of the construction.

Cheers

Dennis

As I have mentioned in earlier posts - the signs of spring in Vancouver have been few and far between as the cool weather has delayed the start of the annual flower show.

Yesterday while out for a walk along the False Creek seawall in the vicinity of David Lam Park I came across some signs that nature is starting to wake up as the first six images were taken at that location with my Blackberry.

The bottom three were taken today in front of St Paul's hospital - these are usually a couple of the earliest Japanese Cherry trees to bloom so there is hope yet.

--------------------------------------------------------

Had our second bike escorts ride last night and it went well - there were 14 of us and we got our first use of the radios this year - I felt I had a good ride as I did the minor climb on Pipeline road much faster than usual - in fact I pretty well led the pack.

One of our new riders has a pretty impressive blog - here's a link to it - http://bulletproofcourier.blogspot.com/

-----------------------------------------------------------

The other thing that I noticed today while walking along Burrard St was that the crane on the new YMCA building was being dismantled so that means that work is progressing along quite well - the building is taking shape and will re-opened in May of 2010 - part of the reason for the delay in opening is to avoid trying to re-launch the product during the Olympics next February .

More later

Cheers

Dennis

Renewing old friendships and starting some new ones

Met last night at 5:45PM at the Plaza of Nations across from BC Place Stadium for our first ride of the bike escorts for the Vancouver Marathon - there were 18 of us with is a large number for so early in the season - perhaps the fact that the sun was shining albeit the wind was gusting to 60 KPH - help bring out so many people - there were about 12 returnees and 6 new riders + a couple of the race organizers who occasionally ride with us.

We didn't get our radios as the person supplying us got hung up in traffic so we will have to wait til Thursday to get them.

Usually we try to get underway by 6PM so that we can be finished the 20+ KM in time for pizza at 7:30PM but as we didn't get going til 6:30PM we only rode to the entrance of the Park and then through at Lost Lagoon and returned in time for the pizza.

There are a couple of the regular who don't look to be joining us this year - one is a new mother so the baby is her focus right now and one of the over 60+ crowd is retiring - wants to spend more time at his retirement place on Pender Island.

All of the newbies seemed to be committed to doing the full training - you don't have to make a decision until after the second ride.

Of course as this ride was taking place the Canucks were playing - tried to follow the results on my Blackberry when we got a break in the riding but didn't get the final score until I reached the Pizza place.

There are some minor changes to the route this year because of either road construction or the fact that the start and finish line have been moved slightly - we will get to do the changes once we get our radio.

The one other thing that I need to get for the bike is a bell - we use them to alert people ahead of us that we are stopped at a traffic light etc and on race day to let people know that we following them on the course.

----------------------------------------------------------

Later I joined Jim for a late night snack - he had played bridge earlier so was wanting to have a bite to eat.

-----------------------------------------------------------

Today I woke up to SNOW which provided a good excuse to rediscover my apartment - got laundry and some cleaning done then headed out for lunch and onto the gym and then some grocery shopping - it is still raining lightly this afternoon and it is cool.

We are supposed to be celebrating the Cherry Blossom festival over the next two weeks but so far they are few and far between in blooming.

More later

Cheers

Dennis

A stop at Cates Park on the way to coffee with the "boys" March 31, 2009

One of the things that I have tried to do since retirement at the end of 2006 is to get together with some of the former staff and members - one such group meets three times a week at a coffee shop near Mt Seymour in North Vancouver. I try to meet with them about once a month and since I won't be doing a lot of biking for the next month because of the training for the Vancouver Marathon as a bike escort but I still wanted to take advantage of a brisk spring day - after heavy overnight rain it started to clear off this morning and the brisk NW winds cleared the skies so I took this opportunity to leave a little early and stop at Cates Park on the Dollarton highway in North Vancouver.

A beach scene looking west towards the Second Narrows Bridge.

These two fine feathered friends were also out for a stroll.

A historic anchor in the Park - one of the things that I like about this Park is that you get views to the west back towards Vancouver - to the south across Burrard Inlet to Burnaby and Port Moody and to the North and North East up Indian Arm and towards Belcarra, Buntzen and Eagle Ridge in the Tri-Cities area.

Cates Park sits on Squamish First Nations land and has several displays of some of their heritage - here we see one of their canoes.

Another view of the canoe.

The Park also has several short trails - this one honors Malcolm Lowry - a Canadian author who lived in a squatter shack in the Park for many years not far from this sign - this trail leads to the eastern end of the Park where you can continue along side streets all the way to Deep Cove - this route along the Dollarton is a favorite for biking as none of the hills are two steep unless you want to climb up to Mt Seymour Parkway.


The trail surface is crushed gravel and this bridge spans a small seasonal creek.


View back across towards Port Moody and the Gas storage tanks that are prominent on the slopes of Burnaby Mt.

Looking across towards Buntzen and Eagle Ridge - there was a new dusting of snow on the top of the Ridge.
On last look at the trail as I return to my truck and head for the coffee with the Boys.

There were five of us there today - Bill, Roger, Bert and George - the session usually lasts about an hour and lots of stories get told + we inquire about the health of the some of the others who we each come in contact with.

Now it time to rest up before the first of the bike training rides after dinner tonight.

Cheers

Dennis