Coastal Renaissance

As we headed out to the BC Ferries Terminal this weekend on Friday the traffic was very busy around 3 pm, I figured there is no way we are going to make it, especially with the 2010 Olympics only 2 weeks away.

What appeared to be disappointment turned out to be an expected "Yes you made the extra 4 pm sailing" by the BC Ferries attendant collecting money. Not only did we make the 4 pm sailing, but we boarded the new vessel the Coastal Renaissance.

What a treat to go aboard the Coastal Renaissance with the new vessel better than expected. The seating area seemed to have more room, the chairs way more comfortable and as we sailed, the vessel was definitely more quiet than any other vessels in the BC Ferries fleet

Once we off-loaded at Tsawwassen the driving trip into Vancouver through Richmond and Delta was definitely at a different pace than experienced on Vancouver Island. Although there was a posted speed limit you would never know it by the cars whizzing by us.

All in all though we made it into North Vancouver safely and had a very good time even with the heavy rains.

Sooke Potholes Regional Park

Although to day was a bit rainy it proved to to be a good day for a walk along the Sooke River in the Sooke Potholes Regional Park.

The day started off by meeting the Club Mud gang in Langford at the Westshore Mall Serious Coffee location for a wake-up Americano coffee. From here it is about a 30 minute drive to the parking lot for the regional park located at the end of Sooke River Road.

The Sooke Potholes have been caved out of the Sandstone bedrock over the years by the cascading river creating some very unique geological rock formations. Although the area boasts some of the CRD's best swimmingholes during the summertime it was just as beautiful during one of Victoria's wet winter days.

Over the last few years since TLC has handed over stewardship of the area to the CRD many of the old trails have been upgraded with crushed gravel replacing some muddy sections. The trails meander next to the Sooke River intermixed with west coast rain forest offering fantastic views of this very special place.

More information can be found at OurBC.com and the CRD webpage.

Flooding on Colquitz Trail, Panama Flats

The hard rain in Victoria today finally let up around noon with the afternoon having some sunny periods around 1:30 pm. This provided an ample opportunity to get put on the bike for a ride along the Lochside Trail.

Going through Saanich towards Royal Oak Drive the regional trail was in good shape with very little water on the path. The views of Mount Douglas from the Blenkinsop Trestle were outstanding with the warm sunshine starting to dry out some of the ground cover and neighbouring farmers fields.

From Royal Oak Shopping Centre the trail down through Colquitz River proved to be OK but the water rushing down the waterway was very high and close to the top of the bank in certain areas.

Upon reaching Panama Flats by Roy Road there were signs up warning of flooding along the Colquitz Trail. Proceeding along the trail the water in some places came right up to the pedals making for very wet bike shoes.

Panama Flats an area that is dry in the summer now resembled a lake with one person noting it was the highest he has seen the water. Once past Panama Flats and onto the Galloping Goose Trail near Interurban Road the ride proved to be a very pleasant experience as we were back in the sun.

Long-Weekend in North Vancouver

We just got back from a quick trip over to North Vancouver on the New Years Day long-weekend. The trip proved to very fast on BC Ferries as they were offering extra sailings during various times of the days.

The wet weather experienced while in North Vancouver brought up a number of past memories especially when we were out walking in it. The sky was gloomy plus the rain never seemed to let up and unless you had a hat on it was incredibly wet.

Things that were going on: Lonsdale Avenue between 21st Street and 12th Street had a great selection of small ethnic restaurants especially an incredible amount of Sushi outlets. Businesses along this stretch that were busy included FatBurger, Yaas Bazaar and London Drugs.

A special thank you has to go out to Beans on Lonsdale at 18th and for having a small TV where a person could watch the Canucks win 3 to 1 over the Dallas Stars, have an Americano and dry out.

Merry Christmas From Victoria

Hello and Merry Christmas from Victoria. Today was a beautiful with the sun shining mainly all day with a high temperature of around 6 degrees Celsius (43 degrees Fahrenheit).

Lots of people were found out walking along the seawall next to Dallas Road towards Ogden Point and in the Inner Harbour next to the Fairmont Empress especially along Wharf Street.

Because of the holiday very little businesses were operating with the only coffee shop found open being the Serious Coffee in Cook Street Village. The place was very busy with a lot of people looking to enjoy a sit down and the holiday spirit with one another.

The weather tomorrow on Boxing Day is expected to be about the same as today. Most businesses especially the service industry will be back to normal with a number of Boxing Day specials going on.

Remembrance Day on the Jordan River FSR

Remembrance Day was very special this year as an informal group of us called Club Mud attempted to go on a hike near Jordan River called the Kludahk Trail.

Following information from the Kludahk Outdoors Club we went in search for trail access. The search involved travelling on Hwy 14 north Jordan River to the campground site for China Beach Provincial Park.

From here we then drove the Jordan River Main Line FSR which is located across from the campground until the 7 mile mark until the snow got too heavy for the vehicles. After parking we then hiked in the snow along the JR FSR looking for access signs for the Kludahk Trail.

Along the route a moment of silence was held at 11:11 am in respect for the fallen soldiers who had fought in previous wars and sacrificed themselves in order for Canadian’s to live in freedom and democracy.

Unfortunately the weather did not cooperate for the group as the road up to the trailhead became increasing difficult to travel on because of the snow cover. We never did find any signs or markers for the Kludahk Trail but we all enjoyed ourselves especially when we all got caught in a torrential hailstorm walking back to the vehicles.

Chef Big D’s in Squamish

On Monday during the last motorcycle trip of 2009 we had a chance to visit a highly recommended café located at 38040 Cleveland Avenue in Squamish called Chef Big D’s.

The pastrami sandwich, which was described as good as any New York deli, came with a half order chips and Caesar salad. With mounds of pastrami smothered in mustard, cheese and sauerkraut topped with a pickle the meal was so large it had to be eaten with a fork.

The other meals at Chef Big D’s include breakfast, burgers and all types of sandwiches all coming with large portions. Chef Big D’s is definitely worth trying especially if you’re coming down from Whistler or if you happen to be visiting Stawamus Chief or Shannon Falls.

Just remember Chef Big D’s is only open for breakfast and lunch plus can be very busy on weekends or at lunch time.