Merritt-Kamloops Loop: Off the Beaten Track on Canada Day Weekend
As Canada Day long weekend was approaching, the forecast for Vancouver and the area did not look encouraging. But three hours east everything looked much better. We left not too early on Saturday morning and it was raining until Hope. As we passed Hope we realized why this town is named Hope, once you pass it there is hope for sunshine… We continued driving until we reached the small town of Merrit. We asked some people if we could park in front of their house for three days, but they weren’t so enthusiastic and suggested that we’d park in the Walmart parking lot. They said that anyway it turns into…
- British Columbia (and nearby), Cycling & Cycle Touring, Metro Vancouver & North Shore, Trip Reports, Urban
Boundary Bay to Mud Bay: Cycling Along the Dike
Delta has crowned itself the “sunniest place in Metro Vancouver”, and it sure was sunny there on Sunday. It’s been a cool, gray and rainy spring in Vancouver, so we’ve been trying to soak up every last drop of sun that we can get. What could be better than a sunny bike ride along Boundary Bay? We started our trip at Centennial Beach in Delta, which was teeming with suntanning action, but not much swimming action. The gravel trail that connects Boundary Bay Regional Park and Mud Bay Park is scenic, flat, quiet and a joy to ride! It runs along a dyke, giving a good view all around, of…
- British Columbia (and nearby), Cycling & Cycle Touring, Metro Vancouver & North Shore, Trip Reports, Urban
Vancouver-New Westminster Loop: Central Valley Greenway and BC Parkway
I’ve heard some people complain about the lack of off street bike routes in Vancouver. But there are two excellent off street bike routes: the Central Valley Greenway and the BC Parkway (AKA the 7-11 trail). We decided to connect them together to form a neat loop leading from Vancouver to New Westminster and back. We headed out from UBC along the bike route on 10th Ave., passing by the street library near the corner of St. George. Not a traditional library, there are no library cards or fines for late returns, rather take what you want and donate what you want. I think it’s a great idea: a fresh…
Ellensburg-Vantage-Yakima Loop: The US is a Funny Place
Our desire for sunshine took us far and away last weekend. We set our eyes on an area in Washington State that we visited before, but many years ago. It’s hard to believe but it’s a real desert, very dry and most importantly warm and sunny. Gili managed to dream up a three day loop that looked neat, so on Saturday morning we found ourselves again waiting in the long line-up to cross the border to the US. Finally we were on the other side but still had a few more hours to drive. The roads we took were very green with snowy peaks and it was cool and gray,…
- British Columbia (and nearby), Cycling & Cycle Touring, Gulf Islands and Sunshine Coast, Trip Reports, Vancouver Island
Salt Spring Island: An Unexpected Trip
Originally we had other plans for the weekend, but when Gili took the car to the mechanic on Friday it turned out that we needed new tires. We didn’t want to buy anything while being rushed, and since it was claimed to be unsafe to take the car on the highway we had to come up with a different plan. So at about 10pm on Friday we started looking at different options. We came up with this idea of going to Salt Spring Island but via the long way (for variation) and maybe continue from there to another island or two, but eventually we just stayed on Salt Spring. Our…
San Juan Islands: Island Hopping & Cycle Touring
May Long Weekend is usually the opening of the cycle touring season for us. This year I was off my bike for eight weeks due to my injury. This is a long time not being able to ride, taking into account that cycling is one of my favourite activities. We were considering options of where to go, and I wanted something that is mostly paved and not too strenuous. Seeing that our Trader Joe’s supplies were running low, it seemed appropriate to go the the US and to stock up on the way back, and the Sun Juan Islands met all the criteria we were looking for. We really thought…
Brew Hut: Sunny Weekend at Brew
For many VOCers the Brew Hut is associated with snow storms, whiteouts, 17 hour journeys to find the hut, high winds and low visibility. This was my fourth trip to Brew Hut and in the previous times at least one, if not all, of the above was correct. But for last weekend the forecast showed only sun and blue skies and high temperatures for the season. So we thought we’d try our luck and for once we’d go to Brew when we can also see the views and enjoy the sunshine. It was my first big trip in the outdoors since I got injured in February. After several conversations with…
- Backcountry Skiing, British Columbia (and nearby), Hurley & Lillooet Valley, Sea to Sky, Trip Reports, Varsity Outdoor Club (VOC)
Pemberton Icecap Traverse: From Superstition to Irony
This trip was seemingly ruled by superstition. It started with Ben’s curse. Ben had been trying to reach the Harrison Hut for many years. Invariably, he failed, often due to natural disasters. Of note were the landslide that closed the Sea to Sky Highway for almost a week in July 2008, and the massive lahar off Mt. Meager in August 2010, perhaps the largest recorded slide in Canadian History. Aside from that, there were apparently some other attempts foiled by bad weather. I had been warned by others, before this trip, that if we tried to approach the Harrison Hut with Ben, all hell would break loose. And it did!…
Boundary Bay: Maya’s First Ride in Two Months
There is a neat gravel trail that follows a dyke in Delta, along Boundary Bay. We chose this trail as Maya’s first ride since her accident. Not being able to ride her bike, was one of the most annoying results of breaking her arm. She was super happy to be back on her bicycle! The trail is flat and scenic, and it follows the shoreline along the extensive mud flats that attract many birds year round.
- Backcountry Skiing, British Columbia (and nearby), Sea to Sky, Trip Reports, Varsity Outdoor Club (VOC)
Metal Dome: Testing Matt’s Mettle
This trip started on the left foot, at least for Matt. We parked by the dog sled tour operator’s hut, and one of the dogs peed on Matt’s backpack. It even wet his down jacket and gortex, yuck! After some vigorous rubbing with snow, it was deemed clean enough, and we set out. The description we had was confusing, but Matt had made a copy of the Google Earth Satellite image superimposed on top of the map, which was very helpful. The first 4km were along a jumble of logging roads, which we navigated while marveling at the blue sky and warm weather. We entered the forest and followed Matt’s…
