Having a beer in Ganges Harbor, Saltspring Island, BC, Canada. 


After riding down from Lake Cowhichan to the bay we took the BC Ferry across from Mill Bay to Brentwood Bay. A few miles down the road is Bouchart Gardens, althugh we didn't really have enough time to visit. What really amazed me about this part of BC was the extent of the trails throughout the area. We were looking for the Gallaping Goose Trail aptly named for the trail line that used to ply the area.

BC Touring Vancouver Island

Vesuvius Harbor on SaltSpring Island 


After making the ferry across the channel over to Vancover Island we landed in Crofton, a small paper mill company about halfway between Victoria and Nanaimo. Basically our goal was to find the Trans-Canada Hiway South to Maple Bay so that we could catch the road up to Lake Cowichan. Lake Cowichan is the town and the lake whichever way you look at it is the end of the road or just the begining. It is the end of the road if you are heading west becase the lake and the stepp valley sides make it just about impossible to put any time of decent road on through to the Pacific. The begining of the road would be considered at the point we started on the Trans Canada Trail which is a multi use trail that(with great ambition) is planned to span the east to west length of Canada. It is billed as the longest recreation trail in the world. eh.. We left the terminus of the trail at 9AM and soon we were leaving town and followed the

BC- Touring - Ferry to Gulf Islands

The day before was spent riding around Stanley Park which was absolutly gorgeous. You get about a 270 degree waterfront tour of the city and surrounding areas. This park makes the increasingly crowded city a welcome rest. Also before setting out to the gulf islands we had to stop by The Bike Doctor in Vancouver to fix a broken shift lever . I was absoluty amazed. The didn't have the exact shift lever in stock but hey it onlyt took 30 minutes and cost under US$18 for parts and labor. Thanks Bike Doctor.



The ferry ride was breathtaking when you look out and see a channel full of nothing but islands (the largest being Vancouver Island). We took the larger ferry of the BC Ferries that stop at most of the islands. Some of them are quite small with little development. Salt Spring Island is the largest of them with three ferry ports. We docked in Long Harbor a long and narrow inlet near the main village of Ganges. The town itself is a diverse collection of artisians; from stone masons to weavers, sculpters, as well as cheese and bread makers. Most of these artists and their studios are spread throghout the island but it is easy to obtain a map showing, locations, hours open to the public and their specialty.

The Wisteria Guesthouse is a short walk into the convienent town of Ganges. The treehouse cafe right near the docks is a pleasant place to have lunch and in the evenings they have live music outside. It makes for a real nice evening.

After spending a couple of nights on the island is was time to move on...on to Vancouver island by way of the ferry out of Vesuvius a small port of the west side of the island.

British Columbia - Touring 7/5 - 7-6

The next several days were spent exploring Vancouver by bike. Vancouver can be both overwhelmingly exciting and frustrating in the same day. Many parts of it are tremendously accomodating to bicycles and pedestrians and other parts are just down right dangerous. Some parts of the city are laid out wonderfully for non-motorized vehicles and then some parts are just scary.

Sad to say but in trying to put together a fairly inexpensive vacation we opted for a place to staty somewhat near Chinatown. Woooa...nothing but opiate based addicts who's minds have been fried to the point of no return. I mean within 10 minutes of checking in and looking out the window to the street below I spotted my first hooker/john introduction, all two stories below me.

Gulfspring Island 

Some great points to see by bike were the ride out to UBC after visiting Granville Island. Granville Island has a great but somewhat touristy farmer's market similar to Pikes' market in Seattle. As I later found out the bike trail out to UBC is just the standard Canadian urban bike trail system something that should be and could be copied here in the states. After the somewhat damp ride that morning I stopped by the Vancouver Main Library.

British Columbia - Touring 7/3-7/4

Basically this was a light touring trip on my road bike. I outfitted my bike with a rear rack and panniers and about 15 pounds of gear and set out for British Columbian hostels and inns with a school friend; Dave. After flying to Seattle and spending a night with a friend in the area we boarded an Amtrak train the next day. July 4th. Its not bad actually. You catch the train at the Amtrak station in downtown Seattle near the ballpark and football field. For $29 plus $5 for the bike its a great way to go directly to Vancouver. You dont have to deal with customs until you get to the Vancouver train station.

You just sit back and enjoy the ride...that is .....until we hit a car trying to cut across the train gaurd postings. It was erie....one minite you are cruising along on the outskirts of Vancouver and the next thing you see a car split in two rolling end over end at 20 miles an hour emiting a white steam/smoke. We were delayed about an hour ....but fortunatly I hear the driver survived.

After arriving at the main Vancouver Train Station we got up on our bikes and made it to our lodging in no time at all.

Mt. Hamilton - 2nd Attempt 1st Success

Today I road from the (Silicon Valley Floor) to the top of Mt. Hamilton. All told it was a 60 mile ride with about 6,000 feet of climbing. I met a group of friends who drove their bikes to the base of the mountain and then we all started the climb together. It was a bit more challenging this time because it goes from a relativly easy climb to a steeper climb during the last three miles and of course the road gets narrower the higher up you go. It was the last one up but still I made it in one piece.

Wine Country Century

This ride starts at the Luther Burbank Center in the city of Santa Rosa, 60 miles north of San Franciso. The ride is sponsored by the Santa Rosa Cycling Club. There are the standard family rides, metric centuy and the century ride. The ride meanders through some beautiful countryside; a fantastic mix of farmlands and vinyards, forests and riverside views.

I would have to say the food (for being billed as a non-gourmet ride) is probably the best that I have had this year. I mean you have the standard orange slices, bananas, whole wheat fig newtons and cookies, but the broiled dilled potatoes were great and the choice of sandwhiches for lunch were definately worth the stop.

One downer though...was the condition of the roads in the area. I know it is very rural in some areas and the heavy agricultural machinery might have an effect on it but wow...I did not expect the jarring that I got along the way. Only two really hilly portions of the ride however, one being the well known Chalk Hill, about five miles from the end of the ride.

Mt. Hamilton - 1st Attempt

Today with a friend from work we attempted to climb Mt. Hamilton, located on the East side of San Jose. On top of the mountain the University of California maintans several telescopes. Leaving from the San Jose Country Club at the base of the mountian it is about a 20 mile climb up to 4600 feet. We left around 3:00 but just couldn't get high enough before the sun set so we turned around about three quarters of the way up.

Oh well maybe next time.

Terra Bella Century

Terra Bella
Saturday, April 9, 2005
Well after many years of inactivity on the a bike, I thought that the Terra Bella ride would be a good place in which to start. Since it draws a big crowd it is definity one of the more social rides for those living in the bay area. The only problem is that I wimped out due to the unseasonably cold temperatures on the day of the ride. So at the last moment I decided to ride the metric century instead. This would also spare me from having to do Metcalf road so early in the season.

Last summer I purchased my first road bike in quite some time. You basic aluminum frame with Shimano 105 components. Since I had gained some weight over the years I wasn't really excited about doing some of the steeper hills. Basically I was just looking forward to the big foodfest at the end of the ride. Well with only sixty some miles I finished the ride in record time....now I am ready to try some other more challenging rides this year....Bring it on.

The course has become a little bit more hectic that in the past. With the increased development in Gilroy and the large amount of riders somethimes it gets to be a bit much trying to make you way through the growing neighborhoods in the area. I am also aware that the entry fee goes towards things like snacks, lunch, drinks, and bathrooms I find the rural scenary slowing disappearing and being replaced by ugly gated developments that suck up huge amounts of water and do nothing for the surrounding community. Maybe a rant topic for another post.

More Book Inspired Motivation

Another book I found motivating this time of year is (hear me out now) Chris Carmichael's book 'The Ultimate Ride'. It is basically both a training guidebook and a platform to promote his Carmichael Training System program and DVD's/Tapes, along with his Power Bar tie in.

I did find the book useful however. It bascically follows a lot of the program that Edmund Burke covered in his books. It help me better utilize a Heart Rate Monitor, help to regulate energy output along with caloric input. It sounds stupid but just his lecture on rest is something that is overlooked but I found very helpful nonetheless.

The emphasis on carbohydrate and protein is also discussed along with when you should increase amounts of each. In the book he also talks about setting short term and long term goals as well as visionary type goals. It has forced me to be more deatailed in my training and record each training session. We will see how it goes.

Early Season Inspiration

Well January wasn't much of a kickoff of the season. It has been wet in the Bay Area and it is just to congested and crazy sometimes to any serious riding. I only did 5 rides for a total of 140 miles during the whole month. Not very encouraging. During the month though I read Mike Magnuson's book Heft on Wheels. Mike is a graduate English professor out of Carbondale Illinois who started at over 260 pounds with a need for beer, nicotine, and greasy food. He describes in the book how he sought to better his middle age health through cycling. At the end of the book he is down to a svelt 165 pounds. The hook to pick up the book at the store was his front cover picture showing him at over 250 pounds on his bike completely naked....and on the back cover he is in his team uniform standing while climbing up a hill at a very skinny 165. I though it was a good read and very motivating. Just what I need this time of year.

The Start of a New Cycling Season

Well this is the year I plan to get back on the bike and do more than just ride to the coffee shop. Last summer I started riding again but nothing really serious. Trying to get my legs back....Trying to develop a group of friends that I can count on to ride. As a teenager growing up in San Diego I used to ride up the coast and even did a weekend trip to LA and back. I remember actually riding to the LA Olympics to see the Road Race. What a rush, being with 300,000 people lining the road corse (it was free) to see American Alexi Grewal beat out Canadas Steve Bauer. I do remember partying with some French folks. After that expericence I got so into cycling but at that time there wasn't any formal rides or clubs so it was mostly a lonley sport in those days....remember this was pre Lance.

I did enter a few events South of the border...It seems that there wasn't any rides in southern California. I went on a couple of Rosarito to Ensenada and I also went on a Tecate to Ensenada ride which I believe has since been cancelled. I also remember going on a couple of rides on the outskirts of Tijuana one up to Rodriquez resevior above the city.