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Published: June 10th 2007
***CLICK ONTO A PHOTO TO ENLARGE***
The plane journey over to Vancouver was SPECTACULAR. There wasn’t a cloud to spoil the view and having a window seat, boy what a view. We flew over the Arctic Ocean and I could see nothing but snow and ice for 100’s of miles. What an incredibly desolate place, even more so than Colchester town centre on a Monday night!
As we passed over Greenland, the ice-sea began to break up and I could see enormous icebergs calving off and floating in the sea. As we headed up and around Hudson Bay the ice gave way to 100’s of miles of lowland. I couldn’t quite make out if this was swamp, or just brownie-green rock, but it didn’t look like the sort of place you wanted to crash land.
The finale of the flight were the Rocky Mountains. What an amazing sight. The snow capped peaks shone in the sun like beacons. The glaciers, lakes and rivers were all bustling for some attention in the raw, deep cuts of each valley. I suddenly felt a strange emptiness in my stomach - blimey, have I got to cycle over/through some of that?
My bike ‘Diana’ arrived in one piece and her only complaint was that the fridge she was stowed next to was very cold and wouldn’t talk to her. Anyone who knows the problems I had with Diana in Korea last year will know that her arriving at the correct destination and undamaged is a major achievement.
Booked Diana in for a perm/facial/pedicure etc. (i.e. a service) at a local cycle shop and this will be ready for when I leave. This is a bonus, because at least I won’t have to worry about it being stolen or vandalised.
My first 3 days in Vancouver were blessed with fabulous sunshine and a lovely 25 degrees. Not a cloud in the sky, which apparently was not the case for the previous 2 weeks. It had been raining so much that there is a real danger of the Fraser River bursting its banks, which could be interesting as the first part of my trip to Anchorage follows the Fraser.
The first evening I spent at Sunset Beach Park, which is aptly named. The sunset was very beautiful and as it slowly disappeared over the mountain peaks across the bay,
Sunset at Sunset Beach Park
Not exactly Clacton-on-sea!the circa. 1000 people who had all gathered around (drinking wine, playing guitars and basically having a good time), cheered and whooped, as only the Americans/Canadians do best. I cheered and whooped too, but this felt alien to me. Being English I felt like clapping my hands and shouting “bravo, good show” - well when in Rome as they say.
Saturday morning I went for a walk along English Bay and couldn’t believe my eyes. It seemed that everyone was either cycling, jogging, skate-boarding or roller blading. It was like the London to Brighton bike ride had by some strange twist of fate inadvertently collided with the London Marathon. It was so refreshing to see everyone enjoying themselves in this way.
I sat for the best part of an hour watching as all manner of people and body shapes made their way passed me along the seafront to Stanley Park. The posers, the super fit tri-athletes, the ‘oh my God I am having a heart attackers’, the far-too-tight-top-look-at-my-boobies, the painfully skinny, the far-too-muscley-to-jog-ers and the I-like-eating-pies-to-much-ers.
Had a Cosmic Veggie Burger at Sophie’s Cosmic Café in Kitsilano (apparently Hippy central, but I couldn’t see any), before heading
Sunset at English Bay
Nothing to do but feel all emotional off to Wreck Beach to see if there were any nudies about, but it was too cold today for anyone to be on the beach. Probably just as well.
In true tourist fashion, I have visited a number of museums whilst in Vancouver. I have held a piece of moon rock (you may scoff, but how many of you have held something from another planet - I actually don’t want to know the answer to that question). I have stroked a real Polar Bear. I have even talked to a man who claims he is a direct descendant of Captain George Vancouver (although I am skeptical of this fact, as he didn’t appear to know much about him, especially when I told him that I had been to Kings Lynn (England) where he was born).
The MacMillan Space Centre was an excellent experience. I got to sit in a Space Shuttle simulator and crash land it a mile from the runway. When I asked the assistant if I could try again, as I thought I could land it this time, she simply said in the driest of tones “sorry, you have killed the 6 astronauts on board, you’re
Dr Yat-Sen Chinese Garden
Getting in touch with my Yin & Yang - a harmonious peacefulness in the heart of bustling China Town just not cut out to be a pilot”. This rather put me off trying again.
I was watching a presentation called ‘A day in space’, which basically spent 20 minutes explaining how astronauts worked in space. Sitting in the front row, I was picked on by the presenter, because she required an assistant on stage. As nobody else seemed to want to take my place, I reluctantly made my way to the stage, where I was quickly strapped upside down into a replica space station toilet. As if this wasn’t undignified enough, with blood now rushing to my head, a number of Japanese tourists ran to the front of the auditorium to take my picture. I was very tempted to provide them with a full demonstration of the toilet, but I thought better of it. That would certainly have given them something to photograph!
Beneath the veneer there is, like with most cities, a sadder side to Vancouver. There are a significant number of homeless people, coupled with a big drugs problem and because of the all-year-round climate; Vancouver attracts these types from all over Canada.
Often you will see them aimlessly walking around the city rummaging
in bins etc. Although they do tend to keep to themselves, the Hastings Road area of Vancouver is not for the faint hearted. I inadvertently walked down this road whilst searching for China Town and it made me feel both vulnerable and upset.
100’s of people just standing around with their belongings in dustbin bags or supermarket trolleys. Many were scuffling with each other, or simply turning in circles looking at the ground or running slowly on the same spot. There were used needles on some of the sidewalks and it can only make you feel upset when you see what drugs can make people do to themselves. My final images of Hastings Road were a number of people sleeping on the steps of a church, which left a profound lasting inprint in my mind - these people just need help.
The Chihuahua
A very funny thing happened on Monday. I was walking along Burrard Street on my way back to the hostel, when an elderly woman passed me on an electric disability kart. She was walking her Chihuahua, well ok, she wasn’t actually walking it but you know what I mean.
This little darling was
Chihuahua - a devil in disguise
Don't be fooled by the cute looks, these things are like the bull sharks of the dog world - they know no fear! quite a snappy little blighter and personally I don’t like them very much. If you ask me a dog should look like a dog. Anyway, she had it on one of those extendable leads and it was scurrying ahead of her, with the lead presumably unlocked. As she turned a corner off Burrard she and the dog came face to face with a Poodle being walked in the opposite direction. All I can say is that what followed was absolutely hilarious.
The Chihuahua went for the poodle like a bat out of hell and the poodle, which was not on a lead per-se, ran around the kart with the Chihuahua following, like it was chasing a Hare out of a greyhound trap. The woman in the kart was by now screaming and unfortunately wasn’t quick enough to reduce the length of lead and she tried to reverse back around the corner. If the Benny Hill music had started at this point it wouldn’t have been any funnier.
However, reversing around the corner only added to the woman’s (and the Chihuahua’s) problems as the lead now wrapped itself around the back wheels of the kart and jammed. The Chihuahua
My first bear encounter
Although aggressive at first, we became good friends. was abruptly stopped in its tracks and now had only a couple of feet of lead.
I was standing on the opposite side of the road mouth open wide as this drama unfolded and would have helped but for the tears of laughter rolling down my face. I actually left the scene as two men were trying to lift the back of the kart to untangle the lead, with the Chihuahua still trying its best to snap at them, whilst partially strangling itself. Honestly, you just couldn’t pay to see better entertainment than that.
3 other (quite) interesting facts about my trip:
•I have done my first ever load of washing in my life!
•If you breath at the same time as someone in your dormitory who is snoring loudly, you can convince your brain that it is actually you snoring and fall asleep quite easily
•Wearing my Ipswich Town football shirt, I got talking to a couple from Colchester who also supported the mighty ITFC - small world isn’t it.
My last day in Vancouver and I was up at 6.30am and at the starting line for the Vancouver Triathlon World Cup. I was wasn't participating,
but I wish I was. There is such a buzz being around such an event and my mind immediately went back to the Korean Ironman competition last year.
The race had 5 of the worlds best male & female triathletes competing and it consists of a swim of 1500m, cycling 37.6k and a run of 10k. Okay, the Ironman was over mountainous terrain and had much bigger distances, but you cannot underestimate how hard a triathalon is. These guys were very, very fast. Its almost a continuous sprint event for them.
I have so much respect for anyone attempting something like this and there were inevitably some stragglers, which you cheer on even more. Their race is a personal one and I certainly found that people cheering you on allows you to find an additional something to keep going.
I left the race feeling excited about my own personal challenge and I chomping at the bit to get going. Which brings me nicely onto................
Col’s BIG CYCLING ADVENTURE begins
Ok - I feel like I am just about ready to say goodbye to Vancouver. Its time to see some of British Columbia’s wild stuff. The
first part of my cycle trip will take me all the way to Whitehorse, capital of the Yukon. This section breaks down as follows:
Key
Very difficult - why am I doing this?
Difficult - hours of climbing (legs screaming)
Moderate - hilly, a few steep climbs, perhaps 1 major climb (legs screaming sometimes) Easy - Zippedy Doo Daa, Zippedy Eh, My oh my, What a wonderful day……
Section/ No. of miles/ Terrain
Vancouver to Yale 110 Difficult - Fraser Canyon, Hell’s Gate & The Old Settler (2132m)
Yale to Cache Creek 105 Difficult - Zakwaski Mountain (2043m) & Stein Mountain (2944m)
Cache Creek to Lac La Hache 90 miles Moderate - Mount Bowman (2243m)
Lac La Hache to Quesnel 115 miles Moderate - Cariboo Highway
Quesnel to Prince George 68 miles Easy - Cariboo Highway
Prince George to Vanderhoof 60 miles Easy - Cariboo Highway
Vanderhoof to Burns Lake 85 miles Easy - rolling hills
Burns Lake to Smithers 95 miles Easy - rolling hills
Smithers to Kitwanga 90 miles Easy - rolling hills
Kitwanga to Meziadin Juntion 105 miles Moderate - rolling/some
Moody skies on the Fraser river
Oh dear - this is the direction I will be cycling in! steep climbs
Mez Junction to Dease Lake 210 miles Very difficult- Cassiar H’Way - Mount Pattullo (2729m), Delta Park (2298m), Mount Edizza (2728m), Mount Cartmel (2175m) & a partridge in a pear tree! No places to stay - so may need to hitchhike - otherwise a rather long day & night cycling!
Dse Lke to Cassiar H'wy Jct 155 miles Easy/Moderate - rolling hills & a few steep climbs
Cassiar H'wy Jct to Rainbows Inn 75 miles Easy/Moderate - rolling hills & a few steep climbs
Rainbows Inn to Teslin 85 miles Moderate - some steep climbs
Teslin to Jakes Corner 65 miles Moderate - Simpson Park (2173m)
Jakes Corner to Whitehorse 50 miles - Might treat myself to a beer to celebrate part 1 of the trip over!
I am not too sure when the next update will be, but I will post something whenever I can. Don’t forget you can send me an email of encouragement to colin.d.snowdon@hotmail.com as these are always well received. Any emails of discouragement are also well received - you can’t get me that way boys and girls! OR you can leave a blog by simply clicking on the icon at the foot
of the page (it’s that easy). It would be lovely to hear from any of you, if not just to say that my blog is getting through.
You all take care now and don’t work too hard.
Col X
PS - click onto each photo if you want to see an enlarged version.
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Rob
non-member comment
Yorkshireman speaks
Hi Colin Pretty good blog for a Southerner, really interesting in fact! Good luck when the cycling starts and don't forget to leave very small tips everywhere just like Dave (professional Yorkie) does! Rob