Back to the grind (Le Velo on the ferry again)

Yesterday's rest period with no cycling was perfect.  But today I should really get back to Vancouver. There are 6 days of pouring rain in the forecast, starting the day after tomorrow.  And I don't really trust the weather forecast that much.

Someone's view

A small part of what they see 

So I hop onto the bike at 11 am to catch the 12:20 ferry, even though ice is present where ever I look (although not too much on the roads thanks to salt).  The early departure proved unnecessary in retrospect; it takes me 45 minutes to get to the ferry terminal.

Q of S arriving

The ferry is surprisingly full; the cafeteria has a line-up until 10 minutes before arriving in Horseshoe Bay.  I try to hang out on the sundeck to take some pictures, but the wind cuts into my already cold fingers with icy determination, so I quickly abandon the idea.

Add some false-colour and one of the Group of 7 should have painted this

almost in Horseshoe Bay

While on the way West, Google Maps displayed a bike route that included the highway for a bit, for the way East they send me all the way along Marine Drive in West Vancouver.

The usual views from West Vancouver

 Yes, true, there is a lot of up and down and up again, but I am in my hotel at 13:55.  That is 3 hours door-to-door travel time in total and really only 2.5 hours if one subtracts the 35 minutes waiting at Langdale (once I know end-point-to-ferry travel times, I can start cutting it closer ;-).

2.5 Hours door-to-door?  Why would I do this in a car again? In a car one always has to allow for traffic, overflowing ferries, etc etc. and consequently has to leave much too early. Not so on a bike. The ferry never fills up and car traffic does not really affect bike travel time.  Oh right. This is Vancouver.  There is the rain to consider ;-(

As for Vancouver:  When I get back to the motel, my room keys don't work anymore.  I to the office and have them re-keyed. They still don't work.  I go back to the office and get new keys.  Finally I get into my room !
Then my car doesn't start.  The battery is too weak.  But I can't really blame this one on Vancouver because this is the car's (A 2002 model) FIRST battery.  This battery worked for 12 years !  Thank you, battery !

Of Herons and Seamonsters (a walk on the beach)

After sleeping like a log until 8 am and coffee& banana-bread-breakfast, I realize how cold it was last night when I venture out into the garden.

After a quick trip to Sechelt ....

Davis Bay

it was time for a walk on the beach.

Pas de Paparazzi !

Alex was responsible for keeping Max in and out of the water for most of the time

 

 I was more occupied with big birds waiting for easy to catch fish ;-)

Flocks of birds flying means sunset approaching

What did I do ?

It was a dog behind me and not me that had captured universal attention ;-(

Long time no ferry (Cycling to the Sunshine Coast)

It's been a long time since I have travelled to the Sunshine Coast. I have not taken the ferry since beforeh leaving for the velo-fetching trip to Saint Malo and London.  Why not? Life got in the way.

At first the bike only had one pedal.
Then I was buried in an avalanche of avalanche translations (The Swiss client STILL HAS NOT PAID and stopped answering e-mails ;-(
Then I flew to and on Hawaii ;-)
Then The Holidays had to be survived.

I go on the trip despite being greeted by this view in the morning !

But now it is time.  It also happens to be Hans' Birthday ! 
It's also still the Year of the Snake, which means I have to kick myself in the behind to get out of a warm room and brace the elements, because this is more likely to generate memorable experiences.  Like frostbite.

I am writing the first bit at 9:48 am and the weather forecast calls for sunny skies with 4 degrees Celsius that are supposed to feel like -1. I spent 22 years of my life in Germany and never ran into the concept of Wind Chill. I hate living in the Arctic !  

Short stop in Dundarave: Nice, but I could live without the brown haze on the horizon ;-(

Reminders of yesterday's storm

wiggling back and forth under the highway

time to join the highway

Ferry toll booths visible to the right of that car; To the ferry it's all downhill from here ;-)(

Fish & Chips with a view

2 hours later I am sitting at Bay Moorings in Horseshoe Bay in front of fabulous Fish & Chips & a glass of Boutari.  My nose, toes, and finger tips are twitching while thawing. Underneath my many layers of clothing, I am drenched in sweat. Along the way there were times when I thought I might faint on the bike, usually on uphill sections.  Other times I thought my eyes would freeze closed, usually on steep downhill sections at 45 km/h in the shade. Since my cell phone did not have reception at the crucial spot where I had to join the highway (Thank you Wind Mobile), I almost missed the spot where I had to join it and almost continued on a road down to sea level from the lofty heights to which I had climbed. I have 1 hour to eat, to get my ticket for the ferry, and to board the ferry.

Nanaimo ferry leaving

At the separate boarding path that people with bicycles or dogs use in Horseshoe Bay, I meet two ladies with a dog, who venture to the Sunshine Coast for the first time (I tell them that there is ABSOLUTELY NOTHING at Langdale for them to do but to take a bus to Gibsons). One of them came up for the holidays from Florida.  She agrees that she maybe should have visited Vancouver in the summer ;-)

Sunshine Coast ferry arriving

As a frequent BC Ferries customer, it pays to have one of their Experience Cards.  For a RETURN ticket for the 40 minute ferry trip I pay for myself and my bicycle a grand total of $11.35.  Not bad !

Leaving H-S Bay

After the 40 minute ferry ride, I wait with all the other foot passengers for the ferry personnel to drop the starting rope.  Even though I'm sitting on my bicycle, ready to leave the pedestrians behind and be no obstacle to them, women with kids in strollers push ahead in front of me.  Good thinking ! Let's hope the kids will be smarter.

Another 15 kms with insane hills await me and I'm too tired to take more pictures.

A fabulous end to the old year (Vancouver Cabaret)

Normally I would have been in bed by 9 pm on a New Year's Eve, but my pseudo-nephew Mika had other plans. He wanted to see some jugglers and acrobats, which were advertised by this LINK.

The acts varied all over the spectrum (could this be the reason for why it's called a variety show (Varieté )?)

While some acts were more appealing to younger audiences ...

Not my picture.  SpandyAndy.com

Travis Bernhardt (not my pic)

the one below fascinated both young and old.  FABULOUS !!! Surreal !!!  Amazing !!! Want to see it again !!!

(Elijah Leone Cherweznyk; obviously not my picture)

After a 20 minute intermission (time to do some 'vaping' in the Foyer) DynaMike (below) decided to juggle a running chain saw in the Playhouse. Unfortunately it was not powered by a Lithium battery but by an internal combustion engine.  Imagine the combination of a SMALL STAGE, powerful LIGHTS, and  2-stroke engine EXHAUST ;-( 

DynaMike in Dubai (No, I haven't been taking pictures in Dubai )

Then it was time for a woman in sparse clothing by the name of Leah James to climb up and down two red pieces of cloth suspended from the ceiling clothing after singing.  This was the matter-of-fact description, but the total was definitely WAY MORE than the sum of its parts ;-)

Probably not Leah James and definitely not my picture

The rather ear-piercing finale leading to the final bows of all performers and the count-down at 10 pm was delivered by The Carnival Band

The Carnival Band on Commercial Drive (not my pic)

As soon as the new year had arrived (at 10 pm), Mika was only concerned with collecting as many as possible of the blue balloons that had dropped from the ceiling at 'Zero', while strangely enough total strangers started shaking hands and wishing each other 'Happy New Year'.  At 10 pm.  This was just a touch too surreal for me and I hopped on a waiting bus to North Vancouver, which at Granville filled up with teenagers that smelled like beer as soon as they started talking.