"Fogust", Mike said. Fogust indeed! In fact, it was Fogust in Julyvember. You know, that month between Fogust and Junuary. Yep, it has been one of those summers thus far. From our house, to the waterfront, the temperature can be 10 to 20 degrees different. We had some heat in July, but only about one week's worth. In any event, at least the weather has been stellar for just about every event ride we've done this year. And we've done our fair share again this year.
We'll missed the Ride the Muse as it will no longer be sponsored. That was the toughest ride we did last year. However, this year's Ride from Seattle to Vancouver, BC and Party (RSVP) win's top toughest ride honors for this year thus far. We (Bruce, Shelly, Lisa and I) even think it was the toughest ride we've done yet. That's because we faced 25 mph headwinds traversing Skagit Valley on day one. We rode over 110 miles that day, climbed in AND out of Snohomish Valley and faced the sawtooth profile of Chuckanut Drive. Last year we complained about Chuckanut and even called it names "F@#kanut Drive" (thanks Bruce S.). This year, even in the heat of the day, we relished it as it relieved us of the incessant pounding of the wind. We climbed, eight climbs to be sure, but we also glided the scenic descents and were able to recover. There was no such solace in the wind. One had to actually stop and dismount to catch any sort of break. The wind was heinous and relentless.
Our troop consisted of Bruce's wife Kathy, son-in-law Kyle, daughter Allison and grandchild Everett. Kyle and Allison rode but Allison had to abandon day two due to . . . let's just say equipment issues and leave it at that. We all had lunch together in Arlington at our favorite burger joint and motored on. Lisa and I cruised into Bellingham and headed straight for Boundary Bay brew pub. We had our well deserved and well earned savory beers as well as a succulent hummus plate. Then it was off to the hotel to shower and regroup with the rest of our troop Kyle soldiered on for day two and made it to Vancouver by 2PM. Lisa and I made it by 2:38 while Bruce and Shelly, well, made it a TAD later.
Fun was had by all recounting the journey at dinner both nights. And, I want to personally thank Bruce S. for the wonderful dinner meal in Vancouver, BC. Thank you Bruce! The sable fish was . . . delish. May the wind ALWAYS be at your BACK and may the trail rise up to meet you. Bruce ended up having to replace his entire . . . tire due to a rather horrendous gouge (can't remember which day). Luckily, there was a service repair vehicle moments away and he got it all, as my father would've said, "squared away".
We (consisting of Lisa, Shelly and I) also tried something new this year. Daring and bold and carbon footprint conscious, we rode home from Vancouver, BC. We're town mice, not city mice. We visit the big cities, but we're far more comfortable just living in our little town of Port Angeles where almost everything is within walking distance. So, the idea to ride through Vancouver across the Fraser River, twice (north and south forks), unassisted by 'Dan Henrys" seemed a bit daunting at the time. But hey, I'm a map guy. So this should be easy for me, right? Yeah, but add my wife and our friend Shelly and a heap or two of doubt and we gots ourselves a good ole fashioned ad-venture!
This particular adventure wasn't so straight forward as one might think. We had a busy city to traverse, a few rivers to cross and a couple o' ferries to catch. So I did my research. I wanted to avoid the George Massey Tunnel (GMT, not to be confused with the Canadian tax of the same abbreviation) as it involved catching yet another means of scheduled transportation, a "free" shuttle service. University of British Columbia has collaborated with Google and put together rather awesome website that serves the greater Vancouver cycling community and visiting cyclists as well (http://vancouver.ca/engsvcs/transport/cycling/bikeways/planner.htm).
It will map your route from one given point to another using various criteria you can input. Least hills, shortest path, bicycle lanes/routes, greenest, least congested route, etc. are all filters you can enter to determine which route gets generated on the map. AND, you can export it as a kml file and print the directions. Be sure to check your ink supply before trying to print it at home instead of the office! I ended up having to write them down on a piece of paper . . . with a pen. I know, right?
I chose this website over some of the others like Bikely.com or MapMyRide, etc. because they were all rather random and somewhat anonymous and who could I sue if something bad happened along a given route? Just kidding! I looked at some of the routes others posted on those sites but couldn't be sure they were do-able by bike. How do I know if some joker in a car turned on his/her GPS and routed an impossible route for cyclists just for spite? Anyway, the UBC/Google site gave me satisfactory detail and info to calm my anxiety. Like I said, I wanted to avoid the GMT crossing but to do that added about 20 miles to our route. After riding over 180 miles in two days and listening to the sole two women I'd be leading I wisely decided that the shortest distance made the most sense.
The Cycling Planner had a link to the GMT which gave less than clear directions to the shuttle service pickup site on the north side but did give a schedule that I ultimately misread. Hey, I was thinking about allot of things . . . to think about . . . and stuff! I read the schedule as every hour on the hour except noon. I didn't think we'd be getting there any later so I kind of missed the part about not having any southbound service at 2PM. So sue me! (no, don't, not really please). The northbound service was every hour:thirty on the hour:thirty, except noon:thirty and . . . I wasn't really paying attention to that one because it didn't affect us since we were heading south.
But, the ferry service at the Tsawwassen Ferry Terminal does operate every hour on the hour. I still haven't figured that one out yet as it takes 1:35 minutes to cross. They must be using four(?) vessels. Anyway, back to the shuttle at the GMT, we left Vancouver around noon and followed my handwritten directions to the shuttle service pick up on the north side of the GMT. Oh, and, I chose this route because I was able to use Google Earth's "Street View" to actually traverse the part where we pass the signs that are posted along the road that takes us directly to the place where shuttle picks us up. You can actually read the signs in Street View.
Lisa, Shelly and I got there at 1:38. There're benches and a big sign with the shuttle service hours of operation (which I neglected to read clearly yet again). Luckily the shuttle driver drove up and dropped off a single bicycle rider from a northbound transit just a minute or two later. He asked us if we knew there was no shuttle service until 3PM. "Umm, er, no", we said. We (Shelly) immediately tried to bribe the guy with a 20 spot. Inevitably he capitulated and we got through the tunnel to the other side (but you didn't just read this part, understand?). He totally saved our bacon! (you didn't just read that either, okay?). From there, we headed on to the ferry terminal at Tsawwassen and caught the 3PM ferry (schweet!).
When we got to the other side, we headed straight to the Stonehouse! Ya kinda gotta take a left and then a right once you cross the bridge over the terminal entrance road. Anyway, it is our (Lisa and I) favorite endpoint for the Lochside/Galloping Goose trail. We also like the Sooke Bay Inn(?) at the end of the western extension of the Galloping Goose. We grab a late lunch and . . . a beer though I've yet to get too excited about ANY Canadian beer. Unfortunately, they're a bit like Belgium in that regard. We take our time and head straight south on the Lochside Trail all the way to Victoria where we end up staying at the Empress for the night. We arrive at sunset. Another stellar weather day and night on our trek. We clean up and bop out to the Banker and Bard Scottish Pub for some liquid refreshments and entertainment.
The next day consisted of breakfast, trying to find Shelly a top and catching the 3PM ferry home. Oh, by the way, did I mention that the Canadian ferries DO NOT serve beer? Yeah, apparently, their crossings are too long (over an hour) and since most of their passengers drove onto the ferry, they found it unreasonable to serve beer and/or wine. Bummer! Even the Coho doesn't serve beer. They'll sell you liquor via the duty free service on board, but cold beer and wine, not so much. So, you can purchase a fifth of whiskey or vodka or scotch and . . . and what? Well, you get my point.
And there you have it. We traversed the daunting route from Vancouver, BC to Tsawwassen Ferry Terminal. Now Lisa and I can catch a couple of ferries, a free shuttle service for cyclists and cross a few bridges to downtown Vancouver from little ole Port Angeles and back without use of a car. Mass transit and bicycles only please. Pretty cool. We'll be trying this again in the near future to watch some Canuckle-headed hockey games for sure.
Sunday, August 22, 2010
Route
 Vancouver, Elevation (ft) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Posted from bimactive.com | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Route
 Richmond, Elevation (ft) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Posted from bimactive.com | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Wednesday, June 23, 2010
Launch Day
So you want a little excitement? Well, try getting on one of these babies while the swells are pitching a vertical difference of 6-10 feet. This has to be one of the most dangerous aspects of ocean floor mapping. The "davits" (sp?) were not really designed for such a heavy boat (so I'm told). They're the cranes that launch the 4 survey launches over the side of the ship. The tackle (hooks) are quite heavy and cumbersome. I watched in wonder waiting for something to go wrong as the small boat heaved up and down and the deck hands timed the release of the hooks. Precarious at best is really the only way to describe the operation. I hope no one gets injurred during these operations.
Monday, June 21, 2010
Kandi!
When I bought Trixi, my carbon fiber Specialized Roubaix, she was around 58 cm and quite the smooth ride. She fit like a dream and had those ergo handlebars that are oh so sweet. One day I noticed a crack in the Shimano rims and took 'er into the local bike shop where I bought her for a look. They contacted Specialized and Specialized shipped a brand new set of Rovall Eschapees as replacements at no extra charge. Now that's service. Plus, the red and black spoke paint job set off the all black bike something special. Trixi and I were in a TV commercial ad for Sound Bikes & Kayaks (for about 5 seconds). I still haven't seen the footage as it was on cable.
Anyway, I like to go downhill fast. After all, when you weigh over 200, going up is work and going down is our reward. Here in Port Angeles though, there are a few sharp turns on a few steep descents. Especially at the bottom of the bluffs on my commute to work. I noticed "it" on the first ride to work on my new carbon bike. When in a high speed descending tight turn with a little front brake pressure applied, Trixi would flex and buck her front tire with a shimmy, shimmy, shake, shake that was downright unholy! That's how she got her name. You had to use back brake more and front brake less to offset this precarious characteristic. But, that usually only happened at around 35+ mph in a rather tight turn. Ginger had a carbon fork, but she never did this.
I figured it out. Tom Boonen was right. Once his team, Quick Step, signed Specialized as the team bike, he wanted the Roubaix redesigned. Guess when that happened? Guess when I saw Kandi for the first time? That's right, Kandi is the result of that redesign. On an XL (58cm) Roubaix, the distance from the down tube to the cross tube on the head tube is rather great, about 4-6 inches. On aluminum frames, this is not a great issue.
Cannondale has a greater diameter down tube AND head tube. Boonen's redesigned Roubaix completely addresses this in spades. We are talking serious stiffening of the tubes in question as well as adding some rather uncommonly appealing design lines. The curvature of the cross tube is a through back to the old Sting Ray days and is done so well that this bike oozes with . . . sex appeal. Remember the 70's era Corvette? Yeah, just, like, THAT!
So, I named this bike before I ever rode her. How'd that happen? Somethings you can tell from sight alone. She is lipstick red with white and silver trim, delicious like candy. Her design, sexy, light and smooth as silk but sturdy and stiff like, like . . . hard candy. I got a cavity just from lookin' at 'er! (It's true, I had it filled last week.) So, I had about two years of ogling over her and after a few more high speed shimmies on Trixi, decided I needed to look at upgrading to a (pardon the pun here) sweeter ride.
That chance came when my good buddy Mike McH. broke a crank on his '64 Masi during the Fort 2 Fort on the 6th of June. He had noticed a crack near the pedal mount but rode it anyway and lo and behold, on a climb up West Valley Road, the crank gave way and he went down. He scraped his knee but no serious harm was done. However, he had to abandon the ride.
His wife, Nancy McH. knew I was in the market to sell Trixi as I had suggested so to Mike. She wanted to know specifics and I told her my issues and that ever since Matt, Mike and I rode up Hurricane Ridge and, in particular, down it, Mike hasn't wanted to ever go fast again. That day Mike and Matt showed up to do the much anticipated torture trip and just as we were about to mount our steeds, Mike noticed his rear tire was flat.
He repaired his tire but failed to ensure the hub was aligned properly due to the nature of the "straight back" (single speed style) drop outs. Well, coming down Hurricane Ridge at speed with a mis-aligned rear hub will put the fear of God into anyone! He was white as a sheet when he finally arrived at the rest stop where Matt and I were wringing our hands wondering what the hell happened to him. He was 12 minutes behind us for crying out loud! That did it for Mike. I seriously don't think he'll ever be a downhill demon not that he ever was. But that trip was it for him. To this day he's sworn off high speed descents (for life).
So, that makes Trixi a good fit for him. He'll never push it like I like to (and probably shouldn't but do anyway). Nancy wants to buy Trixi for him for him for his birthday (don't worry Nancy, no one reads my blogs anyway, especially Mike). I priced her to sell and believe that Mike will get many, many years of joy from riding that smooth as glass carbon frame!
Having said all that, my wife, Lisa, gave me the green light to go ahead and buy Kandi, which we did Saturday. Then, we rode the Olympic Discovery Trail (ODT) from Port Angeles to Blyn and back. We stopped at the Longhouse Chevron Station for a paninni per our usual. Lisa needs to get miles under her to be ready for the Seattle to Portland (STP) so this was a planned ride. Unfortunately, it was cooler and cloudier than Saturday (we rode Sunday) and by the time we got to Blyn, the weather was downright chilly willy! Nonetheless, we headed back and heated up some as it is a slight ascent most of the way back. Lisa suffered some pain nearer the end of our trek but managed to stretch AND tough it out. She's a serious trooper!
The Voyage to Map the Bottom of the Sea
My father was a 30-year Navy man but I was never really exposed to life aboard a ship at sea. My first vague memories on board a ship was coming back from Rota, Spain when I was around 4 years old. I'm sure it took some time crossing the Atlantic but I remember not being able to use the pool, 1) I didn't know how to swim and 2) there wasn't a wading pool for kids. When we arrived in New York Harbor, it was foggy and I couldn't really see much of the city, just vague forms of monolithic buildings disappearing into the grayness.
Other than that, I've toured a few Navy vessels on class trips and slept aboard my father's ship more than once or twice. Then there're the Seattle ferries which I love but that's different. The trip lasts less than an hour at most. I've been on a cruise ship for a few days. I've been on whale watching tour boat in heavy seas for a day. 'Been on various boat based fishing trips. Perhaps the most exciting ship board experience of my life has to be the Dependent's Day trip aboard the Nimitz. That was AWESOME. We sailed from Indian Island out to just off the coast of Sequim in the Strait of Juan de Fuca. The ship went operational with several key aircraft launching and landing to demonstrate operations while we stood on the deck and watched!
Well, this voyage might not have the excitement of listening to the afterburners of an F-14 Tomcat or F-18 Hornet taking off the flight deck while standing a mere few hundred feet away, but this has the makings of an epic journey into . . . boredom? Perhaps. But, I wouldn't miss it for the world! We'll be, how do you say, literally charting uncharted waters.
I'll be on a launch doing near shore surveys using multi-beam sonar and then downloading it and post-processing it. Yeah, that's the mundane stuff until you realize just how cool it'll be to have that data! It's like LiDaR (which is like radar) of an alien landscape. Think of the NASA stuff, you know, the maps of the surface of the moon and mars and such? Some of that's done using radar (radio waves). We do the upland earth in LiDaR (which uses laser light instead of radio waves). Now using sonar (which uses sound waves) we'll be mapping high resolution digital elevation models of the sea floor.
Folks like me are classified as visitors on board. We've been oriented on where to be when and how to don our "Gumby" suits (a.k.a., Mustang Survival Suit). So far, we've drilled for fire and for an abandon ship. Everything went smoothly. I believe this is quite old hat to the crew, which is good. Ya wanna crew that . . . knows what ta do in an emergency. The food is supreme! I'm planning on losing some weight for the coming Seattle to Portland ride come mid July. Mostly I figure I will since my carb intake will definitely go waaaay down (this is a no booze cruise). However, I must resist some of the delicious carbs being served at meal time. Last weight check: 206 lbs. We shall see in 14 days.
Wednesday, June 2, 2010
Tour de Trails o' Boulder
After yesterday's tour de force of LiDaR 2 workshop mania from 7am to 11pm, I was nearing my capacity to absorb information (esp., Ph.D. level info). It was a long day yesterday and I'd just about had my share of sitting on hard, uncomfortable conference chairs. One more day though. One more day of sitting and squirming and wishing I could be out on a trail somewhere taking in the thin Colorado air and soaking in those dangerous high altitude photons. But I have to admit, the workshop was very, very informative if not, at times, over my head. What do you expect from a room full of Ph.D.s?
Nonetheless, the workshop wound down to an end and everyone was milling about waiting for the hotel bus or the airport shuttle. The clouds came and went all day and the wind seemed to be ever present, but the temps hovered just under 80 deg F. I figured that as long as I could make it to the bike shop in time, I'd rent a bike over night and ride the rest of the day until dinner. But this time, instead of a $20 "Dorkster", I'd pike a road bike. They had Giant Defy 1 and 3 and I picked the lower end one but they were out so I got the upper end one for the lower end price. So, I took a few pictures and for some reason, my GPS quite each time so I had to cobble the routes together:
Cycle 06:39 pm
Boulder, CO Cycle 06/02/10 -- 9.99 0:50:37 11.8 mph
Cycle 05:52 pm
Boulder, CO Cycle 06/02/10 -- 7.51 0:35:02 12.9 mph
Cycle 05:27 pm
Boulder, CO Cycle 06/02/10 -- 3.07 0:17:54 10.3 mph
I have to tell you, if you ever want to see what a "state of the art" bike path system looks like, you gotta see Boulder, CO.
Boulder, CO
Boulder, CO
Boulder, CO
ACTIVITY
Route: | Tour de Trails o' Boulder | ||
Location: | Boulder, CO, | ||
Date: | 06/02/10 | ||
Time: | 07:51 PM | ||
Weather: | Partly Cloudy | ||
79 F temp; 24% humidity | |||
76 F heat index; winds WSW 6 mph | |||
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)