Reasons 1098 - 1195

We started our trek into Vancouver from Abbotsford with high hopes of breezing into a bike-friendly city. Our path lead us through Langley, Surrey and into Delta. Google Maps can be a cyclist’s best friend, but it can also be an arch nemesis. Good old Google lead us all the way through Delta to the Alex Fraser Bridge which cyclists aren’t actually allowed to use. And, of course, we had just ripped down a colossal hill just to find a no-bikes sign. So, we backtracked through Delta and crossed into New Westminster via the Pattullo Bridge. From there on we worked our way along Marine Drive, which has bike lanes sometimes, but not all the time, and when it doesn’t it’s intense. At one point I nearly got sideswiped by a passing semi truck. Eventually, we found a proper bike-friendly street and worked our way North.

We arrived at the apartment of my friend, Courtney in the early evening after all our wandering and detours. It was so great to see an old friend. Courtney and I both studied in South Africa with Youth With A Mission in 2005, and had only seen each other once since then. She was really lovely and welcoming as she helped us bring all our gear into her walk-up. Courtney and I spent Friday night having a great visit, catching up and reminiscing while Collin faded in and out of consciousness on a nearby loveseat. Courtney has been cycle-touring in Iceland, so she had some great stories of her own to share.

On Saturday morning, we woke up and got the bikes ready for a day of exploring Vancouver. As we mounted our bikes, Collin realized that he had his first flat tire of the tour. His confidence in fixing it only wavered a little bit due to his inexperience, but having practiced at home and witnessing me do so several times made it easier. He jumped right in and fixed it on his own.

Then we were off to meet up with my long-time friends, Joel and Bethany. They were hosting our mutual friends, Lori and Brett, so all six of us went for brunch. We walked to The Rumpus Room, which is a quirky little restaurant with a single-hole mini-golf course outside, a picture of the Queen amongst random art inside, and Etch-A-Sketch toys for everyone. Collin had breakfast poutine, but most of us had chicken and waffles. If you’re ever in Vancouver, we would strongly recommend this restaurant both for it’s super charming, kitsch style and it’s ridiculously delicious food. And, if you can go with this particular group of friends you are guaranteed to have a fabulous time. Lots and lots of laughs. After The Rumpus Room we went to 49^th Parallel Roasters Café and got the most amazing doughnuts. We kind of all shared flavours like pumpkin, orange-pistachio, and mango (real-tasting mango filling and mango glaze). SO good. Joel and Bethany know all the best places to eat.

This is Lori, Me, Collin, Brett and Joel. Bethany was behind the camera.

After we said our farewells to the gang, Collin and I hit up the Vancouver Mountain Equipment Co-op. We both found proper riding glasses that we needed and I found some great rehydration tablets. Then we made our way North via the beautiful, Seaside trail to Stanley Park. We rode all the way along the perimeter of the park and took in all the fantastic scenery.

Saturday evening, we pitched in a bit to make veggie burgers from scratch with Courtney and her bf, Brock. After a while, with satisfied bellies we said hello to Courtney’s roommates Dani and Chloe when they came home. We all visited for a long time with a lot of loud banter and laughter. In fact, some of their neighbours heard us and joined us. We had a lot of fun that went late into the night, which was a little ridiculous because we had to get up early enough to be on the road at 8am the next morning. But, it was totally worth it. We thoroughly loved our time with and Courtney and our new friends.

This is Courtney, Dani, Brock's creepy eyes, Chloe, Me and Collin.