Shannon Falls

Shannon Falls- we stopped off here on our way down to Vancouver this weekend- there's a lot more water flowing than the last time I came here. Pretty awesome! Maybe a good place for ice climbing in the winter? We'll see about that I hope.

What a Difference a day makes!

Well considering I got back at 6:30pm from a ride- I woke up at 7:30am to this! Wow about 10-15cm of snow fell overnight and the lodge looks gorgeous. A forecast of what is to come perhaps!

Fall ride- is it the last?

Today I was itching to get out there and ride it was calm and dry but a little chilly. I rushed out at 4pm and rode the usual Friday tour from Friburg to the Lookout and down to Gun Creek road- it was so beautiful I did not want to stop so I carried on down to Pearsons and to Mowsons Ponds. Look at the Golden leaves all over the trails- it was like riding new trails even though I knwo these so well. I was speeding along too with no-one to follow and no-one to wait for- great fun, all these trails to myself!

Then I had the haul back up the road- it's steep and long and a slog! It was pretty dark by the time I got back to the cabin at around 6:30pm. Not gonna be many more evening rides from now on. :-(

This was a good one to squeeze in and boy my legs could feel it!

Snow on the Hurley

After a night back in Whistler Dale and I headed back over the Hurley in his truck, there was a smattering of snow in Whistler but as we reached the peak of the Hurley we were driving through about 15-20cm of freshies- fun but a little hairy on the switchbacks. A couple of fishtail moments as the back of the truck was so light.

Tim's Bday = Reunion

So it was Tim's 50th, hence the big family reunion (my adopted family that is). After a big gathering and some flowing alcohol at Tim's last night we headed down to steveston for a slap up breakfast and the boys and I went out for a walk on the dock to see all the fishing boats. So great to see you guys again and play PS3 and American football. Miss ya loads!

UBC

Here's the old gang back together and riding UBC on aglorious Fall day- but missing 1 of are party!

We're missing 1 body!

Hey hey- it was great to get back to Vancouver tonight and meet up with Ken and Dennis, but we are missing 1 person- Pete where are you? We have a Sleemans and a bar stool ready and waiting- get over to BC now!

It's been a couple of years since we all rode together in Canada and everyone has had life changes. Dennis has moved from Calgary to Vancouver, I was made resundant and came over here to play and hopefully stay, Ken has moved from UK to Portland and Pete is sitting in the UK enjoying some time off since his redundancy. There's more change to come but it's funny it all happened in the same year for all 4 of us!

So after a few beers we went riding round UBC, just gentle mountain biking but so beautiful in the fall/autumn colours and great to have Tim, Mike and Warren out riding with us too.

Good laughs and great company.

Fall in Whistler

So I needed a break from Tyax (can you believe I said that!). Well i had been there for 3 months when I expected to go for 6 weeks!
My hair was getting too thick and long and a touch of cabin fever was starting to hit. Once my friends had left it seemed a much lonelier place to hang out despite the awesome scenery. What's that saying "Happiness is only real when shared!" Hmmm.

So here I am in Whistler again. It's not quite the same either, the bike park is shut and most of my friends gone too but there are a few left and the trails outside the park are just as awesome as ever and a little more challenging when damp from the rain.

So I've been out to ride all the Lost Lake trails, then Emerald Forest to River runs thru it to Bob's Rebob to the new "Get Over it" trail. I also decided to do a long mileage trail not so technical or adventurous but to get the legs really spinning and heart and lungs working. I rode the Sea to sky Trail from Whistler village along the valley trail to Function Junction and then thru teh Olympic Village at cheakamus crossing and onto the gravel trail. I rode down to teh Cheakamus suspension Bridge and then as far as I could towards Brandywine Falls where the trail seems to disappear so I gave up and came back. Glorious fall day and nice to get the body really moving.

I feel refreshed pedalling in a different venue again and with a new haircut and some new winter clothes to wear. It's been a good week but now my thoughts are turning to the "What Next"- "Que sera sera CK- wait a bit longer and see!"

Meanwhile Vancouver for the weekend! Yay!

Fall at Tyax

So I've had abuse lately for not updating my blog- well my Summer excuse was that I was too damn busy enjoying myself but my October excuse is the opposite- not a lot has been going on- certainly nothing reportable really but here goes for an overview.

Summer was sooo much fun, crazy busy, eventful, hot and sunny, long days filled with lots of riding in awesome scenery and a lot of partying with the best of friends. It surpassed my every expectation by a long long way- but we all know Summer has to end and indeed it has and all that went with it has faded away too.

Not to say that Autumn (or Fall as they say here) has been bad - but it has slowly brought back the realities of life and new decisions to make. The weather has changed and my body is burnt out from so much riding, so I have not ridden as much.

The focus has been on the last few parties of the year, as we celebrated birthdays and then we said sad goodbyes as 1 by 1 they all left for their next phase of life whether planned or unplanned. For me its a waiting game to see whether my next step will be allowed or whether I'll just come on home.

Unforgettable times this month included Elisha's birthday bash- "A Ridiculous Outfit" party where some outrageous outfits were turned out. Unfortunately coinciding with our sad goodbyes to Judy.

Then Thanksgiving Turkey dinner and a goodbye send off to Chris and uncelebration of Jeremy's birthday.

Thanks giving day saw me head up to Cinnabar on an ATV with Andrew to take in the snowcapped mountain views and breathe the fresh air in deep.

Looking after Dusty the dog and taking him for a long bike ride Around the Lake and a long walk at Sucker lake with Nat on the most fantastic of Fall days, bright and warm amidst glorious colours.

Finally the last staff fling and movie night at Reg's with moose steaks from the moose he'd hunted the previous week- wow talk about fresh local produce!

I'm off to Whistler for a break and some last ditch attempt at riding trails here before the snowy season hits.

Blog Late updates

If you've been following me here you'll know I've been remiss in not writing much.

Well I'm playing catch up now so keep looking below as I post a photo and a quick memory of the last few weeks since I last updated!!!

Sorry its so short and late but at least it will remind me in years to come of all the fun things I've done this year and the great people I've met!

Snow Ride at Spruce Lake

I woke up feeling hot and then cold with the sweats, then I could not eat my breakfast BUT I had to lead a ride from Spruce Lake. I was worried about being sick on the plane and then on the trail and not even making it back let alone getting my clients back.

I slept up in Staff Accom for 2hrs before the ride, the staff clubbed together to all help me, Dale was sorting out sub-guides but no joy, he got the clients all ready, Nat fed me hot lemon honey drinks, Chris concocted some gingerale style potion and made me drink it to settle my stomach.

Then I had to suck it up, grin and bear it and go ride!

Boy was I glad I did! As we descended to Spruce Lake which was surrounded by Snow covered mountains and had about 5cm of snow on the dock. What a thrill to ride fresh tracks around the lake with only cougar tracks and deer tracks ahead of me- I've never seen any cougars up here but here was clear evidence of their presence! Oooh eeeek!

I tried to break trail remembering where all teh roots were below the trails so my clients did not slip and slide over them. Out in the meadows (pictured above) we still had a scatering of snow but the trail was rather clear and was packed hard so really flowing better than ever this sandy summer!

Half way through the ride once we were out of the snow and had pedaled a while I started to run out of energy and my legs turned to jello! It was tough to keep myself going at a good pace for the guys in my group. But to be honest towards the end the clients were more knackered than me. I was glad to see Dale in the van for our ride home. It was a great ride but I was seriously exhausted now.

I spent the next day in bed most of the day, snoozing and watching movies by a log fire, just going out for an hour or so for a walk with Dusty, JJ's dog.