Nature's Bar Graph

I had a "water cooler" conversation the other day with a colleague in the lunchroom. We were talking about how many people we see in a day walking around with head down and thumbs aflutter endlessly updating/ tweeting/ emailing/ surfing.

I was reminded again yesterday morning as I sat in a float plane awaiting take-off from Coal Harbour in Vancouver. I chose the Harbour-to-Harbour service rather than the more traditional ferry for my day-long assignment in Victoria. It was the perfect late summer day for a flight. As we taxied out (for lack of a more appropriate nautical term; I'm sure I'll think of one later) the sun was just cresting the eastern peaks of the valley. It's orange brilliance illuminated the float plane adjacent to us so intently it was as if my whole colour pallette had just been decreased to Hallowe'en primaries; orange and black.

But somehow, several passengers failed to notice, so intently were they absorbed in reading either iPads or newspapers. Electronic choices were somewhat narrowed by this point as the captain had asked that phones be powered down or switched to "aircraft mode".

I guess I've never been wired for business. I can't keep the latest DOW in my head for more than a couple of minutes. The Business section is mostly read (even then only skimmed) second to last, just before Sports. I guess I lean more towards artsy despite being a technologist by profession. I'm attracted to the visual aura surrounding us. I always have been. Even as a small child, if we were traveling home from friends'/ relatives' houses, and I was dead-tired from playing, I never wanted to sleep in the car lest I miss something along the way.

And every time I travel by ferry, I spend most of the time on deck, no matter the weather. Well, OK, if it's pouring rain I decrease my outdoor exposure time, but I still always go out on deck for awhile. And nowadays, with the portability of digital cameras, I never leave home without it; my camera, that is. Even my phone has one, which is about the only reason I'd be focused on my phone on a ferry trip. Last year on a similar work-related trip (on the ferry) I also took a sunrise photo. I think I posted it here probably about 9 months ago.

The odds are greater of getting a window seat on a small single prop sea plane and I took full advantage. We flew over Coal Harbour, the yellow sulphur stacks in North Van, the Lions Gate bridge (oddly enough at about the same time my wife would be driving across it), Stanley Park, UBC. Then for something completely different, the plane traversed directly over the airport at about 3,500 feet. In all my crossings I never flown directly over the airport. How cool is that?

"Tiny" 747s moved along runways as if in slow-motion. It made me want to look around to see who was remotely controlling the whole operation from the sidelines. All the while several fellow passengers were intently engaged in their headlines/ editorials/ gossip columns.

Several  minutes after clearing VYR's airspace, as we crossed Ladner, ironically I viewed nature's own bar graph, illuminated by the low angle of the just-risen sun. A haphazard assortment of trees lining either a road or a property boundary had created the ideal conditions to mimic stats in the Business section. But sadly, the Business Class seats were still engrossed in the their texts.

Of course, don't ask me to interpret Nature's Bar Graph. I'm entirely unqualified for that.

KVR (part 2)

We did come across a couple of obstacles during our first foray along the KVR. One was a trestle that has been allowed to deteriorate. I don't know the back story on it, but judging by its present state, a couple more decent snow loads over a few more winters is going to topple the few sticks that remain. Some time ago an alternate path was constructed adjacent to this unsafe trestle; it's a gravel road hugging the hillside.

  

The next detour was the Adra Tunnel. It's a spiral tunnel that has recently partially collapsed. It's possible to walk in a few hundred meters, but it's fenced off just under an air vent in the ceiling. I have to admit it was a bit creepy walking in that far, but we had flashlights, and the entrance was still visible from that distance. You know, the light a the end of the tunnel.

At the bend approaching the north entrance to Adra. Note the complementary bike parking area.

Here's Jeff under the air vent in front of the fenced off portion of the tunnel.

The south inaccessible end. Photo taken through chainlink.

There is now a detour road to avoid this tunnel until further notice.I was happy to read a sign, however, that says plans are afoot to restore this amazing feat of engineering. Donations are gratefully being accepted by the Adra Tunnel Restoration Initiative, c/o Naramata Parks, Box 224, Naramata, BC, V0H 1N0. I got this information from one of a box of pamphlets beside the sign describing the fundraiser.

More KVR to come...

KVR (part 1)

It really is all in the timing. Last weekend Jeff and I finally went on our long-discussed bicycle trip along a section of the former Kettle Valley Railway between Myra Canyon (Kelowna) to Penticton. This weekend the Okanagan is burning, albeit the opposite shore from where we were, but realistically that wildfire could have started anywhere. We were just lucky.

It's funny; we were talking at our base camp in Penticton the night before we stowed the bikes and gear on a shuttle that would take us to our start point at Myra Canyon. Neither one of us could recall who first suggested this trip and when. It could have been me, since I ride a lot, or it could have been Jeff because he's a train nut. The timeframe for this adventure is lost in the sands of time, although it was probably last Christmas.

We both like 2-wheelers, and it's been about 15 years since we went on a trip together. That time it was on motorcycles. I've kept my helmet and saddlebags all these years while Jeff has kept riding his 750. I bought a beater GS850 about 4 years ago, and since it remains a beater to this day we thought a more reliable mode de transport would be mountain bikes. Jeff bought one in the Spring and started riding/ training while I simply got mine tuned up.

We both studied "The Manual", Cycling the Kettle Valley Railway. I had Edition 2 while Jeff had Edition 3, the latest, the one that was published after all the trestles were rebuilt following the massive forest fire season a number of years ago. I think it was 2004. Shauna and I were in Kelowna that summer and I vividly remember the acrid smoke everywhere, and even seeing flames along the rim of a nearby canyon right from our hotel in town!

Our initial foray into Okanagan train country began and ended with good weather. It was a bit chillier than I'd expected, with less sun, but we packed enough clothes to be comfortable. We started off at 10:10 a.m. on Sunday.

Me at the Myra Canyon trail head.

A grove of "sticks" is left over from the wild fires a few years ago.

The first 10 km took us more than an hour. Both of us being engineering-minded types we stopped at every trestle (that was the attraction of starting at Myra Canyon) for photo ops.

The "Boo-yeah!" photo op of Myra Canyon.

We came across an interesting sign on what is billed as a cycling route. It said"No Cycling on Trestle". My first sarcastic thought was, "What... are you supposed walk your bike around it?"

I think it must be a carry-over from before the wooden guardrails were installed. And yes, that's Jeff waving at midspan (this time on a steel girdered bridge), flagrantly disregarding the law. Can  you just imagine what it used to be like in the good old days, just after people started re-discovering theses wonderful old relics from the past, when they had to be traversed with only the cross ties to walk on? No smooth-planked path, and certainly no guardrails! Now that's hard-core!

More to come...

Das Auto

My wonderful wife Shauna had a surprise waiting for me when I got home from my KVR cycling adventure (I'll have to blog about my Kettle Valley Railway tour later). On her way home from dropping me off in Abbotsford last Saturday morning (so I could continue up to Penticton with Jeff), she heard about a performance driving event hosted by Volkswagen that was to happen the following weekend (today).

I know, I know, this post will devolve into a shameless manufacturer's plug for Volkswagen, but I'm a car junkie. I might as well admit it. I've tried to quit; really I have! I sold my last toy about 13 years ago in order to amass a greater down payment for a house. That was successful, but I still can't shake my fondness for VW. I lean towards old air cooled Beetles, but how could I possibly pass up the chance to drive a brand new New Beetle (the chopped style; the one that looks kinda like the Audi coupe) and a new 2.0 GTi?

The event was held in Pitt Meadows on a coned track next to the airport. Of course they guide the groups of enthusiasts through the pop-up tent filled with new cars (and one old-style Beetle: a fully restored '52 Split!) before they'll let anyone behind the wheel. Gotta build the anticipation.
 

After the tent tour, and after another hour in line, I finally got to hop in the driver's seat of a New (chopped) Beetle. I haven't driven a New Beetle since we rented one to drive as our wedding car in Winnipeg 12 years ago, in lieu of renting a limo. How's that for Fahrvergnügen? What I remember most about that experience was the heated seats. It was, after all, Winnipeg in March!

On the advice of a guy in line behind me I drove the Beetle first to get a feel for the track. I've never driven on a track before so I wanted to save my potentially fastest lap for the GTI. I slipped behind the wheel, greeted the VW personnel co-pilot and prepared for a grinning experience. Once "Drop it into 'S'" was explained to me by my co-pilot (it's "Sport Mode" in the transmission selection) we were off. And I mean "Off!".

I know many people wouldn't give you a thank-you for a car with merely 200 hp these days, but to me it seemed fast! Our Mazda 3 has 167 hp and is certainly adequately fast. There were no occasions during our summer trips of the last 2 years (Vancouver to Winnipeg and Vancouver to central California) when I wished for more power. All the mountain passes were climbed with ease, even with 2 people and the car fully packed with luggage.

That said, when I stomped on the accelerator pedal of this automatically shifted Beetle (our Mazda 3 is a 6-speed manual), it really set me back in my seat. I wouldn't be telling Volkswagen to back off on the power any time soon.

My second drive did indeed go smoother after the Beetle practice lap. Strangely enough the GTI felt faster even though I was told both cars shared the same chassis design and engine power. Both were a blast to drive.

The first stretch is straight line acceleration followed by rapid braking. Those brakes really made it seem as though the earth had tossed out an anchor, snagging the undercarriage. A short slalom followed, then a skid pad, ending with a longer slalom. Some lead-foots were causing some serious tire squealing, while others over-stepped the course by plowing into orange cones. I'm proud to say I was firmly in the middle. My laps weren't scorching, but I didn't topple any cones.

As I told Shauna, "This is better than Disneyland!"

I overhead a couple of guys in line talking about other similar events sponsored by other marques. It seems one can sign up for these events about 4 times a year. I'll have to keep my ears open. I think there's a BMW out there needing a hot lap or two (by me of course!).

Coincidentally, two of my favourite colours are blue and red.

Diner en Blanc, Vancouver edition

Last night we participated in the much anticipated Diner en Blanc, Vancouver edition. All the months (really only 2) of frantically searching for white attire culminated in a very pleasant evening.

Here are a few pics to give you a glimpse of the elegance of the affair.

The holding corral at Thornton Park near Main and Terminal.

Set-up was initially a bit chaotic.

1,200 of our closest friends.

Our table.

When was the last time you played with sparklers?

California holiday vignettes, part 1

In August we traveled to California for a 10 day holiday. Thus far, I haven't had time enough to turn around, much less contribute a new posting. But ya gotta start somewhere. Here goes.

Yreka CA

Yreka poolside

Conversely, there's Willits, CA.

Would you like some corn or carrots with your backstroke? Doh!!

Horse Lake July 2012