"Think were gonna need a bigger bike..."

Doug and I spent the day in whistler was sweet up until I trashed my Fox 36 forks!! The rebound damping had gone AGAIN when I stopped to inspect the damage i realise that t have lost my upper jockey wheel too. So I ended up rolling to the bottom and as luck would have it there was a Fox Racing Team service tent down the hill under the lift. I Bounced my way down there only to find out they wouldn't help as the were doing some kind of testing. Fortunately I manged to Hire Kona Stinky Carbanzo, Hooray!

We spend the later part of the day avoiding the top part of the mountain as that was ruff as hell hence the damaged forks, and stuck mainly to A Line and Dirt Merchant it was quality and i really enjoyed the hire bike even tho i bottomed it out a few times anyway we videoed some stuff and I made this video...

Whilst we were in the lift queue Doug was talking to Matt Hunter he was asking him about his TCD (Tony's Chain Device), Pro Rider interest at last for Tony...

Also Saw a Bear with 2 Cubs on the trail from the lift, and ten minutes early Doug and Myself had been stood in the same spot, could have been really interesting...

And finally a T-Shirt to celebrate the event

Fishers!!

Vancouver Aquarium well worth a look round, even if is just to watch Sea Otters swimming about...

Stupid Picture for today

"This, my friend, is a pint." "They come in pints?"

Crankworx at Whistler

Got up Crankworx at Whistler this afternoon, was good experience but it went too long and the course was poor in places the riders seemed to struggle with the unfortunately named last jump the Gap-O-Tron? It was huge.Practice on Badlynamed-O-Jump

We first settled near the dirt jumps I was amazed by how stupid Joe Public are "Er maybe you don't wanna sit there cos people are trying to ride those jumps?". The amount of near misses was amazing I saw one guys climbing up (damaging) a jump as one guy was flying towards it, he cr@pped his pants! Her "Oh, what the hell was that",
Him "i not sure darling maybe a bird, looks like is gonna land on the kids"

The riders were also badly scored we BOOed the judges more than once, was entertaining but it could have been so much better. At least people got heckled at by the Downhill guys.

Nathan Rennie and others taking the Pi$$.

Cinema Failure

Was rather looking forward to watching the Simpson's Movie today, so I got my ass down to Cineplex Odeon Park & Tilford what a disaster area! First if just stopped for 15 minutes, it played for a little longer then picture stopped then the cell just melted, for a few seconds I thought it was part of the movie but no it was another F@ck up by the cinema, they tried to tell me as I'd seen more than 1/2hr and I couldn't get my cash back and I'd be given a pass. They clearly hadn't tangled with the adamant Englishman before, after I left with my cash I thought about summing up what I saw. Its racer than the TV show, Naked Bart was unexpectedly shocking and hilarious The Trev will be glad that Green Day get killed off in the opening sequence! I got to see my favorite bit from the Trailer too.

"Spiderpig, Spiderpig, does whatever a spiderpig does,
Does he swing from a web, no he doesn't cause he's a pig,
Watch out hes the spiderpig..."

Oh and Also have a play with the Simpsonizer the results are quite good, ok I tweaked the beard and face metal but still...
Sat on the roof and fixed my biking gear and in the sun took in the view below, not much I here you say well if look above the drying sheets you can see downtown, and above that the mountains in the USA quality.

Red Robin Day

Spent all most of the Day Slogging it up Mt Fromme Did Seventh Secret a couple of other runs, to the bottom and then rode right back up to Expresso. Did some skinny stuff on there and surprised myself by not falling off.

Despair- I'd only ridden half way to Mt Fromme on the Road, then you still have to go up it!

Mt Fromme Expresso - Some of the easy Shore riding

Headed back to meet doug and count the seabus to downtown to meet Karen for Dinner went to Red Robins, yes I know another burger but what a burger easily best so far 9/10 9.5 if the meat was a little warmer!

Trying to have a conversation with Karen around the starter was a bit of a problem.

Beer & Burger and it looks like the picture on the Burgerizer!

Doug giving his Bleu Ribbon Burger the thumbs up!

View from the Seabus - Northshore at night.

View from Doug and Karens roof deck of the First Night of the Celebration Of Light.
We were about 2 miles away so it musta been Big!

Do Nothing Day

Didn't take a single photo today, when Doug Got home we went up Mt Fromme and blasted down Pipeline and another (?). Was good.

Here's first attempt at night skyline photo from the roof from last night, should of waited till it was darker maybe?

Raven and the First Men

Today set off on the bus to West Vancouver to the Museum of Anthropology at UBC, there are many examples of totems and house beams done in a native style. I got there just in time to catch most of the tour which was more informative than just reading the cases.

The Raven and the First Men by Bill Reid

One of the masks in the Visable Storage Area looks like something from LOTR.Giant roof support beam for a lodge, forground the chiefs seat the slaves are based on Andy and Roland.The hunger pangs had kicked in a while ago so it was time for another burger Veras this time and it might look like road kill but the Baja Burger tasted great. 7.5/10 Mmm chillis...

Canadian Bacon?

The plan was to go up to Whistler today but the weather was bad, so we went around nearly every bike shop on the Northshore. The first plan but into action was breakfast we ended up at the Eighties Restaurant. They can do any kind of eggs you would like but Bacon, Back Bacon, the stuff I love at home they just don't do properly, although its a slightly better attempt than the option in France, Lardons?

We headed over to Deep Cove for Ice Cream, the weather wasn't to good but it still looks nice.

Border Run to Galbraith

We got up early to get across the border into the USA it was still a wait of 90 minutes which was rather dull. We eventually get to Galbraith and the weather was much better we're being lead by Sheldon (and wife Nancy) one of the NSRIDE guys he was a good laugh and he really knew his way round that place. There was quite a lot of up , some fast downs and a few stunts, I found it enjoyable.
We got food in the gas station on the way home, in the UK that would a sweaty sandwich, not so here. An 8" Chicken Hot Sub with all the Jalapenos and pickles you can shake a stick all for $5, bargain!
Few beers later in the Rusty Gull and it was all over, we were all knackered...

Doug, Karen, and Nikki

Karen, Nikki, Sheldon and Paul

Me, sporting my new shorts before I ripped em.

Doug with his Banana aka Doug with his illegally smuggled fruit.

More than meets the eye...

After riding the last few days and the epic-ish ride I did yesterday I wanted a break so I went to see The Tranformers movie. After my inital fear of all the school kids in the place talking all the way though it subsided I got down to enjoying the film and enjoy it I did. Not followed the story for years but other than a few obvious car changes to America Models it seemed an ok story and visually amazing.

Went to the Queens Cross Pub for some food and 1 to many beers, oh and i had burger, chicken this time tho. Was really good 7.5/10 it did have a tomato in it but it was soon ejected! Got back about 0:00hrs trying not to think of our 06:00hrs start in the morning...

Lynn Canyon

Went over to Lynn Canyon today, the ride over was mainly up but at least it was drier than yesterday. With Doug's Detour completed I was into the forest once more and again I found the roar of the river very peaceful.
Didn't take a great deal of photos on the suspension bridge as it was only just big enough to fit my bike down it. At this point I hooked up with a Swiss guy called Casper and yes he was friendly. We traversed over to Mt Seymour and eventually found the bottom of the Ned's trial and pushed up (not advised it was a funking long way). We were soon back down, I can see why they shuttle here....

The view upstream on Lynn Suspension Bridge.

I finally got back at a little after 17:30hrs I was met by Doug loading the Car up for the Thursday Night NSRIDE club ride. We set off up Mt Fromme at 18:30 after a short drive to it and i started peddling again, I think I did quite well seeing that I had been in the saddle since 11:00hrs. We met up in Seymours pub after and I had 3 (not quite) pints of some Honey Lager which was quite good although the waitress was the most grumpiest ever, and your supposed to tip em? F@ckin Smile!

Stanley Park

Decided it was time to get out on the bike again so I headed down Marine Drive to the Lions Gate Bridge to get into Stanley Park. Some of the coat ride/walk was shut due to damage from the Winter, trees over etcFound a great big dead tree with an other growing out of it, that seems to happen quite a lot here.
Between the beaches on the south side of the headland spotted a big bird, this time not from Sesame St. Possibly a Sea Eagle? Tried to get a better pic and it cheesed it then got mobbed by seagulls but it was happy about that...Once my tour of the headland was completed and I'd seen all the usual touristy type of things like the totems, I headed back to North Van I turned up Capilano Rd and ended up eventually at the Cleveland Dam. Man was it high, just look at the little folks on the left and they ain't anywhere near the bottom.
Decided I wanted more pictures so I rode down the footpath (naughty, naughty) wasn't to many people about, just folks letting their dogs crap all over the trial, nice...
There were quite a few look out points which were really well placed, the one below had a large rock ledge sticking out over the river with a plunge pool under it, fancied giving it a try, but i know my luck. NEWSFLASH "Today a man dropped the 30' into the Capilano River and struck his head on a huge rock watched his bike get stolen then died" well maybe not....

Oh, did i mention it was raining? All day. None Stop.
No? Well it was.

The strange thing it wasn't cold shorts and a T was all I required, on the local news they were having a block party and the weather didn't seem to bother them??

The height of the valley was pretty amazing, and the cloud was in the trees.

My Favorite Photo of the day has to be this one of a Giant Fir in the forest, it came out almost black and white not sure how but I Like it.

Downtown in the Rain

I went downtown with Karen on her way to work, we parted company after we got outside the sea bus station. It hadn't stopped raining all morning i walked the width of the headland no shops were open and although I'd past about 500 Starbucks on the way i wasn't going to go in one. I wander back down Seymour and took a few turns to find the library, I really need to get outta the rain... I eventually found refuge in a Native art gallery called Hills it was warm dry and very interesting looking at the artwork in there. Spotted some images a quite liked, and some of the sculptures were good like this killer whale couldn't quite afford the selling price tho...
As the rain was slowing cruised around a bit more in Gastown, wandered onto West Hastings and found that most of the people round there either were F#cked up drugs of smelt like pi$$ as i passed then, cheesed it outta there and went back to main drag and Canada Place. It looks crap, but i did manage to get a good shot of brontosaurus feeding by the coast...Was passing the Steam Clock at Noon when i sounded off was a L.O.B. Visited two more galleries the better was Inuit Gallery, Vancouver, BC but man was it expensive one piece of wood work was amazing called Eagle and Salmon Mask. Then I went back to Hills and purchased a print of Confessions of the Moon which I was very impressed with earlier. They took the seabus back to the Northshore, then used the same ticket to catch the bus even closer to home. cost $3.25 compared to £1.40 one way to town in Derby? Pattern developing here i think?

Burger Time
After swooping some shorts at Cove bike shop went to Wendy's, I was greeted with the usual
"What can I get you sir?"
"I'll have the Baconater " sniggered Phatboy

Gotta admit it was good, square but good. Its just managed to scrap in with a 7/10, the fries sucked but that's just the same as everywhere else.

Did the Grouse Grind after D&K got back from work did it in 47Min's which wasn't to bad by all accounts. Got to see the bears but didn't stay to long as the bugs were biting!!

The view from the top of Grouse mountain looking North East ish.

One of the fear inducing Grizzly Bears of Grouse Mountain

(OK so I edited out the electric fence everybody was hiding behind.)

Wandering North Vancouver

Crossing the road in the UK is taking your life into your hands here its weird and unnerving people in cars just stop for you!! They actually expect you to walkout in front of them between those two parallel lines. Most pedestrians here don't even bother to look if anythings coming, just weird.... Wandered through the Native area of town was a bit of a dump by comparison to the rest of North Vancouver. Ended up in a few shops found the shorts I bought on Saturday at half price so now i have two pairs, D'oh! and I wonder why i have no cash. Wandered around a few typical supermarkets comic and surf shops seem reasonably priced, unlike the bike shops the spares are about 40% more expensive they need a CRC here!


Burger time again, one because it was the only place around I went to Mc D's, much cheaper than the UK but the burger was in an anemic bun and wasn't that tasty either can only give it a 3/10. And just like the film said, the drinks are massive this a medium aka large in the UK, am so glad i asked to see the cup first I never would have lifted a large off the counter...

Mc Donald's "Am Lovin it" ? maybe not...

Mt Seymour CBC trail

Doug and mark took me up to CBC trail on Mt Seymour today after i had spent far to much money in the Cove Bike shop. Was pretty amazing, Glover will be kicking him self that he went to Morzine over this place he would be in his element. I gave the shore stuff a try its a bit "1 Pee 2 Pee" to did quite a bit of it but some was well out of my league. I was amazed by the speed that some of the locals were doing the high level stuff, I was in awe... carful don't wanna add a "some" to that word just yet

On my mission to search out strange new burgers I can say that A&W were poor, a mere 5/10 and thats only because I was starving, the root beer was good tho.