8^)
cheers,
Mark
Giorgio has read most of this message, (an earlier version), but this is to alert any of the Lapsed Peleton who might be interested in meeting at the small park on the beach at Horseshoe Bay, near public toilettes, at between 2:00-2:30pm this afternoon. We plan to catch either the 12:15 or 12:50 ferry and crossing is an hour and forty minutes. Not sure , at this point, if Flamin' will ride from here to Nanaimo, part way or at all on this side of water. Nevertheless, Sarge and I will so we have a number of options, depending on our time this morning. I'll check my mail before we leave but if I haven't heard, we'll look for dazed riders at above mentioned rendezvous. Will wait for a five minutes or so and then head back to Vancouver. Hope to see the full pack later! Cheers, Il Conduttore!
P,
Wilfully retaining my lapsed status I will have to pass in favour of a ride
to Evergreen and a 10AM squash match. 2:00 - 2:30 is way to close to nap
time - bowser time.
Enjoy. I hope to join the pelotoni, if I am permitted, Monday and beyond. W
Pat,
Can't meet with you unfortunately. Maybe Sunday or Monday.
Ray
Hi Stefano:
On Thursday evening Sarge phoned to say that his meetings on Friday had been cancelled so he was planning to come over to join us. He rode to HB on Friday morning and we had arranged to meet at Departure Bay at noon. After a delicious breakfast of scrambled eggs, bacon and toast, I left MM at just before 10:00am. Followed route we had taken the day before, NWBR to the Island Highway to Lantzville. Gorgeous day and I was perspiring quite heavily on the uphill stretches between Nanoose Bay and the Superior Road, the exit into Lantzville. I had toyed with the idea of riding all the way into Nanaimo on the IH but the traffic was so heavy with massive semis and RV's that I was glad to be off the shoulder as soon as possible! I wasn't quite sure about the route once I had bested the long climb out of Lantzville onto Dover Road. However, I was pleasantly surprised to find that it intersected with Uplands Drive and I made a right-hand turn onto it to follow it all the way to where it intersected with Departure bay Road, the turn I had missed when with Flamin' the day before. My worries about being late to the terminal to meet Sarge evaporated as I swooshed down the glorious run right to the water. Bit of a level patch and then the last grueling hill, (not as prolonged an ascent as its opposite number but far steeper for the first little while), to contend with until one reaches Brechin Road and then another pleasant zoom into the Drop Off Zone of the Ferry terminal itself.
I was locking up my bike at about 11:45am so pleased at the time it took. 32.51K on the odometer, about 5K less that when I led poor Flamin' a merry chase the day before! I went inside the Waiting Area to use he washroom and when I came back outside Sarge was already on his bike. I had packed a small lunch of overlefts: slices of lamb, pieces of bread and two oranges. We shared these while we chatted about his ride to HB, the ones from yesterday and the journey ahead. Think we left at around 12:30pm. I followed Sarge up the Brechin climb. Had the road almost to ourselves as the ferry traffic had dissipated by time we were heading for Parksville.
On descent to water Sarge insisted that we had taken this route before and he was so insistent that I wondered if he was correct, that I'd simply forgotten in the intervening three years. However, once he started the long, long pull north on DBR, he agreed we'd never cycled here before. I knew this to be the case, myself, as soon as we left the water. Trouble is that all the hills start to look the same after a while. All along the route, from Nanaimo to Parksville to Qualicum Beach to Bowser there are very similar "Ups and Downs/Downs and Ups" to pleasant beach fronts and until has ridden them a few times it can be difficult to distinguish one from the other. That being said, the "Ups" quickly remind you where you are!
Very, very pleasant ride and stretch on IH went by without a hitch. We were back at Madroña Manor by shortly before 2:00pm. Nobody was at home and house was locked but there was a message on Sarge's phone telling him where the key was hidden. Before turning into driveway, I did a quick dipsy-doodle to bring odometer reading up to 66.33K. Once inside, Sarge and I scope out the wine cellar but Grogg came back form the gym before we could purloin the five cases we had intended to stash in Cora Lee's car trunk! I had a shower and then sat in the wonderful massage chair to work over my calf muscles. Once they'd been kneaded and pummelled, I hied upstairs to work on the Key Fiasco Diaries while the Lads knocked back bottle after bottle of Beckerinis on the deck!
That evening we enjoyed delicious appetizers of huge mushroom caps stuffed with an admixture of fried garlic, red peppers, onions, fresh shrimp and quinoa, topped with Parmesano, concocted by Cora Lee and bbq'd by Grogg. Next door neighbours, Nanacy and John were over for a pre-dinner drink. We'd met them in 2009 when we house sat for Lurch and Grogg, and they were the ones who first put us in mind of a canal barge trip as they had done one in 2001. Sheila and Shannon, friends from further down the street, were over as well and stayed for dinner: a wonderful fresh salmon, again from the French Creek Seafood Market. New potatoes, fresh peas and carrots completed the meal. Flamin's delish pound cake with fresh berries for dessert. More stellare wines from Grogg's cellar: a magnum of Osoyoos Larose, 2005, [Merlot (67%), Cabernet Sauvignon (23%), Cabernet Franc (4%), Petit Verdot (4%), Malbec (2%)]. I didn't really know much about its pedigree but according to John Schreiner,Canada's most prolific writer of books on wine. Since his first book in 1984, The World of Canadian Wine, he has written 15, including multiple editions of The Wineries of British Columba, British Columbia Wine Country and John Schreiner's Okanagan Wine Tour Guide.):
Osoyoos Larose is the Okanagan wine industry’s ultimate technology transfer, the result of a joint venture set up a decade ago between Vincor Canada and Bordeaux’s Groupe Taillan. The French company’s stable of distinguished properties include Château Gruaud Larose. The 80-acre Okanagan vineyard behind this wine is near the community of Osoyoos. Hence, a winery name that sounds like an entertainer in gold rush San Francisco.
But this is a very serious and important Okanagan red. In a conscious knowledge grab, Vincor let its French partners pick the vineyard property and direct the planting (entirely to the five main Bordeaux reds). French consultants were around to launch the venture and a winemaker from Bordeaux, Pascal Madevon, was settled in the Okanagan to make the wine. From the first vintage in 2001, Madevon has been in continual awe of the unexpected quality of Okanagan fruit.
While most of the Okanagan’s red blends have a Merlot backbone, none are quite so Bordelaise as Le Grand Vin. Even with its ripe tannins, this wine is firm and built for some serious cellaring. Dark in colour, it begins with aromas of vanilla, red berries and chocolate but also with that note of cigar box that Bordeaux collectors look for. The fruit is densely concentrated, with a sweet core wrapped inside the mineral notes. Decanting brings out the wine’s inherent richness, with a promise of more elegance and power with age.
As well, two bottles of Burrowing Owl, 2006 Cabbage and 2006 Syrah. Again, according to Schreiner, for the former:
This is a firm red with a disciplined structure that one expects in serious Cabernet Sauvignon built for aging. The wine is approachable now but needs to be decanted so that the aromas and flavours open up. My test with a young red is to leave half a bottle to be finished the next day. I was rewarded with a wine that begins with aromas of cedar, vanilla and red currants and opens to rich flavours of dark fruit and chocolate.
For the latter: Classic peppery Syrah aroma; the wine has sweet berry aromas and flavours. Firm and full-bodied, it deserves aging. Finished off with a few snorts of maltage in the living room, looking out over the water at the lights of the passing craft in the distance.
Next morning everyone was up and about by 7:30-8:00am and I grabbed a cup of java and returned to the massage chair for half an hour or so of more pummellage, reading Greenmantle, the John Buchan sequel to The 39 Steps, our latest Book Club selection. Another delicious breakfast, this time a spinach omellette, with bacon and toast. Sarge and I loaded our bags into Cora Lee's car, Thanked our generous hosts, kissed The Babes goodbye and made for the ferry terminal at just before 10:00am, planning to catch the 12:15pm sailing. Shannon was going to give Flamin' a ride to terminal and Cora Lee would be the support vehicle, along with Molly Mop, the mascot of the Tour de Beaver Wharf Road! We had a pretty good ride. I enjoyed drafting behind Sarge for most of the way, at least on the highway. We were buying our tickets at just after 11:35am so we were pleased with our time. Flamin' and Shannon were there, just before noon, and we visited for a bit before he waved goodbye and we made for Foot Passenger/Cyclists Waiting Area.
Met up with Cora Lee on the top passenger deck and everyone read, napped and relaxed for the crossing. We were on the streets of HB by just before 2:00pm and headed for the long, steep climb, not relishing having to start out with such an ascent from the very get go. In fact, it really wasn't as difficult as everyone had imagined it would be and we were soon sailing down into Eagle Harbour and beyond. Some marvellous, marvellous views of the Lions Gate Bride, Stanley Park, Vancouver, English Bay and Point Grey once we were on the stretch of Marine Drive from McKechnie Park through Suicide Bend Park and West Bay Park.
Swung off MD at Travers. Have cycled this far quite a few times so knew it was far quieter than MD. Furthermore, wanted to ride by 2025 Bellvue as we were to attend a retirement/wedding anniversary party there that evening. Phil, one of the members of Cora Lee's Book Club was celebrating her retirement from teaching and 40 years of marriage to her husband, Larry. Have ridden past this house many, many times as it is on Upper Bellvue just past Dundarave Village, our usual route to Travers and MD. Funnily enough, Sarge said, when we driving to party that evening, that he had never been in West Van, other than to use Taylor Way to Upper Levels for HB or Whistler, before and within past two days he had ridden by/driven to this very house three times.)
Once over Lions Gate and approaching English Bay, the Seawall was awash with Vancouverites out to finally enjoy some true summer sunshine. Had to thread our way through the hordes but managed to do so without incident. I left Clan Sutherland at the restaurant which used to be called Fiddlehead Joe's, right under the Burrard Street Bridge. Place closed and is now the Burrard Bridge Marine Bar and Grill. Guess they felt they needed a beer and nachos after all the riding! I waved goodbye and made for Science World and home, reaching the Heartbreak Terrace at 4;15pm, logging 70.33K by the time I had done a few extended dipsy-doodles, Dear Reader! More than pleased with past few days of cycling, particularly discovering the new DBR/Uplands section.
To be continued...
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