walking

Sunday morning I cycled up through UVic and Henderson Park on my Norco XFR pimpin ride.

---

Here's a still image from the world's smallest 1080p video and still image camera

---

HP LC200W 1080p Mini WiFi Wireless Camcorder Review

---

Labels: cycled, henderson, uvic

Thursday I cycled a short way along the Galloping Goose Trail to view the section under construction near McKenzie Road.

---

Talcott Road at the 9km marker was my farthest westbound.

---

Found good parking at Grange Road near Spectrum Community School.

---

Absolutely beautiful day at a balmy 20°C. (68°F).

---

This was the first time transporting the bike on the car rack this year. Everything I did had to be done twice because I couldn't remember how it all fit together. Next time, things will go better.

---

Labels: cycled, ggt

Wednesday morning I walked forty-minutes up The Grind and to the top of Mt. Tolmie then back down Glastonbury to home.

---

Later on we walked together to Finnerty Gardens and back.

---

Labels: finnerty, tolmie, walked

Tuesday morning I walked 3km up an over the mountain and have at least one picture-to-prove-it.

---

We went and got the wife a new LG phone for her birthday.

---

Same contract with Roger Wireless but with a better phone for her; I still have my Galaxy Note5 -- who'd ever get rid of one of those?

---

I've had a mobile phone with Rogers since 1985.

---

Bernice renewed her car licence and insurance this morning.

---

Labels: tolmie, walked

Wednesday I walked 7½km total, out and back, along the Elk/Beaver Lake Park trail on the western side of the lakes.

---

The trail is built over the right-of-way of the old Victoria & Sidney (V&S) Railway. It tracks the lakeside for most of its length.

---

Shawn ? was walking with his lady friend, Barbara.

---

The weather was overcast but most pleasant for walking with some light, occasional drizzle.

---

My phone decided to disconnect from the network for some reason but restarting it reconnected it.

---

Five years ago, April 12 2013, I did a pro bono survey of the Elk/Beaver Lake Park Pond outflow culvert which flows into Colquitz Creek.

---

At that time it was determined the flooding of trails in the park was not as the Capital Regional District (CRD) was reporting but due to this culvert being plugged with debris. The CRD claimed the flooding was caused by beaver dams in the ponds. No beaver sightings have been made in this area for over thirty years. There were no beaver dams in the ponds during the time this survey was done by Bill Irvine in 2013.

---

April 2013 Youtube VIDEO by WJI

---

As of April 2018, it appears the level of the ponds has been reduced by approximately 500mm (20inches) over the intervening five years. Apparently, this has been accomplished by cleaning out the plugged culvert.

---

This is good. Presumably there are no more complaints about dogs getting their feet wet (like in the original complaint that made the local newspaper) and the water foul are as abundant as ever. Everyone and everything should now be content. Thank you CRD.

---

Labels: crd, elk/beaver lake regional park, walked

Monday we walked over the new Johnson Street Bridge.

---

I have some doubts about the spur-drive gearing which transfers power from the motors to raise and lower the bridge.

---

Not knowing the number of pinion gears employed within the mechanism it is not possible to give a fair and accurate assessment regarding the durability of this type of drive system.

---

The gear rack on the movable, bridge section is only approximately 220mm wide. There are two of these -- one on each side of the bridge.

---

If there are several pinion gears being utilized (as opposed to the usual only pinion gear) per side, then this design may be the only mechanical option. Another option would be a hydraulic drive installation.

---

It is being reported this bridge will last 100 years. If it is maintained (in the sea air) as poorly as its predecessor, it will not last that long.

---

As a former member of the American Metals Society, I'm well versed in the requirements to maintain metal, bridge structures such as this. People see iconic, metal bridges all around the world lasting centuries. These bridges were properly designed and have been properly maintained. The two requisites for the durability and longevity of any mechanical structure or mechanism. If it is not of the proper design for the application or it is not properly maintained it will fail prematurely.

---

Take for example San Francisco's Golden Gate Bridge. It is maintained 24/7 and has crews working on it continuously. The process used for repainting is known as flame-conditioning. Special acetylene flame, torch-nozzles are designed to fit the curved surfaces of the cable-tubes and other bridge features. The old paint is completely removed (by burning and scraping) on any give section the crew is working on and all rust is removed until only bare metal remains. This is how to apply paint to a sea-borne or metal structure.

---

None-of-the-above was ever carried out to preserve the Blue Bridge. The design was perfect but the maintenance was non-existent. Let's hope this hapless mistake is not repeated with the new bridge. P.S. We walked over the new bridge on the second day after its opening and saw evidence of rust forming on the painted parts of the structure already.

---

Labels: downtown, walked