walking

 

Labels: bravehearts, cycled, izip

 

Saturday, March 7 2026, 13 Bravehearts' members rode off on a 21km odyssey northbound arriving at the UVic Cove Food Services 1:38:00 later.

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A good time was had by all and the route set by Ken and then Darryl was one of our most interesting.

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Galloping Goose Northward to Belgade Rd/ Burnside Rd West/Wilkinson Rd/S.Valley Dr and S.Valley Trail and through S. Valley Park.
Then NW along Hatfield Rd which after Xing Wilkinson Rd becomes Santa Rosa Ave. which makes a right turn north to become Santa Anita Ave.
Take Interurban Rd. south pasts Alan Rd and hang a right on to access trail to Camosun College Interurban Campus Loop Trail.
In Layritz Park take a right turn east along Glendale Trail to Mann Ave. to turn left onto Wilkinson Rd heading north.
Before Lindsay St. turn right onto the Royal Oak Trail and follow it through Brydon Park to W.Saainch Rd.
From here it's through the tunnel to Royal Oak Ave. the south again along Chatterton Way to Emily Carr Dr. and Maltwood Terr.
South along Dennis Dr and Panorama Crs. BTW, In early 80s Bill & Bernice lived at 878 Denford Crs.
Through Beckworth Park and Lucas Ave to Borden St south to Nicholson St. to the Lochside Trail and Blenkinsop Greenway.
Blenkinsop Greenway to Glendenning/Parkside and out onto Cedar Hill Rd then Elnido Rd to Torquay Dr. the nsouth through Lambrick Park.
Left at Laval Ave to Gordon Head Rd and left onto McKenzie Ave and the Cove Food Services at UVic and snacks (soup) and conversation. The 21km End.

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Labels: bravehearts, cycled, izip

Thursday, March 5 2026 I cycled 18km roundtrip to Karnel Singh Jawl's funeral at McCall's Funeral Gardens on Falaise Drv.

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I rode iZip X

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Labels: cycled, funerals, izip

AllTrails Video
Six Bravehearts Cycling Group members headed east from the Switch Bridge along the Lochside Trail to make a left turn through Saanich Municipal Hall parking lot to old Douglas Street northbound.
After passing through Vic Derman Park we got eastbound on Caen Rd and southbound on Kincaid St. then westbound along Lily Ave.

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South again at Rockhome Gardens through Bruce Hutchinson Park, past Rogers Elementary School and the eastern side of Vic Derman Park.
We crossed McKenzie Ave to Seven Oaks Rd.to Nelthorp St. which gave us a shortcut though Swan Lake Reserve to Greenridge Crescent.

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Greenridge Crs. put as at the Lochside Trail Xing at Quadra St. which took us north to Blenkinsop Greenway and east along Mt. Douglas X Rd. where a south turn along Braefloot Rd. to east along Simon Rd the north again on Malton Ave.
Malton connects to Mt. Doug X again then left onto Alberg Lane and a short connector to Lynnfield Crs. North on Lynfield we made a right turn south onto Cedarglaen Rd. crossing Cedar Hill Rd. and Shelbourne St.

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A short jog left on Shelbourne there it a bus stop at 4199 Shelboune and a connector to Torquay Dr. and a southbound path though Lambrick Park to the new Xing at Feltham Rd.
Larchwood Dr. takes us to McKenzie Ave. Xing and McKenzie lead east to the University of Victoria and Cove Food Services where six of us Bravehearts enjoyed our brake and scintillating conversation.

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A big thanks our fearless leader, Ken who know every trail and connector in Victoria and perhaps beyond.

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Labels: bravehearts, cycled, izip

 

Saturday morning I cycled a 26km loop from home out wet to Esquimalt and return.

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A cycling group meet every Saturday at 10am at the Switch Bridge.

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The group appears to vary in numbers from a few to 16 riders — mostly men.

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This day we were four riders all on ebikes.

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Once the three regular members decided where the ride ma ytake us we took off to Downtown Victoria.

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We stopped at Marina Bay Cafe near West Bay Marina in Esquimalt for a snack.

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I finished my ride off at the Heights at Mt.View (HMV) visiting my wife at noon.

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HMV is located some 500m from the Switch Bridge from where we started.

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Labels: cycled, izip, pedelecs

 

I put my drone up over the remnants from the Old Man Fire beside the GallopingGoose Trail (GGT) in Sooke, BC.

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I was surprised to see it was a ground fire which saved the tree canopy as can be seen in these pictures.

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A subsurface forest fire, also known as a ground fire, occurs when wildfires burn beneath the surface of the earth, often in peatlands or other organic matter. These fires smolder rather than flare up, and can persist for extended periods, even through winter. They can reignite surface fires and pose hazards to humans and animal.

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This is perhaps the reasoning in keeping the GGT trail closed in this area for such an exptended period.

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N.B. The devastion at ground level is immense.

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Labels: cycled, djimini2, izip, sooke

 

Friday I cycled my iZip 38km roundtrip along the Galloping Goose Trail to Sooke and back to Luxton Fairgrounds.

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The whole fam damily was at 5209 Hwy14 where our grandson's wedding will be held tomorrow.

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Everyone was busy setting up for the outdoor nuptuals so I just watched and took pix and put my DJImini2 drone up.

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Photo Album Link

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Labels: cycled, ggt, izip

 

Wednesday morning I cycled a 10k loop to Cadboro Bay and back

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Outbound it was Midgard thru UVic to Hobbs Road and Penrhyn Rd.

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Inbound it was Hobbs School to Arbutus Rd. then thru Haro Woods Park to UVic

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Thru UVic to Varsity and home via Horner Park

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My afternoon walk took me up the NW Col of Mt. Tolmie

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The camas is in full bloom and the oak leaves are out.

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Labels: cadboro, cycled, hike, tolmie

 

Tuesday morning I cycled a 25km loop to Craigflower Manor House and return.

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Ostensiby, the ride was to deliver an Irvine Family book to one Jim Maxwell.

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Jim is president of the Victoria Highland Games Association (VHGA) but the facility was closed this day.

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This gave me the opportunity to walk about the claim taking copious amounts of photograph.

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The new VHGA building was recently completed on what was Craigfrower Farm.

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The Manor House was built in 1853 and my great-great-grandfather, John Irvine, worked on that project.

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Labels: cycled, ebike, scots

 

10:00am I rode my bike on a 27km loop to downtown and back.

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After riding 11.7km to 990 Fort St. I headed back through town on the same route.

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It was too cold to enjoy a seaside ride so on the inbound I stopped off at Tripp Station Bike Park to reflect upon the excitement of opening day here.

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Too bad Mayor Fred Haynes lost his position in the last election. He was a good mayor and a fine fella to be around.

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After leaving Tripp Station it was the Blenkinsop Greenway to Mt. Douglas Park then San Juan Greenway to Lambrick Park and Larchwood Connector to home.

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Serendipitously, San Juan Greenway Xing at Shelbourne St. made the headlines of the Times-Colonist in this morning's paper.

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Labels: cycled, downtown, saanich

 

Wednesday morning I cycled 17.5km roundtrip from Sooke Potholes to the Deep Pool at Leechtown.

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This after driving 44km from home to Pothole's parking lot #2 with my bike on the bike rack.

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It was another wonderful ride on the amazing Galloping Goose Trail. This is the 48.5km to 57km section at the end of the trail.

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It was dissapointing to see visitors can no longer enter from Kapoor Station to see the historic logging artifacts which we've enjoyed viewing for decades.

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Perhaps it's another land-grab to make our recreational world smaller.

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Labels: cycled, ebike, leechtown

 

Sunday morning I cycled over to view the annual Oak Bay Collector Car Festival held each year along its main street.

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After biking through the Uplands and along Beach Drive to the car show I decided to continue along the Waterfront Bike Route to Beacon Hill Park and then downtown via the Vancouver Street Connector.

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From downtown to home its the old, reliable Galloping Goose Trail making for a 31km loop back home.

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The Car Festival had hundreds of automobile entries and hundreds more spectators came to view them. A very successful event.

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The weather was beautiful and the high temperature for thsi day was a balmy 22°C.

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I recorded my brief walk-through the car show on GoPro but am undecided as to whether or not to produce a marketable production. My next video posted to YouTube will be #494.

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Labels: cycled, ebike, oakbay

 

90-year-old cars roar and cruise for Deuce Days

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Deuce Days, back for the first time since 2019, brought about 1,250 pre-1952 collector vehicles to the region, along with an onslaught of car enthusiasts and hobbyists. Cars started arriving Thursday, including hundreds of the event’s namesake, the Deuce, which refers to a hot rod produced in 1932, the most notable of which is the 1932 Ford.

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This year is the 90th anniversary, and the first year the event is owned and operated by Destination Greater Victoria, who purchased it from previous owner Al Clark.

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“It essentially just started out as a pre-1950s car show,” said first-time organizer Jay Donovan. “And it essentially morphed into a celebration of car culture, a whole weekend event

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Still crazy after 55yrs. N.B. I rode my bike 12km downtown. I figured there were enough cars there already without adding mine. Deuce Days, back for the first time since 2019, brought about 1,250 pre-1952 collector vehicles to the region, along with an onslaught of car enthusiasts and hobbyists.

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90th Deuce Days 2022 Victoria BC #493

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Deuce Days Photo Album Link

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Labels: cycled, ebike

 

Saturday morning at 6:19a.m. I left home in my wife's Honda for Duncan, BC, with my mighty steed secured firmly on its bikerack on the trunk.

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After fueling up the limo in Duncan I drove the old Cowichan Lake Road to Tansor Road trailhead along the Cowichan Valley Trail (CVT) arriving there at 7:29a.m.

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The rendezvous with Tom and Jennifer was not for another three hours so I had plenty of time to go places and have things to do.

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Firstly, it was Paldi, BC. This former milltown is still occupied by descendants and family members of its founder: Mayo Singh Manhas (1888-1955) and his wife, Bishan Kaur.

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Elk Ridge Estates is currently clearing Paldi lands where Mayo's son, Rajindi, built his own airstrip to fly his twin-engine Baron aircraft in-and-out to maintain the family's business interests.

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To this end, I thought it prudent to put the drone up and take a look.

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On my drive back to Tansor parking I took Payne Rd. into the Old Hillcrest Chinese Cemetery.

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It's located adjecent to the Cowichan Valley Trail so I could have waited until cycling past on my bike.

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I put the drone up just as some volunteers were arriving to do their maintenance work cutting and trimming the grave site grasses.

Drone View Old Hillcrest Chinese Cemetery Duncan, BC 3-minute VIDEO

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Labels: cowichan, cycled, duncan, ebike

Saturday I cycled a 14km loop from home over Mt. Tolmie to Willows Beach. Shut down for the past two years due to restrictive mandates implemented by British Columbia's Chief Health Officer 2022 sees it back in full swing and well attended. No masks nor passports required.

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Labels: cycled, ebike, oakbay

 

Thursday morning I cycled a 30.4km loop from home to downtown Victoria along the Galloping Goose Trail.

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Once through downtown from east Fort St., it was the Vancouver Street Bikeway to Dallas Road.

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Exiting the Ross Bay seawall it was on to Harling Point and past the Chinese Cemetery to the end of Penzance Rd.

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Using the Maquinna St. connector it was along Lome Terrace and over King George Terrace and past Royal Victoria Golf Club then past where our kid's live near Oak Bay Marina.

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Once through the Uplands it was Cedar Hill Cross to the University of Victoria's Alumni Trails which connect with Varsity Place and home.

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Wow What a ride!

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Victoria BC is one of the world's most beautiful cities; especially, when seen from a bicycle ride around its waterfront loop.

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Labels: cycled, ebike

 

Wednesday morning I cycled a 30km loop from home outbound through Uplands and past Willows Beach.

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Once along Beach Drive the kid's condo was the next photo-op.

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From there, I rode along the Ross Bay Seawall and over to Clover Point.

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Turning at Cook St. into Beacon Hill Park brought the Vancouver St. bikeway into the equation.

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At Fort St. it was the dedicated bike lanes down to the Johnson Street Bridge to home along the Galloping Goose and Lochside Trails.

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From town to home it was raining but rain is better than cold when cycling.

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Labels: cycled, ebike

 

Not the end of the trail nor the proposed destination but due to icy, frozen snow on the trail.

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Cycling in snow is one thing but cycling along a narrow strip of pavement with frozen edges is something else.

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N.B. Make that: frozen, icy snow.This location is 4300m from parking Lot#2.

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The tire tracks were made by CRD vehicles with staff attending to Kapoor Station facilities or accessing the Victoria Water District's southern gate.

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Galloping Goose Trail in the Snow

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Sooke River at Flood Level VIDEO December 7, 2007

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Labels: cycled, ebike, ggt

 

Sunday morning at 9:35a.m. we left the Sooke Potholes' upper parking lot for Leechtown in the pouring rain.

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30-minutes later, our grandson completed his first trip to the end of the Galloping Goose Trail at the watershed, red gate located 57km from Victoria, BC.

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A and I tried this 9km ride before but we experienced mechanical issues with his bike so he bought a new Giant bicycle.

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After leaving the trail's end, we rode down to the Deep Pool (Kennedy Flat) at the confluence of the Sooke and Leech Rivers.

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Lots of water in both rivers and lots coming down from the sky. We got soaked.

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But a good time was had by all and we were back home by 12;15p.m.

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Next time we'll go when it's not raining.

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Labels: cycled, family, leechtown

Friday morning I cycled 17km roundtrip from Sooke Potholes Upper Parking Lot #2 to Leechtown. 

The actual terminus of this ride was the end of the trail leading to the Sooke/Deception River across from the Grizzly. 

 

 

 

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Labels: cycled, ebike, leechtown