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Wednesday, May 22, 2024
Cycle 18km Loop
Wednesday morning I cycled an 18km loop Henderson/Foul Bay (University/Downtown Cycling Route) outbound and the Galloping Goose Trail/ Lochside Trail inbound to home.
The impetous for this outing was to pay-by-cheque our monthly homecare bill.
Vancouver Island Health Authority (VIHA) is one-of-two homecare services we have under contract to care for my wife
Also, I wanted to stop in at Budget Car Rentals to check on units with 2" trailer hitches — they have several models.
Right now, our cycling plans for this Saturday to Nanaimo are up-in-air.
BTW, it's still colder than Hades out there while cycling at 26km/hr.
Wednesday, April 03, 2024
Cycled iZip 22km Loop via Fort Street Dedicated Lanes
Wednesday morning I cycled a 22km loop downtown.
Outbound via the Fort Street Bike Lanes from the University of Victoria Foul Bay Rd. connector.
Inbound was the same from Ogden Point Docks
After completing my business in twon, I rode out to see the first-cruiseship-of-the-year come it.
My ship did not come in.
The weather was dry but still cold at 29km/hr.
Monday, April 01, 2024
Cycled 18km Loop Fort St. Bike Lanes from UVic
April Fools Day I cycled an 18km loop Henderson/Foul Bay (University/Downtown Cycling Route) outbound and the Galloping Goose Trail (GGT) inbound to home.
The object of this exercise (pun intended) was to checkout, firsthand, the new Fort Street Cycling Lanes.
Heretofore, my only viable option to cycle to downtown Victoria has been to join the GGT at the Switch Bridge and ride it to town.
The only safe road to ride between downtown is the University of Victoria Cyling Route.
Not having separated (I call them dedicated) bike lanes up the Fort St. section between Cook St. and Oak Bay Ave. has always been its weakest link.
This was rectified this year on January 10, 2024 with the completion of this dedicated bike lane.
The lanes themselves are a masterful piece of design, engineering and construction.
Thank you to all involved and in particular Victoria's former mayor, Lisa Helps.
Monday, June 12, 2023
Victoria Seaside Cycling Loop 31km
Monday morning I set out on my pimpin ride at 7:13am for a 31km loop ride around the Victoria Seaside Cycling Loop.
At the halfway point I was at Clover Point and saw an eagle perched on a lightpost.
The masonry found at this wastewater facility brilliant.
Thursday, October 27, 2022
Cycled 27km Loop to Town and Back
10:00am I rode my bike on a 27km loop to downtown and back.
After riding 11.7km to 990 Fort St. I headed back through town on the same route.
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.
Too bad Mayor Fred Haynes lost his position in the last election. He was a good mayor and a fine fella to be around.
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.
Serendipitously, San Juan Greenway Xing at Shelbourne St. made the headlines of the Times-Colonist in this morning's paper.
Monday, September 26, 2022
43km Loop GGT to E&N Rail Trail + downtown
E&N Rail Trail Biking Kimta Railyards 3-minutes #507
Monday morning I cycled a 43km loop from home starting by joining the Galloping Goose Trail at McKenzie Avenue.
After riding The Goose to downtown Victoria BC it was up Fort St. to the Vancouver Street Bike Lane to Beacon Hill Park.
Once through the park it was along Dallas Rd., past the cruiseship terminal to downtown again and over the Johnson Street Bridge.
Using the Esquimalt Rd. overpass we were northwest bound on the E&N Rail Trail to Atkins Station in View Royal.
That's another 13km back home so on a beautiful morning there's nowhere else to be.
I video recorded the E&N railway, single-track section by Kimta Rd. with my GoPro and posted the 3-minute video.
E&N Rail Trail Biking Kimta Railyards 3-minutes #507
Wednesday, August 24, 2022
Cycled 29km Loop Downtown and back
Wednesday morning I cycled 29km roundtrip to downtown and back home.
Fanatastic weather under sunny skies and cool ocean breezes.
I travelled the Lochside Trail from Borden then Galloping Goose Trail to town (13km)
The Seaside Bike Route has to be one of the world's most picturesque bike rides.
After negotiating my way along Belleville St. in front of the BC Legislative Buildings, it was back onto the Downtown Bike System and over the Johnson Street Bridge.
The bridge was up so it was good time to take a couple of photos.
Thursday, August 04, 2022
40km Biking plus 4km Walking Flat Tire
Thursday morning I cycled 40km and walked 4km
The walking started after by back tire blew out for some unknown reason.
Anyway, by then I'd ridden the Galloping Goose/ E&N Loop to downtown and instead of completing the loop by heading home along the Galloping Goose Trail at Gorge Waterway I turn south and rode the Seaside Route back through Oak Bay.
That's how I came to be at the Rippon Rd. roundabout where my tire blew.
From there, it's a 4km walk to home.
I repaired the back tire by replacing the innertube. The blown tube had a 6mm long slit in it with no apparent puncture in the tire.
My guess now is this tube had a defect in it since day one. Ever since buying the new ebike in June 2019, the rear tire went soft overnight every day.
Appying an injection of Slime Puncture Repair® on two separate occasions — about a year apart — the tire held pressure without interruption until this blow out. Let's hope the new tube ($12.95) performs as advertised.
Thursday, April 28, 2022
31km Roundtrip Ride to Town and Dallas Road Waterfront
Thursday morning I cycled 31km roundtrip from home to downtown Victoria and back home via Dallas Road and around the Inner Harbour.
Most of my riding is on trails and bikeways or quiet residential street.
The Lochside Trails is the nearest access from home and it connects with the Galloping Gose Trail which connect to downtown bikeways.
The Fort Street Bikeway connects with the Vancouver Street Bikeway wehich leads directly to Dallas Road Bike Lanes. Bike Lanes is a misnomer as much of the route along Victoria's waterfront is multi-use pathways.
There's two option for safely getting from Dallas Rd. to downtown. St. Lawrence and Niagara St. converge at Dallas Rd., so either one is a safe choice to town and the Galloping Goose connector at Humboldt at Douglas streets.
So there you have it . . . another great day cycling in paradise.
Labels: beaconhill, downtown, ebike
Wednesday, September 22, 2021
Cycled 38km Loop Dallas Seawall
Wednesday morning I cycled 38km roundtrip from home to Ross Bay Seawall and return.
The route was McClung Library/ Lochside at Borden to Switchbridge/ Galloping Goose Trail to Fort St./ Fort to Vancouver Bikeway to Beacon Hill Park/ Lover's Lane to Dallas Road Bike Path at Cook St./ Cook to St. Charles St. at eastern end of Ross Bay Waterfront Trail (construction zone).
The return route was similar only different once back at Borden at McKenzie Ave.
From Borden St. it's often my preference to take a scenic, more circuitous route northbound to Blenkinsop Greenway and up Glendenning to Mt. Douglas park and down Winchester to connect with San Juan Greenway.
Once through Gordon Head Middle School path its through Lambrick Park to Larchwood Dedicated Bike Lanes to cross McKenzie Ave. and home via Palo Alto.
What a great ride! What a priviledge to get out and enjoy the first day of Fall in such a robust manner.
Sunday, June 14, 2020
Cycled 27km Roundtrip to Downtown and back
Sunday I cycled 27km roundtrip from home to the British Columbia Parliament Buildings and back.
Yes,we have pictures-to-prove-it
The outbound leg was a direct 12km and the inbound leg a somewhat circuitous 15km.
A sunny morning at a balmy 17°C inbound. (9:23a.m. to 10:44)
Tuesday, April 21, 2020
Walked Peter Pollen Waterfront Park walkway
Tuesday we walked Peter Pollen Waterfront Park walkway
After seeing on TV how the place got cleaned up from all the trees planted there obstructing the views we wanted to see it for ourselves.
To the credit of the new-sheriffs-in-town, a lot of the trees and shrubs in the downtown core are being removed in preference to wide-open space. This permits citizens and visitors to actually see the miriade of architectural details exhibited by both modern and heritage structures the plants obstruct the views to and from.
This is doubly apparent along Victoria's waterfront properties and pathways. Trees and shrubs planted between the building and the water not only obstruct the views of the buildings from those passing by but they obstruct the view of the water and oceans to those in the building. Remember: Victoria is surrounded on three sides by ocean — that's a lot of obstructing.
Disclaimer This project started as a remedial environmental cleanup due to contaminated deposits from a former industry.
Afterward, we picked up takeout from Tim Horton's and had a picnic-in-the-park for our lunch on a Beacon Hill Park bench. Beautiful!
Wednesday, September 04, 2019
Del Sol Downtown via Fort Street
Wednesday morning I cycled 22km roundtrip from home thru downtown Victoria and back home along the Galloping Goose Trail (GGT).
I wanted to checkout the 'new' Fort Street bike lanes; sadly, there are no 'new' Fort St. bike lanes.
The new dedicated bike lanes on Wharf St. connect to the Fort St. lanes on their western end but the lanes still end at Cook St. on their eastern end. Coming into town from the east, Fort St. is one-way eastbound. This means there are no provisions for cyclists to enter the city and connect with the Fort St, lanes from this location. Sad.
Out of desperation, I cycled the sidewalk down Fort St. hill until reaching Cook St. and the 'old' Fort St. dedicated bike lanes.
After arriving at its eastern end, I followed it over the Johnson Street Bridge to the GGT.
At the Switch Bridge, it was along the Lochside Trail to Blenkinsop Greenwy Connector and home via San Juan Greenway and Larchwood.
Friday, August 16, 2019
29km Del Sol to Downtown and Dallas Road
From Douglas St. to Humboldt St. it joins Vancouver St to Park Blvd. then Cook St. to Dallas Rd.
Dallas Road pathway is not open yet but I cycled a bit o it anyway. Some workers had a fit but that's to be expected.
I crossed Dallas Road (like the chicken) and cycled up to the summit on Beacon Hill. Geat views.
My route home was basically the same as outbound except I included the Blenkinsop Greenway/Feltham/Larchwood connectors inbound.
Thursday, September 13, 2018
Cycled Ubike on Reconnaissance Run
This morning I rode the bus to town doing a reconnaissance run for my planned trip to cycle the Olympic Discovery Trail from Port Angeles (PA) eastward to Rail Bridge Park over the Dungeness River.
We visited Rail Bridge Park over the Dungeness River with American friends in 2011. It's an interesting icon from former railway times and makes a nice destination for a 16 mile, outbound, bicycle ride. The roundtrip from PA to the park will be 52km.
The plan is to rent an E-bike from Sound Bikes & Kayaks Sporting Goods Store, 120 E Front St. in PA and be back in time to catch the 5:20 p.m. ferry back to Victoria. We'll let you know how that works out.
The #14 local bus gets one to Yates & Douglas in fifteen minutes. It's another 18 minutes to walk to the Belville St. terminal. The feryy rides take 90 minutes to PA.
This morning I rode a Ubike back to Yates St. which took 7 minutes. I did not see even one ubike on my walk to the Black Ball Terminal. I walked from Hillside Ave. to home after getting off the #4 bus.
We pulled it off! Here's the The Olympic Discovery Trail from Port Angeles VIDEO
Wednesday, June 06, 2018
Cycled Newly Opened Fort Street Bike Lanes
Wednesday I cycled 8km to town and back (16km). I wanted to checkout the new, dedicated bike lanes on Fort Street. I had the GoPro video camera mounted on the handlebars so got some nice images from the framegrabs.
Monday, April 02, 2018
Johnson Street Bridge
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.
Friday, July 21, 2017
Walked The Grind to Market
In the afternoon I drove to the Inner Harbour to get a photograph of the newest Prince of Whales whale-watching ship: Salish Sea Dream. It doesn't leave Victoria at 1:30 p.m. but at 1:15. I got there just in time to se its stern end (the flat end) leaving the harbour.
Their blab reads: "Make the most of your time here in British Columbia; skip the ferry lines and bus transfers and whale watch your way from Vancouver to Victoria’s Inner Harbour. This 4-hour adventure crossing travels into the protected waters of Haro Strait and the Strait of Juan de Fuca in search of the majestic wildlife that flood the local waters here throughout the year. Arrive in downtown Victoria in time for lunch, stroll the streets and continue your journey!"
It may be a moot point but this ship was built in Port Angles, WA at an old friend's company: Josh Armstrong and his brother, Cory. We attended Josh's wedding in Victoria way back when and also visited them at the family's Piers Island residence.
Armstrong Marine Inc.
Friday, June 16, 2017
Walked Causeway Aboriginals Indigenous
This morning I walked the Causeway Area to view the Victoria Aboriginal Cultural Festival performances.
Friday, July 15, 2016
Shoal Point & Fisherman's Wharf
We checked out the many interesting sites along this route: James Bay Anglers Association boat launch ramp; The Naval Reserve station at HMCS Malahat; Shoal Point and Fisherman's Wharf.
I was using my GoPro (because of its wide-angle lens) and my Galaxy Note 5 phone camera to get photos of this area which we don't get to very often.
We were lucky when we dropped by the store as we caught C just coming out on his way home to start his two-weeks' vacation. Perfect timing.
