Sunday Morning Bike Ride

Route: Burnaby/New West to Downtown Vancouver
Activity: Cycle
Google Maps URL: http://maps.google.com/?q=http://share.abvio.com/5ea7/38a8/4d6f/d3bd/Cyclemeter-Cycle-20110320-1113.kml
Shortened Google Maps URL: http://j.mp/hIoO5K
Import URL: http://share.abvio.com/5ea7/38a8/4d6f/d3bd/Cyclemeter-Cycle-20110320-1113.kml
Started: Mar 20, 2011 11:13:55 AM
Ride Time: 5:10:30
Stopped Time: 0:00
Distance: 51.82 km
Average Speed: 9.43 km/h
Fastest Speed: 41.55 km/h
Ascent: 322 meters
Descent: 412 meters
Calories: 1536
Official: No


I have been sick for the last 3 weeks. Got hit with a bad flu and it's taken 3 weeks for me to regain my strength back.  I'm still not 100%.  Today was the first riding day that I had reached 50+ kilometers since my 112+km riding weekend nearly 4 weeks ago.  It felt great to get back on the saddle.
The ride was very relaxing.  I had chosen this route because it was the easiest that I know of.  I figured I didn't want to kill myself on my first riding day back from sickness.  The ride was from Burnaby/New West taking the BC Parkway Route, passing through Burnaby Central Park into Vancouver's False Creek Water Way, through Granville Island and right smack down the downtown core.  Granville Street was closed off for the Celtic Week events and there were huge crowds gathered.  Walking the bike was the only option through the overly rambunctious and full of St. Patty's spirit crowd.
I love riding my bike through Downtown Vancouver city streets.  The streets are very bike friendly and the people are generally respectful.  It is a different experience riding a bike through the city as compared to driving in with a car.  I dread driving my car into Vancouver.  Traffic is hell, parking is hell, and road rage is a common occurrence.  On a bike, there is no traffic to fight with, no parking problems to deal with, and you can truly enjoy the beauty of the City all around you.  The City becomes 'new' again even though I have lived here most of my life.  It is indeed a beautiful city through a different perspective.

While crossing the Granville Street bridge, we came across this odd sight.

I was left scratching my head on this one.

 

Great view from atop the Granville Street Bridge. 

Funny story, on the same bridge with not another person in sight, only but one girl also crossing the bridge by foot.  As I pass her on her left, I glance back to see her face and suddenly realize... "Hey, that's my ex-girlfriend from highschool!"  With all my might in trying to keep down my shallowness,  instead of greeting her all I could think of was how old and ,um, bigger she looked.  Certainly not the extreme hotness that I remember from way back when.  She did not recognize me..  I had a big helmet on and dark sunglasses.  At least I hope she didn't recognize me..

Huge crowds gathered at the Celtic Events on Granville street..

as they wait to see the Lucky Charms fella get his pot 'o 'gold.

But instead got this shiny radioactive meteor rock

so the crowds dispersed

and went to pray.


Dedicated bike lanes were aplenty.  Downtown streets have really become bike friendly through the past couple of years.  I am not one for 'taking over the streets' type of cyclist, but all I can see is that it is good for the city's future as it is becoming highly congested.  I am one for 'Coexistence'.

The old Garage and the new BC Place awaiting the huge crowds expected as the city celebrates the Vancouver Canucks winning the Stanley Cup in 201?.

And last and the least, a video.
Disclaimer: Please do not watch this video. It is awful. I urge you to not even take a peek. You will hate it. It is simply a failed attempt at salvaging 4Gb of crappy crappy footage. Here is one life altering advice that I may give you; mounting a camera on the handlebar of a bike is NOT A GOOD IDEA! You have been warned.