Weekday rides have become more sparse at this point, with the short daylight hours, damp cold, and near-omnipresent drizzle. I did manage to get a ~11km ride in yesterday to run some errands (and stayed dry!) but that was it for the week, so when the weather was looking nice today I was eager to get out for a proper ride. “Nice” in this case was a 10-20% chance of rain and temps around 6-7C. I can definitely work with that.
I had been working on a route idea that would loop around Burnaby and wanted to test out the first section today. It didn’t actually work out that well in terms of connecting together, but it took me through a number of personal-favourite natural areas. It was quickly apparent that fall was indeed over, with deciduous trees barren and their leaves snagged in the brush below.
I am once again riding the Crust Evasion, an unexpected but welcome addition to my bike stable. As of yesterday the Crust Wombat has been moved on to a new owner, a friend of mine. The Wombat was a super fun bike, but the Evasion really suits my sort of aimless longer rides.
I worked my way through the woods to the west of Deer Lake which have great birding opportunities.
From there I worked my way up and over the land mass that we call Burnaby, taking a strange combination of alleyways and quiet streets that linked together quite well actually. At this point it did start raining lightly, and this continued for the next hour or so, but it was gentle enough I never really got soaked.
Something on my to-do list for today was to follow the powerlines across Burnaby, which I could tell by looking at maps cut diagonally across a bunch of residential streets before travelling through a forested area. I was a bit surprised there was barely a foot path through the unproductive grass below. Seems like a great opportunity for a nice dog walking path or something.
Following the powerlines worked out quite well though, hardly even an awkward street crossing and I was descending down towards the highway and into one of my favourite semi-urban forested areas.
This stretch of trail is featured in my Burnabop route(s) and I don’t tire of it – I also have the Local Legend on Strava for this section it turns out, which probably comes as no surprise to anyone who knows me!
The juxtaposition of the route vs the adjacent highway in the image below is quite poignant.
I looped my way towards the same brewery as usual, Dageraad, but took a few detours along the way to check the water levels of various creeks in the area. Below is Stoney Creek in a couple spots.
I parked myself at Dageraad to try a flight of four more seasonal releases to compliment the four I tried last week – all new to me, the selection contained three Belgian ales and one imperial stout.
From the brewery I rode through Camrose Park which I hadn’t visited in a couple years. Fittingly for today’s ride, it feeds into a series of little trails and sidewalks that follow the powerlines along this stretch.
From there I took a series of alleyways and cutty trails to Beecher Creek, which ultimately puts me on the main bike route back to my place.
The Evasion is a good bike. I bought it as a temporary solution but I’m getting pretty attached to it. “Temporary solution??” you say – well, my intention was to buy a Stooge Rambler next year when they return, which is a similar bike but would fit me a little better. I also am planning to buy a Stridsland Beachcomber though when the updated geo batch comes along – so I’ve got some decisions to make.
As I’ve mentioned in previous posts, the Evasion purchase was not premeditated but rather a way to help out a friend in need while also admittedly benefitting me. I kept in mind these 2026 bike purchasing plans when I spec’d the build, as virtually everything can be re-used on them.
Another bike I’ve been thinking about a lot is the Black Mountain Mod Zero – it’s visually not as exciting as the Stooge Rambler, but it’s lighter and sportier while maintaining the ability to run a dropper and pretty big tires. It would no doubt be an excellent pairing with my mixed terrain rides, and a good compliment to the Beachcomber.
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