Continuing on with the month-by-month recaps, now that I’m committed to it. May was my strongest month of the year for riding. It’s also my favourite month for cycling, so this came as little surprise. The days are long, it’s not too hot yet, and it’s decidedly less busy still than the summer months. Nature is in full force and at peak vibrancy for the year. What’s not to love??
I started the month with a TCR (tall-can ride, a longstanding tradition with my slack friends) to Rice Lake, taking pals Rob and Dave to my favourite tucked-away spot. We got to watch an eagle swoop back and forth looking for their dinner. Rice Lake is always lovely, as long as there’s no loud humans nearby. We took the perfectly normal paved way in, but opted for some under-biking on what are objectively hiking trails on the way out. Blame the beer.
A couple days later, the weekend had arrived and Rob and I went for a North Van loop – up to the mid-valley lookout, followed by a traverse across to Ambleside where I showed him the lovely take-out fish n chip situation. I didn’t take a ton of photos, but it was a full and lovely afternoon on the bike.
On the Sunday was a vintage bike swap meet not too far away, so I rode over to check it out – picked up a couple things, too.
Since the days were long, after work rides have become more commonplace. I made a Monday trip out to Dageraad – a typically slower day at the establishment suits me well, giving me space and quiet on the covered patio. At this point, I spend most of my camera reel on the abundant flowers I pass by. Exhibit A:
The girls were also enjoying the spring weather, with lots of time spent in the grass.
On May 7th I was commuting home from the office on the Bombadil and got word there were Orcas off the coast of UBC, heading eastbound. I was in Richmond at this point, 15 km away from the coastline I’d need to be along, but I booked it north to New Brighton Park in hopes I might catch them.
With low expectations, I showed up to see a few others lined up and waiting – a good sign I hadn’t missed them! Only one orca remained heading this way, but only a few minutes after I showed up he cruised by – my first time seeing an orca from land! The photos are not very good, but they are at least conclusive evidence!
A couple photos of appreciation for my local park, with the wisteria making the community garden sign pop and an absolute unit of a blooming tree. I’ve made a lot of friends here, both human and canine.
May 8th was a parkbagging day, and I rode the Wombat out to Point Grey.
Once again, a visit to Strathcona gardens because there are a couple impressive wisteria there – and they smell phenomenal! The Laburnum trees were also in their stride, the one pictured is just down the street from our place and is one of the bigger ones I saw this year.
With the return of the weekend, May 10th I rode over to Deer Lake gardens because I knew they had a lot of rhodos and other spring bloomers – and I was not disappointed!! This makes for a lovely chill loop, as it’s about 25km and can be done almost entirely on separated paved pathways – Gilmore and Deer Lake Pkwy on the way out, then Kensington to CVG back. An easy pick when I don’t want to work too hard, nor mess with cars. And for some reason I was compelled to roll into Hastings Racetrack on my way home, where some horse races were going on. Kinda interesting.
The following morning, a group chat message came in warning of a tree down across the Hydraulic Creek connector in the LSCR. I happened to own a folding saw that I hadn’t really put to good use before. So off I went. Doesn’t take much to convince me to do a LSCR loop, anyway!
The sawing took a little while, but got the job done.
Then now a couple random shots from the next day .. the girls at the park, with Sunny being a goofball while Leia acts proper beside her, just like usual. And the really excellent trellis of wisteria at the Strathcona gardens, where I visited once again in combination with a stop at Luppolo Brewing.
On my weekly commute this week, I opted to take the extra long way home – traversing Richmond to New Westminster, then around New West and through Burnaby. I stopped at S&O for a cheeky glass in New West, then again at Dageraad in Burnaby more than an hour later. I got home around 9pm after leaving work at 5!
May 17th, Saturday again now, I headed out on my Stooge Scrambler for a little forest time on Seymour Mtn. I rode up some neighbourhood trails to the Hyannis trail network, climbing to Greenland / Bottletop area and then continuing on a little loamer that extends north but doesn’t really go anywhere. Doesn’t matter – it’s beautiful in there. I take it as a simple out-and-back every now and then even though it isn’t rideable in spots, just to take in the scene. It was so intensely green in there, I took a lot of photos and marvelled at the beauty.
Sometimes I go months without riding this bike, and every time I do I question why I waited so long. It’s an excellent trail bike.
The following day, Sunday, I went out for a more ambitious ride – to the newish Four Winds Beach House in Tsawwassen Mills, a new development near the border to Pt Roberts WA. Rob and KB joined me, transiting from downtown to Ladner, while I stubbornly rode from home. It was about 41 km between home and the meeting point, and I passed Barnside Brewing shortly before (but didn’t stay for a beer).
Upon uniting, we promptly started making questionable choices, riding through a long stretch of grass before crossing a pedestrian overpass that was stairs on both ends. And this was all within the first kilometre together! We headed south on 64th Ave until we reached the gravel trail that traces around Boundary Bay – I take this trail when going to the Tsawwassen ferry terminal as well, and it’s very long and monotonous. It’s good to ride with friends. Nearing Tsawwassen, the terrain becomes quite interesting as it’s just above the tidal zone.. I’m sure it has a name. But it has unique vegetation and supports different birds etc than most of the lower mainland.
We reached the beach house and had a rather swanky meal and drinks, then set off to explore the neighbourhood. We rode right along the edge of the border – as close as I’m willing to get to the US these days – and then through an off-leash park where we saw a huge pig. That’s a new one. On our way back north we took the whole length of boundary bay gravel path (about 15km), then north along the Delta watershed trail network. Rob and Karen peeled off once we were into Queensborough, and I continued on, back to the BC Parkway from New West to home. It was my first over-100km ride of the year, I think!
The Monday thru Wednesday of the following week was pretty chill, but Thursday I headed off for two nights on Saturna Island, the first night being solo and second night being joined by my friend LA. I won’t get into it too much though, because there’s a whole write-up already here.
I got back pretty late on Saturday from that trip, having taken an especially long way home to try to catch a bike event in New West, and took the next couple days mostly off riding. On Tuesday though I grabbed the Stooge for a home-to-trails ride seeking out salmonberries and also some XC style trail riding.
The commuting at this point is all-time, almost as good as not needing to commute in the first place.
And the days are so long that evening the before-bed dog walk isn’t in the dark. Bliss.
As the month nears its end, I got out on the 30th for an after-work north van loop (about 35km) on the Wombat, including heading up to the Murdo Frazer pond again, and on the 31st a short trip on the Twenty to pick up beer.
I’ve since sold the Wombat, and I do miss it, especially looking at these photos and thinking about this ride. It was a light, quick, and capable little single speeder. But it allowed me to buy the Evasion, which is quite a good adventure bike.
So yeah, May wrapped up with 821 km on the bike! The 114 km ride to and from Tsawwassen as well as the Saturna camping trip both padded the number quite well, but also a fair share of after-work 30-40 km rides in there as well really added up.
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