Showers Continuing

Today's weather continued along a similar path today.  It was raining when we got up and now at 5:11 pm it still is.  However, Mondays, Wednesdays, and Friday are when I take a walk uptown for an hour's worth of exercise.

I put on a rain coat, put on my headphones, and headed up the hill.

Today, I walked up Fourth Street.  On the other side of Tipperary Park, some of the houses have remarkable landscaping.  Recently, I've noticed many pricey homes are forgoing traditional grassy lawns.  It surely makes sense to plant endemic plants and throw away the old lawn mover.  A weedwhacker surely won't take as much room in the garage, although a number of these houses rely on on-street parking. 

Today's little hike took an hour and seven minutes but totaled only 4.52 km.  The benefit I'm more keen on checking was Fitbit's #494 today.  An extra 400-500 calories burned on my walks may eventually result in some positive benefits.

When approaching our building near Carnarvon Street from Fourth, I noticed we have one less parking space across the street from our buildings.  We now have a dedicated space for electric LIME shared bikes.  The company has them waiting all over town now.  How convenient to zip around on an errand rather than the hassle of getting out the car.

Two Wheel Drive

Finally, we had a tiny window of cooperative weather for me to try out my e-scooter! 

I've had the Apollo Ghost for a complete month but only ventured on neighbourhood streets once! Today, though, I had a chance to get up across Royal Street. I cross the major highway at the traffic lights on a bike path. In fact, there are hundreds of kilometers of paths running through the Metro-Vancouver region. This is one reason I decided to buy one in the first place.

   

The Ghost is a bit heavy at 29 KG but I was sure I needed motors on both wheels to climb the hills around here. My city does have some pretty steep inclines. It is truly a powerful beast and I've not tried turbo mode nor even tried changing gears yet. I'll am pretty sure I will never go its estimated top speed of over 60 KPH.

I had never been on an e-scooter before buying this one. Even a few years back, rental ones were easily accessible all over the city of Kuala Lumpur but I never got around to renting one. They're not as easy as I would've imagined. After a bit of practice, I can see myself more at ease when onboard. To me, the front bars seem wobbly and steering imprecise. I sort of realized today that I was hanging on too tightly to the handlebars. I think the trick is to adjust one's feet in a location to do most of the cornering. I'll keep at it. I've got the whole summer to perfect my riding style.

Time to Act Like a Kid Again

Lithium Ion Next?

I awoke to summer this morning. Apparently it had been stalled somewhere along the way here.



It was obviously a day to enjoy a little trip on the e-scooter. I plugged the battery in to top off. I hope the old lead-acid cells are getting weak. I'm not sure if it wasn't completely charged or whether it cannot hold much of a charge nowadays. I went around downtown, down to Sapperton Landing Park, then up across the bridge into Queen's Park. (Apparently, the cow is back at the Petting Zoo.) I rode around a bit of uptown and then came back down Fourth Street through Friendship Park. It was less than eight miles all together and I was just about flat upon getting home. Hum. Let's hope a deep charge will improve the capacity for the next zip about.

Compressed Air

I was walking past the bike shop on Sixth Street when I noticed a little sign near a bicycle tire pump which read, "Community Pump -- Free Air."

The first thing I thought about was the basketball I bought last summer. It seemed to have gone flat sitting around over the winter. Then, more importantly, I thought about my electric scooter. I hadn't even uncovered the e-bike this year. It sits against the wall in my parking space covered by an old sheet. I did however remember that the tire went flat at the end of last summer.

I asked the guys at New West Cycle if they fixed the little 18-inch tires on such a bike. What a friendly place! They assured me they'd look at it and try their best. Although I was going to do it this week, I thought I may as well get at it this afternoon. I turned in marks for my class that finished yesterday and I am already prepared for the one which starts next Monday. This means the wonderful weather we're supposed to get over the next several days will be all mine to use as I see fit!

My battery was charged as I try to always keep it so. It has regular lead-acid cells so it's not good to let it sit in a discharged state. I brought down the heavy battery and slid it in under the seat. Then I proceeded to walk along beside the bike up to the main parkade doors and the one block to where the shop is. I had to pass right by the New Westminster Police Station. Obviously I aroused suspicion as a cop on the beat met up with me an asked for identification! Rather than be insulted, I should be thankful for the proactive policing, I guess.



The bike shop changed the tube in less than an hour and called me. I went to pick up the bike and just had to take it for a little spin. Getting to the Westminster Pier Park afforded me the chance to try out the new air in the back tire.

Oot and Aboot!

There have already been a lot of benefits to reducing my teaching hours this semester. I can devote more vigor to the hours I'm teaching and I am more relaxed when not. This morning was a prime example of how nice it is to be free. As it was a nice sunny morning, I was able to get right out in it.


I keep the battery to my electric bike in the entry closet and it's always fully charged. It was easy to unchain my Ecoped from my parking stall, slip in the battery, and head out on a little jaunt.

I just went over to Queensborough, a part of my city. Recent bridge work has provided bicycle lanes to match up to the extensive bike paths in the area. Although it will be about 10C (50F) today, the sun was shining on my face. Gloves kept my fingers warm. The air was refreshing.

To Ride It is to Love It

One of these days, I will have to take it all the way to work. After all, it is teaching which has prevented me from making a great deal of use of my new, little e-bike.

Last weekend, I did take it out in the evening. I headed on the new Central Valley Greenway which meant riding down Columbia and past the hospital in Sapperton. Then, the path veers to the back side of Hume Park and crosses North Road. Following the river through the woods proved effortless. On both tar and gravel the City45 handles well. I had walked along some sections of this trail in the past. Quietly being whisked through the scenery by battery was a new pleasure though. I passed Cariboo Road and then ventured into completely unknown territory. I had no idea the trail system around Burnaby Lake was so immense. I rode and rode. The Greenway is not posted well along here. In fact, it was often hard to tell whether I should've even been on a bike as some trails were posted for pedestrians only. Eventually, I made it to a parking lot. I had to ask someone for directions. Who knew I could be lost so relatively close to home. Or wait, was I close to home? I had already travelled to the Sperling Skytrain station. Not wanting to retrace the trip, and as it was getting late, I crossed the brand-new bike bridge and returned home via the SkyTrain. Bicycles can use the back cars during non-peak hours, and although the Ecoped City45 doesn't look much like a bicycle, it is classed that way. Mine proved its reliability as dependable, two-wheeled transportation.


Even this morning, I took the little orange machine out. I wanted to get a better feel for riding around my city. New Westminster has some hills too steep for a 500 watt bike but I am getting the hang of how it handles. I stopped by the new outdoor swimming pool at Moody Park, buzzed around Queen's park and made a 9:50 appointment with my doctor for a prescription renewal.

At first riding the machine was disquieting. It looks like a scooter, but it really is more akin to being on a bicycle. Luckily the same laws affect me too so I don't have to register it.

Different Planes (Bikes) of Existence

I can spot a few bicycles and a scooter through the windows from my location in the classroom. There's a bike rack near one of the main entrances for the IBM Technology building on the BCIT Burnaby campus. I had no idea things could be so easy for folks on two wheels. I am sure bike riding will be on the TV news tonight as the mayor of Vancouver spearheaded an effort to close a lane of vehicular traffic on the Burrard Street Bridge out of downtown Vancouver. Bicycles are getting their own space starting today. We'll find out if the dire predictions of doom and chaos come to fruition.

Regardless, I drove my truck to class this afternoon. I don't have to go anywhere near the Burrard Street Bridge to get from downtown New Westminster to the Burnaby campus of BCIT. It's not so much the cool and gloomy weather which prevented me from trying the City45 today; it had more to do with my inexperience on the local bike paths.

Yesterday, I did jump out for a quick meandering journey. I like the idea of electricity doing most of the work for me, but in practice I enjoy it even more. I went uptown, through Queen's Park, and then I located the Seventh Street cross-town route. It makes getting to the 22nd Street SkyTrain station a breeze. I kept on going to the high-rise buildings at Edmonds. The tarred path was under the SkyTrain. Who knew? On the way back I went over the new interchange and crossed the Queensborough Bridge. Although I covered a lot of ground, I didn't break a sweat.

What it quite amazing is how easy it is to bike around the Lower Mainland. There are many dedicated paths, many of which I am still not aware. A system of secondary streets are marked as bike routes too. I never paid attention to the many signs and road markings. It seems there's a hidden universe right in the very places where I've existed for years.

Sitting on My City45

It's a hot summer day and after grocery shopping, I did pick up this electric bicycle. There is a whole category of power-assist bikes on the market nowadays. I think they're just about all made in China and imported through different names. In Canada, Ecoped is what's sold by Canadian Wal-mart.

The box was enormous, about the size of a large refrigerator, so we had to bust it out at the store. It took a bit of cramming to get it in the back of the pickup. The canopy meant we had to lay it on its side and slide it in. I figure the bike will encounter more extreme punishment in its future with me. I am not sure how long it will last but I already cracked a side mirror and some of the plastic pieces seems fairly flimsy.

The battery was almost completely charged out of the box. Plugging it in down by my parking space in the building is going to be tricky without a long extension cord and permission from the strata council. The lead battery is pretty hefty, at about the weight of an ordinary car variety. It can be taken out. That way I charge it right in the apartment with a little black device about the size of a laptop one.


I put about 10 kilometers on it just running down to the Royal Columbian hospital on the new bike route. I also made to the top of the hill in New Westminster but that required a bit of pedaling as there's a big incline getting uptown.

Expect some serious reviews here after I've had some time to play.

Plotting a Course to the Drug Store

I've got to say that I love teaching afternoon classes. I don't have to arrive at the campus until 12:15 pm. On days when I have a lot of correction, I can get up early and have the papers corrected in plenty of time. On days when I am already prepped, I can simply write a blog entry, do necessary errands, or simply go for a walk.


Today I did the latter. I'm still on my electric bicycle (scooter) kick. For any purchase over $500 I take my time to ensure I have a sufficient 'cooling off' period. If after a week, my interest continues and I'm constantly thinking of how the purchase will improve my life, then I'm ready to take the plunge.

Apparently, I'm headed in this direction. I went out for a walk this morning just to see how I could zip uptown staying off crowded roads and on streets with inclines of less than a 15% grade. When I say I live in downtown New Westminster it's no mere idiom. We're down here near the Fraser River but the major shopping areas are about a mile uphill.

I've never even ridden one of the little 500 watt bikes but I can't imagine they have a lot of gusto. As near as possible to flat would make the best route. If I head east on Carnarvon Street to its end, then up to the end of Agnus, I can easily connect to First Street via Bronson. The way up to the height of the land after crossing Royal is quite flat. I could then head back over towards Sixth and Sixth missing most steep hills and dangerous traffic.

Two-Wheels are Logical

I'm wondering why I have recently developed such an interest in the possibility of buying a bicycle or an electric scooter. It must be as a person living in Metro-Vancouver, one cannot escape turning slightly green. You know we're all west-coast healthy, outdoorsy, and a little residually hippy here on the edge of the Pacific.

I figured out my new preoccupation stems from the fact there are now some dedicated paths on which to ride. Having to fight for road space with large motor vehicles seems scary and ultimately futile. Provided there's a safe route, even if only for recreation, I'm suddenly more interested. I don't really expect I'll switch to commuting on two wheels, but it surely would make for some nice recreational possibilities.

Beginning last month, it's possible to ride directly from my door to downtown Vancouver on the new Central Valley Greenway. To read about it, click the image. It will take a while to load as it is a ten megabyte PDF from Translink.

It'd Make a Great Little Toy

By chance, earlier in the week I was looking at websites thinking about buying a tiny motorcycle. I had a 100cc Kawasaki at the age of 16 which used to zip me between my house and nearby towns. I used to run it right up until the NH snow flew as it was better taking it to school than going on the bus!

I was a little shocked by the price of motorcycles nowadays. They seem too expensive for what one ends up with. For twice the price of a 500cc motorbike, one can get a set of four wheels, a roof, and car doors to boot. Even tiny bikes cost a lot. Then by the time I would have added insurance and gas, it would hardly be worth it. Especially since there are only about six weeks a year when the weather is cooperative around here.

Today, we went to downtown Vancouver just because the weather was nice. We walked to David Lam Park and then along False Creek to Science World. We saw many bicycles out and about. I was thinking of trying to convince Jay that we should buy several. I don't think he's been on one for forty years.

On the Walmart Canada website, I discovered these little machines made in Ontario. They are basically just electric bicycles. They require no special license or insurance. Now that we have a newly-completed Central Valley Greenway running by our door, it would make sense for me to buy one. They're $995 at Walmart. Plus, I'd need a helmet.


Click this picture to see the Ecoped City45 Specs.

Up Your Nose

I was in Walmart this morning. Yes, indeed the Christmas decorations were there and have probably been up for quite some time. I smelled the pine scent that must've been deliberately sprayed near their collection of artificial trees and ornaments. 

Even pre-school children know that smell is one of the five senses. It is probably the least obvious one though. The other four are used almost exclusively during our ordinary days. Surely, the ability to smell rancid meat aided the evolutionary process of humans. The fact odors can be classified as bad probably have to do with ancient survival genes.

Today, of course we can manufacture and disseminate smells to a greater extent than nature does. Therefore, I tend to think that smells deemed as good are most probably products of our learning environments. There's nothing particularly advantageous in believing that pine scent is nice. Of course, a prehistoric man may have taken quiet refuge in forests of them, but I'd venture our love of the smell of conifers probably has more to do with kitchen cleaners and Christmas. The smell of baking bread obviously links to taste and the physical comfort of consumed carbohydrates. Surely, there's nothing intrinsically nice about the smell of bleach but it is associated with nice warm sheets that more directly affect other senses.

These associations, to a great extent, explain why we appreciate specific olfactory moments. Just to prove this point, I have to admit to loving the smell of two-stroke engine exhaust. Ah, surely that has more to do with a little, 100cc Kawasaki I had in high school than with the motorcycle I was on in this photo.

Grin and Bare It

It's a bit too hot today but you're not going to hear any complaints from me. At nearly 80F, Vancouverites get sweaty. It gets much cooler at night though.



Yesterday, I couldn't resist the warm breezes and blue skies. I got out even if only on a local walk. The first part of the trip going east along Front Street was scary as there's no place for pedestrians. I had to fight for the right to walk with big trucks and a kilometer-long train. Once down to Sapperton Park, it was pleasant. I walked back, trying to go through Fraserview. The roads in that residential area are deliberately designed to keep out all but residents. By coming back up through the Woodlands site, I now understand how the bicycle route will meet up with the path which is being created through downtown New Westminster's Columbia Street.

It was hot and my face got a little sunburned.

A Badge of Honour

In New Hampshire, one could get a driver's license at the age of 16. Of course, I did, even though that meant petitioning our school district to let us take Driver's Education as a summer course in the neighbouring town of Newport.

We lived about three miles away from the town of Sunapee and so a yellow 100cc Kawasaki motorcycle replaced a 10-speed bike during my first year on the road. That seemed much better than pedalling even if it meant suiting up in snowmobile attire on cold November mornings. This worked out okay until, at least, the snow actually started flying.

Eventually, my father gave me a junk car. Now, I'm sort of proud to claim that I once drove an early-70's Ford Pinto. It was rather smart of him to give me an underpowered crap car. I see teenaged drivers wrap their pricey, new rice rockets around trees nowadays killing them and their friends. My Pinto had a replacement 1600cc engine we installed during high school shop class. It couldn't make it up the tiniest of hills in fourth gear; consequently, I quickly learned now handle a manual transmission. At 40 mph a car is dangerous but a little less lethal than one travelling at 80. In retrospect, however, Pintos did become rather infamous for blowing up in rear-end collisions.

I don't think I have a single picture of my first car. I guess I didn't take photos in those days. These two pictures were copied from the Internet. See, the Net is useful for more than distribution of porn, isn't it?


The colour of these two different cars even matched my Pinto's. That obviously was a popular 1970s tint. It does, in a way, go right along with kitchen decor from That 70's Show, or perhaps they had avacado. I believe this particular Ford hue was called Freudian Gilt as Good Clean Fawn was a little grayer. Oh yeah, I also painted black racing stripes that curled up behind the rear windows. That must've given me at least a 2 mph boost!

As silly teenagers, a group of us still managed to flip it over a stone wall and have it land on it on its roof in the woods. I swear, I wasn't driving but did help to throw all the unopened beer cans from its little trunk far out into the bushes before the police showed up. No one was hurt. Unfortunately, the accident left me without a car during most of my freshman year in college.

An Ultimate Road Trip

I haven't worked in the Middle East for nearly eleven years. After this amount of time, there are surprisingly few colleagues that I've kept up with. This entry, however, does relate to a person with whom I occasionally contact. Sally is in Dubai and on MS Messenger. Years can go by with little messaging then, suddenly, we will strike up a conversation. One such 'give and take' occurred a few months ago. Wait, it was even longer ago than that! Maybe this topic came up when we were discussing our research into wide-screen TVs last autumn.

Sally asked if we'd seen any episodes of Long Way Round. I hadn't heard of it at the time. I did see that it was available from our mail-based DVD rental company though. I put Disc 1 on the bottom of our ziplist. Eventually, its position moved up thirty or forty slots. It arrived last week.

Although only four episodes were on the first disc, and two of them dealt only with the planning, we got hooked and I moved up Disc 2 on the list so it'd arrive quickly. Here's the info as found at www.zip.ca:

Documentary, Travel & Adventure Documentaries - 2004
Two friends. One extraordinary journey around the world.

The adventure of a lifetime begins when two longtime pals, Ewan McGregor (Star Wars, The Island, Moulin Rouge) and Charley Boorman (Deliverance), set off on their motorcycles taking the "long way round" from London to New York: west along the rough terrain of Eurasia, across the Bering Straight, and covering 20,000 miles before completing their journey in New York City.

Long Way Round: The Entire Series includes ten 1-hour episodes, including a new episode that has never been broadcast on television.

Going 'Ass Over Tea Kettle'

Are you familiar with the meaning of the title? Sometimes I wonder exactly where I get these sayings from. I think a lot of language comes from one's roots. It can be influenced either the geographic location, or the specific family one grows up with.

I think my dad may have used the phrase above. What I was attempting to communicate in the title is that I recently fell down. I was just going for a walk and tripped on some steps near a church of Carnarvon Street. It's very odd that stumbling and hitting the ground is embarrassing. You'd think there'd be many emotions one could feel, but why shame? Anyway, I looked around and saw that nobody had seen.

My pride was intact but I still scraped my knee a bit. It was the type of wound that as I kid I got when I fell off a bicycle. I don't think I've skinned a knee in probably thirty-five years! It didn't bleed a lot, but I knew there would be a fairly large scab.

This fact made me appreciate the human body. Isn't it grand that a body heals? I mean many of us would be a walking basket case were it not for our ability to automatically repair ourselves.

Pic 03/04 - I Want to Ride My Bicycle

Now I know the reason that I looked fit in yesterday's photo with my grandmother. Apparently, as a teenager, I exercised! I lived about three miles from town. For the years before a 100cc motorcycle, peddling was a major way of getting to school, Sunapee Harbor, or to friends'. I could've ridden the school bus but that was just too uncool.

As I took a photo, I obviously liked this bicycle a lot. Prior to my 'ten-speed', I can remember that my folks had bought a black, 3-speed Raleigh for me. This white bike was much better because it didn't have coaster brakes. A chainguard might have been useful in the days of bell-bottoms though.

This image must have a date approximately the same as the past two.
I am guessing around 1972. This was also scanned from a slide.