Lisa and I say that our family motto is ‘suffer’. You’re not on vacation unless you are in motion, pain, or breaking a sweat. Yesterday without our bikes we walked 13 miles. Today we did 29 on our bikes. And we haven’t even started moving south.
The totem poles at Stanley Park.
We had our bikes built up by the guys at Mac-Talla cycles in east Vancouver, and I have never had the drivetrain of my Marrakesh so buttery smooth. They are a small shop focused on gravel grinders and trail bikes. Worth a visit.
After picking up our bikes this morning, we went out for a spin around the city. First we went in the direction of Stanley Park, with it’s unbelievabley gorgeous bike paths. They call it the sea wall path. It runs all the way around the park. You’ll see a good bit of it in the video.
Sooo many bins!!!
We stopped at the Granville Island Public Market, a large European style market with food mongers of all stripes. Lisa found the spice and bulk food seller. She was in zero-waste heaven. There is lots to do at the Public Market and you could easily make an afternoon of it, but we had to get back because tomorrow is our first actual riding day.
We are headed for Birch Bay State Park in Birch Bay, WA. It’s about a 50 mile ride from Vancouver. And even though it’s not terribly hilly, this will be our first day with weight on the bikes and we’ve become soft midwesterners when it comes to a steep grade.