Slacker Biker Takes Off Again
OK folks. My friend Ulrike reminded me of how much of a slacker I've been. I simply love her directness. So here we go again. We're off on another trip.
Ulrike Rodrigues is a writer, photographer, cyclist, and "travelosopher" in Vancouver, B.C., Canada. Her site can be viewed at "www.ulrike.ca"
This time it'll be Trains, bicycles and planes. It'll be nice to leave the gritty world of transit driving behind for a while. If my job were a theatrical production I'm not sure if I'd promote it as a tragedy or a comedy. Maybe a tragicomedy. In a way I'll miss the daily dose of free entertainment but I'm sure I'll manage to cope :-)
The Dahon Speed TR.
A dedicated touring bike.
Ulrike is writing a travel article about train travel with folding bikes. As part of the research she needs an assistant (me) and lots of support from various companies. So we'll be travelling on Rocky Mountaineer's Whistler Mountaineer from Vancouver to Whistler. Spend two nights at the Westin Spa and Resort in Whistler. On September 13, at some ghastly early hour, we'll hop on Rocky Mountaineer's Fraser Explorer train to Quesnel and Jasper with hotel accommodations. After a few days of bumming around Jasper it's onto VIA Rail to Saskatoon and Winnipeg and back to Jasper.
Once back in Jasper we'll be doing something a bit more challenging. We'll cycle the 300km's from Jasper to Banff on our folding bikes while staying at the local "wilderness" hostels along the way. Then onto another Rocky Mountaineer train from Banff to Kamloops and Vancouver. Back to work in Victoria the very next day ...sigh!
So the trip will start with a bike of a different kind. The motorized variety. Sorry purists ...that just who I am ...a non-conformist :-)
On a Recent Trip to the Kootenays.
Don't worry. That's only my transportation to the start of the trip. There will be actual bicycles involved.
OK, so I made the 1:00pm ferry and I even managed to water the garden before I left. Dang! did I remember to turn that stove off? Oh whatever! I'm sure the landlady has fire insurance. Met two biker chicks on the ferry. One from Chilliwack and another from Saltspring Island. Quick notes with contact information were exchanged before we all roared off into the wilds of Surrey.
I'm still in a bit of a state of disbelief. This is a major trip, the likes of which I've never undertaken before. I have never done a trip where every night's accommodation and all transportation was booked ahead of time. This will take some adjustment of attitude on my part. This is also the first time in my life where I let someone else plan almost the entire trip. I simply agreed to her itinerary and am tagging along. It'll be a learning experience for me but I'm sure I can manage on a low stress trip like this one.
Ulrike Rodrigues is a writer, photographer, cyclist, and "travelosopher" in Vancouver, B.C., Canada. Her site can be viewed at "www.ulrike.ca"
This time it'll be Trains, bicycles and planes. It'll be nice to leave the gritty world of transit driving behind for a while. If my job were a theatrical production I'm not sure if I'd promote it as a tragedy or a comedy. Maybe a tragicomedy. In a way I'll miss the daily dose of free entertainment but I'm sure I'll manage to cope :-)
The Dahon Speed TR.
A dedicated touring bike.
Ulrike is writing a travel article about train travel with folding bikes. As part of the research she needs an assistant (me) and lots of support from various companies. So we'll be travelling on Rocky Mountaineer's Whistler Mountaineer from Vancouver to Whistler. Spend two nights at the Westin Spa and Resort in Whistler. On September 13, at some ghastly early hour, we'll hop on Rocky Mountaineer's Fraser Explorer train to Quesnel and Jasper with hotel accommodations. After a few days of bumming around Jasper it's onto VIA Rail to Saskatoon and Winnipeg and back to Jasper.
Once back in Jasper we'll be doing something a bit more challenging. We'll cycle the 300km's from Jasper to Banff on our folding bikes while staying at the local "wilderness" hostels along the way. Then onto another Rocky Mountaineer train from Banff to Kamloops and Vancouver. Back to work in Victoria the very next day ...sigh!
So the trip will start with a bike of a different kind. The motorized variety. Sorry purists ...that just who I am ...a non-conformist :-)
On a Recent Trip to the Kootenays.
Don't worry. That's only my transportation to the start of the trip. There will be actual bicycles involved.
OK, so I made the 1:00pm ferry and I even managed to water the garden before I left. Dang! did I remember to turn that stove off? Oh whatever! I'm sure the landlady has fire insurance. Met two biker chicks on the ferry. One from Chilliwack and another from Saltspring Island. Quick notes with contact information were exchanged before we all roared off into the wilds of Surrey.
I'm still in a bit of a state of disbelief. This is a major trip, the likes of which I've never undertaken before. I have never done a trip where every night's accommodation and all transportation was booked ahead of time. This will take some adjustment of attitude on my part. This is also the first time in my life where I let someone else plan almost the entire trip. I simply agreed to her itinerary and am tagging along. It'll be a learning experience for me but I'm sure I can manage on a low stress trip like this one.
Comments