Sunshine Coast

Today we take the Ferry over from HorseShoe Bay to Langdale on the Sunshine coast.
It's a 20 minute drive then a 40 minute sailing.

From the landing we drive to Roberts Creek to check out the local mountain bike trails.
We try Charlie Browns (below), Pumpkin Patch, Patricks, Black Tower and Highway 103.
The riding is mostly smooth and singletrack which reminds us of Cannock Chase and Delamere Forest (with some optional structures thrown in)

We stop by this spot (7-Up) and tak a walk up this 20 ft high stunt.

Happy 40th Birthday Liz

It's Liz's 40th Birthday today.
We celebrate with a meal out at Cloud 9 - a revolving restaurant on the 42nd floor of the Empire Landmark Hotel

More Trail Sillyness....

Mark, Paul and Doug take a bit of an discovery tour on Fromme to check out some alternate trails. Can't find the entrance to 'Dreamweaver', but we check out Witches Brew, Oilcan (below), Lower Oilcan ...

....and this crazy wooden stuff on 'Air Supply'..lots of gap jumps.. (and yes, that is a road gap)

This stunt has a 'teeter-totter' on a 'teeter-totter' (using car doors as weights)
Looks like it needs a bit of tlc though...

Girls Go Snowshoeing on Cypress

Karen, Liz, Lorna and Alison take a day snowshoeing up on Cypress.
Unfortunately it's raining (spring is on the way), but a good trek nonetheless.

Marks First Proper Ride

Doug, Mark and Dan head up Mt. Seymour and ride the 'easier' Severed, followed by the black graded Corkscrew, Pingu and Pangor.
As Doug has been riding here a little longer, he is sent down first as the crash test dummy.....

Plenty of stunts on Corkscrew ...... We see someone's day end early by taking a wrong turn on the wood and coming a cropper..

Moonlight Madness

Tonight we try Snowshoing by moonlight on Mt Seymour... it's our first time out on snowshoes. So we hire snowshoes from the local sports shop - we were expecting big wooden tennis rackets, but they are hi-tech aluminium. Not much in the way of moonlight, as it is snowing, but it adds to the eerie feeling of wandering through a forest with nothing else but your headtorch to guide you.
Every so often we stop to have a look at the surroundings, often seeing 20ft ravines just off the side...stick to the trail as they say....
Once we get to the top of the mountain, we can just make out the city lights in the distance through the snow and cloud. After some hot chocolate, snacks and a chat we head back down through the trees and back to civilisation. It's 10pm on a Friday, I should be in Walkabout doing my MC hammer dance with girls surely!

Visitors

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UK Visit

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New Arrivals

Mark and Liz arrive at the end of January.
Here they are, fresh off the boat (well on the seabus after a night out actually)

They are staying in an apartment in Lower Lonsdale, on the north shore.
At least until Mark gets a job....

Bluebird Day

Taking advantage of the sun up on Cypress.
There is the BC Freestyle Ski comp on today too.

Stanley Park

We take a ride around Stanley Park today - The damage to the park from the high winds is bad. We can't go all the way round, a lot of the park is closed, as part of the seawall is damaged, and there are trees dangling from the cliffs above the trail near prospect point. The main trails through the park are closed due to fallen trees They estimate that a few thousand trees were toppled in the wind over the last month and it will cost several million $ to clean up.

Under Lions Gate Bridge

'Girl in a wetsuit' with North Vancouver in the background.
(seagull not part of the art)

Totems in Stanley Park

The base of a fallen tree - one of many

They are planning on up-righting this old tree.

New Year

By New Years eve, we still hadn't decided what to do for the night.
Had calls from family just after 4pm - it was just turning New Year in the UK. This was a bit odd as we were only just thinking about what to do!
Anyway we got some tickets for a local bar 'Tantra' on the waterfront overlooking the city.
It was a good do - we got fed and watered all night and the DJ played Wonderwall for us, bit dated I know but we still stood their swaying with our hands in the air!
Walking home 6 blocks uphill at 2am is loads tougher when you're tanked up!

Karen with her imaginary friends!

Merry Chrismas

Merry Chrismas!

We hoped to get back to the UK for Christmas, but after buying the house and furniture, Xmas flights were a bit too expensive. So we stayed at home.
Chrismas Eve, we went mountain biking on Fromme in the afternoon, and then went to the local church carol service in the evening. Even though the church was full no one would sit next to Doug, it must have been the swirling holy water and swaying chandeliers when he walked in that did it.
On Xmas day we phoned the family in the morning - Chrismas was 'over' already in the uk as it was late afternoon there!
After the phone calls we went sbowboarding up on Cypress - it was actually very busy and there was a good sense of Christmas in the air. Probably the snow, Douglas Firs and folks wearing santa hats.
In the afternoon got home and cooked dinner ourselves - a Jamie Oliver chicken roast - it was pretty good.
The rest of the xmas holiday was spent relaxing and mainly watching '24' - we are only just getting into it after all these years!

Whistler sightseeing

Head up to Whistler for the day seeing as the suns out for a change.

Deep Cove and Lynn Canyon

Take T & D to Deep cove and Lynn Canyon for a tour of the local area.


Capilano suspension bridge was closed as a tree fell on it due to all the snow http://www.nsnews.com/issues06/w112606/121106/news.html
So we go to the Lynn Canyon bridge instead which is almost as good.