Author: gfox (old content)

Sunshine Speed

While in Nelson I had the opportunity to go mountain biking. Actually, to go riding I needed to take my bike, and to take my bike I had to get a hitch installed on our car, and buy a bike rack. Expensive bike ride! In reality we were wanting to make those purchases for a long time.

The destination trail was 49’er. It was a short drive from where we were staying to the bottom of the hill. I was going with Sox’s two brothers, one who lives in Nelson and rides there a bit, the other who lives on the Sunshine coast and doesn’t mountain bike.

Since it had been hot lately we chose to get up at 6 and head out early to beat the heat. Leaving the house around 6:30 was a little difficult but I was looking forward to the ride.

Unloading the bikes I strapped my armour to my bike and to my pack. I wouldn’t need it on the ride up. Here I was with my 40+ LB bike riding up a logging road with two hardtails. I got dropped pretty quickly, but that didn’t bother me. I knew the DH was going to be worth it.

The climb took just over an hour, and right near the top we got a few rays of sun. The instant those hit my body I could feel the temperature go up. Good call on the early ride.

Dropping in to 49’er I was sort of prepared for what was to come. From previous rides in Nelson I knew it was going to be steep and have stunts. B’s description mentioned some good stunts too.

The first section was flowy and smooth. Lots of twists and turns and carving. We crossed the road to get to the next section. B warned me that a stunt was just ahead. Dropping in to the overgrown trail I wasn’t sure what to expect, when suddenly there was a log ride. I got on it, then when I looked up I saw an uphill climb up a ladder to another log. I jumped off since I didn’t have enough speed and went back for a second go.Didn’t make it that time either.

The trail continued down and down. There were a few log rides and ladders along the way that were really fun. A few jumps along the way kept me pumped too.

There was one log ride feature that had a few different exit options depending on what the rider felt like. I did the 3 foot wheelie drop. There was one option that went up pretty high that required a small drop to a ramp.

I’ve been having some issues with my front brakes on my Bullit for the last couple rides. I think I need new pads, but the lever goes right to the bar. If only have 1 finger for braking, the lever will hit my other fingers and not engage the brakes.

Sure enough I did a jump off a ladder and landed with lots of speed. The lever hit my finger and I couldn’t slow down. Unfortunately there was a big rock in my way. I used the rock as a ramp and jumped again, pickin up more speed. I shifter my fingers and jammed on the brakes as fast as I could. I was approaching a left turn with a log on the outside. I had slowed considerably, but not enough. I hit the log and got catapulted over the bars.

Landing I tucked and rolled down the hill, laughing. When I came to a stop I looked up the hill to see my bike tumbling toward me. I stopped that with my foot.

B rolled to a stop next to me, and I could hear a hissing noise. I assumed I had a flat in progress, but it turned out to be his fork. He blew some seal and the pressure was causing the oil to seep out. We were 1.3 of the way down.

For me the rest of the trail was awesome. Steep and switchbacky. I had a blast. There was one section that had four jumps in a row that I had to do a second time.

Eventually we came out of the trail to the fireroad. From there it was a downhill coast to the car and the end of the ride.

Highway Superstar

On the 30th the Fox family set off for a family reunion trip to Nelson. One of Sox’s brothers lives there and he was hosting us all for the weekend. That morning we discovered our cat Aphro had escaped outside and was missing.

Sox and the kids headed to Vancouver early on Thursday, but I had to work. After working most of the day I zipped home, packed up, tried to locate the cat, secured the house then headed to the ferry.

You see some crazy things on the highway, but this one was pretty scary. A motorized scooter doing about 50 KM/H riding on the side of the highway. That was bad enough, but this one had two people on it, and only one of them was wearing a helmet. Think people. Take the backroads.

As I got to the ferry terminal I learned there was a possible wait. When I paid to get on the lady told me my lane number and mentioned I might be lucky. Luck was on my side. I was the absolute last vehicle let on the 8pm sailing.

I hadn’t eaten dinner yet so I grabbed a magazine and headed up to the cafeteria. I ordered a bacon cheeseburger, fries, and got a chocolate milk. At my seat I took one bite of the burder and knew something was wrong with it. There was no patty. I took the burger back in, they all had a good laugh (I didn’t think it was funny at all), then they made me a new one.

As I approaced my seat someone else was sitting there and my tray of uneaten food was gone! I asked them about it and nobody knew anything. Taking a hungry man’s food is not a good idea. I asked one of the table cleaners if he had taken my tray but he hadn’t. He did go and get replacements for my lost food though.

Interesting start to the trip.

The next day was the drive up to Nelson. I was in a car with Beet, Sox’s Mum, and Sox’s other brother. I sat in the back with Beet the whole way and we kept each other company. It was actually a lot of fun and Beet certainly was entertained by having her dad next to her.

Near Grand Forks there was a long, long line of traffic. I figured it was construction until I saw two different police cars, and a couple fire engines. Sure enough some fire crews were just mopping up a small brush fire that had started next to the highway and train tracks. I saw flames from a few fence posts, but the fire was definitely out besides that. Yikes.

The rest of the trip flew by, but the weird thing was while we were in Castlegar I could see a column of smoke. Knowing that a fire ban was in effect I thought this was odd. As we got closer realized that it was another brush fire right underneath some power lines. Thankfully there was a fire chief’s truck there checking out the situation. There was also another small fire on the opposite side of the highway. This was getting a little weird.

While in Nelson it was hot. Mid 30’s almost the entire time. We spent quite a bit of time lazing in the shade, and going to the beach. It was very relaxing and totally enjoyable. The Nelson area sure is gorgeous.

Saturday night, after the kids were in bed, the adults were sitting out on the deck talking. Down the valley a little ways we could see a storm. Lots of lightning but we heard no thunder. The next morning the town was very smoky. We could barely see the mountains across the lake and everywhere you went it smelled like a campfire.

Monday Sue’s brothers and I went for a mountain bike ride. More on that later.

Tuesday we piled into our cars and headed home. Gran, myself and Beet in her car, Sox, her sister and the boys in Sox’s car. There was one moment while I was driving when I caught up to Sox and passed her, only to learn that she was very low on gas and we were far from a gas station. I pulled in behind here and followed along until Christina lake. Thankfully we all made it there without any problems.

Beet was a superstar again. Without Sox’s brother in the car I got to drive while Beet napped. This helped break up my trip a bit, and forced us to get out and stretch out legs once in a while. We grabbed lunch supplies in Osoyoos then continued on our way.

The drive went by quickly and before I knew it we were in Langley. There I saw a spectacular sight. A gorgeous orange and black viper was turning onto the road in front of us. On top, secured in what must be a custom rack, was a kayak almost as long as the car. It was quite the sight.

We met up with Sox at her Mum’s house, ordered some pizza, then tried to get the 7 ferry. We missed it by a little, waited for the next one, then headed home. Another successful summer road trip.

Speedway Flight

Back on July 25 sox and I were able to head out to Western Speedway to watch some racing. It was their Eve of Destruction event, and it was a lot of fun. Lots of hit to pass racing, and a few other events too.


The racing was pretty intense and for the bigger races there was always lots of action. At one point I looked up and saw a gorgeous sunset. I tried taking a few pictures, but I only had the little camera, and since it was getting dark, the shots never turned out. This was the best one, and it sort of shows a part of the sunset.


During the racing it started to rain. Not a light rain, but a pretty heavy rain. In the distance I saw lightning every once in a while. Still, the show went on and only a few people left early.

Once the main racing was over, it was on to the finale. This waas the crazy Canuck car jump, the bus jump, then the boat race.

The Crazy Canuck did a trial pass in the rain and was satisfied he could get up to speed safely. They set up the ramp and the catch cars, and when he went for it, his car actually twirled in the air, and he landed on the roof. I know this is bad for stunt drivers, but he was able to get out of the wreck and was taken to the hospital as a precaution. Here is my video of the jump (~22MB). I think that the takeoff ramp slipped when the car hit it, which is why the car rotated in the air. After he landed the ramp was in pieces.

Next up was the bus jump. They set up a different ramp for him, then added a fifth wheel trailer for him to crash through. This year the bus jump went off without a hitch. Here is the video of the bus jump (~22MB). After the bus jump, they didn’t bother cleaning off the front straightaway.

The piece de resistance of the night was the boat race. A boat was chained to the demo cars, trucks, and vans that wanted to participate. The winner was the last driver with some boat left attached. From the green it was mayhem. Cars and boats sliding around all over the place. Slowly bu surely the boats were relieved of their cars, and the track was soon littered with debris. After about 12 laps a winner was declared. After the race had ended, one driver started pushing a wayward boat down the front straight, towards the bus jump ramp. At the last second he steered away from the ramp, and the boat took a small flight.

Such a fun night. I am looking forward to taking the kids in the next few years.

Sideline Trying

Last Ulti game of the season. Kinda sad really.

The game itself was alright, though I don’t feel like I played all that well. I was running pretty hard and reading the disk pretty good. The only one play that stood out for me where I knew I played well was a sideline catch. The disc was way out of bounds, but I managed to keep a toe inside the tape, then catch the disc as I fell to the ground. I love catches like that.

Nearing the end of the game my catching went to pot. I couldn’t catch anything which was really bad since I was a handler, and I dropped more than 1 throw right on our end zone line. Talk about failure.

The final point was a little lame. Nobody was really trying and everyone was goofing around. The other team was trying to throw a hammer to win the game, and most of their throws were hail mary, get it close to the end zone and hope someone catches it, throws.

Eventually someone on the other team caught it and the game was done. I had lots of fun this season, and there was a recent email about fall league up at UVic. I have to decide if I want to keep playing, or wait until next summer again.

Cleanly Checking

Last night was our last double header. I was pretty stoked to get out and play both games, but as it turned out I could only stay for part of the first game.

I worked hard during that time though. There was a wind so we zoned quite a bit. Since I was giving it my all I was part of the cup. While cupping, I even felt like I knew what I was doing. :O

While handling I felt sharp, and my throws were pretty accurate. This is always a challenge in the wind. I also did a good job of breaking people checking me and getting passes off.

A weird call led to a point for our team that I didn’t feel good about. A pass to me was pretty low to the ground, but when I caught it, my fingers were a couple inches above the ground. I know I caught it cleanly. Someone on the opposite team called it down and we went back and forth a couple times. Everyone else was still running, the count was still going, and I had the disc. I was frazzled and confused when the most senior guy on the team who heard what was going on called for a pass. I passed it to him and he threw it for the score. When we were lining up I felt pretty crappy on how it went down. I should have either contested the call (and the disc would have went back to the thrower), or I should have tapped it in and kept playing. Thing was, my check was still counting, so in my mind the play was still going. Not my favorite point.

The opponent who called the disc down is an excellent player. Later in the game when I was checking him he had a fantastic catch. The disc was hucked to him in the endzone, and even though I managed to get to the right position at the right time, and gave the disc a healthy swat (couldn’t catch it), he still managed to snag it for the point.

Another point we decided to do a huck and zone. Once I saw who got the disc, I waited a couple seconds for the deep zone marker to meet up with me, then I broke for the end zone as the huck was made. I managed to outsprint my check, and handily caught it for a point.

Today I have a sore foot though. I bruised or strained something in my right foot so that when I put all my weight on it, it hurts a lot.

Next week is the last regular season game, then the final BBQ. I’m going to miss playing again.

Coincidence Speedy

Blood donation number 42 tonight. I got there at the appointed time and while I was waiting to check my finger poked, in walked one of my co-workers. Strange coincidence.

I breezed through the questions, then it was on to see the nurse. Due to my travels to New Zealand, there is now a question that I have to answer yes too. This slows down one stage of the process a little.

From the nurse I walked straight to the donation bed without any waits at all. So far pretty speedy.

I still hate when they put the needle in, and can never watch them while they do it. Once the bag starts filling though, the rest of the time flies by.

Over cookies and juice I got to talk to my co-worker. Made for a more pleasant experience. Since we both booked for next time, I might see him again in October.

Wave Planned

BC has been in a bit of a heat wave the last couple days. It’s been hot, but I’ve been enjoying it. Mid 30’s yesterday and today, and a little higher over the next couple days. Someone on the news called it the heat wave of a lifetime. That I doubt.

It helps that I work in an air conditioned office, and the AC actually works. This is not the case with the AC in my truck. Yesterday I had to drive Yoshi up to Duncan. He is having a vacation with my sister for the next week. The drive was very warm, and I was more concerned about Yoshi than I. All the windows were open, and even on the Max AC setting, the truck was blowing out warm air. Driving fast on the highway got the air moving enough to keep me and Yoshi cool(ish). Any time traffic was backed up and moving slowly was when it got a little much for me.

Tonight I have an Ulti game. It is supposed to be hot, hot, hot out. Not sure how I will fare, but I do plan to take loads of water. 3X as much as normal. I am drinking lots of water today, and also planning on keeping my head wet as much as possible during the game.

Thursday I have another drive planned, so hopefully it will be a little cooler by then.

Now that the warm weather is here though, I keep hearing people complain that it is too hot. This irks me since the same people complain when there is too much rain, not warm enough, not enough blue sky. What are the perfect weather conditions? Quit you’re whining and complaining. Enjoy what we have. It is gorgeous out, just a little warm.

Turning Mistakes

On the weekend we made a trip out to Costco to grab a few necessities (and a few other items too). After Costco we had to head across Millstream Road to buy some dog food at Petsmart.

The intersection is a pretty busy one, and the lights are regular green lights. If people are turning left, they need to yield to people driving straight.

Well, that didn’t happen. Some dude in a white Ram turned left, following some other vehicles, not seeing me. I honked at him for cutting me off.

I get it that people make mistakes, but at least own up to them. This guy just ignored me, and that made me mad. Pay attention while driving!

Parking Watch

I read a ridiculous article on Canada.com today. You can read it for yourself here.

The gist of the story is that the author feels like parking tickets are hurting downtown businesses.

I absolutely could not take the author seriously after she wrote “I’ve had a few in my day — probably 10 a year since I moved here in 1989”. She has received approximately 200 parking tickets in downtown Victoria. What the hell? Did you not know you need to put money in the meter? It’s not that hard to get back to the car before time runs out. Do you not own a watch?

She even complains about one ticket she got when she parked, then went into a store with a sale without putting money in the meter. Well, duh, I think you deserve that one.

The whole point of the parking meters is to keep people flowing. You come to downtown, you do your shopping, then you leave. Without the meters people would park their car and leave it there all day thereby clogging downtown. No customers could get to the shops.

Personally I don’t see anything wrong with the current system. I’ve lived in Victoria since 1993 and I have had two parking tickets that I can recall, neither at parking meters. Both were in Robbins controlled lots. Something tells me that Jody Paterson is doing it all wrong. It is ridiculous that one person could accumulate that many tickets.