Zero Day: Vancouver

Date: Sunday, June 4, 2023

The day started on a comfy couch!  I woke at Don's and immediately set about catching up on blog posts.  Once done, Don made coffee and we sat out on his wonderful porch again catching up and chatting.  The plan was to go out for brunch later, but for now sitting in the sun sipping coffee in the warm morning waterfront breezes was enough.

At some point it was time to get ready and I had a decision to make.  I'd packed a safety razor and blades.  I'd biked that heavy razor and blades OVER the Rockies to Vancouver.  And I had yet to use any of them!  My facial hair was now growing beyond what I felt comfortable with.  The itch.  The look.  The constant worry of food being stuck in it or a bird nesting in there.  I'd considered letting it grow out the entire trip as a kind of marker of the passage of time.  But I can't stand having a beard, and if I'm going to maintain my sanity this trip I needed to shave.

And so off it went!

Now smooth faced, Don, his significant other Tasha, and I went for brunch at a fantastic place in The Shipyards at Lonsdale Quay.  The food was top notch, but the company was even better.  I got to know Tasha better over the meal and enjoyed her company thoroughly.  She'd recently completed a half triathlon (1.9km swim 90km bike, 21.1km run) and despite not quizzing her on it further, I immediately recognized the character and tenacity of someone who pushes themselves to do these kinds of intense events.  It was - again - one of those short intense visits where I was left wanting to learn more and spend more time with this person.

But we all had places to be, and eventually we had to part ways.  I'd put my bike in the trunk of Don's car the day before and the front fender was rubbing on the tire so I wanted to get to a bike shop to adjust it.  We rode along Low Level Road past some of the shipyards of Vancouver, found a shop, fixed it, and returned to Don's place.

Our next agenda item for the day was some new sport: Pickle Ball.  One of Tasha's friend's was playing and we'd been invited to join.  Don and I loaded into the car and drove back to the beach we'd been at the day before.  Traffic was slow, but it was a Sunday in one of the great cities of North America and the weather was incredible, so I could forgive it.  Also being in a temperature controlled car and moving around effortlessly felt like a treat!

Once we arrived we tentatively tiptoed onto the pickleball courts.  I met Tyler and Kai and they taught us the basics (it's like a mix of tennis and ping pong for those of you who have never heard of it).  Don and I practiced between ourselves, and eventually it was time to play.  We played 4 games, switching up the teams a few times, and it was GREAT.  The game is both relaxed in that it feels relatively low stakes and intense in that it gets moving pretty quickly.  The ball is something like a whiffle ball (perforated with holes) so it slows down quite quickly and doesn't bounce too much.  This means you can really hit it but by the time it reaches the other side it's usually going a reasonable speed...or maybe we were just new and the actual sport is way faster.

At any rate, we had a TON of fun!  And eventually it was time to stop before we wrecked ourselves physically.

Don and I had been invited to dinner at the house of Tasha's close friend: Danielle (who is engaged to Tyler...our pickleball coach).  We headed to Danielle and Tyler's house to continue the day.

At this point in the day I stopped taking pictures.  I didn't want to be a guest/stranger taking pictures in the home of these wonderful people who were hosting me.  So you'll just have to take my word for it that they have an incredible home.  I can tell you a bit about the people however!

Once we walked in I was immediately quizzed about my trip.  As a bit of background: I have - more than once on this trip - started telling tales about my journey without properly knowing who my audience is.  This was another such interaction.  It turns out I was telling this to an accomplished group of adventurers who had - themselves - been on some really incredible trips and bike tours.  Danielle's father - Mike - is soon biking from Nelson to Banff and taking Gray Greek Pass (something I may do in the coming week).  It wasn't long before THEY were telling ME about their adventures, tours, and trips and I was happy to sit and listen.  Mike and Jackie (his wife and whole human being in her own right) offered up lots of touring advice and routing and apps and it was an absolute pleasure to spend time with people who shared this interest.  Jackie added music to the playlist and I'm looking forward to getting to it!  They were all incredibly interesting, warm, and generous people and I again wondered what I had done to stumble into such great company.

Dinner was dee-licious.  There were lots of laughs and stories exchanged.  And as quickly as it had begun it was over.  It was dark, and time was marching on.  It was time to go and so we said our goodbyes and parted ways.  Nothing gold can stay...

Don and I drove back to North Vancouver and turned in.  It had been a long day but fruitful!

A special thank you to:

1. Tasha: for her company, warmth, enthusiasm, and openness to sharing and inviting me along for the day.  The bittersweet nature of this trip is meeting such incredible people like you and having to immediately part ways.
2. Tyler: for inviting and introducing me to pickleball and having me over for dinner (he cooked and he is a damn fine chef!)
3. Danielle: who I didn't get much of a chance to talk to unfortunately, but who hosted me in her wonderful home and whose Ruth Bader Ginsburg cups and errata hinted at another person out there doing good in the world
4. Jackie: For her advice, stories, and especially sharing of music in the playlist.  We talked music for a short time and I can already tell it's all going to be good!
5. Mike: For sharing his own adventures and advice on cycle touring.  It was wonderful to talk to someone who not only thinks this is interesting but has done it themselves.  Also for sharing about some of his professional experiences which I found VERY interesting and wanted to hear more about!

More friends made along the way...