Travel and culture
In southern B.C. I was so busy worrying about bears and cougars that I was caught totally off guard by the little guy pictured below, who (I think) is harmless. I found him near a campsite down by the Similkameen River (pictured above), and after we scared the living daylights out of one another I groaned with dismay as I watched him slither into the bush where I’d left my bike.
A couple of years after I took this photo, I ended up living in a different Pacific Northwest city, and there’s something about this image that captures the region for me: a kelpy ocean bounded by islands and mountains, an population squeezing as much outdoors time in before the big dark descends, the comings and goings of tankers headed around the world. I took this shot and felt ready to mount my bicycle and start the adventure.
I’m starting a regular photography series from a bicycle tour I did a few years back, starting in Vancouver, Canada. This is a September sunset looking west from the city’s waterfront, not long before I packed up my gear and finally set out after six months of preparation.
Kilometres: One thousand and something! "Evergreen State"s crossed: not quite one. Star-spangled flags spotted: about 7.3 per person. As I pedalled out of Nicholson Street after a few days with some family friends, I thought "Well, I'm a cyclist again". I left Penticton full, happy, excited and, well, in pouring rain and into a driving… Continue reading Penticton – Randle: A full plate in Washington state
Kilometres: 400 and something. Snake sightings: 2 High-pitched freak-outs upon seeing a snake: 1 (yes!) Up Burrard Street, right on Hastings Street, past the crackheads swarming around Chinatown drugstores, up a Big Hill ("The first!" I thought triumphantly), right on Gaglardi Way ("Oh dear," I thought as I reached the top) and down the Big… Continue reading Vancouver – Penticton: A Happy Cyclist’s Report