15.9 kms - Total so far 15.9 kms - http://ridewithgps.com/trips/473648
- Our big day has finally arrived. Hélène and I showed up at the airport in Ottawa at 4:30 a.m. to pick up the bikes and be first in line. Check in was uneventful and painless. We spent the better part of 15 minutes going through the x-ray of the two bags containing the panniers and going through the bicycle boxes. Nothing on the airline website mentioned that the boxes would be open for inspection. My fantastic taping job on the bike boxes was all for naught.
The bikes, luggage and the start of the Cross Canada trip beard
- We arrived in Vancouver 10 minutes ahead of schedule and were able to quickly pick up the bike boxes at the oversize luggage counter. Within minutes of getting the boxes we set up shop in a quiet section of the arrival lounge.
The assembly of the bikes took a lot longer than anticipated. One does not realize how precious a bicycle maintenance stand is until you find yourself at the airport without one. Attaching fenders front and rear as well as luggage racks front and rear took for ever. The Timmys dark roast coffee (the coffee that taste like McDonalds) breaks did not help. Three hours after landing we were ready to hit the road and head out to the Vancouver YMCA Hotel.
Our workshop at Vancouver Airport. 
The Official "Beginning of Ride Picture"
- It would have been a quick 16 km had it not been for the folks chatting with us at stop lights, or the folks riding along or the many others that chatted with us both inside and outside the Mountain Equipment Coop (MEC) store. We had to make a quick stop at Doctor Bike on Robson Street to get a replacement for the rear skewer nut that was damaged. The item was most likely damaged when the bike box fell off the cart in \Ottawa. This was self inflicted. The bicycle boxes arrived in Vancouver undamaged.
- We have a nice and reasonably priced room at the YMCA hotel and secure storage for the bikes. The YMCA Hotel is right downtown across from BC place and near Robson Street. It started to rain so we postponed our ride of Stanley Park and opted to go grocery shopping instead.
- I can't tell how nice it is to now tell people we are cycling home to Ottawa instead of we are training for an upcoming trip.
- We were happily surprised to discover that the local IGA sells the Hawkins Cheezies Triple Pack . There is a Santa Claus!
I also love the new Daniel, looks so much younger! No more beard for you:-)
ReplyDeleteSylvie from work
Hawkins are the best, you are well provisioned;)
ReplyDeleteDan and Helene, of course there are |Hawkins Cheezie; it's a Western product. :) I remember doing the happy dance when they started appearing on store shelves in the Ottawa area.
ReplyDeleteOn your trip, be on the lookout for pies, jams, etc., made with Saskatoon berries. I don't find the berries in Ottawa very often and they are lovely. It's like blueberry mixed with almond.