Finally, a nice sunny weekend; sun has been a rarity this spring so it was time to seize the opportunity to get outside and recreate. Well, there have been a few nice weekends this spring but the garden consumed them all, but that is another story...
With a knee issue (thanks to not getting enough practice runs during my run clinic earlier in the year), I've had to resort to activities other than running and hiking to take the burden off my dysfunctional joint hence cycling. The Seymour Valley Trailway in North Vancouver was highlighted in a newspaper article last year about cycling routes in the Lower Mainland. Just to clarify things, I am not one of those Tour de France, spandex clad road racers, but rather a recreational cyclist who rides a hybrid bike on non-technical trails for fun and exercise.
I really wish I'd checked out this trail earlier, because it's a beautiful cycle through forested mountains with lovely views and not very crowded despite the fine weather. The trail is a 10km (one way) paved path (wide) with two lanes for opposing traffic and modes of transport includes not only bikes but also rollerbladers, joggers, walkers and skateboarders. The surroundings are beautiful, west coast forest and creeks with a view of the surrounding mountains. The best part was the fresh air, pure and scented with the spiciness of the warming woods.
At the end of the trailway one has the option to continue to a gravel trail, more intimately embedded in the woods that follows the Seymour River and terminates at a salmon hatchery. We followed this trail and explored the hatchery, particularly enjoying the display tank with multi-levels and fry that were trying to jump to the next level. Very cute and it's amazing how fast those little guys can move. The hatchery was not accessible by a public road so it was quiet and secluded with only cyclists and hatchery employees around.
The trailway is rated easy and it was in the sense that it is paved and the elevation gain is only 80m from what I read, but there is quite a bit of "up and down" allowing me to test my cardio
and then recover on a downhill. At the end of our cycling adventure our quads were tired and we realized that we're not in the best of shape. The hills are do-able, I didn't see anyone who had to hop off their bike and walk it up, but there are a few that get the heart pumping. Oh well, we have the rest of the summer to improve. It's days like today that remind us why they call BC the best place to live, because sometimes it's hard when it's pouring rain and the average house price is nearly a million dollars.
With a knee issue (thanks to not getting enough practice runs during my run clinic earlier in the year), I've had to resort to activities other than running and hiking to take the burden off my dysfunctional joint hence cycling. The Seymour Valley Trailway in North Vancouver was highlighted in a newspaper article last year about cycling routes in the Lower Mainland. Just to clarify things, I am not one of those Tour de France, spandex clad road racers, but rather a recreational cyclist who rides a hybrid bike on non-technical trails for fun and exercise.
I really wish I'd checked out this trail earlier, because it's a beautiful cycle through forested mountains with lovely views and not very crowded despite the fine weather. The trail is a 10km (one way) paved path (wide) with two lanes for opposing traffic and modes of transport includes not only bikes but also rollerbladers, joggers, walkers and skateboarders. The surroundings are beautiful, west coast forest and creeks with a view of the surrounding mountains. The best part was the fresh air, pure and scented with the spiciness of the warming woods.
At the end of the trailway one has the option to continue to a gravel trail, more intimately embedded in the woods that follows the Seymour River and terminates at a salmon hatchery. We followed this trail and explored the hatchery, particularly enjoying the display tank with multi-levels and fry that were trying to jump to the next level. Very cute and it's amazing how fast those little guys can move. The hatchery was not accessible by a public road so it was quiet and secluded with only cyclists and hatchery employees around.The trailway is rated easy and it was in the sense that it is paved and the elevation gain is only 80m from what I read, but there is quite a bit of "up and down" allowing me to test my cardio
and then recover on a downhill. At the end of our cycling adventure our quads were tired and we realized that we're not in the best of shape. The hills are do-able, I didn't see anyone who had to hop off their bike and walk it up, but there are a few that get the heart pumping. Oh well, we have the rest of the summer to improve. It's days like today that remind us why they call BC the best place to live, because sometimes it's hard when it's pouring rain and the average house price is nearly a million dollars.
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