RSVP? Any ride reports?

[MarieV]

AppleTree, I actually felt great by the time I submitted my ride report. We had planned a week-long trip with friends to Coeur d'Alene and Glacier National Park in early September, so over Labor Day weekend I did a 109-mile ride with my husband on the Coeur d'Alene Trail. That was really beautiful and almost completely flat. I actually posted photos from that ride on our Website. At Glacier Auðunn did a 200 km ride from West Glacier to Many Glacier and back along the Going-to-the-Sun Road. We did the Red Bus (Jammer) tour along the Going-to-the-Sun Road, and the views were amazing! Some day I want to do that ride, but after the 10-mile hike we did to/from Iceberg Lake the day before Auðunn did the ride, I decided to take it easy and go rafting with our friends.

ShootingStar, after the RSVP we actually rode from the Coast Plaza Hotel to the condo we rented near Chinatown. When we asked for directions, the concierge at the Coast Plaza drew us a route taking advantage of the cycle tracks (separated bike lanes) on Hornby and Dunsmuir. During that 20 minute ride, when I was totally exhausted, I just remember thinking, "This is so much easier! Why didn't Cascade have us ride along here?!!!" The alternative route you described on quiet residential streets and through the sculpture gardens sounds so much nicer than the busy, semi-industrial route RSVP took. I'll have to look into how Cascade determines the bike route for next year and find out how to suggest changes.

That's so cool that you worked on the Golden Ears Bridge. The picture of the rider crossing it on your blog reminded me how narrow that bike lane was, and I definitely remember how impressive the bridge was. I also really like the beautiful Peace Bridge in your blog. We've always talked about going to Banff, so we may have to stop in Calgary and ride along that awesome bridge!

[shootingstar]

Feel free to PM me anytime Marie. We have a home in downtown Vancouver, near Chinatown.

Metro Vancouver, has ...several Chinatowns. I wrote some of the blog posts here: http://www.velo-city2012blog.com/

Banff is 200 km. north of Calgary. Calgary is definitely a different city than Vancouver. There is a lot to explore in the Canadian Rockies -- several national parks.

[MarieV]

ShootingStar, thank you for the offer. We live in Seattle and don't get up to Vancouver very often even though it's only a few hours away. The few times we've gone it was always so stressful to drive, but after this trip, we realized how much nicer it is just to bike and walk to get around. We'll definitely bring our bikes the next time we head up there, and I will definitely PM you to get tips on places to go.

Thanks for the great link on bike art and Asian cuisine. The condo we rented with friends was half a block away from Andy Livingstone Park, so it was really convenient and close to so many great restaurants. I only wish we could have spent more than a weekend there. We'll definitely have to come back soon.