Whonnock Lake - Maple Ridge

August 21

I am writing about a Comedy of Errors as this biking excursion is riddled with them. We thought this might be a boring ride since The Nooksack Valley was so interesting. In this regard we’ve since changed our tune.

It started with Koody requesting an easy time this go-around as he was certain his ‘little leggers’ would be tired after hiking up the Grouse Grind the night before. Hoody obliged by choosing possibly the most challenging ride she could find (Error #1). Out of a book that professes to be “Easy Cycling” Hoody has learned her lesson. The description “on a day when you’re feeling energetic and a bit adventurous” translates as many ‘ups and downs’, with mostly ups, throughout the entire ride. Maybe we needed Ole Dutch along to keep us on the straight and narrow, but unfortunately he had to opt out.

The drive to our starting point seemed relatively straight forward, just follow Lougheed Hwy to 240th Street. However, there was much news to catch up on and the next thing we know we have gone too far and are at 280th Street (Error #2). Time to turn the navigating over to Koody since he is sitting in the co-pilot’s seat (Error #3). Instead of taking us to the starting point, Koody hones in on the words ‘Whonnock Lake’ locks it into his GPS and takes us to the mid-point of our ride. Koody confesses reading maps is not his forte. Being the forgiving duo that we are, we just laugh and let Koody start us out from here.

We take a moment to enjoy Whonnock Lake – it seems to be a well-kept secret for the locals. There are a group of individuals preparing for their canoeing instruction today which breaks the quiet stillness of the early morning. We’re off – biking a few smalls roads, onto busy 272nd Street and then a sharp right turn which in the book reads “Sudden steep hill – find a low gear quickly!” In Hoody’s mind we’ll be going downhill – not! (Error #4) It is straight up and Hoody’s walking (geared up instead of down). Always the show-off, Koody finds his lowest gear and manages to bike it to the top. I’m sure I heard snickering as he passed me.

Shortly after reaching the top we turn left and head along a relatively straight and flat road. Finding a few blackberry bushes, Koody stops for a brief pick. Revitalized, we continue biking, read the unnerving bear sign and then immediately spy a bear standing in the middle of a local lane. We ride a short distance in disbelief, thinking at first it might have been a large dog. Hearts beating – we garner a bit of courage and ride back to the lane to confirm our suspicion. Sure enough, it’s a black bear – but not in a photogenic mood, he scurries off before Koody can snap a picture. (Thank goodness no error here!)

Glad for each other’s company, we continue to bike and read “Left on 268th Street. Steep downhill”. Dyslexic Hoody reads the road sign (Error#5) and Koody confirms (Error#6) that indeed we turn left. At this point in the junction, a man out hand-mowing his 1 acre plus, downhill sloping property asks us if we need help. With a friendly wave, we tell him we’re fine and begin our downhill descent. That’s the last time I see Koody as he races away to the bottom of the hill. Cautious Hoody eventually catches up and we realize we’ve made un grande error. Our only remedy – push, not cycle, the bikes back up the 80% gradient road. A lot of huffing and puffing and a good 15 to 20 minutes later, the top is in sight. Koody hops on his bike and cycles the remaining bit – suckering in the lawn mowing guy, who’s barely made progress, into thinking he biked his entire way back-up. As usual, Hoody pulls up the rear, we check the road sign and sure enough, we read it wrong.

Biking along the country roads we find the correct downhill. And again – Koody takes off like a ‘bat out of hell’. Hoody is skeptical after our last error but follows suit. The end of the hill, the road veers right and we continue going downhill on a gentler descent. This leads us to a triangle in the road and a decision - straight ahead is downhill and right is fairly flat. We know we eventually need a right turn but the road sign doesn’t match the book. Hoody is very wary of continuing downhill in error. Techie Koody comes to the rescue by logging on to his GPS. Sure enough – the road has changed names and we do turn right, avoiding the downhill and uphill back track again.

We’re now biking along a new housing development on the right and the SPCA on the left. Then we pass the original starting point but pass up the opportunity to check it out – it is a steep incline to the park and we’re definitely not into ‘steep’. Our left becomes a ridge with stunning views of the mountains and Port Coquitlam. Given our errors, time is of essence, so we do not dilly-dally for long.

A few zig’s here to the right and some zag’s to the left while constantly facing a genteel upward slope, we reach 112th Avenue. Never 100% sure that we are on the correct route today, we stop and ask a guy out washing his RV. He’s quite friendly and we end up discussing bears, imagine that. Apparently bears are extremely common in this ‘neck of the woods’. They live in and amongst the bush and forest growth – real pests come garbage day. We also get a recommendation for a good place to eat once we finished our biking. Food sounds welcome at this point so off we go.

We decide to skip the Bell Irving Hatchery, continue biking along roads that ‘never quite seem to connect’, some with beautiful houses and properties, until we reach ‘Hayes Trail’. This is an Equestrian Trail through the woods. We are advised to walk so oblige and dismount, being sure to watch out for the ‘road side apples’ along the path. With the thought of bears still in our mind, we are a noisy duo. And then we hear yelling in the woods as another bicyclist comes racing along the path. Fortunately just riding – not riding from something. And with that – we forget the walking – hop back in the saddle until we come to a mini stream that requires crossing. In 3 quick steps, Hoody is across with minor wet feet. Koody hears this and decides to navigate the bridge. It’s a balancing act as the width barely accommodates both Koody and a bike. However, no error here as ‘twinkle toes’ meets with success and crosses without incident.

We are now on the last leg of the ride – a slow and steady uphill ride on 112th Avenue. Past a few horse stables and an equestrian practice area. To our delight Koody even spies a 'Murphy'. And then to the left, a large animal in a driveway. Fortunately it’s only a dog the size of a small bear. Koody rides by first saying something like “Hi doggie, nice doggie”. In reality he’s telling the dog to ‘sic’ (Error #7) as next thing I know the dog takes after me barking. I can’t remember the last time I hightailed it up a hill like that, never looking back to see where the beast was.

And then it was a race to the finish at Whonnock Lake. We’ll call it a tie as our 24 km ride comes to a close. To Koody’s credit, his GPS gave us a ‘bee line’ straight to the recommended Bruce’s Country Market and a delicious lunch. And then a long drive home with the co-pilot enjoying his afternoon snooze again.

This may well be our last biking trip this year, unless we experience good weather in November. But never fear, we’ll be back next year.

Lynden - Nooksack Valley East

Saturday, July 24 and Hoody and Koody finally have perfect weather for biking. I know since Koody commented that Hoody has shorts on – probably the first and only time this year given Vancouver’s weather. Today we will cross the border into the USA and tackle one part of the Nooksack Valley. We’re graced by the company of ‘Ole Dutch’ who is in town this summer and can join us on our excursion. A 40 minute wait to get through the border and then the ‘Three Stooges’ will be biking away.

We park the car at the Lynden City Park, get organized and take our traditional beginning picture. Koody bravely asks a passerby to take our photo. Probably not our best but with Koody always in Hoody’s shadow, it is as expected. Ole Dutch couldn’t wait to get started and quickly bikes to the street awaiting us. He performs his 1st miracle – the parting of the road. All the cars stop and wait for him as they think he is ready to cross the crosswalk. He has to keep waving them on as the slow pokes need to catch up. It’s obvious the tone is set for today – Hoody & Koody will be pulling up the rear.

We head out in an easterly direction through De Dutch town of Lynden. Our 1st sighting – an honest to goodness ‘Roundhouse’, on an odd-shaped lot (I think triangular) with owners that certainly must be ‘Square’. They can’t be Dutch or, given their height, they wouldn’t be able to stand up straight inside. A bit further along and Koody is snapping photos of ‘De Dutch’ lawn ornaments. It continues to shape up into a ‘De-lightful’ day.

It’s about a 20 minute ride before we leave ‘De-Dutch’ behind and hit the country roads. One thing that strikes us is how clean, green and impeccably well-maintained this little-known, tucked away part of the USA is. We pass a farm house which I am sure the Spanish artist Gaudi must have influenced. Although not gaudy, the geometric painting designs are quite unique. And then ‘Ole Dutch’ turns to us and says “Up there, in the sky, it’s a bird, it’s a plane, no it’s a motorized paraglider?!” We are fascinated by the contraption which is carrying 3 people. De Dare Devil Koody confesses he would never go up in one of those things, while ‘scared of heights’ Hoody would entertain the idea of flight – just not today as we are sticking with our ‘rubber meeting the road’ and eventually continue.

A short distance further along and we come to a herd of cows out ‘sun-bathing’, most likely storing up for milk production later in the day. They are part of the Edelweiss Dairy Farm. Well, Koody once again impresses us with his knowledge of flora as he tells us Edelweiss is a white flower. We have now replaced Lady Gaga’s ‘Alejandro’ in our brain with ‘Edelweiss’ – yes, nearby Mt. Baker and its’ foothills are alive with the Sound of Music and Koody’s singing.

And then, Ole Dutch, who is way ahead of the pack, stops suddenly in his tracks and waits for the slow pokes to catch up. He is eying a ‘thing-a-ma-jig’ with utmost curiosity. We join him and watch this in fascination. We are trying to figure out what this piece of farm machinery is picking. Ole Dutch and Koody guess raspberries while Hoody is skeptical, thinking a machine would crush those delicate berries. Turns out the guys are correct. Next thing we know, the lady is motioning for Hoody to climb up on the equipment. She is a migrant worker from Canada and, even though their work is noisy and monotonous, she and her partner have the most wonderful warm and inviting smiles. It would be interesting to have lunch with them and hear their stories. However, it is not meant to be. Instead, the lady gives Hoody a handful of raspberries to share with her friends. We all agree that these berries are the best – having been picked and sorted only 15 minutes ago.

Gaining renewed strength from our snack and short break, we continue down the road, coming across a barn full of cows poking their heads out of their stalls. With our noses firmly plugged, we greet them. The closer we get, the shyer they become – hiding in their cubbies. Around the back are the milking machines and no, they didn’t offer us a free sample although in retrospect, maybe we should have tried for one.

Next stop is a field of blueberries. The owners are selling crates to passerby’s. Although we can’t fit a crate on our bikes – let me rephrase that – Ole Dutch and Hoody are convinced we could fit a crate on our bikes like the Chinese do – Canadian customs just wouldn’t go for it. We offer to buy a baggie of fruit to supplement our snack and they wash them up and give them to us for free. We engage in conversation learning more about the art of blueberry growing and picking. Our knowledge of farming has just increased two-fold.

Off we go again, around a bend to Riverside Park where we do enjoy our snack alongside the Nooksack River. Koody turns it into a gourmet feast. The water looks inviting but alas, we left our bathing suits at home.

Eventually we hit the trail again. It’s either that or Ole Dutch is headed for a nap. We’ve now reached about the half way point of our journey and begin to head west. We come across a lawn ornament, Koody insisting this is the perfect photo-op for Ole Dutch and his Duchess. He’s right of course and we comply. Then further along it’s an odd assortment of a few cows/steers. A different setting and we’d be ‘running with the bulls’. Just not sure how the black and white one is part of this mix – some farm experiment in the making?

We will continue biking along the country roads, past more fields and fields of blueberries and raspberries – so many raspberries that you can smell the fruit in the air. Koody’s olfactory system is on the fritz as he can’t smell a thing – probably still plugged from the barn. But Koody does try to connect with nature, especially the horses. I must say, Koody’s ‘neighing’ is quite respectable but there are no takers here – maybe next go around.

There are beautiful views of Mt. Baker and the foothills with glimpses of the Nooksack River every now and then. By this time we are all in our own little worlds, taking in the fresh air and scenery. Eventually ahead we pass under a canopy of trees which seems to signal our passage back to a busy street and civilization.


We are back in Lynden, and parking our bikes, we once again take in De Dutch culture along main street. There is De Dutch hotel where you can stay overnight in a windmill, De Dutch post office and De Dutch café where we order lunch, pie and De Dutch treats. Ole Dutch is in De Dutch heaven with De Dutch almond tart. Koody picks up a gift of edible chocolate rocks for a friend and then we bike back to the parking lot to end our day. A mere 27km ride that we stretched into a 5 hour leisurely adventure. The summer’s not over so stay tuned for more.

And for those of you who might wonder about the name Hoody – it’s famous for its’ nuts! We’re now on the lookout for Koody.

Semiahmoo Peninsula

May 30th – and amidst all the rain, we again find a weekend day suitable for biking. We still head south of Vancouver where there is a corridor of land that seems to stay fairly sunny and dry. This day we’ll tackle the Semiahmoo Peninsula – probably not the most scenic of rides since there is quite of bit of residential area. But Hoody and Koody will make an adventure of it nonetheless.

Kilometer 0 and it is Koody’s turn to send us on our way. We are no more than 2 minutes into the ride when we face our 1st uphill battle – very minor – about a .05% gradient – and for some unbeknownst reason, Hoody’s little ‘leggers’ are struggling. Koody is still buff as ever so it’s quite apparent it will be up to him to be egging Hoody on today. If I’m not careful, Koody will be calling me’ Wimpy’.

Onward we go with a pleasant ride through residential streets until we reach the Semiahmoo Trail, an early Native trail that linked tribal villages to the Fraser River. With a wave of his hand, Koody leads the way through the bush. We ride on a downhill gravel trail, seemingly alone, when through a clearing on our right we notice a small pond. We stop to observe a mother duck leading her babies out for a morning paddle – camouflaged quite nicely in and among a thick covering of lily pads. Also at the pond, and to Koody’s credit, he finds a ‘White Rock’ He deems it to be the original rock of the town of the same name. This immediately sets the tone for today’s outing – we will let our imaginations run wild.

And wild it is – today we are ‘hunter-gatherers’ forging our way on the trail to the riverside. We stop for a few moments to test out the berries but clearly they are not quite in season. Then over a highway crossing to view the advent of cars and trucks – clearly something new for Koody as he stops for a Kodak moment. Continuing on we come to the old Elgin Schoolhouse. Originally opening its doors on October 1, 1921, it is a building steeped in local history. While here, Koody took the opportunity to enroll for the September term, hoping to brush up on his ABC’s.


Continuing, we finally reach the Stewart Farm situated on the Nicomekl River. We are whisked back to the 1890’s while wandering around the grounds. There is a pole barn housing old farm machinery and implements. It is here that Hoody ‘sees’ Koody through a new set of eyes. Growing up in Malaysia, Koody has never studied early North American farming methods. Hoody, on the other hand is well-versed. Hoody is thoroughly enjoying every moment of Koody’s fascination - something taken for granted by one person is so enlightening for another. Koody tries his hand at pumping well water, but alas, the water seems to have run dry.

The farm is a fairly self-sustaining unit, complete with an orchard of plum, apple and pear trees (Koody’s horticultural expertise figured that out) and a vegetable and herb garden, some plants an amazing 100 year old. We even discovered ‘tennis ball’ lettuce – if you can imagine that. We took a moment to ‘smell the roses’ before eventually continuing on our way.

It is a ride along Crescent Road, a fairly busy thoroughfare , but scenic in its own right - with gorgeous properties and Koody’s future lottery winning’s address lining the road (Koody has agreed to adopt me). The book we are following along highlights this portion as HILLS! Just one will do thank you – a long, arduous and deceptively steep slope up Crescent Road until Wimpy (definitely moi) and Buffy (hill, what hill?) reach Crescent Park, the ½ way point for today.

Crescent Park is a maze of trails through a forest. We delve into the thicket, not entirely sure of the way when voila! – we reach a clearing and a cricket game in progress. We skirt the game and field, ride through a parking lot and end up on a residential street. Lost. Hoody, relying on her keen sense of direction points west while Koody confirms this on his GPS (a true example of a generation gap). Passing some local wildlife, we once again enter the park and its myriad of trails. We emerge again, this time in Dogwood Park – aptly named for the 25 or so dogs that are running leash-free. We escape the pack with our pant legs in tack and cycle back along 20th Avenue to our car.

We head home, the 17 kilometers taking a huge toll on Koody. He succumbs to sleep in the car, nodding off to ‘la la land’ and dreaming of our next adventure. It will have to wait until July. In the meantime, “Happy trails to you, until we meet again!”