Demonstration Forest

May 8th – and our ride almost didn’t materialize. Koody was detained riding across the Lions Gate Bridge to our rendezvous point by some guy threatening to throw a rock at any cyclist who crossed his path. Fortunately the police arrived promptly and apprehended the individual.

Koody elected the Demonstration Forest for this next outing. It is a pleasurable ride through the glacier-carved Seymour River Valley. We drove to the parking lot at the Rice Lake Gate, got out of the car and it was then that I took notice of Koody – all buffed and decked out in official biking wear – complete with gloves and special shoes. Yikes – I might be in for some serious riding.

The scenic up and down hill ride on a paved forest path is about 11km’s one way. We caught up on the past weeks news while riding, probably Koody’s method of diverting my attention while riding up the one serious ‘big hill’. My struggle was minimal so I guess my fitness hasn’t deteriorated completely, unlike ‘buff’y here who barely changed gears. We took a welcome break at the Seymour River before retracing our steps back. Koody mentioned he should have brought a snack, so I guess our future outings might include a picnic as well. Or maybe he was still relishing his ‘big one’ – that giant cupcake.

So we begin our journey back which starts with a long, slow uphill climb. I geared down all the way, so much so my chain fell off. At that moment, what does Koody reveal to me? “I don’t know how to fix bicycles”. I thought bringing him along would be my safety net, not! Well, I’m working at getting the chain on with Koody taking a lesson in 101 bike maintenance, when who should pass us – slow and steady 80 year old grandma with her remark – ‘It’s easier if you turn the bike upside down”. I have to admit it worked like a charm and we were off in no time.

The rest of the ride back was fairly uneventful; passing grandma at warp speed, smelling the fresh pine laced with a faint hint of ‘wacky tobacky’ from the skateboarders and practicing a bit of hands free riding, something I did all the time as a kid and which Koody has never attempted. I’m beginning to wonder when Koody first rode a bike – is it possible it was our 1st trip to Point Roberts? Is his official dress all a façade? What else do I need to know that he isn’t telling me? In the meantime, we’ve clocked another 22km’s in about 3 hours, including rest stops.

An aside as there was one damper to our perfect day – we passed an accident on the way back. We’re not sure how serious but an ambulance did arrive to take the lady to the hospital. A word to the wise – always wear a helmet.