Imagine this - the gang is finally back in the saddle after a long dry spell. But the chosen ride to Paradise Valley in Squamish will hardly leave us saddle sore. Hoody chose this destination as Koody & Newbie are bringing along a fellow Yankee who has never been to Vancouver, let alone this neck of the woods. The Pro-Nancy is guaranteed to enjoy the "Sea to Sky Highway" even if the ride, weather and/or company fails to deliver.
And so the ride begins on the uphill side of Highway 99 at Alice Lake. The lake is calm and scenic, but chilly all the same as a finger test verifies. Better that than major shrinkage. But before starting Newbie spies a small but beautiful piece of nature - the mushroom, or is that a toadstool. It is an Amanita Muscaria - a toadstool - that is both poisonous and possesses hallucinogenic properties if ingested. Glad we left it alone to its own devices.
The book says the terrain is paved roads, some flat, some gentle hills. I can attest the ride downhill to the highway is not gentle. All Hoody can think is "Oh Lordy - what goes down must be hauled back up later - bike, body and all!" Crossing Highway 99 and we now continue gently on a hill, until we reach the turn north to Paradise Valley Road. We have yet to pedal since starting but all good things must come to an end.
We are on a fairly open road, passing a sawmill with the smell of fresh, cut timber.
A little further on and we spy the homestead of a 'Sprite' beckoning us to join her and her friends for a romp in the bathtub. No time for that now, especially since Newbie and Pro-Nancy are way ahead of the pack.
A wave good-bye and we catch up to Newb and Nance at the Cheakamus River Bridge.
We stop to enjoy the river. Just upstream we can see the fish jumping. In fact, the river is known for its steelhead and salmon fishing. It certainly is a good day to be a fisherman. We didn't bring our poles. Instead the guys are wearing their matching neon jackets which are catching the gnats. Obviously the green is attractive to these little buggers and if we wait long enough they'll be covered. So they shake the little pests off and we continue the ride.
And look who we meet now. It is Koody's friend Billy, or rather a pygmy cousin. Research has confirmed that these are dairy goats, complete with wattles - a curious hairy covered appendage that to us, of the non-farming class, find interesting. One unproven theory is that a goat with wattles gives better milk. A few looked pregnant and we thought how can this be. Aren't babies born in the spring? Well, truth be told, the gestation period is about 150 days and these animals just keep on breeding regardless of the time of year. Goat calendars are available in case you need to check your herd. Do remember that the wattles usually stay on the wether - Ha!
The goats are part of the Squamish Outdoor School and after being entertained by this passive bunch, we continue on our way.
The road winds its way through a typical coastal forest - complete with a dense area of tall cedars and other coniferous trees, draped in hanging moss. It is quiet and eerie here even though we are in broad daylight. Only the occasional car on the road breaks the silence. The forest ends as we approach another crossing of the Cheakamus River, obviously a popular place for salmon fishing as there is quite the gathering of fisherman.
We have another 2 km to ride to the Tenderfoot Creek Fish Hatchery. The tanks are full of coho salmon and they will pass the winter here until eventually being put out to sea in the spring. These are large schools of wild salmon, not to be confused with farmed salmon, as an employee emphatically explains to us. From his tone, we gather this is a hot and sensitive topic and are directed to research the internet for further information. Hoody has and certainly it is more education for the day. This dispels the notion that farmed fish are bred in hatcheries like this. In fact, farmed fish are raised in pens in the sea and never leave 'home'. Disease and chemicals are just a tip of the iceberg with problems to this method so Hoody will avoid farmed fish at all costs.
The hatchery is the end of the road for this ride so we now retrace our trail back to Alice Lake.
But not before we find a thousand-year-old western red cedar just off the beaten path. A boardwalk surrounds the trunk but to our surprise, the tree is dead, deceased, not living. I think we all expected to be awed by some towering living giant. It's mentioned as a highlight of the ride so that basically is that.
We meet up with Squamish Valley Road and the gradual ride uphill to the highway - quite do-able. And then it is over the highway and the final push up that last upward climb. OK - not for all of us as Koody and Nancy cruise on without a single huff and puff to the top. Newbie gives it a valiant effort but finally decides to walk the last bit of the hill. That's the signal for Hoody to bail and follow suit.Our day of biking ends with a scenic lunch at Furry Creek Golf Club. We dine while being entertained with golfers on their last push uphill on the 18th hole - albeit with golf carts to ease the climb. Nancy comes down with a case of the giggles which we had attributed to beer. But I am re-thinking - she may have been closer to the toadstools than we earlier thought. We hope to squeeze in one more ride before hanging up the bikes for this season.
