Archive | December, 2010

Return of the Frank. Kiwiana Touring Back On!

26 Dec

Great news folks … Frank and Bean have been found! Despite some initial confusion and much head scratching by Air NZ staff, it turns out the boys were simply shipped out on a later flight than ours due to luggage space availability issues.

Exploring Muriwai Beach

The boys’ late arrival got us off to a bit of slow start in Kiwi land setting off a chain reaction of transportation booking hiccups and difficulties. As a result we found ourselves stuck in Auckland for two days longer than initially planned. While unexpected, the extra days in the City of Sails have proved themselves a blessing by giving us a chance to explore the countryside and seascape flanking the city’s western limits.

After working out a few kinks the boys picked up on the flight over, the four of us decided to hop a train for the small town of Waitakere – some 40 minutes outside Auckland – for a day ride out to Muriwai Beach. Our route (largely based on our NZ LP cycling guide’s route) would wheel us some 60 km through a rolling landscape of fertile pastures and lush grassland.

Along the way we were greeted by my first of NZ furry friends, including Sam (of no hobbit relation), a beautiful horse who kept me captivated on the roadside for a good 15 minutes with requests for ear scratches and LOTS of photo snapping. The ride also gave me my first glimpse of real, non-petting zoo sheep. Something I suspect I’ll be seeing plenty of in the weeks to come.

A fairly easy ride for the most part, with only the odd steep climb to contend with, the first half of our journey ended with a spiralling 2.5km descent of free wheelin’ bliss to Muriwai’s famed black sandy shores.

After an hour of refuelling and beach lounging we switched our route back to Waitakere up slightly taking the quieter Foster Road for a large portion of our ride. A more scenic and less trafficked route than our way in (via Muriwai Road), the ride along Foster Rd presented many roadside photops of the sunkissed and sheep filled fields that flanked the road for most of the way back. Our ride back also offered our first taste of the Kiwi Christmas in the form of a Santa costumed fireman tossing candy at us from his passing firetruck.

Cruisin Foster Road

Escape from Aucklatraz. Hello Rotovegas!

After a nearmiss that nearly kept us stuck in Auckland for another several days, Hubs, the boys and I finally made it onto a bus bound for Rotorua. Located some 6hrs SE of Auckland and touted the ‘adventure capital’ of NZ for its wide range of thrill seeking offerings, Rotorua was the exact anecdote we were looking for after the last four days of urban dwelling.

Besides being an adrenaline junkie’s dream, Rotorua is also well known for being positioned on a site of active geothermal activity drawing tourists the world over for glimpses of the town’s geysers, pools and thermal springs. Rotorua is also known for its distinct sulphuric smell, which lingers in the air almost to announce to all visitors the great earthly activity they are about to witness.

As we would be celebrating Christmas day in Rotorua, Hubs and I decided to spend the day exploring the thermal sites first hand via a 60km tour of the town and surrounding countryside. Starting along the town’s salt flats, our ride took us past numerous geysers and pools before making way for the very Squamish like forest and farmland beyond the town’s limits.

Hubs and Bean along Rotorua's salt flats

Rotorua countryside

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London is Snowing. Frank is MIA.

21 Dec

It seems the world truly is a connected space after all….

Shortly after arriving in LA yesterday, we learned our connecting flight to Auckland had been cancelled – the culprit of said cancellation being the epic snowfall (by Brit standards at least) that has Heathrow in a crippled chaotic state and many a Christmastime traveler stranded this Holiday season. Amongst the mayhem, it seems our incoming flight had too succumbed to the wintery conditions and was unable to leave London on time. As such we would have to wait a day in a very rainy LA until a new plane could be flown in.

Thankfully the good folks at Air New Zealand had taken care of accommodation details for us in LA, and after much reassurance that Frank and Bean were A-OK and would be giddily greeting us in Auckland, they sent us on our way to the land of the hotel Hilton … whoot!

We were awoken the next a.m. by the ring of an Air New Zealand official notifying us that our flight had been delayed by yet another two hours. Realizing the extra time would give us the opportunity to explore LA a bit, we decided to make the most of our time in La La Land and hopped in a cab destined for Venice Beach. A request that had our cab driver declaring us mad given the wall of rainfall currently beating down on the city.

A very soggy Venice Beach

Unlike the Venice Beach of my mind – the one abundant with hard bodied muscle heads and svelte roller blading blondes – the Venice Beach of winter, or at least during torrential rain pour, is a much bleaker and lonelier place. While it was brilliant to finally see this famed oceanfront promenade, it seems the sun accustomed LA folk are a wee afraid of the wet stuff forcing most to stay inside and thus all stores along the beachfront to close for the day.

Soggy and eager to get our move on, we eventually made our way to the airport where after facing several more delays we finally made it onto our plane destined for NZ . Our flight over was a smooth and uneventful affair, allowing me to get all caught up on many a rom-drama watching and ‘becoming a cougar’ practicing as I preyed on scrumptious but BARELY LEGAL Zac Efron for 90min of Charlie St. Cloud sappy bliss.

The procession through customs and the usual security checks were routine and luckily pain free leaving us with only our baggage collection (and great FRANK reunion) before moving on. Alas, that reunion never came to pass as it seems Frank and Bean never made it onto our flight!

Rider is

HEARTBROKEN

While their exact whereabouts are unknown, Air NZ suspects they may be somewhere in LAX or potentially never made their way out of VanCity in the first place.

So here we are, sitting in downtown Auckland (a city which at first glance lives up to its reputation for beauty) eagerly awaiting word on the whereabouts of Frank and Bean …

I Packed My Frank Last Night, Pre-Flight

19 Dec

Well, the time has FINALLY arrived. Oh yes, in less than 5 hours Hubs, the bikes and I are New Zealand bound!!!

We spent the better part of the weekend doing final load checks on the boys before packing them up for the trip ahead. I’m feeling all sorts of nervousness right now … fingers crossed Frank & Bean will make it to Auckland in one piece.

Fully loaded Frank

 

Frank tests his flexibility

 

Frank in a box

 

Brave Bean

 

Cute Bike Medic Kits

18 Dec

Check out these adorable bike medic and cycle care kits my lovely friend Gen gifted Frank and I with yesterday.

Manufactured in Oakland, CA by Adventure Medical Kits this lovely and functional first aid kit will definitely come in handy for my GUARANTEED scrapes and falls throughout the coming weeks….

Kit contents

 

Our second treat was this gorgeously designed cycle care kit by – oddly enough – furniture polish manufacturer F.A. Seeds

The kit’s contents include steel & chrome polish, wax, sprocket & gear oil and an all-organic bug repellent (not shown).

 

The cute packaging may have lured Gen’s ever savvy design eye into purchasing these for us (who could resist?!) but as luck would have it, a first aid kit was the last thing on my ‘to do list’ so I’m really really grateful to have these extra supplies along for the ride.

Thanks Gen!!! :)

 

Sister flies a kite

15 Dec

Proof that sunny winter weather is not a myth in Vancouver … just a rarity.

Jericho Beach, Vancouver, BC

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All I want for Christmas …

12 Dec

I had a timely run in with this teeny tiny George St-Pierre whilst out and about shopping today.

Confession: this Rider is a somewhat closeted UFC fan whose love for all things MMA has grown in direct correlation to GSP’s sartorial evolution … aka ditching baggy shorts for really… tight… lycra.

Teeny tiny GSP is not quite as good as the real deal, but adorable in its own pint sized way.

Viva GSP!

Anthem II Vancouver Premiere @ Ride On

9 Dec

Anthem II is premiering at Ride On Again’s Main St. location this Friday … mega swicked! More info can be found on Ride On’s Facebook page.

Cross Canada Boy – Mike Beauchamp

8 Dec

What: Trailer to “The Cross Canada Project” by cyclist Michael Beauchamp

Mike Beauchamp has just been added to my ever growing list of hero long-haulers. Back in 2005, Beauchamp set his mind on cycling across Canada ‘for kicks’. With his camera custom mounted to his bike, Beauchamp documents his entire 7,000km journey in a weaving narrative of determination, humour and vulnerability set against the kaleidoscopic backdrop of Canada’s rugged beauty.

I’m definitely years late on hearing about this one, but I’m happy to have finally discovered his journey. Have a peek at this trailer to his documentary (full-length copies of his DVD are available for purchase on his website as well).

Is it possible to marry a country?

8 Dec

A much anticipated package has just come my way – my VERY OWN NZ BY BIKE T-SHIRT!!!

Oh yes, those clever bike geniuses (and my new besties) at NZbyBike.com have delivered on a promise they made me several weeks back. A promise that guaranteed me – a total stranger – one of their official crew shirts.

Admittedly, they could have shipped me a ball of rubber bands, declared it a national NZ icon and I would have been raving happy all the same. Rider is hungry like the wolf  for free swag!

My heart is buzzing with all sorts of warm fuzzy feelings from this act of kindness.  So much so that upon receiving my shirt I turned into a MANIC texting beast sending the above pic around to friends and fam with great excitement and fervor.

Through one simple gesture,  NZ by Bike has earned themselves a passionate advocate for their business (and country in general) who will continue to rave about NZ biking long after the t-shirt wears out.

Yes, it seems I might just be falling head over heels in rapturous love with the Kiwis. Which isn’t too shabby considering I have yet to step foot on their fabled soil.

But be warned dear Kiwis, if you keep up with your generous ways I just might have to follow this gal’s lead and marry your entire nation.

Big bike love at ya NZbybike!

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A Vancouver Stylin’ Gem – Downtown Betty

7 Dec Birch-Speed-King2

Charming. Original. Home Grown.

I’ve just returned from a very soggy ride home. While I normally love winter riding, where all the puddle splashing makes me feel like a gleeful five-year old, I find myself craving a little sunshine reprieve today. Perhaps it’s my upcoming NZ bike trip that has me all summer dreamin’ like. Or maybe it’s the daunting list of work to-dos required anon. Either way, I’m in need of some lazy dazy bike riding in big form.

As I rode home I found my mind flashing back to some beautiful pictures I came across not too long ago by local clothing designer Downtown Betty – pictures that immediately had me whisked away to moments of carefree riding from summers past. Perfectly capturing the sunny abandonment and romantic beauty of warm weather biking, the pictures showcase a series of Downtown Betty’s spectacularly hand-detailed bikes.

Birch Speed King Photo Credit: http://www.downtownbetty.com

Dogwood Imperial Photo Credit: http://www.downtownbetty.com

Sold at local bike shop Ride On (the geniuses that have helped Hubs and me with Frank’s epic overhaul), each of Downtown Betty’s bikes have been reclaimed and restyled for a new life of West Coast riding bliss. Like her buoyant and entertaining tweets, Downtown Betty’s bikes fill my heart with sparkly warmth. Additional shots of her bikes can be viewed on her Facebook page.

For anyone interested in seeing her clothing crafts firsthand, Downtown Betty will be showcasing at Vancouver’s much anticipated One of a Kind show this upcoming Thursday through Sunday.

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Fa la la … NEW ZEALAND COUNTDOWN!

6 Dec

Lights. Racks. Showtime!

It’s T-minus two weeks until our great New Zealand trip and a very excited Frank can barely contain himself!

Some final adjustments ...

We’ve now entered the final stage of our trip preparations. This THRILLING time has brave Frank and his road mate Bean (clever bike naming might not be my forte) undergoing nearly daily adjustments to ready them for the journey ahead. While mostly squirming with anticipation these days, the boys have steadied themselves long enough to allow Hubs and me to test out ideal placements for lights and water bottle racks amongst their growing loads of gear.

Admission: Hubs has been handling most major bike tweaky tweaks. I on the other hand have been suitably relegated to the role of ‘resident vice dealer and cyclo-cheerleader’ – a role that sees me proudly aiming all sorts of love in Hubs’ general direction as manifested through a steady stream of beer and many ooooohs and ahhhhhs in recognition of his bike fixit success.

Our route has been slightly modified over the past month and now includes some dabbling on the South Island after spending some glorious fun up North around Rotorua. If all goes accordingly, the adjusted route will see us paying a visit to Queenstown where we’ll hopefully run into these fine folks. Whoot!

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Dusting Off an Old Friend: Lucy Foxy

4 Dec

I thought it high time I introduce a dear old friend of mine, Lucy Foxy.

Not at all bike related, but Lucy has brought me loads of happiness over the years so I think she qualifies. Rumour has it she might just have a go at bike riding soon!

The following are a few simple line drawings of her and her ‘Foxyrazzi’ …

Lucy Foxy gets her close-up

 

Lucy's feet

The foxyrazzi love Lucy ...

 

they follow her wherever she may go.

Lucy and the Foxyrazzi

Herman Miller Shows its Caring Spirit

2 Dec WeCare6

What: Herman Miller’s ‘We Care’ Event

I spent yesterday afternoon immersed in a world of crafting fun at Herman Miller’s annual ‘We Care’ event. Now in its ninth year in Vancouver, We Care is a day of holiday craft making which brings local design teams together with kids in need. Throughout the event, kids rotated through a variety of craft stations (hosted by the design teams) where they made gifts for their family, friends and teachers.

We Care gives me jazz hands.

Along with several of my colleagues, we helped the munchkins craft some charming kitschy magnets. Being the greenies we are, our magnets were made of 100% recycled content drawn from our in-house library of supplies as well as donations from our office mates. This year’s event was hosted at the Frog Hollow Community Centre, where some 230 kids from East Vancouver amused us with their uncanny kid humour and innocent wonder.

Our kitschy fab magnets.

Fridges are happier with cute button magnets!

Mad love to the kidlets, my fellow volunteers and of course Herman Miller for putting on such an amazing event.

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on turning thirty. part II – celebration.

1 Dec
Just Call Me Dirty.

With the roaring twenties, and all its glory and fumbling lessons behind me, it was time to ring in a new decade with an evening of trademark flair and silliness. Choosing to leave both Frank and Kika at home (I was wearing a MOST fab ensemble that felt very shy to the heavy winter rains), Hubs and I rolled via a Yellow chariot to the Raw Canvas bistro for much nosh and painting mayhem with friends and fam.

For the next several hours we found ourselves immersed in a warm glow of riotous merriment, superb vino sipping, and tantalizing tapa tasting.

Several bottles later, my somewhat sodden crew and I headed to the bistro’s painting area where we engaged in hours of five year old acrylic painting hysterics. There we discovered some of us possessed skills a tad more evolved than others ….

Throughout the affair, Raw’s resident painter Enoch offered us tips with good humour and patience as we continued to fumble and make a mockery of his chosen craft ….

 

Night of the Transcendentally Creepy Rider

Having our fill of painting, the crew and I decided to step our chic down a notch for some good pub antics at the local brew pub. Once inside I was greeted by more loving friends, including the ever beautiful Gen and Kev and my beloved music master girl, Tracey. Over the course of the evening many a high kick (and jump) were raised my way …

Like most nights out, my cool factor unfolded with inverse correlation to my increased alcohol consumption … which rolled out in a three stage attack on my friends and fellow drink consumers:

Stage 1: Jump around like a maniacal Muppet making all sorts of incomprehensible muppety noises …


Stage 2: Discover that alcohol makes me extra super flexy resulting in an instant need to make surrounding patrons turn and “loooook at how bendy I am!”


Stage 3: Stand all creepy like in the back of pub, cupping knee caps as only gesture of communication manageable in my blurry eyed state.


Golden Arches and F-Stop Heartache

When the witching hour final made its debut, we decided to head over to the land of golden arches for some necessary trans-fat carnage before carting my sodden self to bed.

Upon our arrival I felt it my Happy & the Bike blog duty to capture the inner workings of the famed grease mill by dark – a scene clamoring with many a Saturday night vamp each frenetically recounting the antics and glory of the night just lived while eagerly awaiting their McFood. So with camera in hand I began snapping shots of my fellow late nighters where many offered me slow … moving … blinks and happy smirks in return.


Not all occupants were impressed by my documentarian self though as shortly after my shooting began I felt several swift and firm taps on my shoulder accompanied by a strange voice bellowing from behind which warned that “filming in McDonald’s IS NoOoOT ALLllLOOoWWwEedDD”. Curious to find the source of such aggressive undulation I turned and was met by one anger ball of a McGuard who was evidently none too impressed by my TMZ ways. After some earnest calm talking and blinky blinking his way, I managed to talk the guard (whom I believe is evidential proof that McDonald’s does indeed dabble in paramilitary operations) down long enough to order my grub.

When our grease stained paper bag order finally arrived, we chose at last to bid adieu to the Golden Arches and headed home to Kits. But not before I snapped a picture of this guy ….

One very bizarre cab ride later we found ourselves back in Kits where Hubs felt it necessary to tuck one of our neighbourhood furries into bed before heading to bed ourselves….

Here’s to a fabulous and equally mind-opening 3rd decade of life!

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on turning thirty. part I – reflection.

1 Dec

I just turned 30. What symbolized the END OF LIFE for many friends before me, I find my dirty thirty representing a pause, a breath, a moment of quiet examination to reflect upon the blessings and lessons that came in the last year of my second decade.

T H E   B L E S S I N G S .

Hubs. This wildly complicated, brilliant, and gorgeous man is the title holder to my heart and uncontested good fortune of my life. A man of hearty laughter, tenderness of heart and the most gifted athlete I’ve ever known, my life has been and continues to be richly awoken by his presence. And by some stroke of karmic AWESOMENESS I’ve managed to hold onto him despite my countless neuroses, epic fails and spaz like selfishness.

The enigmatic gift that is Hubs.


Beautiful BC. Like many Albertans, I spent many a year traipsing to BC to grasp hold of its magic woodlands, gorgeous ocean landscape, and the diverse and energetic beat of its urban jewel – Vancouver. Following an excellent act of impulse, I now find myself in abundant good fortune to finally call this majestic province home.

A street scape within Vancouver's fabled Gastown.

Where bountiful views come to play - atop Whistler, BC

Eyeing stayed ships in Burrard Inlet - Vancouver, BC


Rejoice the Health. After duking it out with a recurring health problem for several years – a problem that left me all geriatric like in hospitals and my bed for weeks at a time – my health kicked it back into overdrive some time ago and has no signs of slowing down. While the knitting and octogenarian bonding has suffered, the gift of being able to perpetuate myself by foot or bike with nary a sign of the formerly wizened Rider, is one that will forever earn my Maker daily fist pump salutes of gratitude.


T H E   L E S S O N S .

Embrace thy inner SPAZ. My brain moves like a ferret caught in a perpetual motion rocket. I’m an incurably immature idea machine who obsesses over too many projects at once and really really loves throwing down random high-kicks, for kicks. While I was convinced for much of my adolescence that my tree-occupied parents had missed the mark on some undiagnosed mutant form of A.D.H.D., I’m learning to embrace my not-so-box-fitting spazy personality with age.

Bikes are cheaper than shrinks (and saner too). Rider went through a bit of a rough emotional go earlier this year. To deal with said dark times I headed to a shrink to help determine if A) I was in fact crazy, B) my brain had been secretly snorting mind-altering substances behind my back, or C) I was actually quite normal and simply had much self-learning yet to uncover.

Rolled by this message during trying times. Literally stopped me in my tracks.

While I expected the shrink to simply load me up with a Zoloft-Valium cocktail and send me on my numb and hazy way, this Dr. Feelgood instead chose to embark on a bizarrely random lecture about Canada’s sticky ties to the Russian sex trade market where ‘young’ girls like me, and her daughter for that matter, would likely find ourselves carted off in a sea crate bound for Moscow if we ever dared talk to an eastern bloc man (to the Mikaels and Igors of this world, there’s one vigilante of a doc OUT TO GET YA in Yaletown).

An entertaining experience to be sure, I decided future therapy would instead be done on my own accord. So through my own yin-yang cocktail of healing (a hearty blend of bike mashing and catharsis on the yoga room floor) plus some bold loving from Hubs, I’m finally regaining my composure, sense of wonder and alignment with authenticity. The added bonus of having a shrink beat me at being crazy has also helped heaps.

Letting go of the haters. Yes, even happy Riders have haters. This year in particular I found myself distracted by several folks in this world who think me ‘not that super duper’. I’m slowly learning to get over this neurotic part of MY human condition by wishing the naysayers well and shifting my focus back onto all those dazzling and glittery blessings that keep my heart and soul soaring.

continued in Part 2: celebration….
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