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The Long Road To Getting Back Onto Inline Skates

I always liked inline skating. I had a great pair that I liked, and I rode them till I not only wore down the brake rubber but the screw that holds it in.

Once that screw’s head was worn down, it was impossible to remove it with a screwdriver and thus impossible to replace the brake pad. I took it to Sport Chek a few years ago, but they said the repair was beyond their ability, and that I’d have to drill out the remains of the screw. I knew I didn’t have the tools for that so I gave up for several years.

Until now; After last year’s misadventure on cross-country skis, I finally bought a new set of skate skis that I’ve been dying to try out. I nearly offered to join a Ski 2 Sea team that was short a skier, but it turned out a scheduling conflict would make me unable to go this year. Still, I wanted to start skate skiing soon, and I had a sneaking suspicion that I wasn’t in good condition to pursue that. I figured getting back on my roller-blades was the best option to build up the right muscles and technical skills.

I sprung for a stronger drill bit and found a ‘screw extraction’ kit that could remove a screw that was stubbornly stuck once you bored a starter hole into it. Ultimately, once I had drilled that hole out of the screw, I was able to turn the screw with a set of needle-nose pliers, rather than the screw extraction kit. I ordered a new brake pad from Amazon and I was ready to go.

One of the things I like about inline skating is it can be done without getting too sweaty, so I’ve been keeping my skates and a helmet in my car. I found an opportunity to skate around the parking lot near the gymnastics club where my sons train.

 

I was also able to do some skating on my lunch hour at work.  The area has some multi-use trails, and not getting too sweaty meant I could resume working in the office afterwards.

That wasn’t much, but the Family Day Long Weekend came, and we made an overnight trip to Manning Park Resort. The meals in the Pinewood Restaurant were good, and on Monday morning, we rented skis for the ever-growing boys, and I finally got a chance to try skate skiing on my new skis.

When I first got my skis on and started skating, I got an almost nasty surprise as to how fast they were! In fact, it wasn’t long before they flew out from underneath me when I turned around to look behind me at how my son was progressing. There’s no network coverage in Manning, and we tried the Strawberry Flats trails that we always use. My Trailforks app did track my distance, and I figure I got 8km done. Unfortunately, I forgot to stop it before I started the drive home, so the record is useless.

The new skis were a joy to use, and it vastly improved my mood and salvaged a difficult weekend. I want to continue using my inline skates to keep up my cross-country ski conditioning. There may be roller skis in my future, but we’ll see for now.

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Off-Season Training Ideas for the 2025 Rainy Season

Since moving to BC, I’ve had to get used to long stretches of rainy weather. I’ve always liked a lot of diversity in my exercise and training, but it’s easier when I don’t have to worry about an upcoming event where my training has to focus on swimming, biking and running.

Sun Hang Do

The Lightning Kid and I have been practicing this martial art for the past 3 years. It’s a bit of a local phenomenon with clubs throughout BC’s lower mainland and it’s descended from/similar to Tae Kwon Do.

We recently got tested for new belts, and we’re excited to join the ‘Black Belt Club’ where we add grappling and weapons to our training. I honestly could have/should have/would have devoted an entire post to Sun Hang Do, but in the meantime here’s a video of the Lightning Kid’s first belt test, and another of us both testing 2 years later.

A clip from our 2nd most recent Belt Test

Iron Cycle

Iron Cycle is a spin studio in Downtown Abbotsford. My wife and I used to do spin classes at a GoodLife Fitness, but with the advent of Peloton, Soul Cycle and the like, spin classes have stepped up a level. The class is conducted with very low lighting, and the club provides shoes with clips and towels. The song lists are heavily curated and the instructors pump you up with their high energy levels. We come out of the class drenched with sweat, but with a feeling of accomplishment, and it’s a nice ‘date’ that doesn’t revolve around food. Keeping up my bike fitness is a good idea for the next triathlon season and it would pay dividends if I’m on a bike event for the Ski 2 Sea.

We usually do the ‘Capable Ride’, but there are also Yoga classes and a hybrid class that combines spin with stretching and strength work – I hope I can try these sometime too. And yeah, I dig the name.

Body bar

I’ve been interested in these as a piece of strength training equipment for a while now. Between strengthening for kayaking (in case I need to do it for the Ski 2 Sea) or for Bo Staff work in Sun Hang Do (see above), I think it could be a nice addition to my home gym.


Cindy + other Crossfit.

I read somewhere that the ‘Cindy’ Crossfit workout is Tom Holland’s (a.k.a. Spider-Man) favourite workout. It’s 20 minutes of doing As Many Rounds As Possiple (a.k.a. AMRAP) of 5 pull-ups, 10 push-ups and 15 squats. I can’t do unassisted pull-ups so I use a band.

This workout makes me sweat a lot, and I’ve found that I’ve improved on the pull-ups already after doing it sporadically throughout the summer. I sometimes do variant push-ups, or lunges instead of squats .


Project Climbing

Project Climbing is a bouldering gym that has branches in Abbotsford, Chilliwack and Cloverdale. The boys and I have experimented with bouldering from time to time in Mississauga, on our trip to Berkeley, California and at both the Abbotsford and Chilliwack location. Bouldering is a form of rock climbing that is performed on small rock formations or artificial rock walls without the use of ropes or harnesses. Indoors, it’s a pretty low commitment way to get a full body workout that works your stabiliser muscles and co-ordination. I’m hoping I can squeeze in a few visits to this gym and improve my skills, grip strength (a significant marker of longevity) and upper-body strength.

Rucking

I had an old backpack that I filled with old weights and kept it in my car – sometimes when there was time to go for a little walk, I’d throw it on for a bigger calorie burn. Unfortunately, while parked in downtown Vancouver (Gastown to be precise) while the Lightning Kid was rehearsing for Toronto Kids Fashion Week, someone smashed in my car’s back window to take the backpack. I was upset, obviously, but I had to laugh at the idea that the thief probably thought they’d scored a laptop, when it was just relatively worthless weight. I hope they nearly dislocated their shoulder when they snatched it. So I might spring for a high-end ‘official’ pack and use it in the same way – but not keep it in my car when parked in a bad neighbourhood.

Mamba Cycle

This would probably feel like cheating on Iron Cycle (above), but it’s apparently a fitness studio with spinning, strength circuits, and heavy bag work. I guess the latter would potentially make it feel like cheating on Sun Hang Do (also above).

Mountain Biking

I honestly thought I’d be mountain biking more regularly when I moved to B.C. It’s been hard to find trails that are appropriate for my beginner skill level. They’re either on the side of a mountain where one slight bobble would send me careening to my doom, or simple flat gravel trails. At least those are the kinds I find in our neck of the woods; I lose interest if I have to drive more than 20 minutes to find the ‘right’ trail. Furthermore, this activity is one that I’m unlikely to do in lousy weather, so maybe it shouldn’t be on this list – but still I’m hopeful that I can find some subset of trails within the local networks that I could practice and improve my skill on.

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Glamping with Little Escape Outdoor Co.

My wife booked us on glamping trip in nearby Aldergrove as a kind of birthday party for me. If you’re not familiar with the term, “Glamping” is glamourous camping (we got our first taste of it back in Tennessee) – it takes the roughest parts (and work) out of camping. Food provided, nicer beds, etc.

The site was part of a Blueberry farming company’s land, and that made the entrance a little hard to find. The welcome email did warn us to ignore Google maps, in fairness. Once we had driven in, we were given a good briefing as to what we could expect. There was an itinerary of activities, but the timing was somewhat loose so it didn’t feel like a we were doing a drill, nor would we wonder what to do with ourselves. Snacks were plentiful.

Our tent

Our first activity was to feed the horses. You could use a scoop or your bare hands. One horse, Princess, was more demanding than the others, and would stomp her hoof demanding to be fed. We also got a chance to feed the Alpaca, which was a bit more interesting as they are somewhat shy, and we let them get acclimatised to our presence while we fed some sheep.

We got to sample some of the local honey and blueberry products after that, and we brought home an espresso honey that I’ve enjoyed at least once at home since the weekend.

We also got to try a little archery and an air rifle. While the air rifle was an unexpected bonus, I was a little disappointed by the archery since there were only 2 bows which didn’t provide much variety.

Dinner was Korean BBQ, where you prepare meat and vegetables on a hub-cap like grill. There was great beef and pork-belly available as well as barbecue sauce you could add to spice it up. It was a little tricky to manage utensils, chopsticks, raw meat vs cooked meat, etc. on the small, low-slung tables, but it was a hearty meal for a camping trip.

For desert, what else but a marshmallow roast? We slept very comfortably in our tent. When I got up to use the washroom in the wee hours of the morning, I found it to be a long walk and was surprised at how many rabbits I saw snacking on whatever leftovers had fallen into the grass. Unfortunately, it was hard to get back to sleep with nearby highway noise and beeping trucks backing up (even at that hour!).

The tents were provided with nightmasks and earplugs, which were a good idea because the field was bright with fog diffusing the sunlight everywhere as soon as dawn arrived. Our agenda announced breakfast at 8:30, and it was delicious with eggs, pancakes, bacon, sausage and noodles!

Before leaving, the staff airdropped us various photos they had shot over the course of our stay. It was a nice, low-effort adventure for our family and a great way to celebrate a birthday.

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Conquering the Abby Grind

As I was quick to find out while trying to train and stay in shape, living in British Columbia means hills. Going up them, going down them. Many people have heard of the Grouse Grind which is a trail that takes you up Grouse Mountain (rather than taking the gondola).

I haven’t done that one yet, but there is also the Abby Grind in Abbotsford, which is more convenient, since Abbotsford is where I live. I’ve wanted to tackle this one for a while but I waited till I didn’t have the Cultus Lake Triathlon on the horizon. This weekend was my chance, especially since the weather was nice and dry.

The trail starts off steep, which is good preparation for what is to come. There are few flat or even gradual stretches to give you relief from climbing. And don’t count on stairs or ladders to make things easier either. There were times I don’t think I made more than 10 feet of elevation progress before I wanted to catch my breath. I did appreciate the signs marking the 1/4, 1/2 and 3/4 marks.

Progress Markers

There’s at least one good lookout before the top, but I think it was before the 1/4 mark, so there’s plenty of time to wish you were at the top.

There were plenty of people of all ages, shapes and sizes making their way up and down the trail, so that’s encouraging to anyone who wants to try it; one just has to take one’s time. There aren’t a lot of markers to reassure you that you’re going the right way, but the trail is always obvious, and the right way is to go is up. Eventually of course, you’re treated to the glory of making it to the top and enjoying the view.

Going down seems easier at first, but I slipped a few times in the dust. I avoided falling on my butt, however my recovery was probably more dangerous since I ended up correcting by taking some steps forward onto uncertain footing and could have pitched downhill. I thought I spent roughly an hour going up and a half hour coming back down, but Strava makes it look like it was roughly equal time in each direction. I’d like to repeat the challenge again in a few months or maybe the new year.

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Ski 2 Sea

Has anyone heard of the Ski-to-Sea relay race?  It’s a relay from the top of Mount Baker to Bellingham Bay, done in seven different legs: cross-country skiing, downhill skiing, running, road bike, canoe, cyclocross/gravel bike, and sea kayak.  I heard about it (or at least, a now defunct Canadian version) years ago and had it on my bucket list, but I realized last year that now I live close enough to give this a try without having to spring for airfare and shipping equipment.

I’m not in shape to try it the next iteration, so I figured I’d start trying to build a team for **next** year, that is, May of 2026.  A team needs to be from 3 to 8 people (less than 3 is logistically impossible anyway).  The link to the event site is here: https://skitosea.com/

Each leg of the race has some details that one should be clear on – for example, the downhill ski portion has a climb so it would be best for someone with backcountry ski gear for climbing.  Stand-up paddleboards are not allowed on the canoe or sea kayak portion.  No aerobars are allowed on the road bike portion. I’ll examine each leg and rate how plausible it is for me to be a candidate for completing that leg as part of a team.

Leg 1: Cross-Country Skiing (Length: 6km)

Cross-country skiing is one of my favourite sports (check the receipts!). I’ve been doing it since I could walk, and the distance isn’t too onerous. The terrain will probably be tough (intermediate to advanced according to the description) and being the first leg means getting up extra early for various logistical reasons. I just got some new skis this year so I can work on my skating (which is banned during the first 100 yards of the race), so this feels like an area I can shine in.

Plausibility: High

Leg 2: Downhill Ski/Snowboard (Length: 4km)

This sounds like a no-brainer, but unfortunately, there is a portion where you must climb to the top of a hill – over 1000 feet of elevation gain! I thought this required climbing skins and back-country skis, but according to this year’s rules that kind of equipment isn’t allowed. So I guess it’s just a matter of toughing it out in heavy ski boots, and the rest is all downhill, literally.

Plausibility: Medium

Leg 3: Running (Length: 13km)

13 km is beyond my current running endurance, but it is something I could train up to. Mountainous terrain (though it is a road run course) adds extra challenge. The problem is, in a group of 3-8 people which the relay demands, running is one I imagine most people would want to have for themselves.

Plausibility: Medium

Leg 4: Road Bike (Length: 66km)

Seems simple enough for a triathlete, right? It’s even a net downhill! However! Aero-bars are only allowed in the competitive division, so I’d be riding my old road bike might be the better option. There are also no course markers, so having a good familiarity with navigating the course is important. Last year my son and I failed to complete a 50 km bike ride due to some wrong turns on a fundraiser, so that shakes my confidence a little.

Plausibility: Medium

Leg 5: Canoe (Length: 30km)

I know how to canoe, but I don’t have one in BC, and I don’t relish getting strong enough to complete this leg. It is completed in a team of 2, which further complicates training.

Plausibility: Low

Leg 6: Cyclocross (Length: 18km)

I’ve flirted with Cyclocross a little, and always wanted to get a Cross bike. Even if I didn’t, a Mountain bike can be used.

Plausibility: High

Leg 7: Sea Kayak (Length: 8km)

While I don’t have a kayak in BC, I’d be willing to consider getting one and possibly training myself up for this event. Still, getting time on larger bodies of water might be difficult.

Plausibility: Low

The Hidden Event: Logistics

The ideal team has 8 people – one for each event, except canoeing which has 2. This has the simplest implementation, since everyone on the team has one starting line they have to be at (on time), and one event to be competent enough to finish. I think it might take a little of the ‘multi-sport’ fun out of it, though. Any fewer team members (to a minimum of 3) and somebody has to shuttle between events after finishing a leg. The race demands certain road closures, and getting equipment and bodies moved around will take several vehicles (they list 3 vehicles for the 8 racer scenario).

Recruiting and managing an 8-person team has to be challenging too – ensuring everyone is trained, equipped, and informed is a serious bit of management/leadership.

If anyone reading this wants to join a team with me, drop a comment or reach out online. I might start recruiting in local Facebook groups in 2025.

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Cultus Lake Triathlon 2025: Third Time’s the Charm – Hat Trick – Triathlon Trifecta

I had hoped to do the Vancouver Triathlon this year, but by the time I got around to bringing up the registration page, it was sold out (I learned later, that transfers are actually allowed, which wasn’t the case when I lived in Ontario). So I signed up for my third time of the Sprint distance at the Cultus Lake Triathlon. I’m nothing if not a creature of habit.

I mentioned in last year’s report that Dynamic Events runs a really tight ship with lots of verifying that athlete’s have their I’s dotted and T’s crossed, so I wised up a little by buying my annual membership in Triathlon BC. That way, I was able to show my membership card (or at least a digital version I had saved on my phone) and get my race kit in short order on the Saturday. I also left my bike in transition on Saturday to have one less thing to manage on Sunday morning.

Swim

I got in the water a little behind the crowd, and as they wanted to keep their schedule, they started the countdown before I had gotten in up to my waist. I think I lost 30 seconds to a minute from the gun start before I crossed the finish line. There were many first-timers according to an informal ‘hands-raised’ poll before the start, and it showed in terms of the early swim melee. One guy was doing a backstroke, which I do recommend if you’re panicked or not feeling up to a faster stroke, but is terrible for navigating through a crowd.

A few times I saw an opening and tried to ‘sprint’ swim to spots where there would be less crowding, but somehow, I struggled to recover my breathing after these bursts. I felt well trained in swimming this season, as I had gotten plenty of open-water swims in, so I wonder if the wetsuit (which I didn’t train much in) somehow affects my breath control. All through the race there were collisions, it only improved marginally after the first few hundred meters. Still, I finished in good time – 19:42.

Bike

I really enjoyed the bike this year. I passed, I got passed, but overall I felt like I had a good speed for the majority of the time. The big hill climbs were tough, but for a BC bike course, I find this to be a pretty forgiving one. I did lose my chain after a turn, which wouldn’t have been a big deal if not for the fact that I have a chain catcher – not only did this not prevent the chain from falling off, it made it a lot harder to get back on. I figure I could have lost as much as 4-5 minutes due to this mechanical problem. Time: 49:34

Run

I came out of the second transition feeling pretty strong with the idea that I was moving at a good clip. That didn’t last though. The run course has the most subtle incline on the way out, but the good news is you notice the downhill once you hit the second turn around. I had the good fortune of being told when we only had 1.3km left by someone who had a tracker, and I shared that info with a woman who had caught up to me. We ran side by side for a stretch, and when we figured we had less than a kilometre to go, I explained the German concept of Endspurt to her (a burst of speed toward the end that you can magically manage because of your hope to be finished), then I demonstrated it.

Time: 35:32.

Conclusions/Lessons Learned

Total time: 1:52:50. I blew away last year’s time of 2:12:09, but 2023 me was faster still with 1:44:41. The only real improvement I made was my T2 transition, which I shaved a few seconds off. I do feel that if I hadn’t gotten a late start on the swim (because I detoured to get a good luck kiss from my wife – totally worth it!) I might have had a better swim time (19:03 vs 19:42). Bringing my bike in for a pre-race tune-up might have saved me the problem of the chain popping off, and might have resulted in a faster bike time (47:45 vs 49:34 = 1:49 difference, well below what I estimate the delay was). Where I could really use some improvement is taking my wetsuit off in T1. I thought about taking the timing chip off my ankle to make it easier, but I heard a horror story earlier in the day about someone who left theirs behind. I didn’t want that to be me. On the bike I passed a lot of people who swam without wetsuits; I’ve always sworn that the speed increase a wetsuit gives you makes up for the time lost taking it off, but maybe I need to re-visit that.

I found my older medals in my bag, and I’m really happy to have three-peated this event.

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Open Water Training in 2025

This post contains Amazon Associate (Affiliate) Links. Should you order from those links I would receive a small commission.

Beggars can’t be choosers, I always say. Between wanting to train up for the 2025 Cultus Lake Triathlon (the Vancouver Triathlon was sold out before I got my act together), and wanting to swim 10k in August to raise money for the Canadian Cancer Society (please consider donating), I knew I had to start getting some open water training in – my pool sessions from earlier in the season weren’t going to cut it.

Training in the Havel in Northern Berlin, proved challenging however – there’s lots of boat traffic, including river cruises, and the weeds grow thick and right up to the surface.

I used to track swims with a Garmin watch, but between keeping track of the charging cable and software reinstallations, I just can’t be bothered anymore. I felt I didn’t need that many serious metrics for most training tracking and I could get by with my phone for biking and running; but what about swimming?

I decided to look into wearing my phone in a waterproof pouch that would rest on my back, hopefully near the surface.

The pouch has 3 ziplock seals on it that are then folded over each other. I can say it did a good job protecting my phone, but I’m not so sure the tracking worked well.

I mean, I know I don’t swim perfectly straight, but that’s a little ridiculous. My wife began to worry about getting caught in the weeds and the boat traffic, so I opted to look into buying a swim buoy. I found one that could also house the phone.

I had hopes that with the tether attached to the underside of the inflatable buoy the phone would stay on top and thus track distance perfectly. Unfortunately the weight of the phone made the buoy flip upside down and the pouch was facing downward. I opted to flip it back upright at every turn-around to guarantee the location would be tracked at end points.

Looks like the location tracking worked better, but that moving time measurement is completely bogus – each of these swims was 20 min. I do recommend using a device like this though, as a just in case you get tired floation device in addition to making you more visible to boats or loved ones spotting you from shore.

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Connecting All of Abbotsford’s Discovery Trails

Abbotsford has several multi-use trails they label ‘Discovery Trail’, but since there are several, shouldn’t they comprise one network? The answer was never obvious from the trail entrances, but there is a website and a map:

Still, I had struggled to really understand how it could be used to cross from one end of town to the other. Until I made a concerted effort this July to get across town. Because I knew some sections were gravel, I opted to take my mountain bike. Having a gravel bike (my next bike – the correct number of bikes to own is the number you have plus one), would have been ideal.

I wore my Shokz Open SwimbPro Bone Conduction headphones to provide music for the long ride. I filled my hydration pack with a water/electrolyte mix and I set off to find the entrance to the first Discovery Trail West of Whatcom Rd.

Scenery/Musical Highlights

The Who’s ‘Baba O’Riley’ came on as I rode into an open field “Out here in the fields… I fight for my meals.”

“Out here in the fields”

On the way home, I had to do a lot of climbing. Lynyrd Skynyrd’s “Free Bird” was playing (I guess I had a Classic Rock soundtrack for this ride). Most of the song (I’m sure you’re familiar) is slow and plodding, but right before the monster guitar solo, the singer says “Won’t you fly, Free Bird…” and that was the moment I crested a hill and started coasting down a well-deserved downhill run.

Challenges

One of the things that has kept me from being able to pursue this little project is the boardwalk West of the Abbotsford-Mission Highway has been in disrepair until this spring. I’m so glad they’ve fixed it and I’ve used it for some trail runs already. It crosses a beautiful marshy area.

Crossing the Highway itself is also a challenge – there isn’t a good crossing that is on the way, my best solution was to cross at McCallum and ride on the shoulder on the wrong side of the road until I could turn off toward the trail.

Whenever the trails peter out and you have to transition to a road, it’s good to have done your research to know which road will keep you on route to the next trail entrance. I didn’t leverage this website, but maybe I should have.

Since it’s an out-and-back, getting to the end was the climax, and then I had the long (and net uphill) ride back to look forward to, and most of it was the same scenery.

Nature Highlights

I saw 2 snakes (probably garter snakes) on the ride – it was a sunny day, and I think they enjoyed the heat. There was also a moment where I could swear a dragonfly was trying to race me – it flew alongside me for a few hundred meters.

I helped myself to some blueberries when my energy was low
The trail led through a cemetary
Riding Selfie

I’m looking forward to doing this ride again in the future – perhaps even extending it.

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Return To Japan

We loved our previous trip to Japan so much, we decided to go back for more (and yet also something different) again in 2025.

Arrival – Kyoto

We hadn’t had a lot of time to pre-plan our entire agenda, so we chose the Kyoto Granbell Hotel again as for our first night. We had taken an Haruka trian from the Osaka Kansai International Airport to Kyoto, and immediately crashed (me, my wife, and the Lightning Kid) in a large bed.

I love starting my mornings with an Onsen (public bath) to feel relaxed. We started our day with an exploration of the Maruyama Shrine. We tried to be respectful of the space, and ended the tour with a quiz conducted by a local group who were promoting the concept of ‘touristship’ – a blend of friendship and tourism.

We went for lunch to a pancake which was delicious and decadent. After that, I “pig cafe” where you could pet pigs. Mine tried to bite me so I didn’t love that experience too much.

The next day we visited a Samurai/Ninja museum.

We also enjoyed a couples spa with stretching, scalp and regular massage.

Our final day in Kyoto had a lesson in Japanese archery. In Japanese archery (Kyodo or Kyujutsu) there are five steps:

1. face perpendicular to the target

2. turn head toward the target

3. raise the bow overhead (with one hand on the bow, the other on the string)

4. lower the bow into drawing position

5. release

The instructor kept telling me to view the target from “outside” with my viewpoint left of the bow rather than looking down the shaft.  I found that hard, and my best shots had me seemingly aiming well below and to the left of the target.

Sapporo

We flew to the Northern Island of Japan, Hokkaido, to see parts of Japan we hadn’t experienced before and to escape the heat. We found Peach Air to be a low-cost no-frills airline that still worked efficiently and comfortably.

We visited a Chocolate Factory called Shiroi Koibito Park, their specialty is a cookie layered with White Chocolate. The tour had a whimsical fantasy element not unlike Willy Wonka, and the Lightning Kid got to take a baking lesson.

Getting cleaned up to go into the kitchen

While one of Hokkaido’s tourist draws are Lavender fields in Furano, it felt wasteful to take a bus tour way out of town just to look at flowers – we found out about a field more local to Sapporo that had a lovely view of the city, and we even got a free ride to the top of the hill from some kind strangers who didn’t think walking was plausible (I think we’d have been fine – after all, we live near the Rockies).

Lavender Fields

The next day we had a longer excursion planned. We took a bus tour to the Shakotan Penninsula, we had some small stops in Yoichi in the beginning and the Chocolate Factory again on the way back, but the real highlight was Cape Kamui – the ocean lookouts feature the ‘Shakotan Blue’ of the ocean. See below.

Shakotan Blue – From Cape Kamui and the Shakotan Penninsula

The next day we left Sapporo to travel to Hakodate, but we made a pit stop in Noboribetsu and the ‘Hell Valley’. Natural Sulphur springs gave rise to demons and other underworld influences. There are many statues to illustrate what kinds of demons you might encounter, and the Sulphur lake was other-worldly.

Demon Father & Son
A foot washing station
A trivia question on the trail

After a long hike around the crater, we stopped into the oldest public Onsen in a town full of them (the natural springs make for a great bathing experience). We got to experience waterfalls, sulfur baths, aluminum baths, sodium baths, some hot, some cold and altogether had a great period of relaxation.

In Hakodate, we enjoyed a sea urchin lunch, a trip to the Red Brick district shopping area (with a pit-stop to play with Lego), a Harbour Cruise and a Cable Car to the top of Mount Hakodate.

Lego
View from Mt Hakodate

Our quest to find a beach in Hakodate the next day came up somewhat empty, as the signs said swimming was prohibited; but at least we got a massage in on our last day.

The next day was devoted to traveling back to Osaka to prepare for our flight home. Though leaving Japan was sad, we had an exciting summer to look forward to.

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The Quest To Ride To Downtown Abbotsford

I’d been wanting to combine an excursion to downtown Abbotsford with a road cycling training ride for a while. Before I committed to executing the ride, I made sure to scout out the route beforehand to look for obstacles, challenges, problems, etc.

Marshall Road has a nice 2-way dedicated bike lane, but I did have challenges with Amazon delivery vehicles blocking it, and it ends right as the downtown area really starts in earnest. By the time I got to the area with the most interesting shops and businesses, I was walking my bike (in bike shoes). On the positive side, I rode along Gladys Road without having any cars to contend with and noticed some bunny rabbits that ran alongside me (instead of perpendicularly away from me) as I rode.

I had scouted out where I was going to park my bike and what I was going to eat when I reached my destination, so 2 weeks later all I had to do was make sure I was prepared. I packed my Salomon hydration pack with a U-Lock and sandals to walk around in. Of course, I also filled the hydration bladder with water and electrolyte powder.

One of the things that had annoyed me on my initial scouting ride is there seemed to be no way nicely cross Highway 11 – Sumas Way. On this attempt, I turned North after the Marshall Bike lanes ended and thought the map was showing me a secret trail. That ended up being a dead end, so I used the bridge over Old Yale.

After that, I had a pretty easy way into the downtown core, and I parked and locked my bike under the supervision of 3 upstanding Abbotsford citizens.

I grabbed lunch and a milkshake at BRGR BRGR.

I took the time to do a little shopping at the Spruce Collective – I grabbed an Abbotsford keychain, a magnetic poetry kit and some post-cards (I’ve taken up post-card writing as a little hobby – old school correspondence for the win!).

The ride home was tedious, not only because I crossed Hwy 11 the hard way (dismounting and crossing a multi-lane roadway as a pedestrian), but also because it was a net uphill, and my hydration supply had gotten luke warm in the summer heat.

Still, I’m proud of the accomplishment, and had a nice little excursion.