Cycling up Cypress Mountain

Before the family woke up this morning...I was cycling up Cypress Mountain from Kits beach.  Now, most summers, I am typically in much better cycling shape.  Not this year.  We have been really focused on camping and climbing and just aren't getting out on the bikes as much.  But anyway....

For "off the couch"fitness, not to bad:

30 miles (3700 foot elevation gain) in 3 hours.

Was able to use a GREAT app called Cyclemter.  Get it if you have an iphone...Loved it.  It charts everything....and it's really easy to use.

Here's some route details (from memory) for all you who are interested and googling info and found this blog:

• Burrard bridge heading north-fairly easy and short
• Though downtown Vancouver - flat 
• Approaching Lions gate bridge - slog 
• Over Lions Gate Bridge - I was feeling a tad tired 
• Marine drive heading west - easy and fast 
• Heading north on 21st avenue - Major suck.  Major grade.  Major elevation.  hard
• Approaching Cypress Bowl road - slight incline but in the saddle 
• Heading up Cypress Mountain - 13km of 6-8% grade.  Sustained incline but can I could stay in the saddle without a triple crank set.
• Heading down Cypress Mountain - Fast @ 50kmh without peddling.  
• Heading down 22nd avenue - Steep.....do it slow as there is some neighborhood traffic
• Marine drive heading east - easy and slightly downhill 
• Approaching Lions Gate bridge - shorter than the opposite direction, but for some reason, it always burns me.  So I'll put it in the slog category.  
• Over Lions Gate bridge - fast all the way into downtown 
• Through downtown - flat, but watch for traffic 
• Burrard bridge heading south - a short little hill

all in all....a really good early morning!  

Hiking in the clouds

As I said, yesterday, we are playing catch up on this blog.  This was a couple weeks ago....but thought I'd at least make mention of it.  Dave and I went for a half-day into Vancouver's North Shore for a wee bit of hiking (Scottish accent).  We were in the clouds the whole time...and the only thing I remember about it was we had great conversation and laughs which make the overall experience, pleasant, given the conditions:  cold and wet.      

Dave....can you buy me one of those expensive jackets?

Dave.....can I have some more Cheetos?

Joe....can you make the sun come out?

these are good days...

Sabbath Rest

AHH YEAH. Monday's are the day we have sabbath. What's a "sabbath"? Sabbath is a day which is set aside for rest and reflection. We do it because we trust that God's instructions laid out in the Bible are worth obeying. It's a day which moves away from the normal routine in favor for a different rhythm... for us....that means a slower one. It's a chance to be together, to have a date night, and cease from work (creating). We LOVE Monday's. We have really come to believe that God uses Sabbath rest to help us reorient our lives to Him. Even though we are "in ministry"...it's so easy for us to just make what we do "a task to be accomplished". God reminds us that when we wake up on Mondays we "wake into a world we did not make, into a salvation we didn’t earn" (Working the Angles, Eugene Peterson).

So today, as most Monday's go...we did something like this:

- wake up late
- go for a walk
- have an extended devotion
- go for some java
- eat a simple lunch
- go do something fun
- go out for a date night during the evening
- go to bed early(ish)

Here are some pics from our sabbath day:

After our morning routine, we went to Cypress Park for a little bouldering session

cool eh?

Did a cool traverse at Cypress Park...V2 on slopers. Here's a lame video for ya

Heidi was bummed she didn't complete the problem but we had to remind ourselves....its not like shes operating at the "hard core" level, ya know

left....to go back to the car...and found...

A movie set. It's so crazy how you try to "get away"....and entertainment is never to far away

We still had fun!

then...like after all good bouldering sessions...we went for coffee and book time. We're readin' this new book called "Chasing Waves". It's really good, so far.

just in time for the rain to start...ahh yeah

Snowshoeing - Cypress - Black Mountain

Our objective was Black Mountain which is out of Cypress Park. It had just dumped fresh powder so we needed to get out! The team was joe, heidi, dave, and dan. Here, dan is getting ready for the day

A beautiful day with lots of people heading to the ski hill

We were in fresh powder most of the way, making first tracks

Heidi was knee deep!

On the summit of Black Mountain

We are heading back...Dan breaking trail, David following, Heidi and then Joe

David got got lost in the trees. Because the trail was poorly marked, and there was so much fresh powder...there were a couple of times we got of track. oops.

Heidi is having fun!

The end...for now :)