Category: outdoor adventures

The other side of paradise.

~ Lkvy ~ Leave a comment

Yann has explained his kettlelessness. He generously donated his kettle to the bike shop and has been boiling water in a pot on the stove ever since. He also said that he’d found that railroad spike while bushwhacking between logging roads. I hope that his next found treasure will be something a bit more useful, like a kettle.

There is somebody on his floor with a sign on their door that reads “Paradise.” The word is glittery and backed by flamingos.

Could paradise exist in this 70s-era low-rise residential building? Why not?! The lobby has a full wall of mirrors on one side that arbitrarily corrugates into the corner. Fun!

The seating area is behind the partition wall. It features a pleather—short for pleasure leather—loveseat and a particleboard coffee table adorned with a pot of plastic foliage.

But wait, elegance doesn’t stop there! Two tall side tables flank the entrance, holding more fake plants, an empty vase, and a bowl of decorative spheres. Who was the first person to think to glue stuff to balls and sell them as home decor? And did they get rich off this idea?

The glitz and glamour extend all the way to the back of the lobby, where an inoffensive abstract print hangs over yet another ledge supporting a pot of fake plants, garnished by a lone pinecone.

This is paradise as managed by CAPREIT.

While I don’t personally find the building all that inspiring, Yann’s suite has positives. For starters, the cats live there. It’s also nice to have immediate access to scalding hot water instead of waiting 30 seconds to wash my hands with tepid water like at home. One of the items Yann has found for free (albeit not while bushwhacking) is an obscenely large tv which he has mounted on swing-out brackets. On it, I have access to three streaming services, which, honestly, overwhelms me since it’s been over a year since I’ve subscribed to any streaming service. That said, I’ve discovered the serenity that is the Ambient Expiration YouTube channel. It’s the deaf version of background music.

Currently, I am enjoying a rainy hike through the Kodama Moss Forest in Yakushima, Japan. Now that’s my idea of paradise.

While visions of Japan play in the background, I shall resume my recap of my adventures in Slovenia! Two months ago, our group headed to Nova Gorica, which loosely translates to “new hill.” This long overdue post is about our journey to that new hill.

Continue reading “The other side of paradise.” →

The resurrection of summer.

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The expiration of summer on September 1st turned out to be a false alarm. I had Labour Day off like most people, but because I work Sundays, it didn’t translate into four consecutive days off work. To my luck, a planned power outage at my workplace closed the bike shop on Wednesday. That turn of events gave me the four-day break I’d almost been cheated out of.

Last week, I removed the cargo cages from my fork and swapped out the SPD pedals for flats. I reversed my decision on Tuesday afternoon, intending to head out to one of the Gulf Islands for my second ever solo overnighter.

Actually, I first asked Alexa, who’d recently become quasi self-employed, if she was interested in joining me for a last-minute adventure. As it turned out, she and Daniel had also made the last-minute decision to head to one of the Gulf Islands for some two-wheeled adventuring and had no desire for a third wheel. Fair. Only, it meant I had to rule Pender Island out as a possibility because even if I went on my own, our paths would definitely cross. To avoid this awkwardness, I chose Galiano Island.

I’d already done two cycling trips on Galiano Island, including that foggy January overnighter where I ended up pitching my tent in the darkness. The island is a long, skinny strip of land; the first provincial campground, Montague Harbour, is located 1/3rds of the way up the island from the Sturdies Bay ferry terminal. The other campground, Dionisio Point, is at the far tip of the island and is supposedly accessible only by boat.

The ferry ride to Sturdies Bay.

I knew Yann and Burger had managed to get there by bike several times, and a colleague, Rory, was just there last weekend. To get there by bike merely requires some light trespassing. “There is a gate that blocks off the road. Just go around it,” instructed Burger.

Continue reading “The resurrection of summer.” →

Getting pegged.

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In addition to skinning my knee, I set a new personal record on Sunday. Yesterday, I managed just 3,756 steps, which is kind of a lot considering how much my knee swelled up on Sunday night. I’d underestimated how much damage my knee took when I went down and have since been splitting my time between icing my knee and hobbling around. Today was a 6,400-limp kinda day that involved getting buns from the supermarket.

Leave it up to me to blog about buns:

Great for sandwiches and burgers? As opposed to what? Knee protection?

Exponentially–and optimistically–speaking, should I continue to improve at this rate, I’ll be ready for another half-marathon by Wednesday.

Realistically, I’ll take Zoée’s suggestion to plunge into the trove of my arts-and-crafts supplies and inch my way towards the completion of my Slovenia trip recap. I last left off at the end of Day 4: the group’s reunion with Fatema in Bovec.

Continue reading “Getting pegged.” →

It’s time to think about the Roman Empire.

~ Lkvy ~ 1 Comment

Deaf people can do anything except hear.

…or stay upright while running. I stepped on a ghost skateboard at the 18.5km mark and ate shit in front of someone’s driveway. By ghost skateboard, I mean I don’t know what exactly took me down. General incompetence? I’m enjoying the attention I’m getting on Strava right now, though.

However, I did not appreciate the woman in a red blazer and Sally Jessy glasses who emerged from a driveway to wave me down, probably to talk to me about Jesus. I was just five minutes away from home, and I am certain she did not even notice that I was bleeding. Nah, I am not stopping for Jesus: I need an ice pack. Driveways were unkind to me today.

Today’s post isn’t about running or going down; instead, I’m taking a trip back in time to discuss going up, and on a bicycle.

Continue reading “It’s time to think about the Roman Empire.” →

Going pear-shaped.

~ Lkvy ~ 1 Comment

There hasn’t been much of a lull in my summer, leaving me with little time to finish the Slovenian Chronicles. When I’m not working, riding, or running, I’m getting sidetracked by inconsequential mysteries, such as a pile of pears.

Exhibit A:

Without a single pear tree nearby and the nearest source of pears being the supermarket at the other end of the parking lot, I had to wonder how this pile of pears came to be. It’s been consuming me. Do we have a pear stealing whore in our midst? What’s the story here?

And…

Exhibit B:

I’ve also been reading an actual story. Ed, who has been anxiously awaiting my recaps of our time in Slovenia, clearly did not think through the consequences of suggesting such a riveting read.

Wavewalker is a true tale about a couple who refused to let parenthood hold them back from achieving their bizarre dream of following Captain Cook’s third voyage around the world. Oddly specific. Although the kids came along, they ditched the family dog in England. To pursue this adventure, they sold nearly everything they owned to buy a 23m-long wooden schooner, which became their home for the next decade.

A year into their voyage, while sailing the southern Indian Ocean, 50-foot waves driven by hurricane-force winds pinballed the family around in the boat’s cabin. The vessel almost sank, and the author, then just 7 years old, suffered a fractured skull. Despite this close call, Captain Papa’s resilience was praised by the press, and the journey was celebrated by the public and media.

Captain Papa didn’t even know how to swim!

Secondhand rage towards the author’s parents aside, I’m really enjoying the book. What can I say? Boat stories float my boat.

You know what else involves boats? Lake Bled.

Continue reading “Going pear-shaped.” →