For love and cycling

Yesterday was a pretty special day. My husband, Chris, and I celebrated our seventh wedding anniversary. It really is hard to believe it's been so many years since we said "I do" in Guelph, ON, and how much we really have done in such a short time. 


Being pretty passionate about riding our bikes, Chris and I started incorporating them into our anniversary celebrations 2 years ago. This year was no exception. After taking in The Dark Night Rises, which was fantastic, we head out on our bikes over to Olympic Village. There we tested out the new restaurant, Tap and Barrel. I decided a nice glass of red was in order, and was more than pleasantly surprised. Everything there is local, and they're also trying something new with the wine. Instead of buying it bottled, the owners of Tap and Barrel have decided to get their wine in the barrel, and serve wine directly from them. This apparently minimizes the oxidization, and in my opinion, produces a great tasting wine!

A flavourful red for the lady and a tasty
beer for the gentleman.

Our bikes relaxing with BC Place in the background

After a couple drinks and appies, it was time to head home. Once again, we enjoyed a nice, leisurely night ride home. We chatted about life, how far we've come since our wedding day, and planned some adventures for the future. Overall, it was a great way to celebrate our lives together, with a beautiful city as the backdrop and a couple of bikes as our transportation.

Party under the stars

Riding down the Windsor bikeway,
kids in tow

Last night we had the exciting privilege of joining some of our friends for a random night party near the Fraser River. Away from the residential areas, nestled between the river and darkened offices and industrial buildings is an unlabelled park, which became our own little musical hideaway for the evening. The family and I packed up our gear, including our portable BBQ, and took the 12 km trek on bike South to the river. I've done this ride only once before, when we went to the Richmond Night Market, and have to admit that it's pretty cool to cycle along the empty Kent Road Cycle path amidst old train tracks, trailers and closed factories. The only trouble is doing the immense climb North when the evening comes to a close, but I'll get to that later.

The view of the North Arm Bridge, the skytrain, cycle and
pedestrian bridge crossing the Fraser River

Our DJ's for the evening

So, as everyone arrived, under the growing cover of darkness, we began to set up. The BBQ cooked up some food for anyone looking to satisfy a late night appetite, others set blankets and caught up after a busy work week, meanwhile some of our friends set up a generator powered sound system and projector to provide us with some excellent music and entertainment for the night. Excited by all the people, it took a while for our kids to fall asleep, finally nodding off close to 10:30pm in our trusty trailer.

The night view of the North Arm Bridge
reflecting on the river water

It was such a casual gathering, everyone just having a relaxed, social evening, and exactly what we needed. As much as we enjoy all our usual activities from Whitecaps games, trips to the splash park, and cycling along the seawall, getting to be a part of these simple get togethers makes living in Vancouver all the better. It gives us the opportunity to really catch up, and also to allow our children to experience the excitement of being out in the city after dark, seeing the stars and watching parts of the city light up. Plus, what kid doesn't like knowing that they've been allowed to stay up way past their bedtime to hang out with the grown-ups?

Our sleeping children in the
family station wagon
on the way home.

As our energy started to dwindle, Chris and I were faced with how to get home with my hauling 100lbs in our trailer. Well, thanks to the still new Canada Line, we "cheated", or at least what we call cheating, and we took the relatively flat ride to the Marine Drive Skytrain station, and caught a ride up to City Hall Station and the 10th Ave Bikeway, to ride the rest of the way home. It was a nice, quiet ride home, being passed only by the occasional rider on their way home from their own parties or the beach. I've said it before, but I love night riding. It's so calm, quiet and free of the car/cyclist conflicts that can exist in the daytime, and is the perfect way to end a unique but fantastic evening!

My kind of drive-in

With the excitement of the summer starting to wane now that we've settled into a routine, this week seems to be a bit quieter than last. Spending the morning having "home school", as the kids call it, and then heading out to one of the local parks in the afternoon seems to be our set schedule, and no one in my home is complaining about it. 

Riding with the kids all set in their
PJ's for a late night

However, never being one to settle for routine, I suggested last minute that the family head to Stanley Park Second Beach for the Fresh Air Cinema and a screening of one of my favourite comedies, Zoolander. For those of you unfamiliar with the Fresh Air Cinema, it is something run every year where movies are shown on a giant screen in parks in and around Vancouver and greater BC. Best of all, they are completely free! So, after dinner, Chris and I hopped on our bikes, kids nestled in the trailer in their PJ's, and we took the journey through Strathcona and along the Seawall to Second Beach. It was a full house, with people scrambling for space to sit before dusk and the start of the film. Amazingly, both our children stayed awake for the entire movie, catching on to none of the jokes, but loving our idea of a "drive-in", and, of course, getting to stay up way past bedtime. Coralie has already made plans for our next outdoor movie night, including Labyrinth in August, and all the awesomeness that is David Bowie. What can I say, she's got good taste!

The view along the journey to Second Beach...spectacular!

My kind of Drive-In

Sunset date for our bikes

For me, while the notion of cycling to an outdoor movie as a family is a fantastic way to spend an evening, the highlight for me is the ride home. As many young families know, it is incredibly difficult to get any time off without the children, especially when you're on a budget. So the quiet ride home with the kids sleeping in the trailer is pretty spectacular. Chris and I get to ride side by side and talk about our days, enjoy a slow, peaceful night ride, and have a bit of a mini-date. We have been known to go on bike dates, simply riding around the city together, so these moment are cherished, even if I am hauling 88lbs of sleeping children behind me. I would recommend to any other parents out there who enjoy a nice bike ride and haven't thought of riding together before to try it. Ride without a destination and enjoy the journey together. It really can be quite romantic, especially if you steal a few moments in a park or on the beach to watch the sunset!

One last thing, for anyone interested, I an hosting a family ride this Sunday, July 15th at 2pm leaving from Trout Lake and riding to the Athlete's Village. It will be a great way to meet other people and families on bikes and enjoy what should be a beautiful sunny ride through East Vancouver! More info: Velo Family Ride Facebook Event Page