Look Carefully...

Recently, my husband has taken to going out of his way on his bike to take photos of the random street art that keeps popping up around Vancouver. The thing that makes many of them special is that they are generally off the beaten track, and would likely go unnoticed were it not for the fact that he, and many other people, are walking or biking past these images at a leisurely pace, taking in his surroundings.

To me, this is one of just a plethora of benefits of riding a bike as a means of transportation. Riding around the city allows my family and I the opportunity to really take in the world around us, and allows us to be fortunate enough to experience our city more intimately. Whether it's the nature around us, images we see along the way, or just the sheer joy my youngest expresses as we coast down a hill, I am forever grateful for the path we've chosen.

Here's a sampling of some of the photos my husband has taken. If you live in Vancouver, try to get out and see them before they are washed away.

10th Ave bikeway and Main St @ Exhibit Menswear 

Under the Cambie Bridge along the Seawall -
sadly it has been washed away, but I will still smile because I saw it 

Along Main St @ Helen's Grill

Main St @ Shaktea

Downtown @ Bangtown Hair

Main St @ The Whip

Seawall @ Science World 

South Fraser @ Pita House Restaurant

Main St @ Pho Hoang Restaurant

Main St @ Slickety Jim's

Photos by: Chris Bruntlett (twitter & instagram - cbruntlett)

It's Fall and the Sun's Out...Let's go For a Ride!

It has been a wet week here in Vancouver, culminating with a heavy downpour most of the day Saturday. So when we woke up Sunday morning to find the sun shining, there wasn't a doubt in our minds that we were heading out for a bike ride. With Coralie on her own bike and Etienne on his trail-a-bike for the first time since Chris bought his new bike in September, we set out for a seawall ride. It's a familiar route, and one we've done more times than we can count. What made it special, aside from getting outdoors after all the rain, was all the little surprises we had along the way. Here's a snapshot of our sunny, fall ride in Vancouver! Photos by Chris Bruntlett (twitter and instagram: @cbruntlett)

Waiting for the light at Union and Gore

Heading into downtown over the Dunsmuir Viaduct

Image of the wraparound text at the
Fairmont Pacific Rim by Brit Liam Gillick

Beautiful Fall colours along the seawall in Coal Harbour

A family of raccoons were exploring near the  Lost Lagoon at Stanley Park.
This one stuck around for a picture.

Making our way East from Stanley Park

Riding past English Bay and the surprisingly calm waters

Etienne and I along the Yaletown Seawall

Hidden street art under the Cambie Bridge,
with a special message we should remember

The perfect way to end a ride - warm focaccia and a
Vanilla Latte in Olympic Village

New friends in a beautiful city

Our mighty group of riders

Today marked the first of what I hope will be many Velo Family Diaries' group rides. We had some old and some new friends join us on a 5.5 km ride from Trout Lake through East Vancouver to Southeast False Creek Olympic Plaza in the Olympic Village. Luckily, the first rain in two weeks held out for the early afternoon and we were on our way! Riders today were as young as two years old, and it was an exciting trip as a small but enthusiastic group.

Coralie leading the way out of Trout Lake

Coralie making new friends with Lisa of The Sprog

Meet Diane, our small but mighty rider!

We travelled along the Tenth Avenue Bikeway, which is a beautiful ride along a thickly treed street, which provides a very peaceful and safe ride for even our youngest of riders. One in particular was young Diane, who was riding her first bike, still with training wheels. I think she surprised all of us, including her proud dad, as her little legs pedalled fast to keep up with the group, even in the more hilly areas!

Beautiful street art on St. George Street

To make our way down to the Olympic Village, we headed down St. George Street, at the recommendation of our new friend, Lisa (@blauelibelle), writer for the blog The Sprog, and my friend, Shahira, who lives in that area. She and her neighbours got together and created a beautiful piece of public art right on the street, which put smiles on everyone's faces. The project reminded my husband of an article he read about DIY street calming measures in the LA Times, and I think this is a fantastic way to calm streets while also adding beauty and colour to a neighbourhood. All us riders couldn't help but follow the artwork as it weaved across the road!

Following the path of the artwork

Nearly to our destination...what a great
start to new tradition!

Once we reached our destination, it was wonderful to sit and share stories with our new friends, some about cycling, some about our children and living in the city and getting around with them. It's always nice to expand your community and meet people who have many of the same experiences as you. I am also very proud of the children on the ride, whether they cycled on their own or with mom or dad. I feel very strongly that the best way to promote bikes as a normal mode of transportation is to show positive images of our next generation using them to enjoy a journey throughout the city. As we get older, many of us forget the pure joy of riding a bike, and hearing their excitement, including Coralie shouting "This is totally awesome!" as we coasted down one of the hills reminds me that riding a bike is simply fun and gives everyone, no matter their age or ability, true independence.