|
The Red Lobster Journal for 2003
AGM, A Spring Ski in Jasper, Mountain Biking in the Rockies,
Jasper to Lake Louise and Back on a Bike, Randy's Cycle Tour of Wales, Mt. Slesse
The January AGM
The Red Lobster Annual General Meeting - January 2003 - We induct a new member.Bob Cuthbert, Ken Willis, Chuck McCafferty, Randy Wheating, Ryan Shellborn, Keith Rajala, and the new Lobster, Dave Dixon survived another AGM up on the western flanks of the Three Brothers. When has there been so much laughing, other than the last AGM? Thanks to the people and culture of Scotland, Red Green, and Christmas leftovers, but most of all, good friends. :-) Enjoy the writing of Lobster Chuck...
 |
It is often said that "any club that would have me as a member, I wouldn't wish to join". However, it wasn't Dave who said it. It is also often said that the older one gets, the more cranky and hidebound one becomes. That is undoubtedly true as many a question of valid initiation and prerequisite accomplishments were bantered about prior to the inclusion of Dave into membership of the Red Lobster Outdoor (and Indoor if it is Lousy Out) Club.
The "pro" list. Dave knew a couple of lobsters. He had been on a long Lobster cycle tour. He drank scotch. And, he was spending the night in a tent in the winter with us.
|
|
|
|
| The "con" list. Dave knew a couple of lobsters. He had not climbed anything higher than the ladder with which he cleaned gutters (and that has not yet been verified). He had to walk to get to the tents for the winter camping (a much tougher task, some might suggest).
In the final analysis, (and perhaps sadly) the fact that he drank scotch won out. (Those who still question Dale's membership on that qualification will lift an eyebrow here.)
Conditions, while not ideal, were much better than on many of the trips to the Cambie Creek ski area. The snow allowed for easy ascent to the tent sites. Randy and Ryan had been in for a day or two and we knew as we slogged along that there would be a warm drink and friendly greeting.
As bodies drifted into the rhythm of each skier's comfort level and thoughts turned inward, we spread along the trail in pairs. Chuck and Ken moved slowly ahead as Keith lingered to be sure that Dave's bearpaw snowshoes held up as he dragged the sled containing his home for the night. It can be a very peaceful and introspective time skiing along a wintry trail with the knowledge that friends are not far off. It can be the nicest time of a trip into the mountains in the winter.
At the usual lunch spot we reassembled and munched on sandwiches, trail mix and drinks. As Ken and Chuck had been there for a time before the others arrived, they started off for the final ski up to the tenting spot. They worked up the trail and before long heard the familiar "Koo Loo Ku Ku" a-la Bob and Doug McKenzie as they arrived at camp to a waiting cup of hot coffee.
Randy, Ryan and Bob (we weren't sure if Bob would be able to attend ... being from the frozen east and all) had set up their tents and had flattened a couple of spots for our two tents as well.
After a while, Dave and Keith arrived. Dave looked somewhat like a deer in the headlights as this was his first winter camping trip. However he had been well outfitted by his friends and was in for an fun-filled evening of wondrous foods, entertaining games like Tequila Pigs, and tall tales. As well, there were bad jokes and readings from Red Green, which, when added to the ubiquitous sips of scotch, had us in stitches for much of the evening. We had long ago realized that the pipe and cigar smoking needed to be in the fresh air outside the tents and so as the night wore on, Lobsters aglow with good times (and did I mention scotch?) quietly slipped off to their tents one by one for a good night's sleep.
|
|
|
| It is said that "the whole is greater than the sum of its parts". Each year that truism is validated by the Red Lobster AGM --- a bunch of aging gentlemen out to play in the woods in the winter. It was a beer company that made the phrase "it doesn't get any better than this" famous. They haven't been on a Red Lobster AGM. |
|
Thanks to Chuck for his account of the trip.
|
|
| |
A Spring Break Ski Trip to Jasper
|
|
 |
On spring break, Ken Willis, Chris Cooper, and I travelled up to Jasper for a ski. In the previous weeks, it had been very cold. Bob Cuthbert had skied into the Amethyst Lake area a few weeks earlier, and had found it extremely cold. By the time we got to Jasper, it was spring like in the valley bottoms, so we went up to the Bald Hills area just west of Maligne Lake. the picture above are four frames out of the video I made of the trip.
With stops at the Willis cabin on Sheridan Lake, and a drive down to the icefields, and a hot tub at the Tonquin Inn, it was a trip worth repeating :-)
|
|
|
| |
Mountain Biking in the Rockies With Lynn
|
|
| After a computer conference in Seattle, Lynn and I packed up the van and headed for the Rockies for some R & R. We headed first to Peter Lougheed Park in Kananaskis Country and spent three days cycling some of the trails there, ending with a loop which included the Terrace Trail. This included a fairly long section of single track and we were rewarded at the end of it by the ice cream store at Kananaskis Village!
We then moved on to Lake Louise where we did the Pipestone trail: a friendly double track through the trees and a fun downhill run back to the highway.
Jasper was our next stop. We did trail number 7: a long loop starting at Old Fort Point and going along the Athabaska River. It then climbs up Maligne Canyon to the restaurant :-) and then goes back on a single track, skirting the southern edge of the golf course and ending back where you started. It was about 25 km in all. Some of it was challenging , but most of it was quite easy and friendly.
The picture to the left shows the section climbing up the lower section of Maligne Canyon.
|
|
|
|
Dave Dixon, Chuck McCafferty, and Keith Rajala headed off for the cycle trip that was snowed out last summer. We blasted up to Jasper and struck out the next morning for another adventure. Click here for the distances covered. Thanks to Ken for the data.
Waiting for Dave to have his tire fixed in Jasper
I think this ride is my favourite bike tour. The distances between where we have stopped for the night is very reasonable, the paved shoulder is wide, the traffic is very light early in the morning, and the scenery is spectacular.
About ten kilometers short of the Endless Chain Dining Room at the Sunwapta Falls Resort, Dave broke a spoke and found out the replacements were the wrong size. We decided the best thing to do was for him to hitch hike back to Jasper, have it fixed, and get some extra proper spokes. While he did that, Chuck and I tried our best to find some shade. This is one of the things about rides like this - they are adventures of sorts and you never know quite what is going to happen. I think that is partly why they are attractive. They are adventures with Visa cards in your wallet!
|
|
Michael and Regulla from Switzerland.
After getting his bike back on the road, we peddled off for a well earned late lunch. By the time we got to the Jonas Creek campsite, all the campsites seemed to be taken, but the couple on a tandem bike invited us to camp with them. They were a couple from Switzerland who were on a round the world tour. Check out their website. We had them phone us when they finally got to Horseshoe Bay and we hosted them for a couple of days. We really enjoyed their company.
|
The Sunwapta River in the cold still morning air
One of the joys of the Parkway is early mornings. There is virtually no traffic, the air is cold, and it is very very quiet. It was about twenty-five kilometers to the Parkway Center and breakfast.
|
 |
We got to the Icefield Center and looked forward to coffee and a hot breakfast. Unfortunately we couldn't get into the dining room and had to settle on the buffet. It was still welcomed though. The climbing was over for the day and it was only early morning!
The picture is looking up the Athabasca glacier and the Columbia Icefields beyond.
|
 |
Sunwapta Pass is 2027 m (6650 ft) and marks the beginning of a screamer of a hill down to the Saskatchewan River. We were headed to "The Crossing Resort" for a room, shower, laundry, and their pub that has a self self buffalo burger barbecue! |
|
|
| After enjoying the benefits of the "The Crossing", we waited for them to serve breakfast at the buffet before we headed out. I enjoyed the hot coffee and food, but it meant that we did the climb up to Bow Summit close to noon in the heat. I did not enjoy that! It would have been far better for my Scandinavian genes to have started as soon as it was light to see the road and do the climb in cooler air. Oh well. Next time! |
|
|
| The picture is taken on our way back from Lake Louise at Waterfowl Lake. We were headed back to the motel at "The Crossing" and a cold beer in the pub. The next day we started out in the very very early morning and enjoyed a very quiet road. We even witnessed a huge rock fall from a mountain across the valley to the east. A large brown cloud wafted up from it after the noise subsided. We even saw a couple of bear that morning. They seemed very bored at having to view more tourists. That was fine by me. We had a very leisurely late breakfast at the Icefield Center and did a slow pedal to the Jonas Creek campsite.
|
Chuck relaxing in Jonas Creek
|
|
The last day of our cycle we did the twenty odd kilometers to the Sunwapta Falls Resort for a delicious breakfast and a mainly downhill cruise back to Jasper. We made use of the community center for a shower and then drove home. A great trip with good friends.
|
A Table of Daily Distances
|
| |
Randy Does a Cycle Tour of Wales
May 28 to June14, 2003
Brothers Rob and Dave Ungless and I met at YVR for our 1:00 pm for flight to the UK. Rob provided a little excitement when he produced his expired passport at the ticket desk. Fortunately his Dad was able to deliver the current one just in time for him to board. After an uneventful flight we landed at Heathrow airport at 6:30 a.m. local time. With boxed bikes and panniers we hopped onto the Heathrow express train that delivered us to Paddington rail station (15 minutes) in time to purchase tickets and board the 8:00 train to Cardiff, Wales.
Arrived at Cardiff station around 10:00 a.m. where we spent and hour or so assembling and loading our bikes. We set up our first camp in a lovely little campground near the grassing commons a short distance from downtown Cardiff. Spend remainder of day exploring the city and castle, buying groceries and trying to stay awake.
Over the next six days we cycled 261 miles, roughly northwest, across Wales from Cardiff to Holyhead. For the most part we followed the National Cycling Network (NCN) route number 8, know as the Lon Pas Cymru (Greenways of Wales). NCN has created a system of cycle routes throughout the UK that utilize traffic free paths (canal paths, rail trails, etc.) or quiet, low traffic routes whereas possible. The routes are well signed and the excellent accompanying NCN maps indicated sights, shops, campgrounds, etc.) Ironically, the NCN signs were most useful when negotiating through the few urban areas we encountered.
This route is fairly hilly with some grades over 15%. We were spoiled in the variety of the scenery on route - the postcard perfect type farmland within Brecon Beacons National Park in the south, hilly mid Wales with windy barren ridges, dark conifer forests, old slate mines, and nice runs along the seaside holiday towns of Cardigan Bay. We spent half a day and a night at of Caernarfon, exploring the town and castle.
We camped every night and found the campgrounds ranged from large ‘Carry on Camping’ type caravan parks to little extensions added onto a farmer’s field. Pubs and restaurant meals were generally good but more costly than at home. Taking turns on the single burner ‘Hob’ we produced some excellent dinners such as pasta, canned curried chicken with rice and fresh lamb with potatoes. For lunch we would often seek out bakeries for their selections of meat pies.
|
|
Wales is very green (i.e. rainy) but the only truly rainy day was our last leg as we cycled into Holyhead. Our original plan was to take the ferry from Holyhead to Ireland, cycle south to Rosslare, hop a ferry back to southwest Wales before cycling east back to Carrdiff. Due to the deteriorating weather in the north we altered our plans and hopped a train from Holyhead south to Bristol where we spent the night in a B&B. The next day we boarded a train for Swansea and by noon were cycling westward on the NCN route number 4. Four days and 142 miles later we reached the western most point of Wales, the town of Fishguard. Along the south coast we cycled through windy beach and headland sections of the Pembrokeshire Coast National Park. Visited the cathedral town of St David’s and ended up spending two nights in the fantastic Pwll Deri Hostel perched on the sea cliffs within the park. For a change of pace we spent a full day hiking along the famous Pembrokeshire long distance coastal footpath.
Dave and Rob hopped a train back to Bristol where they cycled the NCN Route number 4 via Bath to Swindon where they caught another train into London for a few days of sight seeing. I traveled by train back to Cardiff where I spent two nights. Cycled to the town of Caerphilly to view the excellent castle there. Next I caught a quick train ride to Bristol where I followed Dave and Rob (NCN 4) to Bath where I stayed in the backpackers hostel for two nights. Spent my last full day cycling 50 miles along the spectacular Kennet and Avon cycle path.
Total Cycling Distance 525 miles.
Randy
Summary:
- Excellent cycle touring – not huge distance days due to hilly nature of the routes and high concentration of things to stop and experience.
- Excellent Sustran routes with signs and maps that made the trip feel at times like a rally or scavenger hunt (spot the signs!)
- Rob and Dave were energetic and thoroughly enjoyable cycling companions who always waited for me at the tops of the many hills and did magic things with a one burner camp stove!
- Highly recommended.
|
|
|
|
"Operating on flight 810(-9) from Vancouver to Toronto via Calgary, the Argonaut departed Vancouver in darkness at 18:10L and climbed to it en-route altitude of 16.000 ft. when it encountered severe icing conditions associated with moderate to heavy turbulence. The aircraft climbed further to 21.000 ft. and suffered a fire in engine #2. the pilots radioed that flight 810 will turn back to Vancouver via Cultus and Abbotsford. A few minutes later, the crew reported their inability to maintain height and began to descend. ATC further cleared the aircraft to 8.000 ft. minimum. From this point nothing more was heared from the aircraft. On May 12 the following year, mountaineers discovered the scattered wreckage of the Argonaut on Mt. Slesse at 7.600 ft., about 120 km east of Vancouver airport. There were no survivors. It is believed that severe icing in combination with an engine failure made it impossible for the pilots to maintain minimum safe altitude to clear mountainous terrain."
- http://www.jacdec.de/Air%20Canada.htm
This memorial plaque can be reached in an easy two hour walk up the well maintained trail from Nesakwatch Creek. You can continue up the trail to the propeller in another two hours. (left hand edge of the picture)
|
|
|
This picture is a combination of pictures. On the left is Alan Lizee standing next to a propeller blade from the fateful airplane. It crashed near the left edge of the skyline. The imposing east face of Slesse is above his head, looking far more minor than it really is.
|
|
|
|
|
