I Like to Ride my Bicycle

Hello again from Canada!

I'm squeezing in this blog entry before heading out to the Victoria Seals game. I wanted to tell all of you about what has happened so far today.

I woke up very early and rode my bike down into Downtown Vancouver. Let me tell you, riding a bike in a big city is a trip. You've gotta keep your wits about you at all times because so many unpredictable things can happen. With that being said, I must say that riding in Vancouver is a lot of fun. The city is engineered perfectly for bicycles with bike lanes everywhere.

As many of you know, Vancouver is the host city for the 2010 Winter Olympics. As a result, much of the city is under a lot of construction and they are working very hard in keeping the city beautiful. I took some pictures out in front of the Olympic countdown clock in Downtown.

What amazes me the most is the city planning of Vancouver. All right, I'm going to put on my PPPM hat here. Vancouver downtown is full of high-rise apartment and condos making the density downtown very high. There are a ton of people walking and biking downtown. It reminded me a lot of New York City.

After riding around downtown for a bit, I went and traversed the seawall in Stanley Park. A lot of people said that this was the main attraction for visitors to Vancouver, and I would have to agree. The bike path is on the seawall that encircles the park. Along the way, there are stunning mountain and harbor views, sandy beaches, and dense forests. It took me about a full hour to ride the whole thing.

Then the real fun began. I had to take a number of buses and ferries to get here to Victoria. I was really worried that I would not be able to get my bike around, buses wouldn't exist, etc. I was dead wrong. I made all my transfers and got here to Victoria without a hitch.

The ferry ride from Tsawwassen (about 30 miles south of Vancouver) to Swartz Bay (about 30 miles north of Victoria) took about 90 minutes. The views from the ferry are extraordinary. The scenery reminds me of driving across the mountains in Oregon. All the green from the trees and the mountains are beautiful.

After taking the bus from the ferry terminal at Swartz Bay to Victoria, I took a tour of the British Columbia Parliament Building. I thought it would be good to understand how a Constitutional Monarchy works before engaging full-fledged into politics. What really strikes me as significant is Canada's and British Columbia's continued deference to the British Royalty. It seemed that every post in the government needs "Royal" approval. Why hasn't Canada evolved to self-governance apart from Britain?

All right, I'm now packing stuff up to head off to Royal Athletic Park. I'll update after the game.

Always take on a 3-0 pitch ;)