Monday, February 25, 2013

A Beautiful Day on the Coast

Last week I renewed my bike insurance.   It rained all week and for some reason Saturday was sunny and fairly warm for this time of year, if you can call 8°c a warm day.   I suppose if you compare it with the snow, ice and minus temperatures back in Eastern Canada, we are lucky

Although I managed to go out for a short ride and sit on a bench to relax, it wasn't as idyllic as you would believe this scene was

    False Creek, Sea wall walk

It was peaceful, a little cool but it was nice to just sit and watch the world go by.  There does not seem too many people are walking around today but it was okay with me to spend some time by myself thinking how nice it was being alive and breathing in the fresh air


While I am looking completely relaxed it is not easy to release my bike from its hiding place, thus often I just decide that it's not worth the effort to "dig" it out and thus just use my commuter car.  Before our construction project we had a double carport.   Now I have to share our single carport with other construction supplies and tools


I have to cover my bikes to keep the dust off and a couple of days ago they put those metal pieces there to block my exit.   They were fairly heavy and without gloves I tried to move them out of the way and slit my finger on the sharp edges.  Those are construction tools on the right side


I didn't feel it at the time but I got blood everywhere and I couldn't get it to stop bleeding.   The last couple of times I used my bike I was able to use the narrow driveway and get out to our lane.  But a couple of weeks ago they put scaffolding there


I thought that if the aisleway were wide enough I could squeeze my bike out and try to move that toilet out of the way, so with a tape measure in hand I went to measure the width


Nope !  it was 4 inches too narrow.   They have to finish something on the roof and I hope they do it soon because when the scaffold is removed, then I will be able to get my bike in and out whenever I want with less difficulty


On the other side of the lot, we have another gate but with all that sand and the cement forms, and the top heavy weight of my V-strom I didn't want to attempt it, so now my only option is to use our narrow walkway


Everything is prepped for the arrival of the cement so there is a rebar grid which I would have to ride over.  They have delayed the cement because it is raining too hard and they are waiting for drier weather which will be another week, as we are forecast to get rain for the next 5 days.  A couple of weeks ago it was dry but with frost in the evenings they said it was too cold

I spent some time surveying my situation so I sat down for a while to ponder my decision.  Imagine: a perfect day for riding . . .  if only I could get my bike out


You won't believe that I spent nearly an hour walking around and checking the dirt for leftover nails.  I have picked up quite a few nails and screws as I don't need the anguish of a flat tire.   Eventually I decide to GO FOR IT . . .


I did a 12 point turn to get my V-strom turned around


and into exit position and I start the engine to get it warmed up.    I cannot push it over the rebar and then up the incline at the other end.  I need help from the engine . . .


My gate is a bit wider than the old one but it is still a tight fit to get out


I get home around mid afternoon as I had to go out for a Club Dinner and then I am faced with putting my bike back into its hiding place


Before they removed my old sidewalk I used to just roll my bike down the cement incline.  Today I had to leave the engine on and ride it over the rebar, and then up the 2" lip at the other end


I nearly lost my footing as you have to step between the rebar to get a secure footing, and don't forget that I am feathering my clutch and rolling using engine power


Once the cement is poured I think I will be able to just push my bike along which will be much safer


I manage to maneuver to my parking spot, attach my cable locks, battery tender and proceed to install my bike cover


Sometimes it takes a while because you have to make sure you don't get it backwards.  It is hard to find the front


I manage to get the cover on, but I must secure the nylon strap to the ring on the other side.   This keeps the cover from lifting off during windy days


There you have it.  It's a pain in the neck for me to access my bike and lately its just been easier to take the car.   Things will change for the better after the cement is poured or the scaffold is removed


24 comments:

  1. Oh for goodness sake.... put some shoes on! You're making my feet cold just looking at that! LOL!!! I see the work is still progressing. It will be nice to have that all done!!

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    1. Erik:

      I wished I had your radiant in-floor cement heat. I'm pushing the season a bit, not quite Spring yet but soon shorts and T-shirt weather. I was just trying to make you jealous. No snow or ice out here.

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  2. I think I would have negotiated with Mrs Skoot and parked the bike in the living room ;) You should be wearing your helmet when you are negotiating over the rebar & such, just incase you slip, you don't want to bump your noggin. How is the finger? Crazy glue works great for clean slices. (yup its okay to use it)

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    1. Dar:

      I had blood everywhere but eventually it stopped. Metal cuts are like razors. Re-bar on the other walkways are blocked and raised up a bit, but on the side it is just lying on the dirt. It's not easy to get my bike out. If the weather were better I would leave it on the street, but rain is forecast all week

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  3. Bob
    Some people buy adventure bikes to go adventure riding. Your backyard is the adventure you don't need to ride it anywhere it seems. Oh and what eric said, don't you have any feeling let in your feet?

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    1. Steve:

      You're right. We have sand everywhere and it's not easy to dig my bike out. Most of the time I just take the car as it's easier

      My feet were frozen as it was only around 3°c in the morning and they started to hurt and go numb. Plus I was walking on sand and gravel. I'm building up endurance and getting ready for Summer.

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  4. Bob, were you sitting on the bench trying to find your inner Zen self because I suggested it? I hope not. Otherwise I'll have to watch my tongue. On the other hand, you've made some modest and not so modest suggestions and I have felt compelled to follow them all.

    Glad you stopped the bleeding. The alternative isn't so good. Though please don't post bloody fingers and toes, I'm sure some of us got woozy.

    Nice the see the construction coming along. Though I think that Notre Dame de Paris, and the Taj Mahal took less time.

    I'm beginning to think that the interior must be palatial. You haven't got some Italian house painter lying on his back with tubes of paint do you?

    So many questions, so few answers.

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    1. David:

      Who said this ? ". . . You're from the west coast man... chill, savour the moment, relax, go sit on that bench under the Granville bridge, cross your legs, look at the condos without seeing them, breathe from your nose until you don't know you're breathing... now don't you feel better already? "

      I was just following instructions

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  5. I really like your vertical privacy fence. Very attractive.

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    1. Martha:

      thank you. The wood slats were our son's idea. We are only allowed to have a 6 ft fence but that side is higher than the rest of our yard. It does have a modern look about them

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    2. I can not believe I said "vertical". I meant horizontal. This stress is destroying my brain...

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  6. Bob

    12 point turn?

    Just pivot the machine on one leg of the centre stand - as long as you apply some backwards force the stand won't fold up and the bike can be swung around on a 6 pence!

    N from NW Technology Centre

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    1. Nikos:

      I exaggerated a bit. It was really only a 6 point turn as I don't have a lot of room to maneuver

      I don't want to dig into my cement pad using the side stand technique

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  7. PS

    here you go on the side stand:-

    http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uWWnf0niufk

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  8. Yeah....i think my bike would be sitting if I had to do all that just to get it on the street. Or I would be throwing the construction stuff away since they are what, 5 months behind schedule?

    I'm glad you were able to get out despite the difficulty.

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    1. Lori:

      Just wanted you all to know why I haven't been riding to work. Often I see bikes on my commute and wished I were riding too. The problem is bike access and getting out and in. It's just a pain in the neck. Our roof only needs a few hours work but the scaffolding has been there for 2 weeks waiting for the "guy" to come back to finish it. In the meantime it is blocking my exit to the lane.

      The walkway is just waiting for it to stop raining before they pump in the cement but it has been rain for two weeks now and rain is forecast all this week too. We have only been getting a day between storms and they want a few days without rain.

      I wished I had a garage like yours, then it would be easy peazy. I have actually lost garage space. We had to rip down a 2 car carport and now we have to park outside with no cover

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  9. Bob, you've now had your start to Tinner's hands, another 10-20 years handling sheet metal and the bleeding will cease.

    You've definitely beat me to riding over re-bar. I've been over many things, but never round steel rods.

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    1. Coop:

      I don't think I can wait 20 years for my bleeding to cease, either that or I should start to wear gloves, but I am stubborn that way

      Riding over rebar wasn't bad as it was tied so the bars weren't rolling. Otherwise it would have been like rolling on marbles

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  10. That does seem like a huge pain. I can't wait til they are done so we can see what it is!

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    1. Kathy:

      it will be a bigger pain when the weather gets better and I need to access my bike daily. Right now I only need access on the weekends. I can't wait to get our yard back

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  11. It looks like you have a fine, new walkway at the front of your home. Or at least that's my guess as to where you are sitting. Time to start planning your new shop/garage addition to fill in all that space between the two houses. ;-)

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    1. Richard:

      No front walkway yet. I just didn't post photo. All rebar is installed waiting for cement. I'm trying to cut down on additions, not add to . . . I am sitting on our front stairs, but you have to walk through mud, gravel or step over the rebar to get to it. Can't wait for the mess to go away

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  12. Your bare feet are making my feet cold.

    Glad you managed to get out for a ride. We did yard work instead on Sunday when we had brilliant sunshine. Spring clean up time of year.

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    1. Trobairitz:

      It was a bit numbing and I had no feeling after a short time. It looked warmer than what it was but I do like to walk in the mud.

      Sunday is usually a non-bike day. Out for brunch and a bit of shopping. I think it was raining most of the day

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