Well the Sun has returned to the North, Spring has sprung, the snow is finally melting. For anyone wondering where all the blog posts went (not that they were ever prolific), the answer is I was hibernating. Today, however, was a warm and sunny day and I spent it on the slopes with a big grin on my face.
Not that it has been totally quiet since the start of winter... apart from a few snowboarding trips there was also a very long, icy road trip to the Vancouver Bike Show. 12 hours driving on perilous roads in the thick of a Canadian winter to see a motorcycle show might sound a bit extreme, but I had an ulterior motive in the shape of Jim, my Dalton Highway riding buddy and one-time saviour after a temporary bout of mindlessness saw me flinging my bike at the Alaskan scenery.
Jim and I had agreed to meet up at the show and we had a great day looking at the bikes and gear and reminiscing. I tried a few bikes on for size, and found myself torn between the sports bikes and the desire to jump on a touring bike and head for the hills. Again. Jim seemed exactly as I remembered him, and I found it difficult to believe two and a half years had gone past since we were laughing around the fire in Marion Creek.
Jim with the latest Honda models
After the initial winter storm in November and everything freezing, there was then very little snow until the New Year. January and February saw more snow than I have ever experienced though, and soon the amount of snow on the ground was over the seasonal average (2009/10 was a very low snowfall apparently). Some of my kayaking friends started to get excited about the Spring run-off, but as February turned into March the paddling season still seemed Forever away.
Club pool sessions started in March though, and a good half dozen more experienced paddlers showed up to teach rolling and other paddle techniques to new kayakers. I've been in the pool with my kayak for an hour most weeks since Christmas, so the first pool session wasn't too much of a shock. My left arm tendonitis/strain/pain does seem pretty bad at the moment, and bugs me every time I paddle. I'm definitely going to have issues when the season starts.
Other than that I got on the roof to clear snow when it started to melt and discovered that a fun way back down is to jump. I honestly never thought when I was younger that I'd ever chuck myself off a roof. But with a six foot deep pillow of soft snow all the way around the house the biggest danger is getting stuck in it (or getting snow up your pants).
Anyway here are a few random winter pics!
More soon.
Frase.
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