As the plane touches down, a round of applause breaks out. Nic laughs and attributes this to the number of Québecers on board. It’s been an uneventful flight and I feel rested enough for the remainder of today’s ride. We collect our gear to begin the process of unpacking and reassembling the bikes.
Our plan is to spend the next four days in Vancouver. I want to explore the city and we also need to complete our camping supplies with fuel and food. We’ll be staying with Martin and Marise - a couple of avid cyclists who recently returned from a on-year cycling odyssey in Australia. Bikes ready, we hit the road.
Less than a kilometer from the airport we have our first accident. The large panniers are still on my front wheel — one catches the curb and is yanked off. As I slow to regain control, Nic crashes into me from behind. No injuries, but now we need some additional gear: one of my large panniers is broken, and Nic’s front rack is completely bent out of shape.
Crossing the Arthur Lang bridge we wind our way north through Vancouver until we reach Queen Elizabeth Park. It’s a beautiful spot: manicured gardens, a small waterfall, great views of the city and the mountains to the north. After a while, we move on to another, smaller park further east. There’s no rush today, since we need to wait until Martin & Marise get home from work.
We enjoy a fantastic dinner cooked up by Marise and then head out to Commercial Drive (on foot) for drinks at a local pub. After some fascinating stories about crossing the Australian outback by bicycle, the conversation turns to our weekend plans. Martin has an idea: why not do an overnight hike to the Vancouver Lions? Nic & Martin have previously attempted this hike, but hit heavy fog conditions near the summit that ruined any chance for a view. The weekend forecast looks good and plans are made.