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August 30, 2004
Lunch time
Today I had the priviledge of a 2-hour lunch, so what did I do? The most liberating thing I could think of with the limited props I had at school and the time constraint. I went for a kick ass bike ride along Cordova Bay Road. The sun was shining, the air was clean and there was limited traffic! The one hour spin probably covered 25-30 kms and was the first time since school started that I pedalled without my school bag. What a difference the hills make! I felt fast for the first time in weeks.
However more important that my exilerating ride was the fact I found another Red Barn Market. This will probably turn out to be the highlight of my week. For those of you uninformed in the Victoria Produce Sector, let me inform you: The Red Barn is the be all and end all of cheap, quality produce in the area. I did not stop to investigate the not-so-barn-like-looking building however, I am now planning a weekend trip out there to further investigate.
PS. Mary from Lake, if you still read these cheesey entries, The Red Barn gives the Red Apple on Hastings a real run for its money.
Posted by jmclean at 01:27 PM
August 15, 2004
Juan de Fuca Trail
This Saturday I pretended I was not a student and took the entire day off my studies to hike part of the Juan de Fuca Trail. Just over 50 kms away from Victoria we started our day long adventure. Driving past Sooke and the infamous Potholes we continued up Island.
Pacific through the trees.
The scenary was breathtaking and the smells were divine, (compared to the sight of Engineers and the smell of the school).
From the China Beach start point we hiked down to Mystic Beach. It was still early in the morning when we reached Mystic Beach and we could still see the "myst" rising.
Continuing through the forest we saw huge old growth, in this picture, namely a cedar.
Being the adventerous types we decided to skip trail at the 7.5 kilometer mark and climb down the somewhat dried out Ivanhoe Creek. We came across our own private beach.
Aside from the menacing seals that kept staring at us,
we had the place to ourselves.
We enjoyed our lunch taking in the ocean air. Everything was dandy unitl we remembered we still had to hike back. Seeing as neither Jon nor I had been hiking this summer, the 15 kilometer round trip would take its toll on us. As we clambered up to the parking lot with blisters, sore knees and sunburnt cheeks we had the biggest smiles on. First hike of the season, (mid-August)!
WE MADE IT!
Posted by jmclean at 09:19 PM | Comments (1)
Family Reunion
The BC Day Long weekend, for me, meant a family reunion in Killem Alberta! Skipping Chemistry Friday afternoon, I took an Air Canada flight to Edmonton to visit my Dad's side of the family, (all 14 of them).
The praries were flat and beautiful.
To start the weekend off with a bang I got picked up at the airport by my cousin Brian and driven to the Big Valley Jamboree! Here I saw a couple big name country music acts, (whose names escape me at the moment). Brian, care to help me out? I also got to party it up Albertan-style, two-step with a one-armed man, watch a rodeo and be told I dance like I am from BC.
After the big concert I was shipped up to Killem where the family got together to indulge in reminiscence, cajole, and enjoy each other's company. And what would a reunion be without numerous photo ops!
This one is cousin James hurrying to get in the frame!
The linked pictures are proabably only interesting if you have McLean as your last name, but here they are..... LINK TO PHOTOS (ok, they are missing right now, give me until tomorrow)....
Posted by jmclean at 08:27 PM | Comments (1)