Club Events 2009
| 2009-03-19 : COC - Lake O'Hara Fire Road - Slow Pace |
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I have waited five years to do this trip, and now I've finally done it. I couldn't have asked for a better day - great conditions and great companions. The trip was, as promised, pretty much up-hill all the way in, and down-hill all the way out, but most of the elevation is in the first kilometer and the last four kilometers. The in-between part is flat with some bumps. Thanks to Gord and Jim for building the awesome fire, to David for rescuing me from the spruce trap, to Val for rescuing me from my wax issues, and to Gord for being the rescuer-of-all-trades for the day. -- Rhonda |
| 2009-03-21 : COC - Edworthy Park to Fish Creek and Back (slow pace) |
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It started out a fantastic day, and I was fortunate to have both Jake and James on the event to take care of the Speedy Speedersons while Brent and I "swept". Yeah, that's why I ride in the back, it's just to "sweep". We made great time to Inglewood Bird Sanctuary, and all made it there around the same time in spite of getting separated at some detours. You gotta like when a plan comes together. After Inglewood, though, we started running into fairly significant patches of snow on the path which made it really challenging going for most of us, and practically impossible for those with slicks. After about a kilometer of that, two people (with slicks) decided to turn back, and not too long after the rest of us did as well due to continuing worsening of the path conditions. We decided to high-tail it on back the way we came in hopes of catching back up with Jake and Susan which some of us (yes, the Speedy Speedersons) did. The plan was to head back to Edworthy and then keep going west along into Beaumont Park, but once we hung around at Angel's for a while, enjoying some ice cream and hot dogs, the group disbanded and poor James was left to continue the event on his own. Our total trip (not James', though) was about 36km. Thanks to everyone who came out - it was a fantastic early season ride. -- Rhonda |
| 2009-03-22 : CCC - Geek MAN (Music Appreciation Nooner) |
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Arrive at 2:00PM for introductions and to get settled in. We'll
start the music at 2:30 with a quick round-robin to introduce our
songs, then we'll listen to the music selections (sorry, but to
avoid interruption if you are later than 2:30, the door buzzer will
be shut off and you won't be able to get in).
My apartment is small, and the atmosphere casual. We'll be sitting or laying around the living room while we listen. Bring a pillow or cushion if you like for maximum comfiness. Everyone must contribute 8-12 minutes of music for the event. |
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Definitely a MAN for the history books! It was awesome to have John back at MAN after a long haitus, and Tim was cool and quiet as ever. Anna-Lisa made an appearance from Italy, and Ryan was oh-so-mysterious with his ever-present self-satisfied smirk. Our four virtual-attendees aside, we had a fantastic time, especially with Em's propellor beanie. Most of us embraced the beanie, although Jeff kept it at arm's (or leg's) length. Perhaps he just hasn't had time to fully realize his geekiness, although he's not really fooling anyone since he submitted "Time Becomes". Thanks to all - it was one of my favorite MANs of all time.
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| 2009-03-24 : COC - First Aid / Survival Kit Show and Tell |
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| 2009-04-01 : EOC, CCC and COC April Fool's Events |
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| COC - Newbie Rollerblading/skating at Lloyd's Rollercade - It's April Fool's Day! Fun Time! |
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COC - Trail Maintenance/Development: Tunnel to China
Take a Journey Through the Earth thanks to Marg M! Commentary:
Pre-Event Comments:
Guests:
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| COC - Rappel Off The Calgary Tower with Outdoorphil |
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EOC - Trail Maintenance/Development: Tunnel to China (with COC)
Pre-Event Comments:
Follow-Up Comments:
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EOC - Alligator Wrestling
We had an excellent turn-out for the EOC's first Alligator Wrestling night! Our host, Pilar Tolo of Pilar Tolo's Reptile Sanctuary (located on the outskirts of Edmonton), had a large menagerie of tame alligators that we had a chance to wrestle. We had numerous EOC members present, not to mention dozens of children, including ten new adoptees lovingly purchased on eBay by Bryan. These kids had a lovely opportunity to play with the baby alligators, while their parents had their turn in the ring with the alligators. We also had literally hundreds of dogs present. We must admit that we were a little confused about why Mae decided to bring so many dogs with her for an alligator wrestling night (101 ... and all Dalmation puppies!) - there were so many that she needed to rent a large van. Mae was not the only member who brought dogs, as Donna brought one, and Christine brought ten more. We asked our new Director of Safety and Equipment (Bryan) for some tips and advice, in advance of our trip. He provided us with the following valuable advice. We were glad to learn this wasn't something he's learned through personal experience. Some comments from our guests before arrival: - Apparently it does, because Rhonda owned the ring when she had her chance. - Mysteriously, Donna's dog, Rex, wasn't at her side by the end of the evening. We assume she returned Rex to her car. - Apparently not, although there were lots and lots of crocodile shoes for sale. - Experience does count apparently. While Larry had one gator in a headlock, he took down another with a full nelson. Good job Larry!! All in all a good night. And we only lost 3 EOC members to alligator mauling (good thing they signed the waiver!). We hope everybody had a Happy April Fools Day! Glad you got to join in the fun! And - if anyone ever wants to really try out alligator wrestling, here are some tips. |
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CCC - Cross-Culture Body Adornment
Join body adornment expert, Avril Gudgeon, to have your body modified to celebrate global body adornment. Choices include: - Lip Plate - Neck Rings - Body Piercing - Branding - Eyeball Tattooing Don't feel like you have to stop at just one! A brand on the cheek partnered with a lip plate is quite fashionable. See my previous April Fools Day Events: - Make Your Culture Club Experience Complete! Meet Boy George! Pre-Event Comments:
Guests:
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| 2009-04-04 : COC - Back Side of Blueberry Hill - SLOW PACE |
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We used Ed's GPS track instead of Marko's route, thank goodness, because it was actually a fairly easy climb (ok, relatively speaking) to the top of Blueberry Hill. We had blue skies, warm temperatures, and great snow conditions. After the long journey up, we lunched at the picnic tables, and then "bum-ogganned" down to Upper Kananskis Lake and took the Elk Pass Connector trail back to the parking lot. What a great day! This was my favorite trip to Blueberry Hill so far. Thanks to all who came out. -- Rhonda |
| 2009-04-05 : COC - Bowmont Park to ?? - Slow Pace |
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We started off heading west through Bowmont Park, continued to Stoney Trail, then headed north into some neighborhoods, up to Dalhousie Station where we stopped for a break at Chapters/Starbuck's. Continuing on, we were planning on heading to Confederation Park, but an equipment malfunction within a few hundred meters of the cars brought and early end to the event. We did about 23km, with lots of hills, a bit of snow and ice, some cold wind, some sun, and lots of awesome company. Thanks to everyone who came out, -- Rhonda |
| 2009-04-11 : EOC - Pigeon Lake Circuit - Slow Pace |
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This was the first time for either of us doing this trip, and aside from wishing we had some people join us, we had a wonderful day! Rather than cancel the event off the calendar (like I did with our events from a couple weeks ago where we also had no takers), I figured I would leave the event on the calendar and do a write-up and photos so that folks can see what we're doing and maybe we'll be able to get some of you to come join us in future! We started at AJ's Trading Post (the Tempo Station) at the intersection of Highway 778 and Highway 616 and went west for a counter-clockwise trip around the lake. Since Brent has a mountainbike and I had a hybrid, we weren't shy about checking out some different roads and rather than stick with the highway (borrrrring) we followed the small lakeshore roads whenever possible. The lake was still frozen, with some spots of open water, and we were surprised to see how many ice fishers (and vehicles) there still were out on the ice! We ventured off the highway early in our journey and took Lakeshore Dr through Itaska Beach, Sundance Beach and Mission Beach before heading back out onto the highway. This is a great route for bikes and people, but not so great for a car since the road is blocked in several places with barriers that have person/bike-sized foot-paths. We followed the highway around and to the Pigeon Lake Provincial Park where we stopped for a little break. Then, we continued on and followed Lakeview Dr through Poplar Bay, Grandview and Crystal Springs. Back up to the highway then, and headed in to Ma-Me-O Beach. After Ma-Me-O Beach, we had our only unpleasant time for the day. Following all of our lakeshore successes, we decided to take the lakeshore road again from Ma-Me-O Beach, but we didn't realize that we were getting ourselves into gravel, gravel, and more gravel-ville. After a few kilometers, we stopped and consulted my trusty iPhone to find out how much more gravel we were in for, and it looked like we'd be done in just a short distance beyond. Alas, the intersection we were aiming for had nothing but gravel in all directions. By that point, we were halfway through the gravel in every direction, so to backtrack was pointless and we decided to move on forward knowing that our next intersection was the definitely-paved highway. It was a pretty gruelling experience with lots of deep, soft gravel that wanted to suck you in and throw you off your bike more than it wanted to let you proceed, and when we reached the highway just outside of Mulhurst Bay, we were pretty happy to see the pavement! A quick jaunt into Mulhurst Bay where we found Joe's. The staff were great and plopped a couple of chairs out onto their patio-cum-storage area so we could enjoy our beers outside instead of in the stuffy bar. After leaving Mulhurst Bay, we had an easy ride back up to the highway and over to the car. We will be doing this trip again later in the season - we have a great route mapped out now. We're going to start (and end) at Joe's, go the same direction around the lake, and skip the gruelling gravel section and instead use Hwy 780 for a slightly longer but much more civilized experience! -- Rhonda |
| 2009-04-12 : EOC - WEM to Clifford E Lee Nature Area (slow pace) |
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I wasn't sure how I'd feel setting out today after yesterday's trip around Pigeon Lake, but I felt surprisingly good and the ride today was great! I think this conditioning/training thing might actually be working! Brent and I set out as planned and had an easy ride out to Clifford E Lee Nature Area (the first 10km were kinda tough, but who remembers that). Right on time, Cam and Ann Marie (from Calgary) showed up to meet us at the park and we all enjoyed a snack together. After the snack, we headed out and enjoyed a lovely ride along the secondary roads back towards Edmonton. Cam and Ann Marie had an Easter engagement, so they only rode with us as far as the top of the rise (not hill) on Winterburn Rd before they turned back. Returning to town, of course, the BEER! Yay for beer! A fantastic event today, and hopefully we'll start getting some actual Edmontonians out for our rides sometime soon. -- Rhonda |
| 2009-04-17 : CCC - Maritime Night |
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Maritime Night
Where 2625 78 Ave. SE Ogden Legion Branch 154 Doors open at 6:00 pm Dinner at 7:30, April 17 2009 Dinner is Atlantic Cod and Chips with Newfoundland Dressing Music is Prairie Schooner & The Dorymates $30:00 for non-members $25:00 for members Cash bar Tickets at the door, no advance tickets Please meet your coordinators near the door between 6:00 and 6:30. We will be looking around expectantly waiting for you, and Rhonda will have a CCC sign. If you're going to be later than 6:30, please call and let us know, otherwise it is your responsibility to find us inside the venue. If you don't, you'll get a no-show - don't take a spot on the event if you're not serious about joining us! |
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Well, sometimes the best laid plans...
James called the Legion twice to ask about tickets for Maritime Night. He was told tickets only at the door. We showed up at the door tonight, and "oh, the event has been sold out for a month". Uh-oh.... Mimoza and Tracy ended up getting two available tickets. Karen P, Lynn, Joel, Carine and James and I ended up going to Hillhurst Sunnyside Community Center where we saw Caerd, and a guy who's name I do not know, and presumably (since I left early), "Toad on the Ceiling". The remainder decided to find something else to do for the evening. Us of the "Plan B" group (Hillhurst/Sunnyside) had a fantastic time, in spite of the notable shortage of meat pies and sausage rolls. Caerd were wonderful. Thanks to all who came out, and to everyone for their patience with the "Gong Show" of the night. Thanks to James for gathering us this evening, even if it didn't work out the way you hoped. And thanks to Joel for having an awesome back-up plan in his back pocket! -- Rhonda |