Club Events 2009
| 2009-04-18 : COC - Edworthy to Chestermere Return, and CCC - MAN |
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COC - Edworthy to Chestermere Return (Slow Pace - 16km/hour avg) We set off for a fantastic day with high spirits and great weather conditions and we were not disappointed. We soon split into a fast group with Lori taking charge (thanks Lori!). We had equal numbers - 6 in the fast group, and 6 in my group. The fast group did wait for us at several junctions, but we got our wires crossed going into Ogden and ended up with my pokey group going around the fast group as they waited for us in a spot that we never passed. So we got to wait for them at Glenmore Inn before we all met up again. The second leg of our journey out, from Glenmore Inn to Chestermere, saw us with a flat tire needing to be changed in the pokey group, so by the time we made it to Chestermere, four of the fast group were ready to head back into town. We bid them adieu and then continued into Chestermere to the little park to enjoy our lunch. After lunch we meandered back to town, climbing a few "wind hills" as we went. Four more split off again, leaving just Brent, Lynn, Mike and I in the "official" group (ie. the one with the coordinator in it), and woe to the others because we stopped for a lemonade break with lemonade provided by a couple of young trail-side entrepreneurs, and at The Barley Mill in Eau Claire for a beer on the patio. A few more "wind hills" greeted us on our last few kms back to Edworthy, but we felt great and happy to have done the trip! Thanks to all who came out, to Lori for helping with route selection and fast group, and to Robin for managing the radio communication on the fast group end for the first half of the trip. -- Rhonda |
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CCC - "Politically Incorrect Two" Themed Music Appreciation Night
YAY!! It's back... the second annual Politically Incorrect Themed MAN. Woohoo!! Arrive anytime from 6:30PM for introductions and to get settled in. I plan to begin by 7:00 pm. We should have two CDs of approximately 80 minutes of music each (12 people times 12 minutes of music). We will have a round-robin for each person to introduce their music and then we’ll listen. The atmosphere will be casual and there will be a "formal" break between CDs. Politically Incorrect Music is music with "politically incorrect" content by virtue of either the language used or the subject matter. We'll be sitting or laying around the living room while we listen. Bring a pillow or cushion for maximum comfiness if you like to lay on the floor. Everyone must contribute 8-12 minutes of music for the evening. This evening's theme is Politically Incorrect Music and for "this" MAN you must submit music that fits your interpretation of this theme. Since this is a POLITICALLY INCORRECT music night, please DO NOT register for it if you are easily offended! There is a kitty who helps me host this event. If you have allergies, this may not be the event for you. |
| 2009-04-22 : EOC - Brent's Stupid Hill Training |
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It was cold and windy tonight, there's no doubt, but four of us (thanks, Brian and Christine for joining us) braved it anyway. I was the wimpiest, completing three whole circuits (six hills), but I'm pleased and proud to say that I never stopped part-way up any of the hills (a milestone for me). Brent and Brian both did four times each (or maybe Brian did five, I'm not sure), but Christine took the prize with at least six circuits that I counted. Wow... Woman of Steel award for her! -- Rhonda |
| 2009-04-25 : COC and EOC - Drumheller Road Cycle Tour |
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A fantastic event, and a great group! I was quite happy that with people coming in from Calgary and Edmonton, people coming in on Friday, people coming in on Saturday, and people coming in on Sunday, everyone showed up on time and rarin' to go! On Saturday, we headed east out of Drumheller with a bit of a head wind. We stopped to check out the hoodoos and then continued on out to East Coulee. We checked out the Atlas Coal Mine and then continued on up the remainder of the paved highway into the hills. Where the road turned to gravel, we stopped for a quick break and then turned around to retrace our route. Unfortunately, the wind shifted and we were stuck riding uphill into... another head wind! Dang! Some of the group went ahead, and some of us were delayed for a while (flat tire and such). During our delay, the faster folk reached the intersection to Wayne, which is just when we had our one patch of really bad weather - some cold wind and rain - for a few minutes. They made an executive decision and gave Wayne a miss, returning directly to Drumheller. By the time us delayed folks were back on the road, though, things were clearing, and not knowing that the others had headed back to town, we finished our ride on our to Wayne (into a head wind, by the way). Eventually, everyone showed up at Wayne (either via bike, or vehicle), except for Susan who had continued on to her camp site. After hoovering some buffalo burgers and beers, some of us finished the ride returning from Wayne back to Drumheller, into... you guessed it... a HEAD WIND. We rode all four directions today, and all four directions had a head wind. How does THAT happen!!?? A few of us hit the hot tub at the hotel, and then we all got together for dinner at O'Shay's across the parking lot. Weather conditions were much nicer for Day 2, but some of our folks decided to do only the flat portion of the day with us, leaving the rest of us to climb that loooonnnnng hill without them. At the top of the hill, we enjoyed the Orkney Viewpoint, and then continued on to the Bleriot Ferry turn-off. Since the ferry wasn't running yet, we turned around there, but a few hearty souls, including Don (who just joined us on Sunday), Gen and Chris, decided they wanted a "bonus hill" and rode down to the ferry and then back up the hill to the top of the canyon. Most of us eschewed the "bonus hill" and just got our kicks descending the Woo Hoo hill back down. We finished up the ride by about 1PM and headed back in our respective directions for an early Sunday evening. Thanks to all who came out - it was a wonderful weekend. And special thanks to all of our roadside heros for the weekend - Brent, Mike and Dave. - Rhonda |
| 2009-04-26 : COC - Drumheller Road Cycle Tour with EOC (slow pace) |
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| 2009-04-30 : COC - COC Adventure Travel Presentations at Cardel |
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| 2009-05-02 : COC - Trans-Canada Trail beside Deerfoot (Slow Pace - 16km/hour) |
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What a glorious day! I have gone from having done zero km road-riding on March 15th, to nearly 700km by the end of the day today. Being as green as I am, I've been relying heavily on others to tell me where to go and how to get there, for example, copying old COC events and asking those more experienced to lead the way on my events. Today, I asked Lori M to help out with that regard - she led us on down to Sikome Lake, and then rather than retrace our steps, she took us west through the rest of beautiful Fish Creek Park, then north up to the Glenmore Reservoir, up past Talisman Center and then back to the Zoo and Beddington. Total trip was about 85km, only about 3km longer than intended, and what a fantastic route! -- Rhonda |
| 2009-05-03 : COC - Horse Creek - Grand Valley loop (Slow Pace - 16km/hour) |
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What a fantastic ride! The route is so enjoyable - rolling with some good hills to climb, and woo-hoo moments on the way down. Terrific hill, mountain, field, cow scenery to enjoy. Once again, I had an easy time coordinating the event thanks to my friends who know where to go and are more than happy to tell me. Thanks to Lori, Mike and Kayla for helping with the fast folks, and of course, to Mike and Brent for being the road-side heros for the day... again. -- Rhonda |
| 2009-05-07 : EOC - Lovely River Valley Cycle - McKinnon Ravine to Forrest Heights Park - Slow Pace (16km/hour max) |
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In spite of sketchy weather forecasts right up until the last minute, the weather held and we had, as promised, a lovely time. Brent chose a terrific route for us with some views, some hill climbs, and the associated "Woo Hoo Moments" that go with coming back down the hill. After the ride, we retired to the Starbuck's for some refreshments, and being the party animals that we are, we closed the place down. Thanks to everyone who came out for the evening - it was a great group, and thanks especially to Jim, the visiting dignitary from the Toronto Outdoor Club for joining us. -- Rhonda |
| 2009-05-09 : COC - Horsethief Canyon for Legendary Ed's 87th Birthday |
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Nine of Ed's best friends, and three newbies set out to show him a good time for his birthday. Despite two location changes and sketchy weather forecasts, we had a fantastic day and great conditions, with a smidgen of rain at the end of the hike, and a bit more rain AFTER the hike. Woo hoo! Shortly after we dropped into Horsethief Canyon, we ran into Safari Phil and his friend, Carrie, who were also out for a walk for the day. We decided that was a good time to break out the cake, wine, and Jorinda's amazing homemade birthday card for Ed. We think he enjoyed himself, but he's just so darned stoic it's hard to tell (that's sarcasm, by the way). We hiked a whole 6km in our four hours in the canyon. Wow, what a record (not). But we explored lots, and Ralf claimed to find Nothing down one little side canyon but when the rest of us went to see for ourselves, we only found Something (and then Something Else). The mountain goat set climbed a big bump for a better look around, while the sane folk (ie. us chickens) stayed down below. Lots of fun and joking, and everyone remembered to Apt Natural for the camera. We finished off the day with treats at the Last Chance Saloon in Wayne, and then a side-trip to the Suspension Bridge near Rosedale. Thanks to everyone who came out to help celebrate Ed's birthday. I think we did a durned fine job of making him feel special. -- Rhonda |
| 2009-05-10 : COC - Road Ride : Route 66 - SLOWER and FASTER Pace |
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I must admit I was completely remiss today with photo taking - I didn't take a SINGLE ONE!!! I guess I was too focused on my training, and living through the challenge of my hardest ride to date. Ok, actually, that's no excuse because almost every ride I've done has been "my hardest ride to date" since I only started riding two months ago and that was for training to do the GT. Well, the main thing I have to say about today is I hope everyone enjoyed themselves. I hardly saw anyone for any length of time because I'm such a slow rider, but sometimes it pays to be the slow one since I hardly got rained (or sleeted) on at ALL today (unlike some of the speedier folk). -- Rhonda |