On Friday I drove from Vancouver to Alberta to visit my parents. It is a long drive, and with a pandemic raging it is probably not advisable. I did have a test last week, so I’m pretty sure I’m clear. And my parents have been very careful too, so it is probably okay.
The hardest part of the drive is the section between Vancouver and Hope; in either direction. Heading east, there is always a traffic jam outside of Hope. (This time it was construction.) Heading west, the traffic jam is closer to Vancouver. So I have that to look forward to when I head back.
Once past Hope, there is very rarely any traffic issues.
I did my best to be nice to my body. I stopped regularly to stand and stretch my legs. And to raid fruit stands near the Okanagan. The fruit stand in Salmon Arm had fresher fruit, but the one in Sicamous had a better selection. Plus it is across the street from a dairy that has ice cream. I stopped there to get a milkshake for the road. Unfortunately, a girl after me thought it was her’s and grabbed it. I didn’t accept it until it had been sanitized.
That brings me to another point. There weren’t many people wearing masks. There was physical distancing, but often I was the only one wearing a mask in a business I visited. That concerns me.
I would like to make an observation about the town of Golden: It really shouldn’t exist. Every other town seems to make sense due to the road that logically winds its way through the mountains. But that is not Golden. In Golden, the road is no longer natural. In Golden, the road has been willed into existence and busts through mountains and along cliffs to continue on. If mankind hadn’t forced their will through the mountains, there would be no reason for that town to exist.
I stopped at a turnout at the entrance to Yoho park to use the facilities. There was a pair of women there having trouble with their car. They had concerns that their tire was loose and were trying to tighten it. The big issue seemed to be that the hubcap was in the way of getting at the screws, and it had a locking bolt on it that prevented its removal. They had a husband on the phone offering advice. I do not know enough about cars to be able to help, and admitted that to them, so I was very glad a man in a pickup truck came by soon after; he looked much better able to help them.
In the end, the drive took twelve and a half hours.
2020-6-30 23:37

There is a street, a cul-de-sac, that is infamous among the runners of Vancouver: Captain’s Cove. If you are trying to run every street, it is one that is particularly hard to get. It is at the south end of the city, at the bottom of a hill, on a dead-end street. The entrance overlooks the Fraser River Park, so it is nice and scenic. But most crucially, it has a gate. I assume that rich people live behind that gate. It is also small enough that the gate is probably not going to open very often.
I know of only three other runners who have successfully completed it, one by sneaking in with a mail truck. A few others have “completed” it, but that was more based off of GPS trackers not being precise enough and the error margin putting them beyond the gate. I might be willing to go that route, but it would feel unethical.
Today, I decided to do something about it.
I ran across the entire city and staked out a place in the Fraser River Park. Then I waited and watched. I was hoping to tailgate a car going in, so every BMW, Lexus, or Porsche gave me hope, but none turned into the cul-de-sac. Eventually two people came out walking their dog. I asked if they would let me in to run the street, but they wouldn’t accommodate me.
I continued to wait, keeping my Garmin ready to spring into action at any time. I tried to amuse myself by reading on my iPhone, but it failed to charge overnight so I didn’t have full-power.
After a half hour, the two people came back. I asked them again, but this time I described the issue. I’m trying to run every street. “It’s barely a street.” But, according to CityStrides, it still counts. “Our neighbours wouldn’t like it.”
I don’t know if I impressed my problem on them, but when they went back inside, they went through the car gate. And then started talking to someone just beyond. That gate is wide enough that two trucks could pass each other at speed. I took my chance, started my Garmin and sprinted it. I went through the entire street and back out in less than a minute. Success!
I was probably waiting an hour for this opportunity. Was there a better use of my time? Probably. But it was worth it. Since I announced I was near the top of the Vancouver CityStrides leader board, the others have started climbing again. I am very competitive; I’m not proud of this. But the thought of losing my position depresses me, so this was important for my mental health.