What Happened Next

I know everyone is itching to know what else happened on my Midnight Mass adventure as I hinted there was a little more to tell. I could have written it then, but I thought my post was long enough as it was. So here it goes (Reders Digest version).



As there were so many of us at the Naam, there was not enough bike rackage for all right outside it, and I and many others locked up in neibouring racks. It was after 2am and so close to the restaurant that I did not bother removing my lights as I normally would if expecting to be separated from my baby for long. Mistake. Upon return and unlocking my bike, I immediately noticed the absence of my rear light, two of three handlebar lights, and my wedgie (a small zippered pouch under the saddle, for the non-initiated) was open. My patch-kit was missing (odd the thief didn't take my tire levers, tire pressure guage, and a mini slot-screwdriver, but at least they were left behind. I figure the one front light left was becaus it was mounted upside-down and thus a little trickier to detach). I was not alone in my perurbedness. Three others were similarly hit. So among the thieving denizens of Kits is an extremely well lit non-cyclist. After all, even a cyclothief wouln't take another cyclist's lights when it is dark and raining. While extremely P.O.'d, I did have spares (rear: helmet, knapsack & pannier all sporting LED's, plus extra small ultra portable "turtle" light from MEC in my pack. front: "turtle" light and the remaining headlight). While I was annoyed by the lights' absence, I was still in a good mood. I had had fun riding, I would be doing a little more riding (Eastward with the group as they headed to various parts on the eastside to home, and I to Main St to catch a "night bus" to Whalley and another 50 mins ride to home). So I get to Main & 6th for the bus, lean my bike against the pole, take off my back-pack to check the schedule. Oops! Rule No.1 in Transit is check your shedule before you leave. Yes, I did check it before I left home, but I forgot the corrolary of REMEMBER what the schedule says and its impiclations. The last Night Bus left about 20 mins ago, so it was time to consider my options. 1. ride along Kingsway, across the Patullo, and home. 2. to Richmond, Alex Fraser, & home (with subsidiary choice of Oak or Night st bridge). 3. Wait 1.5 hrs for the 1st skytrain. 4. Wait 2.5 hrs for the 1st 351. 5. Wait 45 mins for the 98 B-line, ride to the tunnel and catch a 351 starting south from the depot. 6.Call work and find out which of the morons were in town and wrangle a ride home. Since riding all the way home would be about 2hrs, any choice involving waiting was simply a waste of time. I headed south, rejecting the Kingsway option. By the time I got to 41st, I had decided on Oak for the North Arm crossing. Oh, I forgot to mention that as I was checking the bus schedule, it started to rain in earnest, not the spitting it was previously. Forwarned is forarmed. Cyclists check weather forcasts diligently. My raingear was in my pannier. So when I was crossing the bridge, I decided to stop by work to say hi and grab some coffee. But I did more than that. The new graveyard guy was on his last night of training, so the regular guy and I had some chat time.....and next thing you know it is almost 1.5 hrs later. So I dashed off and caught a 351 before the tunnel in the nick of time at 6am and got home 0640. To sleep, perchance to dream.