MC3 Performance Ride

The 2nd Friday of each month is the Margaret Charles Chopper Collective (MC3) ride, and this month's ride, being in "Bike Month" (yeah, I know, EVERY month is bike month, but this extra fun stuff that happens in June is to entice you non-cycling, poluting, flubber-butts, out of your Stupid Ugly Vehicles to do something meaningful, on a bike. Anyway, check out B.E.S.T. for more info on "Bike Month"), is/was "The Performance Ride". So I decided that I would take the mini as more fitting with MC3 than the Brodie. But it needed a little bling. I took some of the retro-reflective material I brought back from Velo-Deco and glued it to my tires, so it looks like a giant sized gear on the sides of the tires. It was time consuming, but fun, in a way.

Adornment completed, and extra time for anything else thrown out the window by being accidentally waylayed by Johnny next door, I stuffed my few "supplies" and fewer supplies into my knapsack, hopped on the mini and headed for the bus stop. When there, I went through the usual wheel/pedal/seat-post removal, stuffed the bikey bitts into the bedraggled hockey bag, and waited for my chauffeured coach to arrive. It did, either 7 mins early or 23 mins late, I didn't ask which (didn't particularly care either as I was extra early to do the diminution job). Given that it was a Friday evening, and the bus rarely leaves early, even by 2 minutes, I guessed it was late, but that happened later. The trip was quite fast, the driver didn't spare the horses. After the Broadway stop, I pulled the bell cord to get off at 6th Ave, then ride to the Science World meeting spot. But he didn't stop! So I thought he must have had a bit of a lapse and would let me off at Davie, but he kept going, zooming up Seymour St all the way to Robson St where somebody else had previously asked him to stop. Some others were also puzzled and had thought he would be stopping, but diddn't. So a whole bunch of us got off, and a few pointed out the number of stops he missed, and he said words to the effect of '..I missed a stop? What do you mean?' Oh well, it didn't really make a difference to me. I reassembled the mini, put the tools and bag back into my pack, went along Robson, around the outside concourse of the Marshmallow-In-Bondage, to the seawall bike path by the now demolished Plaza of Nations, and on to Science World. Lots and lots of people there. More arriving all the time. We were probably about 300 strong by the time we left. We went on an interesting zig-zag route through Strathcona to an unused parking/truck loading area next to an old building in the Clark & Powell vicinity. The locale had 2 slopes on either side of the loading area, making a sort of really broad half-pipe. So a little bmx action took place (as planned). When we left, I went over the jump portion 2x, but with caution as my previously thought ideal straight handle-bar now seat-post isn't strong enough (bent while bombing Stanley Park during last critical mass). We went downtown, via Alexander St and Gastown. The people in Gastown liked us, the car divers maybe not, but who cares about them. On to the plaza beside 200 Granville.

As we arrived, a security guard calls out to us that we are on "Private Property", and as such must respect the private property.......by walking our bicycles! It was quite funny. 1 overweight late 50's security guard telling a cycling horde to dismount. We were going to anyway, as this was the spot for the next performance. But people started dismounting a tad earlier than I would have normally expected. But hey, its Vancouver, nobody's likely to do anything to anybody anyway. A few people did, individually go chat with the guy. The usual, '..hey don't worry, were just here for a little harmless fun for a bit, then we'l be moving on.' Bryce did a little "spoken word" bit. Not so much spoken, but warbled in a quasi-sorta-song-like fashion. Extemporaneously. Bike themed. Then the B:C:Clettes did 3 numbers.

We moved on, security watching, as I called out to a few to stop kicking their beer cans and pick them up (after all, for these things we are supposed to follow the "no trace" rule. Pack it in, pack it out). They did. We stopped next (oh, yeah, it was just starting to get dark now) at the little park north ft of Bute @ Hastings. Hung out for a little then Kablamo! took the stage, doing a mock Revival Sermon, bicycle themed. When the mock-minister invited members of the 'congregation' to take part in the Eucharist, some people came up and joined the line, did their bit, and after about 10 people had done so, they started thowing things at each other, and some of the items made their way into the crowd. They were small tomatoes. A flurry of flinging took place. Then we moved to the next venue.

Which was the little plaza at the entrance to Stanley Park, between Georgia St and the water. Here, after a bit of chilling, The Brakes performed. Well, 4 of them, as Midnight Simon is also a Brake, and he is in Europe. James misplaced his performance mini, so he did his part of the routine without it until Morgan found the bike and gave it to James in medias res as it were.

After that, it was into Stanley Park for some partying. Music, dancing etc. in the woods. With the Pedal Play sound system. One slight hitch. A few of us, myself included, were trying to herd together the tail-end stragglers so no one would get left behind. The problem was the people ahead didn't check behind and went too far ahead, and we didn't know exactly where we were going. We went where we thought they were headed, no sign nor sound. A couple of cell calls and we had directions. Unfortunately they were only partially correct. Well, now I, and about 10 others, no which path NOT to go down in the dark. the "shy" men wouldn't even say if a large bunch of bikes went by earlier, they just turned their backs to us as we approached (except for 1, and that was after we passed obout 12 of them, spaced apart.) It took a while before we had our answer and turned back. Another 2 cell calls, revised directions and an escort from the party to meet us, and we arrived. Lotsa music, loud, bass, powered by car batteries and bicycle powered generators. Lighting via a couple of Tiki style torches and a ton of tea-lights (some in paper bags to be lantern-like). As the night wore on, the crowd thinned. I helped in the great tea-light round-up at the end, and left when there were only about 10 people still there packing up things. I had a bit of trouble finding my bike, but not to much thnaks to my retroreflective tires. It was 0140. Found my way out of the park 0145, next NightBus to Surrey Central would leave 0209 and arrive 0315, which meant I would be late ('cuz I don't think I could do the North-South run in 45 mins on the mini) since I want to leave White Rock no later than 0415. So I rode the mini to work, via Beach, Pacific, Burrard Bridge, Cornwall, Arbutus (going up the hill between 1st and 2nd aves, a guy yells out to me "BMX? High Five as you go by." So I did. And another guy asks me as I go by "Are you Catholic?"WTF?), West Boulevard, Arbutus, SW Marine, 70th, Oak, Oak St Bridge (0240 I was mid span), stop at the Mohawk just off the bridge for foodstuffs, and I was at the office 0255. As it turned out, the graveyard guy was sick, and had been trying to get ahold of the 'emergency' dispatcher (one of the owners' son), unsuccessfully, and was very pleased to see me. So after resting for an hour, I took over 2hrs early.

I took a bunch of pictures, but the cable is at home, so they'll have to wait.

random items, sorta

OK, so its 0130, and I just got back home,and I have to leave for work in 2.5 hrs, and some tings, EtOH quasi inspired came to me, familiarisation is an amazing thing. there are things I can do inebriated on a bicycle which I should not be able to do, because of the "reduced motor skill", but I still can do. Like, oh, who cares, this was a silly blog subject.
I hope Kendra's kitty is OK.
The "Electric moon banana ride", or whatever it is called, sucks like Ottawa vacuuming out tax dollars. What is with these people, are you into having fun or just another hammer-head ride, 'cuz I can hammer it by myself anytime, I want to have fun on a late ride. Sorry Dale, I tried to stay between groups to see where everyone was headed and be a pointer for the latter riders but it didn't work. Friggin' maroons. They were no fun. So I packed it early and headed for the bus.
Beck, I hope you found the Kitten Shack OK and get to bomb tomorrow (today). ZOOBOMB!
RED, where were you, we waited and waited, but you didn't arrive.