Riding the Cowichan Trail: Dappled Light is not Much Fun

This past Sunday we had our fourth bicycle ride on the Cowichan Valley Trail.  One thing I am learning is that the look of this trail is ever-changing, as are the challenges and obstacles you might find.

As usual, there were several avid riders on their expensive mountain bikes who were ready to take on the trail,  I wonder what they think of old fogeys such as us who wear everyday clothing and ride cruiser bicycles.  Also there were hikers and people riding horses (although all we saw of them was fresh piles of manure), and this time there was a family of four: mom, dad, and two small children one in a stroller.  They also had a Jack Russel Terrier that was not on leash at the time we saw it.  Thankfully this dog did not bother us but seemed more interested in the smells and sounds at the side of the trail.

I must admit that off leash dogs are one thing I do not want to run into on this trail because I still am very insecure and drift from side to side on the trail.  We had previously ridden this trail to a spot where Sahtlam Road has an entrance to the trail and we decided to go to the road instead of riding our bikes into the heavily forested area.  This is a quiet dead-end road with a gradual incline but as we were heading up the road there was the sound of large dogs barking loudly and running towards us.  Thankfully there was a high fence which kept them in, but this incident showed me that I still am not ready for riding on public roads.  I wonder if I ever will be?

First Bicycle Ride on the Cowichan Valley Trail

Last Friday we picked up our new 7 speed Electra Townie bicycles at a local bicycle store called Cycle Therapy.  It has been 25 years since we last owned and rode bicycles, and let me say I was very nervous as these bikes are bigger and differently shaped than the 21 speed Norco bikes we owned then.   But they do say that one never forgets how to ride, so we set out in a quiet area to ride our new bikes.  I was white-knuckling it and was very shaky at first, but it slowly came back as we traveled the roads of this quiet residential area.

I am not ready now, and it will be some time before I am ready, to ride my bicycle on the roads near our home.  My reason is that I tend to drift towards the middle of the road and that could be deadly.  Also, it has been my experience when walking this road, that some people who use bicycles as transportation and not for pleasure or sport, do not possess any bicycle manners.  They do not let you know that they are coming up behind you, and they are going way too fast.  A few times I know that if I had stepped further into the walking lane I would have been hit and seriously hurt by some of these people who do not let you know that they are coming.

I remembered that there was a trail head to the Cowichan Valley Trail about 10 minutes from our home, so yesterday we loaded up our bikes and went to the parking lot.  And what a wonderful experience it was to ride part-way up this trail.  There was forest on both sides so the path was shaded.  The surface was tightly packed small gravel, quite easy to ride on.   It was up-hill but it was so gradual that I could barely notice except it was a bit harder to pedal at times.   I rode to the sound of sheep baaaaing in the distance,  at one point a horse and rider passed us, and a few bicycle riders who were obviously more experienced than we were.  (We being my husband and myself)..  and it was then that I saw the difference between a sport rider and the transportation riders that I have seen.  One man who was riding up behind me called out to say “rider coming, passing on your left”..    what a pleasure that was, to know that someone was coming.