cycling adventures with madame m. fox - part two

Victoria - Salt Spring Islands - Victoria
Distance Covered: 150km

I'm not sure whether it's the novelty of a lone girl on a heavily-laden bike or the overt friendliness of Canadians, but everywhere I go people keep walking up to me and striking up a conversation. I'll be in a toilet queue, waiting at a traffic light, standing outside a cafe, shopping, sitting on a park bench, and someone will be keen to start a yarn! Standing on the ferry as I was heading to Salt Spring Island (part of the Southern Gulf islands just off the east coast of Vancouver Island) was no exception. After a few polite conversations with the ferry crew, an older man came up to me and started asking about my bike. He was excited I was coming to visit Salt Spring Island. 'It gets under your skin, you see.', he explained. His family history is tightly connected to the island. And as we drew closer to the rugged mountains and coastal line of the island, he shared many stories - tales of death, love, nature, community - of years gone by. Such a privilege to hear these stories!

It was another short cycling day: 30km to ferry terminal and then another 10km to Ruckle Provincial Park where I was to camp. But as I set off from the ferry terminal on Salt Springs I gasped furiously for air as my legs pumped and strained to get up the hill. Was it going to be this steep the entire ten kilometres. No way! Thankfully, however, it was only a short hill and I spent a pleasant half hour cycling through a gorgeous forest of fir, cedar, arbutus and maple trees.

When I arrived my anxieties of bear attacks, and cougar sightings melted instantly, I was in paradise! The campground was situated on a grassy meadow overlooking Swanson Channel. With a backdrop of dense forest, I pitched my tent directly on the shoreline where river otters and sea lions frequently popped their heads up (apparently I'd just missed a sighting of killer whales by a few hours!). Amongst the rocks lived starfish, oysters, mussels and crabs...

The sun shone brightly for the 3 nights that I camped here while I sat dreamily watching the world of the ocean playfully swim by, meditated and wrote in my journal. It felt good to be finally living in my tent surrounded by stunning nature.

I discovered that Ganges - the main town on the island - held artist markets each Saturday. It was a good excuse to tear myself away from the wildlife watching and dreaming and stretch my legs with a 50km return trip to see what the markets had to offer.

An exciting ride up and over the island's main mountain saw me flying into Ganges in no time. The markets were buzzing with tourists and locals exploring the multitudes of locally-made jewelery, books, pottery, woodcarvings, paintings, while tasting delectable samples of local produce (cheese, fudge, jams, chutney, bread).

With the Provincial elections rapidly approaching, I knew that my chances of running into election campaigners was high. But what a delight to hear the Raging Grannies strike up a tune as I entered the market area. The Raging Grannies - groups of older women who dress up mockingly and sing protest songs - began in the eighties in Victoria but are now considered an activist organisation with splinter groups all over the world. They sung politically-charged lyrics set to well-known folk songs. Quite a sight indeed!

After four delicious sun-filled days, it was back to Victoria to re-visit Jenny, run some errands, stock up on food... and prepare myself for the cycle north up and over the Malahat... eek!

check out more photos here.

cycling adventures with madame m. fox - part one

Vancouver - Victoria (and surrounds)
Distance Covered: 80km

Since arriving in Canada, Madame M. Fox (my well-loved mountain bike) and I have been aching to hit the road with panniers full of camping goodness. But where should we head?

All roads leading out of Vancouver beckoned with promises of beautiful scenery and adventures on the road. To the east, roads wound their way through thick coastal forest and up into the silvery, snow-capped mountains. Beyond the mountains lay the rugged prairies. The coastal mountain range, lakes, inlets of the Sunshine Coast were just north west of Vancouver, while the rolling hills, rainforests, old growth forests (well, what was left of them!), and scenic coastal lines of Vancouver island were just a short ferry ride from south Vancouver... so many choices! what to do?

But when we heard about Victoria's 2009 Bike Prom, our decision was made. Who could resist an event that not only celebrates bikes, but promises to lure you back to the wonders of your high school graduation. hmmmm I was a tad curious....

So my plan evolved into a month of cycling up Vancouver Island and back down the Sunshine coast to arrive back in Vancouver around the beginning of June.

But first stop: Bike Prom! Bike Prom is an annual event hosted by bike-loving extraordinaires in Victoria - a city on the southern most tip of Vancouver island, the capital of British Columbia.

Held over three days, the event included bike races, art shows, moonlight mystery rides, bike polo games, bike films, and culminated in a massive masquerade-themed ball that seemed suspiciously similar to my high school prom (or 'formal' as we'd call it in Australia) only on bikes. One highlight of the evening was the pre-ball mystery ride which saw over 60 dressed-up cyclists weave their way through the streets of Victoria, whizz along the southern coastline of the island and scamper up a small hill to watch the sun go down where we were serenaded by local gypsy band Orkestar Slivovica.

Another highlight of the evening was seeing a performance by the Velovixens - a local bike-themed physical theatre group. Using theatre, dance, music, and imagery, they performed a simple yet effective and provocative piece called the 'rat race', which provided commentary on society's obsession with materialism. With an astounding stage presence, these girls were an absolute hit with the audience who cheered and screamed wildly when they finished their number. It was so clear that the performers were enjoying every minute of being on stage and this enthusiasm, fun, energy and focus trickled back to the audience. We felt it. And that's what the Velovixens are about. They aren't interested in producing slick, polished high end art; they're out to have fun, with a mind to educate and inform their audiences about varying 'sustainability' issues as they perform.

And so this was my introduction to Victoria. A sneak peak into the bike/art/activist scene. Quite a fun scene too.

Getting to Victoria from Vancouver was simply a ferry ride and a 30km bike ride from Swartz Bay along the Lochside Regional Trail - a cycling/walking trail that runs parallel to the highway. I was excited. Not only was I finally getting away from the chaos of Vancouver, I was able to do avoid the busy highway! The trail was formerly an old railway line and meanders through farmland, alongside beaches, and wetlands, down cute tree-lined lanes and through the outskits of Victoria's suburbia. What luxury!

Victoria itself was originally home to several communities of First Nations peoples (including the Songhees) before the English and the Spanish came along. The english began using it as a Hudson Bay Company trading post in 1843, but once the gold rush started (1858) it became the main port of entry to colonies all over the island and british columbia. It became the provincial capital in 1871. It now has a regional population of 326,000 and given its moderate climate and scenic setting attracts hundreds of retirees and tourists alike each year.

May is possibly the best time to visit Victoria. Bright coloured tulips, dafodhils, roses and many more flowers are sprinkled all over the city. Maple trees are slowly uncurling new green leaves. Birds are chirping. People are out walking, cycling with big smiles on their faces. It has a bubbling energy that seems to have just sprung to life... so this is what spring is...

Thanks to the lovely Jenny (and Otesha connections!), I've been staying in a cute little apartment near Fernwood. There's been lots of cozy chats and tea drinking, which has made me feel that home isn't so far away. And with Jenny being in the middle of her teaching practicum (middle school), I've made an excellent guniea pig for various school activities and have learnt many things about the digestive system, life expectancy, the functioning of lungs and more!

next stop? Salt Spring Islands. Stay tuned!

(photo by Chris Davis)

critical mass-ive

Why pay for a packaged tour of a city you've just arrived in when you can jump on your bike (which you've no doubt packaged up and carried with you across the pacific) and join critical mass - a monthly bike ride that occurs simultaneously in nearly 100 cities worldwide. I've been a frequent 'masser' for years now, but I've never been to one quite as big, colourful and crazy as the one in Vancouver last Friday night...



We cycled for over 3 hours, holding up the Lion's Gate bridge for over 20 minutes. It was so exciting to be part of such a fun celebration of bike riding. I was impressed to see so much support from car drivers who (mostly) cheered, honked and high-fived us as we cycled past their gridlocked cars...

It's not compulsory to vote in Canada, so with the forthcoming election in BC on 12 May Critical Mass (April '09) was an important platform for election campaigning. Hundreds of cyclists rocked up wearing election placards all over their bikes, helmets and bodies in an effort to inspire the larger community to vote.

The citizen's assembly has also called for a referendum to decide between the current voting system of 'first-vote-past-the-post' or a new model: a 'Proportional representation by Single Transferable Vote' system (BC-STV).

Each electoral district elects a single candidate to the BC government under the current system. This candidate is elected based on receiving the most votes. With BC-STV voters are required to list their preferences and your ballots becomes proportionally divided to help several candidates get elected. eg. If your first choice gets more votes than they need to win, then some of your vote will go to your second choice.

The BC-STV is similar to the model we use in Australia and allows for a more efficient use of votes, greater accountability, better voter choice and fairer representation.

According to the citizen's assembly the current system sees almost 64% of votes wasted leaving these people with no one to represent them under a so-called democratic government compared to the BC-STV which has a theoretical maxium number of wasted votes of 18%. BC-STC translates more votes into seats far more accurately and votes go towards candidates rather than parties.

Under the current system parties are routinely over rewarded if they win more than 40% of the vote and under rewarded if they win less than 30 percent of the vote. In contrast the Single Transferable Vote system rewards parties with a number of seats that is close to their proportion of the popular vote.

More informtion about the system can be found here.

a little hummingbird in flight...

Almost a year has past since I've popped in for chat... many twists and turns, adventures and new beginnings. A year of self-discovery and rest...

Besides hanging quietly in my blue mountains retreat (playing in my vege garden and exploring creative projects), I've spent a lot of time hanging out with the kids at The Otesha Project and ended up cycling on one of their tours from Brisbane to Newcastle late last year... amazing stuff!

But today is a new day... and with a rustle of feathers and deep breath I'm spreading my wings to head to the land of grizzly bears, beavers and maple syrup: Canada...

It's been a while since I've traveled overseas and my feet have been super itchy of late. So with a working holiday visa in one hand, an over-stuffed bag and a head full of dreams and adventures I'm off on a flight late tomorrow afternoon. Yikes!

I plan to spend some time rambling and reflecting here as I wander through Canada, so stay tuned!

it's oh so quiet...

Actually, it's anything from quiet. My head is buzzing with ideas, thoughts and inspiration; my heart is singing; my feet are dancing; the world around me seems crazy and surreal... yet it's all making so much sense...

So, I'm back in the mountains after two amazing weeks working on the life between buildings projects as a Bundanon artist in residency. My commitment to blog daily while I was there was ruined by the internet collapsing in the last four days. Probably a good thing though. It made me realise just how bloody addicted I am to the damn internet... hhmmm...

Anyway, once I get back into the swing of life, catch up with the exciting chaos that I left behind and give myself time to reflect, I'll tell you all about it. Stay tuned!

In the meantime, pop on over to my flickr webpage to get a very small taste of some of the things I was up to while there.

environmental sustainability discussion

For those of you interested in the function of art in relation to environmental sustainability, you might want to check out the online debate that is unfolding over at the lifebetweenbuildings project blog.

Jules, Rhi and I - who really don't want to leave our scrumptious Bundanon cottage in two days time - over the next few hours will chat online about our ideas on the function of art and their relation to environmental sustainability. Feel free join in with us!

imaginary swims, creative muses and chocolate adventures

Another update from bundanon residency... read more here.

I bounced out of bed at 7am yesterday, despite my insomnia pushing my body through until about 3am the previous night (crawling into bed at 5:30am isn’t unheard of around these parts either – who needs sleep at times like these!). Aside from wanting some alone time to reflect, I was keen to spend the morning by the river… To think about where I’m at, maybe take advantage of the soft morning light (for photography), but mostly just to meditate and soak up my surroundings. I was surprised at the amount of bird life by the shore – willy wag tails, magpies, wrens, kookaburras, king fishers, crimson rosellas all within a few metres of each other. To be a part of that! Wow!

Of course I wouldn’t dream of breaking the Bundanon Artist’s In Residency ‘no swimming’ rule, so I just…um…errr…danced naked across the sand and dipped my toes in? Yes, that’s what I did. The cold certainly didn’t force a sudden intake of breath as I dived in. And I didn’t shout songs of excitement to the birds as I spooned handfuls of icy water over my head. Neither was I able to experience the cool rush of water swirling around my naked body… so… um… yeah I just sat…. oops, I mean danced… and imagined all of the things that might have happened if I’d swum… As I basked in the sun pretending to let my imaginary drenched locks of hair dry, I watched a willy wag tail flit along the shores, glancing quizzically every so often in my direction (HA - he reminded me of the raven and goat that Boyd obsessively painted as a symbol of voyeurism). I wrote in my journal, took a few photos and breathed in deeply… Ah!

Anyway, it seems the sheer power of imagination made for a sensational day. The dreams of an entirely imaginary morning swim refreshed my mind and soothed my spirit. On returning to my studio, a few tangible ideas for writing began to emerge. Fingers itched. My pen began dancing wildly across the room. And so I wrote! Words. On paper. There’re still very raw, but I’ve started. It’s all very exciting.

Let me explain my excitement: I wasn’t sure how much writing I’d actually do while down here. Having experienced intense writer’s block in the last few months, I’d made the decision to focus on photography, painting and sculpture during the residency. In the lead up to the residency, however, I felt like my blockage was starting to dissipate. This was mostly due to a rediscovery of my passion for letter writing. Through a series of letters to a friend, I found words began flowing from my fingers again. It was a fascinating process. And prompted me to commit, while at Bundanon, to daily blogging and scrawling out morning pages. It’s still a slowly unravelling process, however, and I decided to only write creatively if my fingers started itching to throw words on the page. No expectations. No pressure. But this morning my fingers started itching! Hoorah!

These ten days have taught me a lot about my creative process. Like Julian, ‘lounging about, unwinding, enthusiastically talking up ideas, and idly noodling’ – and I’d add, debating hardcore issues, cooking, reading, watching movies and teasing Jules himself – has been crucial for getting the creative juices flowing. Yet so often I’ll feel guilty if it isn’t immediately obviously that what I’m doing is directly productive towards my end goal. Here I’m learning that so much time for me is spent thinking conceptually about an idea – planning, discussing, exploring abstractly - the nitty gritty craftsmanship of creating a work, words on paper, paint on canvass, emerges much later. I love creating first in my head and bouncing those ideas around, exploring all the options and thinking laterally for further options… So talking, lounging around, cooking etc. are really important and valid! Hmm… brains are such strange things…

Speaking of my brain, the contents of it are currently sprawled across our newly acquired second art studio. Not actual brain bits, of course, just a symbolic representation. With paper, textas, nails and creative enthusiasm, I created a giant mind map of our song cycle/installation when I got back from my river adventure. It isn’t often that I have so much space to spread out, so why not! I also thought it was time for the group to start focusing in on our project. What was actually achievable? What ideas should we keep exploring? Were there actual components that we could start writing/composing? Who wanted to do what? What was the scale of the project? I figured having a central space to summarise our ideas – one drawing board rather than five – would be useful for 1. Ensuring that we are on the same wavelength, 2. Nutting out some achievable goals for the final four days of our residency, 3. Ensuring that we found a model that allowed each one of us to use our strengths to their advantage.

Our discussion in the evening demonstrated just how far we’ve come in finding a collaborative model that seems achievable, despite all our initial concerns. We’re finding ways of working together. We’re moving forward. There are still challenges ahead, but I think we’ve reached another turning point. I’m really excited.

We’re going on an adventure tonight… To sleep in the rundown shack across the paddock – the one in which the Swiss artist built her embroidery installation. A night of creative storytelling, poetry reading, insomnia, mandolin playing and – if Rhiannon actually manages to find her way ‘home’ this time – chocolate munching!

Dammit I don’t want to go home…