July 18: Be careful what you assume

The skies were much darker than yesterday but we had several events which required us to hit the road regardless of weather. First we rode into Chilliwack to meet the mayor and find out what that city is doing to fight climate change. It seems they are making good progress in building eco-density and protecting the local water supply. Some areas need work (e.g. biofuels are not the answer) but not everything can be expected to be perfect at once. We were happy to see a start had been made. Next event was a visit to Yarrow’s Eco-village project. The rain soaked us shortly before arriving there so we skipped an outdoor tour and had an interesting introduction to eco-village principals such as the triple bottom line (sustainable economically, ecologically, and socailly). Afterwards we had another soggy ride to the campground. Blech!

Our final event of the day was a ride around the area with cyclists from Abbotsford (and beyond). After two soaking we weren’t too keen on more and we figured (almost) no one would show up so we pondered cancelling if only a couple of people showed. Much to our surprise we were greeted by a crowd of over 30 cyclists who came out in the rain to ride with us. Wow! We toured past a variety of local crops and then finished with a section of the Trans Canada Trail along the Sumas River dike. Great finish to the day.