We are jumping ship

You can now follow the Birds at www.birdsonbikesvtb.wordpress.com

Same name, different handle, much more stuff...

Sorry for the confusion. We were experiencing many technical difficulties, so had to make a change.

Just follow this here link and everything will be okay...

thanks,

love the birds

Ferry Mission Complete. The Birds Head South..Successfully

Somehow, with all of our saved up luck in our pockets, we managed to catch not one, but two ferries in one day! This is incredible, considering Goocher's chain jumping ship, The Birds' ability to become distracted by almost anything, ferries happen to be on a tight schedule and On Time, and back to the second point of  The Birds' ability and ease at which distraction takes hold and times slips by. The day was early and our first long ride, which did indeed appease our restless legs. Biking, biking, biking. Heading south through Anacortes and Whidbey, we came upon Deception Pass. This would mark the start of our car paranoia and also brought forth the inner NerdSafetyCape in us all. Perfect. The ride itself was exciting with the traffic, twisting roads, and lush forests. With the help of our roadside saviour, Victoria, we were nudged south by time and a fast approaching ferry departure to Port Townsend. Hours rolled past and the sky darkened, giving us all a very large hint that we needed to pump our legs a little faster. Almost to the ferrie with worried expressions on our faces, we passed a small huddle of fellow bike tourers just off our route. We waved and honked and they waved back. Little did we know, they would become part of The Birds Family in only a few hours. Alas!, we made it to the ferrie, namely because reason number two (above:ferries happen to be on a tight schedule and On Time) did not occur at this time. Exhausted and hungry, the birds devoured muffins that were definitely fermenting and veggie patties that tasted like Thanksgiving stuffing. Brilliant.

The Steeds right before crossing the Death Bridge aka Deception Pass.

The Birds wondering how we got here and why we want to bike across The Death Bridge.

Love, Elkmother and the Birds. more to come......!

Bird Crossing

According to my passport I’ve crossed the U.S.-Canadian border some twenty times. I’ve gone by car, plane, bus, ferry and train. Never have I crossed by bicycle, never have I gone with five minutes to make my connecting transport and never have I gone with a dozen donuts bungeed to a bike rack.

We rode from Foxglove Farms approximately 1200 feet on the top of Saltspring Island down to catch a quick ferry to Swartz Bay on Vancouver Island where we biked a half hour to the other ferry landing at Sidney. Considering we had an hour between ferries we figured we’d use the spare time to catch a quick coffee and maybe a muffin. We pulled into a coffee shop, one that was decidedly not Starbuck’s and took the five minutes it takes to lean our four fully loaded bikes up. I wrote some postcards with the last of my Canadian stamps, Lauren called her mom back in Vancouver and we all had a coffee and a pee. When we started watching the clock again we had twenty minutes to make the ferry to Friday Harbor on the San Juan Islands (notice how Habor has no “u”– we were to enter the States). We chugged the coffees, wrapped up any half-eaten pastries and tried hitting the road. Two blocks later we stopped at a bakery as Lauren got off her bike and pointed out the glazed donuts we wanted to the woman working behind the counter of Lauren’s old favorite bakery. Fifteen minutes to go.

We circle a round-about twice looking for a sign to the ferry terminal, ride a few more blocks then we approach the ferry landing. There are no cars in the line-up, just a woman in the ticket kiosk telling us we have to hurry. The ferry is nearly loaded and we still need to go through the border patrol check point. We pay, we go down the wrong road, then we roll up to the immigration building where a woman most likely named Shirley (it was a frazzled moment and we just can’t remember) tells us before anything we should have arrived earlier for an international transfer. Shirley has a graying hair, a young grandmother face and a gun.

            “Get you passports out and take off your dark sunglasses.” Shirley is talking quickly. Perhaps it’s the maternal in her that wants us to catch this ferry.

            In our defense, as weak as it stands, we thought we’d go through immigration when we got off the boat. Instead we have five minutes till the ferry leaves and one of the most protective borders in the western hemisphere to cross.

            “What will you be doing in the U.S.?” Shirley asks.

            “Riding our bikes to Mexico.”

            Shirley takes my U.S. passport, glances at it, scans it then passes it back.

            “How long will you be in the U.S.?”

            We all look at each other and nod our heads with two months. Gooch and Haley pass Shirley their Canadian passports and it’s the same glance and scan ritual. Lauren has to get off her bike and unpack her back pannier in order to find her passport all while trying not to squish the donuts fixed to her back rack.

            “Two months?” Shirley is not impressed. “That’s a long time to spend. You probably should’ve given yourselves more time to cross the border.”

            Lauren is still looking while we all apologize to Shirley.

            “Do you have proof of funds? Something like a bank statement to show you can support yourself while in the country?”

            We tilt our heads. We volunteer credit cards. I pull out my Bank of America VISA card with Hello Kitty stamped all over it and Shirley shakes her head. “Oh, we don’t need your financial stuff,” she smiles. “You could starve in the streets and we wouldn’t care.” I put my Hello Kitty card away. It’s nice to be back home.

            Lauren finds her passport and we appease Shirley with the promise of train tickets back to Canada come fall and that Lauren has to be at school in Vancouver early September and that we have families who love us and will get us home if need be.

            Given the circumstances Shirley must think we are stupid. Not only are we unorganized giving ourselves five minutes to cross an international border without all the proper documentation but we are planning to bike down all the way to Baja California. We are stupid, but more importantly we are harmless.

Shirley tells us to hurry. “Lane 2, girls.”

We ride across the empty lines marked in the road up to a ramp where we pass our tickets to a ferry attendant. The green Washington State ferry is waiting, still suctioned to the dock and we figure we’ve made it with donuts. But then Shirley comes running along the chain link fence the gun in her holster banging against her hip. She is yelling. “She forgot her sunglasses!” Lauren goes back for the glasses she left laying in the pavement out front of the immigration kiosk. We finally get on the boat.

On board as we watch the gap of water between the ferry and Canada widen we wave goodbye and then go eat a dozen donuts. 

Where to next?

Bye Canada, see you in 3.

Donuts. Right hand.

Salt Spring Island Part Two: Foxglove Farm

We hitchhiked halfway up the mountain to Foxglove Farm not because we were lazy. Our egos are intact enough that we don't need to conquer that 45 degree incline at 7pm before a workday on Foxglove Farm. We arrived before sunset and we found a fully loaded kitchen, hot outdoor showers and a newly plowed meadow for us to camp in. We slept deeply and got up early the next morning to start our volunteer shift on the asparagus field. The farm isn't incredibly large but the land that is used is insanely well kept. It's a testament to the farmhands that work there how clean and organized everything is. Seon, Patrick, Janet and Claire were our guides for the day and showed us how fast asparagus grows (we noticed the elevation they gained within the few hours we worked alongside them), how suspending raspberry plants at a 90 degree angle pulls the fruit to one side to make harvest less prickly and how you can utilize green house space by hanging melons with hairnets. Some ingenious stuff is going on up there. 


Us Birds spent the day clearing out tomato plants, raspberry bushes and spinach.Thanks to Janet  we ate one of the more delicious lunches we will ever eat (shred your yams and fry your bananas). The rainy morning cleared into a hot afternoon and though we were beat, we were happy to help out and get some dirt under our fingernails. The other farmhands kept working late into the afternoon as we had to take meadow naps and warm lake swims, but Clarie was kind enough to give us a tour of the entire farm. Not only does Foxglove have the garden and orchard and greenhouses that we worked but in order to diversify their crops they're growing their own wheat on a back field. As of now there are no animals on the farm though previously it was cattle land, which makes the soil nitrogen rich and perfect for farming. Michael and Jean Marie, the owners for the past five years, have done some amazing things with the land. Claire told us how farming is like any other form of expression- a painting on the land. 


In addition to the agricultural aspect of the farm, Foxglove offers a variety of workshops, retreats and camps. It's considered "a centre for arts, ecology and agriculture". Though we didn't see much of this side of the farm the days following our departure they were to host a workshop on mushrooms by Paul Stamets, and how they can save the world. We can't thank the Foxglovers enough for their kind generosity, their inspiring dedication and all the knowledge they shared with us. 

Our visit was documented mainly by video, which is time consuming to edit. We will post these soon!

Salt Spring Island Part One

So we survived Salt Spring Island. With our thighs a burnin' and our gears a squealin' we departed yesterday morning for San Juan Island after 5 days of lovely, but hilly, Salt Spring immersion. Right now it is 11:20pm and I am sitting on the patio of the lovely Lakedale Resort where we are camping. Im sitting on the patio, not because of the lovely scenery or comfortable patio sets, but because us campers aren't allowed in to the luxurious resort after hours....ahem...

Friday, after our reunion aboard the Queen of WhoKnowsWhat we booted it into Ganges to regroup. After weighing our options we decided biking up to Channel Ridge where Lauren's dad owned some property. We figured this would be a good idea. And that leaving at 7pm that evening would be an even better idea. So as the sun was setting, and with the birds first day back together, we biked up a mountain. Man what a test of endurance, perseverance, descriptive frustrated vocabulary. But we made it, to a gorgeous plot of land, with an incredible view,  nestled in between two mansions.

Saturday we flew back down the mountain, and back into town, and resettled at Garden Faire campground, just a walk away from the town of Ganges. We spent the day poking around town, caught the tail end of the Farmer's Market and watched the game, which we have become avid followers since we left the Vancouver....

Sunday we were privileged to spend the afternoon with artist, writer, educator, and founder of Creative by Nature,  Lisa Lipsett. She was kind enough to have us over, and share with us her art and practice and process. See pictures below. Lisa led us through an exercise of seeing and connecting with our surroundings. It was an inspiring afternoon.
After our visit we rode down the rode to Blackburn Lake, home of the island's nudie dock....**

And Monday we packed up and rode across the island to the Gulf Island Brewery, where Brewmaster Murray Hunter kindly gave us a tour of the Salt Spring Ale operation. After, hot, hungry and thirsty, he pointed us down the rode to Fulford, where we could sit in the sun and enjoy a Gulf Island Brew...

That evening, destined for Foxglove Farm, on Mt.Maxwell, and having flashbacks to the last time we climbed a mountain, we stewed up ways we could avoid the trek......with the kindness of some locals and our legs o steel....we made it up there....somehow....

Stay tuned for Salt Spring Island part deux. where we farm, cross the border and eat a lot of doughnuts...

Oh and the pictures are coming too...

xo
Hunter

Finally-the photos!

A meditative watercolour/drawing workshop orientated by Lisa Lipsett. Our fold out results. 

The entrance to Lisa Lipsett's lovely studio. Packed with canvas, self-published books and German non-toxic watercolour paint. A beauty!

Our little nook on Salt Spring Island. A few minutes walk from Ganges, a little neck in the woods.

Burrrito's with a side of campfire.

The.food.panier(s). Courtesy of Josie.

Our daily morning espresso to keep us on the move. Stumps to rest our things.  

A rest in meadow following our visit at Gulf Island Brewery. A roasty afternoon.Lauren's chases a racoon with the camera.

Inspired by Murray, we a test a little bit of heaven down by the harbour. Love this beer!

All together now...

Visit Foxglove Farm's newsletter for an update about our visit! What an inspiring family they have! They spoiled us with healthy food and inspiring energy.

http://foxglovefarm.createsend3.com/t/ViewEmail/r/8550862608A3C080/049084C7668C9BD8C45D7BC1A387288D

Please view our trailer here!

Our Trailer

Bird Nesting and Island Timing. The Birds Have Flown the Coop

Hello and Happy Summer! There was indeed a small hiccup in the birds' departure from Vancouver, but alas the four Birds are together again. It feels good. It feels oh soo good! We spent some decompression time on Mayne Island..sleeping with sheep, roosters, and three cows (Rose and Oliver were my favourites).  A lovely man named Manny generously let us pitch our tents in a patch of wispy young trees near his King apple orchard. Gorgeous land!
Manny and his wife Alexis had met at a cob building project down in Baja, some time ago on a bike adventure of their own! It so happened Jurgen and Judith, or "The Tinkerers", also lived on Mayne Island and they were the founders of the cob project in Baja. So,..we called them! We said, "Hello, we are the birds on bikes..can we speak with you?". Four hours later we were all close to tears rolling away from their house on our trusty steeds. They were full of wisdom, travelling tales, inspiration, and some of the best life advice I have yet to hear.
Love, Elkmother.

Pre Trip Bike Workshop/Pizza Cook-Off/Tyler's Awesome Cram Session.  Intense concentration mixed with three delicious beers equals excellent and reliable bike mechanic knowledge.

Elkmother gathering her vitamins for the trip. ..just kidding;)....except the chocolate. The chocolate is allll mine.

Look wayyyyy back, past the ferns and the grass and the box with the names. Past the fence and the king apple trees..and there! That is the place where the birds lay their heads:)

The entrance to night one on the adventure. Tres inviting!

Hunter emerging from her slumber to find Rose and Oliver enjoying some greens for brekkie. We fed them and Haley rubbed their heads. I decided I was happy I don't eat them or their friends. 

With the help of our crash course bike mechanic workshop, Josie and Elkmother attempt to fix some tight ass brakes! ...oh, and this was about hour 4 of the trip. 

Edith Point, Mayne Island. On a mission for ocean-side espresso. Meeting Goocher in T-45 minutes. It's tight. Very, very tight. 

Jurgen, Hose, Elkmother, and Judith. The Tinkers use the herbs behind us for their medicinal and healing concoctions which they kindly share at markets and personal encounters. Brilliant souls, these two. Just brilliant!

Aaannnnd, the birds must fly again. Spot nombre uno! Bon Voyage!
Love, Elkmother.

3 birds afly, one bird down

The big day commences, June 1st, 2011.

This morning 3/4 of the birds departed to Mayne Island to begin the journey down south! However, trauma strikes and just before the big journey begins, we have one bird down. That would me, Hailey (Gooch) at home, on June 1st, with an ice pack, a bottle of T3's and two extracted wisdom teeth at my beside table. I had to have emergency oral surgery to remove one hell of a wisdom tooth (teeth, actually there were two) which were disrupting my other chompers. There was debate about whether to perform this surgery now, or in some back alley  in mexico, needless to say i chose the former. SUPER bummed, lonely and sore, but i will meet up with the birds on Salt Spring Island on friday june 3 regardless. the show must go on. this is life and (soon) i will laugh about it.
i know you are anticipating sublime photos of coastal elegance, but i will grace you with this lovely photo of what was once in my mouth- they will be strapped around my neck for good luck. i am not in contact with the other birds, but as far as i know, they are visiting Starry Meadows Farm tomorrow June 2nd, we'll hear more soon. lotsa of love to those who are listening and will be sharing this journey with us for the following three months. until soon.x

We are Connected

Generous family concerned about our well being pitched in for a wonderful device called a SPOT. It's a GPS locater thingy. Now you can follow us as we make our way down south.

BIRD NEST IS HERE

preview*

Our Trailer

keep track of us on vimeo for all of our latest videos, we will periodically be posting along the way!

Two Weeks

So, we've got two weeks before we head off on our trip. Yeah. Two weeks, twooooo weeks. Besides trying to solidify a trip itinerary, fixing up our bikes, finding the money needed to fix up our bikes and preparing to leave the country for 3 months, we are all on schedule.

I thought about making a paper chain date counter, the type your grade four teacher had you make to count down the last month of school before summer, but then I realized it would stress me out too much. Instead I wrote at the top of my calendar- "everything will be OK, maybe not great, but definitely OK." That was a week ago. Now I've hidden my calendar from view under a pile of denial and moving boxes.

I cannot wait to be on my bike with nothing else but my four panniers of life and my three Birds riding in formation around me.

Bike trips and tempeh tips

And suddenly its April. The cherry blossoms have popped, Hails is dying from allergies, Josie is in her last week of classes and Lauren is up to her knees again in landscaping. Spring is here. Apparently. And that means summer is right around the corner, which means 56 days until June 1st. 56 days until we leave! Ah! A realisation that fills me with dread with the thought of all the things that we still need to do before we leave, but also sheer giddy pleasure, the kind that creeps up the back of your neck and finds its way to your mouth, in a smile you can't quite wipe away. Oh man. Stoked and freaked.

This weekend, because we like to live on the wild side, us birds are heading over to Victoria for a weekend excursion, gear trial run, film/interview practice, and you know have general good time.

We are very excited because we will be visiting the Wayward School. It is a cooperative school all about thinking, making and doing. They offer interdisciplinary workshops, lectures, seminars, and community gatherings. This weekend they will be hosting workshops on tempeh, knife sharpening and lactofermentaion. Cool huh? We're looking forward to getting a chance to catch up with Heather Cosidetto and Stephen Morales, the folks behind the Wayward school, and to learn about the history of fermentation and friendly bacteria. Wahoo!

Stay tuned to photos and footage from the expedition.

-Haley

*SHIRTS*

yes, we do wear our own shirts. particularly for bike meetings. and you can too! 

organic cotton-S,M,L,XL. $25. logo designed by Skyler Punnett. all proceeds toward the trip! contacts us via email- birdsonbikes@gmail.com. yaH!

horseshoe bay trial run..

so, this past weekend us birds made tracks. as we initiate our training, we journeyed to horseshoe bay and back with our packs! other than a few sore butt cheeks we had a fabulous day. silly photos below.

birdbath styles

..we finally wrangled up the few photos we had from the birdbath evening. ya'll are sooo goood loookin'.

lizzy and jo-jo.

manon and melo.

claire.dylan.lauren.

the GEESE!

laurens mom the superhero.

ruffle/raffle cage.

~the ALBERTANS~

3/4 of bird crew- lauren. hails.hales.

tyler and nathan.

and then another FUNDRAISER!!!??!?! SD Style.

This is Josie and with a week off from school I flew south to catch some sun and see the family. And what did I find when I got there, but a lovely sister, Deana Carter and her group, Women Benefitting the Community, who wanted to throw another fundraiser for the BIRDS ON BIKES!!!!!

Tonight- Thursday February 17th, 2011, 6pm-9pm at Jose's Courtroom in San Diego. 1037 Prospect Street.

This time it's San Diego style- tequila, Mexican food and way too much fun! For those of you who can make it- DO!!!!

Caw-caw mis parajos!
Josie

ruffle/raffle

WHEW! The birds. have. been. on. hiatus.

The bird bath fundraiser shakedown was a success, although it left us entirely depleted of energy and time. We are incredibly grateful for all of those who helped, danced, drank and left leaving us increasingly stoked for our journey. I know there has been anticipation- we scored the numbers and we came out way on top with $1000 profit!!

This event was truly an insight into collaborative efforts. This was a reciprocal exchange among a network of incredible artists- The Albertans, The Geese, Adam and Allyson the DJ's, Voracious V and Madam Mae the burlesque dancers, the talented Skylar Punett who illustrated our logo, Kevin Hubbard who donated his amazing print, all of the local bike shops who generously donated their goods and of course ALL of our amazing friends and family who came out and donate their time. THANK. YOU.

The energy is UP and the word is out as we continue to exchange inspirations. At this point, after all the fundraiser chaos, we seemed to forget that we are doing a bike trip. And I realized that I am going to need a bike. Therefore, we are now researching fancy bike stuff, locations to visit, training. ETC.
Until next time...

Hailz.

Introducing Voracious V and Madame Mae!!!

The birds would like to introduce two more of our performers for our fundraiser tomorrow night! The two sexy ladies currently perform extensively in Vancouver BC to the delight of many! Vorocious V will be feeling feathery in a winged burlesque performance sure to fly! Madame Mae will also exude a bird inspired sensual sensation for all bird and bike lovers! We want to extend a big thank you to both of the women! Come to The Anza Club tomorrow, Jan 28th, to see them! They will be on at 10pm sharp!

Love, The Birds.

The Winter Bird Bath Fundraiser Event-The Music Makers and Booty Shakers!

Hello and greetings from The Birds. As Hailey posted earlier, we are in prime party planning time and things are heatin up. Good times and flying ideas swirling round our warm bodies as we bike round the wintery city that is Vancouver. We are getting really excited to share our ideas and project some of our energy out to the community at our upcoming Fundraiser for the Birds, here on Jan 28th, 2011 at The Anza Club!

Here's a little run down of what the night will hold, all it needs is for you to come down with some support, some dancin legs, and maybe a thirsty belly?

Doors at 8pm and The Geese will start off the night at 9 sharp! They will grace the stage with a big voice and a big pair of wings until our two creative and sexay "'Bird'-Lesque" performers shimmy across the stage at 10pm.

Not really like our neighboring province, The Albertans, hailing from Brooklyn, NYC, will knock your socks off your feet, your drink out of your hand, the lint out of your pockets, and the sleep out of your eyeballs. After will be dance dance time good times with some of our good friends playin some songs to make you smile, talk, and possibly awkwardly move your hips!

We will have some merch with our brilliant Birds on Bikes design printed on the shiz, designed by our good friend Skyler Punnett. We also will have some bikey raffle prizes from our buds down at the Bike Doctor and Jett Grrl for all the bodies that come on down!
Good times will be had and we would love to meet and share some time and space with you all,..so come down!

Love from The Birds,



Lauren aka Elkmother.

Spread Velolove on Velopalooza's amazing web page where they promote local bike events, including our Birds on Bikes Shakedown!

Velopalooza

WINTER BIRD BATH SHAKEDOWN!!!!

Wahooo! January 28th! We are counting down the days. The date is fast approaching. Check out the knarly poster by Lauren...(ya you read right.. knarly..its the hip new adjective, Hailey told me so)

This whole party planning thing has been a steep learning curve. With organizing the four of us, trying to wrap our heads around all the things one needs to consider when putting on an event this size. Its a little more intense then your average potluck preparation. Venue? Bar? Cover? Bands? DJs? We jumped feet first in, thinking.."oh ya lets just throw a fundraiser party! no problem. get some bands, have some beer, invite our friends, good times right? no big deal". I gotta say, it has been a little overwhelming at times. But what I have found so inspiring, has been the amazing support and talent we have found, right under our noses, in our circle of friends, and family and colleagues. Its humbling when you just start putting it out there..'hey who knows someone who can dj' or 'does anyone know of a designer? a burlesque dancer? a...?' and the ultimate 'would you be willing to give us a hand?'. And over and over we get the answer back of YES! Amazing.

The thing that is exciting about this party, but what also, in my mind, sets the stakes a little higher is that we want to get the dialogue started. To raise some funds, yes, but also to start connecting with our community here at home, about this project we are embarking on. To start reaching out, and to begin  the conversations and knowledge shares about what our community, our friends, and our neighbours are excited about right now. I see the Birds on Bikes project as a connecting of dots down the coast; discovering and passing along the thread that connects us. But where does it begin? What does it look like at the source?
I think what I am trying to say is that I hope you can make it on the 28th. Bring your dancing shoes, but also bring your inspirations. Turn to your neighbour in the beer line, or on the dance floor, and ask them what they are up to, where they come from and what they are inspired by.
Lets steep in the collective awesomeness of our talents and passions.
And lets just wear some feathers in our hair and shake away the January blues....

more info on the line up to come. check back soon!



-Haley