Somewhere on Chambers Street in Fernwood is a telephone pole with a famous Dr. Seuss character painted on it.
Standing next to it on May 13 is Sarah Lax, the new event coordinator of the Bike To Work society. Without giving away where she is exactly, Lax is excited to say why she’s there, to promote the society’s new Discovery Rides and Scavenger Hunts, that will happen instead of the traditional Bike To Work Week which usually kicks off in May.
Which is why Lax is standing next to a Seussian favourite. The furry fellow is item No. 8 of 15 on the Fernwood Scavenger Hunt, released May 7 (see attached Fernwood scavenger hunt map).
“We can’t have Bike To Work Week this year as we can’t have celebration stations, so we decided to have these Scavenger Hunts, Discovery Rides and Ride the Distance events that people can do themselves,” Lax said.
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There will be 16 Scavenger Hunts and Discovery Rides in all, starting with one in Fernwood and another in Royal Oak/Cordova Bay. The remaining 14 neighbourhood Scavenger Hunts and Discovery Rides will be released throughout the rest of spring and summer, with the final one released Aug. 31, Lax said.
Sarah Lax: Event coordinator with @GVCC & @BiketoWorkVic who have created 16 scavenger hunts around Greater Victoria starting with Fernwood & Royal Oak. pic.twitter.com/H7Qw2fdHYM
— Travis Paterson (@TravisAPaterson) May 13, 2020
“Every neighbourhood gets a Discovery Ride (self-guided tour) and Scavenger Hunt,” Lax said. “We have created the scavenger hunts across the region because historically people might have thought of Bike to Work Week as Victoria centric, so this is to encourage inclusion in places like the Peninsula.”
The deadline to submit photos and answers to the clues for the Fernwood and Royal Oak/Cordova Bay neighbourhood scavenger hunts is May 18 and there are prizes to be won, at gvcc.bc.ca/fernwoood-royaloak-scavenger-hunts.
“Anyone can do them anytime,” Lax said.
Some more clues in Fernwood include identifying what three words start with ‘A’ on the “tiny theatre” truck camper that’s parked on Denman Street, locating the “Wishing Tree” and listing how many front yard gardens you see with kale.
In Royal Oak/Cordova Bay, the first clue is to locate the Royal Oak Neighbourhood House and find what year it opened (as a school). Another clue is to name the memorial statue on the Lochside Trail trestle bridge over Blenkinsop Lake.
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To check out the Discovery Rides and Rides for Distance visit gvcc.bc.ca/theme-rides.
The Greater Victoria Bike To Work Society and Greater Victoria Cycling Coalition voted to merge this year and create a new entity, the Bike Victoria Society.