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This is Alder Street, just a hint north of Broadway Avenue; looking north, over False Creek, at downtown Vancouver -- I was looking at the clouds.

Between Broadway, or 9th, Avenue and the north-most end of Alder at 5th Avenue, the street takes a steep nosedive towards sea level.

When the temperature fluctuates above and below freezing there's a chance of black ice forming. On this stretch of Alder that could be lethal, hence the ten while lines. When the temperature is hovering either side of zero, city trucks roam major streets spraying these lines.

They're either de-icing fluid or racing stripes. Click the image to enlarge it.

Another lacklustre, long-exposure, night photograph: We're looking at Oak Street, a block-or-so on the North side of Broadway Avenue. I think the grade is over 20° at this point. On our left, going North, Oak gets even steeper -- over 30°, as it drops down to sea level to meet False Creek.

Years ago, on an August afternoon, I had a heart-stopping bicycle "ride" exactly two streets West, down the slightly steeper Alder Street. A sudden light rain shower -- the first after literally weeks of hot sun -- brought out the oil in the asphalt, and I could not stop -- my front and back brakes were clamped. The wheels weren't turning, but I was picking up speed. Looking ahead of me (looking down really), I didn't see my life flashing in front of my eyes, just the cars speeding to and fro along West 5th Avenue. I was able to use my body to lean into a turn and managed to crash-land in some bushes at the intersection of an alley between 6th, and 7th Avenue. I didn't have a bike trailer, or the story would have a different ending.

During particularly heavy rain, the three North-South streets, Oak, Spruce, and Alder are blocked off on the North side of West Broadway Avenue, because they are so steeply graded they can literally become water slides. Some parts of the concrete sidewalks have raised strips to act more like steps. Click the image to enlarge it.

Playing with longer exposures, and a teeny tripod; it does wonders! Here are some photos looking North down Alder Street, circa 12:30 a.m. It was interesting to see how drivers in oncoming cars, as they came over the rise, reacted to seeing someone flat on their stomach on the pavement, wearing a headlamp, and aiming something at them on a tripod. They mostly went into swervy BMW mode, except one, who paused over-long, until I angrily waved them on -- sort of a "deer in headlights" moment. Don't miss my run-in with a Winnebago after the turn!