The Blog of Blues

[blues2cruise]

The first scene is from when we stopped for a break at the river...So many people who live in the city forget that there is such remarkable beauty close to home. This is The Chehalis River in The Hemlock Valley

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What do you do when you are not out on the road? I spend a bit of time in my little garden....pretty, don't you think?

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Sometimes I go for a hike....
This was a recent destination...Norvan Falls.

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I need to resize a couple of photos before I can upload them. Until then.....keep the rubber side down....

Enjoy the pics.

[blues2cruise]

I signed up for a map and compass seminar out in Abbotsford for Friday night and Saturday morning. (August 5 and 6) When I signed up I wasn’t thinking about the fact that I would be going out there on my motorcycle and having to be coming home in the dark….after an easy week of commuting I was about to cross another bridge…both figuratively and literally…
Let me go back to Thursday for a moment. Some people are just so clued out. I was sitting at a red light, facing downhill, waiting to make my right turn, my left hand holding in the clutch and my right hand holding in the brake when a fellow from work rode by on his bike. He saw me and gave a big wave….I responded with a nod of my head…my hands were occupied…
At the end of the day he says to me, “You are sure a snob”.
“I’m a snob?” I reply. “What makes you say that?”
“Wasn’t that you this morning?”
“Yes, that was me.”
“You didn’t even wave back.”
“Dale”, I replied, “I was facing downhill with my hands on the clutch and brake. How was I supposed to wave? I nodded my head at you.”
When he thought about it for a moment he backtracked…sometimes one just cannot wave back.
After work on Friday, I did my errands like getting to the bank and then fuelling up before heading home to shower and get ready for my ride to the Fraser Valley. It has suddenly occurred to me that I will “flying” solo tonight. I find myself facing this evening’s ride with a little trepidation. My friend, dr_bar, has gone away for several days so I won’t have my “security blanket” with me.
Given that it is so hot outside, I wore a sleeveless tanktop under my riding jacket. I also had on my full face helmet. The traffic moved along really well until 264th. I should rephrase that….the traffic was relentlessy aggressive and speeding excessively heading out Hwy 1. When I accessed the freeway at Brunette, I couldn’t believe how great the traffic was flowing. I had envisioned the usual Friday gridlock. I made my turn onto the entrance ramp and was able to merge in effortlessly. Of course it helps having a bike that will accelerate quickly and powerfully.
It actually astounds me how fast it will pick up speed. If I am cruising along at 80kmh and I roll on the throttle, I am at 100kmh before I know it. Now some of you who read this may be thinking, “What’s the big deal?”
I spend all day every day driving around Vancouver in a diesel bus and my personal car is just a Ford Tempo. So, knowing that, you will have some understanding as to why I am so impressed with the acceleration of my bike when I need it. For me, it’s a lot.

When I get onto the freeway, I make my move ASAP to the HOV lane. In theory, the passing lane is now to my right, however, there seems to be a need for some serious education about HOV lanes. A lot of people seem to think HOV means Hey, get out of my way. I have a big SUV and I want to go faster than anyone else on the planet and you are barely going over the speed limit. I’m thinking I need a jacket with a logo on the back that says “I am allowed to be legal!”

The HOV lane works in theory only. One reason being is there isn’t enough enforcement and the other reason being that there are so many a$$inine people driving these days.

I have to admit I was feeling somewhat tense as I was making my way over the Port Mann Bridge. I felt like I was really being pushed. The speed limit in the area preceding the bridge and on the bridge is 80kmn….I was riding 100kmh and it still didn’t seem fast enough for those overly aggressive clowns. The “so called slow lane” really was too slow, and I wasn’t going fast enough to be in the “passing lane”, so the HOV should be perfect. It’s away from the exit and entrance ramps so you don’t have to worry about other vehicles merging.

I must apologize to the motorcyclist going the other way on the bridge. He waved at me and I did not wave back…until you were past me…..I was so busy concentrating on getting over the bridge I didn’t notice you until the last second.

As soon as the HOV lane ends on the Surrey side of the bridge, I make my way to the “so called slow lane”, because the HOV lane now becomes the passing lane. The speed changes to 90kmh here and I am going close to 100kmh while the vehicles in the passing lane are flying by me like I am standing still. Soon the speed limit changes to 100kmh and I finally don’t have to worry about getting a ticket.
It has suddenly occurred to me that I am crouched low in my saddle. I have been riding with every muscle in my gut clenched tight and my teeth clamped together. I now notice that my neck, my right shoulder and in between my shoulder blades are all feeling sore. I have been riding all the way from Burnaby to Langley completely tensed up. It is 232nd Street before I recognize it and will myself to relax.
“Let the muscles go,” I tell myself. “Unclench your jaw, too.”
I sit up straighter in the saddle and loosen my grip on the handlebars a bit. Ah-h-h-h-, that’s more like it. I can feel my confidence returning and my enjoyment rising as I leave behind the craziness of the bridge traffic.

Whoa! What a feeling. A big truck has just passed me and I feel like I am being pulled along in his wake. There is no buffeting. Only a feeling like no wind resistance for a few seconds and then he was gone. He, too was in a big hurry to get somewhere.
“What’s going on? The traffic is coming to a screeching halt!” I am so glad I am in the habit of leaving plenty of space in front of me. Both lanes of traffic travel at about 10kmh for some distance. Finally we go past a couple of vans and a couple of motorcyclists standing along side of the freeway.
No, there was no accident! No, there was no blood and gore! They were simply standing there talking, smiling and laughing! There was nothing to see!
All it takes in a busy traffic situation is the first vehicle in the line to slow down to look and traffic chaos is created. As soon as we got past the people “visiting” at the side of the road, speed picked up again. I left the freeway at the Sumas exit and headed north under the freeway to make my way to Valhalla Outdoor Store.
I was glad of the break and to be out of today’s horrible traffic.

After our seminar, I once again was faced with my feelings of trepidation about riding solo. (Let me backtrack for a bit. I ride solo all over Vancouver. I am very familair with Vancovuer. But heading out to the Fraser Valley is something that is rare for me.)
It was now dark and I am not familiar with this area. I put on my reflective ankle bands and reflective waist and shoulder harness. I just want to make it home in one piece. I made it without incident to the freeway and merged in easily. I was somewhat surprised by how much traffic was heading west at this time of night. The lanes are newly paved so I don’t have to worry about potholes and there is enough traffic to create a certain amount of ambient light. I just need to keep my eyes peeled for deer. Although rare, they do once in awhile make their way to this section of the highway. I managed to clip along at 100-110kmh in the slow lane until the scales.
Once again I thank myself for the practice of leaving lots of space in front of me. Brake lights suddenly are burning bright in front of me. I brake hard and shift down in time so that I am able to stop without incident. I flickered my brake lights a few extra times to alert the person behind me that I am stopping. There was a car stalled along the shoulder of the passing lane. It was not quite off the freeway and had a few cones around it to mark it. Consequently, the traffic in the passing lane was moving right to the slow lane. No wonder we came to a screeching halt.
I had mentioned earlier I had worn only a tanktop under my jacket. When I arrived at the store at 7:45 my back was sweating. Now I don’t know whether it was because the sun was beating on my back when I was heading out or if it was because of nervous sweat, but the point is it was smoking’ hot.
While I am riding home I’m feeling cold. I’m thinking to myself I wish I had long sleeves on under my jacket. “Hmmmm”, I think to myself, “the vents on my jacket are open. I was able to close a couple of the vents and it did help somewhat. I would never have imagined it being so cool going home. As I neared the start of the downhill slope to the bridge, the temperature warmed up significantly. The change was dramatic. It was warm enough to unzip the jacket if I had felt inclined.
The ride back over the bridge was certainly less dramatic at this time of night and making my way to the Brunette exit and getting home was easy going.
I made it out to the valley and back by myself in one piece and lived to tell about it.

When you get used to having someone watch your back, it’s quite the challenge to overcome the feeling of uncertainty. It just shows you the damage to a person’s psyche when you keep meeting up with the wrong people. Slowly but surely, they are getting left behind, as are the insecurities.

I’ll worry about tomorrow, tomorrow. For tonight, I am going to enjoy that I overcame another challenge.

[blues2cruise]

You would think I should know better, but, no-o-o-o-o-o. When I got home after my night ride, there was a message from my friend upstairs. She is a night owl, so I knew it was ok to call her back at 11pm. My quick trip upstairs turned out to be ¾ hour. Sigh….I am my own worst enemy sometimes. I have to get up at 7:30am so I can shower and have some breakfast and coffee before I head out on the bike to go back to Abbotsford for part 2 of the map and compass seminar.
Although I had the alarm set for 7:30, I still woke up at 6. Sigh…..I hope when I retire I get out of this flippin’ habit of waking up too early.

After a bit of breakfast and a couple of cups of coffee I feel somewhat revived. I decided to go a different route to get to the freeway today. Since it is early, there might not be too many hooligans out yet. I rode down Cariboo Road to access the freeway today. It might save me a few minutes of time because I will be on the freeway sooner. As I am approaching the entrance to the freeway, I am checking over my left shoulder to make sure it is clear. I see that it is and just as I start to move into the lane, a car from the passing lane decided to move into my space. So, I wait until they get past me and then merge in behind them. It should be noted that there is not much traffic and there was nobody behind that car. There was no reason for them to change lanes when they did. I sure do wonder about the mentality of the drivers around here.

I got over into the HOV lane and unlike last night, this morning was a much better experience. Except for the bridge. What is it about this bridge that makes people become homicidal maniacs?
After the bridge the next little while was smooth going. I was also not as tensed up today. I don’t know what it is about the area of 264th but here we are again…almost at a standstill….the traffic crawling along at about 2kmh. We finally make it up to where we can see and there are a few police cars and a fire truck. There had been a collision and there was still cones marking the spot. The cones were taking up part of the passing lane, so all the cars had to move over to make room for them. At least we now know why we were going so slowly.
Just as we started to pick up speed, a pickup truck towing a trailer moved into my lane in front of me. Oh, great! Now I can’t see a thing. I look in my mirror, signal, shoulder check and move over into the passing lane. The traffic is moving quickly and I accelerate briskly to keep up with the flow. WE ARE PASSING the slower moving traffic. Suddenly a big….and I mean big….new pickup stomped his gas and was about 3 feet behind me. He must get his jollies scaring the you know what out of people. This is the kind of moron we all wish would have an overheated radiator on a hot day. ....and a flat tire....and no spare with him.....
I rolled the throttle to kick up the speed a notch and when I could pull in I did so. The moron in this big truck then booted it past me to within a few feet of the car ahead of him. The driver of this big truck then weaved to the right into the slow lane and passed on the right before weaving back into the passing lane and intimidating someone else.
Since this a family site, I will refrain from saying what I really think of him.

I made my way to the outdoor store without further incident. When we were all collected at the store, our seminarian (what do you call a person who puts on seminars?) told us he had laid out a course for us to plot at a nearby park. We had to get back on the freeway and head east toward Chilliwack. I’m glad he suggested we follow him, because I would not have found this place otherwise. I might still be riding around in the corn fields. Hmmm, I should have stopped to take a photo of my bike with the corn stalks for a back drop to give you an idea of just how much corn is grown in Chilliwack and how big it grows. I just might have to back out there next weekend. As dr_bar says, “Any excuse for a ride.”
Mt. Baker was really visible today. What a gorgeous sight as you ride along the highway and see the snowcapped mountain with the blue sky for a backdrop.
After the seminar was over I rode a bit through the farmland before making my way back to the freeway. I fuelled up here in Chilliwack before heading west. I left the freeway at Clearbrook. Man, oh, man. What is it with guys in their pick up trucks. I have started signaling to indicate I am taking the next exit. Now, if you know the rules of the road, you will know that you do not cross a solid white line. When you leave or enter the highway, you should do so at the dotted line.
So! I am signaling to leave the freeway and when I get to the dotted line, I move to the exit lane. About the same time, a guy in his freaking big pickup truck also moves towards the exit lane, but across the solid white line and about 5 feet behind me. Although he has scared the tar out of me, I held my line and throttled and geared down for the curve coming up. Although he was still far too close for comfort, he did not attempt to run me over. We stopped at a red light. I was tempted to turn around and flip him the bird, but I feared he might have a rifle or something in there, so I kept my hands to myself.
As soon as I turned the corner I pulled over to the right so he could pass me. Another a$$inine guy behind the wheel.
I went into Clearbrook to find the motorcycle shop that is supposed to be there. After a fruitless ride through Clearbrook in the blazing hot sun, I decided to go home. Getting back onto the freeway was another of those occasions when I was astounded by the acceleration of my bike. The ramp to the freeway was quite long and it enabled me to get up to speed, but the traffic was so bunched together and nobody was moving over…..so….what do you do?
Wind it up wowee it moves fast I am merged in and moving along with everyone else.
Oh, oh, what’s up ahead. Traffic is stopping. Here we go again. Stop, start, stop, start, stop, start…..I must write a letter to blankety blank motorcycle school and tell them the one good thing I learned from them.
“How slow can you go?” They made us practice “walking” speed. Their reason was so you could slow and cruise down Robson Street looking for chicks. How slow can you go. I have become very good at walking speed riding because I have so darn much of it lately.

It appeared that an older model pickup has lost some parts. It looked like it may have been a part of a drive shaft and maybe the u-joint or something lying on the ground. The truck was off to the side and all the traffic was slowly avoiding the debris. This was at the scales and at this point we are getting close to the dreaded bridge again. It was a very slow approach to the bridge today but once on it, we all moved along smoothly.

I made a couple of stops on the way home and am happy to report the rest of the trip was without incident. I can still feel my right shoulder aching even as I sit here and type. I must learn to relax a bit more, but when those aggressive drivers scare me, I can’t help but get tense. I truly think they do it on purpose.
After the riding I did this weekend, I now am just past the 7,000km on the odometer. It’s time for me to take the bike in for its second service. I will call next week and make the appointment.

The bike will stay parked tomorrow. I am taking transit to Grouse Mountain and am going hiking with a few friends. I’ve had enough freeways, highways and byways for one weekend. Tomorrow morning I will walk to the Skytrain and then get off at Waterfront Station, where I will then get on the Seabus. It goes from downtown Vancouver to Lonsdale Quay in North Vancouver. It’s a popular tourist thing to do. We will then board a bus to Grouse Mountain. Our hike will start at the top of Grouse Mountain which will unfortunately be littered with tourists. However it won’t take long before we get to the trailhead and the teeming masses will trickle down to only the hikers heading up the mountain for the day.
Once at the top the fresh air and stunning views will be worth the climb.
No frenzied traffic for me tomorrow. That will come soon enough when I get back to work on Monday.

[blues2cruise]

My apologies. I just read over half my last post and see a few typos. I am too tired to fix it tonight. Too much tension over the last 2 days must have drained me.
I think you will get the meaning.

[blues2cruise]

I picked up a book today from Duthie's Books in Vancouver. The title is SHE'S A BAD MOTORCYCLEWRITERS ON RIDING

It is a bunch of short stories about riders, their bikes, their adventures/misadventures., etc.

While I was reading through a few of the tales, I saw a line that made me laugh. It also reminded me of one of the TMW members who had sent me a private message.
I have had a few private messages from members giving me their support and suggestions. I thank you for those messages.
One of the people who sent me a message gave me a suggestion as to what to say to the people who make disparaging comments. He suggested I tell them to save their breath for their inflatable doll.

Another suggestion was, "Is it because I am a woman or because you are an a$$hole?" (I quite like that one....I just never remember the snappy comebacks until after I get home, though. )

Back to the line in the book....it made me laugh...and I would have to choose very carefully who to say this to, but....it would have an impact, I'm sure. I would have to be really upset to say it, though, because it's not language I would normally use.

"You must have a really big d**k, because you sure have a mother----ing tiny brain".
Of course, like all the rest, I won't remember it until after I'm home.

I took the bus to work today. After hiking yesterday and not getting enough sleep, I figured I should leave the bike at home today.
Tomorrow, however, will be a different story.

[blues2cruise]

I just finished reading the first entry of Loonette's blog. It reminded me of when I first wanted 2 wheels.
I had saved up my allowance and babysitting money to pay for half of a second hand 3-speed bike. My parents paid for the other half. I guess you could say I have had a "thing" for bikes since I was a kid. Hmmm, I must scan a pic and upload it....it will be good for a chuckle.

However, the first taste of a motorcycle was when I was about 12 or 14. My cousin from Victoria, who is a few years older, had a motorcycle. He gave me a ride up and down the driveway....it was a longish driveway...

I was thrilled to death.

The next time I was on a motorcycle was when I was about 17. I was dating someone who had a motorcycle and I had the time of my life being ridden around on his bike. It was an old BSA. I don't know what happened to our riding. We got married and that was the end of it.


It just goes to show you, if it's in your blood, it will come back to you, just like it did for me last year at 53.

Having a midlife crisis or want to prevent one? Learn to ride......

[blues2cruise]

I rode my bike to work today. It was an overcast morning with cool temperatures that felt so refreshing after all the hot weather. I like the morning commute on the bike. I journey along old Marine Drive at 50kmh for a nice relaxed leisurely ride. Unlike the newer Marine Way, which is an 80kmh bypass route with lots of traffic, old Marine Drive doesn't have very many vehicles first thing in the morning.

I parked my bike in the space left vacant after I pulled my bus out. I locked the steering and put on the disc lock.

Today is one of those days I am so glad I locked my bike. I was under the illusion I could trust my fellow co-workers....but apparently not. When I came back to the lot at the end of the day, my bike had been moved a few inches. It may not seem like a lot, but whoever had moved it, moved it enough that the disc lock was jammed in between the wheel and the fork. The lock was so jammed in that there are cut marks in the rubber that covers the lock.
I am so choked that someone would even think of sitting on it, let alone attempting to move it. There was even some muddy marks on the chrome that I know were not there this morning. I had a suspicion who it was, but he denied it. (Yes, I asked politely) There is a new smudge (not quite a scratch) in the paint on the tip of the front fender.

Tomorrow I will report this to management and ask them if they can review the security tapes. If it turns out to be a co-worker, we will be having words.

It took a few minutes to free up the lock to get going and be on my way.
I then went for a ride instead of going straight home after work.
By the time I got home I felt somewhat better, but not better enough that they are going to get let off the hook.
I want an apology...and a promise to never touch my bike again.

I will edit my entry when I have more info.....

[blues2cruise]

The bikers in black leather are waving at me. Their waving at me may have more to do with the fact that I am wearing a half helmet instead of my full face helmet and they can actually see that I am a woman with my hair blowing in the wind. Of course the lipstick probably helps because the bikers in black leather never acknowledged my existence before.


When I first bought my bike, the salesguy told me he keeps his insurance and registration papers in the pocket of his motorcycle jacket so that he knew the papers were always with him.
I thought that was a good idea, so I have been leaving my insurance papers in the pocket of my Joe rocket jacket because I never ride without it.

Yesterday, the night before, and today, I rode my bike without my Joe Rocket jacket. It just occurred to me on the way home from work today that I have been roaming around with no proof of ownership on me.

I will make sure I wear my proper riding jacket tomorrow, even if it is flippin' hot out.

I wrote a letter to the manager where I work and Cc'ed it to the fleet manager asking them to review the security tapes. I don't think they did and I will have to get on them about it.
I also put up a little poster, but so far nobody has come forward to apologize for tampering with my bike. Not that I really expected the culprit to come forward, but I thought with the warning of viewing the security tapes, they may have owned up to it.

Personally, I don't think our managers really care. The driveway getting into our lot has so much gravel all over it and it's getting worse. I have asked them to arrange to have it cleaned up because it is getting more treacherous every day, but have they done it? no-o-O-o. Sigh.....

Ah, well, only one more day and it's the weekend. I have two whole days coming up where I won't have to go near the place.
I might actually have to stay home and do housework on Saturday because I am taking my bike in for its 7,000km service. It's hard to believe that I have ridden that many km already.

I wonder when a person is no longer considered a new rider? I don't mind telling people I am a new rider....they don't have any expectations that way.
Just like when people ask if I can play a musical instrument...I tell them I play the kazoo....that way nobody has any expectations.


It sure was a nice ride home after work today. Bright and breezy and no traffic hassles. I wish all days could be like that, but then again, it would make us complacent if there were never any challenges.
I am rambling, so it must be time to sign off and get some sleep.

[blues2cruise]

Today after work I met my pals at the Hose and Hydrant. We go there almost every Friday for an hour or so to wind down from our week. In a way it's celebrating making it through another week.
We have been doing this for several years so naturally you get to see a lot of the same people. Some talk to us, some don't.

I have been given permission by the club to park my motorcycle up on their landing by the bike rack. That way I don't have to leave it in the mall parking lot. It's in plain view of the guy who works there.
This same individual was also responsible for preventing the theft of my Kona mountain bike. It was locked to the bike rack in front of the club's big windows and this fellow happened to see the lowlife with the oversize bolt cutters cutting the lock on my bike. (The bike shop assured me this cable lock was as good as a u-lock....it's not true)
Anyway, this fellow that I know recognized my bike, called another patron to help and they managed to grab the thief just as he was going to walk away with my bike.
The police were called who came and took the guy away. It turns out he was wanted....they sent him to jail. The courts sent me a form to fill out for compensation for the locks and cables. Ya, right. They made a judgement against the guy saying he had to pay me back....I guess it's the principle that counts. This guy steals for drug money....he has no cash....he needs rehab....at least by putting him in lockup he might clean up for a few months.

Anyway, back to today. As I was leaving, my acquaintance who works there came outside as he does sometimes, but so did one of the "regulars", who has never said a single to word to me in all the time we have been going to this club. Suddenly he has tons to say to me.
"New bike?"
"Fairly new", I say. "I bought it last October".
Suddenly he knows everything there is to know about when I should ride and when not to ride. He starts telling me that I only have a month of riding weather left. I explained I was riding all winter except on icy days....
He wasn't listening....just kept on talking and saying that maybe October might be ok, but that's it. Just because he's a fairweather rider, doesn't mean we all are. (Although my bike might be happier if it got to stay home on wet days. )
Then he proceeded to tell me I needed crash guards. I prefer to call them engine guards. He then looked down and realized there was engine guards on my bike. He told me I needed bigger "crash guards". Bigger than those things. Talk about bossy.
I asked, "Why would I want to?" I should have known better than to ask.
"Those are too small. If you ever crash those won't protect you. You'll chop your legs right off." "I used to have a few bikes", he says. "I've moved on to something else."
"What do you do now?"
"Flying".
Then he walked away.
What an a**hole.
I am so sick to death of men trying to tell me what to do....Why can't they just be nice to me instead of trying to be the boss of me?
My acquaintance there does not tell me what to do....he just watches out for me....he and my dad were firefighters together.

The bossy one came back along with someone else who came outside for a smoke. Great....now I have an audience for when I leave.

I turned on the engine and it purred to life....I say purr because my bike doesn't roar. I have stock pipes on it ( and I like them that way), so it runs fairly quiet. I think they were all very surprised at how quiet it was when I started it up.

I don't work great with an audience....I am sitting waiting for traffic to clear so that I can get off the landing/sidewalk and hoping I don't stall or something......Finally it's clear and I roll on the throttle, let out the clutch, lift my foot off the brake ....wowee.....it was one of the finest accelerations I have ever done....shifted up....shifted up again.....

Tomorrow I am heading out to Abbotsford again....wish me luck.

[blues2cruise]

I joined the International Star Riders Association which led me to a local chapter in BC. I went to their site and found their forums.
Wow! A group of people who actually get out on rides.....some locally.

They have a ride every Sunday except when there is ice and snow. They organize ice cream rides, coffee rides, and even rides in other towns where people converge for lunch and then head home.

It looks like I will be planning a "fresh produce" ride soon to Keremeos and back. Like my friend, dr_bar says....any excuse for a ride....

I just happened to mention about an excursion we had done last fall and that we were thinking of planning another daytrip like it and the next thing you know some people said they were interested.

Could be a fun day.