The Blog of Blues

[blues2cruise]

Hey, old-n-slow, I'm planning on coming over to the island again, so I will let you know when next time. I hope the missus enjoys the course.

The bus in question was in city limits. I sure wouldn't argue with a bus or any other vehicle for that matter.

[blues2cruise]

Friday, April 7, 2006

I rode my bike to work today in anticipation of getting a call from Pacific Yamaha. I was hoping my jacket would be in so that I would have it for the weekend away. The manager there also wanted to take a couple of pictures of the rear fender but there was no time last time. I told him I would be in soon to pick up a new jacket so we could do it next time.
During the day, I checked home for messages, only to be disappointed there was no message. It was finally the end of my work day and I checked one more time for a message before I decided whether to go to the weekly Friday meeting with my work friends.
Yahooooooooooo! Pacific had called and said my jacket had come in. I was off work a bit early so I said to my friends that I had an errand to do, but that I should be able to make it back in time to join them.
I geared up and headed east thinking I would use the Queensborough Bridge today. As I was heading along Marine Way, I noticed that the traffic up ahead was at a standstill. Since I had not gone very far, I decided to turn around and head over the Knight Street Bridge instead. I turned left onto Greenall and then left again onto old Marine Drive. It’s funny what you think about when you ride. It was not so long ago that I would not have attempted a left turn from this particular spot due to the uphill slant and odd camber of this corner. Now here I was not even thinking about the difficulty, I was just doing it.

It was easy going along Marine until close to Elliot. Dang! Another standstill. It was bumper to bumper…stop, go, stop, go, stop, go….although it seemed like mostly stopped because when we did get to go it was about walking speed. I don’t know what the problem was but the Knight Street Bridge is notorious for having accidents happen on it. When there is a collision it causes traffic snarls everywhere.
I was in an unfortunate situation because the stretch of road between Elliot and a way out was a long way. So I just had to put up with it until I could get to Victoria to make a detour. My slow speed control is already good, but the forces in the universe seem to think I need more practice.
Once I got to Victoria, I was able to make a right turn and get out of the traffic snarl. This is where my job a paratransit driver gives me an edge. I know the roads. I know how to get across to Knight and onto the bridge via the side streets. I made a left onto 61st Avenue and made great time to Knight. At Knight I put the kickstand down (which automatically cuts the engine) and got off my bike. I walked over to the pedestrian light and pushed the button. Now, before anybody gasps and says “That’s illegal!”….
I don’t care.
I have a feeling every single person who rides or drives has at one time done just that in order to get onto a street that drivers treat like a freeway. After pushing the button, I hopped back onto my bike and started the engine. Several seconds later the light changed and although I was prepared to wait to make my turn, the car across from me that had wanted to go straight across motioned for me to turn. I guess he appreciated that I had pushed the button enabling several cars across and behind me to cross or get onto Knight.

Once onto Knight it was easy getting onto the Bridge. I moved into the "so called" passing lane to avoid the on ramps. I made good time getting across the bridge and onto Westminster Highway. At this point I was still ahead of the game time wise thinking I could get my jacket and head back to Burnaby and still meet up with my friends.
Wrong!
Suddenly traffic is stopped yet again. I had no idea what it was this time. Westminster Highway is usually a very good route. It took quite some time of stop, go, stop, go, stop, go…..but finally I was up to where I could see what was happening. There was a fire truck, police cars, an ambulance and a big tow truck at the scene of a van that was in a ditch. The firemen had attached ratchet straps and some kind of restraint system to further prevent the van from going completely upside down. It appeared the driver was still inside the van. I saw a cyclist at the side of the road observing the action. I think he was taking pictures with his cell phone and sending them somewhere. In this day and age of digital everything, you can’t escape prying eyes.
Finally I got through the gridlock and made my way into Pacific. While I was upstairs getting my jacket, the manager went outside to look at my bike. He snapped a couple of pics and then asked me if I still had a copy of my correspondence to Yamaha Canada. I said I thought I had it in my old computer and would try to get a copy. He said he wasn’t making any promises, but he did agree that the fender was an issue.
I paid for my jacket and at the same time ordered a pair of pants. I wish store would keep a better selection of sizes so people wouldn’t have to keep making extra trips in. In the last few weeks, there have been a few people that have attempted to purchase riding gear and have had to have it ordered in due to lack of available sizes.
My jacket looked great and fit reasonably well. I don’t think I will ever find a perfect fit so I have to make do with a reasonable fit. I placed the jacket on the seat of my bike and sat on it for the ride home. I brought home new pillows that way once, too.
I headed west out onto Westminster Highway thinking that I still had time to make it into Burnaby for the weekly meeting. Alas, it was not to be. After I left Westminster to go through a series of big sweeping turns to gain access to the road that would take me to the Queensborough Bridge, traffic once again came to a halt. It took so long to get onto the Bridge that I have finally given up on the idea of getting to the meeting. I don’t know why it was so bad everywhere today, but I had had enough and now I just wanted to get home.
Once onto the bridge the rest of the way was a breeze. I even did what gives bikers a bad name. Although, unlike some bikers who flew up the paved shoulders back in the gridlocked traffic, and then cut in and crossed the painted grid, I chose to stay legal.
What did I do, you ask? I turned onto 20th Street hill from the far left left turning bay. I stayed in the left lane almost all the way up the hill and at the last minute changed lanes into the right lane. The left lane becomes a left turn only lane. Normally I wouldn’t do that, but I had enough today and just wanted to get out of traffic and home.
When I got to the light at 10th Avenue, the fellow in a car beside me seemed to want to race me because as soon as the light turned green he was gone with screeching tires and probably a week’s worth of gas. I, however, took the time to look left and right before rolling on the throttle.
At the next light I caught up to the guy who had wanted to race. I guess he had figured out I was not interested in racing because he took off at a more sedate pace this time. I went to the bank to get some cash for the weekend trip and then went to the gas station to fuel the bike. I like to start every ride with a full tank. I got home and took my bike to the carwash area and let it cool a bit before going back with the cleaning supplies. I gave my bike a wash and polish so that it would look good for my weekend trip to Victoria.
I later went out to my bike and strapped my blue crate to my bike so that come morning it would be ready. If I can get all the stuff done and ready the night before it sure saves a lot of time in the morning. I packed all my gear and put it in front of the door to make sure I did not forget anything.
I was really looking forward to this few days away. The weather even looked promising..............

[blues2cruise]

Saturday April 8, 2006

My long awaited vacation week is finally here. Unfortunately my time is not all my own. I made a commitment to a company to help with their inventory before I realized the date fell on my vacation week. Last Christmas I was given a ticket to the Queen with Paul Rodgers concert that coincidentally also happened to fall during my vacation week. So, I put on my thinking cap to figure out how to make my week off feel like a vacation despite the obligations.

I made a posting on a local forum for the Victoria chapter of my riding club. I asked if there was going to be a group ride on Saturday the 8th could I please join them. I explained that I had to come to Victoria to work an inventory on the Sunday, but that I would come over a day early and stay over so I could ride with them. They responded most positively. They said they usually ride on Sunday, but that they would make it Saturday instead that week.
I also generated some interest from the mainland gang, too, because on travel day, there were actually 4 of us that went over. Dr_bar, “Jake” and Gary decided to come with me.

The night before, I went out to the garage and gave my bike a wash and polish. It has to make a good impression after all. It’s going to be in some pretty impressive company. I also attached my blue crate so I could save time in the morning. Once satisfied that my bike was indeed ready for the morning, I went inside and packed my bag for my few days away.
“Jake” emailed to inform me that his bike was washed and polished and ready to go. I emailed back to ask if washed and polished and ready to go also meant it was full of fuel, too. He said it was. I said, “Great”, I’ll see you at 7:35ish tomorrow morning. I was going to leave home about 7:20 and pick him up on the way. When dr_bar arrived (right on time), we left my place to meet up with “Jake. Dr_bar wasn’t exactly sure of the Skytrain station where we were to meet, so I led the way.

There was very little traffic due to the early hour. We were sitting at a red light on Imperial each in dominant position in our own lane. When the light turned green, the car that had been behind dr_bar, suddenly passed him on his right in his lane. I could tell by the look on dr_bar’s face that he was supremely P.Oed. And rightly so. The guy in the car was an idiot. No, not just an idiot. A dangerous idiot. It’s a good thing I was there. If dr_bar had been riding alone, he would have gone after the guy and possibly kicked his door in. I know my presence made him hold back. The guy in the car then changed lanes into my lane but since I was going to turn right at the next light, I changed lanes and was able to pull up beside the idiot at the red light. He did not even look around him. He looked like he was zoned out. I made my right turn with dr_bar following shortly after.
When we arrived at the Skytrain, “Jake” was waiting. I guess he wanted to make sure he wasn’t late again. We had a couple of minutes to chat and then we were on our way. Rather I should say, that the two guys were chatting when I said, “We need to get going. The ferry won’t wait for us.”
We got into formation with me in the lead, “Jake” following and dr_bar taking the tail. Having dr_bar behind me sure does feel comfortable because he is so competent on his bike.
The ride to the ferry was easy. When we got to the tunnel the traffic was zipping along nicely.
Beep, beep, revvvvvv.revvvv,beep, revvvvvv. Beep, ro-o-oa-a-a-r-r-r-r, …….boys and their toys…. the noise is intensified inside the tunnel and it seemed like the two of them were trying to outdo each other in the “racket” department. The turnoff for Tsawassen is not far from exiting the tunnel. Once you have made you turn onto #17, it is quite a straight run until the ferry terminal. If you keep your eyes open and moving all the time, you may even see an owl or a hawk perched on a fencepost along the way.

We made it to the ferry with plenty of time to spare. After paying for our passage, we rode via an empty lane all the way to the front of the lineup. I was surprised to see a bike already there ahead of us because it was still so early. We turned off our engines and “Jake” said he was surprised at how much it coast for the bike and rider on the ferry. I replied that if you want to play, you have to pay. He just laughed and said yeah, it’s just that he hadn’t been on a ferry for quite some time and hadn’t realized how much the costs had gone up. Gary's arrival was signaled by his noisy Harley, followed by a young man on his Sport bike. While we were standing around talking, the rider of the early bird bike arrived. I said good morning and although he responded in kind, I sensed an attitude of superiority about him. I noticed he had wires hanging from his gear and so I asked him if he was wearing heated gloves. He had heated everything. Dr_bar had on his heated vest that morning but had unplugged it due to the fact that it wasn’t very cold out. The two men then were comparing notes about their heated gear.
The ferry finally arrived and the process of unloading began. Some of the trucks that came off the ferry were chicken trucks. Woooweee! They did not smell good. I pity the poor deck hand that had to be down on the truck deck with those things. The guy with the superior attitude then started to tell a story. He recalled a time when he and a friend were riding along some highway when an animal transport truck went by them. He said that since the animals getting transported were probably very afraid, there was a lot of natural body functions (my words, not his. His words were much more graphic) happening. As the truck went by, they got the full spray and splat treatment of the animals’ waste byproducts. Better he than me.

The ferry was finally empty and we got to load without further ado. After parking and chocking our bikes we headed upstairs for breakfast. A lot of people like to complain about ferry food, but it’s really not bad. Given that they need to have a lot of food ready fast, they do quite a good job. We spent the hour and a half eating and talking (or in “Jake’s” case, smoking outside) before we went back down to the car decks. After docking, some cars have to get off the ferry first to allow room for the bikes to get off. It’s really quite quick for the few cars to go before we are allowed to go, but Mr. Superior Attitude just could not wait. While there were still a few cars to go, he just throttled up and inserted himself in the line of cars and left. The deck hands were caught by surprise and tried to stop him, but he just kept going.
I had him pegged right.
After a few more cars were off, we were allowed to leave. Gary knew the meeting place so we followed him off the ferry and along the highway to the pullout where we were to meet. What a great sight. There were seven other bikes and 9 riders waiting for us. We all dismounted and made the rounds of introductions. Gary knew most of the people, but this was the first time I had met any of these people in person. They had a route planned so we all got back on our bikes and headed towards Sooke via some nice back roads and eventually on to the Sooke Highway. Now that is a nice road to ride. ....well, on a dry day, that is.
We stopped in Colwood at their favourite Tim Hortons so that we could meet up with another rider. That was great, because I happened to have a “Rolled Rim” for a free coffee. Pam, however, had other ideas. She went on her bike down the road to Starbuck’s and came back some time later with her Starbucks coffee cup in her teeth. Personally, I think she better get a cup holder for her bike.
The other rider finally arrived and we were able to get going again. The next stop was to be in Sooke at a place called Mulligans where we would be having lunch.

While we were at lunch, Rob said he would like it if we could all go to his place to sing “Happy Birthday” to his wife who was home with their kids and about a half dozen other neighbourhood kids. We all agreed to do it, but I said let’s take it one step further. “Why not pick up a birthday cake for her and put a candle in it so you can present her with a birthday cake while we sing?”
Rob liked that idea, but then he said he didn’t know how he would transport it.

Well, remember my blue crate? It happens to be just the right size to transport a cake box. So, after lunch, rob led us to the local big supermarket where he went in to get a cake. I transferred my bag from my crate to dr_bar’s bike with the help of my cargo net. We only to had a ride short distance with the extra gear stashed to his back seat. Rob finally came out with the cake and it was gently placed in my crate. We then rode over to his house where I simply carried the box and took it into the garage. His wife had no idea. Rob then lit the candle and we all sang as he presented the cake to her. You should have seen the smile on her face. It was worth the $23.00 he paid for that cake. I told him he scored big brownie points that day. His wife cut up the cake a passed pieces all around including all the kids. They were thrilled to be part of the fun and get chocolate cake. Well, actually, I suspect they liked the cake part and couldn’t have cared about why we were there.
Soon, it was time to go. Those of us that were carrying on got prepared for riding again. Another local was going to lead us back into Victoria.
Darn it! It started to rain. Now I have a fair amount of rain riding experience, but was unable to keep their pace. Once we got back on the winding highway, I slowed down to 60kmh, which incidentally is the posted speed. However, the leader of the pack was motoring at close to 100kmh. I didn’t care if I lost the group. I was not about to ride above my skill level, and potentially lose control on a slippery highway. Dr_bar and another rider stayed behind me. They informed me later that they were happy to be riding slower as well. (Dr_bar needs new tires…..) I think they got stopped at a light somewhere or they had pulled over finally to wait…it doesn’t matter which….we finally caught up with them. Some more riders went their way home which left Pam to show us back to someplace so we could get a hot drink. As a leader she was no better. At one point, dr_bar got stopped by a red light, so I pulled over to wait for him. “Jake” had noticed that we were stopped and started beeping his horn to get Pam’s attention. She finally pulled over and waited for us to catch up. By the time we got to where she was taking us, (yet another Starbuck’s) I was ready to call it a day. We finished our hot drinks and headed as a group to the harbour. “Jake” was meeting a buddy of his there and Pam and Gary were going in to have a drink and listen to some jazz singer. Dr_bar and I said our good byes at that point. I led us out of town to find a hotel that had some covered parking. My plan was to head back to Sidney, but it was raining so hard at that point (and dr_bar was not wearing rain pants) that I pulled off the highway when I spotted a new hotel that thankfully had undercover parking.
Luckily for us they had 2 non-smoking rooms left. After checking in we took our gear to our respective rooms. By now dr_bar was starting to shiver and needed to go have a hot shower to warm up. I had been dressed for the weather so I felt fine. I hung up all my wet gear and tried to make myself more presentable. A quick wash of the front of my hair and “Viola”,no more helmet hair.

We went to the lounge in the hotel for a snack and a wine. The hockey game was on and judging by the mood of the crowd, our team was doing it’s usual show of playing poorly. I had to call it a night. After getting up so early, riding all day, and now the lateness of the hour, I was ready to go upstairs and crawl into a nice comfy bed. After all, I did have to work the next day. So I said good night and told him I would call him in the morning to meet for breakfast.
The room was facing the highway so I put in my custom earplugs to block out traffic noise and promptly fell asleep.
Except for the small period of time on the twisty wet highway when the group was going too fast, the rest of the day had been exceptional.

[blues2cruise]

Part of our Motley Crew



The line-up of most of the bikes http://i22.photobucket.com/albums/b334/ ... 006003.jpg

A future rider
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dr_bar showing off his new helmet.
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Presentation of the birthday cake
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Yes, we enjoyed the cakehttp://i22.photobucket.com/albums/b334/blues2cruise/VictoriaApril2006012.jpg

[blues2cruise]

While riding along the ocean road, I stopped to watch this para glider.


Getting ready to leave my friend's place. I just had to showcase my luggage system.

[blues2cruise]

Sunday, April 9, 2006 Victoria Inventory

After breakfast, dr_bar and I parted ways. I had to go to the store where I was going to help with the annual inventory count and I think dr_bar was going to ride up island for a bit and go home via Nanaimo.
I was a bit early for the rest of the inventory crew so the store manager and I went to get the coffee and doughnuts to bring back for everyone. We had a good crew this year. The inventory went well. We were actually finished by 2PM. We said good-by to each other and they headed for the ferry. I just hauled my gear outside so that the store manager could lock up. I needed a few minutes to get organized and it was easier for me to get organized outside at my own speed instead of trying to rush with fumbling fingers. I was almost ready to leave when a man sauntered past me, looked at the blue crate and exclaimed, “I like your carrier,”
I smiled and said, “Yes, it works quite well, doesn’t it?”
So, not only is it a cheap, functional cargo carrier, it is also a good conversation starter.

I rode through Victoria trying to remember how to get to my friend’s place, but I couldn’t remember how to access it from downtown. So, I did what any good biker would do. I went the long way around and backtracked from the beach where we had walked to one time. It meant I had to take a ride through Beacon Hill Park and along the ocean. It was a hardship but I was sure I was up to it.
I found the street we had walked from and made my turn. I came to a “T” intersection and for a moment wasn’t sure of where I was. Then I recognized the gas station where we had passed when we were walking before. I made a left and then a quick right which took me through a lovely old neighbourhood of heritage houses and beautiful gardens. When I got to the end of that street, I recognized where I was. I made right turn onto the main road and then another right a couple of streets later. As soon as you turn the corner it is an immediate steep incline with a couple of speed bumps. It is definitely a first gear hill. I pulled into their driveway and parked.
Although my friend was not home yet, her son was. She was out walking with her hubby, whose birthday it was. We chatted for a few minutes before he went back to his studies. My friend arrived shortly thereafter, whereupon her husband invited me to join the family at the restaurant where they were going for his birthday dinner. How nice was that?!
While my friend was getting her done by her daughter, I went out and soaked in the Jacuzzi. Aaahhhhhhhhhhhhhhh!
Dinner was a lot of fun and to top it off, I was not even allowed to pay. All I could do was say thank you.
The next day, everyone had to go to work or school, so after I made myself a cup of coffee and a light breakfast, I geared up to go for a little ride. That is when I saw the para glider in the above picture. While I was standing by the beach watching the glider, a bald eagle flew over and perched in a tree nearby. This is definitely one beautiful spot.
I rode around for awhile and finally had to stop for something to eat. I found a little café and had some lunch before riding back to my friend’s place. I had to be back before her, because we were going on a small hike.
The hike was kind of an urban trail that wound though some forests and through some new subdivisions. It meandered along a ridge that afforded us some spectacular views of the ocean and Mt. Douglas. We could not finish the whole distance because we had to get back to make dinner. We were going to make some kind of red curry dish and there was a lot of chopping to be done.
Mmmmmm, dinner was delicious. Once again, there was a lot of laughter around the dinner table. It’s so nice to go here once in a while.
We said good night and good bye. She had to work in the morning and I would be going home. I had a nice easy ride to the ferry……well, almost all the way.
There is an overhead sign shortly before you get to the ferry terminal. The sign informs of waits or how full the ferry is. Today, the ferry is only 25% full and there are no waits. And it should be noted there is an hour to kill before the ferry sails.
As I was approaching the ferry terminal where the speed limit has dropped to 50kmh, suddenly a trucker in his big rig blows by me on my right in the right turn only lane going about 80kmh.
I do believe I used some profanity at that point as well as a particular hand gesture. I know, I know, that’s not very ladylike, but that trucker was an a$$----. He could have and should have passed me on my left in the passing lane, not in a right turn only lane that actually curves right to Land’s End. And…..given that there was an hour to sailing time, and the ferry was only 25% full, and there was no other traffic on the road, he was being a complete and utter moron.
I rode to a ticket booth and paid my fare and traveled to the front of the parking lanes. A few minutes later the trucker drove by down to the truck loading area. I still could not figure out why he felt compelled to do what he did.
After we docked, I rode along the causeway with a few hundred other vehicles. As we were nearing Ladner, I saw that trucker again. He was once again traveling in a lane that ends. I tried to pick up my pace to be ahead of him, but he once again blew by so fast and simply muscled his way in front of the car in front of me. I wish I had thought to get the name of the trucking company. People like he, should not be driving professionally.

As an aside....While I was back on the ferry getting ready to disembark, the ferry deck hand wandered by. Now, I was the only motorcyclist on that sailing. I was standing next to my bike, with my helmet on when he asks, “Is this yours?” I felt like making some smart mouth retort, but I decided to be polite and simply said yes. I mean, wasn’t it obvious?
He then told me he had heard there was big multi vehicle pileup in the tunnel and that traffic was not getting through. I thanked him for the info and said I would go via River road instead.

Ok, where was I?

Once the trucker had bullied his way into my lane, I changed lanes into the bus lane. The sign says, “Motorcycles OK”.
I was then able to zip past the traffic to make my exit. Yikes! The traffic was horrendous. When you drive on the overpass over the freeway, you can get a good view of conditions. It was clear I should not go home via the tunnel. I kept going straight to River Road. Traffic clipped along at a good pace when suddenly…..we came to a screaming halt. Now what? Sigh….some days you just can’t win. River Road is usually a very route. At the time of day I was traveling it should have been smooth sailing. What normally would have taken ten minutes, took 40 today. I was dressed for cool weather riding at highway speed, not for moving walking speed in the baking sun. I had to unzip my jacket because I was so hot. The traffic finally cleared and we got to move along at a normal pace now. Thank heavens. I decided that since I was crossing the Alex Fraser Bridge to the Westminster Highway, that I would take a few extra minutes to go by the motorcycle shop to see if my riding pants had come in. Unfortunately they had not. So, I headed back towards the Queesnborough bridge to go home, but I suddenly took a detour to Annacis Island. The sun was at such an angle that the mountains were glowing pink. I decided to see if I could capture a photo. I spent a little time on Annacis just watching the sky, the river, and the trains. This is what vacations are all about. Not having to hurry anywhere…..until your bladder says otherwise…..It told me it was time to get going. I tucked my camera back into its pouch and went home.
I unpacked my crate and went in to get ready for another excursion the next day. Details later.

[blues2cruise]

If only I had taken my big camera.....this is the eagle in the tree above me.




My friend on the ridge
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The view from Annacis Island.

[blues2cruise]

Wednesday April 12, 2006

The Tulip Festival in the Skagit, Washington, USA

The tulips blooming in the Skagit Valley are a spectacular sight. Every year, the farmers open their fields to visitors and the surrounding areas have a lot of events to showcase and highlight the colourful blossoms. I wanted to ride down to see them this year on one of my vacation days. Dr_bar was coincidentally off from work as well, so I sent him an email asking if he was interested in riding down via the Chuckanut to go see the tulips. I told him if he was not interested to say so and that I could go by myself. He surprised me though with his response. His message back to me said,”Sounds like a plan.”

We talked and made our plan to try to cross the border around 9am. I tell ya, we are the biggest time wasters. We agreed to meet at McBride Plaza which is a halfway point between us. I arrived at 8:35 to find dr_bar already fuelling up. As I was fuelling, dr_bar asked if I had breakfast. I said that I had not, but if he wanted to get breakfast first we could. We got on our bikes and headed for Surrey via the Patullo Bridge. Our plan was to cross into the USA at the truck border crossing. There is usually less wait there.

We rode into Cloverdale for breakfast first and then into an insurance store for travel insurance. At first dr_bar didn’t see why I would bother since we were only going a few hours away and back. But then when I was buying mine, he changed his mind and got some also. It was only $15.00 for a day for travel insurance, so I figure it would be money well spent in the eventuality of needing medical care for whatever reason. I think because of the ease we living close to the border have always had going to the States, people forget that it is actually a foreign country.

The day did not look very promising weather wise but we decided to chance it anyway. We agree we could always turn around and come home if it got too bad. We did not have to wait very long at the border. After a few simple questions from the border guard, we were on our way. We rode South on I-5 bypassing Blaine, Bellingham, and yes, even the famous Bellis Fair Mall. Today was not a shopping day it was a ride and photo opportunity day. We exited the highway at the historic Fairhaven district. This would be where we access the Chuckanut Drive. Unfortunately for us, it had started to rain a bit, which meant extra precaution was needed for the Chuckanut. If you like Oysters this is the place to go. There are a couple of Oyster bars along the way. The views along the way are pretty. The road takes you through some beautiful forested areas and it smells divine through there. So fresh and fragrant. There are several areas along the way where one could pull over to admire the views and shoot a couple of pics, but since we didn’t cross the border until 11am, I felt more inclined to get to our destination.
Besides, it was cold and rainy.
After you leave the winding portion of the Chuckanut, it then becomes flat and straight for quite some time. It is still quite interesting though because of the broken down barns and other little bits of history that still cling to the past showing us what used to be.
We eventually arrived to the Skagit area. By now we were looking for a bathroom and a coffee stop. After a couple of wrong turns we found ourselves at a big motorcycle dealer that has a coffee shop/café attached. This looked like just the place for such a tourist as me. We pulled our bikes up to a parking stall in front of the windows of the café. I guess there are only fair weather riders in Washington State, because we were the only bikers there. A few cars, a lot of pick up trucks and some SUV’s took up the rest of the parking spaces. Before we went in, I asked dr_bar to take a couple of pics. Gotta show the rest of the world we were here.

We went inside for some soup and a coffee. We each had a different soup and can attest that they were both very good. They even made a decent cappuccino. If only it weren’t in a paper cup.
After our light lunch we browsed through the bike store. There were some beautiful motorcycles sitting in their showroom. We took a look in the gear section just for comparison sake and then headed out to find the tulip fields. Our thanks to the young woman who worked behind the counter in the café. She told us a “secret” back roads way to get to the fields.
When we got to the fields we were directed to park our bikes up the by the house so that we could park on gravel instead of bark mulch and mud. As we pulled up there were two pit bulls just going crazyin a pen. I was so-o-o-o glad the chain link fence was tall. We left our helmets locked to the bikes and carried my camera gear with us to the fields. It had gotten so cold and windy that I didn’t even take my tripod out of my crate. We wandered for a while and I took a few photos but my heart was just not in it. My fingers were red and frozen and my ears were aching from the cold relentless wind. If I had known winter was going to come back I would have worn a touque. It was fun watching the kids having fun and I did manage to snag a couple of pics, but soon I had had enough.

I suddenly realized I did not have my glasses on. My vision is not that bad, so if I don’t have them on it’s not a big problem. I usually just wear them for driving so I can read the printing on signs. We headed back to the bikes and as we approached I reminded dr_bar to tread very carefully. Because of the full face helmet, I need to take the glasses off before I can take the helmet off. I guessed that when I took them off the wind must have blown them away and “out of sight, out of mind.” We circled the area of the bikes slowly and carefully, but could not spot my glasses. Then dr_bar walked around from a different angle and spotted them. We had very nearly walked on them the first time around. I was so relieved because they are fairly new and cost $400.00.
I could feel myself quickly fading from the cold and wind so I hurriedly took off my jacket and pulled out my down jacket to put on as an extra layer under my riding jacket. I was thanking my lucky stars that I had thought to bring that extra jacket. I put on my helmet and felt a sense of immediate relief. As my bike was warming up, I stowed my camera gear in my much aligned but very useful blue crate and secured it with the cargo net. That $10.00 cargo net sure was a good investment.

The fun was about to begin.

Although we got sent to park up on the gravel pad, we now had to exit via the rutted, potholed bark mulch and mud. Hmmmmmm, not exactly cruiser bike conditions. Now, I have ridden my mountain bike many times over worse terrain, but never a 500 pound motorized muscle machine.
I can hear the laughter now. 500 pound muscle machine? You’ve only got a 650 cruiser! Hahahahaha.
When you stop to consider that I have a chronically sore hip from a crooked lower spine and a still sore hand from hand surgery, and I was feeling somewhat drained from the cold and wind, this was a big challenge. However, I just plowed on ahead. Dr_bar had been planning for us to exit via the entrance because it was short, straight and relatively smooth gravel. I just followed the exit signs. I had to concentrate on what was ahead of me, so if I was supposed to go out the easy way, I did not know.
Who the heck needs a dirt bike? Not me. I just kept my elbows loose and rode that thing up and down the gulleys and ruts like I was born to it. Bumpety bump. Oops. I got tossed off my saddle but I let my knees bend and my elbows bend so that I stayed on my bike and upright. I had to stop a couple of time because the mulch was so soft and deep that my bike bogged down. I gave a little more throttle to get going and finally bounced my way out to the road.
I made a right turn and then used a driveway to turn around and head the correct direction.
I can’t explain what was wrong with me, but my riding was not up to par now. I missed a big sign for our turn off and almost lost it on the turn. I definitely was feeling somewhat adrift. We rode back the way we came and smack into a hail storm. Those were big white ice pellets bouncing off my shield. We headed over the freeway to fuel up for the ride home. It was a pay before you fuel type of pump and I could not even figure that out. I had to get dr_bar to show me how. After I fuelled I pulled up to the building and parked along side dr_bar. I went in to use the washroom and buy a big orange juice. About halfway through my juice I could feel a shift in my mood and presence of mind. I told dr_bar, “I’m back.”
We decided I must have been dehydrated as well as drained from the cold and wind. I finished the juice and felt ready to carry on. In future I must remember to drink more fluids.
The ride back was mostly uneventful unless you count the rain and high winds. It should be noted that in the USA the speed signs are posted MPH and in Canada we have KPH. My bike’s speedo has only metric so I was trying to gauge where to keep my speed. We stopped at Bellis Fair on the way back just to have a quick look and a walk through. Dr_bar asked me if I knew why all the traffic was passing me. I said, “Yes, because they were speeding.”
He said it was because I was going under the speed limit. I begged to differ so we had a discussion for a few minutes about the conversion from miles to kilometers. I still need to go check the numbers.

We decided to get going and head back to Canada for supper. I was reaching the end of my enjoyment for the day and the sooner I got closer to home, the better off I would be. We rode to my place where I unloaded all my gear, and then went to a local restaurant nearby. We had a nice hot meal which was the perfect ending to an almost perfect day. After supper dr_bar went his way home and I turned off for my place. Although the bike was dirty from the rain and dirt biking today, it could wait for a wash and polish. I needed a hot soak right now more than the bike did.

All in all, it was a good experience. I think I’ll go again when it warms up a bit.

[blues2cruise]

Parked in front of EZ rider Cafe and the MC shop that houses Big Dog , Steel Dreams, and a Honda dealer.
http://i22.photobucket.com/albums/b334/ ... 006001.jpg

Me, in my new red jacket. I was glad I had lots of layers on. I had on jeans, rain pants and then my chaps. Staying warm when you're riding makes it more enjoyable.
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A couple of kids "tip toeing" through the tulips.

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A scene from the garden


....and another....

http://i22.photobucket.com/albums/b334/ ... 006012.jpg

[jstark47]

I think because of the ease we living close to the border have always had going to the States, people forget that it is actually a foreign country.

Blues, we don't eat Canadians here ......... at least not yet!

I can’t explain what was wrong with me, but my riding was not up to par now. I missed a big sign for our turn off and almost lost it on the turn. I definitely was feeling somewhat adrift.....................We decided I must have been dehydrated as well as drained from the cold and wind. I finished the juice and felt ready to carry on. In future I must remember to drink more fluids.

Hit the nail on the head: dehydration and hypothermia. It's happened to me, it sneaks up as you know. Orange juice gave your body sugar to burn as well as fluid. Hot orange juice (yccchhhhh!) would have been even better!

Since I can't seem to stay off the bike in bad weather, I can see myself in 10 years as one of those hard-core BMW types, with the all-electric everythings and the 150 function handlebar-mounted uber-GPS. Presently my "high-tech" cold weather gear consists of long johns, the liner in my bike jacket, and a balaclava. My Bonneville is even more nekkid than your VStar, at least you had the sense to install a windshield!