The Blog of Blues

[blues2cruise]

Things to do off season....

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-cM9S2AzU28

[blues2cruise]

As seen today.... after work I drove to Pitt Lake for some sunshine, scenery and a walk. Upon leaving the area....this was the scene west....

No photoshopping....this was really the colour....

[blues2cruise]

Spectacular sky....

[High_Side]

Great pics Blues.

[dr_bar]

Awesome, time to put together a collection and get one of those coffee table books printed...

[sv-wolf]

Great photo blues - not just the colour.

[blues2cruise]

Thanks. Of course it is raining again. Surely it must dry up soon.

[blues2cruise]

I went for a bike ride yesterday....a bicycle ride.....

It was the real first ride I did since my crash. Once I moved into my new place I took my bike to the local bike shop for a tune up and a check over and took the bike for a ten minute ride to see how I felt.
I felt wobbly and nervous.....I have been procrastinating trying again.

Yesterday it was finally a dry sunny day so I decided to give it a try.

Here is my trusty Kona...I have had it for 13 years, but it has not been ridden for the last five years.

And here is me...self portrait....I balanced the camera on a post and used self timer....I wanted to show I really did go out on my bike.

Bicycle Ride.jpg (157.16 KiB) Viewed 3207 times

After the first few minutes of trepidation about riding, I started to feel some of my old self confidence coming back. I rode a few blocks to a local urban trail and rode an 11km return ride with the exception a few short walking breaks.
It was my first real ride in five years so I wanted to careful. I rode about 6km before getting off for the first ten minute walk. Then I took a break where I took the picture. After that I rode all the way home except for the big steep hill. I was managing the uphill grade until the steep part, when I started feeling my back "twinging" and "tweaking"....so I got off and walked it up the steep part.

Once I got to the top I rode the rest of the way home. I was pleased that my heart and lungs felt good. I guess the walking that I have been doing has kept them in good condition.

(There are no discs left in my lumbar spine L2-5), so I have to be careful not to overdo it. I need to build up to bigger rides.

I have come a long way though in the last year. When I first moved into my new place, I still had to hold on to hand railings when walking up and down the stairs. But I went to physio and the gym and worked at getting stronger again and regaining my balance. I can walk up and down stairs now without the railings.

I can now also go for a 6km walk without feeling broken. There are still some activities that cause me grief or that I have to be careful...for example prior to my crash I used to go hiking a lot. I could carry a heavy back pack all day. I can't carry a heavy pack any more. I gave my two big back packs to a scouts group and bought myself a smaller pack. I will just have to go for shorter hikes and carry only lunch and water.....

I need a Sherpa....

Today the only after effects are slightly sore shoulders and hip.

My goal is to be able to cycle to work like I used to do. Only time will tell.

The other goal is to build up stamina for a motorcycle road trip. I should be getting my motorbike on the road in another week or two...then I'll go practice.

OK...that is odd....one picture shows up twice, but the attachment is only showing once in the edit.

[blues2cruise]

Inaugural Spring Motorcycle Ride 2012


Saturday April 7, 2012 almost made up for the first few months of this year. It was sunny, dry and warm all day.

The first few weeks of Spring have been so wet and cold that the flowers that traditionally bloom in March are a bit late.

I purchased 6 months of insurance for Zena…my motorcycle….

I did a pre-trip on the bike to make sure everything was in safe working order. I checked the brakes, front and back, checked all the lights and signals, checked fluid levels, checked the tires for defects, debris and inflation. Once I knew everything was in good condition, I collected all my motorcycle gear. ( I really must get a better system)…helmets were in one place, pants and jacket in another and boots and gloves in yet 2 more places.

I rode to a Coquitlam coffee shop to meet my riding buddy. While waiting for my friend to get his coffee to go, a young man on a sport bike was preparing to leave. I don’t know what compels people to have to continually rev the throttle. The young man on the sport bike had only a few feet to go to the stop sign and while waiting at the stop sign he constantly revved his throttle. Does he think it makes him look cool? Seriously…it makes him look incompetent.



We made our way through several communities…..Coquitlam, Port Coquitlam, Pitt Meadows, Maple Ridge, Hatzic, Silverdale, Mission, Lake Erroch, Desroche, Kilby, Harrison Mills, Nicomen Island, Agassiz ( to name most)…..and finally to Harrison Hot Springs for lunch. There were so many motorcyclists riding to the Harrison area you would have thought there was a motorcycle cruise in happening.



There must have been every manufacturer represented there yesterday…there were big and small cruisers, full dressers and baggers , sport bikes, adventure bikes, scooters….and every type of rider….from beginners to old and toothless. Yes, there really was a toothless rider…he was talking to my friend. There were riders wearing beanie helmets and riders in full face helmets. There were men and woman in chaps and leather jackets to riders in full textile armoured suits. Running shoes to boots and heated gear to t-shirts.

We found a place to park on the lake drive and went for lunch. After lunch we went for a cruise along the lake to Sasquatch Park. I missed the turn off for the day use area called Green Point…and followed the sign to “Sasquatch” Provincial Park…

http://www.env.gov.bc.ca/bcparks/explor ... sasquatch/



……not realizing that it took us to the road that goes to the lakes for camping and fishing….a dirt, gravel and potholes road. At first I thought the road had just deteriorated from the last time I had been there….so I kept going….



Picture this….This is not my photo….I got it from the internet…

potholesingravelroad.jpg (6.87 KiB) Viewed 3170 times

The road we were on had more gravel, but the potholes were like this. We rode for about a mile (1.6km) and turned around. We realized we must have missed a turn off.



This was my second encounter with off road by mistake….I have to admit I enjoyed it. It has me thinking I should trade my cruiser in for a dual sport or adventure bike.

Once we got turned around and gingerly made our way back to pavement, we rode to the day use area of Green Point to take in the view of the bay and walk on the shore for a few minutes.



This is a nice protected bay at the picnic area.

A wider view of the beach and view. There was a family there skipping stones. On the beach behind us a few people laying in the sun, and on the other side people wading….

Looking up to the Spring Sky through the trees that are budding…

Even though my motorcycle feels like a big bike….it is dwarfed by my friend’s Royal Star Venture.

We left the area and started riding home. There was less traffic now so it was a very enjoyable trek. We went back the way we came until Mission. At that point we turned off at Harris road to ride the back roads that eventually got us into Fort Langley. We parted way in Langley so he could go visit his sister and I could come home and get ready go out for dinner.

[jstark47]

This was my second encounter with off road by mistake….I have to admit I enjoyed it. It has me thinking I should trade my cruiser in for a dual sport or adventure bike.

Uh huh. They are fun.

Plus, remember what I said about cruiser riding position and back pain? Adventure tourers are really just big standards with a 1/2 or 1/4 fairing, and extra suspension travel. On an adv bike you sit in the straight-up standard riding position which allows your core and back to support themselves, and the bike's extra suspension travel helps soak up bumps.