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blues2cruise wrote: I am sorry for your situation, buzZz and jm.......
However, that did not stop me from enjoying today.

What a tease, lol...
I live here and I'm jealous....

Hey, at least someone is riding.

Just wish it was me, is all........

BuzZz wrote:Hey, at least someone is riding.

Just wish it was me, is all........

I'm so very sorry. Just the next day in the news was a story about a snow storm in Edmonton. I think you need to get some skis attached to your bike.

March 12, 2006

It’s here, at last. The storage insurance is about to expire so I did what any good biker would do……I got insurance to ride. This year I was able to get alternative insurance from Beacon. With the liability portion only with ICBC and the fire and theft and comprehensive portion with Beacon, it saved over $600.00 than if it was all ICBC insurance. Now I won’t have to go through the insurance expiring and re-insuring. I can just keep it insured all year now.

A newcomer to the Northern Stars riding club had asked if we could go for a ride together. He lives close by and was interested in going for a gentle ride to”break in” his new bike. He was not familiar with very many roads in the valley, so I got to play tour guide for the day. We met for coffee at a Timmie’s nearby so we could make a brief introduction and discuss the route.
After we sat down at our table, he asked me, “Do you have a sister?”
“Yes”? I said.
“Does she work at the city hall”?
“Yes.”
“Is her name Sue?”
“Yes,” I replied as I am smiling.
He said, “Well, I’m (let’s call him Jake) Jake.”
I did laugh then (on the outside anyway).

He said, “ we finally got to meet. You gotta tell your sister. “

I must digress for a moment.

Over a year ago, my sister was trying to get “Jake” and me to meet. She had sent him an email pic of me and thought that since we had so much in common we should meet. Well, “Jake” and I started emailing but nothing was happening. So I asked him outright if he would like to meet for coffee. He said ok, but on the day we were supposed to meet he didn’t call. So, I called him and he basically brushed me off. In fact he sounded quite rude. So, I quit emailing him. After a couple of weeks he sent a message that said, “I haven’t heard from you. What’s up with that? Would you care to share?”
I replied that it was obvious he was not interested so I was not going to waste any more time and energy on him. So that was the end of that. I deleted his email addy and erased the phone number and more or less forgot about him.

So, all of a sudden here is this person. He told me he recognized my picture in the Northern Stars site. He informed me that at the time, he had just broken up from a long term relationship and the timing was wrong. If that was the case, he should never have started messaging. He could have told my sister and dropped it. Or he could have told me the truth himself. OK, enough ruminating.

While we were having coffee, he talked about his new bike and his new riding gear. He showed me the safety features such as the kneepads. I knocked on his knee and made a comment about the padding.
He replied, “It’s the gear, I’m not built like this.” 

Anyway, we finished our coffee and headed out for a jaunt to Harrison Hot Springs. The day was sunny and cool. I led him through Coquitlam and along the Mary Hill bypass to the Pitt River Bridge. We detoured via Maple Meadows and took the slower winding roads through Maple Ridge, Mission and finally to Harrison. I was keeping close to the speed limit and at one spot I pulled over to let the line of cars go by. “Jake” said he thought there was some sort of taboo about letting cars go by, but I’d rather them get ahead of me than having them tailgating. In my mirrors, I could often see cars right on the tailpipe of “Jake’s” bike. Who needs that kind of pressure? I sure don’t.
As we were cruising along, enjoying the sunny day and the mountain vistas, I was suddenly scared out of my saddle. Some guy with pipes that were probably illegal came passing far too close. He continued speeding away while weaving in and out and probably scaring the you know what out of everybody else, too.

A bit farther down the road, I pulled over for a photo opportunity. “Jake” had his camera and was hoping for a few shots. I figured some snowcapped mountains would make a great backdrop. After spending a few minutes playing around with the camera, a biker slowed and pulled in beside us. He was just checking to make sure everything was ok. I thought that was a decent thing to do.
After he left, “Jake”said he thought it was the same fellow with the noisy pipes. He must have pulled in somewhere and then caught up and passed again. He sure did seem to be in a hurry.
“Jake” was glad for the break. He said he was getting numb in the nether regions and was planning on changing the saddle to something more comfy ASAP. Personally, I think it comes down to conditioning.
We got back on our bikes and continued on our journey to Harrison Hot Springs. Once again I was facing the challenge of the long winding downhill road….only this time I didn’t have a slowpoke in front of me….it was up to me to set the pace. I did quite well for the most part, but there is still one section where I get anxious. It gets better every time I ride it though. Maybe by the end of summer, I will have aced it.

We found a parking space quite easily…..unlike summer when it is almost impossible. We went into the hotel to use their washrooms. They are supposed to be for hotel guests only, but if you walk in like you own the place, it’s not likely anyone will stop you. Besides, we did go into the coffee shop and got some soup to take to the lounge overlooking the lake. We sat talking until we finished our soup and decided to get going. Given that it is still winter, the roads can get frosty and slick as soon as the sun goes down.
While we were on our way out of the hotel, he asked about my jacket. He was surprised to find out I had armour in it. I told him, “I’m not built like this, you know.” 
“Touche,” he said. We had a laugh over that. Heading back to our bikes we stopped to look at a couple of RoadStars. Unbeknownst to me at the time, they belonged to people I know. They also had seen my bike parked and thought it belonged to me. Unlike the black RoadStars, which are quite common, my 2-tone blue is not very common, so it was easy for them to recognize my bike.
“Jake” didn’t want the day to end, so I suggested we go back via a slightly different route. I also suggested it would be a good idea to fuel up before we started back. His odometer was at 240km and I suspect he would have had to switch to reserve before too long. He was skeptical, but when I pulled into the gas station to top up, he did too. He was quite surprised at how much gas his bike needed. He agreed it was a good thing we stopped. I told him the reason I knew he should fuel up was because I knew someone else with an 1100cc V-Star. I also surmised that if I can get almost 300km on my 650cc, then his 1100 was getting close to fumes.

We rode back to Maple Ridge and the Albion Ferry without stopping. We arrived just in time for the next sailing and got sent to the front of the line. Once on the other side in Fort Langley, I led”Jake” along some winding back roads through farm country. Once we got to the highway, though, I pulled over. I suggested that it might be a good idea to start making our way back home. It was getting late. The sun was going to go down soon and it would be very difficult to see riding into the setting sun.
Once we got near home, we decided to stop by the local coffee shop for a tea before going our separate ways. As we pulled in to the parking lot, we spied a big Harley “Glide of some kind”. While we were inside having tea, a gathering of Harley groupies appeared outside with the hefty rider. It was a rather motley looking crew. “Jake”drew my attention to the attire of one of the women. I told him it was the neighbourhood. He seemed quite shocked and said,”You mean working girls?”
“Yes,” I said. They move along the Kingsway corridor.
When we went outside to get back on our bikes, we could see a lot of posturing going on over that Harley. People taking turns sitting on it and having their pictures taken on it. I don’t get it. What’s the big deal?
Alas, it was time to say goodbye. “Jake” headed west into the sun, which actually made me laugh because he had been such a whiner about the sun when we were back in South Surrey. (Insert rolling eyes here). I, however, got to head east away from the setting sun and in just a few short moments I was underground parking my bike already wondering what I would do for my next ride.

Ok, Blues, ya can't leave us hanging like this.....this was back on the 12th. Does "Jake" have a riding future with Ms. Blues? Inquiring minds need to know!!!!

jstark47 wrote:Ok, Blues, ya can't leave us hanging like this.....this was back on the 12th. Does "Jake" have a riding future with Ms. Blues? Inquiring minds need to know!!!!

Yeah, what gives? Talk about keeping us in suspense! C'mon, girl, give us the juicy details.

Saturday, March 18, 2006

I had suggested a ride to the members of the local chapter of the SCRC. They told me to post it and that I could be road captain.
The intended destination was Britannia Beach for coffee and then on to Squamish for lunch.
Yes, we were going to ride the so-called “killer highway”. More famously known as the Sea to Sky Highway. From late Spring to early Fall it is possible to ride past Squamish to Whistler, but this time of year there could still be snow beyond Squamish. It should be noted that while the highway is twisty it isn’t necessarily bad. It got nicknamed the “Killer Hwy” because of all the fatalities that occur. However, all of those accidents would never have happened if drivers and riders would obey the posted signs.

So……I posted the event. Seven of us met for the ride…..including “Jake”. I arrived early at the meeting place to fuel. I decided to check the tire pressure while I was waiting for the others to arrive. It’s a good thing I was early. My tires were a few pounds low on pressure. The back wheel has a valve that is easy to access due to it’s angled out stem, but the front one was very difficult to access with the air. I think I used up half a days energy trying to fill the front tire…..At last I got some air back into the tire….yes, I had managed to deflate it…..
I finished just in the nick of time…the other riders were arriving. We waited for one more who said he was going to join us, but when he failed to arrive after the deadline, we mounted up for the ride. It felt weird for me to lead, but the officers insisted. I think I did my road captain duties ok, but having a good tail gunner sure does help. I did not get any complaints, at least.
With 6 riders spread out behind me it was impossible to know what vehicle types are behind the tail gunner. I knew there were cars and vans, but not makes and models. It turned out it’s a good thing I don’t speed excessively. There was a police car on the tail gunner’s tail. I bet the officer was disappointed there were no tickets to write that day. I was riding only 10kmh over the limit in some stretches which seems to keep everyone happy. Then I would slow for the curves. Our tail gunner though, would lag behind to keep the police going slow, too. 
The tail gunner told me this at our coffee stop. He said he was hoping I would not speed too much. It’s a good thing I didn’t. When the highway widened to allow a passing lane, the cop wanted to pass, but the tail gunner also signaled and moved over so the cop still had to go slow behind our group. 
We pulled into a local coffee shop in Britannia. It had been a chilly ride thus far so it was a welcome respite for a few minutes to be inside with hands wrapped around a warm cup. I also bought a bag of beans to bring home. (The owner has a roaster on the premises so the coffee is always fresh.)
After our short break, we carried on to Squamish to find the Shady Tree pub. This was our lunch destination. There were a few raised eyebrows when the group walked in. I suppose a bunch of guys in black leather can look dangerous…..until they see me in my bright yellow. It does take away from their hardcore biker look.  (Today I received my official “handle”, which will become evident shortly)
The staff pulled a couple of tables together for us. While we were sitting waiting for our food to arrive, the 2nd officer told the 1st officer that it had been me they saw riding in South Surrey the week before. He was sure he recognized me because I look like a bumble bee with my black and yellow combination.
The subject of bandit bands came up. Apparently when you cross into Washington and Oregon, you must not show any “colours”. It is advisable to wear a vest over your jacket to hide any club patches you may have. In BC, the bandit bands know we are strictly a riding club, so a rider can wear their club patches and emblems, but cross the line they may shoot first and ask questions later. They view any club as competition. I can’t remember exactly the comment I made but the comeback from one of our group was, “What are you going to do, sting then to death?” (referring to the bumble bee look) That was quite funny and had everyone laughing. Suddenly the 2nd officers eyes lit up….We just got your new name….We’ll call you stinger. We all laughed because we thought he was kidding and making a joke. He was very serious though. The moniker of Stinger has stuck.
After lunch we headed back to town. It was not quite as cold as it had been in the morning. At the junction of Horseshoe Bay , 3 riders carried on home via the highway,while the remaining 4 of us, used Marine Drive. It is slow, but winding. I led them along a bypass road under the Lion’s Gate Bridge and eventually past some train yards. Once back across the Second Narrows Iron Workers Bridge, “Jake” veered off to go his way home. The 1st officer stayed on the freeway and the 2nd officer and I left at Boundary road. At Kingsway, I waved and turned left while the 2nd officer carried on South to go home.
I fuelled up the tank before I headed home so that my bike will be ready to go for the next excursion.
Which turned out to be the very next day.

More later......I'm going to make coffee now.....

Again with the suspense thing!

Blues, I am greeeeeeeen with envy.... Glad your enjoying your rides, they sound like a blast! Grrrreeeeeeeeeen!

*looks out at the 3 feet of snow* Its melting though... w00t.

Sunday March 19, 2006

An acquaintance from the BC Northern Stars posted a noon ride in the club forum. She and her hubby, set up this Sunday ride but it isn’t very popular. I think it may have to do with the late start and there is never a particular destination. I have made the trek to Langley a few times and so far with the exception of one time I am the only other rider to show up.
I responded to her post and said I would come out to meet her and that I would be bringing another rider with me. I posted in the forum some destination ideas which thankfully worked. She was glad to be going someplace different and with someone who knew the way.
Prior to that “Jake” had asked if I had wanted to ride on Sunday. I told him I was already planning a ride with someone but he could join us if he liked. He did want to join the ride, so I asked him to meet me in the parking lot of the nearby hardware store. He was right on time. (Bonus points for punctuality)
I headed out of the parking lot and guided us via my usual route to the freeway and out to Langley. (I sure do spend a lot of time in Langley these days.) We were the first to arrive at the meeting place. I took the opportunity to get myself an OJ since I was feeling somewhat dehydrated from the previous evening’s dinner. And…no…it was not alcohol...I know what you are thinking.. ….I rode to and from the restaurant so no wine. I was out for Greek food and it was saltier than I am used to. I don’t know why the person who organized the dinner picked that place. We had to wait over an hour for a table. But, I digress…..
Our ride poster, whom we shall call, “Learner on an 1100cc with exceptionally loud pipes that always sounds like it is on the verge of stalling”, hereafter will be referred to as “Ms. 1100 .”

Ms.1100 liked the idea of going someplace different so it was agreed that she would lead the way to the ferry and once off the ferry I would take over. Ms. 1100 had never been on the ferry yet. Her husband and 2 little kids had come along in their car to see her off in the event that nobody showed for the ride. He would have followed along behind her so she could get in some riding time with a safety net, so to speak. He also said he would have preferred I lead, but Ms. 1100 replied, “I know the way to the ferry.”
After Ms. 1100 informed us she had never been on the ferry yet. We gave her some pointers and explained what to do before heading there. When we arrived, we got sent right on, but just as we got to the top of the ramp, Ms. 1100 stopped. She looked at me with a sort of pleading look in her eyes which I took to mean, “You go first”. So I went around her and started down the ramp. She followed behind with “Jake” bringing up the rear. I think Ms.1100 felt more secure going second and being able to see another bike ride down the ramp first. As we were loading, the ferry worker asked me to get up as far as possible. 12 more bikes had just arrived and they wanted to fit all of them on this sailing. It was a bit tricky, but I managed to squeeze in beside a pickup truck, and put my bike on the side stand. With the left lean of the bike on the side stand the truck would be able to leave without difficulty.
When the ferry docked, I suggested to MS. 1100 that we wait until the other group of bikers was off before we moved. There was no point in getting her stressed about getting off the ferry and possibly stalling with 12 leather clad Harley hard cores getting impatient behind us.
“Jake” was in a position to get off the ferry easily so it was suggested that he go and wait somewhere up top. When it was our turn to go, I just nodded to the Harley group to go ahead. They were off like a shot out of a canon. I went next with Ms. 1100 following. I had already explained when it was time to disembark, that she hold back until the ramp was cleared, so that she could already be in motion before she got to the ramp. Less of a chance of stalling that way.
I should explain the difficulty of the ramp. If the tide is low, the ramp has an extremely steep incline. The entry to the ramp is wood, so can be slippery when wet. The ramp itself is grating. It can feel like you are going to lose traction, but if you just be loose on your grips, your bike will find its own way over the grating.
Ms. 1100 did fine and when we got to the top “Jake” was waiting, so I just carried on past thinking he would pull in behind us.
Nope.
I guess I needed to explain one step farther. Well, I was not about to pull over with vehicles from the ferry still coming behind. I figured “Jake” could just catch up. If I had been by myself I would have pulled in once I realized he was still stopped, but with Ms.1100 following, I thought it might have been too sudden of a maneuver so I just kept going. “Jake” managed to catch up at the traffic lights where we were going to turn.

This was going to be a good ride because I was choosing the route. Instead of heading east out to the Fraser Valley yet again, I was leading them west. We rode through Maple Ridge via the back roads thus avoiding the shopping/business district. We went over the Pitt River Bridge and onto the Mary Hill bypass. I had intended on turning right onto Kingsway, but the plan did not come together. An idiot driver of an SUV, stayed in the far right lane even after there was no lane, and muscled his way in between me and the other 2. I put my right blinker on thinking that they would see and follow suit.
Nope.
In my mirror, I saw them change lanes in an attempt to get in behind me again, so there was no way they would have been able to make that right turn. I cancelled the right signal, and waited until they were behind me again and took a right onto Coast Meridian instead. It is a wide road with gentle curves and very little traffic. When we got to the train yards I pulled in for a short break. Ms. 1100 said she was feeling good and wanted to carry on. We rode through Port Coquitlam, Coquitlam and Port Moody. We used the lower road that is like a bypass through Port Moody and then took the almost 360* ramp to get up to the main road which is St. John. At the end of St. John, there is a very steep winding hill to climb. (When I was first learning, I used that hill as my gauge to my improving skill level.) I lost them for a bit, but at the lights at the top, they caught up and once again we were in formation. I decided it was time for a coffee break so I gestured at them where I was heading. I didn’t want any more surprises in this particular stretch of road because it was very congested with buses and cars. I also managed to convey that we were going to get in front of the bus so they had to be ready to make the lane change. The bus driver heard our exchange and had a good laugh. When the light turned green, and after making sure the road was clear, and with the extremely powerful acceleration of my 650, we were able to get in front of the bus with ease and make our turn into the lot of Tim Horton’s. We were able to find parking right in front of the windows to enable us to keep an eye on our bikes.
My riding companions wanted to ride some more, so it was suggested we head to UBC and ride around there. If Ms. 1100 had been heading back to Langley, we may not have done that, but she was going to meet her husband and kids for dinner in Burnaby, which meant we had more time to ride and show her around. She was born and raised in Langley so really does not know the city. At one red light I asked he if she was lost. She replied that she knew she was in Vancouver, but had no idea where.
We rode via some interesting roads through New Westminster and Burnaby to access old Marine Drive. It’s a pleasant gently winding road that stretches from the far east of Burnaby to the far west of Vancouver. Once we got to the area of Pacific Spirit Park (AKA UBC endowment lands) I pulled over at a view point. MS. 1100 had previously mentioned that she loved the ocean, so this was good spot for a few minutes break and a photo opportunity. “Jake” used these opportunities to get in a smoke. (And for those of you who want juicy details….there won’t be any….well, as long as he is a smoker, anyway….. ) He keeps saying “This is my last package.” Yeah, like I haven’t heard that a million times before. “No, really”, he says. I’m not buying anymore. It would appear he is not buying any more….until the next one.

We got back onto our bikes for the ride around UBC and down the winding hill with the ocean and mountain views. The road meanders past a few beaches. There is Spanish Banks, Locarno Beach, and Jericho Beach to name a few. We followed 4th Avenue until Macdonald where I turned off to access Cornwall. This goes right past Kitsilano Beach where I made a turn and took us to the Maritime Museum parking lot for a quick stop to admire the view (and “Jake” to have a smoke) and a couple of photos. Ms. 1100 phoned her husband to let him know we would be leaving Kits in a few minutes and that we would be at Metrotown in about 45 minutes.
“OK”, I said. “No more stops between here and Metrotown.” We set off with me finding the most efficient routes through the city. We were on my turf now, and because I drive little buses all over the city, I know the roads quite well. We got to Metrotown and found the restaurant where she was meeting her hubby. He was there and waiting. There was no parking in the row where we had stopped, but just a couple of rows over there were a few spaces. So, Ms 1100 put her bike into gear and rode between 2 parked cars. Even I would not have done that. I think that may have been a little bit of over confidence coming through.
I told her husband that after today’s ride, I bet she would have much better throttle and clutch control.
We said our good byes and “Jake” wanted to escort me home. He claimed it was so he could get in a longer ride. I’m pretty sure it was so he could see where I live. (OK, I know I’m somewhat cynical). We rode home to my place where we said our good byes out in the cul-de-sac. With a promise to go riding again….he headed home into the sunset.