CHILLY ADVENTURE

So....I guess early March is a wee bit early for road tripping.  Monday I made the trip  to Kingston, WA to have Rich's Custom seats modify the seriously uncomfortable stock seat on Spectre.  I realize as I write this, that I have not introduced Spectre to the followers of Explore My Nation.  Spectre is a 2016 Honda Africa Twin, acquired in late November and parked until February 1st when the weather was still cold, but I couldn't stand it anymore and put a plate on her.   I still have Night Fury too and am loathe to sell her, but will have to do so at some point, I suppose.  :(  

Anyway, had the appointment in Washington and the weather was looking like it should be OK, if not great.  In actuality, it turned out to be a 5-hour trip in 3-5 degrees and pouring rain.  Felt like a popsicle when I arrived at Rich's and was happy to see the apartment over the shop they let people use had a huge jetted tub!  Spent 40 minutes in it and gratefully brought my body temperature up to something warmer than a reptile.  

With the apartment being over the shop, I was able to work while they created my custom seat.  Part of the process is to have you sit on the bike, then they mark the seat and shave it to shape, then have you sit on it again and tweak it.  When they are satisfied with the ergonomics, they send you out for a 20-minute test ride, do any further tweaks and then cover it again.  Not being sure how long all this would take (turned out to be about 4 hours), I had arranged to stay with a friend in Sequim.  We went to Blondie's Plate for dinner and had a great visit. Worked in the morning, then headed for the Port Angeles ferry to Victoria the next afternoon and had a nice sunny day for the ride, and wished I had more time to do the peninsula.  A gander in the tourist building on the wharf turned up a cool old little Yamaha bike that needed a picture taken.  

A photo shoot had been arranged with Greg Samborski who is doing a "Bike and Rider" project for Thursday.  We had decided on Chemainus as a location and of course, it was....you guessed it.....cold and rainy.   Did I roll my eyes out loud?   We did it anyway, of course, because when you are a rider, sometimes you just have to embrace the inevitable.  I'm looking forward to the results of the shoot - at least anything with my helmet on.  I'll look like a drowned rat in any with my helmet off and my hair plastered to my head with the rain!  Spectre will be the star of the show anyway.  

After working the morning, I headed for the ferry amid sunny skies and chilly temps.  Had a great conversation with Laird (not sure about that spelling), who was the only other bike on the ferry with his Triumph Street 900 Scrambler.  Gorgeous bike!  Also got to chat with Shane on the ferry - he and his wife learned to ride a few years ago in Nova Scotia, but two young ones keep him busy now.  He recently acquired a bike and is hoping to get out for a few spins before maybe selling it on.  Rush hour traffic from the ferry terminal to Coquitlam provided plenty of slow-speed control practice with Spectre and I'm getting a better feel for her balance and performance.  Looking forward to the next adventure.