WHIRLWIND...IN A GOOD WAY

What a week!  It has been a very lively one, with 3200 kms covered, one conference, visiting long-time friends Laurie and Suz, Rodger and Joan, and Anne, and meeting new friends Ty and Georgia from Wales today on my ride!

I arrived in Vancouver last Thursday and stayed overnight with Bronwyn. On Friday, I made my way to Rising Sun Motorcycles to be reunited with Night Fury!

I cannot say enough good things about Rising Sun Motorcycles and the lengths Samson went to in the effort to get a Manitoba plate for Night Fury so I could ride her back to Manitoba.  He picked her up from storage, went over her with a fine tooth comb at his shop and took care of all required maintenance and getting new shoes on her (loving the new Dunlop Mutant tires!). Samson then arranged a certified mobile mechanic to come to the shop and do an inspection, making sure to mail the original report to me so I could get a plate in Manitoba.  All efforts were successful and I rode away with the thrill of being reunited with Fury after 8 months!

Bronwyn had a couple of days off, so we both took our bikes up to the Sunshine Coast where my friends Laurie and Suz were keeping some gear for me. I have the BEST friends!  They had us stay in their basement suite and made us an amazing supper of BBQ burgers and grilled veggies. On Saturday, we all went for a run with our bikes up the coast to Madeira Park where we pulled in for a break. Who rolls up on his lunch break, but Derry! So instead of visiting with him on our way back, we had a wee visit right there in the parking lot.  We extended our spin out to Garden Bay and back and ended with supper at Twenty Two Taphouse. Having stuffed ourselves to the edge of explosion with an excellent meal, we returned to Laurie and Suz’s in a food stupor. I recommend it.
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Returning to Vancouver on Sunday to get the rest of my gear from Bronwyn’s, it quickly became clear that I had overpacked and forgotten what I had already brought out the previous trip. I headed to my conference hotel over-laden with stuff and determined to send some stuff home before leaving Vancouver. A great couple of days reconnecting with people at the conference in Vancouver. This included a meal at The Captain’s Boil (yes, that’s a double entendre) with Kara and Errinlee. I’m hopeless with directions and couldn’t even follow google maps to walk to the restaurant, which looked pretty close. Turning the wrong direction a couple of times, I said “I’m just going to call a cab”. The cab pulls up, and literally drives around a block and there it is.  Good grief.  Upon entering The Captain’s Boil, we are seated at a table covered with brown paper, and handed bibs and plastic gloves….I KNOW!  We ordered a seafood feast type of meal and it came fresh and piping hot….in plastic bags!  Just put your bib and gloves on and dig in. 😊 We laughed ourselves silly and dug in.  Kara and Errinlee may never go anywhere with me ever again, but at least it was memorable!  Again…I recommend it!

Tuesday evening found me getting out of the city and staying put for a couple of nights as Wednesday was a full work day. Thursday I headed for Malakwa where friends Rodger and Joan were putting me up for the night. They have a lovely spot in a secluded park with beautiful mature trees and an outdoor entertaining area to die for. They spoiled me rotten with another amazing meal, my peach cider and fireball drinks and (considering Joan had never met me before), grace incarnate.  After a wee visit this morning, I was on the road again with Night Fury humming along like she was happy to be on the road again and with such perfect weather. On my break stop in Golden, I saw a young man taking a photo of his girlfriend. I asked if they would like one together and they said “yes please”.  I learned that this was Ty and Georgia. Ty has been in Canada for awhile and Georgia is here to adventure with him for a bit before they head back to Wales.  Lovely pair and I wish I had more time to swap stories with them!  Ty graciously took a photo of me with my bike and I thought if I was going to include them in my story, I better get one with them too!

Life could hardly be kinder to me.  I've ended each riding day with helmet hair, a touch of sunburnt face, and a very big smile, in spite of aching muscles. The temperatures have ranged from +6C to +24C on my travels across the mountains – always a crap shoot this time of year.  Yesterday’s journey had me riding up the Coquihalla, then picking up Hwy 5A from Merritt to Kamloops. Along the Coq, there was still snow right down to the road at higher elevations, but the roads were bare and even the chill was not uncomfortable. The temperature shift from Box Canyon and out from the summit was dramatic and so was the change from snow to dry hills. The lack of moisture is alarming and makes me fear for wildfires.  Hwy 5A is a lovely, quiet stretch of road where you can either tear up the curves or toodle along and enjoy the scenery at leisure. I did some of both.  A brief Hi to my friend Sean at his work in Sorrento provided the break I needed before meeting up with Rodger in Salmon Arm so he could ride with me up to their place in Malakwa. I was tired! It’s been more than a year since I’ve done any long riding days.

Today’s ride from Malakwa to Calgary was again gorgeous. Construction was frequent and slowed things down a bit, but that just makes one take the time to adore the soaring, snow-capped peaks, and marvel and that cataclysmic events that create those monstrously huge mountains. A dramatic drop in temperature heading into Roger’s Pass meant that snow was once again still down at the road level. Temperatures rose to +20 at Golden, but dropped again as Fury and I sailed through the Kicking Horse Pass, revelling in the beauty of the still snow-covered mountains.  Another brief break in Canmore to top up with gas and was into the home stretch to Calgary. I’m looking forward to another conference starting Sunday, but will enjoy the rest day tomorrow.  It seems like I’ve been away from home a long time, but at the same time, seems like I just left. I do miss the west coast, and my friends there –that will never change. But I will be ready to be home too, where new friends are waiting and I am reminded always to be grateful for every beautiful day we are given.  Go forth, my friends – make more beautiful days. More are not promised.