Tuesday, September 13, 2011

Grover the Vino

My Friend Robert gets Tuesday off. Last month he knew that I was taking a vacation week so he said to me that he was going to block off his calendar, for me. We could do anything I wanted, we could ride, we could walk, my wish was his command. This morning I took my time, packed my cameras and headed East towards Surrey where I met Robert and his friends for breakfast

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This was the first time that I had seen "Grover", his wife's new Yamaha Vino 125. Robert's Vespa PX150 is being serviced and he is using Grover for a few days. It is brand new and is still being broken in so we planned to stick to slow roads, close to home. With stomachs full we are soon underway and head East towards Tswwassen, a community which is adjacent to the US border

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We take the scenic route passing through Ladner and miles of farmland

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half an hour later we arrive on the southern portion of Centennial Beach

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A walk up those cement stairs will lead to the USA

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Obviously we are on the Canadian side as you notice the fluttering flags blowing in the wind. A short half a block south we could set foot on the American side, if we wanted to endure the stiff penalties with crossing the border illegally. The trees and the homes in the background are in Point Roberts, WA .

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Eventually we move on to the main beach area to use the "facilities"

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The beach is deserted. There is no one here, the parking lot is empty but luckily the washrooms were open. It seemed a bit chilly with the breeze over the water and a hot beverage would have hit the spot, except the concession was closed

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I managed to capture another photo of Robert and Grover

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We head back to Vancouver taking Hwy 99 North and approach the entrance to the George Massey Tunnel. Notice that Robert & Grover is that speck ahead of me. I am using the BlueKat "hold the camera in my left hand technique" to take photos whilst riding and I hang back to allow a buffer, "just in case" .

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As we approach the Oak Street Bridge we are caught in a massive traffic jam

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the highway and all approaches are dead stopped. We have to endure 3 ft shifts for over a mile, all due to a slight fender bender . By now we are hot and decide to visit Gary and have a cool beverage from across the street when some members of the scooter gang show up

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Another relaxing day, not doing much and not many miles. But I did manage to spend a pleasant day with my friend, Robert , and riding my V-strom

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(Robert & Bob: Centennial Beach, Tswwassen, BC)

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I did TWO stupid things yesterday:

i) Mrs Skoot said: "A light has burnt out" . so naturally I go to my stockpile of spares and pull out an Eco Halogen type dimmable, high efficiency bulb which draws 40 watts but works like a 75 watt. We use dimmable bulbs in our washroom. I remove the head, unscrew the bulb and replace with the new one. No problem, operation successful. We have two bulbs and now one is brighter than the other since it was a different type. I decided to remove the other head and when I grabbed the light bulb, I got an instant burn on my right thumb. I only grabbed it for a millisecond and now it gave me jabbing pain

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I still have a white, circular blister but the photos doesn't look as bad as it was. I mean, how stupid for trying to hold a hot bulb without letting it cool down first. We had LidoSporin which took a while to take affect.

ii) The other thing was so dumb I am ashamed to tell you . . . I should have known better . I have slightly re-injured my left foot, the one that was getting better.

9 comments:

  1. Dude! You have to stop hurting yourself!!

    I have never early stopped at Boundary Bay. Too bad the weather wasn't a bit better for you today. I was thinking about a scooter ride today as I was trudging through my work day.

    Love Grover the vino, but I am partial to blue vino's! I don't think I could deal with Vancouver traffic in a car, scooter or motorcycle. Don't you get freaked out going through the Massey Tunnel? I never liked going through it in a car when I was a kid going to visit my granny.

    Hope your ankle feels better soon. If it is a strain type injury try some Traumeel cream, this stuff is amazing and helps it feel better & it's not stinky. You can get it at most drug stores. I used it after my scooter crash on all the bruised & swollen areas, helps to take down swelling and is good for pain relief.

    Take care my friend,
    Snicklefritz

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  2. "...not doing much and not many miles"

    Sounds like what a vacation is supposed to be. Not dealing with heavy traffic. The Yamahas are the only scooters that I've seen for sale in this town. They have some pretty tempting models.

    I hope you survive your vacation. What happened to your foot?

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  3. Bobskoot,

    Don't worry, you are not alone. I have the continuity of thought of a 4-year-old. Let's see, bulb on, hot! Bulb burn out, sad. Change bulb now! OW!

    That's about how I work, though it works with pans, mufflers, engines, oil, anything that was hot.



    Brady
    Behind Bars - Motorcycles and Life

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  4. I am glad you are enjoying your vacation so far Bobskoot.

    I hate it when we do something silly that we know we shouldn't do. We need a warning system in our brains.

    Hope the burn and your foot heal quick.

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  5. If we all didn't do something dumb every once in a while how dull would life be? Really, we've got to get helmet cams!

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  6. Hi Bob,

    Hope your foot is getting better. Be careful next time.

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  7. It's been a lot of years but I seem to remember being in Tswwassen. Katie and I caught a ferry to Vancouver Island from there if I remember correctly.

    Been enjoying the "wandering around" posts by the way.

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  8. Dar:

    I don't do it on purpose, it was just a stupid moment, or should I say dumb "senior's moment" . The Tunnel isn't so bad, speed limit reduces to 80 kmh and no changing lanes in the tunnel.

    My ankle is iffy. I still have to baby it and keep my shoe laces loose, and not walk in my riding boots

    Richard:

    It was nice to not have to work and basically not do much for the week. I wished I had more friends in the same situation so I had someone to talk to, or to visit

    Brady:

    I know what you mean, we never seem to learn these things

    Trobairitz:

    thank you for your healing wishes. I was so stupid, of course a lit bulb is HOT. The scab has detatched and is now healing underneath.

    VS Lady:

    glad you made it home without incident. You put on a lot of miles on your cross country ride. I do have a GoProHD sports cam but I wanted to take still photos.

    Benny:

    thank you but next time I need to change a bulb, I'll just ask you to stop by and do it for me

    Irondad:

    because of you and Mike, I have been going to Subway. Everytime I have a sandwich there I think of you, and I thought about you again today. If you go directly to the ferry terminal you will miss the main business district.

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  9. So do they really have border agents that scout the beach out and make sure that you don't cross that invisible border? Sheesh. Hunting for seashells could turn costly!

    Glad you were able to get out and enjoy a beach.

    As for the blister?? tsk, tsk, tsk. I'm laughing with you.

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