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



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



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



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



A walk up those cement stairs will lead to the USA



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 .



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



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



I managed to capture another photo of Robert and Grover



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" .



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



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



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


(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



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.