Feels Like Spring

so naturally I went for a ride.  It was around 7:30 am when I got my V-strom ready.  First dig out my air compressor, check my tire pressures and move my bike out to the lane

With the scaffolding removed it was a breeze to roll out on my gravel driveway.   First I was headed South East to Surrey for breakfast with the guys and then South with no particular destination in mind.

I had already ridden nearly 50 kms (30 miles) before I realized that I hadn't been using my iOS Easy Trails iPhone "cookie crumb" app which was discovered by David a year ago .   If you don't know our area, it gives you a reference to where I had been.   The iOS app produces a KMZ file which can be imported by Google Maps and here it is . . .


View White rock mar 9 2013 in a larger map

I would include more maps but I am not the Google Map Guru and it doesn't always work but if this works correctly you should be able to zoom in and out and move the map around.  I had no destination in mind and I was riding at the speed limit just enjoying the sunshine.  I decided to turn right off Crescent Beach Road and ended up at the Marina

There is no one here so I stop in the middle of the boat launch ramp

It is hard to speed if you are wearing a Hi-Viz fluorescent Orange Olympia riding jacket as most riders wear the Hi-Viz Fluorescent Green, so I would be easy to track.   I only use this jacket during the Winter months as you do not need a rain liner.   The rain proof membrane in bonded to the Outer Jacket material instead of being waterlogged with the separate zip in liner underneath

It looks warmer than it feels.   I tried to remove my jacket but it was too chilly

The water is smooth as glass with little wave action.

Soon these docks will be full of activity, but today not much is happening.   With no where to go, I am in no rush.   I'm thinking how lucky we are to be living here.  It's not yet Spring but today we have Spring-like weather.   I am feeling sorry for those in other parts of the country who are snowed in, or barricaded in their Motel rooms in the mid-west

That's my Lumix TS-3  waterproof, shockproof, freezeproof P&S camera which I bought last year, and also brought to the iMBC2012 in Hell's Canyon.   I wanted a camera with "internal" focus.  I have had problems with  two previous cameras with telescoping zoom lenses as dirt got sucked inside and contaminated the sensor, which made them useless.   Also if you are riding with one hand and trying to snap photos with your left hand whist riding you have your camera on a tether.  If something happens and you have to let go of your camera it is most likely that your camera may bounce on your extended lens which will damage the zoom mechanism.  This won't happen with a camera with internal focus

As I am leaving I see the train trestle so I may a quick U-turn for another photo opp .   I decided to leave and head over to Crescent Beach

    Blackie Spit, Crescent Beach, Surrey BC

and manage to keep upright on the gravel parking lot.   That's Boundary Bay in the background

I think the long grass are remnants from last year.   The beach is more gravel than sand and I notice the tide is out, so naturally I had to take a seat on the rock and soak in the sunshine

then it was time to go for a quick walk.  I love to walk in the sand.  I would also have walked down to the mud flats but there was no where to clean up afterwards.

With no specific destination I was not in a rush to leave so I just sat and watched the tide come in

When you don't have a riding buddy you can spend as much or as little time as you want but eventually it was time to move on and head East to White Rock

    East Beach,  White Rock

It is still early and most of the residents don't seem to be awake yet.   I have the roads nearly to myself

White Rock is a beach community with railway tracks which travel between the beach and shopping areas.  You can barely make out the famous White Rock Pier in the background (top left)

Oh, I notice a nice Suzuki V-strom parked on the left . . .

There is no free parking in White Rock, unless you like to walk.

Across the bay is the Semiahmoo Resort which is on the other side of the border in the USA

You can just make out their water tower on the horizon

I decide to head North up Hwy 99A.    Before the freeway was built, this was the only way from Vancouver to the USA border.   I remember passing this place when I was very young.

I have never stopped here before, but today I did to snap a photo for you.   From here I headed farther East and take 168th Northbound

I stop at the top of the hill to show you where I am headed.   It is a fairly steep hill with a stop sign at the bottom

For some reason I go farther East and end up in Langley.  I have nothing to buy but I stop at Princess Auto, which is sort of like Harbor Freight in the USA.   They have a washroom here.   I go up and down the aisles and make mental notes of what I may need for my R1200R, but first I have to make a list of what size Torx bits to buy.   It seems that all the bolts on my Beemer are various sizes of Torx and I may be somewhere this Summer where I may need them.   I pick up a few things and head for the cashier when I hear a voice

Voice:  "excuse me, is that your V-strom parked outside"

Me: "Yes . . ."

Voice:  "I notice you have some nice accessories installed, just what I am looking for"

Me:  "we can go outside and I can show you what I have"

So we head out to the parking lot and I see his Kawasaki Versys parked in front of me

When I park in a lot with lots of pickup trucks I usually stay to the rear of the space.  I park headed IN or OUT depending upon the terrain as I need more lean angle than what my kick stand will allow

It's a nice looking bike.  I actually sat on one before I bought my 'Strom

Meet Tyler.   We chatted about this and that and we plan to get together again to go over RAM mounts and talk about cameras, laptops and external drives whilst on Road Trips.  He plans to leave in 6 weeks, for a 4 month bike trip to Mexico.  

He just purchased this bike for his trip and now need to outfit it for Touring.  He is fabricating his own Panniers and his father is a machinist.

I was not in a rush to go anywhere so we chatted a bit more, then finally parted ways.   I was headed back to town and he had more things to do in the Langley area.   He had just been to Abbotsford to buy a Hennessy Hammock for his extended motorcycle trip.  We exchanged contact numbers and he actually lives in Vancouver too.  We are not that far away from each other.

You know how it is.  You both have bikes, you meet and then you can't stop talking.  Today was one of those days . . .

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as you probably know our house has been in a construction war zone since last May.  Our sidewalks were ripped out and the ground was prepped and waiting for new cement

It's been like this for a few weeks.   The rebar grid was put into place and they were just waiting for warmer weather and also for the rain to stop.   Before the rebar, it was just sand and dirt which has been tracking inside and making a mess.

Finally last Thursday the cement came and when I got home they were doing the finishing touches

Now we all know that wet cement is "soft" so everyone was taking so much care not to step on it until it had hardened .   I am so happy that soon we won't have to walk on the dirt and gravel to get inside.  The first thing I do when I leave for work on Friday morning was to admire our new sidewalk, and then I saw IT . . .  FOOTPRINTS !!

My shadow is pointing out the mysterious footprint.  It is hard to see from this angle but here is the view looking the other way

There are two footprints and it is depressed a bit into the cement.  I mean how inconsiderate this is.  It wouldn't have been so bad it it had been my own footprints.   I did think about putting some toe prints into it but decided that wasn't such a good idea.  I'm not sure this can be "buffed out" or not.  Perhaps when the cement hardens it can be sanded a bit

One thing for sure.  It wasn't me, it is a larger foot than mine and I don't leave the same type of imprints