Cruzin over water

There is something better than being sick . A day away from the office at the start of a long holiday weekend. Filled with anticipation I was up until the early hours of the night packing my bike. Soon the alarm did its intended purpose . . .



I was on the road at 5:30am and headed south . It only took about half an hour and after paying my fees I was parked at the head of the line waiting for BC Ferries to commence loading.


(BC Ferries, Tsawwassen Terminal, headed for Victoria, BC)

After a quick breakfast of bacon, eggs, waffle, sausage and coffee we headed to the upper deck just in time to see another ferry in Active Pass. We are headed towards Swartz Bay (Victoria)



Active Pass is a narrow channel in the Gulf Island where the currents are strong and care must be made to "read the water" As I look at the little whirlpools and ripples I am trying to make sense of what this all means. Dangerous, I am sure .



The decks of the ferry are very slippery when wet, due to the oil build-up. We are lucky it is dry but you must still take care. There are explicit instructions for parking your bike. You must be 45 degrees, do NOT use your centre stand. You lower your side stand and block the other side with the dunnage supplied



The first ferry leaves for Vancouver Island at 7am, but loads at 6:45am. To ensure you get aboard I like to arrive by 6:15am, and you can see other bikers had the same idea



One thing I know when you are travelling with limited storage space is that you have to continually stop for supplies



I went for a scenic ride to look for some photo opps


(The Wee in front of the Empress Hotel, Victoria Harbour)

I also took the scenic drive along the water on Dallas Road and thought you wanted to see Mile Zero of the Trans-Canada Highway. This is the beginning of the road . I have also been to the end of the road on the East at Cape Spears, Newfoundland, a few years ago


(Mile Zero, Trans-Canada Highway, Victoria, BC)

I also stopped at another viewpoint for a view of the Olympic Peninsula in the background



I am here for the Capital City Scooter Rally and rubbed shoulders at the meet and greet tonight. It is nice to see old friends many of whom have travelled from Seattle, Calgary and Edmonton, Alberta and Vancouver. Even Orin from scootin` old skool is here from Bellingham, WA

http://capitalcityscooterclubrallys.weebly.com/index.html

Tomorrow is another big day with rides, gatherings and meals. But for now I am safely tucked away in my room with a view of my bike outside my door

Felt like winning the Lottery . . . for a day

Something that GeorgeF said on a recent comment



George hurt his shoulder a while ago which makes it painful to ride his Concours, but he went for a ride anyway. While he should be resting and doing nothing, he has chores to do and continually stresses his shoulder not giving it time to heal



Not many of us have the resources to pay someone else to do it, so we have to do the chores ourselves. I don't purchase very many lottery tickets so my chances of winning any kind of a windfall are close to NIL.

I try to schedule my chores during the week so I can have my weekends free to wander around but I get a guilty feeling when I notice my grass and flower beds badly overgrown



I have been handicapped for over a month and I wanted to give more time for my foot to heal. When the grass gets too high or thick, my lawnmower has problems cutting it, often clogging up and stalling the engine but for now I have no choice but to let it grow.

I had a free evening where I had to fend for myself, so I called my friend and invited him out for a simple dinner. I had to park over a block away but I managed to transport myself to the eatery by shuffling and resting a few times along the way. When I was nearly there I stopped to rest on one of the benches and saw a homeless/street person walking past with all of his worldly possessions



Most of our street people travel around the city pushing these food baskets full of recycle "stuff", they are nearly everywhere, even in this upscale area of town

My friend arrives and we go inside to have a meal



We have a lot of Asian fusion restaurants in Vancouver where North American meals are prepared with more traditional oriental items. We are at the Gloucester, in Cambie Village.

I met my friend Pat many years ago when we both belonged to a computer group. Computers were our hobbies and he went into computer consulting and cabling. He had motorcycles and we used to ride together until someone rear-ended him and he had problems with his back. Since then he sold his bikes and prefers not to ride anymore. We talked computer talk, ate and soon it was time to leave



I ordered a sort of Don-Buri, meat over rice mixed with onions and gravy . It came topped with an egg + nori. Our meal also included an Asian style drink, your choice of hot or cold.

Pat would have wanted to socialize longer but I told him I had to go home and cut my lawn, either the front or back. He knew that I could barely walk, so he offered to come over and give me a hand



We topped up the fuel and soon Pat was mowing the front lawn. I decided to start my gas weed trimmer and work on the flower beds



My trimmer is a professional Echo model with shaft drive. I purchase the filament on bulk reels and refill the cartridge myself with very heavy duty line. I haven't started this engine since last year sometime. It is a 2-stroke and after about a dozen pulls it coughed to life



Soon I was winning the battle against the grass and Pat was nearly finished the front. I was going to do the back myself, tomorrow. I like to spread the work over a few days as it feels like less of a chore.



I seem to tire more easily these days and it takes more effort to walk when one foot isn't working correctly so most of the load transfers to the right one. I decided to rest on my front stairs and watch Pat's progress

With the front completed I feel very satisfied but Pat suggests that he might as well do the back lawn too while he is here. I told him that I could do it tomorrow by myself and just hobble back and forth with the mower, but he insisted and I quickly relented . I started my trimmer and did my part



It was so satisfying watching someone else doing my work for me. It felt as if I had won the lottery, if only for a day.

Today I rode my V-strom to work and went downtown for dinner . Shifting took a little effort as I had problem getting my boot below the shifter to "lift" up as I accelerated. Pushing down was okay. It has to do with my stretched muscle and limited movement until it heals. Also I have to be careful when stopping to put my left foot down so as not to land "too hard"

I may have to abandon my Victoria trip if things don't improve by tomorrow.



In the meantime, I am proud to have a friend like Pat. It would have taken me 3 evenings to do what Pat did in two hours. Today was my lucky day

Hobbling around

I didn't really want to talk about my wimpy foot all the time but a couple of weeks ago when I was being chauffered around it was a blistery, rainy day and we decided to have dinner at a Cambodian restaurant on the fringe of Vancouver's Chinatown. We wanted a thrifty place where we could get served fast.



We ended up at the Phnom Penh. From all appearances it looked to be not very busy with few people outside



There were not many parking spaces to be had, but the streets were deserted. What luck we thought but when we went inside they already had a line up.



It was bustling with activity and nearly every table was occupied. Not bad for a weeknight



It is not uncommon to have to share your table with others. Here we have two other couples who both ordered the excellent fried chicken wings. We didn't know what to order so we ordered a plate for ourselves too.



I had this very tender beef over rice dish which also came with a small bowl of home made soup. It makes me hungry just looking at this photo, the meat just melted in your mouth



It was supposed to come topped with an egg but they must have not heard us. We enquired and they brought one out for me

We ordered way too much food, basically 3 orders for only two small eaters.



I think you would be happy to have a meal here, good value and healthy portions

Recently SonjaM was describing how she does her route planning.


I am also meticulous in choosing routes and deciding upon accommodation. I also have some issues to care care of on my bike. Yes the normal stuff such as oil, lube, filter and a general check over by my mnechanic. I posted a month ago about my new farkle which I really like; my GiPro ATRE, GI indicator. I also ordered a set of



new tires for my V-strom. I did some research on Stromtrooper.com and found that most riders like either; Metzler Tourances, or Michelin Anakee 2 dual sport tires which are for mainly paved roads. I decided to purchase them locally to support the local dealer even though they may have been much more expensive this way.

I notice that most riders get around 12/15,000 kms per set and I was nearly 10K right now. By the time I leave on my trip they will have several thousand kms more. I didn't wish to take a chance on my old tires but they still look very new. I think American roads are more abraisive than ours. I haven't decided if I will mount them before or after our trip.



I still require a new magnetic tank bag with a clear vinyl map pocket on top for a paper map also large enough for my dSLR so I don't have to stop and open my rear case. I want to be able to shoot without dismounting from my bike.

No matter how much planning you do in advance, things don't always work out. This coming weekend is a Long Weekend here in BC, Victoria Day. A few riders from our group are travelling over to Victoria for the big Rally. We were to leave early Friday morning to catch the Ferry but now with my foot hurting again I cannot make a commitment to go. Hotel rooms are in tight supply so I will have to take my chances at the last minute if my foot gets better. I worry about the slippery steel ferry decks and how much weight I can put on my foot without hurting. I stopped taking medication last Wednesday and this may have contributed to lack of healing.

Right now I am having difficulty walking and can barely drive my car to work due to the clutch action required in the rush hour. This morning as I was hobbling around and having a bowl of cereal I noticed something on our carport

They looked so pre-occupied . . .



and I was hesitant to bother them. I was shuffling around getting ready to leave for work and nursing my foot to minimize the pain from having to walk to the car and for a fleeting moment, thought it might be a good day



to be a racoon and phone in sick .

Hi Paolo, Hi Sonja:

Well, after my lonely, forlorn escapade last week waiting for my beloved riding buddy to get off work, I left unsatisfied with the purpose I had intended. That day I decided to commute by bike as I thought that it would be easier but the long staircase up to see Sonja was too big of a challange. I could go up but the coming down would have been the problem. She works such long hours and between actually going to the office, going home for conference calls and travelling out of town and picking up Mr SonjaM at the airport every week is taking its toll.



I didn't think it was important enough to challenge myself upstairs to disrupt her work for idle chatter which would only have resulted in her to extend her hours

SonjaM must have psychic powers as out of the blue she sent me an email for a get-together after work for a beverage. I arrived first at the appointed time and there was no sign of SonjaM so I fiddled with my camera in the warm sun



This is very unusual for she is always early and I am the one who makes the grand appearance. I don't have the flexibility to leave earlier as I usually close down the office and set the alarm system . If you have never heard the sounds of a modern Vespa then you will not know how silent the engine is. Out of the blue, and without warning she nearly runs me down and makes a perfect arc to park in front of me



As compared to a regular sized motorcycle, the Vespa is very manueverable with its smaller diameter wheels. It was nice to grab a table in the sun and discuss plans for this riding season.



Yes, we do have some plans in the works but I fear that she is more challenged than me when it comes to vacation time. I only have to worry about my foot. This is the longest it has taken to heal. I notice your good wishes from HERE, and I thank you for your kind thoughts. I always thought that I was in good health. It is only because I injured my foot about 15 years ago when I had a mishap which tore my achilles tendon. They never heal correctly and sometimes there is scarring. I have stressed it before and then, recently stressed it again.

I am rationalizing that highway riding is different than city riding where there is constant shifting of gears and having to put your foot down at stops. Once you are rolling foot action would be at a minimum. It's just that I have to make sure that I can handle the weight of the bike.

I also have to change the way I mount my V-strom. I notice that I have to pivot my foot as I change angles while mounting. I now use my right leg to hold my weight before I change the pivot angle.

It's the second time that V-strom and Paola have met, unbeknownst to Paola's master. It's hard to belive how fast time flies as we were there for nearly 2 hours catching up on this and that.

To put things into perspective, I have been at my present company for over 12 years and have never taken a sick day. Prior to that with my previous employer for over 10 years I never took a sick day either. So in 22 years this is not to say I haven't been sick, but not sick enough to miss work. I thought that I was invincible and certainly have not yet adapted to this feeling of getting older, nor the notion that I will be a senior citizen in 2 months. I certainly have never felt this way before and when I go to motorcycle events it never occurs to anyone that I am as far advanced in age as I really am. Looks can be deceiving and I am fast coming to the conclusion that I should take things easier.



A few years ago I decided that I wanted to do more long distance riding, thus the reason that I wanted some sort of adventure touring bike with hard cases to carry my electronic stuff. The V-strom is well suited for this task and I am looking forward to putting on more "miles and smiles" (I wonder where I heard this before?)

Thank you again for your kind wishes

Do you still have your scooter ?

I have not thought about it much but the other day when I arrived at work, one of the girls asked if I still had my scooter and whether I would consider selling it. You see that gas prices have skyrocketed and it is a cheaper alternative to use as a commuting vehicle. I said it had been stored in the garage for a few years and I needed to get it started and the battery charged.



I thought nothing about it but after work I decided to go and visit a friend who is in the scooter business. The first thing he asked me was if I still had my scooter and how much I wanted for it. He knows that I take care of things. I told him it had been parked for a few years and probably needed a carb clean but I had already replaced the rear tire and new rear rim, and also I would probably need to charge the battery. It is one of those type of batteries which cannot be put on a battery tender. It requires continuous amperage.



He wanted to come by after work to see the scooter. I went home, dug the scooter out and started to work on the kick starter, just in case it would start on its own. I remember vaguely charging the battery last summer and starting the engine. I was going to insure it for use around town

Wouldn't you know, after a few kicks I decided to try the electric starter. It hesitated for a second and started a slow chug, THEN . . . it gasped to life and maintained a perfect fast idle. I let it warm up and then blipped the starter. It was smooth and worked perfect like it always has.

I then got out my air compressor and filled the tires to spec; 25 psi rear, and 22 psi for the front. I shut off the motor, then turned the key and it started again on the first kick, just like it was yesterday.



The scooter is like new with GIVI rear case and small windscreen. Even the original decals are intact, exactly like it came from the factory. I notice from the license tags that the insurance ran out at the end of 2008 .

The odometer has not yet reached 4,300 kms. The engine has barely been broken in. Mrs Skoot used this scooter for a couple of years and then I got hold of it and did some engine modifications and it was me that rode the last 2,500 kms . It is perfect for city use. It has no problems to maintain city speeds and you can park nearly everywhere in bike racks. I was actually thinking of insuring it again to use myself.



It probably has more utility for me than the meagre amount I would get from its sale.

Things have been going very slow for me these past few weeks. In the beginning I was hobbling around just trying to get to work. Even driving my car was painful as I had to manage the clutch pedal. My next vehicle may have to be an automatic. I was supposed to lay low and raise my foot and not do too much walking. I was taking Celebrex but sometimes it causes more problems than it cures. There are side affects which may or may not affect you, but it did to me. I had to get the swelling down on my foot so I had no choice but to take the pills. Use of Celebrex can cause stomach irritation and bleeding, which it did so I was anxious not to use it more than I had to. Even the instructions said that you had to weigh the benefits against the problems it would create so needless to say I probably stopped taking it too early. When my foot started to feel nearly better I stopped taking the pills. Then I proceed to mow the front lawn, and the next day I mowed the back lawn, then did the weeding, then cleaned my car, then did some gardening etc. The pain slowly came back until a few days later I was nearly crippled as I was in the beginning.

To make it short, I started to take the Celebrex again and now I have taken it more than a few days longer than I think I need to so today I am stopping again and hope the pain does not return. Last Sunday I stayed home all day with my foot elevated, which is rare. Since I have not ridden my bike for a week or so I have not posted much.

About a week ago when my foot still hurt, I thought it would be easier to ride my bike to work as moving the gear shifter seemed less painful than pushing the clutch



After work I decided to take the long way home and try to visit my riding buddy. I notice her Vespa double parked in her shared spot but my foot didn't feel like climbing up the long staircase

So I did what anyone else in my predicament would do, I found a nice spot in the sun to sit and wait, and wait, and wait . . . and still wait . . . and wait . . .



I don't know how long I waited but perhaps half an hour, or so. Everyone leaving the complex gave me the "eye" and stared at me as they drove past. Eventually I gathered my things and headed for home

I don't know what is happening but a couple of weeks ago I went for a little ride and stopped at the local dealer to look for another pair of riding boots



I just couldn't help myself and had to look at all the machinery parked on the main floor.



Lately I've been enamoured with the look of the R1200R, but I would get a small windscreen. I just love the look of those two jugs



I also love the R1200RT . I think that this bike feels lighter than my V-strom. It seems to have perfect balance. If I were going on a trip across the continent, then this would be the bike I would have



I just love the instrument cluster



Almost forgot, they didn't have a very good selection of riding shoes

ABCD: A Blogger's Centreline Day, May 1st

Inspired by Gary France's idea of a taking a photo of yourself on the centre-line of a road on May 1st is quite the challenge in the middle of a busy urban centre. You are taking your life in your own hands as you try to find a safe place to dart out on the street.

I woke up with the sun and found myself heading out very early on a sunny Sunday morning. One thing about living in the centre of a large city is that most well travelled roads are separated by either a boulevard, or a cement strip in the median.



Secondary roads with a centre-line are well separated from traffic signals and the traffic is, more or less, continuous as there are no large breaks of traffic. I decided to head down to Granville Street and play frogger using the traffic lights and try to time my entrance



Those cars travelling towards me are probably doing over the 60 km/hour speed limit. I try to snag 3 shots and get out of there ASAP .

I am trying to find a better spot and I finally end up with this silhouette



I decide to turn into the sun to grab this self-portrait



I have some ideas for another photo but I need a human shutter release for what I had in mind. Even with remote controls there was no place to set up a camera and tripod in the middle of the street

The weather for this weekend was forecast to be very sunny and warm so I decided to put my 'vette on the road. Saturday afternoon found myself cleaning and polishing the car in anticipation of a Sunday ride



I'm not really a fanatic when it comes to keeping a car clean but I had to get rid of the dust that had accumulated since last October

I spent a couple of hours re-applying Maguires Nxt Gen booster wax and the wheels looked so dirty I just had to get out the soap and water to clean the wheels again



We went south into the country and found a restaurant about an hour away



This place was a stone's throw from the US border. All the while I was still scouting for that allusive centre-line photo, now that I had my human remote control shutter release with me. Some things you just can't do by yourself



After a hearty meal we set off for points east . . . and I finally found a spot to get my centre-line photo


(Mrs Skoot = Human shutter release)