Wednesday, August 4, 2010

Memories past

After I got home from my last ride and parked the scooter many images went through my mind. I was thinking of all the good times I had and where it had taken me . It was not just a commuter, it was a way for me to see the world, take the roads less travelled and take photos along the way. It is much easier to stop and take photos with a scooter type step-through design. It is more nimble in the city and the automatic CVT is a breeze to use on our local hills, plus the handbrake is a welcome addition which I have grown accustomed to its presence.

I have posted these following photos before and they are arranged in no particular order.

The Kymco Xciting 500Ri has taken me to Oregon. During 2008 I attended the SoundRider Rally in the Gorge to meet up with others from the Maxi-scoot.com forum. I like to meet people. I took the eastern route south down NF25 behind Mt St Helens . One of our day rides took us to Mt Hood where we had lunch at Timberline Lodge. It was a flawless sunny day

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(Mt Hood, Oregon)

The Rally was based in Stevenson, WA and another ride went to Klikitat Canyon towards Bickleton which is about 100 miles east where we had a chance to see the Stonehenge replica high on the banks of the Columbia Gorge

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(Stonehenge, near Biggs, Oregon)

We ended up in a little historic town of Bickleton. I think they have one of the oldest pubs in the country and it is on the Cafe to Cafe Tour.

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(Rally in the Gorge, Bickleton, WA)

Tom Mehren is the host of the rally and of soundrider.com . He is an excellent group leader who knows these roads like the back of his hand and has written an excellent book of the roads in the area. We last saw him at the Seattle Motorcycle show in Seattle last December.

I am an associate member of the SOB's: Scooter of Bellingham and have attended a few of their functions. They host the Hamster Run every year in late July

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(Hamster Scooter Rally, SOB: Scooters of Bellingham)

My scooter has taken me to several out of town rallies. One of the oldest scooter rallies in the area is hosted by the Capital City Scooter Club of Victoria. Here we see my scooter on the ferry heading for Victoria

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(Kymco Xciting 500Ri, BC Ferries to Victoria, BC)

There was also a scooter rally held in Kelowna, BC which was hosted by Vespa Kelowna. I have been to all of their rallies. My scooter has taken me there via the Coquihalla mountain highway. This particular year they did long ride Around the Lake. They mean Lake Okanagan, north to Vernon then south along Westside Road which leads back to Westbank

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(Westside Road, Okanagan Lake, Kelowna area, BC)

On the way back from Kelowna I stopped in Merrit for some photos of their murals

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(Merrit, BC: City of Murals)

One year, coming back from the Victoria Rally I was with Magoo (Paul, from the local Vespa forum). We decided to take a circle route and come back on the Nanaimo ferry. I know some of the roads in the Chemainus area and one of the best was the road to Maple Bay, short but twisty. There are two marinas along the way with a restaurant at the end

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(Maple Bay, BC - Near Cowichan Bay, BC)

Paul is riding his Honda Silverwing 600cc

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(WestBank, BC, recently renamed to West Kelowna, BC)

There are many vineyards in the Kelowna/Westbank area and I stopped to take a photo. I rode back by myself. Most of the other riders from Vancouver have smaller displacement scooters and trailer them there (to Kelowna). I prefer to ride both ways. I purchased this scooter so I could tour around BC and the PNW. I used to have a Kymco Bet&Win 250 but it did not have enough power to handle the Coquihalla highway.

Many riders take the Hope Princeton Highway as they head east through Manning Park but few head up the mountain to the Cascades Lookout which feels like you are on the top of the world

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(Cascade Lookout, Manning Park, BC)

you are able to look down into the valley and meadows below

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(View from Cascade Lookout)

Yes, my scooter has been my good friend. It has taken me to many places, safely.

As I think of the memories I have . . .

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(Pilot Cove, West Vancouver, BC)

I can only smile and think that perhaps you have gone to a better place.

14 comments:

  1. Still no hint of what happened. Scooter sold, stolen, donated, totaled?

    It looks like you rode the scooter for quite a while.

    Richard

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  2. They don't let you ride while you're on probation?

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  3. Wow! Jack was right! (you don't get to say that often) :)

    You did push it into the river. RIP scooter!

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  4. Richard:

    It's been hard for me to contain myself, thus the reason for not replying to comments. It will all become clear with the next post.

    Mr Conchscooter:

    Hard to ride with one of those GPS ankle bracelets on

    Chris:

    That'll be the day when Jack is right !

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  5. Dear Bobskoot, Chris, et Al:

    There are days when it pains me to be right, but I have been predicting Bobskoot's breakdown for quite some time now. Those stupid pink crocs have been constricting the flow of blood to his brain for years.

    Who can say what really happened?

    But I think Bobskoot has come to terms with a critical identity crisis. Now that he sports a tattoo (a knife with wings under which a legend reads, "Prong you, that stupid scooter, and those stupid shoes), has a pony tail, and a hot squeeze named ChaCha.

    His new riding name is "The Jackal," and everyone trembles when he fires up his 1995 BMW K75. Join me in bowing before "The Jackal of Saskatoon."

    And the best way to avoid pissing him off is to call him "JackSass" in all future correspondence.

    Fondest regards,
    Jack • reep • Toad
    Twisted Roads

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  6. Dear JackSass:

    That will be the day? You're right: It's Friday, August 6, 2010.

    Fondest regards,
    Jack • reep • Toad
    Twisted Roads

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  7. Lovely recap of your rides and memories with the Kymco. I'd say you two have traveled to many wonderful adventures.

    You've left us hanging again. :)
    You'd better spill it soon...looks like the natives are a-gettin' restless!

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  8. Bob, you've begun writing like a certain curmudgeon from backward Pennsylvania.

    OK, breath is bated ........

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  9. JackSASS:

    thanks for letting me use your new nickname. I know you are seldom right but "they" will only say this behind your back to spare your feelings.

    BlueKat/NinjaGreen Crocs:

    that scooter is a very capable machine, Quiet and enough power to even propel a person of Jack R's stature (JackAss for short)

    Chuck:

    I only know but ONE person in PA. Perhaps you have heard of him ? He goes by the name of JackSass and rides a K75 beemer with a tach.

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  10. Bob,

    Being out of the country for nearly 2 weeks and missing your blog has left me totally confused! Are you suffering a delayed mid-life crisis or something? Looking forward to all being revealed!

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  11. Dear Bobskoot:

    This is how it starts... First you go on a great ride, following a BMW into a foreign country. Then you get ride of the scooter. See a pattern forming?

    Sit back and drink the Kool Aid... You'll get used to wienerschnitzel for breakfast.

    Fondest regards
    Jack • reep • Toad
    Twisted Roads

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  12. Nice pics. Making a fool of riepe is playing with napalm. You'll need free health care by the time you're done.

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  13. Dear Bobscoot (Jackal of Saskatoon, etc.):

    The last person in the world who ever worried about sparing my feelings handed me the soap in the shower tonight and told me "I seemed less fat about the head these days."

    I replied, "Thanks babe." Compared to the stuff I hear from the guys like Michael Beattie, that was like getting a Valentine. (Michael will be my houeguest the second week in October. I've arranged for him to ride with some of the guys in the Mac Pac. His re-education will be complete.)

    You could have said, "Riepe, you shapeless heap of hemoglobin, the proctologist is going to need his bovine birthing gloves to get my left pink croc out of your ass." But then again, they breed this sort of thing out of you Canadian guys, don't they? Eh?

    Fondest regards,
    Jack • reep • Toad
    Twisted Roads

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  14. Those are great memories. Your Kymco served you well. I have seen most of those places but haven't been there on a bike yet. I hope to change that during the next months before I have to winterize my two-wheeler... no wait, don't need to to this in BC ;-)

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