Friday, June 1, 2012

The Scoot Commute: la seconde partie

I thought it better that our visiting blogger guest from Montreal offer up his impressions of our scenic paradise before I added some supplementary comments, and perhaps a few photos. Fresh eyes are better than old, tired eyes. Everybody knows that it rains a lot on the Coast, but these few days were the exception. David came at the most opportune time.

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Roland, Dave, David & Sonja

There is not a lot more that I could add to what has already been posted. You can read posts by Dave, David & Sonja (by clicking their links)

I had met David the day before so we were already comfortable with each other's antics. I think he's learning to "loosen-up" a bit. Dave, I had met a couple of years ago at Urban Wasp when he was having his LX50 serviced . He posted on his blog about getting service done that Saturday, so I made it a point to be there so I could sort of "bump" into him, so he really didn't realize that it wasn't a chance encounter.

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David and myself had already been on the road for an hour & a half so we were hungry. Notice how everyone is smiling as the waitress takes our breakfast orders . David is so happy to be riding a scooter in Vancouver that his arms seemed to be locked in the

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riding position. I'm not sure whether others noticed his riding stance, but I did .

Bloggers are always looking for "new" material to blog about and Dave was no different. I managed to grab a photo of him in action

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Dave, the BIG guy on the Small Scooter

We had a leisurely breakfast, did lots of talking & listening and it was time to ride before it got too late. We had many miles to cover but the chatting continued into the parking lot however, eventually we got suited up and were on our way

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with Roland taking the lead. We had heavy traffic for the first few miles, and soon we were alone on a nice twisty road heading north towards Buntzen Lake

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If you managed to read the LINKS above, you will know that we had a relaxing lunch and time to get to know each other better while seated on the outdoor patio in Horseshoe Bay. David had limited time as he had other family obligations and had to get back to his Hotel but he agreed to stay longer so we could snap some group photos. Time goes fast when you don't want the day to end

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We took scenic Marine Drive to and from Horseshoe Bay which has some water views along the way. As our time was cut short, Sonja's suggestion of heading to nearby Whytecliff Park & my intended ride to Eagle Harbour and Pilot Cove will have to wait for David's next visit.

Traffic was very heavy as we approached the Lion's Gate Bridge and we came to a standstill on the Causeway

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This is where a scooter with a CVT is more convenient than having to hold in the clutch lever on a manual transmission. We finally made our way to Georgia Street

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and it was like a parking lot full of cars . Rush hour seems to last all day, and even on weekends

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We are trying to make a left turn at Pender Street, only another block to go. Without a dedicated left turn lane it seems that only 2 cars can make the turn at each light cycle

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We eventually escort David safely back to his hotel and say our good-byes. I truly hope that he had a good time in Vancouver







7 comments:

  1. lovely! but wow, looks like you are riding around here with all that traffic and varied scenery!

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    1. Ms M:

      I suppose it could be SF traffic. Here it is gridlock nightmare. From home, it takes an hour to get to the open road. There are no freeways within Vancouver city limits

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  2. Good times Bob. I am glad you had the chance to get together and do some riding.

    I have to say I really like Sonja's t-shirt in that breakfast pic. Way cool.

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    Replies
    1. Trobairitz:

      Sometimes I feel that we should forget the ride and just socialize instead but then your guest wants to ride and experience some of our roads. When we ride as a group, we are still alone so there has to be a balance between the two

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    2. Brandy, my hubby got that Tee for me for my last birthday.

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  3. Dear Bob Skoot:

    There is nothing more aggravating that attempting to show off the town, and then fighting traffic ever inch of the way. But at least you had two good opportunities to mingle with David before the weekend was over. I have always enjoyed meeting other bloggers and have met Steve Williams, Chris Luhman, George Ferreira, Richard Machida,Nikos, and Michael Beattie. I intend to meet others, including yourself, next year.

    Feel free to try and reach me on my cell. I miss our chats as well. But the truth is that I wear out easy these days, and don't always answer it. I am no longer in Cape May, NJ, but have moved to a location where I can get daily care for my current condition. I am not receiving company indefinitely, so please don't make a special trip on my account.

    Now I am going to scan a past blog episode of yours as I have a thing for fire engines.

    Fondest regards,
    Jack/reep
    Twisted Roads

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    Replies
    1. Jack:

      our traffic would have played havoc with your knees, stopping every 3 feet for miles. I was looking forward to visiting Cape May, NJ, Perhaps Ihor will loan us his cabin. I've been dreaming of his place ever since you posted his photo at the cabin.

      I wonder when the next BMWMOA is coming back to Oregon, you will be there, won't you ?

      hoping that you heal soon and get back to riding

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