Tuesday 5 June 2012

The Great Blogger Ride - Part 3 - To West Vancouver

OK, I know that making people wait builds excitement but this is ridiculous! Time for Part 3!

I felt pretty confident as we left Buntzen Lake. As we went back downhill, the twisties were a little more fun and a little less scary. Our little group rode on and snaked our way to Belcarra Park for another stop and a scenic stop.

Unfortunately, I neglected to take any photos at this spot. My iPhone had inadvertently stayed on since the restaurant and, even though it was 75% when I left home, was down to 7% at this time. I kept shutting it down (something I rarely do) and restarting whenever I wanted to take a photo. Not exactly spontaneous....

It was at this point, I believe, that we had the big discussion. We had originally planned to go to the Tomahawk restaurant in North Vancouver and then, possibly, to Horseshoe Bay. Well, it was just too late so we decided to skip the Tomahawk and head straight to Horseshoe Bay. So off we went...

We rode out one of my favorite routes- the Barnet Highway. It was a great day for it - sunny and warm - and I'm sure David enjoyed the scenery of the inlet. From there, we headed along Hastings through some traffic, taking some alternate routes parallel to Hastings when it was just too busy. Eventually, we made it to Vancouver and headed onto the number 1.

I've only been on the the Freeway once - when I was coming back from Abbotsford and ended up on the number 1 by mistake. That was an intense time because I was going at the upper level of my comfort range - and the blacktop looked particularly hard. This time, I knew it was coming - luckily the traffic was going quite a bit slower, and I felt security traveling with my bloggin' crew!

We sped along, crossing the Second Narrow Bridge (AKA Ironworkers' Memorial) and then took the Main Street exit, heading through industrial sections of North Vancouver until we finally got to Marine Drive in West Vancouver. Gas stop.

I was trying to be a conscientious group member so after I put my $3 of gas in the Vespa, I rode away from the pumps and parked a bit away from the group. The rest sort of gathered around the pumps and filled up while I waited patiently. They were discussing who was going to lead the next section - and Bob approached me.

"We had a vote - you get to lead next."

Crap.


4 comments:

Unknown said...

Dave:

I'm smiling . . . you are more confident than you think. I was just pushing the envelope.

it was a great day

bob
Riding the Wet Coast
My Flickr // My YouTube

David Masse said...

Ha! That's pretty funny Dave. I was one of those who voted you into the lead. There was never a doubt in my mind. You are way too modest. It's a nice trait, never change!

All the best,

d.

SonjaM said...

I think you did a great job, and at a good pace as well. Most important is to keep everybody safe and (if possible) together, and see it worked out. You are just too humble.

Dave Dixon said...

Bob - thanks for the words of reassurance! And, yes, it was a great day - thanks for the tip to break it up into several posts!

David - Aw shucks, thanks! Teaching a group of 30 grade 7s every day helps keep the ego from swelling!

Sonja - Thanks! Glad I did a capable job!