Big Guy Small Scooter

Letter to Santa

2011-12-14T21:05:00.000-08:00

Ho. Ho. Ho. Merry Christmas.

Please, dear Santa, bring me a big bag of money to pay for all of my vehicle repair bills. That would be really nice so that my wife isn't bugging me about the great 'deal' I got on my GTS. It's a real sad story, St. Nick, but let me start a few days ago.

You know our VW Golf - the 2002 with 170, 000 kms on it - had to have some repairs a couple months ago because the engine light went on. Well, Santa, it cost a few hundred dollars, and so soon after the thousand we spent on the front end work but, hey, we thought it was OK because we've hardly had any work done on it since we bought it. It was a hit on the pocketbook, but we had a little while to build up the savings so we could rapidly deplete the money for Christmas. You know, presents, flying oldest daughter down from Prince George, more presents, dinners, yada yada yada. Oh yeah and buying my Vespa GTS.

Last week, old Red, as my blog readers know, I took in my new GTS for a checkup - and found that it was definitely not healthy - a real drag as it was the same red as your jolly coat. But more on that later.

Then, a few days ago, the engine light went on again in the VW. Back to the dealership, and, lo and behold, it was a whack o' money ($700) with more to come. Sort of like the gift that keeps giving, Santa, the VW will need the clutch plate replaced ($1400) as well as a new starter ($600) in the near future. But at least it will limp along until the near year, Santa, or at least I hope so.

Well, today, little St. Nick, I got a phone call from Will at Urban Wasp (my Christmas gift to Urban Wasp is that I now know the mechanic's name) who had both glad tidings and bad news about my beautiful GTS. The good news, old Red, is that he had correctly predicted the cause of the shiny layer on the oil shooter he had drained from the engine. It was the spragg clutch! Ok....

So there are a whole whack o' parts, Santa, that he has to order - all which will come quickly except for said spragg clutch. So now I'm looking at sometime in January before I can hop on my baby again.

Oh, old Red, the cost estimate is $1300! That's half the price I paid for my Vespa! Mind you that does include the repairs as well as the 20,000 km major service. Ho ho.

So, in closing, St. Nick, if you could chuck one of those big brown bags full of money down my chimney, that would be great. Actually, since I live in a condo, just toss it on the balcony. Failing that, maybe a nice bottle of scotch to drown my sorrows in would be a good alternative.

Oh, heck, Santa, what I really want is my VW to run well without having to sink a whole bunch more money in it and my Vespa GTS to be reliable and ready to tour, especially when the warmer weather comes. How about it, old Red, can you deliver? From one big guy to another?

Thanks and Merry Christmas

Ho, ho!

Hi-Yo Silver! Metallic oil....

2011-12-10T20:51:00.001-08:00

Last night was my staff party. I decided to get a ride because the temperature was -3°C. at 5 o'clock and I was worried that when I came home it would be even colder. As it turned out, it was a wise choice as it was quite frosty and icy. Unfortunately, I ended up having a few too many tequila shots (I consider one tequila shot too many) so it was a good thing to get a ride home.

The reason I mention this is because I had an appointment at Urban Wasp (Vespa Vancouver) to give my new (to me) scoot a once over and a major servicing. It's over an hour there and I had some unpleasant reminders of the previous night in the form of a sore head. The temperature in Maple Ridge was at freezing but it warmed up the closer to Vancouver you went, so I decided to carefully set out at 8:30 this morning.

Once I got out of our parking lot, it was actually pretty good. I did slow down on the curves and made sure to be extra careful on the road. As for warmth, for once I was fine! My father-in-law bought me hand muffs when he went to China a couple of weeks ago and those, combined with my thin cycling gloves, kept my hands toasty warm. My core was kept warm with a long sleeve shirt, fleece, down vest, ski jacket and rain over jacket. The GTS 250 performed very well at many different speeds, not showing any problems with loss of power that helped precipitate my servicing request.

I actually arrived a bit early but Urban Wasp was open. I went in and talked to the mechanic who is a very nice guy who enjoys talking about Vespa engines and seems extremely knowledgeable. We decided to go ahead with the 20,000 km servicing but he would give me a call if anything came up. I had a brief chat with Bob, the owner, commenting what a great deal I got, and then I left to explore Kitsilano.

A couple hours later, just as I was finishing my latté, I got a call - come down to the shop, please....

I have never seen a mechanic that seemed so genuinely apologetic. He had only changed the oil but had come across a problem. I guess he didn't want to spoil my day and I do appreciate the sentiment.

He had saved the oil in a clean container. There was a layer of silver fluid on the top of the oil, from metal inside the engine. At that point he gave me a couple options - do an oil change and see if it was any better in a couple thousand km or have him try to find out what the problem was. While I was thinking about it, he showed me lots of parts and described what it might be. I had a hard time following him but that's fine, I really just want the scoot fixed and ready to go so it doesn't have a problem down the road. Keeping that in mind, I opted for the second option.

He (sorry I don't know his name!) said that because the scoot was running well, it might be something that only grinds during start up or maybe it was a problem that was at the beginning. He said that once he figured out the problem, he would fix it and also perform the maintenance which would save me a little bit if a particular part was already accessible due to the repair. He also said that because the GTS has two oil filters (!) the metal might have collected in them rather than wrecking parts of the engine.

My feeling is that just hoping in a couple of thousand kilometres that it would all go away is not the best solution - and the mechanic also felt this way. I have really enjoyed trouble-free driving with LX50 so I want the same kind of start with the GTS. I know that buying a Vespa - or any other vehicle, for that matter - without an inspection is a bit of a crap shoot but with such a good price, and the fact that there wasn't any Vespa store in Kelowna, I took a chance. Now I have to live with my decision and make sure that the scoot is reliable.

I haven't tried anywhere else but I really do think that Urban Wasp does a good job. The mechanic really seemed to know his stuff and that is always a good thing.

Now I have to wait for the call back to tell me exactly what's wrong... fingers crossed. At least my head isn't sore anymore....

First RIding Impressions: GTS

2011-12-02T20:16:00.001-08:00

Despite the unseasonably cold weather, I have had some opportunities to take the Vespa GTS for a bit of a longer scoot. Not hours but certainly more than 5 or 10 minutes.

This is a FAST scooter. I am amazed at the difference in speed with the LX50. Yes, I knew it was faster but the acceleration is amazing. I love the feeling and have to keep using my urge to go really fast in check. There is a bit of a funny sound (rollers?) when I first start to accelerate, but after that, the speed is smooth and feels very unstrained. It's not loud or flashy but it is fast! I imagine that this is what it feels like to ride a BMW bike compared to a Honda. The LX50 really feels a bit like a toy now.

The feel of the ride is much more solid. I guess if you're going to go faster, you're going to need something that is heavier and built to perform. The GTS feels great on the road, especially around town, and, more importantly, stops easily with its two disc brakes. I think I'd be uncomfortable with an LX150 which has the same feel as an LX50 and lacks both brakes being disc brakes. That might prove to be a negative thing since an LX150 goes a lot faster than an LX50 but, I believe, has the same braking system. Ditto with a Stella. The GTS stops nicely and quickly, if needed.

One thing I've found is that wind has been bothering me - something that didn't happen on the LX50 or during my motorcycle classes but when I am near or on the Pitt River Bridge, I really feel the wind - not inconsistent but a steady wind that feels strong and pushes hard on my chest. Maybe that area is really windy or maybe it's windy this time of year or maybe I'm just going to have to get used to it! The scooter doesn't feel tossed around but I do feel that I have to crouch down to reduce the wind.

Another thing that happened on one ride is that, while on the highway, I lost power. This happened a few times on the way to my destination and the scoot actually stalled twice at a light. I managed to get to where I was going and, after a few hours, embarked on my return. This time, there were no problems with the power and, in face, there hasn't been since then. Bad gas? Wonky spark plug? Dirty fuel filter? I don't know but will have to take it for a servicing to check things out.

I am getting used to the GTS and realize it is a bit of a slow process becoming more comfortable with a new scoot. Today, someone asked me if I was going to take it on the freeway. Right now, I don't think so but eventually I will when I am more comfortable. All part of the experience....

Vespa Comparison - LX50 and GTS 250

2011-11-22T20:09:00.001-08:00

After I made the big purchase, I thought about transport - and quickly decided to do the sensible thing (for a change). I went to a web site called U-Ship where you input what you want to ship and where from and to. You can also state what you want to pay but I didn't have enough experience to figure out a fair price. I had a few bids around $500 and one at $800 but then had a bid for $250. I figured by the time I borrowed a friend's car ($75 for thank you scotch), gassed up ($100 round trip), and rented a trailer ($50) that it wasn't really worth my time to burn a weekend driving there and back. Also the weather has been brutal of late so I wasn't sure which weekend I would end up going.

It arrived a week ago on Tuesday night. John, the delivery guy, had is safely secured and arrived in good time in one piece. I happily paid the man and rode off in the rain to fill it up at the gas station.

I took it to school a couple of times last week and was a bit concerned that it had developed a bit of a wobble. I then checked the tires and realized they were both around 15 psi - no wonder there was a wobble! I also adjusted the shocks to the second setting.

The weather has been quite cold since then - hovering around 0 degrees - so I haven't taken it out much at all lately. Luckily, a warm front has finally come so, while it is rainy, it is also warm. I plan on some riding this weekend but, until then, I thought I'd look at the two Vespas, while I still own both...

On first look, the GTS is obviously longer and wider then the LX. It also feels less toy like and more like a motorcycle in how it handles. The faring is wider which gives more protection and the red colour is, frankly, gorgeous!

Looking at the headlight, I will miss my chrome head cover that I installed a few years ago but will not miss the goofy signal lights that stick out of the steering portion of the LX. I don't know if there is any difference in the brightness of the lights.

The front of the scoot is WAY wider as you can see in the photo. The LX has a pretty cool horn cover, though. The GTS, however, looks adult sized and ready to go on the open road!

The front wheel and fender for the LX looks fine but the GTS wheel looks super sharp with the whitewall. The fender on the GTS was replaced (that's why it isn't red) but I sorta like the look of it!

The seats look quite different both both feel pretty good. I put some major kilometers on the LX seat and had no worries. I think the GTS seat will be good, too, but it's a bit worn looking which is a bit disappointing as the LX seat looks as nice as the day it was bought. I'm wondering if the GTS is a leather seat and if that will be more comfortable in the long run.

The look from the rear is nice with the LX, especially with the crash bars but the GTS looks a bit more aggressive and, I hope, more visible. I'm looking forward to the rear rack as well since my attempts to jury rig a solution have been OK but not spectacular.

Finally, the speedo. The LX one looks kinda cool with the back lit look and the curvy shape inside the cluster. The dead clock, though, is not so hot. The GTS has more information in the digital section and the red does look pretty nice. Don't like the miles, though, as I am used to kilometers now.

Overall, both scoots are nice machines but I really feel that the GTS is a substantial step in scooter evolution (hope that doesn't sound too pompous!). Next steps are to ride the GTS more and sell or take off the insurance on the LX.

It's 9:30 at night and my wife needs me to pick up something at the store. Gotta scoot!

Big Guy, GTS Scooter?

2011-11-12T21:30:00.001-08:00

It was a cloudy day - not too cool, and I thought it would be an auspicious sign for my quest for a new (to me) Vespa. After checking through Craiglist, I had found one in Kelowna - a 2007 250 GTS with around 12,000 miles for the incredible price of $2800.

After consulting friends, family and knowledgeable commenters on this blog, I decided to take a look. We drove up to the Okanagan yesterday and spend the day with my wife's family. Last night, my sleep was interrupted with several brief dream sequences involving Vespas.

Today, we drove out to Kelowna to see the scoot. The guy selling it has made a practice of going to the states, primarily California and Arizona, fixing up vehicles, and then bringing them back into Canada, selling them for a small profit.

The one I was looking at was bought at an auction in California. There were some problems with it including an ignition system that no longer worked, fried brakes, and some other damage. It looked like it had been dropped at some point in its life but the direction of the scratches led me to think it was not in an accident. There are some scratches and bent trim on one side but really just cosmetic stuff. The guy was up front about this and he had lots of documentation of repairs and other information.

I then took it for a test drive. It started easily and I frankly amazed at the acceleration as I took it up the steep driveway. It wasn't licensed so I just drove it around the neighborhood which was an excellent test as there were plenty of hills and lots of bumpy roads. It drove beautifully and the engine made a pleasing buzz.

Compared to the LX50, it seems a lot more refined. The GTS 250 doesn't struggle to get to speed and the feel of the scoot is more solid, less toy like. I think it also gave me a bit more room for sitting.

My wife said that when I rode back to the house, she could tell by the grin on my face that I was going to buy it. Luckily, the seller didn't see my grin and when I offered $2500 ("that's it") he came around to accepting it.

I was - I mean, I am the new owner of a scooter that has had some rough adventures as well as a bit of a makeover.

Whenever you buy something, there's always risk - maybe it's a lemon or maybe the previous owner drove it into the ground and all you've bought is trouble on two wheels. I think this will be OK, though. It ran well and I got a good sense off of the seller.

After registering it at an insurance agent, a process that took at least an hour (I love bureaucracy so much) due to the international complications of buying a scoot from the US, we went back to the seller's house and he gave me all the extra pieces he had including a new Vespa tire! I then left for my brother-in-law's house, just a few minutes up the road.

Or was it?

I went the wrong way! After 10 minutes I pulled over, checked my Map app on my iPhone, and realized my error. By this time it was raining hard. After I turned around, the wind picked up tremendously and I carefully headed back the way I had come.

The road was wet and a bit slushy in parts as it started to snow as well. I pulled over, checked my GPS, and headed out on the highway again.

I'm not sure if the speedometer works properly - I'm terrible with miles now (as it is a US scoot, kilometers are in teeny tiny numbers) and I have the feeling that the miles are off anyways. If not, I was trying to keep up with traffic in a 80 km zone going about 60 mph. That's a bit faster than 80 kms!

The precipitation relented for a while as I closed onto 90 kmh. I finally arrived at the turnoff for my destination, and the skies opened up with snow. Up the hills I went, motoring along nicely, feeling more confident in the Vespa's ability.

I arrived and parked it in the garage (where I took today's photos) as the snow outside turned to torrential rain. I worriedly looked it over as a terrible rattle had started in the last 10 minutes of my drive. Had I really bought a lemon? Was there serious engine problems? No, just the license plate screws were a bit loose!

Now the task is the get it back to Maple Ridge. No way am I going to take the Vespa on the highway down to the lower mainland this time of year. There's too much snow in the mountains and no other way around it. I'll either have to come back with a motorcycle trailer and a friends vehicle that can pull a trailer or I might get it shipped down by a vehicle transport company. I'll explore my options over the next few days.

In the meantime, it's time to put the LX50 up for sale. We've had some fun, my small scooter and me, but now it's time to step aside for one that's not so small....

Decision Time?

2011-11-10T16:30:00.001-08:00

Last night, for dinner, I decided to go to a local store for some salmon on my LX50. I went there one route that was mostly downhill and had a nice ride to the market. After picking up the salmon, I went a different way home - on the Lougheed Highway.

I've gone on the Lougheed hundreds if not thousands of times before. But it was dark and there seemed to be rush hour going every which way. I gripped the handgrips tightly as I putted along at 50 km but it was an 80 km zone so the cars and trucks were zooming around me. One truck driver did the "I'll pass you and then accelerate like I'm trying to break Earth's orbit" and I certainly felt the pressure of drivers behind me. Thing is, I was going too fast for the breakdown lane and if I had made that choice, it was too dark to see the road properly and I know there is lots of junk on the side of the road.

It was somewhere during that knuckle whitening ride that I realized that I was definitely ready to put the LX50 behind me. I'm tired of crazed drivers trying to zoom past me to emphasize that they can go wayyy faster than me! I'm also tired of slipping into the breakdown lane once I get a line of more than five cars behind me. It's been a great 5 years on the 50 but it's now time to move up!

Today, I ran a lien check at Service BC on the Kelowna Vespa GTS 250 and it came back clean. I took out a whack-o-cash from the bank and, armed with that, my Carfax report and my riding stuff, I am ready to take a serious look at the potential ride. Sadly, Kelowna's Vespa store shut down in 2009 so I'll have to trust my own (gulp) judgement as to the suitability of the scoot.

I'm not completely taken with THIS Vespa (although I am taken with Vespas in general) so if this does not seem to be the one, I'll go back

A Stinking Good Deal or Just a Stinker?

2011-11-07T18:32:00.000-08:00

As you have heard in my previous post, there's a guy in Kelowna who is selling a 2007 GTS 250 for $2800. Sounds like a great deal - maybe even too good to be true. But I have to consider the time of year and maybe the guy just wants to get rid of it. Kelowna is already in winter so nobody there is going to buy one. Offering the scooter at a good price is sure to draw someone like me....

I've emailed back and forth with the guy and he has been fairly prompt with his responses but is certainly not very verbose. He sent some photos and answered my questions.

The latest exchange, this weekend, had me asking for the VIN so I could run it. He complied. It turns out that the scoot was originally from California which I guess wouldn't be a bad thing. I ran the VIN in the stolen car database and a couple other BC databases and found nothing. Then I ran it in the California database - a negative report showed up but with no details.

Agitated, I hummed and hawed and eventually paid the $36 for Carfax, a website that gives you more information on a negative report. Had it been in an accident? Was it stolen?

It turns out that the odometer figure has the potential for not being reliable. The report stated:

A NAM title is issued when the owner discloses to a DMV mileagefraud, a broken odometer or that the actual mileage of this vehicleis unknown.
Mileage reported after this reading is potentially unreliable.

At first I thought, that's it, I won't even bother. But as the day went by, I thought, why not give the guy a chance to respond?

He responded by saying that when he bought it, the battery was dead and was told it had 5000 miles on it but when he went to the Vespa dealer (in San Diego, I believe) they told him that it actually had 10,500 miles on it.

Now, he's saying that it has 11,000 miles on it which still sounds reasonable. My wife wants to go to Kelowna anyways to visit her sister so I'm thinking, can't hurt to take a look. Maybe it'll look fine and run fine and maybe I'll even get a good deal...

Or maybe I'll get soaked...

Searching for THE scooter...

2011-11-02T22:10:00.000-07:00

Now that I've got my class 6, I'm in the enviable position of being able to look for a new scoot. I say enviable because I've always enjoyed searching for the right product, whether it's a TV, car, bicycle or scooter, and then trying to get a good price. Sometimes it's a matter of doing both at the same time.

What's especially gratifying right now is that I'm not in a hurry - at least I'm trying not to be in a hurry! I have my LX50 to get me around town and I'm thinking of waiting until spring to sell it as that would be a better time to sell. That gives me from now on to look as the real fair weather scootering weather is over and people selling now are probably more motivated (or desperate to sell!).

I've made the decision to go with a scooter. It was a blast learning on a motorcycle but it just isn't that practical, especially in crappy, rainy weather which is all too common in the lower mainland.

So what am I looking at?

First up is the Stella (new) which has a great retro feel and is a standard which appeals to me. I'd like to take it for a test drive (where I don't kill the battery and it can't start again like last time). At $4000 plus dealer charges, it's in my price range, especially if I get a decent price ($1500?) for my LX50. It could be service at the Stella dealer in Vancouver and I figure it would be easy to find parts. It's a 150 so it would be a lot faster than my LX50 but not quite fast enough for the freeway.

Second, a used Vespa. I've been looking at Craigslist - both here and in the states (Seattle, Portland). There are way more choices in Portland than here but I don't know if I want to deal with the hassles of getting it through the border. If I got something used, it would probably be either a 200 or 250 GTS. It might save me a little money as a 2005 GTS200 (pictured above) in Coquitlam at a dealer was $3500 and a guy in Kelowna (pictured below) is selling a 2007 GTS 250 for a paltry $2800 - although I don't know how I'd ride it down the Coquihalla highway which is infamous for snow and ice this time of year.

Third, a new Vespa. It would probably have to be an LX150 which, like the Stella, has potential issues if I want to go on the freeway. I'd still have to get a demo or older stock as a new one, at $5000 plus dealer fees, is really stretching it. And I don't like the S150 because I think the rectangular like is ugly.

Can't believe I'm getting this picky! As to the LX150, yes, there is the warranty and no kms on the engine but that is a hefty price....

Finally, perhaps I'll stray right away from the Vespa/Stella look and get something like a Burgman. Mind you, they are pretty pricey too so I'd be looking for a used one.

Any suggestions from out there in the blogosphere? Feedback would be greatly appreciated....

Testing Day 2.0

2011-10-22T14:25:00.000-07:00

It's amazing how tense and nervous a person can be, even after over 5 decades of experience in the world. Friday was my second attempt to pass my motorcycle license test and, although I tried to project an aura of self confidence, I really was rattled. Thoughts like, "If I fail this time, how many more times do I go before I give up?" and, "if I keep failing, will they make me redo my regular license as well?" I didn't sleep that well the night before and I had butterflies in my stomach most of Friday.

I went to Dave's place to pick up the bike and his son was there to greet me. He was an amiable guy and told me how he had failed his first time which his father, the motorcycle teacher, was not overly proud of! He gave me some words of advice including that he hoped that I had the two girls testing me again because the guy was really picky.

It was raining hard so before taking off to practice, I put on a pair of gortex cycling overbooties so that my hiking boots would stay nice and dry. They attach with velcro and have served me well on many a cycling trip. I then headed off on the Suzuki Marauder 250 for Poco.

I had about an hour to practice which I did. The heavens opened up with torrential rain which splashed around my face. I don't like the full face visor closed all the way so I kept it open about half way which protected my eyes but drenched the lower half of my face. I tried to cover all the route that I had gone on before and then, for the last 15 minutes, practice my nemesis, the U-turn.

If you recall from my very first time at motorcycle school, I fell off trying to do a U-turn. I think that one incident has scarred my for life as it was also the reason I failed my first attempt due to a too wide U-turn that nicked a lawn. My first 10 or so practices were OK but then I started to make them wide again. I finally discovered that cranking the throttle in short bursts gave me the needed speed to make the U-turn properly but without going so fast I was out of control or headed for the curb. Still, I was shaky and did not look forward to that part of the test.

When the heck do you need to do a U-turn anyway?

I sped over to the testing centre, parked, turned of the bike and promptly fell over.

What had happened was the flap on the bottom of the gortex overbooty caught on the peg on the left side. When I tried to get off, my leg wouldn't go and I was thrown off balance. I fell down and the bike fell over as well.

Sometimes, Buddha or Lady Luck smiles at me after having a good laugh. I practically bounced off the ground and picked up the bike (lucky it was only a 250) and then looked around. Nobody saw me! Two minutes later and a crowd of people were in the lot but at that time I was completely alone amongst the other vehicles!

Sporting a slight limp from my scraped knee and no longer wearing the aforementioned vortex overbooties, I first hobbled, then walked into the testing centre. After doing the necessary paperwork, I met my tester, the guy!

His name was Gary. He seemed nice enough but I secretly knew that he was the ûber picky tester who could not be taken for granted! Actually, we chatted a bit before the test and he was friendly and sort of made me feel a bit at ease!

The weather for the test had turned, well, pretty nice. It was cloudy and the roads were wet but there was no longer any driving rain. I left the centre and proceeded to ride the first half of the test without incident. I was feeling pretty darned confident and thinking, maybe I'll actually pass, when Gary said, "When safe, show me your U-turn."

I remembered the trick with the throttle and worked really hard to look where I wanted to turn. There was only one chance at this and I knew that this was my pivotal moment. I went around the U for the first half perfectly. Then, I twisted the throttle a bit too much and the bike jerked. It jerked a couple more times but I stayed on and next thing I knew, I wasn't on someone's front lawn, I was on the road headed in the correct direction!

He continued to test me, taking me through a multitude of school and playground zones. At one point, I was going 50 kmh and I looked to the right and saw, right beside me, a middle school. Luckily it had a school zone sign without a speed on it so I was OK. Twice in the latter half, I lost Gary as I went through a yellow light but there was no way I was going to slam on the brakes and get an automatic fail.

During the final half km, I was going a bit slow when I realized that I had missed a playground sign. Luckily I was probably at the upper threshold for speed and I didn't get a fail due to it. We then made our way back to the centre where I parked the bike and got off, this time without falling to the ground.

He came close to my helmet so I could heart and said, "Well you've passed," to which I yelled, "Yes!" right into his face.

It wasn't perfect - he said my U-turn was a bit shaky, I cut a couple corners when turning left, and I was a bit too far right at one time but otherwise, I nailed it! I thanked Gary, got my photo taken for my new license and headed off, for the last time, on the Suzuki.

What a feeling of accomplishment! What a relief! Now, time to look at a new scoot in earnest.

Yes!

Testing Day 1.0

2011-10-14T21:30:00.000-07:00

So today was testing day.

I had another teacher graciously cover my class so I could dump off my stuff at home, pick up my motorcycle and have a bit of practice.

First. I arrived to get my preferred motorcycle, the Honda 600, but, due to the signal switch falling off, the bike must have been in the shop. So, for the first time since my very first motorcycle lesson, I had a 250 Suzuki Marauder.

That wasn't such a problem, though. It's a nice bike and gives me a bit of an edge in terms of control. As I rode out to Poco, I thought that this just might be an OK day. It was beautiful - sunny, warm - ideal!

After practicing for about 1/2 an hour, including several good U-turns, I headed up to the testing centre. I paid my $50, took a deep breath, and waited for my test.

The way it works is that there is a car with a driver and a tester. You are given a radio that has pretty good sound and the instructor follows along behind while you follow the instructions. I had a female tester who seemed nice enough and was driven by another female.

After completing a safety check, we departed for the testing route. I felt pretty confident, although I had had enough difficulties in my practice rides to be ready for a fail. I was careful with my speeding, caught all the school zones, and didn't get caught up by a playground. As it was a beautiful sunny day, the one time I stopped a bit fast, there was no problem with skidding. I cruised by a bus which signaled just as I started to pass it so I had no problems there. I was feeling good, feeling confident. Then I was asked to do a U-turn.

As I said before, I practiced this maybe 10 times before the actual test. I was fine. But during the test, my U-turn became incredibly wide and I actually ended up going up the curb and grazing the grass of a lawn on the side of the street. I couldn't believe that I had done that! I thought, well, maybe she'll give me another chance at that, but she didn't.

I continued on with the test, thinking, maybe I'd lose a couple of demerits or maybe that'd be it. I didn't know. The rest of the test went well. I had a few times where I missed a shoulder check and one left turn which I cut a bit close but nothing serious. I also rode a bit slow in some parts, but I'm not surprised as I was trying to see all the potential hazards on the street.

Finally, 45 minutes later, we arrived back at the testing station. The tester told me that I hadn't passed because of my U-turn - it was a DA - Dangerous Action. When I think dangerous action, I think running a red or skidding out but a crappy U-turn was all I needed to blow the test.

I wasn't completely surprised that I had failed but I had hoped that it wasn't serious enough to actually fail.

I was wrong.

Now I've got to wait a week and hopefully do better next time.

I was pretty bummed out but a few glasses of wine and blogging about this has definitely made me feel better. I'd be lying, though, if I didn't say that I was actually looking forward to hitting the sack tonight.

Better luck next time. Now, what do I tell the kids at school?.......

Fail, fail, fail

2011-10-08T21:04:00.000-07:00

Friday was my last ride with Dave before my test. He's heading off to sunny points over the border after the weekend while I'm in the Okanagan this weekend for a family Thanksgiving with my wife's relatives.

I met him on Friday for a tune up ride going over the test route. I was feeling pretty positive and hoped that my confidence would be reflected in a clean ride.

The ride started off well enough. I remembered my shoulder checks and intersection scans, rode smoothly on the motorcycle, and was careful not to make any careless errors. I was humming along nicely for the first half of the ride and thought, yes, I am going to nail it today!

And then I broke the signal switch.

Not intentionally, you understand, but when I pushed it in to cancel it, it first wouldn't cancel, and then, after a couple more attempts, fell off onto the road. We stopped, rescued the piece that fell off, and then Dave told me to continue with hand signals.

That one small event sucked the confidence out of me and I started to make mistakes.

First one was I turned right on a yellow light but is was red by the time I was turning - not good.

Then, I stalled in an intersection while turning left and couldn't get it started for about a minute. FAIL!

A couple minutes later, I was turning left again and while the space on the crosswalk was clear, there were still people who had not actually stepped onto the sidewalk. Sorry - FAIL!

Then, on a faster section of road called the Mary Hill Bypass, I was trying really hard to relax and ended up zooming up to 78 km/h in a 60 km/h zone. FAIL!

Now, except for the stalling in the intersection, I rode the motorcycle well. My riding skills were fine. However, my driving skills were just plain careless. I know that the problems started after the stupid signal switch fell off but I also know that I can't let something like that affect my riding so severely!

I had a difficult time getting to sleep, as I beat myself up over the ride over and over in my head. Finally, though, I reasoned that stressing about my test is not going to be helpful. I am confident that I have it within me to pass - and I just have to make sure I don't screw up!

In the meantime, gotta relax....

Meh... and some pondering....

2011-10-02T16:43:00.000-07:00

So, a catchup and some pondering as I sit out a beautiful day when I'm so supposed to be on a ride.

First, last Tuesday, after school, I was lucky enough to be the only student for our ride. I got to lead, of course, and we did the whole driver testing route starting at the DMV building. Although I stalled the bike once, and I didn't stop for a pedestrian waiting at a crosswalk, I did remember most of my shoulder checks and intersection scans. I got all of the school zones and playground speed changes as well.

I was a bit unsure at times, not like last time, because I was leading - it's a lot easier to get all of the parts of the test right when you are following somebody. When you are on your own, however, it is more stressful and more demanding - and a lot easier to make an error!

We rode for an hour or so and then returned. Instead of, "You nailed it!" I got the comment, "I don't see any problems," which looks good as I type it but didn't quite sound the same.

The expression "Meh", as far as I can tell, means it was, well, OK, but not great - and that's how I feel about the ride.

One positive comment Dave said was that I am focussing on the road to make sure I get everything right and so am not so caught up about the actual riding of the motorcycle.

Today, I was supposed to go for a nice long afternoon ride. The weather cooperated - it was a sunny day, not too cold - and ideal day for "get comfortable in the seat" riding. Unfortunately, I woke up with a killer sore throat and, worse, a woozy feeling not caused by a couple glasses of wine. So I had to cancel.

Instead, I have been pondering a question David Masse (Life on Two Wheels) asked me last entry - scooter or motorcycle? I have been thinking about this a lot and I really think that I will stick with the scooter. A scoot with a bigger engine - even a 150 - will allow me to keep up with traffic and go farther afield. I know that some of the reading I have been doing has cautioned against riding on a major highway with a 150 but I'm not sure why….

I also love the styling of a scooter - and by that I mean a Vespa or a Stella or a similar design. I've looked at the Piaggio and it has similar parts to the Vespa (after all, they are made by the same company) but looks different enough to make me have second thoughts. The Burgman, MP3 and other scoots are nice looking machines but I don't know if that's what I want.

I see the PX150 or the Stella or even the LX150 and I think that I really like the design. But the PX150 is 2 stroke so I don't want it and the LX150 is $1500 more than the Stella so, at least at this point, I'm leaning towards the Stella.

Hopefully I'll have my license in the next little while and then I can start looking in earnest.

Nailed it!

2011-09-24T09:04:00.000-07:00

Yesterday afternoon, I crept away from school as early as possible (it was a professional day so that was OK) and went on a later afternoon ride. Along with Dave and me, there was a young guy who is heading up to the Yukon in a few days where he works in a camp. On his visits down here, he keeps his hand in, so to speak, and is waiting to book a time for a test when he is here.

I took the 600 again, the other guy took and 1100 - whoa! We headed out to Poco and basically rode the testing route. This time, no speeding, no missing zone changes, and I got all of my shoulder checks and intersection scans. The only error that we both made was slowing down in a school zone that didn't have the hours posted - in that case, you are only supposed to slow down if there are children on the road.

After doing the route for a while, Dave said we were both fine so we went back to Maple Ridge and on to Ruskin for a ride. It was basically uneventful but exhilarating. Got some speed up, some nice curves and I was feeling relaxed.

Upon returning to Dave's place, his words were, "You both nailed it today!"

Awesome!

Double Trouble!

2011-09-20T21:19:00.000-07:00

This week has started with back-to-back lessons last night and today. I think I'm improving but the two rides had definitely different feels.

Last night, I rode with two women and Dave and we headed out to Port Coquitlam to ride the testing route that we will have to take when we attempt to get our license. The route will, of course, vary but it gives and idea of what to expect.

I was in the lead to start which I liked because it really tests my skill (or lack thereof). Problem was, we were on the highway and I couldn't hear Dave over the radio half the time. As a result, I missed a few turns which was frustrating. I thought I was doing OK for the first 20 minutes or so and then noticed that we were zooming by a playground at 55 kmh when the posted speed was 30 kmh. Fail!

I think I was nervous because of the testing conditions and I missed a few scans and most of my left shoulder checks. None of use had a great ride and I was feeling a bit frustrated that I kept forgetting things. I was in the second position for the latter half of the ride and still managed to miss a few checks and scans.

Today I was with a guy and a woman (neither who I had met before) and Dave. I had a better focus this time and nailed most of my scans and shoulder checks. This was a good thing as a cyclist caught up with me at and intersection and decided to turn with me, very close. Luckily I saw her because of my right shoulder check.

We did a fair bit of turns and driving on streets in the downtown core and I felt very confident tonight. Last night I stalled the bike a few times but tonight was much better. I really felt that I am in control even when going slowly.

We then hit some windy roads which was very enjoyable. The other guy and I ended up taking off on the rest a few times. We hit the highway and that was lots of fun as well.

After we arrived back at Dave's, he actually seemed pretty pleased with out riding. My only real flaw? Left the turn signal on (like an old person) too long once. Things are definitely looking up!

Next ride, Friday.....

3rd Ride Out

2011-09-14T21:16:00.000-07:00

Last night, Charles and I joined Dave for another ride.

It was a cloudy evening so I actually wore a jacket for the first time. Of course, I don't have a real motorcycle jacket but I do have a real cycling jacket and so I wore my red reflective MEC jacket for the ride.

Dave decided to take us around town and this time, for the first time, I was the leader. I was on the Honda 600 again which I really liked. It is a very stable bike which is comfortable to ride...

Now, you have to understand, that as a teacher, I can be a distracted student in the classroom. All that stuff about lane placement really didn't stick all that well. Last night, I got an earful about where I should be on the road. I must admit, though, I improved rapidly as the ride progressed!

After practicing in town, we rode up to Alouette Lake. During my first ride, I found 60 kmh a tad fast and frightening. This time, I was itching to go faster! I am definitely getting more comfortable on the bike!

Things to work on - right check, left check, intersection scan, and turning from a standstill.

I am trying to be more careful to practice these safety routines on my Vespa. We'll see if they take.

Got rides scheduled for Monday and Tuesday evening. Can't wait!!

Windy, windy, road....

2011-09-11T21:34:00.000-07:00

Ah, that's better. My leg muscles have finally unclenched.

Scooters have a heckuva lot more space to move your legs around than motorcycles. At least that's how I feel today.

But first, back up to yesterday.

So my current spouse and I drove into Vancouver and checked out Stella Metro. We had tried a week earlier and had wandered around in the store but couldn't find anyone. The note that said, "Back in 5 minutes," was apparently inaccurate.

Now Stella Metro happens to be in the same building as Vespa Metro but they can't share the same floor space so I had to go to the back of the building, apparently a different address, to see the Stella.

It is a gorgeous machine. This one was in old school refrigerator green but the styling screamed vintage Italian scooter (even if it is made in India). Excitedly, I handed over my Learner's (with the motorcycle skills endorsement) and exchanged that for the keys. I wheeled the Stella out of the building and up a ramp and then started it. It sounded great. Unfortunately I stalled it trying to get it going and then... it wouldn't start. The battery just couldn't give enough juice to start it up again. I'm hoping it was a problem with leaving the ignition on at some other point.

Disappointed, I left, but still grateful that I had a chance to at least sit on it.

Back to this morning.

My ride today started at 10 this morning. There were just 3 of us - Dave (the instructor), Charles (the other student) and me. Charles is close to completing the course and already has a 650 on order. Dave had him ride the Honda 600 that I had ridden before. Me? "Ride that Marauder 800," Dave said. *Gulp*!

We rode around town for a little while, getting used to the bikes ("Shoulder check!" "Intersection scan!") and then headed out on the highway.

On my Vespa, 65 km seems pretty fast. On the motorcycle, 85 km seemed similar to piloting a rocket! Don't get me wrong - I loved it! But I don't have the same secure feeling that I have with the Vespa - on the motorcycle I sort of feel like I'm riding a really fast horse under control that is ready to bolt in an attempt to commit suicide at any moment!

We ended up in Hatzic (I think) that had the twistiest and hilly roads I have seen. I kept up all right but this is where I was clenching badly. "Relax...." Dave said. Yeah, right!

After a half an hour of twisting and turning, we ended up at Hayward Lake for a break. Charles said that he really had fun on the twisty road and I agreed but secretly I was happy to be walking around instead of zooming around crappy roads that had (what I thought were) huge ditches. But I tried to look like I had had fun!

This link is from Youtube and shows some of the road we were on - I think!

We then headed back and I felt relaxed and strong during the final half hour or so.

Overall we had spent 3 hours on the road. I am getting more comfortable but still have to really work at relaxing and being less tense.

Next ride..... Tuesday evening!

First Training RIde

2011-09-06T21:38:00.000-07:00

After I finished my skills session on Sunday, my knee really hurt from when I dropped the bike doing the U-turn. I didn't sleep very well Sunday night because it ached so badly, even after some pain medicine and a rum and coke. Monday, luckily, was a holiday, and I nursed the knee, icing it and stretching it all day.

This morning, first day of school, it was much better - thank goodness because I had a training ride tonight!

First I went the the DMV to exchange my basic Learner's for a less restrictive Learner's (no supervisor needed). I felt like a somebody!

I showed up for the ride at 6 tonight, expecting to put the 250 through its paces. Dave, the instructor, has a bunch of bikes and he decided that the 250 was too small for me! He rolled out a 600 and said, "Try that on for size."

I was not expecting to ride such a big bike (for me, at least) but after a few stalls, I got the hang of it. There were two instructors and 3 students and we rode up and down hills, through lights, stopping a starting at intersections, on hills, and then cruised along a windy road up to Golden Ears Park where we went to Alouette Lake.

We had a break (both instructor chain smoked a couple cigarettes - do I have to learn to smoke and ride?) and then we went back down into town, practicing more intersections and lights.

It was a great training ride for me - I'm getting to use the clutch and gears more efficiently and am improving my starts from standing. I also am doing pretty well with my lane placement. I still have some work to do for proper down shift and for starting uphill but it is coming. Eventually I'll remember to shoulder check more often!

I will try to practice the lane positioning and shoulder checks with my Vespa this week. Next lesson is Sunday morning. Can't wait. Maybe I need to re-assess the kind of bike or scoot I'm going to get - - "Big Guy, Humongous Motorcycle"?

Nah....

It's Been A While

2011-09-05T21:13:00.000-07:00

It's been awhile. Sorry.

No, I didn't die, blow up my scooter or become a spy with CSIS or some other spy organization (CSIS, by the way, is the Canadian spy service).

And I have been riding my scoot, fairly regularly, in the year and a half since I stopped blogging. And why did I stop?

I was seduced.

By a Smart Car.

Just after Christmas, 2009, I bumped into an acquaintance at a hockey game who owns his own retail company. I knew he had a Smart car and I had always been interested in it because it is a very eco-friendly vehicle and kinda funky too. It turned out he was selling it and a couple weeks later, I was the proud owner of a 2005 Smart Car. It was reddish orange and was a cabriolet with a powered convertible roof. It was diesel and got crazy gas mileage - around 70 or 80 mpg - and it drove like a big go cart.

I did still ride my LX50 but most sunny days - previously good scooting days - I would roll out the Smart Car, open up the roof, and cruise. The Vespa became a utilitarian vehicle while the Smart was, well, the new girl in town.

Sure, I fel guilty as I walked by the Vepsa, gathering dust in the garage, as I took the bumpy, smelly but très chic two weather for a spin. Occasionally, I would take the Vespa, and still get that rush of good feelings but only for a ride to the grocery store or somewhere around town.

Then things happened to the Smart - it began to have problems. The real pain was that, here in Canada, Smart is serviced by Mercedes - and no one else has a clue how to service them - or, for that matter, knows where stuff is on them. The battery? under the passenger floor mat. The washer fluid? under the windshield. The engine? under the trunk. The glove box? under the driver seat. The spare tire? there isn't one, just a pump and some sealant.

Over the course of the last year and a half I got to know Mercedes very well. They have very nice waiting rooms with free coffee, wifi and charge a whole whack o' dough for everything.

Here's a partial list of repairs I had to have done:
- intercooler - $1500
- rear shocks $400
- computer - $1000
- roof repair - $100, $250
- water pump - $500
- sensor - $400
I could go on... oil changes were $250 - $400 because they're called "services" and most other garages can't do it.

After too many repairs, we ditched the Smart, got a new Golf, and I went back to riding my Vespa.

But...

I found that I was tiring of going too slow much of the time. Whenever I went for a nice ride, say, to White Rock, there were always times when I was a fair bit below the speed limit and some people got impatient, even when I was careful to pull off the road. Also, to go any farther then I have on my past trips (Seattle, Powell River) I need to be able to keep up with traffic. I just don't feel safe anymore.

But...

It's expensive to buy a Vespa that's a 150 or above. It's a big jump - say I sell my 2006 Vespa LX for $2000 (if I'm lucky - it does have 15, 000 km on it) and I buy an LX 150, it will cost $5000 + $600 fees and $800 taxes - that's a whopping $6400 - still $4400 if I sell my scoot for 2 grand...

But...

The Stella has now arrived. It is very retro, has a manual transmission (like my two cars), seems to have a good record, and is now available in a 4 stroke engine. And the list is $3900 - so basically a savings of more than $1000 - which I think I could swing....

So....

Now I've started motorcycle school. I'm taking a course at 2Wheel2Itiion which is run by a guy who taught motorcycle cops from the Vancouver Police Department to ride. The bikes are Suzuki 250s and I'm having to learn how to use a clutch and gears.

I've done the first part of the course which is the basic skills and only had one mishap - I was trying to do a U-turn at slow speed, looked down at the ground instead of at where I was heading, and fell off the bike. I broke the mirror off the bike and bashed my knee but still managed, an hour later, to pass the first hoop, my motorcycle skills test. Now I can ride a bike without a supervisor.

Finally....

Yeah, I know this was too long but I had a lot to say. I will try to keep everyone updated on what is going on in my quest for a Class 6 motorcycle license.

Hey, feels good to be blogging again!

Merry Christmas

2009-12-16T16:57:00.000-08:00

Merry Christmas!

It's been far too long since I've blogged - and I apologize. Sometimes the day-to-day action of teacher, family life, home repairman, guitar player, web site designer, pilates rookie, cyclist and watcher of the occasional TV show gets in the way of blogging.

I haven't scooted for the past couple of weeks because of the below zero temperatures and even snow for a couple of days. I had a small scare last year when I slid in the way to school so I've been a bit more careful this year. I've also had to drive my daughter to school at least 3 days a week so that certainly cuts into my opportunities to scoot.

I've also been way too bust so that when I have a free hour or so, there's a million other things to fill the void. Gotta change that in the new year!

I'm still toying with the possibility of getting a bigger scoot but possible travel plans next summer may stall my decision.

Happily, it's supposed to be rainy and wet for the holidays, rather than icy and cold, so I plan to get out at least a couple times over the holidays - and hope to blog as well!

So, I'm still here, still willing to blog if there's someone willing to read. Hope everyone has a great Christmas and a very happy new year!

Derby Reach and Return to Fort Langley

2009-10-12T22:36:00.000-07:00

It’s been a while.

The weather throughout September and into last week was unseasonably nice. Warm sunny days and mild evenings dominated the weather at a time when usually a moist, coolish blob of grey cloud skies are the norm. Unfortunately I have been busy with school, family and the the house that I haven’t had time to blog lately.

This weekend, however, I thought I’d get back into it.

This weekend was Canadian Thanksgiving (I’m thankful for smoked salmon, poutine, hockey, toques and having signs in two languages at the border and at airports) and all the family stuff (and stuffing) was done yesterday. That left today to go for a scoot.

I started off by getting ready for the weather. It was a chilly day so I layered up and wore my neck warmer for the first time in months.

I decided to head over the Golden Ears Bridge to Langley and stay local. The views off the bridge are amazing but I can’t stop while riding on it so you’ll just have to take my word for it.

The ride was was very enjoyable on the bridge and not very crowded. It’s a toll bridge so it cuts down on the traffic.

I went east along the river and eventually ended up at Derby Reach Regional Park.

Last time I was there was when I was starting out taking daytrips on my bicycle. I made several trips from Fort Langley (after crossing on the old Albion Ferry) and Derby Reach was one of them.

There were a few people there but it wasn’t overly crowded. I walked down to the beach which I find quite interesting because it’s so rocky but almost like a bulldozer pushed a bunch of rocks onto the shore.

I parked near the front of the park and got this shot.

There’s a trail that goes between there and Fort Langley which I think is about an hour hike. I didn’t take the trail but did take the very scenic ride along Allard Crescent and MacKinnon Road east to Fort Langley.

I wanted to see if, now that the Albion Ferry is history, there was still good business in this area that has been a busy tourist area for years. Happily, business was brisk although it was a little quieter than I remember. A couple of businesses had changed hands as well since last time I was there but there weren’t a bunch of empty storefronts. Time will tell.

I headed back west through Walnut Grove which is a busy area with malls and a gigantic movie theatre that looks like a spaceship. Then, back toward the bridge and home again.

It was a very enjoyable day and I realized that I have missed my regular rides these past few weeks. Gotta make the effort!

Hanging in There

2009-10-04T11:00:00.000-07:00

September's done. It's always one of the busiest months of teaching in the year. So I haven't really been anywhere exciting on the weekends except in front of a computer screen, tapping away lesson, online stuff, and other teacherly things.

Yes, I've been riding my scooter regularly to work and around town.

Yesterday, I intended to go back down to the States but woke up with a cold and thought I'd wait until I felt a bit better (and, most likely, wait until the sunshine is gone and we have six months of rain).

My plan? Hopefully next weekend (Canadian Thanksgiving) will give me an opportunity to take a ride.

I'll also have to take a ride into Vancouver to the Vespa store as my odometer is approaching 14,000 kilometres (8700 miles) and I like to tune up every 2000 kms.

So all is well, life is too damned busy, and I will do my best to get on my scooter in October!

Friendly USA - Trip to Bellingham on a New Route

2009-09-03T20:15:00.000-07:00

I had an amazing ride yesterday.

It wasn't so much the ride itself, it was the slight change of climate in the US when I went across the border.

Don't get me wrong, I find Americans can range from wonderfully angelic to cranky so and sos - much like Canadians - but yesterday was special.

First, though, I had decided to take a different border crossing because I can no longer take the Albion Ferry. The ferry service has ended permanently because the Golden Ears Bridge has opened. I used to take the Aldergrove crossing but now it makes more sense for me to take the Pacific Truck Crossing.

I left at 8 am on a rather grey morning and, after crossing the bridge, headed down 184th all the way down to Zero Avenue. I really like 184th because it is not a busy road and is quite scenic with all of the farms, horses, and generally rural environment.

At Zero Avenue, I turned towards the border, snuck into line and then found myself at the whim of the American border guard.

Things started out as expected - I got grilled a bit about why I was going to Bellingham for lunch (to shop) and who was I meeting there (no one) - but after he found out I was a teacher, he became quite friendly and chatty. He asked me a couple performance questions about my Vespa and was really positive. I took this as a good omen.

I rode into Blaine and then took Peace Portal Way which goes along the coast and then parallels the Interstate highway. It was a great route as there was very little traffic but enough interesting things to keep me going. This is diametrically opposed to the craziness on my last ride from Parksville to Nanaimo.

At one point, near Custer, as I was riding by, an old guy in a baseball hat stood up, grinned, and waved a peace sign at me. This is great, I thought! I then approached Ferndale where I was a bit confused finding the way. A guy in a truck pulled over while I was looking at my map and asked me if I needed help with my scooter. Awesome!

Ferndale was an interesting little town - not terrible scenic but some interesting stores on the Main Street - and then I worked my way to the Pacific Highway.

Unlike its moniker, the Pacific Highway is not a big expressway but simply a two lane road that was mostly empty, paralleled the I-5, and had interesting businesses and other sights as I went along.

A few minutes later and I was at the Bellis Fair Mall. I stopped into Target for some socks and some multi-coloured Goldfish crackers (we can't get them in Canada and my daughters call them Gay Pride Crackers because there is a rainbow of them...) and had a latté. I didn't like the look of the mall food so I decided to see what I could find on the way home.

I saw this top in a store and was struck by the slogan. I'll tell you, nobody in Canada goes around wearing an "I heart Stephen Harper" shirt - no one! Mind you Barack is cool, Harper is soooo not-cool. In fact, Canada probably hasn't had a cool prime minister since Trudeau. I envy you, USA!

Here's an intersting statue by the post office near the mall.

As I drove back on the Pacific Highway, I saw a sign for a casino on the Lummi Indian Reserve. A few minutes later and I was recklessly blowing my treasured US cash on slot machines. I went over my limit and lost $10 and then sheepishly left the building. Surprisingly, the casino allows smoking inside - possibly because it is on reserve land...

I made great time as I headed north and, when I was back on Peace Portal Way, I stopped at yet another mall, the Birch Bay Centre. It's pretty new as there are lots of vacancies. I was looking for a place to eat (Bob's Beer and Burgers?) when I spied a Jack In the Box. Now we don't have Jack In the Box in my part of Canada so I was pretty excited. I had a chicken club on sourdough bread which was quite good (although I must admit I have a weakness for processed cheese slices) and curly fries (which tasted OK but were really greasy).

I upgraded to a medium drink which was the size of a large in most restaurants. No problem, I stuck the drink in my handy dandy drink holder, thinking I could sip away while I waited in the border line up.

A few minutes later I was in the line. Unfortunately, just before it was my turn to go to the booth, my drink holder came unstuck and I had to hold the drink in one hand as I approached the booth. The Canadian guard was a bit cranky, too, which seemed strange but I stuffed my now empty cup in my jacket and headed off back home.

All in all it was a great trip - nice people, good feeling and another great route.

Sunshine Coast and Island Scooter Ride (Part 3)

2009-08-23T10:14:00.000-07:00

Here's the last entry about my Sunshine Coast / Vancouver Island trip.

Comox - Nanaimo
Distance: 120 km
Time: Two and a half hours

I proceeded to the Powell River ferry terminal where I had a nice chat with a couple of motorcycle riders, one with a very comfortable, very big Harley and one with a very serious looking BMW complete with a built in GPS!

After getting on the ferry, I grabbed breakfast and then relaxed as the ferry took the 80 minute crossing to Comox.

Photo: http://www.milebymile.com/hwy_item_images/photo_CA_BC_19a_12621_1753.jpg

I left the ferry and headed along Highway 19A - the old coastal highway, also known as the old island highway or the Oceanside route. I was an excellent ride. The highway was not very busy, was very scenic, and actually went right by the ocean at many points.

This huge prop in Union Bay made a nice still life with my scooter.

I stopped in Fanny Bay while a scallop truck went to drop nets into the water.

Qualicum Beach was very nice and I was tempted to stop there for the day, not just get some gas.

I got into Parksville, a popular retirement city, and the wonderful Oceanside Route ran out! I had to join up with Highway 19 for 27 km until Nanaimo. The speed limit was 90 km while many cars and big trucks zoomed by. There wasn't really much scenery and I ended up in the breakdown lane most of the time.

It was during this harrowing time that I decided it would be silly to attempt to ride from Nanaimo to Victoria. The only way I can figure out how to get from Nanaimo to Victoria is Highway 1. Another couple hours of riding in the breakdown lane while traffic screamed by me was not my idea of fun.

At Nanaimo I headed to Departure Bay and took the ferry to Horseshoe Bay.

Horseshoe Bay - Maple Ridge Distance: 70 km Time: 2 hours

I was able to take Marine Drive again without having to go on the freeway - phew!

This time, I was not in a hurry so I was able to stop several times to take photos.

Not only were the views amazing, but there were incredible houses along the way. Definitely million dollar views.

Some vistas forced me to park in any scrap of dirt that was available, others I could only appreciate as I went by on my Vespa.

A great detour was Lighthouse Park. I stopped there and wandered around a few of the trails. The trail markers clearly showed the names of the trails but not the distances - how was I supposed to know how long the trail was? I finally went back to the parking lot and sheepishly noticed the stack of map guides at the entrance to the trails.

I saw this great view of Lions Gate Bridge as I approached West Vancouver.

I stopped in for a visit in West Vancouver at my brother-in-law's house. He has a spectacular view of Lions Gate Bridge as well.

I continued onto Maple Ridge, feeling that I had had another satisfying adventure on the scooter but still happy to return to my own bed. Now, to talk to my wife about that treehouse I want to build...

Sunshine Coast and Island Scooter Ride (Part 2)

2009-08-21T15:34:00.000-07:00

Powell River

Powell River is a larger community of around 13,000 (thanks Google) and has things like malls, Starbucks, and other important indicators of civilization. I popped in to the Tourist Information for a map and brochure, got a bottle of wine from the liquor store and headed to my accommodation.

The Boxwood Cottages are two very nice cottages, I'm sure, with kitchens, bathrooms, bedrooms, etc. I, however, had booked the Treehouse.

At $50, it met the requirements for price and also for adventure.

It is an actual treehouse - the steps up are boards nailed onto logs and, once the door is open, there's a bed, a night table with a coffee maker and that's it. The bathroom is an outhouse across the lawn and the shower is underneath the treehouse - open to nature - although there's a curtain to partly shield you from curious onlookers.

Would my wife like it? Absolutely not. But for me, on a scooter adventure, it was ideal!

There were numerous seating areas around - a table and chair, an outdoor couch, another table - and I decided that instead of eating out, I'd bring something in.

On the advice of my hosts (Anthony and Diane) I went for a ride through the historic site of Powell River. It was interesting as the size of the houses increased as they got closer to the pulp mill.

I then headed back towards town, stopping at Willingdon Beach because I heard music!

The week long Blackberry Festival was taking place and there were families, food, and a live band. I hung around for an hour and then hopped on my Vespa, grabbed some Thai food, and went back to the Treehouse.

I had a very enjoyable dinner, as well as a few glasses of wine, as I sat under the trees thinking that it had been a very pleasant day indeed!

The next morning, I woke up in the Treehouse after a very restful night's sleep. I did wake up a few times in the night, but the sound of the creek below lulled me back to sleep.

Less restful was the funky outdoor shower. The curtain didn't hide much but that was OK as it was early and no one was around. Unfortunately, I couldn't get the temperature of the water above 'really cold' so it was a brisk shower, reminiscent of some Youth Hostel showers when I backpacked through Europe.

I was ready with time to spare so, naturally, I went to Starbucks and grabbed a latté which fit nicely in my drink holder as I headed of towards the ferry, leaving Powell River behind.

Sunshine Coast and Island Scooter Ride (Part 1)

2009-08-20T15:59:00.000-07:00

Finally, a scooter trip!

The plan was to go to Horseshoe Bay, and up the Sunshine Coast to stay in Powell River for a night. The next day I planned to go to Comox on Vancouver Island and then to either Nanaimo or Victoria to take a ferry back to the mainland.

Because of the length of each entry (and all the pretty pictures) I've split up the trip into three parts. Here's part 1.

Maple Ridge - Horseshoe Bay
Distance: 77km
Time: 2 hours

Although I have made through a number of renos this summer relatively unscathed, I've managed to injure myself while holidaying - my knee when attempting a cannonball in 4 and a half feet of water ("Don't jump, Dad, don't jump!") and slicing off the top half of my nail and a bit of nail bed with a utility knife while attempting to jury rig a pannier to my scooter. Despite these minor injuries, I headed off today for my circle tour of the coast and island.

The first leg on my route was to go to Vancouver and continue on to Horseshoe Bay where I would catch the ferry for the Sunshine Coast - Langdale. I wanted to get to get the 9:40 ferry so I left around 7 AM thinking that I would have lots of time.

The ride to Vancouver was uneventful except for the numerous construction projects on the way. I figured I was OK as I crossed the Lions Gate Bridge at 8:40.

I love going over the bridge - it's so high up and the view from the scooter is truly spectacular.

I had decided to take Marine Drive all the way to Horseshoe Bay to avoid going on the freeway. As the name suggests, the route goes along the water, snaking around houses, stone fences, trees, and shoreline. It was a very scenic ride but it took a bit longer than I thought, so there was no time for photos.

I arrived in the village of Horseshoe Bay at 9:15 but I couldn't get to the ferries - I was supposed to double back on the freeway four kilometres and then turn around. I really didn't want to go on the freeway and it's also all uphill out of Horseshoe Bay so I started on the freeway but luckily spied a place where the cement barriers separating the freeway lanes had a break. I hopped this break and then a curb and found myself zooming towards the ferries - but without a ticket!

I flagged down a ferry flag person and he radioed his boss:

Flagperson: I've got a scooter here who needs a ticket but doesn't want to go on the freeway.
Boss: How'd he get there?
Flagperson: He hopped the curbs down by the chute.
Boss: He can hop a curb but he can't go on the freeway?

I then went down to the terminal and bought a ticket there. But then I had to do the exact same thing and hop the barrier again to get back in the line up!

By this time it was 9:30 and I lined up with the other motorcyclists until the ferry left a few minutes later.

Langdale - Earl's Cove
Distance: 88 km
Time: 2 hours

From Langdale, I took the Sunshine Coast Highway 101 north.

It's a fairly nice highway but would have been better if it spent more time right near the water. It's also only two lanes so I had to pull off fairly often, particularly until I figured out to let all the ferry traffic leave first.

At Red Roofs, about half way, I stopped in to visit my nephew and nieces. My niece, Charlotte, had her birthday the following day so I wanted to surprise her with my visit and a little something. I also had a quick lunch and a wonderful view of the ocean.

My sister-in-law takes her kids there every summer to their family cabin and they spend most of the summer holidays up there. Nice!

After lunch I sped north to Earl's Cove, about another hour, on the highway. It was better as there was little traffic. I fuelled up about 20 km from the ferry, not wanting a repeat of the White Rock fiasco!

I got to the terminal in good time and had a chance to sit in the sun before I made the 50 minute voyage to Saltery Bay.

Saltery Bay - Powell River
Distance 50 km
Time: 40 minutes

Upon arriving at Saltery Bay, I headed off, jacketless, pulling off the road until the ferry traffic passed.

After that, it was a delgihtful ride on the 101. I stopped a few times for photos as the weather was fine and I wasn't on a strict schedule. It was a lot less stressful as, when there were cars behind me, the breakdown lane was a good width.

It wasn't far and I was in Powell River.

More about Powell River next blog entry.

Icefield Parkway Cycling Trip

2009-08-08T13:04:00.000-07:00

I was excited as this was the week of our summer cycling trip. We have gone to many different places, mostly in the Rockies, during the past several summers and this year was a repeat ride - the Icefield Parkway that goes by the Columbia Icefields. It is a 230 km ride each way for a total of 460 km (285 miles). Satellite image link.

We headed out from Maple Ridge on August 1st - holiday weekend. The 9 hour trip from home to Jasper was fairly uneventful. We did pass some areas which had quite a lot of smoke and haze, reminders that there were several fires still burning in the province.

The main campground in Jasper was full but we managed to pitch our tent in the overflow lot and bedded down for the night, hopeful of good weather in the morning. The bottle of whisky that we had purchased after dinner provided a couple wee drams that helped to encourage sleep.

We awoke around 6:30 and broke camp, ending up at a restaurant for bacon and eggs at 7:30. The previous night we had decided to bring one vehicle with us - something we called a "supported ride" - as the weather forecast had some iffy days ahead. It would turn out to be a very smart choice.

We were on the road by 8:00, a tad late, but I felt good from my riding in Victoria and things progressed nicely. It was cool still when we left and rolling - which means hilly but not insanely steep. I had rigged up a solar charger for my ipod which worked very well so I had good tunes and a variety of podcasts while I rode. Traffic was also quite good.

We stopped several times for water breaks and, after about 70 kms, came to Sunwapta Lodge, a place which had accommodations and, more importantly, a cafeteria. We had lunch there and a quick rest and then set out for the last 10 or 20 km for the campground at Jonas Creek.

We had gone about 80 km that day and I had driven for the last 20 km. A supported ride gives everyone the opportunity to take a break - like it or not - but I was quite happy to have an easy end to the day.

Jonas Creek is a fairly basic campground - an outhouse and a water station - so we all set up camp and then dipped our sore parts in the creek. After a bit of a rest, we all hopped into the vehicle and headed back to the Sunwapta Lodge for a dinner of chicken burgers. Very civilized!

Back at the campground, we were pretty tired and I think I headed to the tent around 9 o'clock.

The next morning, we were up at 6 and on the road by 7. It was another sunny day which definitely helped as there were a few bigger hills. The terrain steadily climbed until we arrived at the Icefield Centre. The centre is where tours leave for the Columbia Glacier but you can see the glacier quite well from the cafeteria. We had a less than exciting brunch at ridiculously expensive prices - captive audience, I guess.

The whole bike ride is in a National Park. It was a little disheartening to see that all of the food operators in the park supplied most things - ketchup, butter, jam, vinegar, etc - in little packages. In this time of environmental awareness, you'd think that Canada's National Parks would set an example.

After brunch we headed out of the Icefield Centre, heading south on the parkway. We ended up our destination sometime later at Saskatchewan River Crossing. Finally, a motel!

The Crossing Resort is really just a basic motel - and one that is in need of a bit of maintenance. The girls at the front desk, however, were very hospitable and friendly - but had some bad news - the weather forecast called for rain for the next five days. We decided, after several beer that evening, to check the weather the next morning and make a decision at that time.

When 6 AM rolled around, I was tired, but actually felt pretty good. We met outside the rooms and looked up to a grey, grey sky. Not a patch of blue was evident. We looked over to Bow Summit - our climb for the day - and it was shrouded in cloud. There were even rumours that there was snow forecast for the summit. We then looked towards Lake Louise and it was clear that it was raining. The forecast continued to predict 5 days of rain.

We decided that the trip was all about having a good time - and slogging through the wet was not our idea of that. We had all ridden the parkway before (in good weather) and decided that it was a better idea to pack it in. Waiting out a day or even two is one thing - five days? Forget it!

We carefully disassembled the bikes, threw our bags in the back. recycled the empty bottle of scotch that the four of us had imbibed during that past three nights, and headed back home.

Thanks to Chuck McCafferty (unframed) and Keith Rajala (framed) for their photos of the trip.

Hot, Hot, Hot Cycle to Victoria

2009-07-31T22:19:00.000-07:00

Up here on the West Coast of Canada, we are just coming to the end of a heat wave - something not seen around here very often at all.

Over the past few days, the temperature at Vancouver Airport reached 34.4° C. (94°F.), and inland, 36°C. (97°F.) and, further inland, over 40°C. (104°F.). Come on, this is Canada.

Anyway, my wife and I decided a couple of months ago to take the ferry to Vancouver Island and cycle from where the ferry docks (Schwartz Bay) to Victoria (a total of 33 km) and then stay in Victoria a couple nights and then head back. We have done this for years with the girls but being 16 and 19 with jobs, etc., we ended up on our own this year (and no, they didn't have a wild party and burn down the house).

We started at the ferry. There was a summer special on so for the two of us and our bikes it was only a total of $22. It's about an hour and a half ferry ride and the BC ferries are quite comfortable.

We rode the first 10 km and then stopped at McDonalds for lunch. Not particularly healthy but good prices and the restaurant is right on the route.

The route, incidentally, is called the Lochside Trail and it's part of a bigger bike path called the Galloping Goose. It's a quiet route on either dedicated bike zones or quiet streets.

We progressed through Sidney and then the different Saanich areas (North, Central and South).

We crossed the Blenkinsop Trestle which has a great view of the marsh and also includes a statue of old farmer Roy Hawes who must have lived there at some time.

The bike route brought us right into Victoria and we made the ride through downtown to the B and B. We stayed at a place called Heathergate House which we found on the net.

It was a wonderful place to stay with friendly hosts, a clean and nicely decorated room, an amazing breakfast both mornings, and the piece de resistance, the garden where a water feature bubbled while we sat in the shade, escaping the heat and cooling down after our ride.

We then headed to our traditional first night dinner, the Old Spaghetti Factory. Good food, cool drinks, friendly service and inexpensive prices had made this a tradition for the past few years.

We were tired as we headed back, past the inner harbour, and ended up back at the room, with a couple glasses of chilled rosé before trying to sleep for the night.

In the morning, after a breakfast of bacon and homemade scones, we walked over to the Royal BC Museum to see the latest exhibit, Treasures from the British Museum. It was an excellent exhibit, one well worth seeing, which covered artifacts ranging from Ancient Egypt, Rome, Greece, China, India, and more. My only complaint was that I had seen most of these objects for free when I was in London!

After some shopping downtown, we went to the Beacon Hill Park area of the city, first for a coffee at Moka House, then for a picnic lunch in the park.

It was very hot so we walked fairly slowly, pausing in the shade when necessary.

We slowly made our way back to the B and B and had a sort of siesta in their wonderfully cool garden.

At around 7 we ended up in the Heron Rock Bistro, not far from the B and B, and had a wonderful dinner.

The service was friendly but French - meaning it took us a good two hours to eat - and I loved it! Compared to the previous night where there was a move 'em in, move em out, atmosphere, the bistro was wonderfully relaxed about the meal.

We started with an appy dish of paté, olive and prosciutto followed by NY Angus steak salad for my wife and bouillabaisse for me.

Both were incredible! A fruit crumble with a double espresso finished off the meal. We then waddled back to the B and B and rested before our return trip.

We had a good ride back to the ferry with no incidents. Had a great chat with a father and adult daughter who were also cycling. He was from Indiana and she now lived in Washington, D.C. We had an interesting discussion about crime as Vancouver has had some unusual gangland shootings during the past few months and Washington is only safe, according to the daughter, in the tourist area (the NW section). Nice folks.

We finally arrived back at the ferry terminal and hopped on the ferry. A good end to a hot but satisfying mini-holiday.

Link to Galloping Goose info

Fire!

2009-07-25T22:13:00.000-07:00

Although this happened almost a week ago, it's taken me awhile to blog about the West Kelowna fires as I've been really busy this past week.

Last weekend, my eldest daughter and her boyfriend went up to the boyfriend's parents' vacation home in West Kelowna.

Kelowna is in a part of Canada called the Okanagan which is renown for its lakes, hot temperatures, and slow paced holiday lifestyle.

Saturday afternoon, I got the call that the boyfriend's Jeep had a coolant leak and needed a new radiator. Luckily, the shop had one in stock and would finish it the next day.

A couple of hours later, we learned of the beginning of the West Kelowna fire. It started in a place called Glen Rosa. As the afternoon progressed to evening, I monitored the fire. First 1000, then 2000, then 3000 people were evacuated and more were put on alert. The fire grew to almost 100 hectares but was still about 6 km from the vacation home.

At around 10 o'clock, there reports on Twitter of a new fire in Rose Valley - which was only a couple of kilometres from my daughter. I was getting nervous. We talked with my daughter, the boyfriend, his dad and each other until about midnight. The evacuation alert was growing but still did not affect them. I told my daughter to pack her suitcase,. leave the door unlocked and make sure she woke if someone came. As she didn't sleep all night, that wasn't a problem.

As things developed, I came to some conclusions. First, Twitter was an excellent source for the fire. By simply searching #kelownafire, I was able to get up-to-the-minute reports, links, and maps from many different people. Finally, a really useful application of Twitter!

Second, Kelowna radio (AM 1130) on the web was also a very good source of information. Although their website could have been better organized, the radio reports were frequent and current.

Finally, I concluded that Global TV was brutal. The news was old, the map of the affected area was laughable tiny and lacking in detail, the information was often inaccurate, and they played the same video clips over and over and over.

On Sunday morning, I reassembled the Firewatch Control Centre (TV, laptop, desktop, phones). Our first scrap of information from our daughter was that she was on evacuation alert now!

We encouraged them to set out for the repair shop and wait out the repairs in safety but, when they phoned, the shop said that they had the wrong kind of radiator and that it wouldn't be ready until Tuesday.

At that point, we decided t go on a rescue mission and pick them up!

Six and a half hours later and we got them from a shopping mall in Kelowna proper. The photos from today's blog were all taken at that time. Five and a half hours later, we were home.

A few days later and the fires are mostly under control and most of the 10,000 evacuees are back home. Three houses were destroyed by the fires - it could have been so much worse.

And when the boyfriend's dad flew up to pick up the Jeep yesterday, after about 10 minutes on the road, the axle broke!

I'm sure glad we went up and rescued 'em!

From "Free RIde" to "Running on Empty"

2009-07-17T19:46:00.001-07:00

Wednesday started off as a way to take advantage of a couple of things that will no longer be around. It turned into something quite a bit different, as things turned out.

I first decided to go to the beach for lunch - White Rock beach. I had gone there previously, taking the Albion ferry, but on Wednesday I thought I'd take the newly completed Golden Ears Bridge.

Wednesday was an excellent day to take the bridge as it was the last day that it was free. Starting on Thursday, a toll is to be applied ranging from $1.40 for a motorcycle that's registered all the way up to $3.90 for a car that is not registered. I scooted up this new structure happily (and freely) and crossed into Surrey in no time.

From there I headed down to White Rock. I arrived there and parked the scoot ($2 for an hour) and wandered around, in search of lunch. I didn't want a really greasy fish and chips lunch (although I absolutely love fish and chips) and settled on a place called the Kahuna restaurant.

I ordered a bowl of clam chowder ($3.50) which was excellent. The lady who ran the place, a German, asked if I'd like some fries as she was just eating them as they were leftovers. The fries were super - and the price was certainly right!

After that, I walked on the beach.

I saw this person flying a kit - seemed like a good idea.

After, I saw this girl - I like how she was isolated on the beach.

I did have some camera problems as this was my daughter's camera (my old camera) and had junk on the lens. I photoshopped what I could...

After my walk, I headed east on my Vespa. I passed a gas station in White Rock on 16th but thought I was fine until the next station. My low fuel light then went on. I'll be fine, I thought, there'll be lots of gas stations in Langley. I was on a fairly major street and I kept looking up and down the street whenever I came to a light or stop sign. Nothing. No stores, gas stations - just farms and houses. I ended up riding 60 minutes and about 45 kilometres until I came to a gas station. I filled up and my Vespa took 5.7 litres - which seems way less than the 8.6 litres it's supposed to hold. This seems rather odd to me - did I really have another 3 litres to spare? After an hour with the low fuel light on?

I finally made it to my in-laws in Abbotsford, there to borrow my father-in-law's truck. A couple of neighbours wondered if he'd traded his truck for a Vespa and his tenant congratulated him on starting a new motorcycle game!

My Baby's Alright!

2009-06-23T19:57:00.000-07:00

I wanted to wait a few days to be sure – but my baby is definitely in great shape now.

My last entry detailed how, for the past few weeks, when I’ve been starting from a standstill, it feels like my Vespa has been slipping or riding rough. I was worried that something was seriously wrong.

I arrived at Vespa Vancouver bright and early at the crack of 10 last Saturday morning. I had a great chat with Bob, the owner, and we talked about a variety of subjects from upgrading to a bigger scoot to electric bikes to fundraising.

He was setting up for an open house event so I dropped off my scoot and wandered off to Granville Island.

I spent a good part of the day wandering around Kits, enjoying a day of doing nothing for a change. Two lattés and an order of sushi later, about 3 pm, I headed back to Vancouver Vespa.

There was quite a party going on when I got there! The little store was packed with people looking at different scooters and electric bikes and noshing on packs of chips and soft drinks.

I made my way to the front counter and, while I was waiting, a guy walked up to me and said, “Hey, Big Guy, Small Scooter!”

It was a very odd feeling, being recognized for my blog. I’m often recognized around Maple Ridge because I’ve taught so long there but not in Vancouver and not for my blog. It was kinda cool!

It was Bob from Bobskoot. We had a nice conversation about, once again, a variety of topics. Although I love my scooter, I do not have connection to the scooter culture that he has. He told me about all these people he had seen at the open house and, although I had a vague notion who they were, it was obvious that, in the scooter culture, I don’t get out much. A very nice guy, though, and I may try to get a bit more involved during the summer. We’ll see.

Of course, the point of this entry is my scoot.

The mechanic gave it a clean bill of health. After checking all the mechanical parts, doing the maintenance, and giving it a test ride, my baby was feelin’ good. It was $130 – the usual service fee – and I was back on the road again.

Now that I’ve got almost 12,000 km on it, I wonder, if I service it regularly (about every 2000 km) and make sure all the fluids are up and try not to ride it too, too hard, will I et another 12,000 kms? 30,000? What’s the life expectancy of a 50cc scoot anyway?

I guess time will tell….

My Baby's Hurtin'

2009-06-08T17:50:00.001-07:00

The last time I went into Vancouver, I hit quite a bit of traffic on the way so it was a bit stop and go. That's fine, I thought.

But since that time, I've noticed that the Vespa is not performing as well. That is definitely not fine, especially as it is coming up to prime riding season.

When I accelerate from a standstill, the motor seems to pull or slip for a couple of seconds and then seems to almost click into place and accelerates smoothly. It doesn't happen at any other time, just when I am accelerating from a stop.

It seems a bit worse when either the Vespa or the weather is hot. Worse uphill, too.

I've reduced my riding but certainly haven't stopped. I don't think it is getting any worse and I rely on using it.

I have an appointment with Vespa Vancouver on the 20th. Hopefully it will continue to ride OK and not get any worse. Or anything major.

Goin' State-Side

2009-05-23T22:52:00.000-07:00

It was a perfect day for a ride - brilliant sunshine, warm temperatures and I had a little time to blow. So I decided to go state-side.

I went the usual way, taking the Albion Ferry and chatted with this guy who had an amazing looking bike. He built it himself with a little help from friends. It's hard to see but the drive belt is on the outside just behind is left foot. That would be a disaster for me. He has a 1700 cc engine and incorporates shell casings for a lot of the end pieces (like the handlebars and the shifter).

I eventually got onto 216th, thinking it was a small quiet road. It was small but not quiet. Oh well.

I've always enjoyed going into the US. I find that when you cross a border or take a ferry, even if you're not going that far, the simple passage through something official like a border crossing makes it feel that you're really away from home. And there are differences, most of them subtle, but they are there.

For example, in the US:
- the roads are better
-there's way more flags (still can't get used to that)
-the food portions are bigger
-every thing's way cheaper - especially with the Canadian dollar at almost 90¢
-there's different candy bars like Payday (you can find Pay Day bars in Canada if you look hard but they're always stale - I can go to any gas station in Washington state and they are always fresh) and Milk Duds and a whole bunch of brands we don't have
-you can't get Smarties in the US (not those wafer rolls, but really Smarties that are like MandMs but way better)
-you can get rainbow goldfish crackers - what my girls call Gay Pride Goldfish
-wine is dirt cheap - a bottle of the same wine can easily be twice as much in Canada
-people have a slight accent (which I find incredibly weird - a person from Prince George (way up north in BC) has the same accent as me but a person 90 minutes south of me definitely has an accent

I could ramble on for days as there are so many differences but there are even more similarities making a visit to the US very comfortable.

Except for the border crossing. It always feels like I'm being grilled about something. This time it was on my scoot asking how fast it went and could it go on "the Guide" and what did I mean, I took the smaller roads. I must have passed, however, and was soon on my way.

In Lynden, I went by the back of this small airfield. I loved how it was right beside the road - although a plane was taxiing, I would have loved to see some plane take off right over my head! I was going to stop in Lynden for breakfast but, by the time I got there, it was 11 and I thought I'd

Taking Hannegan Avenue from Lynden, I rode the 16 miles or so to Bellingham, or Bellis Fair Mall, to be exact. I had last been there about a year ago and found the mall quiet but beginning to recover. This time, thanks to the strong Canadian buck, the mall was pretty busy. There were a few empty stores and the Daiso store that I enjoyed so much last time was vacant. I had a lunch of clam strips and clam chowder and then shopped a bit at Target.

Although I didn't take any photos at the mall, I did take this one a few black away from the mall. It was a bit incongruous, having a field of flowers so close to a megamall.

The ride back to the border was uneventful although extremely pleasant. At the border, I declared some socks, a pair of shorts and a $6 bottle of wine. The customs officer, like big sister, said, "That $6 bottle of wine will cost you $8 in taxes if I send you inside. Remember that for next time." Yes, Ma'am, I thought. I love Canada.

Going back to what I said earlier, I love going away somewhere because it's exciting but I also love the coming home part. Whether it's crossing the border, arriving on the ferry, or landing at the airport, coming home is just wonderful!

Back in Canada, I took 264th most of the way - the road I thought would be busy - and found it to be a relaxing ride with very little traffic. A relaxing end to a very nice ride!

Cell Phone Retrieval Over Lions Gate

2009-04-26T22:03:00.000-07:00

Yesterday, I went to a 50th birthday party for a dear friend (Happy Birthday, Stew) and prior to the party, went shopping at the Park Royal Mall in West Vancouver. I found, to my dismay, that I had last my cell phone in the mall - mind you, it didn't stop me from having an excellent time at the party....

When I returned home, there was a message on the answering machine saying that the phone had been found. Today, I retrieved the phone. Unfortunately, my camera is with my daughter who is on a band trip so the photos for today are from a variety of sources.

It was a perfect day - sunny, slight breeze and I had lots of time. I left Maple Ridge, went through Pitt Meadows and crossed the old Pitt River Bridge - the new one is being built so my crossings on the old swing bridge are numbered. I then went through Coquitlam, Port Moody and onto the Barnet Highway. It's always shady on the Barnet but it wasn't that chilly today. I then headed up Hastings through Burnaby into Vancouver.

I went through downtown and then approached my favourite bridge, the Lions Gate. Built by the Guinness family (yes, that Guinness family) in 1938, it is a beautiful bridge and has breath-taking views of Burrard Inlet, especially when you are sitting on a scooter. I looked around when I had the opportunity and enjoyed the fantastic view.

After picking up my cell phone at the mall I headed back over the bridge. At the Vancouver end of the bridge, I took a detour through Stanley Park, a huge treed park connected to downtown Vancouver. There is still considerable damage to the park caused by a huge windstorm in 2006. It was a slow, shady ride through green trees beside windy beaches and it was very good for my well being.

The way home was fairly uneventful until, in Burnaby, on Hastings, a motorist decided to change lanes into me. Luckily, I was able to maneuver out of the way but I didn't even have a chance to honk my horn (although I was able to flip the bird a minute later).

An unfortunate moment, but I didn't let it interfere with the extremely enjoyable day.

Is Bigger Better?

2009-04-10T17:47:00.000-07:00

I spent part of the morning doing research on Motorcycle Driving Schools. Why? Because I am still trying to decide whether to go to a bigger scooter or to stay with my 50ccs. I went so far as to take my learner's at the end of last summer but have not taken the skills test or any course yet.

The skills test was going to be a no-brainer because you used to be able to take a 50cc scoot for the test but now you need one that is over 50ccs. So I haven't taken the test yet.

Now I'm looking at a Motorcycle course that would give me my skills test and help prepare me for the license test.

There are several advantages to getting my motorcycle's license...

more speed - no more pulling over to the side or having cars line up behind me as I go up a hill
distance - I could go a lot farther - Seattle would just be a rest stop
passengers - right now my girls are just too damned big to safely go anywhere on a 50cc scoot - especially since I'm a big guy
motorcycle course - probably wouldn't hurt to improve my skills
durability - I'm not sure how long my LX50 will last as I twist-all-the-way-and-go most of the time

However (there's always a however) there's some definite cons...

expense - it will cost more to buy one - new, maybe $6500 taxes incl. for an LX150, over $8000 for a GTS - and I could probably only get about $3000 for my LX50 (with 11,000 clicks).
insurance - I pay less than $500 a year for insurance - it would cost over $1000 just to go to a 150.
more speed - I am a very conservative rider with my current scoot because I have no choice - if I had more power, I would probably not stay in the right lane all the time (I certainly don't with my car) and that would put me at risk
challenge - despite the hassles, I really do like facing the challenge of taking my little scooter all over the place - including long distances
motorcycle course - there's another $750 cost that I don't fell I need right now with my current scoot

So there it is - I am stuck trying to decide between being Big Guy Small Scooter to being Big Guy Medium Scooter. What to do, what to do.....

Pacific Populaire

2009-04-05T20:54:00.000-07:00

This weekend was one of the best in recent memory. The sun was shining and it was actually around 20° C. today. What great scootering weather - but I didn't scoot at all.

Why not?

Two words - Pacific Populaire.

My friend, Stew (whose photos grace the blog entry today) asked me if I wanted to join him and a friend a few weeks ago. I said that I would probably go but actually waited until the last possible moment so I could check the weather forecast. As it turned out, the weather was perfect.

I drove into Vancouver with my bike on my carrier and parked at Stew's house. Stew and I were joined by his friend, Lana, who had come over the night before from Vancouver Island. After a quick cup of tea, we headed out on our bikes to the Pacific Populaire.

The event is put on by the BC randonneurs which is a long distance cycling group. This particular event was just for fun so it attracted everyone from the serious hard-core cyclist to, well, us. There was a choice between 25, 50 or 100 km so we went up the middle and chose 50 km.

When we arrived, there was a huge lineup for registration - obviously the good weather had brought out a lot of last minute participants. Luckily we had pre-registered so we didn't have to lineup for an hour.

There were so many people registering that the ride was delayed by half an hour. Then we were off!

As usual when I'm starting of on a long ride, I went to fast and did not find my own pace until about 5 km. After that I slowed down a bit and found a pack of cyclists at my own speed. The ride starts in Vancouver at a place called Riley Park and goes along streets that have dedicated bike lanes. We headed south and eventually crossed the bridge over the Fraser River and went by Vancouver Airport. We then ended up cycling in Richmond.

The Richmond part of the ride was very enjoyable as it was relatively flat and there wasn't too much traffic.

At around the 20 km mark, we stopped for a quick coffee at a coffee shop. It was a nice break as we watched the other cyclists whizz by but eventually the sweeper of the 50 km ride stopped by and we decided it was time to press on!

We made good time on the 5 km to the halfway mark and then got our control cards stamped.

Happily there was a nice variety of food including bananas, cookies and cakes.

We had a quick rest and then got back on the bikes as we didn't want to stay at the back of the pack....

I felt really good for the next several kilometres. We made good time as the roads were smooth and the headwind eventually dissipated. We continued on until we crossed the bridge back into Vancouver. Then began the hill back up to the start. Although I slowed a bit on the hills, I still made pretty good time.

Finally, we rode into Riley Park and received a pin to commemorate our ride. We finished the 50 km ride in 3 hours and 24 minutes but that included the 30 minute stop for coffee. After having a couple more cookies and a celebratory photo, we headed to another coffee shop for a quick latte. A very enjoyable ride, but I don't know if I'll be up to the 100 km next year!

White Rock Beach

2009-03-29T20:51:00.000-07:00

It's been a while but I really haven't had anything to say up until now. I've ridden my scooter to school and to a few appointments but the unseasonable crappy weather and the busy-ness of life has affected my blogging.

Today, however, I have a reason to blog!

I had finished my planning for the week, done a couple jobs around the house, and had some time left in the afternoon. It was a beautiful sunny day, although only a crisp 9° C. (whatever that is in Fahrenheit - maybe around 50°). I decided to see if I could make a round trip to White Rock beach in the two hours before dinner. It was, as it turned out, a bit of a challenge.

I first took the Albion Ferry to cross the river. I'm getting quite nostalgic about the Albion Ferry. The Golden Ears bridge will be opening downstream in June and so the free ferry will stop running at the end of July. The bridge will have a toll while the ferry doesn't and the bridge is really out of the way for me. People have always complained about the lineups at the ferry but if you're on two wheels, you go right up to the front! I'm hopeful that some private operator will take over the route....

My way to White Rock, a beach on the ocean, was a bit busy. I chose roads that were very well travelled and I ended up pulling over quite a bit. One place that I pulled over had this lovely, friendly sign greeting people from the road.

I arrived in White Rock and my mind was flooded with memories from my past. When I was small, my parents took us there quite frequently for holidays. It's funny, I lived in Vancouver but we hardly ever went to Vancouver beaches as a family - always to White Rock! I think it held a special place for my parents as they met there. The Cottage fish and chips restaurant has gone through many changes but was the favourite place for my family many years ago.

I parked my scoot near some motorcycles and I'm sure we were all illegally parked. Problem is, it's pay parking everywhere else and I knew I wasn't going to be there long.

I walked over the tracks to the beach. When I was a kid, I remember putting a bunchy of pennies on the track just before a train went by and collecting as many flattened pennies as I could find. Do kids still do that today? I don't know.

I spent a grand total of 15 minutes admiring the scenery. It was a busy place with lots of people milling around. As I sat at a picnic table I saw: on the other side or the table was a women and her baby; the bench next to me had two teenage girls chatting and laughing; on the beach in front of me, a biker guy sand girl were lying against a log smoking a joint. Interesting mix.

I headed back a different way which was much better. Going up 184th Street most of the way home, there was little traffic and not too many hills. There was a patch of construction where I had to go over gravel for half a kilometre but it was fine other than that.

Just before turning back to Fort Langley, I came across the almost completed Golden Ears bridge. It was quite the sight and quite the engineering feat.

Finally, I took the ferry back home, arriving just as my wife was serving up a warm stew for dinner. It was a good ride, one well worth blogging.

Buntzen Lake

2009-02-21T16:49:00.000-08:00

It was a beautiful Saturday today - sunny and crisp - and I felt like going for a local scoot. The temperature was pretty good for a day in February - around 12° C. - but I didn't feel like a long trek.

After coffee at a relative's house in Port Coquitlam, I headed towards my destination, Buntzen Lake. Buntzen lake holds many warm summer memories with my side of the family as we often meet there near the end of summer and catch up on vacation highlights.

I turned off the Lougheed Highway and went up Ioco Road and then towards the community of Anmore. It was quite a steep climb up the hill and a fairly twisty road. On the map above, it's the red route. Parts of the road in Anmore were very rough and bumpy and I had to slow down considerably.

I went through Anmore (basically a residential area) and continued onto Buntzen Lake. At the entrance of the park was a sign that read "Caution - Extremely Slippery Road". At this point I thought, hmm, maybe the fact that I'm on a scooter means I'm a bit of risk taker in the first place so perhaps I will carefully try this road. Also, the temperature was warmish and the sun was out so I carefully went down the road.

I did notice a fair bit of snow on the sides of the road but there were no near death experiences on the road or, for that matter, during the entire ride.

I arrived at the lake to a beautiful vista. I snapped a few photos, noticing that the people that were there to have a picnic had the whole beach for themselves! I would have stayed longer but I smelled hot dogs cooking over a over a barbecue and realized I had missed lunch.

I went a different way back, through Belcarra and Ioco. The road was much better as were the opportunities for photos.

I first stopped in Ioco and took this picture looking at Burrard Inlet. It was very bright out at this point which is why the photo is a bit washed out. Still, I liked the sparkling water from this viewpoint.

On my way down the hill, I also saw this church/religious centre. I liked the look of this old house and how it was being used.

I ended up in Newport Village (where Ioco Road meets the Lougheed Highway) and had a latté and a prosciutto and bocconcini sandwich at an Italian café before heading home - feeling warm and content despite the crispness in the air.

Back in Black - well sort of...

2009-02-18T15:42:00.000-08:00

Well, maybe back in green and black....

So why, oh readers of the blogosphere, has this blog been so silent these past few weeks?

Well, not long after my last blog entry, I scooted off to school one morning. It was icy out but I thought, hey - I'm careful, I know what I'm doing, I'm experienced, and I'm Canadian so cold weather should be a snap for me.

I was wrong.

Yes, I know Steve Williams rides in minus 20° temperatures and has no problem. A few weeks ago, there I was, with the mercury at maybe -2°C. , on the way to school in the morning. Just before the turn for the school, I hit a nasty patch of black ice and slipped and slid for about 15 metres. Miraculously, I managed to somehow stay on the scoot and recover. Even better, another teacher from my school was right behind me and witnessed what he thought was some great riding. Thus ended Near Death Experience Number 48. (No, that's probably not an accurate count - I'm actually just guessing!)

Even though that day ended in a sunny ride home, I have to admit I was a bit shaken. Between that, more cold weather, and some school related reasons, I did not ride at all until yesterday.

Yesterday, I rode just to school and back. Nice ride, a bit cold but not icy. Some sun in the afternoon.

Then today, I decided to not only to go to school but I also had an appointment in New Westminster.

It was my first longish ride in a very long time - and the Vespa performed very well. What was more revealing was that I felt wonderful after I returned home. Yes, a little chilled but very positive. It's that elusive feeling that I have missed so much over the past while - sort of a excited contentment that seems to come out of nowhere. I know I've blogged about it before but I'm still amazed at the positive effects of scooter riding.

Now I'm looking forward to a bit more frequent rides - and some more regular blogging. Here's hoping.....

Thawing Out

2009-01-19T21:46:00.000-08:00

Yeah, I know, I’m Canadian and I should accept the cold.

But I spent the last 4 weeks or so with my scooter in the garage!

This is not normal weather for the West Coast - or the Wet Coast - of Canada.

Finally, the snow is starting to go. FIrst we had huge amounts of rain and some terrible flooding in the Fraser Valley. Then there was some sun and even a bit of warmth. For the past few days now, we’ve had a blanket of fog over the whole Lower Mainland for most of the day.

However, I did have the opportunity to ride to work a couple of days last week. I was pretty please how easily my scooter started after 4 - 5 weeks of cold weather. I usually ride year round so I hadn’t taken any special precautions for the cold. I had to start it about 5 times before it caught but was fine after that.

The second day I rode was a bit of a dumb move. It was cold and as I came to the first stopped sign and put down my feet, my shoes skittered on the black ice on the road. I was determined to ride, though, and carefully made my way to school. On the way home from school, I was shrouded in a blanket of fog but at least the ice was gone.

On the weekend I planned to go for a ride but the fog worked against me during the times that I was able to get away.

Big, dirty lumps of snow are still on the side of streets and piled up on lawns. Usually, when snow falls here, it’s washed away by the rain in a day or two. This is unusual to have such a cold snap. And the fog caused my Friday night bike patrol shift to be cancelled. Rats!

Oh, and count me in as one of those Canadians who's excited that Obama got elected!

Snow ('s No) Scootering

2008-12-27T16:20:00.000-08:00

Well, as you can probably tell, it's been a white Christmas.

Those of you that aren't that familiar with Canada may think that the winter months bring several feet of snow for the duration once you cross the 49th parallel. Although that may be true in some parts of Canada, it certainly doesn't apply to the West Coast.

At least, not until this winter.

We've had loads of snow this month - over 60 cm (2 feet) and it stuck around for more than a week - usually in this neck of the woods, if it does snow, the rain washes everything away the next day. This has definitely turned out differently.

Needless to say, my scooter has been sitting in the garage, gathering dust, for the last month. I don't think I've had a longer down time where I haven't ridden. I haven't ridden my bicycle for a couple of weeks either - and that time was for shopping mall theft prevention for bike patrol.

Still, it's been a good Christmas - lots of time just kicking around at home which has been a very nice change. The dog, Guinness, has been enjoying himself although, unfortunately, he's discovered how to crack and eat from our bowl of holiday nuts.

Thanks to all the blog readers out there that have been checking in on my blog and leaving messages. Hope you all have a great New Year!

Looking forward to some scootering really soon....

Scooter Medicine

2008-12-02T22:17:00.000-08:00

I raised my head above the sea of report cards long enough today to go to the doctor in New Westminster for an appointment. I haven’t had the luxury of extra time to go for longer rides lately and, frankly, the west coast weather has been very wet coast lately.

I have been scooting to school regularly, however, and thought Id take advantage of the appointment to make a longer ride.

Luckily the rains held and I had a nice ride into New West, making good time with surprisingly few close calls on the Mary Hill Bypass. The weather was fairly nice, dry and I was wearing the correct number of layers. The 3/4 helmet with it generous face shield kept my head nice and warm.

I arrived a bit early for my appointment and had time for a latté at Blenz coffee, my favourite alternate chain to Starbucks. Yes, I know I'm Canadian, but I don't like Tim Horton's coffee at all!

I then strolled up to the doctor’s office and walked in, maybe 2 minutes early. The two receptionists looked up strangely as I strode over to their desk and announced my name (Why is it that this doctors' office has at least two receptionists for two doctors?). They looked at each other and then one of them said, “There’s no doctors here. They’ve left for the day.”

I stared at her for a few seconds and then showed her my appointment slip. She apologized - albeit half-heartedly - and then booked a new appointment.

At that point I stared at the large poster announcing that any missed appointments would incur a charge of $50. Remember, this is Canada, and we’re not used to paying money where health care is concerned.

I should have said, “Excuse me, but since you missed my appointment, I’d like a cheque for $50!” or something like that. Instead, I just growled.

But here’s the scooter thing. I left the office, got onto my scooter, and left New West. By the time I was by Riverview (I took the longer way back, avoiding the Mary Hill) all of my frustration and being ticked off dissipated into the wind.

I returned home feeling quite content - happy, in fact!

Still could have used the 50 bucks, though...

A grey palette paints the day

2008-11-11T22:27:00.000-08:00

When we lived in Scotland on my year long teacher exchange, so many days were grey but also beautiful. It looked like God had decided just to use a palette of greys, but still painted a masterpiece.

Yesterday, the rains stopped and, as I had some appointments in Vancouver, I rode out on my Vespa. It seemed that the Scottish palette of greys was in use again, with the occasional splash of fall colours.

Some dark clouds were brooding over Burke Mountain as I rode through Coquitlam. I had a hard time riding in traffic as I saw so many different cloud formations so I ended up pulling over several times.

One of the cloud formations had sun behind it and I was hard pressed to find a place to pull over. It amazes me that I seem to see so much more on the Vespa than when I’m in my car. I really try to take advantage of the many traffic lights on this route so I can rubberneck safely.

The traffic was fairly light as I headed onto the Barnet Highway. This photo of the sulphur piles in the Port Moody Arm of Burrard Inlet is OK - in reality the sulphur is such a deep and saturated yellow that it almost seems to pop out of its surroundings.

Further on up Barnet Highway, I pulled over and took a photo of the inlet looking west. The colours of the palette had definitely gone beyond grey at this point. Unfortunately, my camera kept shutting of at this point because the battery needed recharging.

I continued on into Vancouver with the sun providing some actual warmth. There were no near-death experiences and a bus driver actually honked to let me pull ahead!

In Vancouver, I stopped at the Kits Coffee Company and had an excellent latté and a Sicilian grilled sandwich. I had brought my laptop so managed to mark most of my students’ work that was done online.

My final stop before my last appointment was Granville Island. I never tire of the views from there. The public market is great there as well - I grabbed some sort of French sausage to supplement my dinner - and then walked out towards the water. Luckily, my camera had enough life in it to fire off a bunch of night photos - of which one or two were pretty good.

Unfortunately, at the end of my Vancouver time, I got a phone call that one of my good friend’s father had passed away. A tradition with this particular group of friends is to buy a nice bottle of Scotch and then spend some time with the person who has lost a parent. I stopped in at the fancy Cambie Street liquor store and bought a bottle of cask strength Laphroaig.

An hour and a bit later, I was at my friend’s house, toasting the memory of his father with a couple of wee drams. This “grey” end to the day, sort of a “pre-wake”, was actually a pretty comforting way to end off the day.

In My Own Backyard

2008-10-25T17:04:00.001-07:00

Today was a simple ride - I only had an hour or so before I had to drive my daughter to work and I took advantage of the sunny day to take a ride close to home.

Sometimes it's good to remember that big is not always better and a long or far ride is not necessary to have a good ride.

My 50ccs were just fine today, thank you very much. The fall colours, crisp but not too cold temperature, and my generally excellent mood made for a wonderful ride.

Only last week I had managed to fix my camera that I had inadvertently broken a while back. I went to this site and found that the steps actually worked well. Finally, back to taking photos with a decent camera!

I first stopped at the Webster's Corners United Church. It was built in 1912 and I've always been impressed by the look of this building. I can almost see the farmers of yesterday leaving the church as the service ends.

Next was the Bell Irving Fish Hatchery. I wanted to check this place out as I am taking my class here in a couple of weeks for a field trip. The tree leaves turning colour made an awesome site in the parking lot.

I wandered around the hatchery for a while and looked at the fish channels at some chums. On the way back to my Vespa, I took a few photos framing the shot with some rocks and a tree. It wasn't until I returned home that I realized that one of the shots had rays of light emanating from the left side. I was really happy with this one.

At this point, it was time to turn around and head back. I stopped in at Cliff Park and walked down the trail towards Kanaka Creek .I had gone to games at the field with my kids but I don't remember ever going on the trail. The trail came to a bridge where the creek water went rapidly by.

I also took this close up of the water. I liked how some of the water droplets caught the sun.

I walked back up the trail and then headed home. Even though my ride only took an hour or so, it was a good hour, certainly one well spent. I will have to ponder the bigger bike and the long distance travelling issues over the next little while. In the meantime, I will try to make the effort to see more of my own backyard.

Vespa Mechanics

2008-10-07T21:17:00.000-07:00

It’’s been a while - far too long, in fact - since I’ve done any blogging.

A new school year has started and, with the change in schools, I have been very busy. But I am hopefully back to blogging.

To start off, a great little video ad that a friend, Randy, brought my attention to. Sweet!

Last week, I took my LX50 into Vespa Vancouver for a servicing. It’s got 10 000 km on it and, although I get a servicing more often than needed, I am not a tinkerer so several pounds of prevention are in order...

I had originally looked forward to booking an appointment and cruising into the city on a balmy summer day. Imagine my surprise when the earliest date I could get, calling in the middle of August, was the last day of September!

Scooters are becoming more and more popular.

Luckily the day was gorgeous and I met up with my wife for an excellent spicy chicken dinner at a restaurant called Nando’s. I think the best part of the meal was the Pale Ale that I had after the walk from the Vespa store to the restaurant!

The next day, my cell phone rang and the mechanic from the Vespa store phoned. He said that my drive belt was gone - shredded or something - and then he said in a dire tone that it would be about 100 dollars. Not bad, I thought, and carried on.

About 20 minutes later, a woman from Vespa Vancouver phoned with an adjusted price. Great, I thought, here we go.

“I just phoned to tell you that the price the mechanic gave you for the drive belt was wrong. He wanted me to phone you and tell you that it will only be $40.”

What?

Huh?

This is the opposite of the kind of news I get when I take in my car. The total bill was under $200 - a price that barely gets you into the car shop.

I love my Vespa!

Learner's Test and a New Helmet

2008-08-31T22:21:00.000-07:00

As the new school approaches and the warmth of summer holidays dissipates, I find that after my trip to Seattle, I didn’t really go on any more adventures on my Vespa. I did lots of local rides to shop or visit a friend but no long ride - not even to Vancouver. Jobs around the house and family trips stole that last few weeks of August.

I did manage to do a couple of Vespa related things, however.

First, I wrote my motorcycle learner’s license test.

In B.C., if you ride a scooter or motorcycle that is 50 ccs or less (like my LX50) you only need to have a regular vehicle license. I know that this special allowance has been revoked in some provinces and states and may be in B.C. too. This is because some of the 50 cc riders are just not that proficient and it forces them to take a test to ride two wheels.

After my trip to Seattle, I mulled over the idea of getting a bigger scooter. This would give me the opportunity to go farther on my scooter next summer. So I decided to take the test. Once I get my actual license, I will be able to ride bigger scoots.

I walked into the Driver License office, and to my great surprise, it was empty! The young woman behind the counter must have been in her early twenties. She was very nice as she took my money and prepared the paperwork that was necessary. However, when I was about to write the test, she said, “Make sure you take your time as some of the questions are (then she whispered) really, really tricky.”

I resisted the temptation to cup my hand over my ear and yell out, “Eh?”

I ended up with 97 % so I guess I did all right.

The other scooter related accomplishment was finally upgrading my helmet.

When I bought my Vespa, I bought a pretty cheap helmet that was a half helmet - not much more protection than a bike helmet - but that was what I was comfortable with. As time has gone on, however, I’ve talked to several people and read some compelling information and I felt that I needed some more protection.

I tried the full face helmets but I got claustrophobic and very uncomfortable wearing them.

So I compromised on a 3/4 helmet.

The helmet is a ZOX helmet with a face shield. I still find it a bit confining compared to the old helmet but I do feel safer. I’m also finding the ride very quiet as my ears are covered and soundproofed.

Well, now it’s back to school, safer and hopefully a bit smarter!

The Cariboo

2008-08-13T20:34:00.001-07:00

Now that the holiday portion of my summer is over and it’s time to finish jobs around the house and start getting ready for school, blogging about where I’ve been since my trip to Seattle seems like a great way to avoid work.

Last week, I spent a few days in the Cariboo area of BC. The Cariboo (the green rectangle on the map) is in the lower central part of British Columbia.

One of the guys I went with has a cabin - really a house - in a place called Sheridan Lake. We decided to go up there for a couple days of cycling, hiking and relaxing.

The first day was the cycling day. We packed the bikes on the back of a truck and drove off to a place called Little Fort. We chose this destination because Little Fort is at the bottom of a huge hill. We had a nice breakfast to fuel ourselves and then headed up the hill.

It’s not a terrible long ride - 17 km of which about 13 km is a steep hill - but because it is so steep, it took a good long while - over three hours - to make it up the hill. We’d cycle for a km or so, stop, have a drink of water, and carry on. Sometimes, we’d chat about life in general during these breaks.

It was slow going but we were rewarded with the sight of a moose on the road as we reached the crest of the hill. It was a cow, so no antlers, but it was the first time I had seen a moose in the wild. Very nice!

After all of the sweat and exertion of going up the hill, it was exhilaration to fly down the very same hill back into Little Fort. One interesting byproduct of scooter riding is that I’m not as scared by fast speeds when I’m on my bike. I’m not sure if this is the safest thing in the world, but when I hit 62 kmh, I was not bothered at all.

Back in Little Fort, we packed up the bikes and headed back to the cabin.

The second day was a rest day - we were on holiday, after all. We seemed to spend the day eating, reading and talking, and later, drinking beer. The highlight of my day was operating the little excavator at the cabin to help grade a ramp for a dock. In the evening, one of the guys brought steaks so big that each one could have fed my family. And yes, I ate it all up.

The last full day we decided to go on a hike. Now, I like taking the dog on nice long walks but I’m not crazy about hikes in the mountains.

This hike was in Wells Gray Provincial Park near Clearwater. It was the Trophy Mountain hike we went on which ended up being about 6 km each way.

I borrowed a pair of hiking sticks which are sort of like ski poles. These were great for going up hill, especially for the steep parts.

About halfway up, we arrived at these mountain meadows that were bursting with flowers. The photos does not do justice to the beauty and variety of flowers that were there. It was simply amazing.

In the hiking book that was at the cabin, the trail was rated as easy. I know that when I reached the end of the first 5 km (where many people turn around) I was ready to turn around. But thanks to that wonderful mix of testosterone and peer pressure, I went another km or so before I listened to my body.

This picture was taken at my turning point. I was very comfortable lying on the rock and warm, I did not want to get up but after some encouragement, I hauled myself up and headed down the mountain.

The trip down was without rests as it was much easier and the wind had died down, bringing swarms of mosquitoes whenever we tried to stop for a rest.

At the end of the hike, I finished the last of my water, slumped in the seat of the car and wearily smiled as I had successfully made it without being airlifted off of the mountain. That night, I enjoyed a couple glasses of wine and slept surprisingly well, leaving for home the next morning.

The photos in this blog posting are courtesy of my very good friend, Keith Rajala of the Red Lobster Journal.

New Blog - Our Puppy Maggie

2008-08-06T08:41:00.000-07:00

Just a quick note to tell you that my good friend and neighbour, Greg Pace, has newly entered the blogosphere after much encouragement on my part. His new blog is called Our Puppy Maggie.

They have a new puppy called Maggie and his blog details life with this cute but very lively yellow lab pup.

Greg has a very engaging writing style and, if you're a dog lover, you are sure to enjoy reading about the exploits of Maggie - and the reactions of Greg and his family.

Check it out and leave him a comment!

Trip to Seattle

2008-07-29T22:24:00.000-07:00

As I sit here in front of the computer, I am basking in the glow of success after completing my Vespa ride on 50ccs to Seattle and back. Woot!

Monday

Odometer Reading - 8661 km

I left yesterday morning,, taking the Albion Ferry once again. I take a photo almost every time I cross lately because the ferry will stop running when the Golden Ears Bridge is complete in 2009. I’ll miss the ferry, especially since I get to jump to the front of the line on my Vespa!

When I got to the border, I had a good chat with the US border guard who couldn’t quite believe I was headed for Seattle. He was pretty amazed at my mileage and wished me luck. Pretty cool!

As I rode into Bellingham, 2 hours after I left home, the weather was still sunny but wasn’t particularly warm. I stopped in the downtown area and parked at a meter that thankfully had some time still on it as I didn’t have any US change on me. As I looked at a couple of restaurants, I was famished as I hadn’t had any breakfast yet.

The first place that grabbed my attention was the Horseshoe Cafe. Looking closer, it seemed pretty empty and was more a bar than a cafe. Around the corner, though, was a restaurant called Little Cheerful. It was busy and smelled good!

I sat down and the waiter greeted me with a “Howdy”, not something I usually hear in Canada. The breakfast I ordered was the Cyclops (one egg) and was very tasty - especially the hash browns mixed with fried onions. I didn’t feel that the portions were huge - they were just right. The coffee was excellent - heady praise from a guy that usually drinks only lattés.

I left Bellingham and headed down Chuckanut Drive. I stopped near a viewing spot and took a snap of the ocean. Sad thing was, there was a car parked beside me with a person living in it. I’ve heard about people living in their cars but this is the first time I’ve actually seen it happen.

Chuckanut Drive was one of the most beautiful rides I have taken.

Imagine, I’ve lived just a couple hours north of the drive and I’ve never taken this scenic route.

It was delightful!

At Burlington, I took the road - under construction, lots of rocks, “motorcycles use extreme caution” - to connect to SR 20 and headed towards Fidalgo Island and Whidbey Islands.

Just before I crossed onto the island, I went to the Swinomish Northern Lights Casino. I spent my customary $5 and lasted almost a half an hour!

I liked the dedicated motorcycle parking at the casino - I’d love to see more of that sort of thing.

The island road was a nice ride but because it was a main highway, and I didn’t really go off that road, the scenery was just OK.

The photo above was one of the exceptions - Pass Lake just past Desolation Pass. This part of the ride was over 40 miles so it took a while.

Odometer Reading at Deception Pass - 8807 km
Fuel used - 0.879 gallon

At the south end of Whidbey Island I took the ferry to Mukilteo on the mainland. It was a $3 ferry which lasted about 20 minutes.

It was a very enjoyable ride on a mostly empty ferry. I had time to eat a bowl of Ivars clam chowder.

Before I went back t the car deck, I took this photo from above of my Vespa.
After docking, I rode south into Seattle. As the weather warmed up, the traffic increased - something that I’m used to from riding in Vancouver (I actually don’t mind riding in traffic).

Odometer Reading at Seattle - 8925 km

Last night I stayed at the Moore Hotel - downtown, clean, and cheap ($74). It was a pretty small room but fine to sleep in. I dumped my stuff, parked the scooter in a secure parking lot, phoned the family to tell them I had arrived safely, and headed to Pike Market to grab a bite.

I ended up at the Soundview Cafe and had an excellent meal of crab cakes accompanied by a nice glass of zinfandel.

That night I got together with Navin, a university fraternity buddy I hadn’t seen in over 25 years. We had a great time catching up on each others lives and mutual friends.

We went to an area called Fremont (Fremont Troll pictured above) and hoisted a few pints at a bar called the Red Door. The years seemed to disappear as we chatted and laughed about things past and present. We finally ended up at the Whisky Bar, near my hotel, for a final night cap before I retired to the room at about 1 AM.

Tuesday

Feeling a bit fuzzy in the morning, I had a cereal bar and headed out into Seattle.

I like Seattle. I like Vancouver more but seems to be a similar type city - sort of a parallel universe version of Vancouver.

I went to the secure parking which only charged me half price because I was on a scooter. Nice!

I left the garage and rode north up a series of giant hills. Poor Vespa! I made my way past forbidding I-5 signs through different parts of Seattle - Lakeview, Kenmore, Bothell and ended up in Woodinside! This was a surprise because that’s where Navin lives! I didn’t try to find his house but at least I’ll know for next time.

I eventually connected with Highway 9, making my way through traffic and construction, stopping at Snohomish for breakfast/lunch. It’s a great little place with western looking false fronts...

That is, except for the neo classical Roman building!

Stopped at Grilla Bites for a great coffee and and sandwich (turkey, avocado and bacon).

Big Lake - Odometer Reading: 9070 km
Fuel used - 0.952 gallon

I continued on Highway 9 because around Big Lake, the traffic disappeared. It was a great riding highway, nice curves, not too hilly, lots of trees.

I stopped at Sedro Wooley for a pop and, despite the beautiful square downtown and the nice residential streets, the rest of the downtown core looked pretty nasty.

Maybe the fact that it started to rain coloured my impression.

I continued on Highway 9 until the Lynden turnoff and then through the border and home. It was the soggy portion of the ride but I stayed warm and relatively dry as I had expected a lot more rain than I actually got.

At home, I parked the Vespa, hung up all my rainwear to dry and sat back, feeling success at completing what was for me a challenging ride. And only 2 or 3 near death experiences!

Now, where to go next summer.....

Final Odometer Reading - 9183 km

Total Distance - 522 km

Average consumption - 94.5 miles/gallon OR 3.65 L/100km

Seattle Bound

2008-07-26T00:01:00.000-07:00

Couple of things for today's blog.

First, the comments on my last entry were very engaging for me to read. As I tell my kids at school, I don't care if you agree with me, just make sure you tell me why. I appreciate the time people take to comment - I know that I read a lot of different blogs but I'm terrible at taking the time to comment. Many thanks.

Second, a reader made a comment today on a blog entry from over a year ago (A Recovered Stolen Car and a Ride in Pitt Polder). His comment was this:

Alex said...: Sounds like you're really taking that thing wherever it can go.
By the way, I've been bouncing an idea of taking my Vespa ( Now a 70cc due to an upgrade) across the rockies... Anyone have a suggestion as to the fastest route across, starting from Vancouver....That obviously wouldn't get me run over by an 18 wheeler?
...Ultimately, I'm considering getting across Canada
on my Vespa. But first things first.
I replied:: I think a ride across the Rockies is great - I would suggest using Google maps and check the "Avoid Highways" box.

I'd like to go across Canada too but not this summer....

I'm also interested to see if anyone out there in the blogosphere has a route from Vancouver to the Rockies?

Finally, it looks like I'll be heading for Seattle on Monday. I have a long lost University buddy that I'll meet up with there, I've planned out a route on Google Maps, and the weather looks like it will be OK. I have to say, I'm getting excited! More info to come soon!

Carbon Footprint

2008-07-17T23:34:00.001-07:00

Ahh, the carbon tax. A perfect way for me to make enemies of my friends and tick off everyone else I meet.

But first, a little background.

The government here in BC has decided to add a tax to our gasoline - which is already taxed - to help reduce consumption and, therefore, to reduce pollution. It also applies to home heating, propane and diesel.

The tax is stating at 2.4¢ a litre (about a dime a gallon) and will rise each year. In four years it will be about 7 and a half cents. To help compensate people during the initial phase, every person in BC recently received a cheque for $100 to make it revenue neutral - sort of a way to ease you into it.

With our gas hitting $1.50 a litre ($6 a gallon), a lot of people are mad about this.

Not me.

In fact, I wish it was more. Yeah, I know it’s an unpopular stance.

Many people will not change their driving habits or what they drive if they’re told that the environment is suffering. But hit them in the pocket book and, lo and behold, people start driving less, buying fewer SUVs, and thinking about riding a bus, taking their bike or even (gulp) buying a scooter!

I think this is exactly the kickstart that people need to make real change to our environmental challenges. The only problem I have with the whole carbon tax thing is that it’s not certain that the money will go to fighting climate change.

How about this? Add 25 cents a litre ( a buck a gallon) and put that money straight into something that will really change how we do things. Public transit, zero emission vehicles, you name it.

Did I tick you off?

I’ll get off my soapbox now....

Summer's here!

2008-07-02T21:59:00.000-07:00

Ahhh, summer... here at last.

A few days ago, we had a family luncheon in West Vancouver. The day was so nice that I thought I’d take the scoot and meet the family at my brother-in-law’s newly renovated house.

The ride was pleasant and warm from Maple Ridge to Vancouver. Once I was downtown, the traffic increased but was fine.

To get to West Vancouver, the road goes through a causeway in a huge park called Stanley Park. After the causeway is the famous Lions Gate Bridge which connects West Vancouver (part of the North Shore) to the city of Vancouver.

The causeway is three lanes so there was one going to West Van on the day I was riding. I was a bit worried about keeping up but the traffic was a bit congested so I had no problems.

The most exciting part was when I was on the Lions Gate Bridge. (Above picture from here) I’ve been on a few bridges already but not one so scenic and so high! It was a bit windy which was a bit scary but the thrill of being up on top of the world was amazing!

When I reached my brother-in-law Rob’s place, my little nieces and my year-old nephew were very excited by the Vespa. I didn’t take them for a ride but they had a blast posing on the seat.

Then I did what I always do when people admire my Vespa - I invited Rob to take it for a spin. He was gone for about 15 or 20 minutes (I was just a little bit nervous) and returned with a large smile on his face.

There were some beautiful views off of their deck. In the picture above, there is a great photo of the Lions Gate Bridge. Behind the bridge are the trees from Stanley Park. The city is beyond that.

After a great time,. I headed back through Vancouver, taking this photo of a couple of Vancouver’s tourist attractions, Christ Church Cathedral and a tour tram. Unfortunately, when putting away the camera in my pocket (as the light turned green) I jammed the lens and now my new camera from Japan (which isn’t covered by the warranty in Canada) is kaput. Oh well, at least summer’s here!

I Hate June

2008-06-17T17:29:00.000-07:00

Yes, I know it’s been a log time since I’ve posted, but you gotta understand, it’s June!

As a teacher, we always get a hard rap about those terribly long summer vacations - and possibly there is something to it - but we pay for it in June. Report cards, marking, assessments, retirement functions, intake meetings, the list goes on and on. Add to that my eldest daughter graduates from high school and I’m changing schools and, well, it’s a really hectic time. Luckily, I am able to get my head above water for a little while as some of these things are finished now. Here’s some of the highlights over the past month....

Wettest June on Record

We sometimes joke that the Lower Mainland of BC is on the Wet Coast. This June has been unseasonably cold and wet. I mean really wet. I’ve ridden my scooter lots but not on many long trips since my trip to Bellingham as it has not been particularly enjoyable riding. But with the price of gas, I'll put up with some wet weather if it will make transport a bit more affordable.

Talent Show Performance

One highlight that I’ve had the past few years is performing at our school’s talent show. After the kids have performed, I lead a group of teachers and a student in a song or two to close the show. We had three teachers and a Grade 6 student on drums in this year’s band. We even had a name, Trainwreck, named after one of the guys said, after our first practice, “Man, what a trainwreck.” The rest is history.

We practiced a lot and didn’t sound half bad. We performed “7 Nation Army” and “Blitzkrieg Bop”. During the second song, all of the kids got up and danced. It was a bit chaotic - something a teacher doesn’t particularly enjoy, but as a performer, it was great!

Vespa Surfing

In my school, Grade 7 is the last year of elementary school before high school. To recognize this, we held a nice dinner and activity afternoon at a local ranch. Problem is, when I was near the ranch, the road was flooded. No problem I thought, I’m on my Vespa, and so I negotiated the ridges of the road without difficulty. That is, until I reached the entrance. There I had to cross a lake of water. Although it was only a few metres wide, it was a bit deeper and my Vespa actually sounded like an outboard motor for a few seconds. Luckily, it was fine after the watery encounter.

Daughter's Graduation

This was a great time - starting at 9 o’clock in the morning we went to commencement, then a lunch at our place with both sides of the family, then make up and hair appointments for my daughter. After, a few photos and then off to dinner. After dinner, a dance and then to the dry grad, starting at around 11:30 PM. I dealt black jack there until 3 AM and then everyone went to watch a hypnotist - one of the funniest things I’ve seen. Then an hour of draws and it was 6 AM - time to go home with everyone tired but happy and safe. Whew! I’m still catching up on my sleep!

So that's just a taste of my hectic June. But with only 6 school days left, I can see the end of another year. Ahh, to be riding my bike or taking my Vespa for a long ride - I'm really looking forward to it!

Trip to Bellingham

2008-05-17T21:05:00.001-07:00

Friday was one of those perfect days. My school had the day off (long story - not a Pro-D day but and actual holiday), the weather was absolutely perfect, and I was psyched for a new personal challenge - scooting to Bellingham, USA!

Last summer, I made my first scooter trip into the USA - just south of Lynden, Washington which is a few miles south of the border. Ever since that trip I have been thinking of pushing the distance a little bit.

Friday was ideal as my wife an kids had school so it was like a bonus day for me to do what I wanted. I go up early and by 7:45 was on my way, crossing the river on the Albion Ferry in the sunshine.

I got to the border about an hour later. There was quite a lineup because this particular crossing is only open 8AM to midnight. I did the terrible cut in thing by zipping down the breakdown lane (which, I found out, is technically illegal in British Columbia) and only had a five minute wait. The border guard was not overly unfriendly and I was on the road.

I took mostly quieter roads. One photo I took was a view north to the Golden Ears, in Maple Ridge.

First stop was Lynden. I stopped at the breakfast place I had visited before but instead of having a giant egg, bacon and hash brown meal, I just had a latté and a bagel. I still like the look of Lynden - it’s a very friendly little town.

I then pressed on south to Bellingham. It was a very nice ride, zipping along in the sunshine, although I made sure that I pulled over whenever there were a few cars behind me.

I got a bit lost on the way to the downtown area, but that’s part of the fun of this kind of adventure. I stopped at the Roeder House which is a stately home. He was big into fishing and built the home in 1903. It was closed, though, so I couldn’t get a peek inside.

After a few more zigs and zags, I ended up at the downtown area. It was Ok, the hub of the area being the local Starbucks, but either I was too early or it was a pretty quiet area. I suspect it was the former as there were a nice variety of stores and lots of potential.

I then headed a little north, stopping to take a photo of this great guitar store.

Five minutes later, I was at Bellis Fair Mall. This mall was built when Canadians frequently crossed the border to grab great US bargains as the two dollars were pretty close in value. Then the Canadian dollar slumped to around 60¢ and the mall almost died. Now that the dollars are close again, the mall is returning to its former glory.

A great find was the Daiso Japan store. It’s like going to a bargain store in Tokyo - almost everything is $2 and all the packaging is Japanese. Very cool. I bought some Japanese toothpicks and resisted the urge to cart a trailer full of nifty items home with me.

I then stopped at the food court for lunch. I went to one of those Mongolian places where you pick some food and they weigh it and cook it. I was feeling rather healthy so I picked a bunch of veggies and a bit of chicken. Imagine my surprise when the woman behind the counter weighed it and the charge was $10! Oh well, at what price health....

I then sped back towards the border in the sunshine, this time being given a bit of a gruff attitude by the Canadian border guard. Quelle suprise!

On the way home, I stopped by Otter Park in Langley. It was just a little place that I almost missed but once I was in there, the absolute Greeness of the park sort of summed up how the whole ride seemed. What with the sun , warmth, and amazing greenery on both sides of the border, I felt, well, green! An excellent ride on an awesome day!

Bear in the Backyard

2008-05-07T21:16:00.000-07:00

Here's a little video I made of a recent visitor in the backyard.

He's been making rather regular visits of late, attracted by bird feeders and composters. Hopefully, he'll head up to the hills soon.

There are lots of bears in the wilderness near where we live. Unfortunately, the rapid development in our community has displaced a lot of their habitat....

Scooter Gang Terrorizes Community

2008-05-05T18:31:00.000-07:00

by Joe King

The sunny weather that Maple Ridge was blessed with yesterday was marred by the formation of a new scooter gang. Two men, wearing red jackets, were spotted riding up and down the streets of this fair community during the afternoon on Sunday.

According to witnesses, the first scooterist rode his Vespa LX50 across Maple Ridge to visit the second gang member, a local engineer. The second scooterist then rolled out his terrible machine, a 50cc Yamaha BWS. The two then fired up their loud engines and roared through the quiet neighbourhood, disturbing the solitude of a Sunday afternoon.

Their first stop was a local gas station where they made unkind jokes about how little it cost them to fill up, ignoring the unfortunate plight of good citizens gassing up their trucks and SUVs. After spending a paltry $4, they roared off again, this time headed for a local mall.

At the mall, while they took care of errands, they had the audacity to park in the same parking space. "Don't they know that if everyone doubled up when parking, there'd be far too many empty spots," complained Edna Busybody, a local resident.

They then took their foul machines on the backroads, forcing cars behind them to drive at 55 kmh, rather then allowing people to speed as is their right.

Back at the 'clubhouse' or home of one of the scooterists, they were seen laughing and eating cookies, undoubtedly commenting on the lack of fun they saw others having on the road. It is also rumoured that they are both members of yet another gang, the Volunteer Bike Patrol.

Only vigilance and careful observation will prevent this sort of raucous behaviour from becoming the norm. Can you imagine if everyone in our lovely town were riding scooters? One shudders to think....

Oki-na Gaijin, Chisai-na Kuni (Big Foreigner, Small Country) #10

2008-05-01T17:02:00.000-07:00

March 29 - Last Day - Sayonara

This is the last part of my trip to Tokyo series.

This picture was taken inside my apartment 23 years ago for a party when my then-girlfriend (and present-wife) was going to return to Canada.

Had one too many chu-his last night as I woke up with a bit of a sinus headache this morning. After my customary coffee, banana, and tea biscuit, I felt better.

As we were leaving today, I thought I could get away with giving a present without getting flooded with omiyage as we weren’t going shopping anywhere. It turned out that I was sorely mistaken.

I gave some candy, a card and a raku sculpture of a salmon that I had bought last December when we were skiing at Sun Peaks. Apparently these were well received as the omiyage doors were flung wide open.

Yoichi proceeded to give me watches for everyone in our extended family. This included a couple of Guccis, Seikos, and about 8 other watches for various members of the family. I thought about giving him Colleen as a slave girl but then realized that it was time to admit defeat.

I took a last look at the apartment building, first outside my old apartment, then on the roof that had been the scene of several fun parties 23 years ago. Finally, I took a walk around the neighbourhood, realizing that most of the businesses had either changed or turned into residential areas.

Here's a picture of my daughter, Colleen, on the roof of the apartment building.

This picture is a blast from the past - my 25th birthday on the roof of my apartment building.

I returned back to the apartment and we did our final packing. Then we all went with Yoichi’s driver in a car to the airport.

We arrived early so we went for a yakisoba (fried noodle) lunch. Interestingly, we were told to leave all of our bags at the front of the restaurant (unguarded) and ate, out of sight of the bags, at the back of the restaurant. This was something I would never do in most places in the world but, in Japan, even the airport seems super safe. When we were finished, of course, the bags were there, untouched.

We checked in and then said our tearful good-byes and went through the security gates.

In the departure lounge, I shopped for a bottle of duty free whisky - and ended up helping several customers with their selection! Maybe I should have worn a “Scotch Expert” T shirt! I tasted a couple of different ones (including a Johnnie Walker Blue Label that was too pricey) and settled on an 18 year old Highland Park.

The flight went well and was comfortable. But I spent a good deal of it trying to estimate what was t the total of all the gifts I was bringing back. Canadians are allowed to bring back $750 duty free after being away for a week but I was pretty sure that some of the watches were worth that each.

Upon arrival in Vancouver, I made an extremely conservative estimate of the value of the goods I had, paid some money for duty and taxes and headed toward the exit. This being Canada, I saw no customs agent anywhere and almost broke into a run when I walked through the exit doors.

It was good to be home but it was also revealing to me that I had such a good time in Tokyo and would definitely consider living there again. Unfortunately, my wife doesn’t feel quite the same....

Parting shot - Yoichi's Aston Martin - we went clubbing in it one night while at the karaoke bars. The absolute coolest car I've ever been in!

Sunshine Coast Cycle

2008-04-27T22:01:00.001-07:00

I spent a couple of days at a friend's cottage near Gibsons, on the Sunshine Coast. It is an area just north of Vancouver but you can't drive there because of the mountains and other rocky terrain. The only way to get there is by taking a ferry from Horseshoe Bay (near Vancouver). It is about a 40 minute ferry ride.

On Saturday, we went for a very nice bicycle ride. The weather was sunny and it was fairly warm outside. Unlike scootering, I rarely get cold when cycling because I create my own heat, so to speak.

We first made to 2 km from my friend, Randy's place to the town of Gibsons. It is a little town of about 5000 people that became very popular because of a long running -Canadian TV show called the Beachcombers. Molly's Reach was one of the main locales in the series and serves a nice pint, too, if I recall previous trips.

We took the lower road which more or less runs parallel to the highway. There were a number of stops along the way to take photos. The sun was very cooperative and the views of the ocean made me feel very good inside. We didn't push really hard as it was my first bigger ride of the year so there was lots of time to chat and joke as we rode.

The lower road ended at a beach just shy of Roberts Creek. We then pushed our bikes along the beach, no easy task, for maybe 20 or 30 minutes. It was pretty hard work. We then connected up with a trail covered in roots where we had to carry our bikes until we got up to the road. In the photo, you can see our tire tracks in the sand.

In Roberts Creek, we stopped at the Gumboot Cafe for a coffee and a snack. I had a samosa with tasty homemade chutney.

We continued on to our destination, Sechelt, which is a bigger town of about 10 000 people. We stopped at a park on the beach there and had a nice break, admiring the view. While in the park, I took Randy's bike for a ride. He has a "Bike Friday" which is a folding bike. He has taken it several times to Europe and really likes the mobility it gives him. Not a bad ride, either.

We then headed towards home, stopping at Davis Landing for a drink before we pushed it a bit on the highway back to Gibsons.

It was about a 50 km ride which was definitely long enough for me for a first ride of the year. Back in Gibsons, we headed into Gramma's pub and tucked into a well deserved halibut and chips with a frosty beverage, also well deserved!

Oki-na Gaijin, Chisai-na Kuni (Big Foreigner, Small Country) #9

2008-04-21T16:37:00.001-07:00

March 28 - Kamakura and Hase

Got up at 8, feeling pretty good, despite the late night before. Maybe I'm getting used to this hectic lifestyle?

Our first stop was an unusual one - it was the Honjo Fire Station and Life Safety Learning Centre - just a five minute walk from where we were staying! We first watched a 3D film dramatizing how several people responded to an earthquake that hits Tokyo.

The first was a mother who couldn't work out how to work a fire extinguisher and so, fled her house with her elderly mother as buckets, roof tiles and live wires fell all around them.

The next part had a businessman on the subway as the earthquake hit. We had headphones that translated the dialogue into English which was interesting. As the earthquake hit, for example, the businessman yelled, "What the hell was that?" which is not exactly what you'd expect for an educational video shown to children!

Anyway, the story progressed from people running from the train, some running on top of other people, and running, panicked into the street as debris fell around them. The film continued with a story of what not to do in case of an earthquake without giving the alternate - a refreshing change from educational videos here! I quite enjoyed it although I did find myself giggling from time to time...

After the movie (which happened to be in 3D - look out for that falling glass!) we headed upstairs to the earthquake room. After a rather lengthy explanation ("OK, OK, OK?") and detailed instructions on what to do, we had a couple of simulations where a machine moved the entire floor of the test area - a couple of the jolts were quite strong. I enjoyed it thoroughly!

After, we took the train to Kamakura which was about an hour away. We had soba for lunch (a type of noodle), which was quite tasty, and then wandered the shopping street.

We made a couple of purchases, took in a shrine, stopped for coffee, and then headed back to the train station to take the little commuter train to Hase.

We arrived in Hase and then walked to the Daibutsu - the big Buddha! He is huge! He was built around the year 1200 and is made of bronze. About 400 years after he was built, the building that covered him washed away in a tsunami.

It is a remarkable sight and is well worth seeing especially with the trees and hill behind.

We then went to Hase temple which is a shrine complex with gardens, statues, and caves as well as shrines.

The saddest was the section devoted to Jiso, god of unborn children, to honour all those unborn fetuses and children who died in childbirth. I think there were less statues than last time I went, however, possibly due to the fact that birth control is now legal in Japan.

When we went home, it was rush hour so Yoichi sprang for a Green Car - a first class seat on the train - which was very nice - reminded me of the Shinkansen - and I had a bit of a nap on the way home.

Later that night, Keiko prepared a fantastic sukiyaki meal which is a cross between shabu shabu and yaki niku (Korean BBQ). We then just sat around, chatting, talking of old times and new experiences. It was a wonderful last evening.

Interlude - Scooter Ride to Barnston Island

2008-04-13T19:56:00.000-07:00

I know that I've been sharing my journal of my trip to Tokyo for the past little while and, even though I'm almost done, I have a couple entries left to write. However, yesterday was an unseasonably warm and sunny day so I packed my camera and went out for a nice afternoon ride.

I first took the Albion ferry - and I love it because scooters get to go to the front of the line! I arrived at the ferry and was the only thing on two wheels until we started loading. Then I heard the rumble of motorcycles but I focused on getting up the loading ramp without having an unfortunate accident....

I parked my scoot, got off and looked behind - 13 leathered guys and their Harleys, some with their biker girlfriends. Happily, a few smiled and waved at me, something that I still find surprising and amazing. Here I was on my little 50cc scooter and a guy on a bike with an engine bigger than my car treats me like an equal!

The sun was shining as I rode in my shirtsleeves through Northern Langley towards my destination, Barnston Island. Barnston Island is a small island in the Fraser River between Surrey and Pitt Meadows that is basically an agricultural area used for dairy. There are also a few houses where people live. I had always intended to pack up the bikes when the girls were little because it's a great cycle but just never got around to it. Also, there's no stores so my girls would have serious motivation problems, especially now....

I didn't have a map handy (it was with my eldest daughter's car) so there was a bit of exploring but I eventually found the ferry. While waiting, I chatted with a retired gentleman who lived on the island.

The ferry itself is small - really small. It's actually a little barge with a tugboat secured to it. It holds about five cars and the ride is about three minutes.

Once we got across, I rode the very flat road that goes around the island. The weather was fantastic and the views were great.

There was this very nice view of the Golden Ears in Maple Ridge.

And, 100 metres down the road, this view of Mount Baker.

I stopped a couple times, snacking on the cookies that I had snagged from home. It was very quiet and peaceful.

The only negative was this in-your-face sign that clearly stated that visitors were not welcome on the bench.

When I got to the dock to leave, I watched in amazement as the cars backed onto the ferry to get on. This is definitely small scale!

On the way back, I was able to get a few shots of the Golden Ears bridge which is under construction. There were some interesting views of the construction and I was able to get right under the bridge.

This photo I especially liked as it looks like pieces of Hot Wheels track that hasn't been snapped together yet!

I headed home, taking the return ferry trip with only one motorcycle. The temperature was still around 24° (about 75° F.) so I changed into my shorts and chilled out for the rest of an excellent Saturday.

Oki-na Gaijin, Chisai-na Kuni (Big Foreigner, Small Country) #8

2008-04-10T17:04:00.000-07:00

March 27 - Tsukiji, Shinjuku, Ikebukuro

Got up a little early and, after a nice breakfast, left for the Tsukiji fish market.

We arrived as things were beginning to wrap up at the fish auction but still got there in plenty of time to see lots of interesting things. Scooters and bikes scurried everywhere with loads of fish earmarked for different places all over Tokyo.

In the actual market, the different businesses were readying their fish, sawing, packaging, and otherwise getting their product ready for further on the food chain.

We did our best to stay out of the way but it was difficult because there was so much activity. We even got honked at a couple of times!

I loved all of the colours, fish, and strong smells. Colleen, on the other hand, thought it was gross but kind of cool. Teenagers...

We left the market and went to a sushi restaurant just down the road where I had, quite possible, the best sushi of my life. It was super-fresh, melt-in-your mouth sushi and tasted amazing!

One cool thing - the chef took a blow torch and seared the top of some of the pieces! Very industrial.

On our way back to the station, we stopped by a shrine where a monk(?) was burning dolls that people had purchased. I think it was either for good luck or to remember departed relatives.

After, we went to Shinjuku and Ikebukuro for some shopping. Even Colleen was starting to get a little bit overexposed to the commercialism that is Tokyo, but I still enjoyed wading amongst the masses of people. Tokyoites make for excellent people watching.

Interestingly, we had a couple of delays on the train. Apparently there were two different suicides where people had jumped in front of the train. This is one of the most common forms of committing suicide in Tokyo. I guess it was a bad day for some.

After, we went to Kinshicho station for Shabu Shabu. This tasty dish is where you have a pot of boiling water in the middle of a table and you plop in meat and veg to cook. The sound it makes gives the dish the name. It was very tasty.

Later on that night, Yoichi and I went out clubbing in his fancy car, an Aston Martin. Very cool. First stop was a Karoke bar with Filipino hostesses. This was quite a large place and the manager was a bit excited that I was a gaijin. I was let in, thanks to Yoichi's influence, and things picked up a bit. The woman I spoke to the most was 32 and was looking forward to going home to hang around her house and chill. She had been in Japan for 5 years out of the last 13 and had the equivalent of a green card.

Singing at this bar was a bit intimidating because of the number of customers, the fact that I hadn't had a really warm greeting, and that I couldn't hear myself really well. You also had to go up on a stage where in other places you could sing from your seat. According to Yoichi, there were pretty cheap with the drinks and expensive with the bill.

We then ended up after midnight at another karaoke bar, this time with Indonesian hostesses. Again, the manager was a little excited about the fact I was a gaijin but the customers seemed generally friendlier than the last one. One hostess I spoke to knew less English than I knew Japanese so eventually another one was found that spoke English. She's only been in Japan for a couple of months and didn't speak Japanese very well so she was quite happy to talk to someone she understood. She was nice enough but I made a point of talking about my wonderful daughters and my loving wife...

The singing was better here - I belted out a few numbers - and the clientèle really warmed up to me, especially after singing a couple of Green Day songs.

As to the hostesses, rest assured that, at least in the places Yoichi took me to, nothing untoward happens. Apparently these kind of places are popular in Indonesia, the Philippines, Korea and many other places around the world. The hostesses couldn't believe that we don't have places like this in Canada (at least, not that I'm aware of).

At around 2 AM, we headed home. A full day, definitely!

Oki-na Gaijin, Chisai-na Kuni (Big Foreigner, Small Country) #7

2008-04-08T22:43:00.001-07:00

March 26 - Ueno and Ginza

A bit of a later start today - up at 8 and then off to Ueno to shop at Ame Oko. Ame Oko was a black market area established during the American occupation after WWII. It’s not a black market area any more but it is a very popular place to shop for deals. Colleen absolutely loved it. So did Yoichi so quite a few omiyage (presents) were purchased and we all left with many bags.

This picture shows Keiko in front of a place that makes manju - buns with sweet bean paste inside. I don’t like them.

We then headed to Ginza - very fancy stores and hip people. Colleen managed to find some trendy shoes while I bought a bright yellow walled in a bargain store.

We stopped at the Lion Beer Hall for lunch. It was an odd fusion of German and Japanese cuisine. For example, I had a chicken and onion dish which seemed German but had a soy based dipping sauce. Colleen had Chinese dumplings, cheese spring rolls, and french fries! Still, it was pretty good. The picture shows me between Yoichi and Ando-san - notice how they’re both smoking.

This building is actually twisted - there’s no special effect.

We went into a Nissan store and everyone was talking about the new GTL. It wasn’t until I returned to Canada that I realized that it was actually the new GTR!

After lunch, we headed back to Kinshicho by taxi because Yoichi’s feet hurt. We all went back to the massage clinic and had a combo shiatsu and foot massage. It was wonderful although my daughter found it to be a bit strange.

While we were waiting for Yoichi, I thought I’d show Colleen a pachinko parlour. Pachinko is a game where you buy metal balls and put them in a machine similar to a pinball machine and try to win more balls. Then you cash in your metal balls for some objects (flints, for example) and then go to a booth nearby and exchange the object for money. This is all to evade the gambling rules in Japan. Unfortunately, the pachinko parlour was completely packed, extremely smokey, and so cacophonously loud that I couldn’t stand it!

We had dinner at a restaurant called Tsukiji Sushi and ate our fill. It was good and I stayed away from anything really odd. We then went back to Yoichi’s for a night cap and then retired, content and full after yet another super day.

Oki-na Gaijin, Chisai-na Kuni (Big Foreigner, Small Country) #6

2008-04-06T21:20:00.000-07:00

March 25 - Shibuya, Harajuku and Akihabara

After breakfast, Colleen and I headed to some intense shopping. I'm finding that my Japanese has come back quite a bit over the past few days and dealing with people in stores and restaurants has been great practice.

The first place we went to was Shibuya 109 - I think it's named that because there are 109 different little stores in it! It's a teen girl's shopping dream of both cheap and expensive clothes and accessories. Unfortunately for Colleen, she's gaijin-sized and so, didn't fit most of the the clothes.

Then, onto the busy streets of Shibuya. There are very fancy stores like Louis Vuitton, Prada, and more but Colleen was more interested in great deals.

We stopped at Wendy's as Colleen was missing North American food and ended up with a shrimp burger. Hmmm.

We then went to Takeshite Dori - and this was the kind of shopping that Colleen loved. Crowded, noisy, tons of stores - it was a great Tokyo experience! I even bought a couple things.

Unfortunately there were no dressed up girls at Harajuku Station when we got there but Colleen still enjoyed the experience immensely.

We headed towards the Meiji Shrine but, unfortunately, a bird shared a little joy with Colleen's head so after a quick wash of the hair, it was back on the train.

We headed for that bastion of consumer electronics, Akihabara. I thought I'd lost my subway ticket so I had to pay ¥160 but luckily I found it in my cell phone and was promptly reimbursed.

Akihabara was almost as good as last time and almost as crowded. We went to the Tokyo Anime Centre which was OK but the highlight (for Colleen) was the store.

We then had a nice coffee break where the people watching was excellent, a stop at Yodobashi Camera, and then back to the station.

I think the highlight was when we had our photo taken with some girls dressed up on the street.

Back at Kinshicho station, Yoichi and Keiko met us and we walked into Kinshicho park to look at the Sakura. This time of year is very special in Japan. The cherry blossoms, or sakura, are in bloom and the even of their blooming is called Hanami. Hanami means flower viewing.

We then headed to Yoichi's sister's house which was bitter-sweet. It was great to see his sister and her husband after so many years but is was sad because she has liver cancer. She was up today, though, and we had a very nice visit. Her husband's nick name is Ando-san which means Mr. Ando because when he speaks English, he always says "ando" between words.

We all then went the an Izakaya which is a traditional Japanese bar restaurant. The variety of food that I'd never had before was amazing! I really liked this Japanese version of what looked like a corn dog - it was made from pork and you dipped it in raw egg - oishi (delicious)! There was lots more oshinko (pickled stuff), too. To finish off, we had the biggest o-nigiri (rice ball) I've ever seen in my life! It was like a whole extra meal!

After saying goodbye to Yoichi's sister and Ando-san, we headed home. That was good for Colleen as the smoke in the bar - between the cooking and the fact that almost everyone was smoking in a small place - really bothered her eyes.

All in all, another great day.

Oki-na Gaijin, Chisai-na Kuni (Big Foreigner, Small Country) #5

2008-04-05T22:08:00.000-07:00

March 24 - To Kyoto and Back

Today was an early day. I managed to get up by myself and left by 6:45 to catch the train for Tokyo station and, after that, the shinkansen or bullet train to Kyoto. The train to Tokyo station was very crowded - no men with white gloves pushing people into the trains, but getting there.

The Shinkansen is not cheap - ¥13 000 ($130) for a one way trip - but there aren’t a lot of other options for transportation to Kyoto (370 km or 230 miles) and it is fast and clean. It took about 2 and a half hours to get there.

Once I arrived I knew I was going to meet up with my daughter, Colleen. She had been on a one week exchange with a family in Miyoshi (near Hiroshima) along with eight other students from her Japanese class at school.

There were staying at the Kyoto Tower Hotel which, I was told, was across the street from the station. As luck would have it, I exited the wrong side and spent a half an hour finding my way around the station to the hotel! Kyoto station is big!

It was great to see Colleen! She looked good and happy and not the least bit homesick. The exchange had gone extremely well but she was looking forward to her trip to Tokyo.

After some shopping and a nice lunch, we said goodbye to her friends that were returning to Canada and took the Shinkansen back to Tokyo.

Colleen was a huge hit with everyone back at Kinshicho. Her Japanese was clear and her appetite was good - both essential for visiting!

We went to the Tempura restaurant round the corner and Colleen did very well. She did have some issues with the oshinko (pickled stuff), though.

After, we chatted at length in Yoichi’s apartment and then headed for bed - although the bed I was sleeping on and the futon Colleen was curled up beside me made the apartment fell a bit cramped!

Oki-na Gaijin, Chisai-na Kuni (Big Foreigner, Small Country) #4

2008-04-04T11:49:00.000-07:00

March 23 - Shibuya and Harajuku

Today started a little late. I didn’t really get up until nine and rang up Yoichi at 10.

Staying with someone certainly changes your travel experience. On one hand, you don’t have the freedom to just go whenever you want. On the flip side, there are opportunities that the average tourist would never have.

We hung out and drank coffee until about noon and then headed toward Kinshicho station. This transportation hub has changed quite a lot in 23 years. There is a new subway line going through the station as well as a couple of different train lines so it is very busy. Yoichi and I had a coffee while Keiko went to the Loto place and placed about 100 ¥100 bets. This is a common event on Sundays.

We eventually got on the subway (Hanzomon Line) and went to Omote Sando. . We had lunch at the Spiral Building, so named for its spiral staircase. After the queasiness of last night, the tomato and rice dish was very settling.

We then walked towards Harajuku. The big draw is the show of rebellious teens who dress up in a variety of costumes on the weekend. Some dress up in weird Bo-Peep costumes, others in frilly dresses, others as goths and other strange outfits. And yes, sometimes it’s boys dressing up in the frilly outfits.

There’s also a narrow, long shopping street called Takeshita-dori which was a sea of people - tourists, shoppers and costume play (Cos-Play) teens. Very festive and busy.

The most Cos-Plays on display were outside Harajuku train station and were quite happy to be photographed. Interestingly, there were a few gaijin dressed up in the mix.

We then walked towards Shibuya past all sorts of very fancy stores (Louis Vuitton, Gucci, etc.) that I don’t really care about but are very popular in Japan. We ended up at a gigantic scramble crosswalk in Shibuya - I had to cross it twice - and then headed back for home.

Back in Kinshicho, Yoichi decided that his feet hurt so we all ended up at the massage clinic for a shiatsu body massage. After putting on little Japanese pajamas, the massage guy worked me over for an hour, asking (in Japanese) if I was OK after each excruciating move. But I always said that I did because it felt so good after.

Afterwards, we went to little restaurant near the station which had a nice variety of food. I had the chriasi sushi with is a bowl of rice with a bunch of fish and other stuff on top. It was very good but one of the oshinko - pickled vegetables - that I had - a daikon dyed yellow - was absolutely hideous. Luckily the two big beers I had helped eradicate the bad taste.

After a great dinner and the massage, we were all pretty tired. I watched Bull Durham in Yoichi’s apartment and then retired to bed for my best sleep thus far.

Oki-na Gaijin, Chisai-na Kuni (Big Foreigner, Small Country) #3

2008-04-01T09:35:00.000-07:00

March 22 - First full day in Tokyo! Haircut, Good Eats, Electronics, and Karaoke

Started off with a hair cut as I remembered the excellent scalp and shoulder massages that you get from a Japanese hair stylist. Yoichi arranged a hair style for all of us so we went en masse to the stylist.

It started off with a wash and conditioning. The chair I sat in electronically reclined for the wash. Cool! Then off to another chair for the cut. The girl was very careful - almost examined each section of my head - as she cut my hair. Pretty impressive, considering I’m balding - about 5 or 6 times as long as I usually spend in the barber chair at home!

She then washed my hair again and did the massage. It was the most awesome head and neck massage that I've ever had. I was truly in heaven! I’ve no idea what it cost us as Yoichi insisted on paying.

Lunch was Yaki-Niku - Korean Barbecue! A very nice meal but I was quite full after we finished. I was glad that I had skipped breakfast.

The restaurant was at Kinshicho station which has really grown.

After lunch, we headed to the Electronics town at Akihabara. It was tricky buying the train tickets as the place names on the map where you buy tickets are in kanji - Chinese characters. Although Yoichi is no longer a fan of the trains or the subway, I think it is a great system. We only had to go three stops but it only cost a paltry ¥150.

As we left the station in Akihabara, many young women dressed as maids or girls of the future were hawking different stores or products. It was a real carnival atmosphere as there were bright neon lights, loud music, and people everywhere. For the first time since leaving the airport, I saw other gaijin!

After wandering around for awhile, we ended up in Yodobashi Camera store which carries a lot more besides cameras. There are seven floors of electronics including cameras, video, TVs, computers, and a whole lot more. While the prices don’t seem any cheaper than Canada - maybe a little more, actually - there is the latest technology factor. I ended up getting - receiving, actually, a video and still camera courtesy of Yoichi.

The Japanese system of gift giving is pretty wild. In anticipation, I had brought over a number of presents because I knew that Yoichi would buy gifts and pay for things as I spent time with him. The art of trying to pay for even simple things like subway tickets is very tricky.

After a short nap in the early evening, it was time to step out into Tokyo’s entertainment - the night club - but first we had sushi. This was real sushi - no California rolls or Dynamite rolls - just fish, fresh and raw on wonderful rice. There was sushi that I recognized like tuna, salmon and egg but there were lots or fish I didn’t recognize as well as some spices or flavours that were quite odd. As usual, Yoichi just ordered dish after dish and I was absolutely stuffed at the end of dinner. We then met up with a bunch of Yoichi’ friends and headed to the Star Karaoke bar.

As with many Karaoke bars this one was small - think someone’s bigger living room - with lots of low seating, six or seven tables, two flat screens to see the lyrics, snacks, booze and six Filipino women to meet your needs such as talking, lighting cigarettes, offering food, mixing drinks and even dancing. It’s all pretty innocent and quite common in many countries.

In a karaoke bar, customers sing along to music with the assistance of lyrics on a screen, usually with some arty videos in the background. Lots of English songs are now available to sing in stark contrast to when I first visited when there were only 6 songs (Country Roads, Love Me Tender, and a few more).

I sang quite a few songs and was very well received but I’m not sure if it was because of my singing or the fact that I was someone kind of different. All of the singers were excellent and I even enjoyed the traditional Japanese songs (enka).

Unfortunately, one of the strange sushi pieces I ate disagreed with me during the first part of being in the bar. I sang and slowly sipped my chu-hi (Japanese vodka and fruit juice) until my stomach settled. I was probably a little jet lagged as well but was thrilled to be in such god company. By the time we left (about 2:30 AM) I was more than ready to pack it in. Overall, an excellent day!

Oki-na Gaijin, Chisai-na Kuni (Big Foreigner, Small Country) #2

2008-03-30T10:52:00.000-07:00

March 21, 2008 - Arrival in Tokyo

After a very windy landing (and much applause to thank the pilot for not killing us) we disembarked. Things moved well until we got to immigration and - like every other time I’ve arrived in Japan- the foreigner line-up was huge! Interestingly, you now have to give your fingerprints and have a photo taken of yourself before you enter the country.

After I picked up my bags, my friend Yoichi and his wife Keiko met me at the airport. After greetings we did not take a train into Tokyo but, instead, had his driver take us! Unbelievable! It probably took the same amount of time as a train but was much more relaxing.

As we entered my old neighbourhood of Tai Hei, near Kinshicho station, it was strange being back. There were many different buildings and business but the feeling was the same as I remember. In some ways, it felt as if hardly any time had passed at all.

I was still feeling perky so after a beer, we went out to a tiny Tempura restaurant around the corner. The tempura was the best that I’ve ever had. There was minimal batter with a host of wonderful seasonal fish and vegetables. The bottomless glass of sake probably didn’t hurt either!

I found, as we talked, that my ability to at least understand Japanese is improving dramatically.

We headed back to the apartment where I had a chu-hi and that slept very peacefully.