Winter Getaway Part I

While many of you in the Northern Hemisphere are watching out your windows with despair and your bikes are all tucked in until the thaw…here out on the usual wet coast of BC we have an unusual break in the dreary weather and I happen to have the weekend off.  Temperatures are freezing in the morning but by afternoon yesterday, today and hopefully tomorrow we are seeing double digits Celsius. 

On Friday, January 24th my first stop was the annual Vancouver Motorcycle Show in Abbostford, BC. The usual brands were there and all the latest and greatest.  Stopped by specifically the AltRider booth to say hello to Erik and the guys.  Not used to seeing AltRider make their way across the border and glad they did. 

More should see and trust their farkles like their crash bars for sure.  Have a look through the pics and how about name the bikes?  I really thought the new Suzuki 1000 in person looked not too bad at all and I bet it does well in the market place. 

After the bike show I rode to Horseshoe Bay to ride the BC Ferry to Vancouver Island for my destination Parksville.  The ferry system here is part of the highway but does cost you dearly. Even for a bike, which we all know take up no room still runs about $44 one way for about 1 hour and 40 min trip.

Initially I was the only bike waiting for the ferry but a V Strom showed up right before departure.  There were a lot of bikes on the road today, many with paper plates.  You can insure you bike for ust the day if you want here.  Not cheap but doable and by the amount of bikes at the show and the ones I saw on the road, seemed like it wasn’t just me out for a ride.

As I have said before, I am totally biased about where we live.  When it is chilly out, the air crisp and clear we have some of the best scenery ever.  Despite some sea fog, the ride across the strait was smooth and sunny.

I love this next picture.  We have been having great weather lately as well as a lot of fog.  It comes up and lingers around until the sun can burn it off….see here on the water…amazing!

I did not do too many kilometers of actual riding today but I am a fair distance from where we live.  The ferry takes up a lot of the “road”. 

Folks on our facebook page were posting how miserable their weather is especially in the Toronto area….not to rub it in but…….

This is why we keep our bikes insured all year long.  Even though we may not have double digit temps all the time in the Winter, we have many days when riding just makes sense.  We are fortunate in this way compared to most.

Next pic heading towards the bend in Strait of Georgia.

Smooth sailing all the way

Just my bike and a super ADV Vstrom

By the time I got off the ferry it was getting dark and I only had to ride about 30 mins north to get to Tigh-Na-Mara.  A neat large resort with numerous types of accommodations located right on the water.  I did not have a reservation but they had a ton of room options to choose from.  I ended up getting a little 1 bedroom condo style suite with a balcony over looking the water but can’t see the view really yet because it was pitch black.  Today I will explore and get some pics of the area during the day.

Part II coming up!  Although this is only a 48 hour getaway, it is still a good way to refuel from a long couple of weeks of being on call for work.  We are busy, which is a double edged sword.  Busy means people are dying but being in the Organ Donation “business” also means many lives are being saved.

My resting spot for the weekend.

I thought I would only stay one night but I think I have decided to stay here until Sunday and then head home.