Mir's Motorcycle Adventures

Spring is coming...eventually

2011-04-12T10:53:00.000-07:00

This winter has just been awful. I haven't seen this much rain in many years. Might be that we now live in Sooke, but winter has been terrible everywhere this year. I haven't felt too badly about having my bike parked and LOVE that I have a garage to park it in. I am just really getting sick of having to scrape the frost off of my windshield on my way to work in the morning. Usually by now I would have had my bike insured and had been riding to work already.

So, we've been spending our time working around the house and getting the yard in shape for the summer.

So here's to hoping that spring is coming soon and I can get out and play on my bike!

WE BOUGHT THE HOUSE!

2010-05-04T06:28:00.000-07:00

Finally! I ended up having to wait ALL day to find out! They say that the third time's the charm and it was so in our case. It took us a year to get all of our financial stuff in order but we got it all done and that was able to help our case.
I am so glad that I don't have to deal with the CMHC again as I think I would pull my hair out!
Time to start packing!

It's all good...

Next: The RENO blog! Whoo Hoo!

April 30, 2010 The fiasco continues...

2010-05-01T17:05:00.000-07:00

Unbelievable is the word that I would use to describe this transaction to buy a home. I have never experienced such a poorly managed banking transaction.
Friday morning we had the inspector go through the house and it was pretty much what we expected to see. So that was a "go"
On the other hand it was a good thing that I was working all morning or I would have been a basket case waiting for the phone to ring.
I get home at 2:00pm and make a phone call to Debbie to find out the status of our mortgage.
I have to leave a voicemail.
I come back from picking up the kids at 3:30 and phone Debbie again. She tells me that she hasn't heard anything but she is still trying to get a hold of them.
Debbie phones back 15 minutes later and tells me that "there was a computer glitch". WHAT???
"they can't see your father's application at the other end"..WHAT???
Twitch, twitch, twich...
Great
Now what?
"Can you possibly get an extention until Monday morning?"...um, NO as there are other offers waiting on the house.
So, Debbie gets her bosses boss to phone Peter who then tells them to phone the realtors as it was their "f&%k up" and beg for an extention.
It looks like we got it as we haven't heard anything.
I have never been more frustrated!
So now we have to wait the weekend and find out monday (hopefully morning).
Still hoping to be able to start a renovation blog!
:) Miriam

A change of plans

2010-04-29T20:43:00.000-07:00

It's funny how life makes plans for you while you weren't looking. I really enjoyed riding on the fine weather days that we had in the late winter and early spring. I even had my boss giving me the evil eye as his bike was still parked.

As the weather changed for the worse so did our lives (somewhat). At the end of March we received a 3 month notice for termination of rent. We have been renting this house for 4 years so it came as quite a shock as our landlord had told us not two months earlier that she was not going to sell the house. We were settling in beautifully and I had just planted some flower bulbs and had started a garden as I thought we were going to be around for at least a couple more years. Well, that was not to be so we were left with a decision.

We got ourselves a "plan B" and lined up a place to rent but thought "why not try and buy a home" as we were paying as much in rent as we would be to have a mortgage. Well, we did a mad week and a half dash and looked at 7 homes for sale and found one. Now it's not the prettiest thing on the block and it didn't show well, but it had LOTS of potential. Being handy kind of people we thought "why not" and put in an offer. They accepted.

So the insurance came up for renewal while all this was going on and we decided that we were going to park our bikes for the few weeks as we didn't want to have any extra expenses and wanted to put all our cash into the down payment. It hasn't been much of a loss as the weather this spring has been windy as hell and cold so I'm not really missing it too much. The only thing is that I had to give up the women's weekend in Uculet which is a real drag, but I couldn't justify the expenditure of going out to play while all this was happening.

So now we had to get the banking in order...
I would have thought that a 3 day wait would have been normal, but it's been 10 days of jumping through hoops to get this mortgage. I'm beyond frustrated with the whole thing and have lost 10 lbs (which I can't afford to lose) as I haven't been eating, and many nights of sleep over this whole fiasco.
It should be a simple accounting...they make x amount of dollars and the mortgage payment would be as much as they rent for...Shouldn't be an issue but of course it is. I think that the CMHC needs some new accountants that can actually add up the numbers!

So, we now have one day to get the mortgage and the house inspected. It HAS to all happen tomorrow or we LOSE the house as there are other offers in on it.

In the end, if we end up renting plan B I'll be fine with that but I sure as hell would be pretty angry for wasting my time and energy (and money for the inspection) for a house that they don't think we can have.

As soon as the bank says "yay" or "nay" I will be putting the insurance back on my bike and going for a LONG ride!

The fingers are crossed that I'll be starting a new renovation blog on my birthday June 1st. We take posession on the 31st of May and I think that taking ownership would be a great birthday gift!

Happy birthday, here's a sledgehammer...

Parked her for the winter

2010-02-25T10:38:00.000-08:00

Well, after riding all last winter and freezing my poor hands off and being waylaid by 3 weeks of snow, I decided that I should park my baby this winter. On the 26th of November I took my last ride and gave her a really good bath and wrapped her up with tears in my eyes. Now I was just waiting for the snow...

The snow DIDN'T come! Darn it! I had her parked for 2 months and at the end of January I re-insured her again. The crocus' weren't too far behind popping out of the ground so I knew that all was well.

Just last week the weather was gorgeous enough that I got to test my new GPS that I got for Christmas and buggered off for about 2 hours. There are some great roads to ride around here but I never know how to get to them. Now I have the ability to meander and not have to worry about where I go because I can always just "go home". You might laugh, but it's totally freed up how I ride. I now dare to explore a little more and can tell that some roads end or take off in a different direction.

I'm really looking forward to the ladies weekend in a couple of months. I haven't ridden out to Tofino yet so it's going to be great. I'm such an island road virgin...sigh...

Here's to months of great riding!

Port Alberni Toy Run, Sept 19, 2009

2009-10-07T11:09:00.000-07:00

I was told that this was "the one" to go to so I made plans last year to get the time off so I could go and do this. I headed up to Ed and Sue's again on Friday night and we had a lovely hot tub dip and a beer. Saturday morning we got up later than expected (7:30) and headed out to PA about an hour later.

Our small group got larger by the hour and eventually there were six or 7 of us who met up with the SCRC at a petrocan on the way. Hugs were exchanged as other bikes loaded with toys were racing up the highway to get to the run before the doughnuts ran out!

We pull into little qualicum falls and are later than they expected. By this time there

must have been about 700 bikes when we pulled in. It was an awesome sight to see.

This was just a few of them in the lower bowl and we had to make our way through the throng to reach the doughnuts! It was really nice to see some familiar faces and hugs were passed all around. I thanked Sue for wearing her pink jacket because I would have lost her without it! I was joking with Ed and he said, "yeah I'll be the guy in the black leather jacket...." It was a sea of black!

After making our way through the coffee line, I yacked with some of the Victoria CMC who were also there, passed around a few hugs, and had a good laugh.

Finally they start their presentation, the cannon fires and we get underway for the ride.

Little did I know, this was not a ride but a PARADE! Wow! I was so impressed by the turnout from the townspeople. They were lined up and honking and waving and holding thank you signs. Some moments just brought me to tears they were so touching. Parents had their sick kids by the road and they were waving. There was an entire home of elderly people out waving. It was just unbeliveable! There were bikes as far as the eye could see! The count was around 1100 bikes for the day.

I was expecting to go home afterwards, but ended up getting hoodwinked by a few cronies...but that's another story!

Sunday, July 19, 2009... The ride home

2009-08-03T04:14:00.000-07:00

In the morning I arose a little later and Bill wanted to get going so I had to pull up my socks and get to work tearing down camp. It took me about an hour or so and I wanted to take a few minutes to say my goodbyes to my wonderful hosts for the weekend! I really appreciate everything they did for me and I have to say that it was a BLAST!

So Bill and I take off on our bikes and head out to a bit of adventure! We were originally going to head down the Killarney Beach road to Kelowna and catch the connector, but there was a large forest fire raging at the time the closed the connector down so we decided to take the 5A (Lac Le Jeune) from Kamloops to Princeton. What a lovely road! The scenery was FANTASTIC and I REALLY have to stop and take some photos next time! I kept thinking as I was riding that the mountain roads are much more interesting than any of the island roads that I've explored so far, but I still have lots of island exploring to do!

After a bit of a detour we make it to Princeton without much trouble and stop at Billy's family restaurant in Princeton. Bill and I have a lovely chat and he points me in the right direction and I'm off on my own!

Riding through Manning Provincial Park is a lovely ride and I only had to change my underwear about 3 times as the cars in front of me decide to break in the MIDDLE of the turn which in turn makes me have to straighten up mid corner and apply my breaks which is always fun! There are a few good 30km/hr corners and the hairpin turns are definately interesting!

I've come to the conclusion that I'll be going to the stomp for many years to come just so I have a reason to try all the different roads home!

The funny thing is I stop at a chevron somewhere around Maple Ridge or so and who's whistling at me but Suzie. They left about an hour after Bill and I did and took to Coquihalla. I think I got the better deal! So we ride together towards the ferry and they decide they are going to make a stop for beer and I carry on. There was a 1 sailing wait for the ferry, but in all my motorcycling glory I made it just in time for boarding! I was on the ferry by 5 and home at about 7:30pm.

I had such a great time but it was sure nice to get home to hubby and the kiddos! I sure missed them! But, I can't wait to go back next year!

Saturday, July 18th...The biker games!

2009-07-29T18:09:00.000-07:00

I first woke up that morning and thought, "that's interesting, the band's still playing!" It was about 5:45 am at this time. I'd had a whole 4 1/2 hours of sleep (wouldn't have had any had I not had my ear plugs!) and I was ready for another day! No one was up in the camp at this time so I thought I would light up my little camp stove and make a coffee in my little one-cupper.. Forget it! I couldn't get the darned thing to light and gave up trying after about 20 minutes. My horrid camp stove experience was saved the the camp waking up and putting on the 20 cup perk.The day before I had bought "bribery muffins" for breakfast for my saviours. I figured that it was the least I could do to thank them for being such great hosts. It didn't take long for them to disappear either (the muffins, not the hosts!)

After a lovely coffee, I wandered over to see if anyone was awake at Bee and Bry's camp and there was! They also had some blessed coffee on and even wanted to share too! After visiting for a while I decided to go and jump in the creek again to cool off as the temperature was rising quickly! It was a little chilly when I got up in the morning and had started in sweatpants, but within the hour it had to be up to 24 degrees and I was ready for shorts! I was planning on spending the afternoon in camp so I had great reserve and cracked my first beer at noon...

By the time I wandered back, Jenn, Len, Ed, Sue, and Bill had woken up and were having a coffee with Bee and Bry. Seating was becoming a rare commodity and we were playing musical chairs for the afternoon. Jenn wanted to touch Len, but Ed kept getting in the way!

Watching the biker games was a HOOT! I'd never seen them before and everyone kept saying, "You can do that!" to me and I think that next year I'm going to enter them! It looks like WAY too much fun!

The first game involved picking up a potato from the cone and dropping it in the bucket then going over two see saws.

The second game was rolling a keg in front of the bike while keeping it in control, but the weenier competition was one of my favourites of the night! As you can see, the pillion had to chomp on a hot dog while balancing and not using her hands! Only one crash happened and the one that took the biggest bite won! After this, Bee, myself, and Sue went to go and get some dinner. I LOVED my perogy and sausage dinner that I had! I figured for 10 bucks it was worth not having to cook in the 34 degree heat!

I think next year I'll get Sue to do this one as she really wanted to do it this year...

This is the potato game where bikes have girls on the back that dive into a stack of hay to find a potato. Lots of wrestling seems to happen during this game! I guess some eyes get poked out and some fists get swung, but I missed it this year

And of course there has to be a burnout competition! This was the second guy that got the people running! The smoke was so thick and the smell of burning rubber is not one of my favourites!

Soon after this the bands started. I was REALLY looking forward to the HOT BUNS contest that evening and kept yelling, "BRING ON THE HOT BUNS!!!!!" By this time I had about 11 beer and was having a great time! I had to get through the wet t-shirt contest first before getting to see the buns. It sure brought me back to the days when Pete worked as the bartender in the strip bar (which BTW may be where the two guys knew me from...)

So, the hot buns competition begins and there is one ADONIS of a man up there that was just a pleasure to look at. Before the good stuff begins, some A-HOLE in the crowd decides that he's going to throw a beer bottle up on stage and ends up whacking the announcer on the head who then requires a whole lot of attendants, and an ambulance pick up later. The girls in the crowd were disgusted with the entire thing and I decided to call it a night, disapointed that I didn't get to see Adonis' butt! Meanwhile they were trying to figure out who did it. I sure wouldn't want to be the guy responsible for that!

So after borrowing Bill's flashlight (again...) I settled in for the night after organizing my stuff in the tent a bit and sticking in my earplugs again. I think between the 12 beer and the heat of the day, I fell asleep in about 10 seconds!

Friday, July 17th...The first night of the party

2009-07-29T17:53:00.000-07:00

Who said you had to sit on your motorcycle seat? Not these guys obviously! The evening started with a stellar bike jumping display by two very brave young gentlemen. You have to be young to do this stuff as I'm pushing 40 and look at it and think, "YOU"RE CRAZY!"

It sure makes those mountain twisties look lame!

After these brave souls entertained us for about half an hour, I cracked another beer (probably about my 5th for the day) and settled down to visit a bit more with Bee, Brian, Jenn, and Len, Bill, and everyone else who wandered along to say hello. I'm thinking that next year I have to be up on the grounds to take in the entire experience and I'm going to drag my sis along!

The band began to play and they were good. The music was alright but not my genre. Had I been about 10 years older I would have probably enjoyed it a bit more. I kept waiting for more upbeat tunes. I guess the last band of the night was the one that I was waiting for, but I had long since gone to bed before they started. That was at 1am!

I learned that night that there are some things that are extremely important to enjoy your weekend. The first thing is a cooler full of beer and the second is EARPLUGS! I guess the third would be a swimsuit to jump into the creek with!

Friday, July 17th...good morning

2009-07-26T18:58:00.000-07:00

Friday morning began with a need for sustenance. Marianne was kind enough to have some coffee on so I stayed and chatted for a while then I headed up to the grounds to hunt down some breakfast and to meet up with Jenn and Len. I got the pleasure of meeting Bee and Bryan who were wonderful hosts.

I wandered over to Mom's to get a sausage and egger and was pleasently surprised at how little the cost was and thought that I might as well eat at the vendors rather than buy groceries and try and make myself something to eat every day.

I was of course on holidays, so I had to buy myself a "little something" or 3 and I had to get a "suck up" gift for hubby. I got some great choices as the vendors were just opening up and were fully stocked (and they took visa..)

Ed and I went out for a bit of a ride to Vernon and back and things started to get a little busier in the afternoon.

By the time we got back from our ride it was 34 degrees again and I HAD to get down to the creek to cool off or I was going to melt!

It was a LOVELY dip although I was so hot that the water felt ice cold getting in! I was unprepared for this and didn't have a bathing suit, but shorts and a tank top did just fine! I walked back to camp which was about 10 minutes away and couldn't believe that my hair was dry by the time I got there. It usually takes 8 hours to dry! I was really looking forward to the party in the evening. After I got back from the creek I left my bike parked and decided that it was time for a beer (or 12 as it turned out...), but that's another story!

The evening of July 16

2009-07-24T20:28:00.000-07:00

Myself, Rusty and Pepsi (the worlds' worst little hooligans...har..har..not!), Keith and Marianne, Dan, Bill, Karen, Arlene Chris, Scott, Scott, Heidi and Jim, and Ed and Sue were all hanging around the "campfire" yacking away for the evening. I was greatful that Keith and Marianne saved us some camping spaces which ended up being in one of the best spots, right on the corner not too far from the grounds or the creek, although that didn't save me from getting blisters where my sandals rubbed on my heels, but that's another story...

I found out that night that I brought WAY too much stuff with me, now I'll know for next time as Keith and Marianne not only set up camp, but they had brought a complete camp kitchen with them as well! I was very impressed!

So although there were no campfires allowed, Keith had a snazzy propane fired one with briquettes and everything in it so it was great to sit around and tell horror stories. They don't call it the "geritol section" for nothing. I swear I saw an entire pharmacy come out that night as everyone had to take an assorted pill for something or other...quite amusing...

I think I headed to bed somewhere around 10pm. I was pretty pooped from riding all day but couldn't wait to discover what was waiting up at the grounds the next day! I had to borrow Bill's flashlight so I could find my flashlight (I know....) and my ear plugs. I had a feeling that between the bikes going by all night and the general chatting going on that I would need them.

Thursday, July 16th

2009-07-23T18:46:00.001-07:00

What a great day!

Ed, Sue, Bill, and I all headed out to the ferry at 5:30am. Len and Jenn weren't too far behind, getting into the lineup about 10 minutes after we did. It sure is different being at the front of the line with no waits. It's a real treat.
So after learning about parking on the ferry everyone proceeds to book it upstairs to the buffet while I stay behind and yack for a few minutes.

After I find out where everyone is, I wait in line to get something to eat, and wait, and wait. I don't think the line moved for 20 minutes. I met a nice lady and her kids that were travelling back to Edmonton and was joking as another walked by with a coffee, "She has coffee! Get her!" The lady laughed and said, "If I was waiting for coffee I could go to the front and get it and that I only had to wait in line for food". DUH! Off I go to get a coffee and meet everyone who have been sitting down and have already eaten. I think they were wondering if I fell off the ferry. I'll now know for next time. I haven't been on a ferry for 4 years...

Finally we get to the other side and disembark into the great blue yonder.

The roads were spectacular! The scenery was breathtaking. We stopped by a rest stop around Hope and wondered if my tank had an eternal gas spring as I was at 205 kms and hadn't even hit my reserve. As we were stopped I looked around at the mountains and thought that they confirm that I'm only here for mere moments so I'd better make the best of it!

We stopped off at the log cabin pub in Spences Bridge or also called "the middle of butt-f**k nowhere" but it was really cool inside. They had an old harley on display as well as some other interesting articles. The beer sure tasted good as the temperature outside must have been nearing 30 degrees, but you won't hear me complaining! The burger I had was really tasty too!

After riding for about 12 hours we arrived at our destination...THE STOMP! I learned a couple of things here...

1. It's interesting trying to park your bike on uneven ground

2. That piece of metal that I brought with me sure came in handy, and

3. Setting up my tent at home was MUCH easier! Murphy's law...

Wednesday, July 15, 7pm

2009-07-23T18:41:00.000-07:00

I left the house after putting the kids to bed and made it to Ed and Sue's place wihout much trouble. Have an early wake up to leave at 5:30am to catch the 6:20 am ferry.

Salmon Arm here I come!

2009-07-15T15:52:00.000-07:00

I have successfully tested setting up my tent, I have tried lighting my little stove, I have packed my bike and I am READY to GO to Salmon Arm for the weekend!

This is going to be a lot of "firsts" for me. It'll be my first time on the ferry from Nanaimo, first time on the ferry with my bike, first time through the mountains, first time camping without family, and first ever biker party. This should be FUN!

I'm going to tuck the kids in and then head up to Nanaimo to Ed and Sue's place for the night then we are leaving at the lovely hour of 5:30 tomorrow morning to catch the first ferry off the island. I will update my blog on Monday or Tuesday!

Canada Day Ride 2!

2009-07-02T07:43:00.000-07:00

What a fun day that was! It's always a good day when you go for a ride and lunch with good friends! Last year there were 6 riders in town here and this year there were 16 riders. Last year it was a ride where the ladies came to meet me and it was my first group ride. This year, we took the kids and it was their first group ride! They LOVED it and did a great job being good little riders! Everyone was really good with the kids and it was nice to see Jenn's girl Kaylee out for a bit of the ride as well. It was Peter's first ride with my group of friends and I joked that he was our fighter pilot escort for the day. By the time we got to Sidney he wasn't the odd man out anymore as Mark was there with his Spyder and Bear was there with his tryke. Can't wait for next year's ride!

Canada Day Ride 2!

2009-06-29T21:15:00.000-07:00

Wow! Where does the time go? Canada day is just around the corner again and I am looking forward to another fabulous ride with some fabulous islanders! This time the entire family is going. I haven't told the kiddos yet, but they'll be pumped! I am proud to say that I have now ridden 8000 kilometers in the past year. Small potatoes to some, but big for me!

If it wasn't for the RLAP training that Tanis put me through I would not be nearly as competent or comfortable on my bike as I am! I caught the RLAP bug, and after I took my sis to the parking lot, I got her hooked on riding too!

Had a great Conga II ride up to Campbell River and back with Tanis on June 1st, and it was sure dark on the way back home! Thanks to Mark, his spyder lit the way for 70kms back home then I was in the dark for the rest of it. It was a 12 hour day on the bike and it was sure a lot of fun! My knees were not very greatful though!

I'd do it again in a heartbeat!

The next thing is going to Salmon Arm for THE STOMP! I'm so pumped! It'll be my first big trip through the mountains and being away for 5 days! Wow! I have my luggage and I'm ready to GO! Three weeks and counting... Who knew that riding could be such a BLAST! To be continued!

July 17,2008...The Road Test...

2009-05-27T15:53:00.000-07:00

I woke up that morning with a pit in my stomach as I don't like taking tests at all, never mind one while you are hurtling down the road at 50km/hr. The test was set for 1:15 in the afternoon and I was to pick up the bike from the class instructors by 11:30 am. I prepared for the test by putting a fluorescent orange stripe up the middle of my helmet so they could easily see when I was shoulder checking. Jen told me to remember to be a "bobble head" so they could see what I was doing. So my bobble head and I went to go and pick up the bike.

Kelly my course instructor gave me some helpful tips before I took off on the bike and gave me a thumbs up signal and could wait to find out if I passed. She thought that the fluorescent tape was great because she said, "they would know that I would know that they were looking for me to be shoulder checking" I get to the driver services center a bit too early. I can feel my confidence waining as I am waiting.

Finally they call me....

The gentleman introduces himself and proceeds to put me into a safety Dan vest and gives me an earphone so I can listen to him. We go outside to the bike and he sees the "Learn to Ride" signs plastered all over the bike which I think helped. We go through the checks on the bike then we head out for our ride.

Along the way I lose him as I get through a traffic light so he tells me to turn right and wait for him by the side of the road. I must have done a good job as it took him 5 minutes to catch up with me. He then asks me to do a U-turn and go the other way. All is going well.

We get back to the driver services building and he tells me to park so I proceed to try and park in a handicapped spot...OOPS! He tells me that I might not want to park there...

We go inside and he basically marked me down for my lane position a few times and a couple of minor things. I actually had to ask him if I passed as he never told me!

I PASSED!!!!

Now begins the true adventure!

Next...Flo/Tannis, A new Nickname, and RLAP training

Just a short note....

2009-05-26T23:49:00.000-07:00

In a couple of days I will be renewing my insurance for another year...

Hard to believe that a year has passed already! What a fantastic experience this has been and continues to be and I wouldn't give it up for the world!

(I also have to get off of my tush and update this blog more often!)

My Class and my MST test

2009-05-26T23:32:00.000-07:00

July 2, 2008 begins the classroom portion of the course. I of course forget the book but am able to borrow a copy which is a good thing. Now, it's not all that exciting but classroom time is one of those things that should just be done. As a driver it was a good refresher as I was finding myself trying to remember what some of the road signs were, etc. Before I studied for my written exam I never even knew that it was legal to turn left onto a one way street on a red light in BC. I got my drivers in Alberta eons ago so I would have never known that.

So the next week we start the actual parking lot practice. I'm all excited to try a cruiser style of motorcycle so they decide to put me on a Virago 250. My first U-turn and I dump it which is very embarrassing being one of the few in the class that had some riding experience! At least I got to do the "how to pick a bike up" lesson and was a lovely example for all. After that they put me on a different Honda 250 that was more of a standard motorcycle like the one I had at home. I was feeling fairly comfortable with the bike after a little bit and seemed to do fairly well with it by the end of the first day. It was just those darned pylons that kept psyching me out in the U-turn!

Sunday morning comes around and we have the MST (motorcycle skills test) to do. The plan was to practice in the morning, take the test, then go for a ride in the afternoon. Much to my relief they ended up scoring the test themselves and didn't bring another tester in to mark me which probably would have freaked me right out. After putting my foot down in the U-turn the first time he told me that I, "must complete the U-turn competently to pass". Well, determined as I am, I sailed right through it that time so I very happily got to take my paperwork down to the motor vehicles branch to get my highway and supervisor restrictions lifted. OH HAPPY DAY! That afternoon was spent in an enjoyable ride around town to get some road practice.

Next,

THE ROAD TEST!!!!!

VILR, WWR, and the "Canada Day" Ride!

2009-01-20T12:00:00.000-08:00

After my first ride, I'm surfing around the internet as my friend

said that there was a women rider's site and that I should check it out. So I finally stumble across the Women Who Ride site (WWR) which was the beginning of many great relationships with other ladies. The forum moderator, Donna welcomes me into the group as well as a bunch of other wonderful ladies. While I am being welcomed I notice a lady named "Flo" who has a link to

her Vancouver Island Lady Rider's site. Well, life just gets more interesting all the time! I click on the link and introduce myself. This is before Flo is back from her Conga, but being new I did not know this and posted if anyone goes out for rides together. Dragon says that Flo's away "on the adventure of a lifetime" but something will happen when she gets back.

I'm sad to say that I missed Flo coming back for the conga, but she comes back and the talk begins about a "Canada Day" ride to meet Baby (me) in Victoria. I got the nick Baby because I was the youngest of the group at the time, also probably because I was riding a little 250cc bike. Jos, Flo, Dragon, and a few others are madly trying to set up dates. Of course my wonky work schedule always makes it interesting!

I'm still waiting to take my course, and don't have my MST at

this time so I'm just a noob. I'm excited that I'm going to meet some of "the girls", little did I know that I would be arriving to a large group of motorcycles!

Now that's a sight to see!

It was quite an eye opener for me as I had never seen so many bikes (seemed like it to me!) in one spot.

Dragon and I had discussed the route earlier and decided to go down Munn's road. Munns is a great twisty, windy road. Six of us set out to have a good time and a great ride!

We navigated Munns and decided that we were going to take Flo down to Esquimalt Lagoon for a look-see.

The scenery from there is breathtaking. You can see across the strait to Seattle from there on a clear day.

Left to right: Dragon, Flo, Me, Tazz, Janice

From there we took Metchosin Road, to Happy Valley Road, then to Kangaroo Road which is very scenic and twisty. We stopped at the 16 mile pub for a bit of relaxation and some dinner, then rode from there back into town. Now, as I only had a learners permit, I was not allowed to go over 60km/hr. Well, we blew that right out of the water as we were going back to town at 80. Meanwhile my little 250 was giving her all trying to keep up with the "big girls". I could have sworn that it was going to explode! So, we get into town and I split off from the group as we are all going our different ways. It was a great ride and a memorable time!

Next: My class, My MST test, and my Road Test

My birthday and my first real ride!

2009-01-11T18:39:00.000-08:00

June 1, 2008

Happy 37th birthday to me! I had lots of practice in the driveway and up and down our little road but hadn't been able to get out for a real ride as our friend Bob had surgery on his wrist and had been unable to ride at that point. For a birthday gift he said that he would supervise me while I practiced at the Juan De Fuca parking lot. He was going to meet us there I didn't want to ride the bike there so Peter rode the bike for me and I followed him in the car.

Bob asked me to do a few things like an emergency stop, and some u turns so he could see how I was doing. After about 10 minutes he told me to go out of the parking lot and ride down the road and turn back into the parking lot. There are 3 lots connected together by this one road. As long as he could see me it was okay for me to do this. Meanwhile I was trying to remember to look after I stopped and use my turn signals (and remember to turn them off). After about half an hour of riding all over these 3 lots, Bob and Peter looked at each other then looked at me. They agreed that I was ready to ride in traffic. I asked them if they were sure and they told me that I was more than ready to ride the bike home!

So, they all hop in the car and they follow me out of the parking lot. That first ride was a bit scary but I was confident that I could do it. I didn't even stall the engine! Now I just had to take my course and my road test and I was ready to ride my own!

Next...VILR and the Canada Day Ride!

I get on the bike and my dumbass moment

2009-01-10T03:44:00.001-08:00

So now I have all my gear and Peter starts to show me all the controls on the bike. It's a little overwhelming at first trying to be coordinated enough to use the clutch, throttle, and back break but the start of the practice of going up and down the driveway a billion times has begun.

Thankfully the driveway at our house is about 50 feet long, 12 feet wide, and straight so it's great for practicing slow speed riding and wide enough to work on my u-turns. I always did really well at the top of the driveway, but when I got to the bottom I was always getting psyched out by a flower pot. I always told myself, "don't look at that flowerpot!" because I knew that just by looking at it I could run into it! Don't look at what you want to avoid! That was the first lesson. I finally got tired of looking at the flower pot so I moved it out of my line of sight!

So, I rode up and down the driveway for a couple of weeks just getting used to how the controls work and the bike feels and thought that I was doing well. By this time it was getting closer to my birthday so we decided to insure the bike so I could actually get out of the driveway. This was very exciting knowing that I was going to finally go further than 50 feet! I was doing well until I learned my second lesson.

The second lesson was a mix of the first lesson and learning the hard way to wear my gear at all times. I went from riding in the driveway to riding up and down our street. The first time went well and the corner that I thought would be a challenge really didn't turn out to be one. So I get back to the house, cheer, and start out again. I wore all my gear except for my pants thinking that I was only doing low speeds so it wouldn't matter. Boy was I wrong! This time I forgot to shift down from second and started to turn out of the driveway. The bike starts behaving badly and in the process of trying to figure it out, I looked down. When I looked down I looked at the gravel on the side of the road. The next thing I knew I was busy inspecting the gravel. Of course this had to be in front of not only my husband, but my kids as well. Boy was that embarrassing! The bike landed on my leg and thankfully I was wearing my boots but I wasn't wearing my pants with the protective armour and ended up with my first (and hopefully last) road rash on my knee. Peter came over and picked the bike up off of me while I was laying there and telling the kids that I was okay. Lesson learned. No more dumbass moments for me! I wear all my gear at ALL times!

I've always taught my kids that if you fall down, you pick yourself back up and keep going. That's what I did, flaming face and all. After about another 20 minutes of riding, I limped into the house to fix up my knee while Peter of course had to take photos of the whole thing. Sheesh!

next...my birthday and my first real ride!

so now what?

2009-01-08T13:23:00.000-08:00

So it's early May by this time and I have this bike sitting in my driveway. It's not insured or registered and i don't even have my learners licence yet so I decide to start cleaning up and polishing up the bike. I never imagined that it could be that much work!

The first thing on the list was to give her a nice hot soapy bath! She had been sitting around for a while and she was DIRTY! I found some rust in places and found out that wet aluminum foil works wonders on rusted chrome without scratching it! So after getting the rust under control I started to polish her; for hours!

After putting about 10 hours into it, hubby tells me to try the dremmel tool. Well, the corrosion on the engine case started to fly! I couldn't believe how much faster it went using the dremmel! It was a matter of personal pride and the fact that the bike wasn't going anywhere until I had my gear! By the time I started to get into riding her I had put 35 hours into detailing her. She started looking pretty respectable.

Meanwhile I was on the hunt for some decent gear. Peter and I had gone to SG Power to try on and price some gear. I fell in love with my Yamaha Luv jacket! Since I had such a nice jacket, I HAD to have a matching helmet! Sadly, when I asked SG Power if they had my pink Mainframe helmet, they told me that I couldn't get it anymore. It must have been last year's stock. Well, that wasn't going to stop me! I came home and started browsing around on Ebay to see if I could find it there. Not only did I find it, but I also found out that I could get my gear just as new for less money! I ordered it all from Ebay and ended up saving myself over 350 dollars! Not only did I have gear that I needed, but I had gear that I LOVED! I was waiting anyway to register the bike, so it wasn't a big deal to have to wait for the gear. When each piece of gear arrived in the mail, it was like Christmas! Talk about fun!

Next...

I get on the bike!

What it's all about

2009-01-07T19:45:00.001-08:00

How it all began...

2009-01-07T16:04:00.000-08:00

I never in a zillion years would have imagined riding my own, but here I am 9 months later and loving the riding lifestyle and the new friends that I have met along the way.

It really began in May 2007 when gasoline went up to 1.35 per litre. It was starting to cost me dearly just to get to and from work every month! I don't have a new car, it's a 1982 Oldsmobile Omega so you can see that she's a huge gas guzzler!

We were wandering around Action Motorcycles and I kept saying to Peter, "I think I should get a scooter". He told me that I should get a motorcycle because the distance that I have to travel doesn't really make a scooter the best choice plus I wouldn't be able to go on the highway with it. I kept stalling about that as I thought it was a pain in the butt to have to get my licence but eventually logic won out. So, I booked the riding class with Learn To Ride motorcycle training. A couple of weeks later, there is a little Kawasaki KZ250 sitting by the side of the road on the way home with a for sale sign on it. I looked at it on the way by but didn't think much of it. Peter on the other hand, stopped, checked it out, called the guy, and took it for a spin. He gave me a call and told me, "I think we found you a bike. The guy doesn't want to take the effort to clean it up so it's yours for five hundred bucks." My response was, "SOLD!" Peter came home and we ran out to pull the money out of the bank because Visa is "everywhere you want to be" and we wanted the bike to "be" in our driveway. We brought the bike home and I was now a "biker chick"...well kind of....

to be continued...