Ride Vancouver Island video

I belong to a women's motorcycle group on social media and we have a monthly picture game, this month its "Where would you take your friends riding?"  The game is usually just a single photo, but I managed to put together a video.  Welcome to my island!

*Theme Music used in this video is with the licensed permission of Apple iMovie and does not violate copyright

Out riding

My BFF Kiwi Deb and I took to 2 wheels and went riding for a couple of days. Of course we stopped at most of thr bike shops on the island to browse whats new and look for gear.   Deb is trying to find wsys to make her CTX more comfortable and it nay actually mean a new bike altogether due to the peg forward peg position, which is making her reach too much & hurting her back and knees.  So the quest continues on the comfort front.

Saw this MV Agusta Rivale, pretty bike, but its not on my list. 

 We stopped and had lunch in Port Alberni, a very hearty and delicious halibut and chips, needless to say I was too full for dinner.  Then it was onto Cathedral Grove to walk amongst  the old growth forest. It is so beautiful in there. 

The trees were so tall I couldb't fit th into my camera.

After that we headed off to Qualicum Beach in search of icecream, it was blistering hot.

Very refreshing!

It was a beautiful summer day on the island.

Today we are out and about again to wherever the wind blows us. 

For the love of motorcycling

My progression of bikes

A recurring subject on this blog is the love of motorcycling, not just a particular brand, but all motorcycles, whether it be a huge land yacht cruiser, an adventure tour bike, retro bike, or scooter, if it has 2 wheels I love it. It is true what some say "4 wheels move the body, but 2wheels move this soul."  I am sure most riders know exactly what is meant by that statement and have had wonderful experiences that have changed them, clarified thoughts, sometimes ideas are born, and in general there is nothing like seeing life from the seat of a motorcycle.  

I will be the first to admit it's not all roses and sunshine,particularly in the beginning when the learning curve is high and mistakes can be costly.  I know first hand how things can go sideways, but it's what keeps it interesting, it's never dull on a bike! I spent a week of my vacation mentoring new novice riders, which is what I love doing. I love thrill I get when you see it click, as if the moto light has come on after a morning of me repeatedly hollering "Head & eyes up! Loll where you want to go! Don't the bike ride at idle, stay in the friction zone!" 

One of my students asked me this question on a very hot day 3 of novice class (low 90's and high humidity) "Wouldn't you rather be riding on a day like today?"  My response "No, the joy I get through seeing you become a rider is just about as good as riding a twisty road." They looked a little shocked, but that's because they aren't seeing the big picture like I am, a mere 2 days before, most had never ridden a bike, done up a helmet, or twisted a throttle, now they are accelerating, shifting, counter steering and riding, and riding their MST. WOW! That's a huge accomplishment.  So yup spending a few days of vacation mentoring new riders was time well spent, I know that these 8 riders have a good foundation of skills to build on.  Seeing the smiles as I gave them their grad card & helmet sticker is quite a moment for both of us.

I was getting ready to demonstrate the MST riding test. Boy was it hot! 

Whoa it's been one busy summer

I have been out enjoying summer to its fullest, hence the resulting lack of posts! 

We ventured up to Tofino for 10 days of glamping, eating, relaxing, and of course catching sunsets.

This is my absolute favourite sunset, it was a blazing hot day and the marine clouds rolled in and this was the result.  My little iPhone managed to catch it's breathtaking beauty. 

Another day, another sunset.

Of course food is a large part of any experience for me and we visited Chocolate Tofino several times as well as Wildside Grill and Red Can Gourmet.

The eating area of Wildside is rustic and natural. Wildside has wonderful fresh hearty burgers & fries with a good assortment of fresh fish, it is more of an organic eating experience.

The shelter is made of cedar and driftwood and on top it is sculpted to look like a fish skeleton. 

The Red Can Gourmet recently added a bistro seating area.  The food is amazing here, fresh ingredients, thought put into the dishes and very delicious. They make the most exquisite seafood chowder with freshly seafood, served with a fresh baguette - when you eat this it is an "Oh my god" food experience moment.

We played bocce, walked the beach, flew kites and relaxed. The weather was fabulous and we had sun and warm temps. 

We even actually managed to have a fire at the beach!

The highlight of my vacation was seeing our young and vibrant Prime Minister Justin Trudeau.  We heard that he and his family were vacationing in Tofino and they were enjoying their vacation. The day before we left we ventured out to Long Beach to fly kites and pulled into where JT and Sophie were surfing. The boy can surf! When I was leaving to go back to the Moho there were very official black cars parked behind us, and beside us.  I looked iPad there he was! He looks like his momma.  It's Trudeau mania all over again, I think what fosters this is his genuine compassion and he is just downright nice. It was pretty exciting to see Canada's first family.

We had an amazing 10 days in Tofino and I can hardly wait until next year. 

I will leave this post with a few more pics of our lovely vacation.

Everyone including puppy was tired and happy after frolicking on the beach all day.

Relaxed and rested.

Here we are on the way into Tofino. We always stop at the river on the way in.

There is a piece of fencing where people have attached locks with notes, little snippets of people's lives. Notes about engagements, marriages, births, hopes for the future, notes of good luck and love all attached to locks. 

It was quite touching and in a few cases sad. 

The water was icy cold.

And of course it's pie baking season for me!

Just to temp you!