The Squamidian Report – Oct. 3 / 09
Issue #384
Including:
The Ontarion
Hi All,
Those of you who are fed up with hearing about our motorcycling adventures will be pleased to know that last weekend was probably our final major ride of the season. The riding season on the coast could very well last another two or three months but to go anywhere out of the Lower Mainland requires climbing up over the mountains and winter will be up in those mountains all too soon. In fact, it arrived this week. As that song Warren and I do goes, it’s ‘Snowin’ Up On Brohm’.
Anyway, getting back to last weekend’s ride, it was spectacular. It was beyond spectacular, it was a big two-day-long WOW! So, grab a BC map and follow along.
We left here Saturday morning about 8 and rode over to Ryan’s place where he and his lady friend were waiting for us, then headed out onto the Sea to Sky toward Vancouver and onto the Trans Canada, highway #1. There was some marine cloud and it was a bit on the cool side but traffic was light and the riding was good. First stop was down near Chilliwack where we stopped for a coffee and to fuel up. The tank and Ryan’s Sportster is fairly small and fuel stops can be quite far apart in some places so we need to top up the tanks whenever we can. So with that in mind we stopped again in Hope to top up the tanks for the run up over Allison Pass in Manning Park (highway #3). By the time we reached Hope the clouds had long since burned off leaving a clear blue sky but it was still on the cool side. It warmed quite nicely as we dropped down into Princeton where we pulled into a restaurant for some lunch and to hook up with our friends. We had arranged to meet our biking friends there because it is almost exactly half way between where we live in Squamish and where they live in the Kootenay’s.
After lunch we headed further east on #3 and rode through the scenic valley that leads to Osoyoos in the Okanogan Valley. Here we turned north onto #97 and headed north up the valley. This took us along Osoyoos Lake, Skahal Lake and then the large Okanogan Lake.
The Okanogan Valley is quite interesting. It is surrounded by high uplands that are dry and sparse, dotted with stunted trees and sagebrush. The valley bottom is true dessert at the south end and near dessert further north, yet it is cut down the middle by the river and numerous long lakes. The valley is a riff in the earth’s crust. Some of the lakes are very deep, Okanogan Lake being over 700 ft in places. The scenery is fantastic. We took our time and rode leisurely up through Oliver, Pentiction, Summerland and Peachland, ending up in Kelowna by evening.
After finding a motel we saddled back up and rode out to find a restaurant. Then we visited and enjoyed the evening.
Next morning (Sunday) dawned clear and cold, -1, (we are in the mountains, after all) but there was on wind and the air is very dry so it didn’t really feel that cold. As I was mucking about waiting for everyone to get up I spotted some magpie birds. I didn’t know they were that far west. They are very pretty birds, about the size of a pigeon and have black wings and backs with white chests. Their tails are almost parrot-like.
After breakfast our friends headed back toward the Kootenay’s and we headed west onto #97c, the Okanogan connector. It climbs steadily up to and over a 6000 ft pass and by the time we crossed the pass the temperature was a very fresh –6. Good thing we have heated vests. This is incredibly beautiful country with deep valleys and dry grasslands, high mountains and wild rivers. It warmed somewhat as we dropped down into Merritt where we stopped for fuel and a warm drink. From Merritt it is an easy hop over the Coquihalla and down back into Hope. From Hope it is a 2.5-hour ride home along the TC and the Sea to Sky. While on that ride, Ryan crossed the 20,000-kilometer marker for miles traveled on his bike this season and my bike hit the 47,500 mark, having put on about 18,000 clicks this season. Seems like we are getting pretty good use out of our bikes.
Our weekend ride accounted for 1,100 kilometers. The whole point of a bike road trip is to travel, explore new roads and see the country rather than travel to a destination. So there is no point in stopping somewhere in the middle of the afternoon unless it is a scenic lookout or some other point-of-interest. The kilometers click by quickly and easily, effortlessly. And arriving back home is the only destination.
doug
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Hello
everyone!
October
always seems to signal the start of winter even though it’s not that at all.
It’s just the beginning of the aftermath of summer and the doldrums that tend
to set in once we all know the sunshine and warm temps are history for another
year. The packing up of the outdoor furniture and other items that we have on
the patio, porch or deck during the warmest time of the year signals also the
start of a new and cooler season. What the heck, that’s life in Canada isn’t
it? LOL! Who the heck wants summer all year long anyway? What would we do with
all the winter toys that we’ve collected over the years if we didn’t get snow?
I was out
doing a little shopping last week and of course Costco has their Christmas
stock on sale already and people are taking advantage of it. There were three
carts in my line up with trees in them along with the normal groceries. They
were still in the boxes but I could just picture their kids wanting to put them
up the minute their parents walked in the door with them. LOL! Better hide them
in the garage for a couple of months!
*
We’ve
been having the rainy days happening once again so I guess that means the lawn
mowing will soon be coming to an end. I took out the Ninja and cut the grass
today hoping that the frost tonight will stunt the growth of my lawn for the
rest of the season. I’ve been able to keep it cut like a “brush cut” all this
summer and it’s generated many positive compliments from passersby. It makes
the effort worthwhile when people notice your hard work. To my surprise, the
corner of our front lawn hasn’t taken a beating from kids and others cutting
across it this summer as I expected it would. When I had the fence right up to
the corner they managed to step on the remaining one foot of grass between it
and the sidewalk, making a mess of it.
I figured
that once the fence was no longer there they’d make a habit of walking and
biking further onto the lawn and kill a larger portion of the grass I planted
in place of the fence. I’m happy to say that I only saw a couple of people who
took a shortcut across the corner. The new grass is right to the edge and
healthy as can be. It’s kind of restored my faith in the kids of the
neighbourhood to see that they actually respected the results of my efforts to
have a full lawn without two square feet of brown dirt on the point of the
corner. Now if I can only keep the mini snow plow guy from the city from taking
a big chunk out of the edge of the lawn this winter. He has always had the
fence a foot in from the sidewalk as a guide line when he scoots down the side
of our property but this winter he’ll actually have to be careful not to peel
up the lawn. I’m sure he’s skilled enough to make that pass with his blade only
ripping up the sod on the boulevard side of his machine. He’s managed to make a
permanent 6” edge of dirt on that side in the past eleven winters so why would
he change his habit now? Guess all I can do is try to be out there the first
time he has to clear the snow and encourage him to be careful. Besides, I’ve
been told by the planning dept at Kitchener City Hall that they own the first
25’ in each direction from the corner of my, oops, or should I say “their” lawn
anyway. So, if he rips it up with the plow I’m sure they’ll send a crew around
in the spring to fix his faux pas without my even having to phone City Hall to
request it! After all, haven’t they been coming out a couple of times a week
since I removed that part of the fence to cut and fertilize that portion of
“their” lawn? So why wouldn’t they repair it after the plow damages it? LOL!
I’ll have to wait and see that one too!
That’s it
for now folks!
Thanks
for tuning in and I look forward to talking to you all again next week in The
Ontarion Report!
Bye for now… Greg.
PS:
Something To Think About>
Do you
think we could talk Iran into using their new nuclear facility for the
production of medical isotopes to share with the rest of the world? Hmmm….?
Quick,
gimme the red phone to Obama’s office, I want to catch him before he orders the
annihilation of “Imadinnerjacket’s” new “friendly” nuke plant. Maybe he’ll see
the light?!!
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Have a good one..
the doug
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