So, our trip to Bonnyville was pretty good.  We did take the bike and managed to get everything we needed for the weekend in the saddle bags and in one medium duffel bag that we tied to the back of the sissy bar. 

The ride there was cloudy and a bit windy, but there was no rain.  Always a bonus when traveling anywhere by motorcycle!  We checked into the hotel then headed out to the cabin for the party. 

It is a really small world...Michelle knew a bunch of people there.  Some from when she was growing up, some from her work and some from the Folk Fest.  Strange how that works eh?  After talking to one couple for a while I found out that he grew up in the same town as I did, and was in the same class/year as my brother.  Small world!

We ate too much, drank too little (can't drink when riding the bike) and I was relaxing on the front porch when I heard my name being called over the PA system.  Kathleen's brother is a stage hypnotist and was apparently about to put on a show.  Seeing as I have been hypnotized before they wanted me in the show.  I reluctantly agreed.

As it turns out, I was the ONLY one who got hypnotized, so I WAS the show.  Apparently I am a Barbie Girl, I can teach Irish Dancing, I can't do the Twist but I can dance like Cyndi Lauper.  I am a gentle but firm Spiderman, swear when I lose the winning Lotto Max ticket and kissed a ton of people.  At least Joe was nice and kept the show clean!  LOL

The ride home was looking to be perfect on Sunday.  Not a cloud in the sky.  We stopped in Vegreville at my friend's place for a BBQ and when we were leaving the storms had come.  Almost the whole ride was in the rain.  Oh well...the windshield on the bike kept us pretty dry actually so it wasn't bad.

Any excuse to ride...another 500km on the bike!  :)

Motorcycle Trips

So...in the past 2 weeks I have put on over 2000kms on my motorcycle.  YAY!

The first 1200km was a weekend trip with some friends.  2 of us rode to Hinton on a Friday to meet up with the other guys who were coming from Grande Prairie.  The 4 of us (with a 5th following in a car) then rode to Jasper where we spent the night.
Saturday we rode the Icefield Parkway from Jasper to Banff.  We made a bunch of stops along the way to check out some of the sights, as well as rest.  The ride was AMAZING but at one point it did hit 8c, though when we were riding by the glacier it felt a LOT colder than that.
Sunday we left Banff and headed home.  At Canmore we veered off and took the 1A to Cochrane, which was an amazing ride in itself.  From there we headed home.
It was a long 3 days of riding, but worth every second.  Of course, the day after we get home my new seat arrived.  Even after doing 1200km in 3 days I still had to test out the new seat.  150km later I can say that the new seat is worth every penny.
One thing I didn't have for this trip was a windshield.  After fighting the wind for 1200km I knew I had to have one.  Subtract another $350 from my bank account and that problem has been resolved.

This past weekend Michelle and I went on our first bike trip together.  We did a "Giants of the Prairies" tour and hit 5 of the "giants" - Pumpkins, Mushrooms, Perogi, Easter Egg, Sausage.
The ride started out with rain, but we had our gear on and were prepared for the worst.  It was a super long day, but it turned into a beautiful evening and we had a blast.  The new seat held up nicely for Michelle, so again...worth every penny.  I look forward to more day trips like that one!

Photos for both of these trips are on my Facebook page.  I may upload them to my Shutterfly page, so I will update the blog if I do with the address.

Next weekend, we are to go to Bonneyville for a wedding reception.  If the weather is even remotely nice, we will be taking the bike again so I can look at putting another 600km on it.

I have to say...I am sure enjoying my mid-life crisis.  I put a lot of money into it, but I plan on getting a TON of enjoyment out of it, so it will be worth it.

Keep the shiny side up and your right hand cranked!