Bike Trip 2013

So I had a nice 10 day trip planned this year.  We were to head out to Vancouver Island and back all while riding some of BC's best roads.

Some of the guys who went last year suddenly couldn't go this year.  The trip was looking like it might not happen, or if it did would only be a couple of us.  We had it confirmed to be 2 of us for sure, with maybe a third.  We decided to do the trip regardless.  We ended up with 3 of us which was good.

I wanted to keep our days nice and easy with lots of spare time in case we wanted to stop for any reason, or in case something happened.

The trip was planned for July 5-14.

Our first night was spent in Chain Lakes campground down south of Calgary towards Crowsnest Pass.  Not a very nice campground for motorcycle camping...and we had some rain which is never fun.  We left Friday afternoon and got in around 9pm which allowed us to setup before it got dark.  Steve met us there just after 11pm as he had to work that day.

We packed up and left Saturday morning and had breakfast in Crowsnest Pass.  With our stops and late start we should have rolled into Toad Rock Campground around 6pm which would have been great.  However, when we stopped to pick up some beverages I noticed Steve's back tire had a bald strip all the way around in the center...to the point it was basically on the belt.  At this point it was 5pm on a Saturday and we were at least an hour from any place we could get bike tires.  We called the Honda place in Nelson and they agreed to have someone stay late and help us out.  We got into Nelson at about 7, and were back on the road about 8:30 and to the campground at about 9.  Little later than we hoped but not too bad.  At least Steve had a nice new tire to ride on!

We were really looking forward to Sunday brunch at the Kaslo hotel only to be sorely disappointed as they no longer served brunch.  Instead we had to have breakfast at the Treehouse...which was OK but not as good.  We were going to stay in Osoyoos that night and I figured we would get in about 6pm.  We did but wow what a terrible campground!  It was basically an RV park so we had to try and fit 3 tents into a tiny spot.  We did make it work and made friends with the neighbors so we had somewhere to hang out as our spot was so small.  At least it was right on the lake which was kinda nice...

The following day turned out to be a bit longer with us getting into Victoria for supper at my Aunt's place before heading to the campground.  I neglected to factor in the 1.5hr ferry trip so we didn't arrive for supper until 7:30.  Then I found out one of the guys was really allergic to dogs so we ended up eating out on the patio instead.  The visit was really short as we were losing daylight fast and still had to get to the campground.  We managed to get there about 10:15 and setup in the dark by the lights of our bikes.  Goldstream campground was quite nice as each spot was large with lots of trees.

Our next leg was to get us to Tofino.  We had planned on a quick stop in Parksville as one of the guys wanted to relive his childhood somewhat at a minigolf place.  Even with this stop we were to roll into Tofino about 5pm.  Steve then arranged a phone interview for 3pm and wanted to ensure we were someplace with cell service.  He expected in to be about 30 minutes so we elected to stop in Coombs BC for him to do this...figured it was a good place for lunch too.  His phone interview ended up taking 1.5hrs which was really putting us behind schedule.  That's why I planned the days this way...just in case.  As it was we ended up in Tofino about 7pm.  The Bella Pacifica campground was ...ok.  We were a 5 minute walk from the ocean which was nice, but the showers were quite expensive.  We were going to stay here 2 nights so we could do the tourist thing and do some laundry as well.

The next day we did the whale watching tour and then some souvenir shopping.  This was quite fun and we all had a great time.  Got some nice gifts for the wife and even some stuff for myself.  Then we went for sushi...how could we not?  I was the only one who was really excited as both other guys were not big fans.  I convinced them and they really enjoyed it.  It was fantastic!  Fresh crab that was pulled out of the harbor that morning...can't get much fresher than that!

The next day was a travel day and we were to go as far as Whistler.  With a stop at Cathedral Grove we BARELY made the ferry at Comox (by 5 minutes) and again I had not counted on the time it would take, and not realizing there were 2 other ferry's that we would have to take from Powell River to West Vancouver, we would not make it to Whistler until after midnight.  We decided to find some other campground instead and ended up in Sechelt.  For a campsite that was last minute search it wasn't too bad.  We made it there for about 8pm and managed to get setup in the daylight.

With the previous day's ride cut short we had some distance to make up so we left a little earlier and had breakfast on the ferry at Gibsons (place they filmed Beachcombers).  We hit Pemberton for lunch about 2pm and then had the most amazing ride to Lillooet.  Nice twisty road with smooth pavement...what more can you ask for?  We made it to Kamloops for supper about 7pm and then hit the campground about 9...again, it was an RV park and they lost our reservation to make matters worse.  However, we were all tired and just wanted to sleep so it didn't really matter,

The original plan was to meet up with some friends in Valemount and stay at their relatives...however with Mike's allergies we elected to find a campground to stay at around Valemount.  We found a place that turned out to be pretty decent...it was a B&B that had some campsites.  They gave us as much space as we wanted for 5 people, a TON of firewood all for $50.  The only bad part...train tracks running next to the campground with trains running all night long.

Our last day was from Valemount to Edmonton...the forecast called for thunderstorms the entire way home so we all bundled up.  Of course, we didn't get any rain...but at least we were prepared in case we did!  LOL

It was a GREAT 10 day trip...one I would do again (just with different campgrounds).  It would have been fun with more people, but the more people you have the longer each stop takes...I still think we would have been ok...

Next post will be about my yearly (2nd) solo trip...

Tattoo

So...here I am a 42 year old computer geek.  A few months ago I started thinking about perhaps getting my first tattoo.  Up until now there never seemed to be anything that interested me enough to have imprinted on my body for the rest of my life.  After I kinda decided I was going to go through with it, I mentioned it to my wife.  She was shocked, but very supportive.  Now I just needed to find something to get done.

My Mom was born in Dublin and I have never really embraced my Irish heritage all that much.  I have had a couple of Claddagh Rings in the past but beyond that, nothing.  I thought that maybe something Irish or Celtic would be nice.

I found a TON of stuff online, but it all seemed too...mainstream.  I wanted something that was unique yet still said "Celtic" when you looked at it.

I also wanted something to embrace my new motorcycle lifestyle.  I am not a "biker" by the negative definition, but any chance I get I will take the bike rather than my car.

I thought about combining the two into a single piece of art so started looking around.  I found a few abstract motorcycle examples, and a few abstract Celtic knot examples, but nothing that really popped.  Here are some of the examples I found:

As this was to be my first tattoo, I did a ton of research.  Everything I read said to choose my tattooist and studio carefully.  I won't go into all the details as you can easily Google them yourself.  However, I found one artist in Edmonton that did a LOT of Celtic art and figured he would be the best person to tackle this piece.

I made an appointment to meet with him and we spent 45 minutes going over what I wanted, and I could see  him getting excited about it, which made me believe I went to the right person.  I gave him a deposit and made an appointment for a month later to do the actual tattoo.  He said he would have a drawing for me about a week ahead of time for me to approve.  He said he would do a redraw if I didn't like it.  At this point now it was real as I had put money down.

I was scheduled to go in on a Friday and the Monday before I still had not received the art.  I was a little concerned but didn't need to be.  Tuesday morning I had the art in my email.  I really liked it as it incorporated everything I wanted.  Celtic design that incorporated an abstract motorcycle, and the best part - it was a one-of-a-kind design created specifically for me!  Here it is -

He said it took him 8 hours to draw this out as he was having trouble getting it just right.  This was going to go on my upper arm and he didn't want it to look cheesy.  The horizontal view is there for you to see the motorcycle.

When Friday arrived I was nervous, yet excited.  I did not know what kind of pain to expect, but I also couldn't wait!

It took him just over an hour to do the outline, then another 3 or so to do the shading.  There are a couple spots he may have to touch up but overall I am VERY happy with the final result.  Sorry for the crappy photo...this was taken right before he bandaged it up and the lighting was crap...

It is currently red and swollen still 4 days after it was done.  Feels a lot like a bad sunburn and is actually starting to bruise and scab over now.  I will post a nice photo of it once it has healed.

I had it done at Pagan Tattoo by Sean Tracy.

Motorcycle stuff...

So...my last blog update was day 1 of my Yellowknife trip...I never did update after that because I basically lost cell service at the NWT border.  Sure I had wifi in a few places, but I decided to simply update Facebook instead as it was just faster.  Suffice it to say, I had a great trip and made it home safe and sound.

Last riding season ended abruptly in the beginning of October with a fall snow that stuck around and never left.  As a result, my bike was parked 3 weeks earlier than the previous year.

Fast forward to spring...oh wait...we still haven't had a typical spring yet.  Last year I had my bike out March 11 for it's first ride.  This year I did manage to get it out April 12 for a quick ride when I needed to drop it off at the shop for its 50000km service.  Hoping to get it back this week, just in time for more snow this weekend.  When will we get nice weather?  ARGH!!

Once I do get the bike back, I need to get new saddle bags, a new sissybar bag and need to look at waterproofing my seat.  Once that thing gets wet is stays wet seemingly forever.

I am hoping to get a number of trips in this year...my goal last year was to hit 20000km for the year and I fell just short of that with the early end to the season.  I was hoping to hit 25000km this year, but with the late start I will be lucky to get close to 20000km.

Maybe next year I can afford to look at a new(er)/bigger bike.  Do I stick with a cruiser or get something different?  Maybe an adventure tourer?  Maybe a sport tourer?  At this point I have a lack of money so I don't have to make any decisions at this time.  :)

That's it for now!

Trek to Yellowknife - Day1

Day 1 sarted with rain. Not the best way to start a motorcycle trip, but as some said to me - I'm Hardcore! Tha rain lasted until almost Valleyview before finally stopped. It stayed cloudy until past Peace River, then cleared up as I made it to High River at just after 9pm. I left home about 10, and with all the stops to warm up, it was a long day.

I only saw 3 other bikes on the road the entire day. Maybe I am crazy after all.

The campground was small and crowded, but I found a spot and had a fitful sleep. Hope I am not too tired today...

That's it for now...more later.

Employers and Facebook

There are a bunch of stories floating around right now about employers asking people for their Facebook login information.  Regardless what their claims are for wanting this, here are some reasons why *I* think it is a bad idea:

• Would you give them the keys to your house in case they want to see how clean your house is?
• Would you give them your bank card PIN?
• Would you give them your friends phone number?
• How about your friends vacation photos?
• How about your daughter's boyfriend's, parent's, brother's, daughter's last party photos?

Once someone has access to your Facebook profile, they have access to EVERY single person on your friend list.  Granted, your friends may limit what they share with you, but you still have access to them.  One of the things shared is a list of their friends and their photos and their wall posts.  Do you think they want YOUR employer to have access to this information?  If they did they would already have your employer as one of their friends.

Please do us all a favor and refuse to provide this information.  I know I did not agree to let your employer look at my vacation photos...

Superhero + Harley Davidson contest

So I came across an interesting contest from Harley Davidson and Marvel today.

THE BATTLE FOR FREEDOM NEEDS YOU

Ride into an Avengers mission. Harley-Davidson has joined forces with Marvel once again for another epic mission. And this time, these two legendary powers are looking to put you in the middle of the action. You could be drawn in to an upcoming Avengers digital comic and win a new custom H-D motorcycle.

 Basically, you create a character, give him a back story, and the best one gets drawn into an upcoming Avengers Digital comic, and you win a new H-D motorcycle!

I figured - what the hell - so I did up a character and gave him a story.  Now, the back story portion was limited to 1000 characters, so it was not as detailed as I would have liked, but as I had fun with it, I thought I would share it here with all of you.

My Hero's name is Dark Octane, and here is his story:

Out for an evening ride with his wife, our hero was hit and crushed by a Hijacked truck carrying nuclear waste bound for disposal.  Our hero's wife is killed instantly when a spent nuclear rod crushes her.  As our hero tries to lift the nuclear rod off his wife, his DNA is changed forever.

After 3 weeks in hospital, our hero vows to exact revenge on the crooks who killed his wife.  While hunting them down he begins to notice the emergence of strange abilities.  He can see in the dark, has uncanny hearing and has the strength  and speed of 5 men. 

When he finally tracks the criminals down he is faced with the ultimate decision - to exact his own brand of justice or let the authorities handle it.  His one defining character trait is this one wrong decision he makes.  Wandering lost for the next few months he stumbles upon a group of heroes fighting crime who convince him that his life does have meaning and convince him to join them.  His name?  Dark Octane.

While I am no author, I had fun trying to come up with something that could translate into an Avengers style comic...did I succeed?  Who knows.  Did I have fun?  You betcha!

If you think you can do better, by all means, please enter the contest and share your story here.

In related news...I actually find myself wanting a Harley now...specifically this one:

That's one HOT looking bike...of course me getting one depends entirely on winning the lotto, but hey...I can dream right?  LOL

Enterprise Rent-A-Car SCAM resolved!

So, here we are exactly 1 week after I started my all-out Social Media attack on Enterprise Rent-A-Car and I can say I've won.

I monitored their twitter account and told everyone who mentioned it about my story, gave them the link to my Blog and did everything I could to ensure my story got out there.  It was retweeted enough that over 5000 people had my story show up in their timeline.  Add to that the negative comments on Facebook, their fan page and every other public forum I frequent and it is no wonder they finally resolved the issue.

Wednesday morning the manager of one of the locations finally called me back and asked for the details again.  After telling my story again he asked what they needed to do.  I simply said "refund the money".  He said OK and promised to get it done.  A couple hours later I got a call from the regional manager asking me if everything was all good.  I told him I didn't have confirmation that the money was being refunded so he said he would confirm and get back to me.  2 hours later he called back to say that it was done, but that it would take up to 48hrs to reflect on my credit card.

I elected to put my "war" on hold for a few days to see if this was indeed the end.  As of this afternoon I can confirm that my credit card has had the charge reversed.  YAY!  The little guy wins one!

Through all of this I have learned one valuable lesson - when dealing with rental companies, protect yourself.  If I ever have to rent a car again I will be sure to video tape the pre-rental inspection so I can be certain to have some proof if they attempt to claim damages that are simply not my fault.  I don't want to assume I will get screwed over, but I will do everything in my power to ensure that it never happens again.

Thank you to all of you who read and commented on my Blog.  Also, thanks to those of you who shared my story.  I have to think you had some part in pressuring Enterprise into settling this matter.

On a lighter note, @enterprisecares is now blocking me on Twitter.  LOL