Member Contributer Cogswell Posted August 23, 2011 Member Contributer Share Posted August 23, 2011 I'm also back home. It was good to meet everyone. My early Sunday start ran into a ninety minute delay at the ferry. Ran into Q-Dawg when I was waiting so had some fantastic riding company on the ride home. We discovered this weekend just how many VFRD members it takes to change a lightbulb.... ...the answer is "eight". (Yup, the connector was stuck). Cogswell had the right touch. Eight ?? We'd better keep that under wraps . . . Oh - wait - it didn't happen without pictures. No one took one - did they?? Just rolled in at 7:00pm - took 2 days home. Got the Portland contingent home safely (ChasingNolan, Dave / VFRWhisp, Andy), but not after a bit of 'dirt tracking' on some slippery fluid laid down in a corner on SR14 just East of Vancouver, WA. Having the back end step out on you at 55mph (90km) is a very surreal experience. After going up solo, nice to have company on the way back. We must have gone down every twisty road in Eastern Washington - seemed like it, anyway. Some spectacular roads and scenery. Will post up pic's tomorrow eve after work. Picked up a few ideas for a meet next year (maybe for those that can't make it to Colorado) - stayed at a place that would be a great base for a meet - central to lots of NW members, outdoor beer garden with BBQ and live music, lots of parking the owner will set aside for us, lots of other pubs, eateries, shopping, people watching etc all within a few blocks. Will do some homework and post out the idea and potential routes in a few weeks to see what people think. Also thanks to Super-Mike for doing all the legwork to organize this year's meet. Cheers ps - wanted to add that my only regret about this meet was not being able to ride with everyone. Met a number of new people and re-acquainted with others from last year - but just not enough time to get with everyone for a ride. I really enjoyed meeting everyone. Also wanted to give thanks to Sparrow75, Armin for jumping in with help and tools to figure out the balky kill switch that really did want to kill our fun with a no-start, CanadianVFR, Pierre, for putting me on to the NEP T/Lock, DigitallyHip, David, for providing it, Belfry, Phil, for letting me use your gen 6 for a fit check and ChasingNolan, Dave for a bit of teflon spray lube to get it all working. That really saved my trip home - I don't know how I would have made it through 2 long days without it. Thanks everyone! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Member Contributer Thumper 8 Posted August 23, 2011 Member Contributer Share Posted August 23, 2011 Speaking of which...I was hanging with traffic through Princeton when I noticed a Harley rider jump the speed signs by a few hundred metres. He started wicking it up (the 100 km-h sign was just around the next bend), while still in the 60 km-h zone. The reptilian part of my brain had just formed the thought: "Me go fast too!" when a Mountie leapt out from the bushes and waved him to the side of the road. Thanks for taking one for the team, Harley guy! I hope everyone else made it home safely and without collecting any autographs from the local constabulary. Too funny. If that is the 60 kph hill exiting Princeton, a blinged out Hummer ripped past me at the base of the hill. Halfway up the hill, he was pulled over by three very unhappy looking RCMP officers. Judging by the way he flew past me and vanished, he must have been clocked at close to 40 km over the limit by the time he reached the radar - it would be so sad to see a pimped Hummer impounded :) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Member Contributer Thumper 8 Posted August 23, 2011 Member Contributer Share Posted August 23, 2011 : On the same note as the rest of the weekend, we saw basically no LEO's on the way down. A bit curious considering the buzz about it and the great weather, you'd think they would be out in force. Maybe that's it, it's all about the media and online buzz and they don't have to pay staff to do any onsite enforcement. Cheers, Ian When I gassed up at the Petro-Canada in Nelson on Friday, I was chatting with a local on a CBR 600 who said there was a big crackdown/police presence and a couple of 40 over impoundments (cars and bikes) & some media coverage on the July long weekend, and not much obvious enforcement since. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Member Contributer Cogswell Posted August 23, 2011 Member Contributer Share Posted August 23, 2011 : On the same note as the rest of the weekend, we saw basically no LEO's on the way down. A bit curious considering the buzz about it and the great weather, you'd think they would be out in force. Maybe that's it, it's all about the media and online buzz and they don't have to pay staff to do any onsite enforcement. Cheers, Ian When I gassed up at the Petro-Canada in Nelson on Friday, I was chatting with a local on a CBR 600 who said there was a big crackdown/police presence and a couple of 40 over impoundments (cars and bikes) & some media coverage on the July long weekend, and not much obvious enforcement since. Tony - I'm glad you and Pierre also came in on Thursday. I enjoyed the company for dinner on Thursday night. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Member Contributer Olive Posted August 23, 2011 Member Contributer Share Posted August 23, 2011 I originally made arrangements to meet up with Superfunkomatic and other Calgary riders at 6:30am, however an uncooperative mechanic left Superfunkomatic in the lurch so he emailed out that he would be getting a significantly later start. I opted to leave at the original time, and decided to swing past the meetup place to see if anyone else was joining up. As 7:00 am approached I decided to head west on my own. Heading south of Calgary the temperatures were a little nippy, dropping just below freezing. Low lying fog made for some picturesque fields as I headed south. I also headed past a few picturesque deer at the side of the roadway. The deer cooperated by staying off the black ribbon of asphalt, at least while I was heading past them. The ride out was mostly uneventful. It was the first time that I had made it down to the Crowsnest Pass on a bike this year, and I always enjoy this quiet run. Made a few quick stops for fuel - both for me and the bike, and discovered the curves heading up the 3A towards Nelson. Despite low posted speed limits the run was made for bikes. Coming around one corner I almost ran over a car who had slowed to 20km/hr in a curve with a 40km/hr warning on it - a wonderful opportunity to test out Honda's antilock brakes. Apart from this the ride out to the ferry was uneventful. A few pictures while waiting on the ferry. On the ferry I met two other VFRs who arrived a little after I did. One of them was YYCViffer, and the other was a local who showed a lot of interest in both the meet and the forum. I found it mildly amusing that YYCViffer had decided to leave town around 7:30 am since the original group meetup in Calgary was called off. That's where a simple PM might have come in useful - something I thought about in the morning as I was heading out the door. We rode into Nelson and found a parking lot populated with VFRs easily, meeting up with many of the ride participants. For some reason they recognized me easier than I recognized them. I can only conclude it was a function of there only being one other silver 2008 VFR in the crowd. Red was definitely the predominant colour. Once I was parked I decided to make another attempt at changing a headlight bulb - a task which I had put aside the previous day out of frustration. Trying to remove the connector off the back of the bulb I attracted a small audience, and had a few other VFRDers give it a try as well. It was darkly amusing to watch the crowd around my bike try to help either by providing advice or giving it a try themselves. Eventually we got the connector off the back (and by we, I mean Cogswell). Once the connector was off I popped off the boot and metal clip and spent a few minutes fiddling with it trying to get bulb to remain in place as I tried to relocate the metal clip which was doing a convincing job of invisibility. It's one of those tasks which is easier the more often you do it, but where a clearer look at what you are doing would save a lot of time. Once I finished reassembling the bike and verified that all systems were go, the requisite lightbulb jokes were made. I took a few pictures as more bikes wheeled in. Obviously I wasn't the only person out there with a camera. In the evening the group joined up for dinner and got acquainted with friends, both old and new. Superfunkomatic distributed the ride shirts which proved to be a huge hit - he did a great job organizing everything for the meet. (Thanks Mike!) The next morning the group was off to a slow start, getting breakfast and organizing a group picture. Lots of people wanted to point their cameras at this gathering of bikes. Superfunkomatic took a few minutes to talk about the riding plans for the day, and to remind us about BC's speeding laws. We split up into smaller groups and scattered in different directions, with most people heading towards Kaslo and Nakusp. The S.S. Moyie on Mirror Lake was a popular stop for a few photos. Leaving Kaslo, our group headed for New Denver. The road between New Denver and Kaslo was built for bikes - a smooth ride that had nicely cambered corners. The road was a little rough in a few spots, but for the most part was in good repair. On the way we spotted quite a few VFRs from other ride groups headed the opposite direction. It was hard to tell under their helmets, but I suspect they had smiles on their faces. New Denver was a good spot to stop for a bite to eat and a chance for our small group to visit. The small restaurant we stopped at seemed a little overwhelmed by the sudden influx of customers - a few other people must have seen our group headed in and joined in the lineup. Our group split up on the way back, with a few of us tagging along with Gerry02800 as he diverted to Castlegar for a quick errand. On our way out we spotted something that needed to be done on the return trip - a picture for one of our fellow forum members. These were taken in honour of Timmythecop. The consensus of the VFRD members at the site of these photos (who shall remain nameless to avoid the need for a witness protection program) is that Timmy ought to consider joining the FBI... Returning to Nelson we joined the group for another social evening. Superfunkomatic had organized door prizes for the group, and brought along a few accessories to go with the bowling shirts. The following morning I got off to an early start, heading for the ferry. Unfortunately I just missed it, and it only runs every hour and a half. This gave me an opportunity to pull out the camera for a few shots of the lake and the dock. While I was waiting for the ferry a few other bikes arrived including Q-Dawg on his blue VFR. A few pictures of the crossing Heading off the ferry, we headed along the wonderful curves of the 3A. After we turned west the curves diminished, but the scenery remained. There were a few RCMP patrolling the highway, but neither Q-Dawg nor myself had any issues with them. Although we had an issue as we were heading out of Sparwood. A large tractor trailer headed into the turn lane to go north on highway 43 and I slowed a bit as I came past him. As we passed him someone turning off of 43 onto the Crowsnest Highway decided it was a very good idea to make a blind left hand turn in front of the semi, which was an unwelcome surprise as I came up on her. I slowed back in a hurry, as she hit the brakes. Q-Dawg had less of an issue with the person wanting to do the left hand turn in front of me, and was more concerned with the white mini-van who was tailgating him and coming close to turning it into a rear-ender. Neither of us were impressed with the driving skills we saw around us. Traffic was heavier as we headed into the Crowsnest Pass but thinned as we reached highway 22 when Q-Dawg took lead for a while. In between Black Diamond and Turner Valley Q-Dawg made it past a slow-moving car, but I decided passing at that point wasn't a good idea as an RCMP took on sweeper duty for us. Q-Dawg got a bit of a lead on me by the time I made it through town, getting caught behind a string of traffic. Once the RCMP tired of his game of tailgate the biker, I picked up the pace a bit, hoping to divert Q-Dawg onto the Millarville route (highway 549/762), but wasn't able to catch up in time. We took the less interesting route up past Bragg Creek. Right beside Bragg Creek there was some excitement as a small parade of emergency vehicles were parked along the side of the highway with large orange signs indicating "fire department emergency ahead". As we rode past I caught a glimpse of someone loaded on a stretcher, but wasn't able to determine what had happened. None of the stopped passenger vehicles appeared to have any damage, and I wondered if perhaps there was a vehicle in the ditch behind the screen of flashing lights. It had obviously happened quite recently as we saw RCMP headed towards it with lights flashing in an apparent hurry. Q-Dawg continued north as I split off west headed for Calgary. It was great having company on the ride home, and wonderful to meet so many of you at the meet. Unfortunately I didn't have an opportunity to talk to or ride with everyone, but that's the nature of a larger meet. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Veefer800Canuck Posted August 23, 2011 Share Posted August 23, 2011 Paul (tyke) and I hit the 9:50 ferry at Balfour and sailed across Kootenay lake, then on down to Creston. Weather was clear and hot all the way through the crowsnest pass and back to Calgary, where Paul graciously let me sleep in his basement near the snOOOOOOker table. I even pronounced it correctly!!! But before that, we went to Global Fest which is a multicultural festival that runs all week, each evening is capped off with a HUGE fireworks display set to music, and each country putting on he displays are judged at the end of the week. The fireworks were the largest and most amazing I have ever seen in my life. thanks Paul!!! Today, I left Calgary and headed to red deer to visit my sister and repair her car. Tomorrow, home again. If anyone is interested in the fireworks, here is a link, it went on for like 30 minutes solid and just got better and better. Of course, video does it no justice whatsoever: http://m.youtube.com/index?desktop_uri=%2F&gl=CA#/watch?v=08tHiRM35uE Great to see everyone again and also meet some "new to me" peoples. Had fun, well, except for leaving my key on in the parking lot saturday morning and flattening my battery. Got a push down the hill, which was not enough to get going with only 8 volts, but I found a local at the bottom of the hill with some booster cables and got fired right up. By the time we got to Kaslo, it was cured right up. I did not take many pics, but will post a few when I am home at my PC. And 100% thanks to Fiona and Mike for keeping me Thursday night at their house and putting together a great meet in a great location!!! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
timmythecop Posted August 23, 2011 Share Posted August 23, 2011 These were taken in honour of Timmythecop. The consensus of the VFRD members at the site of these photos (who shall remain nameless to avoid the need for a witness protection program) is that Timmy ought to consider joining the FBI... I dont know what is more groovy: That there is such an institution, or that yall stopped to take a photo. I am a little sad that I didnt think of it first. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Member Contributer digitallyhip Posted August 23, 2011 Member Contributer Share Posted August 23, 2011 Did anyone else hit clouds of flies near Christina Lake on Sunday morning? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Veefer800Canuck Posted August 23, 2011 Share Posted August 23, 2011 Ewww, that's just a bucket 'o nastiness. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Member Contributer Belfry Posted August 23, 2011 Member Contributer Share Posted August 23, 2011 Did anyone else hit clouds of flies near Christina Lake on Sunday morning? Holy pest control! You must have cleaned them out before I went through there around 10 a.m. I did find a live wasp in the vent on the chinbar of my Bell Star at a gas stop. I was scrubbing off the visor with a squeegee (buggy, but nothing like yours) when I noticed something moving around inside. It was larger than the vent opening (forced in by the windblast?) so it couldn't get out. I kept shaking the helmet until I had him in the right orientation to pop out with the ignition key...must have looked interesting to passersby. I thought he might get mangled during the extraction, but he flew off apparently none the worse for wear. Speaking of helmets...there was a round of helmet hobbits (I was calling them "gnomes," but Olive corrected me...) last year that people were using as avatars. I didn't participate since my solid white HJC and black boots seemed to lack a certain je ne sais quoi. My Bell is a little more photogenic, and the Nelson gathering provided the finishing touches. What do you think? Cheers, Belfry (Phil) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Member Contributer Olive Posted August 23, 2011 Member Contributer Share Posted August 23, 2011 Now that one is well done! :fing02: I have to respond with one of my own... all the way from Florida. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Member Contributer Cogswell Posted August 24, 2011 Member Contributer Share Posted August 24, 2011 Yup - had the same bug issue - tho not quite that bad . . . the really nasty part were the bees that descended to feast on the carnage when we pulled over to clean up the mess. Here are a few random shots The crow's mulling over which one he likes the best. Decisions, decisions . . . Thumper8 and CanadianVFR coming by between New Denver and Kaslo (sorry it's so far away) A stop at Mt St Helens on the way home The tour of Grand Coulee Dam on the way up. The worlds longest "slippee slide". I asked the tour guide if he'd ever seen someone drop their camera over the edge and he said "oh yeah - several times". Besides the top, the tour also goes down in to the power house - well worthwhile. A photo op at the wind farms near Yakima Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Member Contributer Belfry Posted August 24, 2011 Member Contributer Share Posted August 24, 2011 The crow's mulling over which one he likes the best. Decisions, decisions . . . He's obviously staring straight at the black one admiring her metal flake while trying to appear nonchalant ... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Veefer800Canuck Posted August 24, 2011 Share Posted August 24, 2011 Sorry, didn't bring a "real" camera, just my Iphone, so these will have to do: Leaving Superfunky's place in Calgary after his bike was FINALLY ready at the Stealership: IMG 0260 Parking lot at the New Grand on Friday night: IMG 0265 IMG 0269 Lineup Sat morning across from the New Grand before departing on the group rides: IMG 0272 IMG 0274 Quick rest stop in Kaslo during the group ride: IMG 0275 IMG 0277 IMG 0282 IMG 0279 Ferry across Kootenay lake Sun morning on the way home: IMG 0293 Must have been one of those new "superfast" ferries!!! IMG 0295 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Member Contributer Cogswell Posted August 24, 2011 Member Contributer Share Posted August 24, 2011 The crow's mulling over which one he likes the best. Decisions, decisions . . . He's obviously staring straight at the black one admiring her metal flake while trying to appear nonchalant ... Of course! He'd probably faint at a CBR 1100XX rally! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Member Contributer Olive Posted August 24, 2011 Member Contributer Share Posted August 24, 2011 The crow's mulling over which one he likes the best. Decisions, decisions . . . He's obviously staring straight at the black one admiring her metal flake while trying to appear nonchalant ... That makes perfect sense... Guano stands out so much better against black. :laughing6-hehe: Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Member Contributer Dutchy Posted August 24, 2011 Member Contributer Share Posted August 24, 2011 Must have been one of those new "superfast" ferries!!! We have those superfast ferries in Europa too, and then some..... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Member Contributer yycviffer Posted August 24, 2011 Member Contributer Share Posted August 24, 2011 Hey guys, just checking in also. Got home last night after spending a couple of days in Penticton with the fam. You bet I hit those flies. the windscreen on the bike was red by the time I passed through. Had to stop in Grand Forks to clean the visor so I could see again. Just wanted to add my thanks to Mr & Mrs Superfunk for the planning, say it was great to meet some of you and put some actual faces to the screen names. Pat from Nova Scotia, thanks for helping me completely wear out my tires. My riding season is now done :( On a down note, I think I got nabbed by a photo radar van as I was pulling into Calgary. It went from 110 to 90 and the bugger was about 100 M inside the 90 zone. Just what I always wanted for my birthday. front Rear Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Member Contributer Axel_7 Posted August 24, 2011 Member Contributer Share Posted August 24, 2011 Well just reading and enjoying the posts from your great meet, Would have loved to have finally meet Mrs FUNKYomatic, Myself and Tammy really enjoyed our first Trip riding in California to bad it confilced with Nelson this year. We have already booked out our time for Colorado meet. (CANT MISS THE SUMMIT) We really missed not seeing some of our favorites like (Lee, Rob, Paul, Tony2, Quesnel, OK i guess Mike as well :) ). And getting to know some of the others. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Member Contributer Belfry Posted August 24, 2011 Member Contributer Share Posted August 24, 2011 That makes perfect sense... Guano stands out so much better against black. :laughing6-hehe: Sure, crap all over my attempt to inject a little romance Actually, several of the assembled vifferati asked whether it is harder to keep black clean. I don't think so. I've had other bikes in silver, red and (mostly) white and can't really say I've noticed any difference. No issues with birds so far (touches wood desk...). Where my car is concerned on the other hand, I'm convinced there's a squadron of seagulls and pigeons tasked with patrolling, reporting its movements when out of the garage, then strafing it when parked ... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Member Contributer Belfry Posted August 24, 2011 Member Contributer Share Posted August 24, 2011 On a down note, I think I got nabbed by a photo radar van as I was pulling into Calgary. It went from 110 to 90 and the bugger was about 100 M inside the 90 zone. Just what I always wanted for my birthday. Glad you made it back okay, sorry to hear about the possible ticket. The B.C. gov't withdrew all photo radar (except for intersection cameras) after public pressure. That was pure politics ... it was highly effective. Out of curiosity, what tires are those and how many miles/kilometres did you get from them? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
superfunkomatic Posted August 24, 2011 Author Share Posted August 24, 2011 Holy crap! Yep, that tire is definitely done. That should win a prize for the most belt showing on any worn out tire. Sorry to hear about your 'performance award'. We just got home an hour ago. I'll post the pics when I get a chance. Great meet and I'm happy to hear that everyone is home safely. Rear Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Member Contributer yycviffer Posted August 25, 2011 Member Contributer Share Posted August 25, 2011 The B.C. gov't withdrew all photo radar (except for intersection cameras) after public pressure. That was pure politics ... it was highly effective. Out of curiosity, what tires are those and how many miles/kilometres did you get from them? Hey, they are Bridgstone Battleaxe BT021's. They were on the bike when I got it last year with 46837 km. The bike now has 54942 km so I only put about 8100 Km on them. When I left Nelson there was the worn/flat spot in the middle. By the time I got to Penticton there were these little horizontal crack like things just showing in the center and that is the tire from Penticton to Calgary. Anyone have ideas on a replacement that will get decent life? They seem to have worn out pretty fast. I don't think I would get them again. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Member Contributer Thumper 8 Posted August 25, 2011 Member Contributer Share Posted August 25, 2011 Tony - I'm glad you and Pierre also came in on Thursday. I enjoyed the company for dinner on Thursday night. agreed - it was a nice quiet dinner and drinks w/Pierre before the festivities... Well just reading and enjoying the posts from your great meet, Would have loved to have finally meet Mrs FUNKYomatic, Myself and Tammy really enjoyed our first Trip riding in California to bad it confilced with Nelson this year. We have already booked out our time for Colorado meet. (CANT MISS THE SUMMIT) We really missed not seeing some of our favorites like (Lee, Rob, Paul, Tony2, Quesnel, OK i guess Mike as well :) ). And getting to know some of the others. Derek, you and Tammy were missed - along with Tony #1 and Craig. Hope to see you all next year! One other thought - these get togethers are much more enjoyable without The Amazing McCrory :) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RogerRamjet Posted August 25, 2011 Share Posted August 25, 2011 Suzanne and I got an 11 am start on Sunday and came home via the ferry and the East side of Kootenay Lake, then a blast over Kootenay Pass and across the border to Metaline Falls. Fortunately, the chip sealing on Hwy 20 was already well-sealed, so no loose gravel or rock chips that I can tell. About 15 miles East of Colville, while mid-corner in a right-hand sweeper, I felt a sharp pain in my gut and when we arrived in town I stopped and confirmed a bee sting. I guess I had my Aerostich a little too open and he got sucked right down my shirt. Finally rolled into Republic at around 7:30 and got a good night's sleep. Left around 10 the next morning and zoomed over to Tonasket, then down and over to Winthrop for lunch. Fifty miles along the North Cascades Highway, the rains came, and continued all the way to Arlington, soaking my "waterproof" gloves. Suzanne, behind her big windscreen and holding on to the heated grips of that big BMW, was in better spirits. Slabbed it down I-5 to the 7:20pm ferry and home. I'm glad we broke up the return trip into two days, and I've learned that my favorite road is the one without someone in front of me. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts
Archived
This topic is now archived and is closed to further replies.