Eine Stadt namens Hoffnung

Kürzlich begab sich Sonja mal wieder nach Hope, um nachzusehen, ob Rambo's Mythos ungebrochen ist. Nicht nur die Fahrt dorthin war ein Genuss, auch der obligatorische Stop im Blue Moose Cafe.

Obige Brücke, auf der der Protagonist vom Sheriff 'ausgesetzt' wurde, scheint leider dem Untergang geweiht zu sein, denn gleich nebenan wird eine neue gebaut. Wir hoffen aber, dass der alte Überweg wenigstens als Fussgängerbrücke erhalten bleibt, damit Fans des Films auch weiterhin ihre Poser-Fotos machen können - so wie Sonja.

Jedenfalls bloggte sie von diesem Tages-Ausritt, und bekam von Rudy die Anfrage, ob der Bericht auf der Webseite von Hope veröffentlicht werden könnte. Klar doch, und hier ist er:

Auf der Jagd nach Rambo

Hope lohnt sich. Da gibt's eine Menge zu entdecken und erleben!

Nachtrag 28.4.2011: wie heute im Calgary Herald zu lesen war, wird die Brücke auf jeden Fall abgerissen, da sie mit Chemikalien verseucht ist und das Wasser des darunter her fliessenden Coquihalla Flusses gefährdet. Schade!

Liquid Sunshine

Here in the Pacific Northwest we get plenty of rain. If a motorcyclist were to wait for a sunny day without chances of precipitation, well... let's just say one would almost never ride.

 

There is no such thing as bad weather, only bad gear. Besides, our Vespa's provide great protection from the wet stuff.

Hockey Night in Canada! The best time to ride! Empty roads guaranteed.

A mix of rain and sunshine, that's what they call it liquid sunshine out here.

And while others sit in front of their TV's we sit on a wet bench and enjoy special effects made by Mother Nature.

And we had the whole spectacle to ourselves.

Who cares that it was raining again all the way back home.

Unser Ostergast

Karfreitag machten sich Roland und Thomas auf den Weg von Calgary nach Vancouver, den Wagen bis zum Rand voll gepackt mit Roland's restlichem 'Hausstand', während sich Sonja derweil mal wieder auf dem Motorrad vergnügte.

Bei warmem Frühlingswetter konnten wir Thomas am Samstag (nach Anlieferung unserer Bosch-Geräte) dann Vancouver von seiner besten Seite zeigen. Wegen der kulinarischen Auswahl verschlug es uns wieder mal nach Yaletown und den False Creek. Unsere Wahl fiel auf das Urban Thai-House, und wir wurden nicht enttäuscht (auf Urban Spoon ist eben Verlass).

Blick nach Westen über False Creek.

Skulptur: Eros Bendato Scrippolato
Künstler: Igor Mitoraj

Skulptur: Magnolie
Künstler: Mutter Natur

Die Wassertaxi's sind wieder unterwegs.

Ein perfekter Tag geht zu Ende.

Am Sonntag ging es dann bei durchwachsenem Wetter an der Küste entlang.

In der Horseshoe Bay legt gerade die Bowen Island Fähre an.

Möwe Jonathan hat was zu meckern.

In der Bucht am Whytecliff Park lässt es sich bei jedem Wetter aushalten.

Ein Spaziergang durch den Lighthouse Park (Birgitt wird sich vielleicht noch an die magischen Nebelbilder von 2004 erinnern...).

Inzwischen regnet es, aber das Nass kommt einfach nicht durch den dichten Bewuchs des Waldes durch.

Schon morgen wird uns Thomas wieder verlassen, aber wir hoffen doch, dass ihm die Westküste ein wenig gefallen hat.

Unser Osterei

Nach etlichen Jahren Kampf mit nordamerikanischen Waschmaschinen und Trocknern haben wir uns endlich einmal ein paar europäische Qualitätsprodukte gegönnt.

Adieu, zerlöcherte T-Shirts und geschredderte Hosen. Jetzt können wir uns endlich mal wieder Markengarderobe zulegen, und müssen nicht damit rechnen, dass sie gleich von den Maschinen 'gefressen' werden.

Und für das Energiesparmodell gibt es sogar 75$ 'Belohnung' vom Energieversorger.

A good Friday

Only recently I became a member of a lady's only motorcycle group. The name says it all: Free Wheelin'. I went to their meeting, and was impressed by the huge number of members showing up (and on time!). It was well organized, with topics guided by an agenda, and it was truly better than any of the recent business meetings I had attended. I felt very welcome, liked their program and signed up.

After the meeting I had the chance to say hi to some of the ladies, and instantly connected with an(other) all-year-rounder. We exchanged contact information, which consequently and pleasantly lead to an email exchange for a Good Friday ride.

Yvonne is a hardcore dirt-bikeress turned street-rider. This is her on her fairly new Yamaha V-Star 950. 

Since she is a local she lead the way and took me on back roads that I haven't explored before (and probably wound have never considered going).

At one of our stops we were wondering which idiot came up with this motorcycle parking 'design'. It is obvious that the planner was not a rider (and probably otherwise challenged as well).

So we conveniently parked our bikes somewhere else, stretched our legs, and enjoyed the view.

We spent about six hours on the road, only interrupted by food intake (sorry no picture of the nevertheless tasty crab sandwich), and a little walk. Thanks, Yvonne for great company and conversation. It was a Good Friday, indeed.

Distance: 193km (120 mls)
Weather: sunny, balmy 14C (57F), calm

Va bene!

Very well! Today it's Paolo's turn to take me to work. It is a little nippy (5C, 41F), and there is still hoar frost on the roofs, but nothing on the ground.

Once again I am in my favourite lot in front of the office. Methinks it is probably just a matter of time when I get the first complaint about taking up one full parking spot, because we are five employees and only have four spots... first come, first serve ;-)

Our offices are not really equipped to accommodate two-wheeled commuters. The server room has to serve me as a changing room , and our unisex washroom becomes my personal powder room to make myself presentable to the public.

My workspace... since I don't have a locker to store my gear, my bookshelf has to suffice.

I took off early (for my that is 4PM) and roamed through the city. Traffic was dense because of a heavy accident, but eventually eased up in the outskirts, where I enjoyed the mild temperatures sitting by the river.

I noted a few little differences between Paolo and Bella, almost like they are indeed different characters. The GTS250 hums, while the GT200 has a throaty voice. The additional 50cc can be felt while accelerating.

I tiptoe on Bella, while I flatfoot on Paolo. The red one feels more nimble, but the plum bike seem to keep better balance.

It is really hard to determine which one is the better bike. The GTS250 certainly has the technical advantage through its additional cc's, fuel injection and upgraded lighting, and probably has the better braking system, too. However, I might have developed a little crush on Paolo.

Scooter Commuter

My daily commute is an ordeal: 32 (yes, thirty-two!) traffic lights within a distance of 17km (10mi). I probably spend in average about ten to fifteen minutes waiting in front of red lights every day, and I seem to get lots of them. Only once I dared to take the Beemer to work, but the repeat shifting up and down in creeping traffic didn't do me any good. By the end of the ride I was a nerve wreck, and my left hand was sore from grabbing the clutch too many times. Not the best condition to begin a work day.

Now, scootering to work? No problemo.

True April weather... that's hail! Fortunately it's warm enough, so the white stuff doesn't stick on the ground.

Later the day I had to run an errand at the shopping mall. Little Bella looked a bit lost between all those cages. She was the only two-wheeler in the lot.

I arrived at home quite relaxed. Never would have guessed that commuting could be so therapeutic. Let's do that again. Hasta la vista, baby!

Sechs Jahre in Kanada

… und kein bisschen langweilig.



Mehr als genug Aufregung hatten wir ja bereits im ersten Quartal 2011, als da wäre unser Umzug in unser Appartment mit Ausblick im Januar, die kanadische Staatsbürgerschaft im Februar, eine Tsunami Warnung auf Maui, und mehrere Geschäftsreisen in die USA im März.

Und auch jetzt geht es für uns spannend weiter. Wir haben uns zwei Vespa Scooter zugelegt, es liegen weitere Dienst- und Vergnügungsreisen in die USA an, darunter auch zwei grössere Motorradtouren, und wir bekommen einiges an Besuch, dem wir die Schönheit der pazifischen Westküste Kanada's näher bringen dürfen.

Life is good!

Let's go for a ride!

... says Mr M after breakfast, and we are up and ready for the road by 10AM. Sunday morning traffic is light, although we travel on some major roads. To get to our destination we need to pass over Pitt River Bridge to Pitt Meadows, and as expected the Vespa's do a little dance in the cross winds. No fun, but we can cope. In the meadows the wind suddenly dies and we meander peacefully along the dykes towards Pitt Lake.

The bikes are so photogenic, and so easy to maneuver that we often turn around, stop, pose the bikes and take pictures, or just admire the beauty of the Italian design.

This lane is definitely going to be shortlisted for the center line challenge, since traffic is manageable (no car in the last 5 minutes).

At Pitt Lake we are greeted with a quick shower, but it doesn't last long enough to get us wet.

The road is in bad shape, with loose gravel, potholes and leftovers from farm vehicles, not an easy commute for a beginner rider, but Mr M manages well, and he wants more (YAY!)

Her mit dem guten Wetter!

Ein Scooter allein macht ja noch keinen Frühling, also haben wir für Bella einen Partner besorgt, eine Granturismo 200. Getauft haben wir das pflaumenfarbene Gebraucht-Vehikel auf den Namen Paul, bzw. Paolo, der Kleine.

Nun können wir gemeinsam in den Sonnenuntergang rolle(r)n.

And then there were two

Meet, Paolo. He's a wee bit smaller in cc's than Bella, hence the name: Paolo, the little one.

The lady-ridden 2006 Vespa Granturismo 200 has 5,000k on the clock, and a few battle scars, but otherwise been kept in shipshape through regular maintenance at the other neighbourhood dealer.

Due to the cosmetic damage obtained by a reckless driver backing into the two-wheeler, kicking it over and fleeing the scene, the bike was very reasonably priced, and bonus: it came with a Givi top case (not cheap!).

Paolo was supposed to be hubby's training wheels but now it rather looks like I am getting it as a commuter (and winter) bike.

Traditionally the first ride (with any bike so far) would take us out to Buntzen Lake.

Alas, the lake is barricaded. BC Hydro is obviously still conducting repairs to the turbines of the hydro power station, leading to unusually high and dangerous water levels, flooding the beach and parts of the forest. This is as close as we get.

Next stop: Belcarra Regional Park, where we stroll along the shore and enjoy the view.

And every so often we think, it can't get better than this. Life is good!

Now with the stable growing my fellow traveler rented a second parking spot. And through my crystal ball I can see the potential to fill up the lot in the not so far away future.

Ciao Bella!

Roland ist unter die Vespa-Fahrer gegangen. Die Schöne namens Bella ist nicht mehr ganz jung (Baujahr 2007), hatte aber noch keine km runter und kam zu einem unschlagbaren Preis. Jetzt hoffen wir auf einen Frühling mit vielen schönen Sonnentagen! Da staunen selbst die Rehe!

An Italian Affair

Ciao, Bella!

Hello, beautiful! are the first words that come to mind when looking at this svelte Italian lady. The original plan had foreseen to pick up the 2008 Vespa GTS 250 from the friendly neighbourhood dealer the day before. But then THIS happened:

So all we could do is wait another day...

Finally taking Bella home: Since I was the chosen one to ride her home during rush hour, I took the bike on a little detour, something that always seem to happen naturally when on a two-wheeler. Bella and I bonded instantly.

 Pose: inspired by bobskoot

 Nowhere station

 and the train never leaves...

Later the day it was finally hubby's turn. It was already getting dark, but we wanted the traffic to die before he hits the road. I followed him in the car protecting his (and Bella's) backside.

This is a quick shot taken through the windshield with deer on the side of the road watching him ride by.

And off he goes. Guess what: He's loving it!