Three Flags Classic and Empress Hotel

While on the island I knew Turk from Borrego Springs was also there at Cobble Hill. So I rode north to Mill Bay and met him for lunch. While there this fellow rode in on a bike just like mine. Turk then took me over to this great Bistro and we had this great clam chowder.

Kayakers being instructed by the bistro

Look Ma real clams. It was delicious.

This is my great niece Stephanie and her daughter Rae. What a sweetheart.

That evening I went over to my other great niece's. She has a beautiful home in Saanich. I met her husband and it seems he had just bought a new motorcycle. A BMW R1200GS. I told here he was a keeper. They were having a pig roast as a retirement for one of the air traffic controllers and there were quite a few there from Vancouver as well as Victoria.

 

Clematis

There is the pig

Nephew Cal, Ursula and Amber in the middle.

Beautiful open space design.

 

Ok the next morning I rode to the Empress. Found everyone and helped set up. Not too many people today as they are not scheduled to come in til tomorrow.

Tall ships in the harbour across the road.

This is our crew and set up. See how busy we all are....

From across the lobby.

Another view of the harbour. The water taxis were doing their ballet.

The Empress

This is the bathroom along with a fireplace. I told the manager my name was Margaret Rose like the princess so they had to treat me with deference. So he let me park in staff parking for the 4 days. Parking in downtown Victoria is prohibitive.

Dinner in the Bengal Room at the Empress with Jimmy and Dee Dee and Mark. Mark graciously paid for everything. His bill was close to $500.00. I did not have any drinks and my salmon salad cost $26.00. It was delicious but the cost of things there were ridiculous.

This is Mark. He is from Texas. Jimmy and DeeDee are from Ridgecrest California where I am right now. Quite the International group.

Another shot of one of the water taxis. The last evening we had the final banquet at the Crystal Ballroom across the street. The food was phenominal. The speeches and improv not so much.

The next morning it was off to Sydney harbour to catch the ferry to Anacortes.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Calgary to Vancouver Island

Well a few people are emailing me and saying I have not posted anything since October and What am I doing and where am I? So I thought I would take a few moments and try to catch up. I am currently on another adventure and am in Ridgecrest California going geocaching today. Well early Sept I left on the F650GS headed for the Empress hotel. The 3 Flags Classic would be coming in on the Labor Day weekend and I had volunteered to help at the finish in the majestic Empress Hotel. I stopped at Duncan and Vickies in Salmon Arm and they graciously took me in and gave me a bed for the night and fed me this wonderful fish pie and mushy peas an English dish made from scratch. Delicious. I left the next morning and arrived in Victoria that night. I traveled up to Langford and stayed with my nephew Cal.

Leaving the ferry dock

On the way

The next day we went to Cal's work and he took myself, Ursala and great, great niece Rae and I on a flight in a Cessna over part of the island. Absolutely delightful.

This is the plane we flew in.

Statues in the office where Cal worked.

 

A Huey helicopter on the runway.

The next day we went to Sydney harbor and what a lovely place this was.

I sat on a bench and enjoyed the lovely sunshine and all the people walking while Ursula and Rae went to the museum.

 

 

The next day I was heading to the Empress to greet the first of the arrivers on the 3 Flags.

 

 

 

 

 

Radium

Well I had a few days before I went on my next adventure and someone suggested Radium and then backed out. No biggie. It sounded like a good idea so I packed up the bike and headed out. Because I had not been up that way for a very long time I decided to stop and hike Marble Canyon. Beautiful. Here are some of the photos I took.

 

This is the falls at the top of the canyon. It was a great hike and a worthwhile venture.

There is water down there somewhere and these great bridges criss crossing over the canyon.

There was a little chipmunk on this rock. I did not just take a picture of the bridge support?

Look at the layers in this rock beside the trail.

Sure is deep.

Some of the remains of a fire that swept through here a few years ago.

I met a lovely couple from Santa Cruz California wanting to know about my motorcycle.

I then continued on to Radium. It was my intent to camp but on arriving at the campground I found it would be 27.95 to put up my tent and there was a bear in the campground the last 5 nights. I did not want to pay that kind of money so he could have lunch so I opted for a motel. They were very expensive and I drove to Invermere thinking I might find a deal. How foolish . So returned to Radium and found this nice place for 96.00 tax included so opted to stay only 1 night.

That was my room upstairs.

 

Loved this decoration in the front yard. After checking in I went for a dip in the hot springs. I met a lovely couple from Medicine Hat. The pool was lovely. I had not been there in years.

 

After drying off and riding back to the motel I walked up to a BBQ place for a bite to eat. Here I sat and ate with a lovely couple from Texas. Sure enjoyed the company. I returned to my room and the next morning phoned my old boss George Bzeta and went and visited him and Judy. We had a delightful time reminiscing. As I left the Tyrol motel this is the sight that greeted me.

I then went back to Calgary. Great trip. Then I got ready to take the F650GS on my next adventure to Victoria, Boise and Quincy and Palm Springs. Next episode.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Nakusp BMW Rally

The following weekend I got out the bike and sidecar and headed for Nakusp to the BC Beemer rally.

I took my friend Steve in the sidecar up to the Nakusp Hot Springs and after having a soak we hiked a short walk up to this gorgeous covered bridge.

The following is the view from the bridge.

 

 

Some of the beautiful flowers at the hot pool.

Nakusp pool

The smoke was very bad and the ash made a mess of the tent as it fell and then rained. Friday it was nice for the seniors rides but I did not get any pictures as I was too busy driving. We got a lovely Thank you from Atsu again. It is wonderful that we are able to do this every year. Deb Guest catered our 3 meals and they were very good as always. We had fewer people this year with only 183 in attendance. It was a good rally but I missed a lot of the people who are usually there.

You can see there was a lot of smoke.

I knew I should write this down. This tree down by the lakefront looks like perhaps it is diseased but I think it is something like a reticulated  chestnut. It is supposed to be warped and twisted like that and the leaves look withered and dying.

Some more of the beautiful flowers on the lakefront.

John Kersh from Arizona. One of the many people I met in St Paul and who was in Panquitch and now Nakusp.

I left Sunday morning and went north to Revelstoke. Took these pictures on the ferry and in Yoho on the way.

 

 

This was where the clutch cable broke a couple of years ago.

Will end here but have some more exciting adventures coming up.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Ride to Drumheller

For our UMCI rally we did not have anything planned and with so many campgrounds raising their fees Karl Nordin and I decided to have just a ride. So on Saturday we met at MacDonalds and 10 of us started out. 1 left because a crucial bolt had fallen off his bike.

We ate lunch at Dairy Queen in Drumheller and Peter Rodland realized he left his insulin and tester at home so we went to the Drumheller hospital so he could get tested and get a shot. Shortly after we headed for Wayne and Bruce and Sheila left to go home.

 

John Colebank

We went to the swinging bridge and Peter decided maybe he should head home. So now we are 6.

 

When we got to the Chinese food restaurant in Strathmore Dodi and Karen were to meet us but they could not come. However Jon and Lorraine did.

Great dinner as always at this place. Always way too much food. And then as an added bonus when we were leaving our longtime UMCI members whom we had not seen for years showed up.

Dick and Ruby Bruer. So delighted to see them again.