Fabulous Weather, Wonderful Riding

Wow, now this was a great day to be out on the bike. We needed groceries, so Vic and I rode our bikes and Mom followed in her car. The weather was perfect, and though I felt nervous (after all, I knew Mom was watching my every move), the ride went smoothly. I told myself to relax, after all, in another month or so, I'll be riding with ICBC examiners following me, and that ride will take close to two hours. I'd better be relaxed then, so this was good practice. And Mom was really happy with my riding ability!

We got to Costco, managed to make it a very worthwhile trip, loaded the car... and I do mean loaded, and then I thought we'd head straight home. Not so, Mom wanted to go to Save-On Foods as well. The hilarious thing is that she didn't actually need anything there. But we made that into a quick stop for lunch and enjoyed their deli. Then it was off to Wal-Mart for cat food and a few other odds and ends from their grocery section, and finally off to home. Mom spent much of her time being a protective follower, but at one point she took the lead. I was fairly close behind her, but apparently not close enough for several idiots to decide to squeeze in. I really wonder, do they see us at all when we're on our bikes?

The ride was delicious, and incredibly short for such a day, so as soon as we unloaded the groceries, we headed out again. This time Stephen came with us, and since we both needed fuel, he decided to hit the Chevron. They have a great high octane that the bikes really love. I can feel the difference when I use it: my Little Hussy just seems to sing and delight in speed after such a fill-up.

Then for the question: Where to? We headed for the Beach Hut at Qualicum Beach. Had I known we were going that way, I'd have contacted Flo and her brothers to see if they'd like to meet us there. It's sort of a half-way point for us, with Flo coming from Campbell River. The Beach Hut is a great spot for treats, including Dutch krokets. The beach is gorgeous, the surroundings are amazing, truly panoramic with snow-capped mountains visible both north and south, and lots of islands to see as well. I know my friend MaryJoy would be thrilled to sit and relax at the hut or on the beach! It's becoming a favorite ride just for that spot alone.

But we weren't the only riders today. My Spirit Daughter, Raven, spent the night and this morning her little guy (Mattias is only 5) had his first ride, and later Stephen also took Raven out. Mattias came back saying he didn't want a car, he just wanted a motorcycle. He looked absolutely adorable on the back of Stephen's bike. For that matter, Raven looked pretty sweet too. All in all, this was a fabulous day. The Hussy got some nice speeds up, and I feel better and better riding the curves regardless of speed. Yippee!

Riding alone is good for me. It allows me to concentrate on myself and traffic and it allows me to get into the Zen of it all. However, in truth, there's just nothing as wonderful as riding with my family.