Qualicum Beach, Fanny Bay... a great riding day with friends

A beautiful sunny Sunday, and a message from Flo and Dragon: "wanna play?" Oh yes, we did. That message on the Women Who Ride forum from Flo was all it took. We knew we were heading out a little earlier than our friends, so we made a stop in Parksville and enjoyed our favorite coffee shop (I'm going to have to reload that Starbucks card very soon). There were a couple of Triumphs in the parking lot we had to admire, and would you believe a Norton went by. That brought back some memories for both of us. I might have been all of 19 when Vic had his candy apple red 750 Norton Commando. The bike looked a lot smaller than I remembered it being back then.

It seemed that everyone who owned a bike was out there on the roads today... and they all seem to stop at the same places. We soon found ourselves in Qualicum Beach at the Beach Hut and I might have counted 30 bikes there. Whenever a few left, others took their place. The sun was glorious, and there were puppies playing in the ocean, and some kids too, but I have to admit the dogs were hilarious to watch. We even saw one on the back of a Harley. We arrived a bit early, so Vic suggested a ride up the road, and before long we were in Fanny Bay. I love the old highway. It runs along the water and it's absolutely breathtaking scenery. We finally turned around and headed back to Qualicum Beach, and sure enough, Flo and Draggie were there. What a treat to sit and have some nibblies with them while we waited for Flo's brothers who weren't long in coming. They both had their sons with them; a real father's day pleasure for them. We spent time chatting and looking at all the bikes and taking pictures, before deciding to start our ride back to Ladysmith. That was in good company, because Flo and Eric and Carl travelled to Parksville with us. We needed to stop for final Conga line pictures, wishing for an ocean view and finally settling for a field!

Then it was time to head for home and Jenn and Vic and I took off down the highway. Vic really put speed into this run, and I have to admit that I was a little freaked by the time we managed to pull off the highway. He's usually a grampa on the road, but my little bike was registering past 70 miles per hour... that's miles not kilometers... and we were weaving in and out of lots of traffic.

I got an email from Jenn (Draggie) who was behind me, and she said I'm doing really well, though she's got some pointers for me and has promised to ride with me and teach me what she knows. I don't mind a short burst of speed, but I felt like I had the throttle full out from Parksville to our turn-off on Brenton-Page Road. One thing for sure, I got a lot of high speed highway practice today. I also told Vic that next time he's in the mood for speed, he's going solo! There was just too much traffic for my liking, and though I managed all that weaving back and forth from lane to lane, I'd rather take it a little slower next time.

I am delighted to be able to ride with Vic. He's thrilled to have me for a riding partner too. Life can be so full and delicious. I seem to end many of my posts here saying that I feel lucky. I'm simply ecstatic. We've been blessed!