What a fabulous day. I had to follow Vic to the Maritime Festival this morning, to help him set up for the day. It felt so good getting out on the road and riding in... and I'll admit it, seeing the admiring looks of all the men helping to set up for the show. They're always somewhat surprised and delighted to see women on bikes. I don't particularly want to impress them; yet there is a sense of pride that comes from being a woman on a bike.
While we were setting up, I realized that Vic didn't have enough display stands, so that meant a ride home to pick some up, and of course a ride back to bring them. The small helmet that Stephen bought last year wasn't here when I headed out first thing, and I had to use the three-quarter helmet we bought last year. But I've become used to a full-face helmet now, and really didn't enjoy riding with my face so exposed. Did I need an excuse to go for a longer ride?
Well, I found me a wonderful helmet at Spunky's Motorcycle Shop in Parksville! Yep, a nice long run down the highway all by my lonesome. Once I had found a helmet that fit and felt ever so good, I had to ride just a little further up the road into Coombs to visit my friends, Lyn and Shannon and Shannon's girls, Kenna and Maddie. What a great feeling, going to Coombs on my own, grabbing my freedom and celebrating my skill. I got a great email from Lyn saying that Maddie loves my bike and the girls are both impressed that I'm riding! Yippee. Now that's who I do want to impress, young girls! I'm thrilled to set this example for them.
The ride itself was splendid. There's a section of the highway that lets you do 110 km legally, and of course traffic tends to go beyond the limits. My Little Hussy is so fast. She didn't complain at all when I gave into the need for speed. There were so many bikers out there, and I loved getting all the waves and giving 'em back--the camaraderie among bikers is really delicious! I was actually disappointed when I finally got home. I felt sad having to stop. But the house needs some cleaning and I had to start on that job (not that I finished it).
Before I got half the job done, it was (thank goodness) time to go and help Vic pack up. I managed to ride right up to our booth, and I saw pride on my husband's face. Some of our acquaintances came over to chat... I heard Trevor say "hey there Motorcycle Mama." It seems Vic has been bragging about me. Gail Middleton also came over to chat, and told me she'd heard from Bev that I've been teaching at Stu"ate Lelum. I had the new staff jacket on under my leathers and got to show that to her. I am feeling so grateful... this job and the bike... wow, I'm lucky.
Vic wanted to have a ride too, so once we got home, and changed my spark plugs, we set off for another ride. We enjoyed a nice coffee at the Starbucks at the north end of Nanaimo, picked up some milk, and then headed down the old highway. It was rather windy on the way up, so I chose a slower route home, down the old highway. That's actually great practice because there are so many stoplights to contend with along this route. We decided to take a nice long ride on Yellowpoint Road... a familiar path for me, but I am taking it much more easily then I used to and I'm delighted with my progress. I put quite a few miles on the Hussy today. What a fantastic year this is turning out to be. Yippee! Oh, I'm including a little video Vic took of me leaving for school on Friday morning. And one of me coming home too. The next time he takes a video, I'll be wearing my new "Darth Vader" helmet. That's what Lyn said it looked like to her. I love my new helmet! Since I need to use a backpack to take stuff with me, I guess I'll be saving up for saddlebags next.
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