After a ton of really crappy weather the sun finally came out, the ice
melted off the road and a few of us headed out for a short ride.

I threw out an invitation on a local riding forum to let folks know I
was going for a putt today. Nothing too ambitious, just a short ride
to the Black Diamond Hotel for lunch and then ride home. If you saw
The Unforgiven part of it was filmed in The Black Diamond Hotel. The
Bar/Restaraunt was remodeled to represent the early western period the
film portrayed. It is a very cool place to eat and a popular place for
riders to stop while on one of many day rides that would take you
through Black Diamond.

Anyway only one rider responded to my post, Dan. Dan has just moved to
Calgary from Nfld and not knowing many people here welcomed an open
invitation to ride. I was pleasantly surprised that a half dozen of
the folks I regularly ride with were at the meeting place when I
rolled in.

With seven bikes in tow we headed out for Black Diamond. Damn after a
winter that just doesn't want to end, it's great to be riding again.

Not much of interest to report. The weather was great, the roads clear
and relatively free of traffic, the food was terrific and the company
even better.

All in all it was a very pleasant way to spend the day.

As you can see from these pictures, we were not the only ones thinking
the same way!
http://www.actualriders.ca/april08.htm

Those pictures were taken in Bragg Creek, a common meeting place for
riders. It is a convenient hub for several popular day rides. You
could take a similar picture any Saturday or Sunday when the weather
is good.

This is going to be a very good year for riding. I hope everyone here
gets out and enjoys the season and makes it home safe at the end of
the year.


--
See Ya On The Road


2000 Yamaha Venture Millennium
2004 HD Road King

Calgary wrote:
> After a ton of really crappy weather the sun finally came out, the ice
> melted off the road and a few of us headed out for a short ride.

Enjoy it while it lasts, the dark rain clouds we had here today will be
yours tomorrow...! (Prevailing westerlies). Tell you what, we can try
an experiment... I'll spray a whole can of WD-40 into the air and first
thing tomorrow morning you should be able to smell it.

> Those pictures were taken in Bragg Creek

I'd sure like to take a bike up the Bragg Creek road again, and see
the ice caves on Canyon Creek.

SQ

On Mon, 28 Apr 2008 00:32:06 GMT, Sean_Q_ <nospam@no.sapm> wrote:

>Calgary wrote:
>> After a ton of really crappy weather the sun finally came out, the ice
>> melted off the road and a few of us headed out for a short ride.
>
>Enjoy it while it lasts, the dark rain clouds we had here today will be
>yours tomorrow...! (Prevailing westerlies).

The only weakness in your theory is that big rock between us called
the Rocky Mountains. Often that rock will block the clouds forcing
them to dump all their moisture on your side. ;-)

Last time I checked the weather here is looking ok for the next few
days. Cooling off by the end of the week, but that could still change.

>Tell you what, we can try
>an experiment... I'll spray a whole can of WD-40 into the air and first
>thing tomorrow morning you should be able to smell it.
>
>> Those pictures were taken in Bragg Creek
>
>I'd sure like to take a bike up the Bragg Creek road again, and see
>the ice caves on Canyon Creek.
>
You're too late Sean. The Ice Caves were closed many years ago. I
think they became unsafe.

By the way a bunch of us are headed to Osoyoos over the US Memorial
Day weekend. I believe that is the 23, 24, 25 of May. If you have the
time why not ride out and join us. It would give me the chance to buy
you a beer.

We are staying at the Sahara. If they are booked up try the Poplars on
the other side of the parking lot.


--
See Ya On The Road


2000 Yamaha Venture Millennium
2004 HD Road King

On Mon, 28 Apr 2008 00:32:06 +0000, Sean_Q_ wrote:

> Tell you what, we can try an experiment... I'll spray a whole can of
> WD-40 into the air and first thing tomorrow morning you should be
> able to smell it.

Don't do that. The Water Displacement formula causes the atmosphere
to dry up.

--
... Chuck Rhode, Sheboygan, WI, USA
... 1979 Honda Goldwing GL1000 (Geraldine)
... Weather: http://LacusVeris.com/WX
... 38° — Wind S 6 mph

Calgary wrote:

> The only weakness in your theory is that big rock between us called
> the Rocky Mountains. Often that rock will block the clouds forcing
> them to dump all their moisture on your side. ;-)

Those rocks have been there since dinosaurs walked the Earth. If they
totally blocked the rain clouds there'd be a 60-million-year's worth
build-up of damp air mass hovering over Capilano Canyon. Well sometimes
it seems that way from here (and particularly whenever I take a ride
over to the North Shore) but actually they just get squeezed a bit
every time they're forced up over a ridge such as the Cascades,
the Monashees, the Selkirks, and so on. By the time they get to you
they've pretty well been scrubbed, rinsed, wrung out and hung up to dry.

>> Tell you what, we can try
>> an experiment... I'll spray a whole can of WD-40 into the air and first
>> thing tomorrow morning you should be able to smell it.

ps. You'll have to ride down past Lethbridge to catch that little
aerosol cloud as I'm a fair bit south of Calgary's latitude.

>> I'd sure like to take a bike up the Bragg Creek road again
>> and see the ice caves on Canyon Creek.

> You're too late Sean. The Ice Caves were closed many years ago. I
> think they became unsafe.

No kidding. Well, ya had to clamber 100 feet up a loose scree slope
to get to them and they weren't anywhere near as interesting as
the Cave of Wonders in Disney's _Aladdin_.

> By the way a bunch of us are headed to Osoyoos over the US Memorial
> Day weekend. I believe that is the 23, 24, 25 of May. If you have the
> time why not ride out and join us. It would give me the chance to buy
> you a beer.

If I can get the time off I'd like to.

> We are staying at the Sahara. If they are booked up try the Poplars on
> the other side of the parking lot.

What do I do, just roll into town and look for a Road King with
Alberta plates?

SQ

On Mon, 28 Apr 2008 05:36:02 GMT, Sean_Q_ <nospam@no.sapm> wrote:

>
>> By the way a bunch of us are headed to Osoyoos over the US Memorial
>> Day weekend. I believe that is the 23, 24, 25 of May. If you have the
>> time why not ride out and join us. It would give me the chance to buy
>> you a beer.
>
>If I can get the time off I'd like to.
>
>> We are staying at the Sahara. If they are booked up try the Poplars on
>> the other side of the parking lot.
>
>What do I do, just roll into town and look for a Road King with
>Alberta plates?

The Sahara has a courtyard with a pool. The motel owner lets us bring
our bikes right into the courtyard. You can ask at the desk for my
room (Don Binns) or just look in the courtyard for an aging overweight
Albertan with a cheezy mustache. That would be me.

I don't know which bike I will be taking, but being a Yamaha group
there will not be many red and silver road kings or Millennium
Ventures with a Cowboy fudging a dog while riding on a horse mural
painted on the trunk.

Or just call me on the cell 403-815-6358.




--
See Ya On The Road


2000 Yamaha Venture Millennium
2004 HD Road King