Best. Vacation. Ever.
July 21, 2008 by John in Motorcycle News, My 2002 Triumph Bonneville America, Travel
(Note: Updated several times after posting. My pictures now available. Zdenko’s too: 1, 2)
Reflections, in no particular order (and barely scratching the surface):
- Duke’s Clam Chowder on Alki Beach.
- Fidalgo bay on Whidbey Island.
- Fresh halibut fish and chips in Bellingham and Kettle Falls.
- Prawn Chowder in LaConner.
- Fresh strawberries off the farm.
- Sipping Glenmorangie single malt on the patio with friends.
- Coffee at Harvey Field.
- Pushing my bike across the border to save the battery (and then replacing it shortly thereafter).
- Our local “guide” getting us lost in downtown Seattle. So much for GPS.
- Barbecuing asparagus for the first time.
- Virtually rainforest-thick vegetation in the pacific northwest.
- Lakes and rivers everywhere.
- No allergic reactions or my usual daily nosebleeds, and lowered blood pressure.
- Zdenko’s America awarded the best Triumph in the Kootenays (SE BC).
- Playing follow the leader, and being the leader.
- The Northern Cascades.
- Putting more faces to BA.com names.
- They’re actually going to print up some 3XL event shirts and mail one to me. This was my fourth year attending and I’ve never gotten a t-shirt that I could wear (I used to give them away).
- After listening to my remaining allotment of the Leykis and Carolla radio shows, I switched to some fiction. I don’t believe I’ve listened to any fiction on my Ipod until now. I went through The Forever War by Joe Haldeman, a book I’d read 15-20 years ago, and I got through most of This Immortal by Roger Zelazny. I hadn’t read any Zelazny since the Amber series over 20 years ago.
- It’s amazing how much better your mileage (and therefore range) is when you keep the speed under 70mph
- I would rather lead 6 other bikes than follow 12 (ala Arizona).
- And a thousand other little things…
Looks like all we did was eat. Yeah, that’s pretty much it. Eat and ride. Heaven. This was the first vacation I’ve ever had that felt longer than the actual time. Usually it’s the other way around.
I’ll post my pictures soon. I even took a little video.
Addendum: It wasn’t all joy and bliss, of course.
- Had to replace my 6 and a half year old battery to the tune of $121.
- Every time I took a corner hard at 60+mph I wondered if my nearly spent rear tire would blow out and send me cartwheeling into a river or down a cliff or into a mountain. If my math is right, I’ve got over 8,369 miles on the rear tire. Definitely time to replace it.
- Every time I could hear my drive belt squeaking I would just turn up the volume on my tunes or audiobook in denial.
- We decided to skip the Vancouver Island loop due to limited ferry schedules (I wasn’t getting up at 5am) and cost (three ferry crossings to get it done, costing somewhere around $100) and probably only getting an hour or two to ride from Sidney to Nanaimo. We decided it just wasn’t worth it.
- Several of our friends from past years did not attend the Triumph rally this year: Renelouis, Julie and Dallas, Marty and Jessie, Richard, Todd, Fillo, Steve (RSD), et al.
- And lastly, my buddy John was sick this weekend, forcing him to miss out on the poker run Saturday.
All in all, though, it was an excellent trip.
Maps
Will be adding more detailed segments soon.
- The Main Loop - overnight stays only, no side trips, 1739 miles
The rest of the maps are on my Travel wiki page under British Columbia trips.
Money
So I charged everything on my Visa, knowing I would pay it off when I got home. Here’s the breakdown, courtesy of my bank’s website (totals include transaction fees):
- Gas: $387.09
- Food/Booze: $183.23
- Lodging (4 nights): $250.30
- Misc: $26.57
- Total: $847.19
I averaged $100/day. Food included buying John and Linda dinner before we left Big Lake, and buying a few drinks here and there for friends. I also charged soda and pizza in Kelowna but John and Zdenko reimbursed me. Where I really saved money was staying with friends most of the time and splitting hotel rooms the rest of the time. Thanks to John, Linda and Gordie (and family).