Well, we got 'er in. We were hoping the weather would cooperate for our planned lunch meetup down across the line in Bellingham with some of the Vermin gang, as this would be Lisa's only chance to get out on the road with me for at least several months, since she goes in for a knee replacement next week. The forecast had been showing single digit C temps with only about 5% chance of the wet stuff from here to Bellingham, so things were looking good as I made sure the old Valk was spit & polish clean and rarin' to go Saturday evening. Wouldn't you know it though, that 5% chance of rain would show itself just as we were starting to gear up in the AM (really, what's the difference between 5% chance of rain and 95% chance of rain....if it rains or if it doesn't, the forecaster is never wrong...that's a pretty good system they got goin' on there...wish I could apply it to my work). Knowing however, that what's happening weather-wise on our little mountain isn't always representative of what's going on just down the hill, we decided to forgo any thought of opting for the 4 wheel alternative mode of transportation and just go for it...and sure enough within 5 minutes of getting into the farm valleys below, the rain had stopped, the roads were dry, and there was even some blue sky patches and the hint of a few rays of that glorious not so common this time of year Sunshine to come.
Snow's still hanging around pretty low on the mountains, but dare I say it...I think we're done for the year.
Pretty quick through the border with only one car ahead of us in the Nexus line , so after a quick stop to top off with some of that cheap WA gas, it was just a nice leisurely 60 minutes or so to our Mexican lunch meetup location. After starting out from home at 4°C, we were now up to about 6°... and prepared for the unpredictability of whatever weather would come our way. After 38 years of riding together, I've become pretty confident that the more gear the Mrs dons ahead of time in preparation for less than desireable riding weather, the less likely any of those potential negative conditions will present themselves
Sure enough, the roads remained dry and it was a pleasant ride the rest of the way. With Cal & Linda and Sam & Myla making it from about the same distances South, it would be just the 6 of us for lunch. Hmmm......looks like the only 2-wheeled ride to this meetup has BC plates
Good food at the El Patron in Bellingham....and even better company. Time flies when you're catching up with good friends , so after 3 hours of storytelling and some good laughs, it was time to start heading back.
Sure look forward to the longer daylight hours when the distances travelled on day rides can be extended. I don't mind riding at dusk or even in the dark on regular well-lit roads, but not with cooler temps and the possibility of rain.
Made it home just as dusk was starting to settle in and sure enough, as we rode through Agassiz we could see our little mountain ahead blanketed in cloud ...and yup, the last 5 minutes of our ride would mirror the first 5 minutes...just enough of the wet stuff to attach a bit more evidence of a good days ride to the old gir's wheels, fenders, and underbelly
With the temps not getting above 8° even later in the day, Lisa decided to keep her gloves on and sherk her duties as official ride photographer for this day, so not a lot of pictures this ride. Guess I'm just gonna have to break down and finally get a GoPro, especially since she won't be getting out with me for a while until her new bionic knee is fully operational (actually, I guess I probably won't be taking off much either for a while, since I'll be waiting on her hand & foot ....well, for a few weeks at least)
