October 28, 2017 – One has to take advantage of sunny days in Vancouver at this time of year because they can be few and far between. It’s a standard joke that it rains here pretty much from October until May.
Except it’s not really much of a joke.
So when the sun comes out you need to capitalize on it.
Thursday I thought I’d be working in the office, but I ran into someone and we ended up on the ferry together, and I decided to change my boring plans from sitting in front of a computer to spending a sunny day out at a spawning channel instead, helping her with some sampling and a site visit to a hatchery to pick up some egg samples that were going back to the marine station for analysis.
That, of course, also meant we had to figure out what to do for lunch…. so we heaved a sigh and “suffered” the Sasquatch Inn at a table on the patio, in the sun, where it was warm enough that I sat there in a t-shirt and was almost too hot, and we ran into a retired colleague who was also there for lunch.
It was difficult to endure. 😉
Yesterday I (mostly) took the day off. I’m backlogged on flex days that I haven’t taken, so I took a relaxing day and only did a little bit of computer work to catch up on a few things people were waiting on me for. And when I got those done I shut the computer off and took out the camera to catch a few shots of the glorious sunshine on my Chinese Lantern plant.
Today we took full advantage of the weather and pulled the big bikes out for a ride up to Squamish for a coffee. I should have worn a different pair of gloves, because the air temperature on the Sea to Sky Highway is cold at speed, particularly since it’s mostly in shadow for most of the day now. That same cold means that many riders have already parked their bikes for the season. There were certainly no squids about.
It’s different riding at this time of year. And not just because it’s colder. The riders are a different age bracket, older and more experienced. The camaraderie is quieter, more respectful, there are more waves on the road. Perhaps a nod to those who aren’t yet willing to cover the bike and leave it until next year, a salute to those who are willing to have cold hands and shiver a bit to keep the wind on their faces.
In Squamish a hot coffee was a must, and the few riders sitting outside near their bikes all chatted happily. A rider pulled in and pulled off his helmet… “Nick!” A friend of a friend who we seem to run into at least once a year up here; he also lives on the North Shore. Actually, I imagine many of the riders here today probably do. He asked if we were on our last ride for the season, I said probably, that the insurance runs out soon….he smiled and said… “it’s going to be sunny again tomorrow” and I said that maybe we’d see him again then. 😉
The ride back down was lively and fun, a few more riders heading up in the later (and warmer) afternoon, but we were happy to be on a farily quiet ride today. The sun was brilliant on Howe Sound and although I’d have loved to stop a dozen times to take photos, the ride felt to good to interrupt. So it was all the way home and then wash and polish the bikes, and Pee Wee too, in case it does become the last ride of the season.
But I hope it wasn’t.
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