This morning is layering the call of the day. I wake up to 42F, and start layering my clothes for today. Base layer, mid layer, top layer, protective gear, insulated gloves, neck gator and anything else to keep me warm. It's five o'clock and till the sun comes up will be another hour and half to give some warmth to the day. The order of the day is to rake up miles as I will be heading to Vancouver, BC to meet my brother in law Michael, and my riding buddy Ludwig this afternoon. So I trace back from my campsite to Hwy-2 and follow it to Spokane, WA, where I turn onto I-90 to Seattle, WA, and here turning onto I-5 North to Blaine, WA for the border crossing. From there it is down to Richmond, BC and then entering Vancouver, BC to my destination downtown to meet those two. Spokane and I-90 are a breeze to ride, hardly any traffic at all and a new road surface. Of course following the Snoqualmie River and going over the pass is a treat on its own, and descending to Mercer Island and crossing Lake Washington is worth a ride. This of course changes immediately coming into Seattle,WA which to my impression has turned to the worse comparing to my last visits two years and eight years ago. Fighting the stop and go through those major construction sites lets me work hard on the brakes and clutch, and after about a hour of finger and hand exercise I'm through and traffic eases. Border crossing into Canada is once again quick and easy due to the ArriveCAN pre-registration and up to Vancouver, BC I go.
I arrive early afternoon at the hotel just to learn that Michael and Ludwig will be late due to flight cancelation and rebooking. This is bad news indeed for all of us. If I'd have known of that earlier this morning, today was a crystal clear day with moderate midday temperatures, I would have chosen a different route instead of the Interstate and would have explored the Northern Cascades, a route I'm trying to ride since many, many years. So it has to wait for another time, again.
"Travel teaches toleration." - Benjamin Disraeli - Prime Minister of the UK 1874 - 1880
I know those boys!
ReplyDelete