For a few years now, a group of motorcyclists from Victoria loosely known as 'the old buzzards' has celebrated the time honoured tradition of Father's Day by going on a 3-day motorcycle tour through BC and WA state.
This year's edition featured 5-6 of the usual accomplices, with a couple of fresh recruits brought in to keep the tradition alive - or just to round up the numbers to help pay for the motel bills The ride consisted of running from Victoria through southern BC's Hwy #3, the Crowsnest, as far as Grand Forks and stop for the night. Then on Saturday we ventured south through WA state's wonderful back roads, ending the day's ride at Wenatchee. The third day was the grand finale, riding through the mandatory stop in Winthrop (a bit of a motorcycle mecca, not to mention a blues festival centre) and then the 'north cascades highway' Hwy #20 which has been rated as the best darn road in Washington.
This year stared out a bit soggy - we rode in a solid hour of rain twice on Friday, through Manning park which can be wet - but Saturday and Sunday were simply awesome, as the PNW summer finally arrived. Camaraderie has always been great, and I think the rough start to our weekend brought us closer together this year. Having 7-8 guys agree on anything could be a challenge, but we not only finished the ride together but are still friends after ! As usual, Saturday featured a Mexican meal at Tequilas in Ephrata and later in the evening the mandatory pie run. We usually allow some riding flexibility, splitting into 2 riding groups sometimes and meeting up again later - this allows for some leisurely rides, as well as spirited runs.
All in all, an awesome adventure.
Bikes - K1200LT, four Wings, a Valk, a Vulcan, and my ST1100
This year's edition featured 5-6 of the usual accomplices, with a couple of fresh recruits brought in to keep the tradition alive - or just to round up the numbers to help pay for the motel bills The ride consisted of running from Victoria through southern BC's Hwy #3, the Crowsnest, as far as Grand Forks and stop for the night. Then on Saturday we ventured south through WA state's wonderful back roads, ending the day's ride at Wenatchee. The third day was the grand finale, riding through the mandatory stop in Winthrop (a bit of a motorcycle mecca, not to mention a blues festival centre) and then the 'north cascades highway' Hwy #20 which has been rated as the best darn road in Washington.
This year stared out a bit soggy - we rode in a solid hour of rain twice on Friday, through Manning park which can be wet - but Saturday and Sunday were simply awesome, as the PNW summer finally arrived. Camaraderie has always been great, and I think the rough start to our weekend brought us closer together this year. Having 7-8 guys agree on anything could be a challenge, but we not only finished the ride together but are still friends after ! As usual, Saturday featured a Mexican meal at Tequilas in Ephrata and later in the evening the mandatory pie run. We usually allow some riding flexibility, splitting into 2 riding groups sometimes and meeting up again later - this allows for some leisurely rides, as well as spirited runs.
All in all, an awesome adventure.
Bikes - K1200LT, four Wings, a Valk, a Vulcan, and my ST1100