Sunday, May 27, 2012

Intro to paradise

Copyright - Bobskoot - http://wetcoastscootin.blogspot.ca/
Copyright - Bobskoot - http://wetcoastscootin.blogspot.ca/
I don't usually have trouble writing a post.  I have something I think is worth sharing, I write it down as it comes to me, and that's it.  Done.  Well it's done after some fussing over spelling and photo placement, and boring stuff like that.  But it's not by any means hard.

This time I have to admit I'm struggling.  Writer's block? No.

The problem is that the past two days have been so fantastic, so chock-a-block full of incredible experiences, that I don't know quite where to begin, and how to convey them, in a way that does them justice.

I guess I'll just dive in and see where the pieces fall.

First I need to provide some context.  I'm here in Vancouver on business for the Canadian Society of Corporate Secretaries.  Friday evening and Saturday morning were business-free.

As you can see when you read this blog, bloggers are like birds-of-a-feather.  They share similar passions and they lend each other moral support.  You can't help but learn a lot about your fellow bloggers.  Eventually, you begin trading e-mail, then phone calls, and before you know it, you are friends.  My wife says they are pen-pals.  I suppose that's as good an explanation as any.

There aren't that many scooter and motorcycle bloggers in the known universe.  There are certainly hundreds.  Maybe a thousand or two.  But in the grand scheme of humanity, these people are like the equivalent of a small town, at most.

The problem is that they are peppered all over the world.

Vancouver is home to Bobskoot, Dave Dixon, and Sonja.  Bellingham Washington, just a hop, skip and jump over the border is where Orin O'Neill lives, and Dar calls Victoria home.

Months ago, knowing I was going to be in Vancouver, we started plotting a get-together.

In the end, Bobskoot, Dave Dixon, Sonja and her husband Roland and I were able to spend some time getting to know each other better, and sharing some of the best riding experiences in the world.  I know that sounds like more exaggeration, but I'll let you judge for yourselves as I struggle to share those experiences with you.

Be warned, it's going to take some time, because there's just way too much for one blog post.  Heck, I'm just wrapping up the introduction and I think that this is where this post needs to conclude.

There's that, plus the fact that I still have two Los Angeles posts that I haven't finished yet.

It's important to me that I do my very best to document these incredible experiences here.  The reason is that going out on a limb, as I did, to do something unconventional like commuting on a scooter, and blogging about it, has opened up a world of new experiences for me that is literally unspeakably rich, and almost unwritably rich, if that's even a word.

I had to borrow the opening and closing shots for this post from Bob, because only Bob is resourceful enough to carry a tripod concealed on his V-Strom, and to be obsessed enough to have a remote control for his Canon.

I'll end this post with the photo that shows how it all ended.  Sonja, Roland, Bob and Dave very gallantly escorted me miles out of their way, through bumper-to-bumper traffic, over the Lion's Gate Bridge, all the way to my temporary home at the Fairmont Pacific Rim Hotel.

That's where the magic ended, and the incredible memories begin.
So there you have it.  The beginning, and the end. 

Over the coming weeks I will do my best to convey what happened in the middle of this remarkable adventure.

Thank you Bob, Sonja, Dave and Roland for the experiences of a lifetime.  A truly priceless gift.
Copyright - Bobskoot - http://wetcoastscootin.blogspot.ca/
Copyright - Bobskoot - http://wetcoastscootin.blogspot.ca/

5 comments:

Dar said...

Oh how I wish I could have been there! I spent the weekend ferrying my daughter & niece to a youth conference. I did manage to get in a ride. It's look like you had a very good time. I take it you met the RTE gang on Friday night, very nice group of fellas. I can hardly wait to read about your adventure!

SonjaM said...

David, I am afraid you will have to have that smile surgically removed when back in Montreal, or people will find you might have gone crazy while in Vancouver.

We had a fantastic day, too. Great, that all fell into place and the weather played along.

À bientôt, j'espère.

Keith - Circle Blue said...

I do hope I'm allowed some envy.
~Keith

Unknown said...

David:

Susan is wrong. We are not Pen-Pals, where you are only writing to one other person.

we are a group of friends, some of whom have met, and some to be met. Our messages to each other are directed to many so that we can all be involved in the same conversation.

we are sorry that you had to leave . . .

bob
Riding the Wet Coast
My Flickr // My YouTube

Dave Dixon said...

David, I love how we both approach that fantastic day from different viewpoints - it's Blogger Heaven! Can't wait to find out what happens next....

The copyright in all text and photographs, except as noted, belongs to David Masse.