30-52-2013: Weeds can be beautiful if you give them half a chance…

July 28, 2013 – . . . particularly when they are set against the backdrop of a glacial fed lake that is the most fabulous blue-green colour!

Yesterday I was nursing the repercussions of celebrating something with a friend on Friday afternoon/evening. We celebrated a little too much and I didn’t manage much more than the couch followed by the deck for most of the day. So the ride was put off until today, and it had to be shorter than desired simply because we wanted to go to an Open House.

We got out at a decent hour and so decided to head as far as Pemberton before turning back. We usually stop for coffee at Starbucks in Squamish. . . along with 90% of the other bikes riders on the Sea to Sky highway. Several people had told us that Galileo Coffee in Britannia was far superior and so we opted to pull in there instead today.

Everyone was right! Really great coffee!

While standing in line I was perusing the muffins and saw one bumbleberry muffin left. I told Kirk that was what I was going to have.

The woman in front of me turned and smiled and said “No, you’re not.”

Dang!

Got back her unintentionally though.

She ordered, took the muffin, and was out of my visual and mental range. I ordered a scone and a cappuccino, waited a moment while Kirk ordered, and moved along to the left. A moment later the barista finished making a coffee and handed it to me. I took it, added a bit of sugar, put a lid on it, and waited for Kirk.

A few moments later the barista called out “Single shot cappuccino” and placed another coffee on the counter.

I wasn’t sure what to do, nobody was claiming it and the woman who stole my muffin suddenly came back into my mental range, she was still waiting for a coffee. I could hardly offer it back at that point, since I’d already added sugar. So I took the cowards way out and said to Kirk “I’ll wait outside. . . and take a few photos. . . “

When Kirk came out he told me the woman who nabbed my muffin had her coffee nicked.

I said, “Yes, I know. . . my cappuccino is rather weak, sort of like a latte. . . “

Oops!

Oh well, mistakes happen. She got a strong coffee and I got a weak one.

We bypassed Squamish altogether, Whistler too, and rode up to Pemberton. One nice thing about the Sea to Sky on a hot day, for the morning at least, the highway as far as Squamish is mostly in the shade, so it makes for a nice cool ride. Not so once you pass Whistler and head down into the Pemberton Valley.

We pulled in for a pit stop and a drink of water and had a conversation with a fellow who had just had his vacation nipped unexpectedly short. He was riding a KLR and was kitted out for an adventure packed couple of weeks riding the dirt backroads all over Vancouver Island after finishing up a few hundred kilometres he’d done between Langley and Pemberton. Unfortunately his fuel pump had just crapped out on him and his trip was abruptly finished. Felt for him.

As we were getting ready to leave he smiled and told me to keep my bike out of the rain, it was too pretty to get wet. Kirk laughed and said “Too late” and I replied, “I’m a rain magnet” at which point Kirk pointed at the mountains and said “See?”

There were some ominous clouds coalescing over the mountains back the way we had come. We rode through some cloudy bits, but the rain never did materialize, thankfully. Neither of us was prepared for rain, not that that would have been the first time we’d been caught and soaked.

The ride back was relatively uneventful, the usual road warriors and a few complete jerks, but also some very aware drivers. A Jeep driver actually pulled off and kept rolling to let us by just before we hit the best curves on the highway. Thought that was pretty awesome!

We stopped at Green Lake to admire the fabulous turquoise waters that result from the glacial melt. Gorgeous spot, ridiculously expensive homes. Commuters that take float planes to the city.

We made one more stop at the side of the Cheakamus River between Whistler and Squamish, and then a gas stop in Squamish where everyone seemed to have the same idea. Busy!

Then straight through to home to try and make it to an open house for a place we’d looked at a couple of months ago and written off because of the garage. But we’ve become so darned discouraged at finding anything that we thought we’d go have another look at it because the actual townhouse was so unbelievably fabulous. Turns out that the decision was taken out of our hands as they had an accepted offer on it.

A fabulous ride, another 300km, and the bike rolls up on the mileage and is almost ready for its second major service this coming week. And still no new home.

And so it goes.