Second Place after Day One!

Today was a total blast, riding at or near wide open throttle for 377 miles.  Now I find that we are tied for second place after day one.  I am not sure that I will push so hard tomorrow, and even if I do, it will be hard to stay there, but it was a fine day for me and Rocket.

Current Standings

Updated 2014-06-03 20:08:53 -0700

Place	Name	Scooter	Day 1	Day 2	Day 3	Day 4	Day 5	Day 6	Day 7	Day 8	Day 9	Day 10	Total	Delta*
1	DaBinChe	2010 Honda NHX 110	365										365	0
2	Wleuthold	2006 Vespa GT200	351										351	14
3	Ericalm	1987 Honda Helix CN250	351										351	0
4	Feb31st	2007 Vespa GTS	349										349	2
5	Motovista	2006 Vespa GT200	342										342	7
6	Old As Dirt	2008 Aprilia Sport City	340										340	2
7	4in6isCool	2008 Vespa GT200	337										337	3
8	Maroy	Piaggio MP3	324										324	13
9	Lostboater	2009 Vespa GTS250	310										310	14
10	Teacherquinn	2007 Vespa GTS250	309										309	1
11	MrMoi2000	1971 Rally 180	308										308	1
12	Tupelosue	2009 Vespa GTS250	305										305	3
13	Bagel	2007 Vespa GTS250	304										304	1
14	Cdwise	2008 Aprila Sport City	299										299	5
15	MrKlean57	2014 Piaggio Fly 150	286										286	13
16	G-Man	2008 Sym HD 200	279										279	7
17	Wire89	1964 Vespa GL150 (1983 Adj)	245										245	34
18	Frank Tabor	2009 Genuine Stella	231										231	14
19	Digit	1977 Vespa P200	230										230	1
20	HankM	2004 Honda Helix	221										221	9
21	LM15	2008 Piaggoio BV250	215										215	6
22	Yanobobano	2005 Vespa GT200	195										195	20
23	Chucklestx	2006 Kymco People 250	187										187	8

Scooter Cannonball Run: Day One: Hyder to Vanderhoof

Today, I had one of the most fun days of my life!  Riding like Mario Andretti for over six hours. 

It started with a rider's meeting at the end of a pier in Hyder.  A fabulous location that can best be described with the photos included here.  We all started leaving shortly after.  I left in the middle of the early leavers, but found a long line at Canadian Customs so I went back to the starting line and did it again.

We rode the same roads I had taken yesterday and they were as spectacular as before.  The weather was cold but clear early, warming as the day went on.  I was never uncomfortable as I felt nothing but joy for the entire distance.   had a cup of coffee before leaving and had nothing to eat or drink for the remainder of the time.  Then upon finishing, I had lunch with several riders at a nice German Restaurant in Vanderhoof.

Traffic was light and that allowed for some nice speed to get us to the finish.

At the finish I realized that I was competitive with my ride.  The gps was on the entire way and showed a top speed of 85 mph, faster than Rocket has ever gone.  It ran great, but the exhaust gasket is blowing after just a few weeks since it was installed.  Luckily, it is a task that I can do myself.

At the start

Rocket and Me

We have to take photos at the check points.  Here is one.  Quite fast, that Rocket.

Checkpoint 2

And the gps at the end of the day.  Nice Max Speed.

Rocket in Freakin' Alaska.

I just have to show a few photos of Rocket a long way from home.  

Hyder, Alaska

The end of the paved road.  A long way from home.

Transit Day Two: Smithers to Hyder

Sorry for no posts yesterday.  The hotel internet was pathetic.  Very nice little hotel other than that though.

The day started in Smithers with me riding solo to Hyder.  It was a fantastic day with little wind, and what wind there was was a tailwind.  The snow covered mountains dominated the beautiful scenery.  The photos don't do it justice as it was breathtaking almost the entire way.

I arrived in Stewart, the sister city to desolated Hyder and arrived at the hotel to a cool reception that warmed greatly with a little time.  The other riders are all nice folks with the same love of scootering that I have.  It is great to get to know them and I am looking forward to getting to know them better.

Leaving the hotel in Smithers.

One view along the way

A real glacier on the Glacier Highway leading into Stewart.

The parking lot at the Stewart hotel.  Teeming with scooters.

The rider's meeting inside the hotel.

Transit Day One: Prince George to Smithers

Oh, what a fantastic day!  It began by offloading the scooters and gear.  Rocket didn't come out unscathed but nothing major, and it ran like a champ all day.  Mike's Piaggio BV was found to have had the grip warmers left on for the last week so a very dead battery.  That was the focus for a while, then the guys determined to use George's battery for today's ride and Mike and I went by Canadian Tire for a new battery.  They had one and all is good again.

After that, we all headed to the nearby McDonalds for the traditional Egg McMuffin breakfast and a quick visit.  While there, My friend Willow dropped by to chat with me for a while over coffee, then I got the pesky old windscreen mounts out of the holes so she can mount her new one.  She was a very kind soul who I liked very much.

The best part of the day began when Mike and I left Prince George and headed northwest to Smithers on the scooters.  Rocket powered ahead and stayed there all day with amazing smoothness and performance.  The ride was around 230 miles and literally got better with each mile.  The scenery became dominated by snow covered mountains for the last 100 miles.  Smithers is right next to an amazing mountain.

We stopped for lunch at an A&W and struck up conversations with several of the patrons.  Everyone was interested in seeing two scooters with Florida tags and asked about everything related to the scooters and our ride.  They were all so very nice.  It was the same with gas stops, lots of conversation and interest.  Our last stop was at a little park just south of Smithers with a rapid river and mountains in the background.  A very nice couple told us about the place and Smithers.

The ride itself was great with smooth roads along with the scenery.  It was fast too with Rocket hitting 81 mph on a downhill stretch while passing a large truck.  We blew his doors off.

Then we checked into the Florence Motel where three of the guys are sharing one room while Mike and I each have separate rooms. 

Not a bad support vehicle and trailer.  Five scooters inside was a bit tight

Rocket released and ready for duty

The boys at McDonalds

My new friend Willow.  I was able to get the old anchors out of the windscreen

support holes to allow her to mount a new windscreen

Getting a new battery at Canadian Tire

When in A&W, get a rootbeer

Rocket strutting his stuff on the Yellowhead Highway

A typical road in the middle of the ride

Setting our sites on getting past that truck

An accidental shot of how I take the moving photos

Just south of Smithers

Turning to look left at the same park

Everyone is so friendly around here.  And inquisitive about our ride.

Prince George

Mike and I made it in to Prince George just after midnight last night after meeting up at the gate in Vancouver. We hot on a shuttle van with 8 others, and luckily ours was the second stop.  But we didn't get to bed until 1:30 and I am now up at 5:30. At least we got some sleep. 

Today should be good as I am meeting Willow for breakfast, then ride to Smithers.  

Before that, we have to offload Rocket from the trailer.  "Release the Kracken", so to speak, bringing a sense of fear to the fellow competitors. 

I also have to sort through the gear that was packed last week.

Vancouver

Made it to Vancouver.  Next stop Prince George. Flying isn't much fun anymore.