June 3, 2014 Galiano Island..Day 2

June 3, 2014

Galiano Island…Day Two

The night was beautifully still but this morning brought along some breezes. The little café looked interesting yesterday so we motored over and had some coffee and muffins. We had called the moped rental guy earlier and he was meeting us at noon.

Ralph and Rocky, husband and wife and owners of the rental shop, met us and they were as delightful as could be. Ralph spent a great deal of time pointing out on a map where all the points of interest were on the island. We selected our helmets (mine was sparkly gold) and headed for the mopeds they had chosen for us. They knew that I was a newbie so had me do a few test runs. Ralph had said, “If you can ride a bike, you can ride a moped. All you need is balance.”  I had not been on a bike since the kids were young, and that balance thing is getting harder to sustain.

When David and I were first married, he had me try out his motorcycle (Honda 360). It was exhilarating when I was zooming along…it was the stopping that freaked me out. I would stop but never get my feet on the ground fast enough. The bike fell over on me twice!  Once I got on the moped the fear of stopping took over me. Instead of using the brake efficiently, I would try to stop it with my feet…I was going to be sure my feet were on the ground…it was a gradual stop.

Rocky watched me as I practiced. I wasn’t wobbling but David said I definitely looked tentative…I am glad they didn’t see the fear in my eyes! Rocky kept asking, “How do you feel Pat. Are you OK?”  “Oh, I’ll do fine. Just need to practice.”  I wasn’t hyperventilating at that point so able to speak.

Rocky suggested taking the park road first to get used to it which we did. David had me slowdown and practice using the brake over and over again which greatly helped.  I would only go about 20 to 25 miles an hour and David had difficulty controlling his bike at that slow a pace (his bike was a smidge bigger). Going downhill scared me to death…I never liked downhill skiing or going downhill on my bike either and there were several hills to navigate. Those hills, however, did provide great braking practice.

It was really the cars coming up behind me that would make me question my reasons for doing this. At one point a truck with a light bar had to slow down behind me on a winding road. I finally was able to get over to the shoulder and slow down (there were no safe places to pull over and stop) and as it passed, I realized it was a RCMP officer!  A big dump truck was breathing down my neck at one time, as well. I am sure the drivers of the cars behind me were using some choice words but they were kind enough not to share them with me.

We made one stop at Lover’s Leap which was quite tempting!  You first, David!!  My neck and shoulders were so tense and my hands hurt so much from gripping the throttle and brake. David was kind enough to massage my shoulders for me and just getting off and walking for a time was the break I needed.

                                                                     A much calmer me

We cruised to the north end of the island and back about 30 miles. It took us nearly 2 1/2 hours!  On the way back I broke 40 mph at one point (which was the speed limit), and I was able to keep up with David much better.  The more I drove, the more I relaxed and the more I enjoyed it. I wasn’t really able to sightsee along the way because I wouldn’t take my eyes off the road but we did encounter some deer that were frozen in amazement as we zoomed by. One of the more difficult aspects of my experience was that I could not brush away the hair in my eyes or the bugs on my face…wouldn’t take my hands off the controls!!

David was ready to zoom into town but I had had enough for my first attempt. I was a mass of tight aching muscles. Now we have something left to explore on our next trip here. I’ll pray the pub bus will be running.

We had discussed getting a two person moped for the boat to have for shore exploring but after over 2 hours on these contraptions, we both came to the same conclusion…they are just not that comfortable for the long haul. My legs were just too long, and I could never find the right spot on the seat so that my back was not strained. I suggested bikes instead…as long as the tires are wide and there aren’t a lot of scary hills, I will be fine. 

We leave tomorrow via Active Pass. It will be about a 6 hour journey. We hope to anchor in False Creek at Granville Island which we have never done together. We’ll see what tomorrow brings.

                                                         A humorous sign at the harbor

                                                        David is three games ahead!! Drat!