Snow is Gone!!

The snow is gone - hurray! The temp has been hovering around 12 to 15 C (53 - 59 F) and it's been quite nice. Now we are just waiting for the city to sweep all the dirt/sand they spread everywhere for traction for drivers because of all the snow. It seems to be taking a long time this year...In the meantime, this is what I've been up to since I've not had time to post lately...

To have a break from the snow, we took a road trip west (not on the bikes as there was still snow here) and said we were not going to stop until we found land without snow! Well, we got to Banff, Alberta, with a stop at Calgary on the way back. Glorious sun and 28 C (82 F).  Picture from the window on the way west...you'll notice the slight flooding from snow...

Then we made a side trip to Lake Louise where we actually saw and "heard" some mini-avalanches up there at the top. Beautiful day!

I finally got my mesh jacket on that trip too. I picked up a REV'IT Airwave jacket.

When I asked the first sales guy (about late 20s) to help me find the right size and fit with their stock, he asked me who it was for. I told him it was for me. He looked at me and said "For You???!!!" I still chuckle over that. Obviously, he hadn't heard that women older than 25 ride now! An older guy stepped in and found what I was looking for after laughing at the younger guy too. 

So...it was nice to get away for a week and walk outside in my sandals and do some hiking around Banff. My favourite hike resulted in this view one afternoon of the Banff Springs Hotel:

These other two were taken at Lake Louise to show how much snow they still have there in the Canadian Rockies the first week of May:

This really is the best time to go there, it's off-season and the hotel rates are way cheaper than ski season or summer season, otherwise we'd never be able to afford it! 

My husband has been out on his Kawasaki for about a week now. Gas has spiked to $1.35 per litre here the other day and he just could not wait to get out any longer. He's riding to work along with five of his work buddies who will all be commuting on their motorcycles for the season. Their boss has been good to designate a "motorcycle parking" area for them all. They got busy and leveled the gravel and put down some cement blocks for the kickstands so the bikes won't go over in the soft gravel. Pretty nice eh?

One of his work buddies just bought a new Honda CRF 250L and is going to be commuting with that. I asked my husband to tell him from me, Congratulations, now go and take the motorcycle safety course to keep safe! People don't think they need to, but I nag them anyway! A friend of my son's (a young lady) didn't think that she needed to take it either, but I put my two cents in anyway.  

My husband feels vindicated with his own 250 against the others who ride 1800s & 1500s & 650s and tease him about riding a "real" bike. He's looking but this year will have to go for his "road" test to get his "M" classification rider's license after having a learner's for the 2 years now. More practice after a long winter off the bike, then an appointment will be made. Once that has been achieved...then, he will seriously look. No point in taking your "road" test on a bigger bike that you're not as familiar with...
  
After his first inaugural ride last weekend, he came back and said it was very slippery out there with the extra dirt and I've asked him to please be extra careful when he's riding. It would be too easy to slip just as you're making a regular stop if you got in it at the wrong angle.

As you can guess, I have not yet been on my Suzuki this season for a few reasons. The dirt is one big factor, the constant sneezing from seasonal allergies is another, and I'm also just finishing up an intensive course for work that is sucking up all my extra time for a few more weeks until the exams are over. Once I have completed all the course work and am ready for the final exam, then I will swing a leg over my beautiful Gladius as I'll be able to focus then. (I know what happens when I'm not focused and distracted...and it's not pretty). It is my carrot on a stick to get through it as fast as I can. 

So, that will be it for a while...Hope you all have been enjoying your "rides" and staying safe and I'll catch up at a later date!  Bring on summer!!

Suzu