Motorcycles and leapin' salmon

My friend Tyson works for Air Canada. He also happens to be a rather hip and interesting individual that I'm working on getting to know better, and so when he invited me to go to Vancouver Island with him on a motorcycle trip this last weekend, I jumped at the chance. Well, that is, after I questioned his motorcycle riding record, type of bike (1982 Yamaha, which can't really go faster than the speed limit), and riding style. After ascertaining that he was responsible (despite daredevil antics elsewhere, he promised to be safe, and he was), I jumped at the chance to go to beautiful BC. Aside from the motorcycle and lovely scenery, he also promised an uncle Tom at the family reunion who can cook salmon in 17 different ways, which was really the main selling point. Oh man, was it delicious. My mouth is watering right now just thinking about that smoked salmon. Mmmmm. i'm going to just take a moment thinking about this.

Okay, done licking my lips, although I might just find myself at the Chelsea market tomorrow for some lox. Back to vancouver. One of the highlights of the trip was reconnecting with an old friend, McKay (Alanna, you remember him?) who went to Tanzania a year before I did. I haven't seen him in what, 7 years now? So what a treat to get to spend some time with him, since he and Tyson also go way back (Mormon world is very, very small). More smoked salmon was involved with that meeting and lunch by the lake. Thanks to some connections Tyson has (by the way, i think he has more hook-ups than any other person I know, he manages to find everything for free), we made our way across the world's longest suspension bridge! I can't remember the name, but it stretched over this canyon, and we were very, very high up. Heights make me a little nervous, but it was nothing compared to watching people leaping to their deaths on a bridge going bungee jumping or on this ridiculous thing called the "King Swing" which is essentially a thousand foot drop straight down and then swinging away just before you hit the water. My heart just about stopped beating just watching that. I thoguht I was brave, but i know my limits. And my limits were jumping from a respectable, albeit small, cliff into a nearby river and rope swinging. I will not tell you how long it took me to build enough courage to do either of those activities, because you will mock me, but luckily Tyson was kind enough not to mock me for it, at least to my face. He, on the other hand, dove right in off of a much higher cliff, but then again, he is very manly and rather brave, and slightly crazy too, I think.

I haven't spent much time on motorcycle, aside from a few shorter trips with Andy back in 2003. But boy, with the wind at your back, and sun on your face, it is quite a fantastic experience. Ok, so really, the wind couldn't really get to my back because I was the designated backpack carrier (that's what I get for not knowing how to drive) and the sun didn't much touch our faces under the space helmets we wore (but we were SAFE), but still, you know what I mean. it was rather liberating to be on a bike on the road, amongst the trees, by the ocean... ah. I almost felt like part of the brotherhood of motorcyclists. but not quite, since Tyson didn't have a handlebar mustache (nor did I for that matter, but many of the female riders in Canada did), and we had to push start the bike every time (that may have hurt our street cred just a tad). It was lovely. I got to ride on a ferry boat! On the ocean! And see purple starfish (did you know they were purple? I thought they were always orange!)! AND, i got to see a bunch of orcas swimming! That was pretty darn magical. I have a thing for sea mammals. I really was hoping to see some seals ( do so love piles of furry animals), but no luck, ah well.

So now I'm back home. I went into the GI doctor's office again today to work, and daydreamed about breathing fresh air between booking colonoscopies. I think there is something to be said for escaping life every once in a while. And for friends with airline privileges.