7/24/22
After Deadman Junction, I'm getting back on the Trans-Canada south towards Hope and then west to Langley.
https://goo.gl/maps/fGVTEPDidhTKDLvS9
It's only 200 miles but with the heat and the construction stops, it was a long and tiring trip to my Airbnb. I'm staying two nights in Langley so I can go to Holeshot Motorsports to pick up a helmet part for my HJC 90S. The visor will no longer stay up and it's been that way for about a month now. I finally found the part number and am staying at one location long enough to time ordering the part for a local pickup. It's been extremely annoying to have the visor fall down all the time with the slightest head movement or the gentlest gust of wind. So I've been looking forward to picking up this part to fix the visor.
The shop doesn't open until Tuesday morning so in the mean time I'll get to sight see a bit around Vancouver. I went to Richmond, a suburb of Vancouver which is known as a second Chinatown these day, for some awesome Dim Sum. It took half my wallet but it was delicious, something that is sorely underwhelming back in Raleigh and Durham.
City Parking:
After Dim Sum, I went to Stanley Park at the northern tip of Vancouver.
https://goo.gl/maps/a8hrEtRShrpfk3AHA
This beautiful park is right on the waters and the walkway and bike lanes on the seawalls were filled with pedestrians, bicyclists and everyone out enjoying the nice hot day. Lots of statues and other cultural and historical landmarks filled the park.
The park has a totem courtyard:
After a few hours of walking around Stanley Park, I fought afternoon traffic back to my Airbnb. This basement apartment was so nice and comfortable that I didn't mind just hunkering down there away from the heat. I grabbed some sushi dinner and called it a night.
The next day I went to Holeshot to pickup my helmet base plate. This store and dealership is a huge building, one of the biggest store in all of Canada. The other being Blackfoot in Calgary and I was there too weeks ago when I stayed with Terry and got a new rear tire a few thousand miles ahead of schedule. I went to the accessories department, picked up my part and the realized that this set of gear plate won't fix my issue. Two women in the helmet department helped me dissect my helmet and even they were shock that the worn out teeth on the helmet that held the visor up were so worn in only a year and that it's not a user replaceable part. And this is one of their top of the line premium helmet. Those worn teeth are a part of the entire chin bar. So now my only option is to file a warranty replacement when I get back home.
I then decided that it was time for another oil change. There are two BMW dealers in the Vancouver area, both of the High Road company, one in Vancouver and one in Langley. Neither would work on my bike when I called them but they would gladly sell me oil and a filter! Well, beggars can't be choosers while on the road so I bought the oil, filter and drain bolt washer and took them over to Guy and Andrea's house where I will spend the night and do the oil change in their back driveway.
Who knew that I would reconnect with Guy and Andrea for a third time on this trip when I didn't even know who they were before May? Many thanks to my old friend Rona for connecting me with her cousin Guy, and thanks to Guy and Andrea for their generosity and hospitality during these past two months. As I've said many times before, the people I meet on these trips are just as important as the the rides and the destinations.
Stolen from their FB page:
