Lone Wolves

Being told yesterday that there was a Lone Wolves ride today, I got up, got ready and headed out to meat the pack.  We met at Sleep Country at 10:30am.  I got there needing to gas up, so I told people I'd be right back and went to the nearest gas station to fill my tank. Shortly after I got back, a couple more bikes arrived and we were soon hitting the road, headed south. We rode from Vernon (at the north end of Okanagan Lake) through Kelowna (about midway down Okanagan Lake) and stopped to 'regroup' in Westbank.  With 17 motorcycles (well, 16 motorcycles and 1 trike) we rode in 2 groups for safety sake.  1 couple decided to stay in Westbank to visit their son, so 16 machines continued south to Penticton on the southern shores of the 135 km long and 4-5 km long Okanagan Lake.  We were joined there by another Lone Wolf and his lady friend, making us 17 bikes again.  We had lunch at a hotel restaurant on the beach of Okanagan Lake, talking, laughing, enjoying each others company as well as good food. After lunch, we said goodbye to some of our members and 7 bikes headed back north to Vernon and Salmon Arm while 10 bikes headed further south to OK Falls for ice cream at Tickleberry's.  I didn't eat ice cream, but I did go along for the ride!! From Penticton to OK Falls and back we took a back road on the back side of Skaha Lake. A great ride, for sure. Once back in Penticton we again got onto the main highway, Hwy 97, and headed north, riding fairly hard on our return home.  Having enjoyed a day of perfect riding weather, sunny and warm, around Winfield we began riding on wet roads as it had been raining not long before we got there though was not then raining. We rode the wet roads all the way back to Vernon.  3 riders continued on, me to my home just a short way north of the city and the other 2 headed back to Salmon Arm, another 45 minutes or so on the road.

I drove up the steep hill of my driveway, turned the 90 degree corner and rode on into my trikeport (formerly called a carport). I shut off the trike and went inside my home where I took off my leather gear, hung it up and sat down in my recliner chair, grateful for the wonderful ride with friends and grateful to have made the 314Km ride safely as well as dry. Thunder and lightening had started by this time and was very soon followed by heavy rain fall.  Whew.... I just made it!!