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Short weekend vacation.

Published 08/08/2013

Despite having a summer and fall where I don’t anticipate much time off (or time away from a cel phone that is), and perhaps because of my inability to leave town for the foreseeable future, I made a few simple decisions. The first, I was surprised to actually get a few vacation days to attend a large organized dual sport (let’s just say ‘dirt’) ride in Kamloops BC. Ideally, I was to arrive in Kamloops sometime on Wednesday or Thursday, and spend a little time with RB’s brother’s family for a day or two before the riding commenced, and while I was guaranteed to be injury free. . . . not that  I expect to injure myself, but it has happened on occasion. Due to decision #2, I left Wednesday, and due to unforeseen issues, I won’t roll into Kamloops until around 3 am Friday morning. I’ll still get plenty of time to ride, but I may miss out on some pre riding before the event kicks off Saturday.

Decision #2 was a detour through the states to top up on some much needed hot sauce. Tacos aren’t tacos without Tapatia or Valentina’s.

I drove across the US border just south of Yakh BC, and continued on to Kennewick WA. While I’m sure I could find this sauce closer to home, I figured I was driving all weekend, what’s another 800 km. Walked into a giant Walmart, and grabbed a cart. RB and I are weird with regards to ‘when in US, grab me some. . . ‘,  and really, it is usually just a bunch of cans of tomatoes, but they are yummy tomatoes! Tomatoes and hotsauce in hand (if I knew what this mythical cereal robodawno loves so much, I would have stocked them up), and headed to the self check-out. $4000!!!! oh, read the label on the bottle dummy. Each bottle comes with a free. . . .

Vespa!

Now, I’ve owned a traded a few non running Vespas and an NSU prima, but I’ve never actually ridden one before. This one that Walmart gave me rips! It is a 1969 Vespa Granturismo with a ’74 200cc engine out of the most powerful Vespa ever produced, until modern Vespas came along. 12 hp! How will I handle that! Anyhow, decisions don’t come easily to me, and this wasn’t an exception. I tortured myself for a week, coming up with final decisions on the matter hourly. When I finally said ‘screw it, I’m doin’ it’, it was late enough that it now became an importing issue. To import a vehicle older than 15 years is technically easy, my tardiness on the matter complicated things. All I needed from the seller was a copy of the US title and a completed bill of sale, which I then merely had to fax to a border crossing 72 hours in advance. Through a series of faxing issues and the seller leaving the title at home when he went of to do so scanning, it finally got done, so I thought. I faxed all of the paperwork late Monday night, but when I called in the morning, hey couldn’t find the paperwork. I re faxed it (more issues), and received a call from the US border. They finally got it, and since it was now Tuesday morning, I couldn’t attempt to cross until Friday morning, a day I had hoped would be spent riding in Kamloops. Whatever. Just when I was resigned to the idea of missing a day of riding, the guy called back and said he had located the paperwork I faxed the night before, so there I go. I’ll cross just before midnight tonight (thurs), and I should hope to roll into Kamloops between 3 and 4 am. Still enough time to catch some zzzzzs and ride Friday. Yesssss!

More later. . . .

Categories:North America

6 Comments

  3. Evelyn in Canada Evelyn in Canada

    A Vespa! And it's green! How cute is that. One day I want to get myself a scooter, preferrably one my 14yr old can ride too. I suspect that one has too much power.

    08/09/2013 Reply
  4. B-Rod B-Rod

    Piddy, it's up to us to start that gang.

    Ev, yup, it flies! I can really only recommended it for 12 year olds in 40(something) year old bodies.

    RB, I've already given any one of the two litres to your bro, actually, as I think about it, I think it's still outside sitting on the deck of the trailer.

    08/09/2013 Reply
  5. RobO RobO

    It's Cinnamon Chex! Cement it in your memory for next time!!

    Did Rox tell you I made a teapot on Monday? Worm schmirm.

    -robodawno

    08/09/2013 Reply
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