capt_bugaloo
April 18th, 2009, 06:14 PM
April 18, 2009 - Port Renfrew, BC day trip
My motorcycle, a 2008 Kawasaki Ninja 250r, is one year old today. I woke up this morning and found that although it was a bit cool (+5 centigrade) the sky was blue and the forecast was for dry weather until at least tomorrow. I strapped a cargo bag onto the back of my Ninja and left Victoria around 8 AM.
Although I’ve rode to the town of Sooke (35 KM away) many times, I’ve rarely gone past there, and have never rode further than a place called French Beach. This time I decided to ride all the way out to Port Renfrew. The road is a single lane in each direction, with very few shoulders or pull-outs. The road is very hilly with constant curves. For the most part it is an ideal road for motorcycling – until you get to the last 20 kilometers near Port Renfrew. Because the west coast of Vancouver Island gets a lot of rain, the road often gets washed out. There is a huge amount of damage every winter and the road is badly potholed. On top of that, the road gets sanded heavily, so there are strips of sand and gravel in the center of the lane around most corners. I felt my motorcycle’s tires slide a bit on a couple of curves due to sand I didn’t see.
Once I got out to Port Renfrew, I found there wasn’t that much to see. It’s a small fishing town with a population of just a few hundred. I ate a decent lunch of soup and a Thai chicken wrap, then rode to the small Botanical Beach Provincial Park. I walked a couple of kilometres of trail to snap a few photos of the beach.
Upon my return into Victoria, about the only notable event was that I got stuck behind a lumbering RV for maybe 10 kilometers.
Overall it was a nice road trip. The Kawasaki ran flawlessly, the weather was decent, and the road was fun and challenging – maybe a little too challenging that final few kilometers. The total distance was about 260 KM (about 160 miles). My mileage was decent, about 58 MPG.
Photos: http://www.flickr.com/photos/62935509@N00/sets/72157617008871272/
My motorcycle, a 2008 Kawasaki Ninja 250r, is one year old today. I woke up this morning and found that although it was a bit cool (+5 centigrade) the sky was blue and the forecast was for dry weather until at least tomorrow. I strapped a cargo bag onto the back of my Ninja and left Victoria around 8 AM.
Although I’ve rode to the town of Sooke (35 KM away) many times, I’ve rarely gone past there, and have never rode further than a place called French Beach. This time I decided to ride all the way out to Port Renfrew. The road is a single lane in each direction, with very few shoulders or pull-outs. The road is very hilly with constant curves. For the most part it is an ideal road for motorcycling – until you get to the last 20 kilometers near Port Renfrew. Because the west coast of Vancouver Island gets a lot of rain, the road often gets washed out. There is a huge amount of damage every winter and the road is badly potholed. On top of that, the road gets sanded heavily, so there are strips of sand and gravel in the center of the lane around most corners. I felt my motorcycle’s tires slide a bit on a couple of curves due to sand I didn’t see.
Once I got out to Port Renfrew, I found there wasn’t that much to see. It’s a small fishing town with a population of just a few hundred. I ate a decent lunch of soup and a Thai chicken wrap, then rode to the small Botanical Beach Provincial Park. I walked a couple of kilometres of trail to snap a few photos of the beach.
Upon my return into Victoria, about the only notable event was that I got stuck behind a lumbering RV for maybe 10 kilometers.
Overall it was a nice road trip. The Kawasaki ran flawlessly, the weather was decent, and the road was fun and challenging – maybe a little too challenging that final few kilometers. The total distance was about 260 KM (about 160 miles). My mileage was decent, about 58 MPG.
Photos: http://www.flickr.com/photos/62935509@N00/sets/72157617008871272/