Just a quick note to pass along that all went as planned and I left Winnipeg at noon on Wednesday. Staying the extra day did provide me with the opportunity to witness a couple of things. On Tuesday night as I was out walking and stopped at a set of lights, an old biker pulled up and was sitting there idling. I looked at him, and did a double take as he wasn't wearing a helmet. When he looked at me, I tapped my hand on my head and he simply shrugged. I figured he'd decided that the fine was worth it. The next morning when the cab was taking me to the shop to pick up my bike, I saw another biker without a helmet. I asked the cabbie, but he answered in a dialect that I wasn't familiar with. At the shop however, I was told this was probably a "medical exemption". A medical exemption. Right. Evidently, some doctors provide this if they feel the individual's neck would not be able to sustain the weight of a helmet and the police force honour that exemption. Well, let me just say there'd be some very popular doctors in Alberta if the RCMP bought into that one.
The other thing I picked up in Winnipeg is the recent political trend of local municipalities diverting folks' attention from real issues to one of loud motorcycles. Some of Winnipeg's finest have equipped themselves with sound meters and are targetting bikes. We got people riding without head gear, gang shootings over crack, etc., and among all this, loud pipes. Politics.
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Bob,
ReplyDeleteGlad to see all is well and you're back on your way. The cops usually plant themselves between high-rise buildings in Vancouver and try to get the highest decibel levels when you ride by, go figure. Hope the weather is better for you than it is for us. I seem to have a dark cloud over my head and a lot of cold weather following me. We shut her down early today, rain and snow at the top of the passes didn't make for a comfortable day. Hope to make some time up tomorrow. Carole says hi. You in Wawa yet?
Ger in Ritzville Washington.