Festival Ride By.

   I roared in on the bike last night, an hour and some each way to do a little shopping before the gas station closed at 10:00. While I was gassing up I heard music thumping and noticed the lights and commotion from the Pemberton Music Festival that was in its final hours, and down to the last few acts. I figured I better do a cruise past, seeing I was that close.

I flipped up the visor and it was almost surreal cruising along on the motorcycle in the warm night air, with all the floodlights, traffic cones separating the lanes, and traffic control people with their beacons. Rolling past the main stages the music got really loud. I couldn't do much looking around over the fence for fear of knocking over some orange pylons but it was a sea of people in there with their arms in the air, with smoke, lights, and excitement shooting from the stage in all directions.
It was like some giant, crazy circus had come to town.  Which I guess it had.

I had considered pulling over and taking a picture or two, but I knew they were a little critical of people stopping along that stretch, seeing I had already passed about 50 'No Stopping' signs already. 

I had to try of course, and before I could even get out my camera I was scooted away by a guy in an orange vest.

   I carried on down the road, away from the lights and confusion towards Pemberton, over the bridge and down a side road a little ways where I knew there was a great view at the base of Mt. Currie.

I parked there and took the helmet off, then stood in the dark and truly marvelled at the cleverness of some people. They were firing a high-powered laser-show from the festival grounds across the valley and onto the side of Mt. Currie, which serves as a back-drop for the event. It was the damnedest thing, and I had the best seat in the house. The lasers would race back and forth for what was probably close to a kilometer wide area, and clear up to the top of Mt. Currie which is over 2500m. high. They would show brightest passing over a rocky area, as compared to the steep sided mountain with trees clinging to it. All of a sudden the multi-colored lasers gathered together and spelled out a humongous ...PEMBERTON... across the face of the mountain.
It was like the Northern Lights gone mad.

"Wow!" I thought, "Now I've seen everything!". 

   I arrived bug-splattered back here at the hot spring about midnight. The solitary night ride was refreshing cool, and I didn't see another soul, apart from the deer that jumped out of the bush and ran beside me for a stretch. I don't mind the logging road drive after dark, in fact I might prefer it, as the rocks and things to avoid really show up in the headlight beam.