BCBusiness

54 BCBUSINESS JUNE 2019 First there was the 1984 Honda CM250. She calls it a "classic dad bike," but it worked well as an introduction to the world of motorcycling. "Every- thing's visible and it's right there, and you can grab it and ƒx it if you need to," Mills says, noting that bikes are di…erent from cars in that respect. "Half the battle of ƒxing it or improving it in any way is moving stu… out and then having to put it back together." Then there was the 1976 Yamaha DT175: "Pretty rare bike. Some guy didn't think it started. I saw it and thought, I feel like I can make that run. It was a pretty low price, and I turned the gas on— you don't have to know anything about bikes to know that the gas has to be turned on to "ow— and it ran. The guy was shocked. Said he'd been trying two years to make it work. So I got a really good deal on it." But she recently sold that one, too, in favour of a 1994 Yamaha SR400. (Shocker: she's since put it up for sale.) "It was imported from Japan by the ƒrst owner, a model that's only made in Japan," Mills says with a sly grin. "It's really loud and really fun, but it's kick-start only, so if I stall it in tra™c I have to pull over and restart it. It's really embarrassing." Part of the reason she swaps motorcycles so often is that each one is adept at doing di…erent things, and Mills takes full advantage of her sur- roundings. "It's mostly dirt biking in the winter and street biking in the summer," she says, point- ing to the Fraser Valley and Squamish as the best spots to do the former and Vancouver as an ideal set- ting for the latter because of its mild climate. She's also a card- carrying member of the Vancouver Flat Track Club (which holds races, mainly at the Pemberton Speed- way's oval track) and has taken part in competi- tions, as both a racer and pit crew member. She's quickly been embraced by what she says is a welcom- ing community. "It reminds me a bit of the beer industry—some people will excel and move at a faster pace, and Parallel 49's been really fortunate, as have I," Mills acknowledges. "But it's almost like a brotherhood or a sisterhood. If some- one needs something, or they go down, you always help out. So it's been really special making these new friends, and then you have things to do on weekends. People who "at track together on Saturday, they go dirt biking together on Sunday." ( quality time ) Beer Nuts Vancouver Craft Beer Week, showcasing music, food, art and (surprise!) craft beer at events across the city starting May 31, winds up at the PNE fairgrounds on June 8 and 9, when 100-plus craft breweries and cideries will pour more than 300 libations. And on June 15, Red Truck Beer Co.'s Truck Stop Concert Series in East Van kicks off with a show headlined by Victoria indie rock band Current Swell and a lineup featuring Din DiNicolo, Dirty Radio, Freak Motif, Old Soul Rebel and Wooden Horsemen. Vintage Travel Summerland's popular Grand Sommelier Express steam train ride with on-board wine tasting on June 22 is sold out, but the area's picturesque Bottleneck Drive will be open until October. Download a map of the route's 19 wineries, three cideries, a distillery and a brand-new brewery, and plan your own itinerary, or follow the website suggestions for a Sparkling Wine or Cidery, Brewery and Spirits tour. If you pick up a Bottleneck Drive passport at one of the tasting rooms or the local visitor centre and get it stamped, you can enter a monthly draw for a chance to win wine, cider and beer. A F T E R HO U R S

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