Through the Mountains & Across the Water

After all of our concern about the weather on Saturday night, it really didn't rain much in Princeton. We were ready to wrap it up for the day anyway and it was 134 kilometres to Hope, with  no guarantee that we could get rooms for a reasonable price, so on balance, we made the right decision.

 

This morning when we stepped out to check the weather we noticed that Kerry was gone. He had mentioned last night that he would probably leave early in the morning so it wasn't a surprise. With Tom having left to head to Merritt yesterday afternoon, only Jim, Garry, and I were left.

 

The skies had cleared somewhat by the time we left Princeton and the ride across the Coast Range went very smoothly. We stopped at the Eastport Store for a break and in a conversation with the owner I mentioned the 1959 Chevy that was outside. It was a body with missing parts and no engine. When he said it was daily driver I figured he was joking. However, he had misunderstood and said that the car was in the garage. We checked it out and saw a 1959 Chevy wagon. It could use some cosmetic work but he said it ran so well that he had driven it to Las Vegas last fall.

 

Out next stop was at the Manning Park Resort where we saw several marmots gamboling on the grass behind the main building. As we made our was through the mountains the clouds seemed to be lower, we had mist on our windshields, and the temperature was slightly cooler than it was father east.

Manning Park marmot



We were glad to arrive at Hope and were headed to Tim Horton's for a cup of coffee. However, we didn't know where it was and we stopped to ask directions from one of two police officers who were interacting with a reasonably well dressed man at an intersection. The female officer gave me directions but was interrupted by an aggressive move by the guy so I thanked he and headed out before stuff started to happen.

 

At Tim's we met a couple on H-D Road King motorcycles. They had been from Calgary, had lived and worked in Vancouver and had just bought property at Joes Rich which is southeast of Kelowna on Highway 33. We mentioned so roads that we had ridden and it seemed like they had ridden them all. This couple does a lot of riding. Their next trip will be to Las Vegas with eight other people including tow of the woman's brothers who don't have a lot of riding experience. They are going to be married and I suspect some of the people will be in the wedding party.

 

Garry refueled in Hope but Jim and I decided to  wait until we arrived in Chilliwack. I had 30 kilometres of gas left when I reached the station. I met Jim & Garry at Starbucks for a coffee before hitting the road again. Jim was going to split off and take the ferry from Tsawwassen while Garry and I were headed to Horseshoe Bay so we said our goodbyes and rolled out. Now we were down to two riders for the remainder of the journey.

 

The ride from Chilliwack to the ferry was fast and uneventful and we made the 3:10 ferry to Nanaimo. One sight worth seeing though is the new Port Mann Bridge across the Fraser River east of Vancouver. It is a toll bridge but I don't have to pay much when I'm on  my motorcycle. On the ferry we met a rider who is working on the BC Hydro upgrade to the John Hart dam near Campbell River. He had modified his bike with a larger engine and many upgrades.

 

Riding across the Port Mann Bridge.

 

Sailing near Nanaimo

Sailboats just outside of Departure Bay

 



The run from the Nanaimo to Campbell River went very quickly with a brief stop in Courtenay to gas up and head home. The ride along the Strait of Juan de Fuca south of Campbell River is always a great way to end a long ride. It is one of the more beautiful rides I do and I an indeed fortunate that it is almost literally on my doorstep. As I rolled into my driveway eleven days after leaving it my odometer showed a distance of 4342 kilometres.

 

The last part of our trip riding along the Strait of Juan de Fuca





 

Despite a few days of less than ideal weather, we rode incredible highways in Washington State, Idaho, Montana, and British Columbia. We all arrived at the same place every evening, got along well, and had absolutely no drama. There were no mechanical issues, no close calls, no a$$holes, and on balance the weather was decent. All the marks of a great rip. Tom was a great addition to out group and we were able to share a large bottle of beer on most nights.

 

Already we're talking about doing this again next year. It is becoming a tradition that we're looking forward to repeating each year. Another successful trip is in the books now and we can all relax for a few days and I can take a break from blogging until my next bike trip.

Going Our Separate Ways

Today is a day that we have been looking forward to for the past several days. A special day, if you will. First, it is the forty-second anniversary of beginning of Kerry's, Jim's and my departure from Toronto to begin our journey to western Canada. It is also quite likely to be the forty-second anniversary date of the manufacture of one of my Norton Commandos, but most importantly, it is Jim Knight's sixty-fifth birthday. Now he can get half-price fares when he travels on BC Ferries from Monday to Thursday, and he will begin to get his Canada Pension, and his Old Age Supplement. Truly, it is red letter day. Perhaps even more momentous than all of that is today is the day that Jim has really become a 'vintage gentleman'. Now there are three of us on this ride. Tom reached that milestone a couple of years ago and I did last June. Kerry will follow in July, leaving Garry as the only one who has not yet reached 'vintagehood'.  So congratulations from all of us to Jim on this special birthday.

 

As is our custom, by the time we had our breakfast and loaded our bikes it was around ten o'clock. We are tending to have leisurely starts on this ride so today was no exception. Our plan was to ride the Westside Road, allowing us to have an excellent ride to begin the day and, to avoid the tangled traffic mess that is Kelowna.

 

Garry's motorcycle has developed an oil leak but it doesn't appear to be too serious at this point so instead of going to the H-D dealer in Kamloops he decided to stick with us on this ride.

 

Tom lead us north form Vernon to Westside Road and we began the ride through level country at the north end of Okanagan Lake. Soon however, the road began to show its true self as it began to follow the edge of the lake and the contours of the land that rises from the west side of the lake. Hence the name.

 

I rode trail and it was a real pleasure to see a row of four motorcycles following the same line one after another on all the curves. As I mentioned in an earlier entry, it is a 'sinuous dance', a 'ballet on two wheels'. Seeing motorcycles moving like this is aesthetically pleasing, at least to me.

 

On many occasions the road curved around promontories that gave clear views of Okanagan Lake and the surrounding countryside. The landscape here is varied but inevitably beautiful. It is a pleasure and a privilege to be able to enjoy this beauty in a way that many never experience. I often post videos in order to show readers what we who ride these roads have the chance to see. It is a completely different experience than driving this road in a four-wheeled vehicle.

 



 

About halfway to the south end of the lake we pulled over for a break but I continued onward so that I could find a viewpoint from which to take photos of the lake and countryside. After I left, the guys told me that as the were talking a guy was driving his car by the pullout. He looked at the guys, slowed down more as he passed them, then turned around and came back. When he stopped he offered them some donuts from Tim Horton's. Who would have thought that Tim's delivered halfway up the Westside Road.

Riding the Westside Road along Okanagan Lake



Views of Okanagan Lake taken from Westside Road near Kelowna, BC

What I was doing while the guys were eating donuts

 

As it happened this guy had delivered a dozen donuts to a crew that was working on some job near there and they had left four donuts. The guy driving by had four donuts in the box, saw four guys standing by motorcycles at the side of the road, made the connection, and offered them the extra ones. It was a once in a lifetime experience for them. They accepted the donuts, thanked him, and then he was on his way. And I missed it all.

East side of Okanagan Lake

 Kelowna, BC in the distance

 

We continued the ride to Westbank with me in the lead as I used my GPS to find a Starbucks store. For some reason the GPS took me to the end of pavement on a back street where there was nothing but a dirt road and a rundown house. I programmed another Starbucks into the GPS and this time we arrived where we were supposed to. I have no explanation for the GPS error, but we saw a part of Westbank that we otherwise would not have seen.

 

As we waited for Kerry at Starbucks we enjoyed the sunshine and passed the time talking an joking. These guys are really easy to have a good time with. Kerry arrived with cheesecake so we could celebrate Jim's birthday in style. He gave Jim the birthday card we had signed, and served the birthday cake. My present to Jim was the carton of cigarettes that I had bought at the border on Wednesday.

 

Jim with the card honouring his landmark birthday.

Dig the shirt!

The riding crew eating cheesecake at Starbucks in Westbank, BC



 

We took Highway 97 to Penticton, fueled up there, then continued south to Kaleden where we turned on to Highway 3A toward Keremeos. This again is another road that isn't too challenging but it is fun to ride and the scenery is terrific.

 

Keremeos has a unique setting. To the south is a massive rock face that has several slide chutes on its face. When you see it you know that you are close to the town. Tom pulled over on the man street and led us into the K Café where we had a late lunch. I ordered fish and chips and had two of the largest pieces of fish I have ever had with this meal. It was quite tasty though.
 

Lots of fish & chips at the K Café, Keremeos, BC

 The guys eating, yet again. K Café, Keremeos, BC

 

To the west the sky appeared to become darker as we left Keremeos and by the time we were thirty kilometres west it seemed to be getting worse and as we pulled in to Princeton, rain began to fall. The sky looked positively menacing in our direction of travel so we had to make a decision about whether or not to continue on. Since it was after 3:30 and still 140 kilometres to Hope, and rain was beginning to fall, we called it a day and took rooms for the night in Princeton.

 

Tom lives in Merritt, so he took his leave and headed north toward Aspen Grove where the sky looked more promising. He expected to be home in about ninety minutes. We said our goodbyes and watched him roll out toward home. This was the first concrete evidence that our journey is coming to an end. We have had a terrific ten days but our ride is winding down. Kerry expects to leave very early tomorrow and Jim will split off to take the ferry from Tsawwassen while Garry and I will carry on to Horseshoe Bay and head home from Nanaimo.

 

Tom says 'Goodbye' before heading home to Merritt, BC



 

We have travelled more than four thousand kilometres in sun and rain and in temperatures that have ranged for 5C to 29C, and elevations from sea level to seven thousand feet. Our motorcycles have run flawlessly with the exception of a small oil leak from Garry's bike, we all got along well, and we managed to arrive here without losing anyone. By any measure this has been a successful trip.

 

 

It Just Keeps Getting Better

One of life's little pleasures is being able to walk across a parking lot and get a cup of Starbucks coffee first thing in the morning. However, this experience is dampened somewhat when you join a line that doesn't seem to move at all.

 

The line at Starbucks was like that this morning. A middle-aged woman was at the front of the line, and despite having been in it for several minutes before being served, she had no idea what she wanted so she went through a whole process of asking the barista a series of questions, about what I have no idea. After several minutes of this, she finally made her order, then seemed to have no clue about how to pay for her purchase with her credit card. meanwhile the line continued to grow and the woman two places behind me muttered, "She should be paying rent for that place."

 

Fortunately, the young guy in front of me made his order and paid quickly so the line began to move again. However, it is my belied that if you cannot order your coffee in five words or less, you should have to go to a special line. And if, after having been in the line in front of the display case for several minutes you still have no clue what to order you should have to go to the back of the line. If you are a trifler and have to take thirty seconds to say all the words in your coffee order, do NOT pass GO. Just get out of the way of those of us who are serious about our coffee and can order a 'Grande, Dark Roast, Black', and be on our way in under forty-five seconds!

 

We had breakfast at the West Coast Grill and were served by a delightful young Australian woman with a quick sense of humour.  She warned us about the crow who would swoop down on our table and steal the small cups of peanut butter that are provided for people who order toast. The crow never showed up but we were hoping it would to add excitement to our breakfast.

 

The view from our breakfast table

The boys fuelling up for the day



 

We left Nelson heading north to Balfour and Kaslo on another highway that twisted and turned along the west side of Kootenay Lake. This day was starting out great and just kept getting better and better. We rode to Kaslo, where we stopped at the old Kaslo and Slocan station which has been preserved on the Kootenay Lake waterfront along with a CPR caboose and the SS Moyie, a paddle steamer which worked on Kootenay Lake from 1898 to 1957 before being retired and taken over by the historical society there and preserved for display. It is one of the finer examples of those boats which plied the large lakes of the BC Interior connecting the isolated communities along its shores.

Overlooking Kootenay Lake

Rest stop on the way to Kaslo

Wild rose on the roadside

Old Kaslo & Slocan Railway station in Kaslo

SS Moyie

SS Moyie which served communities on Kootenay lake from 1898 to 1957

 

Kootenay Lake from downtown Kaslo, BC

Kootenay Lake from downtown Kaslo, BC

 



Leaving Kaslo behind, we began the best part of the day; the ride from Kaslo to New Denver on Highway 31A. This highway is considered to be one of the best motorcycle roads in North America. Those who gave it that honour were right. There is hardly a straight section along its whole length as it climbs, dips, twists, and turns through the incredible scenery of the surrounding mountains. White water creeks parallel the highway in many sections, while at other places they crash down the hills and under the many bridges on tis road. One of the guys described the ride as 'orgasmic' and when we stopped at a small lake about halfway through the ride, I felt like sitting down, leaning against a tree, and having a cigarette. And I'm not a smoker!

Kaslo to New Denver 1

 

 

Kaslo to New Denver 2

 

Crossing the highway near the rest area was a small freshet which is typical of the streams that are fed by the melting snow high on the mountains. It was just one of those beautiful things that is easy to miss if you don't pay attention.

 

Small freshet on Highway 31A

 

Mountain stream on Highway 31A between Kaslo & New Denver, BC

 

View of the lake at the rest stop on Highway 31A between Kaslo & New Denver

 

We got back on the road for the remainder of the ride to New Denver and this section was just as good as the first with the addition of downhill curves which can be a bit more challenging. Those touring bikes were being thrown around in ways that most had never experienced before. If we didn't scrape the floorboards, it wasn't for trying. On the way downhill we passed the turnoff to the abandoned town of Sandon, which was silver mining town at the end of the nineteenth century. At one point it had two railways serving it but went into decline after a disastrous fire then a similarly destructive flood. Now it the final resting place of a 1908 CPR D-10 'decapod' locomotive and a large collection of BC Hydro buses from Vancouver. Unfortunately, we didn't have the time to explore the village, but that may be in the books for a future trip.

 

We stopped in New Denver for a coffee, but felt exhilarated after the second part of our ride. I could have had another cigarette, too! The woman in the coffee shop has been there for about twenty years and was driving to Couer d'Alene, ID tomorrow to take part in a marathon. The coffee shop was called 'Nuru', which is the Japanese word for the act of painting. She said that the word was 'Japaneasy' since it wasn't hard to remember.

 

Turning north, we took Highway 6 to Nakusp. This highway isn't as challenging as the Kaslo-New Denver ride but it is still outstanding with beautiful lakes and mountains alongside while it follows the demands of the terrain in a series of curves as it makes it's way to the town. It then turns southeast toward the Needles ferry again a captive of the surrounding landscape. There are more straight stretches on this section of the highway and it is possible to cover ground quickly. And, to my mind, the scenery is not quite as spectacular.

 

We crossed Arrow Lake by a cable ferry to the east side. the highway again becomes a series of twisty curves and is a delight to ride. Very tasty indeed, if not the gourmet feast that the Kaslo to New Denver highway provided. On three occasions we had to come almost to a standstill for deer in the middle of the road or alongside. These creatures are unpredictable, so it is best to assume that they will do something stupid because they generally do, and on a motorcycle there are no second chances.

 

Views from the ferry across Arrow Lake at Needles, BC



 

From the Monashee Summit at 1240 metres we made our way down to the flatlands near Lumby after losing almost eight hundred metres in altitude. We made a short stop at the Twin Creeks Motel in Lumby before making the twenty-seven kilometer run in to Vernon which was curiously uneventful and almost boring after the gourmet meal of mountain highways we had been consuming all day. In Vernon we found a motel and settled in for the night ready for tomorrow's ride on the Westside Road which will take us around Kelowna (Yay!) and spit us out at Westbank on the southwest side of Okanagan Lake where we will continue to Pentiction, Princeton, and end up in Hope tomorrow evening.

 

The riding today is some of the best I have ever experienced. I feel privileged to ride with the guys I am riding with and to be able to experience something that most other people will never have the opportunity to do. I am blessed.



 

A Perfect Day in Every Way

There's something great about opening your door and looking out on a sunny landscape that is surrounded by mountains. There's not a cloud in the sky and you know that while the morning may be cool, the chances of getting wet and cold on the day's ride are non-existent. That's the way every day of motorcycle riding should begin. Today in Kalispell we had a day like that.

 

The mood was broken however when I saw a girl who was about ten years old with her brother who looked to be about eight taking their dog for a walk and returning to their motel room. Shortly afterwards the boy ran down the alley behind the motel, presumably heading for school. The children's mother was outside last night but it didn't appear that a father was present. This is the second time we have seen families living in cheap motel rooms. I can imagine how difficult it is for children to grow up in a situation like this. The deck is already stacked against these children and I suspect that they are, for the most part, destined to be the next generation of the poor.  It is one step away from being homeless, as I have noted in an earlier blog entry.

 

In Montana, as you ride the state highways you will inevitably notice small white crosses perched on red metal poles. These crosses indicate the places where people have been killed in traffic crashes. This morning as we rode from Kalispell to Libby, Montana, a distance of eighty-seven miles (about 150 km) I counted 63 crosses along Highway 2. Between Libby and the Idaho border, a distance of thirty-eight miles (about 60 km) there were forty more. In a distance of just over 125 miles (200 km) I counted 103 crosses. The American Legion has been placing these crosses along Montana highways for more than forty years. Seeing the evidence of the number of people who have been killed on the highways can induce sobering thoughts about driving safely.

 

The ride today was perfection. The temperature was perfect, traffic was light, and the road snaked its way along lakes and through hills with a great combination of elevation change and curves.

 

Our first stop was at Loon Lake, a beautiful body of water framed by tree covered hills and mountains in the distance.





Loon Lake

Loon Lake

Loon Lake

 





After taking a short break we continued to ride to Libby, MT where we stopped to check out the iron eagle at the entrance to town. I saw this sculpture two years ago when I was through here with Jim Urquhart, but it was worth seeing again.

 

Iron Eagle at Libby, MT



 

After we made our  lunch stop at MacDonald's in Libby, MT we were in the parking lot when Jim pulled up his shirt for some reason, revealing the tops of his Under Armour. We were ragging on him about wearing panty hose when  a vintage gentleman who had been making balloon animals in MacD's made the comment, "He's been wearing them ever since his wife found them in the back seat of his car." It was the funniest thing we had heard all day.

A truck parked at MacDonald's had the best bumper sticker I've seen for a while, even though it was stuck to the vehicle's window. I agree with the sentiments expressed by the sticker's creator. It also proves that in ultra conservative Idaho some people still have a sense of humour about religion. It was good to see. That was a good parking lot!

 

For many who profess to worship him, I believe this is true.



 

Idaho is quite narrow at this point so it wasn't far to Bonner's Ferry which lies about 30 miles from the Montana border. We stopped across the street from the Kootenay Brewing Company where bartender gave me two samples of their IPAs but before I decided to buy any we had to decide where and when we were going to return to Canada. The decision was to cross the border at Creston so I passed on the beer in favour of picking up some duty free scotch later on.

 

The distance to the border from Bonner's Ferry is about 30 miles (50 km) and the ride was again a series of twists and turns; just perfect for motorcycling. At the Duty Free a young woman was working and apparently she hadn't had much business because she was glad to see us because we gave her something to do for a while. She also told us that they accepted Canadian cash at par so we spent all of our Canadian money instead of using out credit card where the exchange is calculated, and it is not in our favour. 

 

We made our purchases then crossed the border without incident, although I was somewhat surprised by the customs officer's question. It is the second time I have been asked when returning from the US, if I have had any work done on my motorcycle. None of the other guys were asked the question so I suspect it must be a random one they throw in occasionally.

 

For the past eight days we have ridden across Washington State, done a U-shaped route through Idaho, crossed Montana, and ridden back in to Idaho. There is not a Tim Horton's anywhere in those states. Jim is a Tim Horton's addict. He makes do with Starbucks, but his first love is Tim's so he announced earlier today that the first thing we would do when we arrived in Creston would be to find a Tim Horton's shop. The young lady at the Duty Free told him there was a Tim's in Creston and was even so kind as to give him a map showing him how to find the place.

 

Without too much difficulty Jim led us to Canada's iconic coffee place. The look of pleasure on his face as he headed to the door was a sight to behold. And I can imagine how he felt after going without this staple of his life for eight days. He had gone 'cold turkey' on Tim's but was now having a relapse. An intervention wouldn't have made a difference so we let it be. and he got to enjoy his first cup of Canadian coffee in eight days after subsisting on Starbucks' Blonde Roast and bad restaurant coffee for that time.

 

One happy guy!



 

The plan was now to ride to Crawford bay to catch the Kootenay Lake ferry, advertised as the longest free ferry ride in the world. For those of us who live on Vancouver Island and who have no other choice but to pay a ransom to BC Ferries get off the Island, a free ferry ride in the interior of the province where people do have the option of taking the highway, although it is a longer drive, this is a sore point. A twelve minute return ride from Campbell River to Quadra Island can cost about thirty-four dollars for a car and driver and yet a thirty-five minute ride across Kootenay Lake is free. I suppose there is a price to be paid for Vancouver Islanders electing an overwhelming number of NDP MLAs on a consistent basis. Rising ferry fares are one of those costs, it appears.

 

Highway 3A from Creston to Crawford Bay is a terrific motorcycle road. For the first few kilometres it is a regular interior highway following the terrain with gentle curves and some elevation change. As one rides farther north the curves become more frequent and sharp and the elevation change almost constant. As it follows the edge of Kootenay Lake the terrain has determined the highway's course and mother nature is a stern mistress along much of this road. It makes for delightful riding though.

 

A view from Highway 3A to Crawford Bay, BC

The view to the south from the edge of Kootenay Lake.

Still some snow on the mountains.



 

Early on in the ride Kerry and Garry were separated from Jim, Tom and me and they continued independently to the ferry. The three of us however, were able to ride together and I was able to enjoy the sight of the two riders in front of me do a sinuous dance through the curves around Kootenay Lake. It was pleasure to push our heavy touring bikes through turns that had us coming close on many occasions to scraping our floorboard on the pavement. As 'vintage gentlemen' we tried to avoid that but there were time when those big machines were laid over much farther than usual.

 

A 'sinuous dance'.



 

Kerry and Garry had been the first to arrive for the 5:20 sailing and the three of us pulled in behind two Albertans on BMWs. As we were waiting for the ferry to arrive a guy on a yellow Norton roared down the parking lane, crossed in front of the parked traffic and roared away back from whence he had come. Jim and I were rightly irritated, not because the guy had ridden through the parking are, but because he didn't come back. We wanted to see his Norton and find out more about it and instead of being a thoughtful rider, he had just buzzed us then took off. Most thoughtless of him, I say.

 

The Osprey 2000 approaches Crawford Bay, BC

Looking south on Kootenay Lake

View to the east on Kootenay Lake

View to the southeast on Kootenay Lake

Detail on the ferry

Bridge of the Osprey 2000



 

The thirty kilometer run to Nelson was again a tasty ride. Kerry had received a tip about a good motel to stay at in Nelson but when we checked it out we found that it was rather pricey, considering what we have been paying for motel rooms for the past week. However, the woman at the desk gave a twenty percent discount because we were motorcyclists and three in ten dollar breakfast vouchers as well so the price wasn't that unreasonable when one considers the exchange rate on the US as compared to the Canadian dollar.

 

We had dinner at the West Coast Grill, although what business a restaurant that is about eight hundred kilometres from the coast has using that name is beyond me. The setting, on a patio overlooking Columbia River and the bridge that crosses it into Nelson is spectacular. The food was very good as well.

 

Tomorrow the plan is to ride to Kaslo and carry on to New Denver where we will head north to Nakusp, then to the Needles ferry. After crossing Lower Arrow Lake, we will make our way to Lumby and end our day in Vernon. This has been the best day of the trip with perfect weather and excellent roads. The riding has been terrific, we haven't lost anyone, and we are still getting along. It doesn't get much better than that.