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.