A Close Call, Cold Weather, & the End of the Road

Today was the last day of out motorcycle trip and after a stop at A&W we took our leave of Tom. He headed south to his home in Merritt while we headed north to Highway 99 which we would take the three hundred and forty kilometres to the BC Ferry terminal in Horseshoe Bay.

Since there was little traffic we roe apart from each other with Garry in the lead. Within twenty minutes I had my first close call of the trip. I was running at the speed limit, one hundred kph when a large black dog appeared out of nowhere and darted across the road in front of me. I was on the brakes immediately but the dog hesitated then carried on across the highway. I figure that I missed him by less than a metre. My adrenaline was quite high for a few minutes afterward.

That incident is what I refer to as my 'Code Brown' moment. I have no idea where the dog came from, nor where it was headed, but its appearance in front of me was a surprise, to put it mildly. When I mentioned it at one of our stops Garry mentioned that he had a deer cross in front of him as well as an old brown dog about the size of a Labrador.

The terrain begins to get more rugged as the highway approached Lillooet. The Fraser River runs beside the highway but several hundred feet below. Right now it is running high and muddy just as many of the rivers in the Interior are doing because of the heavy precipitation and cool temperatures over the spring. 

Fraser River looking northeast

Fraser River looking west

At Lillooet we reunited and headed south on the Duffy Lake Road. Garry was att he intersection ahead of us and had been checking his phone. Unfortunately, he had placed his reading glasses on his seat and forgotten to put them away and when we moved out, they fell off his motorcycle. I believe that they were drug store readers and he was able to replace them later in Pemberton. The town has a striking are installation that welcomes people. It is in the form of several flowers made from metal and glass.

Welcome to Lillooet

The road climbs quickly out of Lillooet rising from about two hundred forty metres to almost eight hundred metres, while rising in a series of switchbacks and steep pitches. The spped limit for the first part of the ride is sixty kph with some of the curves having a recommended speed of thirty kph. Fortunately we were able to ride without being caught behind a CruiseCanada or CanaDream rental motorhome.

Duffy Lake Road

I was forced to pull over to remedy a problem with my GoPro camera so Jim and Garry moved on ahead of me. Except for stops to put on a sweatshirt and one at Duffy Lake, I rode straight through to Pemberton where met the guys. I had to put on my sweatshirt because at just under four thousand feet altitude it was cold. The surrounding mountain have more snow on them than I have ever seen at this time of year. It seems that except for a few days in May, spring hasn't yet arrived and it is less than a week from the beginning of summer.

Snow in the mountains at the end of Duffy Lake

The hundred kilometres to Squamish went quickly after we passed through Whistler. I always ride by Whistler because it seems to be a very expensive place to spend time and it is very busy even in the summer. Finding a parking spot is apparently very difficult and expensive when you do find one.

Squamish is easier to access and we stopped for a Tim's break and to refuel. The remaining sixty kilometres to Horseshoe Bay passed without interruption.  Parts of the highway overlook Howe Sound and the view is terrific as you ride south. We arrived at about 2:15 for the 2:30 sailing. Traffic was lined up on the hill outside the terminal for at least a one sailing wait. Friday afternoons are very busy this time of year, but being on a motorcycle has its advantages. Bikes get to bypass the lineups, and when the fare is paid we are placed at the front of the line to load first and to unload first at the other side.

Sea to Sky Highway north of Horseshoe Bay

While we were waiting a guy arrived on his motorcycle with a bicycle tied to this back. It was an idea and an arrangement that I had never seen before, but the guy was going to Nanaimo to do some mountain biking for the weekend. We also met a couple who were on a motorcycle because theydidn't want to take their car and chance having to wait in line for several hours. judging from the length of the lineup when we arrived, they made a very intelligent decision.

Bike with a bike

In an 'Only In BC' moment, as were rounding Bowen Island an announcement was made over the louspeaker. "Would the people on the deck who are smoking products other than tobacco, please desist." That was the end of it. There were no more announcements of that nature. After all, were ARE Canadian.

There was no reason to stop in Nanaimo so Garry and I rode north on the Inland Island Highway after we parted from Jim who rode south to Sooke. The ride to Campbell River was quite windy and the bikes were being buffeted quite heavily in places. However, the sun was shining so we didn't have to worry about rain although it was quite cool. I arrived home at about 6:15. 

In fourteen days we have ridden 4944 kilometres according to my trip meter. We travelled through British Columbia, Alberta, Montana, Idaho, Washington, then back to British Columbia. Most of our riding was on on secondary roads with most of them being particularly suited to motorcycle riding. We met a wide variety of people and saw beautiful country in most places we went. The riding was outstanding. This year was different from past rides because the object this year was just to find good roads and ride them, rather than to get to a destination. It is great to be on the road, but it is good to be home. Now I have to start catching up on all those chores that have been neglected for two weeks.. Next year? Who knows?

The Long Way 'Round

This morning the weather did not look promising in Kamloops. The skies were grey and when I moved my motorcycle to the front door so I could load my bags it was drizzling. This was not the time to have wet weather because we were on our way home and would like to be home tomorrow night. Having to ride five hundred or more kilometres in rain is definitely not what I would consider to be my favourite thing to do on a road trip.

Our first stop was to gas up then stop at Barnes H-D. This dealership has changed since I was last at Kamloops H-D. There are far more used motorcycles out front and the showroom floor is covered with 2017 models. The salespeople are right there if you stop to look at a bike. It is more akin to being at a car dealership than a bike shop.

Tom led us south on Highway 5A toward Merritt. This road parallels highway 5, (sometimes called 'the Coquihalla') but follows the contours of the land rather than cutting through them or going over them. There is nothing too challenging on this road, but it is a really enjoyable ride because the rider is engaged all the time.

Stopping at a conservation area in the Gerard Guichon Ranch which is the home of the Lieutenant-Governor of BC we observed a wide variety of birds, several of which were about the size of robins but with a yellow breast. Tom says that they are meadowlarks.

Meadowlark

We rode past several lakes, the last being Nicola Lake. This is a large lake, and like most other lakes in the Interior, it is high because of the heavy precipitation over the past winter. The lake was calm and the hills on the opposite side of the lake were reflected in the still water. It was once again a beautiful sight, and there have been many over the past two weeks.

Nicola Lake

The Quilchena Hotel which was built in anticipation of a railway being built in the Nicola Valley. It never was, but this grand old hotel still stands isolated near Nicola Lake. It appears to be well patronized and it is well maintained so that it looks like it must have looked more than a hundred years ago. Unfortunately we didn't stop to check it out, but that is something to do in the future.

Our stop in Merritt was leisurely, but we were soon on Highway 8 on the way to Spence's Bridge. This highway traverses rugged country and is another of those great motorcycle roads with which BC is so richly blessed. The old Kettle Valley Railway was built in this valley and this section ran close to Highway 8. It was easy to see the old railway grade, sometimes across the valley, sometimes beside the highway, This section of the railway was built about one hundred years ago and was a branch of the KVR that ran from Brookmere to Spence's Bridge. There it connected with the CPR mainline. The other branch ran southwest through the Coquihalla Valley to meet the mainline at Hope, giving the CPR several options in case of a line blockage. At Brookmere this branch joined the main KVR line and ran to Penticton through Coalmont, Princeton, Jellicoe, and Summerland. With diminishing traffic this final section of the KVR was abandoned and the rails removed in 1989. 

The Nicola River runs along the rail grade at the base of a steep slope. It is running strong and muddy right now as a result of the heavy precipitation earlier in the spring.

Nicola River

The grade along with some bridges and tunnels remain, Tom and I stopped and walked along the abandoned grade to the Eight Mile Tunnel. This was built about a century ago, and the masonry is still solid. we walked through the approximately hundred and fifty metre long tunnel. The ceiling was black with the soot from the steam locomotives which ran through it for more than forty years. Unfortunately, the tunnel is marred by mostly crude graffiti.

North entrance Eight Mile Tunnel

Entrance masonry a century after construction

South tunnel entrance

Graffiti 'Hill/Reynish  1997'

Soot on the roof of Eight Mile Tunnel.

As we rode the final kilometres into Spence's Bridge, we were met by Jim and Garry who had backtracked to see what had happened to us. Eventually we met at Spence's Bridge where Tom led us to the Packing House, a restaurant situated in a preabricated house which had been sent from England and built in Spence's Bridge. A Mr. Smith began growing a type of apple there and experted them to England. When Mr. Smith died his wife carried on. The apples were called Mrs. Smith's apples (not Granny Smith's). Apparently King Edward VII, son of Queen Victoria, endorsed them and highly recommended them. The house was used as a packing house, hence the name.

Packing House Restaurant wall painting

Sometimes you see something that makes the connection that the creator intended. Someone with a wicked sense of humour decided to name their motel in a unique way. I couldn't resist taking a photo and including it here. This si the kind of place where I would stay. Maybe the other guys wouldn't though.

Best Motel name ever.

Tomorrow is our last day and, barring bad weather, we hope to make the last five hundred kilometres home. It will be an early start and a steady ride, but I'm hoping we can make it home safely and end this trip on a high note.

Trains and Motorcycles

Today dawned grey and cool. The mountains surrounding Revelstoke were partially hidden by clouds when we left the hotel. Our plan was to visit the Railway Museum before heading west toward Kamloops. As we turned to go to the museum, our way was blocked by a very long coal train heading west, probably to Robert's Bank, to unload it's ten thousand or more tonnes of coal for shipment to China.

View from Revelstoke. Clouds over Mt. Begbie on the left.

The museum has various displays related to the Canadian Pacific Railway from the earliest days - the surveying of the route and construction of the railway, to the early days of operation, to the present. The major displays are a passenger car and a 1948 P2k 'Mikado' locomotive number 5468. The engine is in good condition, and with some serious refurbishment it could be put under steam. That is unlikely to happen. 

Tender with 4000 gallons of oil and 10 000 gallons of water

CPR emblem

5468 from the front

running board of 5468

Builder's plate with superheater plate

Top view of 5468

Top rear view of 5468

While I was checking out the cab, a volunteer put me in the engineer's seat and had me go through the routine of starting and stopping the locomotive. The series of actions that an engineer was required to know in order to skillfully operate these behemoths. He also explained how the engine was fired and the work of a fireman in these creatures of steam. The engineer and fireman had to work as a team to keep the proper steam pressure for various running conditions. It took a tremendous amount of skill to run these machines properly.

The engineer on the right and fireman of the left had to master these gauges, levers, and wheels.

On the walls of the museum there are several paintings of 5468 in action. These reflect the romance of steam, although I suspect that most of the men who worked on these machines did not view their work in terms of romance. It was hard dangerous work, but the images are moving.

Winter scene of CPR 5468 and 2860 at Revelstoke station

5468 corssing the railway bridge at Revelstoke

Revelstoke Railway Museum

Shortly after leaving Revelstoke we hit the first of several traffic delays due to highway construction. While we waited one of the traffic controllers hiked over to chat with us and went to each motorcycle cleaning our mirrors. She starts work at 4 a.m. and works until 4 p.m. She says that she is making about six thousand dollars every two weeks and she is very happy about it.

The Trans Canada Highway runs through some incredibly awe inspiring landscapes. This country is overpowering and it must have been even more so in 1884 and 1884 when the CPR was being pushed through this country.

We stopped Craigellaichie, the spot where the Last Spike was driven on the CPR on the morning of November 5, 1885, one of the most important dates in Canadian history. It is interesting that while the photo of the official ceremony is the one we see, but the workers held their own Last Spike ceremony but this photo is not well known and most people don't even know about this. 

There is a cairn at the site commemorating the one hundredth anniversary of the completion of the railway. There are rocks from each province in the base. The BC contribution is a beautiful piece of jade. There are samples of rail, a caboose and a gift shop on site, but to me the most interesting part of the display is a piece of 60 pound rail manufactured for the CPR in 1883. The words Moss Bay on the rail have a significance of which I am not aware. Still, compared to the 148 pound rail used on the modern mainline. However, considering that modern trains weigh up to fifteen thousand tonnes, compared to trains in 1885 which might weigh seven hundred tonnes, it's not surprising that modern rail is two and a half times as heavy.

Plaque on the CPR Centennial Cairn

Me at the memorial cairn

Tom at the memorial cairn

Section of 1883 CPR rail.

We left Craigellaichie and rode on to Balmoral, a small village east of Sorrento. There a man who loves motorcycles has created a museum which includes a wide variety of bikes, including British marques such as BSA, Triumph, Ariel, Scott, Douglas. Pride of place goes to the 1911 Pierce Arrow which is one of only twelve of these motorcycles in existence.  There are also bikes from the 1970s, '80s and beyond. In back there are many unusual motorcycles which are awaiting restoration. Of particular interest to me was an original 1972 Suzuki 750 GT Le Mans, the first modern liquid cooled motorcycle. I had one of these bikes that was identical with the exception of the colour which was a blue-green.

1972 Suzuki 750 GT 'Le Mans'

1911 Pierce Arrow in-line four cylinder motorcycle

Rollie Free setting a world land speed record at 241 kph in 1948

Vincent HRD like the one Free rode to the record at Bonneville Salt Flats

Norton Manx

BSAs

Norton

Honda CBX six cylinder 24 valve engine under rebuild

While this was a short day, we did as much museum hopping as riding. Since the day was getting late, we chose to head directly to Kamloops. Since we would be very close to my friends Jim and Sue Urquhart, I left the group and made a run to their place in Rivershore, east of Kamloops. When I arrived They were there along with Sue's sister, Colleen, and four dogs, Molly, Maggie, Mandy and Archie. For the first part of the visit I was submerged in dogs, which is a good thing.

Today was Sue's birthday, and while I didn't get to sing 'Happy Birthday' I was there to give her a birthday hug. Jim & had some time to chat as well, as as they were getting ready to go out for Chinese food, I took my leave.

I texted Garry to find out where they were staying. When I asked Jim where Four Points was, he commented that it was the most expensive hotel in Kamloops. When I arrived I called Garry to find out which room we were in. He told me that because hotels were full in Kamloops, we had a room that cost four hundred dollars a night. I was alittle upset but garry then told me that we were actually at the Quality Inn across the street, for a considerably cheaper rate. And finally, to my great disappointment, there were no saucy (sassy) waitresses today. ;-(

Tomorrow we are going to do some riding in the Nicola Valley with an end point in Cache Creek. With luck, the weather will continue to hold and we will have a safe, warm, and dry ride home on Friday.

Saucy Waitresses and Great Riding. Again!

Some days just begin well and keep on getting better. This day was one of those. It began during breakfast at the Magnuson Hotel restaurant in Creston, BC. Our waitress seemed to be enjoying the banter which once again was started by Jim. When she asked me if I wanted onions with my hash browns, I hesitated. She looked at me and said that I should try them and added the comment, 'Trust the chubby waitress.' I had the onions. This carried on through breakfast. We talked about coffee snobs and she told about two motorcycle riders who asked for decaf coffee. She looked at them and asked if they rode motorcycles. They said they did. She asked them if they wore heated vests. Again they answered in the affirmative. Then she let the hammer drop with the comment, Do they make those for boys?' Making her opinion about those who ask for decaf coffee quite clear. It was priceless. When we left, she thanked us for letting her have some fun.

When we left Creston we had about an hour and ten minutes to cover the eighty-seven kilometres to the ferry terminal at Crawford Bay. Given the time constraint we chose not to refuel and headed north. I was in the lead so I pushed things a bit. Pushing a bagger through sixty kilometre per hour curves at more than eighty is something that will keep you on your toes. We had a clear road until we were about thirty kilometres south of the terminal when we caught a driver who was consistently driving slower than the speed limit. This driver caught up to a driver with his truck and camper who was driving at least twenty kilometres per hour below the speed limit. The time was melting away and after about twenty kilometres the truck driver pulled over. Shortly after that the car driver pulled over and we resumed our speed.

We lost Jim & Tom because, as we found out later, Jim pulled in to a gas station to refuel, but decided in the interest of time, to carry on without refueling. We arrived at the terminal just as it was beginning to load. Jim pulled in with just eleven kilometres of gas showing on his gauge. We made the ferry with minutes to spare, saving us a two hour wait. Our relief was palpable.

The trip across Kootenay Lake takes about thirty minutes amidst some of the most spectacular scenery on the planet. The lake is surrounded by towering mountains, some snow capped even at this time of year.

Kootenay Lake from the ferry

Leaving Crawford Bay on the Kootenay Lake ferry

While we were on the ferry we met a woman who rides a Ducati Monster. She has a place on the east side of the lake and takes the ferry on her bike each Tuesday. She, along with Tamara, the owner of the Nuru Coffee Bar in New Denver also rides a Ducati Monster. Interesting that it is the women who are riding these hot bikes. The other person was a man from Lloydminster Saskatchewan who was here visiting his daughter who was working at Kokanee Springs. He said that he was checking out the area, I suspect with thoughts of moving here. 

When we left the ferry Tom and Garry rode south to refuel. The Ducati lady told us that it was about seven kilometres. I stopped at the Old World Bakery to see if I could retrieve the sunglasses that I had left there last Tuesday. To my surprise no one could locate them, This was the second time that something I had left simply vanished.I also left a battery charger and GoPro battery in our room at the Best Western in Penticton. That too 'disappeared'. I find it difficult that items as specific as a battery charger or a pair of sunglasses vanish even though I was able to specifically let the people who should have found the items where they were. Someone made two small scores last week. It makes me doubt the basic honesty of some people.

I rode south behind Jim so he could get gas. As the kilometres rolled up on the odometer, we passed seven, eight, nine, and finally eleven kilometres when the station came in sight. I'm sure that Jim was sweating the final few kilometres to the gas station.

I dropped off the end of the group to take some photos of things of interest to me. The first was the mineral deposits on the rocks beside the Highway at Ainsworth Hot Springs. The resort there caters to people who go there to enjoy the hot springs. The water from them runs over the rocks leaving an orangey deposit. I also stopped to take photos of the lake from a point overlooking it.

Mineral deposits at Ainsworth Hot Springs

Kootenay Lake

In Kaslo I rode to the Visitor Centre to potograph the old paddlewheel steamboat, Moyie, which was built in 1898, and is preserved as a Kaslo historic feature along with a CPR caboose. The display highlights the connection between railways and steamboats in this rugged country in the days before highways.

S.S Moyie

S.S Moyie with CPR caboose

The guys were stopped at Theresa's Restaurant and Museum so I checked in to let them know that I was going to hike up to the Kaslo Hotel. The owner, a man named John (no last name that I know) has spearheaded a campaign to get Kaslo named the most motorcycle friendly community in western Canada. When I saw a mug from the promotion and mentioned to Tamara at New Denver that the video that they had used in their promotion was mine, she suggested that I meet John and see if he had an extra mug.

Today I went to the hotel and asked to see John. Leslie, that lady at the desk asked my why and I told her the story. She told me to wait a minute, then came back with tow Kaslo mugs. It was a real score!

Kaslo Hotel

I would love to sample their product, especially their IPA.

Leslie with the two mugs at the Kalso Hotel desk

When I returned to Theresa's I noticed that her place was named on the mug so I asked her if I could take her photo with a mug. She agreed so I took her photo. I later emailed them to her.

Theresa's Restaurant & Museum

Theresa with her mug

One again we rode the Kaslo-New Denver highway, and again it was a great ride. We stopped at the summit to enjoy the scenery and thoughts of the ride. We met a guy named Brian who was riding a Ducati. there was also a couple with an old dog at a picnic table. I gave the dog a scratch and asked about the dog's age because it seemed to be very old. She told me that she was eighteen and a half years old. Then she added, 'That's the longest relationship I've ever had.' When I suggested that it was probably the best one too, she laughingly agreed.

The rest stop near New Denver

We continued on to New Denver and Tamara's Nuru Coffee Bar. (I got the name right this time.) Brian was there when we arrived. We ordered lunch and noticed that there was a plate of Brian's Birthday Cake. Tom was impressed and bought a piece for Brian. Tamara had no candles so Tom stuck a stir stick in it and gave it to Brian who got a laugh out of it.

I ordered a sandwich which had a dill pickle with it. When I left the table and returned I noted that I had forgotten the pickle. Tom said that jim had been eyeing it, and Tamara said, 'He wants the Polish pickle.' It was my suggestion that we not take that comment any further. But, today Tamara was just as saucy, or sassy, as she had been last week. It was a delightful way to spend our lunch break. I would recommend this place to any motorcyclist who is in New Denver. The food is great and so is the conversation. The banter and laughter was quite enjoyable. Next time I'm in the area, I'll be stopping here again. So will the other guys.

Someone didn't park very well.

Our plan was to stay overnight in Revelstoke so we headed toward the Arrow Lake ferry. Again, the raod was terrific for motorcycle riding. Gary pulled over at a rest stop named Ione. Hidden off the road was a spectacular waterfall which was well worth the stop. It is surprising that this waterfall is not very well known in BC.

Me, at Ione Falls

Photos of Ione Falls

Ione Falls slightly out of focus

While we waited for the ferry I spoke to a man who was driving a 1951 Chevrolet with a 1952 grill. It has a 6.2 litre LS engine and special transmission. Apparently it generates an ungodly amount of horsepower. The guy loves his car and drives it all over BC and Alberta. It is a very good looking machine and I can understand why he likes it so much, even though I'm not a car guy.

For the second time today we took a FREE ferry. It is a real treat for a Vancouver Islander to take a ferry without paying forty dollars or more. I think that what is good enough for people in the Interior is good enough for me and I would certainly love to see a free ferry, or even one that had a reasonable price.

Small inukshuks on the shore of Upper Arrow Lake

Upper Arrow Lake

Upper Arrow Lake

Upper Arrow Lake, just like Kootenay Lake, is located in a stunning setting. The ferry trip takes about twenty minutes anddrops the rider off on a road that runs for almost fifty kilometres into Revelstoke. There were a pair of ravens on the ferry and when I asked a crew member if they were the ship's birds he told me that the ravens ride halfway across the lake then take off and fly back while ravens from the other side join the boat. They find it worthwhile because often people feed them.  Apparently ravens are territorial and they seem to know how far they can go across the lake. This is fascinating. I think these birds are more intelligent than people know.

One of the ship's ravens

Emblem on the ferry. I don't know what is represents.

We were able to get rooms in Revelstoke so we checked in and headed for dinner. Our two waitress were from different parts of the world. Rebecca was from Australia and Heike was from Germany. She came and stayed for the skiing. I don't know about Rebecca.

Our hotel is very close to the CPR mainline and we often here the rumble of CPR locomotives as the pick up speed and begin their run to the west coast. We haven't een any going the other way, although they no doubt do. Going west are trains loaded with coal, grain and empty containers while eastbound trains return with empty coal and grain cars as well as full containers from China. This town lives on the CPR, and has since it was established during the construction of the CPR. It is the same with Kamloops as well. This is a great part of the country and it great to be able to enjoy it on a motorcycle with good weather and friends.