Cheating the Weather Gods - Again!

Yesterday we were lucky that despite a nasty weather forecast, we were able to avoid any really rotten weather and do our ride with a minimum of rain. The weather forecast for today was worse than yesterday so Garry and I left Penticton a day early to miss the absolutely terrible weather forecast for Monday. 

Leaving Penticton on Sunday Morning

For the most part the ride to Princeton was smooth, with very little traffic and none of the rain that was threatened in the weather forecast. We did a quick gas stop in  Princeton then headed west to Manning Park. Traffic was light so we were able to easily keep to the speed limit, or a small bit above it.  Garry passed me outside of Princeton and was shortly well ahead of me. I made the decision to stick to the speed limit and enjoy the ride and the scenery rather than push my speed. I found that the ride was far more enjoyable, and except for a few small showers near Manning Park, the weather continued to hold.

At the west portal to the park I stopped to rest my weary backside because with the long distances between stops, even on the very comfortable seat of a Heritage Classic I was beginning to experience what I call 'numbbum'. The five minutes I spent on my feet gave me time to take several photos of the park entrance/exit before getting on the road again. 

The west portal of Manning Park

My Heritage Classic at the west portal of Manning Park.

Several kilometres down the road Garry was pulled over waiting for me to catch up. I was at least ten minutes behind him and he was concerned that I may have run into difficulties. Clouds rolled in and we hit some showers, but nothing too serious. After seeing the forecast from the previous evening, I had put my rain gear on in Princeton, so the showers were a minor inconvenience.

We bypassed Hope and continued on the Chilliwack where we stopped for a coffee break at Starbucks then refueled at the Chevron - love that 94 octane for the Harley, but it is expensive -25 cents per litre more than regular. Time from Penticton to Chilliwack-about 3-1/2 hours for slightly more than 300 kilometres. 

We hit more showers west of Chilliwack and the traffic heading to Vancouver became a lot heavier. However, we were able to maintain the 100 kph speed limit with well chosen lane changes. I had a close call however. I was in the passing lane overtaking a line of traffic when a 'cager' in a Nissan SUV made an abrupt and unsignalled lane change forcing me to move too close to the shoulder while hammering my brakes. This is one situation where the ABS option definitely paid for itself. When I hit my anemic horn I was rewarded with an upraised middle finger. I have still yet to figure out why the reaction of people who do stupid things in cars is to immediately 'flip the bird' when they are called on it. Defensive reaction I suppose, but even at 110 kph some people don't pay full attention to what they are doing. That was my 'Code Brown' incident for the trip, but considering the distance we had travelled to that point, I suppose one incident of an inattentive driver almost causing me to come close to disaster is not too bad.

The rest of the ride to the ferry terminal was, except for heavy traffic and some showers, relatively uneventful and we reached the BC Ferries terminal at around 2:00 p.m., about 5-1/2 hours after leaving Penticton, a distance of about 425 kilometres. The bikes were running like Swiss watches so the ride was quite good. The biggest problem I had was a sore ass from the long stretches without a break.

We met several guys at the ferry terminal, one of whom was an adventure tourer and was heading home to Parksville after meeting friends and riding to the headwaters of the Mississippi River in Wisconsin where the group turned south and followed the river south through places like St. Louis and Vicksburg all the was yo New Orleans where they spent several days sampling bourbon on Bourbon Street. I think their ride was about 12 000 kilometres. Sounds like it was a terrific ride and a great time with some good friends. The way a road trip should be.

A variety of motorcycles on the BC ferry.

One of the great things about riding is that whenever you stop, people want to talk to you. Other riders is understandable, because we often tell each other about the rides we are doing, but often people just walk up to you and start conversations about riding. Sometimes they tell you that they used to ride and how much they miss getting out on the road. Other times people who don't ride seem to want to find out about your experiences and wish they could do the same thing. The best though, are the little kids who seem to be attracted to big shiny motorcycles and often pull their parents along with them to get a closer look at the bikes. Invariably when you ask the parents if they would like to sit on the bike, they are delighted. I often offer to take photos of the kids with their parents on their cell phones so they will have a memory of the moment. And perhaps it will be a memory that brings the child into riding in the future.

The ferry was about fifteen minutes late departing the terminal but we were able to unload and be on the road again by 6:00 p.m. After a refueling stop in Nanaimo, we made the run to Campbell River without stopping. We ran through a few showers and the road was wet for part of the way, but considering the dire forecast that we had seen the day before and which had prompted our departure from Penticton a day early, it was a remarkably good day. 

I arrived at my front door at exactly 7:30, about eleven hours, 600 kilometres, an hour and a half wait at the ferry terminal and a two hour crossing. The whole ride to the Okanagan and West Kootenays, including some day trips amounted to almost exactly 2600 kilometres, the longest distance I have ridden in a short time since my last road trip in 2017. It was great to get out on the Harley and to put some serious distance behind me after that length of time. I was beginning to wonder if, after five years, I could still spend long stretches in the saddle. This trip showed me, that despite my advancing years, I can still do some serious distance and that after the depredations of Covid-19, I am looking forward to doing a road trip with my friend Jim, later in July.

All in all, despite the sometimes terrible or marginal weather, this was a good trip and the Okanagan/West Kootenays is a great place to ride. Now I just have to spend a few hours washing, waxing, and polishing my dirty bike. And start planning the next ride.

Cheating the Weather Gods

The weather forecast for today was for light rain from Nelson to Nakusp with showers to the east of the Needles ferry. I dressed for the weather with rain pants and rain jacket. After Thursday's downpour I was not taking any chances. 

Ready to leave Nelson, BC.

We left Nelson and considering that the ride would be faster exposing us to less rain, we chose to ride Highway 6 up the Slocan Valley to Nakusp, rather than ride from Nelson to Kaslo and New Denver before heading to Nakusp. The skies were grey but the road was dry to begin the ride. Shortly after heading north on Highway 6 the roads were wet. We rode into the rain father north, but shortly it stopped and the wet roads began to dry.

The road to Nakusp is a fun road to ride, but not as good as the Nelson-Kaslo-New Denver route. However, the weather continued to improve and it was quite warm when we arrived at the Esso gas station in Nakusp. We refueled and headed to the Needles ferry, a run of about 55 kilometres. Again the highway was clear with very little traffic, and we made it to the ferry very quickly and after a short wait we boarded it for the ten minute crossing.

Heart Creek at the Needles ferry

Nast weather to the north at Needles ferry. We avoided it. Thankfully.

Highway 6 from Fauquier to Lumby traverses a variety of geographical features including level and straight sections, mountainous and twisty ones, and sections with a selection of both. Traffic was light until we approached Lumby when it became heavier. We were caught behind a vintage truck which rarely hit 80 kph. It finally pulled over to let the line of traffic pass.

Lumby was incredibly busy with the highway lined with cars and the street full of people. I'm not sure why but outside of Lumby we ran into a long section of stop and go and single lane traffic. By this time the clouds were gone and it was sunny and warm, perfect riding weather. The ride to Vernon was uneventful until we arrived at the intersection of Highway 97 where it splits to head to either Kamloops of Kelowna. The signage in this area is terrible, and I took the wrong turn. We did, however, find a Chevron station and refueled wit 94 octane gas, a positive outcome. 

We headed back to the main highway to Kelowna, but again took a wrong turn and after stopping at Macdonald's for lunch we headed down a road that gradually became a lakeside drive. We figure it out after a few kilometres and headed back to the centre of Vernon and finally took the right road to Kelowna. I miss my GPS!

Garry lost one of the bolts for his windshield, so we stopped at Gasoline Alley H-d where he was able to make a makeshift repair so that his windshield would no longer vibrate. 

The ride from Kelowna to Penticton was uneventful after the heavier traffic in Westbank, and after a small stop to figure out where we were staying we arrived at the VRBO that we had reserved for the next wo nights. It was an old house that was updated as much as possible, but it had no real common area. The deck faced the back yard and the small fountain/waterfall that one of the owners had created. He did a great job and it really is a terrific feature for the back yard.

Waterfall in the back yard of our VRBO in Penticton. 

Darlene and Gretel were some time behind us, so I took the opportunity to visit and old friend who has lived in Penticton for at least thirty years. The visit was short but it was good to see her after so many years. We first met in 1974 when we were student teachers in Prince George. Now, she is in her late 80s and I am also considerably older. But I can still ride a motorcycle!

When the ladies arrived we moved the suitcases and other items to the house, then ordered pizza from a local pizza place. After dinner I checked the weather forecast to the west and it was not promising. We were facing showers and rain for most of the ride back to Campbell River on Sunday, but Monday was going to be worse. I decided that I would return to Campbell River on Sunday, a day early. Garry agreed so we planned on leaving early on Sunday morning. We rode 505 kilometres today  - the longest ride that we have done all trip. I was wondering if I would still be able to ride that distance and I am very pleased that I can still pull it off.

And, considering the weather forecast for today and the nasty weather that we were able to avoid, we cheated the weather gods. But they must be paid, and when they exact their toll remains to be seen.

Beautiful Roads & Country & Return to the Nuru Cafe

This morning, after yesterday's ride in the rain, my socks, gloves, boots and jacket were still wet or damp.  However, the sun was playing hide and seek with the clouds, so Garry and made the decision to do a ride on our day in Nelson. The plan was to ride to Kaslo, take Highway 31 to New Denver, visit the Nuru Cafe and its owner Tamara, then return the same way. 

We left Nelson heading north toward Balfour. I had forgotten how long the 60 kph zone was. It seemed to take forever to make the first 30 kilometres but when the speed limit increased the ride became interesting. The highway snakes along the slopes on the west side of Kootenay Lake so there are a large number of twists, turns, hills, and sharp curves. The beauty of this road is that any rider can choose to enjoy the road and take it at a relaxed pace, or, if more confident and risk taking, they can ride at a speed that challenges their abilities.

The highway crosses a large number of mountain streams that are flowing quickly at this time of year, especially after yesterday's rain and the cool temperatures of this spring. We stopped at one of the larger ones that was in the spring freshet. I am always amazed at the power of rushing water and this stream was a good example. An added bonus was a well done piece of art, not graffiti, that was under the bridge which did not deface anything.

River views on the way to Kaslo

Rushing river between Nelson & Kaslo

Graffiti art under a bridge on the way to Kaslo

I took the lead as we left and Garry dropped behind. I reduced speed and I soon saw his lights in my rear view mirror, so I carried on into Kaslo. I saw Garry ride in to the Husky station so I caried on the the Kaslo Museum which has a CPR caboose and the stern wheeler Moyie, which worked on Kootenay Lake from 1898 until it was retired in 1957 after the Kaslo & Slocan Railway ceased operation the the early 1950s. The boat is undergoing repairs at present. Old wooden boats take a tremendous amount of upkeep to keep them from deteriorating and this boat is almost 125 years old.

SS Moyie and CPR caboose at the Kaslo Museum.

Kootenay Lake fron Kaslo, BC

Garry didn't show up at the museum so I backtracked to the Husky station where he had the bike seat on the ground and his battery uncovered. We received advice on who to talk to to get help, but by the time he answered his voice mail, Garry had figured out the problem and fixed it. Apparently he had connected so many devices to his battery that the connection to one the terminals was rather tenuous. He removed all of the banjo connectors, put new bolts in the battery terminals, and voila, problem solved.

During our sojourn at the Husky station I met two riders from Kingston, ON, Dominic and Robert. There were on adventure bikes, and were heading to Tuktoyuktuk to dip their toes in the Arctic Ocean then head back to Kingston. They plan on riding for more than six weeks. I suggested that they make it a real polar bear thing by dropping their gear and diving in. Dominic worried that he might freeze his gonads off. I wished them luck on their ride and we headed west to New Denver. 

Domic (l.) and Robert (r.) heading to the Arctic Ocean.

We did this ride several years ago and I had forgotten what a fun ride it was. It still is. The park at the summit is a great place to stop. It has a great view of snow capped mountains, probably the Valhalla Range, and very close by is another lake that provides a different view although just as majestic. The run into New Denver is a series of curves that are just a fun ride, even on a fat Harley. It would be amazing on one of my Commandos.

Lake at the summit of the Kaslo-New Denver Highway 31

Lake near the summit of Highway 31 between Kaslo & New Denver

Garry was waiting at the Nuru Cafe with a very large coffee. I waited for a couple to order then had the chance to chat with Tamara. I haven't been to the Nuru Cafe for five years and it has changes, Because of Covid, the seating area has been walled off and made into a shop where Tamara's friend who works in a Ducati shop in Calgary works on repairing Ducatis while he is in New Denver.

Tamara in the Nuru Cafe

Entrance to the Nuru Cafe, New Denver, BC.

Tamara now has two Ducatis, the original blue and white 2004 S4R 695 Monster and as Tamara describes it, 'a banana yellow' 2000 996 Monster. My friend Jim fell in love with the lovely Tamara when she told him that she was disappointed that she hadn't worn the knees out of her leather while riding the Ducati. Now that she has two Ducatis, I told her that she was lucky that he wasn't on this trip because he would have asked her to marry him on the spot. (This is a slight burn on Jim if the reader doesn't get it.)

Tamara's 2000 996 Ducati Monster

The workshop in the former seating area in the Nuru Cafe.

Tamara and her 2000 996 Ducati Monster

Plans changed and instead of returning to Kaslo, we took the highway toward Castlegar passing through legendary towns like Silverton, and Slocan, and Winlaw. One hundred and twenty years ago this area was called the 'Silvery Slocan'. For some of the distance the highway hugs the slope above Slocan Lake with the Valhalla Range in the background. Again, a stunning vista. We live in an incredible part of the world and I wouldn't change it for anything.

Two views of Slocan Lake and the Valhalla Range

After a short stop at the Esso in Crescent Valley we returned to Nelson. While Garry went back to the hotel, I topped off my tank and rode to the foot of Baker Street. (I still haven't had the opportunity to look for 221B) where the Railway Museum is located. They are fortunate to have two locomotives on display in old CPR colours. Unfortunately a graffiti vandal disfigured on of the locomotives with his pitiful attempt at 'art'. A worthwhile stop before returning to our hotel to end the day's ride of 239 kilometres.

CPR locomotive at the Nelson Museum

One of the CPR locomotives at the Nelson Museum

110 pound Rail made in 1926 supporting the locomotives

CPR tracks at the Nelson Museum

The evening saw us having dinner at a Japanese restaurant and wrapping up a busy day in a very satisfying day. It has started raining this evening so tomorrow's ride may be a very long very wet slog. I hope I am wrong but I'm not going to count on it.

We're Ridin' In the Rain, Just Ridin' In the Rain...

 It wasn't a wonderful feeling. 

When we left Osoyoos we followed the first part of our ride from yesterday. The weather was cloudy and threatening rain but it didn't show up until we were almost at Rock Creek. It began with a very light drizzle that held until we arrived at Midway. We stopped at the Kettle Valley Railway Museum to stretch our legs and take some photos. While we were there we met John, a man who had mover there from Tumbler Ridge and who is now a director of the museum. When he was a boy he says that he lived near the KVR tracks and could remember the steam locomotives running near his house. When I was about four years old, my dad took me to see the first diesel locomotive to do the run from Smiths Falls to Toronto. When I told John the story, he said he had the same experience, and like me, he wished that his father had taken him to see the last steam locomotive run. It was a memorable random interaction of the sort that often happens when one is travelling by motorcycle. 

Our bikes at the Kettle Valley Museum and the 1900 C&W station

CPR caboose at the KVR Museum in Midway, BC

Mile 0 of the Kettle Valley Railway in Midway, BC

John in front of the Kettle River Museum

I stopped at Greenwood, as mall town that once housed one of the largest copper smelters in the British Empire. During World War I it produced much of the copper that was used in the war effort. When the war ended, the bottom fell out of the copper market and the smelter closed, never to reopen. Many of the Japanese who were interned and moved away from the west coast after the attack on Pearl Harbour were placed in Greenwood and some families remained there to this day. The Columbia and Western Railway ran by Greenwood and crossed the old highway on the east end of the town. At some point the road was widened and the concrete tunnel was pulled to the side of the highway. At one point more than one hundred flags were painted on it. Sadly, the vandals have shown up even in Greenwood, and the beautifully painted flags have been defaced and covered with ugly graffiti. 

Old Kootenay Light & Power powerhouse with the smelter smokestack.

Slag piles with 'bells' from slag pots that have been there for more that 100 years

Slag pile and 'bells' from the old Greenwood smelter.

Old Greenwood smelter smokestack.

Tunnel from under the C&W Railway.

The berm on the right is all that remains of the C&W embankment 

The Boundary Country had a long history of railway building which began near the end of the 19th century when mineral wealth including gold, silver, copper and others was discovered in the area. Along with the Columbia and Western, the Great Northern built a line to Eholt, which was built to service the large copper mine there. Just as the Greenwood smelter closed at the end of WWI, the copper mine at Eholt closed as well. Now there are very few remnants of a town which once had the first artificial curling rink in western Canada. From Highay 3 riding in to Grand Forks, the cuts in the side of the hills are the only evidence of the Great Northern Railway, which along with the CPR (which owned the C&W) brought copper ore to the smelters at Greenwood and Granby. There is lots of history in this country if one knows what to look for.

The drizzle became a little heavier as we approached Grand Forks where we stopped at Tim Horton's for a coffee and a bowl of chili. The rain began to fall heavily while we were inside so we donned our rain pants and headed east through Christina Lake. We stopped at the Paulson Bridge to shoot some photos then carried on to Castlegar. On the way we were followed by a semi with the logo 'Stark' and the Salvation Army shield on it. In BC there are pullouts at the top of steep hills where truck drivers are supposed to pull over and check to see that their braked are adjusted properly. This drive blew by two of those pullouts, totally ignoring what he was required to do to ensure the safety of his truck.

The parking lot at Tim Horton's in Grand Forks after the rain began.

The Paulson Bridge

Paulson Bridge with the C&W rail bed far below

The C&W railbed with weather in the background.

When we arrived at Castlegar, our first stop was at Canadian Tire where I bought a rain jacket. After riding almost one hundred kilometers in the rain my jacket was getting very wet and I was getting cold. My boots and gloves were totally soaked with my socks being sopping wet. After refueling we stopped at Starbucks but in Safeway stores there is no seating so we rolled on. 

Darlene and Gretel were lucky today because they were travelling in a warm dry car.

After a slight glitch leaving Castlegar and heading to Nelson, we made it downtown where we stopped at the first coffee shop we saw. It was good to get out of the rain and have a hot coffee in our hands. One of life's little pleasures. I made sure to take a photo of the mostly aptly named cannabis shop in Nelson. The main street in Nelson is named Baker Street. Tomorrow when we are downtown I will be looking for 221B.

Buddy's House of Cannabis on downtown Nelson.

Garry called Gretel to get directions and the young woman who was working in the shop also gave us directions. It was not difficult to find the Alpine Motel and it was a real pleasure to shed soaking boots, gloves, jacket and socks.

The ride today covered 275 kilometres with about 140 of them in the rain. I don't like riding in heavy rain for many reasons. We will be in Nelson until Saturday, but the weather if forecast to be wet and cold. The ride to Penticton promises to be a difficult one if the weather forecast is correct. But one can always hope.

Just For Fun

 After a beautiful day of riding yesterday, we awoke to sun this morning but after breakfast and as we were beginning to prepare for the day's ride, clouds began to roll in. And they were large grey ones which is never a good thing. Nevertheless Garry and I made the decision to do an Okanagan ride today, choosing to take our chances with the weather.

After unsuccessfully trying to find a Chevron gas station to fill up on 94 octane gas, we settled for the lower grade 91 at PetroCan before heading for Anarchist Mountain and Highway 3 east. Anarchist Mountain looms over the south end of the BC section of the Okanagan Valley and the road to the top is a rider's delight with dozens of sharp curves and some panoramic vistas. We stopped at the lone viewpoint and enjoyed the view over Osoyoos and Osoyoos Lake before carrying on to the summit. The road levels out and crosses the high country to Rock Creek where it descends into the Kettle Valley.

Osoyoos and Osoyoos Lake from the Anarchist Mountain lookout

View to the north of Osoyoos 

Our trusty steeds at the Anarchist Mountain lookout.

Between Osoyoos and Rock Creek there is only one village, Bridesville, which used to be a stop on the previously mentioned VV&E Railway. I am not sure why it still exists, but it seems to be a bucolic little place, and no doubt the people who live here like it just the way it is. The road into Rock Creek descends rapidly and is a very sharp hairpin turn about halfway down. Rock Creek stretches along the Kettle River and experienced flooding in 2020. The river was flowing high today and we stopped at the Rock Creek Hotel and Pub to have a closer look. That establishment seems to be quite quirky with a sign at the entrance that read "Alcohol Won't Solve All your Problems, But Neither Does Water". As sign on the wall warns that only American made motorcycles are allowed to park near the front door. All others will be towed. A bit of levity is always good.

Kettle River running high and fast

Sign at the Rock Creek Hotel & Pub

Garry and I headed north on Highway 33 to Kelowna. The road is a very good motorcycle road with a large number of curves and elevation changes. And there was very little traffic as a bonus. The only hiccup was a ten minute wait just south of the Big White turnoff for alternating traffic because the road was being repaved. Other than that it was a sweet ride all the way. One little place has an interesting name, Joe Rich. No idea why the name, but the last time I rode through here about six years ago with my friend Jim we could smell the burnt wood odor from a forest fire which had burned in the area less than a week before.

After a Starbucks visit in Rutland we rode to Gasoline Alley H-D to check out the new bikes. Some of the machines Harley is making these days are works of functional art. They are just very pleasing to the eye. (They look real good.) One of the sales people had an amazing assortment of tattoos. but the most impressive one was the one of fairly modern H-D engine in colour. The artist who did that one is a true master.

A stop at Gasoline Alley H-D in Kelowna, BC

The weather improved as the day went on and by the time we were in Kelowna it was mostly sunny and warm. Heading south, traffic got heavier and after a stop to refuel, we were back in the thick of it from just north of the William R. Bennet Bridge (Don't ask me about my feelings as I crossed that bridge!) and it continued all the way through Westbank, but once we were clear of the turn to the Okanagan Connector traffic thinned out and we made good time to Penticton. 

Sometimes at the most unexpected times and in the most unexpected places we are fortunate enough to witness small acts of human kindness. We saw one today. As we were stopped at a light in Westbank, two women were waiting to cross the highway - one of whom was in a wheelchair. When the light changed the first woman began to cross the road. She made it more than halfway, then turned around to see the woman in the wheelchair struggling to get across the highway before the light changed. She walked back and spoke to the woman in the wheelchair, then pushed her across the road. It was a small act of human kindness but it was a real privilege to have witnessed it.

The ride along Okanagan Lake is as pretty a ride as you'll see anywhere and it went very smoothly  all the way to Penticton. It's no wonder people want to live there.

Riding through Penticton we paralleled the 'Ditch', a canal between Okanagan and Skaha Lakes that was used as a canal, but is now used mostly for recreation. Again traffic moved along quite nicely and we passed through Okanagan Falls and Oliver where we stopped to rest our weary backside and grab some snacks for later. The last twenty plus kilometres to Osoyoos went smoothly and at the end of the day we had done a 325 kilometre loop of the Okanagan Valley. Not a bad day's work for two 'Vintage Gentlemen' on Harleys. Tomorrow we ride west to Nelson by way of Midway, Grand Forks, and Castlegar.

While we were riding the ladies went wine touring and brought a bottle of white wine for dinner. They say it is good wine, but I'm not a white wine connoisseur so I'll take their word for it. Dinner went with the wine with various local cheeses and cold cuts. A very relaxed end to a good day.