It's A Go!

For months now I have been anticipating doing one, perhaps last, big motorcycle trip. The first major motorcycle trip I did was in 1973 when Kerry Hill, Jim Knight and I left Ontario to go west. Jim made stops in Calgary, Burnaby and finally in Sooke where he now lives. Kerry spent time in Prince George, Victoria, and Vancouver where he has been for at least forty years, while I spent sixteen years in Prince George, interrupted by a year in Mackenzie, BC, several months in Burnaby, three years in Sayward, BC , finally landing in Campbell River where I have been for the past thirty-two years.

I did return trips to Ontario in 1974 on a solo motorcycle trip, 1977 in a truck, and again in 2011 with Kerry Hill when we rode to Sudbury, ON, before going our separate ways. Since then we did several trips through the western US, but things have been on hiatus for me since 2018.

So, on this, the fiftieth anniversary year of our ride to the west I decided that I would like to redo the journey for perhaps the last time. Thus, the rationale behind what some people have told me is a ridiculous thing to do is rooted in my wish to challenge myself to pull off something big. 

I left Campbell River this morning before sunrise with the temperature hovering around 12C. By the time I arrived at the Duke Point Ferry terminal I was chilled and the early morning warmth didn't take the edge off it. When I arrived, another Harley was parked in the lineup so I pulled up beside it to await the ferry. The other motorcycle was a 2008 Street Glide in flat blue 

My 2018 Heritage Classic 114 and the 2008 Street Glide.

As an aside, many years ago there was a thing with fibreglass bears and orcas which were made from fibreglass. Various artists painted designs on them and several are at BC Ferries terminals. These two are at Duke Point and even after all these years they are still an attraction for many of the passengers awaiting the net sailings. It's a uniquely BC thing, but one that many enjoy.

Matt and his 2008 Street Glide with a 126 c.i. Screaming Eagle engine.

I spent time with the bike's owner, Matt, who coincidentally lives in Campbell River. He told me that he bought the bike almost new when he was on a visit to Rio de Janeiro, Brazil and then decided to ride it back to BC. He had no problems in South America but he said that Central America was really sketchy and riding through some of those countries may not have been one of his better life choices. He did, however, arrive safely in BC and over the years he has rebuilt the engine and done other modifications. He was planning to ride to Kimberley, which he said was about 1100 kilometres. A real 'Iron Butt' rider.

The ride from the ferry to Chilliwack was what I have come to expect. Most of the ride was at highway speeds but west of Hope there were two periods of stop and go traffic because of lane closures but in all the ride was quite good. I skipped stopping in Hope and took Highway 3 east toward Princeton, Keremeos, and Osoyoos. East of hope I stopped at the Hope slide where after an earthquake the side of a mountain broke off ran across the valley covering the highway in debris. Several people are still buried under the slide.

The scar from the Hope slide

Rain clouds in the east. I was later to encounter them.

Hope Slide debris

West portal of Manning Park

When I ride this highway, I usually stop at the west portal of Manning Park because I really like the wood sculpture of the marmot that marks the park's entrance. I caught up with those rain clouds that I saw east of the Hope Slide and the rain was falling heavily enough that I was forced to stop and don my rain gear. It was a pain to find storage space for the gear, but I was lad to have it, because the temperature dropped precipitously and it is bad enough to be cold, but even worse to be wet and cold.

By the time I arrive in Princeton while the clouds were still present, the temperature was in the high 20s. After refueling I rode the 66 kilometres to Keremeos where I stopped at the Mariposa fruit stand which I usually do when I'm in the area. I bought some rainier cherries. These are the best cherries I have ever had and had just been picked from the family orchard.  It is real treat to be able to do this because the cherry season is very short. 

Mariposa fruit stand

Rainier cherries. Expensive, but worth it.

Just tom the west of Keremeos is a feature that is sacred to the Indigenous people. The name it is known by is Spotted Lake. Eventually there will be a parking area and explanations about why it is sacred to the Indigenous people and there will be a scientific explanation for the phenomenon as well.

Spotted Lake

The sole remaining structure remaining from the Greenwood copper smelter which was closed in 1918.

The last leg of today's ride from Osoyoos to Greenwood was uneventful and I arrived at my motel after 5:30. It is less stressful to do a journey when one knows that they will not have to search for a room when they arrive at their destination. Tomorrow's planned ride should take me me to Lethbridge, then it will be on to Estevan, SK, then to Portal, SK where I plan to cross the border into North Dakota. 

And the journey will evolve.