Tete Jaune Cache to Edmonton

Day 22 – Friday August 27, 2010

Kilometres: 483.4

Time: seven hours, 15 minutes

Weather:

Tete Jaune Cache: Overcast, 9 C at 8:45 AM (Pacific Time)

Edmonton: Mostly sunny, windy, 18 C at 4:45 PM (Mountain Time)

I started the day with a cup of coffee on the banks of the Fraser River. (I took the picture with coffee in hand.) It was too misty/cloudy to see Mount Sir Wilfred Laurier, but I did manage to catch a glimpse of its high summit last night as the sun went down.

I had a perfect night’s sleep and I highly recommend Teet Jaune Lodge to anyone who is looking for a simple (no TV, radio, alarm clock, telephone or hot food) night’s rest in a picturesque surroundings. If you really want to rough it, you can also sleep in a real tepee, but that is too roughing it for me.

Here's a picture I took of the mist rising from the mountains that were in front of the lodge.

I ate the Campbell’s soup just-nuke-and-eat for breakfast and then rode east towards the highest mountain in the Canadian Rockies – Mount Robson.

Before reaching Mount Robson, I stopped to look at Mount Terry Fox. I thought that would be nice to add to the trip as I’d stopped by his monument near Thunder Bay on the way out west. Interestingly, it was exactly 30 years ago that Terry ran the Marathon of Hope. I think (but will have to double check) I will be riding through Thunder Bay the day after the 30th anniversary of the marathon being called off.

I’d seen Mount Robsom 18 years ago on my first trip out west. I was disappointed, but not heartbroken, that the mountain wasn’t visible through the clouds. Through the occasional break in the clouds, I saw the side of the mountain, but not the summit. The Parks people told me that the rain I’d experienced yesterday fell as snow on the mountain. I’m not sure if that means winter is quickly coming or if this is normal all year around. It is, however, above the treeline so there is snow up there all year.

My next stop was Jasper, which to me is a tourist trap. I ate a quick hot meal, filled up the bike with gas and continued on. By this time the weather had turned wet and I was riding through on-again, off-again showers. I don’t mind riding in the rain, but I really hate riding when it’s cold.

As I rode out of Jasper, I looked over towards a valley to the west. It was completely black with rain clouds that had settled in between the mountains. It was also heading very slowly my way. The highways speed is 100 kph, but people tend to drive quicker. Every now and then the speed limit is lowered because the danger of wild animals on the roads.

I was lucky enough to see a big horned sheep perched on a cliff at the side of the road. It was only about 12 metre up on the cliff. The only reason I noticed it is because it’s white backside was pointed towards me. Against the rock, that part really stood out. I wouldn’t have noticed him otherwise because he blends in perfectly with the cliff.

At the same time, I kept an eye on the storm behind me. I really think it was chasing me through the valley.

A little further up the road, the vehicle in front of me slowed down to let a pair of coyotes cross the highway. They didn’t seem to be in hurry, but at least they didn’t get hit, or stop on the road.

I was all too soon out of the mountains and into the foothills. The foothills in this area didn’t seem as extensive as the ones near Rocky Mountain House. By the time I reached Edson, the foothills were behind me and the mountains were gone from sight.

As I slowed down to enter Edson, a deer was grazing at the side of the road just inside the city limits. It certainly was a day full of wildlife

As soon as I was clear of the mountains, the wind really picked up and was at times a bit hazardous. The ride from Hinton (in the foothills) into Edmonton was unpleasant because of high crosswinds and the occasional shower. When I pulled into Edmonton, my thermometer read 18 C, but the wind was from the north and had a strong bight. It really felt closer to 10 C.

I ended the day with a nice piece of salmon, a baked potato, veggies and a beer. The perfect end to a day full of ups and down.

Vernon to Tete Jaune Cache

Day 21 – Wednesday August 26, 2010

Kilometres: 534.3

Time: 10 hours with too many stops

Weather:

Vernon: Sunny, 28 C at 9:15

Kamloops: Storms moving in, 20 C at 11:30

Tete Jaune Cache: Overcast, 8 C at 7:15

It was a beautiful hot, bright, and sunny morning. Just the kind I like. I had a quick continental breakfast at the motel and was on the road by 9:15. As it was so nice, and after baking a bit yesterday, I decided to wear my spandex bicycle shorts under my riding pants. The shorts are so much more comfortable than wearing jeans and are also cooler. But as the wind was cool, I wore my GoreTex rain jacket to keep the chill off my arms.

I continued north on Highway 97 and when the highway split, I took 97 west towards Kamloops. I was dropping in for a quick visit with Freddie, the innkeeper at Thriftlodge, to thank him for suggesting my route change. Highway 97 from 97A to Highway 1 (the T’Can) is a fun little road that isn’t laden with traffic. It’s twisty with some good elevation variations in a few sections.

As I came to the end of Highway 97, I noticed a huge thunderstorm brewing to the west (pic on the left). The anvil was forming and I saw one thermal rising. With a final twist in the road I realized that I was heading straight for it, which I’d prefer not to do. These things are beautiful to look at, but I know what they are capable of, so I didn’t want to experience the storm when it unleashed.

I got into Kamloops and Freddie greeted me with a big hug and kiss on the check. I told him all about the ride through the smoke and my favourite ride, Lillooet to Pemberton. I also told him that I really wasn’t thrilled with the ride up the Fraser Canyon, but as he said, “It’s better than riding the Coquihalla Highway” (think of the DVP and you’ll have a good idea of what it’s like).

Freddie went on to tell me about a couple of other roads that are similar to Highway 99 (Lillooet to Pemberton). All the more reason to return. But he told me that I’d better get going as the weather was calling for thunderstorms. If I hurried, I’d stay in front of them. I put on all my rain gear, except for my rain-off gloves and was soon ready to leave. I got another hug and he told to drop by anytime. Freddie waved me goodbye as I took off.

Before leaving Kamloops, I filled up with gas and food and then headed north up Highway 5 towards Jasper. Well, that was my intention, but I missed the turn off and headed southwest to Vancouver. I had to ride about 15 kilometres to the first exit and turn around. On the way back to Kamloops, I swear I saw the sigh that said 5 North, but I guess I was seeing things because I wound up on the same road I’d taken to go to Lillooet. Yes, I’d love to do that again, but it will have to wait. Fortunately, I didn’t have to ride far before I saw a turnoff into a mining operation. I pulled in and turned on my GPS. I punched in the word “Jasper” and I was soon back to where I’d almost started. My little detour had taken 45 minutes and 56 kilometres.

By now the storms looked menacing. Black clouds surrounded me, and I knew that I was probably going to get caught in the downpour. I love watching the weather. And this was going to be good storm. I could see the stormfront. These clouds formed a solid line at the edge of the black clouds, but they kinda curled downwards and rolled in the wind. Hmm, not a good sign. Some the darkest clouds (I don’t know the official name for the these things) had a few ragtag swirling clouds that had dropped beneath them. It wasn’t rainfall, but distinct clouds. These were darker but much less dense than the clouds above. They weren’t twisting like tornados, but they dropped down from the clouds above and hung there like fingers.

I kept my eye on those and the front. I was extremely fortunate because just as it started to rain (not spitting, but big fat blobs), I came to Little Fort. Up ahead was a Husky gas station and Subway Restaurant. I pulled in, turned off the engine and just as I undid my tankbag, the sky opened up. Down came the hail. A couple of piece of hail hit on the helmet before I reached the porch, and wow, did that sound cool. I pulled off my helmet, took out the camera and snapped a couple of shots as I waited out the storm. (In the pic, that's hail falling. If you look closely, you can see the little white pieces of ice.)

It passed in about 10 minutes, to the west the sky was clearing. In its wake, the storm brought cooler temperatures. I changed into my cold-weather riding gloves, got on the bike and headed north.

It soon began raining again, but not with the intensity of the last storm. I stopped at nearly every gas station, as I didn’t know when I’d find the next station.

Thirteen kilometres south of Avola I pulled into a rest station to put on my polar fleece. Again, I had perfect timing because the sky opened up with a heavy downpour. I pulled off my helmet and decided to wait out the worse of it. Just as it let up, and I’d put my helmet back on, thunder literally shook the ground. I’m a lightning rod on two wheels, so there was no way in the world I was going out to play in that weather. The thunder was so cool because it echoed and bounced off the mountains (that I couldn’t see through the clouds) the duration of one thunderclap was probably double to what I’m used to hearing.

The one thing I found really fascinating while waiting out the storm was the how the weather systems differ from those in Toronto. As the rain continued, mist began rising from the trees. At first I thought it was smoke from forest fires, but I was wrong. As the mist rose it swirled, almost like reverse tornadoes, or churning smoke rising, it began to gather and soon formed a cloud separate and lighter in colour from the storm clouds. These mist clouds reminded me very much of fog clouds I’d ridden through between Rocky Mountain House and the Banff National Park. Perhaps I’d ridden through the mist rising from the trees and not very low clouds.

The only good thing about the storms, I reasoned, is that they will hopefully help the forest fire situation, if the lightning doesn’t start more fires. I waited about five minutes after the last thunder clap and headed to the bike, which was only about three metres in front of me. I looked up the road to see how heavy the traffic was, when I saw lightning strike the mountain near the road from the direction I’d ridden from. I counted to myself to guestimate the distance. I only counted to four when the thunder again rumbled. That was way to close for me to go out and play in.

In total, I waited at the rest station for about 45 minutes. And as I waited I got colder. It was now gone 4:30, and I still had quite a distance to go. As soon as the lightning seemed to clear the area, I was on my bike and trying to make for some lost time. I flicked on my GPS and it estimated my arrival time at Tete for 6:30, but I still had to stop to eat and get gas. That along with the on and off rain, which slowed my speed to about 90 kph, I knew it was going to be a late arrival time.

These mist clouds (for lack of a better term) sat about half way up the mountains. Sometimes, as the roads rose in elevation, I drove right through them and it was like riding through fog. However, for the most part they stayed above the trees and didn’t cover the road. There were some spectacular views with the double clouds, and dark mountains. I couldn’t take a photo, thought, as my camera was wrapped up in a plastic bag inside my tankbag, which had its rain cover on it. Coupled with my double pair of gloves and still frozen digits, there was no way I was going to stop to take a picture.

To cut a long story short, I arrived at Tete Jaune Lodge at 7:15. I was cold and all my luggage was wet. I bought a Campbell’s just-nuke-it-and-it’s-ready soup at the little store and asked for an extra pouch of coffee for the in-room coffee maker. I needed to warm up. It was a chilly 8 C (add that to the 100 kph wind while I’m riding) and I’d just come from the sunny and hot Okanagan Valley. This was shock. I couldn’t feel my fingers and my toes were also frozen. I was very thankful that the road was relatively straight because I was in no condition to be playing on a twisty.

As I write this out, I am staying in a nice big, warm, comfortable room. There is no TV or telephone here. The Fraser River is perhaps 300 metres away from me. The lodge is owned my natives, and with the campfire ban finally lifted, about 200 metres from window is a campfire. One of the Indians is singing and playing a drum by the fire. Sometimes when I look up, I can see his silhouette as he sits on a log in front of the fire, with a big round drum in his hand.

Merritt to Vernon

Day 20 – Wednesday August 25, 2010

Kilometres: 398

Time: 7 hours, including stops

Weather:

Merritt: Not a cloud in the sky, 30 C at 9:30

Osoyoos: Sunny, 40 C at 1:30

Vernon: Sunny, 36 C at 5:15

Why do I have so much trouble getting started in the morning these days? I just couldn’t get myself together. It took forever to pack up and eat breakfast. I didn’t get on the road until 9:30, which was late for what I had planned for the day. Last night I decided to get up early (ha!) and add a few extra kilometres to my route by going down to Osoyoos. Originally, I was going to turn off Highway 3 at Keremeos and cut the corner off to save a bit to time. I didn’t think I’d ever come back to this part of the province JUST to see Osoyoos, so I may as well go there.

Heading out of Merritt, I took Highway 5A, which is a fun road to ride. Again, I was surrounded by desert, and not a car or truck would pass me for minutes on end. When a few cars did come up behind me, I just pulled over and let them pass. I wanted to play with road.

This new way of riding (Lee Parks’ method of leaning and pushing) really makes riding a totally engaging sport. I’m working with the bike and not against it. This is just so much more fun than how I used to ride. I think I’m going to get quickly bored riding the straight regional roads and concession roads of Southern Ontario.

Anyway, Highway 5A is a really fun road with all the twists and turns you could ask for. It doesn’t have the paving variations like the road from Lillooet to Pembertson does, but is still a fun road and I’d happily ride it again.

I filled up the tank and ate a quick sandwich in Princeton and then headed southeast on Highway 3, which is the Crownest Highway that took me the Crowsnest Pass last week. If I had more time, I would have stopped in Hedley as they offer a gold mine tour, but it looks like the tourists have to repel down the shaft. I’d love to give that a try. Hmm, does that mean I have yet another reason to ride out this way again?

About 5 kilometres before I rode into Keremeos, the wind really picked up. For the first time since riding in the Prairies, I had to fight for control of the bike. There were a few twists in the road, and after coming out of one turn in the distance was a treed mountain with clouds around it. But the clouds didn’t look quite right. As I rode closer, I realized the clouds were rising from the trees. One cloud had a bit of an orange haze. These weren’t clouds. These were forest fires. This was soon confirmed when I saw a helicopter drop fire retardant into the smoke.

I pulled into a wildlife-viewing turnout to get a better look at the fires. At the turnout, I met a BC Fires information officer who told me the fire was started by lightning on July 28 and eventually grew to cover 530 hectares. The mountains are so steep in the area that it is impossible for fire crews to get to them. At one point they had five helicopters battling the fire. She went on to say that the fire seems to go out, but it still burns underground and will spring back to life as spot fires days later. This is what I was seeing.

I couldn’t but think of the poor animals living in the forest who were trying to get away from the smoke and fires. It’s unfortunate that there is nothing to be done to help them. We just have to let nature take care of itself.

The further south I went (surprise!) the hotter it became. This area is a desert, with similar vegetation to what I saw in Kamloops and Lillooet. I was starting to equate the BC deserts with really fun roads. I’ll have to find more of these roads.

The ride down to Osoyoos was hot, had twisty roads, and brown vegetation. I’d heard that Osoyoos was one of the warmest places in Canada and that the town (city?) tried to model itself after Spanish towns with a similar climate. Unfortunately, the turnout to view the town was on the opposite side of the road and not accessible to vehicles going south. I would have loved to have taken a picture, but it was impossible.

The town looked beautiful as I descended the mountain highway. A clear blue lake was the centre of activity. Boats of all description were cutting through the waves. Windsurfers were enjoying the sun and wind as they skimmed along the surface. Surrounding the lake was the town, and many were white stucco houses with reddish-brown clay tile roofs. It did have a bit of a Spanish feel, but there were other “normal” building in the area so the effect wasn’t complete.

I stopped in the Visitor Centre to cool down (I very rarely seek out air conditioning) and to find out a bit more about the town. The average winter low is 0 C and the summer average is in the high 30s C. I found the average number of sunshine hours, but I think it may be misleading, as it doesn’t offer a comparison to other towns/cities at that latitude. However, it is probably above normal for Canada otherwise they wouldn’t have listed that statistic.

Osoyoos has only two industries: tourism and agriculture. It is surrounded by futile farmland, and as the southern most town in the Okanagan Valley, there is an abundance of fresh fruit and veggies. Fruit stands are all along the highway leading out of Osoyoos and all the way up to Vernon. You can buy 20 pounds of peaches for anywhere between $7 and $11.

I didn’t think much of the ride north through Penticton, Kelowna and Vernon. It was a bit twisty, but once you’ve ridden one highway, you’ve ridden them all. It was the usual: Cars going at least 20 over the speed limit and trucks breathing down my tailpipe. Fortunately, it was two lanes in both directions, so they were able to pass me with out getting too irate at me doing only 10 over the limit.

The one thing I did like about the road was the changes in elevation. It was just fun going up and down. My ears seemed to pop every couple of minutes. For example, here’s a pictures of Penticton from a turn out. It seemed like only two minutes later (ok, closer to five minutes) that I was down there driving beside the beech.

The water in Lake Okanagan is very rough, and it was very winding on the highway as well. White caps were the norm, but people were still out swimming in the lake and enjoying the sun.

I really didn’t like Kelowna simply because I arrived in town at 4:30, which must be their rush hour. I hit almost every light and was starting to overheat and get a bit ticked off at the timing of the lights. In an effort to cool down, I stopped into the local Dairy Queen to taste test a hot fudge sundae. This is my first DQ treat since the Qu’applle Valley, so I’m rather proud of myself for holding out this long.

But you just can’t take the Toronto person out of me, even in a small city. When I pulled in, I did the normal “check out everyone in parking lot to make sure it’s safe” look around. I noticed a guy smoking a stoggie who was either eying me, the bike, or both. I made sure to take everything inside with me that wasn’t locked down. I placed my order and while they made the sundae, I walked to the window and, sure enough he was giving my bike a once over. I went back to the counter, picked up my order and then sat by the window to keep an eye on the bike, but the dude had walked away. By the time I’d nearly finished my ice cream, I saw him ride away on his own motorcycle. I guess you just can’t take the big city mentality out of me that quickly.

It was a fairly quick ride to Vernon from Kelowna. It was all highway riding. The motel was just off the main street (the highway) and had a Safeway Foods across the road. As I had a microwave in the motel room, I did a quick shopping trip and settled into the motel for the evening.

Vancouver to Merritt

Day 19 – Tuesday August 24, 2010

Kilometres: 385.7

Time: six hours (including one 10 minutes rest stop and stops for gas)

Weather:

Vancouver: Sunny (it never rains here. I’m sure it’s just bad PR) and 16 C at 9 AM

Merritt: Sunny with a few clouds, 32 C at 3 PM

I could not sleep last night (that hardly ever happens) and was woken up by the sound of a text message coming in on my cell phone. Diane, my riding buddy, was wondering why I hadn’t posted anything on the blog. I really didn’t want to type out the full explanation or reason for still being in bed, so I told her I was having breakfast and then getting ready to go, which was about 20 minutes later.

I discovered that I was a bit out practice packing up the bike. It took much longer than usual, considering I had done most of the work the night before. I finally got on the road at 9, filled up the tank and headed towards the Trans Canada, East bound.

The ride out of town was punctuated with road construction, but not enough for me to ride below 60 kph, so I guess I can’t complain when I compare that to Toronto. I had not been over the Second Narrows (or Iron Workers) Bridge before, and as Ian had told me, it was much quicker than Lion’s Gate.

I was soon zooming through Burnaby, Langley, Abbotsford, Chilliwack, and then into Hope, where I topped up the tank before leaving the Trans Canada for the ride up the Fraser Canyon.

I’d heard so much about this road that I was a bit let down. I can only compare it to riding along side the Niagara Gorge … but a much longer ride. The rapids looked really cool and I’d love to get in a raft and go down them. They look much more vicious than the Ottawa River rapids. I shot the Ottawa three times, but the water of the Fraser River, is much wider, so there is more room to manoeuvre the raft. I wonder what the river is like in the spring. Cold, yes I know, but the water level would change and so would the speed. This sounds like a ride I’ll have to try.

The canyon road tunnels were not like those I’d gone through near Roger’s Pass. These weren’t there to protect motorists from avalanches, but because there is no way to get to the other side of the mountain except blast a hole in it. There were maybe half a dozen tunnels, all individually named but all looking exactly the same. All were arched concrete.

I’ve only had a couple of encounters with animals on the road – and two near misses. Both the near misses were with birds of prey. The first near miss was as I rode through the clouds between Rocky Mountain House and the border to Banff National Park. The one of the Fraser Canyon was a near disaster for the bird. I thought these things had exceptional eyesight. I’d like to know what possessed the bird, who was at the side of the road about 200 metres ahead of me, to fly towards me. It had something in its talons – it looked like straw. I was doing about 100 kph and I managed to slow down to about 50. I don’t know why the bird couldn’t get any lift, but it was sure trying to. I was so sure of a collision that I ducked behind my windshield and braced for impact. The bird released the straw right in front of me and then the bird managed to veer up in time. My bike ran over the straw about two seconds later. It was a close one.

The road was a bit challenging, especially after not riding anything but city streets (and that was minimal) for the last four days. I turned off the T’Can at Spences Bridge and deviated from my original plan. Freddie, the innkeeper in Kamloops, didn’t understand why I would want to return to Hope after riding the Fraser Canyon. The problem was that I originally though it was one road up on west side and another road on the east of the canyon. I wanted to ride both roads. I had read the map wrong. “Why ride the same road twice?” he asked. Instead, he suggested I carry on to Merritt and then go into the Okanagan Valley. I talked to Ian about the route change and he concurred with Freddie the innkeeper.

I’m so glad I changed the route. I was soon back into the desert and from Spences Bridge all the way Merritt, which is about 70 kilometres, was full of lovely twisty roads with switchbacks. Now that was a load of fun. Here's a quick pic I took from the side of the road.

I rode into Merritt a little bit before 3 PM. I felt refreshed to be back riding and really could have comfortably gone another hour or two.

I was really disappointed with Merritt. I listen to classic rock, classical, symphonic goth, punk (old and new), and progressive European metal. How is it possible that I’m in the self-proclaimed country music capital of Canada? There are murals of famous country artists on the sides of buildings here. They have a country walk of fame (I guess these artist are the one that visited here). Residents of the town actually wear cowboy hats and cowboy boots. I feel like I’m back in Alberta. Oh my! Maybe I should have made my hotel reservation in Princeton.

After a quick visit to 7-11 for gas I also picked up a sandwich for late lunch/early dinner and some fruit for breakfast. I hope that I will have an opportunity to get more fresh fruit in the Okanagan tomorrow and also refill my wine. Here’s to another day of adventure on the road. Cheers!

Vancouver - Day 4

Day 18 – Monday August 23, 2010 – Vancouver

Kilometres: 0

Time: No riding today

Weather:

Sunny with a few clouds, about 20 C at 10 AM

Sue met me at my hotel room around 10 AM, but we started talking and drinking coffee, so we didn’t get going until almost noon. The weatherman was again wrong with his forecast, as it was another beautiful sunny and warm day. Our destination was my only “must see” while in Vancouver: The Aquarium.

Our first visit was with the three sea otters. All were rescued and for one reason or another would not survive in the wild, nonetheless, I felt sorry for them because they really don’t have much room to swim around. They quickly swim back and worth and really reminded me of large animals pacing back and worth in small cages. Anyway, I didn’t realize who big sea otters are. I would guess that they are about a metre and half long. And they are not all skin and bone either. They are chunky because they need their body fat to keep them warm in the cold sea water.

We quickly stopped by to visit the dolphins and sea lions, both of which had much larger swimming areas than the sea otters.

Our next stop was the three beluga whales. The three are all related and all female. There’s grandma, mother, and a two-year-old daughter, who is still adolescent grey in colour and not yet white. It was close to feeding time and when the trainers came out the whales did a few little tricks for their fishy lunch. They waved to crowd, rolled over, twirled around and in the end gave the kids a good splash or two with a tail. I was happy to see that they didn’t have them doing the silly swimming thought hoops tricks.

Sue and I also went into the tropical area where it was lovely and humid. Macaws, turtles, butterflies, and other birds and creatures inhabited the small area.

Other swimming areas in the aquarium include the sharks (mostly nurse sharks, I believe) mixed in with the ever-graceful stingray. I really felt sorry of the huge octopus that was kept in such a small enclosure. It stick to the glass and at one point propelled itself from one side to the other, but barely had enough room to stretch to its full length. I’ve seen these creatures on TV and know that they can really move when they need or want to. It was really a pity that the Vancouver Aquarium cannot provide a more suitable environment for both the octopus and the sea otters. There must be a way for the public to see the wonderful animals in a much more comfortable way for them.

There was a dolphin show scheduled, but I have seen a number of them through the years and really didn’t want to see another one.

Back in the car we went and off to drive around the various parts of Vancouver. I have seen so much of the city and by this time I was finally starting to get my bearings. After a while we wound up having a late lunch/early dinner at a Greek restaurant in Davies. My visit to Vancouver was coming to close and it was now time to return to the hotel to pack for early morning departure.

I’m really lucky. I have really great family out on the west coast. I found that all of us have so much in common that we could all just talk way forever. (Donna, that’s a hint. We want you over here.) In fact, Sue and I were talking away so much that I invited her into the hotel room while I packed. So we could spend some more time together.

With everything done finally done, except for the packing that has to wait until morning, we went next door to Denny’s for a coffee and a milkshake. By 9 PM, we both knew it was time for one last hug. I was soon on my own after a wonderful time with some truly nice, down to earth, friendly people. I will cherish my memories of my too short of a visit to Vancouver. Thank you for treating me so wonderfully, showing me the sights and making sure I had an exceptional time in Vancouver and with all of you.

Vancouver - Day 3

Day 17 – Sunday August 22, 2010 – Vancouver

Kilometres: 7.8 KM

Time: 10 minutes

Weather:

Sunny with cloudy periods. Around 20 C at 11 AM

It was another day of seeing the sights and walking. Ian and I started off in North Van and gradually worked our way long the seashore to West Van. We stopped at a beach that offered a really good view of Lion’s Gate Bridge and Downtown Vancouver. The beech was nearly deserted, which was surprising considering the weather on this beautiful Sunday.

From there we drove as close to the seashore as possible, along twisty roads with huge houses, which I’m sure offered magnificent views of the sea and Vancouver. After several stops we came to our final hiking destination: the lighthouse. Walking through the forest was amazing. The Douglas fir trees towered over. Some were bent by the wind and some tree trunks reminded me of palm trees that stood at strange angels because of sea breezes. But here in Vancouver, the underbrush was nearly forest-like. Small ferns grew in the shade, cedar added a lush green, and sweet fragrance to the air.

We came to a crossroads and there was section of a 500-year-old tree. Standing on its side, it was taller than me. While not all the trees were this size, they were some scattered about the forests. The area offered many paths, but we took the one directly to the un-manned lighthouse. The currently lighthouse was built in 1912, while the previous one goes back about 50 years from that. The public isn’t allowed access to the lighthouse. He stood on some large boulders that overlooked the lighthouses and, for our hiking efforts, were given a magnificent view.

We were soon sitting in the car and driving further west. We stopped in Horseshoe Bay for a quick lunch and the drove back home.

After a couple of games of air hockey, Wii, and go fish, it was time for dinner. The day just flew by and around 9 PM it was time for me to go back to my hotel.

Vancouver - Day 2

Day 16 – Saturday August 21, 2010 – Vancouver

Kilometres: 7.8

Time: 10 minutes

Weather:

Another perfect, sunny day in Vancouver. 18 C at 9 AM

I was a bit behind in my emails, so I got up early and started replying to growing number in my inbox. Then I quickly packed up some clothes and rode out to visit my cousin Ian and his family for a pancake breakfast. It turned into a late breakfast, as I didn’t get there until almost 10 AM (Oooopps!) As soon as I parked my bike everyone came out to see it. The two kids put on my motorcycle gloves (I brought both pairs – one pair for each) and then sat them on the bike.

The bike is waaay too big for them, but it was great. We were all laughing and having fun. After a perfect breakfast, the five of us jumped in the car and went to Lynn Valley where we walked over the swinging bridge over the valley. The water was low, so it made the valley look even deeper. The fire rescue crews were there practicing their technique. It was all down hill from there, or for about 10 minutes as we hiked along the well wore forest trail to another bridge, but this one didn’t swing. It was really neat watching the water flow over the rocks and form eddies. Of course, what goes down must go up, and up, and up. Man that was a lot of stairs. I’m really out of shape because I’ve been sitting on a bike for the last couple weeks, but I made it up the steep slope without losing my breath.

The afternoon’s major activity was going to the car show, where old Jaguars, MG and British motorcycles were put on display by local car clubs. There were about 30 cars and half a dozen motorcycles. We looked under the hoods, and in the interior, and had a fun time comparing the different models and years.

We made it back to the house a bit early, so the kids and I played Wii before the entire family arrived for dinner. Originally we were going to have a BBQ, but the weatherman called for rain (he was wrong) so the nine of us stayed inside for a wonderful meal. All of us talked, and laughed, and had a really fun time.

But time flew by too quickly and soon people started to leave. But not before we had a good family portrait.

Soon, everyone had either left or gone to bad, except for my cousin and I. We stayed up for a while, and chatted, and we also made a slight change in my homeward journey.

Vancouver - day 1

Day 15 – Friday August 20 – Vancouver

Kilometres: 36.5

Time: not much

Weather:

Sunny, about 22 to 25 C

After breakfast at a nearby Denny’s I had planned to visit Windbell Motorcycles in North Vancouver so I could purchase an air bag vest. But one wrong turn and I wound up going in the opposite direction and over the Lion’s Gate Bridge and into Vancouver. I decided to turn around in Stanley Park, but that is impossible as it once you are in the park (which was the first exit after the bridge) it is a one way street without any turnarounds.

I found my way out of the park and then continued to get lost in downtown Vancouver. After about 20 minutes I finally found my way back tot he park … and again couldn’t find my way to Lion’s Gate Bridge. I finally gave up, pulled over, and turned on my GPS. I was a couple of hundred metres away from the turn onto the bridge. I keyed in the Windbell address and was there ... but now about 45 minutes behind schedule.

I arrived at 10:20 AM and I was supposed to meet my cousin, Sue, at my hotel in 10 minutes. That wasn’t about to happen. Fortunately she phoned me and we made quick arrangements to meet up in an hour.

Meanwhile at Windbell, I was fitted for the vest and then, wearing demonstration vest, the sales person pulled the ripcord and the vest blew up all around me in an instant. I looked like the Michelin tire man. I bought a bright yellow vest with 3M reflective strips on the front, sides, and the back. Everyone at the shop was really great. They even installed the tether for me.

I met Sue back at the hotel and we had a wonderful day together. We went to a couple of the beaches and she showed me around downtown. We also went to Queen Elizabeth Park, which offers a spectacular view of the city as well as West and North Van. (see the two pics.) Soon it was time to meet up with more cousins. We walked around Granville Island and then the five of us went out for dinner together.

After dinner, the family parted ways and my cousin and I went in search of an alcoholic beverage in North Van. Unfortunately, North Van seems to close its doors after dinner and it took quite a while for us to find bar, which we eventually did in West Van. It too seemed like the only business open after 9 PM.

We took our time with our glasses of wine as we had 18 years to catch up one. It was the perfect way to end my first full day in Vancouver.

Kamloops to North Vancouver

Day 14 – Thursday August 19, 2010

Kilometres: 446.7

Time: 7 hours, 45 minutes, including stops for gas and lunch

Weather:

Kamloops 20 C and hazy at 8:10, 21 C and smoky at 8:30 AM

Lillooet: 30 C with dense smoke at 11:30 AM

North Van: 24 C and partly cloudy at 4 PM

I was up nice and early and ready to roll. After a quick coffee and continental breakfast provided by Freddie and the hotel, I began packing. I looked around at the mountains and saw that they were a bit hazy. Freddie had told me the night before that he couldn’t see the small mountain (actually it was a hill compared to the other mountains) about 5 kilometres away. I thought he was exaggerating.

While I was packing, I noticed it was getting darker, and darker. I looked up at the sun and it was red … and I could actually look at it without getting spots in front of my eyes. In 20 minutes that hill (or mountain depending on your perspective) had disappeared in the smoke.

I left the hotel and went into Kamloops proper to get gas. It was so weird driving through the smoke. Everything was hazy and, I know this will sound gross, but I could taste the air. I decided not to stick around and filled quickly and was soon on the highway. The further west I went, the worse the air and smoke became.

To give you an idea of how poor the visibility was, I looked at the furthest light standard I could see and then counted them to where I was. I could see nine light standards. The tenths was lost in the smoke. Even so, I could keep tot he speed limit without outrunning my sight (also known as stopping distance), so I felt comfortable driving at speed.

At Cache Creek, I followed Highway 99 to Lillooet, knowing that I was getting closer to the 400-and-something fires burning in the province.

Highway 99 is a wonderful road to ride. It’s full of odd twists and turns. The real bonus is there are hardly any cars or trucks. Sometimes I rode for about 5 minutes without seeing another human in a metal box. It was great. I really got a chance to look at the vegetation as well. I couldn’t believe how brown Kamloops was, well, now I know why. I’m riding through a desert. Junipers and sage (I think they are) grow low to ground. Cedars seem to be few and far between. No wonder lightning has caused such fires. This land is brittle. But it is wonderful to look at. I could actually see the sides of mountains because there aren’t covered in cedar or pine forests. Today gave me a real appreciation for the diversity of the mountains and the climate.

I some point I entered at blasting zone (I think I was near Marble Canyon) and was stopped by the Indian (I was on a reservation) with the big red stop sign. I waited for about 30 second before he told me in would be about a 5 to 7 minute wait. We soon struck up a friendly conversation. I was outside the gates of a lime quarry. I could hear the grinding of the machines as I crushed up the lime and made piles of rock (and dust in the air) for the trucks to cart away. The stop-sign guy told me it was most used for copper mines and not for make concrete. We talked for a bit and then there was a bit BOOM. I’m sure it would have been really loud if I weren’t wearing earplug and a helmet. The stop-sign guy said it was extra loud because the last one was a misfire, so this was the misfire going off and the regular explosive. O waited for the all clear, which was a truck coming through from the opposite direction (checking for debris, I assume) and then rode through the blast zone. They were slowly taking down an entire mountain. Hmmm.

In the 5 to 7 minutes, 8 vehicles were in the queue behind me. Of course, I’m the sightseer who only goes 10 k over the limit, so they soon passed me and left me to my own speed.

About two and half hours from Kamloops is Lillooet, where I stopped for lunch. There wasn’t much of a choice, so I picked up and sandwich at the gas station. My new joke is that my I ate a smoked egg salad sandwich. I really glad I don’t have any respiratory problems or I would be coughing up a lung by now. I’d never seen the smoke this thick.

Riding out of Lillooet, I went over a one-lane wooden bridge and continued my journey. The road was a bit rough, but nothing to be concern about. I was only about 5 minutes out of Lillooet when the curtain of smoke just suddenly lifted. In about 30 seconds I went from smoke into sunlight. It was amazing. I flipped down my sunshield and then I began the most enjoyable and exhilarating ride I’ve had to this point in my riding life.

The ride was about an hour and a half of twisting, turning roads. At times the speeds limits dipped down to 20 because the turn was so shape. To make it even more interesting, the roads were under construction, so sometimes it went from old, rough pavement, to fresh blacktop and then into gravel … or any of the above combinations. Now add that I’m going up and down with steep grades. And don’t forget the lovely, yet shocking signs, “Barrier removed.” (Yes, Diane, I thought of you often.) The gravel shoulder was only about metre wide, and with no barrier it was a at times about a one kilometre drop to the bottom of the valley I’d just climbed.

The best one was when I was riding on an older, rough section of the road as I went up hill rather steeply. Ahead I saw the speed sign suggest 20 kph. I squeeze the brakes before the turn. I picked my turn point. I shifted my weight prior to the turn so a not to upset the bike’s suspension. Everything is perfect. I looked through the turn and began giving it more gas when the road disappeared into gravel right at the exact moment I needed the traction. Oh, it was wonderful. I’d do that turn a million times over!

The various combination of throttle, brake, up shift, down shift, clutch, and shifting my weight was such a wonderful learning experience. It was absolute bliss on two wheels. If I had the time, I’d go back and do Highway 99, especially between Lillooet and Penberton, at the drop of a hat. I HAVE to come back and ride that stretch of road again. It’s the most fun I’ve ever had on two wheels.

And then I got to Pemberton and life on two wheels returned to normal.

The See to Sky Highway was re-paved for the Vancouver Olympics. I had heard that the entire route was now two lanes in both directions. They are wrong. From Whistler (nope, I’m not stopping there) all the way into bout Lions Bay is one lane in both directions and then a few kilometres of passing lanes before going back to one lane.

I really didn’t enjoy that ride even thought it was on my “must ride” routes. I guess I was spoilt with hardly any cars between Lillooet and Pemberton. Now I was getting run over by cars and trucks alike. By the time I’d ridden through Whistler, I just wanted to get out of the rat race and check into the hotel.

I got to the hotel by about 3:30. I quickly unpacked, and had a quick shower. It was time to reconnect with my west coast family. I hadn’t seen my cousins in 18 years. I had a lot of catching up to do.

I’d made previous arrangements to go out for dinner with my cousin Sue, so I called her first and we sorted out our plans. It was fantastic catching up. I was almost like we just picked up the conversation from the last time I’d visited Vancouver. We went out for dinner and I don’t think we stopped talking the entire time.

After dinner, we went over for a quick visit with my cousin Ian, where the two of them made plan to keep be busy and entertained for my entire stay.

Columbia Icefields to Kamloops

NOTE: I've been trying to catch up, so I'll post days 13 and 14 today, and add the pic tomorrow along with the write ups for days 15 and 16.

The Columbia Icefields to Kamloops

Day 13 – Wednesday August 18, 2010

Kilometres: 541.1

Time: Seven and half hours, including stops

Weather:

The Crossing (hwys 11 & 93): Light smoky, bright, 10 C at 8:30

Lake Louise: Sunny, 18 C

Golden- Hot and sunny, 28 C

Kamloops – Hazy, 40 C

I couldn’t get going quickly enough. I really felt ripped off with my expensive room that wasn’t anything special. I should have stayed in Lake Louise. I know that hindsight is 20/20.

I packed up quickly, bought a small coffee ($3.13 please) and ate a Power Bar in my room. On my way back from the cafeteria, I met a little chipmunk scurrying around the rocking in front of my hotel room. I watched him almost slither in, out and around the rocks. It moved some fast that it was difficult to see distinct movements.

I sat in my room with the door open eating my breakfast when all of a sudden the chipmunk came inside my room to see what was in there. It looked so cute as it came to a sudden stop, standing up, and saying to it self, “Nope, I don’t want to be here,” and running back outside again. That was really, really funny and cute.

I was soon on my bike and riding south towards Lake Louise. It was a crisp morning and wonderful day to be on the road. I stopped a couple of times to take picture of snow-capped mountains (I’m surrounded by them) and pristine lakes. Everywhere I looked it was a candidate for a postcard or calendar. This part of the mountains is spectacular because of the contrasts.

Here are a couple of pictures from the area between The Crossing and Lake Louise:

I’m not into tourist traps at all, but I had to stop at Lake Louise for gas, which was about 10 cents a litre cheaper than it was at The Crossing. I didn’t go too far into town because it was apparent that that it was all set up for tourists, much like Banff is. That’s not what I’m riding these roads to see, so I was soon on the highway and heading towards Golden.

It started to heat up as I descended into the valley. I had five layers on and I was soon starting to roast. Somewhere around there I moved into the Pacific Time Zone, and around noon Pacific Time I stopped in Golden for a quick sandwich at Tim Hortons.

After lunch, I took off a couple of layers and continued on. I didn’t want to change from jeans into my cycling shorts because I knew I had to go through Roger’s Pass. The last time I was there it was the end of August and there was snow at the side of the road. I’m not doing snow in spandex.

Roger’s Pass was so neat. The government has built avalanche tunnels. There must be loads of avalanches in the area. The tops of the tunnels have a few trees on them, but the tunnel is obviously an entirely man-made structure. They the top of the tunnel slops enough so that rocks, or more likely snow, just tumble over the tunnel and into the valley below. Columns hold up the outside wall of the tunnel, so I could easily see outside into the valley. It also let in lots of light, so they really didn’t need to light the tunnels during the day.

I think I went through about four or five of these tunnels before reaching a turnout after going through the Pass. I turned around I saw what I guess to be Roger’s Mountain. Here’s a pic of the view:

There wasn’t any snow at the side of the road, but there was about 300 metres up side of the mountain. I was glad I left my jeans on.

It was all down hill after that, and the further I went down, the hotter it became. I was soon in Revelstoke, where I was desperate for a washroom so I could change. Just outside of town was a turnout with an outhouse. I quickly unpacked my shorts and grabbed a tank top. I kept my cooling bandanna in reserve in my tank bag.

The road between Revelstoke and Kamloops is so scenic. It’s all lakes and mountains. In Salmon Arms they have quite a pleasure craft interest.

The further west I went, the hotter and hazier it became. I’ve hardly ever felt this way before while riding: “Am I there yet?” It really seemed to take forever to get to Kamloops. I don’t know why either, because I was really enjoying the scenery, but it just seem like a really, really long day.

When I got to the hotel, the air was hazy with smoke, but it wasn’t anything major. But, boy was it every hot. It was a toasty 40 C. I’d hate to know what it was if the hazy wasn’t there and the sun was at full force.

Checking into the hotel was not as straight forward as I’d thought. There seemed to be some discussion about my reservation. A gentleman named Freddie, who I soon found out was the owner, gives motorcycle riders a rather generous discount. He knocked off $30. As we began talking, he gave me a can of beer (I can’t drink and ride) and then gave me a $10 gift certificate at the local pub. He then took my tank bag and helmet and walked over to my ground floor room where he put a orange pylon in the spot in front so I had reserved parking.

I took his suggestion and went to pub, had a good meal and then went back to the hotel and had a beer. It was a perfect evening, with the hot desert breeze blowing from behind the hotel, I sat outside and took in the sights of the junipers and sage growing along the side of the highway. What a perfect way to end the day.

Fernie to Calgary pictures

I just realized that it's been a while since I posted any pictures. Here are a few from the ride on Sunday August 15.

The scenery was spectacular as I rode beside like and huge mountains.

I rode north through the Kootenay valley, which is very fertile farming country.

With this next pic, I'm trying to capture the size of one of the small mountains.

Kootenay National Park was spectacular (I know I keep using the same word, but I don't know how else to describe it). Just before I arrived in Banff, I pulled over to take a shot of Mount Rundle, which towers right above the small town.