ON THE ROAD AGAIN...
The Beginning:
At last, the time had come! We had been looking forward to this trip to Canada for months! The bike was loaded up and freshly serviced, and bright and early on a Saturday morning (6:30) we rolled up Highway 18 toward I-90. Our first stop was Ellensburg for gas and a small breakfast, where I discovered my suspected fuel leak was no longer just a suspicion.
At last, the time had come! We had been looking forward to this trip to Canada for months! The bike was loaded up and freshly serviced, and bright and early on a Saturday morning (6:30) we rolled up Highway 18 toward I-90. Our first stop was Ellensburg for gas and a small breakfast, where I discovered my suspected fuel leak was no longer just a suspicion.
When I filled the tank, fuel would leak out all over the tank and down onto the ground, at least until I stood the bike upright. We met up with Mike, Gig, Adrienne and Ron in Moses Lake, and decided to push through to Coeur D’Alene, instead of stopping in Spokane for lunch, to the Harley shop to see about getting the leak fixed.
A non-eventful ride up I-90 through the farmland and fields, through Spokane and into Idaho, where we pulled into Lone Wolf Harley. This place was BUSY! Being the only dealer between Missoula and Wenatchee was definitely keeping them busy. I made my way back to the service department, and asked them if they would be able to fix the leak in about an hour and a half or so, while we went to lunch. I knew what was causing the leak, and told them if they could not fix it then, I would simply buy the parts and do it myself at the hotel that afternoon. The service advisor said she thought they could get it fixed, so I left the bike and we headed to Capone’s for lunch. Capone’s is a cool little bar with great food and lots of beer on tap, tucked away in a neighborhood about four blocks from downtown Coeur D’Alene. After lunch, we headed back to the dealer, where my bike had been fixed and for only $50.
Here’s a note to all the Harley riders out there: Lone Wolf is a great store, and will do what they can to help a traveler in need. Be sure to stop in when you are through Northern Idaho.
A non-eventful ride up I-90 through the farmland and fields, through Spokane and into Idaho, where we pulled into Lone Wolf Harley. This place was BUSY! Being the only dealer between Missoula and Wenatchee was definitely keeping them busy. I made my way back to the service department, and asked them if they would be able to fix the leak in about an hour and a half or so, while we went to lunch. I knew what was causing the leak, and told them if they could not fix it then, I would simply buy the parts and do it myself at the hotel that afternoon. The service advisor said she thought they could get it fixed, so I left the bike and we headed to Capone’s for lunch. Capone’s is a cool little bar with great food and lots of beer on tap, tucked away in a neighborhood about four blocks from downtown Coeur D’Alene. After lunch, we headed back to the dealer, where my bike had been fixed and for only $50.
Here’s a note to all the Harley riders out there: Lone Wolf is a great store, and will do what they can to help a traveler in need. Be sure to stop in when you are through Northern Idaho.
Welcome to Montana:
Armed with a fresh tank of gas, we hit I-90 again and cruised up over fourth of July Pass and Lolo Pass into Montana, and down into St Regis to our hotel. St Regis doesn’t have much to offer in the way of restaurants (although the liquor store WAS right across the street), but we found Jasper’s Restaurant, a “home-cookin’” kind of place that we immediately descended upon and proceeded to terrorize the waitress and other patrons. Jasper’s sits in a strip mall kind of setting, with an ice cream parlor, store, and liquor store/bar. Yes, folks, St Regis is only 3 blocks long, but they have 2 liquor stores! Gotta love Montana...
Armed with a fresh tank of gas, we hit I-90 again and cruised up over fourth of July Pass and Lolo Pass into Montana, and down into St Regis to our hotel. St Regis doesn’t have much to offer in the way of restaurants (although the liquor store WAS right across the street), but we found Jasper’s Restaurant, a “home-cookin’” kind of place that we immediately descended upon and proceeded to terrorize the waitress and other patrons. Jasper’s sits in a strip mall kind of setting, with an ice cream parlor, store, and liquor store/bar. Yes, folks, St Regis is only 3 blocks long, but they have 2 liquor stores! Gotta love Montana...
ST REGIS, MONTANA
'THE MAIN DRAG'; ST REGIS, MONTANA
REMEMBER THE MOVIE 'A RIVER RUNS THROUGH IT'?
The next morning we headed up Highway 135 along the St Regis River toward the Flathead Valley. We turned onto Highway 200 near Paradise, and after a short hop turned onto County Road 382 toward Elmo (the town, not the fuzzy red Muppet).
That’s where we found the grasshoppers.
Thousands of them, all over the road and bouncing off our bikes and bodies like pinballs. Those little bastards hurt! About 7 miles of swarming bugs left our bikes, our leathers and our helmets covered in grasshopper pieces! We stopped in Lonepine for a bathroom break and to clean the windshields, and then dealt with about 5 miles of construction that made us ride on dirt and gravel. We rounded a curve and saw Flathead Lake stretched out before us. A turn onto Highway 93 and we rode along the lake through Lakeside and into Kalispell, where we stopped for lunch and gassed up. By now, the temperature was climbing and we rolled through Whitefish and into Eureka, the last town before the US/Canada border at Roosville. We topped off the tanks, downed cold beverages, and rode into the Great White North. Yeah, I know, it was 96 degrees out, so there was no “white” to be seen, but this is my story so I’ll tell it my way!
A 25-minute wait at the border with rude crossing guards and we were finally in British Columbia, headed for our next hotel in Fernie.
That’s where we found the grasshoppers.
Thousands of them, all over the road and bouncing off our bikes and bodies like pinballs. Those little bastards hurt! About 7 miles of swarming bugs left our bikes, our leathers and our helmets covered in grasshopper pieces! We stopped in Lonepine for a bathroom break and to clean the windshields, and then dealt with about 5 miles of construction that made us ride on dirt and gravel. We rounded a curve and saw Flathead Lake stretched out before us. A turn onto Highway 93 and we rode along the lake through Lakeside and into Kalispell, where we stopped for lunch and gassed up. By now, the temperature was climbing and we rolled through Whitefish and into Eureka, the last town before the US/Canada border at Roosville. We topped off the tanks, downed cold beverages, and rode into the Great White North. Yeah, I know, it was 96 degrees out, so there was no “white” to be seen, but this is my story so I’ll tell it my way!
A 25-minute wait at the border with rude crossing guards and we were finally in British Columbia, headed for our next hotel in Fernie.
HIGHWAY 35; ST REGIS RIVER, MONTANA
HIGHWAY 35, MONTANA
ALONG HIGHWAY 35 AND THE ST REGIS RIVER, MONTANA
LONEPINE, MONTANA
FLATHEAD LAKE, MONTANA
FLATHEAD LAKE, MONTANA
EUREKA, MONTANA
WELCOME TO B.C.!
Fernie, BC and the Ghostrider:
Fernie is a small but very cool town nestled just outside Mt Fernie Provincial Park and along the Elk River. We checked into the Snow Valley Motel, and Jason, the innkeeper asked if we know the folklore and story of the town. He told us that the town was founded by William Fernie, who noticed the local Indians were wearing black stone necklaces, which he knew to be coal. He asked the chief where the source of these stones was, and the chief agreed to show him the source, provided Fernie marry his daughter. Fernie agreed, but backed out of the deal once he had access to the coal. In response, the tribe’s medicine woman put a curse of fire, flood and famine on the town. In 1904 and again in 1908, the town was reduced to rubble after devastating fires. In 1916, the Elk River flooded the town and in 1917, there was a mining disaster.
Fernie is a small but very cool town nestled just outside Mt Fernie Provincial Park and along the Elk River. We checked into the Snow Valley Motel, and Jason, the innkeeper asked if we know the folklore and story of the town. He told us that the town was founded by William Fernie, who noticed the local Indians were wearing black stone necklaces, which he knew to be coal. He asked the chief where the source of these stones was, and the chief agreed to show him the source, provided Fernie marry his daughter. Fernie agreed, but backed out of the deal once he had access to the coal. In response, the tribe’s medicine woman put a curse of fire, flood and famine on the town. In 1904 and again in 1908, the town was reduced to rubble after devastating fires. In 1916, the Elk River flooded the town and in 1917, there was a mining disaster.
In 1964, members of the Kootenay Tribes and the mayor held a public ceremony to lift the curse. A reminder of the curse still lingers over Fernie on the face of Mount Hosmer just outside the town. On summer evenings, the shadows on the mountain reveal an image of the Chief walking a horse with his daughter in the saddle.
MT HOSMER & THE GHOSTRIDER
We later walked down to the Pub for dinner, about four blocks from our hotel. Another great place with killer food and (our favorite) Fernie Beers! A friend had highly recommended the Pub and with good reason. This is definitely a place to eat if you are in Fernie. Fernie is the home of the Fernie brewery but unfortunately, it was not open when we were in town.
The next morning we topped off the tanks ($4.60/gal) and headed out on Highway 3 (the Crowsnest Highway) toward Fort MacLeod and Calgary, Alberta. Crowsnest Pass is beautiful, but somewhat unexpected. After climbing up to the top of the pass, it seems that you never come down the other side! We left the Rockies behind, and found ourselves riding through farmland that seemed to be on top of the world…none of the terrain around us was higher than we were! We headed east past small towns and wind farms, until we reached Fort MacLeod Alberta. A quick lunch at the A&W, fresh gas in the tanks (at about $3.86 a gallon) and we were headed north on Highway 2 past the canola fields toward Calgary.
The next morning we topped off the tanks ($4.60/gal) and headed out on Highway 3 (the Crowsnest Highway) toward Fort MacLeod and Calgary, Alberta. Crowsnest Pass is beautiful, but somewhat unexpected. After climbing up to the top of the pass, it seems that you never come down the other side! We left the Rockies behind, and found ourselves riding through farmland that seemed to be on top of the world…none of the terrain around us was higher than we were! We headed east past small towns and wind farms, until we reached Fort MacLeod Alberta. A quick lunch at the A&W, fresh gas in the tanks (at about $3.86 a gallon) and we were headed north on Highway 2 past the canola fields toward Calgary.
ALBERTA: HOME OF BAD ROADS AND WORSE DRIVERS
CROWSNEST PASS, ALBERTA
CANOLA FIELDS OUTSIDE CALGARY, ALBERTA
Calgary, Thunder and Torrential Rain:
One thing about Alberta in general: people cannot drive for shit. Red lights pretty much mean nothing to these yahoos. Once off the freeway, we cautiously made our way to our hotel on the northwest part of town, and got settled in. We had been hearing reports of possible thunderstorms in the evening, but so far, the skies were only slightly mottled by clouds. Gig walked across the parking lot to the Boston Pizza (great pizza and all over BC and Alberta) to get some grub, and we broke out the refreshing adult beverages and made a party of it. Our rooms were on the second floor, with a panoramic view of the parking lot, so we sat on the walkway in front of our rooms and terrorized the patrons in the parking lot below---especially once the rains came.
And, boy did they come! The clouds built for about an hour, then the waterworks started and it rained cats and dogs (not literally, it’s an expression…) for about 20 minutes. Water was running in the streets, cars on the highway out front were throwing up roster tails of water, and some poor schmuck in his ’69 Firebird convertible pulled in to put the top up!
The next morning, as we were packing and loading the bikes, we heard on the news about the uprooted trees, golf-ball sized hail and TORNADO WARNINGS that had taken place the night before in the south part of town, about 15 miles from us. Guess we picked the right place to stay…
Breakfast at McDonald’s and we saddled up for the trip north through Red Deer and into Edmonton. Red Deer is about halfway between Calgary and Edmonton, and we stopped at the Harley shop there to get a new passing lamp for Gig’s bike, and a new headset for Ron’s Ultra. We had lunch at the Rock in town---good food, lousy service, and an ungodly long wait for our food to come. After a couple of hours in Red Deer, we were off to Edmonton.
That’s when the fun began…
One thing about Alberta in general: people cannot drive for shit. Red lights pretty much mean nothing to these yahoos. Once off the freeway, we cautiously made our way to our hotel on the northwest part of town, and got settled in. We had been hearing reports of possible thunderstorms in the evening, but so far, the skies were only slightly mottled by clouds. Gig walked across the parking lot to the Boston Pizza (great pizza and all over BC and Alberta) to get some grub, and we broke out the refreshing adult beverages and made a party of it. Our rooms were on the second floor, with a panoramic view of the parking lot, so we sat on the walkway in front of our rooms and terrorized the patrons in the parking lot below---especially once the rains came.
And, boy did they come! The clouds built for about an hour, then the waterworks started and it rained cats and dogs (not literally, it’s an expression…) for about 20 minutes. Water was running in the streets, cars on the highway out front were throwing up roster tails of water, and some poor schmuck in his ’69 Firebird convertible pulled in to put the top up!
The next morning, as we were packing and loading the bikes, we heard on the news about the uprooted trees, golf-ball sized hail and TORNADO WARNINGS that had taken place the night before in the south part of town, about 15 miles from us. Guess we picked the right place to stay…
Breakfast at McDonald’s and we saddled up for the trip north through Red Deer and into Edmonton. Red Deer is about halfway between Calgary and Edmonton, and we stopped at the Harley shop there to get a new passing lamp for Gig’s bike, and a new headset for Ron’s Ultra. We had lunch at the Rock in town---good food, lousy service, and an ungodly long wait for our food to come. After a couple of hours in Red Deer, we were off to Edmonton.
That’s when the fun began…
IT MIGHT RAIN...
JUST A LITTLE SHOWER...
AT LEAST IT WASHED THE GRASSHOPPERS OFF!
EDMONTON. DON'T GO THERE.
Edmonton:
How can I describe Edmonton? Would it be too harsh to say “shitty town with bad roads, crappy drivers, and a huge fuckin’ mall”?
The closer we got to Edmonton (Alberta’s largest city, 1,000,000 + residents); it seems the roads got worse. As we rode into town, we saw the Harley dealer just off the freeway, so we stopped to look at the brand spankin’ new store and defile their bathrooms. The dealership fronts the freeway, and the access road leading to it almost requires 4-wheel-drive to get there. We asked for directions to the bed & breakfast we had reserved, and with said directions in our hands, off we went.
That’s when we hit the construction.
We navigated the torn up roads for about 40 minutes, finally stopping and asking someone where the hell we were, as the map was no help. We doubled back, went down the road we were told, and
That’s when we hit the construction.
Luckily, we made a turn onto a local road that took us to our destination, got checked in and unpacked the bikes. Adrienne has a friend who lives in Edmonton, so he came and led us back to town for dinner and to show us how to get to the West Edmonton Mall (2 ½ miles from our B&B). We had a great dinner of way too much food at the Cheesecake Café, ran by the Mall where he showed us the best place to park the bikes, then headed back.
That’s when we hit the construction.
And the mosquitoes found us. And liked us.
Every time we had to stop for traffic or a red light, the little bloodsuckers were on us like a blanket. The roads all around Edmonton are torn up for rebuilding, repaving or just for the hell of it, and all the puddles of standing water are like Club Med to these tiny bastards!
How can I describe Edmonton? Would it be too harsh to say “shitty town with bad roads, crappy drivers, and a huge fuckin’ mall”?
The closer we got to Edmonton (Alberta’s largest city, 1,000,000 + residents); it seems the roads got worse. As we rode into town, we saw the Harley dealer just off the freeway, so we stopped to look at the brand spankin’ new store and defile their bathrooms. The dealership fronts the freeway, and the access road leading to it almost requires 4-wheel-drive to get there. We asked for directions to the bed & breakfast we had reserved, and with said directions in our hands, off we went.
That’s when we hit the construction.
We navigated the torn up roads for about 40 minutes, finally stopping and asking someone where the hell we were, as the map was no help. We doubled back, went down the road we were told, and
That’s when we hit the construction.
Luckily, we made a turn onto a local road that took us to our destination, got checked in and unpacked the bikes. Adrienne has a friend who lives in Edmonton, so he came and led us back to town for dinner and to show us how to get to the West Edmonton Mall (2 ½ miles from our B&B). We had a great dinner of way too much food at the Cheesecake Café, ran by the Mall where he showed us the best place to park the bikes, then headed back.
That’s when we hit the construction.
And the mosquitoes found us. And liked us.
Every time we had to stop for traffic or a red light, the little bloodsuckers were on us like a blanket. The roads all around Edmonton are torn up for rebuilding, repaving or just for the hell of it, and all the puddles of standing water are like Club Med to these tiny bastards!
The Mall:
Yes, we spent a whole day in a mall.
Shut up.
I’ll say it again, this is one huge fuckin’ mall…the largest in North America, and the fifth largest in the world. Everything is here: of course the stores, but also two hotels, an IMAX theatre, a water park, the world’s largest indoor amusement park (with 4 roller coasters!), and a “deep sea adventure lake” with submarines, a pirate ship, and sea lion show! We wandered through the stores, got massages, ate lunch, wandered some more, watched the sea lions, and ate dinner at Mr. Mike’s Steakhouse and Bar located on Bourbon Street in the Mall---excellent food, one of the best waiters ever, and very reasonable prices, even for Canada! Went to see and IMAX movie after dinner, then it was time to head the 2 ½ miles home.
That’s when we hit the construction.
Not only did they now have the roads torn up, but also since the commute was long over with, they had the roads CLOSED. Now, you would think that the wonderful engineers of the City of Edmonton would be kind enough to post detour signs where the road was closed---not a chance. We turned right, went a ways, turned around, went a ways, turned right, went down to where we thought we could use a side road to get back to our B&B, and hit the barrier: “Closed for Construction”. At this point, I was ready to go through the blockade and ride the 4 blocks or so on dirt to get back, but the roadbed had been completely dug up. Ah, but it looked like the neighborhood just off to the side of us would take us where we wanted to go.
It didn’t.
Twenty minutes later, we were back on the main road headed further away from our destination in search of a through street. About two miles down, I saw a side road, and as luck would have it, a car had just pulled up to the stop sign. I asked the driver if the road went through, he said it did, and off we went. Well, it was almost a road. At some places it got so narrow, we would have been screwed if another car had come along. We finally got back to our home for the night, an hour and ten minutes after leaving the Mall.
Yes, we spent a whole day in a mall.
Shut up.
I’ll say it again, this is one huge fuckin’ mall…the largest in North America, and the fifth largest in the world. Everything is here: of course the stores, but also two hotels, an IMAX theatre, a water park, the world’s largest indoor amusement park (with 4 roller coasters!), and a “deep sea adventure lake” with submarines, a pirate ship, and sea lion show! We wandered through the stores, got massages, ate lunch, wandered some more, watched the sea lions, and ate dinner at Mr. Mike’s Steakhouse and Bar located on Bourbon Street in the Mall---excellent food, one of the best waiters ever, and very reasonable prices, even for Canada! Went to see and IMAX movie after dinner, then it was time to head the 2 ½ miles home.
That’s when we hit the construction.
Not only did they now have the roads torn up, but also since the commute was long over with, they had the roads CLOSED. Now, you would think that the wonderful engineers of the City of Edmonton would be kind enough to post detour signs where the road was closed---not a chance. We turned right, went a ways, turned around, went a ways, turned right, went down to where we thought we could use a side road to get back to our B&B, and hit the barrier: “Closed for Construction”. At this point, I was ready to go through the blockade and ride the 4 blocks or so on dirt to get back, but the roadbed had been completely dug up. Ah, but it looked like the neighborhood just off to the side of us would take us where we wanted to go.
It didn’t.
Twenty minutes later, we were back on the main road headed further away from our destination in search of a through street. About two miles down, I saw a side road, and as luck would have it, a car had just pulled up to the stop sign. I asked the driver if the road went through, he said it did, and off we went. Well, it was almost a road. At some places it got so narrow, we would have been screwed if another car had come along. We finally got back to our home for the night, an hour and ten minutes after leaving the Mall.
There is one good thing about Edmonton: the Villa Maria Bed and Breakfast. Stefan and Maria built this huge house for the purpose of a B&B, and the rooms are very comfortable, the food was amazing (even had Gluten free for Erin!), and a nice peaceful country setting. IF you have to go to Edmonton, stay at the Villa Maria. It’s less expensive than most any of the hotels we looked at, and a whole lot more comfortable!
VILLA MARIA B&B. BEST PLACE EVER!
Jasper
In case you can’t tell by now, we could not get out of Edmonton fast enough the next morning. Luckily, we were headed away from town, so had only minimal construction to deal with, and once we were sailing down Highway 16, the Mosquito Festival and nightmare of roads faded into the background. We stopped for gas ($4.00/gal) and lunch in Edson, and then rolled on into Jasper National Park. Almost as soon as we got into the park, we saw a herd of mountain goats feeding on the side of the road. We pulled over, dug out the cameras and got some pics. Then they decided to cross the road. Evidently, drivers up there don’t care or aren’t impressed by wild animals, as they kept trying to drive past the goats as they tried to cross. So, in order to piss off as many of these morons as we could, we took our scoots and blocked the road until some of the goats got across. Back on the road, we soon came to the town of Jasper and the Marmot Lodge. Our reservations were supposed to be for ground floor rooms (so we could park our bikes right in front of our respective rooms), but they had us on the second floor. Mike brought this to the desk clerk’s attention, and Nicole was able to quickly switch our rooms to the ground floor, and keep us all next to each other! Jasper is definitely a tourist trap, lots of little souvenir shops, restaurants and artisan stores. We wandered through the stores for a while, then all met up at the Jasper Brewing Company for some more refreshing adult beverages. We walked the ½ mile or so back to the hotel, then met up for dinner a couple of hours later. The Embers is right next to the hotel, and of course, we used our hotel discount on dinner.
Again, we lucked out: killer food, a waitress that was just a smart-assed as we were, and great drinks. Erin’s halibut was perfect, most of the rest of us had Bison steak that was amazing, and then came dessert. Truly one of the best restaurants on our trip.
In case you can’t tell by now, we could not get out of Edmonton fast enough the next morning. Luckily, we were headed away from town, so had only minimal construction to deal with, and once we were sailing down Highway 16, the Mosquito Festival and nightmare of roads faded into the background. We stopped for gas ($4.00/gal) and lunch in Edson, and then rolled on into Jasper National Park. Almost as soon as we got into the park, we saw a herd of mountain goats feeding on the side of the road. We pulled over, dug out the cameras and got some pics. Then they decided to cross the road. Evidently, drivers up there don’t care or aren’t impressed by wild animals, as they kept trying to drive past the goats as they tried to cross. So, in order to piss off as many of these morons as we could, we took our scoots and blocked the road until some of the goats got across. Back on the road, we soon came to the town of Jasper and the Marmot Lodge. Our reservations were supposed to be for ground floor rooms (so we could park our bikes right in front of our respective rooms), but they had us on the second floor. Mike brought this to the desk clerk’s attention, and Nicole was able to quickly switch our rooms to the ground floor, and keep us all next to each other! Jasper is definitely a tourist trap, lots of little souvenir shops, restaurants and artisan stores. We wandered through the stores for a while, then all met up at the Jasper Brewing Company for some more refreshing adult beverages. We walked the ½ mile or so back to the hotel, then met up for dinner a couple of hours later. The Embers is right next to the hotel, and of course, we used our hotel discount on dinner.
Again, we lucked out: killer food, a waitress that was just a smart-assed as we were, and great drinks. Erin’s halibut was perfect, most of the rest of us had Bison steak that was amazing, and then came dessert. Truly one of the best restaurants on our trip.
JASPER PARK, ALBERTA
MMMM...BEER!
JASPER PARK, ALBERTA
Back to BC:
We ate breakfast at a little café in town, gassed up, and headed out of Jasper on our way back to BC. The St John River parallels the highway and gives occasional views of the river and wildlife---in the first 10 miles or so, we saw a herd of elk crossing the river, a bull moose at the river’s edge, a fox, and a few deer. Even though numerous road signs warned us of bighorn sheep along the way, we never saw any. We crossed the BC/Alberta line and rolled up over Robson Pass (Mt Robson is the highest point in the Canadian Rockies at 12.900 feet), turned south onto Highway 5 and stopped for fuel in the Village of Valemount. Continuing south for about an hour brought us to Blue River, where we had a mediocre lunch at a roadside café, then got back on the road. We had been joined by a couple on their scoots who followed us for a while until we reached the town of Clearwater. By this time, the temperature was nearing the 3-digit mark, and we needed fuel, so a stop at Dairy Queen for ice cream and then a quick fill up was in order.
We continued down Highway 5 into Kamloops, and the sky was hazy with smoke from area wildfires---which made it not only sufferably hot, but muggy as well. With a little help from the locals, we found our hotel and got the air conditioners going full blast!
The desk clerk told us about a pub about three blocks away called Duffy's, so we walked down for dinner a couple of hours later. A great suggestion, as the food was great, and the waitress was very good.
The next morning we hit McDonald’s for breakfast, gassed up ($4.68/gal!) and hit the road, heading down Highway 5 (also known as the Coquihalla) past Walloper Lake and into Merritt, a city of about 7500 that bills itself as the “country music capital of Canada”. Until last year, when it fell victim to expenses, Merritt was host to the Merritt Mountain Music Festival, which drew numerous stars such as Reba McIntyre, Kenny Chesney, JoDee Messina and others.
We got off the Coquihalla and took Highway 97C for a short hop, then turned onto the Princeton-Kamloops Highway, a mostly 2-lane road that wound through picturesque farmlands and into the town of Princeton, a small mining town in the Similkameen area of BC. From there we joined Highway 3 and ran down to Osoyoos. After an unexpectedly long stop for lunch, we hit the duty-free store at the border, and uneventfully crossed back into the US.
We ate breakfast at a little café in town, gassed up, and headed out of Jasper on our way back to BC. The St John River parallels the highway and gives occasional views of the river and wildlife---in the first 10 miles or so, we saw a herd of elk crossing the river, a bull moose at the river’s edge, a fox, and a few deer. Even though numerous road signs warned us of bighorn sheep along the way, we never saw any. We crossed the BC/Alberta line and rolled up over Robson Pass (Mt Robson is the highest point in the Canadian Rockies at 12.900 feet), turned south onto Highway 5 and stopped for fuel in the Village of Valemount. Continuing south for about an hour brought us to Blue River, where we had a mediocre lunch at a roadside café, then got back on the road. We had been joined by a couple on their scoots who followed us for a while until we reached the town of Clearwater. By this time, the temperature was nearing the 3-digit mark, and we needed fuel, so a stop at Dairy Queen for ice cream and then a quick fill up was in order.
We continued down Highway 5 into Kamloops, and the sky was hazy with smoke from area wildfires---which made it not only sufferably hot, but muggy as well. With a little help from the locals, we found our hotel and got the air conditioners going full blast!
The desk clerk told us about a pub about three blocks away called Duffy's, so we walked down for dinner a couple of hours later. A great suggestion, as the food was great, and the waitress was very good.
The next morning we hit McDonald’s for breakfast, gassed up ($4.68/gal!) and hit the road, heading down Highway 5 (also known as the Coquihalla) past Walloper Lake and into Merritt, a city of about 7500 that bills itself as the “country music capital of Canada”. Until last year, when it fell victim to expenses, Merritt was host to the Merritt Mountain Music Festival, which drew numerous stars such as Reba McIntyre, Kenny Chesney, JoDee Messina and others.
We got off the Coquihalla and took Highway 97C for a short hop, then turned onto the Princeton-Kamloops Highway, a mostly 2-lane road that wound through picturesque farmlands and into the town of Princeton, a small mining town in the Similkameen area of BC. From there we joined Highway 3 and ran down to Osoyoos. After an unexpectedly long stop for lunch, we hit the duty-free store at the border, and uneventfully crossed back into the US.
BACK IN THE US OF A!
The Mother of All Storms:
Another hot day was in store for us as we made our way down US Highway 97 into Omak, about 50 miles from the border, for a gas stop. The temperature was about 94 degrees, and it was humid! We had been hearing of the possibility of a late afternoon thunderstorm in Wenatchee (our next overnight stop), and could see some clouds forming in the distance. More sunscreen, cold water, and a full tank of gas and we were sailing down the road once again. As we headed south, we could see the clouds building, and about 35 miles later, we pulled doff at Pateros to put our coats on, as it was starting to sprinkle a bit and the temp had now dropped to 72 degrees. Mike suggested we stay in Pateros, but I said we should roll on to Chelan and try to get a hotel there.
Yeah, Mike is never gonna let me forget that (OK, neither will anyone else). Chelan is about 20 miles south of Pateros, and we went about 10 miles…
That’s when we found the storm.
Thunder, lightning, wind, and more fucking rain than I have ever ridden in in my life! We had the Columbia River to our left, the mountains to our right, the wind coming at us at (what felt like) gale force, and so much water on the road we were down to about 35 miles an hour. With nowhere to hide, we pressed on…
Then the hail started.
Bouncing off our now soaking wet clothes, we made our way into Chelan to find a hotel. The rain had let up a bit, which is like saying a monsoon had become a torrential downpour. Seven hotels, seven “no vacancy” signs. Yeah. It was Saturday night in a resort town in summer. Our last hope was a Best Western on the shore of Lake Chelan, and yes, they were full. We decided our only choice was to keep going into Wenatchee, about 35 miles away. We found a bit of shelter, and suited up in our raingear (yeah, I know we were already soaked, but what the hell).
We got out on the road, and to our relief, the rain had let up considerably. As we went past the town of Entiat, the clouds started to break, and in another 5 miles or so, we were back under sunny skies!
We checked into our hotel, got the bikes unloaded and made use of the hotel laundry to dry our soaking wet clothes. The restaurant next door was our choice for dinner, a nice Italian style restaurant with good food, another great waitress, and really good strong adult beverages!
Another hot day was in store for us as we made our way down US Highway 97 into Omak, about 50 miles from the border, for a gas stop. The temperature was about 94 degrees, and it was humid! We had been hearing of the possibility of a late afternoon thunderstorm in Wenatchee (our next overnight stop), and could see some clouds forming in the distance. More sunscreen, cold water, and a full tank of gas and we were sailing down the road once again. As we headed south, we could see the clouds building, and about 35 miles later, we pulled doff at Pateros to put our coats on, as it was starting to sprinkle a bit and the temp had now dropped to 72 degrees. Mike suggested we stay in Pateros, but I said we should roll on to Chelan and try to get a hotel there.
Yeah, Mike is never gonna let me forget that (OK, neither will anyone else). Chelan is about 20 miles south of Pateros, and we went about 10 miles…
That’s when we found the storm.
Thunder, lightning, wind, and more fucking rain than I have ever ridden in in my life! We had the Columbia River to our left, the mountains to our right, the wind coming at us at (what felt like) gale force, and so much water on the road we were down to about 35 miles an hour. With nowhere to hide, we pressed on…
Then the hail started.
Bouncing off our now soaking wet clothes, we made our way into Chelan to find a hotel. The rain had let up a bit, which is like saying a monsoon had become a torrential downpour. Seven hotels, seven “no vacancy” signs. Yeah. It was Saturday night in a resort town in summer. Our last hope was a Best Western on the shore of Lake Chelan, and yes, they were full. We decided our only choice was to keep going into Wenatchee, about 35 miles away. We found a bit of shelter, and suited up in our raingear (yeah, I know we were already soaked, but what the hell).
We got out on the road, and to our relief, the rain had let up considerably. As we went past the town of Entiat, the clouds started to break, and in another 5 miles or so, we were back under sunny skies!
We checked into our hotel, got the bikes unloaded and made use of the hotel laundry to dry our soaking wet clothes. The restaurant next door was our choice for dinner, a nice Italian style restaurant with good food, another great waitress, and really good strong adult beverages!
WEST EDMONTON MALL
SEA LION SHOW AT THE MALL
JUST A SMALL PART OF A HUGE MALL!
ERIN & ADRIENNE
FOOD AND DRINKS IN FERNIE, BC
ROCKY MOUNTAINS!
JUST A LITTLE ATTITUDE...
Homeward Bound:
We had all agreed to get on the road early the next morning, so about 730 or so we headed over to McDonald’s for grub, the Shell station for gas, and cruised out of Wenatchee, over Blewett Pass and into Ellensburg, then onto I-90 for the last leg of our trip. Once we were over Snoqualmie Pass, we stopped in North Bend for gas and to say our goodbyes to Ron and Adrienne, since they were going into Redmond on the east side of Seattle, and we were headed south in Highway 18. We split from Mike and Gig at the cutoff for Highway 410 and rolled the last 8 miles home.
We had all agreed to get on the road early the next morning, so about 730 or so we headed over to McDonald’s for grub, the Shell station for gas, and cruised out of Wenatchee, over Blewett Pass and into Ellensburg, then onto I-90 for the last leg of our trip. Once we were over Snoqualmie Pass, we stopped in North Bend for gas and to say our goodbyes to Ron and Adrienne, since they were going into Redmond on the east side of Seattle, and we were headed south in Highway 18. We split from Mike and Gig at the cutoff for Highway 410 and rolled the last 8 miles home.
JUST CHILLIN' IN KALISPELL, MONTANA
GOTCHA!
OUR FRIENDS MARK & KATHY AT THE US/BC BORDER
MIKE & GIG
RON & ADRIENNE