2018(2) - Day 8

Today was another pretty relaxing day, with not a whole lot on the agenda. Heeding a warning from a friend on social media, I eliminated the route through Grande Cache as a possibility as the road is undergoing a lot of construction. It wasn't a hard choice to stay with Peter and Kevin all the way to Spruce Grove. On the way we finally found someone to change a tire on Peter's trike.

We got into Spruce Grove right around 1:00 and got the trike over to Wild Boar Custom Cycles. Kevin went home to get his pickup truck, and then the three of us headed into St. Albert to buy the tire. After dropping it off we headed into town for lunch. Kevin dropped us off after the meal, and we parted ways.

By around 4:30 it was down to just my father in law and me. We got to Whitecourt at 6:00 where I'll stay for night. Peter was going to continue on home, and is probably there already by now. My brother Tim is working here and I got to hang out with him for the evening, which was really good. We don't get enough time together in summer, so I couldn't say no to the chance to spend an evening with him. Tomorrow I'll ride the rest of the way home, and hopefully Leona doesn't hide the bike keys once I get there.

It was an absolute blast to go on this ride with the guys, something I would gladly do again someday if the opportunity presents itself. We had good weather, all got along really well, and had a lot of laughs! Riding with a group is different, and though I expected it would be fun, it was actually better than I had expected it would be. I'm really glad the guys let me tag along on the ride, and hopefully we get to do that again someday!


Very foggy between Hinton and Edson this morning, and pretty chilly too

Pretty bland scenery after what we just rode through the last few days, but it's still beautiful weather for a later afternoon ride

These pictures didn't make my blog on the day it happened, and since there aren't many tonight, I'll post them here. This was in Orofino, ID and the flags were a safety as there were no lights at the crossing. We got far to carried away with something as simple as flags.


Kevin, the clown of the group, guiding us safely across the street while Randy puts himself in danger to take the picture

My turn to safely navigate our group across the street, though it seems that Peter threw caution to the wind for a photo op

2018(2) - Day 7

It was another beautiful morning as we awoke this morning, warm temperatures and mountain views. The morning routine didn't take long today, and we had a relaxing breakfast to start the day. We got on the road by 9 but by the first stop of the day we were back in the Alberta time zone, so that made the morning feel short.

Traffic was crazy busy everywhere today, and that coupled with countless construction zones meant that patience was required today. After stopping for a little break in Golden we continued on into Lake Louise. Randy split off from us there, heading for Calgary and then Edmonton, and we were down to three bikes in the group. The three of us headed north on 93, a relaxing ride through the National Parks despite heavy tourist traffic.

It's been very warm since the day we left Kalispell, and it was right around 30 again today until we got to the Columbia ice fields. There it dropped down to 21 and that's about where it stayed for the rest of the day. After leaving Jasper we eventually stopped to put on our jackets for the first time in days. The clouds were also rolling in as we left Jasper though the rain waited until the final 10 minutes or so of the ride. As we were checking in the volume of rain increased and we were happy to have a dry place for the night.

Once again, the plan for tomorrow is up in the air at this point. I may end up in Edmonton, Grande Prairie, or home by tomorrow evening. It feels like all I've really done for the last two months is ride my motorcycle, and even though I've done a ton of riding, it's still going to be a little sad when this trip ends.






I've never seen Bow Lake this green before, just beautiful







Little blurry, but it's been great to ride with these guys (and Randy) for the last few days

2018(2) - Day 6

We woke up to another beautiful morning and decided over breakfast to ride up to Revelstoke today. It's only a little over 300km so that meant it was going to be a relaxing day, which was the perfect way to spend this Sunday. The breakfast at the hotel restaurant was good, except for the coffee, which was horrible. The funny this is the drinks were not included in the room price, just the food, so that was a big waste of $2.50. We got the bikes loaded up and headed down to the Tim Hortons to get some good coffee.

After satisfying our caffeine needs we got fuel and then headed north on highway 3A. I've been on this road multiple times and it never disappoints, what a great ride that is. They squeezed us onto the ferry and we sailed over to Balfour. With a ferry ride and a couple of stops, we ended up in Kaslo somewhere between 12:30 and 1:00. Lunch at the Kaslo Hotel was delicious. We all got sidetracked a little by a 1936 Indian motorcycle, so much so that I forgot to get a picture. It took some doing but the rider finally got it kick started and off he went.

From Kaslo we took 31A over to New Denver, and then got on the 6 north for Galena Bay and our second ferry ride of the day. For those of you who followed along last year, this is the same route Leona and I took on our way back from the island. It was another hot day, get up into the mid 30's again. We stopped in Nakusp so the guys could get fuel, and so we could get some more water and an ice cream.

I enjoyed a "spirited" ride from Nakusp to Galena Bay, the last of the good corners for the day. That was the only time I got on the throttle a little harder all day, as I wanted to enjoy a more relaxing ride. We had a 45 minute wait for the ferry, and sat in the shade and shot the breeze. Our breaks have been many and long but it's been great, much more relaxed than I usually ride.

I'm a little unsure at this point what is happening tomorrow. Randy has to head home to Edmonton but I think my father in law and Kevin still have some more time. There's a good chance we'll end up in the Alberta Rockies somewhere tomorrow night, but that still hasn't been discussed. Either way there's still some more good riding before this trip is over.

2018(2) - Day 5

After a great night of sleep and a really good breakfast we got back on the road, heading up to see the dam close to Orofino to start the day. From there we headed back into town, stocked up on water, and then pointed our wheels west. It doesn't take long for the scenery to change west of Orofino, as the trees become scarce, and the scenery is actually kind of ugly in my opinion. It was also stifling hot by the time we hit Lewiston and there was a haze in the air.

From Lewiston we headed northwest into Washington, mostly because Kevin wanted to check that state off his list. We got to Spokane at around 1:30, and it was in the nick of time, as the waving wheat fields threatened to put me to sleep. We were in Spokane for over 2 hours, our break turning into a hunt for a place that could change a tire. There was no such place in Spokane, which was a little strange, but I guess it is a Saturday.

We bypassed Coeur d'Alene on the north, and then headed up highway 95. There was a bad wreck on the road just south of Sandpoint which cost us over half an hour. Sitting on the highway inching along in the heat wasn't the most fun we've had, but once we got going it sure felt good to get some air.

The last of the ride into Creston was really nice, it was cooling off so it really was a relaxing end to the day. It was an absolutely beautiful ride as well which never gets old. I was tired and very hungry, so we didn't waste time getting a room and finding supper. It will not take much time to fall asleep tonight. Tomorrow should be another great day, looking forward to seeing the Rockies again!

2018(2) - Day 4

After a great night of sleep in one of the tiniest rooms I've ever stayed in, we all got cracking fairly quickly this morning. We had a good breakfast and then pointed our wheels south. We stayed on 93, on the west side of Flathead Lake, as we made our way to Missoula. Just south of Polson a rain shower had just passed through, leaving quite a bit of water on the road. The air was so fresh this morning and temperatures were very comfortable.

We stopped for lunch and an ice cream in Missoula, and then battled traffic for half an hour getting out of the city. There must be a lot of tourists in the area right now, I've never seen Missoula this busy before. It was nice to make the turn west on highway 12 to get away from most of the traffic. This is the third time I've traveled highway 12, and by far the fastest I've ever ridden it. I've never pushed any bike I owned as hard as I pushed the Goldwing today. The power and performance really show on a road like this as the bike feels glued to the road. There wasn't too much traffic on the road, so I took a lot of the 45mph corners at 70-80mph. I got up over 100mph a few times on the straight stretches and the bike never flinched. I probably shouldn't even post that stuff, but I lived to tell the story so I better tell the story.

After our last stop on the road we stuck together as a group and made our way west to Orofino, where we decided we had gone far enough for the day. It was hot outside today, getting up to 35, and it felt later than 7:30 when we stopped. We did gain an hour as we entered the Pacific time zone when we crossed into Idaho. I was tired and hungry, and one of those needs has been met. Now it's time for a shower and some sleep.

We're still not sure what the plan is for tomorrow, though there is a good chance we'll end up somewhere in southern BC. It should be another great day of riding regardless of what we end up doing, which is the whole point of the trip. It's been awesome so far, and should continue to be!

2018(2) - Day 3

We got off to a bit of an earlier start today, and after getting the bikes fuelled we headed south. We stayed on highway 2 through Cardston and to the USA border. The crossing was fairly smooth, though our two friends from PEI both needed to go inside and talk to the agents. Once that was done we rode the final half hour to St. Mary. After a break for lunch we started riding west on the Going to the Sun Road through Glacier National Park. 1 day less than a month had passed since we entered back into Canada, and it's so cool to be back here again. I fell in love with western Montana a few years ago, a love that grows deeper every time I come here. It would be easy to live down here, just have to convince the wife!

Two years ago Leona and I came over this road, but did it in the other direction. It was nice to see the different views, and they were amazing, but west to east is still the better way to go if you can handle being right beside some large drop offs. All of us were more comfortable together today and we spent a lot of time taking in the views, chatting, and having some laughs. I talked with a few CMA riders and it was cool to talk with a couple of other Christian riders. As we parted ways I said that I'd see them again someday, whether that is here on earth or up in heaven. As amazing as the scenery is here on earth, eternity in heaven will be untold times better!

There were a few little rain showers as we came down off the mountains but we kind of stayed ahead of the rain, only getting a little bit here and there. Temperatures were also climbing as we came down, getting up to 30 degrees as we entered Kalispell. We got skunked at the first hotel we tried, but the Motel 6 across the street had rooms. We checked in and then went for a nice dinner, and then spent a couple of hours chatting outside our rooms. Even at 11pm the temperatures are still very comfortable, and if it wasn't for being tired, I could have stayed out much longer.

There was a big family from Kentucky that took like 4 or 5 rooms around us, and I talked with one of the guys a little. It was cool to make that connection since we were just down there a little more than a month ago. They didn't appear Amish, but they were something similar as the women wore the head coverings and the men had the typical suspenders.

We don't know what the plan is for tomorrow, possibly riding down to Missoula and then head west through the Lolo pass. I've done that one a couple of times, it's 99 miles of nothing but winding road beside a river.

2018(2) - Day 2

We got off to a late start today, but once we got rolling it was a beautiful day for riding. We met up with Highway 22 southeast of Drayton Valley, and then stayed on that until Cochrane. There we jumped on 1A for a little bit, until we got to Highway 40. I’ve been over the Highwood Pass before, and it was nicer than I remembered. What a great road (highest paved pass in Canada), if you’ve never been I recommend it. The temperature dropped from 22 to 15 at the top, and we barely beat the rain out of the mountains. 

After completing that stretch of road we ended up in Longview, where we decided to head over to High River for the night. We got checked just after 8 in the evening, and wasted no time getting some dinner. All of us were quite hungry, as we hadn’t eaten since noon. 

Riding in a group is a whole different experience than I’m used to, and it’s a nice change. I probably wouldn’t want to do it all the time, but it’s great to chat with the guys at stops. Everything takes longer than I’m used to, but all in all it’s going to work very well. I was able to stay in the back for most of the day, but ended up being out in the lead later in the day. Now it’s time to say goodnight to the wife and catch some sleep.