Day 34

This morning started off a little cooler than the last few, although not much and it didn't last. In the shadows it was actually chilly for the first hour and I though about putting on my jacket but it warmed up quickly. Having travelled the roads I'd be on today before, I didn't need to look at my Google maps, which added some more relaxation to the ride. I picked the route through Golden and Jasper for the scenery, which is better than highway 5 through Kamploops and Valemount in my opinion. It was a little more kilometers, there would be more tourists on the roads, but it was worth it.

Taking in the mountain scenery is so much better on a bike as there's nothing to obstruct the views, and I enjoyed this more than the last time I passed through in a cage. You get all the smells as well as the warmth of the sun. I stopped in Golden for gas and an ice cream at Dairy Queen before continuing on to the Icefield Parkway.

As much scenery as I've seen the last couple years, there is still nothing that beats the scenery right in my own province. The 250km or so that I rode on the Parkway today gets me every time. There aren't the awe inspiring switchbacks of Beartooth, or views from high up on the mountains, but being surrounded by mountains that reach to the sky is awesome! It's quite possibly my favorite place on earth and a certain peace comes with being there.

I stopped at the Saskatchewan crossing for a pee break and ended up talking with two guys from Wisconsin. My experience, limited as it may be, of the area seemed to help them decide what routes they were going to take. They had never been in Canada before and it was nice to hear them say they liked our country. Both of them mentioned that it didn't seem much different from the USA, and there really aren't that many differences other than prices, the money, and the way we measure things. They asked me some questions about our political system and the availability of work. We got interrupted a few times by some transient that would rant about Guns N Roses, Lady Gaga, and the BC premier. He was completely off his rocker, cursing the above mentioned parties, as well as expressing his desire to kill them. I'm not sure what he was on, but that man needs Jesus!

The temperatures at the Columbia Icefields was cold, so I put my jacket on for the first time since day 28. That was short lived because it was back to 30 degrees by the time I stopped in Jasper for gas. That town is hoping this time of the year, and I enjoy the touristy atmosphere there, but it was getting late and I needed to keep going.

As I rode from Jasper to Hinton it began to hit home that this trip is as good as over. It will be good to get home, go to work and make some money, but I'd love to keep this experience going. I will have been gone for exactly 5 weeks but it feels much shorter in some ways. When I think back to the beginning of the trip it kind of feels like a long time ago, but not really. The days tend to blend together, passing far too quickly. There is nothing I enjoy more in life than sitting on the bike and making miles through God's beautiful creation. I just need to figure out how to do this for a living lol! I rode slower than usual on that last leg, enjoying the evening and not wanting it to end.

I arrived at the hotel around 9pm where I'll spend my last night on the road. Tomorrow I'll make the trek home, unless by some miracle the dealer in Edmonton would have time to change the tires on the bike. I could probably squeeze a few thousand kilometers more out of them, which is probably what I'll do. They might even last until spring which would be nice for the bank account, though I doubt that's possible.

Made a few more friends from Washington state, the woman on the far left has a brother that does long distance rides on a bike as well

One of my favorite shots in the park, love how you can see the road for so far, tucked neatly between the mountains

These guys were enjoying their evening meal, not disturbed at all by the humans stopping to take pictures

My constant companion, at least on sunny days:)

The route today

Day 33

After a great weekend in the Tri-Cities I was back on the road again today. I can't say enough about the hospitality shown by Stan & Jessie, making me feel like I was right at home. We shared great conversation over the three days and an evening I was there, they prepared amazing food all weekend long, and we all relaxed as much as possible. Time seemed to fly by much too quickly though, I guess that's what happens when you don't really keep a schedule.

Upon arriving in Pasco on Thursday we spent a little time catching up (I was mostly trying to cool down after a sweltering ride). We had made plans to go to a baseball game, eventually making it for the final few innings. The next night we returned to the same stadium for the Independence Day fireworks, which were really good. Seeing as how I never saw any Canada Day celebrations I decided to combine the two events. I enjoyed the display of patriotism, something that's very important to a country's future in my opinion. We often get caught up in all the problems of the day but when one takes the time to stop and think we have it really good in North America. Like the song says, at least we know we're free!

We were up until the wee hours last night talking, only retiring at around 1am. I had to pack my bags to get ready for today as I didn't want to do that in the morning. Once I laid down I couldn't seem to fall asleep, finally drifting off well after 2am. A 5 hour night isn't really enough, but the time spent re-charging over the weekend carried me over. We said our goodbyes, something I don't really enjoy as it brings with it a sense of finality. I look forward to the next time we meet, as I consider the two of them some of my closest friends. They left for a doctor's appointment and I pointed my front wheel north to begin the trip home. I wish you all the best in the coming weeks as you welcome a baby into the world Stan & Jessie!

It was already hot in the morning, and the temperature kept rising into the afternoon. As sweltering as it seemed at times, it is a welcome change from the damp and cold weather that I experienced so much of. I didn't really look at temperatures during the day, but it felt similar to the mid to high 30's that have been around for the last 6 days. The ride today took me through Moses Lake and up to the border crossing at Osoyoos, then up through Pentiction, Summerland, Kelowna, and ending in Vernon. I was at the hotel around 6, a little earlier than usual but I needed to catch up from the short night. Traffic in the Okanagan was heavy today, tourist season seems to be in full swing now. I'll probably ride to Hinton tomorrow and then do the final leg home on Wednesday. Both the front and rear tires on the bike are getting close to worn down, and if there's time I may end up replacing them in Edmonton.

Farm land a little north of the Tri-Cities

Following the Columbia River north

Leaving the River valley

Back in Canada, north of Osyoos 

Looking south at the Skaha Lake

Penticton in the left of the picture

Route I took today

Day 29

Got another beautiful day for riding again, sunny and super hot. Highway 12 from Lolo, MT to Lewiston, ID is another must ride for bikers (cages too I guess). Winding it's way along the side of a river for most of it makes for great scenery, and helped to keep the air cool for a little while. It was piping hot all day, easily into the mid to high 30's I'm sure. One has to stay hydrated and also make sure to watch for sunburn.

After Lewiston the scenery changes more from mountainous to rolling hills and some farm land. It's quite arid so irrigation is required it seems for growing. As welcome as the heat was it's quite tiring and I felt completely exhausted by the time I reached Pasco. I'll be here for the weekend catching up with friends and relaxing. It will be nice to have some time to relax a little before the ride home to reality again.

They weren't lying, it was awesome!

My rich friends hooked me up with some front row seats;)

Re-united with my furry little friend

Day 28

I had this post all typed up and ready to add photos last night but somehow managed to delete it. I'll blame it on the fact that I was dead tired by that point as it was after midnight. For some reason iCloud was giving me grief as well, not streaming all the photos from my phone to iPad, so I called it a day instead of fighting with it!

It was a beautiful day, hot and sunny, with fantastic scenery all day long. After Waterton I headed south to Babb, MT to meet a couple guys from back home for the afternoon. Going to the Sun road was closed (second year in a row I've tried and failed to get that off the bucket list), so we took the road up to Many Glacier. 

The afternoon seemed to fly by and by the time we were back at St. Mary it was closing in on dinner time. That's when I realized that I still had another 340km to go, even though the heat of the day had already tired me out. The nice scenery kept me awake, but I was yawning heavily by the time I arrived at the hotel at 10:30pm. I try to usually get to the room by 8pm to rest up, and to get off the roads before the wildlife gets active. Had numerous deer cross over the road in front of me the last hour, but thankfully was able to see all of them in time.

Enough words for now, here's a few pictures of the day.

The old Prince of Wales Hotel in Waterton

This one turned out well, love the pictures the iPhone 5s takes

Hit a milestone on the bike

Where better to hit the milestone

Chief Mountain on the right. The pictures on the phone always make it look further away than it is

Spent the afternoon with Kevin and Dave, friends from back home. Was cool to have a couple guys to ride with for a while

Love being in a state that doesn't require a helmet, pity the other drivers though

Another 100km or so to go for the day

Day 27

Today it was back on the road, something I was looking forward to when I awoke. I got off to a late start after sleeping in until 8:30, the latest I've slept so far on the trip. There was a mix of sun and cloud for most of the day, more sun than cloud though. The temperature was very comfortable as well, quite warm by the afternoon.

I set out from Swift Current, heading for Pincher Creek. After a gas and lunch stop in Medicine Hat I turned onto highway 3 west. Despite the late start and also taking my time for most of the day I still arrived in Pincher Creek early. The plan was to ride Going to the Sun road in Glacier National Park tomorrow but the website is telling me that the road isn't open all the way yet. That's a really disappointing turn of events as it opened on June 21 last year, the day after I wanted to ride it back then. Maybe they'll have it open by the time I arrive tomorrow, it sure would be nice to finally ride that road.

There was a lot of farm land on the ride today, the smell of blooming canola reminded me of home. Some may find the farm land boring but it's in my blood from when I was a kid and I enjoy seeing all the crops growing. Though the prairies don't feel like home, some of the areas today looked different and better than I thought they would.

As I wasn't in the mood for city traffic I decided to bypass Lethbridge, riding through Picture Butte as a bypass. Being Canada Day I was expecting to come across some celebrations in the towns today, but not once did I see anything of the sort. At dinner my waitress didn't think anything was happening here in Pincher Creek either in regards to Canada Day. The volume of RV's on the roads today make it obvious that the summer vacation season is about to explode into action.

If the Sun Road isn't open tomorrow there should still be some good scenery hopefully, and regardless I'll be ending up in Missoula for night as I already have a room booked there. I'm looking forward to spending the weekend with friends in Washington before beginning the trek home next week.

Back in my home province for 24 hours or so

Saw a lot of these grain elevators today

Alberta foothills