2017 - Day 11

Despite a comfy room and bed, I was unable to sleep very well after 5am, and my tossing and turning kept Leona awake as well. One would think the lack of snoring would allow her to sleep, but maybe my snoring isn't as bad as she says! That or she's just gotten used to it.

We started our day with coffee, and then 40km of curves and scenery, before stopping in Grand Forks for brunch. By the time we were done eating it was already getting quite warm outside again, and that was the theme all day. There were only wisps of cloud in the sky, and only the shade gave some respite from the heat.

I had a room booked in Creston so it wasn't a long ride today, which allowed us to take our time along the way. We spent some time sitting beside Christina Lake after a short ride from Grand Forks. A little further down the road we took highway 3B through Trail and Fruitvale, eventually connecting back onto the Crowsnest Highway a little west of Salmo. There were three passes over 5,000ft, but the best one by far was the Kootenay Pass between Salmo and Creston. There was still snow just off the road in the trees, and we got to play in the snow a little. It was also much cooler up there, so a good break from the heat.

Once we got down into the valley, riding into Creston, the heat was back to 32 celsius. We got checked into the Creston Valley Motel, had very refreshing showers, and went to do some laundry. This motel is awesome, the owners ride bikes too so it's a great place to stay if you're riding. There are around 15 bikes out on the parking lot of this small motel, so that speaks for itself.

After laundry was completed we walked a block or two downtown for a nice dinner at Jimmy's Pub & Grill. I had steak for the first time on the trip, Leona had a salmon salad, and then we finished the meal with an ice cream at DQ, which is right across the street.

Coming back to the hotel we walked with 6 other riders, and ended up sitting outside and visiting with a few other biker folks for well over an hour. It was a great evening all around, the kind of evening that makes one wish the trip would never end. Thankfully the trip isn't over yet, and tomorrow we get to ride a few top rated riding roads in Canada. We'll start the day with coffee and curves!

Leona going to check out the water

That tree trunk reminds me of work, looks like a perfect 90 degree bend 

Heading up the Kootenay Pass

Had to post the pic of the bike and snow, in June. Weather was above 30 before climbing the pass

My wife building a snowman

The finished product

Yeah...we threw a few snowballs yet

Lake directly beside the snow pile I'm standing on in the picture above

Down in the valley, minutes from Creston

There's a lot of bikes here tonight to keep ours company while we sleep

2017 - Day 10

We didn't really hit the road today until 11:30, though we left the hotel a little before 10. There's a shop in Chilliwack that quilters order stuff from and Leona really wanted to stop in and see it in person. I did walk in, but was bored to almost tears in two minutes. I went to sit in the shade, and was soon joined by another man who's wife was in Hamels. We chatted for a little over and hour, like we'd been friends our whole life. It was nice to have someone to pass the time with, or else I may have become impatient.

Once we were done there we hit the road, and traffic was back to normal today, still busy but we could lock in the cruise and go. It wasn't long before we turned east on highway 3, and we'll be on that for the rest of the day and tomorrow.

It was piping hot out today, the hottest I saw was 32 celsius, and not a cloud in the sky for the most part. Getting used to the heat would take me a while, just not something my body is built for. The day was perfect for riding though, and we stopped often and drank lots of water. Scenery was amazing today, the vegetation changing a few times today.

The clock read 7:30 by the time we stopped in Greenwood for the day. We were both pooped from the heat and it felt good to shower and cool off a little. It's supposed to be hot like this for a few days now, so we get to leave the jackets packed up and try to tan a little.

Leona finally gets a chance to see the place she orders supplies from

Albert and I sitting in the shade on the man bench, waiting for our wives. 

Hope Slide, shortly after turning onto the Crowsnest. 4 people died in this slide, 2 were never found

Time for some lunch, EC Manning Park Resort

Dunked my shirt in that river, the next few minutes were pure heaven on a hot day

Running down the hill into Osoyoos

After crossing the valley, and stopping for ice cream in town, we get this view as we switchbacked up the mountain on the east of town

Looking into the USA

After climbing the mountain, we rode through this scenery for a while

Almost down to Rock Creek

Our motel for the night, the room is much nicer than the outside would leave one to believe. We will be staying in Greenwood tonight

2017 - Day 9

Today it was time to leave the island and head back to the mainland, and it was a little sad to leave. We had a really good time there, and I'm sure we'll be back again someday. As we were packing the final things onto the bike, our hosts came outside to say goodbye. Thanks again for a great place to stay, you have a lovely home Barry & Erika!

It was a short ride to the ferry, and just like when we came here, we were the last bike that got onto the 10:40 sailing. The weather was just perfect, much better than when we came over on Sunday. We spent basically the whole time on the deck outside, enjoying the views and the sun.

Unfortunately, once we got off the ferry, we had to deal with the Vancouver traffic. Friday around lunch is certainly not the time to pass through the area, and I'm just glad we got through without incident as the traffic was crazy. It was also hot on the mainland, much warmer than it had been on the island. When we stopped for lunch in Abottsford it was 28 celsius outside.

Just a little way down the road we pulled over in Chilliwack to see if the shop had time to take a look at the bike. It started quite hard this morning, so I wanted some peace of mind. We got there a little after 3, and though it felt like they didn't want to be bothered, they did take the bike right in. It was after 5 by the time they were done, and by then Leona and I had already decided to stay in Chilliwack for the night. She wants to make a stop at a fabric store tomorrow, since we ran out of time today. They changed the voltage regulator as it was putting out some strange voltages, but the gauge is still wonky and will eventually have to be changed. The only problems this bike has given me are electrical ones, which I hope come to an end soon. Feels like work when I'm thinking about electrical problems.

Tomorrow we will continue on the journey across southern BC, slowly starting our way home. I'm glad we still have a week left before the trip is done.

Getting ready to leave Nanaimo

Putting the island in our rearview, going to miss it

Wind and sun...and some wild hair

Almost back on the mainland

Mount Baker again, there were a few times where it looked like it was 5 minutes away, and it was much closer here than it looks like

2017 - Day 8

Today is our last day on the island, and we were on the road just after 9am, trying to make the most of our day. I noticed my the voltage gauge on the bike operating erratically not far from home, so at the first gas stop I pulled the seat off the bike to inspect the battery connections. Everything there seemed fine and we continued on to Port Alberni. The gauge was becoming more erratic, and it was cause for concern, the last thing I wanted was to have a voltage regulator issue that could destroy my battery and leave us stranded. We ended up finding a guy in Port Alberni who works on bikes, and he checked it out for us. His diagnosis was that it was probably a faulty gauge, as the readings looked fine when we put a multi meter on the battery.

After leaving Underground Performance (thanks again Bruce for not even letting us pay) we stopped at Canadian Tire where I picked up a cheap multi meter so we could monitor it a little. The gauge kept bouncing around, but the meter readings we holding steady, so we decided we were probably good to go. It was almost 2 hours that we lost here, time we didn't really have today.

The ride out to the west coast was nice, but I'll say right now that I was a little disappointed. The road was not in very good shape and we ended up stuck in a line of traffic for much of the way in. We had decided to head to Ucluelet first, and getting a look at the Pacific Ocean for the first time in two years was really cool. There wasn't a cloud in the sky, and we could see as far as our eyes allowed. We walked along some of the Wild Pacific Trail, enjoying the views.

We didn't stay too long, our stomaches were telling us it was time for lunch, though it was after 4pm so not really lunch I guess. Our appetites were satisfied at the Cedar Grill, though i couldn't even finish my meal. The bike needed more gas, so we tended to that, and by then it was after 5pm. The ride to Tofino was about 40km, which we would have to repeat, and with the day getting away from us we decided to just head back to our temporary home. It may have been nice to see the beach and the town, but we will have to do that another time as I don't think it would have been worth the extra 2 hours to just quickly see it.

The scenery on the way back was better than the ride in, and there was less traffic to get stuck behind. I was battling a headache all day, so the rough road was annoying. Some advil and a coffee in Port Alberni was just what the doctor ordered, and the ride back to Cedar was my favourite part of the day. The evening rides on the island have been a treat, and I'm really going to miss this place. Maybe when we are old we can retire here, it certainly is a beautiful spot on this earth.

Now it's time to get a good night's sleep and then pack up and head back to the mainland tomorrow. We still have a little over a week before we get home, which is going to go by much too fast. All told, we put over 1,100km on the the bike here on the island and saw quite a bit, though there is a ton left to see here someday.

Too bad this pic turned out blurry, the cathedral of big trees was beautiful to ride through

Another snow capped mountain straight ahead

Looking out into the Pacific Ocean

Nothing but water as far as the eye can see

Going back home on Cedar road for the last time, bittersweet

2017 - Day 7

Slight change of plans today, as Leona wasn't feeling well in the morning. We had planned to head out to Tofino today, but instead we spent the morning at the house resting and relaxing. There's another day tomorrow to head west, and we are on vacation after all. By lunch Leona was feeling better, so we headed into Nanaimo to do some laundry. We had Subway for lunch while the clothes were in the wash, and ended up spending some time sitting in the laundromat waiting for them to dry. There was a young lady in there doing laundry, high on what appeared to be meth, and seeing the poor girl kind of rattled me. What drugs do to people is so incredibly sad, and it reminds me of a path I used to be on (and thankfully got off before it got bad). Once we got back on the bike I silently prayed for that girl.

Leona had found something online in the time leading up to our vacation that peaked her interest, so we headed out to the Old Country Market in Coombs. Their gimmick to pull in tourists is "Goats on the Roof", which turned out to be even cheesier than it sounds. There were only 2 goats up there, and we hardly ever in view, which is exactly what I assumed it would be. The market was filled with all sorts of different things, and we walked out with probably the only thing in there worth it's price. Once they go up on the house at home, our house numbers will proudly hail from this tourist trap.

Without a plan, and much of of the day already gone, we headed into Parksville for gas, and then headed north up the Oceanside Route on highway 19. It was a very relaxing ride, with much of it on the coast, and before we knew it we were in Courtenay. Leona had a recommendation from her boss that the Black Fin Pub was a great place to eat, and we were both surprised that it was in Comox. I thought I remembered her saying it was in Duncan. We headed into Comox, which is right next to Courtenay.

The pub was one of the cleanest (and loudest) I've ever been in, and it was right on the Marina with an amazing view of the water with a backdrop of mountains. Leona had some kind of salmon and rice meal, and I went with the halibut. I don't really like seafood, but it was harvested up in Hadai-Gwaii close to Prince Rupert. Needless to say, the halibut was amazing and tasted so fresh. Leona said here meal was great too, though I don't really like salmon so I didn't try it.

Once we had out bellies full of fish, it was back on the road for the 130 or so kilometres back to our house. We had a very close call heading out of Comox, and it took me a little time to get comfortable after that. There was a left hand turn, with two turning lanes, and the light turned green just before we got there. I was on the inside, and the SUV was on the outside turning lane. The sun was directly in my eyes, so I was leaning through the turn and looking for the hard-to-see yellow line so I'd end up in the proper lane. Halfway through the turn Leona taps my right arm and I look over to see the SUV so close it as almost touching our legs. It was at that time the driver of the other car noticed us, and swerved back into her lane. She was changing lanes in the turn as though we weren't there, one of the dumbest mistakes to make while driving. A little while down the road I noticed my highway peg was halfway up, which was strange as I always have them down. It's possible the car got close enough to touch it, though I don't remember feeling anything.

We got out of town and onto the Inland Island Highway, which north of Parksville has a posted speed limit of 120km/h. It was fun to ride that freeway at that speed, sun behind our backs and beautiful scenery all around. The ride back took a little over an hour, pulling up to our house at quarter after 9. Even though it felt like we didn't ride much today, it was still almost 300km on the day again. The weather was amazing once again, and hopefully that holds for tomorrow, as we'd like to head out to Tofino.

"goats on the roof"

This looks like a great place to eat, and it didn't disappoint

Connecting from Courtenay to the Inland Island Highway