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Hello everybody,
Awhile ago I posted before I left on my road trip where I planned to go and when, etc. Here is the actual account of my first road trip in a series of 3 parts. pics will come later (didnt take any myself, but someone did for me...)
This is what I took with me.
2 Teknic Saddle Bags full
1 77 Litre Hiking pack (nearly full)
1 backpack with tools, mechanical, etc.
1 Tent
1 spare helmet
1 jerry can
1 tank bag (once I reached vancouver I bought it)
===============================================
Day 1: Sunday
Start: Jasper, Alberta. Departure time 2 pm
Off to a pretty late start. Reminder for next time: Say your goodbyes before you want to leave. As I leave, with my bike heavily loaded, and sitting half on the gas tank, half on the seat, because I have so much stuff, I think to myself
?If this is uncomfortable after 10 minutes, its not going to get better after 10 hours!?
and continue onwards down the icefields parkway (#93), riding through an hour of snow flurries as I pass the Columbia Icefields. As the night rolls around, I stop in Canmore, Ab, and decide to set up my tent there. The night gets cold, and there is a strong wind that keeps blowing my tent, even though I weight it down. Hard to sleep more than a few hours.
&1s=Ab&1z=t0e+1e0&2y=US&2a=&2c=Canmore&2s=Ab&2z=&i dx=0&id=4181ee41-003b1-05e43-cdbcf38a&aid=4181ee41-003b2-05e43-cdbcf38a
^^^^^^^^^^ONE LINK....split up b/c page was too wide to read!
************************************************** ***********
Day 2: Monday
Start: Canmore Ab, Departure time 10:30 am
The day starts off well as the sun is shining, and I finish my grocery shopping for the day, and eat some juicy apples for breakfast (work better than coffee). I continue on until hwy #40, and then head southwards , looking to take what looked like a nice twisty secondary road to the crowsnest. Stopping for gas, I meet up with the rider of an ?82 Yamaha 1200, and since he?s ridden through the area extensively for the last 20 years, he tells me that its gravel for the whole 120km distance , and that its not the best ride from his experience.
Initially planning to head to the Glacier Ntl. Park in Montana before heading to Vancouver, I take this out of the schedule, as the name sends chills down my spine, and I want to head to some warmer climates. I end up going west along the Crowsnest scenic Highway (which also happens to be the shortest route to the coast). Along the way, I see an old Honda 400, and meet up with the rider at a station. Hes returning from a trip to Newfoundland (15000km!!) and on his way to Vancouver as well, so we head off. We make it as far as Creston, B.C. and decide to call it a night. The road there was a nice twisty one.
************************************************** ***********
Day 3: Tuesday
Start: Creston, B.C., Departure time 9:30 am
Off to a nice and early start (any time before this is still freezing) , although a chilly one. Riding on the Crowsnest highway keeps things very interesting as we pass through many small towns and lakes, into the valleys (Osoyoos, B.C.) where fruit orchards are plentiful . We stop at a small fruit stand, and as I go to put a bag of apples in my pack I notice that the stuff sack containing my map of North America, my Clymers manual, and another book and C.D. UH OH! I split up with the Honda rider, and backtrack about 150km in an attempt to find it. I had remembered hearing the sound of something drop along the way, but gave it no consideration as when I looked in my mirrors, I saw nothing. Making it back to Grand Forks B.C., I stop there and sleep in a park, since I was too lazy to take all of my gear off and set up my tent. The nights pretty cold, and I don?t get more than 2 hours of sleep before I head to warm up in a gas station at 5:30 am.
************************************************** **********
Day 4: Wednesday/Thursday
Start: Grand Forks B.C., Departure time 10:30 am
After having a friendly chat with the station attendant about his riding days , I leave the station once the suns bright enough so I can repack my gear. Riding with that hiking pack full has been painful, and I repack things in a way where my saddle bags take more weight off my shoulders, and give me room to sit back a little bit more.
Even though the previous day was really crappy, I head back towards Osoyoos, and continue along #3 to Vancouver. The road gets better and better as I go. First the scenery gets better, and things are getting warmer (finally!), and then the road starts to become chock full of twists and turns, and rapid changes in elevation as I pass through a few hours of really mountainous sections with only forest between gas stops. The sad thing I noticed, was all of the clear-cutting that was taking place. Not only was it a blemish on the scenery, but I had never had 1st hand experience of clear-cutting. What a horrible practice. After a few hours of the mountainous driving, I come out of the mountains, and finally reach Vancouver at about 6 p.m.
I phone a seller on E-bay, and wait to go pick up some used engine guards for the bike. I end up leaving a small-time mechanic, who had a few gs?s in his shop, with a new left mirror (didn?t have one until this point), engine guards, a tank bag, and some oil in case I get low. He did me the favour of loosening the screws on the caps covering the valve-cover with an impact driver, but I left with my pockets much lighter than I had planned.
I cruise around Vancouver until around 10 p.m., and decide to head to the border since cheap rooms were going to be hard to find. I get through with no problems at the border, and travel down Interstate #5, stopping at a gas station to get some sleep. Napping for an hour, I leave the station as it closes, and head on towards Seattle. Arriving in Seattle sometime around 3 a.m. I ride around the streets, and stop for a nap on a concrete-ledge that overlooks the city below. Another 45 min. of sleep, and I cruise downtown, looking for a cheap place to sleep for a longer time. With the help of some bar-tenders, I locate the hostel, but decide that I wasn?t willing to part with the $20 , and continue on down the I-5. Nearing Tacoma, I start to get extremely drowsy, and stop at Tacoma at about 5:30 am, finding a coffee shop to sit in. I relax there for a few hours, unable to catch a wink since it was a busy place.
Leaving the coffee shop at around 9:30 , I head to warm up the bike, and a maintenance worker who owns a Gold-Wing, comes up and begins asking questions about the bike. We chat for awhile, about places to ride, the Gold-Wing website/organization of riders, and he tells me to head down to the coastal highway, #101. Immediately after he goes back to work, another city worker comes up to me, and asks me if I know anyone who would want to buy an old GS in good condition for rebuilding. I don?t want it, but I tell him to head to this site with the assurances that someone will want it .
With that, I head off down the I-5, with the aim of going to Mt. St. Helens, even though I know its blocked off pretty well. Heading down #504, I ride to the closest public viewing spot of the volcano, and enjoy my last 2 apples from Osoyoos under the bright and warming sun. I rode back from the viewing spot a few miles down, and found a nice little spot (where a car couldn?t go) and take a nap slightly past noon. Waking up an hour or so later, much more refreshed, I head back to the interstate, and decide to bypass Portland, and cross the Columbia river at Kelso, and travel down to St. Helens in Oregon, looking at a detailed local map for an interesting route to the coast.
Boy was that great! I turned on to Sykes road, and headed into the back-country of Oregon towards Veronia. This road is truly awesome, as the sun shines through the colour-changing leaves, and twisting turning road. This is the most fantastic road I have ever been on, and I only see 2 other bikes along the way (a BMW, and racer) . Stopping in Veronia, I head from there on to and through the town of timber (more clear-cutting? ), and some more jaw dropping roads. An example, would be one section of road, where a 10 m.p.h. for 1 mile sign comes up, and the squiggly line is painted on it. I think?.well, 10 mph is pretty slow?.. In that 1 mile, I counted 8 or 9 hairpin turns???.WOW!
Reaching the #6 highway, I head westwards to the coast. This road follows suit, with plenty of things to keep things interesting. I reach the #101 scenic coastal highway, and head southwards to Lincoln city, where I do some shopping, and find a cheap site at Devils Lake State Park. Being too tired to take off all of the gear off my bike and setting up the tent, I put my sleeping bag and pillow on the picnic bench, since the night was relatively warm, tucking in at around 11:30 pm. for a good sleep.
Lincoln%20City&1n=Columbia&cl=EN&2g=KsPbuF%2fCmeLl j6zVwSvyYg%3d%3d&1s=OR&2l=Q%2b5E%2bvHOHmg%3d&ct=NA &1v=CITY&2n=Lincoln&1y=US&1tabval=address&2s=OR&2v =CITY&did=1099035948&2y=US&ovi=1
^^^^^ONE LINK.....split up b/c page was too wide to read!!
youll have to zoom in to see veronia/timber. couldnt find a good map.
**********************************************
Awhile ago I posted before I left on my road trip where I planned to go and when, etc. Here is the actual account of my first road trip in a series of 3 parts. pics will come later (didnt take any myself, but someone did for me...)
This is what I took with me.
2 Teknic Saddle Bags full
1 77 Litre Hiking pack (nearly full)
1 backpack with tools, mechanical, etc.
1 Tent
1 spare helmet
1 jerry can
1 tank bag (once I reached vancouver I bought it)
===============================================
Day 1: Sunday
Start: Jasper, Alberta. Departure time 2 pm
Off to a pretty late start. Reminder for next time: Say your goodbyes before you want to leave. As I leave, with my bike heavily loaded, and sitting half on the gas tank, half on the seat, because I have so much stuff, I think to myself
?If this is uncomfortable after 10 minutes, its not going to get better after 10 hours!?
and continue onwards down the icefields parkway (#93), riding through an hour of snow flurries as I pass the Columbia Icefields. As the night rolls around, I stop in Canmore, Ab, and decide to set up my tent there. The night gets cold, and there is a strong wind that keeps blowing my tent, even though I weight it down. Hard to sleep more than a few hours.
&1s=Ab&1z=t0e+1e0&2y=US&2a=&2c=Canmore&2s=Ab&2z=&i dx=0&id=4181ee41-003b1-05e43-cdbcf38a&aid=4181ee41-003b2-05e43-cdbcf38a
^^^^^^^^^^ONE LINK....split up b/c page was too wide to read!
************************************************** ***********
Day 2: Monday
Start: Canmore Ab, Departure time 10:30 am
The day starts off well as the sun is shining, and I finish my grocery shopping for the day, and eat some juicy apples for breakfast (work better than coffee). I continue on until hwy #40, and then head southwards , looking to take what looked like a nice twisty secondary road to the crowsnest. Stopping for gas, I meet up with the rider of an ?82 Yamaha 1200, and since he?s ridden through the area extensively for the last 20 years, he tells me that its gravel for the whole 120km distance , and that its not the best ride from his experience.
Initially planning to head to the Glacier Ntl. Park in Montana before heading to Vancouver, I take this out of the schedule, as the name sends chills down my spine, and I want to head to some warmer climates. I end up going west along the Crowsnest scenic Highway (which also happens to be the shortest route to the coast). Along the way, I see an old Honda 400, and meet up with the rider at a station. Hes returning from a trip to Newfoundland (15000km!!) and on his way to Vancouver as well, so we head off. We make it as far as Creston, B.C. and decide to call it a night. The road there was a nice twisty one.
************************************************** ***********
Day 3: Tuesday
Start: Creston, B.C., Departure time 9:30 am
Off to a nice and early start (any time before this is still freezing) , although a chilly one. Riding on the Crowsnest highway keeps things very interesting as we pass through many small towns and lakes, into the valleys (Osoyoos, B.C.) where fruit orchards are plentiful . We stop at a small fruit stand, and as I go to put a bag of apples in my pack I notice that the stuff sack containing my map of North America, my Clymers manual, and another book and C.D. UH OH! I split up with the Honda rider, and backtrack about 150km in an attempt to find it. I had remembered hearing the sound of something drop along the way, but gave it no consideration as when I looked in my mirrors, I saw nothing. Making it back to Grand Forks B.C., I stop there and sleep in a park, since I was too lazy to take all of my gear off and set up my tent. The nights pretty cold, and I don?t get more than 2 hours of sleep before I head to warm up in a gas station at 5:30 am.
************************************************** **********
Day 4: Wednesday/Thursday
Start: Grand Forks B.C., Departure time 10:30 am
After having a friendly chat with the station attendant about his riding days , I leave the station once the suns bright enough so I can repack my gear. Riding with that hiking pack full has been painful, and I repack things in a way where my saddle bags take more weight off my shoulders, and give me room to sit back a little bit more.
Even though the previous day was really crappy, I head back towards Osoyoos, and continue along #3 to Vancouver. The road gets better and better as I go. First the scenery gets better, and things are getting warmer (finally!), and then the road starts to become chock full of twists and turns, and rapid changes in elevation as I pass through a few hours of really mountainous sections with only forest between gas stops. The sad thing I noticed, was all of the clear-cutting that was taking place. Not only was it a blemish on the scenery, but I had never had 1st hand experience of clear-cutting. What a horrible practice. After a few hours of the mountainous driving, I come out of the mountains, and finally reach Vancouver at about 6 p.m.
I phone a seller on E-bay, and wait to go pick up some used engine guards for the bike. I end up leaving a small-time mechanic, who had a few gs?s in his shop, with a new left mirror (didn?t have one until this point), engine guards, a tank bag, and some oil in case I get low. He did me the favour of loosening the screws on the caps covering the valve-cover with an impact driver, but I left with my pockets much lighter than I had planned.
I cruise around Vancouver until around 10 p.m., and decide to head to the border since cheap rooms were going to be hard to find. I get through with no problems at the border, and travel down Interstate #5, stopping at a gas station to get some sleep. Napping for an hour, I leave the station as it closes, and head on towards Seattle. Arriving in Seattle sometime around 3 a.m. I ride around the streets, and stop for a nap on a concrete-ledge that overlooks the city below. Another 45 min. of sleep, and I cruise downtown, looking for a cheap place to sleep for a longer time. With the help of some bar-tenders, I locate the hostel, but decide that I wasn?t willing to part with the $20 , and continue on down the I-5. Nearing Tacoma, I start to get extremely drowsy, and stop at Tacoma at about 5:30 am, finding a coffee shop to sit in. I relax there for a few hours, unable to catch a wink since it was a busy place.
Leaving the coffee shop at around 9:30 , I head to warm up the bike, and a maintenance worker who owns a Gold-Wing, comes up and begins asking questions about the bike. We chat for awhile, about places to ride, the Gold-Wing website/organization of riders, and he tells me to head down to the coastal highway, #101. Immediately after he goes back to work, another city worker comes up to me, and asks me if I know anyone who would want to buy an old GS in good condition for rebuilding. I don?t want it, but I tell him to head to this site with the assurances that someone will want it .
With that, I head off down the I-5, with the aim of going to Mt. St. Helens, even though I know its blocked off pretty well. Heading down #504, I ride to the closest public viewing spot of the volcano, and enjoy my last 2 apples from Osoyoos under the bright and warming sun. I rode back from the viewing spot a few miles down, and found a nice little spot (where a car couldn?t go) and take a nap slightly past noon. Waking up an hour or so later, much more refreshed, I head back to the interstate, and decide to bypass Portland, and cross the Columbia river at Kelso, and travel down to St. Helens in Oregon, looking at a detailed local map for an interesting route to the coast.
Boy was that great! I turned on to Sykes road, and headed into the back-country of Oregon towards Veronia. This road is truly awesome, as the sun shines through the colour-changing leaves, and twisting turning road. This is the most fantastic road I have ever been on, and I only see 2 other bikes along the way (a BMW, and racer) . Stopping in Veronia, I head from there on to and through the town of timber (more clear-cutting? ), and some more jaw dropping roads. An example, would be one section of road, where a 10 m.p.h. for 1 mile sign comes up, and the squiggly line is painted on it. I think?.well, 10 mph is pretty slow?.. In that 1 mile, I counted 8 or 9 hairpin turns???.WOW!
Reaching the #6 highway, I head westwards to the coast. This road follows suit, with plenty of things to keep things interesting. I reach the #101 scenic coastal highway, and head southwards to Lincoln city, where I do some shopping, and find a cheap site at Devils Lake State Park. Being too tired to take off all of the gear off my bike and setting up the tent, I put my sleeping bag and pillow on the picnic bench, since the night was relatively warm, tucking in at around 11:30 pm. for a good sleep.
Lincoln%20City&1n=Columbia&cl=EN&2g=KsPbuF%2fCmeLl j6zVwSvyYg%3d%3d&1s=OR&2l=Q%2b5E%2bvHOHmg%3d&ct=NA &1v=CITY&2n=Lincoln&1y=US&1tabval=address&2s=OR&2v =CITY&did=1099035948&2y=US&ovi=1
^^^^^ONE LINK.....split up b/c page was too wide to read!!
youll have to zoom in to see veronia/timber. couldnt find a good map.
**********************************************
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