Had me fooled.:blush:
Really enjoying this thread, thanks for doing it again. Makes us all want to be tagging along with you.
Really enjoying this thread, thanks for doing it again. Makes us all want to be tagging along with you.
Pic Heavy Ride Report - MS to Bella Coola & Back 11,000 Miles Heat, Hail & Bears
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Day 20 Continued.
In Radium, we were filling up at a station where some Adventure Riders had just finished filling up. They were on their way to Banff, and were a bit behind schedule for their final destination of Prudhoe Bay...they were taking the short way to Banff.
We opted for the longer, much more scenic route, via Golden.
As were climbing out of Golden, Mary got this pic of the Canadian Rockies.
The 1, out of Golden, is a bit tricky the first few miles, but it is a lot of fun with some really tight curves.
It is also the only road we've been on in Canada where no one seems to mind the speed limit once it turns into sweepers. We traveled at 70-75 MPH (115-120 KMH) along with much of the other traffic.
Can't tell you how much we are enjoying being back in Canada...
...this is a much longer, but very scenic ride to Banff.
Not sure how many feet we climbed, but it is quite a few miles at a nice incline, followed by...
...a nice descent, with some great views of the Canadian Rockies.
Even though we are here earlier in the year than last time, there is a bit less snow on the mountains, but still awesome views, and great riding.
The conclusion of Day 20 will be posted tomorrow.
Kevin
In Radium, we were filling up at a station where some Adventure Riders had just finished filling up. They were on their way to Banff, and were a bit behind schedule for their final destination of Prudhoe Bay...they were taking the short way to Banff.
We opted for the longer, much more scenic route, via Golden.
As were climbing out of Golden, Mary got this pic of the Canadian Rockies.
The 1, out of Golden, is a bit tricky the first few miles, but it is a lot of fun with some really tight curves.
It is also the only road we've been on in Canada where no one seems to mind the speed limit once it turns into sweepers. We traveled at 70-75 MPH (115-120 KMH) along with much of the other traffic.
Can't tell you how much we are enjoying being back in Canada...
...this is a much longer, but very scenic ride to Banff.
Not sure how many feet we climbed, but it is quite a few miles at a nice incline, followed by...
...a nice descent, with some great views of the Canadian Rockies.
Even though we are here earlier in the year than last time, there is a bit less snow on the mountains, but still awesome views, and great riding.
The conclusion of Day 20 will be posted tomorrow.
Kevin
Had me fooled.:blush:
Really enjoying this thread, thanks for doing it again. Makes us all want to be tagging along with you.
I got to thinking...(always a dangerous thing with me)...
I hope that in my last post to you, that I didn't come across as making you feel silly or anything, by informing you that this wasn't a 'live' posting. :cxtv:
And as always, thanks Kevin for some more beautiful pictures and good story telling. That last pic was especially nice.
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Kevin great pictures as always. We love Canada also well at least in the summer time. Winters are a brut. I bet you miss the USA gas prices though.
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Thanks. Yeah, we really enjoy Canada, IN THE SUMMER, don't think we'd do to well in the winter.
Gas prices, food prices, everything seems to be way high in Canada.
Just checked, ( http://www.mississippigasprices.com/Olive Branch/index.aspx ) and gas near us today is $1.98 a gallon.
Kevin
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Day 20 Continued.
Getting close to the Icefield Parkway....
...can see the west side of the mountains. We're going to be turning south soon, but tomorrow we'll be riding on the other side of them, heading north.
Can't say how much we are enjoying being back in BC. Stunning!
Coming up on a bit of road re-surfacing. In our experience, BC keeps their roads in nice condition, and without a lot of traffic, it has never been long waits. Even if it was, take a look at the sights!
Huge water channel for melting snow.
Guess I was going a bit too fast, but she still got most of it...melting snow above us.
Emerald Green Glacier water in Lake O'Hara
Closest we've been to a Glacier so far.
More in next post.
Getting close to the Icefield Parkway....
...can see the west side of the mountains. We're going to be turning south soon, but tomorrow we'll be riding on the other side of them, heading north.
Can't say how much we are enjoying being back in BC. Stunning!
Coming up on a bit of road re-surfacing. In our experience, BC keeps their roads in nice condition, and without a lot of traffic, it has never been long waits. Even if it was, take a look at the sights!
Huge water channel for melting snow.
Guess I was going a bit too fast, but she still got most of it...melting snow above us.
Emerald Green Glacier water in Lake O'Hara
Closest we've been to a Glacier so far.
More in next post.
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Day 20 Continued.
Crossing into Alberta, we'll be passing Lake Louise soon. Fantastic place. We stopped there a couple of years ago, definitely worth it. Unfortunately we're running out of sunlight, so it's not in the plans for today.
We've turned south, toward Banff. This mountain glacier is one right above Lake Louise.
Absolutely stunning. The pictures don't do justice to how BIG the country is up here.
Last time we rode between Lake Louise and Banff we saw a bear along the side. Did not get any good pics or video. We have had our eyes peeled the entire time. Did not see one this time.
Getting close to Banff. It is a pretty large tourist town that sits in the shadow of this mountain.
As we pull of the highway we see this little guy. He has no fear as we slowly ride by...
Another look at him....
...when we had dinner in a restaurant this evening, the waitress showed us pics of 3 different bears she had seen earlier today. 2 black bears and a grizzly.
Not such a great picture that I took, but definitely relevant to the pictures of bears we had seen just 30 minutes earlier. lol
Kevin
Crossing into Alberta, we'll be passing Lake Louise soon. Fantastic place. We stopped there a couple of years ago, definitely worth it. Unfortunately we're running out of sunlight, so it's not in the plans for today.
We've turned south, toward Banff. This mountain glacier is one right above Lake Louise.
Absolutely stunning. The pictures don't do justice to how BIG the country is up here.
Last time we rode between Lake Louise and Banff we saw a bear along the side. Did not get any good pics or video. We have had our eyes peeled the entire time. Did not see one this time.
Getting close to Banff. It is a pretty large tourist town that sits in the shadow of this mountain.
As we pull of the highway we see this little guy. He has no fear as we slowly ride by...
Another look at him....
...when we had dinner in a restaurant this evening, the waitress showed us pics of 3 different bears she had seen earlier today. 2 black bears and a grizzly.
Not such a great picture that I took, but definitely relevant to the pictures of bears we had seen just 30 minutes earlier. lol
Kevin
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Day 21
Today is one of the highlights that we have been looking forward to...Traveling the Icefields Parkway.
It is going to take more than a couple of posts, and even then, it is just an overview of the amazing ride along the Canadian Rockies.
Leaving out of the Motel in Banff...
...stopping for gas before leaving town. That is PER Litre!
Yesterday we came down the 4 lane you see in this pic....
...today we are going back up toward Lake Louise via the Bow Valley Parkway....
...which is a two lane road that is much more scenic than the 4 lane...
...AND, it's the road where our waitress from last night saw 2 bears yesterday morning.
The beauty....
...and the vastness of this land is difficult to convey with pictures and words. (Plus, the road is a lot of fun also!)
We did not see any bears...
...but we did see this Elk.
As we crossed this river to get back on the 4 lane, Mary got a nice pic of this bird in flight.
More in next post.
Today is one of the highlights that we have been looking forward to...Traveling the Icefields Parkway.
It is going to take more than a couple of posts, and even then, it is just an overview of the amazing ride along the Canadian Rockies.
Leaving out of the Motel in Banff...
...stopping for gas before leaving town. That is PER Litre!
Yesterday we came down the 4 lane you see in this pic....
...today we are going back up toward Lake Louise via the Bow Valley Parkway....
...which is a two lane road that is much more scenic than the 4 lane...
...AND, it's the road where our waitress from last night saw 2 bears yesterday morning.
The beauty....
...and the vastness of this land is difficult to convey with pictures and words. (Plus, the road is a lot of fun also!)
We did not see any bears...
...but we did see this Elk.
As we crossed this river to get back on the 4 lane, Mary got a nice pic of this bird in flight.
More in next post.
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Day 21 continued.
We are back on the 4 lane for a few Km's before....
...getting on the Icefields Parkway, toward Jasper.
Last time we rode the Parkway it was in the high 30's - low 40's. Today is in the mid 70's.
Perfect riding, amazing views...
...Bow Lake is emerald green from being fed...
...from the glaciers above.
There are miles and miles - every time we think it's the end, around the corner there are miles more...
...of mountains, glaciers, rivers and lakes!
This is about halfway between Banff and Jasper. Fixing to stop to eat and enjoy the 360 degree view of the surrounding mountains!
Day 21 to be continued.
Kevin
We are back on the 4 lane for a few Km's before....
...getting on the Icefields Parkway, toward Jasper.
Last time we rode the Parkway it was in the high 30's - low 40's. Today is in the mid 70's.
Perfect riding, amazing views...
...Bow Lake is emerald green from being fed...
...from the glaciers above.
There are miles and miles - every time we think it's the end, around the corner there are miles more...
...of mountains, glaciers, rivers and lakes!
This is about halfway between Banff and Jasper. Fixing to stop to eat and enjoy the 360 degree view of the surrounding mountains!
Day 21 to be continued.
Kevin
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Really cool Kev, captions mean so much as well. Takes time and effort.
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Day 21 Continued.
We stopped at this place for lunch...it is pretty much the only place on the Icefields Parkway between Lake Louise and Jasper. We're getting a great 44 MPG, so did not need gas, but used the restroom and had our sandwiches.
Read some of the history of the place. Watched the tourists in their cages and tour buses.
Leaving out from our lunch spot, about 100 more miles of amazing road before Jasper.
I have no idea how many millions of trees we've seen so far...it is a LOT!
Most of the snow is gone, but the glaciers are still feeding this huge waterway.
This is a fun road! We're spending most of our time in the 50-55 mph speed....
The road and TG can handle it at much faster, but we are already running a bit over the speed limit at 55, plus so there is so much to see!
Can you see him?
He seems a bit confused...
...we are on a bridge, and he walks out onto it...looks like he's got it figured out.
More in next post.
We stopped at this place for lunch...it is pretty much the only place on the Icefields Parkway between Lake Louise and Jasper. We're getting a great 44 MPG, so did not need gas, but used the restroom and had our sandwiches.
Read some of the history of the place. Watched the tourists in their cages and tour buses.
Leaving out from our lunch spot, about 100 more miles of amazing road before Jasper.
I have no idea how many millions of trees we've seen so far...it is a LOT!
Most of the snow is gone, but the glaciers are still feeding this huge waterway.
This is a fun road! We're spending most of our time in the 50-55 mph speed....
The road and TG can handle it at much faster, but we are already running a bit over the speed limit at 55, plus so there is so much to see!
Can you see him?
He seems a bit confused...
...we are on a bridge, and he walks out onto it...looks like he's got it figured out.
More in next post.
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Day 21 continued.
NO! That is the wrong way. lol....eventually he figured it out.
Can you see how the road snakes around the side of the mountain?
One of the hundreds of waterfalls we've seen...
...They come down and feed these streams, that eventually end up in the waterway to a lake.
Today is the Trifecta of riding - Perfect weather, Fun road, Amazing sights!
Around every curve there are more trees, more streams...
...more mountains, more glaciers.
Here's a monster glacier, it comes almost all the way down to the road.
A different perspective-
Down the road just a bit, on the other side....waterfalls.
Day 21 to be continued soon.
Kevin
NO! That is the wrong way. lol....eventually he figured it out.
Can you see how the road snakes around the side of the mountain?
One of the hundreds of waterfalls we've seen...
...They come down and feed these streams, that eventually end up in the waterway to a lake.
Today is the Trifecta of riding - Perfect weather, Fun road, Amazing sights!
Around every curve there are more trees, more streams...
...more mountains, more glaciers.
Here's a monster glacier, it comes almost all the way down to the road.
A different perspective-
Down the road just a bit, on the other side....waterfalls.
Day 21 to be continued soon.
Kevin
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Day 21 continued & concluded.
This pic was taken from on the road...not the side of the road, but on the normal part for riding on. Most of the road has guardrails in areas like this, but this section has been having some work done...no rails.
Endless views to the sides...
...behind us, and....
...in front of us.
Interesting mountain formation.
It's been sunny and in the 70's all day. It is still in the 70's, but we're riding into some clouds now.
Last time we rode the Icefields Parkway we did not stop at Althabasca Waterfalls. This time we did.
We don't use our cable lock often, but this is a large parking lot, full of vehicles and people, and we are going to be gone from the bike for awhile.
The cable is running thru one of the arms of both jackets, thru both helmets, and thru the passenger grab rail.
Easy way to keep stuff from walking away.
WOWOWOW!
This is a massive amount of water and power moving very quickly...just a few feet away from us.
After going over the edge, it does not end up in some big pool....there is a narrow channel thru rock where it flow just as powerfully for quite a while.
More in next post.
This pic was taken from on the road...not the side of the road, but on the normal part for riding on. Most of the road has guardrails in areas like this, but this section has been having some work done...no rails.
Endless views to the sides...
...behind us, and....
...in front of us.
Interesting mountain formation.
It's been sunny and in the 70's all day. It is still in the 70's, but we're riding into some clouds now.
Last time we rode the Icefields Parkway we did not stop at Althabasca Waterfalls. This time we did.
We don't use our cable lock often, but this is a large parking lot, full of vehicles and people, and we are going to be gone from the bike for awhile.
The cable is running thru one of the arms of both jackets, thru both helmets, and thru the passenger grab rail.
Easy way to keep stuff from walking away.
WOWOWOW!
This is a massive amount of water and power moving very quickly...just a few feet away from us.
After going over the edge, it does not end up in some big pool....there is a narrow channel thru rock where it flow just as powerfully for quite a while.
More in next post.
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Last post to this amazing day in Canada.
Below is a short phone camera video of Althabasca Waterfalls- Click on the link to see it...sorry for the bad orientation.
http://vid1088.photobucket.com/album...psakvoh1lc.mp4
Cable lock coils right back up. When the newly designed Tour Pak came out I did not like the look...it has grown on me, and looks ok now....but what I really like is that it fits far more in it than the previous design. In this pic it may look full, but it has room for much more to be put in it.
Leaving the Icefields behind...
Getting close to Jasper, and definitely getting more cloudy.
We were getting a few sprinkles here and there the last 20 miles. A metric cruiser and a crotch rocket passed us at some speed. We continued on at our 55 mph, which is about 7 mph over the speed limit.
Jasper! Last time we were here we had a bit of a difficult time finding a room...
...so this is one of the few places that Mary had called ahead and made reservations. The Bear Hill Lodge. It is a bunch of very nice cabins...some smaller some larger...
...the one straight ahead is the one we stayed in. Very nice, and less than $100 a night.
We unloaded the bike, and then went to the grocery store.
We are far enough north that it does not get totally dark at night. This pic was taken from the cabin porch a bit after mid-night.
Kevin
Below is a short phone camera video of Althabasca Waterfalls- Click on the link to see it...sorry for the bad orientation.
http://vid1088.photobucket.com/album...psakvoh1lc.mp4
Cable lock coils right back up. When the newly designed Tour Pak came out I did not like the look...it has grown on me, and looks ok now....but what I really like is that it fits far more in it than the previous design. In this pic it may look full, but it has room for much more to be put in it.
Leaving the Icefields behind...
Getting close to Jasper, and definitely getting more cloudy.
We were getting a few sprinkles here and there the last 20 miles. A metric cruiser and a crotch rocket passed us at some speed. We continued on at our 55 mph, which is about 7 mph over the speed limit.
Jasper! Last time we were here we had a bit of a difficult time finding a room...
...so this is one of the few places that Mary had called ahead and made reservations. The Bear Hill Lodge. It is a bunch of very nice cabins...some smaller some larger...
...the one straight ahead is the one we stayed in. Very nice, and less than $100 a night.
We unloaded the bike, and then went to the grocery store.
We are far enough north that it does not get totally dark at night. This pic was taken from the cabin porch a bit after mid-night.
Kevin
May I ask what cameras Mary used for her excellent photography?
Kevin, this may be a dumb question, but what time of the year did you do this trip. It looks like the weather was awesome!!
Roger
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GYRATIONS???
Fuzzy!! Shame on you!! (This is called being red-lettered, btw...
)And Kevin--yet another awesome series of posts.
Just wow.
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Yes, it is a Fuji JX665, with the shutter speed set at 400 for taking pics at speed. We paid $99 for it at Walmart. I use a free photo editor, IrfanView to crop & resize the pics.
A few of the pics are taken with a Galaxy S5.
Hi Roger...both in 2013 and 2015 we were on the Icefields Parkway in the middle of June. In 2013 it was in the high 30's-low 40's. In 2015 it was in the mid 70's.
You can see the 2013 Ride Report at the following thread. I do think the camera took better pics in the colder weather.
http://www.triketalk.com/forum/threa...ghlight=Alaska
Kevin
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Day 22 of riding.
Here we are loading up outside our cabin in Jasper...
...I load the trunk and Mary loads the Tour Pak and the TP rack. She's done and ready to roll.
Just a couple of km's outside of Jasper, ready for another 450 km's today.
Since turning east to Banff we've been in Alberta, just a bit outside of Jasper we cross back into British Columbia.
The road follows along the shore of Moose Lake for a few miles...Stunning!
Another great day of riding, headed toward Mt. Robson...
...Looking back at Mt. Robson.
We have not seen a whole lot of bikes on the road, it is nice to see a fellow traveler.
Just a bit later, we saw a bear...a BIG one. I did not have the video on. It was standing at the edge of the road on its hinds legs. I pulled it down from 65 to 0 very quickly. I think the downshifting scared the bear and Mary got this pic as it ran off into the woods.
I should have just pulled in the clutch and used brakes only...lesson learned.
We rode into some light rain for a while...really just a heavy drizzle.
More in next post.
Here we are loading up outside our cabin in Jasper...
...I load the trunk and Mary loads the Tour Pak and the TP rack. She's done and ready to roll.
Just a couple of km's outside of Jasper, ready for another 450 km's today.
Since turning east to Banff we've been in Alberta, just a bit outside of Jasper we cross back into British Columbia.
The road follows along the shore of Moose Lake for a few miles...Stunning!
Another great day of riding, headed toward Mt. Robson...
...Looking back at Mt. Robson.
We have not seen a whole lot of bikes on the road, it is nice to see a fellow traveler.
Just a bit later, we saw a bear...a BIG one. I did not have the video on. It was standing at the edge of the road on its hinds legs. I pulled it down from 65 to 0 very quickly. I think the downshifting scared the bear and Mary got this pic as it ran off into the woods.
I should have just pulled in the clutch and used brakes only...lesson learned.
We rode into some light rain for a while...really just a heavy drizzle.
More in next post.
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Day 22 continued.
Coming out of the rain, fantastic views and road!
Eating some miles!
We stopped in a little rest area and had our sandwiches.
We just love it up here (during the summer...not to sure how we'd like it in the winter )
We're on the 24 now, it is a really fun road that comes into 100 Mile House from the back.
Part of it is pretty tight and steep...we saw several sports cars on this road that were just moving out...probably double the speed limit.
About a 5 mile section of it had small gravel and sand on it, made for some nice drifting in the curves.
btw, I am super impressed with the rear tire on the front. It has MUCH more grip than the front tire, and it is lasting really well also. On this section, with the stock front tire, it would have been washing out at much slower speeds than I was going...and this one was sticking just fine.
For those that are interested, I was accelerating, uphill, and was able to drift the rear tires, and the front tire was holding just fine.
Looks like some rain up ahead, but....
...it wasn't. It was some pretty good size hail. Mary tucked the camera away, and tucked herself away, lol. I think it was the first time on this trip I actually closed my visor...was stinging my face a bit.
The water you see on the windshield is hail that stuck to the dirty surface and then melted.
It was also melting pretty much as quick as it hit the ground.
Here we are coming out of it.
The 24 does not have any gas stations right on the road...there were a few signs to take a side road to a gas station (that may or may not be open)...rather than do that I just dumped in the 2 gallons we'd been carrying for a while.
Shadow pic right before getting to 100 Mile House.
I am really pleased with how the TG is running.
*We were riding into a strong headwind all day, running between 55 & 70 mph, mostly around 65 mph, and we still got 35 mpg.
Kevin
Coming out of the rain, fantastic views and road!
Eating some miles!
We stopped in a little rest area and had our sandwiches.
We just love it up here (during the summer...not to sure how we'd like it in the winter
)
We're on the 24 now, it is a really fun road that comes into 100 Mile House from the back.
Part of it is pretty tight and steep...we saw several sports cars on this road that were just moving out...probably double the speed limit.
About a 5 mile section of it had small gravel and sand on it, made for some nice drifting in the curves.
btw, I am super impressed with the rear tire on the front. It has MUCH more grip than the front tire, and it is lasting really well also. On this section, with the stock front tire, it would have been washing out at much slower speeds than I was going...and this one was sticking just fine.
For those that are interested, I was accelerating, uphill, and was able to drift the rear tires, and the front tire was holding just fine.
Looks like some rain up ahead, but....
...it wasn't. It was some pretty good size hail. Mary tucked the camera away, and tucked herself away, lol. I think it was the first time on this trip I actually closed my visor...was stinging my face a bit.
The water you see on the windshield is hail that stuck to the dirty surface and then melted.
It was also melting pretty much as quick as it hit the ground.
Here we are coming out of it.
The 24 does not have any gas stations right on the road...there were a few signs to take a side road to a gas station (that may or may not be open)...rather than do that I just dumped in the 2 gallons we'd been carrying for a while.
Shadow pic right before getting to 100 Mile House.
I am really pleased with how the TG is running.
*We were riding into a strong headwind all day, running between 55 & 70 mph, mostly around 65 mph, and we still got 35 mpg.
Kevin
Great couple of posts! Nice pics as always.
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Day 23 of Riding.
So, from the day we decided to go up and see some more of BC, I had asked Mary if there was anything in particular that was a "must see" for her. She did some research (Google) and said she wanted to stay at Nimpo Lake and that she wanted to go to Bella Coola.
Bella Coola is the end of the road in western Canada...can't go any further...and the road to get there is one of the most dangerous roads there is.
After seeing some videos of the road I had some second thoughts about agreeing to go, but then thought that if other bikes, cars, & trucks could travel it, we surely could. More on that later.
Today is the day we start that direction!
While packing up to leave 100 Mile House it started hailing...not much at first...
...but then for about 5 minutes it came down really hard (no pics, we were in the room), and then as quickly as it started, it stopped.
We finished packing up and are on our way to Nimpo Lake! It is cold (low 30's) but we have our heated gear keeping us warm.
We are not 20 minutes down the road and it starts getting real cold. I asked Mary to turn my jacket up (warmer) and she tells me it's not working, neither is hers.
Now, a few years ago I would have never thought I would use heated gear. Now that we've been using it, the idea of layering up to be not as cold has no appeal. I like being toasty warm, even if I'm running 70 mph in 30* temps.
So I pulled over and we tried our back up controller. It's not working...ok, so I thought it was a fuse. Removed the seat, fuse looks good, but I switch it out anyway.
Still no go.
Long story short, it ends up that the ground terminal at the battery for the heated gear was broken.
Once I saw that was the problem, it was a quick fix...especially since HD new can-bus system allows super fast access to the battery.
Pic of side of the road repair.
The gear we're using, and the wiring, controllers, all of it has about 80,000 miles on it. Some of it very hard miles, going thru the Yukon and on the Haul road up to the Arctic Circle. So it was no big surprise to find the ground wires at the battery fatigued and broken.
Below is a pic Mary took of the controller working again. She was a very happy camper!
Here we are making the turn to the west, to the remote Bella Coola.
It was a fun, long, winding road down to Fraser River.
Once at the bottom, and crossing the bridge everything starts to take on a bit of a different feel.
Mary taking an overhead/rearview shot of where we came from.
Going up the other side is a long series of seriously fun switchbacks!
Once at the top of the mountain, everything is fairly flat, for as far as we could see.
*From here to Bella Coola is dubbed "The Long Road" in my mind.
More in next post.
So, from the day we decided to go up and see some more of BC, I had asked Mary if there was anything in particular that was a "must see" for her. She did some research (Google) and said she wanted to stay at Nimpo Lake and that she wanted to go to Bella Coola.
Bella Coola is the end of the road in western Canada...can't go any further...and the road to get there is one of the most dangerous roads there is.
After seeing some videos of the road I had some second thoughts about agreeing to go, but then thought that if other bikes, cars, & trucks could travel it, we surely could. More on that later.
Today is the day we start that direction!
While packing up to leave 100 Mile House it started hailing...not much at first...
...but then for about 5 minutes it came down really hard (no pics, we were in the room), and then as quickly as it started, it stopped.
We finished packing up and are on our way to Nimpo Lake! It is cold (low 30's) but we have our heated gear keeping us warm.
We are not 20 minutes down the road and it starts getting real cold. I asked Mary to turn my jacket up (warmer) and she tells me it's not working, neither is hers.
Now, a few years ago I would have never thought I would use heated gear. Now that we've been using it, the idea of layering up to be not as cold has no appeal. I like being toasty warm, even if I'm running 70 mph in 30* temps.
So I pulled over and we tried our back up controller. It's not working...ok, so I thought it was a fuse. Removed the seat, fuse looks good, but I switch it out anyway.
Still no go.
Long story short, it ends up that the ground terminal at the battery for the heated gear was broken.
Once I saw that was the problem, it was a quick fix...especially since HD new can-bus system allows super fast access to the battery.
Pic of side of the road repair.
The gear we're using, and the wiring, controllers, all of it has about 80,000 miles on it. Some of it very hard miles, going thru the Yukon and on the Haul road up to the Arctic Circle. So it was no big surprise to find the ground wires at the battery fatigued and broken.
Below is a pic Mary took of the controller working again. She was a very happy camper!
Here we are making the turn to the west, to the remote Bella Coola.
It was a fun, long, winding road down to Fraser River.
Once at the bottom, and crossing the bridge everything starts to take on a bit of a different feel.
Mary taking an overhead/rearview shot of where we came from.
Going up the other side is a long series of seriously fun switchbacks!
Once at the top of the mountain, everything is fairly flat, for as far as we could see.
*From here to Bella Coola is dubbed "The Long Road" in my mind.
More in next post.
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- #176
Day 23 continued.
For the first 40 miles or so we see quite a few logging trucks (yes, that's a 30 wheeler, quite a bit larger than an 18 wheeler)...I'm always keeping a sharp look-out for stuff falling off. Even a small piece can really hurt!
The GPS shows only one gas station between Williams Lake and Nimpo Lake. That is a 200 mile stretch. I think we can do the whole thing easily with the 6 gallons in the tank, and certainly with the extra 2 gallons I'm carrying. But, I have learned to be safe...who knows, they may be out of gas at Nimpo Lake. So we stop at Lee's Corner.
Sure am glad we did.
After filling up with the 87 octane we went inside.
On the ceiling...
...Is a hand-drawn map of the area. Found out Lee's Corner was first established in 1811...
You can see everything from 100 Mile House, through Williams Lake, Lee's Corner, Nimpo Lake, Bella Coola, and even further west (where there are no roads).
100 Mile House is in the bottom right area of the map. The whole place is filled with History, the folks are in absolutely no hurry whatsoever, and I get a bit more of that "different" feel.
A house or barn? right outside of Lee's Corner.
Once we get a few miles past Lee's Corner, it gets downright desolate...
...the feeling that was sorta there earlier, is very strong now. There is no traffic, no sign of human life, and we see no animal life either...not saying it wasn't there, but it was a very eerie feeling for about 100 miles.
The "Long Road", some turns here and there, a few little hills, but we are up high on a huge plateau.
Day 23 to be continued soon.
Kevin
For the first 40 miles or so we see quite a few logging trucks (yes, that's a 30 wheeler, quite a bit larger than an 18 wheeler)...I'm always keeping a sharp look-out for stuff falling off. Even a small piece can really hurt!
The GPS shows only one gas station between Williams Lake and Nimpo Lake. That is a 200 mile stretch. I think we can do the whole thing easily with the 6 gallons in the tank, and certainly with the extra 2 gallons I'm carrying. But, I have learned to be safe...who knows, they may be out of gas at Nimpo Lake. So we stop at Lee's Corner.
Sure am glad we did.
After filling up with the 87 octane we went inside.
On the ceiling...
...Is a hand-drawn map of the area. Found out Lee's Corner was first established in 1811...
You can see everything from 100 Mile House, through Williams Lake, Lee's Corner, Nimpo Lake, Bella Coola, and even further west (where there are no roads).
100 Mile House is in the bottom right area of the map. The whole place is filled with History, the folks are in absolutely no hurry whatsoever, and I get a bit more of that "different" feel.
A house or barn? right outside of Lee's Corner.
Once we get a few miles past Lee's Corner, it gets downright desolate...
...the feeling that was sorta there earlier, is very strong now. There is no traffic, no sign of human life, and we see no animal life either...not saying it wasn't there, but it was a very eerie feeling for about 100 miles.
The "Long Road", some turns here and there, a few little hills, but we are up high on a huge plateau.
Day 23 to be continued soon.
Kevin
DK Custom Products
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- Thread starter
- #177
Day 23 continued.
"The Long Road"...
...is just that. Still a ways to go...
...it's hard to put my finger on it. I love to ride, the worst day riding is better than the best day in the office...
...but there is something different about this road. Don't know what else to say, other than looking at the pictures, it looks fun and good scenery, but what I see in the pics does not match up with the feeling while riding it.
There are lakes and ponds along the way...
...as well as meadows.
we are getting into the foothills of the mountains we have been watching for the last few hours.
As we get near the one "town" between Lee's Corner and Nimpo Lake we start seeing cattle here and there...no fences, or in the few places there are fences, the gates are open.
A small lake, and the mountains that we are headed to seem within reach now.
The road changed awhile back...rougher surface, narrower, and no center line, and as we get close to Nimpo Lake...
More in next post.
"The Long Road"...
...is just that. Still a ways to go...
...it's hard to put my finger on it. I love to ride, the worst day riding is better than the best day in the office...
...but there is something different about this road. Don't know what else to say, other than looking at the pictures, it looks fun and good scenery, but what I see in the pics does not match up with the feeling while riding it.
There are lakes and ponds along the way...
...as well as meadows.
we are getting into the foothills of the mountains we have been watching for the last few hours.
As we get near the one "town" between Lee's Corner and Nimpo Lake we start seeing cattle here and there...no fences, or in the few places there are fences, the gates are open.
A small lake, and the mountains that we are headed to seem within reach now.
The road changed awhile back...rougher surface, narrower, and no center line, and as we get close to Nimpo Lake...
More in next post.
DK Custom Products
Sponsor
- Thread starter
- #178
Day 23 Continued.
...we are climbing at a pretty good pace...
...and seeing more cattle roaming the roads and along the sides. The road has widened up a bit also.
There are a few homes outside of "downtown" Nimpo.
Here is the "town" of Nimpo Lake...the one and only store and gas station! Also where we got the key to the cabin we had rented ahead of time. 87 Octane only. There are a couple of gas stations in Bella Coola, but they regularly run out. So I filled up the tank and the gas can. 8 gallons should easily get us there and back.
At the cabin, TG is already unpacked.
View of the Lake from the cabin porch.
Inside the cabin. Triple decker bunk beds.
After we were unpacked and had a snack, we walked down to the lake, out onto the dock and looked around a bit.
Big lake, 7 miles long and about a mile across.
Sitting on a bench, enjoying the view...
...and thinking about the ride to Bella Coola tomorrow. In case you did not watch the video in the first post, or even if you did, below is another one to give you an idea of what I'm thinking about. lol Bella Coola is the end of the road, and it is a road that was built privately and looks like it will be a bit of a challenge.
Kevin
...we are climbing at a pretty good pace...
...and seeing more cattle roaming the roads and along the sides. The road has widened up a bit also.
There are a few homes outside of "downtown" Nimpo.
Here is the "town" of Nimpo Lake...the one and only store and gas station! Also where we got the key to the cabin we had rented ahead of time. 87 Octane only. There are a couple of gas stations in Bella Coola, but they regularly run out. So I filled up the tank and the gas can. 8 gallons should easily get us there and back.
At the cabin, TG is already unpacked.
View of the Lake from the cabin porch.
Inside the cabin. Triple decker bunk beds.
After we were unpacked and had a snack, we walked down to the lake, out onto the dock and looked around a bit.
Big lake, 7 miles long and about a mile across.
Sitting on a bench, enjoying the view...
...and thinking about the ride to Bella Coola tomorrow. In case you did not watch the video in the first post, or even if you did, below is another one to give you an idea of what I'm thinking about. lol Bella Coola is the end of the road, and it is a road that was built privately and looks like it will be a bit of a challenge.
Kevin
- Moderator
- #179
Ride safe I think I would rather be on the TRI then that PU
I think it is a great challenge and the memory of this is forever. Jim
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