Out to a western island, My wife's second trip and her "Biker Stories from the Road"

Out to a western island, My wife's second trip and her "Biker Stories from the Road"

I had convinced my wife to ride motorcycles and last year we took a trip out to the mountains of Montana and Wyoming.


That report and the background of how I got her to start riding can be found in that ride report here.
http://www.advrider.com/forums/showthread.php?t=828217

We had enjoyed that trip so much this year we had plans for another big ride. A few weeks before we took a long weekend trip into northern Minnesota to make sure we were ready to do it again.

We live pretty close to the center of the continent so made a couple of plans for this years big trip and they would all be dependant on the weather.

Plan 1 - Return to Jackson Wyoming and pick up where we left off on our tour of US Hwy 89 "The Parks Highway")
Plan 2 Head east and try to make it to Quebec and then head south into Vermont and return around the south of the Great Lakes
Plan 3 - Go west and travel the mountains of Montana, and BC
Plan 4 - Head south to the smokey mountains of Tennessee and the Carolinas

Last year our trip was in late September but as this years trip was to be in August we immediately threw out Utah and Tennessee due to heat and or humidity issues.

I really had my heart set on heading east and the long range was supporting it but within a few days of travel the long range forecast had changed and it looked like heading out to the mountains was the place to go.

This years trip was also going to be different in that our close friends Jim and Cindy were going to accompany us on the trip. Jim and i had completed an Alaska trip in June but this would be his wife's first big trip and her first experience with driving in the mountains.

Again Denise (my wife) was going to be sending updates back to friends an family so i used these updates to create a ride report.

So here we go, with another edition of "My Wife's Biker Stories from the Road"

Day 1, 2 and 3

Biker Stories from the Road

Back by popular demand ... Biker Stories from the Road!
We have headed west again and our ultimate destination is Tofino on Vancouver Island. This trip we have our good friends Jim (Buck) and Cindy MacDonald with us.

Day 1 August 26, 2012
Our first day we made it as far as Brandon where Garth secured us a great deal at the Royal Oak Inn ... $70 for the night and breakfast included (and not just continental breakfast but actual menu choices).
A lunch stop day 1




Day 2 August 27, 2012
Monday we made our way back to highway 2 (and then 13) and followed it along southern Manitoba and Saskatchewan to Assiniboia SK. We stopped in Weyburn SK and had coffee with my dear friend Yvonne and her hubbie Wayne.





The prairies are beautiful right now with all of the wheat fields shimmering gold. The harvest is on so there was a lot to see as well.







You never know what you are going to meet along these highways. Farmers will tow or drive anything anywhere. Huge pieces of machinery on the move. The southern portion of Saskatchewan is great riding ... with long slow turns and valleys. It was during one of those long slow turns ... listening to Sheryl Crow sing "I shall be me .. I shall be free" that I was doing some soul searching and reflecting when suddenly WHACK ... I am abruptly returned to reality and the fact that some juicy bug has committed suicide on my face shield. Yuck, now I am starring at yellow bug guts splattered in my direct line of vision. There is no way to clean it off and there is no way to not make the request to stop to clean it off sound whiney. Biker chicks are not supposed to be whiney! So I just played the "guess what shape the splat has made" game. Soon there was red as well as yellow!


In Assiniboia we stayed at the Wheel Inn Motel and had supper at "Andy's Buffet, Home of the Best Food in Southern Saskatchewan".



The sign boasted food from Canada, America, and Greece. The buffet ended up being Chinese, haha, and the cook is from Vancouver. How on earth she ended up in Assiniboia is beyond me. We picked up some cans of beer and sat outside of our rooms and watched the world go by. We were definitely on the main drag because the same car with a loud muffler kept going by. It was a 29 degree day.



Day 3 August 28, 2012

Morning in Assiniboia SK


Today we made our way south across the border to Montana. Lots of fields of cattle. We witnessed 2 of them on a jail break. They were running for their lives along the outside of the fence. We went through a border crossing that is not heavily used by tourists and so Garth (who was the first one up) got asked all of the hard questions and actually had to open up his side bags so that they could make sure he was not smuggling anything across. They found his fruit and confiscated his oranges ... damn ... he loves oranges! We took a break at the first town we rode into and had a coffee at "The Outpost".





The "Price is Right" was on the big screen TV so that entertained us for a bit. Upon leaving Garth spotted a truck selling vegetables so he bought a 6 lb bag of carrots. Really good Hutterite farm carrots. Every time we stopped to gas up or take a break ... out came the carrots ... "What's Up Doc"! The farther south we went the hotter it got.

Temperature reading on display was 36.5 at that time.


We ended the day at 2:30 in Havre (pronounced Have At Er ... but leave out the At) and it was 37 degrees. I don't ever remember having the sensation of sweat running down my shins before ... so gross! I stood under the shower for a very long time. We walked to downtown Havre and found a mexican restaurant and had some really great food for supper. Our waiter was a young man whose mom lives in Preston BC. He had just returned from a 3 week visit.
Tomorrow we head into the mountains and will experience one of the top 10 motorcycle rides in the world ... the "Going to the Sun Road" through Glacier National Park.
Will update you on that one later.
Hope this finds you all well. Take care. Please pass this email along.
Thanks, Denise

Day 1 Map Dryden, ON - Brandon, MB


Day 2 map Brandon, MB - Assiniboia SK


Day 3 Map Assiniboia, SK - Havre, MT

Day 4 Havre to Kalispell MT via going to the sun

Today warrants an update all by itself ... what a day!
We started off from Havre in a hazy kind of morning. As we started down highway 2 it became very apparent that it was really really windy! Mother Nature was pissed at someone and she was taking it out on us! It was also alot cooler and Garth commented that a cold front was going through .. we had a beautiful clear blue sky and the wind coming from the northwest was a-howling. For the first while the wind was hitting us on the right. We stopped for a break in Chester MT at Spud's Cafe. Then our direction switched so that the wind was hitting us on the left. We stopped for gas and after swearing and cursing the wind I asked Jim if we were going to experience this wind in the mountains (like I could do anything about that or do anything different) and I was assured that we would not.

It was so windy we really never got and pictures. It was hold on to the handle bars and focus on the drive.

Highway heading to St Mary Lk


Our next destination was St Mary's Lake which is at the eastern entrance to Glacier National Park and the "Going to the Sun Road".

Once we got into the foothills of the mountains (which belong to the Rocky Mountain range) the wind was much more manageable. At St Mary's Lake we stopped at the Park Cafe.

It is a little local cafe with half a dozen tables and a constant line-up. So Garth added his name to the wait list and we headed down the road to the t-shirt store. After a 25 minute wait we got in. Their specialty is pie and Garth and Jim have taste tested the pie once before. I had a piece of coconut cream pie and it was delish! GW had pecan, Jim had banana cream and Cindy had razzle-berry (bumbleberry in Canada).



Park Caf? is rated as one of the top Road Food spots in the west http://www.sunset.com/travel/wests-best-road-food-00418000072448/page10.html

Once we were fed and watered we headed into the park, $12 per motorcycle, and the 50 mile trip which takes you over Logan's Pass at 6,648 feet in elevation.
Park Entrance pic


This "Going to the Sun Road" was dedicated in 1933. There is a rock wall which lines most of the road and was definitely laid by hand back in the 30's. It is quite amazing. We stopped at the top of Logan's Pass to visit the gift shop. Garth and Jim were on the hunt for stickers for their saddle bags.



We met many motorcycles and I almost had an incident in front of a group of them in the gift shop parking lot. I said to Garth "oh thank god that didn't turn out bad in front of those biker bitches", haha! Now we headed down the other side of the mountain range and this is where the scenery really becomes breath-taking ... and there are gaukers who probably cannot drive properly on straight stretches and here we are with them on the narrow, windy roads on the side of a mountain, yikes ... and there is also road construction, who'd a guessed!



Thank goodness we didn't have to stop on some precarious slope while we waited the half hour for the road construction. Good thing I did all that slow driving practice before we left because it really came in handy today as we crept along behind the lineup of cars and trucks.






One thing you see alot of on this road is tourist buses and they are full of grey hairs ... why you might ask ... because the park has a length limit on vehicles so it eliminates all of the monstrous RV's that grey hairs love to motor in across the great USA and thank god for that because this road was not built with them in mind! We stopped for some great photo-ops and oh yes a carrot munching break as well.







Anyone recognize the dude photo bombing the picture? He was on a KLR and it was mid afternoon on August 29, 2012


It was now coming to that part of the day when it is time to think about where we would be resting our heads that night. I think that Garth was looking forward to camping in the park but the memory of our August long-weekend motorcycle ride into Minnesota where we ran out of options and ended up camping in a very secluded campground with no food, no water starring at our neighbour campers as they roasted hot dogs and drank beer is still just to fresh to allow that to happen again, haha! So we motored out the western entrance of the park and found great accommodations at the Hill Top Motor Inn in Kalispell MT.





They even have a laundry service, a grocery store with beer nearby, and a Papa John's Pizza shop ... yahoo!
We finished our wonderful day sitting outside eating pizza, enjoying a cold beer watching the world go by.



Tomorrow we head back into Canada via Creston BC and a loop of Kootney Lake!
Until later ... take care all. Please pass this along.
Thanks, Denise

Day 4 Map Havre, MT - Kalispell, MT

2 more days on the road Kalispell MT to Hope BC Via Nelson part 1

Part 3

Live from Hope BC it's ... Biker Stories from the Road!
We left Kalispell MT and headed towards Canada on day 5 of our trip. We had a beautiful ride along Montana highway 2 which featured big ponderosa pine and douglas fir trees, big ranches, lots of cattle and lots of sunshine.







At one point a huge pine stood all alone right in front of us and it really looked like we were going to run into it. The highway of course turned right at the tree and Garth thought for sure that there would be marks on the bark from many close calls over the years but none were apparent. Having had quite a bit of coffee at breakfast my bladder was busting when we pulled into Libby so I asked Garth to please please pull into the first place he can find with a bathroom. PJ's Cafe is where we pulled in ... yikes what an awful place. The ladies room was terrible and the coffee was even worse.



Garth inquired about pie (he is still on his search for the best pie) and I thought oh god don't eat anything in this joint and thank goodness they were all out of pie. We escaped there without any diseases ... well none that have shown up yet, haha! Along our route we drove over a couple of bridges that were so high up that scaredy cats like Cindy and I just took little peeks and sure did not stand up to see over the sides of the bridge. While stopped for a photo opportunity and a carrot munching break at the "Welcome to Idaho" sign a black SUV came tearing into the pull-out spot and out jumped 4 young girls and a young man. They wanted us to take their picture in front of the sign ... which of course Garth did ... but they were also very chatty regarding our bikes, journey etc.



One in particular was interested in how Cindy and I had packed our bags and related a story about a hiking trip she went on and how she came out of the bush feeling particularly unattractive having not had a shower or a chance to do her hair or makeup. Feeling a bit self-conscious about our appearance I said that we wished that we had packed at least a curling iron or hair straightener (after all here we were with flat helmet hair, dressed in our full motorcycle gear and this young thing is cute as could be with hair just so, makeup just so ... brat) and she says "oh no .. you two look fabulous" ... hah she was lying through her teeth! So off we go and we head to Bonner's Ferry for lunch (which is famous for something but we aren't sure what) and GW, Jim and Cindy all decided to try Chicken Fried Steak for lunch. Jim was not impressed that it came on a bed of white gravy! They worked their way through it ... crossing it off the list and figuring that they wouldn't ever have to eat it again. This place also boasted home made pie so Garth tried peach and Jim had pumpkin. After lunch we climbed our way out of the valley and back towards the border.





At the border we witnessed a logging truck driver jump out of his truck to give a young SUV driver from Alberta supreme **** for cutting him off and also a BC driver who thought he could sneak into the commercial lane only to be turned around and made to go to the end of the "car" lane. Crossing for us was quite easy. We are now heading into Creston BC and Garth sniffed out the Tim Horton's so that we could finally have a decent cup of coffee. It was so busy with the 3 o'clock coffee crowd and Jim came out with hearing damage because the gentlemen right next to him was talking too loud to his buddy.

Part II

From Creston we decided to take the #1 BC motorcycle route which goes up the east side of Kootenay Lake to Kootenay Bay where we caught the ferry across Kootenay Lake to Belfour.



It was an amazing ride but there was lots of traffic and we passed many many motorcycles.



We stopped at Destiny Bay where we finished off the carrots. 50 miles of highway all along the waters edge ... it was so cool ... up and down and windy! The ferry ride lasted for about 40 minutes and the ferry is big enough to carry fully loaded wood trucks and transports.



They allowed us to come right up to the front so we had a perfect view of the passage and all of the beautiful homes and cottages along the shoreline.







Once off the ferry we motored into Nelson BC. What an absolutely beautiful part of interior BC! We stayed at the Villa Motel just before the bridge that goes into downtown Nelson. The full moon and lights of the city all shone and reflected into the water and it was very picturesque as we sat out enjoyed a beer and watched the world go by. The Villa offered a continental breakfast but little did we realize that it didn't start until 8 and then we found out that Nelson doesn't have a Tim Horton's (it has been declared a heritage city so new development like Tim's is not allowed) so we got the heck out of Nelson and sped 30 minutes down the road to Castlegar where we got confused by the entrances and exits and ended up at McDonald's, haha! After breakfast we were on a big push day to make it to Hope. The ride was incredible with several mountain passages, steep climbs and steeper descents. At one point we were going down at 350 ft per minute!





Of course all of this with long weekend traffic ... I don't think there is anyone left in Vancouver for the weekend. We made our way through Osoyoos, where we stopped at a fruit stand and bought MacIntosh apples, peaches, cherries, and grapes.





We stopped in Princeton where Garth continued his search for the best pie ... apple at Billy's Family Restaurant (Jim figures that this one ranked 2 so it must have been darn good).



We cruised into Hope where Garth had pre-booked rooms at the Swiss Chalet Motel (run by an Asian fellow who just couldn't do enough for us and our motorcycles).





Such cute little duplex cabins.



Cindy and I felt pretty darn good about our day but we were very happy to have it end. We walked down to Joe's Restaurant for a bite to eat. Tomorrow we head into Richmond for Garth and Cindy to get tires changed and then the ferry over to Vancouver Island. Stay tuned folks ... more adventure to come!
Take good care and please pass along.

Day 5 Map Kalispell, MT - Nelson, BC


Day 6 Map Nelson, BC - Hope, BC

Hope BC to Tofino Part 1

We have had so much fun since my last update! We were up bright and early after our night sleep in our Swiss Chalet and on our way to find the Pacific BMW dealer in Richmond BC. The ride in went so smooth that you would think it was choreographed. Garth out front with a map, Denise coming in second, Cindy coming up third and Jim watching out for us from behind with a map. Garth and I had our communicators working so he was acting like ?Emily? the GPS voice and Cindy and I were keeping tabs on each other ? me not letting her get too far behind and Cindy keeping track of my every move ? and Jim to put it all back together if our plan fell apart ? piece of cake!

Anyway, at the BMW dealer the new tires were installed and we shopped. Cindy bought a new jacket ? bright lime-green so now I can really see her behind me.

Waiting at pacific BMW


The 1200 storage locker


Our next stop was the ferry over to Victoria. We just made the 2 o?clock boarding. It was a beautiful day and the scenery was fantastic.







Once off the ferry we made our way to Nanaimo ? what a crazy trip that was ? there must be a traffic light every kilometre. I realize that once on the island life is supposed to slowwww down but seriously folks. There are small towns all along the way ? one in particular is Duncan ? oh yes Duncan ? where sly little RCMP officers hide behind bushes with a radar gun and then JUMP out and scare the life out of one motorcyclist ? namely me! So down I ride into the parking lot that he motioned me too (a little too enthusiastically I might add). I was shaking terribly because I didn?t know what was going to happen next as I still only have the first step of the graduated licence and I am not supposed to get caught for speeding! Anyway I turn around and here comes Cindy ? he got her too ? but the funniest part is that Jim saw this officer, realized it was a radar trap and so tucked in behind Cindy, haha! Anyway Garth turns around and comes back and when he realizes what has happened his first thought is ?somehow this is going to be my fault? ? you got it baby! The RCMP officer was one of the nicest I have encountered and when it was all said and done (lots of talking from Garth and Jim and also a little bit of surprise on the officers part when he realized that he had pulled over two 50 year old women) I got off with a written warning and Cindy didn?t get processed at all. We got the heck out of there ? following the speed limit of course and eventually found a campsite outside of Nanaimo. What a campground!





They actually rented us a campsite that someone had already paid the annual fee for but had not gone up to use it the long weekend. This place is huge but 90% of the campsites have some combination of camper/trailer/lean-to/porchy thing that are there permanently. A couple that I saw had absolutely beautiful gardens with patios, lights, trellises, etc. It was so noisy with every shape and size of child and dog running around but boy when the clock struck 11 ? quiet.



For dinner we walked to where we thought we had seen restaurants ? most of which closed at 8 and that?s what time we got there. We were starring into the take-out pizza place when the door to ?Sun?s Noodle Bowl? opened up and the owner took pity on us and cooked us the most amazing Chinese food.

Sunday morning we headed down the highway to Tofino. Again ? one traffic light after another and then freedom just after Parksville when we turned onto highway 4. We stopped at MacMillan park where the highway splits the park into 2 with one side having the ?big? douglas fir trees (big not even coming close to describing the size of these trees) and the other side having the older growth trees. The biggest tree of all is over 900 years old and was 300 years old when Christopher Columbus landed.



This is also part of the coastal rain forest and moss actually grows and hangs off of the branches of some of the smaller trees ? looks very spooky!







We also met a fellow driving a Gold Wing with his partner and a trailer that carried their dog. It looked like a great set up and he said the dog loved it.

Hope to Tofino Part II

Off we go again heading for Tofino. The traffic is crazy for a Sunday and the highway is like being on a roller coaster! Up, down, up, down and then around a really tight curve ? over and over again all the friggin? way. I have not driven so long in 3rd gear before. And of course meeting the most traffic right on the really tight curves. My stomach actually flipped over a couple of times. It was wild!











We turned south at the junction and visited Ucluelet before Tofino and had some lunch.



We stopped at Smiley?s Family Restaurant and encountered a very nice young man from California who was just new to the area and our waiter. He is living out of his truck for the time being and working and surfing.







We made our way to Tofino and found a room at the Schooner?s Motel. We had a great afternoon sight-seeing and shopping. It was a beautiful day.





We had a wonderful dinner out on the Schooner?s Seafood Restaurant outside patio but it was cold so the restaurant supplied Cindy and I with lovely thick blankets.



Sept 1 Hope - Nanaimo


Sept 2 Nanaimo - Tofino

Tomorrow we are going whale watching in the morning and then heading back to the mainland.
Will keep you posted as our journey continues.
Hope that all is well. Please pass along.
Thanks, Denise

Tofino to Clinton BC via Whistler Part 1

Part 5

We woke to a very foggy morning ? figures we had a whale watching excursion planned and paid for! At 9 am we made our way down to the dock, signed our waivers, received the safety talk, watched the video (that didn?t have a thing to do with whale watching), got our safety vests, and went to the bathroom one final time (2 ? to 3 hours in a 12 passenger boat after drinking too much coffee ? not exactly the right kind of setting for peeing over the side of the boat, ha-ha).



At 9:30 we made our way to the boat with our guide Randy ? a short first nation?s man with teeth missing but who knows the waterways around Tofino like the back of his hand ? and we set off.





He says to us that with all of the fog it might be quite difficult to find the whales so he wants us to help him and be very observant ? well Randy if that pre-voyage video would have given us some hints and tips on how to spot a grey whale in grey water in grey fog then we might just be able to do that!



He takes us out to the spot where all of the tour companies have been spotting whales and he slows right down and we look and we look but nothing. The fog is so thick that we can barely make out the nearby islands ? of which there were quite a few. But Randy keeps us moving. He brings us by an island where we can sort of make out some sea lions on the rocks ? sort of.



Then he takes us out on the ocean and the swells are quite big and we go up and then we come down but for the most part he motors us along quite fast. We then hit another spot where we watch some sea otters and they are quite curious. All of the other tour companies are out with boats full of whale watching folks and the guides all radio each other with their search results.



Eventually a single grey whale is spotted and holy smokes there it is. Breaching and diving and then breaching and showing us the fluke ? it was really cool. It would then dive and stay down for quite awhile and then surface in a totally different location. So we followed this whale with the other 3 boats that showed up.







With all of the movement and motion 2 of our passengers got sick and another lady had to sit at the back in the open air with her eyes closed trying to convince herself not to be sick. On our way back to shore Randy took us by an island that had harbour seals on the rocks. We also saw another group of sea otters and about a million birds ? floating everywhere no matter how far out we went there was a flippin? bird floating on the water.



The fog started to lift on our way in ? figures, but we also saw some harbour porpoises which Randy said was unusual so that was great too. All in all it was worth it and as Garth said it could have been worse ? it could have been raining!



When we were back on shore it was time for us to make our way back to Nanaimo and the ferry over to Horse Shoe Bay . But first lunch. We went in search of a restaurant that a local told us was 3-4 kilometers out of Tofino. Well we didn?t find it and so we turned around and with all of the traffic pulling out from their long weekend vacation and the semi?s pulling in Garth drove into the first place that came along. This crusty old bastard came out to the parking lot and recruited Garth into the restaurant ? questionable ? oh yes! He told Garth that he was serving the best fish and chips in town and at the best price. He didn?t want us to order anything else ? when asked what the soup of the day was he replied ?there isn?t any because the cook is lazy?! The halibut had just been delivered that morning so a round of fish and chips it was. Oh yes and how about coffee. He made us coffee and it was strong and sort of warm. The fish was good, the chips so so and nobody ate the coleslaw. When Garth and Jim went to pay the bill it was $80.00 bucks for 4 lunches! The flipping coffee was $2.50 a cup and he didn?t take debit or credit and no one had that much cash on them so Jim had to go down to an ATM ? wow what a way to end an otherwise fabulous time in Tofino.

Tofino to Clinton BC via Whistler Part II

So we roared on down the highway but made time to stop at Long Beach where we found our young friend from California sitting at the end of his truck/abode playing his guitar and writing a song ? what a life!



He introduced us to his surfing friend who was in the van/abode next door and this guy had a peace lily plant perched on the roof of his van. The beach was very busy with all kinds of surfers.







We made our way back down that crazy windy and narrow highway. It was much easier on the return trip because we knew what to expect but nevertheless it was still a wild ride. We pulled into the Nanaimo ferry just as the 5:30 ferry was pulling away ? crap ? now we have a 2 hour wait for the next one.



We landed at Horse Shoe Bay at 9 and it was dark. Jim had booked us rooms at the Horseshoe Bay Motel but we did not know where it was.



By the map it looked like we should take the first right from the ferry so we did that and ended up in a bit of a confused state as also to our right was the ferry parking lot but also Horse Shoe Village . We made our way the best we could and after driving the wrong way down a one-way street (oops) we found our hotel.

Today, Tuesday, we got out of Horse Shoe Village (crazy round about) and headed down highway 99 towards Squamish. This is a beautiful highway that follows the shoreline before turning inland. The scenery is spectacular.



We cruised through Squamish and on up to Whistler, which is very built up (Olympics of course) and very rich and pretentious.



Just past Pemberton we drove through a valley where the highway had a lot of horse crap on it but was also amazing. It suddenly opened up to this wide riverbed with blue/green water flowing and mountains all around.



We cruised by a great big tree that had a safety vest stapled to it. We then hit the Duffey Lake Provincial Park and stopped at the edge of the lake to take in (and pictures of) the scenery. Absolutely breathtaking!



Snow peaked mountains on one side ? beautiful blue/green water that didn?t have as much as a ripple on it ? and other mountains with such vivid green pastures at the very top of them that we thought anytime now a herd of elk, mountain goats or maybe a grizzly bear will come out of the bush and make their way out onto the green pasture.







We then drove a very challenging section of highway 99 to Lillooet. The ?Going to the Sun Road? that we drove in Montana has nothing on this section of highway! Cindy and I were down to the first gear on our motorcycles on some of those turns and we drove many miles in only 3rd gear because of the steepness (both going up and coming down? thought I might actually crap in my drawers a couple of times, ha-ha).







lots of sheer drops from the roadway with no or few barriars


We stopped in Lillooet for lunch and Garth was convinced, by the comings and goings, that the house next door to the restaurant/pub was a crack house. He gave us a play by play of what he could see, or imagine, while we waited for our lunch. After lunch we got back on highway 99 and went through another outstandingly beautiful area when we passed by the white-faced mountains in Marble Canyon Provincial Park .







The scenery of our whole trip today was absolutely amazing and being on a motorcycle makes it even more so. We stopped for the night in Clinton BC .
Will update you again when I can. We will probably camp tomorrow night in Jasper.
Thanks and hope that this finds you all well.
Denise

More to come but looks like there is a picture link problem.

Clinton BC to Stettler, AB

Part 6
I just have to tell you about our supper in Clinton! It all starts with us needing to do some laundry. The man who owned the motel we were staying at (looked an awful lot like George Carlin) told us that just up the street there was a laundry service. So we packed up and decided to walk. Well we walked for what we thought was too long a time so Garth went across the street to the local grocery store and asked a little Chinese woman about the laundry service and I think she got insulted because she said to him with arms flailing ?no raundry service, no raundry service?.

Turns out that the only laundry service in town was at the RV park and that?s where the story begins! It is quite the place. It belongs to Michael and Angelina and they have not only an RV park but an ?All you can eat Barbeque?. Michael has white hair that is shoulder length, slicked back over his ears and hanging long down his back ? oh with one little braided rat tail behind his left ear. His menu is simple with only 6 or 7 meat choices that he barbeques. The rest is set out underneath a tarped over deck.





His has 3 slow cookers, a hot plate with 2 pots on it and a freezer chest that he has modified to hold his salad bar. There are a selection of tables and picnic tables, signs, lights and a few items for sale (like a rocking chair and an old ceramic crock pot). Satellite radio is filling the space with country music ? actually the Willie?s Roadhouse channel. The laundry service is just off of this tarped in deck. Once we had our laundry going we made our way over to a table. Michael introduced us to the menu and then began hassling us (in a sarcastic, old buggar type way) to make up our minds as to what we were going to eat. He directed us to a cooler, around the corner, that we could help ourselves to a cold drink. He said ?help yourself because I am not going to serve you because then you can?t complain about the service?. So onto his barbeque went the meat that we ordered. When it was done he slapped it onto a plate and said come and get it. We then worked through the buffet part and when we left a lid off or put a spoon in the wrong place man did we hear about it. Garth inquired about having a beer and Michael told us that he didn?t have a liquor license but we could go across the street to the local liquor store and buy some to drink with our supper. His food was all made by hand and most of the ingredients came from his garden. He also served up an amazing dessert. A homemade brownie, topped by berries picked by the local first nation?s women up on the mountain, all topped by homemade blackcherry ice cream. It was soooo good! For the two of us the bill came to $36.00 and it was worth it just to meet this Michael character.

The next morning we woke to clouds and the chance of rain. Our destination of Jasper had a 70% chance of rain while going through to Kamloops and beyond looked better. So we back tracked a bit and went the Kamloops route which took us to Revelstoke and Rogers Pass.



Still on the search for the best pie Garth noticed a sign for ?Pedro?s Pie, the best pie in BC? at a fruit and veggie stand outside of Salmon Arm. So in we went.



All they had was bumbleberry pie that could be served and eaten right there and then. The rest were full pies for sale. So Garth and I gave in and man it was delicious. And Pedro turned out to be a young Mennonite girl, haha! At Revelstoke we stopped at a Denny?s for soup. It had started to spit when we were getting ready to leave so we prepared with our rain gear and it was a darn good thing because by the time we got up to Rogers Pass it was pouring and dark. We pulled into Rogers Pass to look for stickers and pins but there wasn?t any. It rained for about another ? hour and just long enough for the 4 tunnels that we had to go through with slippery wet entrances and exits. The temperature dropped to 4.0 degrees.

Beautiful scenery but way to damn scary in the slippery rain to pay close attention to it. Initially we thought we would find a campground for the night but after it being so wet and cold we took the first motel room we came too in Golden BC.

At supper we were noticed by a guy who was all alone at an adjacent table. He had been travelling on his motorcycle as well that day and had seen the four of us. He said that he felt sorry for Cindy and I driving in that awful weather. He was on his way to Rocky Mountain House and then Grande Prairie. He had a few great motorcycle stories to share. (The rider was OldMedic on this site. Here is a link to his blog http://oldmedic2012tfc.blogspot.ca/ )

He was finishing his ride after going in the Three Flags Classic rally http://sc-ma.com/rides/three-flags-classic-tour/route

Oldmedic


Today (Thursday) we started our day in the fog. We sat it out for as long as we could in Tim Horton?s but had to get going. It was cold so we pulled out the electric jackets and the smart wool socks! The electric jackets are one of man?s best inventions (to a motorcyclist that is, haha) because they make a tremendous difference on a cold day.

We left Golden and headed east. We passed through Yoho National Park and the Kicking Horse Pass? again 3.5 degrees! The fog broke and we rode into a beautiful clear blue sky. The scenery was amazing.







We gassed up in Lake Louise and spoke with a guy who had just come down from Jasper and he told us that he left Jasper in rain and hail ? thank god we didn?t take that route! From Lake Louise we turned onto highway 93 the Icefields Parkway.

A secondary highway with the most breathtaking scenery ever ? as Cindy eloquently said ?it was full of wow?s and wowee?s?.







We eventually hit the Saskatchewan River Crossing and then turned onto highway 11, the David Thompson Highway.









We stopped in Nordegg for lunch and we were served beef noodle soup which ended up being chicken noodle soup (it was good) and of course ? wait for it ? pie!



We stopped in Rocky Mountain House and at a gas station I encountered a young first nation?s man who was interested in my motorcycle and where we had travelled (he had clearly been drinking) and when I headed to the ladies room he wished me a good trip ? took my hand and kissed it! Good grief!

We were out of the mountains, into farm/ranch land and a much faster pace on the highway.



We roared through Red Deer AB where the left lane of the 2 lane highway was so slanted that there was no way I could have stopped safely on it. Pulling into Stettler I spotted a Boston Pizza and knew that I was going to convince the gang to break the number 2 rule of this trip (no eating at chain restaurants) because I really really really wanted spaghetti! Even if I had to blind fold Garth and drag him there I was going to eat spaghetti at BP! (Garth agreed to the blindfolding ? but that is another story for another day, haha!).

There has been a real lack of wildlife sightings on this trip. We have seen a coyote, 2 antelopes, 3 mountain goats, an injured black bear, our grey whale (and other ocean companions ? but they don?t really count because we actually went out to find them). We were on some pretty secluded highways today and we thought that we would see some wildlife but ? 3 deer and a goose ? that is it. Pretty sad.

Sept 5 Clinton to Golden BC


September 6 Golden BC to Stettler, AB


Tomorrow our goal is Swift Current, approx. 567k.
That's all for now. Stay tuned for more later.
Hope all is well. Please pass this along.
Thanks,
Denise