Saturday - Sunday 6th and 7th - 2014

Saturday - Sunday 6th and 7th 2014

What a ride on Saturday from the  lodge at Saskatchewan River Crossing to Jasper at the North end of the park.  The ride was equally spectacular on Saturday as it was on Friday.

                             

                     This is what we woke up to at the lodge

                                

                                                            view we had on the ride north from the lodge

                                        

                                                              Glaciers pushing their way through the mountain

                         

Hike up to the glacier

                              

Close up

                                                   
                                                                           Jasper for lunch

Bill and I stayed in Blue River last night and then we road back to Kelowna. I dropped Bill off and headed south toward the Washington boarder.  Tomorrow I'll ride along the boarder on the Canadian side for a while and then - I think I will head south on 395 to Spokane or - maybe I'll head to Idaho to pick up a potato or two......

Jasper National Park - Alberta

Jasper National Park Alberta - September 5, 2014

When we were checking out of the motel this morning, we met a fellow rider on a sport bike from Spokane.  He said that riding the Canadian Rockies was his favorite ride and that he had been coming to this specific area for almost 50 years - each year.

The weather today from the time we left Nakusp until the very end of the day was great.  We left Nakusp and headed to Revelstoke.  We had to wait an hour for the ferry at the Columbia River crossing.  The Columbia river at the point we crossed is wide.  It took at least 30 minutes.  At Revelstoke we hit Canada highway 1 and stayed on highway 1 until we got to Lake Louise in Alberta.  We then entered the Jasper National Park on highway 93.

                                   

Riding on highway 93 through Jasper National Park in undoubtably the most spectacular road I have ever been on.  Words and pictures will not begin to tell the incredible beauty of this park.  The Canadian Rockies, at this point are at their most rugged.  Jetting jagged peaks with sections covered with glaciers.  Each turn in the road brought more spectacular views.  If you take one trip to Canada -  this is the road to take -  Highway 93 between Lake Louise and Jasper.  This drive is jaw dropping.  Make sure the weather is clear so you can get the full impact.  Coming around one of the turns - I looked off in the distance and it was surreal - It was almost like an animated film.  I just would not believe this road was real if I had not been riding it myself.

                                                       

                      

                                                       One of many glaciers

                                            

                

                                               Bill along side the road along highway 93 on our way to Jasper

Right now we are staying Saskatchewan River Crossing.  We are in the middle of the park at a park lodge.  I am so looking forward to the rest of this ride to Jasper.

Thursday In BC September 4, 2014

Thursday In BC September 4, 2014

Bill and I were up at 5:30am today and got ready to leave but first we went to Tim Hortons to have coffee with his friends.  Bill said most of them had given up on me ever showing up.  Bill had been telling them for about 6 months that I was on my way.

They're nice people - they might be a little conservative. That statement is coming from someone from Sebastopol.  Marx would probably be a little conservative for Sebastopol.

We packed up and were on our way.  We didn't get too far - maybe 150 miles but that's okay.  It's been a great ride through the mountains on some curvy roads swinging back and forth through the turns.  We stopped for breakfast in Lumby, parked the bikes, and standing in front of the Krazy Llama Cafe was the owner and chef (along with his wife).  We were pulled in - I think - because he was a motorcycle rider and he has owned over 40 bikes.  Both husband and wife were originally from Chile but left with their family during the Pinochet regime.

                                                

                                                                     Our new friends at the Krazy Llama Cafe

On our way to Nakusp we took a side road to Edgewood - main industry = weed.  No we didn't...

                                                  

                                                                                Ride to Edgewood

                     

                                                                Ferry on the way to Nakusp

                             

   This is a machine that can whack down a tree is seconds. Great prop for the next horror film.

We are now in Nakusp in a cheesy motel.  I took a shower.  I always take a shower when I can.  It's not like it's always an option.  Riding a motorcycle puts your face right in the all of the available dust and dirt that the road has to offer.  Washing my face with a white wash cloth will end up black.  One scrub will not do it.  It has to be a multiple scrub effort.

Not much traffic on the road but there are a significant number of bikes.  I try to stay away from Harleys - too much noise.  It must be my age.

I'm not sure where we are going tomorrow - I'll let you know.....

 

Wednesday September 3rd In Kelowna

Wednesday September 3rd In Kelowna

I left Oroville around 8:30 this morning and headed towards Kelowna.  The Canadian boarder was only about 10 minutes from where I stayed.  As soon as I went through customs and was in Canada - it started raining.  It rained non-stop until I was about 10 miles from Kelowna.

                                                             

                                            

                                                                Notice that at the border I was behind cattle trucks

I met up with Bill around noon and then he and I had dinner with some of his friends.  Nice people.  I always meet interesting people when I'm with Bill.

Kelowna is beautiful and the Okanagan lake was along the highway until I got arrived.  The lake is 90 miles long and the deepest part of the lake is 600 feet.

                                                     

We are sitting in Bill's living room right now trying to decide where we are going to be heading.  We had planned on Prince Rupert and then taking the ferry to Vancouver Island but the ferry fee was $1900 if we wanted to share a room and $400 each for deck passage.  We're going to have to rethink this.  We should know where we are headed for the first part of our trip by the time we leave.......

Tuesday September 2, 2014

Tuesday September 2, 2014

I'm about 20 minutes from the Canadian border.  I could have easily made it today but stopped in Oraville.  Not the Oroville near Chico California.  I stopped mostly to do some internet based work along with making phone calls before I cross over into Canada where I will be dealing with higher rates.

The ride through the Cascades was fabulous.  There were smooth sweeping curves with plenty of time for pull outs at overlooks and also time for a hike up to one of the many falls in the area.

                                   

                                

I've travelled over much of the US, Canada, Europe, Asia, and South America and they all have some very beautiful and pretty spectacular sites.  But - I would be hard pressed to say that any of them have the geographic beauty and uniqueness that the US has.  Washington is a great state with great and interesting locations but so is Oregon, California, Utah, Idaho, Arizona, New York, etc., etc.  

                                                 

        

                                       Lighter traffic at the turnouts - one day after Labor Day

One of the places I hiked to this morning was the Gorge Dam and water fall.  On the way I passed the Gorge Powerhouse and on the way back I went to the visitor's gallery and checked out the 4 large turbines that provide some of the power for the area and Seattle.  As far as power generating operations go - it's not one of the larger generating plants but what stood out was these same turbines have been in operation since 1918.  The turbines had the same Westinghouse labels they had when the were installed.

                                                         

                                           Gen on Westinghouse - American Labor

I called my friend Bill today and told him I will be at his place on Wednesday.  Then what?  Who knows.....

Northern Cascades National Park

I'm spending the night in the Cascades.  There is significant traffic on highway 20 - heading towards Seattle but not too much heading the other way.  I decided to stay in one of the national campground sites.  There is hardly anyone here - most of the campers are heading home for the start of the new work week.  Not me.

                                                                          

                                                    

                                                                     The town of Newhalem in the Cascades

                                                                                                          Several dams have been built that both provide flood control as well as power.

The Northern Cascades National Park is beautiful.  The mountains are made up of jagged peaks, countless waterfalls, glaciers and permanent snowfields.  There are a lot of spires and pinnacles fo the mountain climbers - that is not me. I went on a trail hike today and I was about the only one hiking.

It's nice to take my time - but it is hard to do.  I don't really have anywhere that I need to be.  I'm not on a schedule but I feel that I should be more pressed to get to a destination - and yet I really don't have a destination.  I will meet up with my friend Bill in Kelowna either Wednesday or Thursday.   I don't really need to be there by Thursday.  Bill's 82 - where's he going....

All of my adult life - I've been pressed to get something done, to be somewhere, to be someone.  I don't know that anything I thought I had to get accomplished mattered all that much.  The only thing that really matters to me today is my family.  I've only been gone a week and I already miss them.

Leaving Seattle - Labor Day

Leaving Seattle

For the last 3 days I have had a great visit with my cousin Bill and his wife Hanneli.  Great conversation, great food and just a fun and relaxing time.  It was also an opportunity to get to know the two of them better.  Like many families with relatives that live more than a day's drive away - we just don't see each other enough.  We've shared stories and learned something about each other that we might have known if we didn't live so far away.  In the past 30 years - this is the third time that I've seen them.  Thanks Bill and Hanneli for putting up with me for the last three days and for you hospitality.

Today - I also had the opportunity to ride to Redmond and visit an old high school friend, Jerry Wouri and his wife Gwen.  I've seen Jerry maybe 3 or 4 times in the last 50 years.

Tomorrow I head north on highway 5 and catch highway 20 over the Cascade range.  I don't know how much internet or cell coverage I will have but I will update my location via "spot" on Facebook.