3rd September.
We did the run from Muncho Lake back up the Alaskan Highway to Watson lake in one day as we’d decided to try and meet up for a Horizons Unlimted meeting in Nelson, Southern Canada, about 1500 miles away….with about 6 days to get there. By the end of the day we were exhausted. We found ourselves a campsite and saw a German chap on a KTM 950 on his own as we trundled across the site to find a suitable pitch. We needed some shopping and decided to go and have a chat with the German guy on the way back to our tents with the view to inviting him over for a few beers later….BUT…we got “Your bikes are too small…….you need bigger ones…Canada is so boring….too many trees…you need to go to South America”, basically pretty well any research we’d done, he’d trash it, anything we thought, he’d done it”…… so we left him to himself. I also had the start of a cold and so the prospect of entertaining Mr Mottorad was even less appealing.
During the course of the night I had occasion to get up for a call of nature…and was initially surprised to see the sky looking a little different to normal…but within a few seconds I realised I was witnessing an Aurora, a Northern hemisphere phenomenon commonly known as the Northern lights. I did try and take a photo but it was just too dark. You can however see an example here.
http://climate.gi.alaska.edu/Curtis/aurora/feb03/260203_1.jpg
On the following morning we prepared our bikes for the week and John adjusted his chain again, which was now becoming even more of a pain and an increased liability. We finished getting our shopping for the planned ride on the Cassiar highway, inhaled a burger & shake from “fast-food” store, gassed up and left.
<IMG SRC="http://pic4.picturetrail.com/VOL784/4062504/8448420/119297812.jpg" border="0" alt="Image Hosting by PictureTrail.com">
The Cassiar Highway....with John visible in the distance.
We managed only about 100 miles on the first day due to a late start as a result of our preparations and we found a campsite, Moose Lake, which had biggest free fire-wood supply we’d ever seen, PLUS, they also provided their campers with a full-size axe !! I was in my element and lit a huge fire which climaxed at about 5 feet and lasted long into the night(I also burnt my finger on the fire pit !). John managed to secure a sheltered covering for his tent (what can I say ?) A Trek America group turned up and we think they may have been the same group we saw in Fairbanks, Alaska, but we weren’t quite sure. If the fire-wood gave reason to celebrate, the toilets gave reason to cry…..they really stank…..the worst we’d experienced. The following morning my cold was getting worse, the shower enclosures were cold and I hadn’t slept well at all. All-in-all, sufficient justification for leaving our whip-wallet there…and I did, with about $70(CA) in it. Fortunately that was all though.
<IMG SRC="http://pic4.picturetrail.com/VOL784/4062504/8448420/119360493.jpg" border="0" alt="Image Hosting by PictureTrail.com">
Wood, lovely wood, at Moose Lake campsite....hmmmmmmm.
<IMG SRC="http://pic4.picturetrail.com/VOL784/4062504/8448420/119360480.jpg" border="0" alt="Image Hosting by PictureTrail.com">
What I was seeing before the cemetry on my visor was removed.
When finally we got our heads together, we decided to do the whole run to Stuart, about 300 miles away, to give us a chance to see the Bears feeding at a renown spot, Hyder, and enjoy a two-night break. We had camp-type lunch by the side of the road where a helicopter ride company were in the process of repairing/testing their helicopter. As the day progressed my cold was getting much worse., however we got to see a few black bears by the side of the road and that made the riding a little more worth-while. Just before arriving at Stuart we had to stop for a fuel/coffee break and I was so tired/ill I could only just take the weight of my bike when manoeuvring it about..and that was a little scary.
<IMG SRC="http://pic4.picturetrail.com/VOL784/4062504/8448420/119360457.jpg" border="0" alt="Image Hosting by PictureTrail.com">
First coffee break of the day, despite the scenery, my cold made me feel pretty rough.
<IMG SRC="http://pic4.picturetrail.com/VOL784/4062504/8448420/119297781.jpg" border="0" alt="Image Hosting by PictureTrail.com">
See-we were there !
<IMG SRC="http://pic4.picturetrail.com/VOL784/4062504/8448420/119297763.jpg" border="0" alt="Image Hosting by PictureTrail.com">
Bear Glacier (we think) just outside of Stuart.
We finally got to Stuart and registered with Rainy Creek campground …..which unfortunately lived up to its name. Whilst following the advice of the camp ground hosts as to where to park, we dug some rather deep trenches with our TKC80’s in what was now apparently a bog of campsite. After rescuing our bikes to dry land we managed to find what looked a reasonable spot to pitch on, and marched into town as fast as we could to ensure dinner….we got there just before they closed. We took what they were offering and happily mullered some Fish & Chips & a bottle of Molson in the adjoining bar.
<IMG SRC="http://pic4.picturetrail.com/VOL784/4062504/8448420/119297737.jpg" border="0" alt="Image Hosting by PictureTrail.com">
TKC80's can also be used to dig trenches for next years seed plantation.
It rained all night & the local youth kept me awake by larking about/laughing etc in shelter on campsite until too late which didn’t aid my cold or mood at all. In the evening we went to Hyder, Alaska(but only 7 miles away) to the spot where the bears are renown for feeding on Salmon. At just about the point when it is as dark as it could get before being too dark, we got to see a bear eating a dead fish……. but it was too dark to take a photo. Our BMW suits were very wet & it was still raining and quite cold but with the combination of heated clothing and waterproof walking over-suits, we managed to stay dry and warm. (Having left the BMW suits in our tents!) When we got back to Stuart we had dinner in same restaurant and, with the resigned agreement of the campsite host, were permitted to move our now wet camping gear/equipment under a dry social shelter where we spent the night.
As part of the “deal” for camping under the shelter, we’d promised the Host that he “wouldn’t hear about it”. We weren’t sure what he meant, but decided that if we were up and packed before most other people, nobody would be any the wiser….., and he wouldn’t hear about it !! Whilst we were packing up in the morning, Mike(from France) & Carol(from Ontario) turned up for their breakfast and very kindly provided coffee for us as we continued to pack. After a while John realised that they weren’t drinking…….as they’d given us their only cups. We quickly transferred the coffee into our own cups, washed and returned theirs. How nice were they ??!!
We set off in torrential rain…It was really miserable, visibility was also very poor due to the amount of rain, and we had to cover some 300 miles again. After about 3 hours we stopped for lunch and finally diagnosed/acknowledged that the BMW Rallye 2suites do leak !!!! as we both sat in very wet “puddles” inside our trousers. We leave the café and Johns battery went flat as a result of him having got his jacket, gloves, socks and hand-grips to light-bulb/nuclear white. We try out our new jump lead system we developed in Alaska to avoid having to remove the faux tanks to expose the battery terminals, and it worked-Johns bike re-starts. By the end of the day we’d managed to get within 130 miles of Prince George, at Burns Lake, and stayed at a Motel with excellent facilities at a very good price. This meant that getting to Nelson in time for the Horizons meeting was still on. We ate at an awful Chinese next door, and it is the only time I had refused to tip at this point as the food was so dry and grim. The hostess didn’t even seem surprised when I didn’t tip !!
The following morning we had good breakfast and headed into Prince George with a view to picking up a new chain and sprockets for John, and a few other bits & pieces. As a result of a very helpful lady in tourist information we managed to finally get Johns chain & sprocket ordered & the necessaries for our forthcoming 6,000 mile service, and had the dealer ship them to a DHL office in Nelson for collection.
Meanwhile, whilst still in Prince George we had to collect some mail from the local DHL office sent from England. However, DHL hadn’t known who the mail was for and had “returned it to sender” ..via the local Post Office. A few phone calls later and it was found by the local Post Office for John to collect. We learnt that if we want to use DHL in this way that we need to advise them if we are going to send stuff before hand. Somewhere between DHL & the Post Office, John managed to loose his sunglasses and we couldn‘t find them again-The first pair for either of us on the trip.
We managed also to buy some MP3 players from not very knowledgeable staff at Future, a Canadian-Dixons-type store. Once done, we got some lunch and headed off South in an attempt to reduce the length of our anticipated final ride to Nelson. We finally stopping at Quesnel in a Talisman Motel where we busily down-loaded MP3 tracks for the following days 500 mile + journey. In keeping with the urgency of matters ahead we got a Pizza delivered & went to bed.
The following morning we were up at 5:00 to pack and leave. The Motel provided us with a good continental breakfast and we finally were on the road at 07:00. We made very good time and stopped after 100 miles for “breakfast” and warm up. Stopped at 200 miles and it started to rain again which continued to 300 miles. We were very cold and wet again !! We got to Vernon, by which time the rain had stopped, and turned off onto Route 6, where the road deteriorated rapidly but was very twisty…and then the rain returned again. Johns chain now seemed to be slipping , probably over his rear sprocket, and we seemed to be riding for ages before getting any reassuring signs that we were on the right road . Finally we got to the ferry at Needles, very tired, very cold and very wet. By the time we got across the Lake, our hopes of getting to Nelson was fast disappearing and we decided to find somewhere closer to Nelson on the way to stay, but Johns chain them jumped off the sprocket completely in the dark and we decided that it was safest to limp to the nearest town, which turned out to be Nakusp. To make life a bit easier for John I led him into town by my lights so he could focus on extraneous noises. The Hella FF50 spot lights didn’t work very well (as they, and the perspex lens protectors were filthy, and we were constantly blinded by drivers in front and behind us. Nakusp looked a very expensive area but we found a motel pretty quickly which was ok , about $80. Our room had independent heat control which got pushed straight to the temperature depicted in the scene of Dr No where Bond wrestles with him on the platform! Hot, for the “uneducated“. We were getting changed for dinner when John realised he didn’t have his BMW pouch, a removable Gore-Tex pocket, to keep things dry in the non-waterproof jacket pocket. This pouch contained his passport John was confident he had had the pouch when he last re-mounted his chain in the dark lane, and so he decided to leave looking for it until the morning . We had Chinese again and this time it was good & we managed to get a warm & dry nights sleep.
<IMG SRC="http://pic4.picturetrail.com/VOL784/4062504/8448420/119297647.jpg" border="0" alt="Image Hosting by PictureTrail.com">
Seen on the road to Nelson .......even worse than Peckham Springs water ....ere, Rodders...
The following morning my bike’s battery was flat due to the combined use of heated clothing and lights the previous night so John had to provide a jump for me.
Despite the Motel looking good, Breakfast was not included, and what we did pay for, was dried out and tacky. We packed up, found Johns pouch on the road-side and set off for Nelson and the rain came down again. Finally, we drove into Nelson and got the BMW spares package from the DHL office. We found a trendy coffee bar where we were a bit of a novelty (again) and set off for Toad rock, the site of the Horizons meeting. We got there at 5/6 o’clock to be “greeted” by a soaking campsite full of bikes and bikers-Very depressing ! A pleasant surprise though was meeting up with Jules again (from Dawson City) who helped us put up our tarps and tents. We were soaked, and very cold so we changed into some dry gear. Had a few conversations and went to bed, somehow managing to survive to the next morning.
<IMG SRC="http://pic4.picturetrail.com/VOL784/4062504/8448420/119297626.jpg" border="0" alt="Image Hosting by PictureTrail.com">
Toad Rock the morning after we arrived-this photo does not do justice to just how wet it was.
Mike
We did the run from Muncho Lake back up the Alaskan Highway to Watson lake in one day as we’d decided to try and meet up for a Horizons Unlimted meeting in Nelson, Southern Canada, about 1500 miles away….with about 6 days to get there. By the end of the day we were exhausted. We found ourselves a campsite and saw a German chap on a KTM 950 on his own as we trundled across the site to find a suitable pitch. We needed some shopping and decided to go and have a chat with the German guy on the way back to our tents with the view to inviting him over for a few beers later….BUT…we got “Your bikes are too small…….you need bigger ones…Canada is so boring….too many trees…you need to go to South America”, basically pretty well any research we’d done, he’d trash it, anything we thought, he’d done it”…… so we left him to himself. I also had the start of a cold and so the prospect of entertaining Mr Mottorad was even less appealing.
During the course of the night I had occasion to get up for a call of nature…and was initially surprised to see the sky looking a little different to normal…but within a few seconds I realised I was witnessing an Aurora, a Northern hemisphere phenomenon commonly known as the Northern lights. I did try and take a photo but it was just too dark. You can however see an example here.
http://climate.gi.alaska.edu/Curtis/aurora/feb03/260203_1.jpg
On the following morning we prepared our bikes for the week and John adjusted his chain again, which was now becoming even more of a pain and an increased liability. We finished getting our shopping for the planned ride on the Cassiar highway, inhaled a burger & shake from “fast-food” store, gassed up and left.
<IMG SRC="http://pic4.picturetrail.com/VOL784/4062504/8448420/119297812.jpg" border="0" alt="Image Hosting by PictureTrail.com">
The Cassiar Highway....with John visible in the distance.
We managed only about 100 miles on the first day due to a late start as a result of our preparations and we found a campsite, Moose Lake, which had biggest free fire-wood supply we’d ever seen, PLUS, they also provided their campers with a full-size axe !! I was in my element and lit a huge fire which climaxed at about 5 feet and lasted long into the night(I also burnt my finger on the fire pit !). John managed to secure a sheltered covering for his tent (what can I say ?) A Trek America group turned up and we think they may have been the same group we saw in Fairbanks, Alaska, but we weren’t quite sure. If the fire-wood gave reason to celebrate, the toilets gave reason to cry…..they really stank…..the worst we’d experienced. The following morning my cold was getting worse, the shower enclosures were cold and I hadn’t slept well at all. All-in-all, sufficient justification for leaving our whip-wallet there…and I did, with about $70(CA) in it. Fortunately that was all though.
<IMG SRC="http://pic4.picturetrail.com/VOL784/4062504/8448420/119360493.jpg" border="0" alt="Image Hosting by PictureTrail.com">
Wood, lovely wood, at Moose Lake campsite....hmmmmmmm.
<IMG SRC="http://pic4.picturetrail.com/VOL784/4062504/8448420/119360480.jpg" border="0" alt="Image Hosting by PictureTrail.com">
What I was seeing before the cemetry on my visor was removed.
When finally we got our heads together, we decided to do the whole run to Stuart, about 300 miles away, to give us a chance to see the Bears feeding at a renown spot, Hyder, and enjoy a two-night break. We had camp-type lunch by the side of the road where a helicopter ride company were in the process of repairing/testing their helicopter. As the day progressed my cold was getting much worse., however we got to see a few black bears by the side of the road and that made the riding a little more worth-while. Just before arriving at Stuart we had to stop for a fuel/coffee break and I was so tired/ill I could only just take the weight of my bike when manoeuvring it about..and that was a little scary.
<IMG SRC="http://pic4.picturetrail.com/VOL784/4062504/8448420/119360457.jpg" border="0" alt="Image Hosting by PictureTrail.com">
First coffee break of the day, despite the scenery, my cold made me feel pretty rough.
<IMG SRC="http://pic4.picturetrail.com/VOL784/4062504/8448420/119297781.jpg" border="0" alt="Image Hosting by PictureTrail.com">
See-we were there !
<IMG SRC="http://pic4.picturetrail.com/VOL784/4062504/8448420/119297763.jpg" border="0" alt="Image Hosting by PictureTrail.com">
Bear Glacier (we think) just outside of Stuart.
We finally got to Stuart and registered with Rainy Creek campground …..which unfortunately lived up to its name. Whilst following the advice of the camp ground hosts as to where to park, we dug some rather deep trenches with our TKC80’s in what was now apparently a bog of campsite. After rescuing our bikes to dry land we managed to find what looked a reasonable spot to pitch on, and marched into town as fast as we could to ensure dinner….we got there just before they closed. We took what they were offering and happily mullered some Fish & Chips & a bottle of Molson in the adjoining bar.
<IMG SRC="http://pic4.picturetrail.com/VOL784/4062504/8448420/119297737.jpg" border="0" alt="Image Hosting by PictureTrail.com">
TKC80's can also be used to dig trenches for next years seed plantation.
It rained all night & the local youth kept me awake by larking about/laughing etc in shelter on campsite until too late which didn’t aid my cold or mood at all. In the evening we went to Hyder, Alaska(but only 7 miles away) to the spot where the bears are renown for feeding on Salmon. At just about the point when it is as dark as it could get before being too dark, we got to see a bear eating a dead fish……. but it was too dark to take a photo. Our BMW suits were very wet & it was still raining and quite cold but with the combination of heated clothing and waterproof walking over-suits, we managed to stay dry and warm. (Having left the BMW suits in our tents!) When we got back to Stuart we had dinner in same restaurant and, with the resigned agreement of the campsite host, were permitted to move our now wet camping gear/equipment under a dry social shelter where we spent the night.
As part of the “deal” for camping under the shelter, we’d promised the Host that he “wouldn’t hear about it”. We weren’t sure what he meant, but decided that if we were up and packed before most other people, nobody would be any the wiser….., and he wouldn’t hear about it !! Whilst we were packing up in the morning, Mike(from France) & Carol(from Ontario) turned up for their breakfast and very kindly provided coffee for us as we continued to pack. After a while John realised that they weren’t drinking…….as they’d given us their only cups. We quickly transferred the coffee into our own cups, washed and returned theirs. How nice were they ??!!
We set off in torrential rain…It was really miserable, visibility was also very poor due to the amount of rain, and we had to cover some 300 miles again. After about 3 hours we stopped for lunch and finally diagnosed/acknowledged that the BMW Rallye 2suites do leak !!!! as we both sat in very wet “puddles” inside our trousers. We leave the café and Johns battery went flat as a result of him having got his jacket, gloves, socks and hand-grips to light-bulb/nuclear white. We try out our new jump lead system we developed in Alaska to avoid having to remove the faux tanks to expose the battery terminals, and it worked-Johns bike re-starts. By the end of the day we’d managed to get within 130 miles of Prince George, at Burns Lake, and stayed at a Motel with excellent facilities at a very good price. This meant that getting to Nelson in time for the Horizons meeting was still on. We ate at an awful Chinese next door, and it is the only time I had refused to tip at this point as the food was so dry and grim. The hostess didn’t even seem surprised when I didn’t tip !!
The following morning we had good breakfast and headed into Prince George with a view to picking up a new chain and sprockets for John, and a few other bits & pieces. As a result of a very helpful lady in tourist information we managed to finally get Johns chain & sprocket ordered & the necessaries for our forthcoming 6,000 mile service, and had the dealer ship them to a DHL office in Nelson for collection.
Meanwhile, whilst still in Prince George we had to collect some mail from the local DHL office sent from England. However, DHL hadn’t known who the mail was for and had “returned it to sender” ..via the local Post Office. A few phone calls later and it was found by the local Post Office for John to collect. We learnt that if we want to use DHL in this way that we need to advise them if we are going to send stuff before hand. Somewhere between DHL & the Post Office, John managed to loose his sunglasses and we couldn‘t find them again-The first pair for either of us on the trip.
We managed also to buy some MP3 players from not very knowledgeable staff at Future, a Canadian-Dixons-type store. Once done, we got some lunch and headed off South in an attempt to reduce the length of our anticipated final ride to Nelson. We finally stopping at Quesnel in a Talisman Motel where we busily down-loaded MP3 tracks for the following days 500 mile + journey. In keeping with the urgency of matters ahead we got a Pizza delivered & went to bed.
The following morning we were up at 5:00 to pack and leave. The Motel provided us with a good continental breakfast and we finally were on the road at 07:00. We made very good time and stopped after 100 miles for “breakfast” and warm up. Stopped at 200 miles and it started to rain again which continued to 300 miles. We were very cold and wet again !! We got to Vernon, by which time the rain had stopped, and turned off onto Route 6, where the road deteriorated rapidly but was very twisty…and then the rain returned again. Johns chain now seemed to be slipping , probably over his rear sprocket, and we seemed to be riding for ages before getting any reassuring signs that we were on the right road . Finally we got to the ferry at Needles, very tired, very cold and very wet. By the time we got across the Lake, our hopes of getting to Nelson was fast disappearing and we decided to find somewhere closer to Nelson on the way to stay, but Johns chain them jumped off the sprocket completely in the dark and we decided that it was safest to limp to the nearest town, which turned out to be Nakusp. To make life a bit easier for John I led him into town by my lights so he could focus on extraneous noises. The Hella FF50 spot lights didn’t work very well (as they, and the perspex lens protectors were filthy, and we were constantly blinded by drivers in front and behind us. Nakusp looked a very expensive area but we found a motel pretty quickly which was ok , about $80. Our room had independent heat control which got pushed straight to the temperature depicted in the scene of Dr No where Bond wrestles with him on the platform! Hot, for the “uneducated“. We were getting changed for dinner when John realised he didn’t have his BMW pouch, a removable Gore-Tex pocket, to keep things dry in the non-waterproof jacket pocket. This pouch contained his passport John was confident he had had the pouch when he last re-mounted his chain in the dark lane, and so he decided to leave looking for it until the morning . We had Chinese again and this time it was good & we managed to get a warm & dry nights sleep.
<IMG SRC="http://pic4.picturetrail.com/VOL784/4062504/8448420/119297647.jpg" border="0" alt="Image Hosting by PictureTrail.com">
Seen on the road to Nelson .......even worse than Peckham Springs water ....ere, Rodders...
The following morning my bike’s battery was flat due to the combined use of heated clothing and lights the previous night so John had to provide a jump for me.
Despite the Motel looking good, Breakfast was not included, and what we did pay for, was dried out and tacky. We packed up, found Johns pouch on the road-side and set off for Nelson and the rain came down again. Finally, we drove into Nelson and got the BMW spares package from the DHL office. We found a trendy coffee bar where we were a bit of a novelty (again) and set off for Toad rock, the site of the Horizons meeting. We got there at 5/6 o’clock to be “greeted” by a soaking campsite full of bikes and bikers-Very depressing ! A pleasant surprise though was meeting up with Jules again (from Dawson City) who helped us put up our tarps and tents. We were soaked, and very cold so we changed into some dry gear. Had a few conversations and went to bed, somehow managing to survive to the next morning.
<IMG SRC="http://pic4.picturetrail.com/VOL784/4062504/8448420/119297626.jpg" border="0" alt="Image Hosting by PictureTrail.com">
Toad Rock the morning after we arrived-this photo does not do justice to just how wet it was.
Mike
Last edited:
