Certainly seems as though luck was with you that day Bill 
Stunning pictures. Write up also up to par 
Keep on keeping on.
Stunning pictures. Write up also up to par Keep on keeping on.
Pacific Northwest & Yellowstone Sept 2014
- Thread starter Ex-Call Centre Chimp
- Start date
I loved that curry ketchup
We did seem to overwhelm the place; they had to draught in more help and more food to feed us lot. Great place that.
We go in there on the Alaska trips and it's a great wee place. They always have to round up more staff and it's no place for a quick stop!! You have to make an effort to find these places and give them custom otherwise they will just disappear and the only thing available will be chain restaurants.
Great stuff Bill and keep it up. I did pretty well organising the weather on this trip..........so far
This is a fabulous Ride Report.
Sunday 14th September 2015
Well today feels a little 'After the Lord Mayor's show'. I'm very sad to be leaving behind the scenery and roads that we experienced yesterday & I'm convinced that it's not going to get any better than that. As usual I've peaked too soon, and I'm assuming that we now have 2 weeks of relative dullness in comparison.
I set off today with Chris, Jo, Paul & Sam and we made a steady pace down the R40 (one of Chris' favourite roads in North America). . As we're heading down the Interstate I noticed Birgit & Dean joing us from a road to our right, some distance from our starting point of Banff.
I asked Dean which routed they'd taken but he had no more idea than I did. "Och, I was just following Birgit, she's told me to be more adventurous". Dean's no fool & knows better than to question things.
It's slightly cooler today & I'm grateful for the early 'comfort break' which allows me to put on my weather proof jacket which is proving to be an inspired buy. It also gives us the added bonus of Glyn & Sandra joining us.
Poor old Sandra suffered more than most with the cold but didn't let it affect her GSOH (as the adverts say). I mentioned my slightly melancholy mood to Sandra & she looked at me as if I was some sort of fool, "Eh? Don't be daft, there's Yellowstone to come yet". I wasn't convinced. Aside from Yogi Bear I knew nothing about Yellowstone other than it couldn't top what we'd been through yesterday.
Paul on the other hand was desperate for it to snow & I was with him on this so we improvised & had a wee snowball fight. Some boys just never grow up.
I was still desperate to see bears & the signs were looking good.
......and before long Bingo! There they were ahead of us in the road.
Oh my goodness was I excited! This was fantastic.
Bears!!!! Right there! Right. In. Front. Of. Us.
I could bearly (sic) contain myself.
They were some way off so I stopped to take out the camera & get a shot of the chaps riding past them. Or being eaten alive. Whichever.
I was intrigued to see how Chris would negotiate this, pleased that I was in his group & not having to make the decision myself. Old hand that he is he didn't seem too fazed by the situation, slowing down & riding RIGHT past them, within a couple of feet. Respect is due.
I got the snaps, packed the camera away (this has been a lesson learnt BTW - buy yourself a camera mount) & edged towards the bears.
I was on my own as the rest had sped off but I now knew the drill and successfully negotiated my way round them without incident.
What? What though?????
Alright, I admit it, I may have got a little over excited but I was genuinely convinced from a distance that they were bears.
We were heading towards an historic ranch, The Bar U, & you could see the prairies beginning to form & agriculture starting to appear.
Not a bad backdrop to do your harvesting but I suppose being farmers they'd still moan about it.
The ranch has a Visitor Centre so we popped in there. When you look at the waggons the original families used to cross this incredible country you can understand why so many of them didn't make it. The thought of crossing The Rockies and facing the wildlife along the way in this makes you appreciate what tough souls they must have been. For the second time today I find myself thinking 'Respect is due'. Only this time it's properly earned. There was a pretty unpleasant bronze statue of a rich farmer mercilessly slaughtering a poor wolf, which I didn't care much for but that aside it was an interesting stop.
Dean decided to let Birgit's idea of 'Getting more adventurous' go to his head - Ride 'em cowboy!
We had a quick brunch stop where there were a group of Harley riders, but we didn't let this put us off & then we were heading towards Waterton.
Pretty quickly I found myself alone on the road again & amused myself by taking photos of some of the more bizarre road signs.
Anyone fancy an overnight in The Brown Creek Ranch?
There's a song here somewhere.
Nope. No idea, sorry.
And even one in Russian.
When I say 'alone' I mean 'alone'.
Well today feels a little 'After the Lord Mayor's show'. I'm very sad to be leaving behind the scenery and roads that we experienced yesterday & I'm convinced that it's not going to get any better than that. As usual I've peaked too soon, and I'm assuming that we now have 2 weeks of relative dullness in comparison.
I set off today with Chris, Jo, Paul & Sam and we made a steady pace down the R40 (one of Chris' favourite roads in North America). . As we're heading down the Interstate I noticed Birgit & Dean joing us from a road to our right, some distance from our starting point of Banff.
I asked Dean which routed they'd taken but he had no more idea than I did. "Och, I was just following Birgit, she's told me to be more adventurous". Dean's no fool & knows better than to question things.
It's slightly cooler today & I'm grateful for the early 'comfort break' which allows me to put on my weather proof jacket which is proving to be an inspired buy. It also gives us the added bonus of Glyn & Sandra joining us.
Poor old Sandra suffered more than most with the cold but didn't let it affect her GSOH (as the adverts say). I mentioned my slightly melancholy mood to Sandra & she looked at me as if I was some sort of fool, "Eh? Don't be daft, there's Yellowstone to come yet". I wasn't convinced. Aside from Yogi Bear I knew nothing about Yellowstone other than it couldn't top what we'd been through yesterday.
Paul on the other hand was desperate for it to snow & I was with him on this so we improvised & had a wee snowball fight. Some boys just never grow up.
I was still desperate to see bears & the signs were looking good.
......and before long Bingo! There they were ahead of us in the road.
Oh my goodness was I excited! This was fantastic.
Bears!!!! Right there! Right. In. Front. Of. Us.
I could bearly (sic) contain myself.
They were some way off so I stopped to take out the camera & get a shot of the chaps riding past them. Or being eaten alive. Whichever.
I was intrigued to see how Chris would negotiate this, pleased that I was in his group & not having to make the decision myself. Old hand that he is he didn't seem too fazed by the situation, slowing down & riding RIGHT past them, within a couple of feet. Respect is due.
I got the snaps, packed the camera away (this has been a lesson learnt BTW - buy yourself a camera mount) & edged towards the bears.
I was on my own as the rest had sped off but I now knew the drill and successfully negotiated my way round them without incident.
What? What though?????
Alright, I admit it, I may have got a little over excited but I was genuinely convinced from a distance that they were bears.
We were heading towards an historic ranch, The Bar U, & you could see the prairies beginning to form & agriculture starting to appear.
Not a bad backdrop to do your harvesting but I suppose being farmers they'd still moan about it.
The ranch has a Visitor Centre so we popped in there. When you look at the waggons the original families used to cross this incredible country you can understand why so many of them didn't make it. The thought of crossing The Rockies and facing the wildlife along the way in this makes you appreciate what tough souls they must have been. For the second time today I find myself thinking 'Respect is due'. Only this time it's properly earned. There was a pretty unpleasant bronze statue of a rich farmer mercilessly slaughtering a poor wolf, which I didn't care much for but that aside it was an interesting stop.
Dean decided to let Birgit's idea of 'Getting more adventurous' go to his head - Ride 'em cowboy!
We had a quick brunch stop where there were a group of Harley riders, but we didn't let this put us off & then we were heading towards Waterton.
Pretty quickly I found myself alone on the road again & amused myself by taking photos of some of the more bizarre road signs.
Anyone fancy an overnight in The Brown Creek Ranch?
There's a song here somewhere.
Nope. No idea, sorry.
And even one in Russian.
When I say 'alone' I mean 'alone'.
I was back in high spirits.
We were heading back towards the mountains & had them as a backdrop on our rhs for the last few miles.
I'd asked Glyn back at the ranch whether he's rather live in the mountains, right in amongst them, or out on the prairies where you could see them in the distance. He preferred the idea of living on the prairies, this was the wrong answer of course but to each his own.
The weather was also picking up & it was getting decidedly warm. Chris had told as at the pre-trip meeting in Manchester that the weather would change on an hourly basis, we'd start in the low single figures C & by lunchtime it would be into the mid/high twenties C. I knew then that he was talking nonsense.
I knew now that he was right.
The only thing that was missing was Sarah. How could I let her know exactly how much she means to me when I return home?
This sign gave me an idea.....
I actually stopped in Pincher Creek along the way. A lovely little town with a massive Asda so I popped in to pick up some provisions. I knew we had a day off tomorrow & didn't want to be bothering the couples this evening who I was certain would be looking for some time alone, so got a few essentials to see me through, crisps, chocolate, water & fruit. I went in search of wine but was told that they don't sell alcohol in supermarkets in Canada. I did get a nice bottle of red at a nearby liquor store, however, so was fully set up.
I was slightly surprised to see Wind Farms along this road. There's a right row going on where I live because an application has gone in for 15 or so wind turbines to be erected nearby but some locals are concerned it will 'spoil the view' of the Lincolnshire Fens. As far as I'm concerned they'll add a rare feature to that dull & barren landscape and I've always liked them anyway. I'll certainly take them over Nuclear Power stations.
If they can put up with them here I'm sure we can tolerate them in Pookey-Hollow.
When I'd been chatting to the wildlife photographer near Banff he told me that if we didn't see bears in Waterton we would be the unluckiest tourists in Canada.
It's looking promising again, hopefully not a false dawn this time.
Surely they don't mean these guys do they?
I did stop & have a chat with them. Horses tend to bully me, I've spent hundreds of pounds over the years trying to learn to ride but Dobbin & Co. can sense they've got an idiot on their back & wander round to their heart's content happily ignoring any instruction I give them.
These 2 were lovely though, very friendly. I think they were just grateful that someone had stopped to chat to them, even if it was only me.
As you head into Waterton there's a Buffalo/Bison compound. I couldn't miss this so rode down to the gates. No motorcycles allowed.
So I got off the bike & decided to wait for someone to come by in a car & get a lift with them. I'd just have to amuse myself with the scenery some more until that happened.
And sure enough after 10 minutes or so I was in the passenger seat of one of those massive Dodge Ram Pick ups they have over there, sitting alongside a smashing young local with his wife & nipper in the back. The kid was teething & consequently screaming her heart out, normally this would be enough for me to get out immediately & make my own way round on foot. A herd of bison is nothing compared to a screaming brat.
But I wasn't remotely bothered by the noise and this made me realise just what a good place I was in psychologically. I really hadn't got a care in the world & had a level of tolerance, nay understanding, that I don't think I've ever know before.
And we saw a bison. Just the one, but nevertheless it was a real, live Bison. Tick.
Still no bears though & it was getting late. I entered The National Park & asked the young lad at the pay desk how likely it was that I would see them. He was pretty confident so I asked for his name & said I'd be back for a refund if I ended the trip bearless. I don't think he understands irony as he gave me a full & clear explanation that as bears are wild animals there can be no guarantee of seeing one as they roam all over the National Park & have free acces to the countryside & can come & go as they please and it's heading towards winter so they'll be foraging amongst the trees for berries and you might not see any and......
. But he was a nice kid.
It was quite clear we weren't destined to see any bears this year which was a blow but you can't force nature.
200 yards up the road I saw these guys.
Mum & her 2 cubs.
It was getting late but I hung around for a while, this was what I'd come for & now the trip was definitely complete. Anything else would be a bonus.
Time to get to the hotel which was less than 3 miles away.
No worries about carrying luggage too far when you're this close to your room.
Everyone else was heading off to the local laundry, not something I needed to do, having A) brought enough t-shirts to last the trip &B) bought some additional shreddies at Asda.
Chris, however, was clearly in full party mode & dressed accordingly.
I decided to stay in & watch some gridiron, a game I'd got totally immersed in in my short time here so I left them to it, had a quick wander round & retired to my suite to nibble on my nuts & have a glass or two of vino before turning in for the night.
We were heading back towards the mountains & had them as a backdrop on our rhs for the last few miles.
I'd asked Glyn back at the ranch whether he's rather live in the mountains, right in amongst them, or out on the prairies where you could see them in the distance. He preferred the idea of living on the prairies, this was the wrong answer of course but to each his own.
The weather was also picking up & it was getting decidedly warm. Chris had told as at the pre-trip meeting in Manchester that the weather would change on an hourly basis, we'd start in the low single figures C & by lunchtime it would be into the mid/high twenties C. I knew then that he was talking nonsense.
I knew now that he was right.
The only thing that was missing was Sarah. How could I let her know exactly how much she means to me when I return home?
This sign gave me an idea.....
I actually stopped in Pincher Creek along the way. A lovely little town with a massive Asda so I popped in to pick up some provisions. I knew we had a day off tomorrow & didn't want to be bothering the couples this evening who I was certain would be looking for some time alone, so got a few essentials to see me through, crisps, chocolate, water & fruit. I went in search of wine but was told that they don't sell alcohol in supermarkets in Canada. I did get a nice bottle of red at a nearby liquor store, however, so was fully set up.
I was slightly surprised to see Wind Farms along this road. There's a right row going on where I live because an application has gone in for 15 or so wind turbines to be erected nearby but some locals are concerned it will 'spoil the view' of the Lincolnshire Fens. As far as I'm concerned they'll add a rare feature to that dull & barren landscape and I've always liked them anyway. I'll certainly take them over Nuclear Power stations.
If they can put up with them here I'm sure we can tolerate them in Pookey-Hollow.
When I'd been chatting to the wildlife photographer near Banff he told me that if we didn't see bears in Waterton we would be the unluckiest tourists in Canada.
It's looking promising again, hopefully not a false dawn this time.
Surely they don't mean these guys do they?
I did stop & have a chat with them. Horses tend to bully me, I've spent hundreds of pounds over the years trying to learn to ride but Dobbin & Co. can sense they've got an idiot on their back & wander round to their heart's content happily ignoring any instruction I give them.
These 2 were lovely though, very friendly. I think they were just grateful that someone had stopped to chat to them, even if it was only me.
As you head into Waterton there's a Buffalo/Bison compound. I couldn't miss this so rode down to the gates. No motorcycles allowed.
So I got off the bike & decided to wait for someone to come by in a car & get a lift with them. I'd just have to amuse myself with the scenery some more until that happened.
And sure enough after 10 minutes or so I was in the passenger seat of one of those massive Dodge Ram Pick ups they have over there, sitting alongside a smashing young local with his wife & nipper in the back. The kid was teething & consequently screaming her heart out, normally this would be enough for me to get out immediately & make my own way round on foot. A herd of bison is nothing compared to a screaming brat.
But I wasn't remotely bothered by the noise and this made me realise just what a good place I was in psychologically. I really hadn't got a care in the world & had a level of tolerance, nay understanding, that I don't think I've ever know before.
And we saw a bison. Just the one, but nevertheless it was a real, live Bison. Tick.
Still no bears though & it was getting late. I entered The National Park & asked the young lad at the pay desk how likely it was that I would see them. He was pretty confident so I asked for his name & said I'd be back for a refund if I ended the trip bearless. I don't think he understands irony as he gave me a full & clear explanation that as bears are wild animals there can be no guarantee of seeing one as they roam all over the National Park & have free acces to the countryside & can come & go as they please and it's heading towards winter so they'll be foraging amongst the trees for berries and you might not see any and......
. But he was a nice kid. It was quite clear we weren't destined to see any bears this year which was a blow but you can't force nature.
200 yards up the road I saw these guys.
Mum & her 2 cubs.
It was getting late but I hung around for a while, this was what I'd come for & now the trip was definitely complete. Anything else would be a bonus.
Time to get to the hotel which was less than 3 miles away.
No worries about carrying luggage too far when you're this close to your room.
Everyone else was heading off to the local laundry, not something I needed to do, having A) brought enough t-shirts to last the trip &B) bought some additional shreddies at Asda.
Chris, however, was clearly in full party mode & dressed accordingly.
I decided to stay in & watch some gridiron, a game I'd got totally immersed in in my short time here so I left them to it, had a quick wander round & retired to my suite to nibble on my nuts & have a glass or two of vino before turning in for the night.
Some bear action from Waterton Township. Sue and i had heard that this bear turned up occasionally at the Prince of Wales Hotel just outside the township so later on in the day we went over to have a look and got lucky
camera work shakey but it does improve
http://vid1371.photobucket.com/albums/ag306/tonyvwalker/Bear mp4 vid_zpsrphjxf4m.mp4
Sue and bear
The Prince of Wales or the carbuncle as Chris calls it
camera work shakey but it does improve
http://vid1371.photobucket.com/albums/ag306/tonyvwalker/Bear mp4 vid_zpsrphjxf4m.mp4
Sue and bear
The Prince of Wales or the carbuncle as Chris calls it
Me, Peter and Andy saw that same Bear as we came out of the bar later that night. He was rifling the bins there as well!!
Hope Mark post the pics of the Bear that nearly ate him by the entrance gate
Hope Mark post the pics of the Bear that nearly ate him by the entrance gate
Well it didn't get near enough to eat him because as soon as the bear stood up Mark legged it in a Usain Bolt stylee
i got these pictures from a safer distance
Mark watching mummy and the baby bears up close and personal
Then mummy bear did this. Feck me that was one big bear when it stood up.
Mummy had obviously got a whiff of Mark and was looking for the owner of that whiff.
I haven't got any pictures of Mark running through the long grass as i was pissing myself laughing
i got these pictures from a safer distance
Mark watching mummy and the baby bears up close and personal
Then mummy bear did this. Feck me that was one big bear when it stood up.
Mummy had obviously got a whiff of Mark and was looking for the owner of that whiff.
I haven't got any pictures of Mark running through the long grass as i was pissing myself laughing
You mean this one?
Yes..... I suitably skat my pants!
But one thing is for sure..... when I started running, if I thought the bear was on my tail, you could be damn sure I wasn't going to be the slowest runner and that's what counts
Me, Peter and Andy saw that same Bear as we came out of the bar later that night. He was rifling the bins there as well!!
Hope Mark post the pics of the Bear that nearly ate him by the entrance gate
Yes..... I suitably skat my pants!
But one thing is for sure..... when I started running, if I thought the bear was on my tail, you could be damn sure I wasn't going to be the slowest runner and that's what counts
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Friday 12th September 2014
I wake up this morning feeling good about myself. No, scrap that - I feel great. I spent most of yesterday riding on my own & I thoroughly enjoyed it. Not only that but I made it to Clinton without mishap. I'd arrived in good time & arriving first meant that had anything untoward happened the others would have been along not long afterwards to pick up the pieces. I had developed a plan. Set off early-ish, before most of the others & make sure I'm never the last person on the road - just in case.
By now Sarah was home from her Greek drinking spree, the kids would now be settled again, this helped my buoyant mood. I felt free. All was well with the world & I was no longer thinking about what might happen; I was living 'in the moment'. I don't know when I last felt so liberated or so deeply happy with myself - if ever. I'm aware this sounds like self indulgent clap-trap but I'm keen to record this feeling as it's very easy to slip back into my old worrying, OCD self. I much prefer this new me.
So off I set for Valemount with a real spring in my step and a huuuuuge smile on my face. Left out of the Cariboo Lodge and a quick ride up to 70 Mile House for breakfast at Smilies Cafe.
I arrived just as Paul & Sam did.
They were obviously expecting Bilco.
I'd made the decision not to over indulge while breakfasting so most mornings had English Muffins, Orange Juice & coffee. That was the order this morning and it was accompanied by a small selection of home made jams/jellies/marmalades.
I was joined by Pete who was now a solo traveller, Andrew still being in Vancouver (& that didn't exactly pan out as planned God love him).
Pete wasn't quite so shy of those famous American Breakfasts.
That's 3 sausages, 3 eggs, 3 rashers of bacon, hash browns & 3 of these. Good to see a healthy slice of orange there to balance things up
Seems to be going down well though.
And if all of that didn't cause enough havoc in your guts why not top it off with a little of this?
Seemed rude not to
When in Rome.....
Monday 15th September 2014
A day at leisure today as we're at Waterton for 2 nights.
We're minus Pete who has gone murdering in the name of fun, at a very posh hotel somewhere up the road. Andy went with him yesterday to tuck him in & was very jealous of the amount of internet availability Pete had. These 2 being very busy business men spent a lot of time on their computers when we stopped, usually draining the local town of any bandwidth within 5 minutes of arriving at the hotel
The weather was kind so having rung home using the fantastic BT app which allows me to make calls from anywhere in the using my home landline via my Smart phone I went for a wander.
There was a lovely hotel that we'd passed on the road in yesterday,
definitely somewhere to stay next time I come back.
Being at the end of the lake meant that it had to cope with some extremely strong winds. When they were building it, it got blown off it's foundations twice before they finished it. No mishaps since it's been completed, however.
There were a few boats on the lake.
I went for some snap, bumping into Jo & Chris & enjoying a few minutes in their company before mooching on a little further.
I'd not seen one of these before, a Carolina Chatanooga Leopard dog apparently.
She wasn't for moving. The waitress in this coffee bar gives her a cookie every morning & she was going nowhere until she'd had it. 'Focussed'.
More wandering....
Help yourself or
A quick look at the lake shore
Before heading back to the hotel where people were up & around, checking their bikes
or filling their guts
I'd booked a boat trip for later in the afternoon but as this didn't leave until 1600 hrs. I had time to spare. A local had suggested a ride up the Red Rock Canyon Road & assured me that I would see some bears along here. So off I set at a steady old pace, admiring the scenery once again.
Beaver sett (?) but unfortunately no beaver
It's a terrible life.....
And then bingo! I spotted these guys.
and this guy
all being closely watched by this chap
We were told at Waterton that there are no brown bears in North America, only Black bears which vary enormously in colour & Grizzly bears. Conversely in Yellowstone we were later told that there are no Black bears in North America, only Brown bears which vary enormously in colour & Grizzly bears. I've no idea who is right but they're all lovely.
And then I rode on to the end of the road.
Red Rock Canyon indeed.
On the way back to the hotel I came across Dean. The girls had gone horse riding so Dean had taken the opportunity to do his thang, much like me.
I guess those panniers will have been changed by now with the addition of 'A suburb of England', under the now redundant 'Scotland' logo?
We got back to the hotel & Dean and made our way to the boat, Dean spotting this along the way.
Then it was on to the boat, heading along the lake to America.
During the summer the population of Waterton is around the 2,000 mark. In winter this drops below 50. The weather varies from the sort of day we were having, quite stunning & beautifully warm to -30C at it's most extreme.
These lakeside properties cost in excess of £600,000 & flood every winter.
There's a profile of a face in this mountain top.
I was lucky enough to be joined by that famous rock band.....................Motley Crue.
Who said romance is dead?
The lake is said to be so cold that if you fell in you wouldn't drown, the cold would kill you almost instantly.
It straddles the American/Canadian border, marked by a cut in the trees on 1 side
And 2 stones on the opposite bank. As you approach them they look off-set
but as you cross the border they align & 2 become 1 (sing song anyone?)
The captain of the ship (The International, built in 1927 & still in excellent condition) is clearly a diplomat.
The American border post is over 20 miles from the nearest road & is basically used for hikers making their way through the woods & around the lake.
10 minutes for a quick wander round
Then it's back onto the boat where I'm sure I saw a Bald Eagle just before disembarking.
.
The evening was my own so it was back onto the bike for another short ride up to a diufferent lake about 15-20 miles away. It was pretty deserted when I arrived apart from a young couple with their dogs, of whom who had braved the water
The other of whom was far too posh to do so.
They soon skedaddled, and I had the place to myself for a short while before being joined by (& I swear it was him) Robin Williams. Alright I know he's dead so it's pretty unlikely but this bloke was the spitting image of him & had a personality that matched the great man. We chatted for a while, he said he's seen a few of us riding around during the last few hours & was highly confused by our inability to stop at the 'Stop' signs until I explained to him that all roads signs are optional and for information only for motorcyclists in the UK.
And then I was alone again. This really was the most enchanting place & I had it to myself. I really would have liked Sarah to be with me, a place like this deserves to be shared.
I stayed a while before heading back to the metropolis of Waterton
Heading out to look for some food I saw Chris & Jo sharing a light starter, yes, it really was a starter for 2 people. Pete was with them having failed to slaughter anything in the name of fun........
I found a pizza takeaway & tried to order. I say I tried to order as the 1st girl refused to serve me on the basis of the t-shirt I was wearing, A Boston Bruins shirt. When I say she refused to serve me she really did refuse. She was very polite about it but explained that the Bruins & her team, some hopeless Canadian outfit, had a bit of history in the Stanley Cup & there was no way she was serving anyone who had any sort of allegiance with Boston's finest, regardless of how tenuous that link was. I admired her for that. That's a proper sports fan IMO. While she was away finding someone who would serve me I saw this poster on the wall. A gentle reminder that only a week or so before we arrived someone had posted on Trip Advisor how they'd had a mountain lion on their roof whilst staying at the same hotel as us. Oh well, at least I'd know how to deal with one should I be lucky enough to cross their path.
Pizza was finally produced, along with garlic toast and it was back to the room to enjoy them, along with more wine, chocolate & peanuts.
What a day and what a place Waterton is. I WILL be back & I WILL bring Sarah.
A day at leisure today as we're at Waterton for 2 nights.
We're minus Pete who has gone murdering in the name of fun, at a very posh hotel somewhere up the road. Andy went with him yesterday to tuck him in & was very jealous of the amount of internet availability Pete had. These 2 being very busy business men spent a lot of time on their computers when we stopped, usually draining the local town of any bandwidth within 5 minutes of arriving at the hotel
The weather was kind so having rung home using the fantastic BT app which allows me to make calls from anywhere in the using my home landline via my Smart phone I went for a wander.
There was a lovely hotel that we'd passed on the road in yesterday,
definitely somewhere to stay next time I come back.
Being at the end of the lake meant that it had to cope with some extremely strong winds. When they were building it, it got blown off it's foundations twice before they finished it. No mishaps since it's been completed, however.
There were a few boats on the lake.
I went for some snap, bumping into Jo & Chris & enjoying a few minutes in their company before mooching on a little further.
I'd not seen one of these before, a Carolina Chatanooga Leopard dog apparently.
She wasn't for moving. The waitress in this coffee bar gives her a cookie every morning & she was going nowhere until she'd had it. 'Focussed'.
More wandering....
Help yourself or
A quick look at the lake shore
Before heading back to the hotel where people were up & around, checking their bikes
or filling their guts
I'd booked a boat trip for later in the afternoon but as this didn't leave until 1600 hrs. I had time to spare. A local had suggested a ride up the Red Rock Canyon Road & assured me that I would see some bears along here. So off I set at a steady old pace, admiring the scenery once again.
Beaver sett (?) but unfortunately no beaver
It's a terrible life.....
And then bingo! I spotted these guys.
and this guy
all being closely watched by this chap
We were told at Waterton that there are no brown bears in North America, only Black bears which vary enormously in colour & Grizzly bears. Conversely in Yellowstone we were later told that there are no Black bears in North America, only Brown bears which vary enormously in colour & Grizzly bears. I've no idea who is right but they're all lovely.
And then I rode on to the end of the road.
Red Rock Canyon indeed.
On the way back to the hotel I came across Dean. The girls had gone horse riding so Dean had taken the opportunity to do his thang, much like me.
I guess those panniers will have been changed by now with the addition of 'A suburb of England', under the now redundant 'Scotland' logo?
We got back to the hotel & Dean and made our way to the boat, Dean spotting this along the way.
Then it was on to the boat, heading along the lake to America.
During the summer the population of Waterton is around the 2,000 mark. In winter this drops below 50. The weather varies from the sort of day we were having, quite stunning & beautifully warm to -30C at it's most extreme.
These lakeside properties cost in excess of £600,000 & flood every winter.
There's a profile of a face in this mountain top.
I was lucky enough to be joined by that famous rock band.....................Motley Crue.
Who said romance is dead?
The lake is said to be so cold that if you fell in you wouldn't drown, the cold would kill you almost instantly.
It straddles the American/Canadian border, marked by a cut in the trees on 1 side
And 2 stones on the opposite bank. As you approach them they look off-set
but as you cross the border they align & 2 become 1 (sing song anyone?)
The captain of the ship (The International, built in 1927 & still in excellent condition) is clearly a diplomat.
The American border post is over 20 miles from the nearest road & is basically used for hikers making their way through the woods & around the lake.
10 minutes for a quick wander round
Then it's back onto the boat where I'm sure I saw a Bald Eagle just before disembarking.
.The evening was my own so it was back onto the bike for another short ride up to a diufferent lake about 15-20 miles away. It was pretty deserted when I arrived apart from a young couple with their dogs, of whom who had braved the water
The other of whom was far too posh to do so.
They soon skedaddled, and I had the place to myself for a short while before being joined by (& I swear it was him) Robin Williams. Alright I know he's dead so it's pretty unlikely but this bloke was the spitting image of him & had a personality that matched the great man. We chatted for a while, he said he's seen a few of us riding around during the last few hours & was highly confused by our inability to stop at the 'Stop' signs until I explained to him that all roads signs are optional and for information only for motorcyclists in the UK.
And then I was alone again. This really was the most enchanting place & I had it to myself. I really would have liked Sarah to be with me, a place like this deserves to be shared.
I stayed a while before heading back to the metropolis of Waterton
Heading out to look for some food I saw Chris & Jo sharing a light starter, yes, it really was a starter for 2 people. Pete was with them having failed to slaughter anything in the name of fun........
I found a pizza takeaway & tried to order. I say I tried to order as the 1st girl refused to serve me on the basis of the t-shirt I was wearing, A Boston Bruins shirt. When I say she refused to serve me she really did refuse. She was very polite about it but explained that the Bruins & her team, some hopeless Canadian outfit, had a bit of history in the Stanley Cup & there was no way she was serving anyone who had any sort of allegiance with Boston's finest, regardless of how tenuous that link was. I admired her for that. That's a proper sports fan IMO. While she was away finding someone who would serve me I saw this poster on the wall. A gentle reminder that only a week or so before we arrived someone had posted on Trip Advisor how they'd had a mountain lion on their roof whilst staying at the same hotel as us. Oh well, at least I'd know how to deal with one should I be lucky enough to cross their path.
Pizza was finally produced, along with garlic toast and it was back to the room to enjoy them, along with more wine, chocolate & peanuts.
What a day and what a place Waterton is. I WILL be back & I WILL bring Sarah.
We loved it at Waterton and it was lovely to have a "day off" there and Sue thought she had died and gone to heaven when she was able to go horse riding with "the girls" in the Rockies, giddy up Dobbin
Cameron Lake was (is), as as you say Bill enchanting with it's peacefulness.
We also bumped into some people who said they had been coming across Brits. on bikes all day; when travelling back from the lake we stopped to take a picture of a waterfall, they were there and insisted on taking photographs of us on the bike to "show the folks back home"
Before they left the lake they took a piccy. for us. Say ahhh
Cameron Lake was (is), as as you say Bill enchanting with it's peacefulness.
We also bumped into some people who said they had been coming across Brits. on bikes all day; when travelling back from the lake we stopped to take a picture of a waterfall, they were there and insisted on taking photographs of us on the bike to "show the folks back home"
Before they left the lake they took a piccy. for us. Say ahhh
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Cheers, much appreciated, particularly given the outstanding quality of your photos.
Tuesday 16th September 2014
My sister's birthday, Happy Birthday Maureen.
Back into the USA today.
Just over the border there's a team heading into the forest to put some fencing up. They still use horses/mules as they remain the most effective way of getting through the forests & up & down the mountains.
We head down to a little town called St. Mary
...but there are no open cafes so we head back to this place.
It is attached to a camp site & has the most miserable staff I encountered on the whole trip - Canadian Border Force are positively erm, positive, compared to the miserable woman in charge here but we're lucky enough to be served by a very nice East European girl. Goodness knows how she ended up here - though Sandra's pretty sure the poor lass has been kidnapped & is being used as slave labour. IIRC the place has been in the same family for about 4 generations since it 1st opened.
It's very nice inside
but we arrive at 1 minute past 11 & as breakfast is only served until 11.00 we all have to choose something else off the menu. There is no changing The Fuhrer's mind, even if there are plenty of us in the group.
As luck would have it Glyn ordered a sandwich which came with soup. He didn't want the soup so kindly passed it onto me & it was delicious, the photo might be crap but the soup was superb, the finest I've ever had. Thick, beefy vegetable.........but enough about Glyn, here's the soup.
As we left I noticed Pete's top box.
Freemason...........................Tosser. I'll let you make up your own jokes.
Glyn, Sandra & I headed back to a cafe we'd passed earlier. It had caught my eye & Sandra told me that it's very famous, having appeared in many films. She was a little disappointed that we hadn't stopped here.
A quick about turn & we're heading into Glacier National Park.
where we're reminded how quickly conditions can deteriorate.
The park is a very popular tourist attraction and basically a linear road travelling through a series of Glacial Valleys. If you don't want to drive you can take one of these tourist buses. The roof folds back so you can stand up to take your photos.
The first 15 miles of road or so are packed gravel. Tankers full of water make regular trips up & down these sections spraying water to damp down the dust, re-filling at the lake.
Master of all he surveys.
There was a lot of traffic & regular stops at temporary traffic lights in very hot weather. They use an escort process at the roadworks in America & it's not unusual to have to wait 15 minutes before the lights change. Through the park they were laying & rolling more gravel.
Riding on the gravel was interesting, never having done it before. Okay it was easy enough but not a bad place to do it - you can see the road here making it's way through the trees.
From this point it was tarmac the rest of the way. It would have been a great road but was very heavy with traffic. Goodness what it's like at the height of the season.
The scenery was okay but nothing compared to what we had seen over the previous few days.
We'd been warned back in Canada that this park might not be open as a result of the weather but most of the snow from the previous few days had gone, though there were a few reminders of what we had been lucky enough to avoid.
Glacial valley anyone?
Out of the park & into Hungry Horse where our chalets await. Most of us were in log cabins with a shared shower/toilet block, though there were 2 rooms inside the main building with a few more luxuries (including towels). Sandra & Glyn, who I'd spent most of the day with were allocated a room in the main house & were kind enough to give me one of their spare towels. Sandra had been feeling the cold for the past few days so most of the others girls decided that her & Glyn should have the potentially warmer accommodation. This just typified the selfless & thoughtful attitude of the vast majority of people on the trip though as I understand it not everyone was thrilled to find this out on arrival, having (apparently) raced here to 'get the best room' but missed the turning & sailed past. Quid quo pro, some might say.
I was in one of the cabins & I was delighted. It really took me back to boyhood camping holidays.
It had everything I needed - a bed & a light. Well, 3 beds, a light & a fridge (?).
Sam & Paul were already settled in
while Dean was carrying out the daily boys ritual of checking the maps & trying to plot tomorrows route on the Sat Nav.
No on-site cafe so Chris had organised a barbecue. Sue, Jo & Mark had done a great job of setting things up while Tony went on a beer & wine run. Unfortunately I believe Tony ended up out of pocket but kept this to himself, again a reflection of the character of the bloke.
I hope you like steak....................
I don't but as there was nothing else Chris was good enough to (very reluctantly) cremate a slab for me. It went down well enough helped by a glass of Canadian white. Or as Paul succinctly put it when he saw me with a glass of wine rather than a bottle of beer, "Fruit based drink for the ladies".
This, however, was the highlight of the show & quite possibly the whole trip.
Yip. Spray on butter. That's butter that you can spray onto your bread. It tastes just like butter only it it's spray form. In,fecking,credible.
To be quite honest I'd have been quite happy with a bottle of this stuff & a crusty bloomer.
Although today had been one of the least scintillating days of riding IMO the night was undoubtedly the best. I had to leave the cabin a couple of times for 'comfort breaks', each time I did I was standing in beautiful, atmospheric moonlight & the only noise breaking the silence was the sound of wolves howling. It was floating across the valleys & was quite, quite wonderful. What a night, one that will stay with me forever. Yet another superb experience on this mind blowing trip. Goodness me I'm blessed to be here.
My sister's birthday, Happy Birthday Maureen.
Back into the USA today.
Just over the border there's a team heading into the forest to put some fencing up. They still use horses/mules as they remain the most effective way of getting through the forests & up & down the mountains.
We head down to a little town called St. Mary
...but there are no open cafes so we head back to this place.
It is attached to a camp site & has the most miserable staff I encountered on the whole trip - Canadian Border Force are positively erm, positive, compared to the miserable woman in charge here but we're lucky enough to be served by a very nice East European girl. Goodness knows how she ended up here - though Sandra's pretty sure the poor lass has been kidnapped & is being used as slave labour. IIRC the place has been in the same family for about 4 generations since it 1st opened.
It's very nice inside
but we arrive at 1 minute past 11 & as breakfast is only served until 11.00 we all have to choose something else off the menu. There is no changing The Fuhrer's mind, even if there are plenty of us in the group.
As luck would have it Glyn ordered a sandwich which came with soup. He didn't want the soup so kindly passed it onto me & it was delicious, the photo might be crap but the soup was superb, the finest I've ever had. Thick, beefy vegetable.........but enough about Glyn, here's the soup.
As we left I noticed Pete's top box.
Freemason...........................Tosser. I'll let you make up your own jokes.
Glyn, Sandra & I headed back to a cafe we'd passed earlier. It had caught my eye & Sandra told me that it's very famous, having appeared in many films. She was a little disappointed that we hadn't stopped here.
A quick about turn & we're heading into Glacier National Park.
where we're reminded how quickly conditions can deteriorate.
The park is a very popular tourist attraction and basically a linear road travelling through a series of Glacial Valleys. If you don't want to drive you can take one of these tourist buses. The roof folds back so you can stand up to take your photos.
The first 15 miles of road or so are packed gravel. Tankers full of water make regular trips up & down these sections spraying water to damp down the dust, re-filling at the lake.
Master of all he surveys.
There was a lot of traffic & regular stops at temporary traffic lights in very hot weather. They use an escort process at the roadworks in America & it's not unusual to have to wait 15 minutes before the lights change. Through the park they were laying & rolling more gravel.
Riding on the gravel was interesting, never having done it before. Okay it was easy enough but not a bad place to do it - you can see the road here making it's way through the trees.
From this point it was tarmac the rest of the way. It would have been a great road but was very heavy with traffic. Goodness what it's like at the height of the season.
The scenery was okay but nothing compared to what we had seen over the previous few days.
We'd been warned back in Canada that this park might not be open as a result of the weather but most of the snow from the previous few days had gone, though there were a few reminders of what we had been lucky enough to avoid.
Glacial valley anyone?
Out of the park & into Hungry Horse where our chalets await. Most of us were in log cabins with a shared shower/toilet block, though there were 2 rooms inside the main building with a few more luxuries (including towels). Sandra & Glyn, who I'd spent most of the day with were allocated a room in the main house & were kind enough to give me one of their spare towels. Sandra had been feeling the cold for the past few days so most of the others girls decided that her & Glyn should have the potentially warmer accommodation. This just typified the selfless & thoughtful attitude of the vast majority of people on the trip though as I understand it not everyone was thrilled to find this out on arrival, having (apparently) raced here to 'get the best room' but missed the turning & sailed past. Quid quo pro, some might say.
I was in one of the cabins & I was delighted. It really took me back to boyhood camping holidays.
It had everything I needed - a bed & a light. Well, 3 beds, a light & a fridge (?).
Sam & Paul were already settled in
while Dean was carrying out the daily boys ritual of checking the maps & trying to plot tomorrows route on the Sat Nav.
No on-site cafe so Chris had organised a barbecue. Sue, Jo & Mark had done a great job of setting things up while Tony went on a beer & wine run. Unfortunately I believe Tony ended up out of pocket but kept this to himself, again a reflection of the character of the bloke.
I hope you like steak....................
I don't but as there was nothing else Chris was good enough to (very reluctantly) cremate a slab for me. It went down well enough helped by a glass of Canadian white. Or as Paul succinctly put it when he saw me with a glass of wine rather than a bottle of beer, "Fruit based drink for the ladies".
This, however, was the highlight of the show & quite possibly the whole trip.
Yip. Spray on butter. That's butter that you can spray onto your bread. It tastes just like butter only it it's spray form. In,fecking,credible.
To be quite honest I'd have been quite happy with a bottle of this stuff & a crusty bloomer.
Although today had been one of the least scintillating days of riding IMO the night was undoubtedly the best. I had to leave the cabin a couple of times for 'comfort breaks', each time I did I was standing in beautiful, atmospheric moonlight & the only noise breaking the silence was the sound of wolves howling. It was floating across the valleys & was quite, quite wonderful. What a night, one that will stay with me forever. Yet another superb experience on this mind blowing trip. Goodness me I'm blessed to be here.
Yes, I learnt that no matter what you have to drink with it, steak is still cak.
