Bilco`s US Tour 2008. Final part...Canada and the West Coast
Left the fantastic Glacier National Park after a problem with Rob`s Honda. Pushed the feckin thing like a bunch of idiots up and down the road until he finally found that funny little lever next to the clutch was the choke!!!
After this morning workout, we headed toward Canada through Kalispell on R93. Through the border at Roosville with a cheery “Welcome to Canada” by very happy border guard. The US customs should take note!!
As always seems to be the case, the landscape change dramatically and seems to get very big as we head up the 93!! None of us had been up here before so weren’t sure what to expect. Huge landscapes are everywhere on this pretty straight road!!
It’s hard enough on bike with an engine!
Stopped for coffee and grub at a cracking little gas station at a place called Stookumchuck and had a chat with the driver of this logging truck.
Fully refuelled and refreshed headed due north to Radium Hot Springs and took a right to continue on the 93 to Lake Louise! To our surprise we entered the Kootenay National Park and got onto the most fantastic twisty road over Sinclair Pass to be greeted by this wonderful scene:
I guess is just what I had imagined Canada to be and we carried on this almost deserted road toward Lake Louise with jaws scraping on the floor.
We had plans on heading to Banff but time was running on so we turned left and stopped for coffee at Lake Louise. This road was part of the Trans Canada Highway and was busy with trucks. We were sitting at around 75mph when this one cruises past:
Still, the scenery just didn’t change:
After a swift coffee at the services with this view
We joined the Icefield Parkway to Jasper. This road is around 250km and has nothing on there apart from a couple of motels and a gas station. It makes you realise just how big this country is! The road is fast and just packed with scenery:
About halfway along the Parkway, we saw the Athabasca Glacier which is really close to the road. We didn’t have time for a long stop but this thing is impressive:
You can get a ride on one of these which will take you right onto the Glacier:
Vista`s just keep on coming:
We arrived fairly late into Jasper and checked into the Whistler Motel, had the regulation few cold beers, a decent Chinese and crashed out with a brain full of awesome views. Jasper is a real touristy place but great to have a wonder around. The weather was hot and sunny so we had a leisurely breakfast and chilled out for the morning.
After a late start we headed west out of Jasper on the Yellowhead Highway before sadly turning south toward Kamloops. Same long stretches of road with stunning scenery (again). We came across a small company who do River Safari’s who guarantee you seeing a bear on the riverbank. At $90 per person we didn’t do the safari but had a great lunch down by the river. It could be Australia here:
Good road to the river and a nice change from the tarmac:
Followed the Yellowhead Highway South and James had a problem with vague steering on his 1200. Stopped at a small service station and found the headstock was a little loose and managed to sort the issue out in 90 degree heat!
The owner of the service station was a real laugh and we had a lot of good natured banter over the name of a spanner/wrench/socket etc.....!!
Problem sorted so we headed down to Kamloops. We arrived pretty late to find all the hotels full due to a convention in town. As always, everyone is friendly and helpful and a girl at one of the motels managed to find rooms at a hotel called Lac Le Jeune about 25kms south. It was getting dark but we had no choice and couldn’t believe our luck when we got there:
The hotel is set on a fantastic lake and we had a couple of cabins. The whole thing cost around £50 a head for this wonderful place including plenty of beer and some great grub!!
The lake is one of the best Trout lakes in the area and they catch them up to 12lbs which I’m told is big! They jump as well and you hear the splashes all night. Needed an early start so we loaded up and headed off from this stunning place:
As is usual, the weather was different again. From being hot and sunny yesterday, it was a lot cooler but the sun was still shining. We set off and passed one of the biggest open cast copper mines in Canada at Logan Lake. Unbelievable and couldn’t get too close for good pics unfortunately but the mine looked fookin deep:
The waste from this mine is a huge lake which stretches for miles and is held back by a dam. Apparently it’s full of all sorts of nasty chemicals and would be an environmental disaster if the dam broke. Strangely beautiful though:
Came across a couple of pieces of plant they have on show. I love trucks so couldn’t resist checking this one out..... BIG or what!!!!
The whole area around here is based around the mine and maybe it was just me but it all seemed very grey and bland. The weather was closing in which didn’t help but the roads were great.
It got seriously cold and wet all of a sudden so the café in Cache Creek was a god send! Check out the raining coming in down the mountains!
Suitably dressed in full winter gear we headed onto the R99 toward Whistler. This has to be one of the greatest roads anywhere and has everything a biker could want including 4 seasons in about 15 minutes!! The views are stunning, bends are awesome and there is little traffic at this time of the year, by the time we got to Lillooet the sun had come back out so we were back in summer gear!!
View from Lillooet
You can see the road snaking along by the river:
Great bends:
Great roads:
Great views
The road crosses a lot of rivers on wooden bridges which were slippy as hell and god only knows what they are like in the rain!!
I can’t say how enough how good this road is and goes on for around 100 miles and is only spoiled by getting to Whistler which is a horrendous place from what I saw. It’s a very rich city and is preparing for the winter Olympics and full of rich guys with ponytails and Ferraris with a young blonde on their arm. In fact, didn’t even bother to stop for pics!!
The road down to Vancouver is being made bigger for the olypics and is a 112km long roadwork. I’m sure it will be great when it’s done but great views as always.
Time was moving on so we passed through Vancouver and head down to Seattle to meet friends. Caught the rush hour in blinding heat and got to the US border on a Friday night which in hindsight wasn’t the best idea. A predicted 2 hour wait to cross was accurate due to the twitchy US customs who seem to think everyone was going to attack. Good thing they let the bikes get down the queue!!
Thought I may have a problem crossing back in to the US being on a UK bike but the customs man was more interested in the cost of shipping from the UK! Rode into Seattle at 9-30 in the pitch dark and as soon as we arrived at Chris and Susan’s, cold beers and a BBQ swiftly followed! Gotta love these friendly Americans!!
Next morning dawned sunny and hot so we were persuaded to spend a day on Chris’s boat on Lake Washington!! OK, I admit it didn’t take much to have to drink beer, look at gorgeous skimpily clad women and water ski all day!
Getting the boat onto Lake Washington!
The Lake is huge and no speed limit!
Relaxed tosser after too many miles (or beers?)!
Definitely NWS and one for the laydeeeez......
How good is this?
The skipper who retired from airline flying at the age of 34 because he said it was like driving a taxi!! Obviously doesn’t go to the same places as Arsey....!! Top geezer though!
Great day and another great evening of beer, BBQ and talking bollox (bit like a GS do) we sadly headed off the following morning toward Mt St Helens. I went there in 2005 but it was pouring with rain so it was great to go in the sunshine! The road up to the summit is fantastic with loads of great bends and views:
Mt St Helens is an active volcano which exploded in the early 80`s and caused massive destruction in the area. It’s fascinating to get so close to this volcano and see all the volcanic larva etc and see what happened to the landscape. It’s a must see if you are ever in the area!
Two English guys in full holiday pose!
From Mt St Helens, we headed toward the Pacific and found a fantastic road from Kelso to Astoria on the cast which follows the Colombia River. It’s the R4 and we headed along it in the setting sun just enjoying the atmosphere.
Stopped in Astoria which is a great little town and spent the night in a local bar playing bingo which was petty funny. Luckily, we didn’t have a camera out with us. The bridge over the Columbia into Astoria is about 1 mile long and great to ride across. This pic was taken from our hotel:
This Harley was at the hotel and this guy and his wife do around 25,000 miles a year and as I’ve said before, some of the HD riders really use their kit, are great guys to talk to because they know all the best places and I have a great respect for them. Check out the pipes on his Harley!
The day started off in bright sunshine again as we headed off down the Oregon Coast on the 101 which is just a glorious road to ride on. It has just about every view you can think of and winds it’s way gently south.
After an overnight stop in Crescent City which is a place I wouldn’t recommend, we headed south on the last day of my trip. Really mixed emotions for me but we had to get back the San Francisco quickly because James and Polly had had some bad personal news so it was an unhappy run. The weather didn’t help because it was cold and misty which is fairly usual for the Pacific coast and gives it a haunting beauty:
The sun eventually came out for the last section:
Arrived and in San Francisco with mixed feelings. I’d been just over 4 weeks on the road and had some good times and bad times. For those of you who have done big trips like this, it’s not all good times but they are all memorable. The bike had been fantastic, the weather, perfect (even the cold days) and the company awesome. All good things must come to an end though so the bike was checked over, washed and put in James’s garage ready for next July’s trip to Alaska!!! Roll on 2009!
The GS and rider in their element.......!
Even the trip home had it’s fair share of highlights! The flight home from Calgary was overbooked so I volunteered to be bumped off the flight so enjoyed Air Canada`a fine offer of 1st class travel home and use of the Executive lounge in Toronto which you’ll all be glad to know I took full advantage of!
Summary of the trip:
The bike: 1997 GS1100 which was damn near perfect despite the few big crashes. I can’t think of another bike which could have survived the massive difference in conditions when loaded.
Mileage: Total mileage was 7,396 with approx 2000 on dirt.
States visited: 18 in the USA and 2 in Canada
Best Bits: Finding the bike was rideable after the damage at the dock. Crossing into Canada and a cold beer after having heat exhaustion in Oklahoma!
Worst bits: None really but realizing the Trans America Trail was too tough wasn’t my best moment!
Riding in the USA: Riding in the US is a fantastic experience and should be done at every opportunity!! The roads are brilliant and largely empty, even the long straight roads are a challenge and very enjoyable, the distances can be enormous and always catch you out, the scenery is stunning and changes constantly, everyone is very friendly and helpful and out us and the Europeans to shame, gas and motels are cheap and shipping the bike is simple. In two words....DO IT!
If anyone wants details of routes etc I’d be more than happy to supply them and I’ve got more maps than you can shake a stick at! Also, if you want any help or advice in planning a trip to the USA, just ask!
Left the fantastic Glacier National Park after a problem with Rob`s Honda. Pushed the feckin thing like a bunch of idiots up and down the road until he finally found that funny little lever next to the clutch was the choke!!!
After this morning workout, we headed toward Canada through Kalispell on R93. Through the border at Roosville with a cheery “Welcome to Canada” by very happy border guard. The US customs should take note!!
As always seems to be the case, the landscape change dramatically and seems to get very big as we head up the 93!! None of us had been up here before so weren’t sure what to expect. Huge landscapes are everywhere on this pretty straight road!!
It’s hard enough on bike with an engine!
Stopped for coffee and grub at a cracking little gas station at a place called Stookumchuck and had a chat with the driver of this logging truck.
Fully refuelled and refreshed headed due north to Radium Hot Springs and took a right to continue on the 93 to Lake Louise! To our surprise we entered the Kootenay National Park and got onto the most fantastic twisty road over Sinclair Pass to be greeted by this wonderful scene:
I guess is just what I had imagined Canada to be and we carried on this almost deserted road toward Lake Louise with jaws scraping on the floor.
We had plans on heading to Banff but time was running on so we turned left and stopped for coffee at Lake Louise. This road was part of the Trans Canada Highway and was busy with trucks. We were sitting at around 75mph when this one cruises past:
Still, the scenery just didn’t change:
After a swift coffee at the services with this view
We joined the Icefield Parkway to Jasper. This road is around 250km and has nothing on there apart from a couple of motels and a gas station. It makes you realise just how big this country is! The road is fast and just packed with scenery:
About halfway along the Parkway, we saw the Athabasca Glacier which is really close to the road. We didn’t have time for a long stop but this thing is impressive:
You can get a ride on one of these which will take you right onto the Glacier:
Vista`s just keep on coming:
We arrived fairly late into Jasper and checked into the Whistler Motel, had the regulation few cold beers, a decent Chinese and crashed out with a brain full of awesome views. Jasper is a real touristy place but great to have a wonder around. The weather was hot and sunny so we had a leisurely breakfast and chilled out for the morning.
After a late start we headed west out of Jasper on the Yellowhead Highway before sadly turning south toward Kamloops. Same long stretches of road with stunning scenery (again). We came across a small company who do River Safari’s who guarantee you seeing a bear on the riverbank. At $90 per person we didn’t do the safari but had a great lunch down by the river. It could be Australia here:
Good road to the river and a nice change from the tarmac:
Followed the Yellowhead Highway South and James had a problem with vague steering on his 1200. Stopped at a small service station and found the headstock was a little loose and managed to sort the issue out in 90 degree heat!
The owner of the service station was a real laugh and we had a lot of good natured banter over the name of a spanner/wrench/socket etc.....!!
Problem sorted so we headed down to Kamloops. We arrived pretty late to find all the hotels full due to a convention in town. As always, everyone is friendly and helpful and a girl at one of the motels managed to find rooms at a hotel called Lac Le Jeune about 25kms south. It was getting dark but we had no choice and couldn’t believe our luck when we got there:
The hotel is set on a fantastic lake and we had a couple of cabins. The whole thing cost around £50 a head for this wonderful place including plenty of beer and some great grub!!
The lake is one of the best Trout lakes in the area and they catch them up to 12lbs which I’m told is big! They jump as well and you hear the splashes all night. Needed an early start so we loaded up and headed off from this stunning place:
As is usual, the weather was different again. From being hot and sunny yesterday, it was a lot cooler but the sun was still shining. We set off and passed one of the biggest open cast copper mines in Canada at Logan Lake. Unbelievable and couldn’t get too close for good pics unfortunately but the mine looked fookin deep:
The waste from this mine is a huge lake which stretches for miles and is held back by a dam. Apparently it’s full of all sorts of nasty chemicals and would be an environmental disaster if the dam broke. Strangely beautiful though:
Came across a couple of pieces of plant they have on show. I love trucks so couldn’t resist checking this one out..... BIG or what!!!!
The whole area around here is based around the mine and maybe it was just me but it all seemed very grey and bland. The weather was closing in which didn’t help but the roads were great.
It got seriously cold and wet all of a sudden so the café in Cache Creek was a god send! Check out the raining coming in down the mountains!
Suitably dressed in full winter gear we headed onto the R99 toward Whistler. This has to be one of the greatest roads anywhere and has everything a biker could want including 4 seasons in about 15 minutes!! The views are stunning, bends are awesome and there is little traffic at this time of the year, by the time we got to Lillooet the sun had come back out so we were back in summer gear!!
View from Lillooet
You can see the road snaking along by the river:
Great bends:
Great roads:
Great views
The road crosses a lot of rivers on wooden bridges which were slippy as hell and god only knows what they are like in the rain!!
I can’t say how enough how good this road is and goes on for around 100 miles and is only spoiled by getting to Whistler which is a horrendous place from what I saw. It’s a very rich city and is preparing for the winter Olympics and full of rich guys with ponytails and Ferraris with a young blonde on their arm. In fact, didn’t even bother to stop for pics!!
The road down to Vancouver is being made bigger for the olypics and is a 112km long roadwork. I’m sure it will be great when it’s done but great views as always.
Time was moving on so we passed through Vancouver and head down to Seattle to meet friends. Caught the rush hour in blinding heat and got to the US border on a Friday night which in hindsight wasn’t the best idea. A predicted 2 hour wait to cross was accurate due to the twitchy US customs who seem to think everyone was going to attack. Good thing they let the bikes get down the queue!!
Thought I may have a problem crossing back in to the US being on a UK bike but the customs man was more interested in the cost of shipping from the UK! Rode into Seattle at 9-30 in the pitch dark and as soon as we arrived at Chris and Susan’s, cold beers and a BBQ swiftly followed! Gotta love these friendly Americans!!
Next morning dawned sunny and hot so we were persuaded to spend a day on Chris’s boat on Lake Washington!! OK, I admit it didn’t take much to have to drink beer, look at gorgeous skimpily clad women and water ski all day!
Getting the boat onto Lake Washington!
The Lake is huge and no speed limit!
Relaxed tosser after too many miles (or beers?)!
Definitely NWS and one for the laydeeeez......
How good is this?
The skipper who retired from airline flying at the age of 34 because he said it was like driving a taxi!! Obviously doesn’t go to the same places as Arsey....!! Top geezer though!
Great day and another great evening of beer, BBQ and talking bollox (bit like a GS do) we sadly headed off the following morning toward Mt St Helens. I went there in 2005 but it was pouring with rain so it was great to go in the sunshine! The road up to the summit is fantastic with loads of great bends and views:
Mt St Helens is an active volcano which exploded in the early 80`s and caused massive destruction in the area. It’s fascinating to get so close to this volcano and see all the volcanic larva etc and see what happened to the landscape. It’s a must see if you are ever in the area!
Two English guys in full holiday pose!
From Mt St Helens, we headed toward the Pacific and found a fantastic road from Kelso to Astoria on the cast which follows the Colombia River. It’s the R4 and we headed along it in the setting sun just enjoying the atmosphere.
Stopped in Astoria which is a great little town and spent the night in a local bar playing bingo which was petty funny. Luckily, we didn’t have a camera out with us. The bridge over the Columbia into Astoria is about 1 mile long and great to ride across. This pic was taken from our hotel:
This Harley was at the hotel and this guy and his wife do around 25,000 miles a year and as I’ve said before, some of the HD riders really use their kit, are great guys to talk to because they know all the best places and I have a great respect for them. Check out the pipes on his Harley!
The day started off in bright sunshine again as we headed off down the Oregon Coast on the 101 which is just a glorious road to ride on. It has just about every view you can think of and winds it’s way gently south.
After an overnight stop in Crescent City which is a place I wouldn’t recommend, we headed south on the last day of my trip. Really mixed emotions for me but we had to get back the San Francisco quickly because James and Polly had had some bad personal news so it was an unhappy run. The weather didn’t help because it was cold and misty which is fairly usual for the Pacific coast and gives it a haunting beauty:
The sun eventually came out for the last section:
Arrived and in San Francisco with mixed feelings. I’d been just over 4 weeks on the road and had some good times and bad times. For those of you who have done big trips like this, it’s not all good times but they are all memorable. The bike had been fantastic, the weather, perfect (even the cold days) and the company awesome. All good things must come to an end though so the bike was checked over, washed and put in James’s garage ready for next July’s trip to Alaska!!! Roll on 2009!
The GS and rider in their element.......!
Even the trip home had it’s fair share of highlights! The flight home from Calgary was overbooked so I volunteered to be bumped off the flight so enjoyed Air Canada`a fine offer of 1st class travel home and use of the Executive lounge in Toronto which you’ll all be glad to know I took full advantage of!
Summary of the trip:
The bike: 1997 GS1100 which was damn near perfect despite the few big crashes. I can’t think of another bike which could have survived the massive difference in conditions when loaded.
Mileage: Total mileage was 7,396 with approx 2000 on dirt.
States visited: 18 in the USA and 2 in Canada
Best Bits: Finding the bike was rideable after the damage at the dock. Crossing into Canada and a cold beer after having heat exhaustion in Oklahoma!
Worst bits: None really but realizing the Trans America Trail was too tough wasn’t my best moment!
Riding in the USA: Riding in the US is a fantastic experience and should be done at every opportunity!! The roads are brilliant and largely empty, even the long straight roads are a challenge and very enjoyable, the distances can be enormous and always catch you out, the scenery is stunning and changes constantly, everyone is very friendly and helpful and out us and the Europeans to shame, gas and motels are cheap and shipping the bike is simple. In two words....DO IT!
If anyone wants details of routes etc I’d be more than happy to supply them and I’ve got more maps than you can shake a stick at! Also, if you want any help or advice in planning a trip to the USA, just ask!
