Little bit of This...Little bit of That - Ride Report (long, lots of pics)

[msb]

All extended bike trips offer up unique circumstances in terms of weather or other conditions, people you meet, places you come across for the first time or different perspectives on places you've been through many times ... or just how you set your riding schedules and routes when there's no hard and fast agenda to adhere to. The Mrs and I recently returned from a 10 day ride that saw us in WA, ID, and a good part of the Southern region of BC. It was certainly "different" in several of the above-mentioned respects, but like ALL rides when you can get away for more than 2 or 3 days, still exceptional!

To start, we headed out just the two of us...which up until a few years ago is all we ever did for our annual long Summer rides. Before our great and close friendships developed with many of our exceptional Valhalla brothers & sisters, where we've become quite enamored with spending multiple days on the road with these fine folks and not feeling the least bit "restricted" in any way. That being said, it was nice to pack up and head out solo again...even though we would have the opportunity to spend some time with some of these very same folks on their home turf in the days to come.

Secondly, the Mrs had just recently connected with some previously unknown family members from Alberta that just happened to have a Summer place on the lake right along our route East, and an invitation to say the night and visit would see our first day on the road be a mere 6 hours....the start of what would be a much more relaxed ride agenda than we've previously done (most of our rides just have a general direction in mind as well as a return date...otherwise they're basically just a collaboration of day to day decisions on where to head and how to get there, and usually extend from 8 or 9 to 10 to 12+ hours a day). As luck would also have it, our very good friends in Spokane Valley WA would be home several days after our departure date and we had another invitation to spend a couple nights there and do some riding around the beautiful Eastern WA and NW ID regions. So, this would further dictate the tempo of our ride...more of a ride, visit, ride, visit agenda...kind of a nice change from the norm.

Finally, while the weather forecasts were generally good for the coming 10 days, the over-abundance of forest fires in BC this year had cloaked many of our riding routes in smoke, giving many of the routes and scenery we've ridden through so many times a distinctly different look and feel. This was shaping up to be a unique ride for sure.

Kind of an eerie feeling heading down from our little mountain on our departure early in the AM. The skies were actually clear and the sun was out in full force, but the thickness of the smoke blanketing our usually scenic neighborhood put a bit of a damper on one of my favorite feelings...heading out on an extended ride on a bright clear morning, taking in all the sights, sounds, and smells that contribute to the already great feeling of anticipation of the days ahead.



The usually scenic view of Osoyoos, a popular Summer vacation lake and town right on the border, with half the lake in the US and half in Canada. Our return home a week later along this same route would provide more of a usual view


A favorite coffee stop in Greenwood BC...the Copper Eagle


A sad sight indeed, Johnny's Motel in Grand Forks BC, the site of one of our most memorable Valhalla gatherings in recent years...still closed and deserted following the devastating floods that Grand Forks experienced earlier this Spring. Our annual Valhalla gathering is scheduled to return there for 2019, so we're hoping that the owners find the wherewithall and resources to do the complete restoration that is required.


Had a great visit and overnight stay with the Mrs's cousin at Christina Lake. BBQ'd "beer-can chicken" (for those of you not familar, a dressed chicken with an open can of beer stuffed up it's a** and put on the bbq)

And of course, smoke be cursed...can't let a stop at Christina Lake go by without a refreshing plunge & swim in its gloriously clean and relatively warm (compared to other BC interior region lakes) waters


A real short 4 hour ride the following day found us in Spokane Valley at good friends Dave & Linda's, where we gathered with a few other Valhalla stalwarts for an evening ride out to Cruiser's ride-through bar & grill in Post Falls ID. Biker bars are not really my kind of thing, but this one's kind of unique and I do enjoy seeing many different kinds of bikes and "biker folks" gathered together once in a while.




Interesting...I can't decide if I like it or not


The Her's Rocket, of the His & Hers pair that rode up while we were there...


Our Valks and B's contingent  


Spent the following day with our friends riding just across the border into ID and cleaning up the rat's nest that is my wiring under my seat  under the strict supervision of Dave & Linda's granddaughter. One day I'll get to stripping this down and learning to do it properly




Taking a well deserved rest



The following day we departed back up to Canada...to the Kootenay region in SE BC where we planned to spend a few days doing day rides to our favorite haunts. This was my boyhood home...the perfect place for an adventurous lad craving outdoor activities to spend his formative years growing up. The usual spectaular scenery was very much muted however, as the heavy smoke persisted for a couple more days.

Hwy 3A from Creston to the Kootenay Lake ferry,  an approximate 50 mile run along the lake and listed in several MC publications as one of the top MC roads in Canada. Usually when a road makes this list, it becomes exactly the opposite due to excessive traffic...this time however, there was a silver (grey?) lining to all the smoke...with the fabulous views of the lake clouded by the haze and therefor not distracting yours truly from concentrating on the constant back and forth curves - and the fact that many of the late Summer tourists had bugged out due to the conditions, we were free to enjoy this run at a very brisk clip start to finish


The Kootenay Lake ferry is listed as the "longest free ferry ride in the world" as part of Hwy 3 - an approximate 30-35 minute ride. Usually a very scenic ride across majestic Kootenay Lake to Balfour on the West Arm, this time it had the look and feeling (other than the heat) of travelling on the coastal ferry to Vancouver Island in mid January...



Always like to find a little time to stop and throw a fly into the small lakes and streams along the way..."small" being a key word here, as in the catch of the day



At the historic town of Kaslo, where the oldest intact steam powered sternwheeler sits preserved as a fully loaded museum at water's edge. BC has a very rich history of sternwheelers, used prior to roads and completed railway lines as the primary mode of commercial and passenger travel along the many large lakes and rivers. It sure makes me feel old that this actual vessel, the SS Moyie, was still plying these waters while I was a very young boy living on the shore of Kootenay Lake...lol.



Another "top MC" ride as listed in various publications - Hyw 31A from Kaslo to New Denver. No traffic again, so an all out assult on the many curves was in order


Kokanne Creek beach on the West Arm of the lake...once again, in the Summer I just can't pass up a swim here...blankeded in smoke or not


FINALLY!!! Much of BC received a solid downpour of desperately needed rain throughout the rest of this afternoon and night, and Voila - smoke be gone ... we awoke the next AM to.....Summer! . Fresh peaches for breakfast at our BnB, a repeat swim at the same beach as the day before (now THIS is more like it) and some fabulous riding along shores of the lake along with a visit to the spawning channels for the Kootenay Lake Kokanee (land-locked Sockeye Salmon)








Fortunately the weather stayed clear and the air mostly smoke-free for our return home...a nice easy pace breathing in the nice clean air, with a little more fishing in store along with a return stop at Christina Lake for an afternoon on the Mrs's new-found family's boat.






Osoyoos Lake - this time mostly smoke-free


All in all a very satisfying week and a half. I don't mind getting the old girl dirty, I just can't stand LEAVING her dirty... all cleaned up and ready for the next ride. There will be no time for "post-ride depression" as in two short weeks I ride down to join up with those same good friends from Spokane Valley and some other good Valhalla friends from  the "notorious" Vermin crew from Western WA to carry on down to Jospeh OR where we'll meet up with the Idaho group for a few days of riding and comaraderie ...  just can't wait  

[Hook#3287]

Excellent report

Thanks for sharing.

[The emperor has no clothes]

What a great ride and report ! 

[Oss]

terrific report and pics of your part of the world

Thank you for posting that   

[Chrisj CMA]

Good job there.  Looks like fun was had

[hubcapsc]

Peaches, fishing, steam boats, motorcycles, curvy roads... how can
you stand living in a place like that?

-Mike

[Wizzard]

Great report. Loved it, especially since I traveled some of those roads on my way back from Alaska. 3A was a great road. Thanks for the report

[Jess from VA]

Thank you Mike.  

Other than the disturbing chicken beer can shot, just a fantastic report and pics.

Do you drink the beer before or after the procedure.

[The emperor has no clothes]

Thank you Mike.  

Other than the disturbing chicken beer can shot, just a fantastic report and pics.

Do you drink the beer before or after the procedure.

Depends on what part of the continent you come from. 

[Beardo]

Great report Mike and Lisa (giving credit to the the one who took most of the awesome pics  )

[MAD6Gun]

Nice ride report. Great scenery. Thanks for taking us along......

[henry 008]

 

[bscrive]

Great ride report.   

I have to get out west sometime to do some riding.  The scenery is awesome. 

[DDT (12)]

Mike,

Another nice report... I do like the way y'all roll, you & Lisa. A combination of laid back, easy going, drinking in all the sights, sounds, scenes... and thoughts... Your descriptions are rather vivid, too... I could almost smell the smoke in the air. The random, eclectic range of things observed lead me to think of some of my better rides!

DDT

[Bigwolf]

Very nice ride report!  Thank you for putting that together and sharing it with us.

Bigwolf

[Dusty]

Thanks Mike and Lisa.



Dusty

[Red Diamond]

On our visit to BC we encountered a lot of smoke from the fires, but that did not hamper our imagination regarding how beautiful it would be without the cover of the smoke. The locals kept us informed as to how beautiful it is without the smoke and how disappointed they were to have it. When we exited BC at Osoyoos headed to Spokane the number of wineries in that area was stunning to see, but I had to wonder what is the authorities take on crossing that imaginary line on the lake that would put you into the US side. Thanks for sharing you and the wife's adventure on your Interstate, we were in our truck and loved every minute.

[gordonv]

Nice report, Mike. Always wish I had a better hand in writing these thoughts down, but I try.

[Leathel]

Great pic report

and looks like some good times 

[bassman]

Excellent !      Thanks !

[98 T]

Great report-  thank you for posting!!!

[SCain]

Mike (msb),
I think you passed me on 95 not to far from Cranbrook on Labor Day 9/3. I was in a cage coming from Banff and a Blk/Red Interstate passed me lke I was sitting still  .
Your bike sounded good going by.
Steve

[Savago]

Awesome ride! And pretty sharp I/S.