Sunshine Coast

Well it has been a busy two days indeed.

Before actually leaving Pemberton we had a great visit with Maurice at his shop where he showed us all of the tools and machines he works with. He really does some amazing work.

He also showed us a smoker he has been working on and sent us off with a little smoked salmon for the ferry ride.  A long good-bye to he and Hubert who he was working with on a huge floating staircase and we set off for breakfast.

We made a quick ride through Whistler on our way to Horseshoe Bay to catch the ferry over to Langdale, more great riding over to catch the ferry at Earl's Cove over to Powell River.  We just missed the Earl's Cove ferry so we had to wait for the next one. Put us in a little late to Powell River but we had reservations at the Marine Inn so we had a place to stay at.  We had already reached out to our good friend Graham Duff.  He met us and we went out for a late supper and catch up with each other.

After a great supper we parted ways and agreed to meet for breakfast. Breakfast at Magpie's was unbelievable!  Farm fresh eggs, great selection and a wonderful server made for a great start to the day. Graham took us for a tour down to the lake which reminded us a lot of Western Brook Pond in NL only warmer!

We left after many hugs and headed for the last ferry ride before Tofino.  Pemberton to Comox ferry was a little longer than the others....and provided some beatiful views of snow capped mountains on Vancouver Island. We arrived in Qualicum, checked in and headed down on foot to the Shady Rest for lunch and a few drinks. Before we headed back to the hotel, Larry and I had to go for a quick "dip" in the ocean. It was enough to wake us up, refresh the senses and take away some of the heat from the sun.

Back to the hotel, changed our clothes and sat around watching the sun set. We then walked down to the beach to wait for the space station to pass over the dark sky as it becomes visible in this hemisphere. We also got to see some of the Perseid's meteor shower.

It was a beautiful end to a fabulous day!  I love our vacations!

Pictures will follow later folks.

North of the Border

Note:  Running into issues with wifi and will have to add pictures later. Sorry!


We crossed over and are now riding on the Canadian leg of our trip. We met up with our friends and a new friend Brad, one day of down time to regroup and we were off again!

We rode the day through the mountains with some real good "Thelma and Louise" turns and some beatiful sweeping turns. Stopped in Merritt for a fabulous breakfast at Lynda's Cafe (highly recommend) and we were off agin through Lilooet, over the Thompson and Fraser Rivers.

This country is beautiful, majestic, gentle and harsh at the same time. Often times we have said to each other "can you imagine discovering this land or travelling it before there were roads?"

We have seen some real beauty along the way, beauty in many different forms but beautiful none the less.

We stopped in Pemberton for the night, meeting up with an up with an old friend of Larry's, Maurice, who went to school and travelled out west with Larry.  We celebrated Larry's birthday with a great meal at the local Chinese restaurant and back to the motel for a few drinks.

Maurice does special order metal work for new homes and other projects. Here is a couple of pictures of some light fixtures and sconces he made for a community gathering hall in Pemberton. Amazing!

Off to Powell River today, through Whistler...looks like it is going to be another beautiful day!

Sunset, Sunrise and Going to the Sun

Today's blog is brought to you by the sun......



Let's begin with where we stayed last night.  We camped in a tipi on the Blackfoot Indian Reservation on the plains in Montana.

After a great meal provided by our hosts at the Lodgepole Gallery and Tipi Village, we had the pleasure of watching the sun set over the mountains.  It created a wonderful backdrop for the tipi village and a beautiful hue of color on the mountains we would visit today in Glacier National Park.














As we settled into our tipi for the night, we lit a fire in our fire pit...the smoke flaps were opened and all of the smoke rose to the top of the tipi and out.  It got very warm in there very quickly.  We laid on our mattress talking about our trip so far.  As we spoke we could see the sky lighting up.  We went out to watch the most spectacular lightning show about 36 miles south of us.  It moved across the sky all around us changing from a streak of lightning to sheet lightning, to chain lightning and even seemed to go across and up through all of the clouds a time or two.  It was quite a show.  The only affect for us was the wind.  As the fire went out, we closed up the smoke flap and the doorway and settled in for the night...sometime during the night we woke to the sound of coyotes and dogs calling to each other.  It was really comforting in a strange way I guess, but it felt very normal.


We woke around 6 a.m. to the sunrise just ready to make its' debut.  Again, the sky was red from the fire of the sun.  So focused on the sunrise that I almost forgot about the mountains.  As I turned around to face the mountains that we had watched the sun set on the previous evening, I was amazed at the color the sunrise was creating on the mountains.  It reminded me of Sedona.  Washed in red tones, it was spectacular yet again.

Our fire.

We packed up and headed out with the intention of riding to the East Glacier Village to find a place to eat.  We saw a sign for one place and while looking for it found another and as soon as we found a place to park the bikes, we found yet another that we stopped and had breakfast in.  Two Medicine Grill is a small counter and restaurant that caters to an adjacent hostel.  They use all local sourced products for their meals and we had one of the best breakfasts we have had so far.  The omlette made from farm fresh eggs and veggies, hash browns homemade from grated potatoes and the bacon...omg! Larry had the sour dough pancake stack and bacon.  We couldn't even finish it all!



We took off with our bellies full and headed to route 49 which would connect with 89 which would take us to Glacier National Park.  Route 49....yes, route 49.  Filled with up and downs, quick turns and what I came to call Thelma and Louises which are essentially turns with very steep drop offs that if you missed you would sail out and over the valley.  As I am essentially not fond of these type of heights as we passed them I would just Thelma and Louise...almost a form of swearing.  Larry however seems to be a BIG fan of Thelma and Louises.  The other interesting thing about Montana is that there is a lot of free ranging of horses and cows.  As Larry rode ahead, I would get the advance notice of ground squirrel (he started by yelling squirrel and I thought he was joking), coyote, and then the odd horse grazing on the side of the road with their butts stuck out on the road...and of course the cows, doing the same.  Now this particular thing brought back memories of cows from another trip which you can find on our blogs from our 2011 trip.

By the time we reached Hwy 89 we both had big smiles and it wasn't even noon.  This however was just the warm up, or the appateaser to our afternoon.

We rolled up to the gate of the park...we paid our bits (actually we got a family pass for a year so who knows), and now we are off to the show!  After a frustrating 15 minutes behind a group of vehicles led by someone who was already obviously nervous about the drive  (and the fun hadn't even started), we pulled over to take a couple of photos and let the traffic get ahead of us.  I will only say this...I am posting some pictures, none of which will do this park justice.  I could give you a description of everything we saw, but there really are no words....Going to the Sun Road in Glacier National Park is spellbinding, spectacular and has the ability to move you to tears at it beauty, make you giggle like a child at the wonder and forever be a memory that will never be erased.  I know this because I experienced it.  It is a highly recommended drive for anyone who ever travels close to the southern borders along Canada/US in Alberta and Saskatchewan.  Waterton Lake Parks I am told is another great place to see.

We finished the day with our stop in Libby, MT.  Nestled in the valley it is a quiet town.  A quiet night will be good...we have a long day tomorrow and will be in Kelowna by supper.  Looking forward to some down time, friend time and the next part of our adventure...not necessarily in that order or even that there needs to be any order...just looking forward to it all!

Evergreen 

City of Eagle

Montana - Big Sky Country

We get a lot of people interested in knowing where we are travelling from and to.  Most of the folks are our age or older.  It is interesting that they often refer to us as adventuresome, one lady even called me brave.

We have answered this question a few times when faced with what most folks call a "big" trip...the trick to it is just one day at a time.  Like anything else, once it is broken down into small pieces, or in this case days, you can enjoy each day for what it brings or what it has in store.

This morning we left a little later as we planned an easy day.  The ride this morning did not include the "internet" as Larry sometimes mistakenly calls it (I think he is having social media withdrawl). We hit all the back roads going in and out of the mountains, disappearing roads as you come over blind knolls and twists and turns that always make the ride on our bikes a ton of fun.


The biggest difference this morning was the change in landscapes over a very short time....we rode through farm or range country, then into mountainous areas with a lot of sage and just around the corner like a change in a movie set, we were into a valley of pine and fir.  Now the big difference between riding a motorbike through this kind of road and driving a car, can be measured only by the senses...obviously driving a sports car through these roads would be just as thrilling for the driver as it is for the rider...the scenery could be enjoyed by anyone...the biggest difference is the smells....the fresh air, the scent of pine and fir, the clover really took me by surprise as it is very much like lily of the valley or lilac, that kind of perfume that is sweet and almost tasty too.  That is where you smell the difference....then you also get to feel the difference.  Temperature, humidity, coolness as you rise over a pass or into a shaded valley....these are things that can't be enjoyed in a car (usually because the windows are up and the air conditioning is on).





















We saw a lot of different landscape today, and tonight we are staying in the Blackfeet Reservation...just having had a traditional meal of buffalo, wild rice, refried beans and vegetables, we are content to sit and wait for the sun to set over our room....there is a promise of a beautiful sky.  I guess maybe we are a bit adventuresome....and that, for us, pays off in a big way. It is beautiful here in Browning....

Running out of Superlatives!

-You're off to Great places!  

Today is your Day!  

Your mountain is waiting so.....

Get on your way! - 

A great quote by Dr. Seuss and one that pretty much describes our day.

Bighorn National Forest

We left Gillette this morning, the weather was sunny and cool and we had an hour and a half ride to Bighorn National Forest...now one would think that the forest would be the main attraction.....it would be, and was, but so was the 9666 foot elevation!  This was by far the best day of this trip....so far!  It was a great ride to get there.....and the ride through the park was unbelievable...as the title suggests, we ran out of "superlatives" as Larry would say.  I can't begin to tell you how breathtaking it was...the pictures will have to convey some of it...I am sure the smiles will for sure!

Top of the Pass!

I love where Pearl takes me!

the road....

Oh the places......

The roads were twisty and winding all the way through and we crossed from Wyoming to Montana on the other side....I thought Wyoming was beautiful....however it is really just a runner up to the beautiful Montana skyline and scenery...

Home on the Range!

Just outside of Bozeman.

Today was a long ride.  We ended up with almost exactly the same mileage as our longest day so far, with 711 kms completed in today's ride.

Before we left this morning we had decided NOT to do Yellowstone for a variety of reasons.  This really worked out for us.  We were headed west and on one of the stops in Bighorn National Forest a trucker stopped where we were taking pictures to check his load and brakes...he told us that they had closed off some of the roads just past Colby leading into Yellowstone due to a forest fire!  As luck would have it, this is exactly where we would have headed this morning if we were still going to Yellowstone.    On the other side of Bighorn we ran into a fellow from Alberta, who told us he had been caught in traffic for over an hour just outside of Colby...the haze and smell of smoke could be seen/smelled as we travelled west.

Today was long, but it was wonderful.  I could have done this ride over and over again!

Tomorrow night should be a lot of fun...we have a special stop in mind but I will wait until we are ready to post to share with you....it should be interesting, educational and an experience we will not want to miss!  

TTFN

This will take 2....

Sorry that I didn't get a post out last night or this morning......I hit the perverbial wall after we made our destination, and had something to eat....had all of the intentions of getting it done last night...same for this morning, but we had some plans to work out for the next few days, a long ride ahead today and not much time to get this put together.  All that to say, I will be posting two blogs tonight because we have packed a lot of adventure in the last two days.

South Dakota Interstate 90

Rest stop along SD Interstate 90

Aug 4 - The Best Western we stayed in Murdo, SD last night, reminded me of the BW we stayed in at Gila Bend, AZ a few years ago...without the crazy clouds, train tracks and Italian restaurant of course.  We got up in the morning and headed directly to the Interstate as we had a bit of a ride to get to Sturgis/Deadwood and Mount Rushmore....and by a little I mean about 200 km......with high cross winds. Let me tell you that this was the toughest ride I have ever had.....it was killer on the hands, not because of gripping but because counter-steering into the wind and keeping your throttle steady with the same hand was difficult.  We were rewarded by the beautiful scenery, the open land and getting ahead of a weather system coming up from the south and with what laid ahead.

Sturgis was busy with bikes coming in from all directions.  I assume it is busy most times anyway but this week-end is the big bike rally held there every year...I heard they had something like 150,000 bikes last year as it was an anniversary year.

Beyond the entrance - cobblestone, old buildings and bikes!

Deadwood was a nice ride from Sturgis...we saw lots of bikes along the way as the roads are in the mountains with lots of twists and turns.  We stopped at the historic Deadwood street and took a pic at the entrance...the whole street was cobblestone and old buildings....was really cool as there were bikes parked all along both sides of the street.  They really cater to all bikers here.

We finally headed south to Mount Rushmore....strangely we both thought oh this would be really nice to see but were pleasantly surprised to find we were really glad we went there.  It is more amazing that I thought...we snap-chatted a happy birthday to Mary Ann with Mount Rushmore as our backdrop.

Crazy Horse

The Boys!

We headed to our last stop to see Crazy Horse which is being carved out at another rock face not far from Mount Rushmore by the great grandson (not sure how far back the generation but do know it is the same family).  This is not yet finished but as the skies started to darken we thought we would make a quick trip there as it was on the way.  As we paid our "donation" the lady at the entrance indicated that they had closed the mountain tour as there was lightning in the area.....just as she pointed to Crazy Horse a big bolt of lightning came out of the sky and down in behind the mountain. We drove in, pulled over, pulled out the iPhone, took two pictures and took off lol....now who's Crazy?

And the fun didn't end there.....we were headed out the other side of the mountain as we wanted to close the distance to Yellowstone National Park.  We have been discussing the last couple of days whether we would go there or not and were still undecided, mainly due to timing and location.  As we started down the mountain pass, the lightning lit up the sky again and about half way down this huge mountain pass, the cold front hit a dirt patch on the side of the road ahead of us, and then hit us....luckily we saw the dirt fly first so we were expecting it...and as Larry said..."this ain't going to be pretty".  We got past this very quickly and unscathed only to meet up with the rain that followed....now, most people would think the rain would be the worst part, but far from it...we had been riding in 36 degree temps all afternoon.  It was hot and sunny...hot we were, sunny not so much. The rain came down easy and then a little harder, and so did the temperatures....17 degrees was the coldest it got to as it rained.  We were actually getting cooled off and it felt good.  We also knew we would ride out of it which we did...as we crossed the South Dakota/Wyoming state line, it was back up to 30 in no time...when we arrived in Gillette, we were all dried off, warm and sunny again!

Parts of this trip have been challenging and that wasn't unexpected.  The rewards are many, especially if you can be patient and just keep moving forward.  Much like life itself.

Surprises...

Yesterday we were reminded that small things can sometimes bring about the best surprises.

Before I get to that though here are a few other "surprising" things we have learned along the way...

• There is a tremendous amount of farmland across the US.  It is definitely BIG business!
• Most of the crops through the first part of the midwest was corn.  South Dakota so far, we have seen mostly corn and.......Sunflowers!  I expect that it is because these two have the largest market for both direct product as well as how it is also used as a by-product in many mass produced products as well.
• South Dakota has an Interstate speed limit of 80 mph...yup...I stared at the sign thinking for sure it was 60 and it was just the heat getting to me.  Needless to say, even though we kept the speed and then some, we were still getting passed on the road.  We didn't want to run any faster given that we have a full load....
• We were really surprised at the difference in the landscapes as we crossed from Iowa into South Dakota.  Iowa is flat and we thought we could see for miles because of the farmland, however SD is all rolling hills,  Gold, black, green are all colors you will see as you pass through and you really can see for miles.
• One beautiful surprise was when we first saw the Missouri River....it happened as we crested a hill into this huge open valley below where the river crossing was...it was breathtaking!  I wish we could have made a stop to take a picture but it was not possible.  Regardless, it will be a memory photo I will always have.  The valley and road so long to get to the bridge that you actually had some time to enjoy the vista and take it all in.  Beautiful!
• Coors Banquet is served in stubbies (Larry was excited about both of those things).

Stubby Coors!

We are also reminded about how great people are.  The folks at Vern Eide Motoplex were absolutely awesome.  They took our bikes in, did the oil changes, gave them a once over and a thumbs up for the road.  They fit us in even though they were booked solid and we were in and out of there in less than 2 hours.  Thanks to Laken, Kyle and Gloria for all the help and information!  You guys ROCK!

Bike home away from home!

Back to the small things that bring the biggest surprises...when we ended up in Okoboji it was because we missed a turn.  By taking the other road, we got to see the beautiful lake district, found laundry facilities, had one of the best pizzas ever, stayed across the street from where all Victory and Indian motorcycles are assembled and crossed another state (Missouri) which we hadn't expected....just goes to show that you never really take wrong turns in life, just another path that may have been your destiny anyway.

So since we haven't taken that many pictures, I will leave you with this visual thought.  We ride AGATT (All Gear All The Time).  It was so damn hot yesterday (42 degrees), that as soon as we unloaded all of the bags from the bikes, we closed the doors and curtains, stripped naked......and stood in front of the air conditioner for at least 15 minutes....your welcome..again!