Your dad only turns 80 once...

[Bminder]

Then I just had to ask... "How is it touring on that Can-AM Spyder?...Do you like it better than a motorcycle?"  He then rapped his leg with his knuckle and said, "I lost this leg in Vietnam and really don't have much of a choice."  OHHHHH...I never thought of that!  I first felt like an ass for passing judgement without getting to know the guy...Then I was thrilled that he had a solution to get out and ride!  

Turns out they had started in San Diego, rode to Key West, then up to Maine and were on their way to Washington...Yep...They were on the last leg (poor choice of words there...sorry) of the four-corners ride.  
Cap'n Ron. . .

I dated a girl with a wooden leg once.
Her name was Eileen... or maybe it was Peg... I can't remember.
Anyhow after awhile I broke it off.
She tried to take me to court over it but she didn't have a leg to stand on.

[jscgdunn]

Have not seen where you mentioned it, but you must have been travelling in July....we had one of the wettest summers in a long while. If you had pics of the prairie it would have been pretty green.  Usually brown by end of July.

Jeff

[CanDman]

I dated a girl with a wooden leg once.
Her name was Eileen... or maybe it was Peg... I can't remember.
Anyhow after awhile I broke it off.
She tried to take me to court over it but she didn't have a leg to stand on.

[/quote]


.....just curious....what did you use to break it off with......an axe.....a chain saw....or a wood splitter??   

[Capn Ron]

Have not seen where you mentioned it, but you must have been travelling in July....we had one of the wettest summers in a long while. If you had pics of the prairie it would have been pretty green.  Usually brown by end of July.

Jeff

I crossed the border into Canada around the 1st of June (2012) and rode a total of 22 days before crossing back into the states. 

Cap'n Ron . .

[Dazza57]

Cap'n Ron, you're not the first to do the esses down the straight roads to break the boredom. Do it up here in the NW of WA all the time. The only corners don't even start to get interesting til about 220kph 
Keep up the great story, absolutely loving it. You have an amazing way with words

Cheers, Dazza

[jscgdunn]

Have not seen where you mentioned it, but you must have been travelling in July....we had one of the wettest summers in a long while. If you had pics of the prairie it would have been pretty green.  Usually brown by end of July.

Jeff

I crossed the border into Canada around the 1st of June (2012) and rode a total of 22 days before crossing back into the states. 

Cap'n Ron . .

Yes definitely the rainy season here in Alberta.  In fact the costliest natural disaster ever to occur in Canada (the Alberta floods) was the third week of June.  Being on highway three was just south of the big wet, but it was still wet!

Jeff

[giantkiller]

So when is the best time to tour Canada?

[Bminder]

So when is the best time to tour Canada?

Same time as Nebraska... at night. 

[Capn Ron]

So when is the best time to tour Canada?

That's a great question!  I'm sure there's a good weather window in the summer when it's less likely to rain.

What about it Jeff?  Late July/August maybe?

I'd tour Canada again if given just the slightest excuse (I'm getting low on Molson?)...it'd be great to know the best month!

Cap'n Ron. . .

[Capn Ron]

Forth Leg, Day 21: Lethbridge, AB to Castlegar, BC (534 km/332 miles)

Today would be the day I finally ride into the Canadian Rockies!!!  After a few days of riding through the plains of Canada, this will be a welcome change!  I think this map shows it well as I go from a straight line to the much sought after squiggly lines!!!  



After I woke up this morning, I started riding west with a clear plan of the next couple of days in Canada.  I'd make my way over the Rockies and onto Vancouver island.  The suggestion to take highway 3 I got back in Medicine Hat was a great one!  As I started gaining altitude and leaving the plains behind, the scenery changed and the roads were garnering my attention!

I was no longer just trying to log the miles, I was wanting to soak it all in.  The mountains, the trees, the twisty roads...  I was riding along well into the mountains and something caught my eye.  I hit the brakes and did a u-turn to get a closer look.  I haven't seen much that was picture-worthy for the last few days, but this was different... I parked, took off my helmet and broke out the big camera.  Up on the hill alongside the road right across from me was this critter:



Whoa!  This was a black bear no more than 50 feet away!  I was just thrilled to be that close to such a powerful creature...I stayed there for about ten minutes before another car came along to see what I was taking pictures of.  It continued to sniff around and I assumed look for something to have for lunch.  Mr. Bear lost interest in that wild flower and started to look around and move down the hill closer to me and the woman that had pulled over in the car.  I was thrilled...I would be able to get even better pictures!!  The bear made a move and the woman in the car locked her doors and rolled up her windows.  I thought that was funny because a bear probably couldn't operate a car door handle anyway...DUH!!  Then it hit me...I'm sitting here on a motorcycle!!!  



I quickly packed up my camera, put on my helmet and proceded down the road!!!  Definitely a good stop, but I didn't want to become lunch.

I kept riding along and stopped at a Subway for my usual 6" BMT on wheat.  While I was there, a trucker came in and sat at the booth next to mine.  He told me he came in from the west and I was happy to be able to ask someone what the road conditions were like where I was headed.  I asked what altitude the passes were...  He said, "Ohhh, the pass about an hour your way is around fifteen."  "Ohhh...thanks!"  My head started to process this...In Colorado, I've done 12,000 foot passes and they were almost always snowed in, but 15???  In California, we have a few mountain peaks over 14,000 feet but 15???  That's just crazy...I should have planned this out better!  I nervously got on the road and continued west bracing for the worst.  I went up and over the pass he was talking about and I had this face-palm moment...it was 15 hundred METERS.  Or about 5,000 feet!  



I wanted to go back in time to slap my eighth grade teacher who told us the U.S. was converting to the metric system...or the people who made sure we never did.  There must be someone responsible for this!  It also really sunk in with all the snow at just 5,000 feet that I was at a higher latitude than I had ever been...very cool!  I enjoyed being up on the snowy pass and loved being in the mountains!!!  



I met a guy on a blue FJR1300 while I was there taking pictures...I checked out his bike and had fuel injection and heated grip-envy!

I knocked out almost 350 wonderful miles today and got a place in Castlegar, BC for the night.  In less than three-week's time, I am now in my eighth Canadian province.  Before this trip I was only able to name two.  More mountainous terrain tomorrow...I'm loving this!!!

Cap'n Ron. . .

[jscgdunn]

So when is the best time to tour Canada?

That's a great question!  I'm sure there's a good weather window in the summer when it's less likely to rain.

What about it Jeff?  Late July/August maybe?

I'd tour Canada again if given just the slightest excuse (I'm getting low on Molson?)...it'd be great to know the best month!

Cap'n Ron. . .

IMO, for the "Prairie Provinces" (Manitoba, Saskatchewan, Alberta) it is typically less wet after July 15.  Out on a limb a bit here for British Columbia it is quite variable depending on where you get to, so I would let the BC boys chime in.  My favorite is September after most of the tourists and traffic dies down.  As Ron will attest, it is a big place with a lot of straight roads until you get into BC. 

Jeff

[big r]

This year we had a pretty good summer. I started riding at the end of April and my ins. runs out on the 25th. of October. The weather can be a funny thing here,o week will be great and then you get a hiccup and a couple of days of rain. I was so damn busy this year that I didn't get to many miles on the FJ. So, you can cunt ont on good to bad weather in the summer months. I find that August is generally the best month. Big R

[Capn Ron]

Forth Leg, Day 22: Castlegar, BC to Hope, BC (469 km/291 miles)

I did just under 300 miles today through more twisty mountain roads!  Got hit with some brutal rain off and on...accompanied with the kind of side wind that has you leaning the bike over 20 or so degrees.  As much as I'm enjoying Canada, I'm looking forward to being back in fair weather.  My ride today looked like this:



I ended up in the town of Hope...Seemed appropriate!  

I got a motel that catered to mostly workers staying in the area.  The owner was very nice...I told her about my trip and that I was heading to Vancouver Island in the morning.  She goes there quite a bit to visit relatives and gave me a ferry schedule to help plan my day.  Each room had a BBQ grill right outside the door and if it weren't still raining, I would have taken advantage of that!  I looked up a pub/grill within walking distance and headed over.  I sat at the bar and had a great plate of fish and potatoes with a glass of wine.  People were coming in and introducing themselves...they must not have seen a new face in a while.  A few of us shot some pool, had some laughs and chatted about life.  It was very nice.  Seems you can round up new friends pretty quickly in a small Canadian town!  

I had just ordered another glass of wine and as the bartender was setting it on the bar, there was a bright flash of lightening and booming thunder!  The power went out!  It was really coming down out there and that seemed to bring people together.  We all stayed there for about another hour using candles for light.  It was a great night and since the registers were down, everything was on the house!  

The rain subsided, I said my goodbyes and walked back to the hotel.  I felt so welcome I wanted to stay another day.  Maybe if it was sunny.  Tomorrow I head for Vancouver Island!

Cap'n Ron. . .

[Bminder]

From what you described The town of Hope sounds like Cicily on that TV show Northern Exposure.

[movenon]

From what you described The town of Hope sounds like Cicily on that TV show Northern Exposure.

I love those small towns. Northern Exposure was filmed (exterior shots) in Roslyn Washington. Northern Exposure: Short walking tour of Roslyn Washington. Located that one also on a motorcycle ride one find afternoon while looking for a slice of apple pie and coffee. Always a sucker for good apple pie.....
George