So - I never did a ride report, so I guess I'll do it late. Better late than never..?
See below:
https://new.spotwalla.com/trip/c2a2-38c3d80-5db6/view?homeActive=1&showAll=1As most of the Canadian riders I know, those that like distance riding anyways, always ride the USA. Insert COVID here...
So - with the border closed, and 2020 keeping us indoors, under our blankets, in pajama pants, watching motorcycle movies, and drinking beer -- 2020 sucked as far as a riding season went. 2021 was going to be different. The border must open soon..? Maybe it'll open for Sturgis - [no it didn't...]
BUT - I was looking at the I B A page and found the Solstice ride. I had envisioned a BBG, but - you may [or may not] believe my logic, when I say I don't think you can mathematically do 1500 miles on Canadian roads. [1500 miles / 24 hr = 62.5 mph average. 8 [9] fuel stops @ ~ 10 min each then 1500 miles / 22.5 hr = 66.67 mph - 107.3 km/h] The speed limits in the National Parks are 90 km/h / 56 mph, so you're on par for a ticket at that average...
Delayed, not defeated, I chose to do an In-State [Province] ride, on the summer solstice. This would prove awesome as it was pre-forest fires.
I invited my buddy to join me. He had to ride in from Ft Mac, and take a couple of days off. He arrived after work on Friday. After too many beers, we woke the next day with a mild headache. We did a shakedown ride, just to ensure all was in order and promised ourselves to keep the beer count low... Tried hitting the hay at 20:00, but didn't fall asleep until 21:30...
I woke like a kid on Christmas at 0:30. I had a shower to wake up and got dressed and made coffee. We got motivated and moving at 01:40. My preferred fuel for my motorcycle is the 'CVO' of gasoline - Chevron 94 octane. It is ethanol-free. I had fueled up the day before, but the DBR was necessary, and the only open fuel station was an Esso. Then - my credit card wasn't working. __UUUGH!!!___ So I did the entirety of the ride using my debit card. Then I took my receipt photo but didn't attach it to the proper fuel Spotwalla post. Thank you to Jason for helping correct it on the flip side.
To ensure enough mileage was achieved, a dip to Vernon was necessary. We arrived at 03:50, the light was breaking, and after verification on Spotwalla - the photo was also not in the correct location... [ffs]. We chose to ride through Falkland and enjoyed the pleasantness of the early morning. Deer stayed away, and it was one of those perfect moments requiring certain data elements to be removed from the log...
Riding through Kamloops was a breeze, and tanks were still quite full, we pressed on to our next destination, and corner post, Cache Creek. 05:49, 94 in the tank, the picture on SW, we were now rolling south down the Mighty Fraser Canyon. We passed through Lytton, and although I never usually do, I took a picture. It shows the green hills and mountains of the area, and not realizing it at the time, the area would be consumed by fire. The residents of Lytton would have 90% of their community turned to ash by the end of the next month.
Riding south, the highway passes through a series of tunnels, which gives the opportunity to test the dB level of one's exhaust. Mine is functioning well, although stock, buddy's is louder as a twin cam with V&H installed. Yale to Hope allows you to pick up the pace, and hope it's not raining...
Fuel again in Hope @ 07:55 to collect the next corner, the ride took us east, onto another great road, the Crowsnest Highway [3]. The day was warming now, and this is the hottest area of BC typically, Oliver Chevron in and done @ 10:35. The hill-climbing east out of Osoyoos is a curvy good time, with the reprive of altitude bringing a cooler temperature to the heat felt below while conquering the slow pace that tourist traffic demands... [?]
Continuing east, the sun left our squinted eyes by now, we reached the Kootenays, and the town of Castlegar brought us our much-needed fuel at 13:24. We also snacked on a chocolate bar and gulped down a RedBull - to keep the party in full swing.
As time pressed on, we made it through Creston, and over the hills to reach Cranbrook. The warmth still climbing for the duration of the leg, yet another fill, yet another Chevron, @ 16:59 we were full once again.
Hot now, the plan took us north, on Highway 95. The point at 17:19:53 tells a miss turned truth, corrected by a u-turn, but an always watchful Spotwalla, lets them know, where you go [went]. Canal Flats has the honour of being the headwaters of the Columbia River, a looping Rocky Mountain wonder that exits to the Pacific at Astoria Oregon. I've crossed the Megler Bridge's 4-mile span in the past, and it is cool to have seen it from both end and now beginning. Pressing on, the end was near, we rolled into Golden, and filled our tanks with the good stuff for the last time - @ 19:39, 1738 km, 1079 mi ridden, 17h43m elapsed time - the British Columbia In-State, Saddlesore Summer Solstice ride was complete.
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Topic: Summer Solstice Ride (Read 2108 times)