In what will go down as one of the more memorable West Coast Get Togethers, the Canada trip was a success. For me it was 3,169 miles of fun with friends in a neighboring country. Although I am well cemented in the world of CVO with my 2006 CVO Ultra, this year I decided to take my 2018 GoldWing. Denise finds it more comfortable on the day long rides, and it has a hitch for my trailer.
We left home on August 30th and rode out to the coast, spending the night in Eureka, CA. (For those of you who attended the Fortuna, CA rally in 2016 it was one of our stops) From there we worked our way up the coast stopping for seafood whenever we saw a good eatery. On Saturday September 2nd we met up with Joel in Port Angeles, WA. The next day we caught the ferry over to Victoria Island, British Columbia. Upon our arrival we met up with Gabe and Becky (LetsRoll) and our hosts Wayne and Eleanor (Island CVO) and Blair and Christine (BT). They took us on a ride out to the countryside for a late lunch. Upon our return, Simon (Desert Hog) and his friend Jenise had arrived. Simon was on his BMW.
The next few days were wonderful rides along the coast and to the beaches in a relaxing environment. Our hosts made sure to take the less travelled and trafficked routes. There were the required stops at the local Harley dealer, and even at shops for Indian, Honda, Kawasaki, Royal Enfield and BMW. Each evening was a relaxed dinner at a local restaurant. Thursday was our off the bike day. Denise and I took a walking tour of Victoria and had High Tea at the Empress Hotel. Christine was gracious enough to lend Denise a “Fascinator” so she would be in style amongst the other ladies at tea. That evening at dinner Simon held a raffle, and Christine won. She is now the bearer of the “Travelling CVO Vest”. Wayne and Eleanor had nice party favors for us with Canadian souvenirs! Gabe out did himself and gave each of us a hand-woven lanyard with a bottle opener.
On Friday the 8th we said our good byes. Christine took Denise to the airport and I rode out solo. I rode up to Nanaimo, BC and caught the ferry to Horseshoe Bay, Vancouver. From there I started the Canadian Cascade loop. I spent the night in Squamish. The next day I rode through Whistler, Lillooet, Lytton and spent the night in Hope. In the morning I rode back across the border to Edmonds, WA where I met up with Kelly (Rayson56). Kelly had entered his 1965 Pontiac GTO in a classic car show. That night Kelly cooked up some steaks and we watched NFL football at his house. After breakfast Kelly kept me off the freeways and took me on a tour of the countryside. We stopped at Snoqualimine Falls, where they used to film the TV show Twin Peaks. I took backroads to Bend, OR where I spent the night. I was home today by evening time.
Once again thanks to Wayne and Eleanor for hosting this, Blair and Christine for guiding us ,and Gabe for keeping everything updated on the site. Top notch and first class all the way! To my friends in the British Commonwealth I will say to you, Merci Beaucoup!
Attached is my route.
(I don't know why some of the photos came out "squashed". If someone knows how to correct it, please do. Also, I took some short videos, but don't know how to post those either.)
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Topic: 2023 Victoria, Canada Rally and Ride. (Read 25176 times)