The Great White North, eh!

[boney]

For the record, I didn't ride from CA. I tossed the KTM in the pickup and made the 600 mile trek to Luke's house in the airconditioned and cruise controlled world of a pickup that can make mincemeat of multiple 1000 mile days if necessary. After 10 hours on the road, I arrived fresh and ready to ride out the next morning.

Tracks for the first day: somewhere around 400 miles.
http://maps.innersource.com/GProject.aspx?pid=6759

Setting out:

Today was going to be all pavement, but that would put us in place to get right into the dirt in the morning.

Lunch at Gertie's Grill:

Random rest stop photo somewhere in northern Washington where we discussed the wonders of KTM with an Austrian national on his honeymoon:

Crossing the border was a bit interesting. The Canadian Border Guards were all "Rules and Tools" as we would say in the fire department. Neither of us could get a smile or non-scripted comment from any of them. Oh yeah, we both got sent inside for further investigation only to be sent on our way with nary a smile or a "welcome to Canada." I was wondering what kind of the reception we were going to get elsewhere.

Downtown Vancouver:

"How'd we end up here?"

From Vancouver we rode up 99 toward Squamish, Whilstler, and eventually Pemberton. After a little looking around, we found camping at Naim Falls Provincial Park.

We were arriving in the middle of a hot spell. It was hot to the point where I didn't even take my sleeping bag out of the stuff sack. I slept in my riding clothes and at some point in the night pulled my coat over me. That was all that was needed. With the heat though, came fires. Lots of them. In the next few days we'd realize their scope.
_________________________

 

[boney]

Day 2 tracks:
http://maps.innersource.com/GProject.aspx?pid=6760

The following morning we went down to the Pemberton tourist information centre. The gal behind the desk tells us that all the forest service roads we wanted to ride we indeed closed, just like the electronic signs stated along 99 on the way in yesterday.

We adjusted the plan to go to Lillooet where we would turn north and catch back up with our intended route.

We set out and found that the smoke was heavy in some places, and not too bad in others:

Since Vancouver, we had ridden nothing but sweepers. These were the ultimate squidly roads and there were large numbers of locals tearing it up. A couple hundred miles of wide fast turns on good pavement that could be done on the knobbies our bike were shod with, but not like I wished. I think that I'll have to bring the RT back sometime and scrape some pegs. Since Vancouver is getting the Winter 2010 Games, they've obviously been pumping massive amounts of money into the infasctructre- the roads included.

Over in Lillooet we discover that there's a fire in the valley just above the hill, and the town has been evacuated. We stop for a bit to eat and to consult the maps.

Here's a bit of what was going on around us:

youtu.be/rFPKNs0OeZM

If you've ever been to Scotty's Castle, you'll recognize this, only on a grand scale:

I'd never seen a Pelton Wheel so large. It must be 8 to 10 feet tall.

This little bugger was on by camelback and wouldn't fly away on his own, but he was gone by the next stop:

We stayed on 99 to Pavillion, then cut off on the forest roads. This one cut up over the hill toward Clinton. Along the way we turned north again onto Jesmond Road. Following it through the Canoe Creek Reservations and then past Gang Ranch and all the way up to Highway 20 at Riske Creek.

 

[boney]

No matter how far you've gone, you're never lost in Canada:

We bumped into a guy riding around an old XL600. He was a dude out riding loops from a base camp a ways away. It was late in the afternoon and he had a hundred or so kilometers to cover. No problem, really, since the sun doesn't even set until 9:00.

A Riske Creek we searched for the reported gas station and found it on the Tooley Reservation. Gas is cheaper here, since there's no taxes- but all you get is 87 octane. It's fine for messing around, but my bike gets unhappy about it on the paved uphill grades.

So, like I said, it's getting later in the day and we haven't decided where to camp. We ask the guy at the gas station. He points us up the hill to the gathering place his people use. "No one is going to be up there. You might as well use it."

So up we go to a fenced area complete with a carport. Well, we're pretty sure it's not a carport, but we used it as one anyway.

Word is Highway 20 is closed at Alexis Creek due to fires. We're headed that way, but not for a few days. We decide to press westward to see what the situation is and change plans as needed.

The smoke blowing in from the fires makes for a great sky.

 

[boney]

The third day's map looks like this:
http://maps.innersource.com/GProject.aspx?pid=6761

We backtrack a bit on the very well groomed forest service roads then loop south-east to Big Creek then north-west to Hanceville for a stop at Lee's Corner to top up the gas.

No really, you can't get lost:

What we're discovering is that the Forest Service is serious about their roads. Canada allows a lot of logging in their forests, and many of the roads we're covering are suitable for a fully loaded 18-wheeler. Some have had calcium put on them, and others are dusty as heck, but you can be sure that a safe, stable, minimum motorcycle speed is somewhere around 100 to 110 km/h so long as you stay out of the soft gravel that piles up on the outside of the corners.

We make it to Hanceville and stop for gas. Along the way I've realized that I don't have my rain pants with me. That could be bad. We use the public computer to check the BC web site for fire activity. From what we can tell they're all west of where we're headed today, and we might have to make changes to the route in a day or two. Alexis Creek has been evacuated and that is where we are planning on coming out in two days. I pick up a cheap set of PVC rain slickers for the pants, and give away the jacket to one of the patrons we'd been chatting with. He thought I was being generous when in reality I didn't want to carry it. I already had a rain jacket packed.

Blasting south-east again, we cover the 110 km to the next junction in just about an hour.

As we approach the turn-off, I noticed how high the rivers are. Actually, they're not just high but they're flush with blue-green raging glacial run-off.

We turn south at the Taseko River and head down a smaller and not-so-fast road to the east side of Taseko Lake. The road parallels the river for a while then at Beece Creek it turns east and follows the creek up the hill, becoming ever smaller until it's just the width of an ATV.

After about 25 km we come to the ford:

 

[boney]

A critical decision must be made:

The decision wasn't too difficult. There was no way we were wading into a roaring river filled to the brim with ice-cold glacial run-off when you couldn't even see 20cm into it.

The maps show a couple of ATV trails that climb the hillside and link with another road which traverses Beece Creek further up. We don't have much hope that it will be any better but having a look never hurt anyone.

Up we go:

Until the inevitable happens- one bike gets buried in mud and there's no where to put the other on a stand:

After much wheel spin and sweat generation, we get the bikes turned around and head off to another ATV trail. It heads off into this glen then ends.

We turn around and start thinking about places to camp. There's a road to a lake back the way we came. More exploration is in order. After not too long we're at a campsite that's obviously set up for hunters. We establish our accomodations and prepare for rain. The clouds have moved in and they're dark.

We're camped on the edge of Wasp Lake. As far as we can tell, we're the only people up here. After another wonderful freeze-dried dinner, we hang our food (hopefully) out of bear's reach and hit the sack at nightfall.

After dark, it's quiet. Not crickets and a breeze in the trees quiet, but hear your own breathing quiet. There's not a sound out there except for the occasional rodent or insect. Then, my brain starts playing tricks on me. Suddenly, every noise is a bear creeping through camp or trying to get at our food. I struggle to sleep knowing that my imagination is having a field day, but I can't. Eventually, on the quietest night I've had the privilege of experiencing in years, I have to put in ear plugs.

 

[slackmeyer]

Looks like a great trip, Boney. Those 100 km/h gravel roads look familiar. Can't wait to see more.

zak

 

[HiggyB]

Awesome stuff, keep it coming... opcorn

 

[DefyInertia]

Good stuff, where is the rest?

I need me a dual sport!!!

 

[Gester]

Bravo! :thumbup Encore! :applause

Great report. Thanks for sharing and I too would love to read more.

 

[Ozymandias]

Good stuff, where is the rest?

I need me a dual sport!!!

I bought my '09 KLR for $6500 OTD (Vallejo Powersports) and that came with the OEM tank bag, saddle bags and trunk. The luggage isn't the best but it works for light usage. :thumbup :ride

And OP... yeah! Where's more pics?!

 

[boney]

I bought my '09 KLR for $6500 OTD (Vallejo Powersports) and that came with the OEM tank bag, saddle bags and trunk. The luggage isn't the best but it works for light usage. :thumbup :ride

And OP... yeah! Where's more pics?!

Sorry, I had to go to work yesterday. I'll get more of the trip up today.

 

[boney]

So, day 4 comes along and as the sun rises it starts to rain. First it's a light rain, then not so light. Finally, it's coming down pretty hard. After delaying climbing out of my sleeping bag as long as possible, I face the music and get up to move under the tarp. Before long Luke joins me and we venture out into the rain the get our food out of the tree. Our hanging bags stayed pretty dry inside.

We dilly-dally for a long time, eating breakfast and making a few cups of hot coffee. Finally it dawns on us that the rain is a fixture today and we'd better get started. After packing the bikes in the rain, and donning our rain gear, the rain stopped. Just in time for a 12-noon start.

Here's the map:
http://maps.innersource.com/GProject.aspx?pid=6762

Inarguably our shortest day of riding, it was also one of the most difficult.

We do a little exploring up the road, looking for the ever elusive trail that is supposed to connect nearby. We never find it, but we do find the remains of a ranch-come-hunting camp at the next lake.

So we ride back down the ATV trail and backtrack all the way back to the main road in the area, where there's a bridge to cross the Taseko River. Playing it by ear, but still wanting to accomplish anything, we head down the west side of Taseko Lake for another questionable road to the top of a peak.

Along the way the recent weather provides us with some fantastic scenery:

As a side note, the map book we have shows a road to both sides of the river right at the lake. We thought maybe there was a bridge there, since the roads appeared to line up. You can see in the picture that the "bridge" is actually a boat. And there didn't appear to be an engine in it.

We turn off on the side road and start heading up the hill a little ways:

Soon we come across a small but sinister looking puddle. The water was dark muddy brown with bits of pine needles and bark floating in it. There was just enough to give us some concern.

We've both been fooled by this type of puddle before. It looks shallow and harmless, but once you're in it, it's deep and slippery as snot on the bottom. No way we were chancing it without a little recon:

 

[boney]

As luck would have it, the puddle was only 12-15 inches deep and solid on the bottom. In we go:

Around the corner the road gets steep and it's quality deteriorates. Narrrowing to the width of an ATV with a drop-off on one side and a steep hill on the other, we were blessed with loose baseball size rocks on a steep grade for several miles. My mood shifted with the progress I could make. When I got stopped (or had to stop before tossing the bike over the edge) then had fits of wheel spinning and poor direction control trying to gain momentum, I couldn't understand what it was we were doing here. Then, after gaining momentum and sliding as far forward on the seat so the front suspension would compress when it hit rocks instead of deflect toward the edge of the road I was ecstatic. Luke and I took turns trading the lead as one of us would get stuck then the other would gain momentum and ride past.
Here's a flat spot in the road:

I don't know how long we were at it. Near the top I come around the corner and see this:

Luke appeared stuck. His wheel would spin, then stop. He'd rock the bike back and forth then stop. I put my bike on the stand and waited for the "help me get my bike outta this" signal or for him to move up the hill. Eventually he turned around and came back down to where I was.

Looking the other way I saw this:

Close enough to the top, we ditched the bikes and set out on foot.

Looking over the edge, we could see where we had just come from:

Where we had camped the night before (Wasp Lake):

And where we would have ended up yesterday, if we could have crossed Beece Creek:
(down there, by the clouds resting on the mountains)

Self Portrait:

I should take time to mention the rain pants. I put them on first thing in the morning to stay dry. The first time I kicked my leg over my bike they tore open. Great. I fixed them with Duct Tape, but as you can see, they kept ripping. Lucky for me the little rain we encountered for the rest of the day was light.

 

[boney]

Coming down wasn't much easier, but it was faster:

We backtracked again to Big Lake to camp. Our route the next day was still in question and we didn 't want to go further into the forest without making plans.

Camp:

A nice big orange Moon showed up just after sun down.

 

[Jcrocker]

subscribed opcorn

 

[boney]

Where are we now? Day 5?

Map: http://maps.innersource.com/GProject.aspx?pid=6763

The morning brings a bit of frost on the bikes and tents and some nice tule fog on the lake:

The original plan for this day was to loop down by Chilko Lake and then up the road to Alexis Creek. Our last check from 2 days ago informed us that Alexis Creek is closed and evacuated. Without an update, we can't count on the situation having improved. Also, while pouring over the maps last night, we concluded that there was not enough time to ride everything we had hoped, and we had better sort out the stuff that we think are highlights and perhaps skip over the rest.

The modified plan today is a loop down past Chilko Lake then up the 4WD road and back, circling back to camp where we'll pick up our stuff and head on to Quesnel.

We sprint down yet another fast and wide forest road enjoying our unladen bikes' ease of riding

Along the way we stop at another First Nation gas station. (Indian Reservation- but they're not called that.) This is useful since we burnt up quite a bit of gas yesterday, and without the top off we wouldn't be able to make the loop.

Down along Chilko Lake we turn north on the 4WD road and start to tear it up. The road is in reasonably good shape, and it's fast.

 

[boney]

Not too far along we come across a bunch of guys from Kamloops who are out riding the same area, but overnighting in Cabins and Lodges along the way. Certainly not the budget method of travelling, but if you're tired of sleeping on the ground or "too old" as they told us, it's certainly an option.

The views along the lake were good, but clarity of the sky is still hampered by smoke.

More self portraits:

We wind around the lake then cross over to another who's name I forget. Heading back north-east-ish we begin to look for our road that will make the loop.

The first try we come across something that we absolutely had not seen anywhere since we'd been in Canada.

The next try, down a small two-track led us to a German family's geodesic dome summer house. Sorry, no picture of the house.

They told us that the only road they know of is flooded. As we later find out, the road was flooded by beavers and their never ending endeavors of dam building. The couple also told us that Alexis Creek was open. Great news, except that we don't have our stuff with us. We backtracked all the way back to camp, picked up our stuff, and hit the road.

Upon reaching the highway, we hightailed it for Quesnel. Although we did have routes that would take us there on the forest roads, we weren't sure we'd have the time.

Arriving in Quesnel just before sun down, we grabbed a hotel, took showers (the first in 6 days!) and did some laundry. We also went out to eat at the local pub, treating ourselves to a meal that we didn't have to make ourselves, or reconstitute from some freeze-dried state. Yum.

 

[WoodsChick]

Dang, boney!:wow I wanna hang with you!


So, the old guy you ran across on the XL...what was that tube thing hanging from the left side panel?

Keep the photos comin'!



WoodsChick

 

[Roadstergal]

Gorgeous, gorgeous! Love the scenery - and the fly.

My sister is still up in the PNW, and I've thought about Slydrite and I driving the bikes to her place and doing something like this...

 

[boney]

Day 6 starts with some important business.

Not only must we replenish our food stocks, but I'm looking to trade in my yellow ventilated rain slicker for some real rain pants. Also, Luke's warm clothes are not quite warm enough, so he's going to pick up something.

When you're on the road there's always one place that has what you need:

With the clothing issues straightened;

We head over to the grocery store:

A real breakfast even!

A cursory once over on the bikes reveals a bit of an oil leak on Luke's bike. It's not critical, but we'll watch the levels more closely:

Map:
http://maps.innersource.com/GProject.aspx?pid=6764

Vanderhoof is the next stop. We'll fuel up there for the next leg. Following some directions for a couple of locals at the pub last night, we head off into the forest on a strikingly familiar road. All the big ones are starting to look the same:

Very few navigational decisions were made so far that required more than a look at the signpost: