Four Days In The Pacific Northwest

[SpiralGray]

Four motorcycles walk into Canada, a VFR (me), an FJR (Dave), a Sprint ST (Stephen), and a Bandit (Mark). Which one doesn't come out? Yeah, sounds like the opening to a bad joke, but it's really a high-level summary of a recent road trip.

Before we being, I should mention that Dave, Stephen, and I have communications gear so we can talk while riding. This will become relevant later...

After work on 7/30, three of us leave from Portland (VFR, Sprint ST, FJR) headed for Everett, while our fourth leaves Vancouver B.C., also headed for Everett. After four hours of droning on the freeway we arrive at the Motel 6, quickly shower, and head out to find adult beverages at the local Outback, where the first in a long line of cute waitresses greets us.

The next morning (7/31) we gear up, hit McDonalds for breakfast, and head towards Arlington, Darrington, and the North Cascade Highway. Instead of the usual head-up-I5-to-530 we decide to head down through Monroe, then up past Lake Roesiger and through Granite Falls to Arlington. The planned route is under construction, but the detour signs are well-placed and eventually we find ourselves back on-route. Unfortunately almost the entire route is marked 35 mph, and I don't know the area well enough to know how well patrolled it is. I think next time we'll just take I5 to 530.

By the time we reach Arlington it's already starting to get pretty warm. Not a good sign for the other side of the mountains, but when you travel by motorcycle you take what you can get.

After Arlington it's east towards Darrington. I've ridden this route probably eight or ten times, and one thing that sticks out in my mind is this bridge that you cross a few miles east of Arlington. For some reason I always feel like it's the 'gateway' to the wonderful riding that lies beyond.

At a gas stop along 530 we are warned about a "cranky" Sheriff in Darrington who seems to be nabbing speeders for as little as five over. We're not hooligans to begind with, but this causes us to keep a close eye on the speedo until we reach WA20. We never do see any sign of him, but better safe than sorry. Soon enough we reach WA20, the North Cascade Highway. I can't stress enough how much I love this road. It isn't tight and twisty, but it has enough curves to keep it interesting, coupled with some amazing scenery.

There are three main scenic stops along the route. The first has a couple of nice waterfalls, and a bridge that has a metal deck for the pedestrian crossing. It's a little creepy to look down and see all the way to the bottom.

The second stop gives you a view of Diablo Lake (and dam). The color of the water is like nothing I've ever seen before. I'm not a particularly spiritual person, but I find places like this, nestled in the mountains, to be 'safe' and peaceful.

After leaving the Diablo Lake overlook we hit some of the nicest curves and pavement that the road has to offer. Unfortunately we get behind a couple of recreational vehicles as well. I, being in the lead, manage to get around them, but the others aren't so lucky and they get to enjoy the road with a less 'unfettered' view than the one I enjoy.

Sadly, the third of the overlooks is closed. We really don't feel like parking the bikes and hiking in to, potentially, find that the actuall scenic part is close as well, so we bypass it and keep going.

You can sure tell that after that third overlook you're on the way downhill, because the temperature just keeps climbing, a sure sign you're descending into hell... uh, I mean eastern Washington. Hot, tired, hungry, and thirsty, we head for the Old Shcoolhouse Brewery in Winthrop for some lunch. I'd heard about it from other trip reports I'd read on VFRD and decided to check it out. We have a lot more miles to cover that day so the only 'brew' anyone enjoys is a Root Beer. The place isn't very busy. In fact, the whole town seems a little dead. Admittedly, it is Friday, but every time I've been in Winthrop in the past it's been wall-to-wall people (many of whom are wearing swimsuits). Perhaps it's too hot and everyone is indoors, or maybe the economy is keeping people away...

After lunch it's off to Hwy 97 and north to Canada. There are only two lines open, and both seem to be taking their sweet time with each vehicle. We're sweltering by this point, so I take off my helmet and set it on my tankbag. After each time we get to move forward a few feet I turn off the bike to prevent it from overheating and conserve fuel.

Finally it's my turn to go through the line. I'm a Canadian citizen living in the US so I hand the dude my Canadian passport. This is the longest, most annoying border crossing I've been through since moving to Portland in 1996. He must have asked me the same questions two or three times, presumably to trip me up. He finally finishes and I fire up the bike and head to the other side to wait for my buddies. After I stop the bike I go to pull my helmet on and it just slides on because of the sweat on my head and face... what a disgusting feeling, but I deal with it knowing that once we get moving it'll provide some welcome evaporative cooling.

Eventually everyone gets through the line and we get suited up again. I hit the starter button and the bike responds with "rur, rur, ruuuuu..." Lovely. I guess all the starting and stopping while we were in line drained the battery. One of my buddies hops off his bike and gives me a push start, which is enough to get the bike going again. I figure the ride to Kelowna should get it charged up.

Out of Osoyoos we hit Hwy 3. There are three reasons for this.

One, it heads up into the hills/mountains again where it should be a bit cooler.

Two, it allows us to avoid Hwy 97 through the Okanagan, which is just annoyingly busy with traffic.

Three, ...

Full Size

As I head into the first corner marked 40 I have to remind myself, "Think Metric!" Also, the road is covered in tar snakes, and it's hotter than heck. I slow down quite a bit, expecting to feel the bike squirm and slide. Huh, nothing. So I take the next one a little quicker. Still no slippy... I'm baffled but not one to question my good fortune, so I thoroughly enjoy the switchbacks as we climb out of Osoyoos.

Eventually we hit Rock Creek and turn north on 33. This will keep us at elevation (thus keeping us cool) for the rest of the ride to Kelowna. Somewhere along this road Dave radios me that Stephen's tail lights are out. I look in my mirror and notice his headlights are out as well. We pull over, he replaces the fuse, everything seems to work and we head off again. A few minutes later Dave says Stephen's tail lights are out again. Sure enough, so are the headlights. We pull over again. Stephen thinks he knows what the problem is, but he's going to have to take the rear cowl off to find and fix the problem. We decide to just get to Kelowna before dark and he'll deal with it in the morning. Back on the bikes, I hit the button on the GPS to show me the distance left on the trip and the GPS locks up. Just f***ing lovely, what else can go wrong today? I don't know the secret handshake to reset it, but that's okay, I've been to Kelowna enough times that I don't really need the GPS to get to our destination, so on we soldier.

Finally we arrive at the Travelodge right across from the park/beach in Kelowna. We get showered and head to Earl's, our favorite restaurant in town. It's about 8:30pm and we're told it's a two-hour wait for a table, but we can sit and eat at the bar if we like. We decide to do that. A few minutes after we order a table in the bar opens up. We ask and are told we can take it, so something finally worked out for us today. Not only that, but we get the stunning Shannon as our waitress. She's cute and friendly (duh, she's a waitress), even after Dave accuses her of faking her dual wrist injuries to get more tips.

Some background... when Dave, Stephen, and I travel together we have a 'theme' for the trip. One trip the theme was piercings, another it was tattoos. The way the theme works is we engage our waitresses in a conversation about the theme. Well on this trip we decided to ask them about Dave's phobia of women with a second toe longer than the big toe. Shannon is very good natured about our inquiry, even calling a couple of other waitresses over and asking them.

As we're enjoying our meal, a guy at the next table basically keels over. He'd been out in the heat all day and then started drinking. Heat stroke is suspected, 911 is called, and it's very exciting for a while.

On Saturday (8/1) we plan to do a ride but first we have business to take care of. Stephen finds an auto supply store for fuses and tape to fix his bike, I find a computer so I can reset the GPS and find the nearest bank to get some Canadian money exchanged. Everything seems to be going well, until we get to the only branch of the Royal Bank that is open on Saturday, only to find out it's closed this particular Saturday because Monday is a holiday in Canada. DAMMIT!

We set off on our ride. We're going to go along Westside Rd. which, as its name suggests, goes along the west side of Okanagan Lake. After that we're heading east on Hwy 6, then retracing and returning.

The ride along Westside Rd. is great, until we get close to Vernon, and then it's slow-going and wall-to-wall traffic. In Vernon, Mark decides he's had enough heat and slow for one day and heads back to Kelowna to hang out. I'm tempted to join him, but I know how much fun Hwy 6 is and it's not like I get to ride it whenever I want. The remaining three head out.

Hwy 6 is about 85 miles of up, down, left, right, repeat between Vernon, B.C. and Fauquier. B.C. The pavement is pretty good for most of the route, with a few choppy spots. We encounter some traffic for the first bit of the route, but eventually are able to zip along the road at a pleasant, slightly elevated, pace.

Getting to Fauquier, which is the planned lunch stop, requires a ferry crossing. There's no charge for the ferry, so not a big deal. As we get on the boat, Stephen's bike dies. Not just the lights, everything. The starter won't respond at all. Of course the other side is an uphill unload, so after getting my bike up the ramp out of the way I run back down and help him push his up, then run to the gas station for more fuses.

Stephen's bike appears to be fixed, so I decide it's getting late and I don't want to hang around for lunch, so I get back on the ferry and zoom back to Kelowna. Mark and I spend some times wandering around the park/beach area, taking in some of Kelowna's natural beauty...

It's a few hours after I get back and Mark and I are starting to get a little worried about Dave and Stephen. Turns out Stephen's bike died again, and they sat on the side of the road while Stephen pretty much completely dismantled his bike to find that the wiring harness had been rubbing on some metal, exposed a wire, and that was causing it to short out the system. Perhaps our theme should be "Zen and the Art of Motorcycle Maintenance."

Off to Earl's again for dinner, this time with Bianca (or Brianna, I forget). Again, the toe question comes up... I bet she's thinking, "I better get a good tip for putting up with these yokels." Ah, nothing like a tasty Albino Rhino to end the day...

The next morning we begin the trip home. Heading east out of Kelowna on 97C we immediately start to gain elevation. The 90 degree temperatures of the past couple of days are replaced with temperatures in the high 60s. It actually feels cold, but it's a nice change from constant heat. This isn't exactly the most challenging road in the world, but the scenery is pretty and it's cooler than we've dealt with recently.

We roll into Merritt (after a couple of wrong turns) and gas up. It's getting warm again. We also learn that the town of Lilooet, one of the places we're going through, is on evacuation alert (yes, the whole town) due to forest fires in the area. Oh well, if we get turned back we'll deal with it.

After Merritt the road gets a little more interesting. Back to one lane in each direction with some sweepers and elevation gain (good, it was getting a little warm in Merritt again). We're just tooling along at a pleasant pace and we notice this big red dome in the distance. Huh, alien landing site perhaps? No, turns out it's part of this huge open pit copper mine. Unfortunately we didn't stop to get any pictures, but the Google satellite view can give you an idea just how big this thing is.

Full Size

I also managed to find this one on-line.

We were challenged to keep our eyes on the road, this thing was just fascinating.

Anyway, we pull into Cache Creek. It's a little early for lunch, but we're concerned that things might be closed up in Lilooet due to the evacuation alert. The waitress at the small diner is cute, and once again the toe question comes up. I told you, it's a theme!

Off we head towards Lilooet. Unfortunately along this stretch the pavement goes from wonderful to crap, and the speed goes down accordingly. It's actually a little scary riding on this stuff, never knowing what you might encounter in the corners.

A quick stop outside Lilooet gives us a chance to clean our shields and watch a few helicopters fill their buckets. We got a few pictures, but a still doesn't really do it justice. Oh, and boy is it smokey and dark here. Not can't-see-the-road dark, but compared to the clear blue skies and bright sun it's pretty dark.

We head out of Lilooet on 99. The plan is to head through Pemberton, Whistler, Squamish, and into Vancouver for the night. The road still doesn't have the greatest surface in the world, and we get behind a series of vehicles who want to slow to nothing for each corner and then floor it in the brief straight stretches. Given the quality of the pavement I'm not inclined to want to pass someone and then go flying into the next corner too hot, so we deal with it until there are long enough straights to get around.

Somewhere around Duffey Lake we see signs for road construction. Great, just great. However, as it turns out the road construction is nice, fresh, smooth pavement! Yay! We can pick up a bit of speed again. The road undulates along the mountains and lakes, up, down, left, right, rinse, repeat. I love this kind of road, it lets you get into a rhythm and just feel like you're floating along.

Several miles north of Pemberton the new pavement runs out. The stuff we find outselves on isn't bad, it's just not as easy to read as the fresh blacktop, so speed comes down a few mph again.

I'm in the lead as we head into a right-hander. Something mid-corner spooks me a bit and I hit the brakes to scrub some speed. I announce, "Sorry 'bout that" into the intercom, apologizing for startling Dave, who is behind me, by slowing down mid-corner. The response I hear is "Aaaaaa" follwed by Stephen (third in line) yelling "Stop, stop, stop!" Crap, this can't be good.

The track log on my GPS shows me going 47 - 41 - 36 - 38 - 32 - 42. In hindsight, the corner was probably a double-apex. I thought I was done and then saw the second part and needed to slow down. I'm guessing my brake light coming on caused Dave to grab a whole bunch of brake, which stood his bike up. Now he's pointing at the ditch on the opposite side of the road thinking, "I need to stop." At the speed he was likely going, that didn't happen (obviously) and into the ditch he went.

People were very nice, almost everyone stopped to see if they could help. One fellow in a motor home offered water and pillows. The ambulance arrives and the two guys who get out look about 16, very slightly built. Dave is 20 feet down in the ditch, and he weighs about 280. One of the guys radios, "We're going to need more help here."

Dave ends up in Pemberton Health Center while the rest of us figure out what to do. We decide riding to Mark's place in Vacouver, picking up his car, coming back and getting Dave, and then returning to Vancouver is the best plan. Getting through Whistler area is painfully slow, but after that we follow Mark's lead (it's his back yard after all) and do about Warp 9 to his house. Driving this road in the dark isn't near as much fun. There's a lot of construction and you come around a corner and are faced with a sea of reflective construction cones with no real notion of where the lanes are. Mark likens it to playing a video game. At one point there's one of those "Your Speed Is" signs and Mark proclaims "I got the high score!" Well, at least we're making the best of a bad situation. Turns out the damage to Dave is a broken left humerus. The damage to his bike is still unknown.

Next day Stephen and I head for home. Dave's wife is on her way to Vancouver to collect him. At the border crossing we find the wait is about 90 minutes. I decide to head for the Duty Free Store to see if we can cut the line a bit. There are signs that you actually have to show a receipt to get back into line. No problem, we'll just buy a chocolate bar or something. A nice older gentleman directing traffic in the parking lot tells us that when we're done we should head up a side-road, skip the line, and his partner would get us back into the traffic flow. We thank him profusely. I consider the $3.50 worth the hour (at least) that we saved waiting in line.

Stephen and I decide to skip the planned route home and just take I5 all the way. Losing half our group (one planned, one unplanned), plus the late start, has put a bit of a damper on our day.

Last we heard, they were moving Dave's bike to Lacy to get an assessment of the damages. I can't imagine it's cost effective to ship the bike all that way and then possibly write it off. Maybe that's why our insurance premiums are so high.

All in we did about 1600 miles over the four-and-a-bit days. Unfortunately due to the GPS locking up for part of the day I don't have a complete track log for that day, but based on the route we followed it's pretty close.

The full photo album for the trip can be seen at http://picasaweb.google.com/craig.wagner/PNW2009.

[V-FORE]

Great report! Sorry to hear of the unfortunate parts, Sounds like you had fun! I am going to have to get up into BC the next time I go over 20 I stopped & camped outside of Tonasket at the end of JuneMY LITTLE JAUNT. Thanks for posting!

Gary

[superfunkomatic]

Sounds like a memorable trip. Too bad about your buddy missing the corner. We were just through the Duffy Lake Road in July. Much of it is resurfaced but the parts that remain are still pretty ugly to ride on. The road from to Lillooet from Merrit is pretty scenic as well.

Great post!

[V4 Rosso]

How did I miss this excellent ride report? Great write up and very nice pics :cool:

I hope your buddy heals up quick :beer:

[BonusVFR]

Thanks ............so more roads to add to my list for the next time in BC Those tar snakes out of Osoyoos on RT3 sure spooked me too...........and I was going downhill.

[SpiralGray]

Sorry, haven't been back to this thread in a while, been busy with another road trip (by car this time, with the wife) and work.

Thanks for all the comments. This is the first time in a while I've taken the time to write up a trip report. Glad you enjoyed it.

Those tar snakes out of Osoyoos on RT3 sure spooked me too...........and I was going downhill.

I can't imagine doing that road going downhill. I don't know about the rest of you, but I really hate going downhill on roads with really tight corners. Don't know what it is. I suspect it has something to do with gravity wanting to keep accelerating the bike, whereas when you're going uphill you don't have that 'involuntary' acceleration.