British Columbia II

From August 21st to the 25th I toured the scenic Okanagan and Kootnenay regions of south central BC touring such centers as Kamloops, Kelowna, Vernon and Nelson although these areas provided plenty of city's activities there was too much traffic for my liking. After consultation with a few local bikers I was provided with a list of secondary roads which I should ride, all of which provided stunning scenery and some great riding.

On Friday August 25th I registered to attend a weekend travelers meeting / rally in the Nelson BC area . This meeting was organized by Horizons Unlimited (Learn more about Horizons Unlimited www.horizonsunlimited.com / the ultimate motorcycle travellers site ). This web site is a tremendous resource for anyone planning or traveling to remote regions on a motorcycle. I would encourage you to visit this site – it does provides plenty of great information and interesting reading. I have used this site extensively to prepare for my tour. I was aware this meeting was scheduled in Nelson months ago and had planned to attend this function long before I had left New Brunswick.
It was extremely rewarding to be among a hundred or more adventure motorcyclist who shared the same dreams and interest. There were a number of riders who have rode motorcycles through Central and South America, Eastern Europe, Australia, New Zealand, Russia, Mongolia, Africa and points beyond. These riders made presentations throughout the weekend. It was an extremely informative and motivating weekend which provided a setting to meet plenty of very interesting people some of which I plan to reconnect with later in this ride.

On Monday August 28th I left Nelson and for the next few days traveled in westerly direction within southern regions of BC. This route lead me through the town of Osoyoos which lies in the center of Canada’s only desert. This region boasts its own climate zone the “Osoyoos Arid Biotic Zone,” which produces hot, sunny summers and mild winters. This community claims the warmest freshwater lake in Canada as well as the lowest annual precipitation and highest annual temperature. Despite its small size Canada’s desert is home to an exceptional array of desert plants and animals some found nowhere else in Canada many on the brink of extinction.
From this southern most corner of the beautiful Okanagan Valley I then headed in a northwesterly direction towards the town of Lillooet via the Nicola Valley. This valley is home to the 500,000 acre Douglas Lake Ranch which is one of North America's largest working cattle ranch. This region landscape offers sharp contrasts from green fields to sagebrush studded hillsides and rich marshes. An interesting ride it was through this varied landscape.

In the town of Lillooet I camped on the banks of the mighty Fraser River. Overlooking these waters I couldn't help but reflect on what it would have been like to paddle canoes alongside Simon Fraser and his followers as they charted these waters to the Pacific Ocean. How did these people react to the daily challenges they faced from these waters and the rugged landscape?

From the town of Lillooet I rode highway 99 to Vancouver thought the communities of Pemberton, Whistler and Squamish. This highway offers some amazing scenery, great riding and a number of interesting communities worthy of exploring. My first stop along the way was in the town of Pemberton.

Here I discovered that the local airport offered rides in Glider Planes (Learn more about Pemberton Soaring www.pembertonsoaring.com ) I had always been keen about these aircraft so this was my opportunity to finally get to fly in one. Off to the airport I go and sign up for the glacier tour. My turn to soar has finally arrives. I am fitted into the front seat of a very small cockpit Rudy the pilot sits behind me in his own compartment and will handles the controls. Two other assistants remain outside the glider. One of them will hold the wing so that the aircraft is balanced over the runway. The other will attach a tow-line to our glider. The opposite end of this tow-line is secured to an airplane. Rudy my pilot maintains voice communications with all three of these individuals and soon instructs the tow plane pilot to make ready for take-off. The individual holding the wing runs along with the glider for approximately 10 metres until airflow is establish over the wings and within that the same distance the glider is airborne and remains airborne long before the tow plane leaves the tarmac. Once in the air the tow plane pull us high out of the valley and into the mountains to locate the thermals and the winds rising off the mountains. Once we reach the updrafts Rudy deactivates the securing mechanism and the tow-line is detached form the glider. We're now on our own much like eagles catching the updrafts and soaring on silent wings. What a fantastic feeling this is. We slowly gain altitude over the glacier then gently bank the glider to slip downward and gather speed only to level out and once again climb on the thermals. We make our way over the glaciers and through mountain passes. On occasions the wing tip are within 30 metres of the mountain side. On our final pass through the mountains we catch a strong thermal which lifts us to 7000 feet. We now make our way out of the mountains for our return flight to the airstrip. What a blast I've been having. Rudy suggest we do a loop to which I respond “Okay”. With that acknowledgment the nose of the aircraft is gently lowered. We quickly gather speed and soon start to climb towards the heavens. My head is forced back against the headrest and I am now looking up at the valley floor which was once under me. This is a strange feeling but it is over seconds. Truly amazing!!! Sadly we soon touch down - this has been the best ride I've ever experienced in a fixed wing aircraft. And now I am thinking is there anyway I could have access to one of these in the future? This is a remarkable toy.
The following day I make the half hour ride to the town of Whistler. I have fond memories of this community having had the opportunity to ski here on two different occasions. My thoughts are to locate a camp site and take a couple of days to experience Whistlers summer activities. Once in the town I realize this place is crawling with tourist. It appears so artificial – wall to wall condominiums, townhouses, hotels, shops. I locate the camping area and learn that a tent site (no services) will cost $45 / night and I cannot take the bike into the camping area. I decide to move on while focusing on the great memories of skiing these mountains.
My next stop is the community of Squamish which is nestled on the edge of the Coastal Mountains and Howe Sound a spectacular setting this is. This is a town I very much enjoyed - it claims to be the outdoor playground of Canada. It offers great hiking and mountain bike trails, strong winds for kiteboarding and wind surfing and for the true adrenaline junkies some very challenging rock climbing. I could live in this town but then again I probably couldn't afford too. The upcomming 2010 winter games have driven the property prices in this region through the roof.

It was in this community of Squamish where I encountered a most pleasant surprise. I was about to leave the community but decided to head downtown for a last stop at an outdoor cafe / to sit back / people watch and enjoy a latte. I had parked the bike and was in the process of removing my helmet when I hear my name called in a very familiar voice. I turn to find Terry Haines who is a very good running buddy from Fredericton (as a masters marathon runner Terry rates amongst the provinces best). Terry and spouse Karen had flown from Fredericton to Vancouver. In Vancouver they rent a vehicle and drove to Squamish to attend their nephew's wedding which was scheduled for later that afternoon. It was a wonderful encounter. A very nice visit we had c/w an opportunity to get caught up on the running news.
From Squamish I rode the sea to sky highway to Vancouver. This city would be my destination for the next 7 days. Here I would visit with my sister Markeda and spouse Phil. A great visit it was - the bike was given a thorough cleaning (the first good cleaning in two months) – the stop-over provided a great opportunity to simply kick back and relax – the bike's 20,000 KM service was completed at the local BMW dealer. (Although I now have 25,000 KM on the motorcycle it is extremely difficult to get dealer service on this moto with only 12 dealers in all of Canada / That's a story for another day) – Special thanks to Markeda and Phil for the comfortable accommodations and great meals.
On September 8th, I rode to Horseshoe Bay to catch the ferry to Nanaimo and Vancouver Island.

A chance encounter – running buddy Terry in Squamish. Thanks to Karen for forwarding this photo.

Kootenay Lake - The Central Kootenay Region of B.C. is bounded by the Selkirk Mountain range to the west and the Purcell range to the east.

This large cat is not the real thing but it certainly caught my attention as I rode by. Most British Columbians live all their lives without a glimpse of a cougar much less a confrontation with one. Conflict between cougars and humans is extremely rare. In the past 100 years a total of five people have been killed by cougar attacks in B.C. (in comparison bees kill upwards of three Canadians every year). All but one of these fatal cougar attacks occurred on Vancouver Island.

Switch backs down the mountain and into Osoyoos the only desert in Canada with the lowest rainfall the highest temperatures and the warmest lakes. Osoyoos is located in the middle of the Southern Okanagan wine country.

Sunset in Osoyoos - the sky is fill with smoke from a fire that began Aug. 22 in Washington state and soon crossed the border into B.C. As of September 12^th this fire continues to burn.

The Nicola Valley - This area of BC was first settled by ranchers who recognized the potential for a productive cattle industry

The Fraser River is the longest river in BC rising near Mount Edith Cavell its journey of 1375 km ends at the city of Vancouver where it merges with the Pacific Ocean

Sundown at Seton Lake near Lillooet

Highway 99 somewhere between Lillooet and Pemberton

Duffey Lake Provincial Park north of Pemberton in the Coast Mountains Region.

And now I am thinking is there anyway I could have access to one of these in the future? This is a remarkable toy.

Once in the air the tow plane pull us high out of the valley and into the mountains to locate the thermals and the winds rising off the mountains.

A grand view of the Pemberton Valley below.

Soaring on silent wings towards the glacier.

On occasion the wing tip appear to be within 30 metres of the mountain side.

Spectacular Howe Sound is North America's southernmost fjord. Located northwest of Vancouver and extending from West Vancouver north to Squamish.