Canada West special edition SPT23005

Welcome to canada   Today is the first day of our exclusive West Canada Tour. Exclusive because our participants all know each other already. And unlike the normal tour, there is no support vehicle and the tour is also a bit shorter. The essence of a motorcycle tour in western Canada if you will. That sounds great.  There is not much to report today. But that will surely change soon.   Stay tuned

a certain smoky note   Here it is, our first day of riding. Over the city hangs a dense veil of smoke, but this should only be an inkling of what we still get to see today.  After we have packed our bikes we leave Vancouver in the direction of the east. We follow the course of the Fraser river and with each kilometer the traffic becomes less. The smell of burnt wood becomes more intense. The landscape is covered in a dense haze, only dimly we perceive the mountain landscape around us. Huge forest fires are raging in British Columbia, their vapors spreading over several square kilometers. Disquieting and fascinating at the same time. Our first stop leads us to a small memorial. A gigantic landslide had buried here in 1965 the small city Hope under a 70m high rubble layer. The town was rebuilt a few kilometers away. A little later we reach Pinewoods where not only lunch is waiting for us, but also a beautiful winding mountain road that leads us to a viewpoint overlooking the mighty Cascade Mountains. We follow the beautiful curvy Highway No. 3 further east through the Okanangan Valley. The only "desert" in Canada. But with more than 2000 hours of sunshine a year also the perfect place for wine and orchards. Finally we have left the smoke behind us for a few kilometers. After a last coffee in Hedley. We tackle the last kilometers to Osoyoss. The smoke becomes denser again and finally we see the fires in the mountains with our own eyes. Somehow scary.

 a short day...plus   The day begins with a look out of the window. The sun is high in the sky, still trying with all its might to penetrate the smoke. A thin layer of ash lies on our motorcycles. Our route today is supposed to take us through Kelowna, where one of this season's biggest fires is raging. After checking all available information, we head north. Before leaving Osoyoos and turn a little later on Highway 33. A wonderfully lonely road with long curves that leads us through the woods. Finally we reach Kelowna. The city is shrouded in thick smoke. But the roads are open. We leave the highway and drive along the lake shore on winding back roads further north. Where we soon reach our destination Vernon. After a first class lunch the group separates. Richard and Dave want to do some more motorcycling. Now Vernon is at the foot of Monashee Pass. A quite fast pass with perfect asphalt, unbelievable left right combinations, situated in a typical Canadian mountain landscape. There beats the biker heart higher. 

the lifeline of Canada   Today is supposed to be all about Canada's major infrastructure projects. We ride on the famous Highway 1, the lifeline of the country. The course of the highway is inseparable from the history of the Canadian Pacific Railway (CPR). Its completion ultimately defeated the unity of the country. We will visit the place where the last bolt was driven. Once there, we will have the opportunity to lend a helping hand to a family;-)   After the good deed is done we continue to Revelstoke. There we not only have lunch but also visit the national park. More precisely, the "meadows in the Sky parkway". A wonderfully winding road through a breathtaking landscape at the end of which a beautiful plateau awaits us. Unfortunately, the view is still somewhat clouded by the smoke of the fires. Back in the valley we follow Highway 1 and reach the Rogers Pass. A perfectly built road in incredible monumental scenery. Slowly we leave the smoke behind us and roll down to Golden. Where we spend the night in a mountain lodge. What a day.

 "must see" places part one   almost magical this silence in the morning when we wake up in our lodge. Only the quiet splashing of the rain awakens our attention. The air is clear and clean as we leave and the rain is hardly worth mentioning. Our first stop of the day is a small place called Radium Hot Springs. The aborigines already appreciated the name-giving slightly radioactive springs. We don't have time for a swim but a coffee is always good. A sign will show us a little later that there will be no gas station for the next 105km. There lies allso quite a lot of nothing in front of us. We drive through the Kootenany National Park, named after the same river. Around us seemingly endless coniferous forests and mighty mountains whose peaks disappear in the low-hanging clouds. We even pass the Pacific watershed. Back on Highway 1, our next destination is the famous Banff. We walk through the streets and enjoy our lunch. We seem not to be the only ones who want to visit Banff today;-). Back on the road it would be easy to take Hwy 1 to Lake Louis. But we are here to enjoy allso we take the next exit and follow the Bow valley parkway. A partly one-lane road through the woods in whose background mighty rock formations tower up. Hwy can finally everyone. Arrived in Lake Louis we visit the famous lake. The clouds thankfully give a view of the glaciers. A nice teaser of what awaits us tomorrow.

"must see" places part two or "is that wallpaper?"   Luckily we visited Lake Louise last night. The fog this morning is dense to cut. But already after a few kilometers we have left the fog behind us. Just right, because we are now entering the Icefields Parkway. The highlight of the tour. The road connects on 230km length, Jasper with Lake Louis. Located in the midst of the Canadian Rocky Mountains, this road is one of the most impressive in the world because of its panoramas. We will interrupt our trip again and again to take photos. As David so beautifully said "is that wallpaper?" We will stop at beautiful lakes, enjoy the view over the mountains or marvel at the sheer power of waterfalls. We even have some time to climb a small hill to get really close to part of the Columbia Icefield. Our tour ends once again in a beautiful mountain lodge.  What a day

bye, bye Rocky`s   Today there won't be much to report at all. And so soon after all the superlatives from yesterday, it's hard to impress anyway. We would have liked to say goodbye to the Canadian Rockies with a little more decency. But the weather this morning is rather to drive away. We have to make today anyway some distance so do not dawdle. As soon as we have crossed the border to BC at least the rain stops. And we drive through seemingly endless coniferous forests towards the west. Our first stop is the Mt. Robson Visitor Center. Not only that the highest mountain in BC is unfortunately hidden in the fog. But just in time for our arrival, the local power company turns off the power. You have to be lucky;-) So we continue our way towards Kamloops. And reel off kilometer after kilometer. Slowly the landscape changes, it becomes drier and more barren. We are back in the Okanangan area more precisely Thompson Okanangan.  Finally we reach Kamloops, our destination for the day. We have crossed three different vegetation zones today. You don't do that every day.

sea to the sky...reverse   Here it is, our last day of riding. Of course we could make it easy for ourselves and just take the freeway back to Vancouver. But why should we? Especially since one of the best motorcycle routes in North America is practically on the hotel's doorstep. The Sea to the Sky Highway number 99. So we set off in the best weather and leave Kamloops behind us. Compared to the landscape yesterday. We realize very quickly... okay Thopson Okanagan is a desert. The landscape is rugged and barren. But somehow also charming and attractive. Shortly after the coffee stop we turn onto Highway 99. And what offers us there is difficult to find words for. The landscape, the curves everything is breathtaking. We stop a few times to take pictures, finally we reach Whistler, there we eat lunch and inhale some Alpine flair. Highway 99 winds along Howe sound and finally leads us back to Vancouver. Again, why should we take the freeway?;-)