Picto Diary - 23, 24 August 2015 - Trans Canada Highway
Above: Map Southern British Columbia.
Traaaaa AAAA aaaaans Canada Highway take me home!
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sPtDXEpWsis
23 August 2015. Smoke. 630 miles riding. Tacoma, Washington to Golden, British Columbia. Start 8:30 AM (Pacific). Finish. 9:30 PM (Pacific) 10:30 PM (Mountain).
Smoke from Washington state wild fires occluded the magnificent Canadian Rocky Mountains the whole distance. The last hour and a half of the ride was in the dark. The highway was alternately two lane and four lane. Signs posted the authority's intent, by 2020 to have the highway four lane all the way from Vancouver to Calgary... 800 miles.
On arrival, we checked in to the Golden Best Western that we had pre-reserved at lunch in Hope, BC. The only restaurant open in town was The Fire Pit Barbeque Smokehouse, walking distance from the motel. Not bad. Pushing 11:00 PM Mountain time. We were hungry.
The Golden Best Western was the worst value for money of any Best Western where I have stayed. $200 for an average Best Western (not Plus) room. Indifferent staff. Charge for breakfast!
I loved every minute of the (ironbutt?) ride! The Duc performed beautifully. That the vistas were occluded gave more time to concentrate on the road and the bike's capabilities (the power of a positive mental attitude!). Cough. cough.
Above: Earp and John Galt post having breakfast in the Big Bend Cafe, at behind. Golden, BC. 24 August 2015.
My 2015 Duc Multistrada, is at left, then Earp's Suzuki V-Strom (650), and Galt's fine restoration of Ted's 1991 BMW Paris Dakar.
Big Bend Cafe was good. Funky. You had to get your own coffee. But the corn beef hash was excellent with two over hard. Guy in charge was circa 55... initially somewhat gruff... but, he warmed up during our stay.
Big Bend Cafe reminded me of the inclination - not realized - that I had a few years ago to chronicle the best breakfast places I found during my motorcycle peregrinations. Like, Brothers in Ashland, OR. Evergreen in Buena Vista, CO. Wynona's in Steamboat Springs, CO. Kates Place in Ridgeway, CO. The Jailhouse in Moab, UT. The Sheraton Hotel. Addis Ababa, Ethiopia.
Above: Evergreen close up. Yoho National Park. British Columbia. 24 August 2015.
Diseased? Pine beetle? Notwithstanding, I was struck by the vivid contrast of the brown (dead) and the alive (green) growth on the same tree.
Above: The Bishop observes Takakka Falls, Yoho National Park, BC. 24 August 2015.
The falls is 254 meters. Daly Glacier, 300 meters from the brink of the falls, feeds the glacier. The glacier is, in turn, fed by the Waputik Ice Field.
The falls is a "wow." Requires riding up and back on a 10 mile long paved road. So many "never heard of" things to see!
In May, the falls has double the flow as seen in this image.
Image, even here, gives a sense of the smokey atmosphere.
Above: Accident scene on Trans Canada Highway - Highway 1 - 35 miles west of Calgary.
Overturned truck in right (east bound) shoulder, was actually going west on the "dual lane carriageway." Witness reported the west bound truck making a lane change, but, then, continuing to cross the median to collide with a white mini-van (visible at the left, in the median). Five people were in the van... a mom driver, two kids, and grandpa and grandma. Grandma was killed and the other family members, on critical, were hospitalized.
Galt, Earp and Mwah (sic), headed east to Calgary, came upon two lanes of stopped vehicles. Seeing some lane splitting Canadian motorcyclists riding east between the outside lane and the shoulder, we followed. Lane splitting thus, we overtook about two miles of stopped vehicles. One or two of the cars tooted us, but, none - at least that I saw - moved to block our progress.
I was leading, but, when I arrived at the accident scene, I noted that Earp and Galt were not behind me. I took the above image on arriving at the scene. The explanation of the accident, above, comes from local TV news that I watched from my hotel room.
On the advice of a man about my age, I followed his Escalade across the median, rode back five miles, turned off on a connector road to ride to an alternate Calgary entry road from the west - Highway 1A. I rode 1A about 10 miles to the west, found a connector back to the Trans Canada Highway, and rode into downtown Calgary where I found a room at the Hyatt Regency Hotel. Galt contacted me by phone and I told him where I was. I have reservations for the three of us riders at the Trib Steakhouse, and at this writing, await Galt and Earp's arrival at the hotel. We didn't get a chance to talk about why they weren't behind me as I lane split to the accident scene.
Later: A policeman waved his hand to stop them from progressing further, after I had already ridden by.
Above: The Bishop observes Stephen Avenue Mall mall. Calgary, AB. 24 August 2015.
Bucket list item checked. Calgary visited. This a BIG city!
I've done three previous motorcycle trips to BC/AB, but have always stayed in the mountains... never visited, other than Lethbridge, any of the significantly sized Alberta cities.
My preference for this ride was to leave the mountains and overnight in Calgary... Earp and Galt were fine with the idea.
I suppose the best "tourist" time to come here would be for the Calgary Stampede during the first week in July. Now that I've been here, though, there are probably other things I would prefer to do in my diminishing (actuarially) number of Julys.
Ten years ago I motorcycled to another plains Canadian City, Moose Jaw, Saskatchewan, once a depot for Al Capone's illicit liquor.
Above: Earp and John Galt pose in front of Trib Steakhouse after having dinner there. Calgary, AB. 24 August 2015.
It was my turn to buy. I suggested Pizza.
Just toying with 'em. I specked the steak place out before Galt and Earp arrived (they were delayed more than I was by the accident on the Trans Canada Highway).
And, Galt fronted for a "not cheap" bottle of Napa cab... there being nothing, despite a significant wine list, from Washington State on the menu.
Galt is a big booster of Washington wines. Says many California vintners, hedging their bets because of the California water shortage, are coming to central eastern Washington where water is abundant. That water, by the way, from the Columbia River, starts as snow melt in the Canadian Rockies.
More interesting learnings, over dinner, from farmer Earp.
Farming in central/eastern Washington and Oregon is dominated by corporate interests and Mormons. Mormon's make it a practice of buying and consolidating farms. The LDS farmers are very successful and highly respected in the Washington farming community.
Other religious faiths are also active in central/eastern Washington/Oregon farming:
Hutterites. Notwithstanding their adherence to "old time" values, they deeply embrace technological advances in farming. They have their own machine shops and "tool" a lot of stuff in violation of patent laws.
Amish. They stick to the old ways and eschew, unlike the Hutterites, technological farming solutions. Both the Hutterites and the Amish always deal in cash.... never borrow or buy on time.
Earp says he feels good about his profession... all three of his revenue sources (farm, irrigation equipment sales, and oil separation from seeds) are food related... and, even in bad times, people will need to eat.
Addendum:
Above: TIMDT and cronies lunching in NYC 24 August 2015.
TIMDT and Mwah (sic) travel about half the time separately, me mostly by motorcycle and she, with cronies to far flung destinations, mainly India.
Half the time we travel together... cruises, and most recently a couple of trips to Jackson, WY, and upcoming, a visit to India at Christmastime.
Clement is with Rider Magazine.
Morgan,
Chicago, IL
Whoops... thanks for the correction.