Monday, July 1, 2013

Canada Day, eh?

My return to Canada has been a series of culture shocks and reminders of my home  and all that comes with it.

My sojourn in Denver was over, and I had  new alternator and regulator, all provided at the standard inflated BMW prices.  I was grateful that the staff seemed to go out of their way to get the parts ordered and the bike fixed within the time it took.  As I waited in Denver, the heat increased, and the forest fires to the north of the city caused some concern.  As soon as I could, I headed north through Wyoming and Montana.  I needed to stop in Missoula, where I had been last summer with my northern family, and get a new sprocket and chain.

 A couple of classics seen on my way north through Wyoming...

An interesting spine of uplifted rock in the Wyoming prairie, apparently used by the natives in local wars with the settlers...
 Colorado range...


My Guardian Angels were working overtime when my front tire blew at speed.  I managed to get Blondy stopped without crashing.  I had assumed that the Heavy Duty tubes were safer for touring, and I have since discovered  that they in fact are designed for more off track riding, and that they heat up and deteriorate on the slab.  Lesson learned, I hope.  I had quite a time finding a replacement tube, as the tube I was carrying for the past 10 months was too wide for the tire I had.  A nice Mexican tire mechanic in a small Montana town raided his bosses' sons' dirt bike for the proper 21 inch tube, and got me on my way.  I hope he didn't get in trouble, and I really appreciated his willingness to help me out.

Flat in the hinterlands of Montana...
As I said, I had to stop in Missoula at a BMW and KTM shop in order to have the proper rear sprocket and chain installed...while I was there, I wondered about this deal:


I crossed into Canada at a small Border point south of Creston.  All of the bags and gear were inspected, largely due to the fact that I was out of the country for 10 months, I guess.  I learned that bike repairs are taxable, and that bite was significant, considering BMW's inflated prices for parts...



Another pic for my Eagle friends...




This weekend, I attended the BC Dualsport ride organized around the North Island region of Vancouver Island.  I spent quite some time in my travels telling my friends in South America, Central America, Mexico, and Europe about the beauties of Canada, and particularly B.C.  I will attempt to give my friends a better idea through some pictures and discussion....




One of the members of DSBC has this very interesting 750 cc.  Suzuki..


 This KTM below was brought over from Australia, and the rider showed up for the North Island Ride.  Fortunately, he was able to see a black bear, without running it over....


This KLR sidecar came to the Island from the Kamloops area...

A North Vancouver KTM...

The ride was not without incident...
 Jim is favouring his collarbone, which I understand was chipped went he went down on a slippery corner...


Dave has organized a number of excellent  rides of the North Island region. He also contributed a great deal to the TCAT Vancouver Island section...this trail is now completed, and stretches from Newfoundland to Winter Harbour on Vancouver Island...

 Jim's collarbone in traction...
 We passed through Woss, BC...

 The TCAT will become a very popular ride for many North Americans and others.   It is estimated to cover over 15000 kilometers across Canada...

 Blondy left her panniers at home...
 We visited Port Alice in the Northern region of Vancouver Island...

Bob and his hack.....
 Red and his girl....
 The KTM developed a fuel leak. We introduced the Aussie to the wonder product called SEAL ALL, and were able to carry on...


 We travelled to Side Bay, which is on the west coast of Vancouver Island, north of Brooks Peninsula...

 Looking towards Brooks...



 This gravel is going to be interesting....


 The Hack needed a few pushes, but did amazingly well...

 Dave guided us to the first coal mine on Vancouver Island, south of Port Mcneil.  This huge wheel was part of the system used to get the coal from the shaft and down to the beach for offloading to ships...all of this was in the late 1800's...This mine was working before the coal mines in Nanaimo were developed..







 A large cedar tree at the site had been used to provide large planks for the natives, prior to the establishment of the mine.  The local band has identified the tree, and this stopped the logging from going right to the beach...

We collected some natural coal from the beachfront to use in our campfire during the evening....



Another incident resulted in another slide and some damage to one of the bikes.  Lesson learned: give the guy in front of you lots of room, and use your indicators....


 A bit of BC forest...


  A campsite beside beautiful Bonanza lake...
 I understand the lights are used to spot the Roo's before they spot you....
One flat for the group...



A beautiful sight, north of Sayward...


A great ride in Beautiful British Colombia...