Beautiful British Columbia Summer 2016

I am blessed with having a home in one of the most beautiful spots in the world. The west coast of Vancouver Island is a spectacular location to enjoy a Canadian Summer.   I am very fortunate to have had friends and family come to visit me in my small little town of Tahsis. 

In my friend Ron's case, he is prone to exaggerate a bit when it comes to fish size...

When your grandkids are not around, it is okay to give the "when I was your age.." lecture to unsuspecting visitors.

My "Yuquot Warrior" has earned a new power plant, and sometime in the future a set of windows for the port and starboard sides are in order.

Tahsis Days are always a highlight of the summer, with the raft race being a highly competitive show of strength, determination, and skullduggery..

Ronald is always good for a wonder as to what devious plans he has in mind...

Another crew of mixed up priorities: Ambulance Attendants bent on winning at all costs...

 An  Educator responding to  Ambulance trash talk...

"Yup, Uhuh..yeah sure..."

That way is forward..

On your Marks....

Ronald is ready to Ram..

In the meantime, my friends are gathering for a quiet, peaceful ride in the North Island Countryside.  They are very inclusive, allowing BMW's too.  

As well as folks from the far reaches of Victoria..

even the flatlands of Albertastan...

What a great example of an overpacked BigRedPig...

Hey Lady..do you want to drag??

Building up a witches brew...

All tuckered out from eating...

That sure looks like the Ocean out there...

"I did it!, I did it"...they all cover for Mad Max.

Boys...I think that is the Ocean.  We must be on an Island.

IGOR guarding the Snore Tent....

They do look kind of guilty of something, don't they?

Not this guy: he loves dogs

Maybe this guy: he has a funny look in his eye...

Nah...too professional...

Probably better off driving a train  through that sand!

Trying to escape, as usual...

Huffing and puffing together..

Who broke the river?

I still think they look guilty of something...

You know you need a carb rebuild when a KLR is your tanker..

So it was time to head south to Yuquot and enjoy my Cousin and her family..

The Uchuck brings folks out to Friendly Cove from Gold River.

The last totem is slowly being taken over by the berry bushes and time.

The Mowachat-Muchalot people have erected an excellent welcoming figure that faces the Pacific Ocean.

As always, the Church with the carvings and totems fascinates viewers.

Another chance to spend time with Family..at a very sacred spot in our World.

Back in Tahsis, some folks like to get around in a hurry.

Another day, and another tour of the outer islands.  This spit is in front of the Nuchatitz tribal area, facing the wide open Pacific from the north end of Nootka Island.  We were welcomed to anchor and tour by folks from Zeballos and Queens' Cove.

Soon after, I had to get on Tess and ride.  I took the logging roads from the high point of the Trans Canada, ending up near Princeton. 

I had ridden through trails that had developed before British Columbia became a province.

From the lower Okanagan, it was time to head east and meet up with my friend Toad, who had travelled to Dawson City with my son and I last June.

I had been looking forward to riding Gray Creek Pass for a number of years.  The track was excellent, and the views were over the top.

After wandering around the Nelson area, Toad and I set off for the Horizons Unlimited gathering in Nakusp.

There is something about these KTMs that gets the heart going...

And who did we run into, but the three Musketeers from North Island and beyond...

This was Blondy's better sister: far fewer scratches and many less miles..Sigh..

The HU meetings bring out some of the most unique rides, not to mention, riders.

This fellow had just rolled in from Los Angeles.  He had parked outside an artists shop...and one thing led to another.

I met this fellow from mainland China who was doing a RTW trip.  He had a very interesting camera setup, one that had not reached North America yet.

After the HU meeting, I joined up with the Three Muskateers for a ride along the Trans Canada Adventure Trail (TCAT) which took us into the dirt and the mountains.

I had made some promises about fishing this summer, so I headed back to the Island and set up the Warrior for some playing on the water.

My fishing buddies were two brothers, Jack and Tex...

  Into the rainbow...

We had to spend a fair amount of time on the water as the fish were reluctant to come to dinner...

On the other hand, the Yuquot Warrior managed to entice a couple of nice salmon aboard.  My prawn partner did quite well for himself, showing up his Dad and me...

Well, with that, I thought it was time for some more riding pictures.  Toad and I had ridden from Rock Creek through the Christian Valley to Highway 6, and we had worked the old fishing lines as well.

While we were in Nakusp, we took advantage of Honda Canada's efforts to market their new line of bikes.  I rode the Black Africa Twin manual up to the Nakusp Hot Springs.

Little did I know that Tess would show an uncontrollable rage when she learned of my dalliance with this Japanese girl...

I did have a good conversation with a fellow on a very clearn and well organized BigRedPig..

And then, of course, there were the favourites..

I hadn't seen my friend Mike since somewhere in Ecuador, where a taxi jockey totalled Mikes's KLR and ended his dream trip to SA.

Kevin's talk about is always worth listening to, particularly for those of us who are not wrenches...

Sigh..where is Dad?  I need wind in my nose...

Mike from Ontario, who I met in New Brunswick, was out for the meeting..

These two characters slipped into the meeting, sneaking away from important business in Victoria..

Ah..those KLR's....

It has been 40 years since my last Trip to Edgewood. I was grateful that I had my psychedelic shirt on to close the circle...

Home again, Home again...back to Tahsis and a cleaning..

On the day of a planned trip to Victoria and beyond, the summer Sun blazed as it rose in the East.  An uncommonly bright and Glorious day was about to begin for my ride south for a service and a further ride into the good old US of A, again.

Now, as in Life, the story shifts and somebody's karma rolls out some very heavy consequences..  The heavy duty halibut line pictured below was strung out across the road out of Tahsis.  Less than a half a kilometer from my home, my front knobbies picked this line up, which was laying in the road, and immediately locked up my front end.

One end of the line was tied to a tree beside the road...

Tess locked up her front end, and before I knew it, I was being  acquainted with pavement, gravel and Italian built stone walls.

The front Excell rim was bent and twisted.

My wonderful Clearwater lights were broken and smashed and my handlebars were twisted.

Poor old Tess took a beating as she smacked into the stone wall. My Guardian Angel managed to get me into the dirt and off the bike before she met the immovable object.

This accident happened on September 7. Fortunately for me, my community responded within minutes, and I was soon at the Health Center getting checked over by two nurses, three ambulance attendants, and four fireman.    My initial shock and anger over the stupidity of whomever left the fishing line on the road has somewhat subsided.  While I have chosen to believe that it was not deliberate, I hope that all folks who do not properly manage their spools of line and rods will learn from this experience.  Without my Guardian Angel, I would not be writing this.   Needless to say, the plans for Victoria and onward were immediately curtailed.  Like all riders we need to learn to have a Plan B and an alternate route, in case of weather, roads, or stupid people.  More on my alternate route in my next posting for this long, long, long winter.

A Little Dirt on the way South

It seems that the skies opened up around Fairbanks, and the next few weeks were a series of heavy rains and winds.  Needless to say, I spent more time riding than taking pictures.  I enjoyed the ride over the "Top of the World" road and I was soon crossing the Yukon at Dawson City.

I breezed through Dawson City, and headed south.  I camped around Carmacks. A buffalo decided to join me for a bit, but did not like the odours of a bikie, so he soon took off.

I think that this shot was taken around 10 at night.  I love that midnight sun.

I decided that I wanted to head for Faro and Ross River, bypassing Whitehorse on this leg.  I have a friend who lives in Faro.  The road was good, and without traffic.  I enjoyed over 500 km of good riding.

Faro was a mining town at one time.

The more that you ride, the more that you learn...

Aside from the traffic free dirt ride, the good news is that the blackness in the clouds did not descend upon me to any extent...

I always appreciate signs which show where I am.  Apparently I was smack dab in the middle of a caribou migration route.  I had seen one lonely caribou the day before, but no herds were sighted on this ride. 

Although I did not see any caribou, a cow moose and her calf nearly took me out near Watson Lake.  She stormed off the side of the road on my right, barrelling down the hillside towards me.  For an instant, I debated driving underneath her as her calf was pacing me and she was sideways to me.  Yet again, my Guardian Angel decided to keep me around for a bit more.

I visited my sister in Chetwynd, and made my way to Edmonton to visit my family.   The rains outside of Edmonton were ridiculous and even my Helly Hanson raingear could not keep me from getting soaked.    After a few days visiting, I headed south through Nakusp to Vernon.  I enjoyed a good soak in the Nakusp hotsprings, and had a great ride over the No. 6 highway to Lumby.


My son was working in Lavington, and I saw this visit as an opportunity to visit the Lavington cemetery.  My great-grandfather, Scotty Smith, was a pioneer rancher in the Lavington area.  During the First World War, three of my great uncles were killed overseas.  I wanted a photo of the memorial which listed their names and battalions.