DAY 11 FRIDAY? KAMLOOPS?

Went downtown for breakfast and the obligatory t-shirt shopping. Sorry kids your space on the bike for t-shirts as been given to grandkids and you're out of luck.

Soon found ourselves heading south on route 5 which is one of the most beautiful roads I have ever seen anywhere. Two lane, turn after turn, sometimes along a river or railroad tracks. Every time we exited a valley I thought we were coming to the end of the mountains and we would turn a corner and be right back in the middle of towering snow covered peaks.

The higher elevations had fur trees that were a very deep green and so thick you couldn't see in 25 feet. As the elevation dropped we started to see pine trees and stands of aspens adding a lighter green to the mix. Soon we were back in farm country with beautiful horse property and green fields.

In for the night in Kamloops on the confluence of two rivers, largest city we have seen in several days.

Kamloops: "Kamloops" is the anglicised version of the Shuswap word "Tk'əmlúps", meaning 'meeting of the waters'. Shuswap is still spoken in the area by members of the Tk'emlúps Indian Band.

DAY 10 MAY 29TH ROCKIES, WEATHER, GLACIERS

Left late this morning had rained and snowed during the night, still drizzling. Leaving Banff went north on route 1-A. Route 1 is a four lane divided road and 1-A had been recommended by a local rider. Beautiful two lane, occasionally one lane, road rising into the rockies of Banff National Park. Eventually found ourselves paying a new fee to enter Jasper National Park home to the highest peaks in Canada. Ken was leading so it fell to him to pay for the group pass to get us in. The weather turned cold as we gained altitude and eventually began to snow as while we were stopped at the glacier.

I don’t have words to describe the beauty of the area we rode today. It is some of the most beautiful mountain ranges I have ever seen. I posted some pictures but they don’t do it justice as they can’t convey the shear vastness of the Canadian Rockies. Surrounded by snow covered peaks often reaching up into the clouds it is breathtaking.

The elements we rode in also help to enhance the beauty. All bundled up in jackets and rain gear with the face shield snapped on the helmet you are really isolated. This gives you a feeling of being at one with the mountains, no distractions,   no existence outside of the immediate surroundings.

In Jasper for the night, the only final thought is:” I will be back”.

DAY 9 RUTTING ELK RED, BEARS, SHEEP, AND DEER

Beautiful scenic roads all day most of it in Banff National Park. Towering snow covered peaks, rivers, smooth asphalt, and lots of animals make for a great day. Stopped in Banff for lunch at a great little tavern/grill in a basement, following lunch came out to cold wind and rain.

Quickly decided that there was no need to ride any further so found a hotel with underground parking, two room suites, and a bar. In this same bar is where I was introduced to a local beer called Rutting Elk Red which contains twice the alcohol content of US beer. Excellent happy hour helped by a Polish waitress from Krakow who moved to Canada to ski.

We are here at the right time, lots of foreign tourists but the skiers have gone and the heavy summer visitors have not yet arrived.

A beautiful friendly country even if I still can't understand the speed limit (klicks) or the gas prices (liters). North to Lake Louise and Jasper tomorrow...maybe.

DAY 8 ROLL ME AWAY 5-27-14

Left this morning westbound still on route 2 the Lewis and Clark Highway still in the high plains. It didn't take long for snow covered peaks to appear on the horizon reaching up towards white scattered clouds the same color as the snow.

We rolled across the high plains
Deep into the mountains
Felt so good to me
Finally feelin' free

Somewhere along a high road
The air began to turn cold
She said she missed her home
I headed on alone

Stood alone on a mountain top,
starin' out at the Great Divide
I could go east, I could go west,
it was all up to me to decide
Just then I saw a young hawk flyin'
and my soul began to rise
And pretty soon
My heart was singin'

Roll, roll me away,
I'm gonna roll me away tonight
Gotta keep rollin, gotta keep ridin',
keep searchin' till I find what's right
And as the sunset faded
I spoke to the faintest first starlight
And I said next time
Next time
We'll get it right

Bob Seger

Route 2 is a beautiful road through the south end of Glacier National Park very rugged, high, snow covered, mountains along a river. 

Lunch in Kalispell and Tim said he was heading south, we turned north into Canada one of our goals for this trip. Rode along the western edge of the Canadian Rockies until we stopped for the night in Cranbrook BC. Takes a while to get used to all the signs being metric, apparently a speed limit of 100 is just not that fast. TThe hotel has a nice tavern with  every tv tuned to hockey, eh. North tomorrow not sure where haven't looked at a map yet.

DAY 7 THE PRAIRIE AND ROUTE 2

Except for the first four miles the entire day was spent on beautiful two lane roads riding the prairie lands of the northwest. As is my habit when we pull out in the morning I leave the radio off and just listen to the bike. Soon the bike and I are in sync with the beating of the v-twin and my head firing together.

This morning I just left the radio off and thought about the great road we were on. This path was first followed by Lewis and Clark then by the wagon trains heading west. The railroad came next following the same path followed by the automobile and now us.

At first I did not think it could be you,
But you're the only one who got off the train.
Yes, you must be my wife--Miss Annie Halsey.
I guess I am your husband,
Hello, I'm Harry Crane.

Mail Order Annie
Never mind your cryin'.
Your tears are sweet rain
In my empty life.
Mail Order Annie
Can't you see I'm tryin'
To tell you that I'm glad you're here--
You are the woman, who's come to be my wife.

You know you're not as pretty 
As I dreamed you'd be.
But then I'm not no handsome Fancy Dan.
But out here looks are really not important--no, no.
It's what's inside a woman
When she up against the land.

Mail Order Annie,
Never mind your cryin'.
Your tears are sweet rain 
In my empty life.
Mail Order Annie,
Can't you see I'm tryin'
To tell you that I'm glad you're here--
You are the woman, who's come to be my wife.

You know it's not no easy life you're enterin',
The winter wind comes whistlin'
Through the cracks there in the sod.
You know you'll never have
Too many neighbors--
There's you, babe
There's me and there's God.

You know I'm just a dirt man
From the North Dakota plains.
You're one girl from the city
Who's been thrown out on her own.
And I'm standin' here not sure of what to say to you
'Ceptin' Mail Order Annie,
Let's you and me go home.

HARRY CHAPIN

The homes now are wood or brick not sod but there is still miles between homes and many more miles between towns. Harry's song is somehow still appropriate, it is easy to imagine the early settlers coming out here to build a life and the women who outnumbered the men back east in the days following the civil war that followed. It takes very little imagination to put myself on horseback fighting the elements to scratch out a meager existence. Makes you appreciate the things we take for granted. 

I'm truly in awe of the sheer vastness of the prairie mile after mile and state after state it just goes on and on. One of the locals today said he doesn't know how many more winters he has in him. Winds of fifty mile per hour at forty below zero make for a hard existence even with modern conveniences. We managed to ride all day under partially cloudy skies in t-shirts.

 Met several veterans at various stops today and took the opportunity shake hands and thank them for their service on this Memorial Day. 

DAY 6 CRUDE, CRUD, AND MUD 5-25-14

Headed west for a while then turned north on 85 crossing the National Grasslands Park. This led to the North Dakota oil boom area. Glad we saw it don't need to ever go back. The area is permeated with the smell of crude oil, drilling rigs and pumps everywhere. The ranchers and farmers aren't doing either just making money leasing land to oil companies. Roadways are muddy and full of crude haulers and young oil field workers in big four wheel drive pick-ups. The unemployment rate is less than .3%.

Four dollars plus for a gallon of gas in sight of half a dozen functioning wells. However the twelve dollar burgers were pretty good. After our tour of the area headed for Route 2 the northern most US Highway.  ROUTE 2 LINK

Once in Montana quickly changed scenery from oil to the Missouri River and rolling green farms turned south to find a hotel and ended up back at I-94 same road we started on this morning. We aren't that far down the road if we had gone in a straight line but almost 400 miles later we spent dinner talking about what we had seen.

DAY 5 HIGHWAY 83

Left the hotel this morning headed north on Highway 83. Five hundred miles later stopped for the night in Bismark ND on highway 83.

There was actually a lot more to the day. We skirted bad weather watching several storms all around us, while crossing Nebraska, South Dakota and into North Dakota.Highway 83 follows the land up and down along the rolling hills of the prairie past grasslands, farms, cattle ranches and small towns. Stopped for lunch in a little dinner and I was listening to the owner talk to a table full of farmers about what kind of alfalfa they were planting this year. At one point we rode by real Nebraska cowboys on horseback rounding up cattle.

On a long and lonesome highway, east of Omaha
You can listen to the engine moanin' out it's one note song
You can think about the woman, or the girl you knew the night before
But your thoughts will soon be wandering, the way they always do
When you're riding sixteen hours and there's nothing there to do
And you don't feel much like riding, you just wish the trip was through

Bob Seger

The road just went on and on shirt sleeve weather with grasslands as far as the eye could see, the ride interrupted a few times by very short stints on the interstate. Other than the interstate you could count the bikes we saw with two fingers. I understand sometimes there is a need to hurry down the road to get to a destination but they are missing so much of what makes this country so incredible. A slower pace and our stops at small markets frequented by locals always leads to great conversation with both sides learning about the other.

My favorite way to ride when time allows is always the backstreets of the country.

Day 4 May 23, 2014 TWO LANE ROADS, CLOUDS, AND MENTAL HEALTH

Sunset is an angel weeping
Holding out a bloody sword
No matter how I squint I cannot
Make out what it's pointing toward
Sometimes you feel like you've lived too long
The days drip slowly on the page
And you catch yourself
Pacing the cage
Jimmy Buffett

It's day four and I feel like we are actually on our way. No longer pacing the cage but growing younger by the day.  Over 1000 miles into the ride and found ourselves in North Platte Nebraska for the night. Rain all around us but never on us, lots of two lane road very lightly traveled green rolling hills.

We were at about 6000 feet in the area they call the high plains a combination of rolling green hills agriculture and cattle. I know we are headed to Canada and appear to be heading east and north instead of straight north. Taking the long way to get anywhere is our favorite way to ride after all the The Journey Is The Destination.

Just put it in perspective if Little Red Riding Hood had taken the long way to grandma's house she would have missed the big bad wolf and her whole trip would have been better.

DAY 3 MAY 22, 2014 THE CHIROPRACTOR IS OFF LIMITS

Stayed in Pueblo a second day to see if JB's back would get any better. I went to the chiropractor with JB and can never go back again. When the assistant came out and called JB's name he slowly got up started walking to the door, turned, and said are you coming in with me honey. I can never go back there again! Nice hotel if you have to spend a second night, Harley dealer and Tex-Mex restaurant in walking distance.

Riding tomorrow hopefully with JB heading north.

DAY 2 MAY 21, 2014 THE LONG WAY TO PUEBLO

Scattered clouds temps in the low 60's and a nearly empty highway started our day. Rode the I-25 to Santa Fe, after a break decided that while the I-25 went straight to Pueblo with good road and high speed limits. This would put us in to Pueblo early with time to relax and visit with JB.

Turned off the interstate and spent the rest of the day on gorgeous  two lane roads through Taos and eventually to Pueblo.

Along the way followed the Rio Grande for several miles stopping for some pictures along the way.

Caught up with JB and he is plagued with a bad back and we are hoping some rest will allow him to ride.

The weather cooperated all day and never needed more than a long sleeve shirt to be comfortable. A good day.

DAY 1 MAY 20, 2014 THEY BLEW UP SOCORRO

Beautiful ride on US 60 across Arizona and into New Mexico. Looking around at the scrub cedar and oak it's hard to believe that we were above 7000 feet. Just after Pie Town NM we crossed the continental divide at 7800 feet. Once on the east side the scenery turned to pine trees and the road began to twist and turn with very little traffic. Soon we were back in high desert and driving through the Very Large Array.  http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Very_Large_Array

Finally arrived in Socorro tired from the day and looking forward to calling it quits with dinner and a trip to the Jacuzzi. This turned to why would all the motels in Socorro be full on a Tuesday night! Turns out SWAT teams from all over the country were staying in Socorro to blow things up in a anti-terrorist training.

Forty miles north on I-25 and we are at a nice Holiday Inn Express in Belen NM, and it is time to call it a night.

THE JOURNEY IS THE DESTINATION

May 19^th  8:30 PM  Prelude

The bike is packed, full of gas, all ready to go. Looks like this year it will be Jan, Ken, CE, JB, Tim and me. I’m ready and it’s time to throw a leg over, start that big v-twin and head down some two lane roads. This the eighth three week or more motorcycle ride around this great country and I hope to do many more.

After one of these rides I’m always questioned about the places we have been and how much time we spent at different attractions. It can be difficult to explain that the trip is about the ride itself not the place we end up. Last year we took the long way to Acadia National Park on the coast of Maine. Travelers who had been there before asked what we saw and chastised me for missing certain key places in the park. We did loop through and walk to the top of Cadillac Mountain enjoying the view from the top of Bar Harbor.

What they are missing is the reason we ride, it’s to ride not just for transportation.  The people we met and places we rode along the way gave us an understanding of the country you only get on two wheels. An airplane flight to Portland Maine and a week in Acadia will not give you the insight and mental clarity that ten days riding will. This brings us back around to the underlying theme of all our rides The Journey is the Destination.

Ride safe,

Chuck