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Prince George Ride Report
Well, Folks, we did it! Prince George and back, Mon. Aug. 19th to Saturday, Aug. 24th.
The news as it happened:
Monday morning, decided to catch the Horseshoe Bay ferry instead of the
Tsawwassen run, not wanting to get up so early, and we are glad we did.
More on the Tsawwassen ferry route later. A number of last minute
additions to the bike, like raingear and toques.
Met a couple of
bikers in the ferry lineup, we were there a bit late, so were put on at
the end. One bike was a Honda 500, same engine as Silverwing, but had a
fairing that went right down to the foot pegs, driver said he had the
bike for many years, and seldom has to use rain gear. He commutes from
Gabriola Island (just out of Nanaimo) to North Vancouver each week. Has
been doing so for 12 years!
We pulled into Horseshoe Bay to fill-er-up. No gas stations!
Fortunately, one just out the highway towards West Vancouver. Once all
topped up, double checked everything, and we were Prince George bound.
Our plan was to take our time, and aim for the KOA Sid told me about in
97 Mile House. So, out the #1, through interminable city-scapes. It
seems Vancouver gets bigger and busier everytime I drive through it.
But, at least being on the freeway, there was very little stopping,
unless we wanted to. Stopped in Chilliwack for a bite to eat, and then
on the road again.
Once past Hope, we found the driving much nicer, and again just took our
time, stopping to "smell the pine trees" whenever, wherever we wanted.
We still find our saddle, recently recovered, uncomfortable after about
an hour of riding. Frequent stops, and filling the gas tank regularly,
helped us cope with it. We stopped at Skihist Provincial Park by Lytton,
and, having been up very early, actually had an afternoon nap, laying on
the grass. Felt great when we woke up, and headed on again.
The winds picked up badly about 50 km south of Ashcroft and continued
till way north of Cache Creek. It threatened to rain, but only sprinkled
a bit at times. Stopped at "Hungry? Herbie's Drive In" for dinner, and
watched the dust devils at play across the highway. More rain
threatened, but held off.
We contemplated spending the night in Cache Creek, but decided it was
too early and pushed on for the KOA. The towns along that section of the
highway are mostly numbered by their distance from the start of the Gold
Rush Trail, hence, 50 Mile House, 75 Mile House, etc. We sailed past 97
Mile House, with no sign of KOA. Oh, well, on to 100 Mile House. Tourist
Info place open, so we pull in. Nice young lady, no the KOA is further
north, near Lac la Hache. We have a municipal campsite. Great, we'll
take it. We headed over, and found a small 12 site campsite, beside a
rushing creek, and hardly anyone there. Setup camp, and back to town for
a bite to eat.
Remember the toques? Well, it was so cold that night, we did not change
out of our clothes, and even pulled the toques out and slept with them
on. My air mattress decided to leak during the night, so I had about 5
hours of sleeping on the ground, too tired to get up and pump it up.
Tuesday:
Next morning, packed up and headed into A&W for a big breakie and a warm
up. Decided to start with our rain gear on, as it was still quite
chilly. It turned out to be a good decision, as it remained cool most of
the day. Surprising how much better one feels when not shivering.
We passed the KOA just outside of Lac la Hache. It sure looked nice! But
were glad we had decided to stay at 100 Mile House, as the KOA was
rather isolated, and we were travelling pretty light, no food, cooking
gear. We hadn't travelled that stretch of highway from Cache Creek north
in 13 years, although we had headed south on it about 5 years ago. So,
it was interesting to see the sights with a different perspective. It
was almost like seeing them for the first time, but with memories
attached. Kinda like deja vu.
We arrived in Prince George about 2:00 pm, and went straight to our
friend's Chuck and Anne's house. They were expecting us a bit later, so
we had a rest on their lawn, beautiful sunny day, and then they arrived.
'Twas good to see them.
We spent 3 lovely evenings in PG with our friends. I won't bore you with
the details except to say we went to the Inn of the North, a hotel, with
a Japanese restaurant, where we had the Shogun Special! Mmmm, mmmm,
good.
Friday:
Time to get ready to go back home. We got everything loaded up the night
before, and then Chuck made us a great breakfast to send us on the road.
We stopped for a VERY short visit with a friend of ours, who always
visits us when he comes down this way. Norm had just returned from
Ladysmith the night before our departure for home.
Leaving PG about noon, we were hoping to make it as far as Cache Creek,
and stay at the Brookside campground, I believe that is the one that Sid
had booked for the BI2K2. Everything was going well, stopping in
Quesnel, Lac la Hache, etc. for short rests and then carrying on. One
Bronco type of vehicle, pulling a trailer, did not look quite under
control. Staying WELL to the right side of the 4 lane highway, I watched
in my mirrors as he went over the center line, into our left lane.
Fortunately, no one else was around, and he was able to correct.
We pulled into 100 Mile House, where I religiously checked the oil
(which is consumed more regularly than I would like, but not alarmingly
so), and, for some reason I put the oil cap, not on the saddle or driver
peg, where I usually put it, but on the passenger foot peg. Completing
our routines, I took the bike off center stand, and we headed south. Not
more than 2km south, I thought, "THE OIL CAP!" Sure enough, I had
neglected to put it on. Marleen says I was probably distracted, and
seeing how hot it was, and that she was wearing a light undershirt, I
probably was. Ah, well, back into town. No more than 10 minutes could
have passed, but no sign of the little critter. On to the Yamaha dealer.
"Family emergency. Closed till Aug. 26" That's 3 days away! Over to the
Kawi dealer. Tried every oil cap he had, no luck of course. Parts man
says he'll talk to Bob, the mechanic. Marine Plug! Works like a damn. On
the road again, still silently cursing myself.
Noticing some loud exhaust sounds. Backfiring, popping, etc. Check
underneath. Small pinhole in exhaust. Get some muffler cement. Still
noisy. Look further. #2 exhaust flange flapping! One retaining bolt
gone, other spins with finger. Fortunately, I have my allen key set with me. Tighten 'er up, and we're good to go.
We finally reach Cache Creek, and find the campsite. Good call, Sid. We
set up camp, ride back to town for eats, back to camp for a quick swim.
I'm distracted again, but no damage this time. Off to bed, and a good
sleep.
Last day of the trip:
We had a leisurely start to the morning, breaking camp, and getting back into town for breaky at A&W,
and then on the road again. I've done that
ribbon of highway so many times over the past 30 years, I could probably
do it in my sleep, or so I thought. For some reason, I felt quite
nervous for awhile during the day, and could not "carve the corners" as
I usually am able to. I adjusted my speed accordingly, and carried on.
Later, we took a break at Skihist park, and I suppose the rest did me
good, because that feeling went away, and I was able to ride more
confidently again.
We were getting in at a decent time, and I though perhaps we might take
the Tsawwassen ferry instead of the Horseshoe Bay. We stopped at
Chilliwack and got a ferry schedule, and thought we could make it easy.
We took the Tsawwassen turnoff, and kept on going and going and going...
Man, what a goat-track! Long story short --- Realized NO WAY can we make
it, head for Horseshoe Bay instead. Got there in lots of time. I'll
never try that route again. Rather go further on the #1.
We met some very nice bikers at the Horseshe Bay terminal, and shared a
meal with them on board the ferry. Sure makes the time go by fast. They
were riding a GL1500. BIG BIKE! By this time, Marleen is feeling the
effects of riding pillion on the XS, and is drooling over the Wing. What
can I say, it sure looks comfortable.
Home looked mighty good as we rolled up. The kids were happy to see us,
and the dog was ecstatic. Didn't take long to get back to the routine.
So remember, if you're ever distracted, and lose your oil cap ... Marine
Plug! It'll cure what ails ya!
Take care y'all,
Phil
The news as it happened:
Monday morning, decided to catch the Horseshoe Bay ferry instead of the
Tsawwassen run, not wanting to get up so early, and we are glad we did.
More on the Tsawwassen ferry route later. A number of last minute
additions to the bike, like raingear and toques.
Met a couple ofbikers in the ferry lineup, we were there a bit late, so were put on at
the end. One bike was a Honda 500, same engine as Silverwing, but had a
fairing that went right down to the foot pegs, driver said he had the
bike for many years, and seldom has to use rain gear. He commutes from
Gabriola Island (just out of Nanaimo) to North Vancouver each week. Has
been doing so for 12 years!
We pulled into Horseshoe Bay to fill-er-up. No gas stations!
Fortunately, one just out the highway towards West Vancouver. Once all
topped up, double checked everything, and we were Prince George bound.
Our plan was to take our time, and aim for the KOA Sid told me about in
97 Mile House. So, out the #1, through interminable city-scapes. It
seems Vancouver gets bigger and busier everytime I drive through it.
But, at least being on the freeway, there was very little stopping,
unless we wanted to. Stopped in Chilliwack for a bite to eat, and then
on the road again.
Once past Hope, we found the driving much nicer, and again just took our
time, stopping to "smell the pine trees" whenever, wherever we wanted.
We still find our saddle, recently recovered, uncomfortable after about
an hour of riding. Frequent stops, and filling the gas tank regularly,
helped us cope with it. We stopped at Skihist Provincial Park by Lytton,
and, having been up very early, actually had an afternoon nap, laying on
the grass. Felt great when we woke up, and headed on again.
The winds picked up badly about 50 km south of Ashcroft and continued
till way north of Cache Creek. It threatened to rain, but only sprinkled
a bit at times. Stopped at "Hungry? Herbie's Drive In" for dinner, and
watched the dust devils at play across the highway. More rain
threatened, but held off.
We contemplated spending the night in Cache Creek, but decided it was
too early and pushed on for the KOA. The towns along that section of the
highway are mostly numbered by their distance from the start of the Gold
Rush Trail, hence, 50 Mile House, 75 Mile House, etc. We sailed past 97
Mile House, with no sign of KOA. Oh, well, on to 100 Mile House. Tourist
Info place open, so we pull in. Nice young lady, no the KOA is further
north, near Lac la Hache. We have a municipal campsite. Great, we'll
take it. We headed over, and found a small 12 site campsite, beside a
rushing creek, and hardly anyone there. Setup camp, and back to town for
a bite to eat.
Remember the toques? Well, it was so cold that night, we did not change
out of our clothes, and even pulled the toques out and slept with them
on. My air mattress decided to leak during the night, so I had about 5
hours of sleeping on the ground, too tired to get up and pump it up.
Tuesday:
Next morning, packed up and headed into A&W for a big breakie and a warm
up. Decided to start with our rain gear on, as it was still quite
chilly. It turned out to be a good decision, as it remained cool most of
the day. Surprising how much better one feels when not shivering.
We passed the KOA just outside of Lac la Hache. It sure looked nice! But
were glad we had decided to stay at 100 Mile House, as the KOA was
rather isolated, and we were travelling pretty light, no food, cooking
gear. We hadn't travelled that stretch of highway from Cache Creek north
in 13 years, although we had headed south on it about 5 years ago. So,
it was interesting to see the sights with a different perspective. It
was almost like seeing them for the first time, but with memories
attached. Kinda like deja vu.
We arrived in Prince George about 2:00 pm, and went straight to our
friend's Chuck and Anne's house. They were expecting us a bit later, so
we had a rest on their lawn, beautiful sunny day, and then they arrived.
'Twas good to see them.
We spent 3 lovely evenings in PG with our friends. I won't bore you with
the details except to say we went to the Inn of the North, a hotel, with
a Japanese restaurant, where we had the Shogun Special!
Mmmm, mmmm,good.
Friday:
Time to get ready to go back home. We got everything loaded up the night
before, and then Chuck made us a great breakfast to send us on the road.
We stopped for a VERY short visit with a friend of ours, who always
visits us when he comes down this way. Norm had just returned from
Ladysmith the night before our departure for home.
Leaving PG about noon, we were hoping to make it as far as Cache Creek,
and stay at the Brookside campground, I believe that is the one that Sid
had booked for the BI2K2. Everything was going well, stopping in
Quesnel, Lac la Hache, etc. for short rests and then carrying on. One
Bronco type of vehicle, pulling a trailer, did not look quite under
control. Staying WELL to the right side of the 4 lane highway, I watched
in my mirrors as he went over the center line, into our left lane.
Fortunately, no one else was around, and he was able to correct.
We pulled into 100 Mile House, where I religiously checked the oil
(which is consumed more regularly than I would like, but not alarmingly
so), and, for some reason I put the oil cap, not on the saddle or driver
peg, where I usually put it, but on the passenger foot peg. Completing
our routines, I took the bike off center stand, and we headed south. Not
more than 2km south, I thought, "THE OIL CAP!" Sure enough, I had
neglected to put it on. Marleen says I was probably distracted, and
seeing how hot it was, and that she was wearing a light undershirt, I
probably was.
Ah, well, back into town. No more than 10 minutes couldhave passed, but no sign of the little critter. On to the Yamaha dealer.
"Family emergency. Closed till Aug. 26" That's 3 days away! Over to the
Kawi dealer. Tried every oil cap he had, no luck of course. Parts man
says he'll talk to Bob, the mechanic. Marine Plug! Works like a damn. On
the road again, still silently cursing myself.
Noticing some loud exhaust sounds. Backfiring, popping, etc. Check
underneath. Small pinhole in exhaust. Get some muffler cement. Still
noisy. Look further. #2 exhaust flange flapping! One retaining bolt
gone, other spins with finger. Fortunately, I have my allen key set with me. Tighten 'er up, and we're good to go.
We finally reach Cache Creek, and find the campsite. Good call, Sid. We
set up camp, ride back to town for eats, back to camp for a quick swim.
I'm distracted again, but no damage this time.
Off to bed, and a goodsleep.
Last day of the trip:
We had a leisurely start to the morning, breaking camp, and getting back into town for breaky at A&W,
and then on the road again. I've done that
ribbon of highway so many times over the past 30 years, I could probably
do it in my sleep, or so I thought. For some reason, I felt quite
nervous for awhile during the day, and could not "carve the corners" as
I usually am able to. I adjusted my speed accordingly, and carried on.
Later, we took a break at Skihist park, and I suppose the rest did me
good, because that feeling went away, and I was able to ride more
confidently again.
We were getting in at a decent time, and I though perhaps we might take
the Tsawwassen ferry instead of the Horseshoe Bay. We stopped at
Chilliwack and got a ferry schedule, and thought we could make it easy.
We took the Tsawwassen turnoff, and kept on going and going and going...
Man, what a goat-track! Long story short --- Realized NO WAY can we make
it, head for Horseshoe Bay instead. Got there in lots of time. I'll
never try that route again. Rather go further on the #1.
We met some very nice bikers at the Horseshe Bay terminal, and shared a
meal with them on board the ferry. Sure makes the time go by fast. They
were riding a GL1500. BIG BIKE! By this time, Marleen is feeling the
effects of riding pillion on the XS, and is drooling over the Wing. What
can I say, it sure looks comfortable.
Home looked mighty good as we rolled up. The kids were happy to see us,
and the dog was ecstatic. Didn't take long to get back to the routine.
So remember, if you're ever distracted, and lose your oil cap ... Marine
Plug! It'll cure what ails ya!
Take care y'all,
Phil