#monck

I’ve got a friend, Dave, who sometimes calls me up and says “Pete, wanna go for a long ride somewhere?” It takes me a couple of nano-seconds (and maybe a check-in with my better half) to say “Of course!  Where are we going?”.  Dave knows me too well though and if he gives me a few suggestions for waypoints and suggested time frames, and then I’ll go away and work out the “Microsoft Streets and Trips” turn-by-turn trip planner, along with maps, charts, tables, as well as suggested stops for the night … even gas stops.  I think the part I like best about motorbike riding, besides the actual ride, is the planning aspect.  It’s my blank slate … an empty white board , paint canvas… a fresh mound of clay to sculpt.

Two years ago Dave wanted to go for a ride , having just got his motorbike license. We headed up to Canim Lake to a cabin of our friend Bruce. A nice little 1200 km ride to get under his belt.  

Then last year, I met Dave in the Okanagan and we rode down to Washington State and across the northern portion of the Cascade loop through such towns as Winthrop , Marblemount, Port Townsend and Port Angeles … A 1200 loop with lots of adventure and great mountain scenery.  

So this year, Dave said he was interested in covering off Nakusp, Vernon, Duffy lake, … So I mapped out a route that went from the Okanagan across to Kootenay Lake back east through New Denver , Nakusp, Vernon, Merritt , Lillooet , and Whistler. … A great scenic loop covering off a bit more ground than our previous journeys … Over 2100 Kms in Total.  

I was to meet Dave in the Okanagan   He was up there for work for a few days, so would give me a chance to get up to see my mom and stepdad in Penticton.  

I also thought about others I knew . Family / Friends … Who lived along the route?  Many people I don’t get a chance to visit often, and in recent years I’ve tried to take these opportunities to get in a short visit.     

Planning these trips is always interesting. I have to see if the travel distance is achievable for each day, and how far we can go on a tank of gas.  Dave’s tank on his ’07 Suzuki V-Strom is 22 litres, while my ’15 BMW F800GT is only 15 litres.  At about 18kms per litre I get in fuel economy, that 7 litres difference is about 120 kilometers difference in range.    I get about 18km/ltr x 15ltrs = 250-300 kms per litre, depending on city vs highway travelling.  Typically within BC on most highways you should be able to make it from one major city to another for a fillup.  

So here’s what I came up with for a route over the 4-days:

·       Day 1: from Victoria (red #) to the mainland, stopping in Chilliwack for gas and lunch, then traveling east to Penticton via Highway 3, stopping in Princeton for gas, then on to Penticton.

·       Day 2: from Penticton to Oliver to meet Dave, filling with gas before leaving, then south to Osoyoos, and east thru Grand Forks stopping for gas, and to Nelson for more gas, with our final stop being in Ainsworth (#12 below) to tent for the night.

·       Day 3: From Ainsworth, north to Kaslo for breakfast, then head back west to New Denver, and up to Nakusp for gas, then south along Arrow lake to the Faquahar ferry to Needles, over to Vernon for more gas, and stopping in Merritt to tent for the night at Monck Provincial Campground.

·       Day 4: From Monck campground to Merritt for gas, and over to Lytton and Lillooet for more gas, through Duffy Lake and over to Pemberton for gas, down through Whistler

That was the plan at least … to cover 20 of Destination Highways (DH) best riding roads in BC on our route.   3 of those roads are in the DH Top 5, and 4 are in the DH Top 10.

DAY 1 (for me) - Victoria to Penticton

I began my journey by leaving home at 8AM to catch the 9AM ferry from Swartz Bay to Tsawwassen.   On the mainland, I rode Highway 17 from the ferry right to Highway 1. This route is amazing as it bypasses both Surrey and Langley.  Before leaving Vancouver Island, I was contemplating filling up first (see my “Loser List” blog), but decided I had enough fuel to make it to Chilliwack (uh-oh.). As it turned out I did, but my low fuel indicator was making me nervous.  I made it to Chilliwack, which was also where I was going to meet my cousin Lisa for lunch … but decided to fill up at the first gas station I saw … which turned out to be only about 2 kilometers from Earls at Vedder Road where we were meeting.  

After lunch (thanks cousin Lisa!), I decided that I would push right thru to Princeton along Highway 3, bypassing the usual rest stop at Manning Park so I could get to Penticton as soon as possible.  After a treat at DQ in Princeton, then a fill-up of gas at Esso, I rode on to Penticton, making it to my mom’s place at 5PM.  It was a great day of riding … a bit cloudy when leaving home, but most of the day it was sunny and warm.  I was questioning having worn my heavy new Klim jacket, but going through Manning Park pass, I was grateful I had worn it.  

Nice to get to my mom’s after a full and fast day of riding.   But it was my bike’s first stint of riding on the mainland and handled beautifully on the cornering, many decelerations and quick uphill accelerations required going through Manning Park.  Road Conditions were good, other than a bit of construction around Bridal Falls, west of Hope.  

                                                    Plan      Actual

Total Daily Time:                           9:18       8:55

Total Daily Riding Time:               6:43       4:40

Total Daily Kilometers:                 432.7    448

 Destination Highways (DH) Routes (with links to the DH website videos):

DH81 - Hwy 17 Victoria - Swartz Bay (26km)

DH44 - Hwy 3 Hope - Princeton‎ (127km)

DH78 - Hwy 3 Princeton - Hedley  (56km)

DH63 - Hwy 3A Green Mtn Rd - Kaleden (18km)

(Above: Day 1 elevation profile.  Steep going through Manning Park, then gradually going downhill to Princeton and Keremeos with a pass to get through on route to Penticton.  Below: Route from Victoria to Penticton)

Got all my stuff together … now just had to figure out how to get it on the bike!

In Princeton for my ice cream break and gas fillup!

I was just wondering where I was when this sign told me! J

DAY 2 (with Dave) - Meet Dave in Oliver and ride to Ainsworth via Osoyoos, Grand Forks, Castlegar and Nelson

Day 2 I was to meet Dave down in Oliver at 11AM. After a quick walk with my mom, and a few games of Cribbage with my uncle Joe, I took off at 10AM.  After a quick stop at the drive thru bank, which is another great invention for motorbikes so the riders don’t need to get off bike or take off helmet … I then left on a mission to find a bottle of wine for my wife. Unfortunately the VGA didn’t have the right type, and the Painted Rock winery gates were closed until 11AM.  

Eastside Road at Skaha Lake … beautiful run at lake level down to Okanagan Falls.

I met Dave at Medici’s (http://medicisgelateria.ca/) coffee shop down in Oliver … a nice little café that’s been built in an old church. A fellow there was interested in my bike, but instead of the usual questions of “what do you like about the bike?”, he asked “ what DON’T you like about the bike?”.  Couldn’t think of much … maybe the kick stand base is a little thin,… and the windscreen was a little short.  There are way more things I like about it than dislike (like power and handling and overall quality), so it’s a hard question to answer.    

Medici’s in Oliver.  Dave is on the deck in this pic.

We left Oliver about ½ hr later than expected and made it to Osoyoos by noon to fill up with gas.  We then stopped at an amazing lookout.  Heading off east from the lookout there were a few sharp corners, marked with the usual yellow signs recommending a slower speed to take them. However one of them didn’t have one of these signs, probably due to being taken out by snow plough during the winter.  I took the corner a bit fast and before I knew it, I swerved way out into the oncoming lane!  Fortunately there was no oncoming traffic, but still it was one of those heart beating moments.  

View from Lookout overlooking Osoyoos.

It’s a great ride from Osoyoos to Rock Creek, full of great cornering and fast stretches.  Also has some nice farmland, reminiscent of the “Little House on the Prairie” TV show, particularly around the area of Bridesville.  Rolling treeless hills of grassland and small lakes.   

We filled up in Grand Forks, and had a few snacks at the gas station to sustain us until dinner since we skipped lunch.  Dave said “Pete … we’re burning daylight” referencing one of our favourite John Wayne movies “The Cowboys” (http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0068421/), … then we made our way to Castlegar where we had a few visits to make: I wanted to see my step-sister Crystal, and Dave was visiting a friend.  I reminisced in my mind a bit as we went by the turnoff for the Nancy Greene Parkway not too far from the city.   An hour later, we were on our way, playing “Marco – Polo” on our cellphones as I gave Dave a few clues of where I was just east of town.   

Then heading on our way again, we hit Nelson and had a quick look around before deciding to persevere until we got to Ainsworth Hot Springs and eat dinner there.  We filled up with gas in Nelson, which seemed to take forever to get through.  By this time, I was really noticing the heat in my heavy duty jacket, despite all the zipper vents being fully open on it.  

We finally made it to Ainsworth via a great scenic route along Kootenay Lake.  Stopping at Woodbury Resort and Marina (http://www.woodburyresort.com/) , just north of Ainsworth Hot Springs, we set up our tents and went to JB pub (http://www.woodburyresort.com/jb-restaurant/jbs-menu/) right beside the resort for a good meal and beer.   The camp site was awesome … right on the lake, and the flowing river beside us made for nice white noise during the night.   End of day 1 of riding with Dave.  Great set of riding … good weather … good roads.

The Hero Shot .  :)

Had a great site on Kootenay Lake ... right on the lake front.  

                                                    Plan      Actual

Total Daily Time:                           5:59       8:00

Total Daily Riding Time:               4:29       5:15

Total Daily Kilometers:                 373.4      376

 Destination Highways (DH) Routes (with links to the DH website videos):

DH24 - Hwy 3 Osoyoos - Rock Creek‎ (48km)

DH79 - Hwy 3 Midway - Grand Forks (‎53km)

DH58 - Hwy 3 Grand Forks - Nancy Green Junction ‎(68km)

DH60 - Hwy 31 Balfour Ferry - Kaslo (35km)

(Above: Day 2 elevation profile.  Steep going east from Osoyoos, then again going past Christina Lake en route to Castlegar and flat approaching Kootenay Lake.  Below: Route from Penticton to Kootenay Lake)

DAY 3    Ainsworth to Merritt (Nicola Lake) via Kaslo, Nakusp, Vernon and Kamloops

This day we awoke to the bright sun shining across the lake from the east.  We watched a fellow drop a fishing line into the outflowing water from the stream beside us, and within 10-minutes he had caught about 4 fish.  Then we packed up and at about 8AM we were off to Kaslo.  

(Above: One of main roads in Kaslo)

(Above: Dave outside Treehouse Restaurant in Kaslo)

We stopped for breakfast at the Treehouse Restaurant (http://visitkaslo.com/the-treehouse-restaurant/) . After a light breakfast before a long day of riding, and chatting with a few of the locals, one of which was indicating they are petitioning to have noise regulations on noisy motorbikes visiting the town (they said ours were fine though), we made our way west through the pass to New Denver.  This is one of my favourite roads, heading uphill with a fast flowing river marking our way.  There were many cyclists along this route too, as being a Saturday, it seemed to be a popular activity to kick off the weekend.  Once in New Denver, we headed up to Nakusp to refuel with gas, then headed down Arrow Lake to ((the Fauquier ferry that goes across to Needles.  

(Above: Waiting for ferry at Fauquier to head to Needles.)

We just missed the ferry, but it only took ½ hour to go across and back again.  It was hot though and the bugs were starting to annoy me.   The road from Needles to Cherryville made the wait worth it though, as it twisted through a winding canyon on this amazing road which is only accessible by a small 40-car ferry.  Sometimes I think the road makers develop these highways just for motorbikes. :)

We stopped for a bit in the small town of Lumby where we had a bit of a stretch and grabbed a quick refreshment before our push to Vernon for lunch.  Vernon was the biggest city we’d been in for a while so was a bit of a shocker to have to drive through.  We found a lunch spot, then grabbed some gas and headed northwest towards Kamloops.  

Just before hitting the Trans-Canada Highway #1, we cut off and took the lesser travelled Barnhartvale Road.  It is quite a bit slower, but far more scenic with a lot of farms along the way.  A fun little road, … a bit gravelly in spots, and you have to watch for on-coming cars coming over ridges fairly quickly.  Much better than taking the ultra fast and far too straight Highway #1, which we soon hit.  

We soon hit Kamloops, then at the west end of the city, we headed south on Highway 5A towards Merritt which runs along a series of lakes and farmland. It is really quiet and has great big corners to be able to gear down and hear the sound of our engines roar through the fields.  It was pretty warm throughout the day, so the feeling of the cool Nicola Lake was welcome as we rounded the span of water towards our campsite, Monck Provincial Park campsite (http://www.env.gov.bc.ca/bcparks/explore/parkpgs/monck/).  It is about 20 kilometers east of Merritt, and has a really nice park and beach. The price is right for tenting at about $25 including tax.  

We set up our tents, jumped in the lake, then headed to town and ate dinner at the Grand Pub & Grill (http://grandpubandgrill.com/).   Met a guy at the pub who is cycling across Canada … Bill Brooks. (https://www.crazyguyonabike.com/directory/?user=TooOldToKnowBetter) … quite a distance, and pretty hot out to be riding!  Then we headed back to Monck for the night.  Another great day of riding with so many different types of roads and scenery.

(Above: Campsite at Monck Provincial Campsite)

                                                     Plan      Actual

Total Daily Time:                           7:53       10:45

Total Daily Riding Time:               6:08       4:40

Total Daily Kilometers:                 468        579        

 Destination Highways (DH) Routes (with links to the DH website videos):

DH05 - Hwy 31A Kaslo - New Denver‎ (46km)

DH56‎ - Hwy 6 New Denver - Nakusp (45km)

DH02 - Hwy 6 Needles Ferry‎ - Coldstream (129km)

DH68 - Barnhartvale Road ‎(27km)

‎DH31 - Hwy 5A Kamloops - Merritt (89km)

(Above: Day 3 elevation profile.  Steep going west through pass between Kaslo and New Denver, then again from Needles to Cherryville).  Below: Route from Kootenay Lake to Merritt)

DAY 4     Merritt to Victoria via Lytton, Lillooet, Duffy Lake, Pemberton and Whistler            

On the last day of riding for Dave and I together, we were woken up at about 5AM by crows.  So we packed up early and headed from Monck Provincial Park Campground to Merritt (about 20km).  We stopped for gas in Merritt, then headed along Highway 8 to Spence’s Bridge, a quiet route, mostly used by campers as it’s a bit too twisty for big trucks. 

 Then from Spence’s Bridget to Lytton is a fast segment as it is along Highway #1 going down the Fraser Canyon. However this route is ranked high on the DH routes due to the scenic river, fast pace, and quick deceleration / acceleration in and out of corners.  It’s one of my favourite stretches to ride despite the fast pace. We then stopped in Lytton for breakfast at Lyl’ Towne Deli (https://plus.google.com/102350922840158658062/about?gl=ca&hl=en), where I’ve stopped before.  They have great daily breakfast specials, and their homemade pies are amazing.  

(Above: Bikes all set to go after a gas stop in Merritt.)

After Lytton, we made our way to Lillooet.  This stretch was sandier than I recall, as I think they were trying to solidify some of the softening crack seal.  I will never forget this segment of road though as I lost my cellphone somewhere along the way … the phone was charging in my pocket and somehow fell out.  Frustrating moment for me, as I instantly lost all contacts and ability to text / message anyone, as well as lost some photos I’d taken.  Dave tried to make me feel better by jokingly suggesting he throw his phone into the middle of the road so we can take turns running over that. Ha, ha Dave.  

(Above: Train going by Spence’s Bridge)

After gassing up in Lillooet, we slowly made our way through the Duffy Lake pass … traffic was heavy and there is nowhere to pass. Eventually we got to the lake, and took a few pictures.  When I parked at the lake, I didn’t realize that we placed our bikes right in front of a bunch of people trying to photograph Duffy Lake with it’s snow capped mountains in the background.  Oh well, … we didn’t stay long.  

We made the steep descent into Pemberton valley, then from that point on it was heavy traffic again.  The road is a bit bumpier than I recall from Pemberton to Whistler. After stopping for lunch in Whistler, where Dave bought me lunch as I was still pretty sad about losing my cellphone, we quickly got on the Sea-to-Sky Highway again, as Dave realized he could make the 3:10 ferry if we moved quickly.  

(Above: Whistler Village’s Olympic Square)

I decided to stay on the mainland a few days longer to visit family, so at Horseshoe Bay, Dave and I parted ways so he could catch the Horseshoe Bay to Nanaimo ferry and head back home.   He did the turnoff for the ferry, and I went into Horseshoe Bay village to find the nearest Starbucks for some WiFi signal to begin the replacement steps for a new phone, and try to find some contact info.  

Amazing how reliant on my cellphone information, … phone, email, texting, GPS, note taking, photos, Starbucks app, … crazy.  Using a few landmarks, I was able to visually find my way from Horseshoe Bay to by brothers place in Surrey.  The sun set on another day, and found a comfy bed for the night … by nephews “Cars” movie adorned twin.   Compared to the tenting mat I had been sleeping on, it was a welcome change.

                                                      Plan       Actual (Day 4-6 combined … stayed extra 2-days on mainland)

Total Daily Time:                           10:51    14:00

Total Daily Riding Time:                7:26       8.50

Total Daily Kilometers:                 545.5    709

 Destination Highways (DH) Routes (with links to the DH website videos):

DH09 - Hwy 8 Merritt - Spence ‎Bridge (55km)

DH29 - Hwy 1 Spences Bridge - Lytton ‎(36km)

‎DH40 - Hwy 12 Lytton - Lillooet (60km)

DH03 - Hwy 99 Lillooet - Pemberton ‎(90km)

DH13 - Hwy 99 Pemberton - Whistler  (27km)

DH28 - Hwy 99 Whistler - Squamish.  (43km)

DH34 - Hwy 98 Squamish - Horseshoe Bay‎. (42km)

(Above: Day 4 elevation profile.  Steep going west up from Lillooet past Duffy Lake, then steep descent into valley approaching Pemberton, then out of valley into mountains approaching Whistler and Squamish valley to Horseshoe Bay.  Below: Route from Merritt to Lower Mainland)

Anyways, it was another great ride with a good friend. Kinda sad to have it come to an end, but there will be others I’m sure.  This one covered over 2100 kilometers, many great towns and sites along the way, and at least 20 of the best roads in BC.    

My next adventure will be a series of smaller rides on the island … likely a few Port Renfrew / Cowichan Loops (see my blog post “The Loop”) … and maybe head up island to Parksville.  Next month we’ll be riding up to the Okanagan again to visit family for a bit longer than this quick visit.  

Well, I’m “burning daylight”, so will bring this to a close.  Thanks for reading, and hope you enjoyed this entry and highlights of “The Ride” that Dave and I experienced.  

Timeline 1642

(Julian dates have been adjusted to modern time frame)

January 1

The Irish Uprising spreads to Co’s Antrim, Limerick and Clare

King Charles denounces the Irish insurgents as traitors

The King offers the post of Chancellor of the Exchequer to John Pym, which he refuses

January 2

The King appoints Sir John Culpeper as Chancellor of the Exchequer

Viscount Falkland appointed Secretary…