Still alive, Day 3 thru Day 9

  Cody, Wyoming, United States
Sunday, August 12, 2007

I get calls from Danner several times a day since I need to be reassured that he is still alive. He rode over 15 hours the first day and caught up with his friends in St. Joe, MO. He was hot and exhausted the temperatures were around 100 for most of his trip.

They got off early the next day to avoid some of the heat. Today when they stopped for gas, Dick accidentally dropped his bike. The fender was bent and rubbed the tire and the luggage bag support was broken. They managed to patch it up after a pit stop at Home Depot. They are trying to get to Great Falls, MT or Cody, WY by tonight.

Day 3, Sunday, 12 Aug, Scottsbluff to Cody, Wyo.

ADDENDUM:  Danner:  We tried to get an early start, but Nick noticed a problem with Dick's right saddle bag.  He had dropped his bike after refueling the day before and the  weight caused the support to break.  His front fender was loose also.  Nick had worked on the fender and was quick to point out that all of his maintenance gets the 15/15 guarantee "fifteen miles or fifteen minutes, whichever comes first."  Actually, Nick is an excellent mechanic and carries lots of tools.
     Once we got going it got hot quickly, 100, but it was dry and the elevation was usually around 3000-4000 feet.  We went thru Guernsey, Casper, WY, Shoshone, Thermopolis, then into Cody.  Even with all the Sturgis folks around, we scored a nice room at a good price.  It was nice to be in Cody again.  Katheryn and I had been there before with Nick and Dick on a ride several years ago.
      If you go to Goggle Earth, Thermopolis, Wyo, then Hwy 20 to Cody, you can see the really beautiful canyon we rode.  Outstanding riding.


Day 4, Monday, 13 Aug, Cody to Great Falls, MT

Danner:  We were late getting started so Dick could get his bike welded at the bag support.  The temp got hot fast but then cooled off early.  Lots of beautiful scenery today.  There were forest fires all around and the rangers were running people out of Yellowstone Park.  We also could not ride the Beartooth highway as the smoke was quite thick.  We had ridden the Beartooth on the last trip and it was one of my favorites.  Got into Great Falls, MT at dark and found a hotel complete with laundromat and hookers.  Nick did my laundry the next day while I did maintenance.   
                                       

                                                        
                        Our Hero near Banff         D ick, Nick, and Danner with first mountain

                                  
Guy with loaded bike         


Day 5, Tue, 14 Aug, Great Falls to Banff

Off to a late start again as I needed two new tires.  I had planned to get them in Canada, but they were getting worn.  This worked out well since they were readily available in Montana and fairly cheap.  They lasted for the rest of the trip. We crossed into Canada with no problems.  The scenery is really beautiful now and it has started to cool.  We were trying to meet up with Andrew Montgomery, Dick's friend and architect, in Banff.  Unbelievably, we almost run into him coming off a freeway ramp.  We all camped out for the first time on the trip; it worked well.  Had a nice dinner in downtown Banff.  All the streets are torn up for repaving and landscaping.  Katheryn and I had been to Banff before to ski.  It looks really different in the summer, much more crowded. 


Day 6 , Wed, 15 Aug, Banff to Jasper, AB

This was a beautiful ride on the Icefields National Parkway.  So many nice shots, in any direction.  Stopped at a gas station, cafe, tourist trap that was full of Japanese buses, expensive.  Gas is about $4.50 to $5 per gallon now.  I have switched my GPS to kilometers.  The Canadians are most tolerant of our mile system that even the Brits have abandoned.  It was embarrassing.  We camped again at Jasper.  They had bear proof containers for your food and toothpaste; I saw a squirrel.  Met a guy from Prince George named Steve.  He was camping there for a week and gave us a tour of the town.  Had a nice dinner with him and ate at the Petro Canada he had recommended for breakfast.

         


Day 7, Thur, 16 Aug, Jasper to Burns Lake, BC

This was another beautiful day that warmed up nicely.  Andrew split off from the ride for Kamloops then the States, these young people and their peculiar habits of working.  All hell broke loose as we hit a nasty thunderstorm just outside of Burns Lake.  We zipped into the first hotel as we entered town, no one was there except the owners, a Korean couple.  When I bitched about the $65 rooms, Mr Kim offered to make it 79.  Comedians everywhere!  Mrs Kim dried all our clothes for us and left them in a bag on the door.  I managed to leave my fleece jacket there and didn't realize it until the next day, bought another.  She mailed my original back to my address on the sign in slip.  Nice people!  There was extensive damage as we left town the next morning.  Lots of wind and lightning all night.  Trees down all along the road.

                      

Cellular Dickie                                        Nick, the smartest of the 3 stooges?


Day 8, Friday, 17 Aug, Burns Lake to Stewart, BC

Today we started out on the Yellowhead Hwy to Kitwanga then the infamous Cassiar Hwy; it was spectacular.  There was some slow going for blasting and some large cracks in the dirt where the road was sliding down the mountain, but it was not that bad.  We even rode it south on our way home.We decided to change directions and go to Stewart although it was not on the way North.  The ride into Stewart is beautiful, many waterfalls, and rivers.  Unfortunately it rained continuously.  Putting up a tent while it's raining is not fun.  After we set up camp, we had a nice salmon dinner downtown.  We also gassed up and did laundry.  Returning to the campsite at night, I didn't notice a slanted mud puddle and dropped my bike on my nice new, expensive highway peg.  Ouch! no other damage though.  I didn't need to stretch out my left leg anyway, just the right.  Otherwise all the bikes are running well. 

That night it rained 1-2 inches, and we saw no bears.  Stewart is a good hotel town; one shouldn't camp there.   Nick heard some Harley guys talking about being told by the bar maid they couldn't leave the bar.  When they looked puzzeled, she explained that there were three grizlies walking down main street and they looked hungry.  They took her advice.


Day 9, Sat, 18 Aug, Stewart to Dease Lake, BC

The weather was clearing as we rode back to get on the Cassiar Highway.  Had to stop for gas and food at the only choice.  We would wind up eating there three times, but not because of quality.  On one stop, there were about 10 vehicles in line for fuel.  The ride up the Cassiar was 50-70 mph and then a crawl.  It kept changing all the time.  We had to stop for blasting and avoid the orange painted cracks where the road was sliding down a mountain.  The views were worth it.
When we arrived in Dease Lake, I decided to hotel ($89 for a dump) while Nick and Dick camped about 5 miles north.  The site was not good, lots of rocks.  They later found out about a better site at Mile 143.  We met for dinner at the local bar to discuss plans for the next day.  Here we met the trip winning character.  She was tall, skinny, about 65 with a trash mouth and attitude to match.  She and her husband were headed north in an RV.  "I drive and he behaves" and I believe her.  She instructed Nick, in great detail, on the finer points of swapping out engines on a '54 Chevy.  When she heard Dickie complaining about having cold feet on the days ride, she asked "What happened? somebody piss in your god damn boots?"   I was surprised to find such a classey lady in Canada.



   
 On the Cassiar Highway    That's the real color