My Wife's' 2012 big motorcycle trip and her "Biker Stories from the Road"

Great ride report ! I was really surprised that you actually mentioned you enjoyed riding through southern Saskatchewan around Weyburn. Everyone I know who rides there complains to me about how boring it is. There are some great desolate rides in the Big Muddy area that too few check out.

Not to mention the great rides in Northern Saskatchewan. I eagerly look forward to your next installment.

Ben

Garth:


there is also this Rally every year in Nakusp (Hot Springs)

http://www.beeceebeemers.com/rally.htm


bob

Keep going! Very intersting to see

Ha ha we are not that far away from that stage of life, but until we are on the other side of the window, we will make our fun of them!


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk. Blame spelling mistakes on autocorrect

Had some router probs not letting me onto the site and out of town. Will pick it back up Sunday


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk. Blame spelling mistakes on autocorrect

What a great report! Way to rock it!

I find at 58 that it's more important to take my time and see, smell, taste, hear everything around me while I'm on tour than it is to run full tilt boogie with my hair on fire...

I want to get up to the areas you were in...last year was central Oregon and Washington...next year, who knows?

Congrats!

Part 6
I just have to tell you about our supper in Clinton! It all starts with us needing to do some laundry. The man who owned the motel we were staying at (looked an awful lot like George Carlin) told us that just up the street there was a laundry service. So we packed up and decided to walk. Well we walked for what we thought was too long a time so Garth went across the street to the local grocery store and asked a little Chinese woman about the laundry service and I think she got insulted because she said to him with arms flailing “no raundry service, no raundry service”.

Turns out that the only laundry service in town was at the RV park and that’s where the story begins! It is quite the place. It belongs to Michael and Angelina and they have not only an RV park but an “All you can eat Barbeque”. Michael has white hair that is shoulder length, slicked back over his ears and hanging long down his back … oh with one little braided rat tail behind his left ear. His menu is simple with only 6 or 7 meat choices that he barbeques. The rest is set out underneath a tarped over deck.





His has 3 slow cookers, a hot plate with 2 pots on it and a freezer chest that he has modified to hold his salad bar. There are a selection of tables and picnic tables, signs, lights and a few items for sale (like a rocking chair and an old ceramic crock pot). Satellite radio is filling the space with country music … actually the Willie’s Roadhouse channel. The laundry service is just off of this tarped in deck. Once we had our laundry going we made our way over to a table. Michael introduced us to the menu and then began hassling us (in a sarcastic, old buggar type way) to make up our minds as to what we were going to eat. He directed us to a cooler, around the corner, that we could help ourselves to a cold drink. He said “help yourself because I am not going to serve you because then you can’t complain about the service”. So onto his barbeque went the meat that we ordered. When it was done he slapped it onto a plate and said come and get it. We then worked through the buffet part and when we left a lid off or put a spoon in the wrong place man did we hear about it. Garth inquired about having a beer and Michael told us that he didn’t have a liquor license but we could go across the street to the local liquor store and buy some to drink with our supper. His food was all made by hand and most of the ingredients came from his garden. He also served up an amazing dessert. A homemade brownie, topped by berries picked by the local first nation’s women up on the mountain, all topped by homemade blackcherry ice cream. It was soooo good! For the two of us the bill came to $36.00 and it was worth it just to meet this Michael character.

The next morning we woke to clouds and the chance of rain. Our destination of Jasper had a 70% chance of rain while going through to Kamloops and beyond looked better. So we back tracked a bit and went the Kamloops route which took us to Revelstoke and Rogers Pass.



Still on the search for the best pie Garth noticed a sign for “Pedro’s Pie, the best pie in BC” at a fruit and veggie stand outside of Salmon Arm. So in we went.



All they had was bumbleberry pie that could be served and eaten right there and then. The rest were full pies for sale. So Garth and I gave in and man it was delicious. And Pedro turned out to be a young Mennonite girl, haha! At Revelstoke we stopped at a Denny’s for soup. It had started to spit when we were getting ready to leave so we prepared with our rain gear and it was a darn good thing because by the time we got up to Rogers Pass it was pouring and dark. We pulled into Rogers Pass to look for stickers and pins but there wasn’t any. It rained for about another ½ hour and just long enough for the 4 tunnels that we had to go through with slippery wet entrances and exits. The temperature dropped to 4.0 degrees.

Beautiful scenery but way to damn scary in the slippery rain to pay close attention to it. Initially we thought we would find a campground for the night but after it being so wet and cold we took the first motel room we came too in Golden BC.

At supper we were noticed by a guy who was all alone at an adjacent table. He had been travelling on his motorcycle as well that day and had seen the four of us. He said that he felt sorry for Cindy and I driving in that awful weather. He was on his way to Rocky Mountain House and then Grande Prairie. He had a few great motorcycle stories to share. (The rider was OldMedic on this site. Here is a link to his blog http://oldmedic2012tfc.blogspot.ca/ )

He was finishing his ride after going in the Three Flags Classic rally http://sc-ma.com/rides/three-flags-classic-tour/route

Oldmedic


Today (Thursday) we started our day in the fog. We sat it out for as long as we could in Tim Horton’s but had to get going. It was cold so we pulled out the electric jackets and the smart wool socks! The electric jackets are one of man’s best inventions (to a motorcyclist that is, haha) because they make a tremendous difference on a cold day.

We left Golden and headed east. We passed through Yoho National Park and the Kicking Horse Pass… again 3.5 degrees! The fog broke and we rode into a beautiful clear blue sky. The scenery was amazing.







We gassed up in Lake Louise and spoke with a guy who had just come down from Jasper and he told us that he left Jasper in rain and hail … thank god we didn’t take that route! From Lake Louise we turned onto highway 93 the Icefields Parkway.

A secondary highway with the most breathtaking scenery ever … as Cindy eloquently said “it was full of wow’s and wowee’s”.







We eventually hit the Saskatchewan River Crossing and then turned onto highway 11, the David Thompson Highway.









We stopped in Nordegg for lunch and we were served beef noodle soup which ended up being chicken noodle soup (it was good) and of course … wait for it … pie!



We stopped in Rocky Mountain House and at a gas station I encountered a young first nation’s man who was interested in my motorcycle and where we had travelled (he had clearly been drinking) and when I headed to the ladies room he wished me a good trip … took my hand and kissed it! Good grief!

We were out of the mountains, into farm/ranch land and a much faster pace on the highway.



We roared through Red Deer AB where the left lane of the 2 lane highway was so slanted that there was no way I could have stopped safely on it. Pulling into Stettler I spotted a Boston Pizza and knew that I was going to convince the gang to break the number 2 rule of this trip (no eating at chain restaurants) because I really really really wanted spaghetti! Even if I had to blind fold Garth and drag him there I was going to eat spaghetti at BP! (Garth agreed to the blindfolding … but that is another story for another day, haha!).

There has been a real lack of wildlife sightings on this trip. We have seen a coyote, 2 antelopes, 3 mountain goats, an injured black bear, our grey whale (and other ocean companions … but they don’t really count because we actually went out to find them). We were on some pretty secluded highways today and we thought that we would see some wildlife but … 3 deer and a goose … that is it. Pretty sad.

Sept 5 Clinton to Golden BC


September 6 Golden BC to Stettler, AB


Tomorrow our goal is Swift Current, approx. 567k.
That's all for now. Stay tuned for more later.
Hope all is well. Please pass this along.
Thanks,
Denise

Part 7
After our morning visit to Tim Horton’s we left Stettler AB and continued east on highway 12. Our first stop was for gas in Coronation AB where we met a very nice gas station owner who loved our BMW’s and said that it was his bike of choice as well and “would not spend any money on one of those Harley’s”! Cindy and I wanted our picture taken by his restaurant sign because it had a crown and the word Coronation on it (we are both fans of Coronation Street) and when the gas station owner realized what we were up to he gave us directions to the huge crown and “Welcome To Coronation” sign across the highway. The tackiest crown ever but what the heck … we got our picture taken by it anyway.





We pulled out of there and the wind was beating us up pretty bad so Garth designed a route that would be easier on us. We turned onto highway 41 down to Oyen AB where we had some lunch in a restaurant that had Canadian and Lebanese food. The owner was the chief cook, dish washer, bus boy and waiter. We had soup and guess what else … pie! It was good, not the best we have had but up there in ranking that is for sure.



From Oyen we crossed into Saskatchewan on highway 7. Our original goal was Swift Current but because we had to make one of the next few days a “big push day” we had a biker council meeting (actually Cindy and I) and decided that given the present weather and road conditions we could make Regina. That would be 740k and for Cindy and I that would be a “big push day”! We stopped in Outlook SK, on highway 15, for a break and supper. There were 3 diners in a row … 2 were identifiably Chinese and the third was called the “Modern Café” owned by a Chinese woman named Annie. So Annie fed us supper and tried her best to talk us into a piece of pie but she made the mistake of admitting that it came from the wholesale and was not homemade … so no way Annie, no pie from you today!

Our bikes parked along main street in Outlook caused quite a stir. They were checked out by everyone that went by. A local guy came into Annie’s, part of the 5 o’clock coffee crowd, and he was very talkative … full of questions and stories.



After Outlook were turned south onto highway 11 which is double lane all the way to Regina. We pulled into Regina just after sunset and got rooms at the Chateau Regina … on a Friday night … kinda sketchy looking dudes hanging around outside but the rooms were great. We definitely used our security measures for our bikes that night! A good hot bath helped to ease away the days travel … although I still felt like I was moving. The next morning (Saturday) it was breakfast at Smitty’s.

The Saskatchewan Roughriders were heading to Winnipeg to play the Bombers on Sunday so every mirror in Smitty’s had something written on it to do with the upcoming game. As Jim said if every CFL team had the kind of fans that Saskatchewan does it would be a rich league! As we headed down the TransCanada highway we were passed by many Roughrider fans heading into Winnipeg to catch Sunday’s game. One old-style camper van (think shaggin’ wagon, haha) was a tail gate party all by itself.


As it passed us you couldn’t help but notice the big Roughrider flag, tied to the back door and ladder, flapping in the wind. We caught up to it at a gas station and about 7 young adults came pouring out. They were packed up with coolers etc. and ready for a party! The wind was brutal! Out of the north and northwest. It was an electric jacket day (thank god for that jacket)! But it was sunny and bright and our goal was Winnipeg. We stopped in Virden at Tim’s for a break and then onto Winnipeg. The Holiday Inn on Pembina was a welcome sight and Tony Roma’s ribs for supper were just what our bike gang needed! Sunday, Winnipeg to Dryden, would be an easy day.
Thanks and I hope that you all are well.
Please pass along and I hope that you enjoy.

Maps
Day 13 Sept 7 Stettler, AB to Regina, SK


Day 14 September 8 Regina, SK - Winnipeg, MB


Final Day Sept 9 Winnipeg, MB - Dryden, ON

Part 8 wrap up and conclusions

15 days ... 6,751 kilometers in total ... a really awesome trip!
Our total moving time was 83 hours and 52 minutes.
Our average moving speed was 80.5 kilometers/hour.
Our overall average speed was 51.4 kilometers/hour.
We were stopped, for breaks and meals (does not include when we were finished for the day), 47 hours and 30 minutes.
It was an amazing tour ... I highly recommend the "Garth Wintle Motorcycling Touring Company" as he researched
and planned it.

We definitely saw some places that we would like to go back to and maybe stay a bit longer to see more of the area (like Tofino). There really is nothing like touring on a motorcycle ... the whole experience is really neat. Well you can get an even closer experience if you do a bicycle tour across Canada and the USA but that is just nuts! This gal is not about to work that hard plus I really like the speed (as a certain RCMP officer in Duncan BC ... you sneaky bastard ... can attest too!) and the independence that having your own wheels gives.

We passed a couple of places that had just been mowed or cut and oh my the smell ... so sweet. Of course then you also pass alot of farms and sometimes that is a not-so-nice smell.

Cindy slept so well the whole time (apparently snoring so Jim says) because of all the fresh air. You meet the greatest people who are really interested in your story and many who are willing to share their story. We try and keep to the local mom and pop motels and diners. With the motels the motorcycles can be parked right outside the door ... for ease of security and also for hauling in the side bags and such. They tend to be more affordable and on this trip we didn't hit one that was not "bath worthy" (that is Cindy's way of ranking the accommodation). Some also offer continental breakfast! All in all a full and wonderful vacation.


Can't wait for the next one ... oh yes ... I still have to work ... shit!

I have been waiting for this ride report... thanks for posting, and thanks for the mention.

I really enjoyed meeting you guys, we did ride in some challenging rain together on our way into Golden. The storys were great, and truely one of the great parts of meeting others on the road.

Although the "At supper we were noticed by a guy who was all alone at an adjacent table." makes me sound a little pathetic :) but I'll take it :)

I followed you guys out to Rocky, where my mother resides and stayed overnight there. I do not have the luxury of heated vests/clothing as most of this trip was in the southren states (+42C).

I stopped at the Saskatchewan River Crossing to warm up and get some food. $21.00 for a hot dog and fries was a bit steep, but it was one of the best I have ever had.

My lovely wife and I are planning a motorcycle trip out east for this year, we may have to meet up again. I'll keep in touch...

Good job on the Ride Report...

Goddam Picasaweb,

Looks like my change in pictures is screwing up. Will fix asap

Yes it was great meeting you too. The ride through the ice fields parkway was spectacular. I have been that route many times but it has always been cloudy, foggy, rainy or snow. This was the fist rime I had gone that way in sunshine. Also loved the ride from Sask River to Nordegg. Was thinking of your David Thompson story all the way down that route to RMH. After that it is basically back to the real world which is nice too, but just a few less oooos and ahhhhs.

Snow and ice are here so starting to plan some rides for next year.

L8R

Thanks, yes she does do a good job of it. Everyone looks forward to her updates when we ride and she reports back home.

So which joint served the BEST pie??

Pie is an art, a fine mix of crust and filling. Like beer there is actually no bad pies, just variations of good.

Best crust was actually not a pie but a butter tart in The Copper Eagle cafe and bakery in Greenwood, BC

The best pie overall was an apple pie (fresh apples were in season) from Billy's Restaurant in Princeton, BC

My wife's first story from her maiden long distance ride can be found here

http://www.advrider.com/forums/showthread.php?t=828217

Planning our next trip. Will be circumnavigating the Great Lakes. We leave July 20th and have 2 weeks, Time may be tight but will adjust as we go.

Going to try a new travel strategy. Right now we sort of follow 5pm or 500 km rule of thumb and usually plan our destination in the morning. This trip I am not going to plan our daily destination until later in the day so we are not trying to hurry and miss something.

Will see how it plays!

Have a great trip! Looking forward to the photos.