Canada's Best Kept Secret: 500km from the nearest paved road, solo in Northern BC.

Don't forget the old 292 Yammie and the Moto-ski. But that is a Massey Ferguson Ski Whiz. They all should still run with a little lovin.

My dad also has one of these in the shed (though not in that shape...)

on some frozen lake around Edmonton - late Neolithic time period I am thinking.
I was never sure what it was called but the distinctive hard as a rock in winter time seat
and lack of suspension left an enduring impression on me.

Thanks for posting - these pics brought a big smile my way.

YK

sigh....

:ddog

I'm with you, C.C. hasn't updated this story since last year...

LOL.... Now thats funny right there

So Christmas wasn't as restful as I was hoping...but:

Off I went, across the swollen Omineca River and towards all points north.




Did I mention that I still hadn't met vehicle on the road since the Finlay FSR. One that ran anyway.




In fact, I wouldn't meet another vehicle all the way to my destination (which was still many hours away.)




The riding was excellent.




And the bears were plentiful.








I'm on the Thutade FSR now and the road takes a sharp turn north. If you head west here you can go to Takla Landing (which was going to be my last fuel stop on the summer before on the Spatsizi expedition.)








Not too far and we are starting to climb.




I am iching to use my boat now, but the road keeps going on and on.




This is the last of the clear cuts I rode through before getting into the "real bush."

Ah, pictures like today's create a burning desire to ride - hard to believe it'll have been 9 years since I last rode down BC logging gravel. Been away from home for too long (though year round riding didn't hurt)!



This pic really gave me pause, putting me right into the moment



Thank you!!

So maybe 40km up the Thutade, you hit Uslika Lake.




My backroads mapbook showed a "recreation site", but this is basically it.



I would have liked to wet a line, but I knew I'd be riding in the dark if I did.


Another 10 km or so and the road joins the main Omineca Resourse road. Can't miss it.




I spun down to look at the sign just to make sure I knew where I was. They've kinda let things go since the mine shut down. But no dust.




As I had found out in my research, they were pretty clear that they weren't going to let you bum any fuel at Kemess.




Either way, I was committed now and off I went.




We were still climbing as I hit the Mesilinka River, as were water levels.




I am starting to get to the scenic part.

Funny similar thoughts are had regarding coal mines, mostly strip mining. I personally have no problem with any resource developement as long as the environment can be returned to its somewhat original state. I do realize that after removing coal, the hills in West Virginia might not be as high, but the benefits outweigh the risks. No reason we should sit in the dark because some dont like dirty fossil fuels. Grew up in WV and listened to the mostly out of state environmentalist groups cause lots of problems for the residents, who mostly worked in coal. I personally like gas way under 3 dollars a galllon and dont care if the crude oil comes from underwater wells or the sands in Canada, just make the wilderness areas wilderness areas once again after resource developement. Awesome RR

Funny similar thoughts are had regarding coal mines, mostly strip mining. I personally have no problem with any resource developement as long as the environment can be returned to its somewhat original state. I do realize that after removing coal, the hills in West Virginia might not be as high, but the benefits outweigh the risks. No reason we should sit in the dark because some dont like dirty fossil fuels. Grew up in WV and listened to the mostly out of state environmentalist groups cause lots of problems for the residents, who mostly worked in coal. I personally like gas way under 3 dollars a galllon and dont care if the crude oil comes from underwater wells or the sands in Canada, just make the wilderness areas wilderness areas once again after resource developement. Awesome RR

I tend to agree, but that is what was in question with this project, whether a "somewhat original state" was a possible outcome. I not an environmentalist, but this was a 988 000 acre project at the alpine headwaters of 3 of BC's most important salmon rivers. To clarify, it wasn't the 3000 km of roads, 6500 wells, pipelines/compressor stations/etc that were the concern as much as the fracking, wastewater and contamination of the salmon-bearing rivers. The land will look fine in 100 years (though the alpine tundra takes a lot longer to recover than West Virginia) but they are not making any more salmon rivers. Anyways, several other projects are still underway in the region, but everyone seemed agree this was the wrong place for coal bed methane extraction.

Regardless of the conservation discussion though, I just stumbled on this video and it has some great footage many of the places I rode through last summer.

<iframe width="560" height="315" src="http://www.youtube.com/embed/ivjhFL7VN5o" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen></iframe>

Thanks for the modern photos of Germansen Landing. My brother and I rode our Suzuki S-32 bikes (150cc twin 2-strokes=16hp) there during high school summer break, 1966 from Newport, Oregon. Quite the adventure with flat tires, purchasing fuel from locals in the bush and being chased by a cow moose with calf.

We'd been to Chuchi lake and upstream on Nations River several times with the family in younger years and decided to go on our little motorbikes. We were 16 and 17 years old.

Have enjoyed your BC trip reports. Good stuff.
Dave

Sounds like a proper adventure.

Enjoying the ride report. Pine beetle is sure beating the crap out of all the trees in the last two updates.

They sure did. It's only a matter of time before they all go up in smoke now.

Yea...its pretty devastating. Things look somewhat bleak for the forest industry in my neck of the woods......or what's left of the woods anyway....

About 4100 feet now and climbing.







Lay Creek








Looks like someone was using this snowcat to plow the road in the winter. But it broke down and here it lies.




Still climbing

This is an area I would love to see. Must have been an awesome ride going there. I'm in. I want to follow this. Might be on the list of places to go.
Thanks for sharing.
Ken

It was indeed. Saw more than 10 times as many bears as vehicles on this stretch. I love having the place to myself.

And here we are




nestled in the clouds.




Besides being beautiful, Johanson Lake is a very unique place as it's the farthest inland and highest in altitude that salmon travel, right on the edge of the Pacific watershed and only ice free a couple months of the year.




Not a bad place to stop and stretch your legs after 26 or so hours of riding.




But I didn't stop long as I had already decided that I would go all the way today. We have peaked now and the road is generally downhill from here.






Here's the baby Sustut River.




Not for from there I see signs of life.