The Mobius Trip

The scenery was almost overwhelming. Really impressive! BUT, also entirely accessible by RV, camper van, and tour bus. That point was driven home at our next stop, Lake Louise.



what a buzz kill. We'd experienced this sensation before, most notably at Bryce Canyon, in UT. Both places were beautiful,



but I think we're hooked on remoteness. What you can't appreciate in the above photo is the scene on the shore. My consolation was to engage in some street photography, which is always fun.



I have no clue who these people are.



but they were posing,



so I took their pitchers.



I have made up names for them all... they're my new friends.



Except for her, she was pointing and saying my pants were too short.



What does she know anyway?

Tell me we don't stick out like sore thumbs:

Our next stop would be Banff,



we rode around a bit, and figured we'd pick up some groceries, have a bite, we needed to restock adult beverage supply...





The intercoms were put to good use,



and we decided our first stop would be groceries.

our last, biggest, best stocked town for a good long while, and we split up to do errands. LDF went to the liquor store, Dave went to an outfitter to get a part for his stove, and Ron and I went to the Ranger station to see if we could confirm that Settler's Road was open, no forest fires, and maybe figure out where camping could be found.



There was some talk of fancy restaurants, and art galleries, and while it looked like a cool, happenin' town,



we were on a mission. So after lunch, we saddled up, and hit the road.

north, backtracking,





until we could cut west again, into British Columbia,



following the Vermillion River



'till we could pick up some dirt again on Settler's Rd.



(the big bikes air'ed up & down, meanwhile, we run moderate pressures and rimlocks everywhere. )

Settler's Road, and when we came to this sign,



we decided that Horseshoe falls would be our destination du jour.



it wasn't long before we found the access road:



well, this looks promising.

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and we were suitably rewarded!

to be a Mobius top-5 campsite.



we (well just me, actually) rode right down onto the beach, and since it had sufficiently warmed up, we went for a swim.



(well, a bird bath, actually)



there were fish in the water,




but when I tried to use the underwater feature of the P&S, all I got was a nice photo of the water color, saturated with the sunlight.



Finished with bodily hygiene, we set the tents up to fumigate.



we set up a fire ring, and enjoyed the remains of the day.

Nice!!!

in the winter you could drive across to the other side,



I went for a little walk to take some pichers before we lost all the light.











It felt great to be off the bikes, just walking through the woods, smelling the earth, and listening to the water.



What a great spot!

it was time for cocktails and appetizers, we'd picked up some smoked salmon, pepperoni sticks, cheese, and fresh veggies,



Dave's stove was back in working order, so he offered to cook the tortellini. While that was going on, we just kicked back and enjoyed each other's company, and the beauty surrounding us.









The tortellini were delish!



We ended the day with a cozy campfire. Sometime in the night the full moon rose and boy, was it bright:



What a great day!



Still on pace, with a 40 mile buffer. I'd take care of that tomorrow.

Wow. That pic is amazing when clicked

It is HUGE and the detail is crystal clear.

And now I have an addiction to dark chocolate with sea salt

That was a great day

Thanks, it makes me think it's worth the delay on the ride report to spend the time getting the photos the way I remember how things looked. The stitched .tiff file has even more resolution zoomed it --you can see pine needles on the trees across the lake, but the file size is so big it needs it's own hard drive.

Indeed it was. BTW, Feel free to fill in the blanks in the storytelling, add your photos, or poach some of ours. Happy New Year's to you and Wanitta et al.

About that dark chocolate and sea salt... There are F5ar worse addictions to haF5e.

but I have to remind you that the KTM wasn't the only sleepy one, the Black Beauty had a little rest on the beach (no photo evidence) It was my first D'oh! moment.

We looked like Stormtroopers amongst all the tourists

[I'm gonna do my best to knock of one day of M8 ride report each day, but that means, just like M8 mileage, we'll need to pad some extra miles early 'cause next week will likely be busy.]

Today was the day we (at least I) really started to get into the groove of the Tura I'. You'll see. It was also the day that Ron left us to head back up north to be near his family for a certain important upcoming birth. What I remember most, however, is that the morning was COLD.

We stood around the fire pit, pretending that it was still emanating warmth, and since it was Ron's last day rolling Mobius, we presented him with his official Mobius karma pin.



Dave, LDF and I would continue heading south, but then mostly west past Kimberly, across a ferry on the Kootenay Lake, and via Nelson towards the border and the official Tura I'Doh.



and as the elevations show, we were still crossing mountains:

at the above elevation chart, you will see that the mileage is 174 miles. However, at the end of the day, you will note that our mileage (mine, anyway) totaled 254miles. How can that be possible?

Allow me to demonstrate:



Since I'm the only one who rode all the way down onto the beach, I have to ride my bike up... not wanting to be unsafe, I gear up first... my armor, boots, gloves, helmet...

We finish packing the bikes up at the parking area/ turnaround:



We leave, in good spirits all around...



as usual, I ride sweep.



we get to the main road, and we say our good-byes, and Ron turns right, back the way we came,



and we watch him roll north, towards home.

left.



and start tearing it up on some of the nicest riding that we've done since, well, since M4 or 5.

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and except for the brief period in the video above, I'm bringing up the rear. As I mention in the video, it's 38miles from our campsite to Canol Flats where we'll gas up.







the riding is awesome, as is the scenery,



and other than having to cut through an active lumbar facility to get into town,



we arrive and gas up without incident.

I pick up a couple of packs of honey roasted peanuts, 'cause I like honey roasted peanuts for snacks. I hand them to LDF and say "Hey, could you put these in my CamelBak for me?", and turn my back to face her.

As I do so, I feel a knot in my stomach. Just as she says "where's your CamelBak?" I say "SHIT!!!"

:dog

"It's back at the campsite, down at the beach."

but mostly disappointed in myself. Attention to detail. It's something I pride myself in. And I totally blew it. I pleaded with the two of them to hang tight and I'd go back, but they would have none of it. "All for one, and one for all"...

In the end, we compromised, and allowed that I would hightail it back to the campsite at fast (but safe) speed, and they would backtrack at a more leisurely pace, so if I had a breakdown or something, eventually they'd catch up with me, otherwise, I'd reconnoiter with them on my way back.



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Well, I'd just have to make the best of it.

PINNED!

after a "spirited" pace,

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"I was trying to channel Neduro... thinking about doin' the Dakar... How kick-ass that's gonna be?" Did I really say that? :huh

I grab the CamelBak,





and am a bit curious how many miles I put on them, given that I've really been pushing it.

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Turns out it was 13 miles on the way back that I met them. Which, if my math is correct, means that I rode 38+13=51miles to their 38-13=25miles, or twice as fast. They claim they were riding at a normal pace. :huh I most certainly was not.

It was fun to push for 50 miles, but be clear, that pace is not sustainable for us on Mobius, neither for my own mental concentration, nor for the bikes. It's a whole lot more wear and tear on the engine and suspension, and the risk of binning is a whole order of magnitude higher.

Hat's off to the racers who maintain that pace mile after mile, day after day. Go Ned & Jonah, and all the rest!