Jasper to McBride to Burns Lake to Stewart

I have ridden from Atlanta Ga USA to Stewart BC Canada by way of Memphs, Little Rock, Amarillo, Taos, Durango, Moab, Salt Lake City, Twin Falls, Boise, Moses Lake Wa, Kelowna BC, Golden BC, Jasper National Park, Lake Louise, Jasper AB, McBride BC, Burns Lake, BC, and here, Stewart.

Since I made it into Canada, I have met one, count them, rude person. Addie clerks the Chevron in New Hazelton. I suppose she may have been working on her Roseanne Barr imitation, but, she clearly had not worked out the kinks in her routine. Other than this wayward soul, people have been patient, kind, polite, and helpful..mostly patient.

So, I am right at 5,000 miles and some change. I would have to walk out the bike and read the odometer.. but I left with ~12,800 miles and I am now nearly 18,000 miles on the odometer.

 

 

Since I am not able to go into Alaska and be assured of getting back into Canada to return home, I am exploring options of going to the extreme north by other means. While doing so, I have had a lot of time to think about all of this. I really am just tempted to stay here a while, go fishing, and then zig zag across the continent visiting National Parks and friends, and call that a Big Trip. After all, that is a BIG TRIP. It’s already a BIG TRIP at 5000+ miles, right?

Well, anyways.. you know how the Lord moves in Mysterious Ways? At breakfast in the A&W in Burns Lake, I meet a man who installed Dry Wall into property in Tuktoyaktuk, the destination of the Famous Ice Road. He claimed the Dempster Highway, terminating until this year at Inuvik, has been completed this year, and the road is open all the way to Tuktoyaktuk. I read some news articles, while I did confirm the road is linked, and mostly finished, I only found a reference to the road being officially opened in the Fall of 2017.

So, if I go, I may have to get special permission to ride that route. I am 100% sure the First Nation folks are already out there rolling up and down the road. It’s another matter being a guest in another country, having been given a pass to even get into Canada, and then go hop on a closed highway in the middle of nowhere. If something bad happened, there would be no leniency and rescue may not even be able to come in a timely, reasonable manner. So, if I do go, I will get official permission before I ride on that gravel. Wouldn’t you know I would be the one to mess it up somehow, and end up getting in the news as a Tourist Jack..s. Yep. That’s not going to be me. If I do this right, I may be the first motorcycle to ride the entirety of the completed Dempster Highway.
Do it wrong, I may get tossed out of Canada.

The day before in Jasper, I met two Atlanta riders, on R1200 GS adventure bikes, as well as 2 Calgary riders on Ducati Scramblers, and a grandfather and granddaughter each riding one of two MOA award winning sidecar BMW touring bikes. One even had a trailer in addition to the side car. It’s sort of the Winnebago of bikes! Nope, I didn’t. I forgot to take photos of their bikes.

Fun people. I got dropped by the guys I met up with Salt Lake. They were not interested in taking a short 2-3km detour into Lake Louise. I ended up lucking out while in Lake Louise, and was allowed to ride up to Lake Morraine. Apparently, this is an unusual treat. So, it took about an hour longer than I planned. By the time I reached Jasper that evening, the guys were more than an hour and a half further beyond Hinton AB. They were making for Fort St John that night, another 6+ hours past Hinton. So, that was that. I was dropped. For stopping to take a photo of one oef the most beautiful locations in North America. I can afford that bargain.

 

I rode all thru Jasper, and was hit by two strong rainstorms at 46 degrees F. Brrr. I suited up, but left the cold weather gear in the luggage. Bad idea.

Since I was now dropped and riding solo once more,  I tried to catch up with the team from Chattanooga, and met them for dinner at the Gigglin’ Grizzly in McBride, BC. When I stopped in McBride that night, having endured driving cold, rain in twilight most of the way on a secondary highway with trucks and large critters, I was tired, cold, and bleary.

I got a nice room at the Bell Mountain Motel run by James, his wife, and their Jack Russell, Trinket. I played some guitar with a local couple and a elderly german couple. It’s quaint, clean, and comfortable. They even have affordable laundry services. I got some tips on what to do and see from the locals. These guys know their topography!  I even had a nice visit with the motel cat.

I woke early, but found some work emails festering that needing to be dealt with, so I did not ride with the Chattanooga folks, and left around 11am. I rode thru to Prince George. The route to Prince George was as pretty as the Smoky Mountain Park or the Blue Ridge Parkway. The map did not indicate the beauty, I just got a happy surprise, turn after turn, climbing and descending lots of small passes and incline grades.  Super beautiful. Much of Canada is super beautiful.

 

So, in Burns Lake, I met up with a couple who live nearby, Egan and Susan.  We had a nice dinner at the Grapevine Pub in Burns Lake. I met them leaving the Tandoori place, that was supposed to be open but was closed… on a Friday night?! Anyhow, the pub took FOREVER for service, and I would not able to make my connection in Smithers, where I was going to catch up with the folks from Chattanooga.

Egan invited me to come along to his ranch, where he was going to deliver salt blocks to his cows. His ranch is reach by a boat on a river south of Burns Lake, after taking 2 ferries to reach the boat! We were going to fish the river, and chase down some cows on horseback if all were not “present and correct”.

I woke up a little late, and missed the rendezvous at the A&W at 7:15am. That morning it creeped up on me that I am unarmed, going out into the wild with someone I do not even know. That creeped me out.  Egan said he works in Stewart BC road grading with snow cats and doing search and rescue missions. I went to the Silverado, where he told me to tell the owner, Liz, that the Cannucks are a terrible hockey team. Turns out, she knows him well, and he does do all that. I probably would have been safe. Still, there are signs all along this highway of missing people, and this is how that sort of thing can happen, especially when noone is presumed to be armed. A predator’s paradise.

That morning I was packing up to head to eat breakfast, and 2 riders in the Wenawaka Motel were also packing up. They rode in from Jalisco, Mexico, Gabriel and his brother. Wow, right? Of course, like everyone, they were also on BMW Adventure bikes, a gorgeous R1200GS adventure, and a R800GS that a very small gas tank. Oops. No bueno in these parts!

We rode all day yesterday. They were great riding buddies! I hope to ride with them soon.