Day 14. Whitehorse to Watson Lake!!!!!!!

Dear diary - what a bloody day. If we had alcohol available now, we'd both be pissed as parrots! As you can see from the title, we have actually moved from our permanent summer quarters in Whitehorse, and now making our way homeward bound. If those few words bring relief to our readers, imagine how we feel! It also makes the days events sound so very simple and straightforward - trust me, they were not.

The rain arrived in Whitehorse last night, and with it our feeling of isolation and despair grew. We'd been trying to keep each others spirits up, but the longer the situation dragged on, the harder it had been. We went out for dinner last, but neither of us really wanted or felt like eating. That and we were becoming pretty fed up with eating out all the time. Can't wait to be in my own kitchen cooking something for us again. We ended up with pizza at the hotel, it was ok but........... Up in the room, I took a look at the DHL site to track the spares shipment from Red Deer. It still showed being in Edmonton earlier that morning, but hadn't moved since. We then started to realise that if the shipment hadn't arrived by the morning, we were in DEEP trouble! This was because Thursday is Canada Day so everything would be shut, adding another two days to the two we had already been waiting. This was now making our nerves 'jangle'! Wendy tried to convince me that DHL probably only updated their site once a day, so we'd have to wait until the morning.

Sleep was very difficult to come by even though I stayed up watching a very bad Sean Connery film, and I was awake too early. I got up to check the DHL web site only too discover that the internet connection was down. Made me feel quite at home!! I went back to bed for an hour then tried again, still no joy, so I decided to call DHL and find out directly from the shippers. Initially I felt like I was once again getting the run around, but once I explained our situation and how desperate we were for this shipment, I got a lot more sympathy and help. Linda at DHL in Toronto promised to make some phone calls, and get back to me with an update. When she did, it was not quite what I had been wanting to hear. Basically no one knew exactly where the shipment was! Because it was heading to the back of beyond, it seemed the bar code tracking system was no longer effective! I was told that there is no such thing as overnight to the Yukon - at which point I almost exploded, but restrained myself. I explained that this was actually nearly 48 hours after shipment, not 24. Linda had also spoken with the DHL rep in Whitehorse, and asked them to call me with an update. I beat her to it!

It appeared that Stephanie didn't know where the shipment was either. However, we could possibly - only possibly you understand - expect the shipment to arrive by air that afternoon at about 3pm! I was getting a little hot under the collar at this point and explained if that happened, the dealer would be shut by the time they attempted delivery and because of Canada Day, we would be stuck here another two days. This was not going well. To compound the general feeling of gloom, the clouds were down over the river valley and it was pissing down with rain. I pride myself with having a reasonable sense of humour, but after the umpteenth person who saw us in riding gear commented that, "it was a good day for a ride", I was ready to choke them.

We had decided that what ever was or was not happening with the shipment, we were going to ride over to the dealer and throw ourselves on their mercy. If things went badly, Wendy was planning on calling the local media, or play the 'girlie in distress' card! We vacated our very own suite, which had since been named in our honour as we had been there so bloody long, left most of our luggage stored at the hotel and went out to get on the bike - too yet another, "great day for a bike ride", bastards!!!!!!! We rode to the other end of the town, feeling as wet and miserable as the weather. Inside the service manager was absent, so we waited for him. When he arrived in the show room, he gave us a, "hi both, any news on the part". We both started with the latest update, then it all became way too much and Wendy broke down. Floods of tears, trying to explain the stress of it all and in amongst it all, asking if he couldn't see his way to help us. Especially tomorrow being Canada day etc etc. He actually relented and said he go and see the owner......... Minutes later, he emerged with a smile on his face, a slight nod and said he would rob a sales machine and get us on our way. More floods of tears from Wendy and she threw herself at him, giving him a big hug and many thanks for helping us out. I was wondering why this hadn't been done two days ago and saved us both a lot of heart ache and undue stress. However, I did manage to keep my mouth shut this time, and let my wife rule the floor!

Less than 30 mins later, 'Sydders' appeared from the workshop and we were on our way at long, long last. We headed back to the hotel to load up both bikes. It was still bucketing down, but quite honestly, I was oblivious to the rain, I saw only escape. We both wore boots, riding suits and gloves that were Gortex' lined, so I had no fear about getting wet. Wendy took a little time to get back into riding again, and to be fair, get used to riding in pissing rain. On a sunny day, there would have been ample opportunity to stop for photo's - not today. Low clouds clung to the thickly wooded mountain slopes limiting the visibility. It was quite cools as well - 'Gerties' OAT gauge showed a cool 8.5'C.......... Undaunted, we headed out of town, filled up with fuel and headed for Watson Lake, about 5 and half hours away. We made a couple of brief fuel stops, once of which was for much needed warming coffee and a snack. Warmed up again, off we set.

We made excellent time, getting into Watson Lake a little after 5pm, completing the trip in about 5 hours. I had been pushing quite hard, but to her credit, Wend had hung in there and was never that far behind me. Well done Pickle - proud of you! Watson Lake is a one horse town, where the horse had run off, so there wasn't a huge choice in hotels. Through searching the internet, Wend had found a place called 'A Nice Motel' - I know, sounds naff doesn't it! However, reviews of the other choices in town ranged from rat infested flea hole to worse, so I was happy to try A Nice Motel. It sits directly behind a PetroCan gas station, so doesn't have a great outlook. Once inside - what a great surprise, it's a nice motel as advertised! A truly great little motel - I'd have no hesitation in either staying here again or recommending to fellow travellers.

Once we'd dumped bags, dinner was the next order of the day. Who would ever have thought of going to the local RV park???? Well we did on recommendation from 'bubba' in the gas station. We were a little dubious, but what the hell! There were dozens of RV's jammed into the small hard standing, beside which was a wooden office building. Just the place you'd expect to meet a Scott running the place - right?? We were directed to a tent at the back of the office, parted with $22 a piece and took one of the six picnic benches. The price included a salad, tea/coffee, dinner & 'puddin'. We elected to try the spare ribs and were not disappointed - thanks 'bubba'! Fully fed, we got chatting to some of the RV sorts, who were heading to Skagway to spend 4th of July. They were a 22 RV convoy from the US, up in Canada for a 35 day trip. So sooooo glad we are headed in the opposite direction. Lovely folks though. We bid them a good night & a happy 4th of July. I was wondering if any would counter with a Happy Canada Day - ahhh well, one can hope!

So fed and watered, and more importantly now on our way home, we headed back to 'A Nice Motel'. Me to write to you good folk, Wend to sort out the horizontal hold on the 'charpoy'. The gentle 'snoring' coming from said 'charp' tells me she has sorted out the controls and now giving it a good run. That's it folks, time for me to relax a little and let the experiences of the last few days 'wash over me'. You never know, if the weather behaves tomorrow, there might be a few more photo's. Nite nite all.

Day 13. Still in Whitehorse.

The anger and frustration of yesterday, was pretty much washed away by way too much Yukon beer last night. What was left this morning, was still an element of frustration, as no one really seemed to care about our plight. Not too surprising I guess! I tried to look at the positives of the situation. Firstly and most importantly, no one had been injured! Secondly, we did actually manage to get the bike into the only dealer for hundreds of miles. Next, our dealer in Red Deer had gone beyond the call of duty, and the spare part was on it's way. Lastly, we were actually on vacation, so this was just an unforeseen extension! So when you looked at all the plus factors, it wasn't too bad really, especially as the weather was glorious and we still had things to see and do.

Wendy had been looking through an area travel guide called 'The Last Great Road Trip'. In which she had seen an article on Muktuk Adventures. In short, Muktuk is a family business based a few miles outside of Whitehorse run by Frank Turner, a Whitehorse dog 'musher'. Many people would probably have heard of the Iditarod sled dog race held in Alaska. There is a similar race held in Yukon, called the Yukon Quest. Apparently, the Quest was started because many felt Iditarod was becoming too commercial and had lost touch with it's roots. As I understand it from a 'musher' at Frank's Muktuk kennels, the Quest was started in 1984 aimed at being a more 'pure' challenge. Although the races are of similar distances, ie 1500km, Iditarod has 20 check points, Quest has 8, some of the legs being 3 days long! Frank is unique in that he has competed in 24 Quest's since they started in 84. Ok, so that's a little background, you should also check out the Muktuk Adventure web site at www.muktuk.com . The site has over 130 Alaskan Huskies of ages, which you can play with and even take for a walk to the near by river - under supervision of course.

So, we hopped on 'Gertie' and rode the 15/16 miles to the Muktuk kennels and had a guided tour by one of the staff. What first struck me, was how 'slight' these dogs were. To think they not only pulled a sled, but several of them competed in the gruelling Yukon Quest. I listened into Frank telling one small family group, that the dogs in the race team, were capable of running about 150 miles a day!! He said that the dogs were still full of running, while the 'musher' was fighting falling a sleep on the back of the sled! We also went with some of the dogs down to the river. That sounds domestic enough for those of us with 'normal' dogs, but these 'athletes' are anything but normal. All the dogs are on long chains attached to their 'house', and when we arrived we were amazed at how quiet it was. For the most part, the dogs lay on or by their 'house' in the sunshine. We were able to go amongst them and make a fuss of them. Everything was very quiet until Manuella one of the staff there came out. At that point mayhem broke out. Dogs running round their house in circles, barking like furry, all seemed to be saying,"pick me..............". They all knew when Manuella came out, it meant a walk to the river. However, sled dogs don't do walking! We were told to walk slowly down a path that lead from the lines of kennels, through a pasture and woods to the river. We were warned that the dogs would come tearing past us. I swear, there dogs would out pace a Greyhound (dog not bus..............). Six of them were selected to join us, and they came like bolts out of the blue. I don't think I have ever seen a dog run that fast before, and they didn't care what or who they ran into! Wendy & I were amazed and stood out of the way to let these furry bolts of lightening past.

Down at the river, we chatted and the dogs ran non stop. Either chasing each other through the bush, or out into the river with one of the other volunteers. Either way, the dogs were having a whale of a time. After a while down by the river, we sauntered back to the house and the rows and rows of kennels. It took a little while to 'round' up the dogs and get them back on their chains. This commotion set off all the other dogs, and it was funny to watch them. Many were up on the flat roof of their 'house', straining to see what was going on and of course, all barking! One of the six that we had accompanied was eventually 'captured' & returned to his/her house and all went quiet again. Then another of our walk 'companions' would bolt down the line of kennels, and all hell would break lose again. Eventually all six were rounded up and peace restored. It was quite amazing how quickly they all went quiet again and lay in the sun shine. We followed Manuella to a sled that had been laid out, to show us the in's and out's of a racing sled - very interesting. Once we were finished there, she said we could wander round at our leisure, even going in to see the pups who were now about 6 months old.

Heading to the pen where the pups were, we passed Frank who was talking to a small group of visitors, and I hung about listening to him. Meanwhile Wendy headed over to play with the pups. Once Frank had finished and some of the visitors moved on, I decided to find out where Wendy was and make sure she wasn't about to smuggle any pups out!!! I soon found here in a pen with six pups, she was in her element. I declined to go in and waited til she had finished. I suggested that we get a coffee at the house before we headed back to Whitehorse, and that's when the fun began................ Not quite sure which was the best direction to open the gate, I suggested pulling it toward her, but watch the pups! Too late, one saw a chink of light between her leg and the gate post, I tried to stop this one with my leg, but another popped out with it. Now with Wendy stuck in the partly open door, two more escaped, then a fifth. Did I mention these dogs run like the wind????? I tell you, when five puppies make their bid for freedom, no one was going to stop them, they were out like lightening then running hell for leather out of the compound for the tree's.......... Wendy looked very sheepish, but I said she had to tell Frank. He could hardly have missed it as five of his pups went charging through the yard, setting off most of the other dogs tied up at their 'houses'. Once we had established that Frank was not at all concerned, it was quite funny - well not for Wendy who was mortified that she had allowed the 'great escape'. Before we left I had helped capture one escapee, and another couple were rounded up. Like I said, quite funny once we knew Frank was ok with it. After a coffee, we got back on 'Gertie', headed down the 3 1/2 km gravel track, then back into town. Time to visit the brewery!!!!!

We rode back to the hotel, parked up 'Gertie', and after dropping biking gear, called for a cab. After the previous days aborted attempt to get to the brewery on foot, we were not going to make the same mistake again! The brewery is a fairly recent addition to Whitehorse, but has gained a reputation for some great beers. Take a look at this link for more info: www.yukonbeer.com . We have already sampled some of the beer at eateries round town, so the brewery visit was certainly on our schedule, given our enforced stay in town. The tour was due to start at 2pm, and there was already a crowd gathered inside the small reception, sales area. The only other micro brewery tour we had experienced was in Fredericksburg at the 'Blue & Grey'. Here we had a great look at the brewing process from start to finish. This tour was to be quite different and lasted about 10 - 15 mins! We were shown the bottling plant, the canning process, and oh yes, a quick couple of words on the brewing process.............. Shame really, there was the real potential for an informative look at this fine little brewery. After the tour, it was into the shop/reception for sampling - so not all bad. As a Brit brought up on dark ale, I was really impressed by their 'Lead Dog' ale, which was based on British bitter. Apparently they had taken the brew to the UK & competed in an International Real Ale competition held in Wolverhampton. There the 'Lead Dog' had won them a 2nd place! Unfortunately riding bikes does not lend its self to carrying beer, so I settled for a polo shirt............. Not quite a 'slab' of beer, but a nice memento all the same.

As there brewery was at the northern end of town, we had a long walk ahead of us, but remembered the waterfront railway. This is a section of the old rail track running along the river bank. This had been the end of the line for the Skagway to Whitehorse railway. Now they have an old electric trolly bus running up & down the line as a tourist attraction. We found a 'station' near by and as luck would have it, along came the trolly. We jumped on, and had a leisurely ride back into town. This left us with quite a short walk to the hotel.

We are both feeling pretty low now, really fed up with the way we are being treated by the CanAm dealer. Tomorrow the part HAS to arrive, or we are in real trouble! Canada Day is on the 1st July, so the dealer will be closed! Wendy has already rebooked hotels along the way, likewise the kennels. We are both pretty dumbstruck that anyone could be this callous, and heartless. The service manager had it in his power to remove a switch from a sales unit and have us on our way. Especially after our dealer in Red Deer provided confirmation that a part was on it's way. A recent check of the DHL web site still shows the consignment being in Edmonton at 5:10am this morning. I'm hoping this has moved by now!!!!!!!!! I have run out of ideas of how I can get through to this person, words for once fail me! Tomorrow we HAVE to get out of the hotel and from there, I have not a clue what will happen. I'm hoping tomorrows blog will be a very short note from Watson Lake. No I guess I'm not hoping, I'm PRAYING Mr Johnson has one tiny scrap of decency in him and gets us on our way. I'm too pissed off to write anything more upbeat - sorry.

Day 12. Whitehorse

Todays blog should have been started with the good news that 'Sydders' was well again, & back on the road. It should then have been filled with details of our departure from Whitehorse, and the splendid ride down to Watson Lake marking the return leg of the journey. Instead, we are still in Whitehorse with no clear indication of when we will be getting away! So you will forgive the lack of jocular prose, complete absence of photo's, and just let me vent.

My blog a couple of days ago reported a problem we encountered with 'Sydders' on our way to Whitehorse from Skagway. What appeared to me to be a quite minor oil leak, but linked to the engine not producing power past 3950rpm. This was I suspected, some sort of rev limiter to protect the engine. As we arrived too late on Saturday to see the service staff, we had to cool our heels for the remainder of the day, and all day Sunday. I was pretty convinced that rectification would be quite simple, as the problem had not been catastrophic. First thing this morning we rode the short distance through town to the dealer, arriving a little before 8:30am and opening time. One set of doors were open, so we made our way in and found the service reception desk.

The service manager was pleasant enough and listened to the problem as I outlined it. First of all he said he'd have to wait to see who came in - mechanic wise, then he told us he had servicings booked for the next couple of days!!! I resisted the temptation to remind him that this was something of an emergency, and went to wait patiently - well as patiently as I can manage - by the coffee machine. Several 'bods' came and went, getting the first cup of coffee for the day, but we sat quietly. After a fairly short time, the service manager directed a mechanic in our direction and we saw the first glimmer of hope for the last few days. Once again I explained the problem and the mechanic asked Wendy to ride the bike to the workshop door. He told us he would look at the bike immediately, then let us know the outcome. We headed back to the coffee machine, with a little more spring in our step and the prospect of being on our way fairly quickly............. All that was about to change!

The mechanic came out from the workshop and went to the parts counter, a pretty clear indication that something was needed to fix the problem. He and the parts 'guy' chatted, and consulted the computer screen but there was a lack of confidence in either of them. Then I thought I heard, "....we don't have...." from the parts guy. That made me pay attention. The mechanic went over to the service manager and was obviously explaining the situation to him. At this point I had to intervene and find out what the hell was going on - or not! It turns out that the leak was caused by a faulty oil pressure switch. It took the mechanic minutes to find the problem and given the spare part, would no doubt have taken minutes to rectify. However, not only did Yukon Honda not have the part, neither it seemed did Bombardier Recreational Products (BRP), manufacturer of the Spyder, Ski-Doo etc etc. Not only did they not have a part available, BRP customer service were closed on a Monday, and the problem was now dropped back in our lap. There was not the FAINTEST offer of assistance from the service manager, who basically stood there while our world collapsed in a heap at our feet. I had expected a,"let me see if..............", or,"let me try...........". But no, nothing, he just stood there while Wendy and I tried to come to grips with the problem. Thank you for fuck all Mr Matthew Johnson of Yukon Honda! All I can hope is that someone, somewhere does you a similar courtesy when you are in a corner!

Obviously the situation wasn't going to be sorted for us by this dealer, so we had to do things ourselves. I went back to the parts guy, who not only confirmed the nil stock situation, but the lack of customer service on a Monday! A stroke of corporate brilliance on BRP's part, who's have thought to do that, closed on a Monday following a weekend where folks generally get out on their machines, which occasionally have problems! Masterstroke, I'd never have considered that move!!!!! Now the only life line was tossed our way by the parts guy, why don't WE try (not them you understand, but we the stranded BRP customer) our local dealer to see if they can help. It seemed an obvious solution, one you thought a caring sharing service manager would have considered to help out a customer???????? Bitter me - ohhh, I haven't started yet folk!

Armed with this thin lifeline, we headed back to the hotel. The very hotel we were due to vacate at 11am. I explained our plight to the lady at the front desk who couldn't have been more helpful, or sympathetic of she tried. She quickly booked us back into our existing room. Then later she added another day for good measure - just in case! All I can say with hind sight is that she had an 'inside track' to events which were unfolding. So a great big thank you for your compassion and help to the Best Western Goldrush Inn, Whitehorse. Back in the room, I called the dealer in Red Deer Alberta where Wendy bought the bike last year. Here's another big shout out for Turple Bros of Red Deer. When we explained our plight, they couldn't do enough for us.

Although they had nil stock of the pressure switch themselves, they took a brand new machine off the floor and robbed the switch. Now making this unit unsellable!!! The switch was then dispatched DHL to Yukon Honda. While we waited for confirmation that the switch had been sent, Wendy spoke again with the ever helpful Mr Johnson, and offered a solution. Would he consider robbing a switch from a unit in stock so we could get on our way. They would then have a replacement switch arrive from Turle Bros and their unit would be saleable once more. No, not at all was his response. They had been 'stung' in the past and would not disable a new unit on a promise. I spoke with Brenda at Turple Bros, explained the situation and asked if she could possibly apply a little 'leverage', even confirm shipment. She did so, but the ever helpful and resourceful Mr Johnson would not budge. He would do nothing until he had the part in his clammy selfish hands!

Well folks, it looks like a lot of hard effort has been 'dumped' down the electrical toilet! I spent ages documenting further events of the day, including a visit to a delightful Mexican restaurant where we had dinner. For some inexplicable reason, all of this work appears to have been dumped. I guess it must have been down to me, so what the 'feck'!!!!!! Suffice to say that in my original draft, I appologised to Wendy for me acting like a complete arse! The combined effects of the day had so pissed me off, I was behaving like a real jerk. Once again Pickle, I publicly appologise for behaving like a prat! Not your fault, or 'Sydders', just the combined efforts of the arse Johnson & Co to really wind me up! It took several glasses of local 'brew' to allow me too relax sufficiently to say so!! To all those of you considering a BRP Spyder as a vehicle of choice, I still think it is a great machine - I love riding it. However, I'm a little pissed off that BRP provide a part time customer service, for my full time pay to purchase one of their machines!!!!! If they are happy to take $20k+ for a bike, they should provide proper customer service. This is shabby & cheap, get real!!!!

I'm sureI have missed half the stuff I wrote originally but it looks like I've 'shit canned' it somewhere 'out there'. Now I'm too tired to worry & doubt there are many people reading my thoughts, so bugger it, I'm off to bed. I hope tomorrow I am be able to 'educate' BRP to the error of their ways, & get them too stick a hot poker up the pompous arse of Mr Matthew Johnson. So enlightening him to the ways of proper customer service. Failing that, I'll just have to stick my boot up his ignorant arse!!!! I'm sure the original text was better thought out than this rushed replacement, so be it - I'm off to bed! I hope tomorrow brings better news, and I can cheerfully report on our continued progress southward and home. Nite nite all, and to my fellow bikers, keep the black stuff down.

Day 11. Whitehorse

Today was going to be all about a little relaxation, and see some of Whitehorse - we succeeded on both counts! We woke this morning to a lovely sunny day. Not completely cloud free, but still very pleasant. First things first, breakfast. We got ready to go out and find a suitable 'eatery' close at hand. After a short wander, we ended up in Starbucks of all places. I suggested we try another Tims, but this was swiftly vetoed due to previous bad experiences. So Starbucks it was and with no savoury food available, it was coffee & cake again.......... At least it would fill a hole!

Before breakfast, we'd roughed out an itinerary for the day. This would include a ride out to some hot springs for a soak. Then head back into town for a wander and look at the SS Klondike, a beautiful restored paddle steamer on display as you arrive in Whitehorse. So on with some biking gear and off to the hot springs. The Takhini hot springs are about 28km north of town, so wouldn't take a long ride. All the better really as we were doing this one '2 up'. Due to 'Sydders' being laid up, we both climbed on to 'Gertie' and headed out of town. I could tell very quickly that Wendy was nervous at being on the pillion. She twitched about like a beginner, but it has been a long while since she has ridden behind me, and the 'Beemer' doesn't have the luxury of a back rest which offers some protection. Not wanting to frighten her, I was very careful on the throttle & brakes, making it to the hot springs without incident.

I could give you all chapter & verse about the history of the hot springs - I won't. instead, I'd draw you to another web link: www.takhinihotsprings.com . The OAT was about 17'c/63'F, with a bit of a breeze coming down off the mountains. Cool enough to make you get into the waters a bit 'sharpish'. The main rectangular pool was a very pleasant temperature, not overly hot. There were only two things in the water that were not too pleasant. Small but dead black flies by the score, creating something of a luke warm fly soup..... It wasn't a carpet or anything like that, but you were certainly aware of their presence if you sat still long enough. The other was far more offensive, and unlike the flies, was well & truly alive. An 8 or 9 year old girl, whose 'heffer' of a mother was constantly making the little brat squeal. I was for drowning both of the buggers, but Wend thought that a little excessive!!!

Instead, we decided to move into the hot waters in a 'D' shaped pool at the far end of the rectangular pool we were in. In an attempt to keep the temperature difference, there were two small sprung gates at the top corners of the rectangular pool, through which you gained access to the 'simmering pot'! I'm here to tell you, it wasn't just the bloody flies that were boiled on impact!!!!!! We slowly immersed ourselves in the hot water, and lay back to enjoy the relaxing sensation. Now I know what a lobster must feel like being dropped into the pot! We were actually starting to enjoy the pool when 'heffer' & brat made their way in to visit Grandma, who was reclining against the wall about 6' feet from where we were. Ohhh and the hot waters did make the adorable child squeal with delight. Wendy had to physically restrain me from drowning the pair of the buggers! Fortunately for all concerned, the 'gruesome twosome' decided to go get something to eat. We relaxed for a while longer, then decided to call a halt to our 'boil in the bag' experience!

Changed, and skin returning to a more normal colour, we threw on the bike gear. The hot springs are at the end of a side road, off the main Whitehorse, Dawson City road. On the way down the road to the hot springs, Wendy had spotted a coffee shop tucked in the trees. They advertised using organic coffee, so we thought we'd give them a try. Now even if you have a wild imagination, you would never come up with this location as a trendy coffee stop. I'll try to include a shot of the place as a 'picture of the day'. It was a delightful place and the coffee was wonderful. It really helped wash down the home made carrot cake...................., what????? Suitably refreshed, we got back on the bike and headed back to Whitehorse.

At the hotel, we dumped wet swimming 'togs' and bike gear. Changed again, we headed out to hunt for - luggage! We have bought so many 'bits & pieces', the luggage we brought with us has reached overflow! So we dropped by a chain camping, hiking, 'outdoory' sort of place ( I felt right at home - not!) to look for a suitable bag. Long short, we got a good sized bag, which is completely waterproof and will fit perfectly on the back of 'Gertie'. However, this will be ON TOP OF, the BMW waterproof bag I already strap to 'Gerties' luggage rack. So glad we came on a biking vacation where luggage is limited................ So, clutching new bag, off we headed to get some history.

History in Whitehorse doesn't come much more important than the SS Klondike. A beautifully restored paddle steamer, which was in cargo service until 1952, then a river cruise ship until she was finally retired in 1955. Take a look at this link: http://www.yukoninfo.com/whitehorse/info/ssklondike.htm . In the early 60's, she was restored and relocated to her current position on the approach into town. Parks Canada look after her, and run regular guided tours round the ship. We joined one such tour for a trip back in time. I love this sort of living history and thoroughly enjoyed every minute. Our guide Zoe was very knowledgeable and we were fortunate to have a fairly small group. We toured the ship from stem to stern, boiler room to engine room and gangway to bridge. Basically we saw the lot! Tour complete and lots more photo's taken, we headed back to the hotel.

Now we plan to have a relaxing evening reading and packing, not trying to think too much about tomorrow morning, and getting 'Sydders' on the road again. That's it then, we've reached the norther most tip of our little adventure. Tomorrow all being well, we start the run home, about 1000 miles in 4 days! In the end, that is what this vacation was about, to see some of this wonderful country from the vantage point of a bike. That's it for today then, more tomorrow - nite nite from Whitehorse.

Day 10. Skagway AK to Whitehorse YT

Skagway had been way better than we had expected, and we'd had a great time here. Now it was time to move on, head home to Canada and sample the Yukon Territories along the way. The day looked quite promising, though weather forecasts the day before had predicted some rain along the way. We also knew that climbing out of Skagway and over the pass, temps would certainly drop. So, as any boy scout would do, we got prepared! Our Gortex liners went back into the riding suits, Gortex gloves came out as did long sleeve tops. We'd done a bit of packing the night before, so we just had a little more to stuff into pannier bags after breakfast. We met Zahara and Norman at breakfast, they were staying a few more days in Skagway, so we said our farewells & promised to get in touch once we were all home back in Edmonton. Breakfast done, it was back to our lovely room one more time.

How we got everything into the pannier bags, the good Lord only knows. Carrying them out to the bike was like having a small person on my shoulders! I stuffed, crammed, forced the larger of the bags into the metal pannier and clicked the latch shut - phewww. If customs ever asked to look into that pannier, there would be problems. Bags loaded, we were almost ready for the off. Wendy was pretty sure 'Sydders' tyres were a little soft, and after checking we discovered they did indeed need a little air. Wendy headed down to the one & only gas station in Skagway while I finished loading 'Gertie'. I swear she groaned!!!!! Down at the gas station, we finished off with the air line, fired up both bikes again & headed out of town.

Skagway is only a very small place, so we soon found ourselves crossing the Skagway river on the edge of town, following 3 slow moving RV's/camper vans. The road immediately went into curves and turns following the contours of the valley, and quickly gaining altitude. That was fine for our bikes, not so good for the RV's who laboriously made their way up the side of the valley. We were in no hurry, so hung back waiting for a gap. The last RV kindly pulled over to let us past & we soon found a straight long enough to shoot past the other 2 RV's. We now wound our way steadily up the side of the valley, with a great view across to the rail tracks we had been up the day before on the train trip. It was quite sobering, looking over at the thin ribbons of steel which made up the track. It was hard to believe the train we had been on, managed to make it's way along such a precarious perch. As we pushed on, the temp was dropping, and by the time we hit the summit at about 3,500', we were at a 'cool' 9'C/48'F. Thank heaven for the liners! The photo at the top of todays blog, was taken just over the top of the summit. It even looks cool doesn't it?

We'd hardly stopped & Wend was pushing us along again, concerned that the convoy of 3 RV's would catch us. So, we climbed back on the bikes and were of again in a 'jiffy'. Now what does that mean folk? Has anyone witnessed a 'jiffy', and how quickly do these things move. Anyway, any contributions or ideas always accepted. On our way again, the terrain looked very very menacing. We were riding on what could best be described as a plateau, but the plateau it's self was smooth boulder like rock with short vegetation & shrubs. Not a very good description I'm afraid, but it didn't look like somewhere you'd want to be stuck overnight that is for sure. A few miles down the road - sorry, kilometres, we were back in Canada now - we approached the Canadian border post. Having had a pretty nasty experience the previous time we entered Canada on bikes, I wanted to prepare a little better this time. We pulled off the road about 200m from the small border post building, where we prepared our passport & permanent residents cards. We also removed gloves & undid helmets - all so we could have the bikes switched off PDQ, and helmets off.......... As it turned out, the female Officer was very pleasant, and we went through the formalities very painlessly. We were soon officially home into Canada and on our way to Whitehorse.

After about an hour on the road, we rode over a river & into a very small town. I had suggested that if we found a 'Timmies', we should stop for coffee! The town was way too small for Tims, but we decided to stop all the same for a leg stretch and coffee. All that was available was a small gas station/general store, so we popped in, got some 'proper' money from the ATM and had coffee & 'stickies'. After a short break, it was back in the saddle & heading for Whitehorse, and that's where we ran into a little bit of a problem with 'Sydders'! Wendy was hanging back behind me & called over the radio that she was having problems. I stopped, swung round & headed back to see what the problem was. A red 'oil can' light was illuminated, and 'Sydders' was not running smoothly. Wendy had only just had an oil change carried out before we left, so I couldn't see how it could be low oil. Neither had I seen a puddle under the bike. Anyway, to be safe, we checked the oil, of which there was plenty. We decided that as we were stuck in the middle of no where, and there was actually a Can Am dealer in Whitehorse, we should push on. The warning light remained on, and at about 4000rpm, Wendy said there was very bad vibration from the bike. We settled for a speed of about 85km, and headed into Whitehorse.

The pair of us were getting increasingly tense with the situation, but the GPS was indicating that we were getting close to Whitehorse so we pushed on. Some time ago Wendy got hold of a short program from a fellow 'Spydereer', which detailed all of the Spyder dealers in North America. I'd loaded this into my GPS. Wendy now remembered this & I reprogrammed the destination on the GPS. We rolled into the dealer at the far end of Whitehorse at about 3:25pm. The dealer closed at 3pm!!!!!!!! BUGGER!!!!!!!!!! I said there was nothing we could do, so we might as well get to the hotel, unpack & start to see what Whitehorse had to offer. We'd get back to the dealer first thing Monday morning, which was our scheduled departure day. After that, we'd be in the hands of the dealer.

Plans made, we back tracked and found the hotel, parked and locked the bikes, then checked in. After a quick unpack and shower, we headed out for a look at town. We found a great gallery with some beautiful artwork and carvings. Now we have yet another piece to get home.............. The girl in the gallery asked if we were going to ship, but as it is a rather heavy wooden piece, we said no, we'd take it! 'Ohh, you are in a car then', the girl said.'No', I corrected her, 'even better, we are on motorcycles.................'. We all had a good laugh, and now we are pondering the purchase of ANOTHER bag to be attached to 'Gertie'. I need a bloody pack mule not a bike! New prize in hand, we headed back to the hotel via a lovely 50's style diner. We'd seen a girl exiting clutching a gorgeous looking banana split, so had to investigate. See photo of the day!!

After that, we took a slow 'mooch' back to the hotel and decided to have an early dinner. Oh yes, and sample the local beer! Well, we're fed & watered and settling down in the room for the evening. Well, Wend has settled and I'm finishing chatting to you, then it's into my book. Today has been a strange one, more especially with the worry about 'Sydders'. I'm sure it will turn out to be a 'computer' problem which they will put right, and we will be on our way. In the mean while, we are heading to the hot springs and the brewery tomorrow - not necessarily in that order!!!!!! Nite nite all, talk to you tomorrow.

Day 9. Skagway

The rain had stopped earlier the previous day, but it was late into the afternoon before we could view some of the snow capped mountains round Skagway. We could see patches of blue sky, but a lot of cloud still hung about the valley. When I got up, I took a peek through the curtains and the weather was pretty much as we'd left it the previous evening. Warm enough, no rain, but still quite cloudy. So, first things first, get scrubbed & washed then see what was for breakfast. Together with the usual cold breakfast 'fare', our host had made fresh chocolate chip scones - wonderful. We sat and enjoyed our breakfast and the much needed first cup of coffee. We got chatting with another couple staying here, who had come all the way from - Edmonton! It turns out that they have been in Edmonton about as long as we have. I should add that the White House is a lovely old house, originally built in 1902 and restored by the current owners following a nasty fire in the early 1970's. We have a delightful ground floor room which is huge. Although very close to all amenities in town, it is none the less in a very quiet location - take a look at their web link: www.atthewhitehouse.com. Pretty perfect really.

After breakfast, we headed into town and down to the White Pass historical railway. This amazing piece of late 19th century engineering climbs out of Skagway nearly 3000', in about 22 miles, and was initially used during the Klondike Gold Rush days. It is a fascinating piece of living history, and Wendy had booked seats for us on the train leaving the down town depot at 8:15am. If you'd like to read more about this amazing feat of engineering, may I suggest you take a look at this link: www.wpyr.com The return trip takes about two & half hours and strangely enough, we came to a halt at the top of the pass inside Canada! No one is allowed to get off of the train, so there were no border formalities, but we passed the actual border marker which was clearly marked by the two National flags and a large stone. With the engines - three of them - now repositioned at the front of the train, we proceeded back down the mountain. After a fairly swift decent, we were once again back in the centre of town, and the old train depot. It had been a remarkable journey with many many photo opportunities - I'm so glad we did this one!

Back in town we did a little more shopping - window & other! Amongst the standard tourist 'crap' in town, there is still a lot of beautiful local art work to be seen. Over the last few years, it appears that the cruise ship corporations have 'muscled' in on the Skagway high street. Buying up several local business locations, and planting much needed 'Diamond' shops!!!! These 'planted' shops look totally out of place in the old Skagway and most have brought in their own staff. The 'prey' for these shops, are of course the thousands of passengers that pour into town from the cruise ships. However, you can still find fine quality carvings and local artwork without too much difficulty. Some of the shops actually carried signs stating that they were 'locals', so we pretty much restricted our shopping to these shops. Clutching yet more bags, we headed back to the 'White House' for a rest before dinner this evening. We also took the opportunity to fire up the bikes and take them to get refuelled.

It was nice to rest up in our lovely room, then get ourselves ready for dinner. Once again we'd decided on the Skagway Brewery - good food, good beer, why bother trying to find the right combination. We did a little repacking before getting ready to go out - save a little time in the morning. While we were getting some refreshment, we got talking to the Edmonton couple we had met at breakfast. Just before we headed out for dinner, we bumped into Norman & Zahara again and said we were having dinner at the Skagway Brewery. We'd been at our table only a short while before they arrived , also looking for dinner. Long short, we had a great evening in their company - good food, good beer, good company. The simple pleasures in life.

That is about it for Skagway. To be honest, I'm sad to be leaving this lovely town quite so soon. It has been a revelation staying here. So warm & friendly, like slipping on an old sweater. I wasn't quite sure what I had expected of this town, but it has turned out to be so so much more than what ever that was. This is one place I must come back to, and spend a little more time. It is a beautiful little town with a huge heart, and makes everyone welcome. Thank you Skagway, we'll be back. Now, it's time for bed, then in the morning repack, load the bikes & head off to Whitehorse. I wonder what awaits us there.

Bye for now folk, hope you are enjoying our adventure as much as we are.

Days 6, 7 & 8. Prince Rupert to Skagway

Well fan, I bet you guessed I had deserted you and given up the ghost - not that easy I'm afraid. We departed PR on the 22 June and have been at sea for a couple of days. Unlike our old friends at Princess Cruises (heads together & cheesy smile), the Alaska Marine Highway vessels do not carry internet. So, we have been rather like Apollo 13 on the dark side of the moon for the last couple of days.......... This afternoon we got into our B&B, connected to the internet and were able to make contact with 'Houston' once more!

I discussed with my dear wife how to best encapsulate the last couple of days. Given that I am likely to make this part of the trip into a veritable 'tomb', I sought her advice and some comments. Here is her suggestion: Left hotel at midday, pissing down with rain. Sat in pissing rain with the bikes for nearly six hours - got on boat. Next day, pissed down with rain - Wrangle Narrows was high point. Got up early this morning, pissing with rain and low cloud. Got to B&B, parked bikes, went to spend shed loads of money!!!!! Not sure I can better that, however I will try to 'flesh it out' a little.

We'd met a chap in the hotel the day before we left, who appeared very knowledgeable about the process at the ferry terminal. His advice was to take an early lunch, then head to the dock and get into line. Thus ensuring a place at the front - or bow as we call it - of the ship. We had a leisurely morning, bought a couple of books for the trip, but ignored the advice re lunch. We were still pretty blown from dinner the night before, so we skipped lunch. Earlier I had been out to 'Gertie' to see how she was fairing, and she duly fired up like a 'good un'. I was a happy camper! We checked out and loaded the bikes, and yes, it was as reported earlier, still pissing down with rain. We were at the terminal before the ticket office opened, so had to wait. After a while waiting in the rain, we were told to drive a few 100m to the ticket office, which was also the location for US Customs. At least were were back inside for a while! Then the Customs Officers were ready to begin processing.

I confess to being a little apprehensive of this part of the journey. Not because of any contraband, but my experiences with coming into the US were not all that good! I'll say no more. However, I really to have to say what a great pair of Officers were on duty that day. Courteous, pleasant, polite, even managing some 'banter'. In no time, we had the bikes and ourselves processed and back into another line. At this point I recognised one of the Officers as the guy in the hotel who advised us to get in line early. I resisted the burning temptation to thank him so 'feckin' much for his crap advice - seemed the smart thing to do. Ohh yes, it was still pissing down!

More vehicles joined us, and by late afternoon, there was quite a throng waiting to board. There were also several bikes, but they had been directed straight past the cars to the front of the lines - ahead of us!! Now we were pissed off & pissed on! Anyway, the crew eventually started boarding the vehicles which seemed to take an inordinate amount of time. One of the crew finally directed us onto the ship. Thank God, out of the bloody rain! We were directed to the Starboard (or right) side of the single car deck, and secured the bikes two abreast. All of us two wheelers had to use some sort of lashing. Wend just jumped on 'Sydders', applied the foot brake and was done. Even the crew looking after parking were impressed with 'Sydders'. One even knowledgeably called to his coworker, 'it's got reverse, great'! Parked and tied down, we unloaded the bags and made our way to the cabin deck.

Thankfully one of the deck crew directed us to the elevators. We both have 4 bags a piece, so getting up a few flights of narrow, steep shipboard stairs would have been purgatory it's self. We popped out of the elevator by the Pursers office & got out cabin keys. Now when I say cabin............... Bare in mind that the last time we ventured too sea, it was aboard a cruise ship, in a suite! We now had the keys to our broom closet, a closet with bunk beds at that! The cabin would be about 10' long by 7' wide - no room to get the cat in there with us, let alone swing it! We also had a narrow space to hang coats etc, and our own bathroom with shower. All very, VERY basic, but at least we had privacy. We decided to do as we usually did when boarding a ship - go and explore. This took 10 minutes.......... The MV Manuska is a lot smaller than we had become used to, but she was perfect for the job she was built for. I'm sure her first Master - a Mr Noah - had no problems getting the animals in two by..................... Exploration complete, we got some dinner and retuned to the sanctum of our cabin. We both read for a while, but it wasn't long before we were both sleeping - knackered!

The following day, there wasn't a huge amount to report. We headed to the canteen and had some breakfast, then pretty much spent the day in the observation lounge. There we either took in the scenery, or read our books. The ship called into a couple of small towns along the route, which incidentally took us through the inner passage. This pretty much ensured that we had a smooth time at sea. The ship carried a US Park Services guide, who every now and then, popped to the front of the lounge and told us a little about the town we were about to dock in, or other interesting facts - such as the Wrangle Narrows. We had called into the town of Wrangle where cars and or passengers got off/on, then we headed off again. North of Wrangle, the ferry passes along a 22 mile long channel, which in places is at best 1/2 mile wide. The weather was none too pleasant, and as my wife capably assessed, was pissing down! However, it was a very interesting stretch of the journey and I have many photo's. Some of which I'll download onto the Blogs slide show. At the far end of the Narrows, we docked at Petersburg and we decided to stretch our 'sea legs' and venture ashore. However, the hour long lay over was now cut to 30 mins and with the town being a good 30 mins hike away, we altered our plans! We got to the car park at the small terminal, where we discovered a delightful bakery! We felt obligated to assist with the local economy, so popped in, got a couple of cakes & headed back to the ship! Apart from dinner, that was pretty much day 2!

And so to day 3, our arrival at Skagway and the end of our little shipboard adventure, within an adventure. The ship called into Haines and then onto Skagway. It takes a little over an hour to make this part of the journey. While the ship is 'in port', passengers are allowed down to the car deck. This gave us a great opportunity to take some luggage down to the bikes before we arrived in Skagway, and to prepare the bikes. It also meant I had the chance to 'fire up' Gertie. Once again, first stab of the start button, she fired into life - I was getting my confidence back in the bike! After securing bags into the panniers, we headed back upstairs and some breakfast. Fully fed, we cleared the last bits of luggage from the 'stateroom', and went to the observation lounge for our first view of Skagway - well we had a ruddy long wait! Nothing to do with the distance we had to cover, the valley was pretty much full of low cloud - down to the water and of course the ever present rain.

When we got a decent view of the town, the first thing that came into sight, were 3 big cruise ships, two we certainly identified as being Princes Line. As we edged closer to the dock, I saw the name on the first, the Sapphire Princess. Wendy & I gave a combined sigh, remembering the month long cruise we enjoyed on the Sapphire's inaugural cruise from Los Angeles to Sydney Australia. The two vessels were worlds apart, but we were on this one for a totally different reason. We eventually docked in Skagway and it was a miserable bloody morning. The heavy clouds hung to the steeply wooded hills/mountains, coming almost down to house top level. It was impossible to see the mountains which surrounded the town. For me, the overall impression was of arriving in a Norwegian Fjord.

On the car deck, we readied the bikes, lashed on the remaining bags and I fred up 'Gertie' once again - she didn't miss a beat. There weren't that many vehicles for Skagway, so in no time we were beckoned forward to the door and ramp. I followed Wendy down the car deck, turned sharp right, exited the ship over a very slick ramp and onto the dock. Here I popped past Wendy & proceeded up the final ramp. As the tide was out - a loooong way out - this ramp was quite steep and slick with rain. There were two perforated sections on either side of the ramp, intended to aid traction for cars. I picked one of these & made way way behind two other bikes. At the top of the ramp, an RV (caravan) was making painfully slow progress as a dock worker peered underneath to ascertain the clearance over the end of the ramp. This caused the 4 bikes to come to a halt on the slippery surface. With the RV cleared, I followed the two bikes & popped over the end of the ramp. It took a while for Wendy to appear, I later found out why. When she tried to move off, 'Sydders' slid sideways down the ramp, until Wendy managed to get traction on the back wheel. She tried to tell me, but I'd not connected my radio because of the short journey............... Anyway, all's well that ends well - so I'm told - and we made our way the few blocks to the B&B, 'The White House' and our accommodation for the next couple of nights.

We arrived quite early, certainly before most 'establishments' allow you to check in. We pulled up outside the B&B, right by another BMW GS and a young guy from Mexico about to head south on the ferry we just arrived on. We swapped stories about our experiences to date, and he told us we'd probably be able to leave our bags inside until we could check in. Not only could we leave our luggage, but we were able to get changed. We registered for our stay, then headed out to look round town. The 'White House' is only two blocks over from the main shopping area, so we didn't have too far to walk. We spent the remainder of the morning & early afternoon, walking round Skagway and doing a little shopping............! We returned to the B&B about 3pm, got to our room to find all of our bags had been moved for us. After a little rest, we showered & changed & headed out for some dinner. Wendy had already discovered the 'Skagway Brewing Company' on-line, and having found it in town, decided to have something to eat there. We were not to be disappointed, the burgers were home made, full of flavour and enormous! These were washed down with some of Skagways own ale - wonderful stuff. So it was we got to bed, knackered & very, very full................

Day 5. Rest day in Prince Rupert

Our room is lovely, and the bed is so comfortable, we both had a great nights sleep. However, always in the back of my mind was the question of whether the bike would or wouldn't start. I'd gone over plans in my head that involved repositioning the bikes so they weren't outside the lower level rooms at the hotel - just incase we had to jump start 'Gertie'. Also, the car park has quite a useful slope for a good old fashioned 'bump start'...... Anyway, first things first, breakfast! The restaurant has a wonderful view out over the harbour and down to 'Cow Bay', so we had a lovely start to the day.

After breakfast, it was time to see how 'Gertie' was going to behave! It took way more throttle than it should do, but second stab at the start button & she burst into life. There was a sigh of relief from the pair of us. I still relocated the bikes, but there was less pressure now. I'd already said I wanted to give the bike a wash, and Wendy was planning to wander round 'Cow Bay'. I found out where a near by car wash was located, and off I went. It only took a few minutes to pre wash and blast the bugs & crap off the bike. A quick rinse & we were done. I couldn't find a cloth anywhere, so I used my jacket sleeve to dry the saddle. If I was going to have any trouble starting, it would be now after blasting the bike with high pressure water, but she fired up first push of the button. Helmet back on, I rode the half dozen blocks back to the hotel, parked up and wandered down the hill to Cow Bay to meet Wendy.

As I mentioned in yesterdays Blog, there are not that many places to shop in Cow Bay, but Wendy still managed to find one with a 'cute' handbag she couldn't resist - love her!!! We then made our way to a lovely little cafe, suitably called 'Cowpacino'! This was another establishment recommended by Ron & Lila. He told us the coffee was good, but they are better known for the cakes and scones.... Well once again, his advice was on the money. I had a Blueberry scone the size of a small plate, and Wendy had a 'wedge' of home made Carrot cake, mmmmmmm! Then we decided to have a wander round town. PR is built on the side of the hills, so none of the roads are flat. Good chance to walk off the 'snack', before tackling dinner tonight.

Prince Rupert is in a wonderful location, but the overall feeling we had, was that it is a 'sad' town, way past it's former glory days. The town centre is quite small and runs along 3 avenues. We walked past so may shops and businesses that were either closed or closing. Whole buildings were up for sale - very sad & a little depressing. However, the Crest where we are staying is buzzing, as is the casino next door - no surprise there then! This is a Monday & the bar was busy at lunch time, and the restaurant was pretty busy this evening. A lot of the customers appeared to be either locals, or like us, waiting for the next ferry. There is also a cruise terminal here, and the pier obviously takes good sized vessels - not while we've been here though. Other than that, I'm not sure what drives PR these days. After the walk we headed back to the hotel to make a little use of our suite. Wendy found things to read & I made a start on todays Blog.

This evening we 'pushed the boat out' just a little for my coming birthday, and did some 'damage' to the bank balance by treating ourselves to a wonderful meal in the restaurant. There was the usual 'grill' fare, steaks etc etc, but we get Alberta AAA beef all the time, so having it for dinner was no real 'biggie'. I'm afraid if you are in BC, there is only one thing to have - seafood! Bearing in mind my comment re what we should be eating tonight, Wendy had already scanned the menu and seen a wonderful meal for two - an 'Ocean taster for two'.......... It had BC halibut & salmon, gulf prawns, Alaskan crab legs, coastal sea scallops, chilled shrimp & smoked salmon. Oh yes, and we added a lobster tail for good measure! I can not begin to tell you how much flavour was in this fresh fish, truly amazing. I'm sure there were some vegetables, the menu said there were, I just saw this mountain of fish. To use an oft used phrase of mine, we really kicked the arse out of it, but my God, it was amazing! This is one birthday meal I won't forget in a long time.

That is nearly the end of our visit to BC for this trip. Tomorrow afternoon we board the ferry, and at 6:30pm, we head out for Skagway and Alaska. A quick glimpse of Alaska to be fair, then we head back into Canada. This part of the trip has been such an eye opener, I never guessed the interior of BC was so stunningly beautiful. With the exception of Terrace, there hasn't been anything about this glorious Province that I haven't loved, and wouldn't come back for. We have had an amazing 5 days, and we both agree that if we were told we had to head home now, we would do so as happy people having seen and experienced what has happened so far. The prospect of more travel to places we've never seen before, seeing more of this wonderful huge country on the back of a bike - I tell you, life just doesn't get much better than this!

So, time to finish this days blog and head to bed. I offer my own advice to each & every one of you, go out there, live life to the full and 'kick the arse out of it'. You just never know when 'Big G' is going to call in his marker, and think how you will feel on that day saying, 'I wish I had................'!! Love to you all & to all the bikes out there, keep the black stuff down.

Day 4. New Hazleton to Prince Rupert

The day started so well, clear blue skies, the smell of fresh coffee coming from the kitchen - time to get up and get started. I made my way out of our bedroom and into the living room/kitchen area. Ron was busy looking at old farming equipment on the internet/You Tube. He had acquired an old 'reaper/binder' which he was going to restore and was looking to see what colours it should be painted. Lila was busy in the kitchen putting together a huge breakfast - I asked when we were to expect the other twenty folks?? She laughed and began putting even more food out! The fresh coffee hit the spot, but what did it for me was the amazing apple crisp - ohh my word, mmmmm!! We sat and talked some more, then we thought we should do something about getting on the road. That is when I thought our holiday was going to fall about our ears.

I'd already power washed 'Sydders', now I was going to move 'Gertie' and try to blast off the accumulated layers of 'bug juice'. I tried several times to start the bike, but nothing. She would turn over, not even a hint of firing. I was wracking my brains as to what the trouble might be. The previous day, I thought it might have been the wrong gas. I popped in a bottle of octane enhancer, & filled with higher grade fuel. It now appeared that this action had not made a scrap of difference. I even tried the spare key. The 'Beemer' keys carry a security code that the starter circuit must recognise before it will allow the bike to be started. Well it wasn't that either - I was getting a little pissed now, & could see our much awaited for, & planned holiday going down the 'can', together with a big chunk of our cash. I was now getting worried about the charge level in the battery, so Ron kindly attached a booster box and blow me if the bike didn't start. It looks like it needed just a little more 'juice' to get her to fire. Long short, Ron very kindly loaned us a set of jumper cables to see us through the trip. From then on until we got to the hotel for the evening, she fired up every time. I'll let you know how I get on tomorrow. If I have more problems, you may find a BMW R1200GS Adventure sitting at the bottom of Price Rupert Sound!!

With the bike now running - rather, purring, we wasted no time getting changed, packed and away. Not before we took part in a photo call for Ron. Lila also gave us a couple of 'doggie bags' for the trip. A sneak peek showed two tubs of apple crisp, a bag of jerky and some home made bread! Wonderful. After the photo's, we got on the bikes, waved a goodbye to Ron & Lila, then headed down the long, dusty gravel track to the village. Ron had told us that the road to Terrace was very pretty, but from there to PR, it was even better. I'm here to tell you the man was spot on. The road to Terrace was along a river valley, and the river was running very fast with melt water and the result of recent rains. The road literally clung to the side of the hills, and a lot of the time we were very close to the river - an amazing site. As we closed on Terrace, Wendy told me she would be needing fuel pretty soon, so Terrace couldn't come soon enough.

Terrace is much bigger than Smithers, but no where near as pretty and we were quite happy to be heading out of town for PR. Just outside of town the river became very wide, and the hills grew to snow capped mountains. This was jaw dropping beauty and I was frequently hanging out of the saddle looking up mountains, behind me to the views appearing as we rode out of bends, looking at boaters on the river. In fact, every where but the bloody road. Just about every bend we rode, there was a photo opportunity, but knowing we were already behind schedule, I decided to press on. Then I saw one gorgeous view too many & had to stop. As luck would have it, we came across a rest area at the same time. I snapped 'Gertie' across the road into the car park, closely followed by Wendy & 'Sydders'. In no time helmets and jackets were off, and out came the camera. I managed to get a few good shots, which should encapsulate the overall feeling of that part of the ride, I'll get them posted as soon as I can. Just before we left the car park, I spotted a Bald Eagle sitting high in a tree behind the parking area. I stuck on the biggest zoom I have & took a couple of shots. What a beautiful creature - and bloody big!

We rode on into PR, and with the approach of the coast, came a dramatic drop in the air temp. Within a few miles we went from a warm 23'C, to a cool 17'C. We rode into town and quickly spotted the Crest Hotel. Four stories high, with a huge 'Crest Hotel' sign on the roof, it wasn't too difficult to miss........ We parked up outside of reception & headed inside. There we learned that there was no record of Wendy's booking. Now I know my wife & hotels. If she says she's booked it, I'm telling you, it's booked! Fortunately Wendy had printed off all confirmations for the whole trip, and we presented this one to the check in 'bod'. Long short, they screwed up, so we ended up with one of their best rooms - a single bedroom suit on the top floor overlooking the harbour. Not only that, but we are on a corner and have 90% unobstructed views!! I like it when they screw up like that.

Once more the bikes were stripped of all the bags, and they were 'lugged' up to the 4th floor. We soon made our selves at home and unpacked in record time. While I was looking round the place, I spotted a lovely basket on the breakfast counter, which was holding 5 Granny Smith apples. I'd not had a piece of fruit in a few days and these looked lovely & firm. I picked one out of the basket and proceeded to twist off the short stalk. It was a little difficult, but it gave way eventually. Then I went to take a healthy bite out of it and discovered - it was a bloody fake!!! I couldn't believe it. I have one sitting beside me, reminding me to 'tell all', and I tell you, it's a Granny Smith. Well obviously it's not, but bloody hell, it's a damn fine fake. Wendy thought it was hilarious & insisted that I enter this in the daily Blog. She is frequently the butt of my humour, so it's only fair I take the kick in the arse for this one...............

Once sorted in the room, we headed down to the restaurant for a coffee. After that, we followed one of Ron's recommendations for dinner - 'Dolly's Fish Market', down in old 'Cow Bay', which turned out to be a 5 min walk from the hotel. Dolly's is a tiny place and only has about 6 tables. Apparently they supply the hotel we are staying in with their fresh fish, so we guessed it must be good and fresh. The menu boasted fish & chips with home made 'fries' and fresh Halibut. Well when you are in the Halibut capital of the world, you have to order it don't you. We weren't disappointed, it was delicious. After eating, we wandered round the remainder of the shops in Cow Bay - that took about 10 mins!! Then we headed back to the hotel for a night cap. As we sat in the bar which overlooks the harbour, a Bald Eagle soared straight past the window at mid window height, no more that 20' from the building - amazing. However, according to a guy who was sat near us, they are so common and come so close to you, that they are frequently called the 'pigeon' of the NW! Some bloody pigeon!

Well it's now after midnight, and I have finally caught up with 2 days of events and photo's. Just need someone to read it all now & it will have been worth while.......... Tomorrow is a free day & we are going to take a look round town. I'm going to try & find a 'wand' car wash & finally clean 'Gertie'. However, if she doesn't bloody well start, the fish could well be eating the bugs off while it lays at the bottom of the ocean!! Good night everyone, have a great Monday - we will...............

Day 3. Vanderhoof BC, to New Hazelton BC

Believe it or not, this is our 'accommodation' for tonight - the Triple Creek Ranch at Hazleton. More of that later, lets start at the beginning of the day.

At this point I have to 'fess up', 'Gertie' is not herself & has been giving us some problems! I had issues with starting the bike before we left home, but the dealer couldn't find anything wrong. We tried starting her everyday until we left on the trip & all seemed well. Then this morning leaving Vanderhoof, she just wouldn't fire. Without this turning into a 'tech' session, it was actually Wendy who started the bike while I was out getting some oil & fuel additive!! Anyway, blah blah blah, loaded bikes and off we headed for Hazelton, about 360 Km away.

The first few miles out of Vanderhoof were 'pretty', but nothing special. We were in a wide rolling plateau, with hills out to the sides - all covered in trees. It turns out we were both thinking the same - very pretty, but this will be a long day if this is as good as it gets. Were we in for a shock! Less than an hour out of Vanderhoof we passed our first lake, Frazer Lake, then Burns Lake. Two beautiful lakes that had mirror like calm waters, surrounded by hills rather than mountains, all of which were thickly covered in trees. Well this is BC after all! After a stop in Burns Lake for gas & ice cream, we were off again, thinking we had seen the best. Ohh how wrong we were!

The plateau we were riding on was very pretty & the road had enough twists to make it interesting. Some time down the road, we crested a hill called 'Six Mile Hill'. From there our jaws dropped, and out mouths remained open until the got off the bikes in New Hazelton. As we crested the hill, the road dropped at a 6% gradient for the next six miles, running almost straight ahead of us. This gave us a wonderful view of the valley we were descending into. Once again quite wide with high hillsides, but now we had towering snow capped peaks on the horizon. Not all the way across, but odd ones sticking up right along the horizon. It really was breath taking. South of Houston BC, we rounded a corner and immediately went into a diving left hand decent into a small town. What made this approach spectacular, was the white water in the river which suddenly appeared in from of us. Down the hill we came, now swinging right handed into the town. What an approach that was.

We carried on, arriving in the small town of Houston BC. On this occasion, there was no call of, 'Houston, we have a problem'....... This Houston was a lovely small town, which boasted the largest 'fly rod in the World', and we have the photo to prove it! So far since we have been in Canada, I have seen the largest - Bee, Tomahawk, Perogy, Easter Egg, Beaver (must be a comment here as well - best not though, lol) and now Fly Fishing Rod. After a leg stretch, we were off again, heading for a break in Smithers. As we approached Smithers, some of the snow capped peaks we had seen from so far away, now stood over Smithers on the Western side of town. They looked like so many giants, peering down into the town. Smithers must have seen some prosperity over the last few years, which has resulted in obvious growth to the town. It looked really fresh and clean, and new. After the large breakfast that morning, I'd vowed I wouldn't eat again until dinner that evening. That was right up to the point where we parked outside 'Micky D' and I really fancied a strawberry milkshake & fries!!!! We both really liked the town and I have found yet another town I could easily move too. It also boasts a BRP/CanAm dealer, who apparently has been selling a lot of Spyders! So, with my full tummy & 'Sydders' with a full tank of gas, of we headed for the last leg of the day, and out second B&B.

Finding the B&B proved a little interesting, and we had a 'minor altercation' at a dusty little crossroad a little off the beaten track. I apparently said the GPS indicated a left turn, but promptly turned right! Wendy immediately came back at me - why was I turning blah blah blah..................... I've been leading & navigating the whole way and I get 'ear ache' because I was tired & , well you know how it goes. I shouted a stream of profanities into my boom mic, which was of course switched OFF! Well it made me feel a little better. After one wrong turn, we got ourselves onto 'six mile road' and on our way to the B&B - two blue hand painted signs told us so. Well the tarmac quickly gave out and we were on a wide gravel track - two vehicles could pass with a little care. This gave out to what was only a little wider that a 'goat track' following the edge of a heavily wooded canyon! Was it pretty - not a bloody clue, my eyes were fixed to the gravel ahead of me! Then all of a sudden, we rounded a dusty corner, popped over a cattle grid and there was the house. There was still a couple of hundred yards of gravel to go, but we were all but there. Well before the house, we came on a couple working at a wooden barn. They turned out to be Lila & Ron, our hosts for the night.

Once up at the house, we parked the bikes & unloaded all the bags. Ron then proceeded to carry our bags into the house and our room. We quickly got out of hot riding gear, showered & into something cooler & joined out hosts for pre dinner 'nibbles' and a refreshing beer! I wanted to wander round the front of the house and get some photo's, and Ron has a few pairs of 'Crocks' in the basement for guests to use. There were about six pairs of various colours, but the only pair that were remotely my size, were pink!! I thought, in for a penny, in for a pound! I frequently rip the crap out of other folks, now it was my turn - and I wasn't disappointed. Everyone thought it was hilarious, I had to join in, it was funny. The things you do on holiday huh?

Back inside, we sat down to chat & 'nibble'. We are all pretty used to veggie dips, but when those veggies have just come out of the garden - ohh my word!! I never realised broccoli tasted that good. There was also home smoked salmon, and home made organic beef jerky. Outstanding! For dinner we had organic BC AAA steak. I'm telling you folks, that was some of the most amazing beef I have tried anywhere. I'm salivating just recounting it. Ron & Lila are a wonderful couple, and it felt more like visiting friends than staying at a B&B. We sat for ages at the dinner table, 'gassing' and looking out of the huge picture windows onto the valley running away to the south west and the 'Seven Sisters' mountain range in the distance. What an amazing location. The perfect end to a great days riding.

Day 2. Mountain River Lodge to Vanderhoof BC

If day one had a bit of a false start weather wise, day 2 started in beautiful sunshine and clear blue skies. A perfect riding day. The lodge had been a great find, which we had thoroughly enjoyed. After some packing and checking emails, we went downstairs to join our fellow travellers for breakfast and what a treat it was. Poached eggs wrapped in bacon with a hollandaise sauce, sat atop an English muffin - delicious!! Fortunately Wendy could only manage the one, so what was a chap supposed to do?????????

We were changed, bikes loaded and on our way by 10:20. The first part of the days riding took us along the remainder of the narrow river valley. At the end of which we continued to follow the Yellowhead Highway toward McBride and what was to be the only available fuel between our night stop and Prince George almost 200Km away. No problem for the 'Beemer', but 'Sydders' with a smaller fuel tank was looking for a top up every couple of hours or so. Fuelled and watered, of we set for Vanderhoof.

The first few miles were pleasant enough, with the snow capped Rockies either side of a broad fertile valley. For the those who paid attention at school, a typical glaciated valley - wide flat bottom and steep sides. There has to be a joke there, but I will restrain myself for the sake of decency!! Then we got into the 'fun stuff'! For the next hour or so, I was in biker heaven. This is a beautiful twisting road with big sweeping bends, that diveded & climbed like a great roller coaster. Several times I looked down at the 'clock' and saw I'd got a little carried away. I'd got so 'into the zone', I'd forgotten all about such mundane things as 'speed limits' - this was fun & they didn't exist. Then I'd snap too & remember I had a riding partner. I'd look in the mirrors & for the most part, there was Wendy powering through the 'twisties' like a goodun. After all the calamities of previous rides & bikes, it was wonderful to watch her blasting 'Sydders' at speed through the 'twisties'. I knew there & then I didn't have to worry anymore about her keeping up!

Somewhere along the road, we came up behind a couple we had met at the Mountain River Lodge. A lovely couple from the UK, driving out to Prince George to see their daughter & son in-law. I hurtled past them half way up the hill, with Wendy not too far behind. They were soon left way behind in our mirrors. After about an hour we took a rest stop by the side of the road for some much needed water, and excitedly discuss the road so far. We were soon back on the bikes heading for Prince George and a break for lunch. Along the way I was taken by the grandeur of the magnificent old trees along the road. I say along the road, they went on as far as the eye could see. Some clinging to rock outcrops, but carpeting the foothills of the Rockies which were now disappearing behind us.

Along the road there are numerous signs warning drivers about Moose in the area. Having hit one whilst driving a bus & seeing the damage, I had no intention of repeating the experience on a motorbike - that would be bloody painful & expensive! So, I was being pretty vigilant, especially as the 'bush' was only about 20' from the road. As we headed down one stretch of road, I saw a dark 'shape', amble into the road. We were closing a bit too quickly for my liking, so I slowed down. As we got closer, the 'shape' stopped in the middle of the road to look at us, looking at him/her! Turns out our 'shape' was a young black bear. Judging by the size, I'd guess in his/her first season away from his 'Mum'. As we got a little closer, he/she decided enough of curiosity & ran down the bank, into the tall grass & bushes by the road & was gone. It all happened quite quickly, but what a beautiful sight.

The remainder of the trip was pretty uneventful. We arrived in Prince George and before we knew it, were out the other side! Lunch was taken at a gas station - standing by the bikes............. Then we were off on the last leg to Vanderhoof and a night at the North Country Inn. The rooms are pretty basic, but clean & airy. Additionally we are able to park the bikes right outside the room, which is great for loading/unloading & security. A long car park separates us from the restaurant, which boasts to be a 'German' eating establishment. I was really looking forward to some good German fare, but the choice was limited to a special - Bratties, or Schnitzel! However, you could have steak or burgers a plenty!!!! Another cop out, shame. However, they do have Warsteiner on tap, so it wasn't all bad!

Well that is a pretty perfect day come to a close. Fantastic weather, a wonderful stretch of road with little or no traffic and a couple of pints of Warsteiner to wash dinner down - what more could a man ask for? Perhaps more of the same tomorrow???? We will be heading off to a place called New Hazelton BC and another B&B. This one sat on 180 acres of land! That's it then folks, hope someone eventually gets to read my scribblings, more again tomorrow night - nite nite.

Day 1. Stony to Mountain River Lodge BC.

Well, after all the weeks of planning and then the 'week from hell' this week, we finally climbed into our bike gear and headed out of 'Dodge' at about 11:20am! First, we had to get the girls to the kennels - that went remarkably easy. I'd expected all sorts of commotion from one or both, but they were good as gold. This is the first time we've tried this kennel, but on first inspection it looks great. They have a large indoor/out door pen,. and can let themselves in & out through a flap. They looked quite settled before we had even left, and that makes us feel heaps better. The kennel also has a web cam in the run, so we can check up on the girls while we are away.

When we got away from home, it was a bit 'cool' - actually about 12'C cool! Fortunately Wend had bough us both windproof jackets to be worn under our existing bike gear, which turned out to be a star buy. I swear Ewan & Charlie had less on their bikes when they made the 'Long Way Round', and 'The Long Way Down'. Ours was the 'Short Way Across', but we still managed to load down both bikes. With two metal panniers and a large roll bag on the back saddle, it made things 'interesting' for me to get on the bike. The usual swinging the leg over the saddle was just not going to do it. So I put the bike on the main stand and rocked it - well it had worked before hadn't it. Not this time, I looked like a kid on one of those ruddy spring rides in the play ground. You know the sort, they often look like a small animal, mounted on a bloody great spring, kiddy rocks furiously back & forth! That was me!!!! Try as hard as I could, I just couldn't get it off the main stand - obviously to the great delight of Wendy who just neatly stepped onto 'Sydders'. Eventually I moved it, and away we finally went, making a mental note that I had to try a different method next time we stopped.

We managed to do a swift photo shoot before we left home, so we will have a 'before' and 'after' shot. Once I work out how to load it into the Blog, I'll get the 'before' shot on the main page. After the photo call, we headed into Stony for fuel & raid the bank - well the ATM at any rate. At the gas station I tried the 'new method' of dismounting, which was a lot more amusing for Wendy when I came to get back on the bike. If you remember the Monty Python ministry of silly walks sketch, my mounting technique was similar to the John Clees walk! Basically try to throw my right leg horizontal, enough to clear the saddle and over the other side. Sounds easy if you are a fit younger man. However, I am neither of those, and I have a 'tin' right hip, which does not allow for that range of movement. Net result on the first few attempts, I was kicking the crap out of my new, quite expensive saddle! Again, much to the amusement of W, who accused me of not being able to get my leg over!!!!!! Time to move on I think.

With the risk of this first day becoming a 'War and Peace all on it's own, I will try and condense the remainder of the day. Heading west along the Yellowhead Highway, our first rest stop was in Edson. Here we pulled into 'Tims' for lunch. For non Canadians, I will just say that Tim Hortons is as quintessentially Canadian as the maple leaf. Here Wendy declared that she didn't like the food at Tims! If the boys at Greyhound hear that, I will be drummed out of the garage, buttons ceremonially ripped from my tunic and my drivers license torn into a hundred small pieces........... We'll avoid Tims in future - don't want to risk that happening! Lunch eaten, Sydders refuelled, on we went.

The remainder of the trip was pretty uneventful, and it was getting steadily warmer. By the time we arrived in Jasper, temps were in the mid 20's C. Our first overnight stop was exactly one hour from Jasper along a stunning piece of highway - very motorcycle friendly! We rode down the side of 'Moose Lake' whose waters were mirror calm, reflecting the heavily wooded and snow capped mountains. Simply beautiful - not much else to add to that really. The GPS took us to the door of our overnight lodging, the beautiful Mountain River Lodge. We dragged our bags to the room, showered and got ready for dinner - home cooked fresh Salmon! At dinner we met other guests, four of whom were Brits on holiday. It felt like home from home - were in in BC, or Esher Surrey?? The other two guests were from Germany and when dinner conversation turned to the world cup..................... Well, it was difficult not to mention 1966!

Ok folks, that's it, hope this wasn't too laborious, tomorrow is a new day and more form our 'Letters from Canada'.

'We're on the road again'............. (Name that tune??)

Well, this blog has been very quiet for a long time, but with our 'road trip' commencing today, it seemed like a good idea to get tapping on the keys again & fill your lives with a little joy, lol!

I've been on & off bikes all my life and love the freedom of being on two wheels. With a bloody great engine attached I might add. Fortunately for me, Wendy shares my love of bikes and between us have three machines. I have a Triumph Rocket III (Rozza the beast), and a BMW R1200GS Adventure (Gertie). Wendy has tried several mounts in her short riding time as a 'pilot', and after dumping a few two wheeled versions on the tarmac, finally got herself a BRP CanAm Spyder (Sydders). Who I am pleased to report, has stayed on his three wheels all the time, not dumping Wendy on the deck once!

At the beginning of the year, it was Wendy who with the new found confidence brought on by her beloved 'Sydders', suggested a road trip on the bikes this summer. Living in Canada we have some of the most spectacular scenery to be found anywhere on the plarnet - ok call me biase - and perfect for a road trip. Living in Alberta, the choices are immense, but we decided to head West, initially into British Columbia. From there the plan is to take a ferry to Skagway and have a sneak peek at Alaska. I'm sure we will be back again to take a better look in the future. From Skagway our route takes us to Whitehorse in the Yukon. Then we start the Southward journey along the Alaska Highway.

My intention is to jot down a daily diary as we go along. Those of you who have been recipients of the 'Doll n Babe' at sea emails, will pretty much know what to expect in terms of writing style. I hope who ever drops by to share our adventure, enjoys my scribbling. I tend to write as I speak, and throw in a little exaggeration for entertainments sake. In the past folks have enjoyed this mixture & I have even been asked by family members if I am going to send out travel stories.

So, there you go, a little background to this series of 'Letters from Canada'. I hope you enjoy what you read, please feel free to leave comments. I will of course bask in the glow of the nice ones, & just bloody well ignore the bad ones, lol! Now it's time to kick 'er indoors' out of bed - I'm up so every buggers up as my dear ole Dad would say. First things first is to get the 'hounds' into kennels. Brenny is already giving us the guilt thing! She started sulking last night after seeing us take out bags to the bikes. She has been around long enough to know this means 'Mum & Dad' are about to bugger off & leave her! Not a happy puppy. Luce is still too stupid to realise anything at all.........., ok ok, not stupid, young then!!

After taking the 'girls' to their holiday home, we'll get the bikes ready, and head out about midday. Today we are heading into the Jasper National Park, staying tonight at the Mountain River Lodge. Take a look at the link: thehttp://www.mtrobson.com/. That's it for now then, I'll jot down some thoughts from the day after dinner tonight.

To all fellow bikes out there, ride safe & keep the black stuff down.............