Day 2. Field BC to Kelowna BC

top 

Hello again fan, the end of what seemed like a long day in the saddle.  We are fed and watered, now settling down to a little relaxation time.  So time for me to commit the days thoughts to the Blog for your entertainment and hopefully, your enjoyment.

The picture on todays post, shows the place we stayed for the night, very 'rustic' looking and quite charming.  From our room, we stepped out to a covered porch and immediate left into the bar, restaurant.  As you can see from the photo I have attached, the bikes were conveniently parked right outside the room door.

When we woke, we took a quick look outside and were a little disappointed in what we saw.  The valley was shrouded in very low clouds, which obscured the snow capped mountains either side of the valley.  Although it looked lovely, it didn't bode well for the day in the saddle.  Mind you, if you worry about getting wet, riding a motorcycle is not perhaps for you!  The sleepy little town had been very active during the night - well so I am told!  We had seen two or three Canadian pacific freight trains pass through Field during the evening.  I didn't hear anything after hitting the pillow, not so Wendy it would seem.  It appeared that several trains passed through during the night and as the tracks were only a couple of hundred yards from the hotel, Wendy heard most of them.  I slept the sleep of the just, and never heard a thing.  When we checked the weather from the room window, we could also see the rail tracks and there were at least six mighty long freight trains, waiting to start their climb over 'Kicking Horse Pass' and on into Alberta.

Still full from the blow out dinner the night before, we elected to pass on breakfast and get ready for the road.  The low clouds had brought a steady drizzle and the temperature was down at about 10'C.  We were carrying several clothing options for the journey and knowing BC's reputation for rain, we ensured we covered that angle as best we could.  Both of our riding suits are constructed with Gortex, so we were pretty confident that we could keep dry.  Now it was a matter of making sure we also stayed warm.  The bikes loaded, bike to bike radio's reinstalled, luggage secured, we were nearly ready for the off.  While we finished dressing and getting helmets on, we fired up the bikes and I set up the GPS for the trip to Kelowna.

Finally fully 'booted and spurred', we got on the bikes and headed out of Field.  We made our way through the small village, turned to cross the railway tracks, now finally empty of all the freight trains and up to the Trans Canada Highway.  A quick check up and down the highway, wind on the throttle, slip out the clutch and we were off down the road again.  Ahead of us, the 'Kicking Horse' valley opened up with the wide flat bottom of a typical galciated valley.  The river had a beauty all of it's own.  Typical of the shallow mountain rivers, it was quite wide, maybe a hundred feet or so.  The whole river bed, is made up of cobbles, some the size of bowling balls, mostly the size of a Grapefruit.  I guess these would have been left at the bottom of Galciers long since gone.  The river was running quite fast being fed by the melting snows and meltwater from the Glaciers.  The water was the colour of a creamy aquamarine, small 'white horses' bobbed along as the river sped it's way down hill.   The various twists and turns of the river, frequently brought it very close to the edge of the road, before diving off into the scrub once again.  It was very difficult navigating down the twisty mountain road, while trying to watch the beautiful sight of the river out to my right.

We rode along some glorious pieces of road, biker heaven!  The road twisting this way and that, sweeping diving bends but generous enough to allow us to keep a good speed going.  The road headed steadily skyward, then just as suddenly, round a corner and we were plunging down again.  This was what the trip was all about for me, riding in the wonderful Canadian Rockies.  Breathtaking scenery and roads that just put a huge smile on your face.  Yes we ran into some heavy traffic and yes there were road works, but when we did break free we were having a ball.  I was flicking 'Gertie' left and right through bend after bend and behind me, Wendy was putting 'Sydders' through his paces, and not too far behind me at that.

The weather never really improved all day.  Although we never faced any heavy down pours, there was fairly consistent rain showers.  The clouds clung to the valley sides making it feel very damp, without actually raining.  Although the low cloud created quite an atmosphere of it's own, it did shield the beauty of the Rockies from us.  When we did get the occasional breaks in the cloud, we caught tantalizing glimpses of the majestic snow capped mountains on either side of us.  At the end of the 'Kicking Horse' valley, we came to a junction of three valleys.  The road we were following careered round to the right and we entered a valley so narrow, I wondered where the road could possibly go.  The valley was so steep, the road had been built with several avalanche 'sheds' to protect the road.  The first came as bit of a surprise.  We were flicking in and out of corners, then round the next corner we were faced with the gaping mouth of a small tunnel.  It lay there like some huge animal, consuming all the traffic that entered it's gaping mouth.  We shot into the first one and I was immediately aware of the lights on 'Sydders' getting very close indeed, then backing off quite quickly.  From daylight we had been plunged into darkness, which took a little while to recover from.  These 'sheds' were only a hundred yards or so long, although some were doubled up.

The Spyder has a considerably smaller fuel tank than the 'Beemer' and Wendy was starting to get a little anxious about what she had left in the tank.  The road sign we had passed a little while before, read about 150km to Revelstoke, the next stop for gas.  It took a lot of the fun out of this leg of the journey, as Wendy was constantly looking at how much fuel she had and would she actually make it to Revelstoke.  It turns out that we had both formed an identical emergency plan in case Sydders ran dry, which involved me riding ahead, getting fuel and bringing some back.  In the end, Wendy 'breezed' into town with ample fuel.  I had refuelled Sydders the last time, and probably managed to put more in the tank that Wendy usually did.  Refuelled and suitably relieved, we sought out a local 'Tims' for a spot of lunch.  Tim Hortons has something of a cult following for Canadian coffee drinkers.  Although I don't rate the coffee, it is possible to get coffee, sub and doughnut for two, for less than $8!!  Bargain!  With the bike refuelled and the inner man/woman filled, we set of on the last leg to Kelowna.

The steep sided valleys in the mountains were behind us now and we were riding along wider flat bottomed valleys of the 'Lake Country'.  The mountains were still out to the left and right of us, but no were near as dramatic looking, or as high.  The lack of snow and profusion of trees growing on top of the rock was testament to that.  At Sicamouse, we turned South, leaving the Trans Canada Highway, as it made it's way to Kamloops and eventually Vancouver.  Sicamouse sits at the head of Mara Lake and the road we now followed, ran closely down the side of the lake.  Again, it was difficult concentrating on the road, with the beauty of the lake so close to my right.  Unless I wanted to join the boaters, I thought it best to concentrate fully on the road ahead.  Especially as it was a lovely biker road, easy flowing bends flicking one way, then the other. The surface of the lake was mirror calm, and this provided me with a lovely photo when we stopped for a short break and photo opportunity.

After the lake, we passed through Vernon and onto the last fifty or so km to Kelowna.  By the time we reached the edge of the city, we were both pretty well spent.  Although we were now in Kelowna, the GPS was still indicating another 17km to the hotel where we would stay the night.  It felt like we would never arrive, then all of a sudden, there was the hotel, about 200 hundred yards back from the highway.  We rode into parking places right outside the front entrance and went inside to book in.  After getting into our room, we showered and changed and headed out for an early dinner.  The hotel sits in an area of shops, in amongst which is a very nice Thai restaurant - just the job!

So, fed and watered, that is our day done.  I just need to take a quick peek at what I have written, get Wendy's approval, then I will 'publish' for my fan.  For anyone who reads my daily 'scribble', please leave a comment.  It's nice to know someone is out there following us.  That's it then, nite nite fan, please come back again tomorrow for more of my 'Letters from Canada'.