Day 4 – White Bird Summit Lodge ID to Double Tree Hotel Boise ID

One more days riding we should be in Boise by mid afternoon and finally get out of riding gear for a little while, but for now, there was breakfast.  The switch to Pacific Time the day before had left us a little confused as to what was the actual time when we woke.  The clock said 7:30am, Wendy’s cell phone and the computer clock both read 8:30am.  Not a huge concern in it’s self, except that breakfast was booked for 8am!  I dragged on shorts and T shirt and went up to the kitchen/dining area and met our hostess Terrie preparing the meal.  It turns out she has exactly the same problems with cell phones as we were so close to the time zone change back to mountain time.  The important thing folk, was that we were not late for breakfast!

Wendy & I finished some packing and dragged on shorts and tops and headed up to breakfast, carrying some luggage.  Terri had laid out a wonderful breakfast for us of fresh fruit, yogurt, breads, bagels, fresh orange juice and coffee.  In addition, she had also baked a mixture of shredded potato, eggs, bell pepper topped with cheese!  Seriously tasty!  We sat and enjoyed breakfast, during which time, Wendy once again chatted with Terri about the charity-raising element of CCR.  Each year, CCR raises money during the reunion, to be donated to a local charity, which is generally a children’s charity.  Generally there are between 200 to 300 of us at CCR and raise something in the order of $25,000!  This year the recipient was to be the Ride for Joy charity, whose aim is to help severely disabled children by putting them on horse back.  My readers in the UK would recognise a similar charity there called Riding for the Disabled.  Our hostess Terri is a Mum & Grandma and she loved the sound of the charity.  So much so, that she donated a weekend for two at her lodge and offered to donate in perpetuity!  She provided us with a letter to hand to our Board of Directors, together with several brochures and a lovely pottery coffee mug with an image of the lodge emblazoned on the side.  We were both thrilled with Terri’s very generous donation.

Breakfast over, we headed back down to the room to finish packing, climb into riding gear, and head out to the bikes to commence loading.  A thunder storm the night before had cleared the air and the view over the canyon was spectacular.  Bikes loaded and back into full riding gear, we bade our farewells to Terri, each getting a friendly hug to send us on our way.  I led the way out on the short but steep crushed rock covered driveway, down onto the road.  There we turned right and with a final glance to our right, headed down the road to rejoin the I95 south to Boisie.  Before getting to the Highway, I made a short stop for photos out over the canyon.  The day before heat haze had obscured most of the view but today it was well worth a ‘photo opportunity’.  A few quick photos and we were on our way again, soon joining the I95 south bound.

The temperature was significantly cooler than the day before, which made the riding that much more enjoyable.  On joining the highway, we were straight into a long downhill decent.  There were lots of twists and turns, but ever downward all the same.  When we did eventually level off, we were back into a fabulous river valley, with the road following the twists and turns of the Salmon River.  Apparently, the State of Idaho has more rivers than any other State and has something in excess of 3000 miles of rivers.  So once again we found ourselves riding through a beautiful landscape of steep river valley and a narrow fast flowing mountain river to our right side.  Every now and then, the river would turn a foamy white as the fast flowing waters cascaded over and around boulders hidden just under the surface.  Our first and only stop for fuel was in the little town of Riggins, where we also left the Salmon River.

Just out of Riggins, the steep walls of the river valley, gave way to wide fertile rangeland.  There were hills out to the left and right, but this was now wide flat farmland.  We headed on south to a major road junction at New Meadows, where I had a real ‘brain fart’ moment!  Faced with a left or right decision and the road we wanted to the left, I ended up sitting squarely in the middle of the junction!!  Like I said, ‘brain fart’!  Wendy pulled up along side on my left looking a little perplexed; after all, I was the one with GPS!  I quickly saw my error and turned Gertie sharp left, over the junction and headed of toward the town of McCall.  Almost immediately we found ourselves amongst the ‘twisties and great fun it was at that.  Although the posted speed limits were quite slow – in some cases 45mph – for some of the bends we encountered that was quite fast enough.

We rode into McCall we agreed that we should have a rest break, get something to drink and get my butt out of the saddle!  The BMW GS is a wonderful bike to ride and I invested in an after market saddle for the additional comfort and support.  However, now into our fourth day in the saddle, I’ll admit it, my butt was sore!  The town of McCall sits on the edge of another large lake and has become something of a weekend retreat for the well healed of Boise.  We rode along the main street into McCall, with beautiful houses to our left, sitting right on the waters edge.  At what looked like the end of town, the road turned sharp right and within yards we spotted a café sitting on the left side of the road with parking slots on the right side of the road – time to stop!

The café had several tables and chairs sitting outside and on a day like today, that was perfect.  The building and adjacent trees offered some shade, so we elected to stay outside.  My other reason was to keep an eye on the bikes parked the other side of the street.  We looked at the menu and Wendy spotted fresh fruit milkshakes.  We settled on two black raspberry shakes and some onion rings to share.  The milkshakes were amazing!  A straw would have been superfluous with these drinks.  You would have required an industrial pump to raise this thick creamy shake.  Sucking on a straw would only have resulted in our cheeks caving in, so the long spoon was perfect.  This was one of the most amazing milkshakes I have ever tried, a meal in a cup!  Suitably refreshed, we dragged our jackets back on and headed for the bikes.  Just a little over 100 miles to ride now.

Out of McCall and out onto the highway again, we were riding through more open range in rolling country.  Farms and herds of Black Angus cattle dotted the landscape.  I thought we were done with the deeply ravined valleys and rushing rivers.  Then once we had ridden through the town of Cascade, we were back into the ‘twisties’ again.  This time it was the Little Salmon River rushing downhill to our right.  In Cascade I had seen a couple of companies offering river rafting of kayaking and I soon found out why.  Long stretches of white water appeared in the river, followed by areas of calm flowing water.  Then the water would be squeezed through a narrow channel and over hidden boulders and the crazy rushing water was of again.  By now, we had ridden by such a lot of this sort of ‘riverscape’, you would have thought we would get bored of it.  Every bend, every rock created a new picture, so it never ever got boring.

About 30 miles from Boise and still following the wild Little Salmon River, I had to take another break for a leg stretch.  We had just emerged from a fun series of bends and I spotted a pull out on the right side of the road, on the edge of a steep river bank.  We pulled over safely to the edge, in order to keep out of the way of passing traffic and eased ourselves off the bikes.  We had been stood for a little while, taken a few more photo’s, when Wendy noticed something floating down stream.  Although there were no rapids in sight, there were some further upstream.  At first we thought it was an empty life jacket or something similar.  As it got closer, I saw it was an elderly (white haired at least) man wearing a life jacket and clutching a Kayak paddle in his left hand.  As he drew closer, we saw he was edging toward the far riverbank.  After a little struggle, he successfully made the bank.

As we watched his progress, I looked up stream, wondering if there shouldn’t be a canoe of some sort following him.  Sure enough, about 200m upstream there was a red inflatable Kayak floating downstream with no paddler on board.  As it got closer, a saw a second man, hanging onto the side of the Kayak with his right hand and clutching his paddle with his left.  As he drew closer to the first guy who came down, he shoved the Kayak at his colleague so it could be rescued.  Now the second guy struggled to make the bank.  A few seconds later however, he too made the safety of the bank.  As they lay back catching their breath, one of them looked up and over to where we were stood and waved.  I took that to mean he was saying, ‘we are ok’……….., I waved back to acknowledge them and we watched as they got back into the Kayak and proceeded down stream, straight into another area of white water.  Fortunately their technique held up and they shot the rapids and headed downstream and out of sight.  Drama over, we got back on the bikes and continued to Boise.

It is never fun arriving in a strange town, especially during the afternoon peak traffic flow.  As I generally do, I had checked our destination on Google Maps and had a good luck at what to expect as we approached the hotel.  It all appeared as expected on Google Maps.  With a combination of GPS and pictures on Google Maps, we made the hotel with no drama.  We were both hot and tired, and glad to finally be at our destination.  We soon checked in and rode the bikes round the side of the hotel to park near a convenient entrance for our room.  As we were staying for a few days, Wendy had booked us into a junior suite, which is very roomy.  There is plenty of room to stretch out over the next few days.  We soon unpacked, showered and went to explore.

Having orientated ourselves, found out where the various meeting rooms were and where registration would take place on Tuesday morning, we headed for refreshments!  Neither of us wanted a full meal, so we elected for a snack on the bar and a couple of drinks to help unwind.  Just before our food was brought to us, we were joined by another couple.  Jim and Mary had ridden in from Seattle, Washington and this evening they were going out to eat with Mary’s sister who lives in Boise.  Until they headed out, we sat and chatted – a really lovely couple.  We remained in the bar a little while longer, before heading back to the sanctuary of the room.  It was bed for Wendy and me to the keyboard trying to catch up on my Blog.  And I’m still a day behind!  That’s me done folk, 11:30pm and another day at the CCR to come, so I am heading for my bed.  Nite nite one and all and for those brothers and sisters on two wheels, keep the black stuff down!

Day 3 – Bonners Ferry ID to White Bird Summit Lodge ID

We woke fairly early in the morning, our body ‘time clocks’ still not quite used to the additional hour we had gained by moving into another time zone.  I looked out through the curtains onto the river and the whole landscape was bathed in a morning heat haze – oh good!!  With clear blue skies, that did not bode well.  We decided rather than hunt round town for a diner, we would have breakfast in the room – very nice too.  We had already packed before breakfast had arrived.  Once we had finished our meal, we climbed into riding gear and made our way down to the hotel lobby.  While Wendy checked out, I got the bags out to the bikes and started loading ‘Gertie’ for the days ride.

First stop was just a couple of miles from the hotel to top both bikes up with fuel.  The owners manuals for both machines, states a minimum RON rating for the fuel of 95.  However, as Canada and the US don’t use this octane rating at the gas pumps, we had to carry out some Internet research before we set off from the hotel.  It turns out that we both require a Super Regular rated at 91.  Happy now that we had got the right fuel, both bikes were topped up and off we set.  We were on our way by about 9:30am, the roads were quiet for the time being, but it was already 23.5’C and rising!

The first town of any note that we encountered was Sandpoint.  Major road works were being carried out on the town bypass and the diversion took us on a complete tour of the little town.  When we were eventually ‘spat’ out back onto the highway, we were at the start of a long causeway bridge crossing the lake that the town nestled against.  The bridge afforded a great view out over the lake.  All sides of which were tree covered right down to the waters edge.  We looked out in envy at the people enjoying a lovely day out on the cooling waters.  It was now in the high 20’s and still rising!  Clear of the road works on the bridge, the road cleared a little allowing us to make up a little time.

We had been riding for a couple of hours or so, when we came up upon a small town with a First Nations trading post, aptly named ‘Warpath’.  Neither of us needed fuel, but we certainly needed water, the bathroom and a chance to stretch our legs.  Several Harley riders came into Warpath while we were there.  Not one wore much in the name of protective riding gear.  The State of Idaho does not legislate the use of helmets, and none of the riders wore one.  I thought how wonderful and free that must feel and today, how much cooler it must be.  Then I imagined hitting some loose gravel or any form of accident, and how stupidly vulnerable these riders were.  One small tumble and a head striking asphalt – doesn’t bear thinking about.  That thought brought me back to my senses and I happily pulled on my armoured jacket and my helmet.

On our way south, the countryside had been gradually changing around us.  Yesterday afternoon we had seen the last of the Rocky Mountains.  We had started the day amongst snow capped, glacier encrusted craggy peaks.  As we rode closer to the border, the snow line was completely gone and the peaks less craggy.  Neither were they so close.  Now they were five to ten miles out to left or right, slowly receding away.  Like a travelling companion who can only go so far with you, then must head for home, so the Rockies were heading home and leaving us.

The mountains were replaced by tree-covered hills.  Although the highway still snaked it’s way between the hills, the road was nowhere near as dramatic or as technical to ride.  Still fun, but mountain ‘twisties’ are in a league of their own as far as the ‘fun factor’ goes for a biker.  This hilly scenery continued past Bonners Ferry until about Sandpoint.  The end of the big lakes in the area, also marked the end of the hilly, tree covered countryside and the start of a rolling prairie landscape.  A vast area of gently rolling hills, like a great golden ocean swell.  I was thinking the crops must be ready for harvesting, when I saw the first of several harvesters busy in the fields.  We rode in through the swaying sea of gold, toward Lewiston.

We had been riding at a ‘fair pace’ approaching Lewiston and had to reduce our speed as we approached a steep decent.  Quite how steep we were shortly to find out.  The road sign indicated an 8% grade, so I geared down in order to control the decent speed.  As we rounded a descending left hand bend we got an amazing view of Lewiston, some 500’/600’ below us in the Clearwater River valley.  It was a shame about the heat haze; it would have made an amazing photo opportunity.  As it was, we rejoined the highway and headed the 3 miles into Lewiston and a stop for gas for ‘Sydders’ and an ice cream and more water for us.  As I brought the bike to a halt at the gas station, the OAT gauge was reading 41.5’C – that is seriously hot folk!!

From Lewiston to our night stop at the White Bird Summit Lodge, was about 78 miles.  It was quite far enough in this blistering heat.  The first part of the ride took us along the Clearwater River which gave us some respite from the intense heat.  As the road snaked along the valley, we got into more 'twisties'.  Unfortunately, a number of bridges were under repair, which curtailed a lot of the fun.  That and being stuck behind a large semi.  I waited for a clear bit of road, dropped down a gear and shot past the truck.  Unfortunately Wendy was hanging back a little too far and missed the same opportunity.  However just a few miles down the road, she saw a suitable passing opportunity and soon caught up with me again.  A few more miles of fun in the valley, then we were back onto the prairie heading to Grangeville, which was just 8 miles from our night stopstop.  We were both tired and wanted to get this days riding over and I must admit I was being a little heavy on the ole right hand.  As it turns out, so did the local Sheriff!

We came up over a slight rise and I was clocking about 75mph on a road limited to 65mph.  At the last minute I saw lights on top of a car pointing toward us.  Any chance that he may not have seen us went out of the window as he hit the Red & Blues and proceeded to turn the cruiser round.  I immediately headed for what there was of a shoulder, stopped, turned off the bike and got my license & documents ready for the Sherriff.  Firstly he stopped at Wendy and told her she wasn’t going as fast as me!  On reaching my side, he looked at my speedo and observed that it was in km.  I agreed and listened intently as he provided me with a conversion table – kph to mph.  Then he took my license to perform a check.  After a while he returned and said we were lucky this time, just a warning!  However, he was still concerned that I was able to adhere to the posted limits while reading kph on my speedo.  He then kindly reproduced his table for me on a page from his note pad and waited for us to rejoin the highway.  Of course I did not offer that my GPS was currently calibrated to mph for our time in the US………..  Time to take the break and head out of Dodge!!

A few miles down the road and we turned off of Highway 95, for the short trip to the lodge.  We were made very welcome and told once we had showered and settled in, to come and help ourselves to a beer from the fridge.  Shame not to really!  After the beer Wendy & I wandered about the place and were called back in for dinner at 6pm.  Although we are the only guests staying overnight, there had been a party of six who had been at the Lodge riding out on some of the horses.  As it turned out, three of the party were Brits and we all had a good ‘natter’ over a dinner of fresh salmon cooked on the grill – beautiful.

As is the norm it seems, I am finishing off my writing for the day and Wendy is already bashing out the zzzzzzzz’s.  So fan, tis now time for me to get some sleep before one more day in the pressure cooker!  Sleep tight one & all and for our fellow bikes, ride safe and keep the black stuff down.

Day 2 - Num-Ti-Jar Lodge to Bonners Ferry ID

Well dinner at the Lodge was good, washed down with a very palatable bottle of wine.  It was good, but not quite as good as we had hoped it would be and the service was a little ‘quirky’.  The young guy who served us from time to time, was knowledgeable and friendly, easily engaging us in conversation.  The girl, was like a tornado on legs!  You felt that she had to get out certain phrased between courses, that’s what she had been taught.  I didn’t think she was going to do well, when she launched our dinner plates at the table.  They landed with a resounding thud and she was gone.  On one of her ‘sorties’ by our table, she managed a ‘how is the steak’?  Our answer was lost as he disappeared in a cloud of dust toward the kitchen.  We had decided that after our dinner we would sit and relax with a Cognac, well that was the plan.  After a frantic search of the liqueur shelf, our serving girl emerged triumphant with the sole bottle of cognac.  “Here it is”, she announced triumphantly with an attempted pronunciation of Courvoisier.  “Would you like that in a snifter”, she asked us?  We said yes please……..  After several minutes searching our girl returned to advise us that only one ‘snifter’ could be found!  Would I like my cognac in a tumbler???  You would have been proud of me fan, I was so so restrained.  Suffice to say Wendy had Cognac from a Port glass, I elected for a single malt which our girl was about to pour over ice……!  Ahh well, it gave us a giggle or two.

The Lodge is one of these quirky establishments that survive because they are different and because of location.  As I said last night, the location was stunning and for the views alone, was worth every cent.  I’m glad I committed those words to print before getting to bed!  I swear someone hid the bed and left us with a king sized ironing board!  I tossed and turned so many times during the night trying to get comfortable, I swear I have yet to see a chicken on a spit roast manage as many rotations as I achieved.  As I suffer from sleep apnea, I need a CPAP machine to provide positive air pressure while I sleep.  The electrical outlet by the bed was so loose that the electrical cord to the CPAP kept falling out during the night.  So now I was rotating like a chicken on a spit and every now and then woke gasping for air as the machine had stopped working!  It was almost blessed relief when it was time to get up and get going again. 

We had decided to pass on breakfast at the lodge as we were still full from dinner the night before and their price was a little steep for continental breakfast.  Lake Louise was only 30 km down the road and we both needed gas, so decided to get fuel and food at the same stop.  We were down at the bikes before 9am and set about loading bags back onto the bikes.  The previous evening we had elected to stow our jackets into the panniers on the bikes.  This saved us having to carry even more gear up 3 flights of rickety stairs.  When we got the jackets out, we almost fell about laughing!  Both of our riding suits are made by BMW and contain several pieces of memory foam armour – a large back piece elbows and shoulders. 

The pieces are quite rigid, but once a little heat is applied, they mould to the body.  When we took the jackets off, the armour was quite supple allowing us to fold the jackets with ease and stow then in the panniers.  However, as night time temperatures were quite cool, the armour had ‘solidified’ in the form in which it has been left.  In my case, the armour had been folded in half!  I forced it open like a giant clam, but as soon as I released it, it closed up again!  Shoulder and elbow pieces were also clam like making it almost impossible to don the jackets.  In the end we  forced the armour apart over a large rock, much like panel beating, then quickly put the jackets on before they could curl up again.  The result was two bikers looking every bit like Quasimodo!  Fortunately by the time we reached Lake Louise, we had generated sufficient body heat for the armour to relax into it’s proper shape.  Needless to say we won’t do that again!!

Well, how do you follow that much fun?  The ride down the valley to Lake Louise didn’t take long and the cool morning air helped wake us up.  The trip computer on the ‘Beemer’ read 9.5’C and I had no reason to disbelieve it!  First stop was gas, then into a grill for some breakfast.  A good meal would see us through until dinner in the evening with stops only for more gas for ‘Sydders’, water and bathrooms.  After breakfast, we headed back out onto highway 1, the Trans Canada Highway.  Everything we had ridden so far, we had covered several times in the past, so although the scenery was stunning, the riding was routine.  A few miles down the road, we left Highway 1 and turned south onto Highway 93 and what a great road that proved to be.  Right from the start there were big generous biker friendly bends sweeping down the valley, this was more like it.  The speed limit is 90kph/56mph, but I was soon edging that up a bit at a time as we curved in and out of the beautiful bends.  The scenery was breathtaking but somehow it seems that when we cross into British Columbia, it is that much more staggering.  Perhaps it is because we don’t see the scenery as often as we do in Alberta, but my word, it is breathtaking.  The mountains see craggier, seem to reach higher into the sky, stretching out for the clouds.  Round every bend there was another view more jaw dropping than the last. 

Then a river appeared on our right, following the road.  It was one of those wide, quite shallow boulder strewn mountain rivers that crash downhill.  The water was a wonderful ice blue with white ‘horses’ where ever it rushed over hidden boulders.  It could be quite mesmerising watching this raw beauty and I had to shake myself a few times and remind myself, I too was rushing downhill round twists and turns, so I best concentrate!  I also had to remember that I had a riding partner and not to get too distracted with my own fun.  I need not have worried!  I glanced into my mirrors during one ‘spirited’ section of corners and there was Wendy and ‘Sydders’ flying through the corners on a similar line to me.  Not once did I feel the need to ‘back off’ to allow her to catch up, she was doing just fine.  Better than fine actually, she was riding very well indeed.  At one stage as we joined the twisty 93, we were joined by another bike.  He sat behind Wendy at a reasonable distance, but obviously sticking with us.  Once we got into the ‘interesting stuff’, we left him way behind us – I think it was a Harley……………!!

The real twisty stuff slowly gave way to more gentle bends and we were over the mountain.  We still had a long way to go in the mountain valleys, but the exciting stuff was behind us  - for now!  The sheer valley sides opened up a little now and the riding became more relaxed.  As we approached Radium and the famous hot springs, the valley nipped in again and at the hot springs we rode between very narrow valley walls, reducing the road to two narrow lanes.  We rode on through Radium and on to a short road side stop just outside Invermere.  Here the road clung to the left side of a very wide valley and the view point we stopped at gave us a great view into and over the wide fertile valley floor.

We had started the day at a cool 9.5’C and I had watched the temperature rise as the day wore on.  Not that I needed a temperature gauge to tell me I was baking in my bike suit.  Fortunately there are several zipped vents in our suits and at a gas stop in Cranbrook, every one  of the vents was opened trying to get some air flow going.  By the time we reached the US border crossing at Kingsgate, it was a stifling 35.5”C!  As it was we both had to go into the US customs office to complete visa waver forms.  It was blessed relief to get out of the heat and into an air-conditioned office.  We weren’t detained too long and were soon on our way.  By now the heat was getting to Wendy and she was looking very hot and bothered.  Fortunately we were on the last leg of the days riding and about 26 miles to Bonners Ferry for our night stop.

As we rode over the Kootenai River and into Bonners Ferry, Wendy called out over the radio telling me where the hotel was.  She had seen the Best Western sign as we came over the bridge.  I hadn’t seen it, so I told her to come past and take the lead.  As she did so, I too saw the hotel and fell in behind Wendy to ride into the hotel car park.  Over the years we had discovered that most hotels are quite happy for bikes to leave their machines sitting under the portico outside the main entrance.  This is really reassuring as this area always has security cameras watching and a front desk manned 24/7.  When we pulled up under the portico, there ahead of us was another red Spyder.  It was as if Wendy had found another family member…….  The other Spyder also managed to feature on some photo’s we took at the end of the day and in one specifically for the two Spyders, leaving poor ‘Gertie’ out completely!

And so day 2 on the road was coming to a close.  We hijacked a baggage trolley from the entrance and unloaded the bikes – this included our jackets!  Checked in, we were soon in our room with a lovely view out over the river.  After dinner, I fell into the routine of downloading the days photo’s and getting today’s offering written and yesterdays Blog posted.  Now if you forgive me fan, I’m off to bed.  I hope you have enjoyed the trip so far, please tune in again to follow our antics over the next few days.  Nite nite then and for all our fellow bikes, ride safe and keep the black stuff down.

Day 1 – Stony Plain to Num-Ti-Jar Lodge.

Ok fan, here we go again, you know the format by now.  We set off on a bike trip, take photo’s along the way and I write a little monologue in the evening posting onto the Blog for your delectation.  Not today unfortunately, well, not the posting bit anyway.  As the title suggests, we have set off from Stony Plain, and spending night 1 at the very quaint Num-Ti-Jar Lodge.  Unfortunately, the lodge boasts many facilities, but modern internet is not one of them!  So fan, I will write the Blog and keep it safe until tomorrow night when we should be safely ensconced in a Best Western down in the US of A.  That is tomorrow, lets deal with today shall we.

All of our packing was completed on Thursday afternoon; we even managed to get the bikes loaded and ready for the road.  We both looked at our meagre pile of luggage to be stowed on the bikes, there seemed so much less than previous trips.  We went through the list of clothing that was needed, biking gear and ‘civvies’.  Nope, nothing missing.  All we could put it down to was a lack of bulky bike suite liners.  The weather forecast for the next week, especially where we are headed looks quite hot, so not much need for bulky jackets and Gortex liners – I hope!!  We were planning on a 9am departure on Friday, so not even any great rush to get to bed.  A nice leisurely start to the trip.

We got up Friday morning and the weather looked pretty perfect riding weather.  White puffy clouds bobbed about in a beautiful blue sky.  The temperature was about 16’C, but we knew that it would get warmer as the day progressed.  First things first, feed the dogs!  Toby always seems to know we are about to head off and leave him, but Lucy just wants her breakfast!  Dogs sorted, we climbed into bike gear.  I have only ever ridden once without suitable protection and paid the price.  A nice round scar still sits on my left shoulder, a reminder of when I dumped a bike while wearing only a rugby shirt!  Now we both wear jacket and pants that are high tech garments, designed to protect the wearer not only from the elements, but also from a ‘spill’, should one occur.  Once we were suitably ‘booted and spurred’ we got the bikes out of the garage, put on helmets and gloves, plugged helmets into the bike to bike radios and with the GPS set up, we were ready for the off.  Not that the first leg was going to be that challenging, or long!!

With a house move imminent, food stocks in the ole ‘Hacienda’ are pretty depleted, not even enough for a humble bowl of ‘soggies’ before the off.  Oh well, guess we’ll just have to pay ‘Micky D’ a visit!  The MacD’s in Stony is near completing a massive refurbishment and what a transformation.  It looks more like a large Starbucks than the humble burger joint.  So for the first and probably the last time this trip, Wendy led the way from home to Stony – 10km……..  Ahhh well fan, tis a start!  Fed and watered, we climbed back onto the bikes, but not after I gave another sales pitch about the Spyder, to a passing admirer in a truck.  Wendy usually does this bit, but the call of the bathroom was too strong after a coffee and about two and half hours of riding ahead.

Our first night stop was to be the Num-Ti-Jar Lodge at the head of Bow Lake in the Rocky Mountains.  We have passed the lodge on previous bike trips and it always looked wonderful sat on the edge of the lake.  So this trip we thought we would actually stop over and take a closer look at this quirky but beautiful log built lodge.  The ride down to the Lodge was uneventful; we have ridden this route on a number of occasions now, so there were no surprises.  First stop as usual was at Rocky Mountain House, by this time we had been riding for about two and half hours.  Wendy needed gas for ‘Sydders’ and we both needed water as the day was heating up.  With ‘Sydders’ full of gas again, we popped over the highway to ‘Tims’ for a bottle of water and a cookie!  After a short break, we are back on the bikes heading into the Rockies.

The riding conditions remained pretty perfect, the sky became a little bluer and the temperature climbed to about 23’C – very pleasant.  We made the Icefields Parkway in good time and made a brief stop at a rest area as we joined the north south highway.  It doesn’t matter how many times I have driven or ridden this stretch of road, the sheer majestic beauty of the huge mountains around you always leaves me speechless.  Even more spell binding, are the icefields high in the mountaintops that give the road its name.  It is difficult to ride down the twisting highway and not risk the odd long glance up to a huge hanging ice field/glacier.  As I sit writing this piece near the window of our room, I have a wonderful view down the blue waters of Bow Lake and I can see three massive glaciers.  What ever it costs to stay at this lodge, this one view makes it worth every red cent.

We pulled into the Lodge a little before 3pm having made good 
time.  Once checked in, we threw on shorts and T’s and headed out to explore.  The lakeshore is about 100m from the Lodge, so we didn’t have to venture too far!  Out of the lodge, we didn’t know where to look first for wonderful pictures, as the shore was only a few steps away so down to the waters edge we walked.  The narrow beach was not sand, but rather a fine gravel.  You certainly needed something on your feet or it would have been quite uncomfortable walking.  It was a glorious sunny afternoon, but the waters of the lake were very cold as I found out when Wendy suggested I go stand in the water for a photo………..!  There was a lovely cooling onshore breeze coming down off the mountains.  The result was to create small breakers on the lake surface.  Listening to water is always calming, but listening to the gentle break of the swell onto the shore and the gentle ‘hiss’ of the gravel was very tranquil.

After a while on the shore line, we headed back to the sanctuary of the room.  It is time for showers, then head down to dinner at 7pm.  The menu in the restaurant is quite limited, but then I don’t suppose they have too many staying here at a time.  However, with a four-course meal that includes seared tender loin of Bison for a starter, I think dinner should be pretty damned good!

Oh yes, Num-Ti-Jar!  Did you wonder if I would ever tell you what it meant fan?  I asked at the front desk as soon as we arrived.  It is pronounced ‘Num teejjar’ and is a First Nations word for a Pine Martin!  There you go fan, just for you!

That’s it then folk, time to get scrubbed and ready to savour dinner.  Hopefully our stop tomorrow night will have Internet, then I will get the Blog on the go and download some of the photos.  Bye for now then and to all our friends on two wheels, ride safe and keep the black stuff down.

2011 Curve Cowboy Reunion (CCR) - Boise ID

We are being really spoiled this year, two decent bike trips.  First there was the West Coast Birthday Bonanza in June, now we are heading south to this years CCR.  I've just been out into the garage, washed 'Gerties' windshield and lights, topped up the 10 gallon fuel tank from canned stock and checked the oil & tyres.  Just need to pack a few things, throw the pannier bags in, fix the tank bag in place and fasten on the additional luggage behind my saddle and we are ready to go.  Wendy has been similarly preparing 'Sydders', so we will both be ready for the off tomorrow morning.


So, what is CCR and how are we getting there.  There are a few versions of how the group got it's name, but in essence, this is it.  About twelve years ago, BMW Motorad - the motorcycle arm of BMW - launched a new luxury touring bike into the US.  Called the BMW K1200LT, it offered an amazing touring machine with all the bells & whistles - heated grips, & saddles, ABS, GPS, and on and on - with amazing performance for a big bike.  Fully loaded an LT would come in at about 820lb, no lightweight.  However, she would handle like a dream, carving turns like a hot knife through butter.  Remember the handling bit, I'll return to that again soon.


The Curve Cowboy Reunion started in the summer of 2000 when a group of K1200LT riders decided that it would be great to have a get together centered around the BMW K1200LT and our common interests. A few of the K1200LT list's enthusiastic members planned and organized the first K1200LT Rally. Based on the brotherhood and friendship that ensued, along with the spirited riding that took place.  It was the 'spirited' riding that gave the name.  Apparently someone who had watched a group of riders make their way through some 'twisties', said they, "rode like a bunch of curve cowboys".  The name stuck and it was decided at that point to rename the K1200LT Rally as the Curve Cowboy Reunion.  The first CCR was held in Broken Bow, Oklahoma on September 22-24, 2000 with 45 BMW K1200LTs, 5 other bikes, and 60 participants in attendance.

Our first CCR was in 2003, which was held in Gatlinbutg TN in the beautiful Smoky Mountains.  We made friends there that we still see to this day.  Thanks to the internet and Face Book, we manage to keep in touch over long distances.  After Gatlinburg, we got the bug.  The big bike was simply amazing and the more I rode, the more confident I became.  The next year we trailed the bike all the way to Brekenridge CO.  In 2005 CCR was held in Jackson Lake Lodge WY.  Not wanting to make the long ride on the back of the bike, Wendy flew.  I rode the 2075 miles there in 3 days, making it home in 2.  In 2006 we headed to the deep South and Brasilton GA.  What the location lacked in riding, it made up for in an amazing venue with it's own Vineyards and Spa to name but two.  In 2007 we headed West again to Missouri and the wonderful lake side resort of Osage Beach MO.  What a wonderful location.  So good Wendy & I decided to stay a few more days and enjoy the lake.  

A move to Canada meant we missed out on CCR 2008, but in 2009 we were back again.  This time on two new bikes.  Wendy had had her license for about 2 years, but really struggled with low speed balance on 2 wheels.  However, we discovered the BRP Spyder the previous winter and her riding days would never be the same again.  I had fallen for another German model having sold the LT before heading to CCR 08.  So for this CCR, I was riding a new R1200GS Adventure - it was love at first sight!  CCR 09 proved a number of firsts for Wendy, first CCR on her Spyder, first time riding in a group and unnervingly for her, first night ride returning from the Crazy Horse Memorial.  CCR 2010 was just too far away from us which brings us up to date and CCR 2011 in Boise ID.

We plan to take 4 semi leisurely days to get there.  Initially heading West to the Ice-Fields Parkway, then pretty much south all the way to Boise.  After the reunion, we will head home in 3 days by a route which takes us a little further East, and along the 'Highway to the Sun'.  The ride home will be pretty hard going as we need to cover about 1000 miles in 3 days, a lot of which will be through the mountains.  Great fun to ride on, but dreadful if you are trying to make a tight schedule.

So there you have it fan, a potted history of CCR and our involvement to date.  I hope to keep the Blog up to date, you never know, I might even get round to finishing off the last one!!!!  I know Rhonda was disappointed that I left her just hanging there and not finish the trip - sorry!  We would love to have you follow our adventure this year, I aim to write the Blog at the end of each days riding and post a few photo's for you.  So come along for the ride and join us as we head South of the border for  few days.

Day 9. 60th Birthday in Whistler BC

Happy birthday too me, happy birthday too me, happy birthday dear Brian, happy birthday too me, yeahhhhh!  Ahh well fan, best to put on a brave face about these things and today looks like being a brilliant day.  Perhaps it is set to herald the start of a brilliant decade, who knows, it has certainly started very well.  Unusual for me, I'm starting the Blog in the morning.  I just feel that if I don't, I'm either going to miss something out, or just run out of time.  Pressies then!  Everyone wants to know what you got for your birthday and I have been particularly spoiled with special presents this birthday.  The first arrived a couple of weeks ago, from Wendy. I was home on turn around and saw the UPS van pull up to the house, deliver a box about 8" square then leave.  Shortly after Wendy asked if she could give me my birthday present early?  The problem was it was just too bulky to carry around for 10 days on the bike trip.  I readily agreed and she went of to collect the box from the bedroom.  Wendy had bought me a wonderful Breitling Chronometer.  I've long admired these time pieces and was completely at a loss for words when I saw it.  Suffice to say, it hasn't left my wrist since!

I had to wait until we got to Whistler for the next presents.  This morning I managed to have a chat with Simon and Gemma via Skype, which was a treat in it's self.  Until now, Skype has only been available for two people at a time.  Now however, it is possible to have conference calls, so all three of us were on together - wonderful.  We chatted for a little while, then Wendy 'delivered' their joint present.  This was an introductory helicopter flying lesson, to be taken at my convenience.  I didn't read the gift certificate properly and thought it was a scenic tour while we were here in Whistler.  I was bowled over to discover that it was actually a proper lesson.  This too was an amazing present.  My 'kids' know how important flying has been to me over the years, especially helicopters.  Although I have 2500 logged flying hours in Military helicopters, I never actually learned how to fly them, so this is a particularly meaningful present.  Thank you 'kids'.  I also received a lovely book from Simon, Callie and my boys.  Recently while at home in the UK, my dear son taught me to make bread.  We spent a wonderful evening together in the kitchen up to our elbows in flour and produced some of the best tasting bread I have ever sampled.  The book he sent me was on baking bread, so it is has particular poignance for me - thanks son.  As well as these lovely gifts, I received many, many birthday wishes from family and friends alike via FB - thank you all for the thought and your wishes.

When I thought it was all done with, there was a knock at the room door.  I went to answer it and a concierge stood there with an envelope for me!  On opening it I discovered another treat that Wendy had organised.   A float plane picnic trip into the mountains, to a remote Alpine lake.  Apparently, the lake we are to go to, can only be reached by air.  This will be another first for me/us.  Although I have flown in many different aircraft types, I have never flown in a float plane.  We have seen numerous of these aircraft whilst on our trip, as they are an essential means of transport in this part of the world.  This should be quite an exciting trip and I've made sure that the camera battery is fully charged and I take all my lenses with me.  Watch the blog later for details.  Right, best get my butt into gear and get ready for the days adventures!

Well what a trip that was!  I was going to say just come back from being up close and personal with a Beaver, but I know someone will take the wrong way - you didn't, ahh well!  I have to confess, this morning the weather was pretty bad and even at breakfast it was raining.  To say we were apprehensive about the flying trip was a little of an understatement.  We were due to be collected from the lobby at 12:15am, so there was still a glimmer of hope that the clouds would clear enough for us and clear they did!  Not a clear blue sky, but sufficient to make the trip truly spectacular.  We waited in the lobby, camera's in hand and pretty well wrapped up - just in case.  On time, a young guy came into the lobby.  He was wearing a black jacket with Whistler Air emblazoned on the left breast, we guessed he was looking for us!  We went out side, got into a minivan that took us the short distance to the Green Lake and the float planes.


When we arrived at the float plane station, there were three aircraft there.  A DH Single Otter, a Cessna Caravan and a DH Beaver.  It turns out that the guy who collected us at the hotel, was also to be our pilot.  There was another couple waiting at the dock to take the trip.  As we stood waiting to board, the 'picnic lunches' were delivered - well, 5 brown paper carrier bags containing something or other.  Trent got us organised in front of the Blue and Yellow Beaver.  He turned to me and said, "you know something of the Beaver, would you like to go up front"? Would I, he almost got trampled in the rush!  As I strapped myself in and helped myself to the headset, the other couple sat immediately behind me, with Wendy sitting the row behind them.  Trent gave us a short safety brief and we were soon on our way, taxying across the lake to the take off point.  I was really amazed at how smooth the take off was and we were soon climbing into the sky above Whistler with the big radial engine booming out just feet in front of me.  Trent invited me to plug in my boom mike and we started chatting about things aviation for the rest of the trip.  On the way to our picnic lake, we headed up into the mountains, which Trent pointed out, were not the Rockies, but Pacific Rim Mountains.  As such, they were much older than the Rockies, evidenced by the smoother peaks, worn by more years of erosion than the 'newer' Rockies.  Trent pointed out several Glaciers, giving us various vantage points to take photos.  He also pointed out the highest golf tee in the area, Wedge Mountain.  From the summit, the mountain has an almost sheer drop to the Valley, some 5000' below.  Golfers are helicoptered to the summit, provided with eco friendly golf balls and invited to make a 5200' drive..............  The first 200' is too clear the rock, after that it is straight down for a mile shot!  After a look around the glaciers and peaks, we headed to a lake for our lunch.  The landing, like the take off was amazingly smooth - Trent obviously put this down to his exceptional piloting skills!!  We had about 25/30 minutes to enjoy a sandwich, cookie, apple and a bottle of water, before boarding again for the short flight back to Green Lake.  It had been a wonderful experience and one we both thoroughly enjoyed.  Once again, Trent was out 'pilot', taking us back to the hotel.


Back in the room, Wendy managed to get a last minute pedicure, while I busied myself downloading loads of photo's taken on the flight.  While Wendy was out, there was yet another ring of the door bell - yes the suit even had a door bell, how posh is that!  I glanced through the spy hole and saw a waiter with a trolly.  When I opened the door, the trolly contained a full sized bottle of champagne, half a dozen chocolate dipped strawberries and four mini chocolate muffins!  The plate that held the muffins, also had a birthday greeting written in chocolate.  I restrained myself and waited until Wendy got back before attacking the afternoon snack.  The strawberries were lovely and sweet, washed down with a very tasty Veuve Clicquot.  Now that is what I call afternoon tea!  What with sipping champagne and downloading photo's, the time quickly got round to 6pm and dinner was booked for 7:30pm - time to get ready for more food!!


The food in the bistro the night before, had certainly 'tickled the taste buds' in anticipation of dinner in the main restaurant.  Although the hotel is 5 Star, the whole place has an extremely friendly approachable atmosphere.  This was apparent from the guys who met us as we arrived on the bikes and with every member of staff we came into contact with.  I was actually on Skype in the morning when breakfast was delivered and the girl who brought it into the room even said a chirpy 'hello' to the kids and gave them a wave - all very informal and friendly.  The main restaurant was no different, friendly but amazing service.  Our waitress offered several pieces of advice with the menu and we eventually selected a speciality steak for two from the menu - a Long Bone Ribeye steak.  This was cooked to order over an open wood grill in the courtyard and carved off the bone at the table by the chef who had prepared and cooked it.  This amazing steak was 32oz of Alberta AAA beef, cooked on the bone - sounds straight forward doesn't it!  The bone is a rib bone about 2" thick and 15/16" long with meat on both sides.  We sat and watched the amazing spectacle of this huge chunk of cow being cut and served in front of our very eyes.  Loads of photo's in the attached album.  Prior to the steak being cooked, you have a choice of dry rubs to be applied.  When any of the steaks are served, you get six individual steak sauces to sample with the meat.  This was no ordinary steak meal, this was a gastronomic experience.  Ohh yes, the vegetables, such as we had, were splendid too, but this was all about the meat, all 32oz of it.  All of this meat was washed down with what else - more champagne.......  The steak was amazing, both texture and taste, this was a King amongst steak.  We eventually finished the meat, but at what cost - we could hardly move!  We were not going to bother with desert, but the waitress presented us with a small sampler plate, with about four deserts.  Again, written on the plate in chocolate, 'Happy Birthday', amazing!  


What a meal, what a day!  It had been a wonderful day from start, to blown out finish.  Skyping with my children, float plane flight, strawberries and champagne afternoon tea, finishing with the most amazing dinner.  Incredible, what can I say and all thanks to one person!  So I would like to finish todays Blog with a huge thank you to Wendy, for making this an amazingly special day, for all the thought and planning that went into it.  I enjoyed every moment, thank you darling.