The Blog of Blues

[blues2cruise]

Didn't know you could put paddlewheels on an sv-1000....

More than likely pontoons.

[blues2cruise]

June 19, 2006

The Wet Cold Ride Home

After spending a couple of great days with my friends in Vernon, sadly it was time to go home. We had done some touring around the area to see what the local terrain was like.

Ken took us on a “mystery tour” the first day I arrived. We went through Armstrong, Enderby, Sicamous, Mabel Lake and Hyde Mountain. We stopped in Enderby for fish and chips for supper before we headed back to Vernon where we watched a movie and had an early night.
The next day, Linda and I started the day at a street fair and then went to a coffee shop for their award winning coffee. It was indeed a very good cappuccino. After we left there, we made the rounds of some tourist attractions before setting off on a self guided winery tour and many photo ops along the way. Sunday was spent at the historic O’Keefe ranch, Shuswap Falls, Lumby, Oyama, Kalamalka Lake, Winfield, Falkland and a couple of other small bergs whose names I can’t remember.

While we were out touring around, Ken was preparing supper. He barbecued a cedar plank salmon fillet. OMG! It was so-o-o-o good. We watched another movie and all three of us agreed it was crap. Steve Martin’s The Pink Panther. Don’t waste your time or money on this one.

In the morning, Ken made thin oatmeal for breakfast…..it must have been the altitude….and then it was time to gear up for the trip home. The weather forecast was not promising. I was hoping that by leaving early like I did that I might be able to beat the impending storm. I donned my raingear and stowed my stuff inside the plastic bag in the crate and was gone by 8am. They asked me if I could come and house and dog sit for a week later on. I might just go again…if it doesn’t snow at the beginning of October. The Coquihalla is very unpredictable.

I decided to go home via Kelowna and Westbank, since I had come up via Kamloops. It was also a bit less mileage this way. However, after a 45 minute ride to Kelowna I was starting to get hungry already. I stopped in at the Tim Horton’s but there was a lineup out the door. So, I went back to my bike and carried on to Westbank. It was a long journey for so few miles. There is a traffic light at almost every intersection through Kelowna and Westbank. Unlike Kamloops, there is no bypass through these 2 cities.

I stopped in Westbank for a bagel and cream cheese and a coffee. What is it about traveling that makes me feel so hungry? As soon as I sat down an old couple started yakking at me. I guess a woman motorcyclist is still a bit of a novelty and they were very interested in my bike and my travels. After we all finished they wished me a safe journey and I headed back to the highway and to the next gas station. One thing you want to make sure of is that you start with a full tank of gas before getting on to the Coquihalla.

So far the weather was holding up. I rode at a more appropriate speed this time because there was considerably more traffic around. I made the summit with ease and then started the long winding descent into the Aspen Grove area. I was looking forward to this next segment of my ride because the area that goes past Corbet Lake is gently winding and undulating. It is also very pretty through here. As luck would have it, there was construction going on today. It wasn’t a very nice ride through here today and I was actually glad to be back on the Coquihalla when I reached it again.
I pulled into the Info Centre again but it was so full of cars there was no place to park. I just kept going and went back to the highway. I knew there was a washroom at the toll booth so I could wait until I got there.
Darn! My bad luck the weather did not hold. As soon as I left the info centre the rain started. I wasn’t concerned about me getting wet, but the temperature was dropping rapidly. My fingertips were getting cold and I was starting to shiver. I had another delay on the highway because of yet another construction project and this time it took even longer to get through. Finally I was past the construction zone and back up to speed. I was getting even colder now and my hands were hurting from the icy temperatures. The toll booth was not very far now, so I kept going.

At the toll booth, the clerk asked me if I was warm enough. I guess I must have looked frozen. I told her I would be as soon as I pulled over and got my extra layer out. After paying my money, I pulled over to the washroom area and retrieved my down jacket out of my crate. I made use of the facilities and let my hands warm up with warm water and the hand drier. Normally I don’t like those things, but today it was a blessing.

I got back on my bike to begin the final descent from the mountains into Hope. I wasn’t riding very long when I felt my bike give a little “jog”. I looked down at the speedo to check my mileage. I shouldn’t be needing gas yet, but suddenly there was another little “jog”.
I was shocked at the fact that I was so low on gas. I should have been good until Hope. I slowed down a bit and at the top of the big hill; I pulled in the clutch so that I could idle down the hill. I was hoping to conserve some fuel so that I wouldn’t have to hitch hike into Hope.
At least I was warm enough now. I had balked at paying as much as I did for this down jacket, but it has paid for itself in warmth.

At the bottom of the hill I had to once again use the throttle and of course the bike lurched again. I kept nursing it along for a few minutes, but suddenly the revs took a nosedive to almost zero, so I knew I had to finally switch to reserve. I signaled to move right so that the truck coming up behind me wouldn’t barrel over me as I was slowing. After I switched to reserve, the bike slowly began its climb back up to speed. My only worry now was wondering if there was enough in reserve to get me into Hope. I was trying to remember what the last sign said about distance and I was sure I was not going to make it. Oh, well, if I run out of gas, it won’t be the end of the world. I’m fit enough to walk a few miles and I was dressed for the rain.

Then the thought occurred to me that there seemed to be some sort of bond between solo riders riding in the mountains. I realized that the waves that I had been getting from other bikers were different than the waves you get in the city. In the city you are likely to see a wave with only the fingertips lifting from the bar. Sometimes they may actually take their hand off the grip and wave out and low. However, here on the mountain highway, every time another rider went by, his hand would raise high in the air as if to say “Glad to see you”. I started thinking that if I did run out of fuel, and was walking along the highway carrying my helmet; another biker would stop and give me a lift into Hope. Dr_Bar said they probably would take me back out to put the gas in my bike as well. What a nice thought to think that there is a “brotherhood” so to speak that they would stop for a biker in need.

I caught up to a slow moving motor home and decided to stay behind it as long as I could. That way I could conserve fuel and I wouldn’t get the blame from the speed demons for going so slow. Suddenly, the motor home slowed and stopped on the highway at the junction to 5 and 3. I guess he wasn’t sure where he was going and slowly started moving over to the shoulder. I had no choice but to slow behind it because there was traffic in the other lane. Suddenly a small grey car came zooming up from around the curve and passed me on my right between me and the motor home. I tell you, that was a close call. The driver of the small grey car had come around the bend and obviously had not seen me until the last second. I can only hope he scared himself silly.

I was almost at Hope now and with a feeling of relief I saw my exit a short distance ahead. I made the exit onto Old Hope Road and pulled into the Petro Canada to fuel my bike. It took 14-1/2 litres. I was surprised. That meant there was another 1-1/2 litres left in the tank. I guess my conservation efforts paid off.

I have since found out that high altitude riding uses more gas. That would help explain why the mileage was so much lower than before.

It was still raining in Hope and all the way into Chilliwack. I rode without incident through the Fraser Valley and about the time I got to Aldergrove the rain was stopping. It was such a relief to have clear skies again. As I approached Langley, I recognized the signs of fatigue. I pulled off the freeway at 200th Street figuring I might stop for a rest and get something to eat. I entered into a strip mall area but missed the turn into the area I wanted to be, so I headed to the exit to go around again.

I stalled the bike. I got to the corner and stalled again. I made a right back into the strip mall and stalled again. This told me I had made the right decision to stop. Even though it was only another 40 minutes to home, it may have been a costly mistake to carry on. I parked the bike and phoned dr_bar. What a coincidence. He was only 5 minutes away on an errand in the Langley area so he rode over to have a bite to eat with me. After I ate I felt my energy returning. Having a rest and a hot meal sure did make a difference. I was ready to ride again. Dr_bar rode home with me. With his part time job we seldom get a chance to ride together anymore. He led me the long way home, but it was fun. After seeing me home, he headed home to get some sleep so he could be refreshed for going to work later.

I pulled my bike into the car wash area in the garage and left it there to cool a bit while I unloaded all my gear. I don’t think I have ever seen my bike that dirty in the over 16,000km I have put on it. I came back a short time later with my cleaning supplies to get rid of the grime from my rainy mountain ride. With a sigh of satisfaction of what I had just accomplished, I parked my now clean bike back in its place and went in to unwind. Although tired, I felt very alive. I had met the challenge of my first solo trip and it gave me a certain feeling of confidence of being up to meeting the challenges of the other rides that are coming up.

Until then…..always, always, always, shoulder check. It can and will save your life.

[old-n-slow]

Sounds like a great trip in spite of the rain. Also sounds like you used your head the way it was meant to be used (not just for storing a MC helmet ).

Cold weather brings on the affects of fatigue much more rapidly I think. What's best of all though is how such a trip can be so enjoyable in spite of the inclement weather. I think you have to be a biker to understand.

You'll do girl ...........

[blues2cruise]

Thanks, Garry. I think you're right about the cold bringing on fatigue quicker than normal. It seems to drain you. I think fighting the wind on the way home added to it. I sure didn't feel that tired when I went up.

My brother once said something to me years ago when I first learned to ski. He told me when you get to the end of the day, and you say you're going to do "just one more run", don't do it. That "one more run" is when you will be tired and things can go wrong.

I apply that advice to other things, too. Like even though I'm only 40 minutes from, it's best not to push it. The same applies to riding my mountain bike. I can usually ride out long and far and get home, but every so often I get too tired and make errors in judgement, so I wait for a bus and put my bike on the bike rack to get me part way home. Usually up the big hill.

[NorthernPete]

+1 about the cold increasing fatigue...I passed out on my moms couch after riding in cold rain the other week.....

it was definately an odd expirience...

Blues, lovin your blog BTW, one of the few I will go out of my way to read.

[blues2cruise]

Thanks, Northern Pete. I will get to writing tomorrow. I was too busy riding this weekend to sit at the computer to write.

I heard two funny things today while waiting for the ferry to arrive.

There were over a dozen bikes waiting for the ferry. Bikes of all different brands, styles, and ages.

One Harley rider/owner to the other....If I only had a nickel for everytime I had to kick this thing to start on the side of the road.

The other Harley owner/rider to the other....Sometimes I have to kickstart for 30 minutes to get this going if it's already hot.

Of ocurse all I could picture in my mind was that he must have thighs of steel from all that kickstarting.

When the ferry arrived we got a demonstration.

[Gummiente]

One Harley rider/owner to the other....If I only had a nickel for everytime I had to kick this thing to start on the side of the road.

Et tu, Brutus? You do know that Harley hasn't put a kickstarter on their bikes since the late 70's, right?

[blues2cruise]

One Harley rider/owner to the other....If I only had a nickel for everytime I had to kick this thing to start on the side of the road.

Et tu, Brutus? You do know that Harley hasn't put a kickstarter on their bikes since the late 70's, right?

He was riding a 1978 bike. He said he's been riding it for 24 years.

Don't worry, I'm not Harley bashing. It was just funny listening to those two guys talk. You could tell those two guys loved their bikes despite the problems they have with them.
The other one was a 1981...I believe he said it was a shovelhead?

[Gummiente]

Don't worry, I'm not Harley bashing.

I kinda figured that. You, btw, are about the only forum member that could get away with the bashing, though. You have a permanent "get out of jail free" card after sending me those delicious choco-chip cookies in the mail.

[dr_bar]

The best part of those comments was that the rider of the '81 said that he had to put a kick start on his bike because he couldn't depend on it starting with the electric. He was also the one that made the nickel comment...