The Blog of Blues

[blues2cruise]

Well...KKrapp.....I just spent a lot of time writing and uploading pictures...then the website timed out or something....and all was lost...will have to re-do later....

[blues2cruise]

On the recent British Columbia Day long weekend I rode my motorcycle to Osoyoos via the Coquihalla to Penticton to meet up with madjack and Doc....

Here we are at Skaha Lake

After our lunch madjack rode back to Kelowna while Doc and I rode to rode to Osoyoos via the Skaha Lake road, Ok Falls, Oliver and onto Osoyoos. It's lovely ride through orchard and wine country.

As soon as we got to Doc's campsite, I unpacked my bike and put up my tent.

Here is my little tent juxtaposed with Doc's big tent trailer.

And a view with the bikes....to give some more perspective.

Once organized, we went for a short ride on Doc's bike into town for a few supplies. We wanted to get that chore over with early so we could go for a swim in the lake. Going for a dip in the lake was the only way to cool off. It was about 40 degrees C.

Dinner was late and bedtime was early. It had been a long day for me. I had left home about 7:30am and rode over 600km.

I awoke early Sunday but was too lazy to get up. I snapped a couple of photos from inside my little tent.

Doc had been up earlier (unbeknownst to me) and had made coffee. I thought I had smelled coffee brewing, but he had been so quiet I thought it was from a neighbouring campsite.

Once we got caffeinated and ready for the day, we rode on doc's bike to go for brunch at the restaurant at the Ink'mip resort.

http://www.nkmip.com/

After brunch I got a couple of pictures of the sculptures and then we went for a ride up past the viewpoint to see some sights.

Here is a culpture. I just love this one....in real life it is quite large and fabulous.

Here is a view from the breakfast deck...

More to come.....right now it's late and I need to get to bed. I have an early morning dentist appointment before I go to work.

[blues2cruise]

I finally have a bit of time to relax...so...

BC Day long weekend ride to Osoyoos continued....

After our brunch at the Imkmip...we went for a ride....me as a passenger. Sometimes I really enjoy just sitting back and enjoying the view...with a good rider. There are some people with whom I would never consider being a passenger...but Doc rides well. He does not "pop" the clutch and tries to be smooth so his passenger isn't being jolted back and forth which contributes to helmet bonking....

Anyway...

A few views from the pillion....

We had gone to see a development and at the end of one of the driveways was some very soft gravel....I had to get off the bike so Doc could maneuver his Venture around....I got a picture of him and his Venture showing the view...some day someone will have a house built and that will be what they see.

We rode around for a bit and then stopped in at a cafe for some water.

[blues2cruise]

Before we went back to the campsite we stopped off the B and B I had booked for myself so I could get checked in and get the key. They knew I would not be there until the evening.

We went back to the campsite and got changed into swim wear and went across the road to the lake. Going into the water was the only way to get cool.

At 6pm it was still this.....

I have never experienced heat like that before. In Vancouver we may have some very rare 28 to 30 degree celcius days....but mostly our hot days get to about 26....

This had been 43 during the day and at 6 was still 40.....thankfully it does cool off at nigiht making it better for getting to sleep.

After our swim Doc made some supper and then I packed up my stuff and took it to the B and B. I came back we went for an ice cream ride. This is where I got the picture for the Riding Game here on TMW.

And....here is Doc's ice cream cone...

His was so big he could not finish it. Mine was a bit smaller but still too much for me to finish. If I had known going in I would have ordered the kids size.

After our ice cream we went for a ride back up to the viewpoint on Anarchist Mountain. We wanted to see the sunset from a good vantage point.

The road up.....

Riders coming around the curve

Overlooking the area

Across the lake is the Canada/USA border. So what you see going left on the other side of the lake is Washington, USA

It was still daylight when we rode up to the viewpoint....and still very hot....

Here is my bike with my jacket draped over the back rest.

At that point the light was finally starting to dim....the best part of the evening was about to happen. The changing sky....

[blues2cruise]

Some sunset pictures from Anarchist Mountain.

I kid you not....the colours you see were for real. I did not photoshop anything at all. The only editing I did was a bit of cropping for better compostion and then resizing for uploading.

There are 2 view points. We spent some time at the lower one and then we rode for the 30 seconds up to the higher one. While we were there a local came by on his bike...

A vintage Vincent....he had since it was new.

[blues2cruise]

After we had our fill of the night sky.... cuz it was getting dark now...

We rode back down the hill with me heading to the B and B and doc going back to his campsite. He was staying in Osoyoos for another week and I was heading back to Vancouver in the morning.

Here's my bike at the B and B.

The breakfast room....

If I go to Osoyoos again, I would happily go to that B and B again.

[BobK]

Great photos!

[blues2cruise]

In the morning I texted Doc that I was leaving Osoyoos. I rode past the vineyards of Oliver and rode through Penticton, Summerland and Peachland to go back to the Coquihalla Connector. Although going via Princeton and Manning Park would be the most direct route, I chose to avoid it because the last day of a long weekend is usually plugged with motor homes. The route has a lot of hills, curves and the passing lanes are few and far between.
If only I had known what was to come...I would have left Osoyoos earlier and not stopped in at a local store in town before leaving....or stopped in at a farm....or taken so much time in Summerland for fuel and refreshments.

I got onto the connector and rode for several km before seeing the traffic jam. Riding was the only way to not get overheated...it was still about 40 degrees celcius. Traffic was at a standstill...I rode on the shoulder to get to the chain up area so I could find out what was going on and to take off my gear. There was no way I would be able to sit on the highway in full gear in that heat.

A man flagged me down in the pull out area and suggested I turn around and go the other way. He was also a rider (but not that day)....he said he understood about the full gear in heat thing..he wears full leathers when he rides...
There was a gap in the concrete barrier between directions so I made a u-turn and rode the several km back up the highway and stopped in at the info centre. They told me there was a car fire down the connector and that the police had the road going south closed.
I got some more drinks and continued backtracking....through Peachland, Summerland and Penticton. I had lost so much time now that I stopped to fuel the bike and get a sandwich and more drinks for me. Yes, it was that hot that keeping hydrated was a challenge. However.....in Penicton the wind came up and the temperatures came down a bit.

I rode from Penticton through Keremeos toward Princeton. The traffic was actually light and the pace was swift. It was a nice surprise. The temperatures were cooler now so riding was very pleasant.

Oh drat....it started raining....it was still warm enough to not worry about it. I didn't bother to stop to put on any rain layers because the temps were still mild. However..by the time I got Princeton, the temperatures were dropping and the rain was getting hard and I was finally shivering. I stopped in the tourist info booth and got out my jacket liner. I really only wanted to go in , use the washroom and
put on my extra layer....but the woman who worked was so chatty. I left there and stopped in a gas station to fuel Zena and get a coffee and snack for me. The little bit of warmth from the coffee and caffeine hit were perfect.
At the exact same that I pulled right out of the gas station, a ride on the other side of the highway pulled left .... we each stayed in our own lane...
Here is something every person who travels needs to know and heed....When you go through small towns and the speed limit drops ...you really should respect the small town and its limits...

I was moving along at 60kmh but other rider was going a lot faster....when you leave Princeton heading south there is a big hill and curve ....and even though you think you are back to middle of nowhere...there are actually a few driveways and a few more business after the curve....
Aside from wanting to respect the small town limit, it was raining...I did not want to take a chance on slippery roads...

So...I lost sight of the other rider....then a police SUV coming down the hill on the other side....put on the flashing lights and did a u-turn and started coming up the hill behind me....I pulled over because I thought he was coming for me....but he kept going...fast....

Once I finally got to the top and around the curve I saw that the police had pulled over the other rider and another vehicle. I just kept toodling along at the speed limit...then the speed changed to 80...so I went 80....and sure enough farther along on the straight stretch was another police SUV...just waiting....

You really do need to respect small towns. I'd be willing to get that the Princeton police made a lot of money that weekend.

I was warmer now that I had the liner in my jacket. It rained for quite some time , but by the time I got to Manning Park it was clearing up agian. I made another pit stop at the lodge and then rode into Hope. Hope was my designated meeting point for my guy. He rode out to Hope to meet me. I had sent texts to Doc and SuperTen during the day to let them know of my progress,,,

SuperTen had got to Hope early enough to secure a parking space in front of the door. So far it had taken me 9-1/2 hours to get to Hope. Under normal circumstances it would be about a 5 hour ride. There was still over 2 hours to go to get home .

Here are the 2 bikes and SuperTen at the Blue Moose in Hope. Despite all the delays and rain and cold etc....I was still smiling.

I had a bowl of soup and a coffee...we also found out that Highway 1 was closed to due an earlier crash....sigh....so we went Highway 7. Luckily traffic was light and moved well. We stopped in Mission for a fuel up and finally made it home 12 hours after I left Osoyoos. I only took from my bike what was needed and left the unpacking for the next day. Fortunately for me I start work late on Tuesdays....

SuperTen bade me good night and went home.

Although I was very tired, I felt very good about the day.

[blues2cruise]

Great photos!

Thanks BobK

[blues2cruise]

I have decided to sell my Kawasaki Vulcan 900. I need to look for a different motorcycle that has an easier clutch to pull.

I had to stop riding early this year due to the problems with pain in my hands and wrists from the "too stiff" clutch and how far the pull is.

Someone with bigger and stronger hands would have no problem.

So...Now I must go test ride to see what will suit me. I'll look for a used bike that is not too old.