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Sev wrote:So... I'm either in Jasper... or Lake Louise, I'm not sure. Either way I'm drunk and I definately just rode at least 300km through FREEZING freaking weather. Wind off a glacier will freeze you solid. And snow off the top of the mountain is something you should expect apparently. We got a ton of photos, but heavy rain destroyed my camera. Hopefully I can steal Malice's pics.

I was enjoying the 95 degrees F down here. That's 35 C.

Can't wait for the pictures.

Last year for Canada Day, Malice and I rode from Edmonton to Jasper where we camped the night and then rode south along the Icefield parkway to Sask River Crossing where we turned East and circled home.

This year for Canada Day we recreated that trip, then added a small touch of the extreme.

Friday at 6:00PM sharp Malice arrived at Echo Cycle to "pick me up." And from there we headed out onto the Yellowhead. We made it about 75km out of town before the sky fell.

Together we rolled down the road and a veil of white cloud hovered overhead. Second by second the veil lifted to reveal the end of the world. Dark clouds, roiling and seething. Darkness incarnate descends upon us and you could hear the screams of the damned echoing through the wind that passed our helmets. Lightning strikes over and over. Sudden arcs shatter the clouds and turn night into day for the briefest of instants.

Onwards we ride into the teeth of the storm. Daring it to do its worst. And it does.

Like the hand of god reaching down to strike us the heavens open up and water comes down. We're soaked to the bone in seconds, raindrops strike like tiny slivers of ice driving themselves through jackets and jeans. Through it we continue till a safe spot to stop is found.

Several cars have pulled over beside us. And two of them offer us the shelter of their cage. We decline as we're not going to get any wetter.

Malice wrote:75 Km
The sun was shining, and the weather was nice. I'd picked up Sev at his place of work around 6pm, and we were on the road by 10 after. Rain had threatened all day long, but between Edmonton and Edson, the sun came out. Of course, that was short lived.

100 Km
The clouds appeared in levels. The highest were a pale gray, and non-threatening. The next level were nearly black, and appeared to be about 20M off the ground. As we passed under these black clouds, the sky appeared green. At least, I thought so, until the lightning strikes blinded me.

The rain began to hit like pebbles dropped from sky-scrapers. It would only get worse as defined by the haze or water rising of the road 100M ahead of me. In less than 200M we were soaked to the bone, surrounded by lightning, at zero visibility, and forced to stop. A pair of friendly couples offered us shelter in their vehicles. We would not buckle. We would show the rain who was boss. But there would be casualties.

Cold and wet and wet and cold. Low on gas and thinking about turning back.

Okay we didn't actually consider turning back.

With the rain clearing off we got back on the road. Soaked to the bone and miserable we pushed on. The wind dried us out, but sucked every bit of heat off of me. Malice seems to have the innate ability to generate enough heat that it didn't affect him. I on the other hand was fully unable to keep myself warm.

We arrived at a gas station... where... lightning had struck. All the pumps were out of order. Frost was rapidly forming on my glasses. Malice had to take the picture...



Malice sucked enough gas out of three different pumps to get him safely to Edson where we could fill up again. We were too meet a friend of his friends there in order to secure a park pass to borrow. His friend was not there. We would have to pay to enter the park.

Malice was kind enough to lend me a sweater as my spare was also soaked. He also suggested that I fill my camel pack with coffee. After I had done so he admitted he was joking.



But that little bundle of boiling hot coffeinne flavoured water strapped to my back close to my skin was to become my best friend - A little hot water bottle coupled with a warm drink when I was feeling cold - Until it ran out part way to Hinton. I've never been more depressed then I tried to get a hot drink of coffee and got nothing but cold air.

Malice wrote: The storm had had dire consequences. The rain had permeated everything. Not only were we fully saturated, but our bags of packed clothes had suffered as well. There was to be no reprieve from the soaked apparel. Sadly, the water had also managed to permeate Sev's camera, leaving any further photography on the trip to me. Sev was a little steamed.

160 Km
Running short on Gas, I followed a sign indicating a gas station. 5 Km out of our way, the gas station was closed. Fortunately there was another gas station towards the near border of Edson. Unfortunately the lightning had struck their station, knocking out the power to their pumps and causing their whole system to go haywire. Insert a little bit luck with a little bit rock and roll, I managed to get enough Gas to get us to Edson.

202 Km
It was cold. It was Damned cold.
As if being soaked hadn't been bad enough, the temperature could not have been much more than 7-10 degrees. As we rode, the wind dried our clothes, cooling them further. In Edson Sev showed me how to leave your gloves on your engine, so they're warm when you put them back on. I recommended to Jeff that he fill his camel pack with hot coffee. I was 80% joking, but he actually did it. Like a hot-water bottle strapped to his body, it sustained him down the road. He would later tell me "I have never been as sad as I was, when the coffee ran out."

I just found out that one of my classmates died while out with his dad for a ride. Tearful phone calls...

Sorry to hear that dude. You know where I am if you need anyone this week.

Night falls, and we're still wet. The temperature drops and the elevation rises - as do the winds.

We managed to snap a quick picture of the sunset just as we left Hinton.



While we're entering Jasper a bike buzzes. Which is to say a ZX10 goes flying past so fast that the two of us doing 140 felt like we were standing still. Five minutes later we saw the lights of a ghost car on the side of the road. "YES YES YES the bike got pulled over." Nope, it was a SUV puck!

Anyways, the winds were picking up and shoving us all over the road, but mostly into oncoming traffic, we're doing well over the speed limit in the dark, with tinted visor and glasses through a national park where animals are allowed on the road. My fingers were so cold I was fully confident that should I need to stop quickly I would be fully unable to do so. In other words, we were having the time of our lives.

Safely arriving at our campground we were unable to locate our particular campsite. I was forced to offroad it a little.



I then had to tramp through the woods looking for ironically enough wood. Had to cross three campsites, trudge through the woods, cross a stream, walk up the road, turn right walk up another road. Collect a double armful of wood, then tromp all the way back. Repeat X2.

While I was gone two moose charged into our campsite, and apparently almost ran over our parked bikes. Malice scared them off.

Much booze and little mix made for a quick drunk and into bed by 2:30. Tomorrow would be much the same.

Malice wrote:290 Km
Leaving Hinton, the sun had already set. We had just over 80 Km to go to Jasper, most of which was through a National Park where speed limits are significantly lower. We went from cold and wet, to cold, wet and dark. This did not seem to matter to the gentleman who blew past us on his Crotch Rocket at somewhere near 190 Kmph. I was made to feel like I was standing still, while traveling at 120. Scared the black jesus right out of me.

370 Km
My shoulders were in a lot of pain and I was really cold. The wind in the mountains was blasting Sev and I from the right, pushing our bikes towards oncoming traffic. We were right miserable. Arriving after dark we found our way to our site, though Sev got a little lost and off-roaded it back to me.
Setting up the tent in the dark was an adventure. Wildlife hauling "O Ring" through the campground and almost running into our bikes was an adventure. Starting a fire with little or no dry paper was an adventure. Trying to dry out soaked clothes was an adventure. Hearing the rain start again was an adventure.

Boy, we're sure having a lot of adventures this trip. Thank god I brought booze.

So worth it!

Malice and Sev - professional badasses.

Coolest picture ever taken while riding




Malice tried to shove me off a cliff


There was to be a reckoning


This is what dreams are made of


Gas was outrageous at Saskatchewan Crossing


This is snow.




Stayed at Chateau Lake Louise... for free !


I cooked


It was good!


Peter's drive-in would be lunch the next day, and this would be the last photo taken



I would like to thank Malice who not only made sure I didn't freeze to death, but also made sure that I would have pictures to comemerate our trip. A better friend could not be found... even if you are trying to push me off cliffs.

I'm so ashamed... I've become one of "those guys." You know the guys that go out and pick up a used race tire and put it on their bikes? Yeah... I did that today. But in my defense the price was right - FREE.

Picked up a tire with one day of track use and lots of wear left, slapped it on the back and took her out for a spin. Handles a lot better with fresh(er) rubber on the back end. But I still feel bad about having this set of chicken strips polished off by someone else. Hopefully no one will notice.