Sunday, Aug 5, 2012

The third day of the Road Warrior Tour is a perfect example of what a typical day is like on my motorcycle tours.  It’s funny how after seven years of touring my patterns of behaviour have not changed…so here’s what a typical day looks like:

Typical Day Feature #1- A late start and no sleep

Originally the plan was to get a good night’s sleep and to be on the road early in the morning.  However, after visiting with everyone until after 2am and waking up at the crack of dawn this simply wasn’t going to happen.  In fact, it wasn’t until 9:30 that I actually got up.  Feeling that I needed a good breakfast to make up for the lack of sleep (and resulting tiredness), Laura, Matt, and I went out for breakfast before I headed out.  By the time I hit the road it was nearly noon.

It was a hot day with temperatures into the high 20s or low 30s and I had seven hours of straight riding ahead of me in order to make it to the Kootenays.  I raced out of Canmore after fueling up and headed west on the #1.  The traffic was very heavy- a side effect of traveling in a National Park on a long weekend.  Most “stop and take a picture” sites were packed full of kids and dogs and RVs so I did not make many stops as I meandered through Kootenay National Park.  I really enjoyed that ride and the amazing scenery, and I have enough pictures from years past that I didn’t feel cheated at not being able to take more of them.

Typical Day Feature #2- Fatigue sets in mid-ride, time for a nap

By the time I reached Radium I felt a sense of accomplishment. I had conquered the Rockies and was now confronted with the mighty Purcell Mountains to the west and the expansive Rocky Mountain Trench and Columbia Valley to the south.

When I left Canmore I was really worried about how long I would last on the bike.  The problem with being tired while riding is that the bike requires intense concentration as well as physical endurance.  Fatigue sets in easily if you are sleep deprived, and suddenly you find you are not concentrating on the road and the eyes start to get very heavy.

I headed south from Radium but by the time I reached Invermere I couldn’t go on.  I stopped at a tourist information centre, found a shady piece of lawn, threw my jacket on the ground to act as a pillow, and proceeded to have a nap on the lawn.  It must have lasted about a half hour but those little naps make a big difference.  I got up after and felt a little better, but my tiredness combined with the hot sun beating down on me made me start to think that I was never going to make the Kootenays today.  It was just too far.  Perhaps I should set my sites on Cranbrook.

Typical Day Feature #3- Second wind later in the day

I popped one of those 5-Hour Energy shots, traded my heavy jacket for my lighter vest, and continued to head south for a few hours until I reached Cranbrook.  By this time the fatigue had waned and I found my second wind.  The heat was still intense but I think that adrenaline took over (or maybe that energy drink) because I no longer felt like I needed naps.  There was no doubt I was still tired- but at least now I wasn’t sleepy.

The ride from Cranbrook to Creston is an exciting one.  The Rocky Mountain Trench, although scenic, is a long and straight highway and does not offer much in the way of twists or turns.  Heading west from Cranbrook, however, signals a move from the Trench into the Kootenays- a region of British Columbia that is like heaven for motorcylists.

Typical Aspect #4- Last minute sleep arrangements

I arrived in Creston at about 7:00pm local time.  I felt I was making good time considering the late start and the fact that I had to sleep for a half hour back in Invermere.  The goal while in Creston was simple- decide where I should stay.  I purposefully left this day open because I wanted a “decide on the whim” experience.  Every other accommodation on the Road Warrior Tour has been pre-booked.

I had almost decided just to park in Creston and stay at a local motel, but chose not to when I thought of a little town called Ymir.  My cousins in Nelson have always raved about this little town of 200 that is about 40km south of Nelson.  It has an historic hotel that is both quaint and inexpensive to stay at.  The town itself is also nestled right in the middle of the Selkirk mountain range- far more attractive that the expansive Creston valley where I was.

I called the Historic Ymir Hotel and booked a room for $50 over the phone.  Their kitchen closes at 8:00 but the chap on the phone said he’d have them keep it open if I left right away.  I jumped on Silver after fueling up and headed west into the heart of the Kootenays.

Typical Aspect #5- One last amazing leg

I was tired and it had been a long day.  I could tell that I got too much sun because my skin was radiating heat.  It would have been very easy to just call it a day in Creston, but I felt I could summon the remainder of my endurance and take on another 80km journey.

The ride west of Creston has two options: the Kootenay Bay Ferry to the northwest (also the best motorcycle road in Canada) or the climb up the Kootenay Pass- the second highest highway in Canada.  Given time constraints I chose the Pass.

The Kootenay Pass is a 30-km continual ascent followed by a 30-kilometre continual descent.  The road itself if in good shape, and the trees surround you as the heavily forested Selkirk Range gets tighter and tighter around you.  The heat of the sun was replaced by cool, moist mountain air that was incredibly refreshing after spending all day in the heat.  The smell of pine trees was all around and there was a real feeling of being close to nature here.  It was wonderful- this is exactly what I had been looking forward to.

I headed west and began the incredible ascent into the clouds.  About half way up I had to stop the bike as several cars were stopped and even took up part of the road.  I discovered why after I stopped: a bear was on the side of the road gnawing on an elk carcass.  It was quite a sight- I had never seen a bear in its own habitat eating like that before.  It was rather majestic for a moment and I even snapped a picture, but at one point the bear looked up at the gallery of people watching and looked like it was in a defensive stance.  Having no window to roll up or car door to hide behind, I decided the safest move was to get the hell out of there even though it was a small bear and in hand to hand combat I probably could have bested it.

At 8:30 I finally arrived at the Historic Ymir Hotel.  I had finally made it.

Typical Aspect #6- An Amazing Find

The Ymir Hotel exceeded expectations.  I checked in at the Lounge that was hosted by Hans- an older fellow with a thick Danish accent.  The lounge was filled with all kinds of odds and ends and a few dozen stringed instruments- guitars, basses, mandolins- you name it.  People are invited to pick an instrument up and entertain the bar if they desire.  I wanted to, but didn’t considering I was on my last legs before I would have to crash.

I ordered a burger and salad from the little kitchen and Hans took me upstairs.  I cannot say enough good things about this Hotel.  It is filled with Hans’s own art collection (he joked that he bought the Hotel because he needed a house big enough for his art).  There were shared rooms everywhere- one for entertainment, one for breakfast, one for visiting.  My room was small, but standard for a hotel of this age.  I felt like I was staying at some place special.  I will come back here.  In fact, this would be a great retreat-type of place to write a book or songs or something requiring creativity and seclusion.

Typical Aspect #7- Lay on the Charm

I do not mean my charm- I mean the town’s charm.  I was eating my food in the lounge after unpacking my bags when a few local lounge patrons struck up a conversation with me.  This is common when meeting people in hotel lounges- where are you from, where are you going…and of course they always have great suggestions of things to do and see while in their area.

As it turned out, a movie was shot in Ymir two summers ago called “The Tall Man.” It stars Jessica Biel and the Smoking Man from X-Files.  It has not been released yet, but it was being screened one-time only in this little town’s park.  The park happened to be behind the Hotel, so I decided to check it out.

The sun had set and darkness had set it, and the screening was a series of bedsheets acting as a movie screen that a projector was aimed at.  I could not see any faces but I could tell there was at least 50 people sitting in lawn chairs watching the movie.  The clanging of beer bottles in coolers was all around and I figured that the authorities probably did not mind open liquor in public.

I found a piece of grass off to the side and laid down using my jacket as a pillow. Throughout the film people would laugh, make comments, or shout out one-liners as they saw familiar buildings or a neighbour who got a job as an Extra.  There was a real sense of “community” here- not simply a bunch of people who happen to live in the same municipality.  This is the charm of small, remote rural areas.

It was a long day.  I had conquered the Rockies, rolled down the Rocky Mountain Trench, and had now entered the Kootenays.  I had battled fatigue all day and came out victorious.  I almost had to fight a bear.  I poured myself a gin and juice and gazed up at the sky as the movie played.  There were no clouds in the sky and the stars were bright and clear.  The moon was behind a mountain, but its light left a silhouette of treed mountaintops to remind you of where you were.  The air was cool and moist and clean.  It was absolutely beautiful.  I couldn’t help but think that these people get to breathe this in every day.

Oh, the movie was ok too.

This is a typical day.  Is there any wonder why I look forward to this all year?