The realtime journals ended after Day 5, which is pretty much the same thing I did on the Magical Mystery Tour.  So here’s a synopsis of what went on for the rest of the trip:

Days 6&7 were spent hanging out with Scott & Gill in Port Moody.  Something really cool happened here actually…I had been looking for a Rickenbacker bass and while we were out walking their dog the Long & McQuade store in Vancouver called.  We went over there and I ended up buying it…they even shipped it to their Saskatoon store for me.  Super awesome find…those are very hard to get.

On Day 8 I left Port Moody for Kelowna.  I had some trouble with the battery when I left, and had to roll down the hill and throw it in 2nd in order to start Silver.  I rode out to Hope, went north so I could ride up the Fraser Canyon again, and then headed to Kelowna via Merritt.  Unfortunately the bike went completely dead east of Merritt and I had to get a tow to Kelowna.

The next morning in Kelowna I made arrangements for a new battery and was able to get it installed by lunchtime.  I immediately hit some more wineries:  Cedar Creek, St. Hubertus, and Summerhill.  I actually ate lunch at Summerhill, and on the way back to the motel I noticed the clutch had a lot of give.

Upon further inspection I noticed that the clutch cable was frayed to the point where it would require immediate replacement.  I managed to find a bike shop to replace it, but I’d have to wait two days because they had to air ship the part in.

So for the next two days I was stranded on the Lakeshore area of Kelowna.  I was staying at the Mission Park Inn, so for the first time I was not staying near the former location of the La Mission Motor Inn…I was right next to the Starbuck’s I used to walk to.  The walks just weren’t the same.  They even built giant sidewalks where there was just asphalt before.

I managed to have dinner with my cousin Lara and her boyfriend Shane at the pub across the street, and during dinner they told me that they had just gotten engaged.  The next day I took Silver to the bike shop and waiting there for a few hours as they put on the new cable.

After it was fixed I headed directly over to Mission Hill, Quail’s Gate, Little Straw, and Mount Boucherie Wineries.  I spent one more night in Kelowna and headed north the next morning.

I stopped at Gray Monk on my way home, after which I headed to Kamloops and then rode the entire day north to Jasper.  The next day I rode the rest of the way home.

The trip was all about escape.  I had been living and working in extreme conditions as I prepared for the provincial election that Fall.  The break was good and put me into a good frame of mind to hit the ground running when I got home.  All of the mechanical troubles added to the adventure…I enjoy troubleshooting and dealing with unplanned problems…adds some suspense to the trip.

There was a loneliness to the tour which I attribute to having no group wine tour…it really was lacking and wine tasting is far more fun when there’s someone there to enjoy it with.  I also didn’t really visit any new wineries with the exception of Orofino.

Anyway, the tour ended up being 13 days, tied for shortest trip with the Easy Rider Tour 2006.