Leaving the Kootenays is always a downer. I can’t say enough good things about this place. The air is clean, the roads are windy, the scenery is breathtaking, and the vibe is very relaxing.  It is very easy to feel comfortable here.

There are two Kootenay towns in particular that have become mainstays of my tours: Kaslo and New Denver. They are very similar. Both are on a lake, both are remote, both exist because of a previous silver mining rush, and both have incredible charm. The energies of these towns are different, however. It’s hard to describe. It’s like Kaslo has a male energy and New Denver has a female energy.

Kaslo has these old and well maintained late 1800s era buildings. It a very clean and tidy, and there’s a ‘solidness’ to it…like it has stood the test of time and remained immaculate. They even have a Sternwheeler, the SS Moyie, presented high above Kootenay Lake as a tourist attraction and national historic site. I’d like to describe Kaslo as “quaint” but for some reason that sounds condescending and dismissive. There’s something very special about this place and I always hate leaving.

I was up in early not knowing if Midnight would actually start up. After last night’s fiasco I was just happy to have made it back here, and my immediate priority was to ensure it didn’t happen again. I was heading west today, and I planned to ride through New Denver, Nakusp, the Needles Ferry, Vernon, and then end up in Cache Creek . I wanted to stay there so that I could tee the ball up for an awesome morning ride on the Lillooet-Pemberton highway tomorrow.

I called a Yamaha Dealer in Vernon and they had a battery in stock. I told them I’d be there in four hours and they offered to start charging it for me. All I had to do was make it to Vernon on the existing battery. I figured that I could just keep it running every time I had to stop if it wouldn’t start the bike. This may have presented a problem on the ferry but I was sure I could get a boost from somebody down there.

After packing Midnight I made the first attempt to start the engine. It roared to life with no problem and it continued to behave without any problems all day. I might not have needed a new battery but I wanted to have the peace of mind of knowing I had a fresh, new one that wouldn’t fail me. I think last night I must have had too many lights and devices sucking power from the battery at once, but that’s just a theory. All I know is that I lost trust in that battery and it had to go.

The ride from Kaslo to New Denver might be my favourite road. I often say that the Creston- Kootenay Bay road is my favourite, but it’s really a toss up. A close third is the Lillooet- Pemberton highway that I’ll be riding tomorrow. That’s my top three. And fourth isn’t even close.

The morning ride was perfect. It was maybe 19 degrees out and the sun was shining bright. I enjoyed every minute of that first road and upon reaching New Denver I took a quick dip into town to check out the scene. It’s a Friday, so they’re having their weekly summer street fair. Unfortunately I just don’t have the room in my bags for handcrafts or other gifts.

The ride from New Denver to Nakusp went by quickly. It is nearly 50km and it is much straighter (and therefore faster) than the New Denver- Kaslo Road. I fueled up in Nakusp and Midnight had no trouble starting after being refueled. We continued south to Fauquier for the ferry. This road is even straighter and faster than the last one. The scenery is s mostly tall trees except for a few brief vistas of the Lower Arrow Lake.

The Fauquier- Needles Ferry is a smaller ferry that is propelled by a cable across Lower Arrow Lake (which is actually a widening of the Columbia River). I’ve never had much of a wait here but today there was a two boat wait that lasted about an hour and a half. I didn’t really mind. It was a beautiful day and I was in the middle of the Kootenays about to cross a beautiful lake. It’s hard to imagine a better place to hang out for a few hours. There was even a golf course right next to the road leading down to the ferry so I got to watch golf. I imagined what it would be like to retire here and be able to golf and ride motorcycles all day.

The ferry ride itself went very smoothly. The scenery was amazing as usual and Midnight started with no problems afterward. We were first off the ferry so I was a little nervous about it not starting.

The ride from Needles to Vernon is a special road. The best part is the eastern half between Needles and Cherryville, so I’d be doing that first. It’s a very long road and it is very windy and tight on this eastern half. You can’t go very fast. It’s only 135km but you have to give yourself at least two hours. It’s also cool because it takes you over the Monashees, so you are essentially riding over the western most range of the Columbia Mountain system and into the dry Okanagan Valley.

I was able to find the Yamaha Dealer in Vernon by 3:30 and my battery was ready and waiting. I changed batteries in a matter of minutes and was back on the road heading west on Hwy 97 to Kamloops.   The Okanagan is always warm and today was no exception. It wasn’t the crazy-hot it usually is, though. It was maybe 26 degrees or so and there were rainclouds to the west. A storm system was definitely moving in, and I was going to be riding right into it.

This stretch of road is actually quite pleasant. The scenery is mostly dry, sparsely treed mountains and ranchland. It goes pretty fast but it’s far more interesting than the Trans Canada to the north. Traffic was a little heavy because it was Friday and I managed to avoid the rain. Unfortunately there was a pretty strong headwind that would last the remainder of the trip to Cache Creek.

Once past Kamloops my route took me high up into the Thompson Plateau on the Trans Canada Hwy #1. Traffic was heavy and fast and there were clouds everywhere so I didn’t get to enjoy the scenery very much, although there were some great views of the Thompson River.

I reached Cache Creek just after 6:00. I easily found my motel, went for a swim in the pool, had some dinner, and then came back to my room and fell asleep. I’ve been through a lot of big days in a row, and I had one more solid day of riding before spending some time resting and relaxing with friends in the Lower Mainland. Tomorrow morning is an important ride- I get to ride the Fraser Canyon and the amazing Lillooet- Pemberton highway. I wanted to be well rested for those.

Here’s a map of the day: