By Sharon Feldman & David Devlin
Everyone knows that the anticipation of a vacation sometimes exceeds the reality of the trip. Last year, my riding partner, Sharon, and I were lucky to find a motorcycle tour offered by Coastline Motorcycle Tours & Rentals of Victoria, British Columbia, where this was certainly not the case. We had such a wonderful time it is hard to describe by using mere words. After months of agonizing, we had decided to take a chance and do the tour they offered in British Columbia. There was so much to do between the decision to go and actually arriving in Vancouver but since we did pay in full, up front one foremost thought was "Would these guys actually show up?"
The tour offered was a trip from Vancouver, BC through the Rockies and back. It was to last 8 days, and included everything you could want in a motorcycle tour. The price was right, and after speaking to David Graham from Coastline we were convinced this was the vacation of a lifetime.
It didn't take long for us to believe we had reached motorcycle-riding heaven.
Vancouver
We met up in Vancouver with three other couples from Australia and Germany, along with the Coastline guys, David Graham and John Bigalke. We spent that Sunday getting to know our travel mates, and took a ride around the city and up into the hills to see the sights.
There were seven bikes including David Graham and his wife Carmen. David also had two assistants; John was the mechanic, who drove the truck towing a three-rail trailer. Our luggage went in the truck. Sharon and I were two-up on a Road King Classic. Jeff helped John with the driving and taking care of our luggage and the bikes.
The weather had been horrible for the past few weeks, up to and including Sunday, but there seemed to be a promise in the air to clear up later and to be perfect riding weather conditions by Monday. There was a welcoming banquet that evening and we then retired for the night in anticipation of our first day in the saddle.
Vancouver to Kelowna
We had a mid-morning departure from Vancouver and followed a variety of roads, including industrial, rural, freeway, and then up into the foothills of the mountains. We followed the Coquihalla Hwy from Chilliwack through Merritt, over the connector and down into Kelowna.
The route through the Fraser River Canyon is an incredible engineering feat, straddling both sides of the river with National and privately owned railways. We were only an hour and a half out of Vancouver and already climbing quite dramatically. There were huge mountains rising on either side of a narrow, twisty road.
We reached the canyon town of Lytton; the temperature had risen to about 95. All the way to Spence's Bridge we glanced down to the river and watched the whitewater rafters. We stopped for lunch in what was a perfect spot to view the rafts coming down the Thompson River from the northeast.
We headed east and left the Thompson and traveled through the Nicola Valley to Merritt. From there we climbed yet again and down into the beautiful Okanagan Valley.
At dinner that evening, being from the east coast, we inquired whether these were the Rockies and David just chuckled and said: "There are a lot of other big ranges before we even see the Rockies."
Some highlights of the day, we saw the fish ladders built for the migrating salmon, watched mountain sheep perching on the crags above us, dodged the odd "free range" doggies wandering the highway and enjoyed some of the best riding ever!
Kelowna to Nelson
This day had us riding southeast on a secondary road, a two-lane twisty through small towns and along the Kettle River. We traveled north on Hwy #5, following the Thompson River and the Canadian National Railway line. This is natural untamed country with plenty of wildlife and we stared at one spectacular view after the other while riding the gently sweeping roads. We made several stops in little towns along the way.
The first stop we made was a place called "Hell's Gate". More water pours through this beautiful gorge than over Niagara Falls and from the sound it makes, I certainly believe it. We rode the tram (cable car) at Hell's Gate.
John, of Coastline, is also an avid fisherman and had brought along several casting rods so we had a chance to learn how to fly cast. We didn't catch anything that day but it was an enjoyable experience for us city folk.
The evening was spent in Nelson on Kootenay Lake where, after a great dinner and conversation, we hit the sack dreaming of tomorrow's ride.
Nelson to Revelstoke
The morning sunrise over the mountains took our breath away. After a hearty breakfast, we pulled out. Our course today is Route 31 out of Nelson to Kaslo then over to route 31A with a stop at Sandon, picking up Route 23 into Revelstoke. One section of this trip is only 50 miles but must have had a hundred curves!
One of the first stops was an old silver mining ghost town that went from boom to bust in a 22-year period. We were not able to ride up to the town, so we parked at the bottom of the road and climbed into the back of the truck. One of the statistics about Sandon was that it was supposed to have had 23 "bawdy" houses during the boom. Most of it burned down some time ago, but there are still a few residents, a museum, a general store, and an electric company. No more bawdy houses in operation, though there was still a sign on one of the houses.
We stopped at Ainsworth Hot Springs, perched on a cliff above Kootenay Lake. The views were incredible.
Some of this route is closed in the winter as there's not enough traffic to justify plowing. At New Denver, we headed north again, through Nakusp and on to Galena Bay to catch the lake ferry operated as part of the highway system to Shelter Bay and then on to Revelstoke. At the ferry I learned that here in British Columbia, motorcycles board and unload first on all the ferry systems; a civilized system I think.
Once again, this part of the country affords the viewing of such wildlife as bear, moose, elk, mountain goats and Rocky Mountain big horned sheep. Continuing north, we arrive in the railway town of Revelstoke for the evening. Revelstoke is a major railway town, heli-ski resort in winter and in the center of thousands of square miles of wilderness. We visited the railway museum and had the "virtual experience" of being the engineer on an old steam engine.
The Regent Inn is a heritage railway hotel and has a great Swiss chef and a wonderful dining room. They had just finished a two-year restoration and according to David, had only just put in an elevator. We had another great evening discussing the day's ride, even more great food and then in bed to bring a faster arrival to tomorrow's riding adventures.
Revelstoke to Banff
Off we go today on the Trans Canada Highway over the mountains and through Rogers' Pass, Golden and then over 1A into Lake Louise and down to Banff.
Surely these were the Rockies? No, these were the Purcell Ranges and we started climbing even more dramatically.
Although the traffic became a bit denser, we didn't experience any delays as there are many passing lanes. The route had many snow sheds over the road because in winter there are many avalanches.
Right along the shoulder of the highway we'd often see herds of mountain goats.
In the town of Golden we stopped for lunch. The surrounding peaks glistened with snow even though it was summer. Looking eastward, we finally caught our first glimpse of the Rocky Mountains. They are breathtaking! Just before the Kicking Horse Pass and the Continental Divide, we took a short detour off the highway to Takakkaw Falls, the second highest waterfall in North America. This is a huge drop these falls make and is the western outflow of the Columbia Ice Fields.
Continuing back once again onto Route 1, we climbed another section, over the Continental Divide. At one point we stopped, climbed up a hill and from there you could see how the small creeks were running west and east. Quite amazing! On the last leg, we saw a bear up in a tree on the way in, but it is not safe to stop for a photo. By the time we got to Banff it was clear and warm. We arrived at The Rundlestone Lodge in Banff, checked in and then went for a boisterous dinner at a local steak house.
Banff to Mount Robson
After breakfast, we took a brief ride through the town and at a scenic viewpoint, we were looking at world-famous Banff Springs Hotel. We headed back west on Route 1 to Lake Louise and had a few photo ops. This turquoise-colored lake is stunning.
Leaving Lake Louise, we traveled north again up the Banff-Jasper highway. This has to be one of the most beautiful roads I've ever traveled. Incredible mountain ranges loomed on both sides of the road. About fifty miles up the road are the Columbia Ice Fields. We stopped and walked on the glacier.
We had a picnic lunch that magically appeared from the truck and then continued on to Jasper. Along the way, we saw herds of bighorn mountain sheep and goats, elk and black bear. You have to be careful along this road as the tourists stop their RV's and cars anywhere they can to take photos (whether there's room on the side of the road or not!) David and John had warned us about this so we were watchful.
From Jasper, we headed west on Highway 16 for about fifty miles and reached our destination for the evening. Mountain River B&B, literally at the foot of Mt. Robson, has to be one of the nicest places we've ever been. Tucked a few hundred yards off the road, it felt as if you were in the absolute middle of wild country. You could hear the gurgle of Swift Current Creek as it flowed back of the lodge. After a sumptuous dinner prepared by our hostess, Claudia, we went outside and had a fire in the BBQ pit and smoked cigars.
Saturday dawned with beautiful weather, clear and cool. A complete, European style breakfast awaited us all. We ran west for a few miles then south at the junction of 16 and Highway 5. This route follows the North Thompson River through towns such as Blue River, Clearwater and Little Fort.
During our lunch stop we watched a cow moose and two of her calves munching on lily pads in thigh-deep water. I know it's repetitious but every section of road we traveled seemed to be made for motorcycling.
That night we arrived in Kamloops.
The hotel, once again, was perched on the top of a mountain affording the most incredible night view of Kamloops below.
Another great day. What a ride, what a place!
Free Day in Banff, Off to the Ice Fields
This was a day to relax, and catch our breath. So we decided we would take a little motorcycle ride by ourselves. We figured 270 miles should be pretty relaxing. We left about 9am, and drove back towards Lake Louise, and picked up Hwy 93 north to the Columbia Ice Fields. You can walk on a glacier at the ice fields, and that sounded like fun.
Highway 93 was the most beautiful Highway I have ever been on. You could see for miles up between two mountain ranges.
As we were leaving the Glacier, Chuck, Brent, and Kevin were just driving up. We continued down to the gas station, and then stopped for lunch. We arrived back in Banff about 3pm. David was expecting his partner Marty, and his friend Roxane, Marty's son, and his girlfriend to ride in from Calgary Friday afternoon. Sharon and I went downtown for a little shopping. It seemed that most of the shops were either national type clothing stores, or local tourist shops catering to the Japanese crowd. Sharon was looking for a charm for her bracelet, and finally found one in a nice little store tucked away off the main street.
Banff to Calgary the Long way
Saturday dawned with beautiful weather, clear and cool. This was the last day of the motorcycle trip. We were scheduled to leave around 10 a.m. We were to take the Banff-Jasper Parkway, and then Hwy 93 to the Columbia Ice Fields again. The area is where the headwaters of the Columbia River form. At the Saskatchewan River Crossing we headed east following the Saskatchewan River to Rocky Mountain House, then South on Highway 22 on into Calgary a total of about 250 miles.
Wildlife is everywhere up here and you have to always be vigilant while riding, while we were getting ready to go, a small group of elk with some young ones came onto the Hotel grounds and grazed.
Marty took up the lead on this portion of the trip and I dropped in behind him. Now Marty also likes to go fast but I did manage to keep two seconds behind him all the way to the first stop. At our first stop, Marty, got sent to the back of the pack for going too fast, and being a bad influence on me. Darn I missed him.
We stopped for lunch at Rocky Mountain House. From there it was pretty much freeway on into Calgary. Marty got out of the doghouse and started to lead again. I was still in the pack. When we hit the freeway, he and Jeff and John started to pull out from the group. Not being one to miss a little speed, I pulled out and caught up with them. I remember seeing the number 85 mph on my speedometer for awhile, but most of the time I just kept 2 seconds behind the guy in front. After about 30 miles of this we pulled off the freeway to make sure the Buells had enough fuel. Good thing we did, a couple of guys on a rice burner said there was a cop with an attitude down the road.
Whistler to Vancouver
So, it's sad, all good things must come to an end. The last day's ride was the shortest as it's only about 100 miles from Whistler to Vancouver but there was plenty to see along the way. At several points, the road literally clung to the side of looming mountains rising from the sea. It was a challenging ride.
As we neared the city, we took one last side trip up to one of the ski hills and had a fantastic view, not only of Vancouver but also all the way to Mt. Baker in Washington State.
Arriving back at The Four Points Sheraton Hotel, it was hard to believe we'd be back in New Jersey tomorrow. One farewell dinner later, we bid everyone good night and hoped to see the rest of the group in the morning. The folks from Australia were flying out late that night. By the time we awoke, the boys had the bikes loaded on the truck and trailer and were ready to head back to their base on Vancouver Island.
It was a wonderful experience, one that Sharon and I will remember the rest of our lives. The stunning scenic beauty, the challenging rides and the camaraderie are all memories that will be forever etched in our minds. We are already considering destinations for future trips — and we know that they can be fun — but these eight days with Coastline Tours in British Columbia will always be a high standard against which we will judge other tours and other tour operators.
We have since kept in touch with the folks we shared this trip with and can't forget the attention to our safety and comfort provided by Coastline. We plan on returning for their "Totem Tour" of Vancouver Island.
Yes, a paved road can be the path to enlightenment.
Editor's Note: Coastline Motorcycle Adventure Tours has been in the motorcycle tour business for 10 years. During that time many riders have enjoyed the experience of riding through this rugged and incredible country with David, Carmen and the rest of the crew.
Remember that if you want to enjoy all that British Columbia has to offer to plan ahead and book your tour early. The riding season in west Canada is wonderful but it is also short.
Enjoy your travels.
Know Before You Go.
Whether you visit western Canada with a tour group or take a self-guided tour, you can take countless opportunities to enhance your trip with some planning of places to visit and things to see along the way. Following, in a very condensed version, are notes and comments about a few of the places you are likely to visit. There is much, much more information available about each of these than published here so take these notes as a "teaser" and go on the web to further research your itinerary and you will get much more out of your travel experience.
The Calgary Stampede
The most popular tourist attraction in Calgary began in 1912 and is held every year in early July. (July 1- 16, 2006) Now millions come in from around the world to enjoy the annual Calgary Stampede and Exhibition, 'the greatest outdoor show on earth' which has a real rodeo, amusement park, concerts, chuck wagon races and lots more. The city changes during the 10-day event into a cowtown way of life. You will find lots of friendly cowboys and cowgirls and should add the Calgary Stampede to your list of things to see if you plan a trip at that time of the year. www.CalgaryStampede.com
Kelowna
You might want to park your motorcycle for the day and enjoy some of the many activities available. Kelowna, set against a backdrop of majestic snow-capped mountains, the lakes, orchards and vineyards immediately instill a sensation of awe in the sightseer.
Fraser River Canyon
"The Fraser" is the chief river of British Columbia, Canada. Rising in the Canadian Rocky Mts., at Yellowhead Pass, it flows northwest 850 miles through the Rocky Mt. Trench to Prince George, then south and west to the Strait of Georgia at Vancouver. The Fraser River canyon, which begins at Yale, is noted for its scenery; its mountain walls rise more than 3,000 ft.
Hell's Gate
In 1808 explorer Simon Fraser described this thunderous, narrow passage as an "awesome gorge" where the towering rock walls close in to create a channel only 110 feet wide to handle a volume of water greater than Niagara Falls. "We had to travel where no human being should venture — for surely we have encountered the gates of Hell" — Fraser
One of the most popular attractions in Canada is the Airtram at Hell's Gate. You can walk the almost hour up and back route but riding over the gorge in safety allows you to get a glimpse of the awesome power of Hell's Gate and the opportunity to catch the sight by camera.
Revelstoke
The gateway to mountain adventure and the National Parks; Revelstoke is home to some of the best adventure recreation in the world! From heli-skiing in the winter to heli-hiking in the summer, always against a backdrop of unbelievable scenery, this is the opportunity for adventure. But if you are not feeling that adventurous take a walking tour of the downtown area and enjoy quaint shops, boutiques, coffee houses and restaurants.
An added bonus for railroad buffs is the Railway Museum where one can step back in time with these giant relics of a bygone era.
Banff
Protected by the National Park system, Banff offers stunning mountain scenery, abundant wildlife ("wildlife" — not "nightlife") year-round recreation and world-class accommodations. Who isn't familiar with the image of the Banff Springs Hotel — the huge structure dwarfed by the surrounding mountains? Spend some time relaxing in any of the refreshing natural hot springs as they appear to be everywhere in this area.
Lake Louise
"Diamond in the Wilderness" is a description often used to describe this locale. Abounding with spectacular scenery, glaciers, waterfalls, rivers and lakes, this is not your typical Vail or Aspen area — it is an outpost of civilization. The nearest destination is three hours away. If you are looking for peace, quiet and beauty you have come to the right place. At Lake Louise you probably couldn't take a bad photo even if you tried.