Buying a motorcycle was something I've wanted to do for a long time, and I knew that when I did it, it would mark a new era for me. I can't explain what this new era is, for it hasn't quite presented itself fully yet, but all I can say is that the feeling of freedom riding a motorcycle gives me revives that travelling spirit in me, like that bike is synonymous with my life.
I'd been planning a trip to British Columbia ever since I'd picked that bike up from the Harley dealership back in June, deciding to do it during my five day set off in the middle of August, the best time of year for favourable weather. But as the date approached, the forecast changed to a higher chance that my trip might be highlighted by rain. I decided fuck it, there was no way I was going to miss out on the only chance I'll have this summer to take my bike on the road. I gathered my rain gear and packed.
Waking myself up at noon after working until 6:30 am that morning, I packed my bike and set off, bound for Jasper. The weather was beautiful and turned out to hold that tune for the next two days of riding. I enjoyed the wind on my face and the tunes in my ears. The song turned out to be quite noteworthy. Sometimes music can totally form to an occasion, sometimes seeming like a song of fate. I had waited to turn my IPod on until I hit the open highway, and the first two songs I heard on it struck me.
I'd been planning a trip to British Columbia ever since I'd picked that bike up from the Harley dealership back in June, deciding to do it during my five day set off in the middle of August, the best time of year for favourable weather. But as the date approached, the forecast changed to a higher chance that my trip might be highlighted by rain. I decided fuck it, there was no way I was going to miss out on the only chance I'll have this summer to take my bike on the road. I gathered my rain gear and packed.
Waking myself up at noon after working until 6:30 am that morning, I packed my bike and set off, bound for Jasper. The weather was beautiful and turned out to hold that tune for the next two days of riding. I enjoyed the wind on my face and the tunes in my ears. The song turned out to be quite noteworthy. Sometimes music can totally form to an occasion, sometimes seeming like a song of fate. I had waited to turn my IPod on until I hit the open highway, and the first two songs I heard on it struck me.
The first was the Pusher by Steppenwolf, which is the intro song for the greatest motorcycle movie ever filmed, Easy Rider. If that's not a sign I don't know what is.
The next one was Combination of the Two by Big Brother and the Holding Company, which is the intro song to Fear and Loathing In Las Vegas, which plays in the first scene of the drug fuelled road trip through the desert. I couldn't help but feel I was on my own crazy journey, while not drug fuelled or to Las Vegas, but on the road of life, which can be as surreal as any drug trip.
I arrived in Jasper around 7:30, quickly secured a campsite in the Whistlers campground, pitched my tent and headed back into town. While I could pack most things I need on the back of my motorcycle, the limited amount of space precludes bringing food or the means to cook it, so I had to settle for some quick A&W. I grabbed two cans of beer from the local liquor store and headed back to have a fire before crashing for some much needed sleep.
I woke up at 6:30 am, grabbed a quick shower, watched the Japanese neighbours get dangerously close to a herd of caribou, then woke up the rest of the loop with my motorcycle. The ride to Kamloops was another beautiful day, very scenic and very windy. Perfect road for a motorcycle. I pulled in to the Dunrite Auto detailing shop at 3 pm to hug my good friend Dustin and immediately begin berating each other. That night we hung out at his place with another one of his nomadic buddies (who happened to show up that evening) and caught up on our lives, especially Dustin's stories of being head butted and bear sprayed (all happened within the year he's lived there haha). I could make a reality show out of that guy.
The next morning the left me with a departing gift, another ostrich rider decal that we pasted on my fuel tank (I'll post a pic soon). My bike now has my persona stamped on it. After saying the goodbye's I took off to Scotch Creek to visit my cousins Mark and Vanessa and their two kids. We hung around the trailer community, laying by the pool and having a great BBQ. Later on Mark and I met his friend for a couple beers at a local pub and ended the night by downing two giant plates of nachos. I knew all along that trip would be horribly unhealthy, and it was great.
The next day I awoke to rain and gloomy skies. And sure enough, on my departure from Scotch Creek, it rained. Thankfully my ride to Salmon Arm was short and didn't quite soak me through. I had a couple hours to dry out while visiting my uncle Ralph and ogling at the beauty of a Chevelle he just finished restoring this year. I would have liked to stay longer, but I needed to make it to Banff that night to split my long journey back home, which promised to be cold and wet. It wasn't so much wet (I was rained on a little in Rogers Pass) as it was cold, but I layered up and pushed on. After fuelling up at Lake Louise, I decided to call ahead to check availability in hostels in Banff. The chance of rain was still high and I didn't really feel like spending a cold, damp night in a tent only to have to break it down in the rain come morning. There was no availability in Banff, so I opted to stay in Lake Louise that night.
The morning was cold, but surprisingly felt less so than the previous day once I got on the highway. I skipped the insane weekend traffic of the Trans-Canada and QEII highways and instead chose the route that took me through Cochrane and Olds, then through Wetaskiwin, sticking to the secondary highways as best I could. There was a good headwind when I turned north that shook my head around as I rode and kept that sensation in my head all that night, like the feeling of floating in water long after a swim. I will not complain about that, however, it was the feeling that I'd rode hard and had had a great trip. And now I cannot wait until the next one.
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