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North to Nakusp

With the day growing short, we needed to land in Nakusp to, uhh, well, hydrate. Yeah that's it, hydrate.

The roads from Ainsworth to Nakusp were very hard on the eyes, it was difficult to find anything pleasant to look at..

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As we dropped into the tiny hamlet called Nakusp, I asked Steve MooseHead Mike at the stop sign if he remembered the name of the lodge.

'Sure' replied Steve MooseHead Mike , 'It's the Kuskaniskovich'. I checked GPS, nothing called the Kuskaniskovich. So we just motored through town and sure enough, there it was!

My good friend Joseph, MCML, was first to greet me!

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It was go good to see everyone again, lots of hugs n' kisses going on; truly nice.

Except for this fellow of course, he wasn't at all happy to see me for some reason, LOL.

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Finding the Registration table was difficult, there were no signs anywhere? Sure wish now I'd stole this sign, it's cool!

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Then, a few moments later, DIN-DIN and Boozing and long tall mostly false tales of derring do..

Sorry I don't know most of the folks in these pix - post up, eh?

BeamerReamer (sorry bubba, can't quite fetch the real name) is wearing the ball hat.

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FjRay

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Joe2lMaker, you anywhere in these pix?

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Can you spot the FairLaner?

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Left to right, Bluestreek and the Highlanders. Jeesh, I didn't get much chance to talk to either of them, bad on me. I'm getting ready to invade Dave and Diane - they just don't know it yet.. :) I have lots o' questions for Dave regarding AK...

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My good bud WheatonFJR - one of the nicest people on the face of this earth.

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Ahh, the Canadian night life! Left to right, Bearly Flying, OCFJR, MadMike, and Barb wax eloquent about all things improper like running car tires on FJR's, who is to make the next booze run, and how come no one recognizes Barb as Barb unless they are looking at her backside? Just askin?

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OcFjr and MadMike discuss whatever mad scientists discuss..

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Friday Ride with Mr/Mrs BeamerReamer and Mr/Mrs AuburnFJR

I awoke early on Friday June 19 2009 eager to go ride. I had the 5 routes loaded into the Zumo 550. The long route was +500 miles.. No, not for me. Wanna come back and party too. The ~120 mile up and back was, well, up and back, and too short. So we decided to make an approximately 200 mile loop.

Since I had the routes installed, I was duly appointed 'Ride Captain', and I proudly 'Donned' (pun intended) my Captains hat and took of fearlessly down the road. Less than 1/2 mile later, BeamerReamer calls on the GMRS radio..

'Uhhh, Don, you're going the wrong way'.

Well, shit and shinola, thinks I, just for that, 'Your'e the new ride captain!'

'There,' I thought, 'I fixed his wagon!'

What a fun route it was..

BeamerReamer refueling in Nakusp.

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Downtown Nakusp, BC.

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AuburnFJR

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Hohum, another great road..

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Approaching New Denver.

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I love the warning signs, reminds me of a Japanese flag, kinda sorta..

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Entering New Denver.

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We stopped at Silverton to look at all the cool old steam engines, drills, and mining equipment. The gurlz seemed kinda bored while the boyz were like, well, 14 year old kids...

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The ladies! (Coleen and Miranna?) (uh oh, I'm in trouble now, I know I messed up the names.. help please?)

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Ahh, the safety of nameless equipment.. whew.

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This used to be a schoolhouse.

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How do I know? 'Cause I'm a fart smeller, that's how!

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Old chain saw.

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Check out the updraft carb on this hi-horse engine! My 1930ish Allis Chamler dozer has one like it.

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..to be continued

 
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North to Nakusp
The roads from Ainsworth to Nakusp were very hard on the eyes, it was difficult to find anything pleasant to look at..

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Anyone else find this quote followed by the picture rather peculiar? :eek:

Keep the 'normal' stuff coming though.

:jester:

 
Friday Ride - To Nelson for lunch, cont

Somewhere along the way, someone, much smarter than me, mentioned something about food, lunch, dry buildings, warmth, and spending highly valued American dollars in a depressed and weakened Canadian economy!

'Ooooh' I thought, 'that sounds good.' And the next thing I knew, we're on the way to Nelson.

Then, the problem started. You see, sometimes I get crazy tunes and lyrics running around, endlessly, in my cranium scareabellium. This time it was;

"We're going to Nelson, we're going to eat some fooooood", "We're going to Nelson, watch out Nelson town". (With all due apologies to Johny Cash, RIP.)

On the way to Nelson, we're going to Nelson, we're going to eat some fud!

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'We're going to Nelson, watch out Nelson town.'

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Three up on an FJR? No problems!

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"We're going to Nelson, we're going to eat some fooooood", "We're going to Nelson, watch out Nelson town".

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UhOh,'We Ain't going to Nelson, we ain't going to town, if we sit here much longer, we are going to drown!"

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Yeah, I know, 500 bucks for StarCom/XM/ER6 and here I sit in a rain suit singing about Nelson town.. Hey, I never said I was 'normal', LOL.

Hey now.. Nelson town? Really?

"We're going to Nelson, we're going to eat some fooooood", "We're going to Nelson, watch out Nelson town".

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Approaching the downtown area, it occurs to me I like this town..

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Keeping with the Old Michael Irish pub thing, we found this joint to eat at.

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Where we parked, we weren't sure what the Yellow curb meant.. Tow away? Tow away a tourist spending money? Probably not so we parked them and they were there when he finished lunch. I kind of like the moment captured where Mr. BeamerReamer is helping Mrs. BeamerReamer get the chin strap secured - they're a good couple and good peeps.

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The ride back to Nakusp was incredibly nice. The rain let up, the roads were mostly dry, except for the last 10 miles or so, and I saw stuff I just don't see in dry, brown, hot country. Things like clouds hanging on tree branches, vapor rising off incredibly clear lakes, and the smell of clean, clean air. Even as I type this, I can still remember the smells.

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Funky fish market bus..

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Back in Nakusp, I bought some goodies from the local store then went to visit BeemerDons, who was camping nearby. Arriving, I found WheatonFJR and Beemer deep into Beer-30 so I had to join in for a few too. Thanks BeemerDons!

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..to be continued

 
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Anyone else find this quote followed by the picture rather peculiar? :eek:
Keep the 'normal' stuff coming though.

:jester:
<COUGH> sarcasm<COUGH>

BTW, dcarver this is becoming quite the epic report.

Good on you for reminding me of the good times...and thanks Don again for the beer and hospitality.

 
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Disappointing

Friday night was a freaking hoot. So much so I slept in until almost 10:30 AM. 5 days of only 3-4 hours sleep finally caught up. Well, that along with hydration, of course :****:

So I decided to to take a solo ride up to Revelstoke, make a big loop, returning to Nakusp. Especially since all my buds had left without me!

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And I can't find a foto one. I'm really hoping they are still on my PC laptop -but for now they are MIA and most likely gone.

I do want to say this - in Revelstoke, just after refueling, here comes Barry, Barabus!

'Hey Bubba' I say 'Which way you headed?'

'Back to Nakusp' says Barry. 'Which way are you going?'

'Giggle, I'm taking a little detour, Barry, it adds on about another 125 miles or so' I reply.

'Oh, 25 miles? Great, I'll ride with you!'

Ok, ok, ok, so I heard him repeat 25 miles.. baaawaaaaah! :****: Hugs n' Kisses...

So off we went, and what a stellar ride! The best ride of the entire trip, and I have no fotos..

Thank You Barry - great riding with you again, mi amigo!

..of course, that became the joke.. 'Oh yeah, only another 25 miles!' :unsure: :lol:

The Saturday night banquet was great - even though Barabus and I arrived late, everyone at the table quickly moved food my way and soon my plate was full of really delicious hot tasty food! Barry was even luckier, the nice VFW lady brought him a special plate. I think she did so because she could tell how absolutely fragged he was from that extra 125 miles! :lol:

..to be continued

 
...and I saw stuff I just don't see ... Things like clouds hanging on tree branches, vapor rising off incredibly clear lakes, and the smell of clean, clean air. Even as I type this, I can still remember the smells.
THAT is EXACTLY what makes motorcycle life on the road just about the best thing there is, huh? You're making me all twitchy.

...and dcarver was last seen being led into the woods by these two persons-of-interest. :D

 
Heading South - Nakusp BC to Salem OR

Essentially, most of the good riding was now done. Mentally I was in the mindset of I now need to HaulAsh and put the miles on.

Even if riding the most bitchen roads on earth, if the mental game isn't there I don't appreciate it. Twistie roads = time loss.

Time loss = bad. Just ride, dcarver, just ride. And when you get tired, just ride dcarver, just ride.

I'd taken this time off from work under tenuous circumstances, no quarter granted for failing to appear on Tuesday AM. But then a

thought struck me really hard. Today was Father's Day. My Pops is 91, and my sister had flown in to help him transition from his

house of 20+ years to the retirement home.

Wouldn't it be great for dad if he could have all his living children with him, even if just for an hour or so, one more time?

Quick calcs revealed a time penalty and I thought about not going. But how could I not?

Another issue was fuel! Leaving Nakusp I only had 3/8 tank. No problem, I refuel in the morning in Nakusp? Right? Wrong. No

stations open, and most rural CA stations don't have 24x7 credit card enabled pumps. Damn. Just keep riding dcarver, just keep riding.

Early morning beauty. I see it now, did not then.

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No fuel here, either. Joel2Maker, where are you, mi amigo?

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A quick look at a map I can actually read reveals that other towns are nearby.. Gas there maybe?

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Nothing yet, no gas...

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FINALLY, a gas station, and look who shows up? BikerSkier and OCFJR! Both are headed back to Salem/Oregon City so I hook up with them. Ahh, yes, no gps, no maps, just sit back with my 6.6 gallons of fuel (Hey Joel, where's the other 4 gallons or so?) and just ride, dcarver, just ride!

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One small town after the other, I've been spoiled by the great North, eh, and these fine towns now look kind of, uh, ordinary.

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Finally, the border! BikerSkier was first sucker through, then me and OCFJR. I was sure they officer was going to keep in OCFJR in Canada for running a car tire, but somehow he snuck through too. You're welcome, Eric, but you owe me!

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We was there.

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Obligatory self-portrait.

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This one was weird, really strange. This barn gave me total and complete creeps. SpideySense was going off the hook, something bad here once happened.. just ride dcarver, just ride.

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'All my life's a circle;

Sunrise and Sundown;

Moon rolls through the nighttime;

Till the daybreak comes around.'

What, Creston, AGAIN? :lol: 2,800 miles and here I are?

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More south.

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BikerSkier was in the lead and pulled off to view the worlds largest waterfall without water. Huh? It *is* pretty cool though, you just have to have some imagination.

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A nice German tourist took this for me!

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Good peeps all. Oh by the way - for those folks who say Eric (OCFJR) is crazy for running a car tire? The boy can run corners too, trust me. Sure, maybe not 9/10's but I saw him hit decreasing radius corners with high entrance speed. He never bobbled, changed lines, or overshot. So there! By the way, they guy is crazy to run a car tire, IMHO. But whatever floats your boat, right?

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On the road again, the green is now behind us.

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I have no clue where this is other than it's the Columbia river and the wind was blowing like crazy.

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BikerSkier and Maryann head for the barn.

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Soon followed by OCFJR..

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I soldiered on to Salem Oregon to see Pops and Sis. Arrived at 9:13 PM, stayed until ~11 PM. Dad was really happy to have his family with him, it made my heart sing and it felt good to see him so happy.

'I may never be in this house again', I thought as I left, so I took a pix of CrZy8 in Dad's old work shop.

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'All my life's a circle;

But I can't tell you why;

Season's spinning round again;

The years keep rollin' by.'

It was time to go and try for another 200 or so. Just ride,dcarver,just ride. Sure, buckwheat, sure. 60 miles later it was BONK time, put a fork in me, I'm done. Seriously done. Hotel room, Taco Bell nearby, asleep at 0230, up at 0500, on the road at 0600, just ride dcarver, just ride. Only another 13 hours to go.

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The fun is over. Really. At this point it's painful. Mr. Sleepy is in the cockpit and I can't shake it. Screaming in the helmet, pissed at the sun, and I still have to run.

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Mentally, I must stop to splash water on my face, walk around, do some jumping jacks, stretch the back. Nothing is working. Finally I take the Skyway water bottle, still full of ice cold water, and dump it down my jacket and onto the boyz. That worked! Woot Woot, oh jeeesh, I'm awake now - but for how long?

Sure enough, 45 minutes later I was still fine, caught the 3rd wind and it was ride dcarver, just ride.

My buddy..

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Close to home..just like Nakusp,eh?

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This is the view of near where I live, approaching from the East. Sure, it ain't BC, but it's not bad either...

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..and then, home. Get 5 hours sleep, then go to work.

Rude, just rude, that work thing.

Thanks for reading along, do I win a prize for the most verbose ride report ever? :****:

.. the end

(Lyrics by Harry Chapin, Thank You Harry, you helped me get home!)

 
The ladies! (Coleen and Miranna?) (uh oh, I'm in trouble now, I know I messed up the names.. help please?)

Damn close buddy for a guy running on sleep deprivation and alcohol. That's Colleen Killough (Mrs. Beamer Reamer) and Marissa Scott (Mrs. AuburnFJR)

Great report - just stop riding dcarver - just sleep dcarver!

 
D - this was good stuff, your mind works in different ways and it makes for a fun read. If I had one little edit to make, one teensy tiny little change, insignificant really...it would be to note that: All the pics noting Mr. and Mrs. AuburnFJR were actually Mr. and Mrs. Beamer Reamer. And I suppose it follows that every picture noting the Beamer Reamer's were actually the AuburnFJR's. They are excellent riding buddies of ours and we didn't want them being humiliated by being confused with ruffians such as ourselves. If you see blue riding suits - those are the AuburnFJR's. Black outfits - the Beamer Reamers.

We had a good time slogging through the mist with you. Of course, we're used to the misty, wet, mossy, riding conditions and we enjoyed your awe at so much fresh water in one place.

I asked you earlier about Greenwater since I saw someone with a gray jacked and helmet bailing off a blue FJR there in an effort to hide from a nasty rain squall. No idea if you had even went that away (Hwy 410) and I barely got a look as I blasted through. Kind of looked like you though. Would have been about 4:00. Clearly we didn't stop to see...sorry...had to keep on riding.

 
Don,

One of the best ride reports ever. I'm going to go back and read it again tomorrow in it's entirety.

Great to share Don's beer, and conversation with you at Beemerdon's campsite.

Time to start my report.

 
Don, great report. Beamer straightened out the confusion, you had us backwards.

You forgot to mention about the two wheel drift across the wet wooden bridge on 31 coming back into New Denver on Friday. That was a holy shit batman moment!

It was great to ride with you!

 
for those folks who say Eric (OCFJR) is crazy for running a car tire?



Don't be picking on Eric now.... Between Him and I, we solved most of the Worlds problems late (really late) one night in the Kuskanax Parking lot....

Great report and a Nice Canadian accent you have developed there Don,,, eh..

 
Don thanks for the report. Pictures are always great but a story to go with them is better.

gypsy

 
You spin a good yarn...photos aren't bad either. ;)

Thanks for sharing your journey, enjoyed it.

Regards,

Davy

 
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