Ist Annual Western Canadian Regional Ride

[user 6393]

LMAO

Classic pic!!!

 

[yamafitter]

So here is the plan... or as much planning as I do. :secret: - Collect a donut from a bet on the World Cup.

- Fly out of Toronto on July 17th for Iceland

- Ride a Yamaha Dual-Sport XT660 R up and down the side of volcanos for two weeks.

- Fly back home.

- Install Brodie's Grounding Harness to get rid of any potential spider bites (Brodie is having a friend handle production chores)

- Work on my club’s Mid-Summer Dream Trail Ride.

- Open a good bottle of wine with friends on my birthday.

- Leave Bowmanville on or about Aug 25th.

- Wander around the northern States (Needles Highway & Glacier National Park)

- Head north (way north) to see a friend in Hazelton and go over to Hyler AK (just because it's there)...

Change in plans maybe.

Instead of going north to Hazelton & Hyder before the WCR I'm now thinking about going up to Port Hardy after the WCR and take the ferry to Prince Rupert. It would be nice to decompress after the WCR and the photo ops would be spectacular from the ferry.

I could then go up to Hyder and then drop down and see my buddy in Hazelton. From Hazelton I would pop over to Jasper and then the next day run past the Columbia Ice Fields down to the Crossnest Pass and then rest up in Lethbridge. From there its a hop, skip & jump to my relatives in Manitoba and then after a few days drop in and see Bustanut before getting back to center of the universe (Greater Toronto Area).

I only have one concern. Do I risk running into snows in the mountains towards the last weeks of September that far north? I know there can be freak snows but they will melt off quickly and I'm not that worried about them. I worried about snow that will stay around until next July. Any of the BC crowd have any notions on this revision of [SIZE=12pt]THE PLAN[/SIZE]? I'm thinking this will work but I'm no weatherman.

The other big plus to this revision is that I would then be able to leave a little later and fit in the Mazinaw GPS Trail Ride on the WR450 dirt bike. :yahoo:

 

[Bustanut joker]

Change in plans maybe.
Instead of going north to Hazelton & Hyler before the WCR I'm now thinking about going up to Port Hardy after the WCR and take the ferry to Prince Rupert. It would be nice to decompress after the WCR and the photo ops would be spectacular from the ferry.

I could then go up to Hyler and then drop down and see my buddy in Hazelton. From Hazelton I would pop over to Jasper and then the next day run past the Columbia Ice Fields down to the Crossnest Pass and then rest up in Lethbridge. From there its a hop, skip & jump to my relatives in Manitoba and then after a few days drop in and see Bustanut before getting back to center of the universe (Greater Toronto Area).

I only have one concern. Do I risk running into snows in the mountains towards the last weeks of September that far north? I know there can be freak snows but they will melt off quickly and I'm not that worried about them. I worried about snow that will stay around until next July. Any of the BC crowd have any notions on this revision of [SIZE=12pt]THE PLAN[/SIZE]? I'm thinking this will work but I'm no weatherman.

The other big plus to this revision is that I would then be able to leave a little later and fit in the Mazinaw GPS Trail Ride on the WR450 dirt bike. :yahoo:

Umm Bill? :blink: I'm going to need a CC number before I can accommodate yer butt here.. Just thought you might wanna know. Not! just be willing to toss back a few drinks!

:jester:

 

[El Cajone]

Change in plans maybe.
Instead of going north to Hazelton & Hyler before the WCR I'm now thinking about going up to Port Hardy after the WCR and take the ferry to Prince Rupert. It would be nice to decompress after the WCR and the photo ops would be spectacular from the ferry.

I could then go up to Hyler and then drop down and see my buddy in Hazelton. From Hazelton I would pop over to Jasper and then the next day run past the Columbia Ice Fields down to the Crossnest Pass and then rest up in Lethbridge. From there its a hop, skip & jump to my relatives in Manitoba and then after a few days drop in and see Bustanut before getting back to center of the universe (Greater Toronto Area).

I only have one concern. Do I risk running into snows in the mountains towards the last weeks of September that far north? I know there can be freak snows but they will melt off quickly and I'm not that worried about them. I worried about snow that will stay around until next July. Any of the BC crowd have any notions on this revision of [SIZE=12pt]THE PLAN[/SIZE]? I'm thinking this will work but I'm no weatherman.

The other big plus to this revision is that I would then be able to leave a little later and fit in the Mazinaw GPS Trail Ride on the WR450 dirt bike. :yahoo:

That should make for a great trip. The ferry ride itself will be fun particularly if the weather is good. It's is also a great place to meet interesting people.

The place you are going to in Alaska is called "Hyder" and it's noteworthy for a couple of reasons; firstly, the only road into the place goes through Canada, and secondly, it's the only place in the world where you can get "Hyderized". I won't give that away now but walk into any bar in Hyder and ask for it. Just don't plan to ride away on your FJR immediately after. It's been quite awhile since I was there but at that time, there were no border guards on either side. The U.S Dept. of Homeland Security might have changed that. The threat of Hyderized terrorists is real, you know.

The ride down the Icefield Parkway is spectacular. When you get down to Lake Louise, move over to Hwy. 93 to continue the trip south. That's also a great motorcycle road.

After you get through the Crowsnest Pass, if you have time, take a right turn through Pincher Creek down to Waterton Lakes National Park. Waterton is one of the jewels in Canada's national park system but it's not very well known. If you have even more time, a neat little side trip from Waterton is to go through the border into Montana and ride the "Going to the Sun" highway through the American side of the park. Do it in both directions to get a real rider's high and then skip back over the border and Lethbridge is just a short hop away. You'll have a blast on this trip.

I think you've got the weather risk pegged. There's a chance you could run into a freak storm but it's not a high probability event and is unlikely to last long.

 

[yamafitter]

Change in plans maybe.
... after a few days drop in and see Bustanut before getting back to center of the universe (Greater Toronto Area).

Umm Bill? :blink: I'm going to need a CC number before I can accommodate yer butt here.. Just thought you might wanna know. Not! just be willing to toss back a few drinks!

:jester:

CC Number? :huh:

Oh you mean number of Canadian Club Whiskey bottles to order but it should be CR # (CR = Crown Royal).

1 case should do. :alcoholic:

Thanks Bustanut !!

 

[yamafitter]

That should make for a great trip. The ferry ride itself will be fun particularly if the weather is good. It's is also a great place to meet interesting people...
...The ride down the Icefield Parkway is spectacular. When you get down to Lake Louise, move over to Hwy. 93 to continue the trip south. That's also a great motorcycle road.

After you get through the Crowsnest Pass, if you have time, take a right turn through Pincher Creek down to Waterton Lakes National Park. Waterton is one of the jewels in Canada's national park system but it's not very well known. If you have even more time, a neat little side trip from Waterton is to go through the border into Montana and ride the "Going to the Sun" highway through the American side of the park. Do it in both directions to get a real rider's high and then skip back over the border and Lethbridge is just a short hop away. You'll have a blast on this trip.

I think you've got the weather risk pegged. There's a chance you could run into a freak storm but it's not a high probability event and is unlikely to last long.

Thanks for the feedback El Cajone. Apparently Great Minds think alike or something like that. Everything you mentioned I had on THE PLAN just in a slightly different order. Here's what the boys at Garmin are telling me:

Helena Montana to Creston BC via "Going to the Sun" Highway & Waterton National Park.

Creston BC to Yakima WA the fun way

Jasper to Lethbridge via the National Parks

It was a bunch of years since I was on the road north out of Creston up to the ferry crossing. It was in the winter of 1988 and we were on our way to Fernie from Whitewater Ski Area playing around on our way to the Calgary Olympics when the Creston - Salmo pass got closed. I remember the road coming down from the ferry was fun in the car and has great potential for the FJR. However I am getting older and you know what they say about old folks memory. :confusedsmiley:

 

[Bustanut joker]

Change in plans maybe.
... after a few days drop in and see Bustanut before getting back to center of the universe (Greater Toronto Area).

Umm Bill? :blink: I'm going to need a CC number before I can accommodate yer butt here.. Just thought you might wanna know. Not! just be willing to toss back a few drinks!

:jester:

CC Number? :huh:

Oh you mean number of Canadian Club Whiskey bottles to order but it should be CR # (CR = Crown Royal).

1 case should do. :alcoholic:

Thanks Bustanut !!

A case?? Well I suppose I could spring for a liter of CR .. BikerGeek99 is sending me a case of syphilis if ya wanna share? hey it's a case right? Tom Cale want's some of it though
:jester:

 

[yamafitter]

I have a new game for us to play for the social after the day's ride.

Below is the route map for my Iceland Trip.

We get this blown up and put it up on the wall.

People take turns throwing a dart and then have to pronounce the name of the closest town.

Incorrect guesses require participant to take a drink. :drinks:

We will all be very drunk. :alcoholic: