Hard to believe 3 weeks have gone by.

Today completes 3 weeks of my 6 week journey. I had one day down day without moving to a new location to change oil and tires. My original plan was to change oil and maybe tires again in Vancouver or Seattle, but my tires still have life, specially the front, so I will ride at least 4 or 5 more legs with the tires. Oil? I think I have just under a 1,000 miles to go before it is required. I will take a day of rest tomorrow to wash cloths, visit Capilano Suspension Bridge, and tweak a few things on the bike. I originally planned 16,500 miles and today I crested 9,130 miles, so I think I’m over half way.

I told you yesterday that I plan to spend at least two days on Vancouver Island and that is concrete. So for now, I’m almost back in the United States, but not quite. As the crow flies from my current motel, 7.3 miles south is the border. So close!

This morning when I left Prince George, BC, it was sprinkling just a little bit but the clouds looked ominous. So for the first 90 miles I was in and out of rain and then it broke and the temperatures soared to 70 degrees. I had to stop and shed a layer at Williams Lake. I thought based on the weather report that I was home free. Another 50 miles down the road and the skies collapsed in buckets. Apparently I just barely missed a hail shower because when I stopped for lunch in a town called, 100 mile house, people were talking about the hail. A few wanted to know if I drove through it, but I told them I must have just missed it for which I was thankful. That was the last of the rain for the day.

My entire route today was basically made up of two roads, 97 and 99. When I turned onto 99 the show started almost immediately. This is a bucket list road for all motorcyclist from this day forward. Not sure how many miles of twists that lay there, but it was a lot. Let’s just say a good 5 hours worth for the best driver. The views were just incredible and my pictures just do them no justice whatsoever. The people who live here and drive that road regular have a lot of confidence. Me running dirt tires and being so far from home, I was just not interested driving outside my comfort zone. I actually waved a sports car around me today but stayed with him after the fact. He just had more confidence than me in blind corners plus he was crossing the double yellow a lot. Not me, not this trip, so far from home.

The dirt bike tires that I’m running are new to me and made by Heidenau. On the dirt, they are pretty awesome. The sidewalls are incredibly stiff. But here is something new for my motorcycle riding friends. Have you ever had your front tire follow a grove in the road and on a bridge? Well at first that is what I thought was happening, but after today’s play day in the mountains, it is not. The front tire is giving feedback that it is following a groove and there is no groove in the road. Happens the most when I’m accelerating out of a corner swinging from one lean angle to another to enter the opposite corner. It’s a flex or it’s riding on rows of treads is the best description I can give you. At first it bothered me, now it seems normal. I’m ready for my street tires back and will likely give these tires another 2000 miles and the switch is on.

Let me just say this once in a single line. Vancouver is to damn big for me. Traffic everywhere! Ugh!

The ride in on 99 was warm at 80 degrees and sun was out. What more can you ask for? The scenery on the out skirts of Vancouver was incredible. My favorite part was a little busy with traffic but it was from Whistler Ski area through Howe Sound and Horseshoe Bay. The way the roads were built hanging onto the side of mountains and the water was a view I will never forget.

 

 

Pictures of the Day