Blogs from Revelstoke, British Columbia, Canada, North America

Day 21. My time in BC has come to an end. I just finished loading up the bike which means just about everything else is stowed and ready to roll in the morning. That’s one nice advantage of a pull through site, I can drop the ramp and load the bike without pulling onto the road like most back-in spots although I may have mentioned my site in Cranbrook was deep enough to unload on the grass behind the trailer. I got up shortly after eight again and had a banana and a bacon sandwich. I cooked the whole pound this time so I have some I can microwave on a travel day. When I passed through Sicamous on my ride about noon the smoke was so heavy it was difficult to see exactly where on ... read more

Day 19. When I stepped outside this morning everything was covered in ash and it continues to fall this evening. I assume it’s from the big fire near Kamloops but Osoyoos is on fire as well. The government has declared a state of emergency for the area and as of this morning 1100 hectares (2700 acres) were burning out of control. Today I decided I would not ride but go to the gym in Sicamous and do some grocery shopping. I tried calling the gym yesterday afternoon but just got voicemail. I tried again this morning and got the same so I went on their website and it showed day passes were available so I gathered my gear and headed to town. When I got to the gym the door was locked with a key pad ... read more

Day 17. I actually slept until nine this morning. Not straight through but I kept falling back to sleep. It’s been about eight a.m. most days that I didn’t intentionally get up early to move on to the next destination. Yoghurt with raspberries and nuts and then a bacon sandwich chaser got the day going. I finally remembered to put the one gallon gas can in my saddlebag just in case. I also carry a five gallon can of diesel in the Jeep for the same reason. I had a route that included some of the back roads highlighted on the map I got from the owner at the museum yesterday programmed into the GPS from the night before so off I went. The route South of Sicamous along Mara Lake is nice and I stayed ... read more

Day 15. 4230Km. Moving day if you will. I’ve moved further into the mountains in Malakwa. The peaks at Rogers Pass are stunning. Photos just don’t do them justice, especially when they are covered in smoke from the wild fires. All the photos look hazy from the smoke. It’s too bad too, the scenery is amazing. I took the quickest route through Golden and Revelstoke but for a second considered a different path that would have involved not one but two ferry crossings. There are many free ferry’s in British Columbia that are free because they are considered part of the highway system. When I arrived at camp or actually before I arrived I noticed helicopters in the sky carrying whatever they call the large bags to water-bomb forest fires. One was filling from a river ... read more

If you are going to stay in or near Revelstoke, I can not recommend the Three Valley Gap Chateau. Not only is the location amazing, the facilities, although some may say outdated but I say are characteristic, the restaurant has fairly good food and is affordable, a great view of the train line, lake and mountains and is very much a great spot to take the family. Right next door to it is a fabulous attraction, 'Ghost Town' which takes you back through the history of the late 1800's and early 1900's. They also have helicopter rides available and you can hire Kayaks or canoes to paddle on the lake. It is only 12km from Revelstoke as well and 14km from the Enchanted Forest and Suspension Bridge that overlooks a pretty awesome waterfall (which Doug showed ... read more