2 weeks
4,056 km
2,535 miles
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In early September 2010, Jayne
(for the first time on her own motorcycle) and I did a tour of some of
Canada and the USA, for two weeks. A very quick summary of the trip: We
rode from Oregon, past Mount Hood, to the Columbia Gorge. After
visiting the American Stonehenge, we rode 97 north
through Washington state. The border crossing into Canada a
few days later was absolutely no problem. We went further along on 97
through British Columbia to Kamloops, and from
there along Canadian highway 5 until we came to the
Trans-Canada-Highway (16). Until then the ride was quite unspectacular,
but we got on Canadian highway 16 we finally saw what we came to see -
mountains. We took the 16 to Jasper in Alberta, and
from there the Icefields-Parkway (93) south through Jasper
National Park and Banff National Park. We
took a short side trip to Lake Louise before we
went through Kootenay National Park and back to
British Columbia. Again the border crossing into Montana/USA was no
problem. We went on to Glacier National Park in the
USA and later from there we took the 83 south towards Missoula, with a
side trip to Garnet Ghost Town. From Missoula we
rode the 12 over Lolo Pass to Idaho and further to
Walla Walla in Washington. To avoid at least part of the always windy
Columbia Gorge we took some back roads from Pendelton in Oregon,
heading West, until it got dark. Then we decided, reluctantly, to hit
the Gorge, the 205 south and home. Ofcourse, as soon as we hit the
gorge, we hit a torrential rain and wind storm.
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| General information
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The best time to go
to the National Parks of Jasper and Banff in Canada, and Glacier in the
USA, is Spring and Fall, because in the high season you have to expect
lots of campers, RV's and other traffic. BUT outside of high season --
even just one week after the American Labor Day holiday, many camping
sites, hostels and motels are closed, and the remaining ones fill up
quickly, often fully booked by 6 p.m. Also some gas stations in Canada
close soon after the season ends, e.g. from Oct. 1st until some point
in Spring there is no gas between Jasper and Lake Louise (about 240
km/150 miles). One also has to watch for snow and ice, so its best to
check out the Road
Condition Report. It can also be freezing or below at some
elevations.
The currency in Canada is the
Canadian Dollar. Credit cards are widely accepted, and often one can
also pay with US Dollars.
The road conditions are good
to very good, except for road construction areas, and on these,
sometimes, one often has to ride on gravel. Sites off the main roads,
like Garnet Ghost Town, may be all gravel (more on that
later).
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| The American
Stonehenge in Maryhill, Washington is on top of a hillside
high above the Columbia Gorge. It shows what Stonehenge in
England looked like once upon a time. It is well done, and by
far not as kitschy as we had expected. |
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Already after a few miles in
Washington State we were reminded that most of the trip would be in
remote areas. Therefore ofcourse gas stations were
few and far apart. |
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Border crossing
from Washington State/USA to British Columbia/Canada near Osoyoos. We
did not have to go through an American exit and then a Canadian
entrance -- just a Canadian entrance, which was absolutely no problem.
Showing the passport, stamp, done. Jayne didn't get a stamp and was a
little angry about it - she has a brand new passport with no stamps in
it. |
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Several days into our
trip, in Canada, we wanted to camp in Okanagan Lake
Provincial Park, but one had to put up the tent on a rough gravel area,
and the grass next to it was off limits for tents, so we left camped at
a private camping site (Owl's Nest Resort), which was beautiful.
There are a stunning number of wineries in the area around the Okanagan
Lake, and the wine is really good, but not cheap. |
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| When we left highway 97
and hit highway 5 (Yellowhead Highway) the landscape
finally started to look like we had imagined Canada to look. |
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Motorcycle
aluminum panniers and top cases
Made
by an experienced motorcycle traveller.
Panniers available in 40l and 33l
Top boxs available in 20l and 36l
Silver/Grey or Black
Quality
is essential, not only on a RTW tour.
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