Motorcycle Trip 1998
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Thunder, lightening and rain got my attention early one August Sunday. The reason I became concerned this was the morning my motorcycle riding partner Ernie Lenertz and I were to leave (Minot, ND) on our annual bike trip. The bikes were packed with camping gear and ready to roll. Again our means of travel will be two Honda Gold Wings. As 7 A.M. rolled around the skies cleared and it became a beautiful morning. We met at a near shopping center parking lot for our departure. A shake of hands and a wish to each other for a safe trip and we were off to Canada. With the exchange rate of money Canada seemed to be a good place to vacation. Our first stop was at Bottineau, ND for breakfast and then to Dunseith, ND for the border crossing. (Just for the record those people at the border are pleasant workers.) The gentleman asked a few questions, wished us a safe trip and waved us on. The next stop was Riding Mountain National Park for sandwiches. As we looked out from underneath our picnic canopy we noticed rain. It was on the bikes and to Dauphin. Here over a bowl of soup it was decided the rain gear needed to be put on as we head West to Yorkton . It rained hard all the way. At Yorkton we decided to look for a motel. This I must confess was the only night we stayed in a motel on our entire trip and the only measure amount of rain we traveled through.
The second day up early and greeted with a beautiful sunrise. After an hours ride it was time for a break and breakfast. Down the road near Lanigan we spotted a potash mine. A security guard welcomed us at the door and informed us the mine was shutdown for maintenance that week. She also said that tours need to be booked two days in advance and that the tour takes you 3,200 feet below ground. After being turned away I wondered how my stomach would have handled 3,200 feet underground? On the road again headed for Saskatoon. A short time was spent driving around the city. Our second night found us at the Prairie Oasis campground near Hanna. After a hot day the showers felt good.
Tuesday found us in Calgary around noon. Traveling across town in this big city at noon keeps you on your toes. We located the Calgary Tower, parked our bikes, paid our $5 and took the elevator to the top. As I stepped off the elevator I noticed the counter blinking 525 feet. At least this time it was above ground. From this height you can pretty much checkout the entire city. The top level has a observation deck and a gift shop. A grill and bar are also located in the tower. A couple of postcards were purchased and it was off to the Calgary Olympic Park. The Winter Olympics were held here in 1988. If you are in the area you will want to check this site out. From Calgary we took highway #1 to Cochrane. This is a tremendously scenic ride. Most motorcycle travelers seek curves and mountains when riding. I recommend it very highly. Outside of Cochrane a nice campsite was found. We seem to camp each year on our trip by a stream this was the place this year.
Day four we continued on highway 1A to Banif and Lake Louise. At Banif we toured an old hotel. This is my second motorcycle trip to Lake Louise and I plan on going back again. This I feel is some of the prettiest parts of Canada. Looking out over the lake to the snow capped mountains is a site you won't want to miss. Then it was on to Revelstoke biking on highway #1. Riding through Glacier is a treat. At a campsite we ended our enjoyable Wednesday of riding.
Thursday bright and early we headed to the Revelstoke Dam and a tour. This dam has four large generating units. The mighty Dam is Canada's second generating project on the Columbia River and one of four dams in British Columbia. After the dam tour we headed South to Shelter Bay for a ferry ride across the Arrow Lake. This was about a 30 minute enjoyable, scenic ride. Here we met a couple from England on vacation. Now down to Needles for another ferry ride and highway #6 to Vernon. Here we spent the night.
A lot of smoke in the air greeted us Friday morning. Because of the forest fires we decided to travel on the East side of the mountains as we headed South. We stopped at a few roadside fruit stands along the way to Kelowna, Penticton and Omak. Outside of Kelowna a wine maker gave us a tour of his small winery. We arrived at the Grand Coulee Dam around 4 P.M. This had to be one of the highlights of our trip. The Grand Coulee Dam is the largest producer of electricity in the USA and third in the world. Two dams in South America can generate more electricity than Grand Coulee. The dam is made of nearly 12 million cubic yards of concrete and is 550 feet high and nearly a mile long. If you are ever in the area take the time for this tour. Now we headed South to Dry Falls. This Dry Falls is one of the greatest waterfalls in geologic history. It is three and one-half miles wide, with a drop of over 400 feet. By way of comparison, Niagara is one mile wide and a drop of only 165 feet. A few miles away our Friday night campsite was found. Here we realized being Northwest of Spokane and we had told our wives we would be home Sunday evening a lot of miles would be ridden in the next few days. Being on Pacific time we had to be very careful putting tent gear away at 6 A.M. our time, 4 A.M. Pacific time. Most campers don't appreciate their neighbors moving around at this early hour.
Saturday saw us touring Spokane a bit and heading for Coeur d' Alene. Coeur d' Alene has a beautiful flower setting along a lake that we took time to ride around. Interstate 90 took us to Missoula and a little more scenic route to Helena, Great Falls and a campsite outside of Havre. At this campsite we set up our tents in a new city park. Little did we know that the sprinklers were set to come on at 1:10 A.M. Sunday. At first we thought it was raining, but soon did we realize it was the sprinklers.
Camping gear was put away wet as we packed up and headed East for our final leg of the trip. Sorry to my Montana friends, but there really is a lot of fence posts and prairie grass in your state. A stop in Stanley, ND saw us shaking hands and thanking God for another safe and very enjoyable motorcycle trip. We arrived in Minot Sunday afternoon and already Ernie is looking at maps for another trip come 1999.
Our wives have allowed us a week of motorcycle riding for many years and if we are nice maybe one more will be shared by Ernie and myself next year. We have been on a number of bike trips, but this nearly 3,000 mile one rates near the top in length and excitement.
The second day up early and greeted with a beautiful sunrise. After an hours ride it was time for a break and breakfast. Down the road near Lanigan we spotted a potash mine. A security guard welcomed us at the door and informed us the mine was shutdown for maintenance that week. She also said that tours need to be booked two days in advance and that the tour takes you 3,200 feet below ground. After being turned away I wondered how my stomach would have handled 3,200 feet underground? On the road again headed for Saskatoon. A short time was spent driving around the city. Our second night found us at the Prairie Oasis campground near Hanna. After a hot day the showers felt good.
Tuesday found us in Calgary around noon. Traveling across town in this big city at noon keeps you on your toes. We located the Calgary Tower, parked our bikes, paid our $5 and took the elevator to the top. As I stepped off the elevator I noticed the counter blinking 525 feet. At least this time it was above ground. From this height you can pretty much checkout the entire city. The top level has a observation deck and a gift shop. A grill and bar are also located in the tower. A couple of postcards were purchased and it was off to the Calgary Olympic Park. The Winter Olympics were held here in 1988. If you are in the area you will want to check this site out. From Calgary we took highway #1 to Cochrane. This is a tremendously scenic ride. Most motorcycle travelers seek curves and mountains when riding. I recommend it very highly. Outside of Cochrane a nice campsite was found. We seem to camp each year on our trip by a stream this was the place this year.
Day four we continued on highway 1A to Banif and Lake Louise. At Banif we toured an old hotel. This is my second motorcycle trip to Lake Louise and I plan on going back again. This I feel is some of the prettiest parts of Canada. Looking out over the lake to the snow capped mountains is a site you won't want to miss. Then it was on to Revelstoke biking on highway #1. Riding through Glacier is a treat. At a campsite we ended our enjoyable Wednesday of riding.
Thursday bright and early we headed to the Revelstoke Dam and a tour. This dam has four large generating units. The mighty Dam is Canada's second generating project on the Columbia River and one of four dams in British Columbia. After the dam tour we headed South to Shelter Bay for a ferry ride across the Arrow Lake. This was about a 30 minute enjoyable, scenic ride. Here we met a couple from England on vacation. Now down to Needles for another ferry ride and highway #6 to Vernon. Here we spent the night.
A lot of smoke in the air greeted us Friday morning. Because of the forest fires we decided to travel on the East side of the mountains as we headed South. We stopped at a few roadside fruit stands along the way to Kelowna, Penticton and Omak. Outside of Kelowna a wine maker gave us a tour of his small winery. We arrived at the Grand Coulee Dam around 4 P.M. This had to be one of the highlights of our trip. The Grand Coulee Dam is the largest producer of electricity in the USA and third in the world. Two dams in South America can generate more electricity than Grand Coulee. The dam is made of nearly 12 million cubic yards of concrete and is 550 feet high and nearly a mile long. If you are ever in the area take the time for this tour. Now we headed South to Dry Falls. This Dry Falls is one of the greatest waterfalls in geologic history. It is three and one-half miles wide, with a drop of over 400 feet. By way of comparison, Niagara is one mile wide and a drop of only 165 feet. A few miles away our Friday night campsite was found. Here we realized being Northwest of Spokane and we had told our wives we would be home Sunday evening a lot of miles would be ridden in the next few days. Being on Pacific time we had to be very careful putting tent gear away at 6 A.M. our time, 4 A.M. Pacific time. Most campers don't appreciate their neighbors moving around at this early hour.
Saturday saw us touring Spokane a bit and heading for Coeur d' Alene. Coeur d' Alene has a beautiful flower setting along a lake that we took time to ride around. Interstate 90 took us to Missoula and a little more scenic route to Helena, Great Falls and a campsite outside of Havre. At this campsite we set up our tents in a new city park. Little did we know that the sprinklers were set to come on at 1:10 A.M. Sunday. At first we thought it was raining, but soon did we realize it was the sprinklers.
Camping gear was put away wet as we packed up and headed East for our final leg of the trip. Sorry to my Montana friends, but there really is a lot of fence posts and prairie grass in your state. A stop in Stanley, ND saw us shaking hands and thanking God for another safe and very enjoyable motorcycle trip. We arrived in Minot Sunday afternoon and already Ernie is looking at maps for another trip come 1999.
Our wives have allowed us a week of motorcycle riding for many years and if we are nice maybe one more will be shared by Ernie and myself next year. We have been on a number of bike trips, but this nearly 3,000 mile one rates near the top in length and excitement.