Day 17 - Lethbridge AB (638 km): Zooommm!

I'm sorry to report there'll likely be a dearth of photos as we speed our way across Canada this week! The Boss is back and he leads a demanding tour ;-)

Our day started at 0755h - after I checked my rear tire pressure and was satisfied that if there's a leak, it's a very slow one. I was told to be ready for 0800h but the guys were sitting in the parking lot - with their bikes running! - before that. I ran around hugging and saying my good-byes, saddled up and away we went. It was 13 degrees and sunny / cloudy. We went down 31a route - the same one I rode yesterday with the flat tire. Gassed up and had breakfast in Kaslo, and proceeded to the Lake Kootenay ferry to go to Creston and Cranbrook. We made it to the ferry at something like 1044h for the 1040 ferry ! Next ferry was 1130h. That was OK though. The sun was shining and it was around 20 degrees. And we'd just come off a great ride to get there. I knew Jim would love that road - and he DID!! He'll likely be talking about it for days / months (years?!) to come. I'm sure that if Hwy 6 is DH2, one of the routes today HAS to be DH! Beautiful scenery, very little traffic, pavement in great shape and lots of twisties - big and small. Jim and Chris rode exuberantly! My technique is improving but I just need to see gravel, be reminded of forest rats by the preponderance of signage, or starting hugging the centerline on left-handed turns and my mojo is disrupted. I had several opportunities today "to ride my own ride" ie, I didn't push myself in order to keep up with the guys. They would get a couple of kilometers ahead and slow to wait for me - or else, they'd get jammed up behind a slow-moving vehicle and I'd catch up to THEM ;-) We DID see 4 or 5 dear on the road to Kaslo and Dave (friend of Chris'. Jim's friend, Chris, and Dave rode over to Nakusp from Calgary for a little overnight jaunt) says he saw a bear cub - but he had no witnesses ;-)

We made it to Cranbrook around 1530h where we topped off our gas, had a coffee and bite to eat, and dropped Julia & her gear off. Jim's son, Jim, is working in Cranbrook for the summer so Pat went there from Calgary. It made a good rendezvous point and afforded Julia to have, undoubtedly, they best ride of her young life - from Calgary to Nakusp and down to Cranbrook. It'll likely be some time before she matches it. The skies to the east were looking ominous so the guys took this opportunity to don their rain gear and I tucked my nonWP tankbag into my trunk. That managed to hold the rain at bay until after Fernie.

Leaving Cranbrook, I glanced down at the Zumo and noted the time change to Mountain Time. Apparently, it changed in Creston. We're losing another hour tomorrow in Sasketchewan so we'll have to get an early start - somewhat dependent on weather and temperature.

Approaching Fernie, the scenery was spectacular again. Actually, approaching Cranbrook, the mountains around Fernie are apparent - expanse of forest-covered mountains backed by grey, rock mountains with streaks of snow running from the peaks. Once through Cranbrook, the landscape adjacent to the highway is rolling pasture with stands of trees in the pastureland and trees along the highway - with the snowcapped massive rock in the background. And cattle grazing in the fields. It made me want to sit quietly and contemplate it rather than whizz by on a motorcycle. And photo would have been nice. Sigh...

I can't remember if this was pre-rain or in between rain, but I lead the charge over a mountain pass after Fernie and that's where the 'bighorn sheep signs' were posted - along WITH the deer signs - a double whammy! And I could just picture them climbing, one by one, over the concrete wall along our side of the highway and stepping into my path. I'm afraid I didn't set the galloping pace that Jim would have.

Just before Sparwood, it rained and it was rainng as we crossed into Alberta. On and off, light rain - pouring rain. We stopped again for gas and I did a washroom inspection. I'd been cold (the temp dropped to 11 degrees) and when I put my jacket back on, I figured I had my scarf snugged up and my collar fastened securely, ie, my neck wasn't going to get cold air rushing around it again. Wrong. Can't seem to get EVERYthing working all together !

Rain, rain, rain until we got to within 50 or 75 kilometers of Lethbridge and it was 18 degrees by the time we arrived (the sun had broken through as well).

As we left the beautiful mountains and some of the best MC riding on the continent behind, and got into the wide open spaces of Alberta, it occurred to me that Alberta has its unique beauty as well. Please remind of this on Wednesday .... Somewhere along the highway - with the landscape broken by a huge windfarm with windmills lined up like sentinels all along a ridge of land quite far off the highway - my pulse quickened slightly when I spotted my first cowboys! There were 3 or 4 of them on horses - facing in different directions; and there were a few cattle - very close to the road. As I got closer, I realized it was life-size cutouts painted black! LOL :-) There was no billboard to indicate they were for advertising purposes. I don't know what the purpose of this display is. Jim got snookered, too! It was raining and there was a bit of traffic on the road so that explains my little faux pas. That's my story and I'm sticking to it.

I also have to tell you about Frank Slide. As we rode into this tiny little AB community that you barely slow down for, there's a liquor store called "Frank Slide Liquor". Just beyond that was something else called "Frank Slide..." and I wondered "what's Frank Slide's claim to fame?". It was raining and the light was poor. As soon as I articulated that thought, I found myself surrounded by rock! Boulders - humungous ones, big ones, little ones. I mentioned it to Jim and he told me the story . I've provided the link - I encourage you to take a look.

We found out on the tv news that this has been the driest spring in years around here. Clearly, it had rained heavily right along the BC / Alberta boundary as a parking lot at a rest stop had a lot of water lying on it. Jim figures he and I could get jobs out here as Rainmakers. We could just ride our motorcycles back and forth across the prairies and there'd be rain every day .....

More 'connecting to the internet' problems tonight. This is getting old. After the racket in Rapid City (I wrote my post in notepad and published in the lobby which had internet but the rooms did not after a cable was cut by a guy working on something), I no longer stop with" do you have internet access?" . I follow up with : "Does it work?". In Merritt on Wedneasday night, Barb and I shared a room at the end of the motel (Best Western) where the connection was weak and we kept losing it.... but I think I've already told you this. Same routine tonight: "Do you have wireless?" Yes. "Does it work?". Yes. Well guess what. This EconoLodge's wirelss has one bar of signal strenght and it's booted me out a couple of times. I'm beat and won't be going to the lobby to publish so I hope it works.

As usual, I'm sure there's more but can't think of it. Except maybe a tire update. The rear seems to be holding up well. I'll make a final "change it or don't" decision in Winnipeg before we head into northern Ontario, which is our proposed route now - unless we find a shorter way via the US. Also, whatever we do will be somewhat weather dependent. My back tire is plugged ( as you know) and the front tire is 'cupping'. It didn't feel right yesterday and now I know why.

Tomorrow's desination is an easy ride to Regina to visit Grace, Jim's eldest. She's an engineer with Stan Tec and is on a 4-week assignment out here. It would be nice if we could get together for dinner. Grace rides a sport bike, too and she's thinking that I've earned (or perhaps I'm still earning) my 'street creds' with this ride ;-)

Ciao, ciao for now