"I love camping"

Total distance traveled today: 585 km
Maximum speed: 146 kph
Average speed: 96 kph
Temperature range: 17.0 - 35.0

Nan at 7:30 this morning.

That's me, ready to go.

We are in Blue River, it's 35 degrees, the air is filled with smoke, I am sitting less than a foot away from a mosquito coil, working on the CAMPGROUND WIFI and we have just finished another UNBELIEVABLE meal at the Mike Wiegele roadside diner.

The good news is that we were reasonably organized for departure this morning, having stayed up only to about 11 last night, getting the house ready for Melissa, our babysitter this trip, and packing up our gear and the bike. As our friend Rod reminded me this week, it seems that often I am doing some kind of bike maintenance the night before departure - fixing a part or trying to modify something else but this time, that is not the case - the modifications that I NEEDED to do before departure were done last Monday, the stat holiday, which was to replace a broken passenger hand-hold (and the rear "cowling", whatever that is). I only discovered recently that it was even broken and for all I know, it's been broken for years. However, knowing that it was broken, I

Me, at 7:45 this morning, having retrieved the key to the gate.

didn't feel like I could postpone repairing it, even if Nan has successfully relied upon it for the last seven (?) motorcycle trips. When I ordered the parts from Scona Cycle, the estimate for arrival was mid-July, since the parts were coming all the way from Japan however, to my delight and relief (Nan didn't know that she should be relieved) the parts arrived in time for installation before the trip. If we were rounding a corner and Nan flew off into the stratosphere with a motorcycle handle in her hand, I would never forgive myself.

We had the alarm set for 6:00 a.m., with a view to being on the road by 7:00 a.m.. NOT SO FAST... as we vacuumed, made lattes, scrubbed the bathroom, emptied the compost, walked the dogs, took the bike out of the garage and put the car away. There was no shortage of things and it was actually, 7:40 before we were jumping on the bike, only to be stopped at the gate because we didn't have a key to the lock. That added ten minutes to our departure time, then we went down to the scales at

Acheson to weigh the bike. We KNEW it was heavy but had to see HOW heavy!  At 370 kg (815 pounds), that is about 125 pounds of gear on the bike, to say nothing of US on the bike. With us on board, total weight is around 520 kg. (Don't bother with the conversion - you're not getting the breakdown anyways.)

First leg to Edson pretty uneventful, just basically slab riding and the temperature was in the high teens. A&W breakfast there - basically much against my religion but it suits our agenda of breaking each riding day into three segments where we get going and ride to breakfast on a good break, then ride to lunch and a good break, then ride to dinner. That gives us two breaks during the day, not counting gas or bathroom stops.

We are not entirely certain WHAT is going on in this picture.

However, from Edson, we were definitely conscious of the amount of smoke in the air. Not overwhelming but everything has a blue tinge to it, just like my grandmother's hair. By Jasper, it is more pronounced and the further west we head, the more plentiful it is. We are getting emails from my White Rock brother Dan, who is planning on camping with us at Pemberton, that the forest fires are creating havoc all around the province. Nan just passed on that a province-wide state of emergency had been declared and we are anxiously checking to see what highways are closed, though we talked to other campers who arrived today from Pemberton and indicated that the road was still open all the

Every time we are on a bike trip that goes past Robson, when the weather is good, I implore Nan to get a picture.  Every time she tells me "we have a thousand pictures of Robson" but I say, "not from THIS trip!"

way. However, there are many areas with road closures though hopefully, we will skirt them. Who knows what the situation will be next weekend on our return. There is cooler weather in the forecast but it might not be cool enough for what is needed around here.

Last year, the BC provincial government, amidst some controversy, approved a large ski development near Valemount. The rumours were that the value of real estate shot up and the town, which has been somewhat under-nourished save for some keen snowmobilers, would undergo a growth spurt. It appears as though it is possible to still get in on the ground floor. The restaurant in the picture below right I had eaten at on many bike trips and otherwise, to great delight. My last time through, it had been taken over by a family of Chinese immigrants. It looks like they came to their senses.

Aaahh, but there is Blue River. So, before I get to the highlight of the day, let me tell you what it is about Nan that makes her so lovable. Last night, we are packing the panniers to the motorcycle; each one is allotted to us to pack as we please but given that the top case is for heated gear, rain gear, tools, first aid stuff and extra gloves, the pannier is all there is for our clothing. Nan has her pannier packed tight. In fact, her rain coat (not to be confused with rain suit for riding) is sitting on the bed and she announces she is not going to take it because it won't fit in to the pannier and there doesn't appear to be anywhere else to squeeze it.  Now, it's hard to sit here in this heat imagining that we might need rain coats on this trip but hey, Tofino, you just never know. Last I looked, the forecast was 16 and 60%.  But her time in Tofino would be pretty grim if she had to go for a walk wearing her one-piece motorcycle rain suit. I find one, superfluous item in my pannier: a bright, red jacket which Stan (of Scenic Route to Alaska: Follow 40 fame) also owned so we billed ourselves as "Canadian Olympians" on that trip, could come out if I paired my hoodie and rain jacket so that I can squeeze her rain jacket into my pannier. It turns out that one reason she can't fit her rain coat into her pannier is because she has wine in there. Red wine. For when we arrive in Blue River. CANNED red wine. Let's just say that there was no vintage on the label.

A few years ago, Nan and I turned a Canada Day weekend into five days and spent two days riding to Pemberton, a day there and then two days riding back. That was a fun ride and one of the more memorable experiences was Blue River on the way home. We didn't have any motels booked and by the time we got to Blue River, we were ready to stop, which ended up being at the Mike Wiegele Ski Resort. This place is pretty posh - guest cabins have a helicopter pad outside to take powder skiers up the mountain - though given we were not there in ski season, they didn't bother to drop by our cabin. In the summer, this place is a ghost town as all the staff and guests clear out until the snow falls again. However, there is the roadside diner owned by the resort to service the smattering of guests as well as travelers and we had an unbelievable meal there. Tonight, we are camping right next door to the diner so it is a small matter to walk over, but only after we go for a swim in nearby Eleanor Lake (which we have nicknamed "Nell Lake"). The restaurant has an open kitchen-concept, which I always thinks demonstrates a certain amount of confidence in the kitchen staff to not drop something on the floor and then absent-mindedly pick it up and put it on a customer's plate, an uninspired decor with what appears to be a breakfast-buffet set-up, likely for winter use and a menu with some standard, roadside fare: a few burgers, sandwiches and pizzas. But there are a few other items on the menu and while not over the top, not ordinary. We are drinking craft mango beer and split a salad with crumbled

goat cheese, crispy fried onions and seared pears. Nan elects pork schnitzel and I am torn between the schnitzel and the Tuscan chicken so, since the chef is basically out in the open, I go up to him for his guidance and he suggests the schnitzel as well. As before, we are surprised. The vegetables have fresh herbs and the potatoes fresh garlic. There is shredded beets with a beef reduction that is delicious. Fresh carrots and broccolini are done just right - al dente - and the schnitzel excellent.

As before, we bought the kitchen staff a beer, since they probably don't get much love at this time of year. This is where Nan says, "I love camping".