Where there is smoke, there is virgin.

Top speed: 146 kph
Distance travelled: 600.5 km
Cumulative distance: 1185 km
Average speed: 90 kph
Temperature range : 14.8 - 32.6

Sunday was not the day we thought it might be.  We knew we had to be up early and ready to go not just before the heat but in hopes of not being diverted by the forest fire situation. The alarm roused us at 6:30 a.m. and we were on the bike about 8:05, heading to Little Fort. The smoke was thicker than Saturday and as the 100 km distance wound down, the smell and haze increased. There was a lot of activity around Little Fort, normally a sleepy little haven that we know more for its two great pie locations and that it is the turn west on Hwy 24 towards 100 Mile House. Smoke was engulfing the area and we could see it billowing up behind the mountain just to the west of the town site. The smoke was so thick that at one point, Nan lost sight of me sitting in front of her.

Vehicles were coming from 24 and turning onto Hwy 5 so initially, we were optimistic that we would be able to head west there. Nonetheless, we had made a conscious decision that we would keep the gas tanked topped up as much as possible in case we were in a situation where we had to divert a way with no gas stations or return back the way we came, so even though we still had about 375 km of gas in the tank, we filled up. Inside the gas station, we heard that the area around 100 Mile House was bad, though it seemed to me at that time that the danger was north of there. However, the highway between Lillooet and Cache Creek, right in our line of fire, was closed due to forest fire. This meant that we had to continue on Hwy 5 south to Kamloops, Merritt, then up Hwy 8 to Spences Bridge, then over to Hwy 12 to Lillooet so that we could join Hwy 99, the route to Pemberton, one of our favourite rides. This had the effect of adding exactly 100 km to the day; not insurmountable but not our first choice.

It's not all bad for us because in every cloud of smoke, there is a silver lining. (This is not to in any way diminish the horror and heart break for those who homes, families and livelihoods and under threat.) For us, we are going to get to ride some of our other favourite roads in the area. We decided to take Hwy 5A from Kamloops along Nicola Lake to Merritt, which would add a few minutes and kilometres to the day but not onerous. It is a beautiful, narrow, twisty ride worthy of any motorcycle day and we were excited to be on it, having traveled it only one time before when we were doing the Alaska trip two years ago. Since we are at this point south of the fires, there is no smoke, so it is a brilliantly sunny day and the temperature is pleasantly in the mid-20s.

By the time we make Merritt, the town is a beehive of activity. It is 1:00 p.m. and we are overdue for something to eat and to get off the bike. There are more vehicles than I have ever seen in Merritt, though it is hard to say that is a function of the fires or if it is just normal, summer tourist traffic. We also need to re-asses the fire situation and make sure that our planned alternative route is still o.k.

After a break, filling up our water bottle and gas tank, it is off to Spences Bridge. Hwy 8 out of Merritt is virgin roadway for us and it makes us forget about what has gone on around us. It is a great motorcycle road, as it turns out and we are having a ton of fun carving out the turns. When we turn off to join Hwy 12 north to Lillooet, it is more of the same and we talk about how we need to go this way again.

When we get to Lillooet, the highway is closed going north. We cross the Fraser River on Hwy 99 and the RCMP are stopping traffic heading into town, making sure they understand there is only one way to go, Hwy 12 south. We have already been on the bike for 500 km and there is just the last 100 km of Hwy 99 to Nairn Provincial Park, where we are camping with my big brother Dan. However, I am getting tired at this point and finding it is a lot of work navigating the bike and we are a little saddened by the fact that it is coming at the end of a long day of riding. 500 km would have been perfect because we were both feeling good up to Lillooet.

Since our plan has been to return this way, we stop at three campgrounds along the way to check them out, see how busy they are (not at all) since we are passing by at about the time that people might be stopping to camp for the night and it might conceivably be the time we would be on the return part of our trip.

We make Nairn at 6:20 p.m. Dan is at the campsite already with his tent set and snacks and cold beer out ready for us. It is a beautiful campground full of huge cedar trees and nestled between two branches of the Green River. Beer never tasted so good! (Well, maybe once before.) I went for a little swim; little being the operative word because the water is glacial blue but I needed to cool off after riding all day, at times in real heat. Dan has planned a great dinner for us: beef tenderloin barbecued with compound butter, boiled new potatoes with fresh garden herbs (from his garden), fresh garlic, roasted orange peppers and for dessert, fresh raspberries, also from his garden.

After dinner, we are sitting around his candle, which he brought in lieu of having a fire, since they are banned at the moment. We check the news and we see Little Fort has been evacuated and it looks like 100 Mile House, too.  I'm doing all I can to stay awake, but failing miserably and I feel bad for it because Dan has driven through three hours of Vancouver traffic to meet us.

Anyway, I'm going to close here. I am writing this from the ferry to Nanaimo and we are closing in on the terminal. When we get to Tofino tonight, I'll post some pictures from yesterday.

Wildfires in the area of our intended travel. The "pin" marker on the map is Little Fort. Normally, we would have gone by Sheridan Lake, cut across towards 70 Mile House, down through Clinton then over to Lillooet. 

Just before Little Fort.

Along 5A, south of Kamloops.

Mural at Spences Bridge.

One of a number of road closures we saw.

Tunnels over the CNR on the Thomson River.

This scene was along Hwy 12, across the Thomson River. 

Should have brought  my adventure bike!

Lillooet vineyards. Not sure about the wine!

After a long, that is my big brother Dan looking after us, once again! 

I actually "swam" in this water. 

Danny doing what he does best: cooking us dinner.

"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".

Tofino Camping Tour... As a Warm up to the Great American Eclipse Squiggle Tour - Preamble

Welcome to the Tofino Camping Tour blog!

First of all, a little housekeeping: you will note some new features on the blog, which include a countdown clock to The Great American Total Solar Eclipse, which is happening August 21st. Then, you will notice below that a link to the blog for that event; it is set up to preview but won't begin in earnest until we leave for the trip, Thursday August 17th. Lastly, there is a link directly to the SpotWalla tracking device so that you can see where Nan and I are riding (or hiding) at any given time. However, if it is not patently obvious,

Ed note: I had a link here to the tracking device but it seems to have failed. However, the link in the sidebar DOES work (on the right, if you are viewing this not from your mobile device) so you can see where we are by clicking it.

You are invited to post your comments but you will need to sign in to do that. Plus, comments are moderated so there is no point in calling us names because I will just delete them and re-write what you wrote, posting all your wonderful comments about us.

While this trip is not expressly about a "warm-up" to the eclipse trip, we are undertaking a little experiment here, which is two-up riding and camping. I have camped from the motorcycle a number of times but Nan has not and our plan is to camp for about half of the Eclipse tour, where we will alternate days of camping with days of no-tell motels. It is a different experience camping from the motorcycle because there is limited room for packing all manner of things. Like shoes. NOT SAYING WHO might be taking a shoe collection but let's just say, there is room for only so many pairs. This trip will be the testing (or proving) grounds of whether or not we can take on a fairly major motorcycle trip and include enough gear to comfortably camp. Barring a disaster, we will be able to parlay our experience into an eclipse camping trip.

Nonetheless, I am confident. Nan is an experienced back-packer from our early days of marriage and while we haven't done that for many years, motorcycle camping is not entirely different: it is all about gear packed small and light, wedged, crammed or squeezed into every available space and then, as you will see from pictures to follow, sometimes strapped to the outside. The good news is that unlike back packing, strapping something onto the bike doesn't immediately translate into struggling under the yoke of a heavy back pack, since the bike is looking after all of that. The downside: no dogs!

Our projected departure is Saturday morning at 7:00 a.m. Or should I say, hoped-for departure. I've already been given the gears by Rod, who reminds me that I am often doing bike repairs the night before departure on a motorcycle trip. I am happy to report that a number of the repairs have already been completed, such as a new hand rail for Nan's left side. I recently discovered that her handle for hanging onto dear life was broken at the base. It was still being held at the top end but it gave me the heebee jeebies to think that if we were cornering hard on the twisties of Hwy 99 in B.C. Nan might be flying off into the stratosphere. Couldn't have that!