I just realize that it was a long time since I did update this blog...Smithers, that seems so far away now. We went back to Quesnel, where Damielle waited for us to ride south together. It was exceptional hot, at least 30C. We hit the rain on the way to Lillooet, driving through a beautiful valley, and by pulling out the rain gear my new Pentax reflex camera hit the pavement... dead. Spoiled the fun. Nice camping, hot shower. Talked with a Swiss couple on 2 BMW 650 GS on the road to Argentina. Young and unexperienced. They payed a fortune for the shipment to Vancouver, had knob tires to ride the south of Canada (could understand if they went to Alaska), had a fishing rod on the bike and tons of fuel. They were not going to cross Center America, but flying from Mexico City to Ecuador. Because to dangerous ???? Danielle left us in Pemberton, and we passed Whistler without going in. Whistler will get the 2010 winter olympics and is the Canadian Sankt Moritz or Aspen if you prefer. The highway to Vancouver is one big building site and becomes spectacular in the last 50 km, when you the water shows up. After six weeks of ice capped mountains and (often dead) forests filled with bear I was happy to see the ocean again. The road indication in Vancouver is a disaster, so I overshoot it by 20km, already on the road to Seattle. A biker put us on Marine Dr, straight to the airport. No cheap motels here. We best we got was Travellodge in Richmond. A half day of shopping for a new camera and a travel bag and some decent cloths for Sofie, and a half day strolling at Granville Island. Vancouver is a very cool city, European feeling, 60% of the population is from asiatic descend. I stayed a little bit disorientated after Sofie left for Otawa, but took of immediately for Vancouver Island. Met John on the ferry, 52y, road his Honda in 5 days from the east through the rain over some 5000km. A real cowboy. He just sold his farm with 65 horses and was on his way to his son living on the east coast of the island. I went to Sooke and camped in the very beautiful campground of Sooke Potholes Park. Sooke is a place where I could live. Scotland style, but better weather. Got approached by a woman who got all exited about the bike. She dreamed of a Long way around, but she had only a 125cc bike. Beautiful ride over the logging roads back to the east coast. The island has not been touched by the Pine beetle. Look it up in Google. Very interesting to read about that catastrophe. Millions of trees have died from Colorado up to Yukon. All global warming. At a gasstation, Eric, 69 years, writer and taxi driver (he also had to eat to live), was over enthusiastic. He had Honda 750 from 1984, he insisted to pay me a coffee at Tin Hortons, and he wanted me to go see his son when I arrived in Tofino. Because, due to the weekend, finding a place to sleep would be difficult in the Park. Beautiful ride to the West, saw 2 bears grazing like horses. Ari was a little bit surprised to see me, and he suggested to go the Mackenzie campground. They always will squeeze you in, he said. True it was, at 46 dollars. The worst place I slept in 6 weeks. 1 toilet, 1 shower, extremely noisy. And, not their fault, rain from the moment I put on the tent. Back on the East coast. Missed my boat to Power River, so had the time to write this. A very nice internet caffee, on the corner of 5th street in Courtenay. greast food. Free computer. Now prepared for 3 days of rain
yesterday, I mixed the word awesome with awfull. Yes, the road to Stewart is AWESOME. And from the junction up Nort, Harley Davidson free. Only BMW GS or Kawa KLR, the real travelers.
Back in Quesnel. The heat wave is still on.. 34C. Tomorrow nice weather to ride to Whistler.
