This should be an adventure for ALL of us.

 

And so it begins. This is my GoTo coffee shop at home with my morning coffee crew. As you can see, Darla is packed and ready to go. Off to Nelson for a day or so .....




Moyie Lake. 1/4 hour west of Cranbrook. There are a few Campgrounds in the area and a nice sandy beach.

 

I'm so sorry for your loss of Bear. Dogs are certainly the most loyal friends any of us can ever hope to have.

Be safe and have a great trip in remembrance of him.

 

So... I get to Creston , and head up the 50 miles to Kootenay bay so I can take the ferry over to the west side of the lake and head to Nelson. This road is a bucket list ride. Sure, it is only an hour or so, but she is twisty with almost NO straight road, except for a very few sections. The bonus is the longest free ferry in the world at the end (or so I was told). Bonus #2 is that the road on the west side heading in both directions is even twistier.


Pics coming ......



There is lots and lots, and LOTS, of this. And that converts to about 25 MPH.




A significant portion of the ride has this on the West side of the road. You get a good view of it going in both directions.




And almost NONE of this. Actually, this is Crawford Bay, and deserves some time looking at the Craft shops, if you are so inclined.




At the ferry landing waiting for the boat. It usually runs every hour in the summer, and every two or so in the off season. It is a free ride and there is a coffee shop on board that serves light snacks. As you can see, this is a very popular road with motorcyclists.




Darla was the first bike on, which means it is the first off. Even though she is on the far left side of the boat, they usually let a few cars off, then the bikes. So be ready to go once she starts to get close to the dock. I never get on her until the ramp comes down, as it can get bumpy and you don't want to get tossed around.

 

Any echos of the Starbelly Jam coming through Crawford Bay?

 

I didn't hear any, but my first X was from there, and I swore i heard an echo that sounded like her.

I am staying at The Hume hotel in Nelson. A very nice restored old Hotel right downtown. This is the third time I have been here this year. Nice modern rooms, restaurants, lounge with a small patio. And great staff. Nelson is netorious for bad parking. But the Hume has a small parking area of its own, and they are very motorcycle friendly.




Darla in the Hume parking lot from my room on the 3rd Floor. This is a Great hotel. A decent room is about $150 a night. And the room I have this time has two queen beds seperated by a wall. A bit of privacy for two to four people.

Time to gunn'er to the Beach (Vancouver).

The Hume in Nelson. Can't say enough good about this hotel. The only downside is the bar in the basement and they supply ear plugs.





Ready to head West.



Top of The Paulsen, west of Castlegar




Christina lake




Old tunnel now painted by travelers.



Nice bake shop in Greenwood




Top of Anarchist Summit looking west




Ice cream truck just west of the summit



The twisties heading down into Ossoyos




Ossoyos. Lovely place to stop for a swim on a hot summer day.




Looking East from the other side. You can see the road climb out of the Valley.




Then about an hour west you come to Princton and climb again. There is lots and lots of this.

It was a good days ride. I left at 9am and got to downtown Vancouver around 7:30. But I took lots of stops so I could coffee and take pictures. Darla ran flawlessly. She is now parked at my daughters and won't move for the weekend, except to wash her. Hope you have enjoyed the trip so far. We will be back on the road Monday and heading for Vancouver Island to visit my brother. Him and I have a few chores planed for her.

 

I agree, Ultra just doesn't have the same impact, I am a long time (wanting and Electra Glide) guy also. Great addition.
By the way do the emblems stick on or do the holes line up correctly as the old ones?

 

I made a template as there where no holes in the fender. I drilled three holes and used clips and Gorilla Glue to secure it.

Just a short ride over to Vancouver Island today. Nice boat trip. But no real pictures exept waiting for the boat. There are pretty good eating places on the boats. Not inexpensive. $10 for a sandwich and coffee.




Nice thing about BC Ferries is that bikes are usually first on and almost always first off.

Ok, so I have SIS. (Short Inseam Syndrome). Darla fits me well, except for the rear brake peddle. Because of the reach, it makes it difficult to do tight right hand turns using the rear brake. It looked like an easy fix was to put a brake pedal off of a 2014 Street glide. Of course it wasn't just a bolt in deal. The shaft size on a 2014 is bigger; but John (my brother ) was able to fit the old ones inside the big ones. It looks like it might work.




Brother John working away.




The peddle on the left is the stock one. The '014 is a bit shorter.

Way better



Old one




New one

I went for a short test ride and moving the peddle back and up just a bit made a huge difference. And the style and finish of the '014 assembly is much nicer.



I headed down to Victoria to get on the ferry to Port Angeles.




In the line up waiting for customs and loading.




Once your loaded you tie the bikes down as it can get very choppy on the crossing. The ferry ride was fun. I spent some time with some other bikers.




Lake Crescent on the road between Port Angeles and Fort where I am staying tonight.

Not a lot of miles today, but the ferry is a cool crossing. The ride from Port Angeles to Fort is very good. Tomorrow I head the rest of the way around the peninsula and on to Oregon. Tillamook is my destination tomorrow. And my first camping.

 

I bet that you thought that I would never actually sign up on a HD forum and reach out to you. Well, that shows how much I enjoyed meeting you and hearing about your 5 month adventure. My blue Indian Chieftain and I are jealous and hope that you have a fantastical venture. All the best! Bill

PS: Let me know how you enjoyed Woodstock...or will it be Europe?

 

Hey Bill! It was great to meet you and your crew on the boat. I had a bit of rain but go to Forks ok. All packed up (that's a chore, but getting easier) and having breakfast at The Place then on my way towards Astoria. Hoping to get to Tilamook tidy, but The Road will decide where I rest my head tonight.

Tell your buddy after serious consideration I actually like the look of your engine more. LOL.

A great ride today. Got up at a decent hour, packed and had breakfast at the same place I had dinner last night. Great food and decent service. Then got on the road and headed south on 101. It was threatening rain all day, and a few sprinkles here and there, but south of Aberdeen I put on the rain gear and it was a good choice. It poured for about 30 minutes and I would have gotten soaked in my leathers. I stopped here and there but made my way south. I decided at Astoria that I would look for the next Mom and Pop motel as the forecast is for rain, and I did not want to set up, or break down in it and have wet gear for my next tent night. A friend in Cranbrook told me about Seaside, as that is her favorite place on the coast. Once I got into town, I got on my iPhone and opened up Bookings.com, and lucked out as I found a $250 ocean view room with a king bed, for $40. I scooped it up! here are some picts for the day ....



In Forks. I ate there twice and the food was excellent both times.




The motel across the street where I stayed. A decent motel, clean and not to expensive. There was a small mom and pop down the street, but they wanted the same money for less of a room.




The Rain Forest. I missed most of the Rain, but got all of the Forest. It is a really cool road, but the view is the trees for most of it.




The first real view of he ocean.




Some cool old bridges on the route. And some cool names for towns and rivers.




A nice little coffee shop at the junction at Naselle. A very pleasant woman runs the place. I stopped here last year for the first time, and I always will if it is there.




Get out the magnifying glasses and you will be able to see the Astoria bridge. This is very close to the ocean. It is really cool to cross.




This is what a $40 room looks like in Seaside. Ya, but try and get it for that. It was just **** house luck that got me in it.




The view from the room.




Supper a few blocks down. I had a beer, some fish and chips and watched the sunset with a coffee. Nice restaurant. Called The Boardwalk in the Shilo Inn Suites.




The Hotel I am stating in. Very nice.

Tomorrow I head south again. Not sure how far, it will be what it will be.....

So, when I got up this morning, it was absolutely pouring rain. I sat around for a bit and waiting for a slight let up, and loaded in the rain anyway. Mt target for today was Florence, but I did not make it. I found a $50 Mom and Pop motel in Newport and tied in for the night. It was a fight all day with the rain, and the wind. At one point it was tossing my Glide around like it was a 250. I stopped several times just go quite fighting with the wind. I did not care about the rain, I could have handled that easily. My Dry Bags really are, and this is the first time I have put my Technic rain gear to the test. It held up well, but the rain boots tore. Oh well, I can fix it with Duct Tape. I also had my Electric vest and grips on to keep out the chill.

Pics to follow, the Wifi here sucks, so I will need to use my phone to upload them.



Big weather, big ocean, big bike




I always eat breakfast here. In Nehalem



Ya, it was one of those days .....






Whale meets Whale. Love ensues.