THERE GO the high plains in the mirrors, now we’re up and over the Rockies and getting set to head north to the Arctic in a few days. My friend Bob fractured his hand in three places recently but he’s changing oil on his bike today and planning to ride north as well. He might not go with me to the Arctic Ocean, but we’ll ride together into the Northwest Territories or the Yukon or wherever.
Yesterday was a great day to make miles in the Rockies.
There’s a road that runs along the foot of that rock face in the middle of the pic. While scooting along you think it must be the top of the mountain towering over you; until you get farther north, turn around and see there’s a whole lot more to it.
I rode 379 miles from Alberta yesterday, logging mile #3,600 from Little Rhody. The wind was intense, but of the challenging kind that makes riding a pleasure. It would come from one direction for 20 or 30 minutes at a time; all you do is snug up against it and go.
When the air is a boiling mass of turbulence, that’s the dangerous stuff that wears you out on a tall, light motorcycle like the piglet. So often, as soon as you’ve made a counter-steering input it becomes exactly the wrong one to have made.
The Athabasca Glacier in the Columbia Icefield.
Crowfoot Glacier just to the north of Athabasca.
I rode up through Banff and Lake Louise, and finally Jasper, where I cut west through the mountain passes on the Yellowhead Highway to make the final 75 miles to Bob and Janey’s place near Valemount, BC.
A few miles out from Jasper I could see quite a rain up ahead, so I rolled off the throttle, dialed it back and let the rain cell blow itself out before I got there.
Same thing after I made the turn west on the Yellowhead. I kept my eye on three different rainstorms and made sure to get there just when they were exhausted or moving off the road. Rode a lot of wet highway without getting wet.
Saw half a dozen bighorn sheep, a black bear and a few elk. It was a memorable day to be moving through one of the Earth’s great landscapes.
Tony DePaul, June 7, 2019, Tete Jaune Cache, British Columbia, Canada
Athabasca! Wow, that brings memories of a novel I read when I was still a teen – Athabasca, by Alistair MacLean. Murder intrigue in the middle of a harsh Canadian winter. Wishing you a different kind of excitement!
Tony
Enjoying the narrative, thank you.
I looked at Valemount on a map and holy smoke you are about as far from Bangalla as you can get. Continued safe travels.
Remember our discussion about horseshoes? You missed the snow.
The glaciers look more like Norway than Norway does. Any reindeer, I mean caribou?
Amazing journey!
In the shot “The Athabasca Glacier in the Columbia Icefield” those small tiny black spots at the base of the white are special built Glacier Crawlers that take paying tourists out on to the glacier.
Climbing higher is giving you spectacular photo shots. Well done. Looking forward to seeing more.
Wow. These pics are stunning! Glad the wind hasn’t been as bad. Be safe. Love you!
LOOKS LIKE A GREAT TRIP, IT IS BEAUTIFUL UP THERE BUT YOU SHOULD MAKE SURE YOU GET ENOUGH SLEEP. LAKE LOUISE TO ME WAS ONE OF THE MOST BEAUTIFUL SITES I HAVE EVER SEEN. STAY SAFE. JOHN D.
Breathtaking scenery! I’m glad you’re enjoying your trip and steering clear of bad weather. Safe travels.