And then, we are going to be riding the logging roads in the east and west Kootenays in South eastern BC and while we will occasionally be on pavement looking for gas, it is not clear to me when I will have cell service to do updates. The reality is that I expect service to be sporadic so rather than my custom of doing an entry for each day, I will just post when the opportunity presents itself.
With publishing the blog from my phone, I will not be able to upload pictures from my camera so I will endeavour to take some pictures with my phone for the blog.
Because if these limitations, I have only offered the blog to a small, select group: family, close friends and friends with an interest in motorcycling. Not because it is a secret but rather, I expect you will forgive my limitations.
So, on to business. The first is the Spot location tracker:
https://spotwalla.com/tripViewer.php?id=114595768b06ea6153
So, on to business. The first is the Spot location tracker:
https://spotwalla.com/tripViewer.php?id=114595768b06ea6153
Keep track of out location by copying that link into your browser. The link will be live Sunday morning.
The trip itself has been in the works for the better part of 2016. My riding mates are Tom,
veteran of the SBIMLCWUMT trip (or something like that) back in about 2009 and the Utah on Motorcycles trip five years ago, and Phil, our token tall guy, organizer, route planner and fearless leader. Fearless leader because it is his job to protect Tom and me from bears.
This is a back country trip. We are driving to Radium today where we will camp tonight and then put in in the morning on Settler's Road, a forestry service road that starts in Kootenay National Park. The route will likely take us through some Kootenay hotspots like Jaffrey, Renata and Gray Creek. We reserved the right to alter that route though because our world is an oyster and we may be distracted by sparkly lakes or intriguing trails! It is quite likely that the route will take us off road at times so it is really hard to say how closely we will stick to an agenda. You can be confident in knowing we will be avoiding pavement.
Preparations for the trip began in earnest about two weeks ago. I have been pouring over Phil's maps thinking I would load the route into my GPS, mainly so we could avoid having to stop at every back road intersection but also, having a GPS allows the user to get REALLY lost... and deep into the back country. But it is also helpful for retracing steps, which could conceivably come in handy. For example, in looking over the maps and Phil's planned route, I noticed that Google Maps did not have all the logging roads on Phil's back country maps. That is no surprise; there is a lot of detail on those maps. However, it also meant that what is marked in a map may not really be a road but rather, a track that at one time led to a cut but no longer exists as a route. For example, on one such section, Phil had us heading over a fairly high pass in the area of Boynton. Google Maps did not show a route but I wasn't too stressed about it. However, last Sunday when the guys were out to have a planning breakfast and for Phil to drop off the tow trailer, we looked at the route on Google Earth, which gives a photographic, quasi 3-D view of the world. The beauty if this technique is that it is possible to identify cuts or roads that are not on the map but appear passable. Well, it was clear that this wasn't really a pass at all and the only way over would be on foot. But,with no roads necessarily marked, we could see a route through another valley. And it looks beautiful.
Tom also has been making preparations. However, for Tom, preparations are always a work in progress. I won't get into the history of Tom's bike because that would require a blog all its own but let's just say it has presented Tom with a few challenges. Fortunately, this year it is not on fire and it starts. But, as of our trial ride three weeks ago it wasn't charging the battery, which meant that it would not have lights or signals. So Tom ordered a new regulator and it arrived this past Wednesday. He installed it and fortunately, Tom being an electrical engineer, was able to get it to generate 60 volts. Most motor vehicles, including motorcycles, need 12 volts, so he had 48 to spare. But with no place to use them, he found a wiring diagram online and got it to generate the correct voltage.
Last night, Tom sent out a panicked text to say say his bike was leaking gas. Good thing Phil had some parts and they were able to get it sorted out. Trip saved! (For Tom.)
The trip itself has been in the works for the better part of 2016. My riding mates are Tom,
veteran of the SBIMLCWUMT trip (or something like that) back in about 2009 and the Utah on Motorcycles trip five years ago, and Phil, our token tall guy, organizer, route planner and fearless leader. Fearless leader because it is his job to protect Tom and me from bears.
This is a back country trip. We are driving to Radium today where we will camp tonight and then put in in the morning on Settler's Road, a forestry service road that starts in Kootenay National Park. The route will likely take us through some Kootenay hotspots like Jaffrey, Renata and Gray Creek. We reserved the right to alter that route though because our world is an oyster and we may be distracted by sparkly lakes or intriguing trails! It is quite likely that the route will take us off road at times so it is really hard to say how closely we will stick to an agenda. You can be confident in knowing we will be avoiding pavement.
Preparations for the trip began in earnest about two weeks ago. I have been pouring over Phil's maps thinking I would load the route into my GPS, mainly so we could avoid having to stop at every back road intersection but also, having a GPS allows the user to get REALLY lost... and deep into the back country. But it is also helpful for retracing steps, which could conceivably come in handy. For example, in looking over the maps and Phil's planned route, I noticed that Google Maps did not have all the logging roads on Phil's back country maps. That is no surprise; there is a lot of detail on those maps. However, it also meant that what is marked in a map may not really be a road but rather, a track that at one time led to a cut but no longer exists as a route. For example, on one such section, Phil had us heading over a fairly high pass in the area of Boynton. Google Maps did not show a route but I wasn't too stressed about it. However, last Sunday when the guys were out to have a planning breakfast and for Phil to drop off the tow trailer, we looked at the route on Google Earth, which gives a photographic, quasi 3-D view of the world. The beauty if this technique is that it is possible to identify cuts or roads that are not on the map but appear passable. Well, it was clear that this wasn't really a pass at all and the only way over would be on foot. But,with no roads necessarily marked, we could see a route through another valley. And it looks beautiful.
Tom also has been making preparations. However, for Tom, preparations are always a work in progress. I won't get into the history of Tom's bike because that would require a blog all its own but let's just say it has presented Tom with a few challenges. Fortunately, this year it is not on fire and it starts. But, as of our trial ride three weeks ago it wasn't charging the battery, which meant that it would not have lights or signals. So Tom ordered a new regulator and it arrived this past Wednesday. He installed it and fortunately, Tom being an electrical engineer, was able to get it to generate 60 volts. Most motor vehicles, including motorcycles, need 12 volts, so he had 48 to spare. But with no place to use them, he found a wiring diagram online and got it to generate the correct voltage.
Last night, Tom sent out a panicked text to say say his bike was leaking gas. Good thing Phil had some parts and they were able to get it sorted out. Trip saved! (For Tom.)
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