Hazy Smoke Filled Ride
We set out of Kelowna on BC97 along the lakeside, leaving both town and slow moving traffic behind. The hazy smoke filled skyline followed.
The road twisted and turned making for a spectacular ride with great views. In the town of Sicamous the hazy smoke subsided as we headed east on the green and white maple leaf highway marked as the Trans-Canada Highway — also known as Hwy1. Just prior to Revelstoke we passed through Craigellachie which is the site of the “last spike” completing the original Canadian transcontinental railroad back in the late 1800’s.
Avalanche "Sheds"
When riding, you never know what is around each bend, many of which are around rock faces, so there may be fallen rock or wildlife on the road. But, on the other hand, you need to relax and mix riding with taking in the view which we did as we traveled along Hwy1 through Revelstoke and passed through the Selkirk Mountains and Glacier National Park (Canada). At the summit we stopped at Rodgers Pass. There are a number of snow sheds and earth dams used to protect the highway from avalanches and the area is home to the largest mobile avalanche program in Canada.
Rodgers Pass
At Golden we connected with the junction of Hwy95 which is west of Lake Louise and passed through Yoho National Park. It runs along the southern-most part of the Canadian Rockies just west of BC and the Alberta border. At Kicking Horse Pass we rolled over the continental divide and the Spiral Railway Tunnels. They were built to increase the length of the railway track and reduce the grade as trains made their way up a considerable ascent. Sometimes called the “Big Hill” it had a ruling gradient of 4.5%…one of the steepest in North America prior to the Spiral Tunnels opening in 1909.
Banff, Alberta
Alberta’s Mountain Parks are the jewel of the Canadian Rockies. Approximately 7600 sq miles of preserved wilderness it’s easy to see spectacular scenery, watch wildlife and enjoy what has made the area famous. We rode by the Weeping Wall, a massive limestone cliff with a number of waterfalls seeping out.
The day ended damp and cold – around 55 degrees by the time we dropped into Banff, Alberta. In the late 1800’s workers from the transcontinental railway chanced upon simmering hot springs and the area became Canada’s first national park – Banff National Park.
Bow River
At 4540 feet in altitude it is Canada’s highest town. And with a cold front that had moved in we felt and saw the precipitation, fog and wind shifts of that altitude. It was early August yet it felt like mid-October in Oregon!
We had a scheduled layover in Banff and spent “tourist” time kicking around town, trying local pubs and wandering the Fairmont Banff Springs grand hotel and national historic sites. The hotel is steeped in history having been built back in 1888 and there is a long list of famous guests who frequented the resort. We didn’t stay at this hotel. I didn’t get the sense that many guests had turned in their Mercedes-Benz to lease a Hyundai! In fact, our entire time in Canada seemed to indicate that the worst of any recession was long over for the folks who pass the puck.
The Fairmont Banff Springs Hotel
In the hotel lobby we met up with some riders who came from Calgary and soon learned there were many wild cards in the weather forecast. It was going to be cold and wet. Ugh! Our original route had us heading east toward Calgary, but that pesky cold front brought torrential rain and high winds killing one and injuring 15 people. Over refreshments we decided to avoid Calgary as nasty weather and hail was a certainty and we didn’t want any part of it. As a side bar, my iPhone app, “WeatherBug” didn’t work in Canada. I could get temps and current conditions, but I couldn’t pull up Doppler radar to re-route around any storms… bummer.
Refreshments At Banff International Hotel
We determine that the west side of Banff National Park offered a reduced possibility of rain so, we would back track to Hwy 93 through Kootenay National Park.
It would mean a longer 400+ mile day to reach Highway 89 and the “Going to the Sun Road” in St. Mary, Montana, but riding dry was preferred over cutting 100 miles off the route in the rain.
The 107 to 47 Journey – Part One HERE; Part Three HERE; Part Four HERE
Northwest Harley Blog 