Adventures on the road: Cherry and I are gone fishing.

[SilveradoCA]

Well, that was a day. What's known as 'Fun - Type 2'.

 

I've been planning a trip from Fort McMurray in a round-about loop through BC to do some fishing; fishing for fish, and fishing for work.

 

You may remember that in 2016 one hell of a wildfire tore through Fort Mac; it was dubbed "The Beast" by our local fire chief, and by the time the smoke cleared, about 2500 homes were burned.

 

I've been a carpenter by trade, and homebuilder/project manager by profession, in Fort Mac since 2005. I've built almost 200 homes and a bunch of condos etc. in that time, so the fire hit my clients pretty hard. In just one neighbourhood, I had built 55 homes, and the Beast left only 6 of them standing.

 

Two years and change later, we're pretty much done. Add a group elected to governance that doesn't have two wits to rattle around in their collectively empty heads, and this town built on pulling fire from the ground is pretty much done too, at least as far as growth is concerned. So, I'm looking for a place to happen, next chapter.

 

My working partner has moved back to Campbell River on Vancouver Island, and that part of the world is booming. Also, having had his woman decide to part ways with him, he did the sensible thing and bought a boat. (He's not a biker, in spite of my best efforts.) So, I'm off to cruise down through Calgary to see my family (and lend some moral support to my sister, who's about to separate from her husband of 10 years), then off to BC to stay at a friend's cabin on Shuswap Lake, before spending the Canada Day weekend with my other sister in Vancouver, then on to Campbell River for some salmon and business fishing. On the way back I'll criss-cross through the Okanagan and Kootenays before heading up through Jasper National Park and onward to home.

 

I got a late start today, but no matter, as I have no agenda. It took me a couple of rounds to figure out my load on the bike, as I'm muling a bunch of stuff for other people. I had hoped to make Calgary this evening, which is a 750Km trip. Hit the road at 11AM... lots of time. I'd fuelled up yesterday evening after changing the oil in the bike.

 

When I breached the castle walls headed afield, I had 35Km on this tank of fuel. Next fuel is 204Km down the road, at Wandering River. No problem.

 

Sun was shining, and in spite of a ferocious, gusting, shifting, quartering headwind that had me tacking to and fro like a wannabe Captain after the Auld Mug, I was grinning like a fool and maintaining a solid Grand Touring pace. Problem.

 

It turns out that on this day, under those conditions, my RSV will go 10.5Km less than required on that amount of fuel. Part of me honestly thinks I have an issue... that's only about 23 US MPG. Carburetor problem? IDK.

 

I briefly thought about hoofing it, but that stroll would clock just a few klicks short of a half-marathon. I called AMA (AAA for you American folks) instead. A little less than an hour later, I was rescued with 10l of fuel and a handshake. A piece of free advice to my fellow riders: if you have to run dry of fuel, pick a hot, sunny day with a wind blowing. The sun keeps you warm and smiling, and the wind keeps the bugs off you, mostly. Also, horseflies are hungry and relentless, but also slow, and stupid.

 

Freshly fuelled (or half way, anyway), next stop was Grassland, about 55Km away. No problem. It was sprinkling a little as I pulled away from the gas station there, so I pulled over again and put on my rain jacket.

 

About 5Km Eastbound out of Grassland, the sky ahead was as black and hopeless as the inside of an empty gas tank. Having driven this route hundreds of times, I knew the road turned South shortly, but... problem. To the South was another huge storm cell, just as big and black as the one dead ahead. Soon enough, that big sweeping curve appeared, and I knew what I was up against; I was going to try to thread the needle between two "daytime heating effect" supercells. Am I brave? Yes. Am I stupid? Probably also yes. I was ready to turn around if need be, if I had to, I guess.

 

Some of you probably live in an area where this phenomenon happens, and are familiar with what can come along. Rain. Hail. And tornadoes. Not always in that order. These are the kind of formations that put air traffic controllers in panic mode, and give insurance agents heartburn.

 

Riding in between these two monsters was exciting to say the least, with powerful gusts shifting left, then right, then head on, then from behind. Total windshear from all four cardinal points, interrupted by occasional perfect, eerie calm. Now heading South between the two storms, there was blowing, sheeting rain coming sideways from my left, while off to the right, just ahead of the black heart of the thing, was an undulating white curtain wall - hailstones raining down. I could see the hail quite clearly at times; this is somewhat remarkable, given that it was probably about 1500m away. (Later there were some reports of hail larger than 3" in size.)

 

And yes, I did see the sight I had hoped not to; the sight that made the hairs on my arms pop up like prairie dogs: at least one shallow funnel cloud toward the tail end of the Eastward storm cell. It didn't fully form or make ground contact that I saw, and I heard no reports of a tornado once I got into Edmonton.

 

Amazing as it seems, for about 80Km the road snaked and turned and wound left and right, and the storms and I danced a waltz of menacing charity, and then I was past and through, sun shining, and hardly even wet.

 

 

Two minor misadventures made enough tempting of fate for one day, so I decided that instead of pushing on the last 275Km to Calgary, I'd stop in Edmonton, and maybe see if I could catch up with a cute little filly named Megan, who works at my favourite watering hole in the area, and rides a Suzuki SV650. She was off today, but filled with a Brooklyn Burger and a couple of pints of 100th Meridian Amber Lager, I crossed the road to my usual hotel and settled in to write this up.

 

I'm SilveradoCA, and I didn't ride through a tornado today after running out of gas, but I did stay at a Holiday Inn tonight.

 

Catch you on the road.

[slowrollwv]

Good story. Hope you can make the rest of your trip with out any problems. The wife and I did the storm dance while going to Branson MO. a couple years ago.

[XV1100SE]

Great write up ! Sounds like you had a "fun" ride with the weather. Can be a challenge threading the needle between storms and glad it turned out well !

Safe ride on the rest of your trip.

[SilveradoCA]

Thanks gang.

 

My subtitle for yesterday's ride is "You can't spell funnel cloud without the FUN!"

[cowpuc]

NOW WE ARE COOKIN:happy65:!!!!!!! GREAT REPORT SILVER = thanks for the ride along!!!!

[SilveradoCA]

I've been visiting family in Calgary and Vancouver, with a quick stop up in the Shuswap, and then camping on the outside coast of Vancouver Island for a few days, with zero cell service and certainly no wifi.

 

I've got a couple thousand words written, with more to come, but it's almost midnight, and my buddy and I are leaving on his boat at 5AM for 3 days of fishing out of Campbell River.

 

I'll post up a bunch when I get back to the world on Sunday night or Monday morning, but suffice it to say that this trip has been incredible so far.

 

Preview: cute French sisters from Quebec, game changing crab & scallop croquettes, misanthropic log truck divers, and powerslides in the rain.

 

Stay tuned!

 

Catch you on the road.

[RandyR]

3 days of fishing away from the internet sounds like a good thing. There's nothing better than fresh fish cooked over an open fire.

[videoarizona]

Fantastic!

Can't wait for the next chapter!

 

Thanks for sharing...

 

P.S. Probably nothing wrong with your scoot...just the quartering headwinds that knock down the mpg's, especially when loaded. Those are the worst!

Edited July 6, 2018 by videoarizona
add

[cowpuc]

I've been visiting family in Calgary and Vancouver, with a quick stop up in the Shuswap, and then camping on the outside coast of Vancouver Island for a few days, with zero cell service and certainly no wifi.

 

I've got a couple thousand words written, with more to come, but it's almost midnight, and my buddy and I are leaving on his boat at 5AM for 3 days of fishing out of Campbell River.

 

I'll post up a bunch when I get back to the world on Sunday night or Monday morning, but suffice it to say that this trip has been incredible so far.

 

Preview: cute French sisters from Quebec, game changing crab & scallop croquettes, misanthropic log truck divers, and powerslides in the rain.

 

Stay tuned!

 

Catch you on the road.

 

ROCK AND ROLLLLL!!!!!!!!!!!!!! All the very best with the (I always wanted to use that little fishin icon thingy and never had the chance till now )!!! Looking forward to continuing the ride along on your adventure Silverado - THANK YOU for taking the time to include us:biker:!!!!!!!!!

[SilveradoCA]

Well friends, I'm finally home after an absolutely EPIC 4 weeks (less a couple days) on the road.

 

I have lots of words to share, and I'm working on it, both for you, and for me. I'm a sometimes-prolific writer, but suffer from Hemingway's method, meaning I write best drunk, and edit best sober. This is tricky as I don't drink nearly as much as I used to! LOL.

 

I will say that it was a life affirming experience, and for the moment leave you with something I gleaned from the current social media meme school of philosophy:

 

"Sometimes, you find yourself in the middle of nowhere. And sometimes, in the middle of nowhere, you find yourself."

 

Second preview: hammering countless salmon, a California beach right here in Canada, a route that is absolutely MANDATORY for all bikers to ride, and a girl who might be the one that got away.

 

Stay tuned, but gimme a minute!

[grubsie]

I will say that it was a life affirming experience, and for the moment leave you with something I gleaned from the current social media meme school of philosophy:

 

"Sometimes, you find yourself in the middle of nowhere. And sometimes, in the middle of nowhere, you find yourself."

 

Couldn't agree with you more.