BC Big Trailie Ride
June 2008
June 2008
My second ride with a group of Canadian adventure and dual-sport bike riders that I met through the Adventure Rider Forum. This was another ride through British Columbia on some fantastic roads and trails. It was great to meet up again with friends from last year, and the opportunity to meet many new friends this year as a group of close to 30 riders met up in Merritt, BC.
My ride started on Wednesday, June 18, as I left Camas, Washington to head north. I had some extra time and decided to head up into BC a day early, and get some riding in on my own. This year's ride was another great experience!
I started out from my home in Camas at about 9:00am, and was soon heading north from Orchards on Hwy 503 towards the Swift Reservoir. My original plan was to take Hwy 25 north from the Swift Reservoir (on the east side of Mt. St. Helens) towards Randle, and included a few side trips on some dirt routes while heading north. Unfortunately, as I was nearing Hwy 25 I saw a sign indicating that it was closed due to snow. Not having been on this route before, I was sure that the sign was a mistake and had simply not been taken down yet (after all, this is mid-June). Well, I was wrong and finally faced the gate on Hwy 25 which confirmed that the road was still closed; so I backtracked to NF-90, the road on the north side of Swift Reservoir, and continued heading east. I then took Hwy 30 (the Wind River Highway) towards Carson and Hwy 14.
Once on Hwy 14, on the north side of the Columbia River, I headed east with my plans now changed to take Hwy 97 north towards Canada. Just before Lyle, I took Hwy 142 northeast towards Goldendale. This was a great little twisty highway, that follows the Klickitat River (a tributary of the Columbia River) as it rises into the Cascades. Heading north I stopped in Ellensburg for lunch, and finally passed through the Canadian border just north of Oroville, and found a motel for the night in Osoyoos, BC.
The next morning, I grabbed a quick muffin for breakfast and then hit the road around 8:00am. The plans are to try and hit some dirt that I've ridden before, and some I haven't. I headed east on Hwy 3 (Crowsnest Highway), leaning the bike into the turns on the climb up Anarchist Mountain just outside of Osoyoos. I stopped at the viewpoint near the top to grab a view of the valley and take a few pics.
Reaching Rock Creek, I jump on Hwy 3 now heading west back towards Osoyoos. Just east of Bridesville, I take the Mt. Baldy Ski Hill Road north. This is a fun gravel road heading into the hills and towards the ski area that I could see in the distance from the Rock Creek - Bridesville Road. It's about a 15 mile (25 km) ride to get to the (closed for the summer) ski area. I took a photo by the Mt. Baldy Ski Area sign, and then backtracked a few kilometers to the junction of the Mt. Baldy Ski Hill Road and the Camp McKinney Road. I took the latter heading west towards Oliver.
I followed the Camp McKinney Road all the way into Oliver, and stopped for lunch at Murphy's Pub and Grill. After a beef dip sandwich, I headed north on Hwy 97 into Penticton, and then took Apex Mountain Road heading east. The Apex Mountain Road is paved heading into the Apex Mountain Ski Area. Just past the ski area, it turns into the gravel Nickel Plate Road up to the Nickel Plate Mine; and finally turns into a winding dirt road that heads down the mountain to Hwy 3 just east of Hedley.
After winding down the Nickel Plate Road, I stopped in Hedley for gas and then continued east to Princeton. I then took Hwy 5A north, and arrived at the Super 8 Motel in Merritt at about 3:00pm. There were a few bikes already there when I arrived, and more came in throughout the night. Several of us went to the pub down the street for dinner, but it was a fairly early night as it was a 8:00am start in the morning.
My ride started on Wednesday, June 18, as I left Camas, Washington to head north. I had some extra time and decided to head up into BC a day early, and get some riding in on my own. This year's ride was another great experience!
I started out from my home in Camas at about 9:00am, and was soon heading north from Orchards on Hwy 503 towards the Swift Reservoir. My original plan was to take Hwy 25 north from the Swift Reservoir (on the east side of Mt. St. Helens) towards Randle, and included a few side trips on some dirt routes while heading north. Unfortunately, as I was nearing Hwy 25 I saw a sign indicating that it was closed due to snow. Not having been on this route before, I was sure that the sign was a mistake and had simply not been taken down yet (after all, this is mid-June). Well, I was wrong and finally faced the gate on Hwy 25 which confirmed that the road was still closed; so I backtracked to NF-90, the road on the north side of Swift Reservoir, and continued heading east. I then took Hwy 30 (the Wind River Highway) towards Carson and Hwy 14.
Once on Hwy 14, on the north side of the Columbia River, I headed east with my plans now changed to take Hwy 97 north towards Canada. Just before Lyle, I took Hwy 142 northeast towards Goldendale. This was a great little twisty highway, that follows the Klickitat River (a tributary of the Columbia River) as it rises into the Cascades. Heading north I stopped in Ellensburg for lunch, and finally passed through the Canadian border just north of Oroville, and found a motel for the night in Osoyoos, BC.
The next morning, I grabbed a quick muffin for breakfast and then hit the road around 8:00am. The plans are to try and hit some dirt that I've ridden before, and some I haven't. I headed east on Hwy 3 (Crowsnest Highway), leaning the bike into the turns on the climb up Anarchist Mountain just outside of Osoyoos. I stopped at the viewpoint near the top to grab a view of the valley and take a few pics.
Reaching Rock Creek, I jump on Hwy 3 now heading west back towards Osoyoos. Just east of Bridesville, I take the Mt. Baldy Ski Hill Road north. This is a fun gravel road heading into the hills and towards the ski area that I could see in the distance from the Rock Creek - Bridesville Road. It's about a 15 mile (25 km) ride to get to the (closed for the summer) ski area. I took a photo by the Mt. Baldy Ski Area sign, and then backtracked a few kilometers to the junction of the Mt. Baldy Ski Hill Road and the Camp McKinney Road. I took the latter heading west towards Oliver.
I followed the Camp McKinney Road all the way into Oliver, and stopped for lunch at Murphy's Pub and Grill. After a beef dip sandwich, I headed north on Hwy 97 into Penticton, and then took Apex Mountain Road heading east. The Apex Mountain Road is paved heading into the Apex Mountain Ski Area. Just past the ski area, it turns into the gravel Nickel Plate Road up to the Nickel Plate Mine; and finally turns into a winding dirt road that heads down the mountain to Hwy 3 just east of Hedley.
After winding down the Nickel Plate Road, I stopped in Hedley for gas and then continued east to Princeton. I then took Hwy 5A north, and arrived at the Super 8 Motel in Merritt at about 3:00pm. There were a few bikes already there when I arrived, and more came in throughout the night. Several of us went to the pub down the street for dinner, but it was a fairly early night as it was a 8:00am start in the morning.
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I think it was somewhere between 25 and 30 riders that gathered in the morning for the 8:00am start on the day's ride - a loop ride that would start and end at the Super 8 Motel in Merritt, B.C. We had quite a mixture of bikes this year with several BMW's and V-Stroms, a few KTM's, a Triumph, a Buell, and even a Suzuki Intruder.
We started by taking Hwy 5A north, skirting Nicola Lake. We then diverted onto the Douglas Lake Road, which started out as a nice dirt road but then had unexpected stretches of sand, sometimes 8-10" deep. A few riders were rather new to the dirt, and with the road being much more difficult than expected, our large group of riders was soon spread out. After several of the deep sandy sections, the first group of riders stopped for a break and a chance for everyone to re-group. Unfortunately, we found out that one rider (who was fairly new to the dirt) had fallen, and so she and some others had turned around and would find a paved route to meet back up at lunch in Chase.
We met for lunch at Bistro 333 in Chase. It was a great little restaurant, with good food at reasonable prices; and they didn't seem to mind some 25+ dirty motorcyclists showing up. The restaurant is just across from the railroad tracks; and after we had finished lunch, it was a treat to see an old steam locomotive show up. Apparently, it was something like the 150 year anniversary of the railroad in these parts, and the steam locomotive showed up for a small celebration.
After lunch, our goal was to reach the Sun Peaks Ski Resort. We headed across the bridge at Chase which crosses the Shuswap Lakes, and then headed up Todd Mountain Road. From Sun Peaks, it was mostly pavement on the way back to Merritt. Although the day started out a little dicey, with the Douglas Lake Road being in much worse shape than expected, it was a great day's ride. A few riders had some tip-overs, but nothing too serious. Most of us went to the pub for dinner, and then a few of us gathered in my friend Russ's room to watch a little bit of Dust2Glory, and discuss the day's ride. Then it was to bed, to get ready for the next day.
We started by taking Hwy 5A north, skirting Nicola Lake. We then diverted onto the Douglas Lake Road, which started out as a nice dirt road but then had unexpected stretches of sand, sometimes 8-10" deep. A few riders were rather new to the dirt, and with the road being much more difficult than expected, our large group of riders was soon spread out. After several of the deep sandy sections, the first group of riders stopped for a break and a chance for everyone to re-group. Unfortunately, we found out that one rider (who was fairly new to the dirt) had fallen, and so she and some others had turned around and would find a paved route to meet back up at lunch in Chase.
We met for lunch at Bistro 333 in Chase. It was a great little restaurant, with good food at reasonable prices; and they didn't seem to mind some 25+ dirty motorcyclists showing up. The restaurant is just across from the railroad tracks; and after we had finished lunch, it was a treat to see an old steam locomotive show up. Apparently, it was something like the 150 year anniversary of the railroad in these parts, and the steam locomotive showed up for a small celebration.
After lunch, our goal was to reach the Sun Peaks Ski Resort. We headed across the bridge at Chase which crosses the Shuswap Lakes, and then headed up Todd Mountain Road. From Sun Peaks, it was mostly pavement on the way back to Merritt. Although the day started out a little dicey, with the Douglas Lake Road being in much worse shape than expected, it was a great day's ride. A few riders had some tip-overs, but nothing too serious. Most of us went to the pub for dinner, and then a few of us gathered in my friend Russ's room to watch a little bit of Dust2Glory, and discuss the day's ride. Then it was to bed, to get ready for the next day.
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Everybody re-grouped for the early 8:00am start of Day 2 of the BC Big Trailie Ride. We took a short ride on Hwy 97C East before taking the Kane Valley Road south towards Brookmere. The Kane Valley Road is a beautiful dirt road, winding through trees and alongside several small lakes. We started gathering at the water tower in Brookmere. The water tower once served the steam locomotives that ran along the now abandoned Kettle Valley Railway.
From Brookmere, we split into two groups. One group took the dirt road that heads into the hills, and then meets with the Tulameen-Otter Valley Road. And the second group took the Kettle Valley Railway (KVR). I'm with the KVR group. The KVR is a really fun ride, and we ended up taking it all the way to Princeton, where we met up with the other group.
They had arrived earlier, and finished lunch. So we let them ride ahead, while we hit Quizno's for lunch. After lunch, we took the Old Hedley Road east, and then it was up the Nickel Plate Road. The Nickel Plate is a great winding dirt road, with plenty of switchbacks as it heads towards the Nickel Plate Mine, and then on to the Apex Mountain Ski area. I had ridden down the Nickel Plate a few days earlier.
From Apex Mountain, we headed down the Green Valley Road, which is a fun, paved road with a lot of tight twisty turns. Then it was into Keremous to stay for the night. We stayed at the Elks Motel in Keremous. Beer and pizza for dinner, with a lot of BS about the day's ride. Another fine day!
From Brookmere, we split into two groups. One group took the dirt road that heads into the hills, and then meets with the Tulameen-Otter Valley Road. And the second group took the Kettle Valley Railway (KVR). I'm with the KVR group. The KVR is a really fun ride, and we ended up taking it all the way to Princeton, where we met up with the other group.
They had arrived earlier, and finished lunch. So we let them ride ahead, while we hit Quizno's for lunch. After lunch, we took the Old Hedley Road east, and then it was up the Nickel Plate Road. The Nickel Plate is a great winding dirt road, with plenty of switchbacks as it heads towards the Nickel Plate Mine, and then on to the Apex Mountain Ski area. I had ridden down the Nickel Plate a few days earlier.
From Apex Mountain, we headed down the Green Valley Road, which is a fun, paved road with a lot of tight twisty turns. Then it was into Keremous to stay for the night. We stayed at the Elks Motel in Keremous. Beer and pizza for dinner, with a lot of BS about the day's ride. Another fine day!
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I woke up at the Elks Motel ready for the last day of this year's BC Big Trailie Ride. It was another beautiful morning as we headed east on Hwy 3 to start the day's ride. We didn't stay on the pavement for very long and soon found ourselves on the Oliver-Cawston Road, a very fun dirt road. We re-grouped near the intersection of the Fairview-Whitelake Road, which we would take to the Green Lake Road and then north towards Okanagan Falls.
We drove through Okanagan Falls, and took the Eastside Road north along Skaha Lake. We stopped for some pictures by the lake. We rode north into Penticton, and then took Hwy 97 towards Summerland where we stopped for gas.
From Summerland, we took the Princeton-Summerland Road, a beautiful and fun dirt road, back to Princeton where we would eat lunch, and then everyone would go there separate ways. I headed to my friend's cottage in Sorrento on Shuswaps Lake. It was a couple of hours north for me. We ended up having a BBQ with Bob, his wife Marian and a few of their friends. I slept good that night, and then the next morning took off for the marathon ride back to Camas Washington.
It was a great multi-day ride with some fantastic friends and riding partners. The people make the event as much as the roads, trails, and scenery - great people made for a great ride!!!
We drove through Okanagan Falls, and took the Eastside Road north along Skaha Lake. We stopped for some pictures by the lake. We rode north into Penticton, and then took Hwy 97 towards Summerland where we stopped for gas.
From Summerland, we took the Princeton-Summerland Road, a beautiful and fun dirt road, back to Princeton where we would eat lunch, and then everyone would go there separate ways. I headed to my friend's cottage in Sorrento on Shuswaps Lake. It was a couple of hours north for me. We ended up having a BBQ with Bob, his wife Marian and a few of their friends. I slept good that night, and then the next morning took off for the marathon ride back to Camas Washington.
It was a great multi-day ride with some fantastic friends and riding partners. The people make the event as much as the roads, trails, and scenery - great people made for a great ride!!!
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