June 8, 2023
I decided somewhat spontaneously to take a week’s trip up to the Canadian Rockies:
Less than a month ago I was pushed out of my job, and decided I needed a bit of time to recover, explore and possibly meet people in places I had not visited in years. So a somewhat relaxed and open-ended trip that would hit much of the Rockies, including the Icefields Parkway and Jasper was something I was ready for.
Day one was hot, the end of an early summer heat wave. I started late due to some personal stuff that came up at the last minute, but I had enough time in the schedule and decided that funemployment means not letting myself get upset by schedule misses. It was pretty uneventful, as I’ve been on these roads before and didn’t even think to stop and take many pictures or videos until well into the ride. As usual, I brought along my “buddy” Griffith the Traveling Mountain Lion, happy in my tank bag.
I rode from Seattle north on the slab to highway 530, where things remained hot but nicer than on the interstate. 530 heads west, before turning north along the Sauk River to the North Cascades Highway (WA 20), which just opened for the summer a few weeks ago. You’d never know that this couldn’t be open a month ago from looking at the snow (or lack thereof) by the side of the road now. Even at the top of Washington Pass, there was only a bit of snow piled up by the sides of the road where it was plowed. Seems kind of wasteful — weeks of work plowing, only to have everything melt off completely shortly thereafter. I wonder if climate change is going to make it less and less necessary to go through that effort every year.
I rode the pass in the “wrong” direction. The east side is the steeper one and I’ve always been disliked steep descents, especially with a heavy bike. I like this road a lot more in the other direction but it was fine. Following the long descent, made a gas stop in Winthrop before continuing east over the Loup Loup Pass on the way to Okanogan which is located on the river of the same name. (Alternately, Okanagan, as it is known as soon as you cross the border).
I booked a room in Osoyoos, just across the border, but it’s still kind of early season and I wasn’t sure what I would find arriving close to 8pm. So I made a quick fast-food stop in Omak, then topped off with cheaper U.S. gas before the border in Oroville. Crossing the border with my Nexus Pass was uneventful. Arrived at the motel, unpacked, took a quick walk over to the lake and dove into the pool before bed. Tomorrow is looking cooler and possibly wetter.
Got a bit of video, and I’ll experiment with a bit more as the trip progresses. My bike has a theoretical connection to the GoPro, but it has been flaky in the past and I may regret not having the GoPro remote. We’ll see if I care.