Sunday, February 9, 2014

Motorcycle Madness

    I received a message back awhile on one of the hot spring facebook sites from a party seeking information about current conditions at the T'sek campsite. First timers sounded like, asking the usual questions like if the hot spring was open this time of year, and the rate to camp. She casually mentioned they would be attempting to ride their motorcycles up from the south via the rugged pioneer road strung into the mountains along Harrison Lake. 
"Good lord", I think I said to myself, it was the middle of January, it was still hovering at the freezing point at best during the day, and no one really seemed to know what the condition of the road out the south was in, or even if it was open.
I do know a thing or two about motorcycles, and a fun weekend ride like this is going to sort out the serious riders from the less inclined pretty quickly. I wrote back in a thinly veiled attempt to dissuade them from such a harebrained idea, but added that in the off chance her and her friends on their motorbikes actually make it this far, any survivors would be welcome to use the guest cabin.
   Can't say I was completely surprised when no one showed up Saturday afternoon. Probably turned around at the first ice patch and warming their hands over a pitcher of beer down at the Sasquatch Inn was my guess. Once the sun went down and ice crystals began to form outside I had almost forgotten about them when I look and see two headlights coming down the driveway. They parked under the light out front and shut down, turned off the satellite navigation gear and unplugged their heated underwear. Turns out it wasn't much of a ride at all for this adventure seeking brother and sister duo.
I had a better look at them the next morning in the light. They had been up early for a soak down at the hot spring and were eager to fire up the bikes and explore new territory. I sent them up the logging road that goes up the mountain behind me where they eventually had to dig themselves out of the snow and it is a wonder they still talked to me when they got back. They decided to scoot into Pemberton for lunch. Being an hour and a half away and several hundred feet higher than here, it looked a little more like Winter there at that end of the valley.  They stopped at one of the local eateries and the waitress made sure they got the table closest to the wood stove.
 
They arrived back here at the lodge shortly before sundown, ready to leave on their journey down the rugged West Harrison trail. I could do a witty write up about their entire weekend adventure, but I would just be plagiarising from their entertaining account of the trip. You can go see here....
http://advrider.com/forums/showthread.php?p=23338185#post23338185

2 comments:

  1. Motorcycles and snow+ice don't mix. WOW are these two Brave! Was up there late last year with my Honda crf250x.I went up that same road behind your place ,got to snow and ice and turned around rite away. Casey.

    ReplyDelete
  2. Hey Casey did you watch the video? It starts off behind here then heads up the hill before they tear off into town. Those big bikes really eat up the road. Even with heated riding gear it must have been a pretty drafty ride. Hard core adv riders those two.

    ReplyDelete