DAY 6 - COLUMBIA RIVER TRIP - GRAND COULEE TO HOME (AKA MISSION ABORT!)

As happens occasionally you do a stupid thing and you pay the price.  We rode down to the Grand Coullee dam this morning to take one last look before we took off to the Tri Cities.  Good thing I happened to look at my rear tire .  What I saw was not fun, it was so worn down the plys were showing.  No way was this tire taking us any further than we absolutely had to go and that was, regrettably, home.  My mistake was to squezze one last trip out of the thing before getting a new one.

THE IDIOT LOOKING AT THE GRAND COULEE FROM ABOVE

THE GRAND COULEE DAM, WASHINGTON STATE

Oh well made it home with no mishaps, I'll be off to the shop on Tuesday for some new rubber.  We'll hit it again next time to finish up the trip, I don't think the River is going anywhere but downstream.

Day 5 - COLUMBIA RIVER TRIP - REVELSTOKE TO GRAND COULEE DAM VIA SPOKANE

We got up about 6:00 AM after a night of hail, rain, and thunderstorms galore.  On the other hand there was only a mild drizzle by time we took off aroun 8:00 AM.  This should be fun ride on a road we've never been on following the Columbia.  We're also looking forward to a ferry ride today to cross the river at one point.

CRITTER REPORT:  We've seen two coyotes, two deer, and one mouse crossing the road in front of us.  We've managed not to hit any of them so far.  Keep your fingers crossed.

Following is a video of part of today's journey to give you a sense of what it's like on the bike.

Day 4 - COLUMBIA RIVER TRIP - REVELSTOKE DAM AND MICA CREEK DAM

Our plan was to sleep in today, but we both woke up at about six in the morning, we just aren't on vacation time just yet, give us a few more days and we'll get there.

Ok this is an offical thank you to Susie for keeping her eye on the Fyles house while we are gone, THANKS SUSIE, couldn't do it without ya!!!

So today we head north from Revelstoke to check out the two first dams on the Columbia.  First is Mica Creek dam which is about 140 kilometers to the north.  It was a beautiful morning ride with nobody around except one coyote and a deer both crossing the road in front of us.  I managed to miss both of them,  good thing too.

HIGHWAY 23 ON THE WAY TO MICA CREEK DAM

ON THE WAY BACK FROM MICA CREEK

A SHORT LUNCH BREAK ON THE OLD HIGH WHICH INCIDENTALLY ENDS UP IN THE LAKE DON'T DRIVE AT NIGHT HERE, NO WARNING SIGNS!!

MICA DAM - NOT THE MOST EXCITING BUT A BEAUTIFUL RIDE UP

On the way back from Mica Creek we stopped and toured the Revelstoke Dam, very nice.  It's the second dam on the Columbia River.  We watch a cool video of how they installed fifth turban    just a few years back, they made it someplace (I forget) in South America and brought it all the way to Canada.  What an amazing journey that was.

Here is a link to the web site: http://www.bchydro.com/energy_in_bc/projects/mica_generating_station_upgrade.html

THE FOUR ABOVE ARE PHOTOS OF THE REVELSTOKE DAM

TOMORROW WE ARE OFF,  FOLLOWING THE COLUMBIA BACK INTO THE US

Day 3 COLUMBIA RIVER TRIP - RADIUM HOT SPRINGS TO REVELSTOKE

Day 3 takes us on the road from Radium Hot Springs to Revelstoke  following the Columbia River through the Columbia Valley which is just southwest of the Canadian Rockies.  So most of the time to our right was Banff, the Great Columbia Ice Field, Yoho Park, Mt. Edith Clavelle, and eventually Jasper.  We have fond memories of all those places but today we are riding just due southwest of them enjoying this beautiful valley which their water feeds.  

ON THE WAY TO REVELSTOKE VIA JOHNSON PASS

Revelstoke is a fairly modest mountain town at the crossroads between north south and east west on Canada's Highway one,  they've decided that bears are their mascot.  Seems like all these town's have some mascot by which they try to distinguish themselves.

BETH UP CLOSE AND PERSONAL WITH A BEAR IN THE RAILROAD MUSEUM

BEARS GUARDING THE ENTRANCE TO REVELSTOKE

We got here in plenty of time so we went to visit the Railroad Museum and to a ride up to the top of Mt. Revelstoke (about 5,800 feet)  where we went for a small walk which nearly killed the old folks (us).  Only one lousy kilometer uphill, oh time to get back into our former not so good shape.  I spent some time talking to a guy in the museum who was working on a "HO" model train set.  He's been working on it for ten years and its still got a long way to go......labor of love for sure.  We had a good time talking and it brought back my childhood memories of building model railways with my dad and brother.  Our set was so big it took up our whole bedroom and we moved into the attic with our beds to have enough room.  Good times for sure!

BETH AT THE REVELSTOKE RAILROAD MUSEUM

So I found this grind stone at the museum, who cares right!  Well it just so happens I have one of these in my garage and my plan for a long time has been to build the old enclosure and tub for it, now I have a pattern, plus Beth doesn't think I'm quite as nutty as she thought.  The thing I was talking about that my grandfather had actually exists in museum.  Soon to exist at Fyles hours.  Ok enough for today!

GRIND  STONE   IN REVELSTOKE RAILROAD MUSEUM

Day 2 COLUMBIA RIVER TRIP - PONDERAY TO RADIUM HOT SPRINGS AND THE HEADWATERS OF THE COLUMBIA RIVER ON THE WAY

The Day started out just fine.  We left the lovely Howard Johnson Motel in Ponderay Idaho bright eyed and bushy tailed.  We road until we got to Bonner's Ferry and gassed up the bikes.  Leaving the station Beth for some reason tipped over the bike.  Well after that it wouldn't start for about one hour.  So we called AAA and had it towed to "Lone Wolf Harley in Spokane Valley.  Talked to them on the phone and wow what nice folks.  I made arrangements to pick the bike up later so we could continue our trip two up, which is what we did.  The bike made it to the shop and once they unloaded it it started right up. It appears Harleys/Buells have a tip over switch which disables the bike for a while after you've tipped it over.  Apparently it keeps you from starting it just long enough to flood the engine and make it darn near impossible to start for hours.  First time this ever happened to me in 45 years of riding bikes.......oh yea if forget, this was the first time we owned a Harley.  Anyway the beemer has been doing just fine two up.  We added a day to our trip to swing by Lone Wolf Harley and pick up Beth's bike on Saturday.  

We ended up in Radium Hotsprings just as planned at the Motel Bavaria which is run by a very nice Indian gentleman and his wife.  We stayed there last year and liked it.  Anyway all is well that ends well.  The adventure continues.  A few picks of the day follow.

On The Way to Lake Columbia

The Columbia River Leaving Lake Columbia

The Columbia River officially starts when it leaves Lake Columbia, from there we will follow it to Astoria Oregon with a one hundred mile detour to get Beth's bike in Spokane Valley.

WE'LL CLOSE THE DAY WITH A MOUNTAIN GOAT EATING THE HEDGE AT THE RADIUM HOT SPRINGS TOURIST INFORMATION PLACE

2012 - DAY 1 COLUMBIA RIVER HEADWATERS TO SEA TRIP

Well here we go on our first day (in RED on the map). The map below is the best I can do on the road. I had all the days and mileage spelled out but hey I couldn't convert it to a jpeg on the road so this is the best I can do. Today we went over 400 miles which is a bit more than we intended because Beth is riding her Buell Blast and its not really a touring bike, gotta stop for gas every 100 miles or so. I did get a new Corbin seat for her so her sitter would far better than on the stock seat. Still a nice beginner bike. This morning we headed out through Greenwater then Cayuse then Chinook passes. From Naches we went to Ellinburg via Yakima and eventually through Spokane and then up Highway 94 to Sand Point on Lake Ponderay, where we stopped a the luxurious "Howard Johnson" motel. Hey it beats some rocks on top of some mountain, we aren't spoiled.

This should be a fun trip.  Our plan is to follow the Columbia River from its head waters on Lake Columbia in British Columbia all the way down to the Pacific at Astoria.  It will be about a 2,000 mile trip, a little short, as far as our summer trips go, but Beth is on her own bike, the little Buell Blast, so we didn't want to over do it on her first solo trip.  I've got my Columbia River Woody Guthrie songs along and will be listening to them on the way down.  

Here is what Wikipedia says about the Columbia River Basin:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Columbia_River

HERE IS A MAP OF OUT TRIP