Canadian Glacier national Park
My yearly big ride is done! Below are my daily notes and some pictures from the ride. The route below is pretty accurate, but each day has the section traveled.
Full route
The ride was a few hundred miles shorter than expected due to some changes along the way, but it still hit 4,600 miles and that was long enough. I was able to see so many family members as well as many friends. Thanks to everyone who hosted me for a night or two! I sincerely appreciate your warm welcomes and the great conversation and food provided.
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August 1, 2015
Phoenix to Brian Head, UT
Phoenix, AZ to Brian Head, UT
This morning started out by me not wanting to get out of bed at 5am…so I slept until 6am. I finally got on the road and the traffic on the I-17 was way busier than I had expected. Enter idiot drivers immediately into this road trip…oh well, I hoped it would subside once I got out of the city. It did mostly. Had quite a few drivers behind me today that didn’t realize that I could only go as fast as the car in front of me, and I am not going to tailgate them like the person was behind me. 85 miles an hour and this ass-hat is a few feet from my bike. Guess what he was driving? A Dodge? Nope, but the same family… a Jeep. I am now thinking of including ALL Chrysler cars into the “Kill Darin” category.
Anyway… I took a pit stop near the I-17 Prescott exit and when I got back on the I-17 north I was passing another motorcycle and realized it was my friend, Tyler. We rode together to to Flagstaff where Tyler filled up and then we continued north together through Flagstaff.
Tyler took this picture as we were waiting at a light in Flagstaff, AZ.
As we were riding out of Flagstaff I noticed something in the road in front of us about 300 yards and I moved to the next lane and warned Tyler to move over as well. As I got closer I thought that someone’s camping gear had fallen out of their pickup, but then realized it was a person way curled up on their side in the middle of the road. Not just relaxing, but looked like they either fell out of a vehicle or hit by one. There was no blood and I couldn’t see any abrasions as we passed. Two cars were already stopping and I didn’t see what had happened so we continued forward knowing there wasn’t anything we could do to help.
We continued north and Tyler went east at the Tuba City, AZ split while I continued north and west to Kanab, UT. Tyler is on his way to his first trip to the Sturgis Motorcycle rally in Sturgis, SD. It’s the 75th anniversary so it’s going to be HUGE. I’ve been there enough times to know I don’t want to be there for this one.
As I climbed in elevation the temperatures began to steadily decline and by the time I got to Brian Head, UT it was downright chilly while riding. I checked into the hotel and took a nap. I’m up now to have some dinner and get back to sleep.
The hotel room was nice, but so loud.
Tomorrow I head to Boise, ID!
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August 2, 2015 to August 3, 2015
Brian Head, UT to Boise, ID
Brian Head, UT to Boise, ID
I didn’t sleep well at the hotel in Utah due to the noise level in the hotel as well as coming from outside. I slept an extra hour and got on the road at a decent time, but I wanted to be on the road earlier. Oh well…
The roads into and out of Brian Head, UT SUCK! They are lined with tar snakes and gravel is everywhere. No wonder I only saw ATVs around there, this area is a death trap. I made it out unscathed, but won’t have it on my list of places to visit when I am on my bike.
The ride out of the mountains and into Salt Lake City went smoothly. In SLC I was almost taken out by a guy with the plate “COL J” – Utah Veteran license plate. He saw me at the last minute and pulled back into his lane, but he was merging from another freeway and had already cut across three lanes. I saw him coming and was moving into the far left lane so he wouldn’t have hit me anyway and I think it scared him more than me. I am used to this by now…usually by Dodge drivers, but he was driving a HUGE Ford pickup.
Hot ride through northern Utah and southern Idaho
I didn’t take a single picture today other than of the bike during a couple of stops. There wasn’t anything to see. It was hot (95) and very humid today for 8.5 hours and I was so happy when I finally pulled into Boise!
Tonight I am staying with my friend, Sarah. She moved here from Phoenix a while back and I am so glad that to have been offered a place to sleep. Sarah has two of the best dogs you could want (Heathcliff and Kai) and they definitely missed me as much as I missed them. Heathcliff even snuggled with me for a while.
We went out to dinner to a local place and had a great dinner and tried some of the local brews. Very good! I ended up choosing the Wheat beer and it was delicious. The Sockeye Salmon dinner was so tasty!
Tomorrow we’re going paddleboarding and I will get to meet her boyfriend tomorrow evening. I am so happy that Sarah likes it here in Boise, her house is in a well established neighborhood and there is park right behind her fence! The dogs love it and I look forward to exploring Boise a bit more. It’s been years since I was last here and that was when I was in the military working with the forest service to support the 2,500 troops we had up here fighting forest fires.
Kai and Heathcliff swimming
We went Paddleboarding at a nearby park and then went to Pizza at a local place called, “Pizzalchik” which was created from what they served: Pizza, Salad and Chicken. It was really good pizza! They also have their own beer called Pizzal Drizzle, but they were out so I drank one of their Pilsners.
That night we (Sarah, her boyfriend, and me) went to see the new Amy Schumer movie. It was funny. I then prepped for my departure the next day and went to sleep.
Her dogs love me! Kai just wanted to snuggle and Heathcliff wanted to sleep with my clothes.
Me (making silly face) with Kai and Heathcliff.
On Tuesday morning I left for Priest Lake, ID for a couple of days, then onto Canadian Glacier National Park!
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August 4th, 2015 – August 6th, 2015
Boise, ID to Priest Lake, ID
Boise, ID to Priest Lake, ID
This morning I woke up to the sound of rain in Boise and was hoping it would stop by the time I arose in a few hours from when the thunder woke me. By the time I woke up at 7am it had stopped, leaving the morning smelling fresh and everything cleansed.
I said goodbye to Sarah, Heathcliff, and Kai and got back on the road. As I drove north from Boise into the mountains the weather cooled and the desert like hills around Boise turned into pine trees and tall mountains with me riding in the valleys next to the river towards Coeur D’alene.
The route was a trip through memory lane since I had drive it quite a few time during my time supporting my fellow soldiers from Fort Riley, KS while we were deployed there to fight forest fires. I drove up through McCall and remembered a few areas that stood out because they were especially scenic.
Coffee break in New Meadows, ID
In New Meadow I stopped for coffee at a little shop and relaxed outside in the cool weather listening to two people talking about starting a satellite college campus there. From there I went up to Moscow, ID and kept going to a little cafe outside of Potlatch, ID called “Daddy’s Cafe”. There were a few people there and the staff was friendly. I had started my meal when three suburbans pulled up and about 30 people got out and came into the restaurant. They were all Mennonites! I didn’t know that there was a population in northern Idaho, but wow can they reproduce! There were more little kids than adults.
Lots of road construction in Idaho
From there I drove up a huge hill near Lewiston that was fast and very curvy, but in a way that I could go 70mph and not worry about making the turn. It was so fun!!!
I arrived at Priest Lake around 6pm and as I was driving up the east side of the lake I realized that I had only been to the “new” cabin by boat and didn’t know exactly where it was. There is only phone coverage near Coolin, ID so after trying to find the cabin for over an hour I drove all the way back to Coolin and called my family. My cousin explained to me where the cabin is and I realized that I had been less than a quarter mile away. I was so glad to stop for the day and enjoy some family time.
Looking south from the beach near the cabin
The cabin
My motorcycle taking a break in front of the cabin
A picture next to the lake as I was leaving and heading into Canada
Tomorrow is a day of fun and relaxation here at the lake and then it’s back on the road to Canada’s Glacier National Park.
Priest Lake, ID
Little cousins knee boarding on a cloudy day at Priest Lake, ID
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August 7, 2015
Priest Lake, ID to Golden, BC
Priest Lake, ID to Golden, BC
I had such a relaxing stay in Priest Lake with immediate and extended family! We boated, jet ski’d, talked, and just caught up with each other after not seeing each other for a year or more.
This morning I woke up, ate some food, packed up the bike and got on the road. In Sandpoint, ID I stopped for coffee and food. After a quick break I was heading north and into Canada.
The checkpoint into Canada went smoothly and I was in! I had great weather, smooth roads (mostly) and no wildlife running across the road. There were two rams at the “Welcome to Radium” city sign and luckily I was at the start of the line because it quickly backed up so people could see them.
Heading into Canada. At the Canadian border checkpoint.
Rams in Radium, Canada
After that I quickly made it into Golden and found the hotel. I had read some not so good reviews, but it was the only hotel left with rooms. Now I know why. This place sucks and there must be no insulation at all in the walls, doors, ceiling, etc. The coffee service is sitting on a luggage rack and I can hear the people in the room next to me like they are in my room…and they’re just talking normally. Oh well, I’ll get to sleep and get going in the morning. Expedia is going to get a truthful review because the hotel’s description of this place is not.
Coffee Center at hotel. This place was a joke.
Sleep time!
Update:
My review I just posted:
“I was apprehensive about getting a room at this hotel based on the reviews, but there were no other rooms left. Now I know why.
I used the Expedia app on my phone to make the resevation and the first one failed, then told me to try again. I tried again and booked a room. When I arrived they had two reservations. The kid at the counter said I needed to talk with Expedia. I called Expedia support that night and waited on hold for over 25 minutes while Expedia support talked with the hotel staff. At minute 25 (or so) I could suddenly hear the front desk clerk talking with a customer and telling them they had one room left at $310. WHAT! They said no, but I couldn’t believe this hotel takes advantage of people so much.
Around 10pm a family checked in the room above me and the floors must be 2″ thick because it sounded like they were about to come through. Once they settled down I started to sleep, but was woken up around 11pm by my next door neighbors. It was a mother and daughter and they might as well have been in the room with me. There is NO sound insulation in this place.
In the morning I could hear them complaining to the manager/owner that the shower was broken. I offered my shower since I was done and leaving.
Anyway, I never did get a refund and Expedia gave up. I won’t. This hotel will give me my money back.
This is the second worst hotel I’ve ever stayed in. Please do not stay here. Sleep in your car instead, you’ll be much happier.”
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Here is what I received from Expedia concerning my refund of around $160.
Dear Darin, Thank you for contacting Expedia regarding your hotel reservation with Howard Johnson Hotel Golden. We have received your itinerary for call out to the property, however, after numerous attempts the authorized person to look for is still unavailable. We apologize for any inconvenience this may have caused. Thank you for choosing Expedia, Expedia Customer Service
This is an unmonitored e-mail box. Please do not reply to this e-mail. If you have further questions, please contact Expedia Customer Service at 1-800-EXPEDIA (1-800-397-3342) or 1-404-728-8787 and reference Customer Case ID: S-1xxxxxxx . You can also visit the Expedia.com “Customer Support” page (http://www.expedia.com/daily/service/default.asp) for more customer service information. Thank you for choosing Expedia. Expedia Customer Service
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Update: 8/17/2015 – 3pm – I’ve tweeted Expedia as well, called the hotel in Golden, BC. Expedia is trying to help again, but the owner of this hotel is a horrible human and won’t respond. This was really Expedia’s fault, but they’re also attempting to pass the buck. Like $160 is going to hurt their bottom line. Due to this issue I used hotels.com for the other three nights of rooms I reserved.
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Update: 8/23/2015 – Expedia is “investigating” this. What’s to investigate? How about investigating and removing the Howard Johnson hotel in Golden, BC? The owner is a slumlord overcharging travelers for a subpar hotel. We’ll see how it goes…
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Update: 8/26/2015 – Victory! Thank you Expedia:
August 26, 2015 Darin Klein Re: Itinerary #xxxxxxxxxxx Dear Mr. Klein, Thank you for contacting Expedia via Facebook and giving us an opportunity to address your concerns regarding a refund request for itinerary xxxxxxxxxx. We regret the difficulty you experienced during your attempt to purchase one night at Howard Johnson Hotel Golden for check-in August 7, 2015. Our research indicates you were unable to see a confirmation page for itinerary xxxxxxxxxx, the first itinerary we show was purchased, and continued on to purchase a duplicate itinerary xxxxxxxxxx for the same rate. We have processed of refund of the $164.93 you paid for itinerary xxxxxxxxxx. Refunds typically appear on the banking statement within two weeks of processing. We apologize for the inconvenience caused by the error. We have also deposited a $50.00 Expedia Travel Coupon into your account for future use. This coupon will be valid for one year toward the purchase of an Expedia Special Rate hotel or a vacation package. If you have any questions or would like help applying your coupon to future travel, please call 1-800-EXPEDIA (1-800-397-3342). Our representatives are here to assist you 24 hours a day, seven days a week. Sincerely, Axxx Dxxxxxx Tier 3 Customer Service
August 8, 2015
Golden, BC to Vancouver, BC
Golden, BC to Burnaby, BC
I woke up to my neighbors in the room next to me calling the front desk to get them to come out and fix their shower so they could get cleaned up. I showered and still heard them in their room arguing about getting a refund and getting a room to shower. After a few minutes of this I was packed up and was walking out to my motorcycle and offered my room since the shower worked. They said yes, but just then the owner got the shower working. I was so happy to leave that hotel.
Oh, when I checked in they had two reservations for me. The Expedia app said it failed so I resubmitted. The hotel keeps telling Expedia that the person who can authorize the refund is not available. The owner of the Howard Johnson in Golden, BC is a piece of crap human being and I hope his greed pays off.
From there I went northwest into Canadian Glacier National Park and was immediately awe struck by the beauty around me as I rode. There were many of the avalanche / slide tunnels over the highway where you could tell that there had previously been slides. It was an incredible setup and seemed like it would work pretty well. There were so many great places to stop and look at the glaciers high into the mountains. Here’s a video showing them in the winter: link
Canadian Glacier National Park
Riding through the Canadian Rockies
Snow shed in Canadian Glacier National Park
Canadian Glacier National Park
A few years ago when I went through Saskatchewan I had remarked that everyone drove around the speed limit. In BC that is not true…they were cruising at around 90mph through the mountains. It was super fun, but also a bit scaring sometimes.
In Merritt I stopped for a break and was sitting eating a granola bar when an older man came up to me and said, “I just wanted to thank you for your service. Even us Canadians appreciate the sacrifices that you all have made for us.” I thought that was pretty great of him to do that.
When I got to Vancouver, BC I changed and went to dinner with my friend Kandre who lives there. We went to a really good Italian place and then walked around the city and caught up.
In the morning I set out for Seattle.
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August 9, 2015
Burnaby, BC to Seattle, WA
Burnaby, BC to Seattle, WA
The traffic from Vancouver to Seattle was SUPER heavy. I met up with an Army friend and his wife. It was so great to spend some time with him and his wife and we all went to dinner at a seafood place on the shore.
In line to enter the USA
Sunset from the restaurant in Seattle, WA.
That night we talked about our Army days and realized we had more friends in common than we had thought. In the morning we enjoyed a good breakfast and then I left for the coast to meet with my family at Seabrook.
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August 10, 2015
Seattle, WA to Seabrook, WA
Seattle, WA to Seabrook, WA
The drive to Seabrook was mostly uneventful. I rode with a guy for a while, then turned west toward the coast and through some very depressed areas of Washington state that were impacted by the reduction in forest harvesting.
In Seattle I stopped at the Touratech sales office. They have such great gear and I love the Zega Pros I bought for my motorcycle.
Touratech office in Seattle
Seabrook is a cute place, but when I go somewhere to get away from life, I do not want to be in a neighborhood environment. I want to be in the middle of no where with some peace and quiet.
Im-Paws-able Dream cabin in Seabrook
Hanging out with family at Seabrook
An interesting little tidbit is that I ran into the guy hundreds of miles and a days later while riding through the Prairie Creek Redwoods State Park scenic byway (Newton B. Drury).
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August 12-13, 2015
Seabrook, WA to Vancouver, WA
Seabrook, WA to Vancouver, WA
The drive from Seabrook, WA to Vancouver, WA went smoothly, but slowly since traffic was pretty heavy almost the entire way.
In Astoria I stopped for lunch and took in the local scene in the downtown area for a few minutes. Neat city.
I drove to the “Goonies House” in Astoria, OR, but didn’t feel like getting off the bike or paying to see the house. I saw it, it looked like the movie…it is a house. Kept going.
When I arrived in Vancouver, WA I drove to my friend’s home and we walked around their neighborhood and enjoyed some delicious local brews. The next morning I was supposed to get my oil changed, but the mechanic had an emergency so I had to find another location. That messed up my departure time so I spent another night and left this morning.
Break time in Vancouver, WA
We went to the “Lucky Labrador” and met up with some friends from Phoenix who had moved up to the Portland area in the past few years.
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August 13, 2015
Vancouver, WA to Crescent City, CA
Vancouver, WA to Crescent City, CA
I left Vancouver, WA around 10:00am after sleeping in a bit and then taking my time getting ready.
I filled the bike with gas at a station off of the I-5 before turning west to the coast and while I was parked and filling up the guy in front of me started backing up and ran into one of my rear bags, but it just scraped along his car. Of course, this ass-hat was on his phone and not paying attention until I ran up and banged on his window and telling him to stop. He was apologetic and it didn’t hurt my bike. It did make a big scratch along his car, but that’s on him. After that little bit of excitement I got back on the road. STAY OFF OF YOUR CELLPHONE WHILE DRIVING!!!
The drive out of Portland and to the coast went smoothly. Once I got to the coast the temperatures were reduced and made the ride more comfortable. I saw some great views on the ride and also saw so much forest that was stripped clean for logging. It looks horrible and I’m sure is not good for the forest in the long run. However; our politicians are owned by businesses so they’ll let them do whatever they want. They always look short term and what is best for their short, meaningless and greed filled lives…just like the business owners.
Anyway… I hated seeing this unnecessary destruction.
It was great to get out of Oregon so I could fill my own gas at the gas station. Even though the attendants at the gas stations would just swipe my card and then hand me the gas nozzle. So weird.
In Crescent City the hotel didn’t have my reservation so I had to call Hotels.com to get them to fax it to them. “Quality” Inn’s computers were down and this hotel owner was complaining that he was losing $50 on each room because of their Internet outage. Why do I care? He was losing his $50 markup as the hotels were filling up. This was a markup, he wasn’t losing any money and why did he bitch about it when customers were checking in. I need to stick with hotels I can trust, but when I’m reserving a day or even two hours out, it’s difficult to get the hotel I want. They received the fax and gave me my room. The room was nice enough, but I would not stay there again.
I was happy to leave Crescent City in the morning.
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August 14, 2015
Crescent City, CA to Fairfield, CA
Crescent City, CA to Fairfield, CA
I left Crescent City and headed south to Leggett, CA so that I could complete my ride of California. Last year I rode north to Leggett so I could ride through the Redwood there. This year I just stopped at the same gas station as last year to take a butt break and then head inland.
Taking a selfie break in the Redwoods.
Really nice rocks at the coast south of Crescent City, CA
Put the GoPro on the back end of the bike as I was riding through the Redwoods.
Taking a break in the “Avenue of the Giants”
Between Leggett and X there was a really bad motorcycle accident where a rider lost control and wiped out. He ended up in the grass median between the divided highway, but not before his protection… a t-shirt and jeans were ripped from his body and his skin was scraped away. Remember this the next time you think it’s “cool” to not wear protection. This guy was not only broken up internally, but externally as well. It’s cool to be safe, so buy the right gear and don’t be a dumbass.
From Leggett I continued southeast to near Petaluma and then almost straight east to Fairfield.
Near Santa Rosa I rode by another accident where a car had crossed the median into on coming traffic. The three cars I saw that were impacted by the car that crossed were barely recognizable as cars. I am sure that someone died in this one.
In Fairfield I checked into Staybridge Suites and then went to eat at a nearby restaurant.
Well, I am on vacation time and forgot to set my alarm for weekend and not weekday. I woke up around 8:30am and got ready quickly so I could get out the door and on the road to Yosemite!
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August 15, 2015
Fairfield, CA to Lone Pine, CA
Fairfield, CA to Lone Pine, CA
I left Fairfield this morning on my way to Yosemite and beyond…I wasn’t quite sure where I wanted to stop.
Traffic wasn’t too bad, but what was there was slow until I hit the I-5 to Stockton. From Stockton I took smaller highways to Yosemite.
One thing that surprised me was that even though California is experiencing an extreme drought I saw so many fields with sprinklers running. One even had grass being watered…GRASS! What a waste of water. It was Kentucky Blue Grass and I thought, “why don’t they just grow that back in Kentucky and ship it out?” Humans are so stupid.
Windmills and gravel roads
The temperature rose steadily until I started gaining elevation into Yosemite. Once above 6,000 feet it was pretty nice for riding.
While Yosemite is a nice park, it falls far down on my list of favorite parks in the USA.
Fire in Yosemite Nation Park, CA
Lake in Yosemite, CA with smoke from one of fires burning in the background
I stopped in Mammoth Springs, CA for a late lunch / early dinner at “Slocums” and had the salmon dinner. It was delicious and I was entertained by a couple guys who had had too much too drink talk about their feelings on our government and all of the mistakes it’s making. I kept my mouth shut.
Lone Pine, CA is a neat little town near Mount McKinley.
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August 16, 2015
Lone Pine, CA to Phoenix, CA
Lone Pine, CA to Phoenix, AZ
Well, I knew my last day was going to be a hot ride, but not quite as hot as it was.
Little lake south of Lone Pine, CA.
From Lone Pine, CA I drove south towards Barstow, CA. I decided to skip Death Valley this trip so I could make it home on Sunday and not miss another day of work.
Final day’s ride back to Phoenix.
I stopped at a gas station near the Highway 395 / Highway 14 split and talked with a Ranger who was filling up as well. He asked me if I had heard about the shooting that took place behind the gas station the night before. I had not. He then described to me what had happened and how the gas station attendant recognized the person for whom they were searching. Here is the story: link
After we talked for a while I rode southeast on the 395 toward 58 east. There is an intersection there that is the busiest I have ever seen. Both directions were loaded with big rigs hauling goods and it was so loud! There is a also a train track that runs through and during my quick hydration break a train went through going very fast.
As I hit Barstow, I jumped on the I-40 east to Needles, CA. This is where it really started to get hot. In Needles it was 117F and I decided to take a break and get a sandwich at Denny’s. The people working asked me “why the hell” I was riding a motorcycle today. No choice, it wasn’t going to get any cooler for at least a month and I needed to get home.
One method for staying cooler that really worked was to use water bottles with the squirter at the end to soak myself ever 30 minutes or so while riding. That kept me going for a while and I only needed to stop and refill the bottles once in a while since I put 5 on the bike with me in my mule bags.
When I got to the I-10 west of Phoenix there was less than two hours left! Traffic moved quickly and I was home by 7:30pm as my odometer clicked to 4,600 miles. It was a shorter trip than I had expected, but with problems in US Glacier National Park (and wanting to stay another day at Priest Lake) as well as cutting out the Whistler, BC area to take a more southerly route through BC (since I’ve been to Whistler already) I shaved off almost 800 miles.
Glad to be home and have another fun ride completed. I am unsure of where to go next year, but I’m sure an idea will be forming soon.