August 18th
06:00-20:15
Boise Id to Fernie BC
668 Miles
I got my gear packed up and on the bike and was on 89 west by 6am. I’m concerned about the trek through Canada since I’ve only tested the waters so far. A touch when I was a kid in Washington and a couple of years ago with Rita when we headed to Glacier National Park. We did a 10 mile run into Canada just to say we did it. Now I’m talking about travelling across several provinces and being in Montreal by Friday.
So I head north on 55. It’s fairly busy and there are quite a few houses out here. I stopped to check the maps since there are a couple of turns but I seem to be on the right road.
Before I get into the hills I stopped at a small place for breakfast. While waiting for my order I went out and snagged my chaps off of the bike and laid them out. I paid my bill and headed out again. I stopped again in a few minutes for a soda and to call Rita. After that stop I headed up into the mountains. Some time after that my chaps split apart again. I used a couple of small bungee cords to hold them together. Not too elegant but it works.
Rt 55 parallels the river coming out of the Cascade Reservoir. The ride up is quite cold. Eventually I stopped to put on my scarf to cut the cold a bit. The hills and countryside is beautiful and coming over the last hills to Rt 95 N in the sunlight was stunning.
I followed 95 north up to Lewiston. On my way up 95 after Lewiston I realized I was low on gas and started looking around for a station. I spied a sign that said gas 1/2 mile ahead in Potlatch. I made the right turn and found a small town but no pumps.
About half way down there was a sign for Gas pointing to the right. I found the pumps and filled up but with 87 octane. I took off my leathers and put them away. I pulled out and headed north again.
I pulled into Coeur d’Alane and stopped on the north side of town for lunch at 14:20.
After lunch I continued on up to Sandpoint and Bonners Ferry. At Bonners Ferry I checked the map book and called the Alberta Tourist line. Mainly I’m concerned about whether I can get in to Canada. I stopped by a bank to get some Canadian money but they only did that for their customers. The teller said that I could use my credit/debit card with no problem and probably get a better rate than from them.
Somewhat reassured I continued north until I got to Eastport. At the border crossing I chatted with the border guard. He said that two riders from Virginia had come through earlier that morning. I discussed where I worked and where I was going. I guess he was reassured a bit. I asked him about speed limits and he laughed. “Just multiply by 6 and you’ll be close enough. 100km * 6 is 600. Drop the zero and the limit is 60mph.” When I said I was trying to get to Montreal by Friday he said “what are you waiting for, better get going” and I was on my way.
I stopped at the Duty Free store and changed $20 into $25.26 Canadian. I put the US bills into the back and dropped my US change into my tank bag. For the next week I’ll be spending Canadian money.
I did a lot of looking around at the various signs. At one place I pulled in. There was a sign that said that this trash can was for tourist litter and not for use by the locals. I pitched my soda bottle and headed out. Unfortunately while accelerating I caught a yellowjacket in the crook of my arm. *Sting* *sting* what the heck? *sting* and I looked down and pitched him off. Man that hurt and was a bit of a shock.
I passed Yahk and followed Rt 3 out of Cranbrook east. I was trying to get to Crowsnest Pass but it was 20:15 and I only made it as far as Fernie so I stopped for the night.
I spoke to the lady at the desk of the motel and got my first taste of the Canadian accent including the “eh”. I asked about the weather channel. It seems that when I watch it in VA I don’t see anything about Canadian weather patterns. She said that she saw Canadian weather all the time when she watched.
When I went out to get my gear there was a hummingbird snacking on the plant next to the bike. He hummed off when I stepped out. I got all unpacked and covered the bike for the night. I went to the gas station next door (with a Dominoes in back) and picked up a soda and a snack. The young lady commented on the NASA debit card and we chatted for a minute about my trip and NASA. She also had the accent and said “eh”.
While watching Canadian TV I found that they have The Weather Network. I also watched some of their TV before going to bed.