The road from the Skagway Canadian border to Calgary still represents over 1,400 pretty deserted miles. Deserted as far as a lack of coffee shops, petrol and accommodation is concerned. But we were given the 'opportunity' (no room at any other inns) to stay at a Lodge that had two seaplanes for taking people fishing in even more remote locations. Unfortunately we had to rush... But we did justify our stay on the basis that it would very shortly be our wedding anniversary - number 38. And there were the Northern Lights - albeit from the night before we arrived.
The bike survived a 0°C night outside at a motel next to a bridge (with a deck made of steel grating) in the middle of nowhere. There was a First Nation Community Centre just before we arrived, which we visited in the forlorn hope of coffee and warmth. Unfortunately we were too late (in the year) for the tour of the Centre. In the morning when we left our motel the motorcycle seat was still frosted/icy at 08.00. The ride felt endless that day but we found an excellent coffee and cake stop in the sports hall of a/the town on the way - 300km for a coffee. We were not the only ones warming up there, as we met Zach, a young American biker who, literally, was thawing out as he had been camping the night before.
We then had issues we had been dreading. Our overnight stop was at Fort Nelson, a place that for some reason consisted almost entirely of under-occupied large motels. The overnight temperature was not too bad. Weather wise there was just a spot of rain as could be seen from the puddles in the carpark in the morning. Nothing we have not experienced recently. However we spend a long time in that car park that morning as the motorcycle didn't want to start. We had been experiencing some starting issues previously but, with the amount of riding we are doing every day, we had thought that that would charge the bike's battery. The bike had the flu.
We tried to console ourselves with the fact that we were in a motel car park and not at the side of the road somewhere/nowhere. In Canada, most cars seem to have an electric lead hanging out of the front grille. Nothing to do with EVs, but possibly something to do with thawing things out without using the car battery when it gets cold. The motel had a series of electric points outside where cars could plug into. We borrowed an extension lead from the motel, and, with the aid of our travel plug, Paul plugged in our UK battery charger. Unfortunately it was for a different sort of battery, the one we dumped in Montevideo, and after a couple of hours not much happened.
The maintenance man at the Boston Pizza establishment across the way came over to see what was happening and chatted with Paul. He mentioned that the warehouse behind the hotel, that looked like a steel fabricator, was a hardware shop like B&Q. Paul investigated and bought a different charger and after another couple of hours the engine started. We left at 14.00 after a few gymnastics involving petrol and fuel bladders. It was then a 400km ride without turning the engine off, just in case...
We have since been able to stop at places with external electric points. Our luck will run out... The lack of photos has nothing to do with the bike's cold - just not that much to photograph!
Our journey to Calgary involved eight stopovers. Some days felt quite long. We looked forward to our evening meal as it was highly unlikely we would find coffee stops enroute. However there wasn't always a restaurant open where we stopped, or one we could be bothered going to, so we did put up with a grill-your-own vege burger in a pub and supermarket rotisserie chicken a couple of times. We have so far managed to avoid the Golden Arches or its equivalents though the Tim Horton's in Canada, when you can find one, serves palatable croissants and coffee.
There seem to be small oil fields dotted about hiding behind the pine trees on our way through Northern Alberta. Occasionally we see gas being flared off. Most of the route en-route to Calgary was 'deserted'. Desolate would not be the right word to describe the very deserted pine forests. However the last few days from Hinton down the Icefields Parkway to Lake Louise and onwards to Canmore were pretty magnificent. We had already ridden the Lake Louise to Canmore section but not the most Northern section due to the fire. We did not want to gawp at people's misfortune in Jasper, let alone take photos of it, but from the highway we could see still standing brick and stone fireplaces and chimneys, sole remains of people's houses and holiday chalets, amongst charred ruins and blackened tree trunks.
The reason for the choice of route was to be able to ride the Icefields Parkway past the Columbia Icefield Glacier and others, a 'must' from what we had been told by a number of people. It didn't disappoint. What was really interesting was seeing the tourist 'buses' that took you out onto the Glacier and also looking at the photos showing how the glacier had receded.
After staying once again with our friends, Elle and Jeremy, in Canmore we were able to get to Calgary where the bike could get its cold remedy (battery, chain, sprockets and cush drive). It also needs a new rear tyre as the Alaskan and Yukon type of road surfacing have not been kind to it. But that will have to wait.
Still on the road and heading towards the coast now - apparently it's still the last vestiges of summer there and we intend to profit!
