Route Map
Itinerary
Daily Journal
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Little Fort Mon. 8/16 7868-8110 (242 mi.)
Got up and ready by 10:30 - 11:00, talked to Steve (from Montreal) for a while (he had slept in the garage). Decided to go to the Soft Rock internet café for some coffee to wait for them. Finally got on the road at 12:30. Stopped at the BC info center to check ferry availability - theirs (Prince Rupert to Port Hardy) was full. Bella Coola looked OK. Rode on to Little Fort where we met Darryl on his Tiger also headed for Bella Coola! We all rode another 25 mi. or so to a nice camp by a lake, where we had a very nice evening by the fire. Finally a whole day with no rain!
Eagle Lake Tue. 8/17 8110-8352 (242 mi.)
Steve and Pierre got up early and took off around 8:00. Darryl and I left around 9:15. Barely a cloud in the sky! Stopped at 100 Mile House for gas and breakfast at the Gold Dust Café. Pushed on to Williams Lake for groceries, then headed west on 20 for Bella Coola.
Weather was beautiful - had to shed most of my clothes. Finally a nice day to ride! Good road but not curvy enough for me. Hundreds of miles of pure wilderness. Stopped at Eagle Lake just short of the town of Tatla Lake to camp. Had another great fire and watched the Northern Lights.
Bella Coola Wed. 8/18 8352-8527 (175 mi.)
Got up around 9:00 and made a great camp breakfast, packed up, and got on the road by noon. Dirt/gravel road started right after Tatla Lake for 24 miles, paved through Anahim, then 38 more miles of gravel to the bottom of "The Hill" - 18% grades for 6 miles with cliffs and 180 degree switchbacks! Excellent curvies on great pavement (at high speed) into Bella Coola. Stopped at Darryl's grandfather's grave, then began meeting people Darryl knew (he lived in Bella Coola for a year when he was 14) - Heather in the general store, and Dolores Vosburgh at the liquor store, who invited us to her house later (husband Tom was an old friend of Darryl). Ate at the Hagensborg Pub, checked out a B&B and campground, then ended up at the Vosburghs for beers.
Bullshitted all night till 1:00 am, then stayed in their basement for the night (it had begun to rain).
Bella Coola Thu. 8/19 8527-8575 (48 mi.)
Up around 9:30, coffee, washed the bikes and ourselves (much needed on both counts!), then headed back into Bella Coola to buy ferry tickets for the morning. Had lunch and toodled the afternoon away visiting places Darryl knew when he lived here as a kid in 1971. The woman who lived in his old house (Linda) gave us the complete tour and talked our ears off for a while. Bought some steaks and went back to Vosburghs - Darryl went off again for some touring. Met Bruce and Niki (Vosburgh's neighbors) and took Bruce for a ride on the bike up some back trails into the mountains. We both came back with big grins! Had a great dinner of steaks, local prawns, potatos, salad, and corn. Early to bed for early departure.
Contact me at: rf6gunz@yahoo.com
Copyright © 2000, Rick Fletcher
