adventurethroughtravel

June 25th, Calgary, Albert

2008-06-28T10:51:00.000-07:00

1. Down Town Calgary.................................................. 2. Luxury Condos Along Bow River

3. Stephen Street in Calgary........................................4. Calgary Stampeders versus B C Lions

5. A Sea of Stampeder Red

During the day, Gene and I did the downtown tourist visit in Calgary. There is a large amount of commercial construction occurring. The downtown area is mainly tal office buildings or apartments. The majority of the buildings are connected with second story enclosed walkways to allow comfortable pedestrian traffic during the throes of brutal winter weather. The one exception is Stephen Street, an area of well preserved buildings from the early 1900’s where the street is only for pedestrians and is lined with funky bars, restaurants, art galleries and retail shops. They have a very good transit system with three different commuter trains lines converging at the center of the city and well supplemented with bus lines. The park land along the Bow River in the down town area is magnificent and it is lined with gorgeous high end condo buildings that must be an ideal living location. However, the overall feeling is rather antaceptic!

My bike was ready by 6:00 and Gene and I had purchased a steak, beer, bus ride, foot ball ticket package for the season opener between Calgary Stampeders and the British Columbia Lions. The freeways were crowded and everyone seemed to be wearing
red and white Stampeder jerseys and hats. When we arrived at the stadium the tailgate parties were in full swing. There was a near sellout crowd on a beautiful sunny evening. It was a 7:00 start and it did not get dark until 10:30. It was a great game and the home team won! Afterwards there was a Canada Day fireworks display.

June 21st, Balmerton to Portage La Prairie, Manitoba - 358 miles

2008-06-23T19:16:00.000-07:00

1. Gold Eagle Shaft Construction Site..................... 2.Gene with the Pikes all relatives and from St. Lawrence

3. Leaving Mackenzie Island ...................................4. Site of Last Spike at Feist Lake

5. Manitoba Border

The next morning was a beautiful sunny day and after a leisurely walk to the new Gold Eagle Mine shaft site we had a great breakfast and were then ferried by Steve to the mainland to pack our bikes and get underway by mid afternoon. The traffic was light and we made great time.

As we headed toward the Manitoba border, I was reflecting back on the journey through Northern Ontario. It is huge, with the mining and logging industries operating on a global scale. This area dominates world production of nickel and silver and gold is also a major player. There is a huge wilderness tourism industry and yet there are only 750,000 people, with only two cities, Sudbury and Thunder Bay having populations over 100,000.
We traveled 2300 kilometers to cross the breadth of Northern Ontario but had no feel for the true mass which is at least the size of seven Englands!

Kenora is a lovely town in the Lake of the Woods recreation area. I remember the town since it was the finish of the 150 mile bicycle race from Winnipeg to Kenora, that my father used to compete in during the 30’s. (The best he ever finished was 4th).

I always thought the prairies began at the Manitoba border, but although the terrain was fairly flat, we passed through continuous forest very similar to Northern Ontario until we were only 40 kilometers from Winnipeg. We stopped at Portage La Prairie at 8:30 and driving through 25 to 30 C temperatures under sunny skies. The cleanliness of Manitoba is unbelievable; we have not seen one piece of litter since we crossed the border!

June 24th, Cranbrook to Calgary, Alberta - 265 miles

2008-06-25T20:41:00.000-07:00

1. Gene at Columbia Lake........................................ 2. Radium Hot Springs Pool

3. Marble Canyon .................................. 4. Continental Divide

5. Banff Hot Springs Hotel

What a magnificent day! We stopped off at Fort Steele and then drove up the 1000 peak valley to Radium Hot Springs. We saw deer, elk and mountain goats enroute. The roads were deserted and there were beautiful farms, magnificent lakes flanked on both sides by the snow topped Purcells and Rockies. The number of gorgeous golf courses was unbelievable; you could play at a different course every day for two weeks along a 140 kilometers of highway.

It was interesting to see Radium Hot Springs, in Kootenay National Park, where I worked as a surveyor for the summer when I was a university student. The Invermere Valley and Radium Hot Springs have boomed with a plethora of accomidations. The park is still an unspoiled wilderness with the hot springs still a major attraction. In 2003 there was a major forest fire caused by lightening that burned 175 square kilometers of forest over 40 days. They are now doing controlled ground burns the way Indians previously did to compare the rejuvenation results from each.

We stopped at Marble Canyon and then visited Banff. The tourist traffic at Banff reminds me of traffic in Newport, Rhode Island during the summer. After lunch we drove to Calgary where I left my bike at Blackfoot Motosports for servicing on Thursday.

June 22nd, Portage La Prairie to Swift Current, Saskatchewan - 447 miles

2008-06-23T21:36:00.000-07:00

1. Green Fields Going on Forever in Manitoba.........3. Potash in Saskatchewan

3. Old Style Grain Elevator....................................4. New, Improved Style!

When we started off it was a beautiful sunny day and as we head westward we were crossing an endless sea of agriculture. The fields stretch to the horizon with the occasional farm house, silo and barn the only interruption and towns or villages very infrequent. If there is a way to describe this landscape, the word solitude comes to mind; you are in the midst of an immense plain that seems to go on forever and you don’t see any people! As you look at these vast plains, and realize that 140 years ago, an estimated 60 million buffalo roamed them and a few years later only 500 were left, you realize the travesty Europeans inflicted on the aboriginal population.

We had rain just after we crossed the border into Saskatchewan, but it only lasted for half an hour and we were dry when we reached Regina, probably Canada’s most bland provincial capital. We then passed through Moose Jaw, infamous as a shipping point for whiskey by Al Capone during prohibition in the United States. From there we rushed to Swift Current to get started on a workout.

Through Ontario and the prairies we consistently saw help wanted ads in many restaurants and hotels. It certainly is an indicator of near full employment!

June 23rd, Swift Current to Cranbrook, British Columbia - 439 miles

2008-06-25T05:32:00.000-07:00

1. Pivotal Irrigator for $100,000 ............................2. Windmills Nearh Pinchner Creek

3. Ian at Frank Slide at Turtle Mountain .............4. Crossing British Columbia Border

5. Gene next to Terex Titan, Largest Truck in World

As we headed across Saskatchewan and into Alberta, you realize what a huge business agriculture is in the prairies. We stopped into the irrigation museum and they started irrigation from the Saint Mary’s River over 100 years ago. This enabled this area to survive the dust bowl effects that a lot of the mid west suffered during the depression since although water levels were low people could grow enough food for their own consumption. They grow wheat, potatoes, canola, sugar beets etc.; quite ac wide range of crops. I read they had a hostess potato chip plant there and when driving out of town there was a brand new looking McCains plant! The pivotal irrigation systems puts one inch of water over the ground every three days and the farmer does not need to tend them, but they cost $100,000. We must have seen several hundred of them in two hours driving, not to mention combines and tractors.

The land was extremely lush with low rolling hills. As we neared Crows Nest Pass there we saw over 200 windmills in the Fort MacLeod, Pinchner Creek area. It appeared this in part was due to the wind gusting through the pass at accelerated velocities. It was fantastic to see a range of mountains, with snow, a major barrier in front of us extending roughly NNW and SSE as far as the eye could see.

We stopped at the site of the Frank Slide, where in 1903, 30,000,000 cubic meters of limestone fell from the top of Turtle Mountain and wiped out Frank, a coal mining town. It all happened in 70 seconds and some of the chunks of limestone are huge!

We went through Fernie, a ski area where they receive over 800 inches of snow every winter and then through Sparwood, a major coal mining center. From there we drove down into the Valley of 1000 Peaks, a valley between the Rockies and the Purcell Mountains that runs from Golden into the United States and is the source of both the Kootenay and Columbia Rivers. We stopped at Cranbrook, a town who owes it’s existence to the CPR using it as a major staging area.

June 19th, 2008 Wawa to Thunder Bay, Ontario – 299 miles

2008-06-23T04:13:00.000-07:00

1. Goose at Wawa..........................................................2. Shores of Lake Superior

3. Typical Ontario Forrest...........................................4. Gene at Terry Fox Monument

Wawa is from the Ojibwa name for “wild goose” hence the 30 foot statute at the entrance to the town commemorating the completion of the last section of the Trans Canada Highway. We were on the road by 8:00 and it was overcast and chilly; but fortunately there was little traffic. The first place we passed through was White River, the birth place of the cub that became famous in the London zoo as the inspiration of A A Milne’s Winne-the-Poo. The roads are good with broad sweeping turns and low hills which are completely forested.

By the time we reached Marathon we were entering the thick of fog and I had to dawn the rain gear. There are lots of bikers heading east and we met a couple when we stopped for coffee who were from Vernon B.C. heading for Newfoundland.

After a few miles the fog dissipated and from here to Nippigon we traveled near the coastline of Lake Superior with beautiful vistas of this inland Ocean. For the past three days we have been crossing the Canadian Shield which rings Hudson Bay, a region of worn down mountain ranges pitted with Lakes and covered with boreal forest. Past Nippegon the country became more fertile as the forest was much more prolific and we were seeing more grass and pasture and the occasional farm.

Just outside Thunder Bay we came to the Terry Fox monument, a very moving experience. Imagine running over 5300 kilometers at the rate of a marathon a day from St John’s to here to raise money for Cancer and then have it re occur. He is, without a doubt, the definition of a true Canadian Hero.

We stopped at Thunder Bay, the largest freshwater port in the world with a population of 115,000. It is a real melting pot, with over 40 nationalities, including the largest Finnish settlement outside of Finland! According to the waitress at breakfast, who is of Finnish decent, her ancestors were farmers who settled here since the topography was similar to Finland’s. Thunder Bay has Lake Head University, is the economic center of North West Ontario and is a major winter and summer sport recreation area.

June 20th, 2008 Thunder Bay to Balmerton, Ontario – 351 miles

2008-06-23T17:31:00.000-07:00

1. Sunrise over Thunder Bay......................................2. Sculpture at Ear Falls

3. Typical Fishing/ Hunting Lodge Road Sign....... 4. Entering Red Lake

5. Gene Crystal and Jay

It was a beautiful morning driving out of Thunder Bay with sunny skies and there was the occasional farm. We headed toward Kenora, away from Lake Superior. I am amazed at the number of people we have seen bicycling across the country. Over the last four days we have seen over 30 people!

As you drive through this untamed country, with its’ incredible resources, you cannot help but reflect that with all the poverty in the world, there is space in Canada for another 50 to 100 million people. The highway parallels the railway tracks, and the Canadian Government and the railways played major roles in the last 150 years promoting immigration. When Canada was being explored, if it was not for the lakes and river systems utilized by the voyageurs, the development westward hiking through the bush would have delayed development for decades due to the impenetrable nature of the bush.

Just past Dryden, Vermillion Bay, we headed north toward Balmertown to visit with Gene’s cousin and some of his relatives. The number of fishing and hunting lodges was absolutely amazing, there seemed to be one every kilometer. On this 180 kilometer stretch of road Gene saw a black ear, moose deer and several bald eagles! At Ear Falls, there is a large hydro electric dam built on Lac Seul, to provide power in the mid 1930’s to the the Red Lake gold mining region. For the last 30 miles into Balmertown, there were menacing thunderclouds overhead, but we managed to get into town just as it started to pour.Gene’s cousin Levi’s son Lee was home and he had two coolers full of beer waiting. When Levi arrived home, we set up for a typical Newfoundland house party.

The Red Lake region is a driven by gold mining. The major player is Goldcorp who purchased the Campbell Mine from Placer Dome and amalgamated it with their Red Lake Mine. Apparently, the mine manager just resigned (or was pushed out the door) and they are 30,000 ounces of gold behind budget for 2008. It was fascinating to listen to the talk about gold mining, since every one other than Gene and I are involved in the industry. Local scuttlebutt has the Golden Eagle play as perhaps over-hyped while Rubicon Minerals has major upside potential, with the largest landholdings in the area and their Phenoix play.

June 14th, 2008 Fredericton, N.B. to Mont Saint Anne, Que. – 410 Miles

2008-06-15T18:13:00.000-07:00

1. Dave, Georgia, Susan, Olivia and Sophia in 2, Gene on Blackberry along Saint John River
Front of Their New Home

3. Ian and World's Longest Covered ..................4. New Highway Pegs
Bridge in Hartland

I was up early and mounted my new highway pegs which should really give a great foot position alternative to the traditional riding stance. We drove north from Fredericton along the Saint John River Valley through rolling hills that were either forest, grazing land or potato fields. It was a beautiful sunny day with clear blue skies. As we drove through Carleton County one could only admire the prosperous farms and hopefully their owners give thanks to the four brothers who started a Frozen Food Empire there. In Hartlan, we stopped to take pictures of the longest covered bridge in the world. The reason for covered bridges is that horses would think they were entering a barn and would prance right in! We stopped in Edmundston for lunch, 19 kilometers from the Quebec border and everyone there was speaking French. As we started across the Gaspe you could see the white vapour trails in the sky of jets arriving from Europe. We sprinted to Rimouski hoping to catch a ferry to the North Shore but the next sailing was over two hours away. As we rode down route 20 Ouest past Levis to cross over to the North Shore at Quebec City it became overcast and finally we were driving in rain. We drone north to Mont Saint Anne and stayed in one of the chalet at Chalet Montmorency, owned by former ski school director, John Barclay. This was the first time I had been here in summer, and the lush green vegetation is in stark contrast to the barren deciduous trees in the middle of winter.

June 21st, Balmerton/ Red Lake/ MacKenzie Island

2008-06-23T17:55:00.001-07:00

1. Norseman Park in Red Lake................................. 2. Gene Arriving at Mackenzie Island

3. View from Sun Porch to Mainland...................4. Awaiting our Arrival from a Twilight Boat Tour of Lake

5. Warming at Fire Celebrating Summer Solstice

The next morning, after coffee at the “Boomer” and a large breakfast at home we went for a tour of Re Lake. In the summer of 1936 at the height of the gold rush during the summer, this was the busiest airport in the world with over 100 flights daily! At Norseman park, they celebrate the use of the Norseman, a float plane made of wood, canvas and metal, that was built in Montreal, and was a major method of transportation intob remote communities. From there we went to the local museum which detailed the history of the local mining industry and also the fur trade.

Then we packed up the truck and drove six miles to Cochenour, where Steve, Gene’s cousin’s Donna’s husband, picked us up at the dock to bring us to their home on Mackenzie Island. Mackenzie Island is about 12 miles long and approximately 3 miles wide and is a little piece of paradise set in Red Lake. Not far from their home, Golden Eagle is sinking its shaft since the major ore body they have located is under the channel we came across by boat. There is a passenger ferry to the island and there is an ice road in winter, but it is a challenge to live on an island with the commuting logistics.

It was a day of darts, conversation, motor boating, fishing and copious amounts of food. Donna and Steve’s son Jay entertained us water skiing in the 12 C lake water. There are trout caught in Red Lake that are over 40 pounds! It was interesting talking to Steve about our trip through the Yukon, because he had worked at mining throughout that region and he gave us great insights. We had a roaring bonfire in the evening and neighbours from next door dropped over to help celebrate Summer Solstice.

June 17th, 2008 Montreal to Pembroke, Ontario – 209 Miles

2008-06-17T21:00:00.000-07:00

1. La Peau World Headquarters..........2. Street Clock in Downtown Montreal

3. Two Person Side Car!...............................................4. Entering Ontario

We started the day with a workout at the gym and then went out for a downtown stroll to have a cappuccino. At 12:00 I phoned BMW and the moto would be ready by 2:00 PM.
Other than leaving with a wallet $2300 lighter, I was very pleased with the service they had provided. The mechanic told me the pressure plate was worn down to the rivets and it was 100% consumed.

It was great to be out on the road and it was a sunny 20C day. The countryside is fairly flat and mainly farmland. We flew down the road toward Ottawa but approximately 20 miles out of town it began to rain. We went into a Tim Hortons for a soup and sandwich (god bless Ron Joyce) and to escape the rain. After 30 minutes the rain was minimal and we resumed our trip. Unfortunately t was still rush hour between 5:30 and 6:15 and we crawled along the freeway through Ottawa almost until Kanata. After Amprior we were on two lane highway but the traffic was light. We stopped at Pembroke and will be on the road early to try for a large mileage day.

June 16th, 2008 Montreal

2008-06-17T20:59:00.000-07:00

1. Newtown, Jacques Villenue's Night Club....................2. Cathedral in Downtown Montreal

3. Ian, Carla and Gene in Trinity Estiatorio........... 4.Crescent Street, Montreal's George Street

I was at the BMW dealership at 7:30 in the morning for an 8:30 opening but I was first through the door. I explained the clutch problem and the mechanic inspected the bike and confirmed the clutch would need to be replaced since there was no sign of gear oil draining into the clutch and causing slippage. The estimated time for the job was a minimum of eight hours (have to tear apart half the engine for access) and they hoped to get it started later in the day.

Gene and I moved downtown to the Delta hotel so we could play tourist. It was fantastic wandering around the streets of downtown Montreal, a North American city with a European flair. It was a beautiful sunny day with a 24 C temperature and we had lunch on the outside balcony of Winston Churchill’s on Crescent Street. Then it was back to the hotel for a workout.

We met Carla and went to Trinty Estiatorio, an upscale and trendy Greek restaurant, where we feasted on a large number of appetizers.

June 18th, 2008 Pembroke to Wawa, Ontario – 541 miles

2008-06-18T19:20:00.000-07:00

1. First View of Lake Superior................................2. Rock Outcroppings in Northern Ontario

3. Turn off to Camp Petawawa................................4. Rolling Forest in Northern Ontario

5. Gene at Sudbury Smokestack and Mine Tailings

We were on the road by 7:00 AM under sunny skies with chilly conditions. As we passed by Camp Petawawa, a major Canadian army base, one could not help but reflect on the announcements of troops killed almost weekly in Afghanistan who were based here. Then we passed through Chalk River, the development center for Canada’s Candu nuclear reactor. One has to assume the major base and a nuclear development program being almost adjacent is no accident. We are no longer in farm country but rather rolling forest. It appears the whole economic focus of the area is the wilderness recreational experience. We are traveling parallel to the upper reaches of the Ottawa River where steam boats were used for transportation.

Just before we reached North Bay, on the north shore of Lake Nipissing, it started raining. When we reached Sudbury, the land had rock outcrops everywhere with minimal overburden and small scrub growth. The extensive tailings reveal the huge amount of ore removed here over the years while the stack for the smelter is incredibly high (in part to disburse pollutants over a greater area in lower concentrations!

I had driven down this route when I was young and for a family vacation we drove from the East Coast to Winnipeg where my grandparents lived. I remember so many of the place names; Sturgeon Falls, Mattawa, Deep River etc. That family auto vacation while camping has largely disappeared with the convenience/ cost of air travel and the rising prices of gas. It is interest to reflect back that Alexander Graham Bell, who was the founder of National Geographic, had the first well publicized automobile/ camping trip to Yellowstone Park with a group of friends including Henry Ford (they also brought along maids and butlers!)

North of Sault Saint Marie we glimpsed our first view of Lake Superior and it extends off to the horizon, as if it is an ocean, but it is the largest lake in the world! As we drove up to Wawa, the temperature dipped to 9C, and with the biting wind and overcast skies it was reminiscent of an Eastern Canada day in early November.

June 15th, 2008 Mont Saint Anne to Montreal – 204 Miles

2008-06-15T18:16:00.000-07:00

1. Deciduous Foliage at Mont Saint Anne.........................2. Saint Anne de Beaupre

When we awoke it was pouring with rain! After a two hour wait we started driving in the rain. The previous day it seemed my clutch was a little sloppy, so I monitored its’ performance carefully. I decided to drive through Quebec City but there were all sorts of traffic diversions, perhaps due to the 400 year anniversary celebration. What ever the cause, limping through traffic was definitely not helping the clutch!

The drive through the flat Quebec farmland with narrow strips of field caused by families dividing farms among sons and the distinctive French Canadian housing styles was very picturesque. When we stopped for lunch at Trois Rivieres it finally had stopped raining. It was now obvious that I needed to get to a BMW dealer and the possibilities were Montreal or Ottawa. It became very sunny and hot when we stopped for gas about 30 miles from Montreal and I decided to go to International Motors there. Going into Montreal, it was bumper to bumper crawling traffic for the last 5 miles, and I was nervous the bike may give out at any time but we limped to the dealership with the bike giving little lurches at the end. Tomorrow I’ll be there at 7:30 in the morning to appeal for their assistance in getting us back on the road.

It was actually quite a stressful so it was welcome to be off the road and we went across the road from the hotel to have some Alexander Keith’s to celebrate!

June 13th, 2008 Sellars Head, N.S. to Fredericton, N. B. – 305 Miles

2008-06-15T18:06:00.000-07:00

1. Sunrise at Sellars Head ............................................2. R1200GS Packed to Go!

After working until 22:00 hours the previous evening, the bike was fully packed just after the crack of dawn. Meanwhile, Gene had caught the overnight ferry from Port aux Basque to North Sydney after driving across Newfoundland for eight of eleven hours in a cold rain. After a gym work out and swim I went to meet Gene at the Truro turnoff at 13:30.

It was a beautiful sunny day but there were winds gusting up to 40 knots that made the driving very challenging. Since it is Friday the 13th, I was thinking of the 20,000 riders converging on Port Dover, Ontario. Once we were past the Tantramar Marches at the NS/ NB border the winds dropped considerably and the temperature was over 22C. I stopped at the BMW dealership in Moncton to pick up some black summer pants and highway pegs. From there it was a very pleasant drive to Fredericton.

We stayed at Dave and Susan Kean’s house along with their three daughters aged five to three. Dave had picked up a huge smoked meat Brisket at Dunn’s when he was at the Montreal Grand Prix the previous weekend. He prepared fantastic smoked meat sandwiches with Cesar Salad that would have had Swartz’s green with envy. It was a great evening, with perfect hosts, sitting on the deck with libations and great discussions well after dark.

April 24th, Auckland

2008-04-24T17:41:00.001-07:00

I returned the bandit to Coleman motors and am heading to the gym for a workout before my 3:00 airport departure. It certainly has been an exciting trip.

New Zealand is like a miniature Canada, with the best parts of Canadian scenery compressed into a smaller land mass. (In some cases the scenery is superior to Canada’s) Over 50 % of the land is agricultural, over 25% is forested, and 13% is alpine terrain The Marlborough region is similar to the Okanogan Valley, the Southern Alps similar to the Rockies, the coasts of the south island similar to the remote BC coast, the Cantaberry plain similar to agricultural areas in Southern Ontario and the Maritimes etc. However, due to its lower latitude, the North Island is sub tropical. Also in New Zealand, you are never far from farms or mountains or the coast, an exquisite combination.

The people are incredibly friendly and unassuming. They also are well traveled and many of earlier generations made the pilgrimage to the motherland, the United Kingdom. As a consequence they are well exposed to other cultures and tolerant. The daily newspapers have a large amount of international coverage. The Maoris are 14% of the population but their influence is extensive with over 98% of the place names non English.
The country also gets a huge exposure through international visitors. When I think about John Brittain’s motorcycle developments, he typifies the creativity that seems an inherent country trait. It likely has its’ basis from the strong farming heritage, where problems with equipment needed to be solved with minimal resources, the number 8 wire syndrome (a la McGiver)! Certainly farmers in Canada have a similar trait.

The country is sports mad, with a large % of the population very athletic. There are sports facilities in even the smallest villages. Following the All Blacks is a religion, but all sports are followed avidly. The % of over weight people is much less than in North America. People are very out door activity focused.

The tourism base in the economy is well developed and can cater to all budgets. But the unforgettable, pristine landscapes combining soaring mountains, beautiful beaches and forested valleys are its key to success. Economically the country is booming and their recent free trade agreement with China will only assist in their growth as the emerging middle class in China continues to demand more expensive food products. Their agriculture and lumber industries should all be long term sustainable as long as that wind sweeping across the Tasman Sea from Australia continues to drop precipitation on their mountain ranges and in spite of major hydro electric developments they are heavily investing in wind farms. The population definitely has bought into the green approach.

In summation, a country everyone should visit!

1. Returning Bandit to Coleman's Suzuki 2. Total Trip Mileage - 5934 kilometers

April 23rd, Wellington to Auckland – 586 kilometers

2008-04-23T18:50:00.000-07:00

It was a pleasure to set off in sunny blue skies north along the Cook Strait with the wind gusting to 50 knots. At Waikanae I turned inland through farming country. There is a small town called Bulls where every second business uses the word bull in their advertising! (i.e. – rent a bull) I started getting small showers as I headed north toward Lake Tapo through some hilly country with great motorcycle roads. Fortunately Mount Rupapeho, which erupted as recently as 1996, was holding back a weather system advancing from the northwest so I didn’t get wet. Only occasionally could I see its’ snow capped top through the swirling clouds.

Lake Taupo and its history are amazing. In 186 AD the mountain erupted and was completely destroyed, throwing 110 cubic kilometer of earth into the air, while the more recent Krakatoa, that resulted in in summer in Canada and Europe after its explosion only moved 8 cubic kilometers. The blast was heard in China! A huge lake fills the void left by the explosion. From Taupo through Hamilton it was driving through flat agricultural land. I arrived at Auckland at rush hour and drove the last 18 kilometers at 25 kph. Thank god for the 328 meter Auckland tower; it made it easy to find the best exit to the downtown core when one doesn’t have a map!

I went out for a tour of the downtown area, and to my surprise it was very active on a Wednesday night. When I was in Auckland in 2000 and 2003 for the America’s Cup, the viaduct was bustling and I was pleased to see it is still busy. Queen Street was really active with an International Comedy Fest on.

1. Portable Coffee Shop North of Palmerston 2. Farm in Sunken Valley

3. Flying Restaurant 4. Ackland Tower

April 21st, Invercargill to Christchurch – 585 kilometers

2008-04-22T11:37:00.000-07:00

After a quick breakfast, I started my sprint to Auckland to catch my flight while Dave and Howard will proceed along the Catlins Coast to Dunedin. For the first 40 kilometers, the countryside was flat but then it became hilly and was much more enjoyable. Unfortunately I was driving directly into the sun on a blue cloudless day until I reached
Gore and then fortunately turned a little bit to the northeast toward the coast at Balclutha.

I passed through Dunedin, a major university town and then on to Palmerston. I had worried Route 1 (the major road heading to the North Island and heading along the east coast) would be boring to drive but that is not the case. The land is quite hilly with lots of sweeping curves and traveling through pristine green fields (there are at least 10 sheep for every New Zealander). There are stretches where the highway has a glimpse of endless sand beaches stretching along the coast. I stopped to see the Moeriki Rocks, round boulders on the beach that are about three feet in diameter. They are formed in mudstone in a manner similar to a pearl where the rock is grown through calcification around a small piece of shell over thousands of years! After Oamaru and Timaru it was inland again towards Christchurch.

I always wondered what range my bandit had and since I got 240 kilometers using 4 of the 5 bands on the fuel gauge, I assumed it would go 300 kilometers. Wrong!!! I ran out of gas with only 270 kilometers traveled and 30 kilometers from the nearest service station. I started to try and hitch hike and a guy stopped with a truck with a cherry picker and I explained the problem. He offered to load the bike on his truck and take me down the road to the service station. How cool would that have been? He then remembered he had a two gallon gas can for a chain saw that he hadn’t added oil to yet so he gave it to me, refused payment and wished me a great trip!

I arrived in Christchurch just at 5.00 and went to the centennial pool for a mile swim.

1. Coast Above Shag Harbour 2. Moeriki Beach

3. Moeriki Rocks 4. My Gas Emergency "Savior"

April 20th, 2008, Milford Sound to Invercargill – 317 kilometers

2008-04-21T02:15:00.000-07:00

We were up for breakfast before sunrise, and then went for a tour of the Sound and a sail to the open ocean. Captain Cook sailed by the opening without notice, since the narrowness of the opening and the vertical height of Dale Point makes the opening almost impossible to see from more than two miles away. The reason it was called a Sound was when it was named the word fjord had not been introduced to the English language. A Fjord is a glacier formed valley with steep sides that is filled with salt water after the glacier retreats.

There were dolphins and tuna spotted on the cruise. We stopped at Bowen Falls and Stirling Falls. The Milford Sound receives between 6 and 8 meters of rainfall per year! At times there can be 12 feet of fresh water floating on top of the salt water and logs float at the salt fresh water boundary and are a hazard to propellers. We are quite lucky that it is a day with clear blue skies. At 9:30 we are retracing the road to Te Anau, arguably one of the finest motorcycle rides in the world. We stopped at the Homer Tunnel and Mirror Lakes. The road winds between the Livingston and Earl mountain ranges and the view of the snow topped peaks was spectacular. The only problem was it was cold, just above zero.

After lunch at Te Anau, we followed the Southern Scenic Route which combines fast straight sections, with sweeping corners and incredible scenery. Fiorland National Park has snow covered peaks to the right while Tamitumu Mountains are on the left with shee0p grazing in green fields on each side of the road. The temperature has warmed so we don’t have cold hands anymore.

Past Tuatapere we reach the south coast where the wind is blowing a gale from the south. We stopped at Riverton for a coffee and idiot me left the bike lights on and we had to have AA come to the rescue (they are in New Zealand!) We stopped at Invercargill for the night

1. Bow 30 Feet from Waterfall 2. Homer Tunnel Entrance Near Milford Sound

3. Mirror Lake Reflection 4. Eglington Valley

5. Sheep Grazing in Front of Tamitumu Mountains

April 19th, Queenstown to Milford Sound – 294 kilometers

2008-04-21T01:37:00.001-07:00

What an incredible adventure! We left Queenstown at 9:00 and you could see the frost line on the mountains 100 meters above road level. It was very cold with a small amount of rain in the air. When we passed Kingston heading down to Te Aneu we were driving above the frost line and the rain turned into snow. We went back to Kingston to decide what to do, and perhaps head back to Queenstown. Fortunately we asked a fellow who stopped at the café who had driven up from Invercargill how the road was and he said they were bare. We decided to press on. We passed through Kingston where we saw the Kingston Flyer with a full head of steam about to depart. About 40 kilometers from Te Aneu the hills and fields were completely covered with snow and we felt it would not be possible to get to Milford Sound by 4:10 when the vessel we had booked accommodation on, the “Milford Wanderer” was due to sail. We continued toward Te Aneu through a mild blizzard with snow freezing on my visor. However, after 15 kilometers we dropped in altitude and the road started to clear up.

We stopped for gas at Te Aneu, bordering the Fiord National Park and a fellow customer told us he just came from Milford Sound and weather was better there. We continued on and the scenery was superb. Initially it is rolling farmland atop a terminal moraine and then through alpine meadows and beautiful forests on the lower slopes of jagged snow covered mountains. Near here we passed through the 45th parallel, the same latitude as Milford between Truro and Halifax in the northern hemisphere. The vegetation changes at the Divide, the lowest east/ west pass in the Southern Alps. From here you enter a beach forest where the road rises to the Homer tunnel, where the approaches are surrounded by high walled, iced covered mountains. The Homer tunnel is 1306 meters long with a slope to the west. It was started in 1935 and was not completed in 1953. The Homer town site used during construction never saw sunshine from May to September. You emerge in the Cleddau Canyon where there is a tremendous series of switchbacks down to the ocean. Milford Sound only has a population of 170 and is located in a unique wilderness area with seals, dolphins, and pristine wilderness generated with a copious annual rainfall, complete with ever present waterfalls and mists.

We are staying on the Milford Wander, a 1992 build based on a 1900 flat bottomed design used for the costal trade in New Zealand waters.. It is a gorgeous vessel, and we sailed through the Milford Fjord and then anchored in a cove where kayaking, swimming were available (but the water is only 45 degrees F). This is one of 14 fjords in New Zealand and the scenery is absolutely pristine. We had a great meal and will stay on board overnight in Ferguson’s Cove.

1. Frost Line on Mountains Near Queensport 2. Snow Before Te Aneu

3. Nearing Homer Tunnel 4. Milford Wanderer, Our Home for Tonight

5. Dave and Howard in Lounge with Stewart Tartan

April 18th B, Queenstown

2008-04-21T01:11:00.001-07:00

In the afternoon I opted to go on the Shotover Canyon Swing. There were 10 of us jumping from a platform high on the canyon wall down into the gorge carved by the Shotover River. You go through a 60 meter free fall and drop an 49 meters while
swinging through at 200 meter arc at a peak speed of 150 kilometers per hour. The staff is extremely professional and they have a perfect safety record but it still requires a trip outside your comfort zone to hurl yourself off that platform. I opted for a back dive since they claimed it was one of the scariest take offs to do. IT WAS A RUSH.

Just before it was my turn it started to rain and the there was a little freezing rain. My biggest concern was over the jerk you would receive as you reached bottom, but it was minimal as the swing motion translated vertical motion into a horizontal and vertical component. The interesting thing was I was not nervous at all being hoisted back up to the platform 360 feet overhead, in large part because my mind was still dealing with the decent and that I ad come through OK! An incredible experience!!!

1. Jumping Platform 2. Pre Jump Instruction

3. Just After Point of No Return 4. Near End of 60 Meter Free Fall

5. The Smile of a Survivor

April 18th, Queenstown

2008-04-18T12:38:00.000-07:00

Today is adrenalin day! We were off by 8:15 to go jet boating with Skippers Canyon Jet in Skippers Canyon. Two shepherds found gold in Skippers Canyon in 1862 and within two months there were 4000 gold miners there. There has been more gold discovered there than in any other canyon in the world.

We traveled by bus on a road carved by the gold miners in the 1880’s. It is a one lane, twisting and curving dirt road over the mountains and into Skippers Canyon with no guard rails and with near vertical drops of up to 3000 feet! At times the bus wheels must be less than one foot from the edge. The driver told us he has driven this route in snow with chains. It is without a doubt the scariest ride I’ve ever taken as a passenger. The scenery is fantastic with grass covered mountains but few trees and the Shotover River winding between the steep rock walls of the canyon. The same company also owns a bungee jump bridge there.

There were eight of us plus a driver in the aluminum jet boat. The engine produces 450 HP driving a water jet pumping 25,000 liters per minute. The boat blasts up the shallow curving river through tight canyon walls at over 80 kilometers per hour through rapids and over rock beds just inches below the surface. We were often less than two feet from vertical rock faces. Skipper Canyon is the narrowest canyon that allows a jet boat operation. In addition the boats can do 360 degree turns in just over their own length.
A fantastic adventure!

1. Narrow Road in Skippers Canyon 2. Jet Boat Launch Site

3. Shotover River in Skippers Canyon Gorge 4. Bungee Bridge in Skippers Canyon

Film Clip of Jet Boat In Gorge

April 17th, Franz Joseph Glacier to Queenstown – 382 kilometers

2008-04-18T12:19:00.001-07:00

We awoke to clear blue skies and started heading south towards Haast. We drove up a dirt road for 5 kilometers to view the fox glacier and then went over a twisty mountain and down the coast. The Hast region has wetlands alongside large stands of rain forest flanked by beautiful beaches and is labeled a World Heritage site in large part due to the variety of birds and marine life living in a pristine native state.

At Haast we headed inland up the Haast Valley which was carved out by an ancient glacier we are traveling between completely forested hills but as you get nearer the pass where golden brown grass becomes much more predominant. There are many waterfalls along this section of road. This route is a major entryway to Aspiring National Park and Mount Aspiring is the highest peak outside the Mount Cook region of New Zealand.

Eventually we are traveling along the shores of Lake Wanaka . This is a fairly arid area and it is very reminiscent of Lake Okanogan in the B.C. interior with a long mountain lake about a kilometer and a half flanked by grass covered hills rising steeply on each side. We then crossed over a range of hills to travel along the shores of Lake Hawea until just shortly before we arrived at Wanaka, a pleasant laid back town that many New Zealanders prefer to Queenstown.

We then headed over the Crown Range Road via Cardrona, a magnificent stretch of road that crosses the Crown Mountains and has a dizzying decent into Arrowtown, a half hour drive to Queenstown.

Queenstown is known as the Aspen of New Zealand with its’ skiing and outdoor orientation, a former mining town from the 1860’s, its’ 8600 population and huge tourism business. It certainly is very upscale but it also has something that Aspen doesn’t, water frontage with Lake Wakatigu. It also is New Zealand’s adrenalin capital, with sky diving, bungee jumping, jet boats, whitewater rafting, skiing, hand gliding etc. It also has excellent shopping, top rate accommodation and restaurants and an active party scene.

1. Fox Glacier 2. Knights Point

3. Lake Hawea 4. TSS Earnslaw on Queenstown Waterfront

5. Dave and Howard on Queenstown Waterfront

April 4th – Tauranga to Gisborne – 480 kilometers

2008-04-13T00:36:00.000-07:00

April 4th – Tauranga to Gisborne – 480 kilometers

As we headed down towards Opotiki, we traveled through Te Puke, the center of the kiwi fruit industry. They are grown about six feet above the ground similar to grapes but the orchards are surrounded by 30 foot high dense cedar hedges that protect them from wind damage. Near here we got stopped by the police for going too slow; we were doing 85 in a 100km zone and delaying traffic. This won’t happen again! Along this road there are magnificent beaches at Katitaki. We went inland to go around a bay to get to Opotiki and then started around the East Cape. East Cape has fantastic moto riding, with minimal traffic, one lane bridges, large forested mountains, deserted beaches, superb views and a road that twists and turns along the coast. It is a beautiful sunny day and the sea is turquoise. As you head along the coast you can see White Island, a recently active volcanic island in the distance.

There is a series of bays you pass by, some with gravel beaches and rugged rocks in the water. The road goes inland at Whangaparaoa and winds through the mountains until Hicks Bay and then across country to Te Araroa. From here south it is farming country, with green field with grazing sheep and cattle. The road now has longer sweeping turns that allow a high speed; a major difference from the tight twisties earlier in the day. There are beautiful beaches all the way to Gisborne and there is an active group of surfers taking advantage of the many surf breaks. We stopped in Gisborne, a trendy town of 33,000 located right on the ocean. Tomorrow morning it will be off to the gym for a workout!

1.Dave Checking Out Beach On Bay of Plenty 2. Bay of Plenty

3. A Rugged Harbour on the East Cape 4. Fern

April 16th, Franz Joseph Glacier

2008-04-17T03:35:00.000-07:00

The Franz Joseph glacier and the neighbouring Fox glacier are formed due to winds from the west picking up moisture across the Tasman sea and then when this air rises over the mountains it falls as rain and snow on a very continuous basis. The snow compresses in the glaciers broad accumulation zones and then grinds down the valleys towards the sea. These are two of the five glaciers that pass through temperate forest. The glacier advances on average 1 meter per day. One of the guides told us that in one 24 hour period they had 1 meter of rain!

We were at the guide office by 8:00 to be fitted out with boots, crampons, socks, toque, water proof pants and jacket. We were then bused for ten minutes where we had a 4 kilometer walk to the face of the glacier. Then we put on crampons and started up the rock of the moraine and finally onto ice. The guides cut steps in the ice and on some near vertical slopes ropes and pinions were used. There is a continuous flow of water out the glacier. One of the hazards to be avoided are the numerous crevasse. The roughness of the ice terrain is unbelievable with steep slopes, drops, tunnels, ravines and crevasses in all directions. We climbed upward for about three hours and then had lunch.

We were incredibly fortunate, there was no rain. In addition, instead of 60 people on tour, there were only two groups of 10 people.We scaled near vertical faces, crawled through tight ice tunnels, saw the “blue ice” up close, experienced incredible views and had a marvelous day of adventure. By the time we finished our decent at 4:00 knee joints needed ib profin and all muscles throbbed. It was a fantastic experience!

1. Approaching the Glacier 2. Howard in a cravasse

3. Dave in an Ice Tunnel

4. Ian Climbing the Face 5. Lunch Break on the Glacier

April 15th, Greymouth to Franz Joseph – 192 kilometers

2008-04-17T02:40:00.000-07:00

There was thunder and lightening, and torrential downpours all night. In the morning it was still raining but we headed down the coast. One of the interesting things they have in rural New Zealand is one way bridges. There is a sign at both ends of the bridge that indicates who has right of way. Most of the time you can just drive across, since there is no traffic coming the other way. Below Greymouth we came across a bridge type I’ve never seen before. It was one lane and also had a train track down the middle. On the second one we came to, I stopped since there were two bikes stopped after crossing. There were two Germans and one had dumped his bike when he hit a rail entering the bridge. Dave came driving up, went to cross the rail line at an angle and down he went! There was a turn signal and mirror broken off and scratches in the faring and on the
motor casing, and Dave only sprained and cut a finger, so minimal damage.

We stopped at Hokitika for lunch and Dave located a shop where they could weld his mirror bracket. At the shop, apparently the previous week, three guys traveling together all went down on the same bridge. Apparently it has been happening for years but there are no warning signs. From then on the sky started clear up and we arrived in Franz Joseph in sunshine. We immediately signed up for a full tour on the glacier tomorrow so
we hope the weather stays clear!

1. Leaving Greymouth in the Rain 2. Jade Capital of New Zealand

3. Daves Injured Thumb 4. First Glimse of Franz Joseph Glacier