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GBB Fest 2018: NMBL’s Solo Tour

It’s not often that one of us can get time off but the other one can’t, but it happened this year: NMBL wanted to go to GBB Fest, but DES’s work schedule just couldn’t accommodate that.

NMBL is an old hand at music festivals, having worked in lighting and entertainment at several of them in the past.  Often the last mile into the site is terrible, as festivals are frequently held at sites in more… uh… rustic locations.  While the private recreational park at Pekin Ferry (Ridgefield, WA) is sort of rustic-ish, the last mile of road into it was amazingly lovely: farmland with the freshest, smoothest, curviest asphalt you could ask for. Continue reading “GBB Fest 2018: NMBL’s Solo Tour” →

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Bleary Eyed but Beaming

July 2

Bikers really know how to party.

NMBL and I both quit the party early last night. Neither of us drank much. We enjoyed good conversation, good music, and the company of some new friends. But we wanted to have a good ride in the morning. Everyone we talked to said that the 31A from Kaslo to New Denver was a great ride but to be careful. There are bears, deer, tight corners, and rough roads. Pay attention is what we were told. We wanted to be on our game.

Continue reading “Bleary Eyed but Beaming” →

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Riding the Kootenays

Wow! And we thought yesterday was good. Now that we’re back in B.C. the rides just keep getting better. We were told that the Kootenays offered some of the best riding in the Province but I don’t think either of us was prepared for this. 

NMBL and I had the usual casual morning consisting of breakfast, coffee, and a leisurely tear down of our camp. We packed up the bikes and hit the road for another day of fun but relaxed riding. It was that and more! 

Continue reading “Riding the Kootenays” →

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The Continental Divide

This trip has fewer days left in it than have passed but some of our best riding is still ahead of us. A big part of that is the 93 south through Radium and Cranbrook to Wyrie Lake Provincial Park. Right along the Continental Divide. A day of riding the Rockies; we’ll take it.

We woke up to clear skies at Bow River. After the usual breakfast and coffee we struck camp and headed out. The goal was to hook up with the 93 Interchange on the #1 west of Lake Louise. What we didn’t know at the time was that we could have continued along the 1A. Next time. We made a quick roll through Banff since NMBL had never been there. It’s crawling with tourists, ourselves included. 
Continue reading “The Continental Divide” →

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Alberta and Saskatchewan – Catching Up

June 24

It has been a few days since the last post. NMBL and I have ridden from Calgary to Regina in that time and are now heading back west. We’re currently hanging at Saskatchewan Landing Provincial Park enjoying nice weather and the sound of song birds as we swing in our hammocks beside the Saskatchewan River. It’s a very peaceful place. 

We’re not riding long days. This trip is about being relaxed and fresh each morning plus giving ourselves time in case something unusual happens. This tactic has treated us well. Neither of us is over taxed with a ridiculous amount of riding. We do between 300 and 400 km a day giving ourselves time to enjoy a good breakfast, have lunch, and get to the next spot with time to set up of the afternoon. Unhurried is the best way to tour. We learned that lesson last year.

Continue reading “Alberta and Saskatchewan – Catching Up” →

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Caution Elk and Truck Tires

What a great night! 

NMBL and I both slept very well at Waitabit Creek campground. It’s a wonderful site. We feel guilty mentioning it because more people may want to go. Still, it’s worthy of mention. We woke up to a beautiful sunrise in the mountains with the creek talking to us as coffee was made, breakfast served, and cleanup done. The water of the creek is a vibrant turquoise blue which just glows in the morning sun. We couldn’t have asked for a better way to start the day.
Continue reading “Caution Elk and Truck Tires” →

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On the Road Again

Willie Nelson has been going through my head the last few days. Darned ear worms. We’re sitting at our campsite near Donald B.C. relaxing for a bit. Saturday we set out on our three week tour through the Canadian Rockies and into the Prairies. The weekend was spent with family in the North Okanagan which always involves good company and good food. We’ll be back to visit them again towards the end of the trip.

Today took us along Hwy 97 north through Enderby and past Mara Lake. The ride was beautiful; I regret not putting the camera on my helmet for that stretch. We rolled on to the interchange with the Trans Canada, making our way east to Revelstoke. We were told about a great little coffee shop there called The Modern Café so, like the good west coast coffee snobs that we are, we made our way there. The Modern did not disappoint. They serve one of the best Americanos either of us has had! 
From Revelstoke we headed east. Our goal was to get to a place called Donald. NMBL had done some research and found a free B.C. Forrest Service campground called Waitabit Creek. This meant that we weren’t riding for as long as we had for most of our days on the road last year. Spending six or seven hours on a bike is hard work, especially when you go for two weeks straight. This year we decided to shorten our ride time each day. It’s so much better. Today was an enjoyable day of riding, going through the mountains and over the Rogers Pass. The campground was relatively easy to find and we got in at 2pm… that left us plenty of time to set up camp, have dinner, go for a walk, and meet some fellow campers. No stress! We didn’t go pillar to post leaving little time for anything else.

Continue reading “On the Road Again” →

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Coddiwomple (v.): to travel in a purposeful manner towards a vague destination

A week from today we’re heading off for three weeks on the road. Plans are being made, maps are being prepared, multiple destinations are being contemplated but few are confirmed. Yep, we’re coddiwompling.

The one thing we do know is that we’ll be traveling across BC and through the Canadian Rockies. We’ll meander around Alberta a bit and head into Saskatchewan. We’ve decided to go no further than Regina before we head back, again meandering through Alberta only to muddle our way through Southern BC’s Kootenay region. Unfortunately we’ll have to head back to Vancouver eventually. Gotta get back to making a living to travel more.

Fernweh (n.): “distance-sickness”

Yeah, that’s the feeling right now. A longing for being far away and traveling. It’s like being home-sick but the opposite. We’re both giddy with anticipation but at the same time longing for being out on the road and exploring new places while finding the best hangs we can. The longing is so strong you almost feel sick for it. That’s just where we are. We have our Canada 150 National Parks passes, we know some of the roads less traveled that we’ll take, and we’re planning meals. Fernweh has definitely set in.

We’ll give you all sorts of opportunities to follow along on this summer’s coddiwomple. And we hope you end up feeling a sense of fernweh, enough so that your go on a coddiwomple of your own! Happy travels all.

DES out.

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Danger, Disappointment, and Delight – A Long Weekend in Tofino

We love hammock camping! We also love riding our motorcycles so it’s no surprise that we planned yet another motorcycle hammock camping trip. This time we wanted to head to Tofino and Pacific Rim National Park Reserve for the Victoria Day long weekend. NMBL and I both took some extra vacation time as well, stretching our long weekend out by a few more days. Our goal: ultimate hammock-hang relaxation. It was mostly perfect. Continue reading “Danger, Disappointment, and Delight – A Long Weekend in Tofino” →

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