Many often ask, how does Alan Smithee spend his weekends? This video, which was shot earlier today in Starbuck, WA, provides a partial explanation. Starring Jack, John, John, Dave, Dave, Kelly and Steve.
Saturday, August 27, 2011
Wednesday, August 3, 2011
Toad Rock Motorcycle Campground, Nelson, BC
After the ride up through the Palouse, through Metaline and Metaline Falls, after playing 50 questions with the inquisitive Canadian Customs Officer, we headed for Nelson, BC. A little known fact is that Nelson was the filming location for Steve Martin's 1987 film, "Roxanne." Of course, the town is nothing like what is portrayed in the movie, but nevertheless it's an interesting smallish town surrounded by tall peaks lying at the south end of Kootenay Lake. After a stop at a very disappointing grocery store, it was on to find a campground. I'd found Toad Rock Motorcycle Campground online. It lies halfway between Balfour and Ainsworth Hot Springs, just off BC 31.
The camp
ground is run by Mary, who owns the property. One of her memorable sayings is "If it doesn't thrive on neglect, it doesn't belong here." The camp is on a large parcel of land and has wooded and open sites. There is a newish washroom with toilets, showers and sinks. Scattered throughout the property are "accommodations" for those who don't want to tent it. There are little cabins as well as a late
'60s vintage VW bus, complete with painted-on flowers (more on this in a bit).
Mary says she's owned the property since 1974, but it has the feel of an old 1960's commune (please don't ask me how I know that). At any rate, the other guests, most if not all on motorcycles, were a well behaved bunch. There is even a camp dog - Dick - who made a show of begging food while we cooked out dinner. Only problem was Dick, a Boston Terrier, enjoyed barking the better part of the night. We consoled ourselves with the thought that he was keeping the bears away from camp. In the morning, Mary was unapologetic. Dick, she said, was just "doing his job."
The most unique element of Toad Rock is the common area. There is an open pavilion with a bar, refrigerator, coffee maker, piano, pool table and various and sundry other items to lend ambiance. When I asked about snow, the response was they get "just about the right amount - 4' - enough to cover the chores." My inquiry about whether Mary closed up the buildings in the winter led to the "if it doesn't thrive on neglect..." quote. So, herewith, some photos from Toad Rock:
And finally, about the aforementioned VW Bus. . . Saturday morning, the Pup said he wanted his picture taken in front of the bus. The site was occupied, but no problem, the residents were apparently absent. Pup got up on the deck in front of the bus and we snapped his photo (I'll have to find that photo and post it later). As we were doing this, I noticed movement inside, behind the curtain, and out popped this woman who had slept in the bus the night before and had been dressing. She was not amused. We defused the situation and learned that her name was Christine and she was from LA. She was riding with her brother Steve, who was from Colville. The two others in the party were Mark and his wife Leslie, from Deer Park. As it happened, we met up with them at the ferry dock and ended up sharing two camping sites with them in Revelstoke. They were great folks who generously shared their sites at the campground, which was otherwise full, with us.
If you're on the road near Balfour, BC or Ainsworth Hot Springs and want an unusual camping experience, check out Toad Rock. Just bring ear plugs, cause Dick will keep you up half the night.
ground is run by Mary, who owns the property. One of her memorable sayings is "If it doesn't thrive on neglect, it doesn't belong here." The camp is on a large parcel of land and has wooded and open sites. There is a newish washroom with toilets, showers and sinks. Scattered throughout the property are "accommodations" for those who don't want to tent it. There are little cabins as well as a late
'60s vintage VW bus, complete with painted-on flowers (more on this in a bit).
Mary says she's owned the property since 1974, but it has the feel of an old 1960's commune (please don't ask me how I know that). At any rate, the other guests, most if not all on motorcycles, were a well behaved bunch. There is even a camp dog - Dick - who made a show of begging food while we cooked out dinner. Only problem was Dick, a Boston Terrier, enjoyed barking the better part of the night. We consoled ourselves with the thought that he was keeping the bears away from camp. In the morning, Mary was unapologetic. Dick, she said, was just "doing his job."
The most unique element of Toad Rock is the common area. There is an open pavilion with a bar, refrigerator, coffee maker, piano, pool table and various and sundry other items to lend ambiance. When I asked about snow, the response was they get "just about the right amount - 4' - enough to cover the chores." My inquiry about whether Mary closed up the buildings in the winter led to the "if it doesn't thrive on neglect..." quote. So, herewith, some photos from Toad Rock:
And finally, about the aforementioned VW Bus. . . Saturday morning, the Pup said he wanted his picture taken in front of the bus. The site was occupied, but no problem, the residents were apparently absent. Pup got up on the deck in front of the bus and we snapped his photo (I'll have to find that photo and post it later). As we were doing this, I noticed movement inside, behind the curtain, and out popped this woman who had slept in the bus the night before and had been dressing. She was not amused. We defused the situation and learned that her name was Christine and she was from LA. She was riding with her brother Steve, who was from Colville. The two others in the party were Mark and his wife Leslie, from Deer Park. As it happened, we met up with them at the ferry dock and ended up sharing two camping sites with them in Revelstoke. They were great folks who generously shared their sites at the campground, which was otherwise full, with us.
If you're on the road near Balfour, BC or Ainsworth Hot Springs and want an unusual camping experience, check out Toad Rock. Just bring ear plugs, cause Dick will keep you up half the night.
Oh Canada! - Day 2 - Aug. 5 - Lewiston, ID to Toad Rock Campground
Up at 5:00 am to get the bikes packed. I spent the night at Dave Denham's place in Clarkston. We rolled out Friday morning around 7:20 to meet our other traveling partner at one of Lewiston's finer dining establishments.
Our first day on the road saw us charging the fire with breakfast burritos at the Lewiston Jack-in-the-Box. The Pup, a/k/a Alan Searle, met us there and Dave Denham (later to be nicknamed "Casper") and The Pup got on the road around 9:10 am. The day's route would take us from Lewiston up through the Palouse country along US 195 to Spokane, north through Spokane (with much construction delay) to Chewelah, where we continued the fine dining tradition with sandwiches from Subway. From Chewelah, we headed East on the Flowery Trail Road (NF 4243) for a 26 mile ride of broad sweepers and great views. We could see why The Flowery Trail is rated as one of the premier motorcycle roads in the Pacific Northwest.
We hit Washington 20 at Usk, and headed north to a gas stop at Metaline. Just North of Metaline Falls, there are some outstanding views and, shortly thereafter, THE BORDER, otherwise known as the Nelway Crossing. Not sure what it is, but getting into Canada from the US has become more and more difficult. Last year, crossing at Midway, the Canadian border guard had the usual questions - where do you live, what do you do, where are you going, etc., plus "why are you crossing here?" Uh, because I liked the road heading up to that crossing? Well, this time, it was more like the Spanish Inquisition. All the usual questions and a lengthy questioning about firearms, including where was my gun currently stored. Uh, locked up at home, was the response. We finally got past the Canadian Border Gestapo and were on to the Crowsnest Highway for a short jaunt only to encounter a sobriety checkpoint. About this time I was wondering what sort of police state I'd come to. It turned out there was a rock concert nearby and the local police and RCMP were rousting the young'uns headed that way. We were not stopped.
After a grocery stop in Nelson, we headed North on Highway 31 to the Toad Rock Motorcycle Campground. The place had gotten good reviews and since it was nearing 6:00 pm we thought it a good idea to stop. Toad Rock, I believe, is deserving of its own post, which I shall do shortly.
Google Interactive Map:
View Larger Map
Photos to be added later.
Oh Canada! Day 1 - Aug 4 - Walla Walla to Clarkston
On the road at 12:10 pm after having gone into the office to take care of some last minute items. This ride will be a test of a new packing system using a Cabelas Boundary Waters Dry Bag. It's large enough to hold my sleeping bag, pad, pillow and miscellaneous clothing items, as well as my Asus Netbook that I'm composing this on. The bike was packed by noon and I said my goodbyes to Lynne and Erika and was off by 12:10.Wheat harvest is late this year by at least two weeks. It was an incredibly wet and cool spring. What this meant for me is lots of wheat trucks, some tandem, on the road between Walla Walla and east of Dayton. Nothing major to contend with, and luckily I didn't get stuck behind any along the way.
Took a quick stop in Dayton to check my packing job - still secure - and to take a photo of the beautiful Columbia County Courthouse. Then on to Pomeroy, where I took another short break for a photo op in front of the Garfield County Courthouse. Then on to Dave Denham's place in Clarkston. We had dinner at the Searle's and then to bed early. We plan to be on the road by 8:00 am, with an ultimate destination somewhere along the east shore of Kootenay Lake.
Day One Route:
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Oh Canada! Pre-Trip - Packed and Ready to Go
Today saw the final arrangements fall into place. I left work at 3:45 to run the Li'l Red to Thunder Alley for a carburetor rebuild while I'm gone. Lynne followed me so I didn't have to walk the 50 miles home. The evening was spent getting last minute items together and strapped on the bike, newly named "The Gold Standard.". It'll be off to the office for a few hours, then I'll hit the road for the short 100 mile run to Clarkston to spend the night at Dave Denham's house (with ribs for dinner at the Pup's and Renee's house in Lewiston. Pushing off in the morning on Friday headed for B.C. By way of Chewelah, Usk, Metaline Falls and Creston. We expect to spend the night somewhere on the east side of Kootenay Lake.
Tuesday, August 2, 2011
Thursday, July 28, 2011
Oh Canada! Ride to the Rockies
Thursday, August 4, 2011, will see me off to Clarkston, Washington, to spend the night at my friend Dave Denham's house. The next day Dave, Alan "The Pup" Searle and I will take off on a motorcycle adventure to the Canadian Rockies, including stops in Canada's Glacier NP, Yoho NP, Banff NP and Jasper NP before finally dropping back into the States on the east side of Glacier NP. We'll ride the Going to the Sun Highway and hen head home from there. Follow the trip here and on SPOT. I'll be posting a few photos here, but the majority will go onto my SmugMug Account HERE
I will embed the SPOT link on this page, but the trip can also be tracked by clicking on this SPOT Link
Our expected route the first two days:
View Larger Map
I will embed the SPOT link on this page, but the trip can also be tracked by clicking on this SPOT Link
Our expected route the first two days:
View Larger Map
Monday, May 23, 2011
A Redirection of Purpose
What was I thinking? My last post here was almost a year ago - June 4, 2010. I've neglected this blog too long. So, as the weather warms and riding motorcycles becomes possible again, I've decide to redirect the purpose of this blog. At least for the time being, this will be a place to chronicle travels and adventures, the first of which will be t he upcoming Memorial Day weekend. We are taking the Palouse Caboose and heading to Index, on US-2, to spend the weekend camped along the Skykomish with Neeka, Carolyn, their respective husbands and Erika and her friend Emma. So, let the fun begin.
And herewith, a view of the mountains and river from where we will be staying:
And herewith, a view of the mountains and river from where we will be staying:
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