Monday, April 18, 2016

Canada, Eh?



The Canadian border crossing on WA Hwy 31 is definitely in the "boonies".  Twenty miles from a town either on the US side or the Canadian side, business was slow the morning I crossed.  The agent hadn't seen anyone from Texas on a motorcycle before, and her main question she wanted answered was whether or not I was carrying a firearm.  Assuring her I wasn't, after showing my passport and the recording of my license plate, I was on my way to explore the southern mountains of Canada.

Canada Highway 3, also called Crowsnest Highway, http://www.crowsnest-highway.ca/, is a historic route across BC.  This portion from Salmo to Vancouver was as varied a terrain as I could imagine.  From soaring snow covered peaks to huge fruit orchards and vineyards at Osoyoos, this portion of the ride was both surprising and challenging.

Midway into the morning, the rain and sleet started to fall, so I found a roadside camping area and geared up with wet weather gear.  I added my heated vest as the temperature was dropping, and continued on, at a much slower pace as the road was both twisty and wet.

After a couple of hours, the skies cleared, I topped a mountain pass, and the road began a sharp descent.  Lake Osoyoos and the town of Osoyoos came into view.  I learned that Lake Osoyoos is the warmest lake in BC, and this is a popular tourist and retirement destination for those Canadians wanting to escape the cold, but unable to afford the Southern US.  Many of the buildings were built in the '60's to resemble the southwest US, with adobe structure and red tile roofs.  With the many orchards, it felt as if I had stumbled into Southern California.

I stopped for lunch, a glass of wine, and unusual for me, a haircut.  With what little hair I have, I had neglected to bring my clippers, so I was getting a little shaggy.

Wanting to get a few more miles in, I continued east towards Vancouver, and ended the day in a small town called Princeton, about 200 miles east of Vancouver, my destination for the next day.

Canada, like the US, is a land of immigrants.  Canadians, wherever they are from originally, are some of the friendliest people on the planet.  And, many of them love the US.  I spoke to several Canadians who spend the winter months in the US, and would stay longer, and spend more of their money here, if our government would let them.  There are some crazy immigration rules, however, for Canadians, allowing them only limited time here in the US to enjoy their vacation homes, and our warmer climate.

Next stop is Vancouver, where I will drop off the bike at Vancouver BMW for new tires and a 10k service.  Then, pick up Vickie at the airport and get ready for our cruise departure to Alaska.  More to come........

Lake Osoyoos, feels more like Southern California than British Columbia



Mike had a story to tell.  His story took longer than my haircut:)

This little motel, pretty much unchanged since the owners, from Russia, bought it in the '50's.  One of my road rules; no chain motels.


Main Street, Princeton, BC. Pretty quiet on a Friday night.

2 comments:

  1. Good Post. Once again, nice to see the pictures of the places you told me about.

    ReplyDelete