My very first motorcycle trip to B.C. was with my husband Dave in 2012 right after I bought my Yamaha TMAX. With only 850 km on my bike, a quick oil change and check over at my dealer, I was ready to go. I was a bit nervous as I was still learning about my new ride and how it handled but I was eager to see the beautiful area in B.C. that all bikers gravitate to that has awesome twisty roads and surrounded by lakes and rivers, the wonderful town of Nakusp. My husband had gone on many bike trips out there but all of them were what we referred to as "Man-trips". And on the last two B.C. man-trips someone had always ended up in the hospital after a motorcycle accident, so this also was on my mind as we started out, would I end up wrecking my new scoot and spending my vacation in a hospital bed?
We began from Carstairs, Alberta and drove through the Banff National Park, this was just awesome and at some points I had tears in my eyes at the true beauty of the mountains and seeing elk on the side of the road, so big that if they wanted to take me out they could do so in one hit of their huge antlers, which when sitting on a bike you feel pretty small! From Banff we spent our first night in Invermere B.C. at the Super 8 that has a very convenient access at Hwy 95/93, you can't miss it.
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| Super 8 Hotel, Invermere B.C. |
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| Kootenay Bay Ferry Terminal, B.C. (it's free, no cost) |
Our second day we headed out from Invermere and on to Creston. We drove on Hwy 95A to Kimberley instead of through Cranbrook as my husband knows I love travelling on country roads with less traffic and hopefully nicer scenery than semi trucks and holiday trailers. This turned out to be awesome and Kimberley is a busy place in the winter for their skiing, but in the summer it is quieter and a great time to check out the area, if you have a sweet tooth make sure you stop for a break at their bakery, very yummy!
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| Kootenay Bay Ferry going to Balfour |
We made it to Creston, stopped for a bite to eat and fuel. My husband was excited because we were now entering the twisty zone, and this of course is one of the many highlights of this area. Head out on highway 3A towards Kootenay Bay Ferry Terminal, you won't be disappointed. Amazing corners that I was not prepared for, as driving in my riding areas in Alberta do not give you that much experience in counter steering and how to tackle this many tight corners one after another! My husband led the way on his 2008 Kawasaki Concours and of course his bike was made for this environment, he was one happy biker. My TMAX was wonderful and sporty but I lacked the experience to keep up to my husband and I accepted that, there was no point in trying as the dreaded thought of a hospital bed still lingered in the back of my mind. Once in a while he would slow down let me catch up and we continued on, the traffic was really light so I didn't hold anyone up, which made me happy. The last thing I wanted to do was ruin another biker's ride or a sport car driver's fun.
We made it to the ferry terminal and waited 30 minutes for the ferry to return, it was a sunny day, with a slight breeze. Absolutely perfect for my first day riding in this area. Nakusp was now closer and later today we would be there. Woohoo, I'm almost there!
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| Beautiful day spent with my husband Dave |
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