Tour de BC Adventure 2026

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Tour de BC Adventure 2026
Riding after the rain 🌦️
September 25 in Canada ⋅ ☁️ 18 °C
The forecast for the day was grim with 25mm of rain all day. Thankfully the rain passed by 9am, leaving the roads only slightly moist.

We left our accommodation by 11, with a quick stop at Okanagan Spirits located downtown Kelowna to grab something special for the cabinet at home.

J suggested the Westside Road route for a leisurely ride to Vernon. The trip did not disappoint! Lots of curves and twists, very little traffic, and views of Okanagan Lake. On the south end near West Kelowna, there was still evidence of past fires from 2023. Soon we were traversing through dense ponderosa pine forests, perched on the steep slopes. As we approached the north end, we rode through the devastation of the recent August 2026 fires. The power poles were mostly re-strung and replaced, but so many homes and forested sections remained charred and stark on the now barren landscape 😢...

We arrived at J's Aunt K and Uncle S's just after 1pm. The timing was impeccable as light rain intermittently fell for the remainder of the afternoon, punctuated by thunder 💥

J's cousin B arrived home from work. After socializing for a bit, they treated us to dinner at Hot Spot on 6 for a savory Greek dinner.Read more
- Kelowna
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Tour de BC Adventure 2026
As the Crow flies 🐦‍⬛
September 24 in Canada ⋅ ☀️ 20 °C
Enjoyed a casual morning with friends as they prepared for the day. G&I entertained us by showing us more of their toys and costumes. J treated us to a breakfast sandwich. I decided soon after she wanted to be at daycare since we were having too much boring adult talk. While E was out, we prepared for our departure.

With the forecasted 25mm rain for the entire region within the next day we modified our travel plans. Instead of a full day of riding to get to Christina Lake we took the more direct route to Kelowna, where we got a last minute deal on an Airbnb.

We rode through the area of Blewett to merge on to highway 6 and passed along Kootenay Canal, leading to BC Hydro generation station. It was empty as crews were re-grouting the concrete seams. We also passed the Nelson Power generation facilities of Upper and Lower Bonnington. Lastly, across from Kootenay Canal, was the Fortis South Slocan Generating Station.

Traffic moved expeditiously as we headed west along the Kootenay River where highway 6 became highway 3, the Crowsnest Highway. We took a slight detour to ride through Castlegar to get a sense of the town. Like most Kootenay communities, the streets were very eclectic with historic and newer buildings.

The road was fairly quiet, with the occasional vehicle or two, as we zipped along the route on a westerly heading. Soon we crested the summit of the Bonanza Pass, with an elevation of 1535m. On the long decent towards Christina lake, we met the procession of vehicles relegated to a crawl due to heavily loaded rigs. One driver thoughtfully pulled over to let a slug of us pass. Thankfully we found a downhill shared passing lane to get around the remainder.

We arrived at Christina lake, which strangely boasted a sign reading "warmest tree-lined lake in British Columbia". The Trans Canada Trail, Dewdney Trail and the Kettle Valley Railway Trail all merge at the lake, attracting visitors to the area from all over. The region is frequented by hikers and bikers along the local trails in the lake area.

The valley began to open up, and we found ourselves following the Kettle River. A short time later we entered Grand Forks where we stopped for a break. The city is located at the confluence of the Granby and Kettle Rivers with the original settlement in the 1890s, becoming the city Grand Forks in 1902 when it merged with other settlements in the area. E suggested the Wooden Spoon Bistro. We shared a couple of savoury pastries and a bowl of homemade currey carrot soup.

Once sated, we continued our zig-zag journey west through Greenwood, Midway, and other small communities. In Greenwood we found ourselves behind an older classic looking bobtail (a semi-truck operating without a trailer attached) belching out plumes of noxious blackish exhaust 🤢 The fumes were a bit nauseating, and we were desperate for a passing lane.

Finally reaching Rock Creek by mid-afternoon, headed north along highway 33 towards Kelowna. The devastation of the 2015 fire was still present. Due to the arid nature of the region, very little growth has occurred with the exception of a few ponderosa pines dotting the landscape. We continued to follow the Kettle river for a while longer until it met Ed James creek at Westbridge.

The afternoon continued to be decently warm, but a noticeable bite was in the air despite the 18C to 20C temperatures on the display. Once we rounded the corner near the turn off to Big White, felt an immediate temperature drop; very glad to have heated grips 🔥

The views of Okanagan Lake and the expanding valley view were quite picturesque despite the subdued afternoon lighting. Alas, most of the photos from the road today didn't quite pop due to the the overcast sky.

We arrived just in time to enjoy crawling through rush hour traffic, finally arriving at our accommodation for the night on the eastern hills of the upper Mission area.

Once settled, headed across town to visit A’s cousin L and her little ones. She treated us to delicious orzo pasta, and chocolate chip bar for dessert. Unfortunately, we did get to visit with S as he was working late.

It was a fabulous bed and breakfast with a huge hot tub and outdoor pool. None of the other two suites were using the space so we had it all to ourselves on the full moon evening 🌕Read more
- The Wooden Spoon
TravelerJ & I have explored some of this area in past but not near as completely as you two .. good memories. And great writing... Bk
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Tour de BC Adventure 2026
Kool on Kootenay
September 23 in Canada ⋅ ☀️ 25 °C
Wanting to arrive in Nelson in the early afternoon, we hit the road by 930am. A suggested a quick grocery stop for cheese, to go with the sour dough baguette. Onto a twisty side road towards Cranbrook, passing by St. Eugene's golf course.

Heading south, and pushing thought the quirky named village of Yahk, found it boasted businesses of "two's" : Two Pump Paul's (Gas Station), Two Scoop Steve's (Ice Cream Parlour), and Two Toke Timmy's (Pot Shop).

Nearing Creston we took a detour route through the area of Erickson, passing multiple Orchards. Since we forgot about the time change, had an extra hour to enjoy the area, making a stop at the Mountain Barn for more baked goods.

A decided he wanted some fresh peaches, so we circled back in to Creston, and stopped at Rosewood Orchards before heading along route 3A to Kootenay Bay to catch ferry over to Balfour. They were super ripe and very inexpensive.

We had a bit of a longer wait in Kootenay Bay than expected as we read the summer departure schedule instead of the winter. A great time for a picnic to enjoy the cheese and baguette in the warm afternoon. Once on the ferry conversed with a Rossland local, R. He was curious about the bikes, and we exchanged travel adventures. This summer he had ventured to Tuktoyaktuk, YT!

Once across Kootenay Lake we disembarked at Balfour, and were first off the ferry. The ride into Nelson was enjoyable, with minor construction delays. Before long, we were crossing BOB (Big Orange Bridge) into Nelson. After a couple errand stops, headed a short distance west to stay with our friends from Hudson’s Hope, J&E, and their kids.

E made a wonderful baked salmon dinner, while A entertained the kids. Had a wonderful evening catching up, and a hot tub soak before heading for bed.Read more
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Tour de BC Adventure 2026
Columbia Valley Chilln' 😎
September 22 in Canada ⋅ ☀️ 23 °C
Feeling rested and relaxed after the Hotsprings soak, and a good, but short, sleep. We were on the road by 10am. Our first stop was Invermere at the north end of lake Windermere.

Invermere means "at the mouth of the lake" or "confluence of waters at the lake," combining Scottish Gaelic and Old English roots. Windermere means "Vinand's lake," combining an Old Norse personal name (Vinandr) with the Old English word mere, which means a lake or pool.

J found the local bakery, boasting fresh pretzels. After missing out in Jasper, we were rewarded with a selection of pretzel options. We also had to get an orange infused Boston creme donut, bacon cheese twist, and a cream cheese cinnamon bun.

Once sated with the delicious treats, we circled down to the beach, and then off to the Dutch Creek Hoodoos for a hike. J found a less traveled and more relaxing route along the west side of the lake, aptly named Westside road. We noticed a paved pathway that parallel the main road for cyclists and walkers that almost traversed the full length of the route (Markin-MacPhail Westside Legacy Trail).

The morning definitely warmed up quickly. We doffed the riding gear, then headed to the 3.5km loop trail. There were a few other vehicles in the lot, but otherwise had the trail to ourselves.

Afterwards we were paralleling Columbia lake, zipping past Canal Flats, and Skookumchuck, finally arriving in Kimberly late afternoon. A found lodging at The Larix hotel just off the Platzl, Kimberly's historic pedestrian only shopping area. The Larix used to be the Kimberly hotel, and before that, the main office for Cominco.

Cominco (Consolidated Mining and Smelting Company) ran operations of the legendary Sullivan Mine (discovered by prospector Pat Sullivan in 1892), a massive lead-zinc-silver for over 90 years, and transformed the region into a major global mining hub. The Sullivan Mine officially closed in December 2001 after producing roughly 150 million tonnes of ore!

The hotel was cozy and stylishly decorated with classic cottage and modern elements. Once settled, we walked a loop of the Platzl, and enjoyed the serenade of Hans from his Cuckoo clock. The hotel had complimentary e-bikes to use, so headed for the rails-to-trails pathway to Marysville to visit with A's aunt and uncle, A&M.

A short walk to The Marysville Pub (MVP), A&M treated us to dinner. They frequent the pub often, but not typically on week days. It was much busier than expected, and the meal arrived about an hour after the initial order. This alloted us a nice long visit. As it was much later than expected, we said our goodbyes and peddled back expeditiously before it got too dark.

Before retiring for the evening we enjoyed a sweat in the wood-fired sauna, and a tea in the library, conversing with other guests.Read more
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Tour de BC Adventure 2026
🛡️ 93 Southbound
September 21 in Canada ⋅ ☀️ 21 °C
Lucky for us, our roommates did not snore. It was a beautiful morning outside too!

A few guests were enjoying the kitchen and were cooking a very aromatic cuisine. Fried onions with eggs and fish sauce 🐠🍳🥴

We decided to enjoy the brisk morning air and converse over breakfast with fellow travellers from Denmark, H and R. We heated up the baked goods from yesterday and made a few coffees with our press. H asked about it and it was obvious she likes good coffee too. We insisted to make one for her, and she loved it especially with no cafés for miles around.

We went for a quick walk to the nearby Rampart Creek once we were packed and ready for the days adventure.

J suggested a slight detour east at the crossing for a short hike to Siffleur Falls near Abraham lake. The trail was mostly flat, and the views were spectacular. A decided it best to doft the riding gear this time, and it was a good idea as the day continued to heat up. We made the 8km return hike in about 1.5hr, and continued our journey for Radium Hotsprings.

The road south to Lake Louise was definitely busier than the day before. We were happy when a passing lane appeared to enjoyed an unobstructed ride through the amazing valley while taking in the endless breathtaking views.

As expected Lake Louise was a bit chaotic. A quick stop for fuel (10% higher than normal), then headed for the more casual and less traveled route along the Bow Valley Parkway. Once we reached Castle Junction, we crossed the busier Highway #1, and we were bound for Radium Hotsprings.

This section of highway 93 was less busy, and offered sweeping corners along the Kootenay River. Soon we were were entering the Sinclair Canyon as we passed the Radium Hotsprings and arrived at our destination.

Once checked in, we grabbed a few items to cook later for dinner, and headed for a well deserved soak in the Radium Hot Springs.Read more
- Radium Hot Springs
- Invermere
TravelerStunning scenery guys. Not even spoiled by your presence in the pics. 🥰
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Tour de BC Adventure 2026
Icefields and unlimited awh!
September 20 in Canada ⋅ ☁️ 18 °C
Our night at the Raven's Nest was enjoyable, though a bit stuffy in the middle of the night. We trapesed our bags back down from the second level room to the bikes. We made a quick stop at Horseshoe Lake, which wasn't amazing, so southbound into the mountains we continued.

Mount Robson greeted us in its grandeur of a beautiful blue sky. The Berg Lake Trail allowed us to stretch our legs. The parking lot was quite full, but we made some space for the motorcycles. That's why they paint the hash marks where cars cannot fit, right? 😊

A Subaru was strangely parked 3/4 out of its space. Climbing gear strewen on the ground, hood open and two guys standing around.

"What kind of adventure you guys having?
Battery is flat.
We have a booster🔋 . It's got a tire pump if you need to top up your tire.
Actually, we have a flat tire too 🫪"

So, we rescued the motorists within 4 minutes, before starting the trail. It's 21km in length but we only ventured one km for a taste. The sunbeams were too hot, so it was decided all future walks would not include the riding pants or boots, as comfortable as they are 👢👖🫠

"Wow. Amazing. Gorgeous. Absolutely Spectacular." These words were on repeat as we ventured down the Icefields highway. The mountains, glaciers, rivers and lakes.... ⛰️💫💕

We popped into Jasper. There's a lot of rebuilding underway to remediate the devastating wildfire of 2024.

Bigfoot Bakery sold us its last cinnamon bun. We missed a pretzel as the people ahead of us snapped it up, our consolation item was a spinach and feta mini loaf. A grocery and beverage stop was required as our destination tonight is, the offgrid, Rampart Creek Wilderness Hostel.

South from Jasper there were next to no vehicles in our direction and it was a treat to ride. A couple obligatory stops for photos.

The hostel is 100m from the road, but does not allow vehicles up to the buildings. Parking was roadside and handy carts provided for transporting luggage. This is one of the oldest wilderness hostels in Canada. Rustic, and room for 24 guests, and very well set up. It was a full house tonight. $50 per person was a steal of a deal compared to Banff's $600+ room options. It had a nice kitchen, spotless pit toilets, propane heat, fridges, solar power, filtered river water, and a surprise Starlink connection to the web. Our room was shared with two other couples. One from Denmark and the other possibly Belgium.

We cooked up our tortellini with garlic shrimp and tomato pesto. A double helping of salad too. Cold honey brown beers seemed fitting for our setting in the woods.

Around 8pm the host, G, lit a camp fire for anyone to join. We joined one other couple D and T from Calgary, and had a great visit. They were enjoying backcountry overnight hiking and this was thrown into their mix.

As we were enjoying the fire and our Pre-mixed Sparkling Negronis in a can, we realized it was our 18th anniversary 🥂 🏅 🎉 It's a wonderful adventure!Read more
Happy anniversary 🎉 [Steve]
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TravelerCongratulations on the anniversary... And they said it wouldn't last😁
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Tour de BC Adventure 2026
Marvelous McBride
Sep 19–20 in Canada ⋅ ☀️ 19 °C
After a fantastic rest, quick visit and breakfast, we were packed up and headed for the 9:40am ferry to the northside of Francois Lake. We were last on, but first off the ferry, and enjoyed the unobstructed twist-turny undulating road into Burns Lake. The morning was slightly overcast, and a few degrees warmer than the day before. The heated grips were perfect to take the edge off.

Surprisingly the route east was fairly quiet, but soon got busier as we approached Vanderhoof. J suggested a bakery he found earlier for a light lunch. Bakkerij Lobelle offered a feast for the eyes with their assortment of sweet and savoury offerings. J was disappointed they were out of the Aussie Pies, and instead enjoyed a leek and onion pasty. A enjoyed the daily soup special and a samosa. The apple fritter for dessert was delicious, but a bit oily and sweet.

After a quick fuel stop, we were back on the road towards Prince George. A had an issue with a power cable so a quick stop at the dollar store before bypassing the downtown retail traffic. J suggested a top up of fuel as the next service wasn't available for the next 200km in McBride.

The ride was fantastic! The Yellowhead highway was empty of traffic and offered many sweeping corners, distant vistas, and multiple water crossing. Halfway we made a stop at the Ancient Forest to hydrate, finally savour our slice of cheesecake from Smithers and stretch the legs.

Arriving late afternoon in McBride under mostly clear skies, walked across to the Gigglin' Grizzly restaurant, which sported a limited menu, mostly deep-fried offerings. The beer on tap was in frosted mugs 🍻

Fun fact:
The Yellowhead Highway (Highway 16) is named after the Yellowhead Pass, itself named for 19th‑century Iroquois‑Métis guide Pierre Bostonais, nicknamed Tête Jaune (“Yellow Head”) for his blond‑streaked hair. In 1819 he led a Hudson’s Bay Company brigade through the pass and cached furs near today’s Tête Jaune Cache, BC. The pass later became a key rail route, and when a modern road was built in the 1960s, it adopted the historic name and became part of the northern Trans‑Canada Highway.Read more
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Tour de BC Adventure 2026
Wandering through Wistaria
Sep 17–18 in Canada ⋅ ☀️ 20 °C
It was much cooler camping next to the river than the forest in Stewart; we woke to light morning fog. The trains on the other side of town made a lot of noise between 5 and 6am 🚂 🔊 🔔 So much for sleeping in 🫨 Many people were already fishing at the rivers edge.

D had a good idea to head in to town for breakfast to warm up, and let the sun evaporate the dew from the tents. The four of us walked to Louise's Kitchen where A and J shared a large breakfast platter. It was surprisingly warmer and sunny up the hill too.

D's idea worked as the tents were mostly dry upon our return. A used a small cloth the remove the rest, and it was quite dry by the time everything else was packed up.

It was close to noon when we finally departed town. On our way to Houston, we managed to get a glimpse of D and T ahead of us but couldn't tuck in behind them due to traffic. We stopped in Houston for fuel. J's parents suggested taking a popular backroute near Ootsa lake through the small farming community of Wistaria.

We turned off highway 16, onto Morice River service road. Before long the beat-up asphalt gave way to a very wide gravel road. It wasn't too bad, but we kept the speed low as the top layer of gravel was quiet loose. Other road users blistfully sped past us kicking up quiet a dust storm; thankfully it wasn't too busy, so we only endured the occasional dust cloud requiring us to hold our breath and momentarily slow down.

We stopped for photos near a wetland with Nadina mountain in the distance, and shortly after found a turn off to Owen lake recreation site.

After 64km of the haul road, we turn on to a less used gravel road. We crossed the Nadina river on a very narrow bridge. The devistation of the 2018 fires was still present, but a healthy green undergrowth dominated the charred ghostly landscape. Around the 72km mark we merged with Oosta Nadina road. We continued to head further south and east at a much quicker pace. The dirt road was smooth, packed, and free of gravel.

We came upon a rise overlooking Ootsa lake and distant vistas, it was breath taking! Just like the brochures 😉 The scent of manure all over the road from the herd of cattle ranging nearby was powerful.

Once passed Wistaria, the dirt road became nice asphalt. The burnt forest turned into rolling landscape dotted by farmstead and pastures.

Arrived late afternoon in Southside where J's parents have a place. We greeted them at the dock as they returned from fishing in their canoe.

Once settled in, enjoyed the waning sun from the front deck overlooking Francois Lake.Read more
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Tour de BC Adventure 2026
South to Smithers
Sep 16–17 in Canada ⋅ ☀️ 18 °C
It was a surprisingly warm night, not what we expected camping in Stewart. No dew on the tent or bikes. A made coffee while J assembled the collapsible chairs to enjoy a relaxing morning ahead of the adventure.

J noticed a patch of bolete mushrooms, and luckily captured a photo just before a fellow camp guest harvested them.

After a simple breakfast, we packed up camp, and headed to the estuary boardwalk. We bumped into a number of other travellers at the park. As luck would have it, we also met with dad's friend from a Portugal tour, M from Florida, and his companion, C. Their adventure is Alaska to Portland, relocating two motorcycles via Vancouver Island.

Our casual morning had flown by. It was noon, so we grabbed a light lunch from the local grocery store since the restaurant was unexpectedly closed.

Onwards southeast to Smithers, our evening destination.

The day was more subdued with cloud cover that was slowly lifting as the day moved on. We again spotted the beautiful Bear Glacier. It's so photogenic!

A couple hours later we found ourself at the Kitwanga Junction, where highway 37 meets highway 16, and grabbed fuel. It was a pretty chaotic spot, so we moved on to Seeley Lake near Hazelton for a leg stretch and snack.

Finally arrived in Smithers by late afternoon. Our first stop was Canadian Tire to buy sleeping pads as J found out his had a slow leak, and A had a hard time sleeping on his squeeky air mattress. We then made our way to Riverside Municipal Campground. The camp hosts were quiet quirky, and seemed to be confused at what they had for available spots. We ended up with the largest one tucked in the corner.

The weather was amazingly warm, and the sun was still shining while we set up camp. D and T had arrived much earlier, and greeted us with a text. Had they seen us ride through town? Nope, FindPenguins tracking 😂 told them were we were! They had already in town for an early dinner. We walked the short distance to pick up libations and our dinner. A suggested takeout burritos to savour by the Bulkey River back at the Campground. Riverside dining on a warm September evening is a real treat!

D and T joined us at the picnic table and conversed over local brews before calling it a night in our cozy tents.Read more
- Riverside Municipal Campground
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Tour de BC Adventure 2026
Nass Nostalgia
Sep 15–16 in Canada ⋅ ☁️ 10 °C
After last minute visiting and a quick breakfast, we managed to leave Terrace mid morning. Our evening destination was Stewart through the Nass Valley. The Nisga Highway is a 169km scenic drive that undulates through the valley initially paralleling the Kitsumkalum River to Kalum Lake. At the north end of the lake resides the rural community of Ross Wood with its scatter 150 homesteading residents, served by its iconic General Store.

We soon reached the turquoise waters of Lava Lake. It was created in the 1700s when lava from the Tseax Cone hardened and acted as a natural dam across the valley.

We enjoyed the warm breeze while following the twisty-turny highway though the forest that gave way to the lichen cover lava bed.

Clouds were still clinging to the mountain tops that soon dispursed revealing the glacier capped summits. We enjoyed these gleaming vistas while having lunch on the patio at the Lava Roc Restaurant in New Aiyansh while fueling our bellies with burgers.

Our next stretch of the journey took us across a 50km stretch of forest service road to connect to the Stewart-Cassier highway. Initially the road made navigation questionable with all the loose chunky gravel, but it eventually became more hardpacked and enjoyable. Thankfully there was very little traffic. Along the way we saw a friendly waving hitchhiker. We stopped and had a good visit with the guy, G. He was headed back home after helping at his friend's remote offgrid cabin.

When we reached the paved highway, stopped to enjoy the scenery of the Cranberry River, hydrate and dust off the remnants of the gravel road.

The north bound route never ceased to amaze us with it endless snow capped vistas and picturesque landscape. We eventually arrived at the Meziadin Juntion to head west to Stewart. A heard J mention the "nice" lake with a bit of a southern drawl. Then the realized he probably said Nass Lake 😂, which would have made sense, but its called Meziadin Lake, which connects to the Nass River; it sure is nice! The tight valley was dominated by distance glaciers and looming mountain slopes. We made another stop by Strohn Lake and Bear Glacier.

The weather forcast was fabulous so Rainey Creek Campground was our destination. A very friendly helpful caretaker checked us in. We were assembling our tent when we realized we had a audience, D & T from the ferry! They arrived today and staying at the hotel in town. They invited us to join for a delicious dinner at El Tostador. The Margheritas were tasty too.Read more
- Bear Glacier Viewpoint
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Tour de BC Adventure 2026
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Skeena Meandering
Sep 14–15 in Canada ⋅ ⛅ 15 °C
Enjoyed a relaxing start to the day after our early morning 1am arrival. The hotel had a decent breakfast spread to start the day. Once packed and bikes fueled up, made a quick stop in Seal Cove. It was an industrial bay dating back to 1910 to cure and refrigerate fish, to boat and marine services. Then, in the 1940s developed into a military and commercial air base.
https://coastview.org/2026/09/08/aero-point-sea…

Next over to the North Pacific Cannery National Historic Site near Port Edward. Unfortunately, they were closed on Mondays, but we still enjoyed the historic aspect of the location and imagining what it would have been like in its production days
https://northpacificcannery.ca/

They road to the site had a lot of personality - dips and bumps! Very few vehicles were on the road. Minutes after parking, two more motorbikes showed up - D and T from the ferry! It was nice to have another visit with them.

We headed East and they ducked back to town for lunch. There was very little traffic on the highway and it felt exclusive! The skies were mostly sunny and a warm 19C. The Skeena estuary is very wide and flat. Many sections of the road are straight and it attempted to lull us into its zen, but the spectacular scenery kept us alert.

Exchamsiks River Provincial Park was a nice place to stop, have a snack and stretch our legs. There was one car in the parking lot, so I suppose it was still pretty exclusive 😂 Stunning green water in the river 💚

Lakelse Lake was our next stop. Pretty fresh strong winds were coming down the lake. We kept our riding gear on and were cold seeing the only other family there in Tshirts and one even in shorts 🥶! We returned to town on the twister, and more fun, Old Lakelse Road through Thornhill.

A quick stop for fuel and grocery in Terrace before getting to J's parents house. They were very excited to greet us. E did a quick lap around the block on one of the bikes and then Mom jumped on the back for a ride too.

Delicious pizza, salad and dessert rounded off the evening along with visiting and catching up. We enjoyed going to bed at our usual time.Read more
Traveler ♥️
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Tour de BC Adventure 2026
Ciao, Bella Bella
Sep 13–14 in Canada ⋅ ☀️ 22 °C
It was an early 5am start to make our ferry up the Inside Passage. The short 11 minute ride felt surprisingly warm, yet with noticeable moisture in the air.

BC Ferries requires you to arrive no less than 90 minutes before the sailing. Unlike most other ferry crossings, motorcycles load last. We picked up boarding passes in the passenger lounge, who stop selling 20 minutes prior to departure. Clearly we were newbies on the route as a couple other motorcyclists arrived closer to 7am 🙃

We enjoyed a standard "ferry" breakfast on board, exchanging motorcycle tales with D and T, who rode up from Sydney the day prior. We eventually found our way to the premium lounge we had prepurchased, with its comfy reclining seats. It was a bit surprising that basic tea and coffee weren't include with the extra $42 charge. The boat was quieter than expected, with plenty of general seating available, including the now retired buffet area still filled with local paintings and carvings.

Our lounge seats had a great view of the coast as we traversed the small section exposed to the open ocean with tiny rollers which barely bobbed the boat. The low fog really amplified the glow of the sun as it made its daily journey from east to west. Clear blue skys were revealed when the fog finally did burn off. A very calm morning.

Our journey north is 16hrs in duration up the spectacular west coast passage. The weather was amazing with blue skies, warm air and calm seas. No connectivity onboard, unless you were with the small group of Chinese tourists who setup their Starlink on the stern deck 🤣

This is was our first time in this route and eating 3 meals onboard. We hoped for something better than burgers for dinner and lucked out getting the 5th and 4th last serving of 10oz prime rib beef! 🐄😋

We enjoyed roaming the ship, admiring the sceneries, and chatting to our new motorcycle acquaintances. Our one stop along route was the small First Nations town, Bella Bella. Only passengers disembarking or joining used the terminal.

Five movies were shown in the lounge and we caught the last, No Country For Old Men. The final 2hrs of the trip we tried to nap in our loungers.

Alas, at 1am a nice light fog greeted us in the Prince Rupert terminal, we disembarked and zipped the 6min ride to our hotel. A much nicer hotel and comfortable beds. It was hard to try and sleep with being out of sync on our usual schedule 😴

https://www.bcferries.com/web_image/images/h0a/…Read more
TravelerWow, that is a beautiful trip. Just don't cross that border.
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Tour de BC Adventure 2026
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Hearty Arty 'n Port Hardy
Sep 12–13 in Canada ⋅ ☁️ 16 °C
A full day attending to last minute details in preparation for a 20 day motorcycle tour around BC.

In between packing, cleaning, and organizing, we managed a moment to visit a friend, W, who was in Campbell River for a couple days. D arrived mid-day by motorcycle from the south island to keep our lovey ladies 🐈‍⬛ 😻 company while we enjoy our trip.

We finally got riding after 5pm in a sweltering 28C, and arrived in Port Hardy just after 8pm, with a much cooler 16C. The ride up was magnificent with clear blue skies and a waning sun. We were reminded how West facing that road is as we rode into the blinding sunset 🌇 The vanishing sunlight really highlighted the distant vistas.

The hotel restaurant closed early at 8pm, so no Mexican feast which A had been dreaming of 🇲🇽 🌮 We ended up having a great walk in the warm evening air into town to pick up pizza for dinner.

The Quarterdeck hotel is showing its age; faded photos, musty dirty carpet and tired siding. Thankfully the beds we comfortable and the window opened to let in fresh air.

Early to bed 😴 as we have a very early ferry boat to catch ⛴️

A note on the title; our pizza was 'The Athena' (spinach and chicken) which was very reminiscent of the Hearty Arty (spinach, feta and artichokes) pizza we used to order living in HH. Mmm mmm good!Read more
TravelerLooking forward to following along.
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What a great photo... good looking bikes; oh and all of you as well .. barb [Barb]
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Awesome looks like another great adventure 👍🥳🏍️⛴️ [Jason]
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Trip start
September 12, 2026