May-June 2020, Cranbrook, BC, Canada

for the Tasmanian devil that he is, Gordo has his moments of calmness. — for the Tasmanian devil that he is, Gordo has his moments of calmness
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Baxter on the other hand is very relaxed and often keeps Gordo from going too crazy

Over the spring I got to hang out with Gordo and Baxter and their humans Melanie and Dan. It was becoming clear that I wont be going back to Patagonia this summer. The spring ride did not go so well and much of the gear had to be replaced.

Cranbrook is known for it’s deer and Gordo and the neighbor Echo have devised an early detection system. Gordo keeps an eye on the front and Echo watches over the back alley.

The silent guardian, the watchful protector

Testing the gear + ideas to bring Baxter on longer rides, he loves to run but can’t keep up to Gordo

Mel and Dan often clear the Chief Isodore trail, part of the trans-Canada

and if you think Gordo holds his ground against deer, you should see what he does to bears!

some of the chosen gear did not make it through the day rides and overnight trips

as close as you can get to the Balkan Style natural yoghurt, Baxter agrees

I had company riding out of Cranbrook, Mel and Baxter (in the crate) and Gordo in the woods

Gordo had his own ways of dealing with cows by masking his scent and trying to infiltrate their ranks.

good thing I am not riding in the truck with him back to town

Baxter took turns between running and riding

Soon the dogs were tired and it was time to go, I headed up toward Grey Creek Pass

Gordo, he is the star of episode 41! coming soon :)

these pups are so lucky to be always going out like that

So the plan for the summer is to wander west to the Coastal Range and the Chilcotins, finally getting to live up to my name and this time wandering with a bike. But most important of all, is that I have to wander responsibly. In June the province was still under a recommendation to avoid non-essential travel but things were starting to slowly open up. I would resupply only once every 2 weeks until such a time that I can go shopping in person, basically self-isolating myself between any interaction.

there was a little washout on the way up that was better left for a morning crossing. Not only is the snow melt creek lower but getting your feet wet in the AM really wakes you up.

There were large sections of clear cut blocks on the way up that I just didn’t have a heart to take a photo of it. I know here in Canada a lot of care is taken to replenish these forests and make sure they grow but its still disturbing seeing a fresh cut where you can still smell the trees.

The road was very good with few washed out sections.

Then I couldn’t see the road, but I assume its still good.

I spent some time following wolf and bear tracks, at least someone has been through here

I was sinking a bit but it could have been worse.

After a cold downhill the Trans-Canada actually turned into a trail for a little bit.

a really nice section along the highway that surely took hundreds of hours of work and still requires a lot of maintenance

I didn’t pay attention to the topographic map and ended up having a little hill before the ferry

and it looks like I have a mandatory 2 hour lunch break today

I spent a lot of the time looking at the water and thinking how nice it would be to have a boat here. On the ferry, the Harley’s got one side and I got the other.

Approaching shore I zoom up the mountain looking if there is actually a road. My map shows a spur going quite a ways up which would be a great camp site so that I could pass through Nelson during the day tomorrow.

maybe i’ll get up there before the afternoon thunderstorms

Then around the corner I saw it, the perfect camp site.

or maybe not so perfect…

Fat and fluffy there was very quick to run away when he saw me and I set up camp with the notion that if he returns, I will move.

Good to see other slow vehicles on the road today

and the not so slow ones

Nelson seemed business as usual, I didn’t stop except for the cats

It was a nice and quiet town and the trans-Canada trail was just one alley way away

now thats an e-bike! lots of these in canada, most people think my bike is an ebike too

It was a blissful ride out of town at railway grade, it feels remote even if a road runs in the same valley and you may get passed by someone on an ebike like a stop sign :)

There was a trail crew out and one of the guys recognized me! The trail had just opened few days ago due to seasonal wildlife closure (grizzly habitat) and they were still clearing the trail. This section out of Nelson is the Great Northern Rail Trail and part of the trans-Canada Trail

The trail was great and maybe that is why they had changed the name to The Great Trail but I thought that I would need to do some mountain passes every now and then to be ready for the Fraser canyon and the Chilcotins. I had bought the BC backroad mapbook on my phone and there were always options.

Stewart forest road had a big notice that it will be deactivated soon, there is no need to keep those roads open when the logged blocks are regenerating for up to 80 years in some areas

I’ve been looking at a more recently logged block on the way up and it seemed to have a great view and with water at the turnoff it was hard to say no. Sadly like all great campsites… this one was taken, I hope it doesn’t become a custom

But it was early in the day and I would have time to play with the camera gear and the drone.

this is the same model as my 2017 camera but just one update more. Olympus OMD EM-10 III, it’s a mirrorless and for it’s size it offers some great capabilities, 14-150mm (28-300 equivalent)

I really wanted to make this slider work and have it for timelapses but it was the most awkward and weird item to be carrying

the DJI mini is great but definitely a big hit in quality, especially when light and dark is involved and it seems to have inherited its beeping and constant compass calibration issues from the mavic air. Compass calibration doesn’t prevent takeoff … — the DJI mini is great but definitely a big hit in quality, especially when light and dark is involved and it seems to have inherited its beeping and constant compass calibration issues from the mavic air. Compass calibration doesn’t prevent takeoff though so I don’t need to do 2 full spins every time I turn it on

The gopro 8 came defective out of the box, then about a month wait for a replacement. It still has few issues that cut or damage a video file or ask you if you want to format your card with a Y/N reply during a video recording error…

The solar was also tough to get but it should do the job. Usually I can recharge in restaurants but this was just out of the question this summer.

Otherwise I was still struggling to pack the bike in a way that would seem like I know what I am doing. The cockpit a big mess of water bottles, selfie sticks, drones, rain gear and whatever else that I couldn’t find a place for before I closed the bags.

my road was to the right but neither option looked great. Backroad mapbook of BC maps every road that has existed, exists or will exist in the future and you are guaranteed to end up having an adventure if you choose to navigate by the big black lines which should be roads