Rider Fatigue, Mountain Weather and Camping, Partly Camping

Where the expression “iron butt” came from, I do not know, but I am grateful that I do not have one. My idea of a challenging long-distance ride would be 400 kilometers or more and to do it I would need a fair night’s sleep and rest breaks along the way. I find a ride 350 kilometers or less in a day comfortable and it allows a bit of time to play tourist and enjoy some of the destination as well as the journey.
On a recent weekend trip from Burnaby to Shuswap Lake Provincial Park, we broke up the ride and decided to stay overnight in Kamloops at the Accent Inn. The Inn is just off the highway and turned out to be motorcycle friendly. It has a designated parking stall near the front entrance and for a small credit card deposit they will give you heavy-duty locks to bolt your bike down as well as a cover to protect it from the rain. 

      This particular day was a mix of sun, cloud and rain. We took Highway 1 from Burnaby north east to Hope then the infamous Coquihalla Highway (#5) north through the beautiful Nicola Valley to Merritt. A few minutes after leaving Merritt, I noticed some ominous clouds in the distance and it looked like more than just rain. We suited up, I snapped a few photos and we continued on into the mountains.
     Signs warned to be cautious of changing weather conditions, but what happened next around the Helmer Lake area was quite unexpected.  It was as if we had driven into the Twilight Zone. Suddenly it was very dark, there were inches of snow and slush on the road, some cars were stopped and a couple people were pushing another car to the side; other drivers, myself included, slowed to a turtle’s pace. I lifted my visor to see better, but was splashed by a passing car. All I could do was chuckle and forge steadily onward through the wet and chaos another 25 meters or so until I was out of harm’s way and could pull off to the shoulder safely. I waited anxiously for my riding buddy, whose bike had stalled, and then we got the hell out of there back to blue skies and dry roads.

  We made it to Kamloops by late afternoon. After checking in and locking up our bikes, I had a brief swim in the outdoor pool before heading over to the Boston Pizza nearby for dinner and a well-deserved beer. The next morning, we ate at White Spot, fueled and very leisurely rode to Shuswap Lake Provincial Park. We were the first to pitch our tent in the group campground so we rode to the beach but didn’t stay long once the rain reappeared.
     Rather than return to an empty wet camp, we rode a little farther past the park to the Copper Island Pub for some grub and a drink and space and time to relax and chat with the staff.

The next day, we opted for a short group ride to the Dreamcycle Motorcycle Museum a few kilometers east of Sorrento on the Trans Canada Highway (#1). The Museum charges $10 if you want to get a close look at the vintage bikes and includes an assortment of Norton, BSA, Harley Davidson, some Japanese made racing bikes and only a couple Triumphs, which was a little disappointing for me as a Triumph owner. The Museum has a store, of course, and a decent cafe and was worth the visit not only for the trip down memory lane, but also for the delicious carrot cake and coffee.

     That night, there was a large group ride from camp through Blind Bay to the Log N’ Hearth Restaurant overlooking the Shuswap Lake Estates Golf & Country Club where all twenty-five of us enjoyed a buffet dinner outdoors, reconnected with old acquaintances and gained new ones all while surrounded by beautiful hills under a setting sun.
     The ride home the next day was a challenge. We ate a banana and a few leftover raspberries purchased two days prior, gulped down a coffee at the store located just outside the park entrance, fueled in Scotch Creek and then twisted the throttle, determined to make it home as fast, and as safely, as we could. Not surprisingly, after 350 kilometers, around Abbotsford in the mid-afternoon sun, I was becoming quite sleepy and pulled into the rest stop that I knew was there. I had to close my eyes and have a cat nap of five or ten minutes, wash my face and rehydrate before I could get back on the bike and complete the journey safely. I know my body and find it extremely difficult to ward off fatigue except by doing what I did.
     According to the Quebec Societe de l’assurance automobile, fatigue is the 3rd leading cause of death on the road! It’s dumb to have an “iron butt” if it means riding while tired when you shouldn’t. It’s like riding impaired. Why aspire to be a member of organizations like the Iron Butt Association which requires you to complete at least “the saddlesore” ride of 1000 miles in a period of 24 hours or less when doing so could kill you? Likewise, ride with a buddy who will also ride at your pace or you both may be  better off riding alone. Happily for us, we began and ended the ride together and in one piece.
      For more photos related to this Shuswap Lake Provincial Park Trip, please click on my profile above and view the album.