Ride: Barkerville Trip

Barkerville Trip Photo Album Link

My 1^st ever backcountry bike adventure with friend Cory leading the way from his place in 108 Mile Ranch to Wells & Barkerville & back.

The ride started out Sunday July 26 in rain up to Merritt via Hwy 1 & 5, then up the old Quilchena Hwy 5A to Shumway Lake to meet up with cos’ Pat who was attending a BC Water-ski event as the first aid officer.  I had delayed departure until 11 am in hope of the rain subsiding, but no such luck.  Arrived about 3 pm to find them packing up the last of the supplies.  Evelyn (Pat’s girlfriend) headed for home shortly afterwards to leave Pat & I to get caught up & ride. 1^st time seeing his recently acquired 2009 Buell Ulysses XB12XT…red of course, as the only colour motorcycle he has ever owned….we ride to Kamloops & overnight at the Holiday Inn in Tranquille awaiting the arrival of friend Cory flying in from YVR the next morning on his way home to 108 Mile Ranch after his work rotation with Jazz Air at YVR.  We breakfast together, then Cory drives home while Pat & I ride up to Sun Peaks, then visit with cos’ Jim & Pam Massey in Heffley Creek.  We continue up Hwy 5 to Little Fort & stop at the High Five Diner, at the urge of cos’ Jim, to sample their famous deep dish pies….definitely a must stop for any pie lover J….we pack a whole pie (½ apple, ½ cherry) into my top box for dessert at Cory & Val’s tonight.  We enjoy a quick pace along Hwy 24 climbing west up to the Cariboo plateau past Emar Lakes, Birch Lake, Lac des Roches, Bridge Lake & Sheridan Lake to Hwy 97, then north to 100 Mile House for a quick stop at the liquor store just before 6 pm closing to add a bottle of Sailor Jim’s Spiced Rum (Cory’s favourite) to the bounty for the Kilik House in 108 Mile Ranch.

Cory & Val, the ever hospitable hosts, treat us to dinner & lodging.  Pat heads off home in the morning to repack for the next day ride to Seafair in Seattle & Cory & I depart on my epic 1^st ever backcountry ride through the heart of BCs mid 1800s Gold Rush Country & historical locations.  We head 12 km up Hwy 97 to Lac La Hache & depart the pavement for a 321 km romp over a variety of Forest Service Roads that put us on a NE path through Horsefly & Likely enroute to Wells/Barkerville.  Our first FSR is Timothy Lake Road, then Spout Lake Road past Rail Lake & the Tee-ee-ah Lodge near Spout lake, then Mile 108 Horsefly Road past McIntosh Lakes & my 1^st experience with freshly graded gravel which proves to be rather unnerving as my behemoth ADV bike squirms around like on marbles.  Cory’s KTM 530 Exec, which is less than ½ the weight of my Super Tenere, with custom spec suspension & tire combo just glides along giving no sense of drama from my vantage point behind…me thinks Cory’s 53 years of off-road riding & racing experience demonstrates the disparity in our skill sets with an average speed that was 10 – 15 kph faster than mine despite my sense this is a leisurely pace by his standards…..he would disappear around a corner & I would eventually catch up with him as he waits for me.  If I saw a dust plume as I rounded a corner or rose over a ridge I was not too far behind, otherwise I relied on his fresh tire tracks for what line to follow & encouragement that he had not abandoned me for bear or cougar fodder & that I was still going the right direction.  Cory is patient & encourages me along providing tips on technique that I would try to remember to practice throughout the day…but just when I thought I was getting a handle on 1 thing the road would cough up something new for me to adapt to.  We lowered tire pressure several times finally settling in on 20 psi front 26 psi rear vs road pressures of 33/42 psi which allowed entire tread surface contact & improved the feel, stability & traction substantially as I reprogrammed my brain to the wiggle & squirming around of the bike beneath me.  On stable hard packed surfaces I was amazed at the pace that could be maintained & the ability of the Super Tenere’s suspension & lowered pressure tires to soak up the potholes, ruts & irregular surfaces…I played with different suspension settings via the electronic adjustment, but settled on rider + luggage preload & soft damping + touring throttle map (slower throttle response than sport) & level 2 traction control (some spin permitted)…ABS can not be turned off, but it never caused any ill braking, even on loose gravel & rocky downhill sections….in hindsight, the ability for the front tire to keep rolling vs locking up in certain situations likely helped keep the bike upright.  Cornering on rocky loose downhill surfaces will command your entire focus & put a pucker in your sphincter as you & 875 lbs of machine drift wide on a trajectory off the road L  Call it fools luck or sheer determination, but despite a rookie off-road skill set I wrestled her through the challenging stuff keeping the rubber side down & on the road the entire ride…but let’s not discuss my mental, physical & emotional state which became more obvious for Cory to see as the day progressed during day 1…out of kindness he offered the option of pavement return trip at the end of the day. Cos’ Pat had definitely made the right decision to decline our invite to join us with his 17” wheeled street biased Buell as quickly changing off-road conditions are best handled with purpose built bikes with appropriate wheels/tires, suspension & geometry….experienced pilots definitely an asset….mantra for the day was “slow & steady with appropriate momentum” in corners & on loose stuff.

We continued on to Horsefly, then picked up Horsefly Quesnel Lake Road which became Mitchell Bay Road & had lunch at Horsefly River Flats Recreation Area with its bucolic river bank setting that provided a well timed break & change of focus….it is definitely true that we can be surrounded by all manner of beauty & be totally unaware because of tunnel vision…I’m learning to appreciate my mid-life short term memory loss J. Refreshed we continue on & were treated to spectacular vistas over Quesnel Lake, then took Horsefly Likely Forest Service Road & Likely Road to Likely where we stopped for pics of the refurbished Likely Pub.  Continuing on the Keithley Creek Road along Cariboo Lake we climb over the pass on Barkerville Road past Yanks Peak & French Snowshoe Peak where it becomes Peak Road skirting by Middle & Roundtop Mtns dropping down to Mathew Valley Road & into Barkerville for a memento pic in front of the Barkerville sign, then into Wells & gas up & check into the Wells Hotel (1930’s) just as it starts to rain.  After 321 km & 5+hours I was mentally & physically fatigued…bring on dinner, that roof top hot tub & numerous rum & cokes J. Amazingly, the Super Tenere got 59.2 mpg (21.1 km/litre) with mostly 3,4,5 gear riding…almost identical to Cory’s KTM.

Despite heavy rains most of the night we would be treated to a spectacular day for our return trip which had us ride a slightly different route most of it.  We spend a few hours at Barkerville then start on Mathew Valley Road & detoured to GhostLake Falls where we met a guy that went to Centennial High school in Coquitlam when Cory was there & he suggested a must stop at the Chocolate Mouse Café up ahead…..back to Mathew Valley Road which became 8400 Road & stopped at the Chocolate Mouse Café at Cameron Ridge where we were treated to incredible desserts & vistas to Mtns Mathew, Youngren & Spranger….go figure finding this way out here!  The riding is fast paced along the 8400 Road & the east side of Cariboo Lake & River to just north of Likely where we pick up the Rosette Lake Road then detour on the Quesnel River Road to the historical site of Quesnel Forks.  We peruse through the Cemetery & remains of Quesnel Forks which like Barkerville & most of the Gold Rush communities of the mid 1800s had a strong Asian history.  Today’s route bypassed the 2 roads that were most challenging for me yesterday which allowed me to relax & focus on techniques that made this a more enjoyable day with many sections that were outright fun….hmm, will have to look into better off-road tires like the ContinentalTKC 80s or HeidenauScout 60s when I get home…as Cory stated, they make the single biggest difference to the bike’s handling & your safety & at normal road speeds you don’t pay much of a price in handling on pavement.  The luggability of the heavy flywheeled Super Tenere really comes into its own off-road where keeping revs low & riding a gear up aid traction & smoothness….she pulls cleanly from idle in the 1^st 4 gears….chugga, chugga, chugga just like a good dirt bike should with its 270/450 degree uneven firing order that mimics a v-twin more than the parallel twin she is.  We didn’t see many other vehicles but Cory’s tip on not cutting corners & keeping in the outside track of your side of the road was a nugget when you rounded a corner or came over a rise to find an oncoming vehicle.  Because it was getting late & Cory wanted to avoid the freshly graded road from yesterday we opt for Likely Road which part way became paved all the way back to 150 Mile House.  At the start of the pavement we pumped the tires back to street pressures & from 150 Mile House we road Hwy 97 under a huge full moon & arrived back at Cory’s in twilight.  Another full day of adventure on bikes & I have to concur with my tour guide & friend…it doesn’t get much better than that J

The next morning washed the grime & dirt off the bike & headed for home south on Hwy 97 at 11 am…lost 45 min in road construction north of 70 Mile House, then smooth sailing the rest of the way.  West on Hwy 99 at Hat Creek Ranch through Marble Canyon, past Pavilion Lake & following the Fraser River on down to Lillooet as the temps climbed to 36*. This well maintained gently undulating 2 lane is a respite for road enthusiasts, particularly the scenic portion tracing the Fraser River from high above into Lillooet. The Duffy Lake Road, a favourite of bikers as BCs Destination Hwys #2 rated road, is smooth pavement now all the way from Lillooet to Pemberton.  At 5 pm on a Thursday long weekend the eastbound Upper Levels Hwy in North Vancouver was bumper to bumper from Lonsdale Avenue on, so diverted down to Low Level Road & home by 6 pm.  1,889 km round trip, average fuel mileage was 55.7 mpg (19.7 km/litre) with a high of 60.2 mpg (21.3 km/litre) on the final leg home…that would give a 480 km range!  It’s official, I’ve been indoctrinated into the big bore adventure bike fraternity…hmmm, I wonder where that gravel road goes?