Chilcotin Country

June 21, 2016 / Adam Barhan / Leave a comment

For the long weekend I decided to check out the Chilcotin area and Cariboo region that I have heard so much about. With no real plan other than to see the Gang Ranch and end up in Bella Coola, BC I headed north.

Day 1

Seattle to Hurley Pass BC

Pulled out of Seattle around 3pm and headed North on I5 to Sumas to drop off a jacket that I sold. After the exchange and stop at Tim Horton’s I headed north on 99 with a burger in Pemberton in my sights. Stopped at the favorite eatery in Pemberton, The Wood, for a delicious burger before grabbing some beverages for the evening. I Headed out Pemberton Meadows to attack the Hurley before it got too dark, with the long days there was plenty of time to get over the pass. After summiting and starting the descent I pulled off and camped just over the summit along the river. Great remote spot with amazing views. After a few BC brews to dull the thought of becoming a bear snack, I passed out to the sound of the glacier fed river near the tent.

Day 2

Hurley Pass to Gang Ranch

Got up at a decent hour, made some coffee and Spam breakfast burritos before heading out of camp on the first real morning. The road down to Gold Bridge is pretty tame, allowing you to take in the ample views on the way down. After crossing the river in Gold Bridge there is a section of surprisingly good pavement almost all the way to the dam at Carpenter Lake. I watched the crew at the dam picking up driftwood for a while then headed in to Lillooet to refuel and grab some snacks for lunch. Headed north out of town to W Pavilion Rd and set the GPS to the Big Bar Ferry. By this time it was 1pm and the last ferry run was at 6PM if I recall, so I had plenty of time. As the canyon started to open up to some amazing views so did the sky making for some baby shit like conditions on the road. The baby shit definitely slowed progress on the 1200 but nonetheless made it to the ferry in plenty of time. The canyon heading in is quite the sight to see, so much wildlife and many views along that stretch. Boarded the cable ferry and spoke with the captain during the crossing, what a guy. He has seen some shit. Took the road out of the canyon, once across the ferry and headed toward the ranch. The road traverses some farm land and huge grazing ranches across an abundance of cattle guards. The slick conditions continued, dry and fast in some and slick as hell in others. After almost going down while hauling ass around a super slick corner I decided to take it slow since I hadn’t seen anyone pass in a while. Might be sitting in agony for a while if I kept up my shenanigans. Crossed the Gang Ranch bridge and setup camp on one the bluffs looking over the river. It was an epic place to camp. While it’s not an “Approved” campsite I was way out of sight and took care to leave it untouched when I left. Didn’t see anyone the whole night other than cattle which made sleeping a bit easier. The mindset was that cows would be an easier and tastier target for the bears than a stinky dude on a bike.

Day 3

Gang Ranch to Bella Coola

Waking up on the ranch was epic! After coffee and breakfast I headed out of the ranch and set the sights on Farewell Canyon. The rain held off for most of the morning so it was a quick trip out. Sent the drone up and got some epic aerials of the canyon surround area. This area is worth the trip alone! Took in all the cool scenery I could as it rained and headed north to find some fuel. Fuel is a little short in these parts but the little reservations usually have it if you have CAD cash. After fueling up I headed west to Bella Coola. The highway there is pretty uneventful till you get to Tweedsmuir park which is gorgeous and fairly untouched. After leaving the park you start to head over “The Hill” which is the pass that leads down to town. Bella Coola being much smaller than I expected the food selection was not great but I found a spot to grab a burger and a shower was in order so got a hotel for the night. Headed down to the marina after dinner and grabbed some shots around dusk of the old cannery. BC has a ton of interesting maritime history. Got some Kokanee’s from the hotel, showered and hit the sack.

Day 4

Bella Coola to Watch Lake

Packed up and headed out after a quick continental breakfast at the hotel. Today was mostly back tracking the previous day so not much to report other than a bear sighting in the park. Stopped in Williams Lake to get some provisions for the night and enjoyed the great sunset with a campfire at Watch Lake.

Day 5

Watch Lake to Home
Loaded up the bike one last time and headed south with home in sight. The weather was great and the roads were nice. Boston Bar, Hell’s gate and riding along the river were fantastic. Sent the drone up one last time at one of the overlooks and got some good river footage. From Hope BC to home is pretty uneventful but provides a good transition back to the day to day routine.

All in all was a great trip that is worth going back to see. I would cut out the long trip out to the coast since other than the park it is pretty uneventful. The ranch and canyon is amazing and I will be back to explore further. END OF REPORT

A Short Trip North

October 23, 2015October 26, 2015 / Adam Barhan / Leave a comment

Day 1 Everett, WA to Williams Lake, BC

When some plans fell though on another trip the gang and I settled on plans to head north and see as much as we could in 9-10 days, and boy did we. We headed out from western Washington mid-day on a Friday, blasted the interstate to the US-Canada border after a quick lunch stop in Bellingham for cash and Port of Subs. Soon after crossing the boarder the weather turned to stifling as we sweated our way through the city core of Vancouver before heading up the Sea to Sky Highway to Whistler. After the fast S turns of the Sea to Sky we stopped for a quick water break in Whistler before setting out sights on Lillooet for the next fuel stop. Since this was all familiar territory we wanted to make it as far north as possible to keep the future days more manageable. Continue reading →

WABDR section from Ellensburg to Cashmere WA

November 3, 2014 / Adam Barhan / Leave a comment

Paved roads head north from Ellensburg toward Table Mountain and Lion Rock Lookout in Wenatchee National Forest. High elevation and twisty dirt roads with views of the Central Cascade Mountains make this a very enjoyable section. From Lion Rock to Beehive Reservoir the route is stunning, rugged and remote. The path at 6,000 feet along Table Mountain provides views to the west. From there the road traverses a ridgeline with spectacular views of Devil’s Gulch and the Columbia River to the North. The route passes nearby Beehive Reservoir before descending the Mission Creek Valley to the town of Cashmere. Tracks and more information can be found at the Washington Backcountry Discovery Route website at http://www.wabdr.com

Ride up West Harrison Lake, BC

October 11, 2014October 11, 2014 / Adam Barhan / Leave a comment

A ride north up the west side of Harrison Lake. Trip was planned to head to the Gang Ranch but was cut short by a sidewall blowout. Bikes in the video are 2 2014 R120GS, 2013 G650GS and a 2013 F700G. We left out of Seattle Saturday morning, hit the hot springs and camped then proceeded to Pemberton. Had to tow one of the bikes back to Vancouver to pick up a new tire, then proceeded home Tuesday afternoon. Most of the video was shot on a Sony helmet cam, GoPro or an iPhone. All photos taken on an iPhone 6plus.

Weekend ride to Port Townsend and Deception Pass

November 12, 2013November 12, 2013 / Adam Barhan / Leave a comment

The weekend started with a short ride to Mukilteo after work on Friday to catch this cool sunset.

Saturday Morning we started with doughnuts at a local favorite Karls Bakery here in Everett before we headed north through the Tulalip reservation. We stopped for lunch in LaConnor and ate at the brewery, would pass it up in the future and hit up Calico Cupboard Cafe, it smelled great. We left out of there and continued north to Deception Pass State Park.

After the quick photo op on the bridge we pressed south down Whidby Island. Almost timing it perfectly we hit some light ran about 2mi from the ferry. Another successful 185mi on BigBoi.

Sunday Morning we got up and headed to Ballard for breakfast at Portage Bay Cafe. AMAZING. I would pass on the smoked salmon hash do to the abundance of carrots, weird to me for breakfast, and get the baked French Toast.

After we ate we strolled over to the locks where they were cleaning, pretty cool sight.

Short clip on the ride into Port Townsend from the Kingston Ferry. Riding past Port Gamble, Port Ludlow and ending in Port Townsend. On the way back we stopped and toured and tasted fresh farm cider at Finn River Farm. Great Veterans day ride. Still working on a good video set up for a long trip down the coast this summer, any tips for bike mounts/techniques are appreciated. Thanks

Ride around the North Cascade Loop

October 20, 2013October 24, 2013 / Adam Barhan / Leave a comment

Gassing up Big Boi before the 400mi trip around the loop. Breakfast at Sultan Bakery was great, too much food but good. After stuffing ourselves and gassing up we pressed though the fog over Stevens Pass and over to Leavenworth where it was apparently Oktoberfest.