2007 CVO Rally in the Canadian Rockies
Phase II
15-22 JUL 2007

On Sunday we met up with about eight other bikes and rode through the North cascades, NP to the Grand Coulee Dam.  There we became a group of about twenty bikes.  We toured the Dam twice, once on Sunday night and then again on Monday Morning since we did not get an early start.  We made it to Nelson, British Columbia around 5pm where we met up with the rest of the group of more than fifty bikes.  We stayed there for four nights with great daytrips including ferries, waterfalls and a stop at a Motorcycle Campground for a party.  By this time, my taillights looked more like a neon sign or flashers on a Christmas tree doing all kinds of weird things.  While on the ride Tuesday, I called ahead to the HD shop in Kamloops, BC and asked them to order a rear wiring harness and probably a new set of shocks.  I told them that we would be there by 1pm on Friday.  We continued on some beautiful rides the next few days but I traveled cautiously with the issue in the read end of the bike.

Friday Morning, we left for Kamloops with one other rider as backup at 5:30am.  After seeing a Wolf and then a huge black bear along the way, we pulled into the Kamloops HD shop around 12:30.  They had received the parts and took the bike right in.  We walked the mile or so to the hotel, checked in, then went to get a beer.  The dealer called about 4 to tell me that the harness was replaced but that the shocks were fine, it was a fender bracket that was broken.  Fortunately, they had a spare in stock and were able to make repairs.  When I returned to the dealer, the rest of the Nelson group was there buying shirts.  I rode back to the hotel feeling relief that the problem was found after SIX HD shops looked at the bike.

Saturday we rode from Kamloops to Jasper, Alberta as a group of about twelve bikes and we no longer squealed over bumps.  We checked in the hotel and then took a trip to Maligne Lake about 40 spectacular miles away.  The mountains here are just amazing.  When we returned to the hotel, I noticed that the saddlebag bracket was missing its bolt, one of two bolts that hold the bag on.  The dealer in Kamloops had to have these off and probably didn't tighten this one.  So I take three zip ties and feed them through the bolt hole and secure the bag.  We were able to pack this bag light the next day since we would not be at another HD shop until Calgary on Monday.  Sunday morning we made our way to Banff with a stop at the Columbia Ice fields and Glacier.  This was by far, the most beautiful 200 mile stretch of the entire trip.