Riding the breadth of Canada’s westernmost province.

I had a summer affair! With a Honda SCL500 Scrambler. My excuse? I needed to get to the Horizons Unlimited Travellers Meeting in Nakusp and my Honda NX250 was far away in Argentina, waiting to complete our Vancouver to Ushuaia trip.

Fortunately, Honda Canada lent me their stunning little scrambler, which, to my surprise, was brand new, with only 11 km on the clock. So I named her Baby. I couldn’t help myself: I always name my bikes. Excited, I took her for a test spin around Gastown and Stanley Park. First impressions? (Yes, they do count!) What a fun and easy ride. Comfortable riding position, effortless levers … this was going to be a fantastic bike for the trip.

The First Date

Loaded up and ready to roll, I followed the Lougheed Highway 7 out of Vancouver’s suburbs, through scenic farmland framed by hazy green mountains on either side. What better place for a first date than the Sasquatch Inn in Harrison Mills, a favourite hangout among bikers? Rows of gleaming Harleys were lined up in the car park and the shady patio was bustling with Sunday riders tucking into scrumptious pub grub.

Summer sure was here and I enjoyed the most glorious sunshine. In the afternoons, the riding wind was like a hairdryer at its hottest setting. So, after fuelling up, I sat in the shade for a while, treating myself to an ice cream. The petrol station attendant popped outside to check out the Honda SCL500.

“Beautiful bike!” 

Why does she get all the compliments? 

“Just like you,” he added almost like an obligatory afterthought. 

“Thanks!” I smiled — I’ll take what I can get, I suppose.

The scenic Crowsnest Highway 3 took me past fruit farms and wineries, and I couldn’t very well pass by without trying the local goodies. 

“I can’t do a tasting, but can I just buy a bottle of wine?” 

I waved my bike key at the man behind the counter. 

“Oh, do you do bike camping?” 

Turns out he’d just returned from a ride and was brimming with fun routes to recommend. We marked dozens of scenic roads and places to camp on my map while I picked out a bottle of red.

Lakeside Camping

That night I took a small farm road through golden meadows, pitched the tent at the edge of Burnell Lake and watched a turtle lay its eggs while I sipped vino until the sun went down.

There’s nothing like a bit of off-roading and a yummy coffee to blow out the cobwebs! I’d had a little sleep-in and was woken by the locals coming to check out my ride. The local cows, that is. The previous evening, in the…