RubiKon Adventures: Solo Beyond the Northern Hinterlands 2015: The Journey Begins

The Journey Begins

hin·ter·land
/ˈhin(t)ərˌland/
noun
plural noun: hinterlands

The often uncharted areas beyond a city or known area.
synonyms: backwoods, backwater, wilds, wilderness, bush, back of beyond, backcountry; informal sticks, middle of nowhere, boondocks, boonies; outback

This is a story on how I celebrated 50 years of living on this planet we call earth.

It is said that "those who stay put, the world is but an imaginary place". Not me, I live in the real world. The real world is beyond the cities, beyond your comfort zone, beyond your imagination, BEYOND THE HINTERLANDS. I had to go back to the north. I want validation, I needed to reconnect with all that is good, all that is natural, my soul waits for me there. Besides, it is not healthy to be well adjusted to a sick society.

Adding extra space where it counts before leaving

Leaving the RubiKon Ranch

A slice of heaven in Fountain Valley, BC
- Fraser River, Train Tunnel, Mountains, sheep.
The good stuff that makes leaving home all worth it.

First Camp at Greenlake, B.C. Damn it was a hot day!

Washing the days dirt and the sweat from the heat of the day.
A relaxing bath and sunset.

Moonlight to bath by

Something ghastly lives in these parts

Hey, that's me. Roll out the red carpet as well.

Robson Valley North of Blue River

Damn bike was sure heavy... Made the bridge lean a bit :-)

Valemount -"Vale amid the mountains"

Second Camp - Beaverview along the Fraser River (McBride, BC)

Roadside beauty

Close up... I'm the stop and smell the roses type traveler.

The following emails are real. A real throat grabber moment. I thought my trip had been severely interrupted. Read on and see how it all ends.

////////////////////////
-------- Original message --------
On Mon, Jun 29, 2015 at 12:04 PM,
Grizz Lee grizzlee@xxxxx wrote:
Restless night in camp. Didn't cool down until the am hours,
Fortunately, it is only 80 deg here in Prince George (PG). Much nicer than the blistering 100+ deg of the past couple of days. I‘m eating lunch at McD here in PG. Really good internet connection.
I saw 3 bears this morning. One tried to cross the road in front of me. He(she?) got 1/2 across and turned around (puzzled?). I got some nice video (I hope it looks good). It (the bear) stared at me for awhile before it decided I wasn't delicious enough to bother with.
I crawled into PG on fumes. My low fuel light was flashing for the last 50+ miles. Darn fuel gauge seems to be defective... and it was recalled last year. Go figure.
Will try and make it to Telkwa Lake (sp?) just shy of Smithers today. I've already done 150 miles or so. Very relaxing miles. I crossed the Goat and Bowron Rivers and then the Fraser when I pulled into PG.
Off to go get a couple disposable razors.. I thought I had packed them, but when I went to clean up last night... no razors :-( My helmet strap is catching my whiskers and causing a bit of discomfort when I turn my head to view the scenery.
In camp last night I met a couple who owns property on Chilcotin Lake out on the Chilcotin Plateau. They were surprised that I knew where it was. They were astounded when I told them where I have traveled out there. The asked how I manage fuel. Of course, with a 9 gal tank on the beast bike, gas isn't an issue. Picking it up after you fall is the problem though.
Enclosed is a picture from the Robson Valley. One of the few times I stopped in the heat to take a pic. Most times, I stopped to rest and ease the nausea feeling caused from the heat.
BTW: Crash has been the talking focal at nearly all my stops (Crash is a helmet wearing stuffed teddy bear that travels with me on the back of my bike). My license plate has also been a point of conversation (GRZLEE). Especially with the border crossing guard. He and his buddies got a laugh about it and the bears on the bike.
Shout out to Alex!!! Bike is running like a champ. Transmission is smooth as I ever recall, maybe better. Thanks!!!
Stay tuned for more as service allows....
-GrizzLee
"Solo Beyond the HinterLands 2015"
////////////////////////

All seem to be going well. Then.....

////////////////////////
-------- Original message --------
On Mon, Jun 29, 2015 at 2:35 PM,
Grizz Lee <grizzlee@xxxxx> wrote:
Not so fast....
Bike won't start. Stuck here in downtown PG. Local Harley shop is going look into it. Now I need to get the bike to their shop. They are hunting down a truck,
Ignition clicks, battery seems good. But who knows. Might be needing a new battery, Guess I will hole up here tonight. Arrrggghhhh!
Stay tuned....
////////////////////////

All's well that ends well.

////////////////////////
-------- Original message --------
From: Grizz Lee grizzlee@xxxxx)
Date: 06/29/2015 6:41 PM (GMT-08:00)
Subject: Re: Day 3: Prince George

Down but not out....
I felt like it the world series, bottom of the ninth, 2 outs, bases loaded and 2 strikes.
Just as the tow truck shows up I receive a phone call from Alex. He says to try to bump start the girl. We've got nothing left to lose. So the towing guy and I push the big girl to a side street. A local onlooker gets in to the action and before I know it, I'm traveling 20 mph without engine power. I pop the clutch in 3rd gear and WHAM!!! It works. I tip the tow guy 10 bucks (US $$$). Now, don't turn her off and get the big girl to the Harley dealer. Yes, you heard that "HARLEY". They service all bikes as there is no BMW dealer in PG. Apparently the civilized world hasn't arrived in Prince George yet :-)
Next another call from Alex... He says it is the starter. It has to be he says. He mentions that he has one. Now, how to get it here. The Harley shop calls around and can't get one for at least 6 days... no go. Alex say he can ship, but it will most likely get hung up in customs. To make things worse, Canada day is on Wed.... All shops close including the mail.. Lori comes to the rescue and says she'll drive the starter up here. AWESOME!!! She's on her way to pick up the starter. I'm at the Harley dealer and the bike won't start. We begin to check if there is power to the starter. We crawl under the bike.... what's this? Hmm, loose wire (scratches head!!). Let's see, is there a matching plug... YES!!! YES!!! YES!!! Gretchen starts right up. I pay the mechanic $40 for his help. I felt like such an IDIOT!!!!!
I was so stressed and it was late afternoon by now and the forecast was for rain. I am in no state of mind to ride on another 3 hours to go find a campground and possibly setup in the rain. Damn I am tired. The bike, the record BC heat and the high humidity beat me down. I am currently holed up in a room just outside of PG. I am thankful that it all turned out well.
I really like to thank everyone for their help and support. Thanks to Alex and Lori offering to go the distance to help me out.
I have many miles to go on my solitary journey. I have an even more appreciation for long distance solo travelers.
Ok... I am happy and exhausted.
Enjoy some pics of the Hinterlands... Felt more like the Gobi Dessert. Sheeeesh!!!!
-Grizz
"Solo Beyond the Northern Hinterlands 2015"
////////////////////////

That was close!!! I was able to recover and continue my journey north.