Canada & USA | July 2023 |
This was my first cross-border road trip on the not-so-trusty KLR - Salmon Arm BC to Portland OR via White Salmon WA. After a recent fuel pump implosion (explosion actually...) and with ongoing engine sputtering issues, I wasn't sure if the machine was up for the task. But I was willing to take the risk. And it worked out well as the beast ran like a dream for most of the trip and in US in particular.
The main impetus of the journey was that Mosko Moto - with their incredible customer support and customer experience - had made me a great offer on a replacement Reckless 80 set of luggage. Along with that, I also had my heart set on acquiring their state-of-the-art Mosko Nomax tank bag. So I hit purchase and submitted the order. Though I considered having these items shipped to me in BC, with associated duty and shipping costs, I decided to ride to the source, Mosko HQ in White Salmon WA, stay at their Bates Mototel campsite, and collect the gear at their fulfillment center in nearby Portland. It turned out to be a great decision.
Day 1: Salmon Arm to Daroga State Park
I set off from Salmon Arm under the premise that if the KLR kept running poorly I would turn back before I hit the US border at Osoyoos BC, 3-hour away. And it did start running terribly - but I kept going. Interestingly, right after I crossed the border, I filled up at an Indian reservation gas station that offered "Unleaded" (one grade only), and lo and behold, thereafter, the sputtering problem was gone (and continued to be gone for the entire time I was in the US (no Enthanol?). I rode on to Daroga State Park, and camped beside the Columbia River, $12 - very nice!
Ride: 425 km / 6 hrs
Stay: Daroga State Park / $12 / 5/5
Day 2: Daroga to White Salmon
Continued on to Wenachie, where I continued on the the 97 highway (same as I started on in Salmon Arm), a nice ride over a mountain pass. Then it was back into dry desert country, the same as the Okonagan Valley in BC and WA, with some good views of a few of the 11 volcano peaks in WA/OR, along with endless expanses of wind farms. Then it was back to the Columbia, where the wind was extreme, nearly blowing me off the road (no surprise - that stretch of river is one of the world's great windsurfing locales). Followed the river to White Salmon, where I stopped to get my bearings in town and realised I was parked out front of Mosko HQ! After a quick look around it was on to the Bates Moteotl to set up camp at thier excellent site.
Ride: 395 km / 5 hrs
Stay: Bates Mototel / $0 / 6/5
Day 3: White Salmon to Portland (and back)
This was a fast freeway ride from Hood River on the Oregon side, with (too) many semi trucks on the road. I bypassed Portland in either direction, straight in/out of the Mosko warehouse, where I set up the new Reckless 80 system in the parking lot, strapping it on top of the old version - "double-bagged" you could say. Got some decent views of Mt Hood and Wakheena Falls on the ride. On the way back I took a drive around Hood River, across the river from White Salmon, it looked like a cool town and wish I could have checked it out a bit more - next time.
Ride: 200 km / 3 hrs
Stay: Bates Mototel
Day 4: White Salmon to Salmon Arm
After a truly awesome 2-night stay at the Bates Mototel, I planned to ride back into BC and camp 1-night, probably at Osoyoos, just across the border. But, instead, I powered on through 800 km and rode all the way back to Salmon Arm. Surprisingly, I didn't get a shakedown at Canadian customs, they waved me right through. And interestingly, after I gassed up at Esso back in BC, my engine sputtering issue started again....
Ride: 800 km
My route and stops
Basically, it was same route, there and back.
Click the "window" at the top-left on the map for more details of rides per day.