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THERA S ’ P E A Rocky Mountain Adventure BY PATRICK LAMBIE
The Rocky Mountains provide a spectacular backdrop for any adventure.
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fter more than three decades of travelling together, the one trip that has eluded my wife Heidi and I is a motorcycle trip. In fairness, the fact that Heidi has no desire to ride on a motorcycle is a limiting factor. While I have always been accepting of her reluctance towards motorcycles, the inability to share the experience of travelling the country free of the confines of a car is one that I have long hoped to correct. With this goal resident in the back of my mind, a plan started to gradually formulate last year when Heidi willingly jumped on the back of a Can-Am Spyder RT Limited that I was testing for Inside Motorcycles. While she still was uneasy with this new-to-her proximity to the surrounding traffic, the perceived stability of three wheels vs. two gave her the confidence to join me for a ride. Planning kicked into high gear with the introduction of CanAm’s limited edition Spyder RT Sea to Sky model earlier this year. In addition to a stunning green paint colour dedicated to the natural foliage found along Hwy 99 as it ascends to Whistler, BC, the Sea to Sky model features every possible option including custom luggage designed to fit the saddlebags and front trunk, as well as a top case that can easily accommodate two full-face helmets, making it the perfect vehicle for a couple to tour with. Looking for a simple trip designed to appeal to Heidi, I took a page out of IM travel writer Bruce Thomas’ hub city playbook
34 Inside Motorcycles
and proposed a three-day trip using Canmore, AB as a base for exploring the Rocky Mountains. With its proximity to multiple destinations including Icefields Parkway and Jasper, Lake Louise and its year-round gondola, Hwy 93 towards Radium, and the Smith Dorian highway into Kananaskis, there are day rides to meet every style and level of riding. In addition to its great location, Canmore also has a large inventory of condo style hotels that cost the same as a hotel room in nearby Banff but offer full two- and three-bedroom units – complete with full kitchens – that are perfect for unwinding at after a day of riding. A call to Bellstar Resorts yielded a reservation at the Solara Resort and Spa, which in addition to being a short walk to all the downtown shops and restaurants, includes underground parking, perfect for keeping motorcycles protected from the weather and other unwanted elements. With plans firmly in place, the wildcard called weather reared its head in the days leading up to our planned ride with forecasts calling for cool temperatures and rain – lots of rain – falling on each and every one of the three scheduled days of riding. Despite serious consideration of cancelling our trip, the limited track record for accuracy in the local weather forecasts provided the confidence to proceed as planned and on a Friday afternoon in mid-June we set off from our home in Calgary
