Hot to start, moist to finish.

2026 Day 1 & 2 – Leah

We hadn’t done as much packing throughout the week and the day before our trip as we normally do, so Saturday morning started off with lots of organizing and list-checking as we packed up. Keith wanted to be on the road by 10am, we were pulling out of the gas station in Beaumont at 10:45am…so not too bad. The Edmonton area was FINALLY getting some actual summer weather and the day was properly hot as we left. We both decided to start the trip with just our vests rather than the extra layer of jackets. Keith did have one bike trip where he did not have to put on a jacket or rain gear, it would be amazing to repeat that. Spoiler alert: we already haven’t hit either of those goals.

Our exit from Beaumont and West to the Yellowhead highway was uneventful, the most excitement was dodging the potholes and Keith dealing with the ruts in the highway pulling the trailer around a bit. This is the first trip for Keith’s bike (Roberto) with a new heart. The surgery Keith did over the winter worked well and he has plenty of power, but Roberto does seem to be extra thirsty since the work. I’m sure Keith will elaborate more when he is posting next. We did a quick fuel stop in Edson, (16 litres for Roberto, and 10 litres for Betsy) the road surface improved and then we made our first stop at one of our favourite breweries; Folding Mountain Brewing just outside of Hinton. We had a quick bite to eat at Folding Mountain, and then stopped for fuel again in Jasper. Jasper was busy with tourists. It’s great to see the town picking up business after the wildfire that destroyed so much of it.

The weather continued to be warm as we headed West of Jasper, Keith had checked the radar map and it looked like maybe…perhaps we could get to our first stop in Valemount without hitting the rain. Alas, we hit rain. We both were cautiously optimistic that the grey in the sky was “just” wildfire smoke, the grey stuff then appeared to have streaks in it that told us they were in fact rain clouds. Keith found a good spot to pull over and we donned the rain gear. The rain was nice and warm, so no complaints as far as getting rained on goes! I did expect to get a bit of a razzing from Keith that we only got rained on for the last 45 minutes of our journey and it was mostly my fault that we left 45 minutes late. He was gentle and let it pass. I had booked a site at the Canoe River Campground just South of Valemount, we managed to change the spot to a site right on the river. It’s a large campground that has a rodeo grounds next door, an old mini-golf course, play areas for kids, and full RV hook ups. It’s a very peaceful site. The tent trailer (side note: I’ve decided the trailer needs a name also) got plenty of looks and a few people came to chat and check it out. We had a bit of rain as we were setting up, then a few showers throughout the evening. There was a little thunder and lighting, but nothing too dramatic. Sounds like Edmonton got a very dramatic storm last night. Good day to be away!

This morning we got the site packed, up I’d been checking in with by brother to get updates on the wildfire just South of them that could potentially close the highway that we were planning to take to get there. We started both bikes to let them warm up a bit before heading to Mom’s place for our next stop. I had Betsy idling, I went to get on and get moving but she stalled. Then she ALMOST started, but not quite. She was turning over, but not firing. Keith jumped into action to try to diagnose the issue, we thought it was potentially flooded. Keith pulled the spark plugs, they were not soaking wet as expected. He checked for spark, checked for fuel, called his Dad for a quick over the phone consultation. So handy having mechanics in the family! Ross suggested it may be bad fuel or water in the fuel. Then Keith remembered that we can look up trouble codes on the new speedo that Betsy has, he put her into diagnostic mode and the code was for a crank position sensor. This finding grounded us in the campground for another day. Today is Sunday so the two closest Harley dealerships and Prince George and Kamloops. Both are closed on Sunday and Monday. Go figure! Keith’s memory served him well yet again (dang that guy really needs a pat on the back today) and he mentioned that I am still a HOG (Harley Owner’s Group) life member and part of that membership is roadside assistance. We have a tow truck coming from Kamloops to pick up Betsy and take her to the dealership, we’ve stocked up food for dinner, and we will try again to get to Mom’s place tomorrow. Wish us luck!