Day 13 – Bow Island, AB – Cypress Hills provincial park, SK “Dead bike, coyote and The road from hell!”
Gas Bought: 5.066L @ $1.129 = $5.72
Km’s traveled: 252km
Overall average: 25.3km/hr
Moving average: 39.7km/hr
Total time: 9hr 57min
Moving time: 6hr 20min
Stopped: 3hr 36min
Everything started out find and well today. It was a hot sunny day, everything was powered up, I had a good pancake and coffee breakfast. The scooter started up first try, I got a early start to the day, over all it was turning out to be a great day… until I started driving, you know one of those day you wish you would of just stayed in bed, well this was one of those days. And at least if I had stayed in bed I wouldn’t be bleeding right now…
So leaving Bow Island, I made it to Seven Persons, AB and took a right down road 887 towards Orion. As soon as I turned the bike started stalling out and chugging as if it wasn’t getting enough gas. I pulled over, stopped, checked the gas, which was fine, over half a tank still. So I gave the bike 10minuents before trying to start it up again. When I went to restart the bike there was a little bit of a problem but nothing big. I hoped on and was off again, but for some reason I had a hard time clocking 50 going down a little hill, usually this is no problem. Well it was only a few Km’s after the bike dropped in power again and now would not do past 41km/hr. I knew for sure there was a problem now, but not a clue what it could be. At this point I’m now half way between Seven Persons, AB and Orion, AB. With not a thing around except farm land.
And it happens… Complete engine failure, no go go juice left. Shes flat lined. I have no choice but to pull off onto the side of the road and hope its nothing major, considering I’ve only seen 2 cars on this entire road so far. The girl couldn’t have broke down in a much worse spot that day. Below are some photos where the bike broke down.
I’m just going to take a moment and try to paint you a picture… The sun is shinning its close to 31 Degrees out, barely a cloud in the sky. Here I am, Miles from anything but farm land, on a road that doesn’t seem to get used much. With a broken Scooter that I have no clue on whats wrong or how to fix it. No cell service, and now I have the bike half apart looking for any lose wires. Finding everything tight and in place (that I could tell anyways), I didn’t know what else to do. 30 minuets or so went by and I figured I’d try the fuses. It’s the only other thing I could try, that I knew of. I just so happened to have extra spare fuses in the fuse box without even knowing it. After replacing all the fuses, I started the bike and to my surprise it started, no problem, So I took it for a little ride down the road and back a few times to make sure it was going well, and it was. I brought the bike back to where it broke so I could load everything back up and be on my way again. While I was reloading the bike, something caught my attention. From the corner of my eye, I could see something getting closer in the ditch so I looked over and, there I am having a stare down with a dog about 2 meters away. Well at first I thought it was a dog until I looked a little harder and realized it was a coyote. Putting the last bag on the bike, my only thoughts are I really want to get out of this area…Now! I didn’t even tighten the bike bags or my helmet. I hoped on the bike once I knew the bags would at least stay on and booted it down the road doing a good 50km/hr. I pulled over several hundred feet down the road to secure the bags and my helmet. Then deciding to get some more spare fuses just in case these ones were used. I checked my GPS for the closest Honda powerhouse dealership, which turned out to be in Medicine Hat. So backtracking back to Seven Persons and taking highway 3 right into Medicine Hat was my best bet.
Arriving into Medicine Hat, I came across a Yamaha sales shop and figured I’d try there, where I was going right by. As it turned out, I was in luck, they had fuses that would fit my bike. Too bad it was the WORST service I’ve experienced in all of Canada and usually I don’t like mechanizing names but the service here just went from bad to worse, and I will never go back to that location in my life, and I’ll pay other people to stay as far away as you can from Southland Powersports Ltd on Highway 3 (3142 Gershaw Drive SW) in Medicine Hat, Alberta. An ordeal later I finally had my 2 $5 fuses and was back on the road, quite pissed at the service I just had, but not letting it get the rest of my day down.
I seen a Tim Hortons I had to pass and as you know if your a timmies fan, you can’t pass a timmie’s without stopping in for a coffee. While enjoying my coffee, I seen a canadian tire store, deciding I needed a new tent after the Little fish provincial park storm I went in to see what they had. To my surprise they had a 6person 2 room tent on sale for $65, not exactly the tent I want, and way to big, I buy it anyways. I have no clue where or how I will fit it on the bike where its already loaded down and I need to find a post office soon to get rid of some things I’m no longer using and have collected thus far.
From Medicine Hat I took Highway 41 down to Range road 100 (also known as road 515 in Alberta and the 724 in Saskatchewan) Towards Maple Creek, SK.
Let me welcome you all to the… ROAD FROM HELL!
THE ROAD FROM HELL!
This part is dedicated to the next 100km’s of the scooter trip on “The Dirt Road from Hell”.
Coming up to the exit for Road 515 I was really was hoping it was not the long dirt road just infront of me. I could see it was not a well packed dirt road, quite a bit of thick loose gravel, not good for only 2 wheels. 10 minuets in and it happens I’m laying on the road. The last thing I can recall is I was only doing 35 when all of a sudden I hit this really soft patch of loose rock and started fishtailing, before I could pull out of it I was down. Thankfully I wasn’t injured, only some minor cuts and a bit of blood shed.
Shaking the cob webs out of my head, I was back on the road 5 minuets later, after making sure everything was ok and still secure. The going on this road was slow and ruff, most of the time I couldn’t go faster then 35 without risking flipping the bike. This road was turning out to be hell and I was only a quarter of the way done.
Finally hitting the Saskatchewan border about 50km in on this dirt road from hell, I start fishtailing again, but I’m able to pull out of it at the last moment thankfully. Not long after I decided to break for a few minuets and here was my view, looking back towards Alberta.
The Road From Hell
Range road 100
Finally half this road down, only another 2 hours left on “the road from hell” then I’ll be back on pavement. Coming up to a tee in the road, I seen my second other vehicle on this road so far. It was a truck with a farmer and his helper inside, they called me over. They couldn’t believe I was out on that road on a scooter, they first thought it was a motorbike and not a scooter. Once they found out where I was going and the route the GPS had planned, they informed me of a better way to get to Cypress Hills Provincial Park, take “the road from hell” all the way into Maple Creek, SK then highway 21 south to Cypress Hills, instead of the zig-zag dirt road pattern my crappy GPS had planned. The farmer and his helper had just finished supper and were heading about 5km’s down the road to do some more combining in his field when they came across me. After telling them of the trip and them asking if I needed anything and if I had enough water and money they were off to work. I was beginning to wonder if I was ever going to hit paved road again, not by the looks of it here in the middle of nowhere, then all of a sudden the dirt road ends and I see my sign for highway 21. I don’t know what made me happier, the fact the day was almost done or that I was finally off the road from hell.
You recall earlier how I said today is one of those days you just wish you would of stayed in bed? Well ya the problems are not over yet…
Almost as soon as I turned south on highway 21, the bike decided to go south too. All of a sudden the bike slowed back down to 40km/hr then a whopping speed of 25km/hr with the headwinds.
Park pic.
I finally arrived at the park 30 minuets before they were closing. Cold, tired, fustrated with the bike and day. I booked two nights camping here which cost $14 for a 2day park permit and $30 for 2 nights of camping.