the second last day and the last post - Aug 12

So here we are in beautiful (not) Sudbury. We have driven pretty hard for the last two days and last night stayed in Schreiber ON (break out a map) and met the local liberal candidate for MP - more on that another time, not that exciting. Today we drove quite hard, but we have to say Lake Superior is beautiful, as was the whole drive through northern ON, a remarkable, and large place. This is us stopped by the lake.

In general we want to thank everyone who has followed the blog. It has been a blast for us, we hope it has for you too. Your comments and emails were all much appreciated. Also, not to jinx our last day, but we are the jet stream! We have had near perfect weather for the whole trip, and are pretty excited to bring it home to all of you.

Day 22 - Aug 10th

You got it, another long riding day. We left Regina early, stopped for breakfast in Grenfell SK, where they will be filming an episode of Little Mosque on the Prarie in two days, made brief stops in Brandon (to call Popeye) and Winnepeg, and made it all the way to Kenora ON. 830km, we are beat and heading out to eat. Pics to follow. This is pretty much what the praries look like, can you see the dog that has been running away for 6 days?
Happy Trails!

Day 21 - Aug 9th

A long ride today for the remaining four. We rode from Calgary to Regina SK, where we were very graciously hosted and accomodated by Terry and Margaret Malloy. Terry took us on a great tour of the city - for those of you who have not been there, it is beautiful. Pics to follow as Steve is now our official photographer and his pics haven't been downloaded to the computer yet.

Day 20 Aug 8th update

Rest day in Calgary at Ding and Dianne's, and some great touring through the city. It was Liam and Lynn's last day with us, as they are flying home tomorrow morning. This is a shot of the gang in our t-shirts that Alice got made for us. On the front they say our code name (you will have to ask one of us to see a shirt) Great North American Tour, and on the back we have written in the whole trip with fabric pens, a great memento! (l to r - David, Liam, Alice, Blake, Lynn and Steve)

Day 19 - Aug 7th update

A short hop today from Banff to Calgary via Canmore. We rode through Three Sisters which was spectacular (see pic). We ended up at Glen (Ding) and Dianne Farquhar's house in Calgary and did some touring of the city and had a great dinner!

Day 18 - Aug 6th - Blake, Liam, Alice and David's adventure

Blake, Liam, Alice and David decided to stay in Banff today and do the tourist thing, while Steve and Lynn went on to Calgary to visit friends. Banff has been outstanding today. We hiked up to the Bow Falls (see pic of Liam at the falls)and all the way up to Sulphur mountain. We took the gondola to the top of the mountain, an elevation of 7846 feet, and a great view of the Rockies. We then went to the hot springs and soaked for a while before beginning the 5km trek back to town. This was the most exercise we have done for some time, but we all feel great. We are going to use the very upscale pool /hot tub /steam room facilities for some relaxation, then out for a yummy dinner at one of the only CAA 5 diamond restaurants in Banff - we deserve it!!

Happy trails.

Day 17, Wed Aug 5th, update

Well today was the day we were all waiting for! We started off early and had a chilly ride from Valemount into Jasper for breakfast. We saw elk (see pic) and then moved on. We had a bit of a rainy and cold ride to the Columbia Icefields, but once there, things improved weather wise, and we were all awestruck. Liam and Steve braved climbing part of the glacier (see pic of Steve). For those of you who have driven it, Hwy 93 from Jasper to Banff is probably one of the most beautiful rides in the world. The mountains are completely awe inspiring, and we all loved the ride. We went to Lake Louise, and then on to Banff where we treated ourselves to a nice hotel and a great meal of local delicacies at a fine restaurant. All in all an amazing day.

Day 16 - Aug 4th

Greetings from beautiful Valemount BC, nestled between the Rockie, Monashee and Caribou mountain ranges. It is truly spectacular here, though a bit less warm due to our height. We came up the Yellowhead highway from Kamloops and are on our way to Jasper. This pic is of a friend we saw along the way.

Day 15 - Aug 3, Blake, Steve, Liam and Lynn's Adventure

we started out in osoyoos we travlled thruogh the okganagan valley through vernon up in to through Kelowna . We passed through lots of smoke from the forest fires in the okganagan valley . The temperature reached a high of 36 today. we ended up in kamloops. this pic is from the top of the mountain looking back at osoyoos.

Day 15 - Aug 3rd, David and Alice's adventure

Two different stories today. David and Alice decided to have a little sleep in and do some wine touring in the Okanagan today. We visited some lovely wineries in the southern Okanagan, went up Mission Hill which was beautiful we had a delicious lunch at Quail's Gate Winery. Now to all of you who told us how beautiful the Okanagan was, you did not exaggerate one bit, it is absolutely stunning, we went up Lake Okanagan, both sides, and it is spectaacular!! Our photographer was not with us, so no pics from us, but for those of you who know us, some goodies are being shipped home from wineries - we could not resist!
Happy Trails.

Day 15 - august 2nd

Greetings from Osoyoos BC, Canada's only desert, and the home of some of BC's finest wine country. We took our time and rode the Crow's Nest pass to Osoyoos. Not to make any of you jealous, but we had to stop riding just after 1pm because it was just too hot to continue. (36 deg). We are in a hotel with a great pool, all the rooms are courtyarded around it, and Liam, Steve and Alice took themselves down to Canada's warmest lake here and jumped off the bridge (apparently the thing to do). The pic is coming over the mountains into Osoyoos.

Happy Trails.

Day 14 update - August 1

Not wanting to leave Buckley Bay too soon we took our time in the morning and caught the ferry from Duke Point south of Nanaimo to Tsawwassen south of Vancouver. It was a great ferry ride, and we ended up in Abbostford and had a great BBQ at the home of the Doull family (Kathy and Matt and their awesome kids James, Michael and Eric - Liam had some great kid time which he appreciated). They made us feel most welcome and it was great to be in a house. The pic is a view from the ferry.

Day 13 - July 31st

Okay everyone, today was another spectacular day! We are still at the cottage in Buckley Bay, but we could not sit around, we fulfilled one of our goals, which was riding to Ucluelet and Tofino, both around the Pacific Rim national park, and the most westerly point in Canada! Despite the temperature dropping almost 18 deg Celcius at the coast due to overhanging fog, the scenery was truly amazing (and we were riding without all our gear, which was excellent). We stopped at Cathedral Grove, a forest of giant cedars on the way, which was also awe inspiring. Generally we have been eating a ton of fresh seafood and really having a great session of downtime. Back on the road tomorrow! The pic on the left is of David and Liam standing in a giant cedar, and the one on the right is the rest of us by a huge felled cedar!

Happy trails!

Day 12 - July 30th

Oh heaven, the day to relax finally came! We hung out at the cottage, swam in the ocean, enjoyed the hot tub, and enjoyed viewing the wild life. This picture is an immature bald eagle taken by our budding professional photographer, Liam.

Happy trails!

Day 11 update - July 29th, Lynn's Birthday!

From Victoria we travelled north past Duncan and Nanaimo, almost all the way to Courtney to a beautful beach house in Buckley Bay. We are staying in a gorgeous beach house right on the Pacific looking directly at Denman Island. We celebrated Lynn's birthday last night with a gourmet meal featuring fresh local salmon, and a little too much wine! We will be here for 3 days decompressing and making some day trips. It is a perfect stop for travellers who are a bit road weary. This is a pic of our spot.

Day 10 update - July 28th

A very very short ride today. We went from our hotel, about 0.5kms to the Port Angeles Ferry to Victoria, BC. We grabbed a hotel in Victoria and played tourist for the day. A beautiful city, great for a relaxing day. Another record heat wave in the city - and we are lovin' it. For those of you who haven't been there, this is the BC provincial legislature.

Day 9 update - July 27th

From Seattle we decided to explore some of the back roads of Washinton almost all the way to the Oregon border. We went through a town called South Bend which proclaims itself to be the Oyster capital of the world! Well, we couldn't resist. We stopped for lunch at a place where a man was cooking oysters over a wood fire in an oil drum. The guy was hysterical, he would only serve one table at a time, and until their food was cooked and on the table, he wouldn't take another order. While we were waiting he turned several people away! Too funny! So, we waited, sweated like crazy, and eventually ate the best oysters we have ever tasted, and Lynn found a pearl in one of hers (see pics). They were out of this world. We finally ended up in Port Angeles, way up north in Washinton state.

Day 8 update - July 26th

This day we went from Walla Walla through Washinton state's wine country. It was amazing, the amount of grapevines was literally stunning. We then went to Mount Rainier national park and were able to see all but the peak of the mountain - still fully snow covered despite the 100 degree temperatures on the ground. We ended up in Seattle, Washington, where Lynn Bell (Steve's wife) joined us in the evening - the newest member of the team. Just for a note, we have been in the midst of a heat wave most of the way, Seattle radio said they hadn't had 4 such hot days in a row in recorded history! The pic is of Blake at Mount Rainier.

Day 7

Greetings from Walla Walla, Washington! We had the most glorious ride through Clearwater Canyon in Idaho, we followed the river for over 100 miles, and then entered the Blue Mountains in Washington state! Incredible - we have never seen wheat fields on the side of mountains! We are tired, but happy! This is us on the road, and a shot of the amazing wheat fields! We found a great brew pub here in Walla Walla, had a great meal and are off to bed. Tomorrow the 4th Bell joins us, looking forward to it!

Happy Trails!

Day 6 - July 24th

Greetings from Missoula, Montana! We did another long ride today (820kms) right through the beautiful state of Montana - there is a reason they call this place Big Sky - it is spectacular! Riding through the foothills and the mountains was amazing, except for the part where we hit a lighteneing and thunder storm and hail the size of grapes (they hurt). But hey, it was short lived and we all added to our riding chops. The really exciting part is that we crossed the Continental Divide!! This is a pic trying to capture the beauty of the mountains!

Happy trails!

Day 5 - July 23rd

Today was completely amazing, especially after too many beers in the Firehouse Breweing Company in Rapid City last night. First of all, we have added pics to the last two blogs, so please look. Now today was amazing. We went to Mount Rushmore, see the pic (Blake, David, Liam, Alice and Steve), it was completely amazing, really remarkable!! We then went to Crazy Horse Monument, then along the Needles Highway - this was an amazing ride. The highway was super twisty, with switchbacks and you pass right through the rocks in tunnels, or with shear rock faces on both sides of you, it was totally amazing. We then rode through the rest of the Black Hills of South Dakota, again spectacular, and stopped in Sturgis, SD - for those of you Harley fans you will know that that is the home of one of the largest rallys which will take place in about a week's time (we went through at the right time). We are now in Buffalo, Wyoming, a beautiful State, very picturesque! We'll sign off for now, but we'll keep you posted.

Happy trails!

Day 4 - July 22!

So finally today we got our touristy boots on and did some touring around. We left Pierre, South Dakota this morning and went to Wall, SD home of the famous "Wall Drugs" store - a total tourist trap, but we had to. After that we took our leisurely time going through the Badlands, which are absolutely spectacular - the painted rocks, the shear expanse of it, was incredible. Not to make any of you jealous but it was 30 degrees celcius here today and promising to be the same until at least Sunday when we hit Seattle (we think). We are all doing very well, slightly more tanned than we were, but having a blast. Again, we are working from a hotel computer and unable to load pics (we have some awesome ones), we promise to get them up just as soon as we can! This is Steve, Alice, Blake and David at the Badlands, SPECTACULAR!!
Happy Trails!

Day 3 - July 21, 2009

Okay, so here we are in Pierre, South Dakota!! Yes, we travelled 935kms today - it only took us almost 12 hours and we are exhausted!! We saw some amazing sites, crossed the Missouri River three times, it is stunning, and the plains are beautiful. We are very near Mount Rushmore, the Badlands, Sturgis etc, so we will be in this area for a couple of days. We are using a computer at the hotel, so we can't download pics, but we will get to it ASAP. We are off to bed! Pic is (l to r) Alice, Steve and David - riding is most of what we did this day!
Happy trails!

Day 2 Update

We are trying to get some serious miles under our belt, so we left Michigan, went through Indiana, Illinois and Wisconson. We saw some amazing sites, including crossing over part of the Mississippi River, a bufflao, some, Blackhawk helos, a fire and we are now in Rochester Minnesota home of the Mayo Clinic (no Mag, noone is hurt, it is just a coincidence). However, doing 835kms in one day just allowed us to stop briefly and we will have more to report later. The pic is of the buffalo - in case you were confused.

Day 1 update

Day 1 we met in London ON and were seen off by the Werstine family (Rob, Mel, Carter and Ava - the kids loved the bikes). We made it all the way to Kalamazoo Michigan (no where near as fun as it sounds) despite all the pee stops, this time for Liam, not Alice, though she took advantage. Here is a photo of the gang getting ready to leave (left to right Blake, Steve, Alice, Liam and Dave). The rest of the pics will be courtesy of Liam "shutterbug" Bell!

The First Pre-trip Ride - Aikens Update

Well, David and Alice were coming to Port Colborne ON yesterday to see his parents and attend his sister's pig roast today. We decided it would be faster to go through the US so we could avoid Toronto traffic!! All was well, we even got to stop at the Dinosaur BBQ (best BBQ in the WORLD) in Syracuse for lunch! Then..............about a half hour outside Buffalo NY the rain hit, and man did it hit!!!! We had our full weather gear on, including my new gators (thanks Bob and Ron) and neither of us could see a thing. While at customs at the peace bridge it took me so long to get my soaking glove back on after showing the guy my passport I had to tell him I was impersonating OJ Simpson!!
Anyhow, we are here safe and sound, and still totally psyched about meeting up with Blake, Liam and Steve tomorrow in London!!
We'll keep you posted!
Happy trails!

Introduction

On Sunday July 19, 2009, the 4 Bells and 2 Aikens Great North American Tour officially begins. We will meet in London ON and travel on from there. On tour are Steve "Silver Saddle" Bell on his beautiful silver Honda Goldwing, Blake "Rolling Sofa" and Liam "Coolest Passenger Ever" Bell on Blake's beautiful orange (can't call it rust) Goldwing, David "Fuzzy Dave" Aiken on his gold pearl and burgundy (not pink) Harley Davidson Ultra Classic and Alice "Iron Butt" (or she will become it) Aiken on her two-tone sparkly red Harley Heritage Softail. Steve's wife Lynn "Little One" Bell will be joining us for the middle two weeks of the trip. We plan to make it back to this region of Ontario around August 15th.

We are going out to the West Coast via the USA and returning through Canada. We plan to see some amazing sights, make some great new friends, and catch up with some awesome old friends, so join us! We will deliver regular updates, pics and anecdotes - and welcome your comments back!

Happy Trails!