Guaranteed Rugged: Episode 1 - British Columbia Fraser Canyon
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- เผยแพร่เมื่อ 6 ม.ค. 2025
- This is my personal experience in riding my adventure motorcycle on the west side of the Fraser Canyon above Hells Gate. The goal was to ride from the Nahatlatch river to Lillooet on a remote road with rugged beauty and history. I was hoping to get past Lytton and the confluence of the Thompson river on the Texas Creek Road which started out as Keefers road. Scenic railways and trains can be seen snaking through the canyon tunnels and hugging the canyon walls with incredible vistas of the Fraser Canyon.
I hope you thoroughly enjoy this episode of my travels. It is presented to show the joys, wonders and experiences of this route from a non-sponsored, not-for-profit perspective.
Please “LIKE”, “SUBSCRIBE” and “COMMENT” if you enjoyed this. It will encourage me to do more of these types of productions in the future.
As always, thanks for riding with me,
~GrizzLee
Read more of my Moto travels here:
www.advrider.c...
This was awesome! Now I am already pumped for the coming season, can't wait! Thank you!
Yes, waiting out winter… time to plan and dream about next year for sure. Thanks for riding along 👍 ~ Grizz
Beautiful stuff!
@@CascadesHomestead glad you like it 👍 thanks for riding along ~Grizz
Great video, great adventure. I've considered riding that road but never had the bike/time/confidence all at the same time. Looking forward to the rest of the series.
It used to be not so bad. I rode it on my BMW R1200GSA years ago. No slides or washouts then. Some challenge, but nothing like what I encountered. The fires and the atmospheric river even a couple of years ago really played havoc on this area. If you go, bring a buddy. FYI.. like your BC riding videos 👍 Cheers mate, ~GrizzLee
Grizz, this was one of your best videos ever! Had me glued to the video, felt like I was there with you! But man, I know 6 Canadian riders who would have loved doing this with you! Honestly worry about you doing that alone, it had a lot of potential for injury!
Thanks for the kind words. Appreciate your concern. Having ridden this years before on a bigger bike, I had no idea how the road had changed from the fires and atmospheric river conditions that followed soon after.
Thanks for riding with me.. cheers ~ Grizz
Super fun and nerve wracking video! Its exactly how i feel riding alone in these kinds of places. I'm loving my T7 too and how well it eats this stuff up! Way better than my older Tenre 1200!
Your videos helped inspire me to take on the Northwest Passage last year and i totally loved it... keep up the good work and I hope I get a chance to run into you out there somedsy!
That’s awesome!! Glad to inspire and excite people to get out and explore. Our paths may very well cross. Many thanks for the kind words. 👍 👍 Glad to have you ride along. ~ Grizz
Hi GrizzLee, I'm in the UK and I've been put onto your channel by one of my subscribers across here - Mrgrizzlyrides (Neil) and I'm so glad he did! This is my sort of material, proper adventurous stuff backed up with great commentary. We don't have anything like your trails across here, but once a year I cross to Spain and get into more serious stuff. Thanks for this content, it's inspirational. 😎
👍👍Awesome. Glad to have you ride along! ~GrizzLee
GrizzLee -wow what an adventure! Outstanding video quality! Excited to the next video with this series! I really enjoyed this video. Good job! Brent
@@brentmiller5830 Thanks. Hope I don’t scare you away from riding with me. 😆 Hoping we can meet up next year. Thanks for hanging out with me. ~Grizz
lol. Nope, I hope so too. However, if this type of trail, I will leave the T7 at home and ride the Husky 701! Brent
Grizz, definitely like the new opening sequence! I'm sweating in anticipation
An inspiration for all riders to get out there and have an adventure. Thanks for sharing
@@carlbayard1993 Thank you for joining me. Glad to inspire. Cheers mate ~Grizz
I love my T7! Great video, nice skills on that nasty road. I know how the camera doesn't really show the steepness and the loose rock.
Grizz, this is in my backyard!! Great video as always!! Your photography is spectacular. Keep on keeping on!!!
@@randyneufeldt6973 I love your back yard… can you please maintain the road a little better? 😄😅🤣.
❤️❤️Fine country. Actually don’t change a thing. Keep it rugged. Thanks for riding along with me. ~Grizz
Haha. I haven’t done those specific roads in a few years. The floods a couple years ago took a toll on them! But the area lives up to its motto “Guaranteed Rugged!” My grandfather was born near Lillooet at Seton in 1899 so the area is special to me.
Nice ride, great photography, and beautiful scenery! Congrats on the T7! I find mine to be a very forgiving machine!
Looking forward to Episode 2.
I always assess the downhill before committing, in case I have to return. Usually I think reversing my journey would be more difficult. This time you got to do it both directions.
Fantastic you did that on a loaded GSA before.
The fires create all sorts of havoc from losing the trees but also the understory. Lots of opportunity for stuff to become dislodged in a rain and end up right on the trail.
BC is ideal for adventuring. The recreation sites and many of the trails are well maintained. And, even with a road closed ahead sign it is difficult to not want to “peek” at it. A picture of the washout at a road closed sign would be the ticket.
Standing by.
@@dougiverson4297 Great advice about scouting a downhill section line I encountered. BC is full of these. If I was wiser, I should’ve turned around as I was solo.
Yes, did that few years back on my GSA, fully loaded, as I bounced around lower BC and the Chilcotin. Some of the things I did on that bike makes me cringe now.
You give good advice. A road closed sign is an invitation 😁
♥️♥️Thanks for riding with me. I’m sure we’ll meet out there sometime… Cheers mate ~Grizz
If my math is right…. That train is transporting about $1.4 million USD of coal. Most likely from the Crowsnest Pass (Sparwood BC) to Vancouver area ports. Then on to Japan for use in steel making.
Probably.
Great video!
Wow… I never thought about that. I was enthralled with scenery and romance. Nice perspective. Thanks for sharing that. ~Grizz
grizzlee ,thanks for the video,i rode the texas creek/keefer fsr to nahatlatch/lillooet for years on my dr650,and even before the washouts it was technical,you had me concerned,,,,glad you made it, and yes your skill set improved...cheers
@@murraybarber777 Awe yes. It’s such a scenic ride and in my past experience, some minor challenges… but I never expected this. Next time I’ll have to borrow your DR and leave the gear behind. As you know, there is even more to see along the way. Unfortunately I was so focused on the road, I didn’t get to share more. I appreciate your concern … that warms my ❤️. Cheers mate and thanks for the kind words. ~ Grizz
Wash outs probably from the Novermber 10-16, 2021 Atmospheric River flooding event that hit the SW corner of BC...thanks for the video, an adventure is what it is, you got a good workout!
That’s what I was thinking as well. Harrison Lake roads suffered from them for sure.. Thanks for riding along ~Grizz 👍
😲 Wow, that looked tough, you're braver than I for riding this stuff on your own, I'd be too scared, that's why I always have buddies with me
@@AWHeinle Awe yes, sometimes I get in over my head. I should bring some buddies along. Thanks for riding with me. ~GrizzLee
Hey Griz- Thanks for the video and the time and effort to produce them! One of your best yet IMO. Not sure I'd be doing that solo. Kudos to you sir! Cheers from Olympia.
@@doriansleeper4344 Not sure I should be doing this solo either. Yowza!! 😳 Should’ve turned around at the 1st washout. I had no idea it just continually be bad. Appreciate your kind words and support. Thanks for riding along . Looovitt!! ❤️❤️ ~GrizzLee
Holy smokes what a ride! I bet you slept good that night. lol Very enjoyable to watch you navigate the route. Thanks for the ride...I know it took a lot of work to put together. Looking forward to the next episode. Be safe Grizz!
@@wingrider6116 No country for old men with young at heart ambitions for sure. Yes, I did sleep well that night. Had a nice bath in the river… cold, but very refreshing. Thanks again for being my “Wingman” on this ride. ~ Grizz
So, were you not aware of the detour around that wash out when you were there? I was wondering why you back tracked as far as you did. Maybe all will be revealed in the next installment. Thanks for sharing.
No. I wasn’t aware of the other “upper” route going through.. still not sure. I thought I was still following the maintenance road. Turns out, I was crossing a section of 1st Nations lands. When I was putting the video together, I was looking at Google earth to develop the maps. It appears that a possible crossing in the higher elevation route across the slide is maybe possible. I also saw the power lines diverted up and around the 1st nations reserve. None of these roads are part of the forest service road system, so there is no real reporting of them. Most of BC is this way, the farther north one travels in the bush.
Thanks for riding with me. 👍👍
Another stellar video, looks like t7 heaven to me! 👍👍
@@stevehicks616 T7 heaven…. Hmmm sounds like a title for future production. 👍❤️❤️
Thanks for riding along. ~GrizzLee
I think the video showed that it was steep. Reminds me of heading east of Dry Saddle on the Magruder Corridor. See you on the road buddy.
Awe, I love the Magruder. Great ride. One of my favs. We got to get together for another ride. Thanks for riding along. ~Grizz
Great video, thanks. Getting back into riding, I tried lifting a few bikes of friends from 45 deg angles, and realized I wanted something lighter, so I'm picking up a used crf300L next week; at almost sixty, I want light weight, not power.
@@Davran2742 I’m with you on that my friend. Thanks for riding along ~Grizz
As grizz grinds through this episode. Lots of "Looovvv it" Some more, some less.
Colorful language. Sweat, rocks, slides and glides. Grizz, presses on. Kudos and Cheers, Mate.
Hey buddy, thanks for the narrative. Could use your voiceover in the introduction. 😊
I tried to keep my composure. I should have resorted to what I usually do in these situations… I make up silly songs and sing them to myself. But who wants to hear that 😂.
FYI…. My only liquid courage were drink mixes of cider, cocoa and fruit drinks and water. Could’ve used a beer at camp that evening … whew!!!
Had a nice bath in the river to wash off the sweat.
Thanks again for riding with me. I’m glad to have you along like a guardian angel looking out for me. For that I’m thankful. ~Grizz
@@RubiKonAdventures You're very welcome. Cheers, Mate.
The T7 is tall, narrow and relatively heavy, and with luggage the center of gravity becomes high, making the whole thing unstable on loose gravel! The new GS 1300 has an incredibly low center of gravity, and my experience is that it works like gold on such surfaces! Just absolutely beautiful. In addition, it lowers 35 mm below 50 km/h, if you want :-)
I rode one. Nice bike for sure. My T7 fits me much better than the 1300GS in the off road stance. Plus my pocketbook is much, much lighter. I do however, still have my GSA sidecar and my GS Rallye. I swap between those as needed. However, the point of my videos is about sharing my adventures and experiences. Truth be known, this route would be better on a lighter bike than the T7. I can’t imagine anyone wanting to do this on an heavier and more expensive bike.
There are other resources out there to get bike reviews and comparisons. This is not that channel.
Thanks for riding along. ~ Grizz
i worked in North Bend for CP Rail, I explored those roads after work with my Samurai, Nahatlach used to have a beautiful old fire watch tower at the top, alas all that's left is some molten glass and twisted steel from the fires, the BC4WD rescued what they could of the old sextant, not sure here that is now, that same fire obliterated the town of Lytton further up the canyon :( thank you for the great video, not sure my KLR could keep up to your T-7
Yes, the fire that took out the lookout was wicked. There’s a TH-cam video of the club salvaging the lookout. I went through Lytton the year of the fire. I was in shock… I didn’t realize the Nahatlatch and Lytton fires were the same. What a loss. Must have been a hoot before the fires. I rode this route before the fires on a bigger bike (R1200GSA). The road was much more manageable back then. Your KLR wouldn’t have a problem keeping up with me. I’m slow and cautious. 😊. Thanks for riding along with me . ~GrizzLee
What is the trail called along nahump Creek. Looks great, would love to check out a gpx file. Nice video, give a follow back we ride in the area 👍
It’s all Texas Creek Road for the most part. No GPX… sorry. Nahump creek crossing might be on the Spencer Rd S/ Texas ck rd where they coexist for a short time…. If I’m reading my maps correctly. However, after crossing Skuppa creek, Texas ck road heads upward shortly after diverging away. Thats the turn I should’ve taken. I think you can get by the washout that I had turn around farther up the mountain . Although, it’s not clear. I didn’t have good maps with me at the time… no cell service to help me out on Google maps. No locals were able to confirm or deny. 😊
Good luck. Let me know how you fair. I’m on ADVRider (GrizzLee) if you are on those forums. ~Cheers Grizz
@@RubiKonAdventures I figured it out now! Great maps in the videos. I've done West pavilion to the ferry so I was confused as what was going on 👍 nahatlatch is a much bigger provincial park, we are really cut off right now with that wash out its a shame I miss camping on the top lake in the Campground
Nice video and amazing scenery-well done, sir! Any chance you have the Gaia file and are willing to share it?
@@poledicavladan sorry , no GPS tracks… pretty straight forward in Google maps though. Look for Keefers and Texas creek road leaving Boston Bar on the Fraser River. Head north to Lillooet. Unfortunately, Google will show no connection beyond the washout. I believe if you take the turn shown in the video, you may be able to bypass the washout at a higher elevation and then re-join the route.
Hope this helps. Thanks for your kind words. If you are in ADVRider, you contact me there (GrizzLee is my userid). We can exchange data via email then. Cheers mate. ~Grizzlee
Isnt BC great? Land of washouts and dead ends, the scenery more than makes up for it, my fav though is when your going down some ridiculously long rutted loose rock hill you think theres no way you could ever ride back up then come up to another one even worse that goes up😂, which way do we go now?
Absolutely… BC is awesome for every kind of adventure. I looovit!! Cheers, ~GrizzLee
@Rubikon Adventures. GREAT videos. Been watching you for the last 4 years and have loved your videos. Just picked up a Tenere 700 after my Norden 901 self destructed with bad cams. What Center stand are you running with your tusk skid plate?
@@backcountrybumpkin Good question. I purchased the AltRider center stand. It’s aluminum and weighs something like 3.5 lbs. I had a hard time sourcing g a bash plate that didn’t interfere with my center stand installation. The tusk fit the bill nicely. I was one of the 1st customers to get the center stand when it first came out. It came with no instructions at the time. I was on the phone with their support ( which was excellent). Upside is, I got for much cheaper than it sells for now.
Thanks for the kind words and stay safe out there and enjoy the holidays. Cheers ~Grizz
@@RubiKonAdventures Thank you so much for getting back to me. Just started Episode 1 of your british columbia ride. That train and scenery is amazing! Looks like i'll be getting the Alt Rider center stand. Thanks for confirming it fits with the Tusk Skid plate. Cheers!
@@backcountrybumpkinADVRiders are a great community.. you’re welcome. Hope it all works out. Cheers mate ~GrizzLee
I had looked at taking this route next year. On my gaia it shows that it doesn't go through and like you said it's a private road technically so no-one shares info. I may have caught it if I would have laid it over google earth but I don't always do that. On a different note live in Castlegar BC and there is plenty of cool stuff (KVR railway) over here if you get out this way drop me a line. Loved your train footage!!
@@Nvr-Ending-ADV Awe yes, the Kettle Valley Railway is on my list. A lot of it off limits now isn’t it. I wonder if I missed my time. I’ll keep you in mind if I’m out that way. I have a buddy in Kelowna… Wayne aka BCBackroads (Gumby). Maybe you know him.
Hope you can ride this. I think it goes through. In the video, you see I came upon a fork … I made mention that I should have turned there. When I was making the video and the maps, I saw the route went up and around… following the power lines. Looks like a washout higher up, but Google earth suggests that vehicles have been snaking through it. If you go, bring a buddy just in case. A lot of steep drop offs that are not shown as the trees hide a lot of it. But, it’s a wonderful ride when you are not fighting the rocks and washouts. Good luck. ~Grizz
@@RubiKonAdventures The best (and most scenic) of the KVR is from Greenwood to Castlegar. There is only a small portion from Grand forks to Christina lake that is non-motorized. In my experience, power line roads are never nice. They are usually steep and loose with giant water ditches across them. That's why it still might be a crap shoot going left at the Y when you went right. I don't remember Wayne specifically but I have met a lot of folks in the m/c community and could have crossed paths. Cheers.
@@Nvr-Ending-ADV @RubiKonAdventures Christina Lake to Castlegar on the KVR is awesome especially the 1km long Bull Dog tunnel. I have a video of riding through the tunnel on my channel. It was so much fun I went back through it several times!
I hauled logs down that road not long ago . the GSA would have been better
To haul the logs?!?😂
Great video as usual. But it appears, that you need to get more comfortable with momentum and commitment. Especially when you come to hill climbs & Creek crossings. I have the same bike, and we are the very close to the same age. So, I know you're concerned on tipping that heavy thing over and getting it back up! But you're better off to get on that throttle, stand up on the pegs, and roll on through! Good luck! Keep the great video coming!
Your comments have some validity. It's an in the moment experience you are hearing. Grizz is actually quite confident, but he does keep in mind he is alone out there, and by nature becomes a little more cautious.
@@Desert2snowoffwego Definitely learning. As I get older, I’ve become more cautious, especially in remote places, riding alone … been riding since I was 5 years old. Used to race if you can believe that. However, the steep cliffs and big rocks on a fully loaded bike riding alone, make me extremely nervous and overly cautious. When I have buddies along we all move a little more quickly. Thanks for riding along. Maybe we meet on the road sometime.. ~GrizzLee
Forgot to mention, seeing the trains was way too cool! 🙂
@@wingrider6116 Isn’t that awesome? It’s like a storybook setting . That railway is a blueprint for a model train layout. Simply stunning.
What is that at 2:16 ?
Hmmm… I’m in a tunnel? Is that what you are referring to? 🤔
@RubiKonAdventures lol north of 49 adventure is the name of my channel.
@@northof49adv Good for you. I’ll check it out. I love Canada. I live just below the Canadian/US border. I spend most of my adventure travel in the north. My parents live up there however, and I rode the trans tiaga this year… future video.. maybe 😀
Looks rough
@@SteelHorseman
Yes, I got in a bit over my head for sure. I was thinking I may have to spend the night out there. Kinda wished I had some liquid courage to help me out. All I had was cider and cocoa along with my fruit powder drink mix. Just kidding of course… I needed all my wits.
It’s beautiful country and a lot to see and experience. That railway was something else! Lots of bears and hydro projects. Most of this was all on 1st nations land. I’ve thought about backpacking the route. It’s really that cool.
Thanks again for riding along . Loooovit!!❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️
What is the product you are using under the tank bag to protect the tank?
Good question. I don’t remember the brand or even where I bought them. But it does a great job of protecting the tank. I looked a bit on google and I think this is what I got (snakeskin from techspec). Link (techspec-usa.com/yamaha-tenere-700-19-current-tank-grips-1.html). As I recall, I ordered it and it didn’t come with the center strip. I had to order that separately. 😮
It seems to be durable and hasn’t peeled up. Hope this helps. Thanks for riding along. ~Grizz
Tunnels and snow sheds. Snow sheds allow for avalanches to run their course without impeding the railway traffic. CPKCR is the greatest railway bar none! Says a CPR retiree.
@realgagnon1975 Love that railway all the way up and over through the Thompson River. Most scenic irailway I’ve ever seen . Thanks for riding along. ~ Grizz