Jul 20, 2026
Here is an example outside the garden fence domain. Suppose you will be riding a motorcycle between several hotels in towns successively closer to the Seattle airport. Ride days are fence panels, hotel stays are fencepoles.
Yes, I made an off-by-one error in my hotel reservations. Doesn't matter the details. But there was an uncovered night, and an ambivalence around when I would drop the bike at the BMW car dealership. Would a delay at the US border mess with my time table, given that the drop needed to be during business hours? Etc.
As promised, I approached the rebookings with sovereign calm. Accepting that yes, of course the room can be a day earlier or later. You are an honored guest. The rate, however, at which you booked just yesterday is no longer available. Désolée.
All done with the rebookings.
As I approach the Canada Park Service station at the top of Rogers pass through the Selkirk Mountains, I notice two cannons in a memorializing type of place of the parking lot.
Why cannons?
I ask the park ranger. Here is the story.
The deeply onerous Major Rogers of the 19th century was hired to find a path for the railroad through these mountains. He did find this one, and insisted it be named after him. Kind of reminds one of a current public figure.
The rails were laid against advice from First Nation scouts, who knew the area. Turns out the pass gets between 30 and 40 feet of snow every year. It rumbes down in deadly avalanches. The rail line proved just too costly to keep operative, so a tunnel was later plasted for new tracks.
However, now the Trans Canada Highway (TCH) is running through the same path. Same avalanches.
The Canadian Armed Forces to the rescue. Howitzer cannons are perfect for shooting at high angles, even behind obstacles, with precision, and any weather conditions at all. Something that helicopters dropping explosives can't do. The charges trigger avalanches before they would naturally occur, making them manageable.
Nobody uses these any more! We'll look funny
I'm paraphrasing. Part of the obsolescence is that these things need to be mounted on special platforms along the TCH. See photo on the right.
That's just lame!
the army complainsWhy? Because every hour that the TCH is closed costs the economy $3M. Adds up quickly.
It is unclear how the country will emerge from this crisis. Surely a development to watch if you are tired of US news.
I've shown one of these ramps some entries ago. Some are narrow enough that a Fiat would fall off its edge onto the freeway below.
I have seen runaway ramps that look like overgrown hiking trails curving steeply up into a mountain side.
The one on the left is timid, but effective. I'd use it any day.
But this on the right! This is a beauty. I've only seen two of this design along the way.
Consider the shift lever in this photo. It's the one on my bike. Notice the elegant curve, and decorative notch.
As I was loading the bike for my second to last leg, from Kamloops to Hope, BC, I leaned against it to reach across. Heavy as it is, the kickstand is constructed to be short, keeping the bike close to upright when parked. That small lean angle makes it easy to fully right the frame when sitting, and getting ready to go.
The angle also makes it easy to push the motorcyle over to the opposite side. Which I did. Fortunately, I was parked just a foot or so from the heavy support column that holds up the welcome portico of Best Western Plus hotels.
The column caught the bike at a roughly 35deg angle. Following biker advice, I was able to squat underneath the motorcycle, my back to its frame, and walk it back up. The woman does it a bit differently.
As my motorcycle riding instructor advised:
Use your adrenaline!
Two events put this town on the map.
The mayor himself is the caretaker of these masterpieces. They are brought in every Winter, and he applies any necessary restorations himself.
What follows are just random examples for your pleasure.
Like the mountains: a few more just for decoration.
