I live in Grande Prairie and have for several years. Riding in this region has so many diverse possibilities. From the City of Grande Prairie itself there are several directions and consequently vistas that one can head off to.
Grande Cache - just south of Grande Prairie about a 2 hour ride away (190 Kms)
The gateway to the Canadian Rockies from the North, the trip to Grande Cache makes a wonderful day ride or if you have the time you can head on down Hwy 40 until you come to the junction for Hiway 16. Your next decision would be right to Jasper or Left to Hinton and Edson.
Then there is the option to head to the BC border and more mountains. You'll take highway 43 west and north and pass by Beaverlodge and it's incredible Beaver Carving, through Hythe, home of the Hythe Motor Speedway and on towards Dawson Creek.
One of my favorite day rides though is up to Fairview.
About an hour and a half from Grande Prairie this trip will see you pass bright yellow canola fields, take you through the sweeping panorama of the Peace River as you cross the Dunvegan Bridge -
Alberta's longest suspension bridge - and in to the town of Fairview an the Harley-Davidson Technical Training Institute at Fairview Campus.
A few years back, we held the Canadian Championship of Bike Building in Wembley, a small town 22 Kms straight west of Grande Prairie.
After the event was over, we took the kids from the Bernice MacNaughton High School Bike Klub up to Fairview to meet Wally Besler and the rest of the instructors of the Harley-Davidson Technical Training Facility.
Here are a few pictures of the area, the people and some the bikes they got there on!
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A view of the parking lot at the bike show in Wembley.
Look at how big and blue that sky is! |
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On the left is Orval Gladue from Brownvale.
This gent sings a mean Hank Williams and
rides his H-D all over - the joys of being retired! |
The group featured here in the parking lot of the Quality Hotel is comprised of Heather Ireland who at the time of this picture was the host of Biker TV, Barry Koenig on the left and Cindy Mckertcher
on the right. In the back ground a group of riders are converging getting ready to head out to Fairview.
At Rycroft - some of us got fuel and coffee etc...but as you can see, Peter Jonsson of Sweden on the blue Victory and JD Boyd on the red one decided they needed pictures of the famous Tee Pee.
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Wally Besler of the Harley-Davidson Technical Training Program at Fairview Campus |
Wally escorting the kids from Moncton's Bike Klub through one of the buildings that houses a number of prototype and one of bikes.
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Posing under the sign in Fairview -
the kids from the Bike Klub had quite a day!
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Here in the north, our dogs love to ride almost as much as we do.
Betty and her owner Paul are from Peace River. |
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JD Boyd crossing the Dunvegan Bridge on the way back to Grande Prairie |
It is beautiful and diverse country to ride in.
Until next time...ride safe and enjoy the view!