I left Victoria on the 7th of June, excited to visit family and stay with my grandkids for a couple of days. I have pictures of that.  From there I rode east to Edmonton and then St Paul, AB. I have pictures of that too.  It's good to see Mike again and visit some of the friends I made in Yuma this winter. More pictures.  
     The Coquihalla, as usual, performed it's fickle magic and for an hour I was riding through snow and then rain. Kamloops was predictably balmy and when I left it was 31 degrees.  But by the time I hit Jasper the temperature dropped to -6 at night.  The next day the Rain Meister called on the dark sky and we glided east through troughs of water and sheets of spray thrown up by the trucks.  A good soak in a hot bathtub was in order when I got to my destination. I don't have pictures of that.  
 I have lots of photos but to my disappointment I left my card reader at home.  I am not able to post any photos except for the one below where I am checking out a sidewalk menu and was also being checked out myself.  The bears in Jasper are overly friendly in my opinion.       
 
Since I have been back in Victoria I have come to realize that there are a lot of people, mainly motorcyclists, that are reading my blog.  This is to you.  Thankyou for being so interested in my trip.  Some of you have jobs and are tied down to a time schedule.  You've told me that you were living vicariously through me and my adventure.  Be happy that you didn't have to put up with the cold and the rain that I experienced on my way home.  BUT....I have something to tell you....... 
Before I left in December I purchased a rain suit from the BMW Dealer in Langford (now moved to victoria) It was pricey but I have found in life that you usually get what you pay for. I have been so pleased with the efficiency of this rain gear.  These are the things that I like about it.
1. It is not a struggle to put on over your boots         and jacket
2.  It is very visible in the dark.
3.  The velcro is in all the right places.  
4.  You can snap and unsnap the buttons with your gloves on.
5. There is a very nice flap inside and underneath the outer zipper flap to prevent leakage.
6.  At the same time as being light weight it is also very water and wind proof. 
7.  The collar is built just right so the wind cannot enter by your neck.  
8.  It can even talk.  It told me that my money was well spent.
So koodos to the person who designed it.   
I can almost be as happy as a frog in the wet weather, and we get a lot of that on the island. 
Do you not think that I should get a commission for placing this excellent promotional recommendation on my blog? :-)