Electric Bikes, Alter ego Bikes, eBike

In an effort to exercise and preserve our youth (without too much exertion), Dian and I purchased 2 electric bikes this spring.  They are Alter Ego brand, distributed by a fellow here in Abbotsford.  I have the 500 watt Velovillan and Dian has the smaller 350 watt Sidekick Ultralight.  For prices and specs go to their website: http://alteregobikes.com/home-shift#welcome
They can be folded and put into the trunk of a car and easily stored in a condo etc..  Our Swagman RV bike carrier can be attached to our trailer.  This allows us to explore areas that otherwise would be unaccessible to us.  These bikes are a lot of fun and I predict their popularity will increase over the next few years.  Here are a few pictures taken on the Matsqui dyke along the Fraser River.

End of this blog.  Scroll down for previous blog.

May 25 - May 29 2017 ESCAPE TRAILER RALLY, RUFFED GROUSE, OSOYOOS, SQUIRREL, WINE TOUR, YELLOW WARBLER, MACGILLIVARYS WARBLER, RED-NECKED GREBE

Our trailer manufacturer, Escape Trailers, was hosting a rally in Osoyoos, BC May 25-28, 2017.  We decided to take the opportunity to attend and extend the vacation up to Jasper and Banff national parks and back home through southern BC.  Following are some pictures taken at the rally and some fauna encountered in the area.

Dian standing off to the side at rally registration.

CPAHarley aka Jim and wife with Prairie Schooner.

Fellow Escape owner, Dave Whiting, told me about a Red-necked Grebe nest.  Thanks Dave.

Our spot at Nk'mik campground.

Eastern Kingbirds were common here.

Escape trailers everywhere you looked.

A McGillivarys Warbler sang at the campsite.

Dian is picking up our door prize.

We found a first year American Redstart on one of our side trips.

Wine tours were a popular attraction.  Here we are lining up for our transportation.

A Yellow Warbler was at one of the wineries. 

This the shuttle we hopped on.

Ruffed grouse in display

Our first wine stop and we look happy already.

A Squirrel posed nicely.

A view from Burrowing Owl winery.

We came across this brown phase Black Bear after we left Osoyoos,

Our group had lunch at the Tinhorn Winery and the food was great.

The temperature at the rally was around 30 degrees celsius.  Two weeks later it was snowing in Banff.

On our way home we stopped at Okanagan Falls for a few days.  This was our campsite.

SCROLL  DOWN FOR PREVIOUS BLOG.

June 1-16 Clearwater, Wells Grey Park, Valemount, Jasper, Banff, Okanagan,

After we left the Escape Rally in Osoyoos we headed north and camped a few days at Bear Creek Park near Kelowna.  Then it was up to Wells Gray Park.  

This brown phase bear was in a spot where we were hiking the day before, at Wells Gray.  It was the second brown bear we had seen in just a few days.

This is a view taken on a great trail in Valemount called Cranberry Bog.

Northern Waterthrushes were common on the Cranberry Bog trail.

Jasper was our next stop.  A Bull Moose's antlers were starting to sprout.  Taken on the Maligne Lake Road in Jasper.

A closeup of the Moose reveals its ears grow hair for the winter and sheds it for the warmer months.

We camped at Whistlers Campground in Jasper.  This elk had a new born just a few campsites away from us.  We also encountered fellow Escape owner "Red Dog" from Texas here.  We had met Fred at the Escape rally in Osoyoos a few days earlier.

Athabasca Falls and Mt. Kerkeslin in the background.

We took a trip up the Whistler Gondola in Jasper.  There were many Golden-mantled Ground Squirrels at the summit. 

A good place to find Mountain Goats in Jasper is the Mt. Kerkeslin pullout.

A Tennessee Warbler was a nice find on the Icefield Parkway.

Back on the top of Whistler Mountain, Dian alerted me to a pair of White-tailed Ptarmigan.

These birds are moulting into their summer plumage. 

We left Jasper to spend a few days at Tunnel Mountain Campsite in Banff.  Park staff kept tourists at bay while yet another brown bear patrolled the Minewanka parking lot.

This cow moose crossed the road on a trip we took through the Spray Valley and Kananaskis highway.

We first discovered the moose after they swam across a lake.

This young bull must have been the cow's last year calf.  It won't be long before she chases it away so she can breed in the fall.

This scraggy Rocky Mountain Bighorn was the only sheep we saw on the trip.  

Grizzlys seem to be a fairly common sight on the Kananaskis highway.  Most of the females in this area are tagged and collared.

Kananaskis has some great scenery.

Another Kananaskis scene.  Fresh snow on the ground.

We left Banff to travel through Cranbrook where a chirping Killdeer led us to her chicks.

Our last stop before heading home was Okanagan Falls Provincial Park Campground.  Young Flickers begged in the campsite next to us.

We alway try to bird White Lake Road when we visit the Okanagan.  A Clay-colored Sparrow popped up.

Red-breasted Nuthatches are common in the Okanagan.

A bird of the sage brush country is the Sage Thrasher.

A Pacific Forest Tree Frog (brown phase) joined us at our OK Falls campsite the morning we left.

We spent about 3 1/2 weeks travelling on this trip. It was great to revisit sites we had explored in years past and capture the things we appreciate, on pixels.

End of this blog.  Scroll down for previous blog.