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| Our Patrol |
“You must enjoy the ride,” the man said.
“Oh, I do. It’s really comfortable,” I said.
“What’s it like?”
“It rides like a sports car.”
On most occasions when we are stopped with the Ural bike, my husband is approached and the conversation goes from how it was shipped in from Russia to a Canadian dealership and its capabilities in two-wheel drive. But on this chance meeting, the man seemed more interested in my version of the bike. I hopped out of the sidecar and let him look at the generous leg room. He commented on the blanket I had on its black leather seat. He agreed that it’s more comfortable for me because in the summer I tend to ride in shorts. He shouted for his wife to come out of the house to look at the bike. She advised him that they have two too many all-terrain vehicles.
“Ah,” Frank said. “This is different. The Ural is a street-legal all-terrain vehicle.”
The man laughed while his wife turned around and went into the house.
Our exploration that day took us first to McIvor Lake, a 9.9 kilometre drive from Campbell River. We tucked the bike into the shade beside a sweet Harley Davidson solo bike. We both admired its gleaming chrome. We walked a short way to view the magnificence of the lake and vowed to pack a lunch and our swim suits next trek.
From the coolness of the lake, we travelled on a long gravel road and turned right onto Miller Main. It was a great ride with trees as our canopy and the smell of pine needles wafting into my nostrils. There was a point where the trail was too narrow and so we turned back.
A few kilometres later we came upon the “Miller Creek Recreation Site” sign. We followed the path to the campsite. It’s a first-come-first-served operation. All the spots were filled and the activity at the lakefront was at full throttle. We spoke briefly to the Camp Host and learnt that it was his sixth year managing the place. We added ‘Camp Host’ to our bucket list.
Exploring on the Ural is a great way to see what you’ve got in your neighbourhood.
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| McIvor Lake |
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| Miller Main |
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| Miller Creek Recreation Site |
