HOG SPOTLIGHT – ELLISHA NELSON

A Penticton rider circumnavigates British Columbia on her Sport Glide^®.

By Gordie Bowles

Beautiful British Columbia is a big province. In fact, it’s just shy of a million square kilometres. It’s bigger than most U.S. states and many European countries.

So when Penticton rider Ellisha Nelson decided to go “all in” on a 17-day ride to circumnavigate Canada’s westernmost province on her 2018 Sport Glide^®, she knew there would be some surprises.

But the diligently organized HOG^® member – who works for the City of Penticton, supporting the RCMP – had a plan and stuck to it. Her photos show an incredible route, which covered 6,663 kilometres on everything from freeways to off-road riding, touching all corners of this diverse province.

Putting in eight to nine hours a day in the saddle, Ellisha witnessed B.C.’s beauty up close.

“I saw a herd of bison, a bear, a pod of whales, an elk and so many bugs … and I had hot weather, rainy weather, snow, nice days and miserable days but made it through trusting my bike and my planning to get me to the next stop,” she said.

Once Ellisha reached Sooke on Vancouver Island’s southern tip, she was delighted to connect with fellow riders at the Women in the Wind Rally. This connection to others brought her back to reality, especially when she was riding back through the bustling Vancouver and Lower Mainland traffic.

But just imagine the thoughts running through her mind as she returned home on the Crowsnest Highway rolling back into Penticton. She summed up B.C. in one word: “vast.”