TRIP SUMMARY

NA Motorcycle Ride - 2006
(Click to enlarge)
















U.S. Route - Lower 48













Canadian Route











Alaskan Route









SUMMARY:

Miles: 12,879
Mileage: 40.76 mpg (over 30 recorded fillups)

Days: Total days toward objective - 36 (Day 10 was a backtrack due to mother's illness)
Rain days - 23 (64%)
Clear days - 13 (36%)

Great days - 36

States/Provinces/Territories Visited:
U.S.A. => 13 (TX, NM, AZ, UT, WY, MT, ID, AK, WA, OR, CA, NV, CO)
Canada => 3 (Alberta, British Columbia, Yukon Territory)


Thanks for all who rode with me through the blog. I now know what it means to be a reporter with deadline...and it's not good. But it was worth it.

Last Day (37th) - August 16, 2006 - 507 Miles Childress, TX - Spring, TX

Childress, TX - Spring, TX and home

Wouldn't you know it. One of the few mornings on this trip when I didn't automatically wake up before the roosters, and the alarm clock went off at 7:30 a.m. I didn't check it last night, just as I haven't set an alarm for 37 days. Sure enough, it was set. I was waking up without alarms because, like a kid before Christmas, I was eagerly looking forward to see what the next day would bring. That pretty much says how great this trip has been for me. I didn't eagerly awake today because I knew it would be the last day and I wasn't (and still am not) ready for this to end. So...I was sleeping in when the damn thing sent me about three foot off the bed.

With acknowledgement to Robbie Burns ("The best laid schemes o' mice an men gang aft agley"), I didn't take Hwy 6 as planned. Toward the end of yesterday's ride I noted the bike was running a little rough. I decided I may have a slightly fouled plug so I decided to change them. I'd originally packed two plugs in my tool kit but, when I looked I only had one. Not wanting to change one plug (even if only one was slightly fouled...that would probably have indicated a worse problem), I decided I wanted to change both. Can't explain this logically, I just get the now-and-again anal retentive thought and act on it. I couldn't find the correct plug in either Childress or Quanah so I plugged on (pun intended) to Wichita Falls where I got a plug and changed both. Both old plugs appeared quite good for running something like 23k miles, not burning rich, or really fouled. After replacement, the bike did run a little smoother, but there is still a slight vibration at around 75 m.p.h. that I don't think was there before. Of course, it could be the tires also...we'll see.

In any event, my ride down to Wichita Falls forced me into the Ft. Worth-Dallas-Houston interstate maze. I was also reminded what it means to ride in Texas in August. Remember when I was bitchin' about the cold and rain in Alaska? How about yesterday when I just had the rain? All those complaints are withdrawn. I'd have taken yesterday's weather in a heartbeat today. At least it wasn't hot running through those showers. Today was HOT! Dante hot! It was well over 100 degrees and I had to stop about every hour to drink water. That worked, but it was hard riding.

In keeping with my policy to make lemonade whenever required, this route, at least, took me by Woody's in Centerville. Centerville is at mile marker 164 on I-45. And Woody's? Just the best jerky on the planet. Woody's has every kind of jerky you can imagine. It's called the jerky capital of the world. (I thought that was Washington.) Anyway, I stopped in and got some turkey, elk, and buffalo jerky. I thought elk was the best ever until I tasted the buffalo. That was far and away the best I've ever eaten. (No wonder those Indians fought the railroad so hard.)

The problem is how to set it up so you can eat while riding. I stored the majority in a saddlebag, but put some in a plastic bag in my tank bag, strategically placed so I could pull the jerky out one piece at a time with the left hand. That worked fine and I motored my way toward Houston fat, dumb, and happy, just munching away...right up until the last piece. The last piece, it turned out, was small, about three inches long and one-half inch in width. It sort of got hidden in the plastic bag and popped out and up, when I groped through the bag to retrieve it. I'm trying to grab the jerky and the, now, flapping and flying plastic bag, all while riding a motorcycle safely at something like 80 m.p.h. Did it work? Yep. The key is not to panic in these situations...well...that and luck. The wind pushed the jerky up and over to the right side of the gas tank, and it just sort of settled in there, between the tank and the windshield, levitating like a David Copperfield trick card, about two inches above the tank. I managed to stuff the plastic bag back into the tank bag and zip it up, then reached for the jerky. Ah, but that changed the aerodynamics of the jerky levitation trick. When my hand entered the currents supporting the jerky, my luck held though. The jerky lost altitude and, instead of falling off to the inevitable hardtop and required expletive, it fell down on the tank and lodged between the corner of the tankbag and the tank. Knowing luck when I see it, I picked it up and calmly placed it in my mouth; all the while watching the road in front of me and safely negotiating the traffic. Nah!!! Got lucky and lived, and ate, through it!!

After eating all the available jerky I pulled into the house at about 7:30 p.m. tonight ending the most exciting, adventuresome, and trying vacation of my life. Sadly. If I could I would gladly pull out tomorrow for an equivalent trek somewhere else.

August 15, 2006 - Day 36 - 490 Miles Grants, NM – Childress, TX

Grants, NM – Childress, TX

Left Grants in the familar raingear. Managed to get through Albuquerque dry but then the rains came. There were storm cells spread out all across the north and north east in a large band. By the time I got to Santa Rosa they were all around, and over me. The intensity varied considerably from light to heavy, with the heaviest waiting until I was in a very long road repair section near Tucumcari. Then it poured. My shooter’s glasses fogged up in the heaviest rain, adding insult to injury; I had to ride at 70 mph with the glasses pulled down on my nose creating a small slit between the top of the glasses, and my helmet. No one, repeat, no one, was slowing down for the construction because the crews had pulled in with the weather. I would have too except there was no where to do so. So, I just grinned (actually, screamed curses) and bore it.

At least the rain gods saw clear to send me a rainbow once in Texas.

Rainbow just north of Childress, TX


This was boring interstate riding at its worst. In case you haven’t figured it out: I’m pulling for home at this point. I am going to take Hwy 6 from Quanah tomorrow and ride it down through Waco and on into the Houston area. I’m familiar with the Waco-Houston stretch, but have never been in the northern end of Hwy 6. It has to beat the Ft-Worth-Dallas-Houston mess they call I-35/I-20/I-45. In any event, it’s new road. Hope the rain lets up. As I write this in the motel room, it's still raining outside. Bet when I get home my roof leaks.
Summary to date is now:
Rain day – 23 (66%)
Clear day – 12 (34%)



Donley County Courthouse - Clarendon, TX

I took this because last October I came through here on a trip to Palo Duro Canyon and snapped this courthouse. When I got home only three of about fifty pictures were still on the "memory" stik. It's a neatly restored old courthouse.

August 14, 2006 - Day 35 - 496 Miles Springville, UT - Grants, NM

Springville, UT - Grants, NM

Great ride up Price canyon this morning (Hwy 6). Early morning temperatures are still rather cool once you get up around Soldier Summet (7450+ ft), but warmed up quickly enough. Radical change in scenery between Price and Moab, a distance of only 115 miles. You go from high mountains and high valleys to real desert and red rocks, ala Arches National Park. Moab is a neat little green-spot town in the middle of the desert.




Price Canyon between Soldier Summit and Price



















Between Price and Green River, UT











Nice little roadside arch just south of Moab, UT












Hoped to have lunch with my friend Melody P., but was unable to contact her. Totally my fault. I should have called last night but didn't know if, or what time I would get through there so, like the dummy she called me in her phone message this afternoon, I waited until I hit Green River, only 70 or so miles away, to call. It turned out we missed connecting by only about fifteen or twenty minutes. She returned my call but I'd already decided we weren't going to be able to meet so I'd grabbed a quick lunch and hit the road out of Moab. Unfortunately, she called right after I left and I turn off the phone on the road because 1) I always run the charge out of it, 2) I can't hear it ring while riding, and 3) evidently, I can't feel it vibrate while riding. So why have it on? My bad.

Anyway, had a great lunch in Moab at a place called, I think, Pasta Joe's. The lunch pasta was "Green Chilli Ravioli." It was ravioli with jalapenos in them!!! Now who could possibly turn that down? It was as good as it sounded...multiple times.

Left Moab and started running into rain showers from Monticello, UT on into Grants, NM. As usual, the bike ran great and just chewed up the miles. Looks like thunder storms will plague me through west Texas and, perhaps, on into the DFW area. We'll see. It's not like I lack experience riding in the rain.

August 13, 2006 - Day 34 - 566 Miles Reno, NV - Springville, UT

Reno, NV - Springville, UT

Well...the bad news is no one in Reno subsidized my trip. Had a great time, gambled for something like 12 hours, ate a lot of food and drank a semi-serious amount of beer, and dropped less than a hundred bucks. So, someone subsidized some of that. In one session of Hold 'Em I played for four hours and came out $8 up. But, hey, it's a gain...not a loss, huh?

Today's ride was essentially a total loss. Wanting to make some time toward the way home I chose to take I-80 from Reno to Salt Lake City. You talk about miles and miles of nothing! While there are some beautiful places in Nevada, they ain't on this road!!





Wendover, NV














Bonneville Salt Flats







Pulled into Provo about 7:30 p.m. local time hoping to catch Bobby J. and Z at home. Didn't though. I'm thinking they went to Sturgis or something like that. All calls the past couple of days went to voicemail and I haven't heard anything. BOBBY - Your phone's ringing!!! When that happens...you should ANSWER it.

Pulling out tomorrow for a known good ride. Hwy 6 through Price, UT.

August 12, 2006 – Day 33 – 152 Miles Lassen NF, CA - Reno, NV

Lassen NF, CA - Reno, NV

Another great morning ride! No rain. It got cold overnight. The campsite is something over five or six thousand feet and there was definitely a chill on the pumpkin this morning. Fortunately my little sleeping bag made me the bug in the rug and I slept great. Cold enough to make camp tear down a little touchy but I made it. Insofar as the logistics for the shower (mentioned yesterday) are concerned, they turned out to be non-existent. It was too cold to try to figure that one out so I “rode dirty” weating yesterday’s clothes.

Stayed on Hwy 44 to Susanville, then took Hwy 395 to Reno where I got a room and am encamped hoping I can find some people in Harrah’s poker room willing to subsidize my trip.

The ride from Lassen NF to Susanville was absolutely wonderful, even with a short span of road repair with the “Alaska-like” loose gravel and mud. It was just such a beautiful morning that I chose to hang the throttle around 60 mph and just feel the heat of the sun as it warmed up. It was really special. I also passed some flowers on the road that looked like close cousins of Texas Blubonnets. Those noted in the high country of Canada and Alaska were more pink and, though quite pretty, are distinctly different from these. These look just like Blubonnets to me, but of a different color. No matter, they are beautiful lining the side of the road.





















Amazing thing in Susanville! As I rode toward Susanville I was, as usual, very wary of deer on the highway. Didn’t see any, as usual. In the heart of Susanville I glanced to my right and saw what appeared to be a very life-like statue of a wonderful buck. He was sleek, a beautiful tan color, and was shown in velvet, at least eight points. Then he MOVED taking a step or two to the right! I couldn’t believe it. I immediately pulled in the clutch and coasted to the edge of the street while unzipping my tank bag to get at my camera. I pulled it and turn to look over my right shoulder. The deer was already mostly across the street moving away from me. I raised the camera and snapped immediately, knowing I didn’t have time to zoom.














Pulled into Reno, found a motel, checked in, and decided Betsy (the Kaw) had earned a real bath. After cleaning myself up (hot showers are really becoming one of my favorite things on this planet), I found a car wash and negotiated a hand wash and wax for her. It wasn’t cheap, but she deserved it! I can’t say enough about how this bike has plowed through everything the road has thrown at us, and done it without a whimper or a problem. Even after all the road repair in northern Canada and in Alaska, she isn’t even rattling anywhere. That is amazing. If you can’t tell, I’m very appreciative of my Betsy.

August 11, 2006 – Day 32 – 320 Miles Brookings, OR - Lassen National Forest, CA

Brookings, OR - Lassen National Forest, CA

Another beautiful day, back in the U.S. of A.! Started out south on Hwy101 and crossed into California almost immediately. 101 takes you right through the Redwood National Park. Wow, yeah, you guessed it: another stellar ride. I ran out of superlatives a long time ago, and am desperately in need of more. I've decided what I’ve managed to do is go on one of the longest Sunday drives in history. And it’s not over yet. Ain't that great?



Down the Redwood Road




I didn’t go into the park where the “big” redwood is, the one in all the pictures with the hole and highway going through it. We’ve all seen it. I enjoyed, rather, just riding through the “normally” big redwoods adjacent to the Pacific. Now that’s something to ride into and out of: from forest to craggy beach. By the way, the waitress back in Oregon was right, northern California’s coastline is more beautiful.




Northern California Coast















(More)








I took Hwy 299 East at Eureka and headed into the Shasta-Trinity National Forest. Yet another great ride? (I know...boring, boring, boring.) Progress, as on Hwy101, was a little slow because of the vacation pace of most travelers, and some road construction. This section also provided, surprisingly, between Douglas City and Whiskeytown, the most twisted section I have experienced on the entire trip . What a great name for a town, huh? Whiskeytown. Sounds like it ought to be a Steve Earle song. Betcha if we tell him about it it will be. It was a good ride, but very difficult to average 35 m.p.h. through this section. Also, the remains of a recent forest fire were everywhere in one section. Sad, but the rejuvenation of the forest will be spectacular. At least we’ve learned that, if nothing else.

Trinity River between Eureka and Redding





I took Hwy 44 out of Redding to the Lassen Volcanic National Forest and am camped at the Hat Creek Campground. There are no showers at the campground but a couple of miles down the road there is a Laundramat/Shower facility. I'm curious about the logistics I’ll have to employ to make that happen without having to unpack twice...we’ll see. I just love the way businesses kind of “sprout” vertical integrations out in these remote areas. Saw a sign in a general store this afternoon that said, “BBQ Chicken and Gifts.” Don’tcha just love it?

August 10, 2006 – Day 31 – 402 Miles Tillamook, OR – Brookings, OR

Tillamook, OR – Brookings, OR

Got up to an absolutely beautiful morning. The sun was shining, the birds were singing, the grass was growing, etc. etc. etc. You get the picture. It wasn’t raining. The official scorecard for donning raingear is as follows:
Raingear 21 days = 70%
Clear 9 days = 30%


But that doesn’t matter today. Had a great breakfast and hit the road (Hwy 101 South). The official mileage between Tillamook and Brookings is 273 miles, so why did it take me 402? Because I needed to get there in a reasonable amount of time. Yesterday, after turning on 101 in Astoria there was a sign which said “Newport – 133 miles.” I drove about three and one-half hours and settled down in Tillamook, 68 miles from Newport. Yes, many stops to take pictures. Yes, relaxed riding, enjoying the sun and restful environment. But 3.5 hours to go 65 miles?? You gotta be kidding. But I’m not. The traffic was pretty slow, plus, as mentioned, there are so many stops you just have to make. I realized I’d not be getting back to Texas until sometime in 2007 if I stayed on 101 through northern California. So I adjusted.

On the ferry a nice couple from Oregon told me I needed to visit the Cape Blanco lighthouse. Wanting to do this I took Hwy 22 from Hebo to Salem, I-5 from Salem to Winston, and Hwy 42 back to 101. Though this added about 120 miles to the trip I was able to make it within my lifetime. And the rides…WOW…the rides.

Interestingly, both Hwy 22 and Hwy 42 would be wildly touted routes themselves, except for their western terminus: the craggy Pacific coast of Oregon. These are great rides, winding left-right-left through canopied forests, with nice creeks and rivers running parallel most of the way. I’m very interested in tomorrow’s ride because the waitress where I had breakfast this morning quietly told me the coast in northern California is much prettier. I may be unable to stand it.








Some more








I made it out to the Cape Blanco lighthouse. The gate to the lighthouse was closed so I couldn't get as close as I'd like. What isn’t shown is the wind coming in off the Pacific at about a steady 40 knots/hour. And that wind is c-o-l-d. We’ve discussed how I feel about c-o-l-d. Don’t like it. Never have. Never will. Took my pictures, admired the view, and got the hell outta Dodge. Drove down to Brookings looking for a campsite, but all were full. I was able to find a very nice little motel with decently priced rooms called the Westward Inn. It’s very well managed and kept. The reasonable roomrate includes free hi-speed internet so it meets all my requirements.





Cape Blanco Lighthouse













Below the lighthouse

August 9, 2006 – Day 30 – 252 Miles Sea-Tac, WA – Tillamook, OR

Sea-Tac, WA – Tillamook, OR

Great day for a change! Slept in a little (all the way to 7:30 a.m.) then got up did the laundry and washed the bike. I just couldn’t stand the way the bike looked anymore, even though I knew it was going to rain again today. It did, slightly, even as I drove to the car wash. Later, it came down pretty good while on I-5 heading south around Olympia. I just pulled off the road and had lunch waiting it out. After finishing lunch the rain had let up considerably, then quit completely within three miles of my re-joining the Interstate.





The Columbia River just outside Longview








I decided against taking the coast road (Hwy 101) in Washington and opted instead for getting on it in Oregon…I chose this because I wanted to make sure the rain was behind me. I caught Hwy 30 West just outside of Longview and took it to Astoria, joining 101 there. The ride down Hwy 30 was a neat ride, skirting along the mighty Columbia winding it’s way west. But the real ride came on Hwy 101 beginning around Arch Cape through Tillamook, where I chose to stay the night. The portion of the ride between the Oswald West State Park and Manzanita was absolutely beautiful in its pace, serenity, and scenery. I say serenity because it is one of those peaceful Sunday rides in the country down a winding road, leaning left-and-right-and-left. etc., at a metronomic frequency, maintaining between 40 and 55 m.p.h. Man, this was special and I don’t think it’s because I finally ran into some good weather. This would be a good ride in the rain! I know I’m going to have equally good, or even better riding later on down this road, but, believe me, this was special and needed.




One of several tunnels on Hwy101










I stopped in Wheeler and had fish and chips at a neat place called the Sea Shack. It has a nice bar and tables on the outside overlooking the river and boat quay. The food was good and the beer exceptional today, for some reason. Probably had something to do with drinking it while watching guys dock their boats and pull good sized Salmon from the live wells. Looked like fun.

Just some of this magnificent coast

August 8, 2006 – Day 29 – 599 Miles Prince George, BC – Sea-Tac, WA

Prince George, BC – Sea-Tac, WA

Pulled out of Prince George, in raingear, as usual, at 8:00 a.m. PST heading south on Hwy 97. Light drizzle on-and-off until about 2:30 p.m.

The terrain is much as previously described for this area: lots of green pines, lot of ups-and-downs, moderately hilly. Got an interesting scenery change just south of Cache Creek. All of a sudden I could have been in New Mexico, or the high desert area of Utah. The grass cover was brown and dried-up and the vegetation, what there was, consisted mainly of what I call “grease-wood,” the short, bushy stunted pine-like plants of the inter-mountain west. All that was missing was the tumbleweeds. It also stopped raining as I entered this area and the ambient temperature was quite warm. At first I thought I’d time-warped into the Sun Valley near Phoenix. I immediately stopped and got rid of the raingear.


"New Mexico-like" area

This dry section was about twenty miles long, and was immediately followed by a return to the steep canyon-high pines look as I entered the Lytton area. This is where the Thompson River joins the Fraser and it makes for steep canyons, heavy white-water rapids and the beginning of one big damn river, the Fraser. This is exceptionally beautiful country, very reminiscent of, but bigger than, the canyons of Utah, such as Logan, Parleys, Provo, etc. Then it goes through Hell’s Gate further south near Boston Bar and is truly a beautiful ride.




The "usual" terrain (north)















(south)







My plans were to stay just outside of Vancouver and, perhaps, go into the city tomorrow. I haven’t been there in about fifteen years and I’ve always liked the area. Mother nature changed my plans however when it began raining again near Chilliwack. That just struck me as the last straw. At that point I’m fed up with rain and fed up with Canada, so I turned left at Abbotsford and crossed the border into Washington at Sumas. Figuring I didn’t want to be going into Seattle as part of their early morning traffic I determined to stay with it until I was south of Seattle, giving me a straight shot toward Hwy101 in the morning. That explains the 600 mile day and my change of plans regarding Vancouver.

Tomorrow: Up and to the “Coast Highway” (101).

August 7, 2006 – Day 28 – 447 Miles Prince Rupert, BC – Prince George, BC

Prince Rupert, BC – Prince George, BC

I’m a Prince of a fellow today, going from one to another. Left the ferry at 7:00 am PST this morning bound for Prince George. Yep, it’s raining. Not very hard, but the steady drip-drip-drip to which I have become so used. It is great to be back on the bike and riding. Scenery is much the same, and the same is good! High mountains, lots of trees, big river; good stuff.



Just east of Prince Rupert



The road is excellent and traffic is pretty light, today being a holiday here in BC. Can you believe it? The holiday is “BC Day.” That’s like Texas declaring a holiday called Texas Day. According to a lady at the restaurant I stopped in for lunch, they now have only two months in them without a holiday. Inefficient? Counter-Productive? Bad for business? I would expect to hear such claims from businesses in America (what, another paid holiday??). Depends on your perspective. The lifestyle here is different. Just as in Europe where they take the entire month of August off for vacation, it’s a matter of collective lifestyle choices. Makes it different, not necessarily wrong.

Tomorrow, further south. Heading toward Vancouver, one of the really neat cities in North America (the world).

NOTE: For some reason I am unable to download photos to the blog. I expect it's a busy server issue and will try later to catch up on them.

August 6, 2006 – Day 27 – 0 (Bike) Miles Juneau, AK - Prince Rupert, BC

Aboard the MVC Kennecott






I ran out of things to do (in the cold and rain) and got to the ferry terminal about an hour early. This means 7:00 p.m. for a 10:00 p.m. departure; they schedule like airlines: Please show up 2 hours early so you can be bored to death waiting in our terminal. Unlike the airlines, the Alaskan Ferry System is state run. You can tell, there are no coffee machines or frills in the terminal. Given they have 4:15 a.m. staging times I would think someone in authority would recognize the value of selling coffee to those waiting. Ah, such is the difference between a public service and a capitalist pig. Give me the pig every time. Coffee would be nice, even at 7:00 p.m., since it’s so cold and wet here.

Ran into another example of the great hospitality in this region. Seeing the “wet puppy” move his motorcycle to the staging area, one of the loading hands came over and asked if I wanted to go ahead and load. “You bet,” I told him. So he went off and cleared it with the loading chief and purser and I was allowed to come on early. This was a real blessing. Once again, a couple of tie-downs and I was in the lounge checking out the qualities of Alaskan Pale Ale. They are myriad and good.

I was too late making my reservation to have a cabin berth, but probably wouldn’t have paid the difference anyway. You are allowed to pitch a tent on deck, but that seemed such a waste of time. Besides, the probability of it being colder out there than inside the vessel is something on the order of 99.9%, so I opted for laying out my sleeping bag on one of the lounge chairs in the Solarium. Very comfortable, and, once a bunch of young folks heading home from a Christian camp finished noisily removing all the other lounge chairs from my area, save four which were occupied, I fell almost immediately to sleep. I will allow that the number of Alaskan Pale Ale samples taken just before assisted in the process. But, to have good statistical results one must insure an adequate sample size. It’s all in the interest of science, you know?





Laboratory for the statistical sampling of Alaskan Pale Ale







Woke up first around 5:00 a.m. beating the rooster and the chief cook. Decided that was not the way to go so I managed to stay in the sleeping bag until all of 6:00 a.m. These ships are obviously large and somewhat slow (15-18 knots), but they are steady. We have been wending our way south between rocky and tree-laden islands all day. Everyone has heard about the constant food on cruise ships. The reason it appears constant is, frankly, there isn’t that much to do. I’ve already finished one book and am well into a second. We have had some whale sightings and, a few minutes ago, a bald eagle soared out in front of the ship. I ran outside to snap a picture, but he was gone by the time I got there. What to say about the country? It’s stark, lonely, stately, and beautiful. And, GET THIS, we have SUN today!!!! Amazing stuff that. Ol’ Sol stuck his head out of the clouds for a couple of hours. That’s when the eagle flew past...perhaps in salute? In any event, he wasn’t out too long. Didn’t want to run the risk of me overdosing. I was thinking swim trunks and Coppertone.

In some ways my misfortune continues. We could have had a full compliment of passengers, all eager to learn the mysteries of Texas Hold ‘Em. But no, we have very few passengers, and the largest contingent is young people returning from some kind of Christian retreat. They sit around and play Pinochle and I hesitate to corrupt the young coming off such a mission. So…my luck continues; if it were raining women outside I’d catch a lesbian.

Docked in Ketchikan at about 5:15 p.m. (8/6). The sun is out and shining brightly. I am amazed at the way they move these large ships around in these narrow channels and inlets. Skill is an awesome thing. The map shows lots of island in the archipelago, but, as is to be expected, doesn’t show all. There are hundreds, even thousands, of smaller islands and navigational hazards. It is really impressive how they maneuver these big guys around. Even more impressive, when one gives it thought, is how the first ones through mapped the sounds, channels, and pathways in this maze. I expect to pass a small island and see a big block of cheese at any moment.





Coming in to Ketchikan harbor








On the good advice of a native, I went across the street from the ferry terminal to the Best Western motel, restaurant, and bar and had dinner. The “Captain’s Plate” consisted of salmon, halibut, prawns (that’s shrimp for the Texans among us), and scallops. It was great. Also great were the beers. I stayed and drank until the waitress with the massive butt started to look appealing then found my way back across the street to the ship. Don’t tell me I don’t know my limit. I just usually pass out before I reach it.







Ketchikan

August 5, 2006 - Day 26 - 71 (Bike) Miles Juneau, AK

Juneau, AK





Hillside in Juneau














Got the oil changed in the bike; you could almost hear the sighs of estacy from Betsy (the Kow). It's been a long time since that engine had a fresh bath.

Next update to the blog will probably be Monday afternoon or evening. There wasn't an internet connection on the fast ferry from Haines so there may not be on the big ferry I'm taking tonight. Probably be as exciting as watching paint peel anyway. "Well...we just passed our three hundredth and thirty-third glacier...WAIT A MINUTE...the front section of the ferry 'calved' and we are manning lifeboads...Jesus, I hope that bike floats!"

It appears, in order to catch the ferry to Port Hardy and ride Vancouver Island, I'll have to lay over in Prince Rupert two days, then spend the night in Port Hardy before taking off down the island. While I'd really like to make the ride down Vancouver Island, I'm not good sitting on my butt (unless the seat is moving), so I think I'm going to ride Prince Rupert-Prince George-Vancouver on the bike. This is ~1,000 more miles of riding and 20 hours of road time, but it should be a very pretty ride. Obvously, I'll let you know. Since the Canadians do such a great job with their parks and campgrounds I'll probably stay in them if the weather isn't too bad, so I may be offline for several days again. If I'm offline it means I'm "Movin' On" (a song made popular by a Canadian country western star...any guesses?)

Statistic: I just went through the data and determined I have had to don rainsuit 18 of 26 days. This represents ~70% of the time. For crying out loud, at that rate I could have rode Hawaii.

August 4, 2006 – Day 25 – 59 (Bike) Miles Juneau, AK

Juneau, AK

Mistaken about my scheduled departure today at 8:00 pm. It’s not until tomorrow at 8:00 pm. Just what I wanted, yet another down-day in the rain and cold in Juneau. But, that’s what I got. I obviously need to make some lemonade.

Today has been pretty slow (and wet, and cold). I was going to wash the bike but the weather seems to be taking care of that adequately. Murphy’s Law is alive and well. I checked into the Super 8 motel because all I’ve ever been in had wi-fi connections. This one doesn’t. “The equipment is stacked in the office back there…but we just haven’t installed it yet.” When I asked where I could get online I was told about The Heritage Café downtown. They do. At an $8/hour rate sold only in 15 and 30 minute increments. But, it worked for the short time I needed it. Tonight I went to dinner at a Chinese restaurant across the street from the hotel and what did I find? You bet. A café with free wi-fi.

I have an appointment tomorrow at 10:00 am to change the oil in the bike. A mechanic at an auto place put me onto some custom cycle guys who have the necessary facilities. Obviously, I could do it myself except I have no place to put the used oil or anything to catch it in. I don’t expect they’re going to charge much for those high-tech tools (drain pan and 17mm wrench). I could use my own wrench but that would mean opening my carefully prepared toolpouch and I don’t think I can put Humpty-Dumpty back together again.

So…I run out of a room to stay in at 11:00 am tomorrow and have to be at the ferrry landing at 8:00pm. What to do? After changing the oil I’m going to check out the Juneau museum. It looks pretty exciting with exhibits keyed to the gold rush(es), etc. After that I’ll probably take in a movie or something to get out of the wet and cold. Then there’s the library where they supposedly have wi-fi connections also. I can then update the blog and check email.

August 3, 2006 – Day 24 – 19 (Bike) Miles Haines, AK – Juneau, AK

Haines, AK – Juneau, AK

Caught the ferry this morning out of Haines bound for Juneau. (“I didn’t know they had their own navy.”—from an old, bad joke.) The ship was one of the system’s “fast” carriers. And fast it was. We made 34 knots from Haines to Juneau, the trip lasting about 2 ½ hours. Loading and unloading was easy, though I was at first a little apprehensive about the loading ramp when I saw metal grates, similar to the roadbed on the “Republican” bridge at Teslin. My apprehension was unfounded and the bike stayed on the straight and narrow into the hold. A couple of tie-downs later I’m up in the warm lounge reading and snapping pics. It was a nice ride. It remains to be seen how well I like it after being cooped up on one for three or four days.



View aft as we leave Haines Harbor











I’ve discovered what’s wrong with the Alaskan Marine Highway system: I can’t go when I please. I actually have to plan per their schedules. One of my main goals on this trip was not to have my stops, starts, and activities dictated by schedules or reservations. I arrived in Juneau at 1:30 this afternoon and am scheduled out about 10:00 pm Friday night (the 5th). My destination is Prince Rupert, BC. I’m going to check in with the BC ferry system tomorrow about costs and schedules from Prince Rupert to Port Hardy on Vancouver Island. Barring significant delay I’m now leaning toward making that ride. Weather forecasts may change that as well. I’m looking at the Alaska forecast and they are getting dumped on back in the Fairbanks-Denali-Anchorage area…surprise, surprise, surprise. And I thought it was just me. The good news is it looks as if the weather may be getting warmer and dryer as I move to the south around Vancouver. I can stand that. I’m tired of being cold.

Wow, the bike has really been a trouper through all this; hasn’t missed a lick and cranks first time-every time. I’m going to use the downtime tomorrow to change the oil and try to find an air filter. The jury is out whether or not the capital city of a state in the union has a Kawasaki motorcycle dealer. I haven’t seen one in the phone book. The lack of population, like the lack of amenities, is pretty glaring in this part of the world. I’m sure the one leads to the other.

Some observations:
=>The “Canadian” side of the trip has been the most rewarding in terms of hospitality and friendliness. This isn’t to say the Alaskans haven’t been friendly, for the most part they have. The Canadians have just seemed so much more sincere about it.
- Met a lady and her two children (girl, about fourteen, and boy about twelve) at Beaver Creek YT after we’d all ran the construction “gauntlet” near Tok. We had a very pleasant time discussing various trips we’d all taken and those the kids wanted to take. They were just an absolute treat.
- A young woman, early thirties perhaps, was in the laundry room in Haines Junction while I was doing my laundry. We talked, rather briefly, about my trip and what I was doing. Before leaving she gave me a little Canadian lapel pin saying I should have something like that to denote my trip. Just nice.
- Even “Crazy” Joel P. at Burwash Junction was not only non-threatening, he was downright nice, describing his mental (and legal) problems in a calm, this-happens-everyday-doesn’t-it tone of voice.
- Evidence the bikers and proprietors back at Rancherio, YT. They immediately made me feel at home and got me involved in their spoofs with the stuffed bear. Just fun-loving people taking advantage of the warm(er) weather.

=> There is marked differences in Alaska between the country where the people aren’t, and that where they are. The former is beautiful, the latter looks like east Louisiana, with yards full of useless, rusted, autos, snowmobiles, pots and pans, you name it. I saw very few residential areas I would call nice until I got to Juneau.
=>The difference between those who have and the rest of the population of Alaska is significant, more so than in the continental U.S.
=>Most girls get minks the same way minks get minks.

August 2, 2006 – Day 23 – 348 Miles Beaver Creek, BC – Haines, AK

Beaver Creek, BC – Haines, AK

Prior to the Tok Cut-off yesterday, the worst stretch of road on the trip had been a section at Destruction Bay. Knowing this lay before me I decided to stop in Burwash Junction for a cup of coffee before continuing. It was quite an experience.

There were three people sitting at an adjacent table in the restauant,two men and a woman. They appeared to be talking conversationally and I didn’t note anything they said. After one of the men and the lady stood up and left I nodded to the remaining man and just, conversationally, asked him if he lived around the area year-round. He said no, that he’d gotten lucky and inherited some money from his mother and he and his wife spent about four months of the year in southern B.C.

Curious about the condition of the highway during the winter, I asked him if the road was smoother with the snow-pack than it was in the summer. He informed me he’d driven a tow-truck in the area for over thirty years and that the road became very icy and not snow-packed. He then moved over to my table and began telling me his life story; or, better stated, today’s version of his life story. According to Joel P, that was his name, he was born in Canada of American parents therefore holding dual citizenship. Over the course of the next thirty minutes he made the following claims:
1. That everyone who lived out so far were hiding from something (probably true).
2. He ran away from home at 14 and became a petty thief until he lucked into working for a man who had a gold mine in the area and who showed trust in him despite his record with the law (probably not).
3. He joined the U.S. Army and worked in the motor pool (probably true).
4. He later worked in the motor pool for the CIA and “knew” a lot the average person couldn’t know (probably not).
5. He was certifiabily crazy; twelve psychologists/psychiatrists having declared him so, and eligible,because of all he knew, for disability benefits from the U.S. govt (probably both true and false).
6. He served time at Ft. Leavenworth, KS, the primary U.S. Army military prison (your guess is as good as mine).
7. He was “sprung” by an evangelist (I think he was just "sprung").

There was more but I just can’t remember all of it. Just one of those encounters along the Alaskan Highway.



Haines Junction, Yukon Territory










At Haines Junction I took the Haines highway (Hwy 3). This is an absolutely gorgeous ride, but, once again, it’s rainy and cold. I was bemoaning the fact that the cooler weather had affected the game population because I hadn’t seen any since my trip to Fairbanks on Saturday. Almost at that moment, I picked up movement to my right just off the road and, can you believe it, there stood a full-grown grizzly. I’m sure it was grizzly, the large humpback was very visible. He just sort of casually looked at me as I passed by within 30 yards.



Haines Highway
















More Haines Highway








Look closely and you can see the storms chasing me out of the Yukon. Boy, was this a cold ride!












Pulled into Haines about 6:00 pm and made reservations for the Juneau ferry tomorrow, connecting on Friday to the Prince Rupert ferry. I’m seriously considering getting off at Prince Rupert and going back on the bike instead of going down to Victoria. Only time will tell.



View from my room at a cruise ship in the Haines Harbor.

August 1, 2006 – Day 22 – 400 Miles Palmer, AK – Beaver Creek, BC

Palmer, AK – Beaver Creek, BC

Woke up to the pitter-patter of rain. Yep, raining again. After breakfast took Hwy 1 East in steady drizzle with low, very low, clouds. Interestingly, if you ask an Alaskan about Hwy 1 or Hwy 2, or Hwy 4, they probably won’t have a clue to which highway you are referring. They use names here. Hwy 1 is the Glenn Hwy, 2 = Alaskan Hwy, 4 = Richardson Hwy. How can they do this? Easy, they have so bloody few highways the folks in old folks homes can remember them.
The ride from just east of Palmer to Tok Cut-off at Glennallen is beautiful, I think. I caught glimpses of spectacular scenery but, alas, very few, and all “socked-in.” No matter, were the weather cooperating this would have been a great ride. But the weather wasn’t cooperating and it was, yet again, cold and miserable for most of the morning. By early afternoon the rain had stopped. This was, evidently, the weather trying to make up for the lapses of the Alaska Department of Transportation.




Just outside of Palmer AK. Let me tell you,
when they have rivers here, they have rivers, often with huge flood plains and thousands of dead trees lying everwhere.







Glacier further down the Glenn Hwy











I ran into the worst sections of road repair on the Tok Cut-off (Hwy 1) between Slana and Tok. The absolute worst was the FIFTEEN miles just prior to Tok. This was 15 miles of gravel interspersed with sandy mud, both of which made traction a recent memory, and turned travel into travail. If a Texas DOT official authorized 15 miles of road repair encompassing so much loose gravel and slick mud he would be drawn and quartered in a public square. Here? He probably just made money.

Pulled into Beaver Creek and stayed in the same campground I did on the way in. They have a great shower at this place, putting out copious amounts of hot water. After staying twice, however, I’m convinced the staff plays a little game on their camping guests. On both occasions, while rapturously enveloped in the warm deluge from the shower head, someone flushed a toilet and pulled all the hot water from the system. I’m pretty sure I heard snickering when my shouted, “Oh shit,” burst forth. I inadvertently got even when I forgot to leave a tip after breakfast.

July 31, 2006 – Day 21 – 241 Miles Denali NP – Palmer, AK

Denali NP – Palmer, AK

Procrastination worked…to a point. Slept pretty well; it didn’t get too cold during the night. While it drizzled almost all night, I awoke to overcast skies, but no rain. Another biker told me that yesterday morning started out the same way there, but then it rained all day. Taking him at his word I resolved to get out of Dodge. Unfortunately, this decision means no real sights of Denali. It was so overcast, foggy and miserable yesterday that almost no one had any pictures or animal sightings of any interest. I went to the visitor center and took some pictures of their topo map of the park and a couple of other “man-made” displays. None are worth boring you with. I did have someone snap a picture of me eating ice-cream. Just thought it would confirm my lapse into insanity. It’s cold, it’s rainy, it’s miserable, and I’m eating ice cream. Klinger could have gotten out of the Army with this approach.

Packing up a wet camp is not the most pleasant of activities. I didn’t get on the road until 10:00 am toward Anchorage. It was still cold (about 41 deg. F.) but, at least, not wet.

This is a pretty ride almost virtually surrounded by mountains of varying sizes, and covered with both snow and forest. Pretty uneventful ride. My gloves were still wet, and it was too cold for my “summer” pair, so I bought some handwarmers and placed them in the palms. I’ll not be without these beauties in the future. They worked quite well.

I'm still concerned about a moose, bear, or something else coming out of the thicket in front of me. You can see from this photo how close to the road the thickets are. Anything could come out of there, and I can think of nothing good which would.

Stopped at a pretty gorge called the Hurricane Gorge to take some pictures. There were several people with the same idea including a couple of young girls (late-teens?). The edge of the precipice was slate and, wanting her picture taken very close to the edge, one kept moving out toward the edge while running off at the mouth with the other. Damn near gave me a heart attack. I finally told her I wasn’t interested in scraping her little ass off the bottom of the gorge and explained that slate is very slippery stuff. Fortunately she seemed to come to her senses and moved back toward more safe footing. Remember when you were bullet-proof? I’m amazed any of us lived past twenty.









Hurricane Gorge










Pulled near Anchorage about 4:00 pm and I really need to get the oil and oil filter changed in my bike. I found a Kawasaki dealer at Eagle River (just outside Anchorage) and, my luck with Kawasaki dealers continues. He couldn’t get to me today, but if I wanted to bring it back tomorrow. Given where I’m staying now, I suppose I could have, but I’m just sick and tired of unresponsive Kawasaki dealers incapable of understanding the concept of incremental revenue. So I bought an oil filter and, down the road, I'm sure I’ll find a Yamaha or Honda dealer who does.

I was going to try to visit a Kawasaki rider on the Kawasaki Forum but it was, by now, after 5:00 and I was tired and in a hurry to get on the east side on Hwy 1.

Stopped for the evening in the little town of Palmer. How do you know a good restaurant? It’s Monday and the parking lot is full and the vast majority of the tags are local (Alaska). That’s what I found with The Noisy Goose Café here in Palmer. The food is great and the place is cool. There are various plaques with different humorous saying on them everywhere. My favorite was The Hunter:

"Behold the hunter. He riseth early in the morning and disturbeth the whole household. Mighty are his preparations.
He goeth forth full of hope and, when the day is spent, returneth smelling of strong liquor and the truth is not in him."


On my way now back through Tok and into Haines Junction. From there my intent is to go down to Haines.

July 30, 2006 – Day 20 - 122 Miles Fairbanks, AK to Denali NP

Fairbanks, AK to Denali NP


The odds are tomorrow morning I’ll be cussing myself for the dumbest s.o.b. to ever fork a motorcycle, or, perhaps, worse. The probability of thinking myself other than that borders on the infinitesimal. How does one get oneself in such a position? Cold and rain’ll do it for this ol’ boy every time.

Hey, it’s Alaska, the Pacific Northwest, so, to get up and find a steady little sprinkle of rain and a temperature of 40 degrees F. should probably surprise one only if it’s, say, February. Okay, so I’m not surprised. I’m pissed…but I’m not surprised. Have I mentioned I hate cold? I grew up in Florida. The Chamber of Commerce there only allows about three cold days a year, and those are generally planned out in advance to prevent major damage to lettuce crops in the south or orange trees in the central sector. They sure as hell don’t allow it on July the bloody 30th!

Pulled out of Fairbanks about 8:30 after suiting up for the weather. Scary ride, to say the least. After leaving Fairbanks one starts a gradual ascent going toward Denali. Actually, as is usually the case here, it’s both ascent and descent as you follow along river and creek routes. The sky was overcast as I pulled out of Fairbanks, but overcast rapidly became surround-cast after about twenty-five miles. There was an altitude range where the clouds were laying on the ground making visibility very difficult. Additionally, I have to worry about cars coming up behind me, especially in these foggy areas. Bikes are not all that visible when one is looking for cars. Then there were the number of moose I’d seen going into Fairbanks yesterday on Hwy 2 and the story about the Harley rider who T-boned one. Add the rain splattering on my goggles and you have all the ingredients for white-knuckle riding. (And some pretty strong cursing.)

Whenever cars got behind me I slowed down, pulled off onto the roadbed (fortunately, wide enough to take me), and let them go by. Unless, of course, I was about to enter a foggy area…you could certainly see them coming…then I’d speed up building maximum distance between me and any cars behind praying I’d be able to maintain the distance during the “ride through the cloud(s)”. Man, you talk about having your head on a swivel. I was watching for on-coming cars, cars to the rear, and animals on the side of, or on, the road, and all between the raindrops on my goggles. Not fun! Not fun at all.

I found a solution, which seemed to offer the most protection. A large bus-type camper came up behind me, motoring along pretty good (who wouldn’t with all that steel wrapped around them?). I pulled over and allowed him to pass, then fell in behind for the rest of the journey. I would vary between 100 to 300 yards behind as we wound our way to Denali. This offered the benefit of better, clearer eyes, for animals on the road; I knew he’d jump on the brakes if any were encountered, and I was far enough behind to get a view of whatever would be there before I passed. Additionally, given the road conditions, he was a ready bell-weather for the rough spots. All I had to do was watch what happened to him as he passed over the rough areas. After a short while I could gauge the amount of bump or roughness very accurately. I was cold and wanted a cup of coffee but decided I much preferred the safety of my leading fullback (blocker) so I stayed with him for the next 80 to 90 miles, until we got to Denali.



Pretty stupid eating ice cream in this cold









Okay. To pick up on the why I’m probably stupid mentioned at the beginning. As noted, it’s pretty cold here. By about three o’clock this afternoon I’m thinking I should pack up, write off the cost of the campground, and head toward Anchorage. I’m pretty sure tomorrow morning is going to be cold, plus I may have another cold night in the tent as I did at Rancheria the other night. So, why didn’t I? It was just too damn cold at 3:00 pm. My (new, winter) gloves got soaked and turned my hands (and attitude) black as soot and I just didn’t want to do anymore riding in the rain today. Given I think it’s going to be cold and rainy again in the morning, I’m just stupidly putting off the inevitable. Who knows, perhaps I’ll luck out. What’s the difference between an optimist and a procrastinator? A procrastinator can be right some of the time.

And, speaking of procrastination, I’ve now wasted enough time to get redressed to go into the little town here to get something to drink. I think both coffee and hard liquor are in order, in that order. It’s still raining slightly, it’s still cold, and my attitude sucks crap through a dirty sock. I think it can only improve from this point.


Denali...McKinnley is visible only 30% of the time. Now is not one of those times.