Trailace
12-14-2005, 08:03 AM
RickD Alaska Report Days 1 to 5
Rick's Ride To Alaska August 2004
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The ride is over and it?s time to tell the story. Writing is not one of my strong points but here goes. First I would like to thank my wife and three kids for putting up with me while I planned and waited for this trip, my friend Joe (mellowwing.com) who helped with a lot of the planning and Barb at Alaska Leather who put a tire on hold for me and let me change it in her shop. I also want to thank everyone at work especially Tony D. who helped me get the time off to go. Oh yeah and all the great people I met and road with on the trip, without them there would be no story to tell.
[B]Day 1 (Aug 4 2004)
I went into the office to get everything up to date, answer a few e-mails and then hit the road as soon as possible. I was pretty useless at this point but went thru the motions and got everything done. I packed a few last things and hit the road
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I Met Chuck (Sixpipes) in Fort Worth. He rode with me only the first day.
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Not a whole lot happened on the first day but when we reached Clayton NM (Campground) it was raining really hard. We decided to keep going until we were thru it. That would be in Pueblo CO. at Lake Pueblo State Park. It was really hot that day, the temp was over 100 degrees most of the day with a high of 105 and a low of 58. (Rain) Miles 912
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[B]Day 2
Today was a little more fun, I was now in Colorado and the weather was looking great. Went to meet Chuck for Breakfast at our planned time of 7:00AM however we missed each other. I was using CT and he was using MT. At 7:20 CT I decided to hit the road, could not wait any longer, burning daylight. (Sorry I missed ya Chuck) Everything was going great till Denver where the traffic came to a stop. Turned on the CB to find out what was going on. A trucker told me the hold up was due to a Harley Davidson parade. That explains the 20 MPH pace and the nuts and bolts all over the road. LOL Thirty minutes later was back up to speed.
A few hours later I was in Wyoming headed for the first of many planned roads to ride on.
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Hwy 120 was cool http://blink.smugmug.com/photos/7584426-M.jpgand runs into 296 also called Chief Joseph Scenic Byway.
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Where 296 ends you can go left to Yellowstone or right to Bear tooth pass. Bear Tooth Pass is an amazing road it climbs to 10,900 feet with lots of tight switchbacks and beautiful scenery. The weather turned bad about half way up, at the summit the winds were gusting so bad I could not get off the bike to take pictures for fear of it blowing over. http://blink.smugmug.com/photos/7584436-M.jpg
I took a few while sitting on the bike. Hey look goats! http://blink.smugmug.com/photos/7584437-M.jpgOn the other side of the pass the weather turned for the better as I descended the mountain. http://blink.smugmug.com/photos/7584439-M.jpg I would spend the night in Montana at a National Park just west of Red Lodge. Went into town talked to a few of the locals and had dinner. Miles 592
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[B]Day 3
I slept well last night but around 3:00 in the morning someone fired their gun. I felt like I jumped ten feet when it went off but fell right back to sleep. I took 78 north out of Red Lodge a great little road with no traffic at all. In Big Timber I went north on 191 and had a great surprise. They were redoing the road and it was now dirt for the next 44 miles. This part of Montana is hilly with miles and miles of wheat fields.
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I grabbed lunch at the Cozy Corner Caf? but can?t remember the town. http://blink.smugmug.com/photos/7584448-M.jpg
I planned to spend the night in Glacier National Park. It was still early and a big rain cloud was over the park so I pushed on to Canada. I crossed into Canada with no trouble. A few miles in there was a check your weight scale for truckers. The GS with me on it, came in at 440 kilos. Dam I hate the metric crap. The road going to Calgary (2) was straight, long, flat and boring but the roads in Banff area were beautiful.
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It was getting late so I stopped at the first campground I came to on 93. The campground was full but the host told me I could set my tent up anywhere I could find a spot. It started raining around midnight and did not stop till 7 AM. The tent did its job and kept me nice and dry. Miles 742
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[B]Day 4
I was up and on the way by 8:30. Although it was not raining, the sky was dark and the clouds were low.
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It was not long before the sky opened up and it rained on and off all day. Had lunch in Jasper and looked around town a little than back on the road.
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It started to rain like cat and dogs just out of Jasper and did not let up till Smithers. (580 Miles) I came across this guy and we road together to Hazelton, my destination. He would go on to Kitimat. http://blink.smugmug.com/photos/7584467-M.jpg
The campground in Hazelton (KSAN) was real nice and had clean showers. The young lady who worked there was very helpful. She told me that the shower would run for 4.5 minutes with one loony. A loony is a Canadian $1 coin. I did not have any Canadian money on me so she said she would add some to the camp bill and give me change. I could charge the camping on my MasterCard. I said ok add $2 to the bill, she looked at me and said you might want a few more than that. I think she was telling me in a nice way that I stunk. I went with $4 worth and only used 3.
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Had dinner at the Humming Bird restaurant, the owner rides a Kawasaki 650 KLR. The food was good and he told me about a cool dirt road to take that would bypass the road construction in town. Miles 641 http://blink.smugmug.com/photos/7584470-M.jpg
[B]Day 5
I was going to sleep in this morning but a friend (NOT) had other plans. This crow was perched right over my tent making a god-awful noise. So much for sleeping late.http://blink.smugmug.com/photos/7584472-M.jpg
The road the restaurant owner told me about was a great ride and came out right on Cassiar HWY. (37)
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It was early and there was no one else on the road. I went around a corner and right in the road was a Black Bear. I slowed down fast and he ran for the wood, no time to take a picture. A few more miles north I saw something moving on the left so I slowed and had a look. It was two Black Bear cubs but where was mother? I slowly got my camera ready to take a picture of the cubs and kept my eye open looking for mom. Right as I got the camera out mom stuck her head up just 10 yards away in the ditch on the side of the road. Just as I took the picture of the cub?s mom walked out with them and disappeared into the woods. [http://blink.smugmug.com/photos/7584479-M.jpg
I saw a few other bears but could not get any more pictures. I did run into a few goats and a Bald Eagle before the day was over. http://blink.smugmug.com/photos/7584493-M.jpg"http://blink.smugmug.com/photos/7584497-M.jpghttp://blink.smugmug.com/photos/7584498-M.jpghttp://blink.smugmug.com/photos/7584495-M.jpg
I stopped and talked to these two guys from Philly for a while. They were on the way home and had been on the road for over 21 days at this point with a week to go. These two guys were great and had me laughing my ass off. They thought that the Cassiar HWY was the best road on the trip and I would say it?s in the top three. There is about 120 miles of the Cassiar HWY that?s still dirt. When the workers water it to keep the dust down it gets real fun on a motorcycle. http://blink.smugmug.com/photos/7584487-M.jpghttp://blink.smugmug.com/photos/7584488-M.jpghttp://blink.smugmug.com/photos/7584486-M.jpghttp://blink.smugmug.com/photos/7584490-M.jpghttp://blink.smugmug.com/photos/7584489-M.jpghttp://blink.smugmug.com/photos/7584491-M.jpghttp://blink.smugmug.com/photos/7584499-M.jpghttp://blink.smugmug.com/photos/7584500-M.jpghttp://blink.smugmug.com/photos/7584501-M.jpghttp://blink.smugmug.com/photos/7584502-M.jpghttp://blink.smugmug.com/photos/7584503-M.jpghttp://blink.smugmug.com/photos/7584504-M.jpghttp://blink.smugmug.com/photos/7584505-M.jpg
I was going to camp in Watson Lake but with the time change I went on to Whitehorse. The campground in Whitehorse was full of all kinds of adventures and great stories. The two guys camping next to me would be leaving for a 6-week canoe trip. The guys across the road were on week 2 of a 5-week bicycle trip. I also met two guys who were headed to Prudhoe Bay on motorcycles like me. They were not planning on heading north till they could locate a tire for the R80 and a chain for the 650 GS. We told lies over beers until about 2 in the morning. Miles 728
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Trailace Alaska Report Days 5 to 8
[B]Day 6
Today I would be riding to Dawson City then into Alaska on the Top of the World Hwy. The road from Whitehorse to Dawson was paved and scenic. You could see the scar of passed fires.
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Dawson was a neat town but was full of tourists. I only stayed and looked around for about an hour. http://blink.smugmug.com/photos/7584517-M.jpghttp://blink.smugmug.com/photos/7584518-M.jpg
I took the ferry across the Yukon River and headed for Alaska.
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This section is all dirt and would have been beautiful if it were not so smokey from the fires. I crossed the border and was now in Alaska but missed the welcome to Alaska sign. I'm not sure how I missed it but the lady in Chicken told me it was a real nice and big sign.
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Chicken is the first town you come to in Alaska. It has a few stores and a post office but no phones. http://blink.smugmug.com/photos/7584531-M.jpghttp://blink.smugmug.com/photos/7584533-M.jpg
I dropped a post card to my girls at the Post office and talked to the postmaster about the fires. The fires were burning between Chicken and Tok and I would be able to see them from the road. I thanked her for the info and headed for Tok. http://blink.smugmug.com/photos/7584534-M.jpg
I saw the fires and talked to a few of the fire fighters who were nice and told me of a good campground. He also told me he saw a Grizzly Bear not to far from there two days earlier. ttp://blink.smugmug.com/photos/7584535-M.jpghttp://blink.smugmug.com/photos/7584536-M.jpghttp://blink.smugmug.com/photos/7584537-M.jpghttp://blink.smugmug.com/photos/7584538-M.jpghttp://blink.smugmug.com/photos/7584539-M.jpg
There was a truck weigh station so I checked the GS one more time. The bike and me came in at 980 pounds. I set up my tent at Tok river campground and made a few calls. I talked to Jesse and he would meet me just north of Fox at a gas station at 10:00 and we would go to Prudhoe Bay together. I was so pumped it was hard to sleep. Fast Eddie in Tok has great fool. Miles 526
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[B]Day 7
I had to cover 160 miles to meet Jesse at 10 AM so I was up and on the road early. http://blink.smugmug.com/photos/7584546-M.jpghttp://blink.smugmug.com/photos/7584547-M.jpghttp://blink.smugmug.com/photos/7584548-M.jpg
Some how with all the time changes I was off and arrived at 8:45 so I had breakfast. The Hill Top restaurant had great food and the employees were the best. Jesse arrived around 9:45 we talked and agreed to ride at our own pace. http://blink.smugmug.com/photos/7584549-M.jpg
We were on the road at 10 and after a few miles we both knew our riding abilities would work well together. We made it to the Dalton Hwy in about an hour and took the last clean picture of the bikes, now it was time to ride. http://blink.smugmug.com/photos/7584551-M.jpg
We were making good time when we upon an LP Tanker who missed a turn. The driver was ok but it would take a while to up right the tanker. We were lucky the officer let us pass but told us not to stop.
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Here we are at the Yukon River Bridge.
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We stopped at Yukon Crossing service area to top of the tanks and get a drink. This lady loved BMWs and took about 10 pictures of Jesse?s bikes and mine. I took one of her. http://blink.smugmug.com/photos/7584559-M.jpghttp://blink.smugmug.com/photos/7584560-M.jpg
Here we are in the Finger Mountain area.
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Next stop the Arctic Circle. Jesse on the right and me on the left. My wife gave me this shirt for Christmas so I had to get a picture of it. This is a BMW shirt that has ?What day is this, and how did I end up in Alaska? on it.
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Time to talk about the Dalton HWY, up to this point it was not too bad just real dusty with lots of gravel and rocks and sections of black top mixed in. A quick stop in Coldfoot and back on the road. From here the roads get a little more challenging and after you pass over the last Mountains a lot rocker. We were having a blast passing trucks and just ripping down the road. We were lucky that we had no rain because the sections that were watered to work on and to keep the dust down were like riding on ice. We made it to Prudhoe Bay around 7:15 and looked for gas. We were both on reserve.
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Hey do you have one of these?
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We had dinner, made a few calls and took a few pictures and then back on the road. This time of year the sun never sets in Prudhoe Bay. Here are a few of the pictures while at Prudhoe Bay.
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We would be camping out in the Arctic Circle tonight but wanted to get past the bad stuff before we stopped. We found a good spot around 1:00AM and set up camp. Jesse brought fresh baked salmon and heated it up on the fire. Man that tasted good but I was thinking to myself ?is it a good idea to have salmon up here in the Arctic Circle?. It was now 1:30 and I had been up for 21 hours so I fell asleep as soon as I hit the sack. Miles 856
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[B]Day 8
I got up before Jesse and took a few pictures while I waited on him.
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An hour later Jesse was up and we were back on the road in no time. With the hard part behind us we took a slower pace this morning.
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Here we are hanging around the pipeline.
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We stopped in Coldfoot to fill up with gas. These two guys were local folks and were a hoot to talk with. The lady had been stuck here a week waiting the arrival of a part for her car. http://blink.smugmug.com/photos/7584632-Ti.jpg (http://blink.smugmug.com/photos/7584632-M.jpg)http://blink.smugmug.com/photos/7584633-Ti.jpg (http://blink.smugmug.com/photos/7584633-M.jpg)
There was a lot of roadwork being done on The Dalton Hwy with a few delays. We take advantage of the delays to grab a quick drink. The last 20 miles on The Dalton Hwy was like a dust storm due to all the trucks but we made it.
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Back at the Hilltop restaurant http://blink.smugmug.com/photos/7584640-Ti.jpg (http://blink.smugmug.com/photos/7584640-M.jpg) we had lunch and filled up with gas. On the way up the Dalton we used over 14 gallons of gas but on the way out we used only 11 gallons. After lunch we headed for Denali HWY in Paxson. On the way to Paxson it rained on us and cleaned a lot of the dirt off of the bikes. URL=http://blink.smugmug.com/photos/7584641-M.jpg]http://blink.smugmug.com/photos/7584641-Ti.jpg [/url] The lady there told us it would take about 8 hours to cross over to Cantwell due to all the motor homes going slow.
At the half waypoint we set up camp along a summit trail. A few pictures of the area and campsite. Miles 556
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Trailace Alaska Report Days 9 to 14
[B]Day 9
It was a beautiful morning and a great day to ride. Here is the trail we went up to get to the camping area. http://blink.smugmug.com/photos/7584654-Ti.jpg (http://blink.smugmug.com/photos/7584654-M.jpg)http://blink.smugmug.com/photos/7584655-Ti.jpg (http://blink.smugmug.com/photos/7584655-M.jpg)http://blink.smugmug.com/photos/7584656-Ti.jpg (http://blink.smugmug.com/photos/7584656-M.jpg)
Blasting down the Denali HWY and other Pictures.
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In Cantwell we noticed that Jesse?s rear tire was going flat. Turns out he had two holes that needed to be fixed. We tried the BMW plug with no luck so we used the rope kind I was carrying and they did the trick. http://blink.smugmug.com/photos/7584676-Ti.jpg (http://blink.smugmug.com/photos/7584676-M.jpg)http://blink.smugmug.com/photos/7584677-Ti.jpg (http://blink.smugmug.com/photos/7584677-M.jpg)
While Jesse repaired his tire I noticed that my rear tire was trashed and in need of replacement. So I went to Alaska Leather where Barb had a tire waiting for me. Rowan, I think was his name was also replacing his tires.
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I changed the tire and headed to Jesse?s house for the night. At Jesse?s I changed my oil, did my laundry and took a much-needed shower. It felt good to sleep in a bed. Jesse, thanks so much for letting me be a guest in your home and riding with me. I had a great time. Miles 350
[B]Day 10
I will be going to Valdez today and taking a boat ride to see some Glaciers and other sites. Well that was the plan but I missed the boat and would have to wait till tomorrow if I wanted to go. I decided to just head north find a place to eat and camp and enjoy the wonderful sites. Here are a few Pic?s of the salmon that were running.
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The roads to and from Valdez were some of the best on the trip, lots of mountains, waterfalls and glaciers.
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I stopped in Glennallen for gas and the lady there told me the Caf? in town had good food. When I got to the Caf? it was closed. As I went to turn around I dropped the GS for the first and only time on the trip. As I was trying to pick it up a truck pulled up with three young men and gave me a hand. I was only two hours from Tok so I headed there for the night. On the East side of the road I could see MT Blackbum 16,390 feet and MT Sanford 16,237 feet. But with all the smoke in the air the pictures don?t do them justice.
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. I was starting to get a little home sick so tomorrow I would start heading for home. Miles 594
[B]Day 11
It was time to start for home and I was a little sad but all things must come to an end. This morning the smoke and smells from the fires filled the air.
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I stopped at the last store in Alaska to find a few more gifts and top the tank off with gas by the gallon. The owner of the store was nice and we talked for a while about how things had changed in the past years.
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When I went back into Canada I stopped and took a picture in front of the welcome to Alaska sign. http://blink.smugmug.com/photos/7589485-Ti.jpg (http://blink.smugmug.com/photos/7589485-M.jpg)
I had breakfast with these three guys from South Dakota. This was the only Moto Guzzi I saw on the trip. http://blink.smugmug.com/photos/7589486-Ti.jpg (http://blink.smugmug.com/photos/7589486-M.jpg)
The smoke from Alaska was also covering Canada this is the sun. http://blink.smugmug.com/photos/7589479-Ti.jpg (http://blink.smugmug.com/photos/7589479-M.jpg)
This lake was so blue and clear but the smoke made it hard to tell in this picture. http://blink.smugmug.com/photos/7589487-Ti.jpg (http://blink.smugmug.com/photos/7589487-M.jpg)http://blink.smugmug.com/photos/7589489-Ti.jpg (http://blink.smugmug.com/photos/7589489-M.jpg)
If you have never had the opportunity to ride a motorcycle over a metal bridge you just don?t know what you?re missing. It feels like the bike wants to go left and right at the same time. I sure it would be a lot more fun wet.
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Canada also had a fire going today. I think this one just started because I passed a fire truck headed for it a few miles down the road. I would camp west of Watson Lake tonight but first I had to hang my sign in town.
Miles 661
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[B]Day 12
Today was going to be a repeat of day 5 but going south but this would change. The weather was great and I was making great time. At around 200 miles I stopped to get gas. The gas station was closed due to no power. No big deal I would just head to the next station. That would be Tatogga Lake, guess what, they also had no power. The grill worked so I decided to have breakfast and hoped the power would come on soon. There were two guys from Oklahoma on Honda VTX eating as well. They had gas and a spare gallon each. The next town to buy gas was 90 miles away. Mat offered to give me his gallon if it would help me make it those 90 miles. I was at 226 miles and should be able to make it but was running hard at the beginning of the day and was not 100% sure. Well rather than taking the gas I asked if I could just ride with them and if I ran out I would use it. When we made it to the gas station I had cover 336 miles and it took 29 liters to fill the bike. I would ride with Matt and Earl for the rest of the day.
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Matt?s passed a motor home and just missed hitting a bear. I stopped and took this picture of the bear and two cubs.
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The three of us went to Stewart BC and Hyder AK to see the Bears that feed on the salmon that spawn there. It was too hot for the bears but the salmon were cool to watch. The road to Hyder cut though lots of Mountains with glaciers and waterfalls. I parted ways with Matt and Earl and headed for Hazelton to camp. Miles 586
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[B]Day 13
I was sleeping great last night until 4 kids in a pickup truck decided to finish there drinking party 20 feet from me. I was hoping they would not stay too long but after 30 minutes I had to ask them to leave. (Party Pooper) Hey it was 3:00 in the morning. I would shoot for the border today and camp at the first site I came to in the good old USA. First a quick picture in front of the town mascot. Hazelton is a big logging area. It was just a lot of riding today not much to look at. http://blink.smugmug.com/photos/7589575-Ti.jpg (http://blink.smugmug.com/photos/7589575-M.jpg)
I took 97 out of Prince George all the way to Washington. It was a long slow route with not much to look at until you get close to Lake Okanagan. Here is a picture of one of the salt-water lakes that where all over the area.
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This area was also a big tourist area and the traffic was heavy the last 60 or 70 miles to the border. http://blink.smugmug.com/photos/7589578-Ti.jpg (http://blink.smugmug.com/photos/7589578-M.jpg)About 10 miles from the border it started raining so I would keep riding until the weather broke and them find a campground. By midnight it was still raining, not feeling tired I just kept going. The rain broke around 3:00 in the morning so I found a nice quit spot and caught a few zzz. Miles 974
[B]Day 14
I only had a few hours of sleep last night but I actually felt Great. Not much to talk about today I was just riding and enjoying the sights. I decided not to go down to Death Valley and Las Vegas when I heard there was some severe flooding going on. So instead I cut across the salts flats near the Bonneville speedway. As I was crossing, a big sand or salt cloud cover the road behind me. http://blink.smugmug.com/photos/7589582-Ti.jpg (http://blink.smugmug.com/photos/7589582-M.jpg)http://blink.smugmug.com/photos/7589585-Ti.jpg (http://blink.smugmug.com/photos/7589585-M.jpg)http://blink.smugmug.com/photos/7589586-Ti.jpg (http://blink.smugmug.com/photos/7589586-M.jpg)
I camped on scenic route 313 near Arches National park.
313 is a must rid road if your in the area. Miles 978
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Trailace Alaska Report Days 15 to End
[B]Day 15
What a great place to wake up to this was the view around my tent. South Utah and Arizona is just too incredible not to spend some time there.
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Found this neat little back road http://blink.smugmug.com/photos/7589614-Ti.jpg (http://blink.smugmug.com/photos/7589614-M.jpg)http://blink.smugmug.com/photos/7589615-Ti.jpg (http://blink.smugmug.com/photos/7589615-M.jpg)
while turning Monument Valley area. http://blink.smugmug.com/photos/7589599-Ti.jpg (http://blink.smugmug.com/photos/7589599-M.jpg)http://blink.smugmug.com/photos/7589600-Ti.jpg (http://blink.smugmug.com/photos/7589600-M.jpg)http://blink.smugmug.com/photos/7589601-Ti.jpg (http://blink.smugmug.com/photos/7589601-M.jpg)http://blink.smugmug.com/photos/7589602-Ti.jpg (http://blink.smugmug.com/photos/7589602-M.jpg)http://blink.smugmug.com/photos/7589603-Ti.jpg (http://blink.smugmug.com/photos/7589603-M.jpg)http://blink.smugmug.com/photos/7589605-Ti.jpg (http://blink.smugmug.com/photos/7589605-M.jpg)http://blink.smugmug.com/photos/7589610-Ti.jpg (http://blink.smugmug.com/photos/7589610-M.jpg)http://blink.smugmug.com/photos/7589616-Ti.jpg (http://blink.smugmug.com/photos/7589616-M.jpg)http://blink.smugmug.com/photos/7589618-Ti.jpg (http://blink.smugmug.com/photos/7589618-M.jpg)http://blink.smugmug.com/photos/7589620-Ti.jpg (http://blink.smugmug.com/photos/7589620-M.jpg)http://blink.smugmug.com/photos/7589621-Ti.jpg (http://blink.smugmug.com/photos/7589621-M.jpg)
I also met these fine ladies (NOT) at the Utah Arizona border.
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I ran buy the four corners just to say I did! http://blink.smugmug.com/photos/7589628-Ti.jpg (http://blink.smugmug.com/photos/7589628-M.jpg)http://blink.smugmug.com/photos/7589629-Ti.jpg (http://blink.smugmug.com/photos/7589629-M.jpg)
Then I headed for Palo Duro Canyon in Texas. I was a little late getting there so I had to go in the exit only gate no big deal. I found where Joe was and we drank a beer while I told lies about my ride. Miles 820
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[B]Day 16
Joe would be heading to the Grand Canyon and I would head for home. But first we went to Cadillac Ranch for a few pictures.
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As we went our separate ways I knew my ride would soon be over. Besides the 400 miles of rain there was nothing to tell about the ride home. Miles 650
It felt good to be home but also sad. I covered a lot of ground in the time I was gone but that?s how I like it. The total miles for the trip was 11,901. Now I have to go clean the Great GS and get ready for my next ride.
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Rick's Ride To Alaska August 2004
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The ride is over and it?s time to tell the story. Writing is not one of my strong points but here goes. First I would like to thank my wife and three kids for putting up with me while I planned and waited for this trip, my friend Joe (mellowwing.com) who helped with a lot of the planning and Barb at Alaska Leather who put a tire on hold for me and let me change it in her shop. I also want to thank everyone at work especially Tony D. who helped me get the time off to go. Oh yeah and all the great people I met and road with on the trip, without them there would be no story to tell.
[B]Day 1 (Aug 4 2004)
I went into the office to get everything up to date, answer a few e-mails and then hit the road as soon as possible. I was pretty useless at this point but went thru the motions and got everything done. I packed a few last things and hit the road
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I Met Chuck (Sixpipes) in Fort Worth. He rode with me only the first day.
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Not a whole lot happened on the first day but when we reached Clayton NM (Campground) it was raining really hard. We decided to keep going until we were thru it. That would be in Pueblo CO. at Lake Pueblo State Park. It was really hot that day, the temp was over 100 degrees most of the day with a high of 105 and a low of 58. (Rain) Miles 912
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[B]Day 2
Today was a little more fun, I was now in Colorado and the weather was looking great. Went to meet Chuck for Breakfast at our planned time of 7:00AM however we missed each other. I was using CT and he was using MT. At 7:20 CT I decided to hit the road, could not wait any longer, burning daylight. (Sorry I missed ya Chuck) Everything was going great till Denver where the traffic came to a stop. Turned on the CB to find out what was going on. A trucker told me the hold up was due to a Harley Davidson parade. That explains the 20 MPH pace and the nuts and bolts all over the road. LOL Thirty minutes later was back up to speed.
A few hours later I was in Wyoming headed for the first of many planned roads to ride on.
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Hwy 120 was cool http://blink.smugmug.com/photos/7584426-M.jpgand runs into 296 also called Chief Joseph Scenic Byway.
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Where 296 ends you can go left to Yellowstone or right to Bear tooth pass. Bear Tooth Pass is an amazing road it climbs to 10,900 feet with lots of tight switchbacks and beautiful scenery. The weather turned bad about half way up, at the summit the winds were gusting so bad I could not get off the bike to take pictures for fear of it blowing over. http://blink.smugmug.com/photos/7584436-M.jpg
I took a few while sitting on the bike. Hey look goats! http://blink.smugmug.com/photos/7584437-M.jpgOn the other side of the pass the weather turned for the better as I descended the mountain. http://blink.smugmug.com/photos/7584439-M.jpg I would spend the night in Montana at a National Park just west of Red Lodge. Went into town talked to a few of the locals and had dinner. Miles 592
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[B]Day 3
I slept well last night but around 3:00 in the morning someone fired their gun. I felt like I jumped ten feet when it went off but fell right back to sleep. I took 78 north out of Red Lodge a great little road with no traffic at all. In Big Timber I went north on 191 and had a great surprise. They were redoing the road and it was now dirt for the next 44 miles. This part of Montana is hilly with miles and miles of wheat fields.
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I grabbed lunch at the Cozy Corner Caf? but can?t remember the town. http://blink.smugmug.com/photos/7584448-M.jpg
I planned to spend the night in Glacier National Park. It was still early and a big rain cloud was over the park so I pushed on to Canada. I crossed into Canada with no trouble. A few miles in there was a check your weight scale for truckers. The GS with me on it, came in at 440 kilos. Dam I hate the metric crap. The road going to Calgary (2) was straight, long, flat and boring but the roads in Banff area were beautiful.
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It was getting late so I stopped at the first campground I came to on 93. The campground was full but the host told me I could set my tent up anywhere I could find a spot. It started raining around midnight and did not stop till 7 AM. The tent did its job and kept me nice and dry. Miles 742
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[B]Day 4
I was up and on the way by 8:30. Although it was not raining, the sky was dark and the clouds were low.
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It was not long before the sky opened up and it rained on and off all day. Had lunch in Jasper and looked around town a little than back on the road.
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It started to rain like cat and dogs just out of Jasper and did not let up till Smithers. (580 Miles) I came across this guy and we road together to Hazelton, my destination. He would go on to Kitimat. http://blink.smugmug.com/photos/7584467-M.jpg
The campground in Hazelton (KSAN) was real nice and had clean showers. The young lady who worked there was very helpful. She told me that the shower would run for 4.5 minutes with one loony. A loony is a Canadian $1 coin. I did not have any Canadian money on me so she said she would add some to the camp bill and give me change. I could charge the camping on my MasterCard. I said ok add $2 to the bill, she looked at me and said you might want a few more than that. I think she was telling me in a nice way that I stunk. I went with $4 worth and only used 3.
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Had dinner at the Humming Bird restaurant, the owner rides a Kawasaki 650 KLR. The food was good and he told me about a cool dirt road to take that would bypass the road construction in town. Miles 641 http://blink.smugmug.com/photos/7584470-M.jpg
[B]Day 5
I was going to sleep in this morning but a friend (NOT) had other plans. This crow was perched right over my tent making a god-awful noise. So much for sleeping late.http://blink.smugmug.com/photos/7584472-M.jpg
The road the restaurant owner told me about was a great ride and came out right on Cassiar HWY. (37)
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It was early and there was no one else on the road. I went around a corner and right in the road was a Black Bear. I slowed down fast and he ran for the wood, no time to take a picture. A few more miles north I saw something moving on the left so I slowed and had a look. It was two Black Bear cubs but where was mother? I slowly got my camera ready to take a picture of the cubs and kept my eye open looking for mom. Right as I got the camera out mom stuck her head up just 10 yards away in the ditch on the side of the road. Just as I took the picture of the cub?s mom walked out with them and disappeared into the woods. [http://blink.smugmug.com/photos/7584479-M.jpg
I saw a few other bears but could not get any more pictures. I did run into a few goats and a Bald Eagle before the day was over. http://blink.smugmug.com/photos/7584493-M.jpg"http://blink.smugmug.com/photos/7584497-M.jpghttp://blink.smugmug.com/photos/7584498-M.jpghttp://blink.smugmug.com/photos/7584495-M.jpg
I stopped and talked to these two guys from Philly for a while. They were on the way home and had been on the road for over 21 days at this point with a week to go. These two guys were great and had me laughing my ass off. They thought that the Cassiar HWY was the best road on the trip and I would say it?s in the top three. There is about 120 miles of the Cassiar HWY that?s still dirt. When the workers water it to keep the dust down it gets real fun on a motorcycle. http://blink.smugmug.com/photos/7584487-M.jpghttp://blink.smugmug.com/photos/7584488-M.jpghttp://blink.smugmug.com/photos/7584486-M.jpghttp://blink.smugmug.com/photos/7584490-M.jpghttp://blink.smugmug.com/photos/7584489-M.jpghttp://blink.smugmug.com/photos/7584491-M.jpghttp://blink.smugmug.com/photos/7584499-M.jpghttp://blink.smugmug.com/photos/7584500-M.jpghttp://blink.smugmug.com/photos/7584501-M.jpghttp://blink.smugmug.com/photos/7584502-M.jpghttp://blink.smugmug.com/photos/7584503-M.jpghttp://blink.smugmug.com/photos/7584504-M.jpghttp://blink.smugmug.com/photos/7584505-M.jpg
I was going to camp in Watson Lake but with the time change I went on to Whitehorse. The campground in Whitehorse was full of all kinds of adventures and great stories. The two guys camping next to me would be leaving for a 6-week canoe trip. The guys across the road were on week 2 of a 5-week bicycle trip. I also met two guys who were headed to Prudhoe Bay on motorcycles like me. They were not planning on heading north till they could locate a tire for the R80 and a chain for the 650 GS. We told lies over beers until about 2 in the morning. Miles 728
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Trailace Alaska Report Days 5 to 8
[B]Day 6
Today I would be riding to Dawson City then into Alaska on the Top of the World Hwy. The road from Whitehorse to Dawson was paved and scenic. You could see the scar of passed fires.
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Dawson was a neat town but was full of tourists. I only stayed and looked around for about an hour. http://blink.smugmug.com/photos/7584517-M.jpghttp://blink.smugmug.com/photos/7584518-M.jpg
I took the ferry across the Yukon River and headed for Alaska.
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This section is all dirt and would have been beautiful if it were not so smokey from the fires. I crossed the border and was now in Alaska but missed the welcome to Alaska sign. I'm not sure how I missed it but the lady in Chicken told me it was a real nice and big sign.
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Chicken is the first town you come to in Alaska. It has a few stores and a post office but no phones. http://blink.smugmug.com/photos/7584531-M.jpghttp://blink.smugmug.com/photos/7584533-M.jpg
I dropped a post card to my girls at the Post office and talked to the postmaster about the fires. The fires were burning between Chicken and Tok and I would be able to see them from the road. I thanked her for the info and headed for Tok. http://blink.smugmug.com/photos/7584534-M.jpg
I saw the fires and talked to a few of the fire fighters who were nice and told me of a good campground. He also told me he saw a Grizzly Bear not to far from there two days earlier. ttp://blink.smugmug.com/photos/7584535-M.jpghttp://blink.smugmug.com/photos/7584536-M.jpghttp://blink.smugmug.com/photos/7584537-M.jpghttp://blink.smugmug.com/photos/7584538-M.jpghttp://blink.smugmug.com/photos/7584539-M.jpg
There was a truck weigh station so I checked the GS one more time. The bike and me came in at 980 pounds. I set up my tent at Tok river campground and made a few calls. I talked to Jesse and he would meet me just north of Fox at a gas station at 10:00 and we would go to Prudhoe Bay together. I was so pumped it was hard to sleep. Fast Eddie in Tok has great fool. Miles 526
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[B]Day 7
I had to cover 160 miles to meet Jesse at 10 AM so I was up and on the road early. http://blink.smugmug.com/photos/7584546-M.jpghttp://blink.smugmug.com/photos/7584547-M.jpghttp://blink.smugmug.com/photos/7584548-M.jpg
Some how with all the time changes I was off and arrived at 8:45 so I had breakfast. The Hill Top restaurant had great food and the employees were the best. Jesse arrived around 9:45 we talked and agreed to ride at our own pace. http://blink.smugmug.com/photos/7584549-M.jpg
We were on the road at 10 and after a few miles we both knew our riding abilities would work well together. We made it to the Dalton Hwy in about an hour and took the last clean picture of the bikes, now it was time to ride. http://blink.smugmug.com/photos/7584551-M.jpg
We were making good time when we upon an LP Tanker who missed a turn. The driver was ok but it would take a while to up right the tanker. We were lucky the officer let us pass but told us not to stop.
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Here we are at the Yukon River Bridge.
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We stopped at Yukon Crossing service area to top of the tanks and get a drink. This lady loved BMWs and took about 10 pictures of Jesse?s bikes and mine. I took one of her. http://blink.smugmug.com/photos/7584559-M.jpghttp://blink.smugmug.com/photos/7584560-M.jpg
Here we are in the Finger Mountain area.
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Next stop the Arctic Circle. Jesse on the right and me on the left. My wife gave me this shirt for Christmas so I had to get a picture of it. This is a BMW shirt that has ?What day is this, and how did I end up in Alaska? on it.
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Time to talk about the Dalton HWY, up to this point it was not too bad just real dusty with lots of gravel and rocks and sections of black top mixed in. A quick stop in Coldfoot and back on the road. From here the roads get a little more challenging and after you pass over the last Mountains a lot rocker. We were having a blast passing trucks and just ripping down the road. We were lucky that we had no rain because the sections that were watered to work on and to keep the dust down were like riding on ice. We made it to Prudhoe Bay around 7:15 and looked for gas. We were both on reserve.
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Hey do you have one of these?
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We had dinner, made a few calls and took a few pictures and then back on the road. This time of year the sun never sets in Prudhoe Bay. Here are a few of the pictures while at Prudhoe Bay.
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We would be camping out in the Arctic Circle tonight but wanted to get past the bad stuff before we stopped. We found a good spot around 1:00AM and set up camp. Jesse brought fresh baked salmon and heated it up on the fire. Man that tasted good but I was thinking to myself ?is it a good idea to have salmon up here in the Arctic Circle?. It was now 1:30 and I had been up for 21 hours so I fell asleep as soon as I hit the sack. Miles 856
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[B]Day 8
I got up before Jesse and took a few pictures while I waited on him.
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An hour later Jesse was up and we were back on the road in no time. With the hard part behind us we took a slower pace this morning.
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Here we are hanging around the pipeline.
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We stopped in Coldfoot to fill up with gas. These two guys were local folks and were a hoot to talk with. The lady had been stuck here a week waiting the arrival of a part for her car. http://blink.smugmug.com/photos/7584632-Ti.jpg (http://blink.smugmug.com/photos/7584632-M.jpg)http://blink.smugmug.com/photos/7584633-Ti.jpg (http://blink.smugmug.com/photos/7584633-M.jpg)
There was a lot of roadwork being done on The Dalton Hwy with a few delays. We take advantage of the delays to grab a quick drink. The last 20 miles on The Dalton Hwy was like a dust storm due to all the trucks but we made it.
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Back at the Hilltop restaurant http://blink.smugmug.com/photos/7584640-Ti.jpg (http://blink.smugmug.com/photos/7584640-M.jpg) we had lunch and filled up with gas. On the way up the Dalton we used over 14 gallons of gas but on the way out we used only 11 gallons. After lunch we headed for Denali HWY in Paxson. On the way to Paxson it rained on us and cleaned a lot of the dirt off of the bikes. URL=http://blink.smugmug.com/photos/7584641-M.jpg]http://blink.smugmug.com/photos/7584641-Ti.jpg [/url] The lady there told us it would take about 8 hours to cross over to Cantwell due to all the motor homes going slow.
At the half waypoint we set up camp along a summit trail. A few pictures of the area and campsite. Miles 556
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Trailace Alaska Report Days 9 to 14
[B]Day 9
It was a beautiful morning and a great day to ride. Here is the trail we went up to get to the camping area. http://blink.smugmug.com/photos/7584654-Ti.jpg (http://blink.smugmug.com/photos/7584654-M.jpg)http://blink.smugmug.com/photos/7584655-Ti.jpg (http://blink.smugmug.com/photos/7584655-M.jpg)http://blink.smugmug.com/photos/7584656-Ti.jpg (http://blink.smugmug.com/photos/7584656-M.jpg)
Blasting down the Denali HWY and other Pictures.
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In Cantwell we noticed that Jesse?s rear tire was going flat. Turns out he had two holes that needed to be fixed. We tried the BMW plug with no luck so we used the rope kind I was carrying and they did the trick. http://blink.smugmug.com/photos/7584676-Ti.jpg (http://blink.smugmug.com/photos/7584676-M.jpg)http://blink.smugmug.com/photos/7584677-Ti.jpg (http://blink.smugmug.com/photos/7584677-M.jpg)
While Jesse repaired his tire I noticed that my rear tire was trashed and in need of replacement. So I went to Alaska Leather where Barb had a tire waiting for me. Rowan, I think was his name was also replacing his tires.
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I changed the tire and headed to Jesse?s house for the night. At Jesse?s I changed my oil, did my laundry and took a much-needed shower. It felt good to sleep in a bed. Jesse, thanks so much for letting me be a guest in your home and riding with me. I had a great time. Miles 350
[B]Day 10
I will be going to Valdez today and taking a boat ride to see some Glaciers and other sites. Well that was the plan but I missed the boat and would have to wait till tomorrow if I wanted to go. I decided to just head north find a place to eat and camp and enjoy the wonderful sites. Here are a few Pic?s of the salmon that were running.
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The roads to and from Valdez were some of the best on the trip, lots of mountains, waterfalls and glaciers.
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I stopped in Glennallen for gas and the lady there told me the Caf? in town had good food. When I got to the Caf? it was closed. As I went to turn around I dropped the GS for the first and only time on the trip. As I was trying to pick it up a truck pulled up with three young men and gave me a hand. I was only two hours from Tok so I headed there for the night. On the East side of the road I could see MT Blackbum 16,390 feet and MT Sanford 16,237 feet. But with all the smoke in the air the pictures don?t do them justice.
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. I was starting to get a little home sick so tomorrow I would start heading for home. Miles 594
[B]Day 11
It was time to start for home and I was a little sad but all things must come to an end. This morning the smoke and smells from the fires filled the air.
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I stopped at the last store in Alaska to find a few more gifts and top the tank off with gas by the gallon. The owner of the store was nice and we talked for a while about how things had changed in the past years.
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When I went back into Canada I stopped and took a picture in front of the welcome to Alaska sign. http://blink.smugmug.com/photos/7589485-Ti.jpg (http://blink.smugmug.com/photos/7589485-M.jpg)
I had breakfast with these three guys from South Dakota. This was the only Moto Guzzi I saw on the trip. http://blink.smugmug.com/photos/7589486-Ti.jpg (http://blink.smugmug.com/photos/7589486-M.jpg)
The smoke from Alaska was also covering Canada this is the sun. http://blink.smugmug.com/photos/7589479-Ti.jpg (http://blink.smugmug.com/photos/7589479-M.jpg)
This lake was so blue and clear but the smoke made it hard to tell in this picture. http://blink.smugmug.com/photos/7589487-Ti.jpg (http://blink.smugmug.com/photos/7589487-M.jpg)http://blink.smugmug.com/photos/7589489-Ti.jpg (http://blink.smugmug.com/photos/7589489-M.jpg)
If you have never had the opportunity to ride a motorcycle over a metal bridge you just don?t know what you?re missing. It feels like the bike wants to go left and right at the same time. I sure it would be a lot more fun wet.
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Canada also had a fire going today. I think this one just started because I passed a fire truck headed for it a few miles down the road. I would camp west of Watson Lake tonight but first I had to hang my sign in town.
Miles 661
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[B]Day 12
Today was going to be a repeat of day 5 but going south but this would change. The weather was great and I was making great time. At around 200 miles I stopped to get gas. The gas station was closed due to no power. No big deal I would just head to the next station. That would be Tatogga Lake, guess what, they also had no power. The grill worked so I decided to have breakfast and hoped the power would come on soon. There were two guys from Oklahoma on Honda VTX eating as well. They had gas and a spare gallon each. The next town to buy gas was 90 miles away. Mat offered to give me his gallon if it would help me make it those 90 miles. I was at 226 miles and should be able to make it but was running hard at the beginning of the day and was not 100% sure. Well rather than taking the gas I asked if I could just ride with them and if I ran out I would use it. When we made it to the gas station I had cover 336 miles and it took 29 liters to fill the bike. I would ride with Matt and Earl for the rest of the day.
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Matt?s passed a motor home and just missed hitting a bear. I stopped and took this picture of the bear and two cubs.
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The three of us went to Stewart BC and Hyder AK to see the Bears that feed on the salmon that spawn there. It was too hot for the bears but the salmon were cool to watch. The road to Hyder cut though lots of Mountains with glaciers and waterfalls. I parted ways with Matt and Earl and headed for Hazelton to camp. Miles 586
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[B]Day 13
I was sleeping great last night until 4 kids in a pickup truck decided to finish there drinking party 20 feet from me. I was hoping they would not stay too long but after 30 minutes I had to ask them to leave. (Party Pooper) Hey it was 3:00 in the morning. I would shoot for the border today and camp at the first site I came to in the good old USA. First a quick picture in front of the town mascot. Hazelton is a big logging area. It was just a lot of riding today not much to look at. http://blink.smugmug.com/photos/7589575-Ti.jpg (http://blink.smugmug.com/photos/7589575-M.jpg)
I took 97 out of Prince George all the way to Washington. It was a long slow route with not much to look at until you get close to Lake Okanagan. Here is a picture of one of the salt-water lakes that where all over the area.
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This area was also a big tourist area and the traffic was heavy the last 60 or 70 miles to the border. http://blink.smugmug.com/photos/7589578-Ti.jpg (http://blink.smugmug.com/photos/7589578-M.jpg)About 10 miles from the border it started raining so I would keep riding until the weather broke and them find a campground. By midnight it was still raining, not feeling tired I just kept going. The rain broke around 3:00 in the morning so I found a nice quit spot and caught a few zzz. Miles 974
[B]Day 14
I only had a few hours of sleep last night but I actually felt Great. Not much to talk about today I was just riding and enjoying the sights. I decided not to go down to Death Valley and Las Vegas when I heard there was some severe flooding going on. So instead I cut across the salts flats near the Bonneville speedway. As I was crossing, a big sand or salt cloud cover the road behind me. http://blink.smugmug.com/photos/7589582-Ti.jpg (http://blink.smugmug.com/photos/7589582-M.jpg)http://blink.smugmug.com/photos/7589585-Ti.jpg (http://blink.smugmug.com/photos/7589585-M.jpg)http://blink.smugmug.com/photos/7589586-Ti.jpg (http://blink.smugmug.com/photos/7589586-M.jpg)
I camped on scenic route 313 near Arches National park.
313 is a must rid road if your in the area. Miles 978
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Trailace Alaska Report Days 15 to End
[B]Day 15
What a great place to wake up to this was the view around my tent. South Utah and Arizona is just too incredible not to spend some time there.
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Found this neat little back road http://blink.smugmug.com/photos/7589614-Ti.jpg (http://blink.smugmug.com/photos/7589614-M.jpg)http://blink.smugmug.com/photos/7589615-Ti.jpg (http://blink.smugmug.com/photos/7589615-M.jpg)
while turning Monument Valley area. http://blink.smugmug.com/photos/7589599-Ti.jpg (http://blink.smugmug.com/photos/7589599-M.jpg)http://blink.smugmug.com/photos/7589600-Ti.jpg (http://blink.smugmug.com/photos/7589600-M.jpg)http://blink.smugmug.com/photos/7589601-Ti.jpg (http://blink.smugmug.com/photos/7589601-M.jpg)http://blink.smugmug.com/photos/7589602-Ti.jpg (http://blink.smugmug.com/photos/7589602-M.jpg)http://blink.smugmug.com/photos/7589603-Ti.jpg (http://blink.smugmug.com/photos/7589603-M.jpg)http://blink.smugmug.com/photos/7589605-Ti.jpg (http://blink.smugmug.com/photos/7589605-M.jpg)http://blink.smugmug.com/photos/7589610-Ti.jpg (http://blink.smugmug.com/photos/7589610-M.jpg)http://blink.smugmug.com/photos/7589616-Ti.jpg (http://blink.smugmug.com/photos/7589616-M.jpg)http://blink.smugmug.com/photos/7589618-Ti.jpg (http://blink.smugmug.com/photos/7589618-M.jpg)http://blink.smugmug.com/photos/7589620-Ti.jpg (http://blink.smugmug.com/photos/7589620-M.jpg)http://blink.smugmug.com/photos/7589621-Ti.jpg (http://blink.smugmug.com/photos/7589621-M.jpg)
I also met these fine ladies (NOT) at the Utah Arizona border.
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I ran buy the four corners just to say I did! http://blink.smugmug.com/photos/7589628-Ti.jpg (http://blink.smugmug.com/photos/7589628-M.jpg)http://blink.smugmug.com/photos/7589629-Ti.jpg (http://blink.smugmug.com/photos/7589629-M.jpg)
Then I headed for Palo Duro Canyon in Texas. I was a little late getting there so I had to go in the exit only gate no big deal. I found where Joe was and we drank a beer while I told lies about my ride. Miles 820
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[B]Day 16
Joe would be heading to the Grand Canyon and I would head for home. But first we went to Cadillac Ranch for a few pictures.
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As we went our separate ways I knew my ride would soon be over. Besides the 400 miles of rain there was nothing to tell about the ride home. Miles 650
It felt good to be home but also sad. I covered a lot of ground in the time I was gone but that?s how I like it. The total miles for the trip was 11,901. Now I have to go clean the Great GS and get ready for my next ride.
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