Charlotte to Anchorage 2011

Thinking of making the trek from Charlotte to Anchorage June 11-Jul 2, 2011.

Have been up there a few times backpacking and this time period has always been pleasant (no bugs-little rain). Thinking this is the best for a bike run as well.

This is an awful lot of ground to cover in 22 days and thinking that it may pushing the pleasure out the window with a demanding mileage schedule.

Anyone from the Huntersville/Charlotte area make this run in 3 weeks ? Advise ?

ANyone else... contemplating this ride this summer?

K

I did Alaska last summer but I flew in, rented a BMW F800 and spent two weeks exploring. I can't imagine doing it from Charlotte in 22 days though we had two of our Vegas riders this summer ride up to Dawson Creek and make it back in 16 days.

The more I ride and I'm a relatively new rider, the more I realize that an enjoyable trip for me is not to watch the world zoom by via freeway but to take my time.

This summer I decided to make a more leisurely trip up to the BMW Rally and even just doing 250-300 miles a day I passed by many locations I simply wanted to check out and enjoy.

Right or wrong, to each his own. Decide what kind of trip YOU will enjoy and go from there.

RobStar

point well taken RobStar. I tend to be the one that explores the nooks and crannies on a ride.... and to your very point have stayed away from the Interstates wherever possible. Your solution of fly and rent may present the most enjoyable alternative at the end of the day. Appreciate the comments.
K

There's no cookbook way

Riding: It's ~4400 miles each way, just to Anchorage. Even if you IronButt it, that's a costly ride. On the plus side, as soon as you reach Northern BC and Yukon, you will be riding through Alaska-like scenic country. Can you do it in 22 days, and still have a few days in AK? Sure. Just like my friend John Ryan made it from Prudhoe Bay to Key West in 86:31. (Well, nobody's stepped up to try to break that record... yet!)

Renting: Anchorage is the right place to rent, because it's the easiest place to fly. Renting and flying costs $$$, but you will have almost all of your 22 days to visit places like Dawson, Fairbanks, Prudhoe Bay, Homer, Valdez, Skagway, Haines, Denali, Chicken, and on, and on. But, keep in mind that you'll probably not find a hotel in AK for less than $125 a night, so 20 days in AK will be pricey. And, you will miss Northern BC and Yukon.

I've been to AK three times, but never rented a bike there. A good friend from VT rode an FJR there last summer in 21 days, and hated it. He went everywhere, but had time to experience nothing. But, be of good cheer. Most of my friends who have visited AK on a bike have dreams of going back. So do I.

Everybody's different. I enjoyed the rides to/from, but I took some beatings from high winds, rain, and forest fires. Alternately, you could be signing up for a public beating from the airlines and TSA.

Oh, by the way, leave your Glock and your machete at home. Carry one of those across the Canadian border, and you're itching for a few nights in jail.

Either way, have a good adventure. Try to remember Ted Simon's mantra: "The interruptions ARE the journey."

I'll go to Alaska in June/July 2011. I'll just have 2 1/2 to 3 weeks and I'll be leaving from Montreal, Qc. So I will cross Canada. The first 4 days will be real Iron Butt steps but then, I'll take a slower pace in Alaska and I have decided to leave my bike in Edmonton on the way back and fly to Montreal. It will save me 4 riding days and I'll be able to recover before going back to work.
I wish I would have more time to visit, but here are my choices: do it NOW that way or postponing it w/o knowing if I'll have another opportunity. Decision is simple.

I would like to make a way round trip one day but it is unlikely that I'll have 1 or 2 years to do it in the near future (family / work) so I have decided to make it step by step. After Happy-Valley / Goose Bay in Labrador 2 years ago with my Ural and James Bay this year, it will be Alaska in 2011 with my GS and hopefully Panama in 2012 and Patagonia in 2013. Step by step I said.

So I would encourage everybody who has decided to make a trip to do it and don't let others discouraging you. What is the worse thing which can happen? Probably staying home...