Not Retired but I have a 2 months off. Where would you ride?

[adamchandler]

I’m 37 and I have 2 months off from work in June and July. I had planned Mongolia with Rally for Rangers but they are only inviting past riders this year so that’s out. I have to be in Redmond for the national and after that, I don’t have to be home to New Hampshire for a while.

All I’ve ridden out west is COBDR and Utah. I’m on a GS with knobbies and my off-road experience is moderate. I’ve done NEBDR, MABDR, TransLabrador and GS Trophy Qualifiers. I’m pretty confident in mud and rocky hills. Rode the GS around Colorado fully loaded and didn’t drop it Once.

I was going to just ride the TAT from OR back to NC but that will only take a couple of weeks so then I started thinking…do I do Alaska and TUK? Do I go down to Baja? Do I do Idaho or Washington BDRs? Do I do the Continental Divide from Glacier NP in reverse? There are so many rides to do. I like remote and no people but I also don’t want to have to go to 10 different campgrounds to find a place to sleep due to tourists so ideally a route I can just ride until it gets dark, sleep wherever and do it again would be ideal so maybe around BLM lands? I’m a BMW owner so of course I’m cheap. I’m a sleep at the end of a dead-end trail and eat protein bars kind of traveler only to get a hotel every 5-6 days for the shower alone And I want LONG days on the bike at 8AM and ride until it gets dark Taking every 5th day off as a no riding day to unwind and relax.

Perhaps I’m just getting choice-overload but I’ve been working full time since I was 17 years old. I’m 37 now and this is the first time I’ve ever had more than 10 days off work so I want to have a great time but I also feel the west cost has so many bucket list items that I’m overwhelmed on what to actually go with? I start in Redmond OR and have to end up in New Hampshire eventually.

 

[52184]

Mid-June into July is a perfect time to hit Jasper/Banff and the Icefield Parkway on your way to Dawson Creek and the start of the Alcan. Take the Alcan to Watson Lake and the Campbell Highway on your way to Dawson City. Ride the Dempster up to Inuvik and Tuk then back to Dawson City and onto the Top of the World Highway to Chicken (be sure to get your passport stamped crossing back into the U.S.) and on to Tok. Then on to Glenallen and Chitina to pick up the road to McCarthy, which is an in/out ride with an overnight at McCarthy. Back on the main highway it’s worth a day ride to Valdez just for the view coming over the pass, then back to the nice campground at Glenallen. Time permitting, you can head from Glenallen to Paxton and pick up the Denali Highway, which is always better east-to west with the mountain looming in the distance, take a bus tour of the park, then loop south to Anchorage or north to Fairbanks to head back to Watson Lake to head south on the Cassiar to Hyder, AK. Then it’s the Yellowhead Highway to Prince George before dropping south through Kamloops to Salmon Arm (stop at the nearby MC museum) and on to Revelstoke and Kaslo before heading east to Crestón and dropping back into the US. Pick up US2 and the Going to the Sun road through Glacier on the way home, then work SE to I-94 where you can point it east, pull the trigger, and burn for home.

Ive already ridden most of the above, but…can I come along?

Just kidding,
DeVern

 

[Omega Man]

I will move this to Ride Reports later on.
Enjoy the time off Adam.
OM

 

[collingsbob]

Mid-June into July is a perfect time to hit Jasper/Banff and the Icefield Parkway on your way to Dawson Creek and the start of the Alcan. Take the Alcan to Watson Lake and the Campbell Highway on your way to Dawson City. Ride the Dempster up to Inuvik and Tuk then back to Dawson City and onto the Top of the World Highway to Chicken (be sure to get your passport stamped crossing back into the U.S.) and on to Tok. Then on to Glenallen and Chitina to pick up the road to McCarthy, which is an in/out ride with an overnight at McCarthy. Back on the main highway it’s worth a day ride to Valdez just for the view coming over the pass, then back to the nice campground at Glenallen. Time permitting, you can head from Glenallen to Paxton and pick up the Denali Highway, which is always better east-to west with the mountain looming in the distance, take a bus tour of the park, then loop south to Anchorage or north to Fairbanks to head back to Watson Lake to head south on the Cassiar to Hyder, AK. Then it’s the Yellowhead Highway to Prince George before dropping south through Kamloops to Salmon Arm (stop at the nearby MC museum) and on to Revelstoke and Kaslo before heading east to Crestón and dropping back into the US. Pick up US2 and the Going to the Sun road through Glacier on the way home, then work SE to I-94 where you can point it east, pull the trigger, and burn for home.

Ive already ridden most of the above, but…can I come along?

Just kidding,
DeVern

The road from Kaslo to New Denver is truly wonderful, especially if you ride it on a weekday. The road from Creston to Crawford Bay is a very close second. The (free) ferry ride from Crawford Bay to Balfour is a treat for the eyes..

 

[skibum69]

Have you been to Newfoundland yet? I know people who have done multiple multi week trips and still complain they haven't seen it all. Plus I live here!

 

[lee]

Go to places you have not seen.

 

[adamchandler]

Mid-June into July is a perfect time to hit Jasper/Banff and the Icefield Parkway on your way to Dawson Creek and the start of the Alcan. Take the Alcan to Watson Lake and the Campbell Highway on your way to Dawson City. Ride the Dempster up to Inuvik and Tuk then back to Dawson City and onto the Top of the World Highway to Chicken (be sure to get your passport stamped crossing back into the U.S.) and on to Tok. Then on to Glenallen and Chitina to pick up the road to McCarthy, which is an in/out ride with an overnight at McCarthy. Back on the main highway it’s worth a day ride to Valdez just for the view coming over the pass, then back to the nice campground at Glenallen. Time permitting, you can head from Glenallen to Paxton and pick up the Denali Highway, which is always better east-to west with the mountain looming in the distance, take a bus tour of the park, then loop south to Anchorage or north to Fairbanks to head back to Watson Lake to head south on the Cassiar to Hyder, AK. Then it’s the Yellowhead Highway to Prince George before dropping south through Kamloops to Salmon Arm (stop at the nearby MC museum) and on to Revelstoke and Kaslo before heading east to Crestón and dropping back into the US. Pick up US2 and the Going to the Sun road through Glacier on the way home, then work SE to I-94 where you can point it east, pull the trigger, and burn for home.

Ive already ridden most of the above, but…can I come along?

Just kidding,
DeVern

I’m going to throw those all into base camp and start looking at what that would look like. Thank you for all of the POIs!

 

[adamchandler]

Have you been to Newfoundland yet? I know people who have done multiple multi week trips and still complain they haven't seen it all. Plus I live here!

Twice! Did NL in 2019 and 2023.

 

[pauls1150]

Criss-crossing the Sierras is a treat, from Washington down to central CA (of course gas will cost more here Skip Baja, crime is way up and a lone bike can be an easy target.

 

[bigjohnsd]

Adam, I encourage you to saddle up the morning of June 16th and head for Dawson City YT and the Dust to Dawson event https://www.advrider.com/f/threads/d2d-2024.1690459/ which starts on Thursday evening and ends on Saturday morning at 0100 - https://maps.app.goo.gl/1ZJS7a7LsX2CJ8V68 - five 430 mile days gets you there from Redmond, easy peasy.

After D2D take the ride to Tuk and back to Dawson City before heading over to AK via the Top of the World Highway.
Spend ten days exploring a bit of AK, you can't see it all in three trips, DAMHIK.

The trip up was on the Cassiar Highway, take the ALCAN on your way home, and from Dawson Creek head down through the Canadian Rockies, Banf, Icefield Parkway, Lake Louise, Radium Hot Springs, etc, then into Montana, Glacier Park/Going to the Sun JHighway, etc before the flat stretch home. Put on a new set of Dunlop TMM at home or at the MOA Rally and you'l be good for the rest of the trip for certain.

 

[skibum69]

Oh, so you were here twice and didn't call? Shame on you!

 

[adamchandler]

Oh, so you were here twice and didn't call? Shame on you!

I am sorry. I'll have to make it up to you

 

[adamchandler]

Adam, I encourage you to saddle up the morning of June 16th and head for Dawson City YT and the Dust to Dawson event https://www.advrider.com/f/threads/d2d-2024.1690459/ which starts on Thursday evening and ends on Saturday morning at 0100 - https://maps.app.goo.gl/1ZJS7a7LsX2CJ8V68 - five 430 mile days gets you there from Redmond, easy peasy.

After D2D take the ride to Tuk and back to Dawson City before heading over to AK via the Top of the World Highway.
Spend ten days exploring a bit of AK, you can't see it all in three trips, DAMHIK.

The trip up was on the Cassiar Highway, take the ALCAN on your way home, and from Dawson Creek head down through the Canadian Rockies, Banf, Icefield Parkway, Lake Louise, Radium Hot Springs, etc, then into Montana, Glacier Park/Going to the Sun JHighway, etc before the flat stretch home. Put on a new set of Dunlop TMM at home or at the MOA Rally and you'l be good for the rest of the trip for certain.

I believe you just nailed it.

 

[adamchandler]

Alright, I'm pretty happy with this but there are some tweaks I want to make to the BC/Alberta section to make it more scenic but looks like 9K miles (before heading back to New Hampshire) over 5 weeks covering Oregon BDR, Washington BDR, Dawson City to Tuk then following the Continental Divide Trail from Banff through Glacier down to Mexico:

 

[cajunrider]

Since you're so close, you may want to check out Beartooth Pass between Montana & Wyoming.
It's definitely worth checking out, but make sure it's open before going.

 

[riderr1150gsadv]

Beartooth….

 

[PoorUB]

Keep in mind a lot of the high country is generally covered in many feet of snow until the end of June. Beartooth pass is often closed until the very end of June. I am not sure about this year.

One year we went out to ride Beartooth in mid-July and we were not certain the road would be open!

I am assuming the far west got a fair amount of moisture , but the eastern Rockies not as much.

 

[drneo66]

Nice Adam - I hope you enjoy every minute of it!

A couple posts on my thread will help you on some of your planned highways in the North: https://forums.bmwmoa.org/threads/e...haul-road-up-to-deadhorse-prudhoe-bay.102599/

 

[freddy]

I don't know if it was mentioned in one of the above posts or not, but Stewart B.C. and Hyder Alaska are also worth a stop. Really nice riding and scenery. I stopped there on the way back from Tuk last year. The Cassiar Hwy. (#37) between the turn off for Stewart and Watson Lake was a beautiful ride. Depending on the time of year, you might see bears feeding on Salmon in Hyder, and there is also the Salmon Glacier to ride to there. I am not sure about camping however. You would have to check on that.