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Little GS, Big Adventure - F650GS to Alaska from Philly leaving 5/21

Day 1 - 500+ miler PA to Michigan!

Day 1 ÔÇô Thursday May 21, 2009
Start: Malvern, PA
End: Novi, MI
Trip Miles Today: 555
Total Trip Miles: 648.5


It's pretty hard to make an adventure of a 550 mile ride on Toll Roads! Suffice to say the day was without drama. Bike and gear performed flawlessly in perfect weather. The F650GS is getting about 55mpg at a steady 70-75 mpg even with those big bags hanging out there. Hardly the optimum aero package!

I will stand down in Michigan Friday to visit with friends, then head out bound for Wisconsin Saturday AM. Hope the nice weather holds! Enjoy the pics and ride safe, Jack.

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Jack,
Best wishes for a great safe ride! Went to Alaska from Chicago in 1984 on a 1980 R100RT. It was a trip I wanted to do all my life. I've gone lots of places after that too. I've had some serious health issues in the last year and I don't think I'll be doing any long distance riding again but it's great to read about yours!:clap
 
Day 2 - Down Day in Michiagn to Visit Friends

Day 2 – Friday May 22, 2009
Start: Novi, MI
End: Novi, MI
Trip Miles Today: 146
Total Trip Miles: 792

Not much to report today. Friday was always planned to be a down day in Michigan to visit with old friends. Rode a surprising amount just hopping around from place to place and to peoples homes. Now the serious business of riding hundreds of miles each day on the way up to Anchorage begins. I'm off to Wisconsin today in (amazingly) another good weather day. Yahoo!
:clap
 
Day 3 - Novi, MI to Edgerton, WI

Day 3 ÔÇô Saturday May 23, 2009
Start: Novi, MI
End: Edgerton, WI
Trip Miles Today: 427
Total Trip Miles: 1218

After a 400+ mile day I'm in Wisconsin and rapidly moving NW. The weather is cooperating amazingly well with nary a sign of rain yet. If the weather channel is to believed I will be good for another day or two before I stand a chance of getting wet. Visited an old country airport in Brodhead, WI and then spent some time with a friend nearby. At least I finally got off the interstates and on to some interesting roads. On Sunday, on the recommendation of a friend who knows the area well, I plan to ride the Wisconsin backroads from where I am now in the general direction of Lacross WI and the Mississippi valley. Reputed to be the best riding roads in the state. To Minnesota and (hopefully) beyond on Sunday!!

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Hey, you're in the neighborhood . . . . sorta.
Great adventure, may the Gods of travel smile on you.
Maybe you will run into Bryan (Beemer01) along the way. Have ridden with him, good guy.
Enjoy your journey!
 
Day 4 - Sunday May 24, 2009
Start: Edgerton, WI
End: St. Cloud, MN
Trip Miles Today: 454
Total Trip Miles: 1672

Finally, today I spent all morning on the wonderful Wisconsin secondary roads. NW from the Janesville area to the Frank Lloyd Wright home , Taliesin, near Madison. Then West to the Mississippi River and North to Lacrosse where I , once again got on the Interstate. Neat stop this afternoon in Austin Minnesota at the Spam Museum (the Hormel food product, not email trash!). It's a cute little museum just off I90 and worth the stop! Then more miles to my overnight at St Cloud , MN. North Dakota and beyond tomorrow. Looks like I may get wet for the first time this trip. Still planning on Dawson Creek and mile "0" of the Alaska Highway by Friday.

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Day 5 ÔÇô Monday May 25, 2009
Start: St. Cloud, MN
End: Dickinson, ND
Trip Miles Today: 453
Total Trip Miles: 2125


Day 6 ÔÇô Tuesday May 26, 2009
Start: Dickinson, ND
End: Shelby, MT
Trip Miles Today: 501
Total Trip Miles: 2626


Days 5 & 6 were, in truth mostly about getting in position to start the part of the ride that I'm really excited about - Canada and the North! I managed to cover nearly a thousand miles in two days but it's hard to get jazzed about describing hundreds of miles on I-94 across North Dakota and Montana. It wasn't all tedium however. I did, however, make time to see "Sue - The World's Largest Holstein Cow" in New Salem, ND. My carefully crafted strategy was to do "big" miles the first 5-6 days of the trip so that I can take smaller bites and stop more often for photo ops and interesting sights and events once I got to Canada. That "better" part starts tomorrow. I will "highway" it up to Calgary tomorrow, then the plan is to do the Banff/Lake Louise/Jasper loop on the Icefields Parkway Thursday, and hopefully the Bighorn up to Grand Prairie and beyond on Friday. Will decide on a day to day basis based on weather but it looks pretty good. Bike is running great and I am surprised to say that even the stock seat is tolerable - at least up to a point!

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Isn't Sue a beauty!
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Eastern and Central Montana - nary a twisty to be found!
 
Days 7 & 8 - Into Alberta and exploring the Canadian Rockies

Day 7 – Wednesday May 27, 2009
Start: Shelby, MT
End: Banff, Alberta, Canada
Trip Miles Today: 323
Total Trip Miles: 2949

Day 8 – Thursday May 28, 2009
Start: Banff, Alberta, Canada
End: Jasper, Alberta, Canada
Trip Miles Today: 179
Total Trip Miles: 3128

You can read more about yesterday and today (as well as the entire story of my trip) on my blog at www.2wheels2alaska.com but the past two days have been almost entirely the antithesis of the days immediately before. I've arrived at some of the most beautiful scenery on earth. Pictures just don't do it justice! For anyone who is ever touring in this part of the world I have to give my highest, unqualified recommendation to the Icefields Parkway between Banff and Jasper. 130+ miles of unrelenting beauty. Just make sure you pick a nice day as I did! Tomorrow further North to the area around Grand Prairie, AB or perhaps over to Dawson Creek, BC, the site of "Mile 0" of the Alaska Highway. The F650GS just keeps pounding along with no issues!!!

Below are just a sampling of the many more pictures from my trip, posted (mostly) daily, at http://jackb1.smugmug.com/

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:type
 
Day 8 ÔÇô Thursday May 28, 2009
Start: Banff, Alberta, Canada
End: Jasper, Alberta, Canada
Trip Miles Today: 179
but the past two days have been almost entirely the antithesis of the days immediately before. I've arrived at some of the most beautiful scenery on earth. Pictures just don't do it justice! For anyone who is ever touring in this part of the world I have to give my highest, unqualified recommendation to the Icefields Parkway between Banff and Jasper. 130+ miles of unrelenting beauty.

Yes, I sometimes forget how beautiful our backyard is here... sorry I missed this thread - I certainly would have come out to see you through. If you every need help I am in the 'Anonymous'. :usa :ca
 
Day 9 - To Dawson Creek, BC and Mile "0" of the Alaska Highway

Day 9 – Friday, May 29, 2009
Start: Jasper, Alberta, Canada
End: Dawson Creek, British Columbia, Canada
Trip Miles Today: 326
Total Trip Miles: 3454

Got an early start on a cold morning out of Jasper, AB. I saw more wildlife in the first half hour than I did over the rest of the day. Go figure! Elk as well as Bighorn sheep blocking the highway (a truck coming the other way scared them off before I could squeeze off a couple of pics!) Took the Bighorn Highway North from Hinton, AB to Grand Prairie, AB. Not nearly so scenic as the Icefields Parkway yesterday (what could be?) but pleasant enough nonetheless. Sure better than going through Edmonton. After Grand Prairie west West into British Columbia and on to Dawson Creek and the Official start of the Alaska Highway - "Mile 0". Plan over the next three days is to go to Fort Nelson tomorrow, Watson Lake Sunday, then on to Whitehorse Monday. Each day's ride is about 300 miles. Sounds like I could get wet over the next 36 hours or so. I should get out of Dawson Creek in the morning while still dry but then get into rain shortly afterward. Forecast seems to indicate I could be in rain (showers at least ) until sometime Sunday then it should be good for a few days. Can't complain - I've had it pretty good!

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To see many more pictures of my trip go to http://jackb1.smugmug.com/
 
Day 10 - From Dawson Creek, BC to Ft. Nelson, BC via the World Famous Alaska Highway!

Day 10– Saturday, May 30, 2009
Start: Dawson Creek, British Columbia, Canada
End: Fort Nelson, British Columbia, Canada
Trip Miles Today: 278
Total Trip Miles: 3732

Got up early once again, but at least this time it was intentional. I wanted to go back to downtown Dawson Creek and get some more pictures of the Mile “0” stuff without traffic of "rush hour" like last evening.

Just before 7 AM it was off to Fort Nelson, BC – about 280 miles distant.

First stop of the day was in St. John for gas. This came only about 40 miles down the road, so about 240 remained to Ft Nelson. Up here one has to keep good track of gas stops and distances as gas stations can be very far apart!

As the pictures indicate, it was a pretty morning but cold (low 40s) and very windy/gusty!

The first 100 miles or so of this route is just rolling foothills. However after a time one can, once again, begin to see snow capped peaks to the west and the hills/valleys become steeper.

Sometime shortly after leaving Fort St. John I saw my first moose (actually 2) . No pics though. For a large ungainly animal they can move pretty fast!

I stopped for gas a second time in a place called Pink Mountain. Pink Mountain was my first stop at the prototypical Alaska Highway gas station. It had a dirt parking lot, sold no brand anyone ever heard of, had regular only, and took cash only. By this time it was still dry, still windy , but sky out in front changing, and not for the good.

About 60 miles outside Ft. Nelson it began to rain and, at the same time,got considerably cooler. The temperature was now back to the same low 40s that it had been when I started the day 6 hours earlier. So I managed the final hour or so in those conditions. Looks like tomorrow's leg to Watson Lake, Yukon Terr. will start out much the same but will get better as I go.

I arrived at Ft. Nelson shortly after 2. I found it a bit more developed than when here last in 1995. Unlike 1995, when I stayed in a shack of a motel with a black and white tv (and no telephone) I am staying in a very nice new Super 8 with internet, satellite TV and all!

So tomorrow, as mentioned, I'm off to Watson Lake, in the Yukon Territory. It's about 330 miles distant, directly through the Canadian Rockies via a very scenic route. Once I get on the other side of the frontal activity that's causing this rain it is expected to warm up considerably and be excellent weather for several days. Looking forward to riding in the warm once again!!

You can see more pictures from today and from the entire trip by going to http://jackb1.smugmug.com/


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Day 11 - Fort Nelson, BC to Watson Lake, YT. Wild Weather and Wildlife !

Day 11– Sunday, May 31, 2009
Start: Fort Nelson, British Columbia, Canada
End: Watson Lake, Yukon Territory, Canada
Trip Miles Today: 333
Total Trip Miles: 4065

Today was a day that actually seemed like two entirely different days. Part I started with departure from Fort Nelson under threatening, but dry skies. Those conditions held for about 40 miles before the misting and then steady drizzle started. This, plus the temperature hovering in the low 40s (F), was ominous as the first 100 miles from Fort Nelson is mostly an uphill ride to the pass at Summit Lake, the highest pass on the Alaska Highway at well over 5000 feet. As I climber the temperature fell and the rain increased. Then I arrived at the snow band where the temp went to freezing and the rain turned to a mix of snow/sleet/freezing rain. To make matters even more “adventurous” there was, in the midst of all this, even a construction zone which basically was a rutted muddy path for close to a mile. In better conditions this is one of the more scenic areas on the Alaska Highway. For me, today, there was little time to look at anything but that didn’t matter because visibility was a serious problem with visor and glasses fogging anyway. The good news is that immediately following the Summit Pass the road starts downhill again and the temperatures almost immediately got better. By the time I approached Toad River, and a much needed break after 120 miles of truly unpleasant conditions, it was actually back up to 50 degrees F and the sky was clearing. This was the start of Part II of today’s ride which was a very pleasant Sunday afternoon ride. This part was warm, unencumbered by weather issues, and full of great scenery and especially wildlife sightings. The road follows the Liard River Valley for many miles and it is very compelling visually. Also readily sighted today were a fair share of Bear (6 in all!), Bison, and Stone Sheep, a sheep variant indigenous to this area and similar to Bighorn but slightly smaller and darker in color.) Stayed overnight in Watson, Lake, YT in a wonderful little place, the “Air Force Lodge”. Built as a 1942 barracks for military airmen/women it’s quaint, clean , reasonably priced and motorcycle friendly. Fullest recommendations!

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More pics from today and the entire ride to Alaska at http://jackb1.smugmug.com/
 
Day 12 - Watson Lake, YT to Whitehorse, YT

Day 12ÔÇô Monday, June 1, 2009
Start: Watson Lake, Yukon Territory, Canada
End: Whitehorse, Yukon Territory, Canada
Trip Miles Today: 292
Total Trip Miles: 4357

For once I managed to sleep in a little later and didnÔÇÖt actually get on the road until after 9. This following a nice breakfast at Bee Jays Truckstop, reputed to be the finest restaurant in all of Watson Lake.

When I rode out this morning it was already over 50 degrees (F) and it only got better from there. It was 75 (F) when I arrived in Whitehorse around 3:30PM, and sunny thoughout. Following two days of difficulty with weather, there was nothing but a few construction zones to inhibit progress today. Thankfully. Incredibly, after all the wildlife observed yesterday, I saw nothing in the way of interesting critters this entire day.

The ride today was almost directly westward through area dominated by hills and wide river valleys. The road follows, in sequence, the Rancheria River, the Swift River the Teslin River, then immediately before Whitehorse it crosses the Yukon. White capped mountains are seldom out of sight on this part of the route. TonightÔÇÖs layover, Whitehorse, is both the largest city in the Yukon and itÔÇÖs capital. Whitehorse, at the headwaters of the Yukon River, played an important role in the regionÔÇÖs 1890s Gold Rush History. It was a stopover point for Stampeders who came overland from the Alaska Ports of Skagway and Dyea, 100 miles to the Southwest. After drying out and repacking their stuff most continued by steamboat to the gold fields further down the Yukon River. The areaÔÇÖs rich Gold Rush History colors many of the tourist attractions but there is much to see also in the way of scenery and wildlife. I personally enjoy the vistas at nearby Miles Canyon on the Yukon River.

I was surprised, and pleased to find a VERY nice new botique hotel, SKKY (www.skkyhotel.com), on the Alaska Highway just across from the Whitehorse Airport. A number of years ago, while on a flying adventure to Alaska, I had stayed at the old hotel on this site, the Airport Chalet or some such. The previous place was, to put it mildly, pretty dumpy. No so this place, only opened in February. Very nice place and very nice people. Rates are not out of line with the numerous lesser choices. I hope they make a go of it!

More pictures from today and from the entire ride to date can be seen at http://jackb1.smugmug.com/

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Day 13ÔÇô Tuesday, June 2, 2009
Start: Whitehorse, Yukon Territory, Canada
End: Whitehorse, Yukon Territory, Canada
Trip Miles Today: 224
Total Trip Miles: 4581

For the first time in over a week I didnÔÇÖt go anywhere today. Well, itÔÇÖs not exactly that I didnÔÇÖt go anywhere. Maybe weÔÇÖll just think of it as a ÔÇ£localÔÇØ ride. What I did was that I got up nice and early and rode the 100 miles to Skagway, Alaska, then returned later in the afternoon to Whitehorse. I made that trip for a couple of reasons. First, the ride along the South Klondike Highway is as scenery packed as just about anywhere else IÔÇÖve been on the trip. High alpine peaks, mountain lakes and rivers, waterfalls, the Klondike has it all. Secondly, Skagway is a very cool place to spend a day (or part of a day.) Skagway was an important port of entry during the Alaska Gold Rush at the end of the 19th century. Steamships came here from all the Pacific ports ÔÇô Seattle, San Francisco, et al. Here the steamers discharged their gold stampeders, some 30,000 in the 1898 season, and they began their overland (and uphill!) trek to the headwaters of the Yukon River some 40 miles distant through the White Pass. Skagway today is basically a tourist destination that plies its Gold Rush heritage to good effect. As a deepwater port at the end of the Lynn Canal, Skagway is served by virtually all of the major cruise lines that offer Alaska tours. The ships come in as day stops. There were 4 of them docked in Skagway today. There is virtually no overnighting of tourist crowds here. The town comes alive with tourists about 8:00 am as the cruise patrons surge down the gangways and by about 8:00 in the evening itÔÇÖs all back to a sleepy little town again as the cruise boats depart for their next destination North or South. Shopping, exploring the townÔÇÖs history (an excellent visitor center), hiking, rafting, sightseeing, dining are all available. The third reason I cam here today is that good friends Don and Sandy Verdiani were on one of the cruise boats berthed in Skagway today. I went there to surprise them and to have breakfast before they headed out on their scheduled activities. Don and Sandy are the friends who will be joining my wife and I in Anchorage on Friday for our week touring as a foursome.

Riding over to Skagway also meant that I reentered the US and, in particular, Alaska for a few hours. So I guess I can now say I rode to Alaska. Still, there are some 700 miles to go till I get to my real destination which is Anchorage and the surrounding area. No claims of ÔÇ£mission accomplishedÔÇØ quite yet.

As you can tell from the pics, the weather was perfect ÔÇô except for the part where it was really cold riding out there in the early morning hours. Like REALLY COLD! Like 28 degrees (F) in places. By the time I returned after noon it had warmed up mightily and it even got over 80 (F) this afternoon, so my discomfort was short lived.

I saw two more bears today. I saw one on the way over to Skagway and the other on the way back. Both Blacks, but they seemed bigger that the ones I saw the other day. Perhaps thatÔÇÖs just because I was closer to these guys. Each one was right adjacent to the side of the road! No pics, though. They ran away too quickly. I suppose thatÔÇÖs actually a good thing.

IÔÇÖve just checked the weather and it looks like the good stuff is going to hold for the next two days. ThatÔÇÖs good. IÔÇÖve got about 700 miles to go and I am going to try to split it up as 400 miles tomorrow and 300 on Thursday. If that works out I should be in Tok, AK tomorrow night. Stay tuned to see if it happens just as planned.

Thanks for being on the ride with me!

More pictures from today and from the entire ride to date can be seen at http://jackb1.smugmug.com/

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Your ride report is very enjoyable. I look forward to reading and viewing each day. Keep it up and thank you.
 
Day 14 - Whitehorse to Tok, Alaska. Very close now, only 300 miles to Anchorage !

Day 14ÔÇô Wednesday, June 3, 2009
Start: Whitehorse, Yukon Territory, Canada
End: Tok, Alaska
Trip Miles Today: 378
Total Trip Miles: 4959

Day 14 will be fondly remembered as the day of poorer road conditions and construction zones. However, the day started out on a somewhat odd note. I departed Whitehorse with no drama and was happily sailing along, some 50 miles down the road when I noticed that the gas gauge was WAY down  like already only a quarter of a tank left. This with another 50 miles to go to the next available fuel at Haines Junction! My heart sort of skipped a beat (or two!) as I went through, in my mind, what the problem could be. Maybe the fuel gauge has failed.seems unlikely to fail in this mode. Maybe the engine controller is in some sort of default mode where it goes full richnah, the bikes running too good, and there is no sort of indication of any problem in the dash. Geez, maybe the fuel tank is split and the fuels spilling overboardstopped, checked, no leaking fuel! Then it came to me. The problem is that I am a moron, and I had neglected to fill the tank last night after returning from Skagway. Whew. I had pondered how I could complete the trip with some sort of failure that allowed me only to go 100 miles at a time and it wasnt a pretty scenario. Good thing the problem is simply that I am an incompetent.

Anyway beautiful weather prevailed and the main thing to be said about today is that the condition of the roadway North of Whitehorse, and especially after Burwash Landing and the Kluane area is dramatically inferior the that of the highway further South. I also spent probably 25 miles in construction zones today ÔÇô loose gravel, hard packed gravel, and mud. ItÔÇÖs really not so bad if one maintains a reasonable speed but the worst is the trucks and buses, all going too fast, and pelting the bike and I with rocks. Thank heavens for lexan visors. I mentioned that the road was bumpy with uneven patches, holes, frost heaves and hollows. The highway department tries to mark some of the big ones with red flags and cones but there are so many that it is easy to become numbed to their existence. Also, they clearly canÔÇÖt/donÔÇÖt mark them all. Be advised - if there is a red flag there is probably a bump. If there is no red flag, you cannot assume there is no bump!

The route today takes you through several regions. Most of the remaining portion of the route in Yukon continues in the same wide river valleys and around lakes in the same fashion as prior to arriving in Whitehorse. As before, snow capped peaks are not far away and almost always in sight Then, getting closer to the Alaska border the character of much of the terrain changes to large marshes, ponds, and swamps (as well as, no doubt, this yearÔÇÖs bumper crop of mosquitoes.) This is the kind of place where you would expect to see moose, which I did. He was a huge bull just grazing through one of those innumerable ponds. Sadly, he was too far away to get a worthwhile picture. The other wildlife sighting of the day was a very large porcupine which crossed the road in front of me, then stopped and ran alongside for as long as he could. He was a bigger animal than I expected him to be, and another critter that I had never before seen in the wild.

Rode just short of 400 miles today and will finish up the remaining 300 miles to Anchorage tomorrow. The bike has developed this cute little ÔÇ£thingÔÇØ where it likes to stall at idle. I believe it has something to do with fuel tank venting as now, whenever I open the fuel tank to fill it there is a substantial vacuum in the tank. Just got off the phone with the BMW dealer in Anchorage and he is going to take the bike in on Friday and see what he can do with that as well as do a 6000 mile service while I am in town. Other than that, all is well and I look forward to completion of this northbound portion of the ride tomorrow and errands in Anchorage on Friday. IÔÇÖm warming up to the idea of not riding for a few days and simply being a ÔÇ£touristÔÇØ like so many others I have met on the trip.

More pictures from today and from the entire trip can be seen at http://jackb1.smugmug.com/


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Day 15 - Hatcher Foundation arrives at the Hatcher Pass!

Day 15ÔÇô Thursday, June 4, 2009
Start: Tok, Alaska
End: Anchorage, Alaska
Trip Miles Today: 364
Total Trip Miles: 5323

Well, the weather held on for one more day and I was able to complete the Northbound segment of my ride to Alaska without having to crawl in to my rain gear a final time. While I did have times of cold and wet, I really donÔÇÖt think I could have hoped for any better at this time of year, in this place!

The 364 miles today was pretty straightforward. South from Tok Junction on the Tok Cutoff, briefly to the Richardson Highway, then to the Glenn Highway into the Anchorage area. This is Alaska Route 1 the entire way and it would be hard to get lost. The scenery is pretty non-descript for the first 50 miles or so but then you get an excellent look at the Wrangell-St Elias National Park and the Wrangell Mountains ÔÇô most notably Mt. Sanford at over 16,000 feet. After the turn onto the Glenn Highway at Glenallen, most of what can be seen is the glaciated North side of the Chugach Mountains and this range remains in view all the way into Anchorage as the highway follows the Matanuska River Valley. I did make the side trip up to the Hatcher Pass, above Palmer as The Hatcher Pass was the symbolic goal for my charity raising activities for the Austin Hatcher Foundation. Fortunately the weather was decent as it can still be pretty nasty this early in the season.

As has been the case throughout, the bike ran just fine, though it did do its little idle die-out trick a couple of times. Tomorrow it will be deposited at the BMW dealer in Anchorage for the motorcycle version of a week at the spa.

No recent day would be complete without the mention of wildlife. An early morning highlight was a very good look at a moose, up close and personal. A large cow (shown in the pictures) was grazing on the right side of the road. The good news is that I saw her in time because apparently my movement, or light, or noise, caused her to do the obvious thing ÔÇô move into the road directly in front of me. Oh well, it makes for great photo ops! These animals are not PhD candidates. I did see one other moose standing in a lake well off the side of the road. However, THE most amazing sighting came at about 4:00 PM, inside the city limits of Anchorage and not a mile from the International Airport. I was sitting at a stoplight, amongst all the other cars, and here come a moose mommy and her two calves walking slowly and deliberately up the median. This sort of thing is not seen very often in the part of the world where I live!

I sit here tonight asking myself how it went by so fast. It was 15 days, and 5323 miles ago, that I was standing in the surf at Ocean City, NJ. When I checked in to my hotel this evening I felt tired, the normal result of a long hard uphill push. Less than an hour later, though, I found myself with maps spread on the bed ÔÇô contemplating the return trip and how to make it a worthy partner to the northbound trip I completed today. I am both somewhat weary, but amped up at the idea of a return that follows a different route and is longer yet! I achieved all the goals I set out for myself for this segment. I arrived at the Hatcher Pass, in the Talkeetna Mountains, just north of here, near Palmer, with a minimum of fuss. This completed the ÔÇ£Hatcher Foundation to the Hatcher PassÔÇØ element of my trip which has been so important to me as a fund raising activity for The Austin Hatcher Foundation. In fact it was made even more fun when I added a visit to Austin, Minnesota and the Spam Museum so I could call it the Austin (Mn.) to Hatcher (Pass, AK) ride. OK, maybe only fun for simple minds like my own. I was also able to accommodate one of my most important supporters, RevZilla Motorsports, by being able to also claim ÔÇ£RevZilla to Wasilla.ÔÇØ I was, however, mightily disappointed this afternoon, as I stood on Main Street in Wasilla, and discovered that I could not actually see Russia. Perhaps if I were a little taller.

I do not intend to do daily entries as I spend the next 10 days or so traveling with my wife, Lisa, and friends Don and Sandy Verdiani. I may make entries from time to time but, not to worry, I will be back to a (hopefully) daily entry to cover my return trip starting on or about Tuesday June 16.

More pictures from today ride, as well as from the entire ride can be seen at http://jackb1.smugmug.com

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I'm truly enjoying your posts and the account of your trip. I should have posted sooner, but in any event, I'm sure a lot of us will be looking forward to your return trip! Nice job. :thumb
 
Similar interests and areas

I am inspired by your conquest. After reading your posts, it seems we live in the same area. I am outside of Philly in the Chadds Ford area (Unionville). I also have a place in OCNJ.

I am planning on a long trip coming up over the next fews weeks and quite frankly, overwhelmed with the possibilities on where I can go, or should go. Also have my bike maintained at Hermy's.

I enjoyed your blog and your pics. I am assuming you are heading down to the International Rally in July?
 
Getting back on the road today!!

The touristy phase of my trip is over and I'm getting back on the road today!! Leaving Anchorage for the first leg of the even longer trip back home! Regular reports will begin again today!
Jack
 
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