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

ddorwart said:

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?

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Hi! I've found a number of local folks who have popped on to my radar scope as a result of my trip and my posts. It's very cool. Won't be going to the MOA rally this year as i have to be at a wedding in Vermont. Good luck planning your adventure trip. Keep me posted!
Jack

Safe trip home. Hope the Phillies are still in first when you get home.

Day 27 - The Return Begins. Anchorage to Tok . Bentleys?

Day 27 - Tuesday, June 16, 2009
Start: Anchorage, Alaska
End: Tok, Alaska
Trip Miles Today: 317
Total Trip Miles: 5902

Once again, the game is on! I departed Anchorage this morning under partly cloudy skies on the first leg of the trip to home, to Malvern, PA. Ordinarily there is something distinctly anticlimactic about a return trip. ThatÔÇÖs doubly true in this case as the first three travel days will be exactly the reverse of my northbound journey. So, todayÔÇÖs leg was Anchorage to Tok, AK via the Glenn and Richardson Highways and the Tok cutoff. Tok is my entry point for the Alaska Highway southbound. Despite the lack of scenery surprises (IÔÇÖm seen it all before) there were several very unexpected highlights to this day. Sure I got another look at the Wrangell-St Elias Range and also the glaciers on the North side of the Chugach Mountains. In many ways the scenery looked were better than 1 ?¢ weeks ago because as I went along today the weather only got better and better. By mid afternoon it was mostly sunny and 70 degrees (F) so I actually did get more really good photos this time through the area. However it was those unexpected elements that served to make today special.

So how often do you see a Bentley Automobile? Id have to say not very often and Id wager that anyone who is reading would say much the same thing. Bentleys - stately, expensive, rare. So all that being said, who would have expected to see over 30 classic and vintage Bentleys cruising along my route today? Thats exactly what I got. Over 30 Bentleys being driven to their overnight stop in Tok, AK as part of the 2009 Bentley Drivers Club Canada-Alaska Tour. Some of the cars date to the 1920s, there are a number from the 30s and the newest that Ive seen only date to the 60s. The event started in Vancouver several weeks ago and Ive tripped over the group as they make their return from Anchorage. It looks like well be on the same route for the next couple of days.Tok to Whitehorse.Whitehorse to Watson Lake, YT. Ive personally spoken to entrants from England, Australia, and Switzerland and Im told there are others. The Bentley Drivers Club is an International organization that stages several International rallies like this per year. Seems the members just ship their cars to wherever in the world an event is being staged. This is obviously an avocation for the Leisure class. To read more about this event go to http://www.bentleyalaska.com The cars are WAY COOL and these people drive then pretty hard!

The other unexpected highlight today was aviation related. First, let me back up to last weekend. Over the weekend, on TV and radio, we kept hearing about some substantial military exercises that were being commenced in the South Central Alaska area. Mostly the PR was to make people aware of the potential for sonic booms (Cool!), lots of military aircraft activity and the like. OK. This morning, about mid morning, while still following the Glenn Highway in the Matanuska River Valley, I happened to look up just in time to see two Air Force C-17 Transports flying the river valley, directly toward me, and not 500 feet in the air! Those suckers look huge at that altitude! Of course, they were gone before I could dig the camera out of the tank bag and fire it up. Nonetheless, a very neat sighting ÔÇô right up there with seeing bears (which I did not today!)

Several people have asked about my return route. As mentioned, IÔÇÖll take the Alaska Highway at least as far as Watson Lake, YT. At that time IÔÇÖll make a decision whether IÔÇÖll go south to Prince George via the Cassiar Highway or continue on The Alaska Highway to Dawson Creek, BC and then go south to Prince George from there. IÔÇÖm mostly waiting to seen on weather and road conditions, though the fact that this Bentley Group plans to take the Cassiar complicates things a bit as they have the ability to absorb nearly all the hotel rooms in some of these tiny towns. IÔÇÖve got a couple of days to sort that out. In any case IÔÇÖll get to Prince George, and then continue southbound to re enter the US near Seattle. After that IÔÇÖll be headed for Oregon and only then begin to head East via a, as yet, mostly undetermined route.

IÔÇÖve also had inquiries regarding the stalling issue with the bike. The bike was in the BMW Dealer in Anchorage (The Motorcycle Shop) for a week while I traveled with my wife and friends. Upon my return and following pickup the bike has performed flawlessly. The idle is stable, as it was when new, and IÔÇÖve had no stalling issues in the first 500 miles of riding. The dealer was pretty evasive about what they did but talked about lines to the vacuum canister. The fact that there is a 40+ page thread on ADV Rider regarding a whole of litany of issues as I described makes me believe that there is a real issue and apparently dealers know what to do with it. In any case, the problem is fixed ÔÇô at least for now.

IÔÇÖm in kind of a reflective mood tonight as itÔÇÖs my last night in Alaska (for now!) but tomorrow, in any case, itÔÇÖs off to Whitehorse. That will be a nearly 400 mile day through the crappiest (and most construction intensive) portion of the Alaska Highway so IÔÇÖll be glad to get tomorrow behind me. I hope the weather holds!









There are always more pictures at http://jackb1.smugmug.com

Thanks, and keep it up. Interesting about the stalling. I've heard about it quite a bit over on F800.org, but so far my bike hasn't been bitten......yet.

Day 28 - Good Times in Construction Zones. Welcome to Canada!

Day 28 - Wednesday, June 17, 2009
Start: Tok, Alaska
End: Whitehorse, Yukon Territory
Trip Miles Today: 384
Total Trip Miles: 6286

Well, my trip is now over 6000 miles and counting. Not exactly ÔÇ£epicÔÇØ in the classic sense but pretty epic by my standards. IÔÇÖm pretty sure that IÔÇÖll break 11,000 miles by the time I return home and 12K is not out of the question. I found today to again be a battle against the elements. The elements today consisted mostly of road conditions and a bit of weather thrown in for good measure. As I mentioned during the Northbound leg of the trip, the 125 miles from the Alaska-Canada border to the East end of Kluane Lake in the Yukon, is the area in most disrepair and the area with the majority of construction activity on any portion of the highway. When re-entering Canada this morning the construction zones were already on my mind but, unprovoked, the nice lady at Canadian Customs advised ÔÇ£be really careful in the construction zones, weÔÇÖve had several bikers down in the past few days.ÔÇØ As if I needed reminding. Basically these construction zones (5 of ÔÇÿem in the first 125 milesÔÇôvarying in length from 3 to 8 miles) are where the old paved road has been completely torn out and a dirt/gravel/mud path takes their place. Sometimes there is 2 way traffic and sometimes itÔÇÖs one lane only with either flagmen or pilot cars. Also, the condition varies from very hard, stable dirt with embedded stone to something that is like a slurry of pea gravel and mud. The pea gravel-stone-mud ones are the worst, especially just after rain or the water truck has come through to keep the dust down! This mushy stuff is just waiting to toss unwary motorcyclists. The first construction zone after crossing into Canada is the very worst for these conditions. I came pretty close to dumping the bike but judicious throttle application saved the day. Others were not so fortunate. Late in the day I spoke to some German Tourists, riding 2 up on a Moto Guzzi, and they had laid the bike down in that very area. Like the Canadian Customs Lady said ÔÇ£be VERY careful in the construction zones.ÔÇØ On top of the fun of customs and unstable road surfaces, I got pretty well doused with rain in the area around the aptly named ÔÇ£Destruction BayÔÇØ (named by Alaska Highway road builders in 1942 when, while building the first highway, some mega storm came along and trashed everything.) Not only did I get doused but, when the storm came up the temperature dropped down to 40 deg. (F) for almost an hour. Good thing that I had the foresight to put on my NEW heated vest which works flawlessly!

The route today was simply to go nearly 400 miles down the Alaska Highway. No turns, no side trips. Just pounding out miles. Still contemplating what to do for a route to Prince George ÔÇô Cassiar Highway or Alaska Highway to Dawson Creek, then over the Yellowhead to Prince George. Cassiar Highway is about 100 miles shorter and reputedly has better scenery, but has some unpaved stretches 20 miles or so in length and less in the way of services ÔÇô lodging, gas, etc. I sure would like to run into some riders who have come up the Cassiar to see what they have to say about the condition of the road. In any case IÔÇÖll have to make a decision after tomorrow. WeÔÇÖll see.

ThatÔÇÖs about the story of today. IÔÇÖm holed up in Whitehorse for the night. Hope I can get some more sleep that last night. HereÔÇÖs a travel hint for everyone. DonÔÇÖt stay in hotels occupied mostly by construction workers especially if there is a bar nearby. Noisy crowd, they. I've also been checking for hotels one and two nights down the road and nearly everything seems to be full. I guess all those northbound cars and campers I've seen the past two days need a place to stay too. It sure is different from even 2-3 weeks ago when I made the northbound trip. Then everything was empty - now everyone is sold out. I may actually have to do some planning it seems.


Near Northway, AK


Big Storm brewing near Destruction Bay, YT


Kluane Lake

be safe and enjoy. take your time and absorb it all.

Day 29 - A peaceful ride to Watson Lake, Yukon.

Day 29 - Thursday, June 18, 2009
Start: Whitehorse, Yukon Territory
End: Watson Lake, Yukon Territory
Trip Miles Today: 271
Total Trip Miles: 6557

Today was a pretty quiet day. There was no difficulty with construction zones as yesterday. The road conditions were much improved. The distance traveled was short-under 300 miles. The weather cooperated by remaining dry (though I’d wish for it to be a bit warmer-mid 50s most of the day), and the route was the same as I had traveled several weeks ago while northbound, so no surprises nor all new scenic wonders. Low intensity days like today give one lots of time to think. One thing to think about was the interesting guy I met in Teslin this morning. See the picture of the white pickup truck with the kayak on top, just behind my bike? The truck belongs to this guy, an Arizonan, who is headed for Eagle, Alaska – about 700 miles up the AK highway from here. When he gets to Eagle he’s going to put that kayak in the Yukon River, ride the river and the rapids some 1000 miles to the Bering Sea and then he’s going to paddle across the Bearing Sea to Nome. All this hopefully before September 1. Solo. Now THAT’S and adventure! It makes my trip seem like a quick ride down to the 7-11 for a slurpee (and return!)

I’ve made a decision regarding routing for the next several days. Rather than go to Prince George via the Cassiar Highway I’m going to continue on The Alaska Highway for 2 more days to Fort St. John, BC, then on to Prince George via that Route. It’s about 100 miles longer but I like the speed I’ll be able to maintain, and the towns with lodging seem to be spaced a little more to my liking. Also, I actually went South on the Cassiar for a few miles today and there are signs alluding to construction and highway closures some 400 miles South near Kitwanga. Besides that, I’d like to have a look at the mountainous portion of the Alaska Highway between Watson Lake and Fort Nelson. It’s supposed to be the most scenic portion of the highway and I kinda missed out while northbound due to snow/slush/ice/fog/freezing my butt off a couple of weeks ago. Unfinished business. In any case, after Prince George (I expect to arrive there on Sunday) it’s on southward toward Bellingham, WA and re-entry into the US on Monday or Tuesday.

The F650GS continues without any issues whatsoever. Keeping my fingers crossed. I did meet 2 bikers today who had experienced flat tire troubles recently. Don’t need any of that! The number of Northbound bikes has clearly picked up a great deal. The overpowering volume leader is (surprise!) GSs. The population is made up of mostly late model boxers, R1150Gs and R1200GS. Have also seen a few F(nowG)650GS thumpers but only two other examples of the new F650/600GS twins. I'd wager that the next most popular brand is either Suzuki V-Stroms or Harleys.

Onward to Ft. Nelson bright & early in the AM!


The "Kayaking to Nome" guy!


Teslin, YT. Metal grid bridges can sometimes be a little spooky. I kinda wonder about doing one with a trailer on!


Yukon River crossing just SE of Whitehorse, YT

There are always more pictures to see at http://jackb1.smugmug.com

Day 30 - Watson Lake to Ft. Nelson. A day as good as it gets!

Day 30 ÔÇô Friday, June 19, 2009
Start: Watson Lake, Yukon Territory
End: Fort Nelson, British Columbia
Trip Miles Today: 311
Total Trip Miles: 6868

Today was just an all around great day! It started out in perfect weather and the temperature was even a little bit warmer. By the time I had been on the road just over an hour I had seen (and photographed) another black bear, some bison were kind enough to pose with the bike, and the temperature was climbing into the 50s. What more could one ask for?

TodayÔÇÖs route, was once again simply Alaska Highway southbound. For nearly the first 150 miles of todayÔÇÖs route the highway follows the Liard River Valley. On the northbound trip this was where I saw the greatest concentration of wildlife, especially bears. I had hoped to see a number of them again today but at the end of the day the tally was only two. I did have a number of Bison sightings early in the day however. One thing that I saw, that I had hoped not to see, was a large area of forest damaged by recent wildfires in the area between Coal River and Liard River. The damage is pervasive, the smoke still hangs in the valleys, and the smell just goes on forever. Wildfires are an unfortunate element of life in this area. This fire, at the junction of the Smith and Liard Rivers was over 100 sq. Kilometers at itÔÇÖs peak and the Alaska Highway was actually closed for some period on June 4. I spoke to some northbound riders last week and they said that even several days after the fire was brought under control they were using pilot cars to lead traffic through the smokiest areas because visibility was extremely limited. Glad I didnÔÇÖt have to go through that!

After the small village of Liard River the Alaska Highway takes a turn up into the higher elevations of the Northern Rockies toward the Muncho Lake Provincial Park, one of the most beautiful places you will ever see. When I came through this area 3 weeks ago there was still ice on the lake and snow flying. Returning today I found the lake, and park, in full summer regalia. Lodges weer full, people were out on boats and in floatplanes and the whole place had an energy to it that I hadnÔÇÖt seen even a very few weeks ago.

Following Muncho Lake I made a gas stop at the Toad River Lodge (where I met three guys from Calgary bound for Inuvik on KLR650s ÔÇô now THATÔÇÖS an adventure!) then began the long uphill climb to Summit Pass, the highest point on the entire Alaska Highway. I am glad I chose this route today because I had unfinished business with this place! When I can through before it was 30 degrees (f), it was snowing/raining/sleeting, it was windy, and the mile long construction area just below the pass was doing itÔÇÖs best to imitate a mud bog. And yours truly came very close to wallowing in that bog! Anyway, today it was some 30 degrees warmer, partly sunny, and even the construction area was firmed up to a point where it represented no particular challenge. So, I guess the score is even.

After the pass, itÔÇÖs a long downhill ride to Fort Nelson, where I am holed up tonight in what is best described as the least ÔÇ£elegantÔÇØ of hotels so far. Tomorrow, itÔÇÖs a short day down to Dawson Creek, then on to Prince George on Sunday. ItÔÇÖs exciting to think about having time to do laundry once again ÔÇô thatÔÇÖs on my short worklist for tomorrow! IÔÇÖm still planning to re-enter the US on Monday or Tuesday near Seattle, then on to Oregon to visit friends a day or 2 later. At some point IÔÇÖll have to face up to the task of cooking up a route to take me East but I havenÔÇÖt quite come to grips with that one yet. Soon.

Thanks for riding with me!




Smoke still lingers from Wildfire near Liard River


Muncho Lake Provincial Park, British Columbia



There are many more pics available at http://jackb1.smugmug.com

Day 31 - Ft. Nelson, BC. to Fort. St. John, BC. A rainy, boring, tedious day!

Day 31 ÔÇô Saturday, June 20, 2009
Start: Fort Nelson, British Columbia
End: Fort St. John, British Columbia
Trip Miles Today: 254
Total Trip Miles: 7122

As much as yesterday was just about a perfect day, today was about as nondescript as they get. A paltry 254 miles through the ÔÇ£Land of the Interminably Boring Straight Roads.ÔÇØ Ok so there were a few sweeping curves now and then but IÔÇÖm back in the prairie for God's sake. There is very little clever or interesting to be said about today. Morning drizzle morphed into a full-on rainstorm for just over an hour through the middle part of the ride. Fortunately the rain presented no real problem as the roadway is well drained, traffic was light and I had appropriate rain gear. As usual, visibility was the main issue in the heaviest rain. That being said, I did re-prove the well known (to motorcyclists) scientific fact that rainwater is inexorably drawn to the human crotch- regardless of what rain gear you might wear. I take no credit for this discovery. This fact was discovered long ago, and previously documented by the journalist Peter Egan (among others.) For the most part the highway did not have standing water issues but the OEM Bridgestone Battle Wing BW501s are starting to get pretty worn (after about 8500 miles) and I'm becoming increasingly circumspect in the wet. Pretty fair chance I'll have to replace them before the end of the trip. I am starting to strategise when and where with no real conclusion yet. Also, not sure I want to replace them with another set of Battle Wings. I'd like something that copes with the off road stuff a bit better. Anakees? I'm open to other opinions and insights so don't hold back! Today there was also no scenery to speak of and wildlife pickins were slim. No moose (though there were signs indicating the presence of same), no bears, only a solitary whitetail deer, and the odd ground squirrel. Nor did I see a sasquatch, despite the presence of warning signs for them (him?) too. Just pounding miles in the rain with strange songs rolling over and over in my head (Katy Perry's "I Kissed a Girl" - don't ask 'cause I have no explanation) All in all just a day that I needed to get through in order to position myself for the next leg.

Despite yesterday's excellence, I truly regret not going down the Cassiar from Watson Lake. However, I am looking forward to tomorrow. First IÔÇÖll cover the 47 miles to Dawson Creek and arrive back at Mile ÔÇ£0ÔÇØ of the Alaska Highway. This will complete my AK Highway round trip: Mile ÔÇ£0ÔÇØ to Alaska and back to Mile ÔÇ£0ÔÇØ. After Dawson Creek IÔÇÖll get on a new (for me) route and head basically South and West, back into the Northern Rocky Mountains on my way to Prince George, BC. via the John Hart Highway, Canada Route 97. I am confident that this will be WAY more interesting than today! Two days later, on Tuesday, I plan to be in Portland, Oregon. In those two days IÔÇÖve got to cover over 700 miles but there are a couple of routes to pick from so I anticipate working that out in the next 24 hours. I'm very open to thoughts on routes south from Prince George. Is the Sea to Sky worth taking even though it's longer? Wish I had someone to tell me. I also looked at the British Columbia Highways website and it looks like a lot of construction that way. Decisions, decisions!

Tonight is the eve of my Birthday and I am celebrating by having microwaved popcorn in my hotel room while doing laundry. Is life good or what? Tomorrow I plan to celebrate by sharing a granola bar with a moose or some other worthy wildlife creature. If I can find one!


Nice sign. No moose!


Quick! Get that rain gear on!


Didn't see any of these either.


Muddy gas stop after the rains came!

More pictures of my ride are available at http://jackb1.smugmug.com

Keep going

jhbfly said:

Hi! I've found a number of local folks who have popped on to my radar scope as a result of my trip and my posts. It's very cool. Won't be going to the MOA rally this year as i have to be at a wedding in Vermont. Good luck planning your adventure trip. Keep me posted!
Jack

Click to expand...

Keep going. The more I read the more I am inspired to head North!!

I've been enjoying your ride reports. If you choose to buy tires, you may want to consider Tigard BMW in Portland Oregon. I made a trip out to the northwest last fall, and I too was concerned about the tread on my rear tire. I contacted another member of the MOA forum in the Portland area and he referred me to them. They got me in and out with only a short wait. New tires sure give a person peace of mind.
P.M. me if you need info on their location and thank you again for your reports.

womanridge said:

I've been enjoying your ride reports. If you choose to buy tires, you may want to consider Tigard BMW in Portland Oregon. I made a trip out to the northwest last fall, and I too was concerned about the tread on my rear tire. I contacted another member of the MOA forum in the Portland area and he referred me to them. They got me in and out with only a short wait. New tires sure give a person peace of mind.
P.M. me if you need info on their location and thank you again for your reports.

Click to expand...

Tigard was one dealer that I was thinking about contacting in the next day or 2. I've got their info from the Anonymous book but thanks for the offer. PS thanks for following my ride too! Ride safe, Jack

Day 32 - Fort. St. John, BC to Prince George, BC. Back to the Canadian Rockies!

Day 32 ÔÇô Sunday, June 21, 2009
Start: Fort St. John, British Columbia
End: Prince George, British Columbia
Trip Miles Today: 293
Total Trip Miles: 7415

It was quite easy to get up early today as the fire alarm in the hotel went off about 5:30. Nice! It was, of course, a false alarm but itÔÇÖs pretty hard to go back to sleep after listening to that screeching for 5 minutes. Nonetheless this was the start of my day and, it turns out, the only untoward part.

At departure time it was already in the mid 50s and sunny so the weather part was handled, again! I almost actually felt a bit guilty about how good IÔÇÖve had it weatherwise after talking to two guys (R1150RT, R12GS) from Nebraska in the hotel parking lot this morning. They basically said that they they had been in rain almost continuously since they left Omaha. Whew, thatÔÇÖs tough. Anyway IÔÇÖll take all the good weather days I can get and this was a really good one all day long!

The early morning route down to Dawson Creek was a little more of the same uninspiring prairie route that ended the day yesterday. This being the case I did take the opportunity, about 20 miles out of Dawson Creek, to jump off the main route and enjoy a short stretch of the old, original Alaska Highway. The 6 mile side trip also includes the chance to drive across the historic curved wooden Kiskatinaw River Bridge. This 531 ft long structure is the only original timber bridge from the original portion of the highway, built in 1942, that is still in use today. A very interesting structure and there was the added bonus that nobody else was on the road, if even for that short distance.

Shortly after the Kiskatinaw Bridge I arrived in Dawson Creek for two items of business. One, to gas up, and two, to take the requisite photo at the Mile ÔÇ£0ÔÇØ marker and document having completed the round trip from Mile ÔÇ£0ÔÇØ to Alaska and return. Got my ticket punched for a round trip!

Then it was off for the 240 mile jaunt to Prince George. While this portion starts out with a bit more of the straight featureless stuff, two interesting things happened almost immediately. First the Mountains came into view to the Southwest. This instantly put me in a better frame of mind. Secondly I spied a momma moose and calf off the right side of the road. As momma mooses have been known to do, she ran right into the roadway and directly across the bow of the car that I was following. Based on his actions, IÔÇÖm pretty sure the driver hadnÔÇÖt seen her and was , shall we say, a bit surprised! Fortunately, no crash ensued. During all this commotion, baby moose elected to stay on the right side of the road and positioned perfectly so that I could cruise up , stop, get out the camera, and squeeze off a few shots. Which I did. While I was stopped it dawned on me that I was between a mother moose and her calf which is probably not a good place to be, so I buttoned up and went on my way. Never saw mom again and the baby just disappeared in my mirrors.

A short time later the road delivered me to the medium sized town of Chetwynd, the ÔÇ£Chainsaw Carving Capital of the World.ÔÇØ I was disappointed to find that I had missed a huge Chainsaw Carving Contest just one week ago! It turns out that chainsaw carving isnÔÇÖt just an art form, itÔÇÖs a competitive sport! Who knew?

The best part fo the trip came following Chetwynd as the highway follows the Pine River Valley and makes itÔÇÖs way higher and higher to eventually arrive at the Pine Pass through the mountains. There is unspoiled scenic wonder to behold around every corner and my pictures donÔÇÖt do any of it justice. Near the top of the pass is Azouzetta Lake, a setting that, in my mind rivals Crater Lake for natural beauty, even though my pictures don't do it justice.

Coming down the other side of the pass, the highway follows Misinchinka River Valley, then passes scenic McLeod Lake and subsequently follows the Crooked River most of the way to the lumber Industry Town of Prince George. There are great Provincial Parks and wonderful outdoor recreation opportunities throughout this area.

Looking for a bigger day tomorrow ÔÇô ideally it will be solidly over 400 miles and leave me within shouting distance of the US border. The Canadian portion of my trip is quickly drawing to a close. IÔÇÖm gonna try to get up early but hope to do so without the aid of a fire alarm ringing in my ears. Weather looks promising. Off we go. One last full day in Canada!








Pine River Valley


Azouzetta Lake

Lots more pics at http://jackb1.smugmug.com

Day 33 - Prince Grorge, BC to Abbotsford, BC. Cariboo Hwy. and Fraser River Canyon.

Day 33 ÔÇô Monday, June 22, 2009
Start: Prince George, British Columbia
End: Abbotsford, British Columbia
Trip Miles Today: 437
Total Trip Miles: 7852


Up early again. No fire alarm, just want 2 get early start, as I had a long day planned. The Route today was, again, Rte 97 South, also known over this segment as the Cariboo Highway. Weather started out just perfect save for the fact that it was a little "nippy" at departure (39 deg F). Some rain showers later in the day and I climber in and out of the rain gear two times. Nonetheless a pretty pleasant day!

The first 250 miles of todayÔÇÖs trip was a pleasant enough, if unremarkable, tour through the lushly forested rolling hills of British Columbia. Forest Industries are a mainstay of the Province and the cities along the way, Quesnel, Williams Lake and others are dominated by the sawmills, wood pellet plants, and plywood manufacturing facilities that shape the economy of the area. Sadly, with the current economic downturn, especially the drop in new housing starts, demand is well off for building products so these communities are hurting along with much of the rest of North America. This industry is also being pressured by another issue that is not in any way related to the economy and is likely a larger threat. Beetles. In particular is the Mountain Pine Beetle which is responsible for the destruction of tens of thousands of acres of mature pine forests in this area. Dead mature trees can be seen almost everywhere, sometimes entire mountainsides of dead trees! Naturalists are working actively with forest industry teams to help combat this threat to the livelihood of the entire central portion of BC.

Over much of itÔÇÖs length the Cariboo Highway follows the Fraser River Valley. At the northern end the river valley is spacious and wide. However, south of Grand Cache the valley becomes narrower, it becomes surrounded by higher mountains, and the river proceeds downhill more steeply through the Fraser River Canyon. The Fraser River and the Canyon were named for Simon Fraser, the first white man to descend the river in 1808. The Cariboo Highway through the Fraser River Canyon is a spectacular trip with fantastic scenery at every turn, and the ride lasts some 50 miles! Riding the Fraser River Canyon was definitely one of the highlights of my trip. Great twisties and spectacular vistas at every turn. I only wish there were more turnouts to provide photo ops. When I came through today it was also terribly windy and gusty. It made me wish, for the first time on this trip, that I was on a larger, heavier bike (R12GS ??). It also made me wonder, at times, if the standard 12 ft. wide highway lane is really wide enough. Nuf said about that!

Made 437 miles today, stopped for a lot of pictures and still found my way to a hotel in Abbotsford, BC by 5:30. Will overnight here then jump across the border into the US early tomorrow. TomorrowÔÇÖs goal is to be south of Portland by the end of the day, and to integrate a stop at the BMW dealer in Seattle (mostly to just check it out ÔÇô donÔÇÖt really need anything ÔÇÿcept possibly tires but IÔÇÖm pretty sure he wonÔÇÖt be able to accommodate me unannounced. The tire deal will happen a few more days down the road, if at all. Still looking at possibilities. Wednesday IÔÇÖll make my way to the Medford, Oregon area to visit a friend from high school. Then some interesting plans for the weekend that IÔÇÖll tell you about tomorrow.



Williams Lake, BC


Pine beetle infestation, near Ashcroft, BC


Fraser River Canyon near Hells Gate
For more pictures from the entire trip go to http://jackb1.smugmug.com

Hey Jack!
Looks like you are having a great trip, what do you do for adventure?

Man that F650 is packed up, how's it ride?
Thanks for sharing.

You're absolutely right. I'm having a GREAT trip! As you've correctly observed, I've got the bike pretty fully loaded. Still, I don't think the total load is more than having an adult passenger on the back seat. I intend to weigh all my stuff when I get home just to let everyone know how much there really was. The bike copes with the weight pretty well. The one thing that was a little disconcerting at first is that it doesn't seem to like a bunch of weight up high in the back and becomes demonstrably more "wobbly" at low speeds. This is something that I've gotten pretty used to but I can tell you that it makes the off road stuff less pleasant, especially in on softer surfaces. The bike also blows around in crosswinds more than I might have hoped but I'm willing to write that off to the fact that it's still just a middleweight bike. The topcase up so high and duffel on the rear seat may, contribute some to that too. I'm not really sure. All that being said the bike has been an overall excellent companion for this trip.