Thursday, July 10, 2008

Bikes are Packed and Ready to Ride!

Today we made sure the bikes' tanks were full, and that everything was ready to go. Once we knew the bikes were ready we started packing. SInce we've changed our mind about motels, and will be doing quite a bit of camping, our load has increased a bit. Bobby has extra gas in his panniers, as well as extra fuel for the jet boil, WD40, a tarp to cover the bikes, tools, 2 spare inner tubes for my tires, and a tubeless tire patching kit. His extra camp pillow and an extra blanket for me are also in the panniers. He is carrying a dry bag with our sleeping bags, and a collapsable cooler for some liquid refreshment when we are done riding for the day. Tomorrow morning we'll pick up our satellite phone that will also go in his panniers.

I have our emergency kit, gravel plates, tire pressure gauge, glasses cleaner, cell phone, camera and extra lens in my tank bag. In the top case are our tent, both air mattresses, a can of Off, baseball caps, and a supply of Power Bars. Farkle will be riding sweep on this trip. I have Mountain House dinners in one dry bag strapped to my bike, and our extra clothes in the other dry bag. I'm carrying a two liter bottle of water with a squirt nozzle to spray my radiator down to keep it a little cleaner, and our camp towel.

So now we are ready. LET'S RIDE!









Sunday, July 6, 2008

Prudhoe Bay Trip is less than a week away!

Well, our plans have changed a little. We are now planning to camp as we pass through Fairbanks. We have reservations at a campground on the Chena River. It's the same campground I stayed in back in May. We also changed our plans about staying in Coldfoot. We are going to go to The Arctic Gateway B&B in Wiseman instead. I am very excited about this change. I feel like we'll get a better night sleep here, and am looking forward to meeting the family who runs the place.

We have also gotten our emergency plan into place. Two friends will have all of our itinerary information and Iridium phone number as well as the numbers to call for emergency personnel if we aren't back home when we are planning to be (with a 48 hour cushion).

Friday, July 4, 2008

TKC 80's On the Road

I understand that TKC 80 tires are primarily off-road tires, but they do a fine job on-road as well. We rode about 100 miles today to scrub in our new tires and I came home impressed. If these tires make the kind of difference off-road that they are claimed to make, the slight increase in vibration on-road is well worth a little tingle in the hands. At slower speeds I could feel the knobbies, it felt like the front tire was bouncing. Honestly, I enjoyed the feeling. It made me laugh. The real test will come when we take the TKC 80's off-road, but so far I am very pleased with our choice to use them on our trip up the haul road to Prudhoe Bay.

Here are some pictures of Portgage from today.











Wednesday, July 2, 2008

Preparations Begin!

My husband and I are planning to ride our motorcycles to Prudhoe Bay the weekend of July 11! For anyone not familiar with the route, we will ride the Dalton Highway, otherwise known as the haul road, about 500 miles on gravel from Fairbanks to Deadhorse. The last 250 miles are completely isolated, with no services of any kind. It will be by far the most challenging ride for us to date.

So how are we preparing? The first step was to replace our street tires with TKC 80's. My husband has already made that change on his bike; we'll pick up the tires and do the switch on my bike this afternoon. It will be my first time riding this bike on knobbies, so I'm excited to see how it will change how the bike handles.

We are also going to replace the right front fork seal on my bike. It has begun leaking, and we want everything to be 100% when we are on the Dalton. We'll be putting the panniers back on Bobby's bike, and I'm going to ride with just my top case and my tank bag. Since we are staying in motels in Coldfoot and in Deadhorse we don't need to carry as many supplies.

I spent today reading everything I could find about the road, and feel like I'm mentally prepared. As we make more plans, I'll keep them posted here so anyone else planning a motorcycle trip up the Dalton Highway can follow along! I'll also post pictures as I get them.

Tuesday, July 1, 2008

Visit from Dakar



During our Spring 2007 tour we met Dakar and became good friends with her. This year she is doing her big tour and we were fortunate enough to have her stay with us for a few days. Her ride report is posted in TwoWheelFemales.com under the title "Dakar's (Top Secret) Grand Tour..." She has traveled so far from Kansas City to New York, to Maine, back to New York then across the Northern U.S., up the Alcan Highway to Tok, and now she's working her way South.

I met her in Tok, abut 320 miles from where I live. It was a fun ride up even though I wasn't sure what time she would arrive. As it turns out, I had just enough time to get checked into a motel room and change out of my riding gear when she pulled up. The good news was that she had made it without any real problems. The bad news was that there was oil coming out of the final drive on her motorcycle. Uh Oh!

We didn't have internet access where we were staying so I called home and had my daughter post up a "SOS" on ADV rider. Within 7 minutes a guy called us back and said he'd be passing through Tok the following day about noon, and that he'd bring parts if we could order them in Anchorage. We immediately got on the phone and got a new seal ordered. Whew!

The next day a few people passing through on their way to D2D wished us luck and reassured us the seal replacement would fix the problem. A little after 1:00 a different guy from ADV pulled into the parking lot of our motel. He had also brought the seal, and since he's a motorcycle mechanic, he offered to do the work. As soon as he pulled the seal, however, we knew it was more than a seal as we heard chunks of metal falling into the pan we put out to catch the oil. Her final drive bearing was shot. We called Fairbanks - no bearings that would fit, sorry. We called Anchorage - same answer. Anchorage, however, said they could order the parts and have them in the next day.

I immediately got on my bike and rode back to Anchorage, hoping the parts would be in early enough to make the trip back to Tok, and still get through before road construction closed the only road back to Anchorage at midnight. We got lucky, and everything worked out, but what a way to start her time in Alaska!

We spent the next week exploring and enjoying the company. It was sad to see her leave yesterday, but her tour must go on!



Saturday, June 7, 2008

Saturday Ride to Eklutna Lake

Eklutna Lake is a glacial fed lake less than an hour from our house. Today was a perfect day for a ride, so off we went.





The mosquitoes were eating us, so we didn't stay long, but how wonderful it is to live so close to such a beautiful place.

Wednesday, May 21, 2008

Spring 2008 Ride to Fairbanks

I got up early on Friday because I was too excited to sleep. I love riding, and the chance to do a new (to me) road on the bike was too much! I was curious whether I could get everything in my tank bag and top case. I almost succeeded, but the sleeping bags wouldn't fit. For the record I had my tent, jumper cables, emergency blanket, air mattress, jet boil, two Mountain House dinners, extra gloves, extra jacket, flip flops, a book, farkle, and mosquito dope in the top case. My change of clothes, comb, purse, camera and extra lens, kickstand plate, and various stuff was in my tank bag. I took two bags just in case the weather turned cold on me.

I had planned to stop at the Anchorage cemetery for a pic on the way out of town, but it was drizzly so I decided to go there another day. The rain continued all the way to Denali, so there are few pics on the way up. It was pretty chilly at elevation. I was surprised how much snow there was on the side of the road. Lakes still had ice and the smaller creeks were frozen.





After I crossed the pass the sun came out and it warmed up to the mid 60's. It was heavenly! I stopped in Nenana for gas and a couple pictures. The Tanana River is still widely used for transportation to and from many of the interior native villages.

By the time I pulled into Fairbanks it was in the low 70's! I drove 350 miles from early spring into summer.

I walked to the nearest grocery, and bought some Mike's Hard Lemon-aid to go with my Mountain House dinner. Farkle decided he needed a suntan so he hung out with me for a while enjoying the glorious afternoon and evening. Being Fairbanks, it hadn't gotten dark yet when I went to sleep at midnight.

I was thankful I had the two sleeping bags since it dipped down into the 30's overnight. Saturday morning the sun was shining though, and I stayed in my sleeping bag until it had the tent nice and warm. It was a pretty morning. After making myself coffee I packed up camp and headed off to the high school where my daughter was running in the State track championship.


Here she is carrying the Alaska flag after her team placed first in the 4x800 relay.




I left shortly after the awards were given because it was starting to cloud up and I didn't want to ride late in bad weather. I did stop for one classic Alaska shot...



I was glad I had left when I did. As it was, I ran the last 100 plus miles in heavy rain, wind, and 37 degrees. I'd have been in big trouble had I not had a heated jacket and grips. As it was I got mildly hypothermic before I stopped and switched into winter gloves and my extra fleece neck gaitor.

Total mileage on the trip: 763 miles
Wildlife Count: 2 moose, 3 rabbits, 5 swans, 3 beaver, 1 ptarmigan, and a lot of ducks and geese.
__________________

Thursday, May 1, 2008

2007 Tour - To Tok, Then Home

So after a really long and exhausting day in horrible riding conditions, followed by a night on an uncomfortable bed with noisy neighbors, you take it easy, right? You don't know my husband!

We set off early and rode the 175 miles or so to the Alcan/Cassiar junction before be stopped for breakfast and fuel. During the first 30 minutes out of Muncho Lake we saw 8 bison on the side of the road, 2 black bears and 1 brown bear, a handful of elk, one of which did NOT want to give up the center of the road, and more rabbits than we could count. Before the day was out we saw another BIG black bear, moose, a porcupine, and two birds had committed suicide on my bike and person. (one hit the left front fork, the other literally dove into my boot. OUCH!)

As I said, we gassed up at the junction, then went across the road to Sally's Cafe. We ate there last year and had high expectations that were not disappointed. If you ever ride to Alaska, and have the opportunity to have the sausage patty breakfast at Sally's, you will have passed up a treasure if you don't stop. Like last time, the conversation was as good as the food. Two truckers and a kid from Alaska who is hitchhiking from the North Slope to Oregon were eating when we were. The stories were soon flying. It's hard to leave a place that is so welcoming.

We hit Whitehorse in early afternoon and were on a roll. We were driving fast and making good time, and finally found our break in the weather. At Kluane we hit wind and bad blowing dust through the construction area, but that was only about 5 or 6 miles. We stopped again for gas at Haines Junction, thought about calling it a night but decided to push through, pulled into Beaver Creek for gas, but Bobby decided to push on and I didn't argue. Finally around 7:00 we pulled into the Westmark Hotel in Tok, Alaska. The last 150 miles were over a highway with major frost heaves, and worse it was split lengthwise by an earthquake a couple years ago. It is now pretty much an obstacle course. But we made it. Then we looked at the door to the Hotel. Closed, open back up tomorrow! WTF!!!

We turned around and found another, smaller motel we'd driven by many times and never noticed. It even had a restaurant attached. So, after too many hours, and 830 miles on the Alcan, we finally called it a night. I have to say, my knees were sore after the beating they took on the last 150 miles, and my elbow was getting sore, but even after all that my butt never ached in the slightest. If that isn't a tribute to Rich's Custom Seats I can't imagine what would be.

No photos on this run. I thought about stopping, but when everything is so beautiful how do you choose?

The next morning we slept in. :happy And knew we had an easy 350 mile ride home. We stopped in a few places for pics, stopped in a few places for road construction, and made one little detour to play in the mud a little, but basically we just enjoyed a laid back ride. As we entered Palmer (50 miles or so from Anchorage) neither of us was ready to take the fast route back. Instead we turned off on the old Glenn Highway and meandered through the forest and along the river before we rejoined the main road. We stopped just before hitting the Glenn and just looked at each other. 6 weeks, a lot of roads, a lot of stuff happening behind the scenes, and it all came down to this. We both acknowledged at that moment that no matter where our lives take us, no matter how difficult the struggles, as long as we're together, we'll get to where we need to be.

So, 18 states, 3 Canadian Provinces, and 10,346 miles later we're home.




Saturday, April 26, 2008

2007 Tour - Hinton, Albera to Muncho Lake

We left Hinton the next morning and rode into a late winter/early spring storm. Not long after we left Hinton we started gaining elevation. Soon we were in heavy fog, then very cold rain, then sleet, then snow... Before long we were reduced to following in the tracks of an 18 wheeler. It made for slow going, but when the road is building up with snow, what are your choices? We finally made it down to Fort Saint John where we stopped for gas. A guy came over to us and said there was worse weather to come, and said if we could make it, we should try to hole up in Grand Prairie for a few days until the weather improved. We buckled down and kept on going through more of the same, pouring rain at lower elevations and accumulating snow higher up.

By the time we got to Grand Prairie about lunch time, I was soaked through and frozen to the core. I had blown a hole in my raingear, and my waterproof boots weren't. My feet were totally wet and I had a moderate case of hypthermia going. We found a Best Western and asked if they had any rooms. They did, but we really wanted to get home on the 21st, and stopping that early in the day, there would be no way to do it. In fact, at that point we didn't think we could get home before the 23rd. So, we agreed to have lunch, ( this was a FANCY Best Western with a scrumptous lunch buffet) and watch the weather channel. Though I'm sure with our weather worn appearance they would rather have sent us packing, the hotel let us use the lounge tv to check the weather and bring our food in there. Maybe they were just trying to keep us away from their other guests...:lol Anyway, we decided holing up wouldn't really do us any good, since another front was on the heels of the current one. Our goal was to suffer through the storm and get North of it if possible.

After making our decision to continue on, we asked for directions to a sporting goods store (for water proof socks since my feet were still wet) and a motorcycle shop for new raingear. Turns out there was a motorcycle shop on the same street as the motel, and a kayak shop nearby. We went to the motorcycle shop first. Yamaha dealership if I remember right. Anyway, the people in that shop acted like we were INSANE to be out riding. They were the least encouraging people we met on the entire trip, but at least I got a new rainsuit. And I'm sure I look real cute wearing a Victory Motorcycle rainsuit riding down the road on my BMW...:lol :lol :lol

When we pulled into the kayak shop, surprise, there was a BMW 1200 parked out front. Turns out the guy works at the shop, but also teaches motorcycle safety! The folks here were unbelievably helpful and soon had me rigged up in neoprene kayak socks. So long cold feet!

We got back on the road and not far out of town the weather began to break. At least the snow and sleet stopped, and at that point even icy cold rain was an improvement! We made it to Muncho Lake about 5:00. Bobby kind of wanted to go further, but my endurance was at an end. All I wanted was a hot shower and bed. Unfortunately the new part of the lodge was full, so we had to stay in the old part that only had a bathtub, a not so great bed, and BARKING DOGS in the next room. After a hot bath and a good dinner I really wanted to sleep, but the folks next to us let their dogs bark until sometime around midnight.:mad

The only photos today were taken around Muncho Lake Lodge.





Monday, April 21, 2008

2007 Tour - Cowboy Trail and Banff



The following morning we backtracked a little to find a secondary route that was closer to the mountains and hopefully less windy! We rode out of town on asphalt that quickly turned to gravel. Had I been faster with the camera, or more comfortable riding in loose gravel I would have gotten some great photos along that road. There were old time farms, stunning river valleys, and a herd of deer in the middle of the road!

After a while we hit asphalt again, and realized we were on the Alberta Cowboy Trail and had the pleasure of watching a real cowboy cattle round-up. Unfortunately they were too far off the road to get a good shot. We also drove by a truck flinging $hit all over a field, fertilizer I guess, but the smell was nasty! Also passed by a fence where every post for half a mile or more had a baseball cap on it. Strange, but cool!

Today we also rode the Icefields Parkway through Banff, Lake Louise, and Jasper! This is mountain scenery not to be missed. Some of the photos would have been nicer with less snow, but oh well. It reminded us that we are still travelling pretty early in the season. After a long spectacular ride, we called it a day in a KOA in Hinton, Alberta. It was cold and rainy when we pulled in, so the cabin looked to good to pass up. We ate dinner and showered then reloaded the bikes for an early departure.






Friday, April 18, 2008

Bobby and I Rode to Seward Today! Brrrr!

Bobby and I rode to Seward today to see if the pass was open. I would have loved to have taken a shot of the median in Turnagain Pass where the snow was still piled at least 6 or 7 foot deep, but there was no place safe to pull over, so photos were pretty limited.

We left our house this morning about 10:30 after it warmed up to 33 degrees from 28 when we got up. We stopped for gas then rode out along Turnagain Arm. Near Anchorage it was pretty, but hazy so pictures wouldn't have turned out, and since I've posted a lot from that area we just kept riding. At the Hope junction Bobby pulled over to ask if I wanted to take pics of the gorge. I told him I didn't think pics would turn out, and that I'd just as soon keep riding.

Today was the first time I ran my auxiliary lights and my heated jacket and grips, all on the max setting. When I tried to start the bike at the Junction it just buzzed. My battery was completely dead. I would have known had I been having the charge guard cycle through all its settings, but I had set it only on temp so I would have an idea of whether water on the road would be freezing. (The temps along the Arm were in the 29 to 30 degree range, so ice was a potential issue.) After trying a few times to get the bike started Bobby rode the 15 miles or so into Hope to see if he could borrow a set of jumper cables. After he left, I realized that although it was a pretty place to be stranded, it might not be the most appreciated by the State.









Oh well... At least I was on the right side of the fence!

Bobby made it back before anyone else came by, and a few minutes later we had my bike running. We took the jumper cables back into Hope then resumed our ride toward Seward. We got there around 3:00 got gas, and turned around to head back toward home. We stopped at the Pit Bar for a coffee and pizza and were entertained by a toothless fellow riding a Harley who pulled in behind us. He was quite a character, stayed long enough to drink his own coffee and headed back out. The Pit Bar is one of those dive kind of places where everyone knows everyone else. One guy sitting at the bar got a phone call on the bar's phone. I suspect he may have spent just a little too much time there. Just before we left a middle aged guy and his mom came in. The bartender had their beers open before they even sat down. Again it was obvious these two come in often. As soon as they sat down they both started pulling out cash and buying pull tabs. They must have gotten 50 or more each, didn't win anything, but I guess they had fun trying.

We had a fast ride home. It always surprises me how much longer it seems to take to go somewhere than it does to come back home. We rode around 300 miles with our little unplanned side trip into Hope. It was a great day, and I was really happy to have Bobby home so we could take our first ride of the year together.

Tuesday, April 15, 2008

Spring Tour 2007 - Border Crossing!

We got up early the next morning and rode to Wheat, Montana. Don't know how accurate the story is, but we were told by a fellow motorcycle rider in the area that a family was struggling with money because of falling wheat prices, and rising costs of farming. So, they decided to start their own restaurant/bakery using the wheat from their own land. We were told the motto is "sow it, grow it, dough it." Whether or not the story is true, they have a fabulous breakfast. We really enjoyed hanging out there and watching the sun come up.

The morning ride around Flathead Lake was beautiful, and the road was suitably twisty, although less traffic and higher speed limits would have been nice... It was also really cool seeing the memorial to Theodore Roosevelt at the continental divide.

This was a day of spectacular riding. We went through Glacier National Park, but unfortunately couldn't do Going to the Sun Highway because of some sort of traffic incident on the road. Even so, just taking the highway through was gorgeous and a lot of fun! I found my limit on my new found confidence of downhill and to the right turns. We were riding pretty fast, and I was in part judging speed going into turns by posted speed suggestions. On this turn, the one with the dropoff on the left hand side of the road, I didn't see any sign. I entered the turn at about 75 mph, and had to lean WAY over to stay in my lane. I did it, but the adrenaline was a pumpin'. Bobby told me later the sign said it was a 40 mph hour bend, but confirmed that my tired never crossed the yellow! Whew. I slowed it down a bit after that one!

We crossed into Alberta, Canada near Shelby, Montana. Within a couple mile of the border there was a visitor's center that I wanted to stop at for maps and camping info in Southern Canada. It was closed, but when I saw the dinosaur out front I did a U-turn and went back. I'll admit I was a little wild in my younger years, but these days I'm pretty laid back, and law abiding. In the car, I never even go above speed limit. But, for some reason my youth came pouring back in and I drove around the gate blocking the parking lot. And I figured since I'm this close, and the place is closed anyway, I may as well ride the sidewalk over to the dinosaur...I don't know why I like it so much, but I just love that thing.:tongue

We spent the night at Claresholm, Alberta at the Blue Bird Motel. We pulled into the place thinking it would be pretty rundown. The guy at the front desk asked if we wanted a theme room. We rolled our eyes, but asked what the theme rooms were. He gave us a couple choices and we settled on the Gene Autry room. We walked out thinking we would be in a little dank, dirty, cheesy room with a worn out bed. WRONG! Instead we were in a little cottage with a "room" that was actually like a small apartment. It had really cool Gene Autry and other old time western memorabilia, and a photo and note saying that Randy Travis stayed in that room for a month while filming a movie, and how much he enjoyed it! Wasn't expecting that one, or the "movie star" horses in the area right behind the motel!

We walked next door for dinner, and had what Bobby said were the best chicken strips he's ever eaten. Coming from Bobby, that's saying something!








We got up early the next morning and rode to Wheat, Montana. Don't know how accurate the story is, but we were told by a fellow motorcycle rider in the area that a family was struggling with money because of falling wheat prices, and rising costs of farming. So, they decided to start their own restaurant/bakery using the wheat from their own land. We were told the motto is "sow it, grow it, dough it." Whether or not the story is true, they have a fabulous breakfast. We really enjoyed hanging out there and watching the sun come up.

The morning ride around Flathead Lake was beautiful, and the road was suitably twisty, although less traffic and higher speed limits would have been nice... It was also really cool seeing the memorial to Theodore Roosevelt at the continental divide.

This was a day of spectacular riding. We went through Glacier National Park, but unfortunately couldn't do Going to the Sun Highway because of some sort of traffic incident on the road. Even so, just taking the highway through was gorgeous and a lot of fun! I found my limit on my new found confidence of downhill and to the right turns. We were riding pretty fast, and I was in part judging speed going into turns by posted speed suggestions. On this turn, the one with the dropoff on the left hand side of the road, I didn't see any sign. I entered the turn at about 75 mph, and had to lean WAY over to stay in my lane. I did it, but the adrenaline was a pumpin'. Bobby told me later the sign said it was a 40 mph hour bend, but confirmed that my tired never crossed the yellow! Whew. I slowed it down a bit after that one!

We crossed into Alberta, Canada near Shelby, Montana. Within a couple mile of the border there was a visitor's center that I wanted to stop at for maps and camping info in Southern Canada. It was closed, but when I saw the dinosaur out front I did a U-turn and went back. I'll admit I was a little wild in my younger years, but these days I'm pretty laid back, and law abiding. In the car, I never even go above speed limit. But, for some reason my youth came pouring back in and I drove around the gate blocking the parking lot. And I figured since I'm this close, and the place is closed anyway, I may as well ride the sidewalk over to the dinosaur...I don't know why I like it so much, but I just love that thing.:tongue

We spent the night at Claresholm, Alberta at the Blue Bird Motel. We pulled into the place thinking it would be pretty rundown. The guy at the front desk asked if we wanted a theme room. We rolled our eyes, but asked what the theme rooms were. He gave us a couple choices and we settled on the Gene Autry room. We walked out thinking we would be in a little dank, dirty, cheesy room with a worn out bed. WRONG! Instead we were in a little cottage with a "room" that was actually like a small apartment. It had really cool Gene Autry and other old time western memorabilia, and a photo and note saying that Randy Travis stayed in that room for a month while filming a movie, and how much he enjoyed it! Wasn't expecting that one, or the "movie star" horses in the area right behind the motel!

We walked next door for dinner, and had what Bobby said were the best chicken strips he's ever eaten. Coming from Bobby, that's saying something!

Monday, April 14, 2008

2007 Tour - Yellowstone to Flathead Lake, Montana

We stayed in West Yellowstone that night. Marcello stayed at the same place, and the next morning asked if we'd like to walk around town with him for a little while before we parted company. We agreed and together wandered through a number of the little shops. As we were on our way back to the hotel to check out and get our day started, Marcello said that he'd once been asked why he didn't have more friends. He said he'd told the guy that he didn't collect friends, he selected them. With that, he gave both Bobby and I rider's bells for our bikes. We weren't familiar with the tradition so he explained it to us. In short, evil road gremlins cause the problems that bikers face when riding motorcycles. A ringing bell near the front of the motorcycle keeps the gremlins from getting on the bike, and makes those who do get on, fall back off keeping the rider safe. The power of a bell is doubled when given as a gift to a true friend. The story, and the significance of being given these bells by a man we'd only known for a day was one of the most touching moments of our time on the road.

After we parted ways, Bobby and I headed out due West long enough to cross into Idaho, then came back and went North into Montana. Maybe it was just the weather that day, but the state certainly earned its nickname, Big Sky Country. We stopped in Missoula for me to get new tires on my bike, then went on to Poulin where spent the night overlooking Flat Head Lake.