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.