Riders On Adventure

It Has Been Too Long

2010-03-15T14:46:00.009-08:00

It has been a long time since I've updated here. I have been busy, but that really isn't a good excuse. I'll get caught back up on some of my riding over the past several months in the next few days. Today I want to let everyone know what I have been working on most recently. I wrote a book!!! It is called TwoWheelFemales.com - Guide For Beginning Women Riders. It contains tons of information I have learned over the past few years about what it means to be a new female motorcycle rider and what women need to succeed in everything from taking the MSF class to choosing a first motorcycle to getting the right gear.

Check it out!

Conclusion of Iron Butt Rally 2009

2009-09-04T11:16:00.003-08:00

This morning I went to the Red Lion in downtown Spokane and watched some of the riders in the 2009 Iron Butt Rally come into the final checkpoint. Even though I was only there to watch, the people directing the riders didn't know that. As I pulled into the parking lot I saw cameras flashing and people cheering. They tried to direct me to the finishers area so I had to confess my real purpose. Still, being part of the energy there was amazing! Riding an Iron Butt is a long time dream, now it is something I want to do more than ever.

Mobile 1 Gives Away an OCC motorcycle and trip to Daytona

2009-09-02T14:30:00.005-08:00

I am a dual sport rider through and through. But when I look at the Ducati Monster I get a little weak in the knees. That isn't such a stretch. I still don't like choppers. Then I got the notice today that Mobile 1 oil is sponsoring a contest to win an Orange County Custom motorcycle. My first instinct was to get haughty and ignore the contest. But then I looked at the bike. And I looked again. This isn't what I remember OCC bikes looking like. I thought they all had ape hangers and looked like they would be okay as art, but not as a motorcycle that could be ridden. Now, I'm going to have to go back and watch some reruns. When did they go from making cartoon bikes to making motorcycles that look like they can be ridden further than around the block?

Link to the contest.

Iron Butt

2009-08-25T12:13:00.002-08:00

Earlier today I wrote an article for the Examiner (the title to this post is a link to the article) about the 2009 Iron Butt Rally ending in Spokane. As I wrote the article I couldn't help feel a twinge of jealousy for those riders whose names were selected in the lottery. I know full well I am not even close to being able to ride an Iron Butt Rally, I've never even completed a saddle sore. There is no way I could ride 11,000 miles in 11 days. My body would be a wreck if I tried. But somewhere deep inside me is a voice that says I could do it if I started training. I would have to get in better physical condition. I would have to ride a few Iron Butt rides, maybe even a few organized endurance events. I could do that, couldn't I? Isn't the only thing stopping me self-doubt? (and money, but that could probably be worked out)

Why does this hold such an appeal for me? I know the riders have to go through horrible conditions ranging from some of the hottest, coldest and windiest weather imaginable. I know the riders have to get by on miniscule amounts of sleep. They don't get to stop and really enjoy any of the places they go. It sounds miserable. And it sounds wonderful.

Will I ever go that far? I won't say never, but I know the chances are slim. Nonetheless, My goal is to ride at least one Iron Butt Ride over the next year. Maybe I'll hate it, but maybe I'll be hooked and will be able to join the thin ranks of those who call themselves, "The Toughest Riders in the World."

Motorcycle Fluency

2009-08-24T10:18:00.004-08:00

Since I've started writing for the Examiner I have been doing a lot of research on various motorcycle topics. I'm learning a lot and I like that, but every time I research another topic it reminds me again how much I don't know. I have read Proficient Motorcycling by David Hough, but every time I go through it I realize that not everything sinks in. I read about other people taking round the world treks and riding on sand for hours and days on end. Sand terrifies me. I watch videos of people doing amazing slow motion maneuvers on their bikes and have to face the fact that I don't even come close to that level of skill. Yes, I can ride mud, I've done multiple 750 mile days under challenging conditions, but there is so much MORE. I desperately want to reach a point where I feel more than competent, where I feel skillful on my bike, but I am so far from that level it frustrates me beyond imagination. It means I keep working, keep practicing, and maybe someday I'll be closer to motorcycle fluency than the semi-illiteracy I currently have.

What a beautiful day!

2009-08-22T15:52:00.005-08:00

I have ridden the motorcycle to a lot of the areas outside Spokane for both long and short trips. Today was the first time I decided to stay closer to home. I ended up at Riverside State Park. As usual I carried tennis shoes with me so I could go for a hike. What a beautiful place!

Spokane Is a Great Place to be.

2009-08-19T12:07:00.003-08:00

I recently started writing on motorcycle travel for Examiner.com. It has been a lot of fun, and maybe the best part is that since I am writing about motorcycle travel with a focus on Spokane, I have looked around me and realized yet again what an amazing part of the country this is. Alaska was wonderful, but there are so few roads that after riding them as many times as I had, the thrill was gone. Here there are new roads everywhere! I can go to Yellowstone or Glacier on a long weekend! Seattle is only a day ride away. I can go to Canada. The possibilities are absolutely endless.

I can get bored easily, but I think the Pacific Northwest will keep me entertained for years to come!

Busy Summer

2009-08-10T10:25:00.002-08:00

After doing a lot of local riding exploring our new backyard, I have noticed an interesting difference in riding in Washington as opposed to riding in Alaska. Whereas Alaska is a dualsport state, most riders here ride Harleys. I have no problem with that, but it does bother me that so few people wear gear. It is commonplace here to see people riding in shorts, and tank tops. I guess it is their business, not mine, but why a person would risk sunburn, bug smacks, and of course road rash or worse in the case of accident is beyond my understanding. I'd rather sweat a little than lose my skin or my life. Besides, cooling vests only cost about $30. That's a pretty low price to pay for comfort and safety.

On a more positive note, we had the pleasure of meeting a super nice people this summer. He has been riding for years, and she got her first bike this spring. They went on a Mexico to Canada tour this summer and she is hooked! It is such an inspiration to watch a rider discover the love of the road. I look forward to riding with them in the future, hopefully on a trip to Copper Canyon and Creel, Mexico. I guess I'd better start brushing up on my Spanish skills!

Now

2009-06-05T08:23:00.003-08:00

So now that I finally got my Prudhoe Bay trip finalized, I can move to things more recent. One of the reasons there was a delay in getting things done around here was that my husband and I decided it was time to leave Alaska. We moved to Spokane, Washington where we are having an awesome time exploring new roads and seeing new sights. We have a lot of day rides, weekend rides, and longer trips planned for this summer, and have already taken a few. Over the next few days I'll get those posted up and get back into the swing of keeping this current!

Prudhoe Bay Trip - Day 5

2009-06-05T08:11:00.002-08:00

When we left Wiseman that morning we saw that the road had been freshly watered. We drove a few miles, then saw the brown mud turn white. Uh oh! We were caught behind the truck spreading calcium chloride!

For anyone who doesn't know, calcium chloride dries very hard. It makes a dirt road feel like concrete paving. But when it is wet, it is the slickest thing imaginable. Much worse than ice.

We made it through without going down. From there it was easy riding. All we had to do was contend with trucks spraying water on the road every few miles.

Oh yeah, and graters. And worse, areas where there was fresh gravel but the graters hadn't been buy yet.

Soon, however, we were back on asphalt and heading into Fairbanks and back to Anchorage. It was a wonderful trip.

Day 1 - Anchorage to Fairbanks = 358 miles @ 60-65 mph average speed
Day 2 - Fairbanks to Wiseman = 330 miles @ 40 mph average speed
Day 3 - Wiseman to Deadhorse = 236 miles @ 35 mph average speed

Approximately 1850 miles roundtrip.

Prudhoe Bay Ride - Day 4

2009-05-31T10:37:00.002-08:00

We got up the following morning and went into the oil field worker's dining room for breakfast. We'd also eaten there for dinner the night before. It is a no frills place, but the food is heavenly! Bobby took the time to take a couple pictures of the dining room.

and the kitchen where they make all the good food happen along with part of the window dining room.

After breakfast we rode to "town"

where we got gas, then rode over to the NAPA store that marks the end of the Dalton Highway.

After buying a couple stickers at the NAPA, we went over to the Arctic Caribou where we took a tour of the oil fields. The windows in the bus were small and dirty so we didn't really get much in the way of photos. We saw a lot of birds, different species of geese, swans, arctic terns, etc. and more Eskimo cotton.

After winding through the oil fields we finally reached the Arctic Ocean and were allowed off the bus.

We'd have gone in all the way if we'd had the ability to change. that's my story and I'm sticking to it... We did get the certificates to prove we've at lest touched the Arctic Ocean.

When they were first developing the North Slope many people were afraid the development would harm the caribou herds. Instead, the caribou use the gravel roads and pads as a place to escape the worst of the mosquitoes. Caribou have the right of way on all the roads, and if that means oil transport vehicles have to wait for an hour while a large herd passes, then that is what they do. No one can honk their horns, or in any way try to move the caribou along. The caribou have obviously learned this and completely ignored us.

After the tour we got back on the bikes and turned South for home. It was a grayer day than the day before, and had rained over night. As we left Deadhorse it was in thick, freshly laid gravel. I was doing ok, then all of a sudden found myself in a berm, plowing through the gravel rather than riding on top. The bike went into a major tank slapper and I came VERY close to going down. I focused on the horizon though, and gave it enough gas to stay up right. Whew! That was too close for comfort.

Shortly before I decided to ride in the berm...

The wind was calmer today, and as a result the mosquitos were on patrol. The picture shows several swarming my helmet but is an understatement of what was there. We learned on our tour that the mosquitos are so bad, they'll take 1/3 of the caribou's body weight in blood every summer.

It felt like a different road today. The weather was more challenging, and every time the light changes, the view changes completely,

and the road was a little less friendly also.

I love riding in mud! I get a big grin every time I make it out without a crash!

The beauty of this area never lessened.

Eventually we got back to Atigun Pass. As I reached the top I looked back and saw one of the most beautiful scenes yet. The Pass was rainy and dark, while the valley behind me was bathed in sunlight. Unfortunately the road was very steep and I was on a blind corner where I didn't feel safe stopping.

After the Pass we went through an area with gorgeous rocks off to the side of the road.

Even while the weather on the road was dark, we could always see the promise of sunlight at the end. I think there is a life lesson in that, and maybe in this whole ride. The road isn't always easy, but the difficulties make the beauty so much more worthwhile.

We were spending the night back at Wiseman, but wanted to go back to Coldfoot for dinner. I don't know how these guys got here. All I know is they didn't have much of a smile on their faces when they pulled into the parking lot shortly after we sat down to eat dinner.

Just look at those tires! No wonder they weren't feeling like being conversational!

After dinner we went back to the B&B. We stayed in the smaller cabin this time. It was great being greeted by the owner's children. Leo liked my helmet. His sister looked on with typical sibling disgust and tolerance...

Once again, by the time we were showered and crawled in bed we fell asleep immediately. The down comforters are absolutely to die for!

to be continued...

Prudhoe Bay Trip - Day 3

2009-05-30T14:27:00.002-08:00

Breakfast at Wiseman was an opportunity to see the inside of the owner's cabin. It was the original community center back during the gold rush days.

There is a very sad story associated with this bear.

A friend of the owner's was mushing his dogs in November one year, late enough in the winter that the bears should have all been hibernating. This old bear had been unable to store enough fat over the summer to stay asleep though and was out wandering around. To make a long story short, the wind was blowing hard down a long steep hill. The bear, at the top of the hill was unable to hear or smell the dog team until they all ran head long into one another. The bear killed several dogs, and the musher was almost killed as well. Fortunately for him he made it back to Wiseman and several people went out to find the bear. It was in the process of feeding on the dogs, and it turned on the people coming up. Through no fault of people or bear, the bear was shot and this is what is left as a reminder.

The road was still beautiful, in front and behind.

What a beautiful day to be out riding. Heading north out of Wiseman for Atigun Pass.

We made a stop within the first few miles and again about 25 miles down the road. The patches are doing their job so far and we will check them every 50 miles or so. Think this girl is having fun?

Riding the pass was beautiful.

But the geography was a little confusing...

My bike at the top of the pass thanks to the microfiber cloth and zip tie patch Bobby had made. 55 miles north of Wiseman, and the patches are working well. I think we'll make it!

I was enough ahead of Bobby that I got this picture of him coming up the pass.

On the other side of the pass looking north through the valley.

On our way out we came upon this,,,,,Dude is gonna have a lot of sweeping to do on this gravel road....

A gentle reminder of what the roads chews up and spits out.

The North side of the pass started out looking like Montana or Wyoming range land.

We never needed to use our sat phone, but we posed for pictures anyway.

The trucks, of course, own this road. If you are polite to them, they'll be polite to you. If you refuse to slow down and move over to the side of the road, they'll blast past and cover you in dust and thrown rocks.

Time to check the patches again. The left side is getting a bit wet so we replaced it and all was well the rest of the way into Deadhorse.

200 miles from anywhere and this mailbox cracked me up.... I should have put the flag up

Life's little choices. Wet or dry? I chose wet....

I don't think it looks soft.....

The farther North we go, the flatter it gets. Now it looks more like Kansas!

The eskimo cotton dots the tundra everywhere.

We had a moose run out in front of us just out of Wiseman, and a few muskox were off in the distance. We didn't get pictures of them, but we did stop for these two swans.

Finally, we have arrived. And the low fuel light comes on just as we enter the parking space.

When we got to Deadhorse we stayed in a camp that is still actively used by slope workers. The "room" we stayed in was in a trailer that they hook together into trains and pull onto the tundra during the winter when everything is frozen and won't be damaged.

The last 50 miles into Deadhorse was deep gravel.....uuggghhhh. At one point Bobby thought he had lost the bike while trying to transition into a different track closer to the edge of the road. He was weebble wobbling back and forth pretty bad when the bike started to lean over hard to the right. While preparing his mind for a low side fall, he somehow stayed with it and continued to steer. The front tire found some solid ground in the track he was trying to get into and with a little throttle,,, the bike returned upright. Scary! The last thing we need is Bobby injured or his bike broken down and me running on borrowed time on my fork seals!

to be cont.

Prudhoe Bay Trip - Day 2 continued

2009-05-29T18:21:00.002-08:00

...We had planned to eat lunch at Yukon River crossing, but after talking to the people in the visitor center decided to go a little further and eat at the Hot Spot, instead. I had heard of the Hot Spot, but didn't realize where it was. We drove about 15 miles North of Yukon River crossing when we saw the sign. What a cool place! Anyone who misses this spot has missed a major high point of the ride. I'll let a few pics tell the story why.

The burger is as big as my head!

After we ate Bobby looked more closely at my bike's fork seals. He did not like what he saw. He tried to downplay his concern, I think. But I could tell from his face that the rest of our trip was in jeopardy. Nonetheless, after we ate we got back on the bikes and continued North.

Bobby decided that the main road was too easy. Let's try this, Karen!

Back in 2004, this region was hit by one of the worst fires in Alaska history. 706 fires burned a total of 6.6 million acres. In 2005, another 4.6 million acres burned. The trees of the taiga were reduced to ash with only a few charred poles remaining of what had been the boreal forest. Jump ahead to this summer. Fireweed is a flower seen everywhere in Alaska, but it gets its name from being one of the first plants to grow in areas that have been burned by forest fire. We timed it so that vast mountain sides were covered in the pinkish purple blooms of this beautiful flower.

Along the road sides in the areas with fireweed we saw this plant. I don't know what it is, but it has the most beautifully intoxicating scent of any flower I have ever smelled. The closest I can come to describing it is a mix between jasmine, plumeria, and chai tea.

As we climbed in elevation we came to the area of finger mountain, another well known Dalton Highway landmark.

Upon leaving Finger Mountain we continued to head further North. I was scooting along watching the road when I passed a sign that said "Arctic Circle" with an arrow. Surely there would be more to the arctic circle crossing than that! I turned around and followed the area a short distance off the road. And there it was! Proof that we'd crossed the circle!

You'll notice that the sign is well kept, and clean. The back side of the sign, however, is full of graffiti.
and what is this?

Yep, TwoWheelFemales.com is now represented at the Arctic Circle, baby!

We hit pavement again, and had a relatively easy ride almost all the way to Coldfoot. Coldfoot is an ugly nasty place. I am very glad we didn't stay there. The visitor center on the other side of the road, however, is a very nice place.

From Coldfoot it was only a 15 mile dirt ride into Wiseman where we spent the night at the Arctic Getaway Bed & Breakfast.

Our cabin was fantastic, and the folks who run this place are the best!

Had we stayed in Coldfoot we would have slept in a closet on narrow hard twin beds. Here, for the same price we got a cabin to ourselves with tons of books to read, and comfortable beds with real down comforters. We also got a yummy breakfast and some great conversation.

The owner's cabin.

The cabins are on a river, and there would have been some great photo ops, but we were tired. After Bobby did some work on my bike, we showered and crawled into bed for a great sleep. Then we got up and closed the curtains because here North of the Arctic Circle the sun would have been shining in the window all night. Once the cabin was dark we slept like logs until the next morning.
__________________

Prudhoe Bay Trip - Day 2

2009-05-28T09:36:00.002-08:00

The next morning we woke bright and early to the sound of birds chirping in the bushes behind our tent. The sun was already up and warm. A man in a car stopped by to chat. He and his girlfriend were driving to Prudhoe Bay in their car. We talked a bit, and he took a picture of us behind our tent.

We broke camp and set off for places further North!

It took only a few minutes to wind our way through the morning traffic in Fairbanks to where we hit the Steese Highway out of town. I went to college in Fairbanks, and even though the area has changed a lot, it was nice to drive this road. We passed an overlook that I spent many hours sitting at during college as I thought about life, living, and my latest boyfriend troubles.

Just outside of town we came to an informational wayside next to the Alyeska Pipeline.

From the Steese Highway we turned onto the Elliot Highway for a short time until it intersected with the Dalton Highway, the infamous Haul Road!

The true adventure begins!

The road immediately turns to gravel and climbs a long steep hill with winding curves. It's as if the road is telling you from the start, this is serious folks, I'm not playing. We'd only been on the road for a short time when a lynx ran across in front of me. Cool!

25 miles or so into the ride the road turns back to asphalt. Unfortunately the asphalt is broken and frost heaved, so it is not necessarily easier riding than the gravel.

The road was bordered in pink grass that grows everywhere in Alaska. It is very pretty, but also very sharp and will cut you if you handle it carelessly. The views are impressive from the beginning, but the road requires full concentration.

Even a momentary lapse can cause major problems.
Shortly after stopping for that photo op, we came across a section of asphalt. I relaxed more than I should have and didn't see the HUGE step when it turned back to gravel. It was a momentary lapse, but it almost ruined the rest of our trip. When I hit the step it caused my bike to totally bottom out on the front forks. Nut hit it too, and shortly after we stopped to talk about it. Almost immediately we noticed that my left fork seal was leaking now, in addition to the one on the right. "We'll have to watch that," Bobby said. Uh, yeah!

We continued on toward the Yukon River crossing at mile 56 of the Dalton. On the way we rode some beautiful road. We rode through beautiful country on a not so beautiful mud road. Then we got right behind the water truck that was spraying water and calcium chloride on the road.

The infamous wooden deck of the Yukon River bridge.

The Yukon River and bridge from the visitor information center.

The fins on the supports for pipeline are designed to let off heat. The pipeline runs through a lot of permafrost that would be damaged, and could cause the pipeline supports to collapse if it melted. The fins help keep the temperature down.

There were several other bikers in the visitor area, but we only waved and didn't really get a chance to talk. For those heading South, they were reflecting on their trip and taking a moment to relax as it neared its end. For those heading North, we were wondering what the road would bring us, whether we'd soon be sitting here with a dirty bike, a big smile, and a sense of lifetime accomplishment.

We had planned to eat lunch at Yukon Crossing, but after speaking to some more experienced travelers, we chose to eat the Hot Spot instead.

to be continued...

Prudhoe Bay Trip - Day 1

2009-05-26T06:08:00.000-08:00

I have been lazy and haven't been keeping this blog up for the past year. I will catch up on some of these older rides, and then keep up with what we are doing now. This ride took place in the summer of 2008.

The first day of our ride to Prudhoe Bay dawned cold and rainy. I had all my heated gear on and was wondering whether riding North in this kind of weather was really a good idea. I had visions of snow, ice, and misery, but since I'm not one to back down from an adventure, we were off.

Our first stop was at the store to pick up our satellite phone. We sincerely hoped we wouldn't need it, but we would rather be safe than sorry! I agreed to take pictures of us using the phone along the Dalton Highway (mockup photo's) for the company to potentially use in its advertising.

The rain continued until we got to Denali National Park. I was enjoying the ride, but the clouds and drizzle were beginning to get old. We stopped at one of the overlooks where on a nice day you can see Mt. McKinley, but on this day we could only see banks and layers of cloud.

Soon after crossing the pass however, it began to get warm. I turned down the electrics and was buzzing along without a care in the world. There are some pretty views in the area and I was enjoying all of them. Then I noticed a light come on. What the heck? Why would my ABS Brake light be on? I pulled over to the side of the road and waited for Bobby to catch up. "Do you think there is something wrong?" "What?" I turned off the bike and re-asked my question. He wasn't sure why the light would have come on either, but we figured we could ride into Fairbanks and check the bike there. I tried to restart the bike, and nothing happened. Not even a sound. "Uh, Bobby, My bike is dead." He tried to start it. Nothing. We tried to jump it. Nothing. We tried to bump start it. Nothing. My battery was as dead as it could get. (We figured out later that my aux lights and heated gear had completely drained it) So there we were 150 miles from Fairbanks in the middle of no where. My bike was dead, and was late afternoon. Bobby called the Harley dealership in Fairbanks and found out they would be open until 5:00. If he rode like a crazy man, he might make it before they closed. So, off went Bobby to get me a new battery. I spent the next several hours sitting on the side of the road watching all the people go by.

There were 11 dual sport bikes that passed me-a 40 something woman by myself, my bike on the center stand, seat on the ground, and not one of them stopped to help or even ask if I was ok. Then a state trooper pulled up and told me I needed to move my bike. Gee Thanks! I'll get right on that! Finally two guys on Harleys came by. They stopped and asked if I was ok and if there was anything they could do to help. Thanks guys. For anyone out there holding on to the motorcycle brand stereotypes, GET OVER IT! These guys were the only caring people who passed me in the VERY long time I sat there.

Finally Bobby came roaring back up the hill. We replaced the battery and were back on the road. We pulled into the campground along the Chena River later than we had hoped, but the midnight sun kept us warm and lit the evening so putting up our tent was a breeze. We had planned to cook on the Jet boil, but decided after the rocky start to our trip that maybe a restaurant dinner and a couple glasses of wine would be a better idea.

After a delicious meal we walked back to our tent, relaxed and visited with other campers for a while, then went off to bed.

Bikes are Packed and Ready to Ride!

2008-07-10T16:15:00.002-08:00

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!

Prudhoe Bay Trip is less than a week away!

2008-07-06T15:38:00.002-08:00

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).

TKC 80's On the Road

2008-07-04T18:04:00.002-08:00

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.

Preparations Begin!

2008-07-02T12:28:00.002-08:00

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.

Visit from Dakar

2008-07-01T15:06:00.002-08:00

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 Ride to Eklutna Lake

2008-06-07T20:03:00.004-08:00

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.

Spring 2008 Ride to Fairbanks

2008-05-21T13:48:00.006-08:00

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.
__________________

2007 Tour - To Tok, Then Home

2008-05-01T15:00:00.003-08:00

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.

2007 Tour - Hinton, Albera to Muncho Lake

2008-04-26T17:54:00.002-08:00

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.

2007 Tour - Cowboy Trail and Banff

2008-04-21T14:47:00.002-08:00

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.

Bobby and I Rode to Seward Today! Brrrr!

2008-04-18T20:37:00.003-08:00

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.

Spring Tour 2007 - Border Crossing!

2008-04-15T19:39:00.004-08:00

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!

2007 Tour - Yellowstone to Flathead Lake, Montana

2008-04-14T14:35:00.002-08:00

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.

Spring Tour 2007 - Yellowstone

2008-04-13T14:27:00.002-08:00

The following morning we got up and spent a few minutes cleaning the dirt off our bikes. While we were cleaning up, a guy wearing leathers walked up and asked which way we were going. We told him we were headed for Yellowstone and he asked if he could join us. Turns out his name is Marcello. He's from Wichita, driving a Yamaha. Very nice guy. He rode with us all day. We left from the motel and had about a two or three hour ride to get to the park. Almost immediately we started up yet another pass. We had pretty heavy fog in places, and at the summit the temperature dropped to the high 30's. Both going up and down the road was in beautiful shape with great twisties. I was riding by far the best I have ever ridden. Marcello commented later that he'd never ridden twisties before, and was having a really hard time keeping up. Ooops...

Yellowstone was amazing. Lots of wildlife, and of course Old Faithful put on a great show for us. We also had our infamous raven attack! Unfortunately I didn't get photos since the mess was cleaned up before I got there.

When we were at the main lodge a man working at the desk told us they'd been having a raven problem, and that we should cover our bikes. He didn't go into detail. When we walked out toward our bikes there were at least 15 ravens sitting on the three bikes. WTF?

We ran toward the bikes and were able to scare off the birds. My bike was totally undamaged. Bobby's tank bag had holes pecked in the clear plastic map holder on top, and the ravens had opened his bag far enough to tear up our map of Montana. The real damage, though, was to Marcello's bike and belongings. The ravens pecked a hole in his leather seat. They also both opened a zipper on his luggage bag, and ripped a hole in the side. A guy had left him a note saying he'd found all his clothing spread over the ground. On further investigation he had one missing sock, and one pair of jeans was shredded up pretty badly.

Seeing Mt Rushmore and Riding Custer State Park

2008-04-12T16:16:00.003-08:00

The thunderstorms that night were all around us, but we only got a light rain for less than 20 minutes all night. It made watching the show even more fun. The KOA offered a $1 pancake breakfast every morning. We went down to get our food on and while we were eating got into conversation with a nice retired couple. We'd been talking for awhile when the usual, "so where are you from?" question came up. It turned out this couple was from Palmer, AK about 45 miles from where we live in Anchorage!

After leaving the campground we drove to Mount Rushmore. The ride was through mountains and was cool as long as the trees hugging the road kept us in shade. When we hit sunny spots, eek! It was HOT!

I hate to admit being disappointed by a National Monument, but for me Mt. Rushmore was a let down. I don't know what I expected, or why the enormity of these carvings didn't excite me, but for whatever reason I walked away unimpressed.

Leaving Rushmore we drove through Custer State Park. If you are ever in the area, this park was more of an attraction for us than Mount Rushmore itself. I should start by saying we had discussed our procedure if we should come across wildlife. (We would slow and look, but not stop the bikes since we had no real protection) Good thing, because we saw more bison next to the road than we could count. The road through the park is SUPER twisty with all kinds of elevation changes, one lane bridges, one lane tunnels, and 270 degree switchbacks. What absolute fun!

We had totally forgotten what day of the week it was, much less that it was mother's day, so it was a pleasant surprise when we pulled into a little town near Custer for breakfast and found the little Songbird Cafe serving a mother's day brunch with live music. The food was good, and the music better.

We stopped for the night in Buffalo, Wyoming. We debated camping since the weather looked pretty nice, but decided that since the following day we'd be riding through Yellowstone, we wanted to get a good rest. Karma must have been with us. An hour or so after checking in, Bobby and I were sitting in the bar eating dinner when Bobby grabbed my arm and pointed out the window. I have never seen such blowing dirt. We later found out sustained winds were around 43 mph, with gusts up to 69mph!

Back to Spring 2007 Tour

2008-04-11T14:06:00.000-08:00

Let's see, where were we? Oh yes. I left off with us in Nebraska.

We left North Platte, Nebraska heading for the badlands of South Dakota. It was a long hot and boring ride, and I was pretty much convinced the badlands were a bad joke someone had been playing on the rest of the country. We were within a mile or two, and the only signs of interesting geography were the road signs claiming to be the "Number 1 Badlands Attraction."

Then there we were. The desolation of this area is amazing. I would have loved to do some exploring on side roads, and some hiking but the temps were just too high. We still got some great views though. Very pretty, and worth the wait. We camped in a KOA campground between the badlands and Mount Rushmore. As we got our camp ready, we watched thunderheads rolling in. We used the tarp to make a waterproof work area where we could use the claimed wi fi.

It longer than it should have to load pictures, so we finally gave up and watched the storm come on.

Kansas City to Nebraska and a Problem Credit Card

2008-04-10T12:53:00.000-08:00

We left Kansas City, MO and almost immediately crossed into the state of Kansas. We spent most of the day on route 36 that runs East to West across the Northern part of the state. We rode the Pony Express Hwy, and stopped at the geographic center of the lower 48 states. That was all fun. Having Bobby lose his credit card shortly there after was not fun. It was even less fun when my credit card refused to go through and after 30 minutes on the phone with my credit card company I found out my bank had changed its electronic routing code, so none of my payments had gone through since February! Think maybe someone should have notified me???? Anyway, we got that mess figured out, so now all is well. We stopped for the night in North Platt, Nebraska. Seeing all the history references along the way, I couldn't help but flashing back to younger days reading Little House on the Prairie and such books. Strange how those names come back when you're seeing them in person.

Day 26

Eagle River Ride

2008-04-03T18:30:00.003-08:00

This afternoon I rode about 30 miles out of Anchorage to the Eagle River Nature Center. It was cool and windy until I got back into the Valley. Eagle River Valley itself was warm, I saw my thermometer go up to 50!

Engel's BMW in Kansas City Rocks!

2008-04-01T14:38:00.000-08:00

At this point on our tour we figured we have ridden about 5700 miles, and figure we have around 3500 left.

We ended up staying an extra day in Kansas City to deal with some problems with Bobby's bike, he needed a valve adjustment and new rear brake pads in addition to new wheels. Dakar spent the day showing us around town. We visited a museum where a couple families raised a paddlewheeler that sank on the Missouri River before the Civil War. They have preserved everything they found on board and have it on display, including bolts of fabric, shoes, jars of pickles, you name it! We also went back and hung out for a while at Latte Land. Lots of fun there. Interesting crowd. I even got a picture of Dakar giving Bobby a ride back to the motorcycle shop on the back of her bike. That was funny!

Engles BMW in Kansas City has treated us incredibly well. They got Bobby's bike in early on Thursday morning and took care of his problems. When everything was done, they took the bike for a test ride and weren't satisfied with the results because they felt the brake pads were a little too thick. Rather than calling it good enough, the owner of the shop stayed after normal closing time to replace the pads again. We can't thank them enough for going so far beyond normal good service. If/when we are in the market for bikes in the future, we will remember how well we were treated here.

We spent the evening in a little bar/restaurant with a great patio out back, then walked around a bit before saying good bye to Dakar. If I ever learn to ride with her level of style and skill I will know I have really accomplished something. Bobby and I both feel like we made a great friend who is an inspiration to both of us.

Spring Ride Along Turnagain Arm

2008-03-27T19:19:00.000-08:00

Today was so pretty I went over to the MSF parking lot and spent a few minutes practicing tight turns and swerving and emergency stops; pretty much all the drills. I only spent maybe 15 or 20 minutes there at the most, but it helped shake out the cobwebs. Then I headed out of town on the Seward Highway. I was going to stop about two miles out of town at Potter's Marsh, but everything is still frozen so I kept going. My first stop was about 10 miles out of Anchorage.

Farkle was enjoying the day almost as much as me!

I stopped again a few miles further out of town. An older woman, in her late 60's or early 70's came over to admire my bike. She said that 40 some years ago she had a Honda she rode to work on. She got a little misty eyed talking about how much fun she had as a young woman in Fairbanks and how if only she were younger she would get a bike again. We spent about 45 minutes talking. She was curious about every detail of the bike and it was a lot of fun showing her how far technology has come in the past 40 years. She especially liked my heated jacket.

As we were talking another woman and her daughter drove up in a pickup truck. The girl went to throw rocks at the Inlet while the mom stayed and joined in our conversation. She and her husband ride two-up on a Goldwing, but he's military deployed so she hasn't been riding in a while. I told her she should learn to ride the Goldwing herself and take her daughter. She kind of laughed and got a funny look on her face. "you think I could?" Before I could answer the old lady told her of course she could learn to ride. We may have another two wheel female on the road soon!

Aren't those clouds cool?

I stopped again at a park that's about 17 miles South of Anchorage for this one.

One more before turning around just past the 28 mile marker.

By this time it was getting cold, 29 degrees according to my indicator and I decided to turn around and head for home. I wanted to stop at mile 24 for the temporary digital billboard size road sign that warned of falling rocks for the next three miles, but there was already a car pulled over on the side of the road and I decided not to stop.

I rode back toward town enjoying the sunshine.

Right on the edge of Anchorage is a long hill where the speed increases from 55 to 65. I sped up to 65 and all of the sudden I saw an old rusty car coming up fast behind me. This is a four lane road, two in each direction, I was in the right hand lane so I breathed a little easier when he switched into the left lane. No sooner than the car got the front passenger door past me though and the driver drifted into my lane! I hit my brakes hard and he slid in, never so much as acknowledging that he almost took me out.

I am SO glad I spent that little bit of time practicing. I won't say I couldn't have avoided him anyway, but having just practiced my drills sure didn't hurt!

Anyway, Farkle and I made it home safe and except for a brief butt pucker moment had a wonderful day of sMiles.

First Ride of 2008!

2008-03-21T17:12:00.001-08:00

I'll start off with a general apology. I didn't take any pictures of my ride today because the areas that are worth picture taking are still snowed in. One of my absolute favorite rides is along Turnagain arm to Portage Glacier. I read in the paper this morning that they got three feet of snow over the past two or three days. This is only 60 miles or so from Anchorage! So, when the temp broke 36 this afternoon, and Bobby told me he'd bid to stay out the first half of April, I decided I could wait no longer!

It took me a while to maneuver my bike out of the corner we had put it in for the winter, but eventually I worked it out far enough that I could get it off the center stand and ride out of the garage. Our neighborhood still has a few icy spots, but nothing I couldn't handle, then I was on the road!

First I went to the gas station and filled up the bike, and answered a few questions about the bike from an older guy who was gassing up his truck. I could see the envy in his eyes when I topped out at three gallons and waved good-bye. Maybe it was the gas bill for my F650 compared to his Escalade, but I think part of it was envy that I was riding and getting covered in road spray while he was stuck sitting comfortably in a leather interior with climate control.

I didn't go anywhere in particular, just rode around and enjoyed the feeling of freedom after a winter of confinement. The bike ran great. The blue dash was fantastic. And it was nice being able to glance over at my charge guard and see that it warmed up to 38 degrees in some areas. I used my heated grips, but not the jacket. I didn't need it, and though chilly, I had a smile the whole time.

Now it is time to introduce everyone to my new buddy whom I've had since my birthday, but who I didn't want to introduce until he had gone for a ride with me.

Meet Farkle.

Into Kansas City!

2008-03-15T12:27:00.000-08:00

Day 25

From the Ozarks to Kansas City is a fun ride. The day started with some frustration, as ants got into our helmets during the night and we had to take the helmets apart to get them out. But once we hit the road, we had nice riding.

We stopped at a McDonalds for a quick breakfast in a town whose name I have forgotten. As we were preparing to leave, a male employee was cleaning the restrooms. He had the giant rolls of toilet paper layed out on one of the tables at the back, and had just finished mopping the floor. Two ladies walked to the back, and asked, "Oh, are they closed?"
He replied, "Do you need to use them?" One of the ladies said, "Yes, badly." The guy said, "Well you can go on then, you can go but you're gonna have to wipe with your shirt cause there ain't no toilet paper. But it's your choice." The two ladies just walked on in. The toilet paper rolls left lying untouched on the table 6 inches away. Bobby turned to me and said, "Tell me I didn't just hear that." We started laughing so hard, we had to wait a few minutes before we were in control enough that we could get our gear on to ride.

In mid-afternoon after a water stop, Bobby's warning light came on indicating he had a headlight problem. We found an internet coffee shop next to an auto supply dealership and I went inside while Bobby walked over to get the bulb so he could fix his light. Without going into the unprintable details, Bobby had trouble getting the bulb replaced. While he was working on it, I pm'd a friend I knew from TwoWheelFemales and asked if she had any route suggestions, or info on a BMW shop in Kansas City. Not only did she offer a great route suggestion, she offered to ride out to meet us and guide us into town!

The ride on Missouri route 7 is fantastic. Lots of scenery, and the road is like a roller coaster ride. We had a ball. My friend, known online as Dakar, met us as planned, and led the way into Kansas City. We got to a Holiday Inn Express, cleaned up, then met her back down at the famous Latte Land. We all went out to a great sushi dinner and spent several hours talking and eating great food. Too Cool!

Memphis to the Ozarks

2008-03-07T12:18:00.000-09:00

Day 24

Leaving Memphis we almost immediately crossed into Arkansas. Once again we had perfect riding weather. Storms have been going through and cleaning the air so by the time we get there everything is crisp and clear. This must be the time of year when EVERYONE is mowing the side of the road. The mowers are everywere, and with them the smell of freshly cut grass. I'm loving it!

The morning ride was through flat farmland. Lots of tractors were out working the fields. We stopped for a while to watch crop dusters at work. Bobby mentioned that he'd considered that line of flying at one time. I'm glad he chose something safer. I didn't know these guys are so regularly flying close to power and telephone lines that they have wire cutters on the gear, wings, and prop! That's scary!

By afternoon we were in the Ozarks. This is beautiful country. Rolling hills, tree, lakes - looks like deer heaven. I do NOT want to ride this area at dawn or dusk! We saw a gorgeous lake and pulled over for pics. From there, we spotted a campground where we spent the night. Found out later this is Lake Norfork. Our campground looks out over where a town used to be!

Denim Springs to Memphis

2008-03-01T12:00:00.000-09:00

Started this morning in Denim Springs, LA and spent the night in Memphis, TN!

We arrived back into Natchez just in time to stop in and get lunch at Bobby's mom's house. It wasn't anything fancy, just sandwiches and fruit, with a tall glass of iced tea, but it sure tasted good!

After a leisurely lunch we got back on the bikes and headed North. What a great day. The riding was great and you couldn’t ask for a better destination. Riding the Blues Highway from beginning to end, and listening to live music in Memphis is an experience any Blues fan can appreciate. Almost every town in the Mississippi Delta has at least one famous Blues musician that called it home. And Memphis is legendary! Bobby decided to spoil me, so I got to park my bike at the Peabody!!! The ducks are cool, but for me the highlight of the Peabody is the BED! It has to have been the most comfortable bed I have ever slept in.

After we got cleaned up from our ride , we had BBQ ribs at the Blue's City Cafe, then walked Beale St. There were acrobats doing a performance in the middle of the street. As the sun went down and the neon came to life, the magic of Beale Street really set in. We finally settled into a little bar with a guy who used to play guitar with Johnny Cash. He and his band sounded so much like Johnny we almost wondered if he'd made some of the Man in Black's records. It's hard to beat great music and good drinks in a place with so much amazing history.

Back to Denim Springs

2008-02-08T10:42:00.000-09:00

Day 20-21
We headed back to Denim Springs, riding through the last remaining remnants of the previous day’s thunderstorms. It rained on us pretty hard, but we avoided the high winds and hail. When we got into Baton Rouge the main highway was flooded, and we had to take back roads to get to our friend’s house. We ended the evening with a crawfish boil, and the best crawfish I’ve ever eaten.

The next day we went out on the boat again. The rains and flooding made the river high, muddy, and full of floating sticks and a few logs. We still made it to a lake where we anchored 150 yards from shore on a sandbar. Ten or fifteen other boats were spread out along the bar and everyone was walking around in the waist deep water eating, drinking beer, and having fun. The only downside to the day was the nasty sunburn I brought home after being careless with the sun/water combination.

Denim Springs Louisiana to Natchez, Mississippi

2008-02-07T16:24:00.000-09:00

Day 16-19
We rode from Denim Springs, LA to Natchez, MS the following day. It was a short ride, and we didn’t take many photos, but it was a beautiful day. The smell of freshly cut grass and flowers followed us all morning.

Natchez is Bobby’s hometown. We should have taken more pictures of the town, but the family reunion thing got in the way. We drove around the area some, looking at old houses, and Bobby showed me around where he grew up. A lot has changed though, and many of the neighborhoods were rather run down. His old skating rink is gone, replaced by the dreaded condo…

Our trip out to Lake St. John was fabulous. We rode the bikes out early, and spent the day on the water, fishing, swimming, and eating a lot of really great food. On the way back to Bobby’s mom’s house, we took the “scenic” route and played on the bikes for a while on some great Mississippi back roads.

Exciting Changes

2008-02-04T09:54:00.000-09:00

I'll get back to the ride report tomorrow, but today I have some exciting news that's a little more current. My husband and I have purchased the female riders forum TwoWheelFemales.com. It is very exciting for us, and I hope you will come by and visit the site. There will be some changes going on over the next couple of weeks, but it is still a great site to visit, especially for women riders.

Lake Charles to Denim Springs, Louisiana

2008-02-03T16:35:00.000-09:00

The following day we had a short easy ride in to Denim Springs, LA to a friend’s house. They had obligations in the morning, so we slept in late at the motel. My husband walked outside while I made Belgian waffles in the breakfast room. When he came back in, he said there was a pair of BMW motorcycles out front like ours, but red and with Mexico plates on them. As my husband finished eating I started hauling gear out to get our bikes ready to go. A woman came over and said she was riding the other BMW 650. We got to talking and were eventually joined by our husbands. They were a very nice couple who live and work near Mexico City and who own a B&B in Baja. They invited us to come down and stay with them and they would give us an insider’s tour of Mexico. We returned the invitation if they make it to Alaska. We all went our own ways and got our bikes loaded and headed out for the day. Later in the morning we saw them on the interstate. They were headed to New Orleans. We rode together for a while before our destinations took us in different directions. That was really fun. I hope we can visit in the future.

As we left the Lake Charles area we stopped at the Achafalaya visitor center. It has a nice discussion about the rivers, swamps, and life cycles in the area. We have been through here before, but it made a nice stop. I also get to smell my first magnolia blossom in many years. I had forgotten how much I love that smell.

We got to our friend’s house about 1:00 and they asked if we’d like to go out on the river. OF COURSE!!! We went out all afternoon and got some great pictures. One of my favorite places was a stop we made at a little Cajun chapel on the Blind River. They leave it unlocked, so we went inside and looked around.

When we left the river we stopped at a buffet place for a late dinner. I am not used to seeing catfish, alligator, frog legs, and crawfish on a buffet line! It was a great treat, and welcome back to the South.

Flagstaff to Lake Charles, Louisiana

2008-02-01T19:19:00.000-09:00

Unfortunately timing became such that we had to pick up the speed and get to Louisiana as quickly as possible. We rode interstate through New Mexico and Texas and didn't take the time to do any looking around at all. It bothers me that we missed out on both these states. I definitely want to go back and do some exploring in the area.

Grand Canyon

2008-01-31T19:14:00.000-09:00

There are no words for the beauty of the following day. We rode to the Grand Canyon, then took a long meandering way back to our friend's house in Flagstaff. The pictures say it all.

Lights and Top Case

2008-01-30T08:28:00.000-09:00

I'll go back to the ride report tomorrow, but for the moment I'm really excited about my new auxiliary lights and top case. The lights were a Christmas gift, and the top case was a birthday present. My husband has been working on getting all the new toys put on my bike for the past several weeks. I am thrilled with the results, but it makes it even more difficult to sit around and wait for Spring to get out and ride.

The top case is especially important to me. I love photography, but am always worried about my camera on the bike. Now I have a safe place to keep my camera bag and extra lenses so I don't miss shots while I'm out riding. It also gives me a place for some secure storage when I'm out riding alone. My husband has had to put anything we needed secure in his panniers up until now. But since I'm hoping to do at least one multi-day solo ride this summer, this means a lot.

This is my new dash with led lights now that the wind screen is back on.

These are the new auxiliary lights. They should improve not only visibility for me at night, but also my visibility to others.

Route 66 and a Snow Storm

2008-01-27T09:31:00.000-09:00

We had a good steak dinner after arriving at our friend's house, slept in a comfy bed, and took a long hot shower. There was a little blue peaking out from the clouds when we looked outside. Let’s ride!

We decided to double back and pick up the rest of route 66 that we missed yesterday because of the time crunch and taking the Interstate. State route 180 is just out of the subdivision so we were off and on our way. It was a nice morning, cold, but mostly sunny. The pine forest was pretty, and there was almost no wind. At the junction with 64, we turned west. This is marked as a scenic route, but really 180 had a lot more to look at. We stopped at a roadside tourist stop complete with teepees and took pictures. We talked to the people there for a few minutes about a motorcycle trip the man almost took as a college student, backed out of, and has regretted missing ever since. We told him it isn't too late to live that dream, but I think life has drained his spirit of adventure. It's too bad because it could be regained if he would just get started on a trip.

So, back on the road. First it got a bit windy. Hmmm. Then it started to snow. HMMM. Then the snow started to fall so heavily I had to wipe it off my visor every few seconds. It completely covered the motorcycle windshield. Fortunately, we turned another corner and the snow turned back to rain, then stopped and the sun came out. After a gas stop and food we finally made it back to route 66 in the early afternoon. And everything came together. The wind died down to almost nothing, the sun came out bright, and we were riding route 66 with all its history. We went all the way back to Kingman before turning around and coming back. At Seligman we turned back toward the interstate. We figured if we did 75 or 80 we could be back in time to do a little shopping, and maybe explore Flagstaff before it got dark.

On the pass just outside Williams, AZ my husband pulled me over and commented that the clouds looked pretty threatening, and asked if I wanted to put on my waterproof gear. I decided not to, I figured if we just rode hard we may get a little cold and wet, but nothing we couldn't handle. Then the snow started again. This time for real. We’d ridden in snow a few times on the trip, but this was different. This was blinding snow. This was snow that had trucks and cars pulling of the road. Snow that stuck to the road. Snow that caused a cop car to slide into the ditch. I slowed down to 55 and just focused on staying in the tracks of the truck in front of me.

In retrospect, had I had winter gloves with me and had I agreed to stop and put on Frog Togs, it wouldn’t have been as bad. As it was, my left hand got soaked through from scraping snow from my visor, and one of the few cars going faster than we were, passed me flinging slush everywhere and soaked my crotch. Getting hit there with ice water gives you a shock you won’t soon forget! YIKES! But, all is well that ends well. We made it home safe, with 340 odd miles on the day and some great memories and stories.

Laughlin to Flagstaff

2008-01-26T12:02:00.000-09:00

We woke up relaxed the following morning. We only needed to get as far as Flagstaff, and that is only a few hours away from Laughlin. We have a friend who had said we could stay at his house, even though he was going to be out of town. After breakfast my husband called our friend's contractor to arrange for picking up the key. It was about 9:45 when Bobby called and we had done nothing to get ready to leave. No problem, says the contractor, but I’m only available until 2:00. It took an hour to get everything repacked and ready to leave, so we pulled out of Laughlin, NV around 11:00. Time’s a little tight here. Pulling out we took a wrong turn, and we somehow ended up on historic route 66 rather than the interstate. This part of route 66 is really pretty, with a 35 mph speed limit, lots of 15 mph switchbacks, and steep drop offs with 1950’s style “guard rails.”

There was no way we were going to make it to Flagstaff by 2:00. We stopped once or twice for pictures. At one spot the view was nice, but it wasn’t until my husband walked up a little incline that we realized how appropriate it was that we had stopped at that particular pullout. Hidden from the road, and only visible once you had walked past and turned around, lies a memorial to “The Alaska Mountain Man.” What are the chances?

We finally hit the Interstate and with it, mind blowing wind gusts. We pulled into Kingman, and called the contractor back. Well, he says, just get here by 4:00. I won’t be able to take you to the house, but we can meet and I’ll give you the key. We pulled into Flagstaff at 3:45. Thank goodness he was close, and we were able to find our friend’s house easily. We stopped at a grocery to get food for the evening, and only when we got ready to eat did we realize that our friend, a true bachelor, only had one plate! We spent the evening relaxing and watching tv. It felt nice to be "at home" after a few days on the road.

Death Valley to Laughlin

2008-01-25T17:58:00.000-09:00

The singing birds woke me up in Death Valley. There were at least five or six different kind of bird sounds, and they all sounded happy. I had no idea such a desolate place could be so full of life. We got up early, shortly after 6:00 and had broken camp and were on the bikes by 7:00. That was a record for us on this trip! Our camp was almost 200 ft below sea level. The day before we rode from almost 8500 ft down to -200 ft. Talk about extremes!

The previous night we had talked about the things we wanted to see, so we had a rough plan for the day. First stop was Artist's Drive. The colors in the rock formations are unbelievable, ranging from soft pinks and greens, to intense reds and purples. I took many photos, but would love to go back someday and spend an entire day photographing the changing light. I can unerstand why the Native American's here consider this to be a spiritual place.

After Artist's Drive, we went to Dante's View, the highest point in the valley. The road up to the parking lot is at a 13% incline with lots of 10 mph switchbacks! No trailers, or RV's allowed. No words can describe the extent of the view. You can see the entire length of Death Valley, and are looking out directly over Bad Water, the lowest point in the park.

After grabbing a quick lunch at the Furnace Creek restaurant, we headed out toward Bad Water. The ride was fast, though I have to admit I have a bit of trouble busting speed limits by 20 or 30 mph. A little over I'm ok with, but the ticket for 30 over in a National Park? Scary! Anyway, Bad Water is an interesting place. Salt Flats at 278 ft below sea level. There's a sign up on the cliffs on the other side of the road that shows where sea level is. Quite a perspective! As we parked a really scary looking guy on a Harley with old tattered leathers and a wild full beard walked up to our bikes. He was a dangerous looking guy. Turned out though he was really nice and we spent quite a while chatting. He has a son who lives in Anchorage. Again, we were struck by what a small world it really is.

We left Death Valley around noon, and headed for Shoshone, then on to Baker. As we left Shoshone, we ran into some sort of law enforcement marathon that kept us at a crawl (10 - 15 mph) for ages! Bobby was annoyed, I was bored. When we finally got to Baker, we hit the Interstate toward Vegas. Initially I took a wrong turn and we had a comedy of errors trying to get turned back around. But once we were headed the right way we could drive a bit faster. Before Vegas we turned off onto the Nipton Road. OMG! It is straight, flat, and endless. I have no doubt you could see a car coming for 5 miles, except that there are no cars! The town of Nipton looks like a set from an old western movie. I should have stopped for pics, but we still wanted to get to Laughlin, and I was getting very tired. We did stop for a few shots in Joshua Tree.

Finally we made it into Laughlin. I was so tired I was afraid I would drop the bike if I had to stop. The first hotel was sold out, but Bobby got on the phone and got us the last room at a place down the street. By the time we got the bikes parked, and got cleaned up I was ready for a quiet dinner, and bed. Looking back on this day, we made a serious mistake that led to a series of dangerous mistakes. We allowed ourselves to get dehydrated and it made us stupid and careless. It also made me exhausted and wobbly. I have completely learned my lesson. I will never again allow myself to go more than an hour or so without drinking water, and usually drink a lot more often than that!

Tahoe to Death Valley

2008-01-24T16:12:00.000-09:00

The forecast was for 1 to 3 inches of snow during the night. When we got up this morning…Nothing! We packed up as quickly as we could and got on the road. It was cold, but mostly sunny. We knew we had a couple high passes to get over, but I didn’t realize how high they were. We took Hwy 50 from South Tahoe into Lake Tahoe, Nevada, and then on until the junction with Hwy 395. The first pass had a top elevation of something over 8000 feet. It was cold, about 28 degrees! We were driving through some of the most beautiful country so far, but I failed to take many pics. I was so cold, I just wanted to get done! After the pass we dropped into Bridgeport, where we stopped for coffee. I was in BAD need of a warm up.

The next several hours we rode mountain roads, rarely dropping below 6000 feet. BRRRRR.... At one point snow was building up on our windshields. Finally we dropped into Lone Pine, and the visitor info station leading to Death Valley. After being reassured that the pass between there and Death Valley wouldn’t be wet or cold, ("This is a desert, that's why it looks like it does out there, and we are in the hot season now." said the condescending park ranger) we set out into rain and wind over the passes into Death Valley. I had my heated grips on all the way, and didn't take off the Gerbings until we got into the valley itself!

Death Valley is beautiful, and we got some pretty nice photos before arriving at Furnace Creek where we camped. As my husband scouted around looking for a spot, I sat and watched a beautiful sunset. Not sure why I didn't get pictures of it. When we pulled in we were pretty concerned. All the regular camping spots seemed to be taken. Then one of the guys who ran the campground waved us into an RV spot. We certainly had plenty of room! The campground is pretty, the night is warm. All that is wrong with this night is a loud drunk old lady in an RV behind us. As it came time for bed I was more than ready.

Whew!

2008-01-23T11:04:00.000-09:00

The holidays were crazy, and followed by my entire family getting sick, one having to spend a day in the emergency at the hospital. It is such a relief that life has finally gotten pretty well back to normal.

So...I got some great farkles for my bike for Christmas and for my birthday. Installation hasn't all gone so easy, between electrical problems and wrong size parts. Here are a few pictures of what we've done so far.

We installed engine bars

Replaced the old wet battery with a sealed battery

Replaced the old dash lights with led lights

Installed a new fuse box

Installed a charge guard

There is more work done and not yet photographed, and still more that is waiting to hopefully get finished this week.

Changes

2007-12-24T07:15:00.000-09:00

I'll continue with the ride report after Christmas.

Today I was struck by the changes in my life since I started riding again. I hadn't really thought about it until this morning when I was welcoming a new member to the Two Wheel Females forum. My husband and I picked up our new motorcycles in Seattle at the end of June in 2006. Since that moment, my focus has been more and more on riding. I still dream of going on vacation, but instead of soft sand, warm water, and a tropical drink I want an unexplored dirt road and new vistas opening up around the next twisty. I still want to go scuba diving in Belize. I just want to ride the bike to get there. Adventure doesn't mean sea kayaking, it means riding the bike to South America. The sea kayaking at the end of the road is a bonus, not the purpose. Good weather means riding weather, I don't care if it's raining. All that matters is that there isn't ice on the road. I have a new set of friends, a new wardrobe, a new set of dreams. I have made the transition from someone who has a life and also rides a motorcycle to a person who rides a motorcycle and also has a life. Does everyone go through this transition? I don't know. But for me it is like coming out of the chrysalis. I have evolved into what I want to be.

Chico to Tahoe

2007-12-22T09:32:00.000-09:00

When we got up the next morning it was pouring down rain. I was really not wanting to ride in the rain, not sure why, because normally I enjoy it. We took our time getting up and moving and walked over to Starbucks for coffee before we loaded up the bikes. Fortunately for me, the rain stopped not more than 5 minutes after we pulled out of the motel parking lot.

We rode South on 99 until we got to Hwy 20E in Yuba, CA. The ride through farmland and small towns was beautiful. At Yuba, we turned east and started heading up the pass. The forest was amazing. I had never seen trees without undergrowth before unless it was in a groomed park setting.

The first few miles were pleasantly warm, then it started colder, and colder. At Lake Spalding the snow started. The highest elevation we noticed was near Donner Pass, at 7227 feet! By the time we hit Truckee, CA we had been through some COLD riding, but it was fun! We blazed through Truckee, and got into Tahoe in time for a late lunch at Rubie's Cafe. I was so cold that I think I enjoyed holding my coffee cup more than I enjoyed drinking the coffee. The restaurant had a fire burning though, and the chili we ordered as an appetizer completely hit the spot.

After lunch we began a slow ride around the lake with lots of picture stops until we got to South Tahoe, where we spent the night in a dive hotel.

Ozzie's BMW, CHIP bikes, and Alcohol

2007-12-21T07:23:00.000-09:00

The next morning we got up and headed out toward Ozzie's BMW. The morning was warm, the sun was shining, and we were riding through some beautiful farmland. I fell into that totally relaxed state of feeling as if everything was right with the world. We entered a road construction area and traffic slowed way down, but was still moving along steadily. Then, just as we entered the most active area, where the road was down to one lane in either direction and bordered by concrete barriers, some idiot decided to pass the dump truck behind me. I don't know whether he didn't see me and thought he could squeeze in between the dump truck and my husband's bike, or whether he was just an idiot. In any case, he came screaming around the dump truck, there was oncoming traffic, and he had no place to go other than my lane. Apparently he decided, it's just a motorcycle, who cares if I run them down, because there he came. I hit the dirt on the side of the road, the dump truck driver slammed on his brakes, and the idiot missed me by about a foot. I don't know how I kept the bike upright. I guess all I can say is that my MSF class paid for itself there!

After my close call the adrenaline kept me on edge all the way to the bike shop. Normally I hate to stop riding, but in all honesty this time it was a relief to get off the bike and know I would have some time to recover. The guys at Ozzie's had told us the night before that they would try to work us in, and they were fantastic. It took all day to get the bike done, but what cool guys. It turned out that the shop in Anchorage had installed the throttle cable improperly so it had stretched and I needed a new one. One of the high points of my day was looking at the California Highway Patrol bikes that were in the shop for service. One of the mechanics was even nice enough to pull one out for me so I could get my picture taken with it.

When we realized how late it would be before we could hit the road again we decided to get a motel and start fresh the following morning. We took a taxi to the Sierra Nevada Brewing Company bar and restaurant. The food was fantastic, and my husband had great things to say about the beer. I braved the sneers of those around me and drank wine instead. I used to like beer, but as I've gotten older I just don't enjoy the taste. But that's ok, the other people in the bar made up for it, andby drinking pinot I left more beer for them! Coming up next - Chico to Tahoe

Redwoods and Mountain Passes

2007-12-20T09:47:00.000-09:00

The next morning when we woke up we realized that our choice of tent sites hadn't been the greatest. It didn't show when the ground was dry, but after a night of downpour, our tent was sitting in a puddle about two inches deep! The good news was the indisputable confirmation that the Big Agnes tent does indeed have a waterproof floor. Not one drop of water got in. We packed up in the rain and headed out to find a road that the former guide had told us would take us through the heart of the redwood forest on a road rarely travelled. It started out as a gravel road, but not long after we got off the pavement the gravel turned to thick gooey mud and big water filled potholes. AWESOME! We had rain gear, so even though our outsides were wet, we stayed warm and dry even as we splashed our way across the worst (best) road I have ever ridden.

When we hit the main road again we turned South and soon put the rain behind us. At Arcada we turned East and rode to Redding for the night. The road from Arcada to Redding crossed the mountains and we got into the first serious cold of the trip. It was just above freezing, and very windy. But the road had some amazing twisties and we had a lot of fun. The only serious downside was that my problem with the bike engine reving up every time I turned the handle bars had gotten much worse. We agreed as we sat in a restaurant in Redding to take my bike to Ozzie's BMW in Chico California the next day.

Oregon Coast and the Redwoods

2007-12-19T13:58:00.000-09:00

Since getting my bike from the expediter I had been noticing that the engine wanted to rev any time I turned the handle bars even a little bit to either side. It made riding through the twisties along the Oregon coast a bit less fun and a bit more of a job than it should have been, but we still had a great time. Shortly after we left Florence we came to the Oregon Dunes. It was a lot of fun riding through the park and seeing the dunes for the first time since I was in junior high.

We crossed into California and headed toward Jedediah State Park. This park was recommended to us by a guy we met at dinner in Florence who used to guide in the area. What a fabulous find. We camped with the redwoods and sequoias around us and the Smith river right behind our campsite. We got there early enough that we walked around and explored for a while before eating dinner and crawling into the tent for an early night. It had started raining, so we didn't mind getting in our sleeping bags and talking over all the day's events.

Riding the Olympic Peninsula

2007-12-18T19:37:00.000-09:00

We left Seattle and decided to take the ferry across Puget Sound to Bainbridge Island. The ferry ride was cold, but fun. Seeing the Seattle skyline fading away from the ferry really made the reality of the trip feel more immediate. We wandered around above decks a little bit, but spent the majority of the ride with the bikes. We arrived shortly thereafter on Bainbridge and began riding North on the Olympic Peninsula.

The day was partly cloudy, so bright sunshine was interspersed with rain, fog, and sleet. It was mostly nice though, and we rode through some beautiful forests and twisties up in the the Coastal Range. Eventually we decided it was time to find a place to camp after about 280 miles. The first place we tried didn't feel very welcoming so we went to a campground across the road and found a site where we could hear the ocean. There were a couple of very buff young guys there who came over and talked with us as we set up our campsite. They were trying to do the Washington trifecta, downhill skiing, surfing, and mountain biking all in one day. They were a lot of fun to talk to. Nice kids.

While I set up the tent, my husband put his bike on firewood duty and went and bought us a couple bundles of firewood. We put tarps over our bikes, and put the helmets under the tarp. We thought we were being overly cautious. It won't rain, just look at all the stars... We had zipped our sleeping bags together, but soon realized that the bags zipped together created an open tunnel that allowed the cold air to get in all the way to our feet. It didn't take too long for us to zip apart and zip back up individually. The next morning we woke to rain and 38 degrees. Fortunately it soon cleared off and started warming up. By the time we had broken camp and gotten packed it was a wonderful sunny spring morning. We rode along the Washington and Oregon Coast down to Florence about 300 miles for the day. Next up: Oregon Coast and the Redwoods

Spring Tour 2007 - part I

2007-12-17T18:43:00.000-09:00

My husband's bike ready to be loaded.

Picking my bike up from the expediter.

Lots of gear to load!

Loaded and ready to hit the road.

Last Spring my husband and I had a lot of time off work at the same time, and decided to celebrate by taking a tour of the lower 48 states. Our original plan was to fly the bikes to Seattle then ride across the country to the East coast, visit New York and Quebec, then ride home across Canada. Life got in the way and we had to cut our plans short, but we still had an amazing tour. I'm going to break it up here in segments.

The planning was a lot of fun. My husband was out of state, so I spent a lot of time on the computer and looking at road maps planning a route that we would use as a rough guide on the trip. The one thing we really wanted was to stay on back roads as much as reasonably possible, knowing that we'd have to blow through some areas on interstate. We packed our gear into boxes and sent it all down to a friend's house in Seattle, so I wouldn't have to deal with getting boxes to the airport, and my husband was going straight to Washington after his trip without stopping off at home.

We got a lot of new camping gear to lighten our load and make the trip more pleasant than roughing it. We got a Big Agnes tent, Big Agnes sleeping bags with the integrated air mattress, a jet boil with french press, a few new tools for our maintenance kit, and miscellaneous other little things. We also got the ultimate motorcycle travel necessity. Kermit Chairs! We took our bikes into the local BMW shop for the 6000 mile service and a complete once over. We later found out that some things were ignored during this service, and other things were done wrong, but that is another story. Our expediter picked the bikes up from the motorcycle shop and put them on the plane for Seattle. My husband was already there, and picked up his bike right away. On arrival at the warehouse he found out that my brand new never even out of the box windshield that we had specifically asked NOT be put on the bike, had been put on my bike when it arrived. They had over tightened a bolt and I now had a cracked brand new windshield. We drilled the ends of the crack and decided to ride until it got worse and get a new one then. (The expediter paid for the windshield no questions asked).

When I got to Seattle I picked up my bike and rode to our friend's house where we visited, ate good food, drank good wine, and learned how to pack all our new gear. Olympic Peninsula up next...

Just thinking today

2007-12-16T11:36:00.000-09:00

I had to get dressed up today. I was wearing a skirt, and make up, and high heels, the whole deal. As I was waiting for my coffee in the coffee shop I heard the two guys behind me talking about motorcycles. I turned around just enough to see them, and saw that they were both professional looking guys, about mid 30 years old, maybe a little older. One of the guys was saying that he didn't think his wife would agree to him getting a motorcycle, "you know how women are." They both laughed and agreed that if he buys a bike his wife will be furious with him. This went on for a few minutes. Finally I turned around and said maybe if he got his a wife a bike she wouldn't mind him getting one. Both guys looked at me like I'd grown a second head. "She not that type." the guy said.

I got my coffee and walked toward the door. As I walked by the two guys I said I doubted that people thought I was the motorcycle type either. I walked out to the sound of the first guy saying in an incredulous voice "SHE rides motorcycles?"

I couldn't help laughing. Why is it that guys aren't surprised another guy rides regardless of what he looks like, but they are shocked when a woman who doesn't fit the mold rides? If guys can find comfort from feeling the power of the road, and feel energized from completing a technical ride, why do they find it so difficult to understand that women feel the same way. Everyone talks about how different men and women are, and how we don't understand each other. Maybe the problem is that people expect not to understand each other, and they destroy our sameness by their expectations. Maybe the guy should just buy his wife a motorcycle.

Summer Day Ride in Alaska

2007-12-15T19:15:00.000-09:00

One day in late Summer my husband and I left Anchorage at 10:30 and rode about 125 miles to Seward for lunch.

The mountain in the background of the next pic is Mount Marathon. It is the site of a foot race every 4th of July for people who are in crazy good shape, and are willing to run full out on loose scree.

After lunch we rode over to Exit Glacier.
When we left Exit Glacier it was about 4:00. We decided that there was really no rush to get home, so we continued on toward Cooper Landing, where I wanted to ride Skylak Lake Loop Road. It's a gravel road that runs next to Skylak Lake, one of the prettiest lakes on the Kenai Peninsula.
The weather turned rainy, so we rode the last part of the loop deciding between the loose gravel in the center of the lane, or the mud and water in the tracks. In other words, fun!
We had ridden a little over 350 miles when we pulled into our driveway. What an awesome way to spend a fall day.
__________________

Random Bike Pics

2007-12-14T11:22:00.000-09:00

I'm posting pics just because I really feel like riding today, but am stopped by the weather.

Who says we can't all get along?
Adventure awaits

Going to the beach...

I shop REI

2007-12-14T10:09:00.000-09:00

Like many, maybe most motorcycle riders I am always looking for farkles for my bike, clothes that are good for riding in, camping equipment to make the nights more relaxing, etc. I have gotten a lot of stuff online, and at motorcycle shops in whatever city and state I find myself, but I have one place that I keep going back to, REI.

REI is a sporting goods store. Not only is it not a motorcycle shop, it doesn't even have a motorcycle specific section. But it has the coolest stuff. I love wearing microfiber when I ride. I can wash it out wherever I am, hang it up and know that by morning it will be dry. REI has the best selection of microfiber clothes I've found any where. And the best part is they all look good enough to wear out to dinner at the end of the day, an important quality when space is limited. My favorite pants under my riding gear in summer are a pair of REI convertible pants. If it gets too hot I can zip off the legs, then zip them back on to go into town. They are so lightweight that I can swim in the shorts and know they will dry quickly. During the colder months I have a pair of windproof REI pants that add extra warmth. They look so good when I wore them to go to lunch with a friend a while back he asked me why I was so dressed up.

REI also has a great selection of camping equipment, from Jet Boil accessories to tents. They have maps, compasses, thermometers, guidebooks, everything you could ask for to get the gypsy blood flowing. If I have time to kill I love wandering around REI and usually walk out with something I can't live without, that I never even knew I wanted...

Family Riding

2007-12-13T08:25:00.000-09:00

My husband and I have three daughters. The twins are 14, our younger daughter is almost 11. None of them have ever ridden a motorcycle, and all of them want to. Lately we have been discussing the idea of getting each of the twins a small bike, big enough to take on the highway for short distances, but small enough that it would be an easy learning bike for them. We could then go on family rides, as long as our youngest rode behind my husband or I. The difficulty is in choosing a small bike that would work for them. After the new year I think we'll start cruising Craig's List, and the local dealerships.

I like the look of the Mad Ass http://www.bikez.com/motorcycles/sachs_madass_125_2007.php
but at this point anything small and street legal would do the job.

I love the idea of motorcycle rides with the family. I'd love to see my daughters learn to ride responsibly, and for college a small bike would be efficient and practical transportation. I have friends tell me I'm crazy to want my daughters' first "car" to be a motorcycle of some sort, but I say at least a bike doesn't have a back seat!

June Ride to Valdez

2007-12-12T12:28:00.000-09:00

We had a friend who moved out of Alaska this Fall. He was one of the people we rode with a lot and knew we'd really miss when he left, so we agreed to go on a trip to Valdez. Our friend met us at our house at 6:30 am. I'm an early riser, but I hate being rushed when I'm getting ready to ride. Still I had to agree that it made sense to leave early so we'd have more time to explore in Valdez.

Our first stop was about 120 miles out of Anchorage at Sheep Mountain Lodge, where we had an ok (not great) breakfast. This was always where we'd go when we were out that direction. On our way home we stopped for dinner at the Eureka Lodge that is about 15 miles further from Anchorage. We like the food there also, and the people who work at Eureka are a lot of fun. Eureka also has a less hazardous parking lot! Sheep Mountain's parking lot is loose gravel and has a strange off camber tilt. Eureka has a paved lot. To spend the night, I'd still definitely go to Sheep Mountain, but for food it is nice to have discovered an alternative.

After breakfast we rode to Glenallen and the Valdez cutoff. We have ridden to Glenallen a lot, but it had been a very long time since I'd been on the cutoff. A few miles in we came to the Wrangel/St. Elias visitor center. The day had gotten somewhat overcast, so the pictures don't do the view justice.

Shortly after the visitor center is the Worthington Glacier. It's huge!

After Thompson Pass, Bobby and our friend pulled over on a gravel road to explore, while I dropped down into Blueberry Lake State Recreation Area. From there into Valdez the guys rode on their own and I rode on my own. The road was rough and dusty, but Blueberry Lake is gorgeous. I'd like to come back with our inflatable kayaks that fit in my husband's panniers and spend a day on the lake.

Bridal Veil Falls is right next to the road, and is impressively high! Horsetail Falls is also right next to the road, but not as picturesque as Bridal Veil.

After getting into Valdez and checking into our motel, we went to the end of the road on the other side of the harbor and took pictures of the Alaska Pipeline Terminus buildings. There were a lot of boats fairly close to shore that were hauling in a lot of fish. I don't know what they were fishing for, but they were fun to watch.

On our way back to town we stopped at the Old Valdez townsite. Nothing really exists there any more. The entire original town was wiped out by a tsunami following the 1964 earthquake that did so much damage to Anchorage. Again the guys went their own way and explored an old wrecked boat that was flying a tattered pirate flag while I went the other way on the beach and explored a gravel and sand spit that went a ways out into the water.

When we got back into town I couldn't resist a couple pictures of the kayaks, and other boats. We also met a group of guys who had rented BMW 1200's in Anchorage and were touring Alaska. They were nice guys and had some great stories. Then it was time for food and beer. (I had wine, but my glass wasn't as cool looking.)

The next morning was foggy and drizzley, so not many photos, but I like Bridal Veil with the fog. Our friend took the ferry back to Anchorage while my husband and I decided to explore some more in the area. We took a lot of side roads just to see that was there, but decided to wait on riding to Kennicott and McCarthy until we had more time. We also drove back to Lake Louise where neither of us had ever been. It is an amazingly beautiful lake with a nice reasonably priced lodge, and the lake is huge!

We got back into Anchorage in the late evening after a great two day escape.

Why BMW?

2007-12-11T13:06:00.000-09:00

I am a BMW fan. Why? I think it all goes back to years ago when I read an article that discussed how many miles people were putting on BMW bikes. I was just a kid when I read the article, but it made an impression. When it was time to get a bike as an adult I had a pretty open mind about what I'd get. First I sat on a Harley Sportster. It was ok, but it just didn't feel right. I'm not sure what was off, but something wasn't feeling right. I looked at a couple other bikes, both Yamaha and Honda, but nothing blew me away. When I first looked at the BMW I wasn't sure either. It was so big, that even though I really liked the way it looked, I didn't know if I could handle it. I took my MSF class on a Yamaha, though, and it was so easy I knew I could go to something bigger without any trouble.

I didn't fall in love with my F650 GS until after I had ridden it a few thousand miles. Now I feel like I have a connection with the bike that goes beyond what a non-rider would ever understand. It is almost as if the bike responds to my thoughts and I don't have to make the little corrections as I'm riding down the road. Would I have a similar connection with any bike I rode a lot? Maybe. But I haven't ridden a different bike a lot, only this one.

We've taken the bikes over thousands of miles. I've ridden in dirt and mud. I've ridden rough gravel. I've ridden perfectly smooth highways, and I've ridden chip seal back roads. The bike has never given me any problems. I've had to replace tires and change oil, and it has all been done without a problem. Maintenance has been easy and there hasn't been a lot of it. Would that be true of any bike? Maybe. But I haven't changed the oil on a different bike, only this one.

Then there is the vain side of me. It isn't a big part, but I'd be lying if I said it doesn't give me a little thrill to know I'm driving a BMW. It's a bike I love and it makes me smile every time I think about it. I'm a Beemer girl. Would I ever give my loyalty to another brand? Maybe. But for now I'm completely loyal, a one bike woman. But I did see a really cool looking dirt bike the other day...

Motorcycle Safety

2007-12-10T08:21:00.000-09:00

What is with the motorcyclists who refuse to wear protective gear? I can understand to some extent the young squids who think they are immune from death and serious injury. They are young, probably haven't lost many friends to death, can't imagine that dying is something that happens to anyone who isn't ancient, like 30 years old. But what about the others? When I ride around I see a lot of middle aged folks, both men and women who ride in jeans, tennis shoes, no jacket, no gloves, no helmet. A lot of these people are professionals in the community. So where is their responsibility? They claim they have the right to wear whatever they want, whenever they want, and that they aren't hurting anyone. But their claim is false. Someone has to pay for the cleanup when they wreck and are injured. There is a lot more to it than them having insurance. What about the cost of police, and ambulance crews? We pay them out of our taxes. What about tying up emergency room personnel with preventable injuries? What about feeding the statistics that say that motorcycles are dangerous and anyone who drives them is a trouble causing danger to society? A lot of the negativity legitimate riders face every day is a direct result of people seeing the few who refuse to act responsibly. I read another newspaper article this morning on requiring more restrictions on getting motorcycle a license, and about how larger high performance bikes should be illegal. I so strongly disagree, but I can understand the feeling by those who don't ride.

What is responsibility for a motorcycle rider? Going through an MSF class and actually putting the techniques you learn to play every time you ride. That means riding ATGATT, All The Gear All The Time. And yes, I mean every time. I have three daughters who desperately want to ride who have never been so much as allowed to ride behind my husband or me one time around our cul de sac. Why? Because they don't have gear. Wearing a too large helmet and jeans isn't good enough. They know that if they ride, they will ride appropriately geared. If all kids were taught from a young age to have respect for motorcycles and to appreciate them as an environmentally responsible, not to mention unbelievably fun, mode of transportation, there would be fewer car/motorcycle accidents as these kids get behind the wheel. But school health classes don't teach motorcycle safety because it is too alternative. The schools think their time is better spent telling kids not to eat pizza while they watch tv at night. Of course when the kids go to get their hot lunch what is on the menu? Pizza, cookies, and chocolate milk.

Motorcycle safety is the responsibility of every rider. It is the responsibility of every parent who has a child who may someday want to be a rider. It is the responsibility of every person who gets behind the wheel of a car that shares our roads. But before we can ask car drivers to care about our safety, we have to demonstrate that we care. And until we put on our gear, it's not going to happen.

Women on Motorcycles

2007-12-08T08:31:00.000-09:00

I was reading some of the posts about women riders in a motorcycle forum the other day and it annoyed me that most of the men posting on the site talked about taking care of their wife or girlfriend, slowing down to a pace she can handle, being so proud of her when she falls, gets up, and keeps riding... If it were one of the guys, of course they'd expect him to get back on. So what is so different about women riders? I think a lot of it goes back to stereotypes from another generation. Women stay home and wear pretty dresses and high heels while they vacuum, then they sit in a bathtub and paint their toe nails pink. They climb on a chair and scream for help from their big strong man when they see a spider. Sorry, but I've never lived in that world, and I have no intention of living in that world. I may have painted toe nails, but I also haul out the garbage, change my own oil on my bike, and step on my own spiders. Real women riders are a lot more than eye candy on the back of their boyfriend's bike, or cute beginners putt-putting around the neighborhood. There are a lot of women who have been riding for years, longer than a lot of guys on the road.

As a kid I raced the neighbor boys on the dirt track on the front of our lots. I'll admit when we first started the guys pushed the envelope harder than I did. But with a little practice I was beating them at their own game. They may have had more raw speed, but I had more finesse. I think a lot of times guys get so caught up in the testosterone rush of twisting the throttle that they forget there is more to good riding than who goes fastest. Intelligence should be right up there in respected riding skills. I love to ride fast, but I also respect the dangers that come with increased speed. So when a guy smiles at me condescendingly because he passed me on the road somewhere I can look him straight in the eye and smile back with my own smirk. I know I could ride faster in the curves along Turnagain Arm, but I also know that tourists, Dahl Sheep, and rock slides sometimes block lanes right in those blind corners. My choice of speed on the road is not lack of ability, it's lack of stupidity. The same could be said for a lot of women riders. Their intelligence outweighs their adrenaline seeking.

That's not to say women don't like challenging riding. There are women who have ridden all over the world, by themselves, just because they wanted to. There are women like me, who come alive when we see a muddy, pothole filled, back road. There are women like Patsy Quick from England who completed the 5,600 mile Dakar Rally in 2006, coming back from a ruptured spleen from her attempt in 2003. There are women like Elena Myers, still just a kid without a driver's license, but already one of the best up and coming road racers in the United States.

Harley Davidson says about 12% of its 2007 sales were to women. They say they are wooing women riders with "less intimidating" bikes. How about if all motorcycle manufactures get the picture that some women may need a shorter bike, but don't worry about scaring us with all your horsepower. We can handle it, probably more intelligently than a lot of the men you're selling to. And as more women shake off the stereotype that only Hell's Angel type women ride motorcycles, it is the sexist and macho guys who can start feeling intimidated. We're in the motorcycle world already and more of us are coming, so stand back and keep out of our way!

I'm Worse Than the Kids

2007-12-07T14:48:00.000-09:00

Motorcycle on Cozumel - Taken last time we were in Mexico.

My husband and I have agreed that this is a motorcycle Christmas. He spent a bunch of time on-line, and researching stuff and now boxes keep showing up at the house from various motorcycle shops. I know they are either Christmas presents or birthday presents for me, and I know they are motorcycle related. And I want to open them NOW! It is too icy and nasty outside to ride, so I'm trying to keep from going insane anyhow, but to know there are goodies waiting for me is almost more than I can stand! So far I haven't shaken any boxes, but it's hard to stay away.

Getting through the off-season is a challenge anyway. A lot of people in Alaska snow machine during the winter, but there isn't any place really close, snow machines are expensive, and we don't have a trailer or a truck to pull a trailer with. Besides, this year there is so little snow there aren't many places to ride even if you are properly equipped. The best I can do is watch "The Long Way Around" again, and hope to get "The Long Way Down" for Christmas. I've already read most of the motorcycle books out there, but I'm thinking this winter may be a good time to start planning some details for a trip to Mexico and beyond. We've talked about it for a while, and although I doubt we can make that kind of a trip in 2008, you never know. Besides, if I start the planning we'll have an easier time when it is time to go.

So, I think starting soon, I'll be sharing my ideas on how we might make the big trip. I'm pretty sure already that we'd fly the bikes to Seattle again. It is relatively inexpensive and cuts about four or five days off the travel time. We'd probably want to stop in at my husband's brother's house in Southern California to do the final prep's before crossing the border. Once we hit the Mexico line, however, I really don't know what we'd do. I like traveling without a firm destination in mind, but I think it would be wise to at least have a rough plan. So, wish me luck and hopefully I'll be sharing some interesting finds soon.

Modification pics

2007-12-06T11:29:00.000-09:00

There isn't much to see as far as the radiator cover, or Kouba Link, but the following pic shows the hand guards, black windscreen, and the custom seat. The next pictures show the process Rich's shop went through to make my custom seat. First they took it off the bike and removed the stock cover. Then they had me sit on the seat and drew an outline of my ass with markers. Then they carve away the excess padding and put in more where I needed it. This process requires several "fittings." Once everything is where it should be, they carve out a spot for the gel pad, then cover the whole seat in fabric. Then they individually design a pattern for the leather seat covering, and hand fit it. It takes several hours, but is SO well worth the wait.

Bike Modifications

2007-12-05T14:23:00.000-09:00

I was looking at some of my older pictures today and realized that my bike hardly looks like the same bike. In addition to the less obvious changes like adding a Kouba link that lowered my bike by 3/4 of an inch, I have made some other changes as well. I have different foot pegs, an upgraded radiator guard, and hand guards. I also have a thermometer and rheostat for my Gerbings jacket on the instrument panel. The TwoWheelFemales.com sticker looks good from the front, but probably isn't noticed by most casual observers of the bike.

The two most visible changes are the Rich's custom seat that I had put on the bike as soon as I picked it up from the dealer, and the most recent addition, a tall black BMW windscreen. Those two additions have been great. As I have said many times before, my Rich's custom seat is the most important reason I love my bike as much as I do. I can ride an 800 mile day and get off the bike with no discomfort in my rear end, and be ready to ride several hundred miles the next day. Not many seats offer that kind of comfort.

Before I got the tall BMW wind screen I had tried a couple different things. The low screen that came on the bike offered no protection from the wind at all. In fact I rode some without a windscreen and couldn't tell the difference. The next screen I tried was a Wunderlich. It was ok, but got broken soon after I got it when something fell on my bike in our garage. Then I had a tall Cee Bailey's. It got broken when the expediting company installed it on my bike after shipping the bike from Anchorage to Seattle. It was brand new, never even out of the box and they tightened it on crooked, causing a crack. I rode with it broken during our Spring 10,000 plus mile ride of the lower 48 states and Canada. It isn't fair to say anything negative about a screen I never used in proper condition, but I was tired of it by the time we got home and replaced it with the tall black BMW windscreen. Finally a screen that cuts down on wind, noise, and buffeting. I am very pleased with how it works, and I LOVE the way it looks.

Priorities

2007-12-04T11:15:00.000-09:00

I used to thrive on stress. I was a criminal trial attorney. I loved the courtroom drama, the back room negotiating, the power over other people's lives. After 15 years of law practice, a tough divorce and custody battle, and trying to raise three gifted daughters on my own, I'd had enough. I was depressed, and I felt like I was living on a slippery slope leading to Hell, and sliding fast.

So I made some changes in priorities. I quit practicing law. My income went to nothing. I learned to live cheap. Do I ever miss the prestige that goes with being a successful attorney? No, not once. Do I miss the great income, and the other benefits? Maybe a little once in a while. But I would never go back. I'm like every other woman. I like nice things. I like to wear nice clothes. I like to have nice hair and nails. I like to drive a nice car when it is especially cold or rainy or slick outside. I like to go out to a nice dinner. Do I have to have those things? No. I'm lucky enough to have most of them right now, but I don't need them. I'll gladly wear clothes for several years instead of replacing them every season if I can buy a few more gallons of gas instead. I'm happy to get a $10 haircut at Great Clips instead of paying $50 at a salon if it means I can get another farkle for my bike. I can cook hamburgers in my backyard instead of eating steak and lobster if it means I can go on a few more rides.

I also married a good guy. He's not perfect. Neither am I, but we make a good team. We talk through the tough times, and there is nothing in the world that feels better than knowing someone always has your back. Do I need an expensive lifestyle? No. What I need is what my motorcycle gives me. When I ride my mind is clear of everything except the road. When I get off the bike, suddenly the things that were weighing me down are easier to figure out. A good friend of mine always says you never see a motorcycle outside a psychiatrist's office unless it belongs to the doctor. She's right. Riders know that death is one distracted soccer mom away. They strive to survive every time they get on the bike. So will I admit motorcycles are dangerous? You bet I'll admit it. But living is dangerous. The only thing really safe is death and I'm not interested.

Homer Alaska

2007-12-03T18:33:00.000-09:00

One of our last rides before winter set in this year was a quick weekend ride to Homer. It was mostly asphalt, but the ride was so pretty we didn't miss the more adventurous riding, or at least not too much! I started on a bit of a bummer, just as I got settled on the bike my iPod stopped playing. I found out later the earbuds were broken. There were 30 or 40 swans on Potter Marsh as we pulled out of town. I should have stopped for a pic, but there were a lot of cars already pulled off the highway and I didn't feel like taking any chances of being run over by someone paying more attention to the birds than to my bike! We left home and rode to Girdwood before we got gas. Thank goodness we have heated grips and Gerbings jackets. It was in the low 30's, and I'm a wimp! I went into the gas station at Girdwood to use the restroom, and as I was walking out a good looking young man, in his 20's I'd guess, came over to talk. I figured he was also a rider and wanted to talk motorcycles. He looked at my gear, and said "You have got to be crazy to be riding in these temperatures." What are the young men of this world coming to? I got a good laugh out of that one, and so did my husband. Of course we didn't mention our electrics...

We stopped again just past the turn off for Portage Glacier for a couple pictures. As we went into the pass I found that my hands were getting cold, even in my winter gloves. I will have to find some new gloves this winter for when the temps drop below freezing. I just can't do the really cold temps comfortably. The weather was nice though, rain in some places, but mostly sun shining on the golden fall leaves. Very pretty, so we made lots of photo stops. Not far after the Hope turnoff we went through an area where they were doing a controlled burn of the under brush. It was fun to see big "bonfires" and know they were serving a good purpose.

We were getting hungry so we stopped in Soldotna at Suzie's Cafe. It's a little hole in the wall kind of place that we've eaten at before, so we knew the food was good. As we walked in and started pealing off gear I realized I was missing one of my new this summer custom ear plugs. Heart sinking feeling, I do NOT want to ride with neither iPod nor ear plugs! I went back out to see if maybe I'd dropped it. I walked all the way to the bikes, walked around them, no luck. As I sadly walked back toward the restaurant I saw my earplug resting on the edge of the step. One quarter of an inch closer to the edge and it would have fallen under the steps. I picked it up relieved and went back inside ready to enjoy my lunch.

We got into Homer a little too early to check into our Bed and Breakfast so we rode to the end of East End Road. After a few miles it turned to dirt and was the only dirt riding we did for the day. The road was twisty and the views magnificent, so we really enjoyed this short stretch of our ride. When we got close to town we saw the sign for the Bear Creek Winery and B&B. We got checked in at the same time as a couple who were honeymooning from England. This B&B has two cabins, a wine tasting room, and a clothing optional hot tub. After putting our stuff in our cabin we went back to the wine tasting room for our complimentary tasting. We ended up buying a couple bottles for later, and to bring home. We caught a taxi into town where we went to dinner at Wasabi's. They have a unique ginger martini that is worth a stop. My husband wasn't too impressed with his dinner, but my seven pepper steak was awesome.

After dinner we had the cab take us to the Salty Dawg Saloon down on the Spit. The honeymoon couple were also at the Salty Dawg, so we spent the evening visiting and getting to know one another. Eventually we went back to the B&B and stayed up until the wee hours sitting in the hot tub drinking yet more wine. We slept in late the next morning, then checked out and rode to K-Bay coffee in the rain. K-Bay Coffee is an award winning organic coffee roaster that tastes better than any other coffee I've tried. Then we rode down to the spit for a few more pictures before heading back to Anchorage. It was raining hard, but we decided to ride a gravel loop side road anyway. It was a great ride, but raining so hard I didn't stop for pictures. We rode pretty easy until we crossed the pass where it suddenly was bright sunshine. The we opened up the bikes and let 'em roll. Very Fun! We stopped once more for some pictures of the swans that had moved to the lake right at the Seward cutoff. We made it home after dark with a great ride behind us to help hold off the winter doldrums.

Everything is Harley

2007-12-02T05:33:00.000-09:00

I am one of those riders who waves at every motorcycle I see when I'm out riding. Not everyone responds, but a lot of them do, whether they are riding crotch rockets or Goldwings. I really believe in the idea that a rider is a rider and we all need to look out for one another regardless of what kind of bike we prefer. Even so, it is frustrating when I go shopping for anything related to motorcycling and everything is geared toward Harley Davidson. I went into a shop that calls itself a woman friendly motorcycle shop, Girlz Ride 2. All the gear was either leather or pink and cut for an 18 year old hard body on the back of her boyfriends bike. Nothing in the store was suitable for on road/off road riding. When I go into Alaska Leather, I expect to see predominantly leather. That is their name after all, but Alaska Leather carries more non-leather than that shop. And the helmets in GR2 were either seconds or something else was wrong with them. They had three helmets that were full face, but there was no seal on any of the three. I ran a dollar bill around the top edge of the face plate with barely any resistance. Wear that helmet in a downpour and you'll be taking a shower inside the helmet! They had plenty of bandanas with a death head though, so I guess that's all right.

It isn't just gear though. I walked into a hobby shop thinking it would be a kind of cool gift for my husband if I got him a model of his BMW R1200 GS. The store was busy so I had to wait for help, and eventually was able to talk to the owner. I asked him if they had motorcycle models. He told me they had a wide variety. Cool, this sounded promising. We walked over to an aisle that had probably 20 models of Harleys. "Do you have anything that doesn't say Harley Davidson on it?" He nods and says he has other bikes also, and shows me a collection of generic choppers. I said, "No, what I'm looking for is a dual sport type bike." He gets this superior, condescending look on his face and says, "Honey, I love motorcycles and I've never heard of a dual sport." I laughed and said "Sweety, you don't get out much." Needless to say I didn't buy anything at that store.

So after wandering around the mall some more, I saw a display of crystal figurines. I have to admit I love sparkly, so I went over to look. They had figurines of everything you could think of from tractors to airplanes. Maybe they'll have a motorcycle. "We have a motorcycle," the saleslady told me. I'm thinking you can't be too specific when you are trying to sell crystal motorcycles. And let's face it, the stereotypical Harley Davidson rider that everyone seems to cater to doesn't look like the sort of person who is going to buy a crystal figurine. So I'm expecting the lady to hand me a generic motorcycle, not Beemer, but not Harley either. After a moment searching she hands me an obviously fragile crystal bike. It's pretty generic looking, looks more like my F650 than his 1200, but still... The delicate crystal spokes in the wheel, the curve of the seat, then I see it, etched subtly on the side of the sparkly tank, Harley Davidson I hand the figurine back. "Thanks, not what I'm looking for."

So I think it is time for Kawasaki, Yamaha, Ducati, Beemer, Honda riders everywhere to unite and yell at the world,

We Don't All Ride Harley's!

What I Want Now

2007-11-30T10:00:00.000-09:00

I have been using a soft side tail bag when I go on solo motorcycle camping trips for a while. It carries plenty of stuff for a few days camping, and overall, I have liked it. But when I see my husband's bike ready to go on a longer trip and he puts on his panniers ( he has Micatech bags ) I have to admit to feeling a pang of jealousy. His bags have a great mounting system, you can't even tell his bike has mounts when the bags are off, and the bags hold a ton of stuff. The problem for me is that they are heavy, too heavy for me to be able to comfortably mount and dismount on my own. Since he is gone so often, and since it humiliates me to have to rely on someone else for such a basic function, I'd like to have my own panniers that I can use without assistance. After doing some research, I'm pretty much settled on caribou cases. The system uses Pelican cases that are lightweight, but virtually indestructible. My ultimate setup would be panniers with a small tail bag that has protection for a camera and a couple extra lenses. That way I can keep an old camera in my tank bag for quick shots, but still have relatively easy access to a nicer camera and accessories where they can be protected. I don't know how long it will take to get the cash together to put add these panniers, but I am definitely looking forward to it.

Denali Highway

2007-11-29T14:22:00.000-09:00

The Denali Highway is one of my favorite roads in Alaska. The road is always bumpy, and is either dusty or muddy. Rarely is there a happy medium. I prefer the ride from the Paxon side to the Glenn Highway side. This report is from a ride we did in September 2006.

We had no urgent work for a few days so we decided to make a two day mid-week trip down the Denali Highway. We left Anchorage on Wednesday about noon and gassed up in Palmer. For those of you not familiar with the Glen Highway, it runs along the Matanuska River and offers some spectacular views of the river as well as of the Matanuska Glacier. There are also some nice twisties to keep you entertained when you don't feel like just admiring the scenery. We ate a late lunch at Sheep Mountain Lodge, and spent the night in Glenallen.

Thursday we rolled out around 9:00 in the morning in heavy fog. The thermometer in Glenallen said 38 degrees. Brrrr..... Thank goodness for Gerbings! Just outside of Glenallen we turned onto the Richardson Highway heading up toward Fairbanks. The fog was still heavy, and this is caribou migration time, so we had to keep the speed moderately in check.

The fog had burned off by the time we hit Paxon and turned off onto the Denali Hwy. We were stopping for LOTS of photos, so we weren't making the best of time. The first 21 miles of the Denali is paved, and thank goodness there wasn't much traffic. I spent so much time gazing at mountains and the fall colors I probably wouldn't have made it on gravel.

We stopped for an early lunch at Tangle Lakes, right at the end of paved road. The lady there told us it had been down to 28 degrees that morning. By the time we came through it was almost 50. I hadn't been over the Denali Hwy in about 5 years, then it was in horrible shape, ruts, potholes, you name it. This time it was much better. Cages were still doing the 20 mph thing, but we were able to go much faster, just slowing down when we hit the BIG loose gravel.

The views on the Denali are awesome, and always changing. I don't know how many times I've been over this stretch of road but there is always something new to experience. Anyone traveling Alaska who misses riding this road, has missed what would have been a high light of their trip. The Denali Highway isn't the easiest ride, nor is it the hardest, but it will stand out as one of the most memorable.

Motorcycle Camping

2007-11-28T14:31:00.000-09:00

It's funny how much stuff I used to carry when I went camping. A huge heavy tent, cookstove, big bulky sleeping bag, and the list goes on. I still have my old backpack, and remember many trips when it was full and I had a sleeping bag strapped on the outside. Now I laugh. I can fit a weekend camping trip into my 10 year old daughter's backpack that she carries to school every day, and I camp in more comfort now than I did back then. Learning to carry everything we need to live on the road for a month or more on a bike taught me a few lessons. Like an extra rain tarp is a lot more useful than an extra pair of jeans and sweatshirt.

My husband and I now use a Big Agnes 2 man tent. It takes one person about 5 minutes to set up, even in the wind. We also have Big Agnes sleeping bags with the integrated mattress pad. They are warm and comfy even at cooler temperatures, but I still like a silk liner that I can tuck in around my neck and shoulders. It is less for the warmth, which it does provide, and more for the homey feel of a blanket. We have Big Agnes inflatable pillows that suit me alright, but that my husband doesn't think are big enough. I guess the difference is whether you just want something to lay your head on, or whether you want a pillow you can hold on to.

Rather than carrying a huge camp stove like I used to do, I now carry a Jetboil and Mountain House dinners. The Jetboil heats up water fast enough that I can be drinking my second cup of french press coffee before the Mountain House dinner has finished cooking. I've seen other options, but the Jetboil cup is the perfect size for one person, and it is such a compact system that I can use the extra space for something else.

My luxury item is a Kermit Chair. It is a completely collapsible director's chair (fits in a bag about 22 inches long and 4" by 6". It is also one of the most comfortable chairs I have sat in. Much better than our full size lawn chairs that we use on the deck at home.

For a month on the road I have my riding gear plus two pair of pants and three shirts. Everything possible is micro-fiber so it washes and dries quickly. My test is whether the clothes can fit in a helmet bag. If it's too bulky to fit in the bag, something comes out. It means I don't dress up much, but that's ok. I can do the dressy route at home anytime, the road is for adventure, excitement, and challenges.

I Am a Biker Chick

2007-11-27T11:31:00.000-09:00

I am a biker chick. Do you have a picture in your mind of who I am, what I look like? I bet you’re wrong. I am a retired trial attorney, mom to three girls, and wife to an awesome guy. I don’t have any tattoos. I prefer Pinot Noir to beer.

Motorcycle riding isn’t just about Harley Davidson and Honda Goldwing anymore. The new breed of rider prefers dual sport motorcycles designed to perform equally well on the highway or on a bumpy off-road trail in the middle of nowhere. We ride ATGATT, all the gear, all the time. My bike of choice is a BMW F650 GS. Riders have taken this bike literally around the world, from Deadhorse, Alaska to Ushuaia, Argentina. From Shanghai, China to Cape Town, South Africa.

My lifestyle at home is typical suburban American. I drive my kids to and from school in a VW Jetta, sit at the computer most of the day, go running or work out at the gym, then hang out watching television with the family in the evening. Life on the road is where things change. Everything I need for days and even weeks on end has to fit on the back of my bike. At home my closet looks like most women’s. I like clothes, and I like shoes. On the road I only have my riding boots, and room for one pair of shoes. In summer I take sandals, in shoulder seasons I take a pair of Dansco clogs. Since packing room is limited, my non-riding wardrobe is paired down to two pair of pants, and three t-shirts.

A typical day on the road from a recent six week tour of the Western United States might include waking up in a primitive campground with a river behind our campsite, and redwood trees and giant sequoias all around us. Making coffee with our Jet Boil French press attachment then packing up the tent in the rain. Heading out and finding a dirt or gravel road to explore, seeing the less traveled side of the Redwood Forest, or Death Valley, or the Grand Canyon.

We try to find a local out of the way spot for lunch, like the unnamed cowboy bar we stopped at in New Mexico where chickens roamed around the dirt parking lot and even inside the little general store, the place where everyone in the place stopped talking and looked at us like we were from Mars when we walked in wearing riding gear and carrying motorcycle helmets, or Fat Mama’s in Natchez, Mississippi where they advertise “knock you naked margaritas.”

Our afternoons we spend either continuing the morning’s explorations or riding secondary roads to the next area we want to see. Sometimes we ride miles where the air feels soft and warm and smells of pine needles or freshly cut grass. Other times the wind blows us around the road, rain bouncing off our helmets, or snow building up on our windshields making riding slick and challenging. But no matter the weather, riding a motorcycle makes you feel alive. In a car your mind can drift away, on a bike letting your mind drift can kill you. Every sense is focused on your surroundings, experiencing the feel of the road, the tingle of adrenaline always keeping you in the moment.

In the evenings we decide if we want to camp rustic, or in a KOA Kampground, or maybe treat ourselves to the unimaginable feeling of luxury a hot shower and clean sheets bring after a long day in the saddle. Do we feel like cooking over a campfire and watching the stars come out like we did in Death Valley, or going to a world-class restaurant like we did in New Orleans?

I’m a biker chick. I love riding the twisties, feeling the power of my bike as I lean into the curves. I love the thrill of riding a muddy road full of potholes. I live for the joy of experiencing nature, rather than just riding through in an air-conditioned car with the radio on. Yeah, I’m a biker chick, and I’m loving every minute of it.

November Days

2007-11-26T12:19:00.000-09:00

It was fun posting up that old trip and reliving some of the memories. In the many thousand miles since then I have learned so much about riding it scares me to think I rode from Seattle to Anchorage as a complete noob. That first summer I remember the challenge and excitement of the curves between Anchorage and Girdwood. Now I ride that same rode and enjoy the scenery. The road feels a lot straighter now that twisties are something I look forward to. I'm still short and my bike is still big and heavy, but I've learned to slide off the seat so I can reach the ground. Stopping isn't a challenge any more, and the number of pictures I take has gone way up. I still get a silly grin from ear to ear almost every time I ride.

Now that it is November, and the bike is in the garage for the year I have to sit back and relive my rides. Most of my posts during these non-riding (for me) months will be old ride reports, with the occasional motorcycle related thoughts thrown in from time to time. Once I get going on the subject of riding gear made for real women adventure riders, not teeny boppers, and not leather and fringed up Hell's Angel wanna be's...watch out! It is a huge pet peeve for me that most women's gear is just sized down men's gear or jackets that fit a size 000 and end at the waist. But I'll save that rant for another time.

Home Again

2007-11-26T06:05:00.000-09:00

The next morning we started the last leg of our trip, Tok to Anchorage. Both of us were feeling a bit sad at the trip coming to an end. As stressful as the start was, by this time we had learned to enjoy riding together and didn’t want to return to normal everyday life. The weather was nice and the scenery beautiful. The only downside was the frost heaves and cracked asphalt that made for some treacherous driving.
As we neared Palmer, only a little more than 50 miles from home we ran into our last stretch of road construction. Although we didn’t talk about it then, Bobby and I later agreed that we were both enjoying the delays that gave us a little more time on the road. During the last bit of construction we agreed to take the older, more winding Old Glenn Highway through Palmer toward Anchorage instead of the newer and much faster Glenn Highway. The Old Glenn is full of sweeping curves and beautiful views of the Knik River.
At last, however, we had to get onto the main highway. We thought we had ridden in strong wind before. It only took a few minutes though to realize that these last 30 miles home would be a challenge all their own. I don’t know how fast the wind was blowing, but several times I felt as though the bike would blow out from under me. One more thing to get used to I guess. We pulled into our driveway about 7:00 Monday evening. Before we had stripped off our riding gear, we were planning our next ride for Wednesday afternoon. We are hooked, and we’ll definitely be back for more.

Riding in the Rain

2007-11-25T10:30:00.000-09:00

We left Whitehorse in a rainstorm that lasted the better part of the day. I was warm and cozy with my heated jacket and heated handgrips, even if my pants were wet from the thighs down. At Kluane Lake we ran into miles of road construction that caused the road to be muddy and slick. I was feeling so comfortable though, that I had a great time. In fact, the only thing about the ride I didn’t like, was feeling bad for Bobby, knowing that he was probably freezing cold. We had briefly talked about riding all the way to Anchorage, but by the time we reached Tok, Alaska we were exhausted. We stayed at the same hotel as two gentlemen from Germany who were also riding BMW dual-sports. Bobby and the German guys sat outside on the deck, (the rain had finally stopped), and talked about rides in Alaska and Canada. They were neat guys who had a lot of questions as well as information to share with us about the condition of the road between Tok and Glenallen.
We had called it an evening and were getting ready for bed when the phone in our room rang. That was strange, since no one knew where we were staying. Turns out we had left on the parking lights on my bike, one of the German guys saw it and notified the front desk so my battery wouldn’t run down. Thank goodness for friends!

Whitehorse

2007-11-24T06:52:00.000-09:00

DAY 7 and 8
The following day we did an easy ride into Whitehorse, Yukon. We rode through a bit of weather, but nothing substantial. We kept meeting people coming from further north who all told us we were heading into some nasty storms and really bad roads. Not having rain liners again became a worry. The weather held for the most part until we got to Whitehorse in mid-afternoon. We explored a bit, took a few pictures, and settled into a fabulous dinner at the Edgewater Hotel. For the first time since we left Seattle my request for red wine was met with a wine list rather than a blank look and comment that they might have a box of red wine in the cooler.
We decided to stay in Whitehorse for an extra day. The following morning we had a leisurely breakfast at the coffee shop across the street. We walked around town and generally just relaxed. After lunch we went on a Yukon River cruise. Again, it was relaxing and beautiful. We had dinner at a restaurant that bills itself as the only authentic Mexican restaurant in the Yukon. I don’t know if they are the only one, but they would have to be the best. The food was unbelievable. After dinner we went to the Frantic Follies, a tourist show featuring cancan dancers, and Robert Service poetry.
After the show we went back to the hotel. The weather still looked threatening so my husband wired my bike so I could use my heated jacket. The wiring harness hadn’t made it into our bags for his jacket. Anyway, it was a simple enough process and one that I was endlessly thankful for the next day.

Riding the Cassiar

2007-11-23T09:41:00.000-09:00

DAY 6
We got an early start the next morning. For the first time since we started riding we had cloudy skies. I worried about not having a rain liner for my riding pants, but it was too late to do anything about it. It began to rain just as we left Stewart, British Columbia. The rain was cold enough that I stopped and put the thermal liner in my jacket. I also really enjoyed my heated handgrips. Who needs winter gloves when your hands are this toasty? The water on the road didn’t seem to effect handling at all at the speeds we were driving, and the rain only lasted for a short time. We were dry by the time we reached Meziadin Junction.
I drove the Cassiar highway back in the 80’s with my mom and my brother. I remember an intimidating, very remote road. Either my memory is mistaken, or the Cassiar has changed a lot in the past 20 years. The two thirds of the route was paved and in perfect condition with lots of twists and turns to keep things interesting. The scenery was unbelievable. I love this stretch of road. The last third or so is undergoing construction. Although the waits were minimal, we did have many miles of gravel or hard pack dirt. There were a few places we had to drive on loose gravel or on mud, but overall, the conditions were pretty good.
Then some idiot in an RV stopped in the middle of the road and flagged us down. I didn’t have time to prepare for a stop, the road was sloped, and loose gravel. I slid off the seat and held the bike, but my foot slipped and I could feel the bike dropping. I held it for a while, but the angle was too much. The jerk in the RV just stood in my face and watched me drop the bike in slow motion. Then he looked over my shoulder and asked my husband whether there were any services on that road. Of all the nerve! Finally he helped me get the bike upright and I left my husband to talk with him.
That fall was not my fault. I knew it, but it still frustrated me. I had also hurt my arm again. We finished out the Cassiar highway then drove the 20 or so miles back down the Alcan to Watson Lake for the night. My arm was hurting badly enough that I was having trouble keeping it on the handlebars. By the time we finally stopped, I was crying and exhausted. Neither dinner nor the motel we stayed at was very nice, but I was thankful for the rest, and honestly didn’t care.

HAPPY THANKSGIVING!

2007-11-22T07:57:00.000-09:00

Happy Thanksgiving! I'll continue the story tomorrow.

Salmon Glacier

2007-11-21T08:11:00.000-09:00

The following day we decided to stay in Hyder and relax. I’d been living on Advil for the pain in my arm, and we hoped a days rest would make a difference. We started off walking to a local organic coffee shop where the owners roast their own beans. The coffee was great, and the conversation even better. One of the owners shares my love of photography so we had a wonderful time discussing cameras and pictures and everything that goes along with.
After coffee we wandered around town seeing what there was to see. Everywhere we stopped the question was the same. Have you been to Salmon Glacier yet? The glacier is about 25 miles out of town with a road that runs alongside, then above the glacier. We hadn’t intended to do any riding that day, but decided we’d better not miss the highlight of town, and planned a ride for mid-afternoon. For lunch we stopped back at the coffee shop and met a couple from Seattle who had flown their motorcycles to Anchorage, and were riding home after going up the haul road to Prudhoe Bay. The guy was riding a BMW 1200 GS, the same as my husband’s bike, and the woman was riding a BMW 650 GS identical to mine, down to the color. We really enjoyed trading stories, especially since their ride was essentially ours in reverse. It was also enlightening to hear that they had faced many of the same difficulties we had, from communication problems with radios to her dropping the bike. I’m not alone after all!
It made the meeting even more special when they mentioned how uncomfortable their seats were. My husband and I had gotten sheepskin seat covers from Alaska Leather in Anchorage before we knew we would go to Rich’s for custom seats. Since our motorcycles were identical to theirs, the covers fit perfectly. They bought them from us and installed them on the spot. It was cool to know they went to someone who could use them, and it saved us a trip to the bank in Stewart to replenish our dwindling cash supply. We also told them to get in touch with Rich if they intended to do more long rides. They said they’d make an appointment to see him as soon as they got back to Seattle.
After lunch Bobby and I headed up toward the glacier. We stopped first at a bear-viewing stream. No fish were in the stream yet, so no bears. I think the bears were just at home recovering from the parade…. Anyway, from there we started up the road to Salmon Glacier. The road is gravel, mostly hard packed, but as we got closer to the top it had sections of bad washboard, loose gravel, rock slides on the road, and hairpin turns all with 1000 foot plus drop-offs, no guardrails, and a steep grade. After struggling the first few miles I finally relaxed and began to enjoy the ride and the unbelievable view. As rough and difficult as it was, and as beautiful as the scenery, I ended up loving that ride. I finally began to regain that feeling I remembered having as a kid when driving a dirt bike at insane speed over dirt trails. Things began to come together. I was even able to develop a technique for sliding to one side of my seat before stopping so I could safely stop even on rough roads. Yes!
That evening we ate dinner at The Bus; a school bus converted into a diner that serves wonderful freshly caught fish. Everyone asks, “Have you eaten at the bus?” Rumor has it the owner’s husband is a fisherman who supplies the food. Whether that story is true or not, it’s a neat place to eat where everyone shares tables and stories of how they came to be in Hyder, along with the more typical conversation among tourists about what they do at home. The people near us were all interested in our motorcycles and wished us luck on the trip up the Cassiar.

4th of July

2007-11-20T11:10:00.001-09:00

We left Prince George early the next morning. It felt strange to be outside the US on the fourth of July. We were wondering whether we could make it Hyder, Alaska, but kept getting different estimates of distance and driving time. At some point during that day, I’m not sure when, we both decided to keep going until we got there regardless of how long it would take. We made stops at a waterfall for pictures, and a few rest areas along the way, but mostly we just rode. At the junction where the sign says “North to Alaska,” we met a fascinating old guy who was riding a beater of a motorcycle. He was full of stories about prospecting in the area and fun to talk to. We took his picture and he took ours; as it turns out, the only picture we have together from the entire trip. One way or the other, we rode 350 miles or so and pulled into Hyder, Alaska at about 6:30 that evening. Hyder is a tiny town with gravel streets, a couple shops, a couple bars, and not much else.
We were tired, dirty, and hungry so we went in search of a motel first. Nothing looked to good on the street as we rode into town, so we went around the corner. Bobby was leading as usual in town. He gave up on finding anything that direction and turned around. I went a little further to turn around in an RV park, and as I turned right in front of me was the Grand View. It was a decent looking place so we went to check on getting a room. No problem, the guy even had squares of wood to put under our kickstands in the gravel. Because we’d been riding hard, and hadn’t eaten much all day, we figured after cleaning up we’d get a good dinner and hang out at the bar for the Fourth of July celebrations. Turns out, everything in town was shut down for the evening parade. While we were eating the corn on the cob that turned out to be the only dinner we’d get that night, and waiting for the parade to start, Bobby turned and looked the other way down the road. Imagine our surprise when a black bear sow and cub crossed the road!
The parade was really funny. I’m not sure if it was supposed to be. The locals took it pretty serious when the fire trucks came by with their sirens going. They were followed by old trucks with political signs, and a truck with local kids playing rock music in the back. The funniest was an old fishing boat on a decrepit trailer that lost a wheel as it went around the corner.
We had a few drinks at the two local bars before making our way back to our motel. We saw a lot of motorcycles, most of them dual-sports like ours. Only a few days on the road, and already we saw other bikers as friends and sources of information on road conditions and friendly places to go. Trading information on luggage, communication, and destinations, past and future added an unexpected dimension to the trip that will always stay with us.

2007-11-20T11:10:00.000-09:00

Lilloet to Prince George

2007-11-19T10:18:00.000-09:00

The next day, the third of July, we started out not sure where we would end for the night. The weather was perfect. We were back on good pavement, and I was feeling better than I had since we started. We stopped at Marble Creek Canyon campground and took a few pictures. I wished we could stop long enough to play in the water. But we had a schedule to keep.
We made good time, and after a stop and an emotional conversation where we discussed the fact that I felt pressured to ride faster than I wanted to, and my husband admitted he wasn’t enjoying having me on the ride because he was worried about me and felt helpless to assist me, we came to an agreement that I didn’t need help other than getting the bike up. I explained my fear of stopping was impacting my riding at all levels and my husband assured me that he wasn’t embarrassed of me, and that his anger was toward the dealer for not getting us the lowered bike we had requested. His reluctance to walk with me the previous day had been based on his pants being too big, not annoyance with me. After getting all that worked through, we were able to enjoy each other’s company a lot more in addition to the ride.
I hadn’t realized how many issues would need to be resolved to travel together like this. My husband and I have been together almost five years. We’ve traveled together before, in a car. Being on motorcycles, independent of one another, but still needing to stay together created new issues we had to deal with. I found myself more dependent on him than I had ever been, and he found himself having to be more patient, and more trusting of me than he’d had to be before. I think this is the kind of experience that can make a relationship stronger if the couple can talk about and work out solutions to the stresses and problems as they arise. It could destroy a relationship where people allowed pride to over ride their ability to compromise.
We rode into Prince George in the evening not knowing where we would find a motel. We rode around a bit before finally spotting a place. As usual in town, my husband was in the lead. I got stuck at a red light, and as I caught up with him watched him turn the wrong way down a one-way street. I certainly wasn’t going to follow! I drove around the block and met him as he returned looking for me. Eventually we pulled in front of the doors to a nice motel. My husband went in and secured a room while I stayed with the bikes. Turns out they not only had a room available, they also had secured parking for our bikes!

Canada

2007-11-18T11:52:00.000-09:00

We got a late start from the dealership and decided to call it a night just before we crossed the border into Canada. We got all out paperwork in order, title to the bikes, passports, etc. The next morning, we headed up to the border crossing at Vancouver. We were a little disappointed when the border patrol just waved us through. Vancouver is a beautiful city, but traffic was frightening. My husband almost got taken out by a car merging in from the right lane. From Vancouver we rode to Whistler and along the Sea to Sky Highway. That is an amazing road that I would LOVE to go back and ride now that I am confident on my bike. At that point the tight twisties were more than I could enjoy, and my stopping problems kept me from taking as many pictures as I would have liked. We spent the night in Lilloet, BC. We met our first fellow riders while there. It was a couple from Norway who had rented BMW's to tour Canada for a month. It was one of the high lights of the trip to meet another couple who enjoyed riding. I felt a lot more confident after talking to another female rider who had faced some of the same frustrations I had with her bike and her size. The town itself is like a step back in time. A young girl, maybe 10 years old, checked us into our motel and gave us directions for walking to to dinner that evening, and where we should go for breakfast the next morning. As we walked around the town we noticed the huge pieces of jade and found out the town was originally a mining town, and that some of largest pieces of jade in the world are found there.

Around Washington

2007-11-17T05:57:00.000-09:00

After getting our custom seats we did a 500 plus mile breakin ride over the Cascades into Eastern Washington down almost to the Oregon border, back across the Cascades, and back to Seattle. Looking back on that ride I am struck by two things, my inexperience kept me from enjoying the ride like I should have, and since when did the Pacific Northwest get so HOT? My bike was too big for me and I was afraid of falling every time we stopped. I had dropped the bike once the first day and hurt my shoulder pretty badly, then dropped it a second time the second day. As long as we were moving I was happy and having fun, but stopping literally terrified me. My husband paid to have a lowering kit rushed to Seattle so I would have a better ride after the breakin service. But, and I'm leaving out a long and furious rant at this point, the lowering kit didn't show up, and we left Seattle headed for Alaska with me riding a bike that I couldn't stop unless I slid off the seat. It wasn't a great beginning.

Getting a motorcycle

2007-11-13T10:31:00.000-09:00

After we knew we wanted BMW dualsport motorcycles we had to find a dealership that could get both the bike I wanted, an F650 GS and the bike my husband wanted an R1200 GS. We called all over the country but were finally successful at Ride West BMW in Seattle. I was a little nervous because it is a BIG bike, and I wasn't able to get a lowering kit right away, but bit my lip and tried to focus on how excited I felt rather than how for away the ground was when I sat on the seat! Our first stop after picking up the bikes was Rich's Custom Seats. Buying a custom seat from Rich was the smartest thing we could have ever done!

Welcome!

2007-11-12T10:36:00.001-09:00

Welcome to my new blog. This is my first post here, so let me introduce myself and let you know what I'm hoping to accomplish with this blog. First to introduce myself.

My name is Karen and I am a motorcycle junkie. I got my first motorcycle when I was 12 years old. My next door neighbor (the best looking boy in school) had a motorcycle and I was able to convince my parents I needed one too. I loved riding around rural Oregon where I grew up. That first motorcycle was a little Kawasaki dirtbike, that I rode all the time until my family moved to Alaska the year I grauduated from high school.

The next 20 years went by without me riding. First I was a poor college student who barely had enough money for food, let alone a motocycle, then I was married to an emotionally abusive guy who was against anything I thought would be fun. We finally got divorced and I found myself free to do what I wanted for the first time in many years. I met a guy who treated me and my girls well and we soon bought a house togethr. We talked a few times about getting bikes, and even went down to the local Harley Davidson shop and sat on bikes. I loved the idea of riding again, but wasn't thrilled with the way a Harley felt. The during the winter of 2005/2006 a friend of ours asked if we would be interested in doing some long distance motorcycle riding with them.

My husband and I started our research immediately and quickly decided on BMW dualsport bikes as the kind of ride that would best suit our intended riding style. I'm only 5'3" and have short legs even for my height, and hadn't been on a bike in 20 odd years. OH BOY! I'll tell about getting our bikes next time.

What do I want to accomplish with this blog?

Well, I'd like to share rides, ideas, problems with other women who ride or would like to ride. Women adventure riders are a growing market share, but not much seems to be directed toward my demographic. I don't want to wear the cute little jackets the sportbike girls are wearing. I need more protection. But I don't want to be limited to cut-down men's wear, either. So, together maybe we can create a voice that's loud enough to be heard. I like long distance touring on backroads with some offroad exploring thrown in. Most forums that I've seen are full of guys who ride this way, but many women. I want to share rides and places to go with other women. The guys are great, and my husband is my favorite riding partner, but there are times when I'd like to ride without worrying about the testosterone factor.

I also own a motorcycle forum for women, TwoWheelFemales.com, and I'd like to invite any women who read this blog to come over and say hello. I'm ridingAK over there if you check it out.

Till next time... Ride safe.