I have been trying to get the link to work, but so far this is the best I can do. The link would let you go directly to Google Earth with the track attached. You could then zoom in and see closer detail of the areas I was in. Looking at the globe you can see a light blue line running from Alaska to New York. This is the actual track log for the last half of my trip. SPOT only holds the GPS coordinates for 30 days so I missed most of the front part of the trip when I finally downloaded the file. Still it is pretty impressive when you look at the track.

If you have Google Earth on your computer and would like me to send you the link, Email me or leave a comment and I'll send it to you.

Here are some more shots of the grizzly. The top one is when he/she decided they had enough of the gawking snacks, and was not interested in meat I guess.

Here you can see the teeth, and how they use their lips to pull the berries off of the plants. You can also see how easy it is for them to hide in the bushes.

Berries or people, easy pick'n or a short chase. Guess I'll stay with the berries for now.

What's going on over there?

The eyes are looking, the ears are listening, and the nose is smelling. He was expressing a lot of interest in us at this time. At 30 feet he could have been all over us "tourist" in seconds. My defense, the kid next to me wasn't wearing any shoes, a quick stomp from me, and the jumping and hollering from him, well you get the picture.

This video is when I first pull up the the scene. I had trouble spotting the bear at first, but he then came out and could be seen. The bushes were only about 10 feet in depth. The end of the video is just me getting out the point and shoot camera, then electing to go with the DSLR with the 100-400mm lens. I am glad I took the time to take these photos. Most of the time I was snap-snap and off riding again. Next time, I will plan a much slower pace to take advantage of these opportunities.

These images are from Jasper National Park in British Columbia and Alberta Canada. Their national parks are as spectacular as ours. I'm not sure of the admission fees. I purchased my ticket the night before and it was only good until 4:00 PM the next day. At the US parks the pass is good for seven full days. So for a portion of this trip through Jasper I was technically an illegal alien or in today's speak and undocumented park visitor.

The photo above and below are just two different views of the same waterfall. This waterfall is right beside the road and there is a large parking area on the opposite side of the road from the falls.

Below is one of many very nice views as you travel on RT93 through Jasper. I did get off the bike and walked some of the trails to get some of the photographs. The top photo for example is just one part of a series that I shot for a panorama, but it is also nice by itself. That photos was at the end of a 1/4 mile hike to view the hidden lake.

This is one of the first waterfalls you encounter when you enter the park from the town of Jasper. It is about 15 miles in, and you need to take another road into it. I was shooting towards the sun so it is not a high quality photograph, but still shows a nice scene.

This video is as I approached the Columbia Ice fields. Looking to the right you can see the base of a glacier who's name I can not spell! This glacier was apparently much large, and was almost at the road when the road was built, but over the years has receded back about a 1/2 mile or more to it's present location. I did hike up to it, but not onto it. I'll be standing in enough snow and ice in a few months, didn't really feel the need to subject myself to that memory. I mentioned in an earlier post that I wasn't too impressed with it. It looked like a big dirty piece of ice. The glaciers we saw in Alaska, and the one I saw in Glacier NP were a little more impressive in size, and appeared cleaner. The video below is as I am leaving Jasper NP and not long before I came across the cars stopped for the grizzly.

The above photograph is at Denali NP. Most of my photos (keepers anyway) were of the landscape. Most of the wildlife we saw was at a distance. There were a few closer creatures, but the images turned out to be boring.

Another shot of the clouds in the valley at Denali. To the right of these mountains is where they saw Mt. McKinley is. At 21000 feet you would think you would be able to see it. I'm still amazed we could be only miles from this huge mountain and not be able to see it. It is CRAZY!

A shot of the goats at Yellowstone. I did not do much photography in Yellowstone. I was mainly just riding through to get to the Chief Joseph Highway, and I was also trying to beat the rain. I did not beat the rain, but I also didn't catch the hail like a group of riders about a half hour behind me did.

A waterfall in Yellowstone on my trip out to Idaho. The goats were as I was passing back through on my return trip. Rene' and I visited Yellowstone last year and we would like to go back when we can spend some time there. Maybe next year.

A panorama in Denali NP.

Another Panorama of Denali NP.

The next bunch of photos will be of Jasper NP (Canadian), then I'll post some more of the grizzly, and Glacier NP. I still have to go though all the video to post some more videos of interest.

A panarama of Crater Lake in Oregon. This is one of the most beautiful places I visited on my adventure. If you can ever get in the area of Crater Lake National Park this is a must palce to visit.

Another view of Crater Lake.

This is another panarama of Crater Lake

I put together some panorama photographs. This one is on the GS ride in Oregon. The moutain peaks in the back ground are the three sisters volcanos. The lake appears to be in a crater, and the photos were taken from the top of some mountain that I have since forgotten the name of. There are a lot of places which the names of them I have forgotten. Next time I will have to write some of this stuff down.

Hey I made it home.

On Monday I did 740 miles in 93 degree heat with a heat index near 100. I was not only exhausted, but my rear was on fire. I hate that monkey butt feeling. The day was just a ride straight and get through Chicago without incident. I'll just say that some of the most life threatening drivers I have encountered were these last two days in Illinois, Chicago, Cleveland, and Buffalo. I'm talking criminal in their driving. But I survived them.

Tuesday was much the same, and I just rode with the goal of getting home. I put on a pair of LD Comfort shorts and that eliminated the bunching of sweaty undershorts I was suffering with on Monday. Still by the end of the day I was getting sore again. I put down 588 miles to get home. For the trip I logged 13448 miles in 39 days an average of 345 miles a day. I slept very well last night as well as the night before. It'll take a few days for me to get back to normal. I lost about 4 lbs on the trip, unfortunately none seems to be from my belly.

I am not ending this blog here. I will be posting more items from my trip as I remember them. I wanted to talk about some of my favorite riding, which is in the early morning. Everything seems so peaceful and quiet. My early morning start on Sunday through the wilds of WY into SD was very nice. I had a similar ride two years ago with my brother-in-law Rod, and Big Jim when we left Pace, AZ for CO. No traffic, and this great feeling of peace. I like those rides.

Feel free to leave a comment or ask a question or just use the new instant buttons at the bottom of the posts. For anybody new, the first posts posted are the older posts, and you can access them the "older posts" link at the bottom of the page.

I would like to thank Rene' for her understanding of my adventure needs, to Ken for his encouragement, and dirt lessons. To Tim and Jason for their hospitality at the rally. To Dave and Bill for their dirt riding advice and Alaska advice. To my neighbors for looking out after our home, and helping Rene' when see needed it. To Kristen and Jimmy for watching our little monster 8 month Golden Retriever. A special thanks to Fred and Judy who walked Lucy, our puppy, every day twice while I was away. To the good lord who kept me healthy and safe during this trip.

While at the rally I met someone who was at Jason's trailer. I am ashamed to say I don't remember his name, but I can't help but think of him regularly. He announced he was diagnosed with ALS, Lou Gehrig's disease. I told him my mom had ALS, and he wanted to find out more. He asked if she was still alive, and I told him no, she had died some time ago. I could tell he was uncertain about what to expect, and his eyes showed he was scared. He wanted to know how long she lived after learning of her disease, and I told him about two years. He believes he has had it about a year now. He was trying to be brave about it, but he is scared. I told him to make the best of his time, and to spend much time with family, and if there was something he really wanted to do, to do it. He agreed, and said he was trying to spend more time with his family. My heart and prayers go out to him. He will die a painless, but agonizing death none the less in maybe a year or two. Long before his time should be up. This is why I try to do all that I can, while I can. This is why you should try to do all you can. Get to the places you want to go to, and do the things you want to do, now, when it can be enjoyed for what it is. Fulfilling a dream or a goal, not because it is your last hooray. How enjoyable really would it be?

The day was a beautiful sunny day, that got pretty hot. I started out on Rt 14 and found myself running some very scenic, and twisty roads. A real pleasant surprise. My goal was to possibly run through Sturgis to get you some video, and to do the Badlands NP which I missed on the way out. I did do both. I put down 412 miles yesterday, and 680 today. I broke 12000 for the trip today. I have some great video, but my video converter has stopped working again. Funny how these things just stop working in computers. don't know if it was the program itself or something Windows & is doing to it. The bottom line is I have to reinstall it (this will be the third time) before I can convert the files and upload them. It is now 10:30 and I'm just to tire to screw with it tonight. I will edit this post and post the video later.

Sturgis was sloooow going through it, although there didn't seem to be as many bikes as when Rene' and I went through there last year. Maybe they were all out taking advantage of the beautiful weather.

I was hoping to get into Minnesota today, but I am I think about 130 miles short. I ran out of energy and daylight. Good thing as there was a real nasty storm I was chasing without knowing it. Have you ever heard that storms that produce tornadoes have that bumpy look underneath. I was looking at those clouds thinking about that. They were not brown, another sign so I didn't give them much thought as being too bad. I was also watching a large cell that appeared to be attached to the end of the bumpy clouds. Well this was a big powerful storm that the hotel clerk said may have had a tornado touch down not from from here. Darn, I missed another bucket list item, photographing a tornado.

Upon entering Yellowstone I had the opportunity to photograph some mountain goats.

The weather was not to promising for my planned route, but I would make the decision when I got to Rt 89. Either continue on Rt 90 or take Rt 89 into Yellowstone. When I reached Rt 89 I checked the weather on my cell phone and it appeared that the storms were already passing, and I might slip in behind them. Of course things can change and it would take me 45 minutes to get to Yellowstone. The sky didn't look good, but I decided to go for it. The weather was fine until about half way down the Grand Loop Rd. Now the thing about Yellowstone that I hate are the other motorist. Yea, they paid to see the beautiful scenery, but PULL OFF THE ROAD to take your pictures and gawk. These people just stop in the middle of the road and get out of their vehicles to take pictures. Like I said before our national parks are real treasures, and like before, you really need to spend time in them to get the most out of them. But trying to drive through the park is an exercise in futility. The first video shows some of that, buffalo, and the rain.

Upon leaving Yellowstone on Rt 212 which is the Beartooth Pass the rain continued. Off of the Beartooth, which by the way is an awesome mountain road when you take it the full length, is the Chief Joseph Hwy, AKA Rt 296. This is another awesome road, that starts off with sweepers, gets into twisties, and back to sweepers with great scenery the entire way. Both these routes were recommended to Rene' and I last year by a Native American in Jackson, WY. He certainly knew what he was talking about. In this video, which I apologize for the blur, all the rain caused water to get in behind the lens, I try to show you the GPS map of the route which looks somebody just scribbled a line out. Many 20 MPH near switch backs. Lots of elevation changes too. By the way, what the lens shows is similar to what I see through my visor when it is raining hard.

I made into Cody, WY. I was wet in the fanny, and neighboring things and cold there too. I checked the weather both by looking at the dark sky in my path, and the cell indicated more storms on my possible route. Another factor was also in play. Sturgis is happening, and lodging is scarce. One guy I talked to said they were expecting 600000 to 700000 bikers. A tad higher then the 6500 at the BMW rally. I started to call all the hotels, and was lucky to find a reasonable place at a reasonable price. That motor lodge was full within an hour of my getting my room. Some other riders came in right after me, all frazzled. I asked if they had the rain out of Yellowstone, and they replied they got 1/2 " hail twice in storms coming out of Yellowstone. I may have had some small hail stones, I'm not sure, but it looks like I dodged that joy anyway. I may ride through Sturgis, but then again, I was told it was packed. Maybe I'll video it from Rt 90 as I pass by. I plan to do the Badlands as my last hooray as I then start to push for home.

I rode to Missoula for my bike's 12000 mile service. It actually had 13112 which puts me over 11000 miles on this trip. I had to have a new rear tire as the used one would not get me home. I spent time mapping out my return, and what I will probably do is run 90 to 89. Take 89 down to Yellowstone and run across the top of the Grand Loop Road, a section I have not yet done and exit out of the northeast gate. This is where the Beartooth Pass is. I will run that to the Chief Joseph Hwy, which I missed on my way out here. I'll take that into South Dakota where I will swing through the Bad Lands NP, another planned feature I missed on the way out. Once I finish it, I'll motor east on Rt 90. I'll have to plan my timing going through Chicago as all big cities can be a real nightmare riding through. I may consider a detour to bypass the city. I went through on a weekend day on the way out and it wasn't bad, but the return will be a weekday.

I decided not to go any further today as there were lines of strong storms all along my path. I could see the storms, and it even rained briefly here. The route for part of it should be clear tomorrow. I'll try to make Cody, WY as a minimum, and further if all permits. Yellowstone could be slow being on a weekend, but I am also just running the top of the loop so I won't be in there long, unless some great photo opportunity arises, then I may be obliged to stop.

My room for the night, $53.00 with tax, and it is a lot bigger then that over priced room in Jasper. I was talking with some guys at the service center. One moved here from Florida, and he loves it out here. He was looking to trade his RT in for a GS Adventure. Funny how he after so many years just grew to hate the heat, and he loves the snow or the change of seasons. Our first B&B owners in Alaska were from Florida, and the same thing, they hate the heat. Me, well if you haven't heard, I hate the snow and cold. I guess if you have lived in an area all your life, you can become dissatisfied with the weather and want something different.

The other guy has my luck ten fold. He is on a two month go to the rallies type ride. He bought a used 1100 LT which is an older touring bike like a Goldwing. Within a week his transmission goes bad. He has it towed and they discover no transmission oil. The dealer in California had changed the clutch so it appears they neglected to replace the oil. They sent him a used transmission, which took like 9 days to get to his location. The dealer paid for the installation. Two days later that transmission goes out and he had to wait another 9 or 10 days for the dealer to send another used transmission, which he was hoping would be installed today, but no, it'll be tomorrow. He has spent over twenty days waiting for his bike to be fixed.

I have 2400 or so miles, based on the above route to get home. I am hoping to be there by Wednesday, but if I need to, I can push it and get there sooner. This is really the worse part of the trip. Going home is great, but it is the miles to get it over with. That is one reason I added the routes I missed on the way out. It will make the ride purposeful or fun for a little bit more before hitting the super slab and just riding on endlessly for hours on a straight road. I'm starting to get a little tired, and the butt is getting a little sore.

Yesterday the ride was 300 miles and the weather was fine. I rode from Inervere Canada to Glacier NP. I was so happy to cross the border back into the USA. Canada is expensive. There are some real pretty parts, but we have many even more beautiful places here in the US. Take my advice, spend your hard earned cash in the US. Not only is everything over priced in Canada, but they like to charge you a fee every time you have to use American money. They should be giving you money back as the dollar is worth more, but they either treat it as 1:1 or they charge you a fee.

I took the Going to the Sun Hwy through the park. This roadway is supposed to be one of the most scenic roads in America. I'll give it that. If you have a problem with heights, narrow twisty roads, and no guide rail then this isn't the road for you. The road is cut out of the side of mountain and there are parts that if you run off the edge, say good bye for a 1000 feet or more.

I took the road from West Glacier to East Glacier a distance of around 50 miles. There is a lot of construction on the road so it takes some time. They stop you for up to 15 minutes at different spots. I was able to find lodging at the Sears Motel. Cabins built maybe in the 40s. The floors creaked, and had a slant to them. The sinks faucets stuck out about an inch, and there was a hot and a cold faucet. You can't wash your hands with warm water, either hat or old unless you put the stopper in and fill the bowl - gross! The shower was a metal box, with metal doors. The hot water took mighty long to arrive, but once it did the shower was fine. Just a comparison, I paid $62.00 for the night in this cabin. My hotel room, I mentioned earlier in Jasper was $162.00 for a night and was smaller and almost as antiquated as this little cabin. I was lucky as most lodging is all booked anywhere near Glacier.

My hotel for tonight had only two rooms, both suites, left. I am 35 miles from Glacier, and the only possible rooms are in Missoula, a couple of hours away. The cabin didn't have any internet, the office did, by dial-up, but that was it. I washed the bike at the cabin, and got some bugs and dirt off of it that had been there since Oregon.

I spent the day in Glacier today, trying to get some photographs. I did some hiking, but with motorcycle boots, the feet start howling. They are not made for hiking. Glacier is another one of those parks or places you need to spend days at exploring. Our National Parks are real treasures and you should really try to get to them.

The only wildlife I saw in the park today were some mountain goats. I only got some video that isn't posted. The posted video is the day I first rode the Going to the Sun Hwy, Cows in the roadway on Rt 49, and today's portion of the Going to the Sun Hwy. As for the cows, they have free ranging out here which means the cattle just run loose and can be in the road or out in never never land.

After leaving the park I saw a grizzly hauling a** across the road in front of me. It was big and moving fast. There is no way you can out run one, I saw the speed first hand. I was carrying my bear spray on my jaunts, as the trail heads warn that you are in bear country, and bear spray is recommended.

Waterfalls Jasper NP.

Finally a GRIZZLY. I took this photo after leaving Jasper NP. There were cars all over the road looking at this grizzly that was from 30 to 50 feet off the road. I could not see it at first, but when I could, it was time to get out the big hardware. I was about 30 feet from him on this shot. He stood up when he heard a tractor trailer starting to move. Most of the people around me started to quickly move back which is the wrong thing to do. Anyway I finally got some good grizzly shots. There is a video of him also, but I did not post it.

Jasper NP is a spectacular park. Gorgeous mountain views, and a great road. They do not have as many pull off as many US parks do, but the scenery is just as good. I spent most of the day in the park, and wish I had more time. You could easily spend a few days here. It is so hard to take in such grandeur. My head was swing from right to left trying to take it all in. This is a definite for anybody looking to visit up this way. I didn't see any wildlife in the park, but saw some, such as the grizzly, and lots of deer outside the park.

I now have two days in a row without rain, YEAH! The riding was at a slow pace today, and the weather comfortable. I visited the Columbia Ice Fields and walked up to the Glacier. I didn't go out onto it though. Sorry but I really wasn't too impressed. Looked like home in the winter, and big dirty sheet of ice. Everything else in the park I was impressed with.

This video shows some of the park, and possibly a waterfalls, that the first picture is of this falls. The falls is right beside the road, and it reminds me of the falls in Ithaca, NY.

This video I pull over and shot it standing there. The video does not do this place justice.

This video has some legs to it, but it shows the ride and how things change around the corners, a new view with every turn.

I was delayed leaving Fort St John due to fog. I think it may have been mainly right there in the city as when I did leave I only saw a small reminder of it on the road. A sunny day with no rain. Started out at about 60 and the hottest I saw was 82. I had to peel the long johns and liner. I took RT 29 which is a scenic route towards Prince George. Rt 29 ends into Rt 97 and I took that into Prince George. There I got onto Rt 16 for Jasper, Alberta.

The landscape out of Fort St John was rolling foothill with lots of pasture. Some of the road at the start was twisty, but it straightened out into shallow sweepers. You ran along the valley near a river for much of it. As the road ended and I got onto RT 97 the hills became more mountainous and the road switched between mountain twisties to long straight stretches to sweepers as the terrain dictated. Some of the mountains still have snow on the top, and the rivers were flowing hard.

Rt 16 was much of the same as RT97 except no twisties, but very scenic and the mountains became more impressive. You can tell you are getting into the big stuff. The thing I like about 16 is they have several passing areas where you get two lanes on your side to pass. I really didn't need them as I encountered 14 vehicles going in my direction over 230 miles. I passed 13 of them. The last was going at a decent speed, it was getting late, we were in a high big wildlife area, and I needed someone to clear the way. There were only three gas stations in that distance. Gas is not cheap here. One place I had to pay $27.00 for about 4 gallons of regular gas. When they are the only gas station for 80 plus miles, I guess you can charge what you want.

Oh by the way HAPPY BC DAY. Today is BC day, and actual holiday. I have no clue for what, but they have it.

I made my way into Jasper which is similar to Jackson, WY. Everybody out walking the sidewalks with many shops and eateries. The mountains surround the town much like Uaray, CO. The hotels appeared to be filling up so I grabbed the first one. The prices here in Canada are high, but this was my most expensive room, and the smallest at that. I got a king bed, it was the same price as the Queen. The king is two twins put together. Yes there is a seem in the middle, you can only use one side or the other. I could have remounted and rode 30 miles further for a room, if available, but once you are off, it is hard to get back on. Today was 520 miles.

Tomorrow was supposed to have me ride straight to Missoula, but since I had to buy a park pass to get to Jasper, and to take RT93 south towards the US, I will likely take my time and enjoy the sights. RT 93 takes me through Jasper Park and the Canadian Rockies, which I hear is special. The original plan was 560 miles, I'll do much less, and cross into the US on Wednesday and find lodging near Glacier NP. I want to do some photography (I have been hauling my gear for 10000 miles now) there, and will spend a day doing so. My service is scheduled for Friday in Missoula. After that we will see what I decide to do.

My used tire is about shot so I will probably get a new one in MT. I met a guy named Lynn here tonight. He and his buddy, who have been riding together for 20 years, are coming back from Alaska. He took his full dresser HD up the Dalton in the rain to cross the Arctic Circle. He isn't sure what happened to his buddy, they got separated on that jaunt, and he realized he was on the wrong road, went back and took the correct road up. His buddy isn't talking to him right now, so he thinks he continued up the wrong road, and didn't reach the circle. My hats off to him for his accomplishment. I wish I had made it, but I made my decisions with thinking I can and will go back and try again. Besides I really like panning for gold!

This video is riding along Muncho Lake on Rt97 south bound. The scenery out of Watson Lake on Rt97 started out very nice then changed to spectacular mountain riding to hilly straight roads the last 200 miles or so into Fort St. John. Today I rode 570 miles. The 15 extra from the planned 555 was from me helping out a KLR rider who ran out of gas about 8 miles outside of Fort Nelson. First I helped him tip his bike onto it's right side to get the gas on that side of the tank, and I followed him until he ran out again. I then went to a gas station and bought a gas can and some gas and returned to him. After having been partly stranded on them Dempster with only 1 out of 3 cars stopping to see if I was OK, I knew how this guy felt.

The day was a little cool, and was from mostly sunny to mostly cloudy depending on where I was. I did run for a mile in a light rain so that makes 11 out of 12 days now. But I guess if you are crossing the planet a distance of 500 plus miles, it is a chance you will find lots of different weather patterns. I came across a lot of wildlife today, beyond the ravens, ground squirrels, and gulls. First were the horses just grazing on the side of the road. They must have free grazing here. Then there were two buffalo herds, and finally a bighorn sheep right beside the road.

For those who haven't had the opportunity to visit the west and see the mountains, it is a must do. The scenery is out of this world. If you like riding, the riding is a blast. Here in British Columbia, the roads can be iffy, as they have lots of loose gravel patches, and entire sections that are gravel. There must be four different road surfaces you can encounter in a very short distance. There are also ridges that sometimes show up that will guide your bike for a moment. Nothing bad, but you notice it. Still the roads are better then in the Yukon.

About 30 miles from Fort Nelson is a road that goes up to Fort Liard in the Northwest Territory. I was considering going up there as a side trip. On my map it appeared to be about 100 miles, but my fuel left was at 96 miles. I took it into Fort Nelson to get gas. I inquired as to the distance and they said from there it was 195 miles. Sorry, I would have considered a 200 to 260 miles detour or side trip, but not a 400 miler. I was about 240 from Fort St. John. So another chance to get into the NT was not to happen. I guess I will have to plan another trip out here.

Here is the first herd of buffalo. Just hanging beside the road.

The big horn sheep is at the end of this video.

More video of riding on Rt97 in the mountains.

There was an older couple who I saw at the hotel in Watson Lake. We had a brief conversation and we basically left the hotel at the same time. I don't know how they did it, but they lead me into the hotel I am staying in tonight. Maybe the "I love the sound of jets" bumper sticker says it all. Could be the construction delays, and the time lost helping the KLR rider, or my more frequent fuel stops, but I was sailing along, and even passed them once, yet they were ahead of me pulling into the hotel. He said he just kept a steady pace. Nice couple and they are planning to take the same route as me tomorrow. That is one of the things about motorcycling, you do meet a lot of people. Many are curious about your ride, and where you came from, and other riders like to compare notes, and get details about where you've been, and I try to get the same.

Yesterday I checked on the status of getting up the Dempster to Eagle Plains, and onto the Arctic Circle. The Dempster was closed at 195km so getting up was not an option. The highway was not only washed out, but apparently flooded. The woman at the information center said her cousin came through (they let you through at your own risk) and the water was up to his doors. I called the motel in Eagle Plains, and the lady said "oh no it is raining here now" in reference to my riding a motorcycle up that way. I did want to go up the Dempster a little ways. I was told of a park called Tombstone, and a place called Two Moose Lake. The scenery is supposed to be unforgettable, and lots of wildlife. One local said there were about 1000 Caribou up there (somewhere I really could not understand him). It was sunny, so I started up the Dempster to explore Tombstone, and possibly Two Moose Lake.



They were grading parts of the Dempster which made the trip in portions a little challenging. The gravel was loose for a period which caused the bike to shimmy a lot. About 25 miles in I feel a funny sensation and hear an unfamiliar noise. I stop to see my rear tire going flat. I have had more then one rider tell me that if you go up the Dempster expect to get a flat. Many adventure riders carry two extra tires. Many also do it with knobbies also. First thing I do, after a few not so bad words, is pull out my bear spray. Then I pull out my plug kit and portable pump. I didn't have to look for the leak, just looking at the back tire a half inch slash was there staring at me. I started to pump up the tire to see if I could preserve the bead, which was intact. I then plugged the slash and it held air. I pumped up the tire and headed back to Dawson 50 miles away. I choose the largest shop as my best bet to get the tire patched. Maybe a mistake. They wanted me to remove the wheel, which really took less then 5 minutes. 2 1/2 hours later, three tries to patch the tire, and several bad scratches to my rim, I leave with a used tire and scratched up $800.00 wheel. The tire was provided by a guy named Dick who owns one of the motels in Dawson. He is a Beemer rider who has several used tires left by other riders who ship them to him and use them on the Dempster. Wish I knew, he could have changed my tire without the butchering done at the shop. They didn't charge me anything, what a deal.



I located Dick and thanked him in person for the tire. With him were an older couple. We got to talking and they said they had just come over the Top of the World Hwy (the day before) and I said I had too. Then the guy says, you were the one beeping at us. BUSTED! They were in the first RV that I was beeping at to get it to move over into a lane. He said they ride there to avoid the pot holes which shake up the RV terrible. No hard feelings, and we wished each other good travels.

I rode back to the beginning of the Dempster where a rider from Idaho named Steve came up to me. He was looking for someone to ride the Dempster with. I advised him of the situation down the road, and he decided he would try it on Saturday. He wanted me to stay over and ride it with him, and I would have loved to see what everybody was talking about, but I decide one flat and a day delay was enough. We parted and I started for Carmacks, YT. Guess what? It started to rain, 9th day out of 10 I found myself riding in the rain. I made it to Carmacks, and the hotel, was, well, a dump. Nothing much in Carmacks as most of these small Yukon towns. No Internet that is why I am posting both tonight.

My ride to Watson Lake was uneventful. It was a little cool, and yes I had more rain, now we are at 10 out of the last 11 days. 14 out of 28 days of this trip I have been in rain. Today was a short 382 mile day to give me a little break. I plan to get to Fort St John tomorrow, that is 555 miles. I have no commitments, so if I feel I need to stop early, I will. I am over 9000 miles on this trip so far. I have video but the Internet connection here is unreliable and keeps kicking me off. I will try to edit with those videos when I get a better location with a good connection. One of the videos shows the smoke from a forest fire about 20 miles from here. It is on the Cassier (sp?) Hwy (RT37) which is now closed due to that fire. That is the route I took up on my way to Alaska. On my way here I went by several areas marked with signs dating the forest fire that destroyed that area. I believe it was 1958, 1968, and 1998 that the signs stated. The 1998 area was still pretty bare. Hope the one raging now is not so bad, that was a pretty route.

The Dempster Hwy, as much as I saw that day.

It has been three days since my last post. On Tuesday Rene' and I started back to Anchorage from Healy. We stopped back into Talkeenta for a late second breakfast at the Roadhouse Cafe'. This place was featured on Man vs. Food. They have huge portion's, and the whole little town is cool. Lots of young adults hang at the park and it reminds us a little of the Jackson, WY community. We got into Anchorage and checked into our room before grabbing a shuttle into town. Rene' wanted to check out some of the trinket shops. There were a lot of drunks, and vagrants on the streets. We had dinner and went back so we could get some sleep for an early wake-up on Wednesday.

A sad day as Rene' was leaving my company, but good in that it was kind of a half way point where I would be headed, at least generally back towards home. I rode with the shuttle driver as we took Rene' to the airport. He was kind enough to let me come along, and he dropped me off back at the hotel. I had packed all of Rene's stuff to be shipped back, and I took it to the UPS store where some of my stuff was waiting. AAAHH a light bike, and no more three trips into the hotel with bags. I like traveling this way. After the UPS I headed to the dealer to have the slave cylinder changed, and an oil change. It doesn't seem to have made much of a difference, but it is working (the clutch). When the bike was finished it started to rain, eight days in a row I had been riding in the rain at least for a little bit. I started for Tok. Now on Tuesday, Terry one of the Denali Dome owners got an update for me on the Top of The World Hwy or Road. The AK DOT advised they were planning on opening the road on Thursday, but that it would be very rough, and extreme caution was advised. So while riding from Anchorage, having left at 12:45 I was considering my options. Do I go through Tok and onto Whitehorse or stop in Tok and hopefully the road and the weather will cooperate and I can try the Top of the World Hwy. Going through Whitehorse would be a 500 mile detour.

Some of this was determined on my ride to Tok. My neck was bothering me and I put on my heated gear and cranked it up. AAHH the heat on my neck was wonderful, but it was making me groggy. I started nodding off, not recommended at speed on a motorcycle. Finally when I "woke" to see me headed for the shoulder which was a mound of loose stone, I decided I better pull off and walk the haze off.I hate to say it but I don't remember alot of that trip. I turned off the jacket and was good from then on. I stopped in Tok at Fast Eddies for dinner. They had an update and that said the road would open at 0700 on Thursday and extreme caution was advised. I decided I would do the detour and head to Haynes Junction for the night. I thought it was about 200 miles, but when I came to the sign that said it was 289 miles, and it started to rain on me again, I decided to turn back and see what things were like in the morning. I slept real good, I must have been tired.

That brings us to today. Now if it was raining again, I was going to bag things and start towards home. But it wasn't raining, and it didn't look like it was going to. I met 5 guys at breakfast who were from Colorado. Three of them, Mike, Wayne, and Barry were headed to Chicken, and they asked if I wanted to join them. I did, and it was a nice easy relaxing ride. I had been tearing up the roads for weeks now, it was nice not to go like a bat out of Syracuse. The first video is on that road to Chicken, a neat little town I really enjoyed.

I finally came across some wildlife I could get my camera turned on to. We came across a Moose and her calf crossing the road just outside of Chicken. I forgot I have the little point and shoot in my tank bag or I would have taken a picture with that too.Mike, Wayne and Barry hung out in Chicken for a little and headed back towards Tok. I took this oportunity to pan for gold. For a $5.00 deposit you can get a gold pan and pan for gold from a pile of rocks from an active gold mine. This is of course one of those things on my bucket list, so I went for it. I didn't do it long as I had to hit the road, the Top of the World Hwy for Dawson. I actually found three little specks of gold. I fell four pounds short of my four pound goal of gold nuggets, but I was real happy just the same. I will definitely go panning again. I started out on the ToW Hwy and found it to be very easy to do. I was sweating it for nothing. With the riding I did with Ken and Dave, I was very prepared, and handled it easily. I was even passing slower traffic, including two RVs. I have nothing against RVs as someday I may find myself traveling that way too. But some people really shouldn't be behind the wheel of them. I passed two of them on this road. The first I beeped my horn a few times to try and get them to use a half of the road other then the middle. Didn't work and I passed the white knuckled driver with about a foot clearance between my handlebars and the ditch. This next video shows the ToW and me chasing down and passing another RV that would not give up the center of the road either.I passed through Canadian Customs with a few standard questions and aired up my tires. I was expecting a smoother ride from that point but found the Canadian portion to be a lot of loose gravel that is a little more challenging then dirt on the American side. Again the lessons learned riding with Ken and Dave were invaluable. I might still be up there slowly plowing away if it weren't for that experience I have gained these last few weeks. A word for other riders thinking of it, as a matter of my opinion. If you are not comfortable with dirt, gravel and loose stone, then this highway may not be your thing. If you are thinking of doing it on something other then a dirt or adventure bike, then you need to be proficient with gravel or you will find it a long road to haul. Another note. I had this idiot in a motorhome coming at me on the loose gravel at about 60 to 65 MPH. These things throw up stones big time and I got peppered. I don't thing my bike received any damage, but I haven't checked it over yet. I was hoping he would fail to negotiate one of the next curves!

The top of the World Hwy seems to be exactly that, on top of the world. The views are vast and spectacular.

Into Dawson City. This place is like a throw back to the western days. The streets are dirt, the sidwalks are wood planks, most of the buildings are 1800s era built. I felt like a cowboy walking the sidewalks with my riding boots clunking on the wood. Pretty cool place. I leave tomorrow hopefully for the arctic circle. I was advised by more then one that if the road to Eagle Plains is wet or there is a threat of rain to re-consider. They advise that a slimy layer of slick clay develops on the surface and they found it very difficult to navigate with their knobby tires which give more grip then the Anakee 2s I am running. If no threat of rain for two days a long the route, it will be a go!

The bus trip through Denali was a bit on the long side. We didn't see much wildlife and what we did see was at quite a distance. I was not able to get any good wildlife photos, but there is some hope for the some of the landscape photos. We did see some grizzlies,

Dall sheep, moose, a golden eagle, three wolves, and caribou. The weather held out and although it rained on my bike, we weren't there to enjoy the moisture. We did not see Mt. McKinley so there still is no proof it actually exists. At one of the stops, you can stand on a brass marker and look through a window with a mountain outline etched on it. This outline is supposed to trace the actual outline of the mountain. I just saw clouds. The bus trip took us from one side to the other side, so they claim, of this vanishing mountain. We met many nice people on the bus, and with a 12 hour bus ride, it sure is a lot nicer riding with nice people.

I am still hearing that the road from Chicken to Dawson is closed so tomorrow, which is now today I will have to make some decisions and change some arrangements. We leave for Anchorage a little later this morning.

Today Rene' and I left the McKinley View B&B, a very nice place for a stay, for Healy. Guess what? It was raining! The day did clear a little and we made it up to Denali. I booked us a rafting trip, that was about 4 hours long and was actually two separate trips. A scenic route, and then a whitewater trip. The scenery was nice through out both trips. Our rafting guide for the second half, Amy hurt herself on one of the rapids. She kept rowing, but she was hurting. We ended up doing a little bit of bouncing of the canyon walls until she could recover. Rene' was a little worried about the rafting, she had never done one. We booked a shuttle bus for tomorrow that will take us to the end of the road in Denali and back. The trip, if we don't get off is about 12 hours round trip. The other guests here at the Denali Dome B&B, another nice place, all are reporting seeing lots of wildlife on their Denali tours.

The weather forecast for tomorrow, you guessed it, rain and isolated thunderstorms. My only concern is the 20 - 30 MPH winds forecast with 45 MPH gusts in the high wind areas. We have to cross one such bridge that actually has a wind sock on it. Could be interesting if all the conditions are against us. We ordered our subs from Subway. They will make them in the morning and we will pick them up on the way to Denali. Once you leave the Bus stop for the trip into Denali, there are no services except bathrooms, well I think there are bathrooms.

I am hoping to get a lot of photos taken tomorrow. Not the ideal way to do wildlife or landscape photography, but it is my only real option right now. I also have to make a decision tomorrow on where I am going to go after dropping Rene' off at the airport on Wednesday. My original plan was to head up to Tok and then take the Taylor Hwy to the Top of the World Hwy onto Dawson. But all the rains have washed out the Hwy. They had it open for a few days, but more rain washed out all the repairs. If the road is closed, I can't make it to Dawson without an additional 500 miles detour. One option I am considering is heading south to Homer and maybe doing some photography down there or changing my reservations a day to allow me to detour up to my planned destinations. This would of course move everything preplanned and reserved a day back.

We stil have not seen Mt McKinley, and I am beginning to believe it is really a marketing ploy, and the mountain does not really exist. Still hoping to see a piece of it. Mileage today was 136.

Not much happening today. There is a steady drizzle which won't stop us from going anywhere, but what are you going to do when you get there. Not much fun walking around in the rain, not that riding is any more enjoyable in the rain. Again the forecast, depending on who you check is not good for at least a week. The Weather Channel has us at partly sunny right now, not even close. The aviation weather site has rain for the next few days. This photo is of the satellite view of the clouds. There isn't any real weather radar coverage for the area we are in. The cloud cover has been stuck over Alaska for over a week, and will stay for a little while longer. The high temps predicted for the next few days are in the mid 50s to low 60s.

Yesterday I started out in a light rain that eased up after about 20 miles. It was a little chilly but manageable. AK 1 was in mostly good shape, and goes from a 2 lane highway to a two lane mountain road to a 6 lane highway that dumps into Anchorage. The mountain road parts are fun and scenic. I took the bike to the BMW shop I had originally scheduled a tire change for. I had them check the light clip, and the clutch. Since the issue on day two, The clutch hasn't been right, and although it works, the engagement is near the top leaving little to no friction zone. They ordered a new slave cylinder and I will take it back Tuesday afternoon when Rene' and I get back to Anchorage.

On the way to Anchorage I saw a moose that was standing near the road. Unfortunately, I had shut down the camera, so by the time I restarted it, the moose ran back into the woods. Dagnabit.

I had time before picking up Rene' at the airport so I went to the UPS store to ship some of my stuff back. I felt putting the dry bag with about 30 lbs of stuff on top of the top case which is already about 40 lbs would be too much weight high and back. With the weather forecast looking down right crappy, I figured I wouldn't need the tripod along with some of my other stuff. Rene's flight had been delayed in Chicago due to weather, but she made it in OK. We left Anchorage in the rain for Trapper Creek where we have lodging at the McKinley View B&B. There was lots of construction which slowed things a little then all came to a stop. Apparently an over size truck got hooked on a power line, and there we sat, not moving for almost three hours. We were only 26 miles from our destination. Luckily, it wasn't raining, and even a little on the sunny side.

This video is a part of the ride to Anchorage on AK 1. The next video just shows our three hour wait. We met and talked to a lot of other motorist during this stop.

Today we went into a small town that has all the activities. The town, Talkeetna has flight seeing, boat tours, a train tour, rafting tours, and a couple of real nice cafes. We finally signed up for a flight to see Mt. McKinley, but this mountain does not want to be seen. The clouds moved in so we flew around looking at a few glaciers and stuff. We may go back tomorrow to take a jet boat tour. You can do it even if it is raining, a real possibility for tomorrow. We'll see. Mileage for yesterday was around 330, and today about 60. Here is a video clip from the flight.

Today was one of those days. I started out to replace the headlight bulb and in doing so discovered a tiny little plastic tab that holds retaining clip is broken. I had to fiddle with it for about 15 minutes, trying to get both hands into a space the size of an open mouth. I know my dentist Tim can do it because he has had both hands inside my mouth, I think one of his feet too. I finally got the bulb in and the retaining clip secure. I'll have it checked at the dealer tomorrow, and if warranty, replace, if not I have a fix in mind. The way it should have been.

The scenery leaving Whitehorse on the Hwy 1 was much better then coming in. The road was fast at first, then the frost heaves. I was standing on my pegs for many of the heaves, and some tossed the bike right up slapping my but. A guy on an 1100 RT bottomed out on one. I know which one it was! The road had gullies some 3 to 6 inches deep running across or diagonally across the road. The section between Whitewater and Beaver Creek, about 20 miles was the worse. They were filling in the road with loose gravel. Glad Ken and Dave gave me some dirt experience.

The day was cold and wet all day. I was shivering, why? Because I didn't want to stop and put on my heated gear, moron. Anyway I started having cramps in my neck and shoulder that I still have now. A hot shower helped, but didn't cure it. I rode about 150 miles in rain to include pea sized hail, and a thunderstorm in the mountains. The closest lightening strike I counted was 3 miles away, the loudest, 8 miles away. The hail storm was heavy and hurt. Ping, ping, ping the hail hitting off everything. Even with insulated leather gloves, it hurt the hands. I had a layer about an inch thick laying in my crotch, cold and wet. I tried to get some video of that, but the camera was aimed too high. I pick up Rene' tomorrow in Anchorage, and I really hope there is an improvement in the weather.

I have two videos here, one is a little long and is the ride through Yukon Territory nearing Alaska. It has some scenery, weather, and high winds. The second video is the hail storm and is short. No Joy when both the helmet visor is wet inside and out, and your glasses are also, plus the inside of visor is fogged as well as your glasses. It was like looking through frosted glass. I finally pulled the glasses down on my nose so I had a slit between the helmet top and my glasses to look out.

The mileage is 647 for yesterday, and 533 today for a four day total of 2614, the equivalent of going from Syracuse to Seattle in four days. I have logged 7000 miles on this trip so far.

Sunday I rode 17.25 hours and covered 803 miles, my new personal long. I was bushed at the end. On Monday I covered 631 and today about 650 miles. Almost 2100 miles in three days. I was too tired to post on Sunday, and yesterday the hotel I stayed at had too weak a signal on their WiFi and it kept kicking me off.

Sunday after saying good bye to Ken and Dave I started north on RT 97 to get over to RT 20. This road was recommended by everybody as a must do, so I did. I didn't plan on it adding 140 miles to my planned 664 mile trip. After an hour or two I started to hit some windy conditions. By the time I got onto Rt 20 there were some good strong gusts. The first video is at the approach to the Oregon Washington state line. I stopped for fuel, and had breakfast with two riders, John, and hopefully not sounding like too big and idiot, I think Bob. They were good




company, and they were headed east. This video shows some of the motorcycle movement from the gusts. This second video is on Rt 20 with the wind. Rt 20 is a beautiful twisty mountain road with fantastic views. The road is mostly sweepers with a few tight twisty turns.

While leaving Washington State I had a Bald Eagle flying over head. I went to the border and waited in line with many other cars. I watched almost everybody get a brief delay, then move on. Me, I get the fifth degree, and am questioned for about 10 minutes. Maybe next time I will stop chanting "Allah Akbar" when I pull up to the officer. He finally let me go through. The ride into British Columbia was also beautiful. I learned real quick that the Canadian drivers either drive very slow or very fast, nothing in between. It was not unusual to see cars passing me at about 90 MPH with maybe 25 feet between them. Wonder what the accident death rate is in Canada. This next video is as I am headed north to 100 Mile House. I ended up riding for about 90 miles in the dark to get to my destination. I am riding beside a train and going through two tunnels. Beautiful scenery here also. There were many signs saying to watch for deer, elk and big horn sheep. I only saw three deer, two live bucks, and a dead doe, all along the roadside.

Monday's ride was more and exercise of separating myself from all the RVs. Lots of RVs and they are like land turtles, until you go to pass them, then they race you to the next no passing zone. They never could win that race. The scenery was mostly hilly, with some mountains, and then more mountains the more northwest I got. There were lots of rivers with rapids, and many rafting enterprises along the way. I saw many a teenager with inner tubes walking back from where they exited the river. I am sure they were having lots of fun. I would like to try it someday.

My destination was Stewart, BC which is just across from Hyder, AK. The roadway in, and out is RT 37a. A very scenic route that if I can I would like to return to to spend a day or two doing some local photography. I only did video due to my time constraints, bummer. Here are a couple of those videos showing the scenery. I saw a black bear on the way in that had been hit on the side of the road, and on the way out there was one just walking along the side of the road. I road to within eight feet of him, but did not have the video running, bummer two.

Entering Stewart in the evening on RT 37a (above)

This is leaving Stewart on Rt 37a, the next below id also leaving stewart and is of two waterfalls cascaiding down the mountain.

RT 37 had many views of the mountains, and it winded through and over some of them. The roadway was good at first. You would be going along then the sign "loose gravel" and the paved road is now a gravel road. It would switch back a few times, and had construction where they were putting down oil and stone. The road went from a nice two lane road to a back country two lane road, which isn't all bad, except you were never really sure what surface you were on. I also like having the road lines, and they were now abscent. I made it to the Alaskan Highway in one piece, and took that to Whitehorse. The Alaskan Highway is a fast route with plenty of passing opertunities for encounters with land turtles. But the road was a little boring. Back home I suppose this would be one of the more popular roads, but compared to much of the others, it is a little boring.

Remember if you want to read any of the older posts jsut click on "older posts" near the bottom of the page. I changed some settings so you should be able to send the link to friends, and you should be able to post a comment without signing in, if the setting to hold.

Another beautiful day in Redmond Oregon. I am not riding today although I almost went with Ken and his Missionary friend Eric who just stopped by. I have a lot of riding coming starting tomorrow, and a break before that isn't all bad. I tried to see if they could make some adjustments to my Sargent Saddle as it is starting to sting a little. The sting is pressure points on my butt. They only sell them, so I'll have to use the Airhawk cushion. I'll send the saddle back when I get back home for a little more padding.

The advanced forecast for my trip up to Alaska is not promising. I should be OK on my first two days, which gets me to Stewart, BC which is across the border from Hyder, AK.Then starting Tuesday morning the forecast calls for anywhere from 30 to 60% chance of rain. Most of you know that where I go the rain goes, here being an odd exception. So I will have to put on a lot of miles on some twisty mountain roads in rainy weather. Hopefully it won't be that bad, or a heavy rain. The forecast while in Alaska isn't any better. They say only 30% of the visitors to Alaska actually see the peak of Mt. McKinley because of the clouds. Looks like so far we'll be joining the 70% club that doesn't see it. Bummer at this point.

I was just talking to a person I met here, Dan who is recommending a throttle lock. He has a bike very similar to mine, and he likes it, so I am going to consider it. Help save the stress on my right wrist.

I will have the bike packed up tonight so all I will have to do is pack up the camping gear and give it to Ken. Ken will put in in the Happy Trails trailer and take it back to Boise. He'll ship it back to me from there in about a week. The alarm is set for 0445 local time, and with luck I'll be headed north at about 0600. That should give me enough time to try a different route suggested to me by both Liz (BMW in Eugene) and Ken. It is Rt20 (I believe the same one I live 4 miles from back home) in Washington that runs along the top of a mountain range. Reported to be spectacular views, hell I can't pass that up. Tomorrow nights stop is in 100 Mile House, BC.

I took a 370 mile day ride today. I hit Crater Lake which is truly a must see for everybody. I spent a lot of time just pulling off every overlook to gaze at the beautiful blue waters. This lake is the result of a volcano that erupted then collapsed into itself. I took a lot of photos and many of them are set to be made into panoramas. This photo is a merge of three photos. I have some video of this lake also. After Crater Lake I went back to find that darn FS19 route. I found it, and the kicker is I was on it, but turned off of it to do a video of a covered bridge. I just didn't notice the 19 sign down the road. Anyway I found it, and took it. Surprised a deer as I was coming around a tight right hand corner. I was going easy, and slowed while Bambi tried to climb a hill. This road was full of nice sweepers with some twisties to start. Towards the end it was more twisties, which are fun. The difficult part of the road was the foliage is right to the road edge, and the sun shoots through the trees causing bright spots and shadows. There are places an elephant can be standing by the road and you wouldn't see it until you passed it. The end was a reservoir with an earthen dam. After that I did RT242 again. This is a super twisty road that raises 5000 ft in elevation as you run it. I was slowed by a group of 8 loud cruisers of an undisclosed make. Hell I almost hit one in the rear around a corner as I was down shifting into FIRST GEAR. That bike almost got the one in front of it too. After about 4 or so miles they pulled over, and I was able to run some of the road at a more reasonable pace. I had to pull over for a rider who was just a little faster. Here are some videos.

Crater Lake 1

Crater Lake 2

Tail end of FS19 at the dam

I will be leaving for Alaska early Sunday morning. My posts will likely be short and without video or photos. I will have to travel about 14 hours for the first three days and about 12 hours the second to meet my schedule. If my time is good, I'll try to include some.

)n yesterday's ride we ended up at Paulina's Peak Overlook which is about 7300 ft above the sea level. Here are a few photos from that stop.

This picture is what looks like a large caldera. The light gray is lava and it is in a large bowl.

This photo is a view of the Three Sisters. I can see them, and they are closer to my camp site. From our site we have the Sisters, Mt Washington, and Mt Jefferson. They are all snow covered peaks that are really impressive to look at.

A photo of my drop incident. Some say it gives the bike character. This is what can happen when you ride dirt. There is an F800GS like my old one here that really took a dump. I hear he estimates he has $4000 in damage. He wasn't hurt but his bike took a beating. I'll just sand and repaint the crash bar, and figure something out for the two little nicks on the valve covers.

Ken needed a picture of me showing off my handy work.

Ken and Dave at Paulina Peak Lookout, that is the Three Sisters in the background.

Ken and I on Paulina Peak. Now before anybody says anything, I have my riding gloves, cell phone and beenie in my coat pockets.

Today's riding was about 9 miles in the ERC, Experienced Rider Course. That took about 5 hours and it was in a parking lot in full hot sun. I love the sun, but on hot bikes on hot pavement wearing all the protective gear, it takes a little out of you. I hung out here at the rally and checked the vendors out. Tomorrow I plan to head to Crater Lake and then on the way back look for that darn Forest Road 19. I now know it is in Westfir and uses a different name. Should be a good day of riding.