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.