Mary is 60

Mary turned 60 today. The occasion was celebrated with family and friends with an open house by invitation on December 27 from 4 to 8 PM. Many guests arrived to wish her a happy birthday and enjoy a drink or two and a variety of good things to eat.

This morning she said it did not feel any different being 60 although she was dreading the day arriving. I told her it just keeps getting better. She is pictured with our 8 grandchildren.

ALASKA or BUST 2003

After several years dreaming about, and a year of planning how great it would be to ride a motorcycle to Alaska, I finally did it. I left on July 7 on what would be a great ride of over 10,000 miles, even though there were some set backs. I had everything packed the day before and was ready to roll that morning. I had clothes, tent, air mattress and rain clothes. It was quite a load but it fit well on the cycle.

Looking back I packed pretty well although if I were to do it again I would take fewer clothes. I had sandals I only wore once. I brought hiking boots and that was okay since I wore them in the evening. I really didn’t think of anything more to bring, just less.

Ed Albert rode his Harley Road King and me my Yamaha Road Star. Both look similar. I met Ed at U-75 and 46th street at eight AM. We rode north on 75 highway to US36 and took it to US83 where we turned north to Nebraska. It was a hot and windy day with the temperature at noon in Phillipsburg at 94 degrees. We really planned to camp at Lake McConaughy but when we arrived at Ogallala I suggested we get a motel. It was so hot and looked like it could rain. Later that night we had a heavy rain there so we were glad to be in a room and not a tent. We rode 475 miles that day.

There were many combines cutting wheat when we came up through Nebraska and the wheat really looked good. When we came through Scandia, Kansas you could see where the ground washed due to the 12 inch rain they had a few weeks earlier.

The next day was much cooler due to the cold front that came through. It was 58 degrees when we started. We rode about an hour through rolling hills and beautiful scenery. We stopped at Lisco, NE for breakfast at a little café-saloon. We rode on towards Alliance, NE and on the way saw this turn around for trains. There happened to be one coming into the turn and I took a picture of it. Alliance has a rail yard and the trains must turn and go there. At Alliance we stopped at Carhenge and took pictures of the cars. It is a takeoff of Stonehenge. We went through Chadron, NE then on to Hot Springs, SD.

We rode through the Black Hills National Forest and went to Deadwood and Sturgis. Sturgis is rather quiet then but from August 3 through the 10 the rally will be on and it will be anything but quiet. We had a burger and beer and headed for Rapid City arriving at the hotel about 5 PM just ahead of some rain. We rode 394 miles that day. I enjoyed the ride from Topeka to Rapid City with Ed but the rest of the trip I would be going it alone. When I checked in to the hotel I asked if I could be on the first floor since I rode a motorcycle. The young lady checking me in said, “Yes you can have a room on the first floor. There is even a little patio area you can pull your bike up on. During the Sturgis week some even put their bikes in their room.” I filed that information away for later use. The room she gave me was perfect. It was right outside the registration area for the conference and in a place where most people at the conference walked by. So many people commented about my bike and knew I was headed for Alaska after the conference was over. The last night of the conference is usually a banquet but this would be Sturgis night and we were to wear our biker clothes. It was a lot of fun. They had it decorated like it might be at Sturgis with vendors for food, tattoo parlor, and two Harley’s you could sit on to have your picture taken.

On July 11 I went for a ride through Custer State Park. I went to Mt. Rushmore and took some pictures. The problem was the pictures I took that day ended up as movies. My digital camera has a mode that takes short movie clips. Before I left home I put tape over the selector so it would stay on still pictures. Somehow this didn’t work and it moved to movie. I saw a large herd of buffalo in Custer Park. They were on both sides of the road and some even on the road. I had some great pictures I thought. There were probably 300 to 400 head of bison. There had been reports of someone riding a cycle that was attacked by a buffalo and someone on foot. I later heard they were harassing the buffalo is why they were attacked. I was still careful while going through the herd just in case.

From Mt Rushmore to Custer Park there was a mountainous narrow road with tunnels. I then took the Needles highway which is also narrow with more tunnels. It has some unique rock formations that stand straight up and are tall, thin spheres, therefore Needles. It is a pretty drive. I took pictures of deer which ended up as a movie. That evening the activity was a trip to Deadwood to eat and then gamble. As usual I lost, this time about $46.

On July 12 I took Hunter Bemboom and Ryan Kiser on a short cycle ride. Both of their parents asked me if I would give them a ride. They are about 12 years old and loved it. That afternoon I backed my bike in my room and cleaned it up and had it all loaded so all I had to do was drive out the next morning.


JULY 13 - THE JOURNEY BEGINS

Today I traveled from Rapid City, SD to a campground South of Seely Lake in Montana on highway 83. I rode 710 miles which was much further than I planned. I had a hard time finding a place to camp but the one I found was great. Looking at the map it must have been on Salmon Lake. It cost $15 to camp in this State campground but the restrooms and showers were very clean. The gates close at 10 PM and open at 7 in the morning. Signs already warn of bears and don’t leave any food around. I rode for 13 hours today which is too much. I don’t feel too bad after a shower.

I slept pretty well last night but woke up around 6 AM. I got ready, put the bike outside and checked out of my room. I had them fax a copy of my room fees back to the office so they could send in my expense voucher. They were to begin serving breakfast at seven so I waited around a bit, ate breakfast, said my goodbyes and headed out for Alaska.
I left Rapid City on I-90 and planned to get off around Spearfish on U212. Somehow I missed the road and ended up close the Wyoming border. I turned around and went back to U212. That road runs northwest and crossed a small portion of Wyoming. Then I came to Montana, a new state for me. It was really hot coming through the grassland. It was in the upper 90’s until 3 PM then it clouded up some. I got sprinkled on a little but the wind sure blew hard. It was a head wind and strong enough I had to shift down a gear. It really sucked the gas.

I saw many antelope today. For a long ways through Wyoming and eastern Montana they were everywhere. On 212 highway in Montana I got my first taste of bad roads. There was construction, but not like I had seen before. There was about 20 miles of dirt, holes, ruts, dust and gravel. They had the whole road torn up but traffic was still going through. I had to go in 1st gear part of the way since it was so rough. Little did I know at that time that it would get much worse in Alaska? I came to Custer’s last stand and went up to the entrance. It cost $10 to enter so I passed it up.

At that point 212 highway met up with I-90 again. I took it to I-94 and stayed on that until I came to U89 at Springdale. I took 89 north to 12 highway then went west to 12 & 287. That is where I hit the strong winds. I had thought about camping on the Canyon Ferry Lake but there was a forest fire in that area so I continued on to Helena. I should have stopped there for the evening, but didn’t. I took 12 highway to 141 and that to 83 highway. Some where in this area I called Mary to let her know I was okay.

The bugs were really bad today. When we came from Kansas to Rapid City there were not many. A bee hit me in the cheek and brought tears to my eyes. Man that hurt! I reached up while driving and pulled the stinger out. It was sore for several days.

I could see snow in the mountains today even though it was 95 degrees. Tonight sitting here at the picnic table writing this it is cool. I will try out the tent, sleeping pad and bag tonight. I bought a really good self inflating air mattress and hope it works. I gave $89 for it. It is so quiet here. If it stays that way I will probably fall asleep quickly. I am having some Jack Daniels and Coke since I don’t have any beer. I brought a small cooler that will hold about 8, 20 ounce bottles. I just ate some snack stuff I brought along from the conference. I drank 4 bottles of water today. I found a way to put a water bottle with a slip top opening in a longneck cooler. It will fit between the windshield and handle bar. That way I can get a drink of water while driving. I pull the top open with my teeth, take a drink then close it. 90 degree water is better than nothing. It is 9:30 and still light enough for me to write this. It is time for bed now.

JULY 14 – GLACIER PARK

I did not sleep real well because I kept hearing trucks on the highway which was near. The air mattress worked well though. I woke about 6 AM, got dressed and packed things up. I talked with a father & son from California that was traveling by motorcycle. He showed me a road to take when I arrived in Alberta. I left camp at 7 AM and rode to Seeley Lake where I gassed up, ate breakfast and bought a few things from the grocery store. I bought Lunchables and carried that in the cooler. That way I could eat lunch whenever or where ever I happened to be.

I headed to Glacier Park. It was cold enough I had on a shirt, sweat shirt, jeans, chaps, coat and gloves. When I stopped it was too warm. Every day of this trip I wore a light long sleeved pullover shirt to keep the sun off my arms, even if it was 107 degrees.

I saw 3 deer the first 20 miles and had to slow down to avoid them. I drove slower because I knew they can come from nowhere in a flash. I was a beautiful ride all day. I came in the West entrance to Glacier Park. As I write this on August 7 I read in the paper this morning that they opened the park back up to tourists. It was closed for more than a week due to forest fires. It is still only 50% contained. I am so glad I made it through there before the fire. I took many pictures and got some good ones of the bighorn sheep. There was a lot of traffic going through the park during the busy tourist season.

A real advantage to riding a motorcycle was that I could pull off easier and stop in a small area. Many of the vehicles going through were motor homes and many pulling a car yet. I asked people to take a picture of me with my camera. During the whole trip I didn’t have anyone turn me down. In fact at Homer, at the End of the Road, I was taking a picture of my bike when a guy driving by stopped and asked if I would like him to take a picture of me, and he did.

Glacier Park was a beautiful place to ride through. The first main lake is Lake McDonald and it is very large. After I arrived home I read in the paper where they had to start a backfire close to this lake. There is a large forest fire in the area that has been burning since shortly after I went through. They started the backfire to try and keep the fire away from a lodge and other buildings and were successful. About half way through the Park there is a visitor center and I stopped and purchased a pin for my jacket. Shortly after leaving there is where I saw all the bighorn sheep. They came right up to the road and some crossed. There were so many people stopping it kept the main herd from crossing. People were stopping on the road and had traffic stopped. It was quite a sight.


Lake Mary is so big, blue and beautiful. I saw many lakes during the trip and each one seemed to out do the others. Many lakes are so big and very seldom did I see a boat on them or anyone fishing. Just before I reached the Canadian border I was sure a bear ran across the road in front me.

I reached the Canadian border at 2:30 PM and crossed on 17 highway at Chief Mountain. There were about 15 vehicles ahead of me but it didn’t take long. I had my passport and they just asked were I was going and how long I planned to be in Canada.

This was my first time in Alberta and it was just great. Mountains were all around and in the valleys they were putting up hay, and I mean lots of it. Some of the meadows must be 2 or 3 miles long and a half mile wide. Big round bales were everywhere. The pastures go on forever and were really green. Everything looked green coming from Kansas up into Canada. It was after I went through when these areas experienced hot temperatures and dry winds that dried everything out. I stayed up close to the mountains on the west. I did not go to Calgary as I stayed west of there.

I filled up with gas at Pincher Creek and took 22 north. No services for about 60 miles. I ate at Longview about 5:30 PM. I talked with two bikers were I ate and they said there were lots of camping areas along the road to Banff. They were wrong! I passed up the first place since it was just a few miles and I wasn’t ready to quit. Then all the other places were for picnic or hiking, no camping. There are too many bears to allow camping. If I was in a camper there were places to camp. When I was eating at the restaurant this local farmer said I should have bear spray unless I had a gun. I laughed and said the only spray I had was for bugs. He said to get bear spray. I had such a hard time finding a place to stay I was ready to get a motel but the problem was there weren’t any of those either. I finally came across a campground that was very wooded but there were quite a few people camping there. It cost $17 Canadian to camp and only toilets, no running water unless you went to the river. I think that was the only night I didn’t get a shower. I went down to the river the next morning and washed my face. I was going to change underwear too! I guess it can wait another day. I have nobody but me to satisfy. At least this campground should be quiet. There are no trucks around here. It sure was a great ride today. I am tired and it’s only 9 PM and hasn’t started to get dark yet. It is quite pleasant out although I did put on bug spray to keep the mosquitoes off. I used Deep Woods Off and it worked real well the whole trip. I only had one time on the way home around Klune Lake that there were so many mosquitoes I left the campsite even though it was free camping.

I rode 416 miles today. Bike is running real well. Before I went to bed there is a guy and his son camping a short distance from me. He invited me to coffee in the morning.

I had coffee with Jimmy Swiller and son Jim from Pensacola, FL. Jimmy was quite the talker. They were headed to Alaska to fish. He was in his 70’s and son had just gotten out of military. Jimmy had one leg that he said he lost when he was 15 playing sports in school. He said he never smoked or drank. He did ride a motorcycle and that was why he invited me over. He spoke of a time he and his wife were in Mexico and he was riding a small cycle. He hit something and his leg fell off. He sent his wife back to pick it up and a Mexican boy with wide eyes was holding it out for her. I finally thanked them for the coffee and left. Neither of them drank coffee, they just made it for me.


JULY 15 – BANFF NATL PARK & ICEFIELDS PARKWAY

I had a great ride today and only went 318 miles. Banff and Lake Louise were a little disappointing. They were tourist towns with a Scandinavian look. I stopped in Canmore to eat breakfast, gas up and get groceries. I had a heck of a time finding the stores. They were kind of camouflaged and not how you would expect to see them. It also had the Scandinavian look. I finally found what I needed. When you enter the Trans-Canada Highway 1 near Banff you have to pay. It was $7 Canadian but this also allows you to travel from Lake Louise to Jasper which was the way I was headed and that was the best part of the ride. I took pictures of goats, sheep and elk. The goats stink even when they are across the road. I know it wasn’t me even though I may have been getting ripe.

Today I traveled on the Ice Fields Parkway that is mountainous, but not steep like the Colorado Rockies. There were numerous glaciers and over the years they are melting away. In one area I rode down close to the glacier. Along the road they had makers that indicated where the glacier was in 1900 and other years. Its amazing how much has melted and you wonder how many more years will it even be there. I took a great picture of an elk today. I was riding along about 60 mph and caught a glimpse of one out of the corner of my eye. He was lying down on a peninsula. I turned around and went back and when he seen me stop he laid his head down trying to hide. I took a picture but wanted to see more of the rack. I walked as close to the water as I could and just talked to him. He raised his head; I took my picture and walked away. I did not want to spook him or draw attention to him as I knew there would be other vehicles stop then. I drove off and he was still there.

There was also a beautiful water falls called the Athabasca Falls. I took three pictures and they were great but it is still more spectacular being there. The ride from Lake Louise to Jasper is fantastic.


I made it to Hinton about 3:30 and came there to get gas before heading up the Horn Highway towards Grande Cache, Grande Prairie, and Dawson Creek. Well it didn’t happen. As I came into Hinton and was slowing for a stoplight my rear brake didn’t work. It went to the floorboard. I used the front brake and shifted down. I went to a Sears catalog store and the lady in charge called a motorcycle shop. That person couldn’t help and said the mechanic was on a test drive and to call back in a few minutes. In the mean time another young lady came in to pick something up. The two of them got to talking and decided there was another place and called there. They said they would take a look at it. It was real hard to find this place so the lady that came to pick up her order said to follow her. She lead me to the shop that was probably 5 miles away and yes it would have been hard to tell someone how to find it. I thanked both of them for there help. They looked it over and were not sure what happened but the rear brake line must have gotten some air in it. We bled the line and it helped but the brake still felt soft. They called a Yamaha shop in Grand Prairie and the guy said to clean the fluid out of the reservoir and that sometimes a speck of dirt could get in there. We didn’t see anything but there was fluid on top of the rubber and there should not have been. I tried it then and it seemed to work okay. I took some extra fluid and a hose so I could bleed it myself if necessary. It cost me about $50 US but they got me right in and stayed after 5 PM. They were real nice people. I did not have any more trouble with the brake. What I did find out was, and I don’t know why I didn’t know before, to use the front brake most of the time. It should do 75% of the braking. On my Yamaha the front wheel has dual disc brakes and the rear has one disc brake. Now keep this in mind that I had to learn how to brake with the front brake and maybe it would get me in trouble later.

It was about 6 PM so I got a motel and would start fresh in the morning. The first thing I did was to take a shower and put on clean clothes. Maybe people won’t look at me funny now. They had a laundry there so I washed and dried my dirty clothes. I ate in the bar and had a few beers. It was warm out and I wanted a room with an air conditioner. This one leaves a lot to be desired but it works. I called Mary and I am ready for bed at 9:15 but it is still light as day. Maybe I will make it to the Alcan Highway tomorrow.

JULY 16 – HINTON, AB to FT POWELL, BC

I rode 598 miles today on real good roads. By looking at the map I was a little concerned about the Horn Highway or 40 highway. It looks pretty desolate on the map, and is. It was a great day to be alive and ride a cycle. I started out and it was cold but I had on plenty of clothes. I left my coat and gloves on all day. I saw 10-15 deer and 2 coyotes from Hinton to Grande Cache. It is forest country all the way to Grande Prairie. The road was good and they had the trees and brush cut back on both sides of the road. This allowed you ample time to spot the deer and slow down if needed. There were no close calls with animals on the trip.

At Grande Prairie the landscape changed. It turned to meadows and some farmland. There were beautiful canola fields and I took several pictures of them. I even pulled off the main road once so I could get a better view. I took the pictures of the canola fields and then when I arrived at Dawson the start of the Alcan Highway I took more pictures. The rest of the day I motored. There were spots of gravel due to pot holes but most of the day the road was good. I had one construction area and it had rained enough to make the road wet. I passed up two gas places. One was Pink Mountain and I told myself only women would stop there. The next place didn’t look good and the next one out of gas. Can I make it? I wasn’t sure how far I had to go to find gas up the road and I knew I couldn’t make it to Ft Nelson. I finally came across a place and filled up with 17.10 liter for $15.37 and it was 89.9 a liter. That won’t be the most I pay per liter. I talked with two guys and a woman that were from St Louis. They were riding Honda’s and both pulling trailers. I would run across them a couple of more times. When there is only one road to travel it is a good possibility you will see the same vehicles more than once.

I went on in to Ft Nelson to find a place to stay. Some of these places you think might be pretty big and there is hardly anything there. I had seen several campgrounds at Grande Prairie but when you want one they are hard to find. I did a dumb thing the first night I camped. I had cut out all the maps and routes I would travel from the Milepost and brought them with me. That night for some reason I thought I had too much stuff and threw that away. I regretted it several times later. I could have looked at that and seen if there were camping places. Oh well!

I only found one place to camp on the west end and it was called West End Camping. Yes they had a spot for tents so I took it. When I got to the spot it was in the sun and right next to standing water. Yes there were mosquitoes and bees. I was too tired to try to find something else so stayed. It was hot in the sun. After getting everything set up I took a shower. I rode back in town and found a Subway and bought a sandwich. I dragged a picnic table over to some shade and am writing this. I ate my sandwich and had a couple of Jack Daniels and Coke. That always helps the day end. At 8:10 my tent is still in the sun. There is no wind and it’s hot in the sun. Heck I am going to finish off this bottle of Jack Daniels. Less weight to carry! I can probably sleep better too. I will need to buy more tomorrow.

The bike ran good today and no brake trouble. The speed limit is mostly 100 km which is about 63 mph. I mostly drove 65 to 70 and had many pass me. Traffic was not bad, only in Dawson Creek. I should be in Alaska in a couple of days, good Lord willing.


JULY 17 – FT NELSON, BC to RANCHERIA, YT

I rode 415 miles today. I started the day off by calling Mary and then called our daughter Jenea to wish her a happy 30th birthday. She wasn’t there and I had to leave a message. Wish I could have talked with her. The day started off warm but as I got up into the mountains it cooled off quickly. I didn’t sleep good last night. The sun didn’t set until 10:30 and then it stayed light. This place was on rocks and it seemed people were coming and going all night. It was close to the road and the truck noise was bad. It was just a bad place to camp. I woke up at 4:30 and it was light out. There is a two hour time difference now. I hit the road at 6:30.

I stopped in about an hour for breakfast and gas. Most places are only open during the summer and are quite laid back. Yesterday when I filled up with gas after about running out there was a helicopter landed and a guy got out. I guess he was off work because he had his lunch bucket and a jacket. Then today while I was gassing up a helicopter landed and picked up a couple of guys and looked like they were heading to work. Things are far and there are many planes here and in Alaska. Anyway when I got ready to order breakfast he pointed to the board. There were ham & eggs, bacon & eggs or sausage & eggs and it comes with potatoes and toast, either white or brown. Pour your own coffee and if you want some juice there is a cooler with bottled juices. Pretty basic stuff and the wife left and told the husband he could cook. Okay!

After leaving there it was uphill to Stone Mountain. I saw a lot of sheep and goats on the road. It was really cold. It looked like it cold rain and I pulled into a café parking lot to put on my rain clothes. The two Honda’s were there and they were getting theirs on also. They work for Schnucks in St Louis. One is a mechanic and the other drives a truck. I also met a guy today from New York traveling alone and on a Harley. Anyway it did rain for about two hours and sometimes rather heavy. I got into construction several times. Once was probably 5 miles and they had it watered down to keep down the dust. Sure makes a messy bike.

I stopped at Watson Lake for gas, pictures of 1,000’s of signs, beer and Jack Daniels. I had a heck of a time finding the liquor store. I asked a woman as I pulled up to a stop sign where the store was. She was admiring my bike and the fact I was from Kansas. She said they had a Yamaha V Star. Anyway I found the government liquor store since that is where you get beer and liquor in Canada and stocked up.

I traveled on down the road about another 100 miles and found a nice place to camp for $5 less than last night. I asked if I could look at it first and they said, “Sure.” There are not many here so it should be quiet. I am camped by the beautiful Rancheria River. Looks like a good place to fish. Wish I had a pole. Hope the bears don’t eat me! I went down and ate at there café. There were 4 older persons there and I talked with them. They were from Idaho and it turns out one of them went to McPherson College in Kansas and played football. They told me I should stop at Mukluk Annie’s for blueberry pancakes in the morning. It is down the road about 100 miles. I believe I will. Someone is always striking up a conversation with me. Most either have or had a motorcycle. One guy today bought his first motorcycle in his late 60’s after his wife died. She didn’t want him to ride one. He was mad because his 40 year old girl friend decided at the last minute not to come with him to Alaska in his van. It seems her husband didn’t approve. He even showed me pictures of her and she was nice looking. I might make it to Dawson City tomorrow night and spend a day there. They have a music festival there. I talked with a young guy last evening in camp and that was where he was heading. He said they were expecting 50,000 people.

JULY 18 – RANCHERIA to DAWSON CITY

I kept hearing all day about the music festival in Dawson. The traffic was heavier and some driving fast. There were quite a few young kids going. I called the office this morning and everything seemed to be going okay. I left camp about 7:30 after getting up around 6 AM. I sure slept good last night and it was quiet. I did not see another tent and the scenery was great.

I headed north in search of Mukluk Annie’s for some blueberry pancakes. I came to the Teslin River and lake. I took a picture of the long bridge that has a metal deck. I don’t like driving on them but at least it was dry. They are very slippery when wet, especially on a motorcycle. The tires want to follow the groves and it makes you wiggle. The lake went on for 33 miles and is really pretty. I found Mukluk Annie’s on this lake and stopped to eat. It is an all you can eat breakfast. The grill is huge and looks like the outside of it is never cleaned. They cook right out where you eat. The food was great and I ate two big blueberry pancakes. They are very tiny berries. A few days later when I was going to the Artic Circle I saw people in the brush picking something so I stopped to inquire. They were picking wild blueberries and they were small so maybe that is what I ate. They were very good. This couple had a whole bucket full and said they would just last a few days.

I drove through Whitehorse but never stopped. It is a big place and the Capitol of Yukon. Shortly after leaving Whitehorse I came to Highway 2, the Klondike Highway. It was not nearly as good a road as the Alcan and was not as pretty. The trees were not cut back either which made it harder to see animals approach. There were highlights though when I crossed the Yukon River. It is very large. The rivers are swift and lakes in Yukon are fantastic and are so clear. The lakes are huge. I stopped at Stewart Crossing for gas and a native was telling the clerk, who he knew, that the fishing was great. I asked what he was fishing for. He looked at the clerk and smiled and said, “Salmon.” “They are unusually big this year.” He said. “Some are up to 40 pounds.” He left and when I went out him and a young girl were sitting in a pickup. I was eating a bite so went over to talk with him. I asked where he fished and he said the Stewart River. The fish spawn there and every seven years the fish that spawned there come back. They come up the Yukon River from the Bering Sea off the coast of Alaska. Since he is native he can catch as many as he wants and nets them. The reason he is getting the big ones this year is they restricted the commercial fisherman downstream so they can only fish two days a week. They were catching all the big fish and only the small ones got though. Now the big ones come up to spawn. He smokes or dries them for eating during the winter.

I had gravel today where they are repairing the road. The dust is terrible. A camper let me pass as we were coming into a long stretch. I was grateful as even the cycle kicked up a lot of dust. The speed limit was only 90km, about 55, but I drove 65 to 70 anyway. I still had a lot of them pass me. If I was behind them they kicked up loose gravel and meeting vehicles threw gravel. Glad I had the chaps as sometimes it even stung through them.

I took the first camping place I came to coming into Dawson and found a good spot. The first spot they gave me was crap without a table and in the sun so I went back and asked for a spot I seen. They gladly changed it. They tried giving it to two girls and they also asked for a different spot. They camped by me. As soon as they got their tent set up they headed for Dawson and came back about 1:30 in the morning. It won’t be as quiet here with all the people coming in but I am in the shade. I am right next to the showers. There is a group of about 6 young kids next to me. They are from Switzerland. They came up from Vancouver as one is an exchange student. They are making the loop in reverse of how I am going and didn’t know anything about the music festival. They were interesting to talk to. I now see people coming in for campsites that I passed today and there are no good spots left. I am glad I boogied!

Here it is 10 PM and the sun is no where near setting. I went to Dawson to get something to eat and it was a disappointment. I thought it was bigger. The festival is sold out but you can listen to the music in the beer garden. Don’t sound like much fun to me. I had a burger & fries and rode up and down the gravel streets. The road ends at waters edge and you must board a free ferry to cross. Even with the music festival and the casino it did not seem like many people. I will probably leave the first thing in the morning. That will probably be early with all the coming and going here. I washed some clothes and stayed up until 11:30 and the sun is still shining on the mountain. At 2 AM it was light enough I could read in the tent. I got up at 6:30 and the sun was shining.

There is quite a lot of truck traffic on the Alcan Highway. The roads I traveled today were good, even better than I expected. They are like super 2 highways in Kansas being wide with good shoulders.


Dawson City is located at the confluence of the Klondike and Yukon Rivers, Dawson City was created by the discovery of gold on Bonanza Creek in 1896, and the resulting gold rush of 1898-99 which brought between 30,000 and 40,000 people to this remote spot. It was Yukon Territory's first capital.
Today, Dawson City's dirt streets, boardwalks and historical buildings recall those heady gold rush days for visitors. A walking tour of town takes you past the Robert Service Cabin, where he wrote his famous poems, including "The Shooting of Dan McGrew" and "The Cremation of Sam McGee." Stories and poetry recitals by a local actor are offered daily in summer.
Also on the tour is the magnificently reconstructed Palace Grand Theatre, which opened in 1899. The Palace Grand is a national historic site and home to the "Gaslight Follies", a turn-of-the-century entertainment performed most summer evenings.
Live entertainment is also offered at another major attraction in Dawson City-- Diamond Tooth Gertie's Gambling Hall. Canada's only Northern casino, Diamond Tooth Gertie's offers roulette wheels, blackjack tables and other games of chance along with cancan girls and refreshments.

JULY 19 – TOP of the WORLD & ALASKA

I rode 327 tough miles today but I made it to Alaska. I ate breakfast in Dawson and took the ferry across the Yukon at 9:30. There were quite a few vehicles waiting to cross. They have a line for motor homes & RV’s, a line for regular vehicles and a line for people with passes. Some of these RV’s are huge and then pull a car or pickup behind them. The ferry is free and the only way to continue on. There was a couple on a Honda and they took my picture. She went up and asked the operators if the cycles could come to the front but they said no. They did however wave us up after they loaded what they could and we drove on the back of the ferry. I took a picture looking back at Dawson after we crossed.

The Top the World Highway is a tough go with lots of gravel and narrow road. It took me 4 hours to make the 120 miles to Chicken. It is hard to tell when you are there. The first sign I saw said, “Keep Out.” Next I came to what I thought was the saloon, café and it was a gift shop and gas station. I filled up with gas and bought some cards and stamps. I inquired about the saloon and they said it was up the road a ways. It wasn’t far and finally found the true “Chicken Alaska.”

The road in Canada was paved but had many places where the pavement broke up and they put gravel on it. Some of it was beyond gravel and were small boulders. It is truly the Top of the World highway as it is called. Mile after mile in Canada I rode on a ridge on top of the mountain range. There were mountains all around and a spectacular view it was. I know the pictures I took won’t do it justice; you just have to be there. I did not see any critters today.

I crossed the border at Poker Creek and took pictures. Someone stopped and I had him take pictures of me holding the shirt the office gave me and autographed. It brought tears to my eyes knowing I at least made it to Alaska on my cycle. The road turned to all gravel in Alaska. It is 43 miles to Chicken and after that it is a good paved road. At least I knew that it was gravel and did not expect pavement. The dust was terrible. The big motor homes kicked up a huge cloud of dust and took more than their share of the road. I passed three of them that were probably traveling together to get out of their dust. I pulled off to take a picture and then had to pass them again. I was driving slow but they were creeping. Most of the motor homes move right along. The road was like a washboard in many places or there would be a sudden hole or dip. I was glad it wasn’t raining or it would have been much worse and probably slick in places.
Why do they call it Chicken? Good Question. In the late 1800's, early miners traveled far in search of gold. Food was sometimes scarce, but a particular area near the South Fork of the 40-Mile River was abundant in Ptarmigan, now the state bird which bears a resemblance to a chicken (Ah the foreshadowing is thicker than steel.) The miners kept themselves alive with the help of the Ptarmigan (if you consider being eaten as helping.)
In 1902, Chicken was to become incorporated, the second town in Alaska to do so. The name "Ptarmigan" was suggested. Many people liked the name, but felt the quotation marks were too presumptuous. The name was shortened to Ptarmigan.
The only problem was that nobody could agree on the correct spelling. They didn't want their town name to be the source of ridicule and laughter, so they decided on "Chicken."
I had someone take my picture both inside the saloon and outside by my cycle with a MGD in my hand. I was excited to be in Alaska at last, and especially Chicken, AK. I bought a golf ball that has a rooster on it. I went in the saloon and bellied up to the bar for a Bud. They didn’t have any so I opted for a MGD. I took some pictures and just looked at the thousands of hats, bras and business cards. I went next door to the café and ordered a burger to eat while I drank my beer. This is all owned by the same person, Sue. I spent about an hour relaxing in beautiful downtown Chicken. You really can’t say you drove the road or went to Chicken unless you stop here.

After I left Chicken there was a sign that said 35 mph the next 30 miles due to construction. I thought it would be a tough ride but as it turned out the construction was completed and it was a super road. I drove 65 to 70 except there were numerous spots, especially on curves, where it had settled and they put down gravel. This ground is continually shifting and it is hard to keep the roads up, even new ones. I came out at Tok. I gassed up and it was only 4 PM so I headed for Delta Junction, the end of the Alcan Highway. I had my picture taken by a couple from Washington I had met on the ferry. There were several bikers at this information center and I asked if there was a Catholic Church. She gave me a brochure of Delta & Fairbanks. I asked about a place to camp and she told me about a State campsite nearby. I went and looked at it and it didn’t have a shower or running water so I went back to the center. She said there was an RV stop about 2 miles north. They only had three tent sites and they were taken. Another lady, Darrell, from Pennsylvania, was looking for a tent site also. She wanted to know if I would split a pull through site and I told her I would. I t would cost $11 for tent camping and we split this site for $7 each. She said she got a senior discount and I said, “How old do you have to be?” She said, “I hit that long ago.” So I am not sure how old she was but she was traveling alone on a BMW that had 120,000 miles on it. She had now made it to every state on her cycle.

The road was hard on my cycle. I have a squeal every time I let up on the throttle. I need to get the oil changed and when I do I will have them look at it. Fairbanks is up the road about 100 miles and tomorrow I will go to church there.

While I was writing this I had a visitor. A ground squirrel kept coming closer and finally came up on the table by my map. I took a picture of it. I called Mary and talked to her then called our son Damian and wished him a Happy Birthday. I surprised him by calling and it was about 10 PM there. I went and took a shower and ate some cheese and crackers along with a couple of Jack Daniels & Coke. The weather was great today, in the low 80’s.

JULY 20 – FAIRBANKS & ARCTIC CIRCLE

I rode 522 miles today even though I did not plan on it. I rode from Delta Junction to Fairbanks. I went to an 11 AM Mass in downtown Fairbanks. They had a great choir of about 10 persons and they were in the choir loft. I sounded like New Orleans, Beal Street music. They had a great horn player and some really good singers. They had drums, guitar, and keyboard and really sang well. The Mass lasted about an hour and 15 minutes. The priest was older and the sermon was about resting and the Commandment, Keep Holy the Sabbath Day. He acknowledged that many have to work but you should have one day a week when you rest. Take that time to relax.

So after Mass I went to the Arctic Circle and back! Probably drove 400 miles and 100 each way was all gravel. The dust was terrible and there was a 118 mile stretch without service.

I was only going to go to the Arctic Circle if I had time and this was going to be it. After church I filled up with gas and bought some food and beer at the same place. They had 24 ounce Bud’s so I got a Bud and a Bud light and iced them down. I headed north out of Fairbanks towards the Dalton Highway. I wasn’t sure how far I would go but you know me once I start is hard to get me stopped. It is all paved at first and yesterday and today I kept seeing people stopped along the road and they were out in the brush picking something. I stopped today when I saw a man & woman along the road. I got off the cycle and went down and asked what they were doing. He showed me his bucket of blueberries. They were small but have a very good flavor. He said by next week they would all be gone or overripe. They were about as big around as a pencil or maybe a little larger.

Going up the Dalton there were a lot of big truck traffic, some hauling rocks, gasoline and some just freight. This road goes all the way to Prudhoe Bay. Actually Deadhorse is as far as you can drive. When I came to the place where the Dalton Highway actually starts I pulled over. There was another motorcycle there and the guy was talking with someone in a pickup that worked for the pipeline and drives the road most days. He said there was gas at Yukon and I knew I could make it there okay. Ken was the guy on the Honda Shadow and was from California. This was his first big trip on a cycle. While we were there another cycle pulled up. I had seen this cycle when I ate this morning, when I gassed up and then passed it on the way here. His name was Carlo and he was from Germany. He was riding an old BMW and had started his trip in South America seven months ago. He had ridden 45,000 km or 27,961 miles since he started. He had over 230,000 km or 143,000 miles on the BMW. It had metal side boxes and many stickers from various places. I took his picture with his bike. All three of us met again at the Circle. I shared one of my beers with them and we had our picture taken holding the beer. Unfortunately my battery ran down so Ken said he would e-mail me a picture. The two of them were going on to Deadhorse from the Circle. It is 414 miles from where the Dalton Highway starts and Deadhorse, so it must be 300 miles from the Circle to Deadhorse and it is all gravel. I heard from another guy that the road gets continually worse as you head north.

Yukon is 56 miles north of where the highway starts and is where you cross the Yukon River. It is really wide at this location. I wanted to stop and take a good picture of the river but you are not allowed to stop. They have speakers located along the bridge and an enforcement agent watches the bridge at all times. This picture was taken from the internet.

The Yukon River is the fifth largest river in North America. It begins in Canada, near the border between the provinces of Yukon Territory and British Columbia, and flows over 1,900 miles before it reaches the Bering Sea. The Yukon River Bridge, the only bridge to span the Yukon in Alaska, is 2,290 feet long and has a grade of six percent.

I made it to the Circle at 7:30 PM. The sun was not real good for pictures since we had our backs to it. The sun was still quite high. After our beer and pictures I bid them farewell and I headed south at 8 PM. I stopped and filled up with gas at Yukon at 9 PM. I was glad they were still open or I would have had to stay there overnight. They did have rooms and showers and the showers were $6 if you had your own soap & towel, otherwise $10. I could have put up my tent there. Gas was $2.50 a gallon but it was that or nothing. Going north I had a burger, bought a tee shirt and a pin. There were many people coming from Yukon when I was coming north. They had been up there fishing for salmon. The trip back went faster since there was not as much or very little traffic. The trucks were not running now. The downside to this was if you had trouble it might be a while before someone comes along. I could see better going back since I had the sun at my back. From the Circle south for about 20 miles is paved. Some of this is not good though as it is broken up. Then you hit the gravel, except in most places it is hard packed and little gravel. I think it would be a difficult road when wet on a motorcycle. The road is pretty good to Yukon and then it goes downhill. There is more gravel and washboard effect. I would leave a trail of dust that I could see for ½ mile. I wished I could take a picture. Some places I had to slow to 20 mph. The speed is posted at 50 mph but in the gravel I usually wasn’t going that fast.

There was a great sunset if you can call it that. At 11:30 PM the sun was still shining on the higher peaks. The sunset had a red glow. I forgot to mention that there was a huge area where a forest fire had recently went through. It burned right under the pipeline. Some places you could still see smoke where it was smoldering. This road of course follows the pipeline and I took pictures of it. Some places the pipeline goes underground and when above ground it zigzags. This is for expansion and contraction and also when the have earthquakes.

I kept looking for a place to camp the only thing I seen were just campgrounds without facilities and no one else around. I didn’t want to be eaten by a bear and have no one even know where I went. I know going up I saw a RV camp but I sure missed it coming back. It was shortly after I left Fairbanks anyway and at that point all I wanted was a room so I could crash. I saw several moose on the way back but none on the road. I drove around a little and found a motel for $89 and it was not very good, but I took it. It had gotten warm that day and at least they had a window fan running. I took the room and unpacked in 5 minutes. Mixed a JD and took a shower and crashed. It was after midnight. I got up once to turn off the fan and then when I woke up it was 7:30 and I quickly called Mary as I knew she would be concerned since I didn’t call last night. It would be 10:30 there.

JULY 21 – FAIRBANKS & OIL CHANGE

The first thing I did was head for the Yamaha dealer. I got there about 8:30 and my first thought that this is Monday and many motorcycle shops are not open. I went across the street to a convenience store to ask them if the Yamaha dealer was open on Monday but before I could ask I seen someone drive up. I went back over and waited. They opened up at 9 AM and I went in. I filled out the paper work and went back for coffee and a roll and to call the office. No pay phone so I used my cell phone. Before I left on this trip I bought 120 minute calling card at Wal-Mart and it was supposed to be good in both the US and Canada. It was but two calls and I used up all the time even though I only talked a few minutes. While I was on the phone the mechanic came over and wanted to know what kind of oil I wanted. I went back over and started writing in this book. About 15 minutes later the mechanic wanted to know if I would unload my bags so they could put oil in the cycle. The filler is under the seat and in order to take the seat off everything needed to be unloaded.

There are two drains on this bike and they only drained one and they had to look up in the book where the filler was. I told them how to put the oil in and how to check it. You have to start it up after you put in a quart, then add more. I told them about the squeal and said I thought it was in the main belt drive area. He took off the cover and the wheel did not wobble like when a bearing is out. It was full of dust and dirt and he blew it out and replaced the cover. Since everything had been so dusty I said they should check the air filter. That is not an easy job but he got it off. The gasket around it wasn’t good so I said replace it and the filter. He checked for parts and didn’t have either part so he just blew the filter out and put it back on. That cost a little over $100. I thought about replacing the tire but it still had quite a bit of tread left.

I had also lost 3 snaps on my chaps so I looked for a place to fix them. I looked in the yellow pages and found a shoe repair place. They gave me directions on how to get there but I screwed them up and got lost. I ended up downtown by the homeless shelter. I asked a couple of guys walking if they knew where this place was and they directed me. I still had a heck of a time finding it and when I did they said they didn’t work on that type of stuff but gave me directions to a place that did. I found that place easy and they went right to work on it. I didn’t put them on until later and when I did she had only replaced two of the three. I didn’t go back and she had only charged me for two.

About 1:30 or 2, I headed south out of Fairbanks for Denali Park. At the edge of Fairbanks there was a Bull Moose grazing and I stopped and took its picture. It turned out pretty good with some cropping. You can only drive into Denali Park a short way and then you have to take a bus. I had a hard time finding a place to stay again. The first place was in construction and on a bare hill on rocks with campers all around. There were a lot of shops in this area. I picked out a place but the person in front of me took it so I went on down the road. I found a nice place called Grizzly Park but it cost nearly $19 to put up a tent but I stayed anyway. I only drove 154 miles today.

I ran into a lot of road construction and found myself driving on gravel a lot. I unpacked my tent at 5 PM and was set up by 5:30 and had a Jack poured. I went down to the store to see what they had to eat. I picked up some cheese & crackers and a bag of peanuts. They had a liquor store so I bought a 6 pack of Bud light and some ice. When I got back to the campsite my heart sank. I had a flat tire on the rear.

Well I am not dealing with that tonight. I am at least in a campsite and off the road. I am drinking 4 Buds. I will take a shower and deal with it in the morning. I have a spare tube and tire pump. If I can find someone to lend me a jack I may be able to fix it myself and get to Anchorage for a new tire. I wanted to get another 3 or 4 thousand miles out of that tire but the rocks are terrible. I only have 5 thousand miles on that tire.

I have a great campsite. It rained a little today and was cloudy so it was much cooler. I left my towel at the motel. Darn!

JULY 22 - FIXING FLAT

I ended up drinking two more Jack Daniel’s last night and slept like a baby. Today I only rode 39 miles. I think since I didn’t rest Sunday this was the Lord’s way of making sure I rested a day.

I met up with Darrell, not sure if that is her name or how to spell it, again this morning. She was the one I camped with in Delta Junction Saturday night. On Sunday she came through Fairbanks then came on south towards Denali. She took a spill in road construction north of here. She was riding the BMW and went down in some loose gravel. She had told me she didn’t like riding in it. She had a large bandage on her neck and thought she had a broken rib. An EMT was following her when she went down and helped her up and encouraged her to see a doctor, but she didn’t. She made it here and rented a cabin that was supposed to hold 4 persons for $179 a night and she stayed two nights. She said she was really hurting and slept most of the time. She thought she felt better today and was going to Denali. She said she wished she was home and called her daughter and cried. I felt sorry for her. There was 28 miles of construction coming from Fairbanks to here. They work on the whole road at the same time so you have to drive on some pretty rough stuff, especially on a motorcycle.

Now for my tire and me! I called Mary and talked with her then I walked across the road and found a place to eat breakfast. I checked with the manager of the place I was staying and all he had was a bumper jack which was not what I needed. I had joined the American Motorcyclist Association and purchased their road service much like AAA. I called their 800 number and after about a half hour they had everything set up for a tow truck to come out. It would take about 2 ½ hours for them to arrive. I told them I needed a floor jack. I bought a bag of firewood that was cut flat like a board. I put some in front of the tire and drove up on it to get the bike up off the ground a little so we could get the jack under the frame. When the tire is flat it is really low to the ground. I had brought along some straps so I turned the picnic table around and got it up next to the front tire. I strapped the bike to the table so it would set upright. My bike only has a side kickstand. Sure hope there is nothing wrong with the tire.

There wasn’t anything wrong with the tire. I found a small hole in the tube and it looked like a rock went through then came back out. There was a small cut in the tire. The guy didn’t show up until after 1 PM. He had to come through the road construction and then stopped to eat. He didn’t even have an air bubble or any tire irons to help me. He had a wrecker pulling a large trailer so he could haul me back if necessary. He did have a small jack and a shovel. He had to shovel out some rocks and gravel in order to get the jack under the frame. I already had everything loose so once it was jacked up I took the wheel off. I used my tire tools and got the tube out. I checked the tire very good to see if anything was sticking through and found nothing. I had my battery powered tire pump and pumped the tire up to about 30 pounds. I figured that was enough so I could drive it to a station and get it pumped up to 40 pounds which is what I carry with the big load. The guy was a big help to me putting the tire back on the bike. It seems I always have problems getting the tire and the belt back on.

After he left I went back north to get the tire pumped up. The first station said they didn’t have air and I would have to go on north to Healy. Any way I ended up driving 39 miles round trip for air and gas. While I was there I bought hot dogs, buns, mustard and corn chips which cost about $15. Since I had the firewood I was going to roast some hot dogs. I rode into Denali information area to see about getting a bus to Denali. There were so many people I couldn’t even find a place to park my bike so I came back to camp. I seen Darrell’s bike.

I was talking with a guy riding a BMW. He had seen me earlier in the day when the wrecker came in and seen I had a flat. I invited him over for a gourmet meal of hot dogs. The wood was green and really smoked a lot but we roasted the hot dogs and talked. He brought over some whiskey and gave me a large bag of mixed nuts. I don’t even remember where he said he was from. He did say he always wears riding clothes of the heavy Cordura with padded elbows, shoulders and knees. He said he was riding along with one hand and hit something in the road. He was on the pavement in an instant and broke his wrist. He wasn’t hurt otherwise because of the protective clothing. He gave over $800 for his pants and coat. I didn’t think much about it.

I went ahead and charged up the batteries to the tire pump, cell phone and camera. I did my laundry and am ready to roll in the morning. I am heading for Homer and it is supposed to rain the next 3 days.

JULY 23 – HOMER the END of the ROAD

I made it to Homer and what a beautiful place it is. I had tears in my eyes knowing I made it to my planned destination. Just before you get to Homer there is a high bluff and a pull off that overlooks Homer. To see the snow covered mountains, the Gulf of Alaska and the small town below is breathtaking.

Coming down from Anchorage I came to Cooper’s Landing where they were drift fishing for salmon. You can’t use a motor. Then came Kenai and fishermen were fishing the Kenai River for salmon, some places shoulder to shoulder. I got my first glimpse of Cook Inlet in this area also.

I found a real nice place to camp close to the water in Homer. It only cost $11 and included the shower. I really had plans to stay a day here but I checked the charter boats and found they were booked until Sunday and this was only Wednesday. So I found a nice place to eat on the Spit and ordered halibut and wine to celebrate my arrival. This was the first decent meal I had eaten since I left South Dakota. It was very windy and cold. I spoke with a commercial fisherman and he said they came in at 10:30 today and he was glad he wasn’t out there this afternoon because of the strong winds. It must be blowing in a storm. A day of charter fishing is $180. I talked with a guy from Anchorage and he said you can get a charter up the coast at Soldotna for about $150. He went out and caught his limit of two but they were small. I may look into this when I get up the coast.

The Spit is not very pretty. There were thousands of boats docked in the harbor. There are two or three houses and they have a lot of junk around. The tide was out when I was there. There were tents set up in rocks along the spit and the strong winds were blowing them down. Many people fish the “Fishing Hole”, a man made inlet that salmon spawn in and return to be caught by fisherman. It is the end of the road.


The Homer Spit, a gravel bar, reaches five miles into Kachemak Bay from the town of Homer.
The Spit is home to a hotel, several restaurants and bars, the city's small boat harbor and the docks for the ferry Tustumena, the Seafarer's Memorial, and log ships, cruise ships and Coast Guard vessels.
Eagles gather on the beach in the spring to eat fish scraps. In the summer, hundreds of people camp on the beach, and hatchery salmon return to a lagoon to be caught.
The fabled End of the Road is on the Spit. The southern tip of the Sterling Highway stops at the Land's End Resort.
Homer has about 4,000 residents. It is 225 highway miles south of Anchorage on the Kenai Peninsula.
In this small area where I am camping is also a tent with a father, wife & son. I talked with the son who is probably 20 years old. He is Blackfoot Indian and they live around Great Falls, Montana in or near the Glacier National Park. He works in the oil fields. They fished yesterday for salmon and caught several. In the morning they are going out on a charter boat and fish for halibut.

It is really cold and windy. It is 10:30 and even though it is cloudy it is still very light out. I am listening to the wave’s crash into shore.

JULY 24 – HEADING HOME & TROUBLE


Well I am starting to get homesick now. I had a bad day. I got up about 6:15 as it looked like it could start raining any minute. I wanted to get packed before everything got wet. The wind blew hard all night. As I finished packing it started to rain so I put on my rain suit. I knew it would be a cold ride so I had on a long sleeved pullover, sweat shirt, leather Bud jacket and rain coat over that. I had on jeans and insulated rain pants, rain gaiters and heavy gloves. I rode back down the spit and through the business district.

I left there in a steady rain. I had my hood up and helmet on over it. Somewhere around Kasilof, which is west of Soldotna things went downhill fast. There was a lot of traffic in both directions. I was following an old van and had been for quite some time. We were traveling 50 to 55 mph and all of a sudden he decided to turn left. I didn’t see a turn signal but my visibility was not good since the windshield was covered with raindrops. I had my glasses off because they also collected rain. I can see distance okay with them off. Anyway I hit the brake, the front brake since I had gotten used to stopping with it. As soon as I hit it I hit the pavement and started sliding down the highway. I could see the bike sliding and I could feel me sliding on the pavement. I went off the 3 foot gravel shoulder and down in the grass. The bike stayed on the edge of the road. I got up and walked a few steps to my bike. By that time there was already someone by the bike and several vehicles stopped, including the one that turned. He got out of his vehicle but never came over. The guy that had been behind me helped me set the bike back up after traffic cleared. I got on it and he said, “You won’t be able to start it since it’s flooded.” It started right up and I drove it off the road into the intersection. He asked if I was okay and I felt around and said, “Yes I think I am okay. My elbow hurts a little.” So he left.

What a helpless feeling when you are sliding down the highway. I must have come down on my right side sliding feet first. It tore my rain boot, rain pants, jacket a little and scratched my helmet. The road being wet caused the accident but it also saved my hide. It let me slide and luckily there was nothing to hit. My rain clothes were from Cabela’s and made of Gore-Tex and the outer shell was Cordura which is tear resistant. The Lord truly had to be watching over me that day.

The driving light was broke so I unplugged it, threw what was left of the bulb away and taped up the wires. I had to readjust the foot peg. I put on an engine guard or highway bar or some say crash guard and it saved the bike from much damage and probably helped save my leg by allowing me to slide out from under the bike. It was ground nearly through. I had to readjust my mirror. The saddle bag and windshield were both scraped. I had all my bags, tent and sleeping pad and nothing came off so I had it strapped good. It tore holes in the rain cover of my main bag. I will have to cover it with a trash bag now. All in all I feel quite lucky that, #1 I am intact and that I could still ride the bike, and second that the bike was still drivable. My tent is torn but I am not sure how bad. Remember the guy on the BMW yesterday that said he hit something and was on the pavement before he knew what happened? Now I know what that feels like and I don’t like it. After I arrived home the insurance paid $2,600 to repair the bike. I replaced the parts myself.

It was real hard to get back on and take off again. I walked back down the road and seen where I slid off the bike and down the ditch. I should have stepped it off to see how far it was, but didn’t. I had gravel all over me, my back, arms and legs. I had it on the seat and it was bothering me. I drove slower and did not follow any one very close. If need be I pulled over to let someone by. I got up the road to Soldotna and pulled into a station to see if they had a hose outside so I could wash the gravel off. She said they didn’t but there was a laundry that had showers across the street. I wasn’t going to get someone’s shower full of sand so got back on the bike to leave. As I was pulling out I seen they had a dump for RV’s so they could dump their sewage. There was also a hose hanging down, just what I wanted. I got off, turned on the hose and hosed the gravel off me and the bike. That helped some. I still hadn’t eaten but didn’t feel up to it now. I headed on down the road and came to a Harley dealer. I went in to see if they had rain pants and replacement boots. They had the boots and a nice young lady helped me change. They sold them to me for half price. Now I could keep my feet dry.

I rode in the rain most of the day. About 1 PM I finally stopped and got something to eat and filled up with gas. That helped some and warmed me up. I was still scared while riding. If there was a curve or a rut in the road where water stood it scared me. I wanted to find Roger a knife made in Alaska but didn’t have any luck. I had planned to go downtown Anchorage until all this. It was still raining so I continued on up the Glenn Highway to Palmer and then Glennallen. That is a beautiful ride. There is a large glacier called the Matanuska and on that river. The only downside was 15 miles of construction.

I am at a lodge called Eureka about 60 miles southwest of Glennallen. It is a nice place up in the mountains with a lake it the back. I looked at the room and at first told the woman no thanks at $70. She wanted to know which way I was headed and I told her north. She said, “There is only one place in Glennallen and it will be over $100.” I thanked her and said I wanted a room. I was exhausted anyway. I called Mary and she was thrilled because I had roses delivered to her that day at work. Of course I didn’t mention the accident. I was down in the dumps but didn’t let on, I hope. I just told her I loved her and wished I was home.

A couple of Jack Daniels, a hot shower and dinner helped me out. My leg was beginning to hurt some now. I rode 393 miles today.

JULY 25 – EUREKA to KLUNE LAKE

I rode 463 miles today. I woke up to rain and hated to even get out of bed. I ate in the café before I left and put on my rain clothes again. I got everything packed up and by then the rain let up. It quit raining shortly after I left but it was cold riding, in the low 50’s. I found some more sore spots today. My neck, ribs, and back is achy. I’m not sure if it’s from the crash or from tensing up while riding. I had the jitters for a long time. My leg is black & blue by my pocket and hip. I had pills, knife and coins in my jeans pocket and it tore my rain pants there even though it is double lined. With my aches today maybe I rolled when I went down.

When I got to Tok there were some gift shops there. It was the last chance to find something for Roger. I spent way too much for a hunting knife for him, $249. It was pretty with a carved handle made of moose antler that looked like a polar bear head. The lady assured me it was made in Alaska. I filled up with gas, bought a Snickers, Lunchable, Coke and water and the girl gave me some ice for my cooler. I ate a few peanuts along the way.

The roads were just terrible today. I would just about get back up to speed and a “Loose Gravel” sign would appear. I finally decided that is the state sign for Alaska.

I had a heck of a time finding a place to stay again that I liked. I am back in Yukon Territory. I stopped down the road at Burwash resort and could have stayed for free and paid $4 for a shower. There were a couple of other bikers there and they had their tents set up. I started to unpack and the mosquitoes swarmed on me. I sprayed myself with OFF but that didn’t stop them. I packed back up and used the pay phone to call Mary as it was getting late. I didn’t have much to say as I wanted to find a place to stay. I went on down the road and pulled into another place and it warned not to camp in a tent because there were soapberries there and the bears were coming in to eat them. I went on down the road and am camping on the same lake, Klune Lake. I have been driving by it for 30 miles. It sure is pretty. This is a great place for $12 US with a shower. They do not have a phone here so it’s a good thing I called when I did. I have my lakeside table and a great view of the lake. It is 9:30 and too cold to sit here even with a coat on as the wind is blowing off the lake.

I arrived in Canada about 2:30 and lost an hour of time. Only two hours difference now. JD sure is good. Boy my ribs and back sure hurts when I cough. I hope I am okay and can sleep. Tomorrow I will go through Whitehorse and travel the same road for a while again, the Alcan Highway. I should start down the Cassier Highway tomorrow. I hear it is a real trip and not all good. I still like the Yukon with its pretty lakes and rivers. I will have one more Jack Daniels, then bed.

JULY 26 – KLUNE LAKE to DEASE LAKE

I came 523 miles today to near Dease Lake to a place called Moose Meadows. There was a cow here earlier but I missed it. I did hear an elk bugle if they have elk. The lady didn’t know. I should have called Mary earlier because this place does not have phone service either. Of course I didn’t have anything with me to eat tonight. I had nuts, pretzels and corn chips and that is what I had for lunch along with a Snickers. I bought a can of lunch meat which is not good. It will have to get me by until breakfast anyway. Dease Lake is about an hours ride down the road and I can eat there.

The roads were great today. I only had construction one time and that was early and only for a short distance. After that it was smooth sailing. I kept hearing bad reports about this Cassier Highway but so far it has been good. It is a pretty drive. Most of the reports were from people that went down this road several years ago and it is much improved now. I know there will be spots of gravel further down.

This is a great campsite. They have a tent awning up over the picnic table. I am right by the river. I did not sleep well last night with all my aches and pains. My ribs, neck, and back still hurt. I did find a little bruising on my ribs so guess I hit there too. My hands are sore and cracking open. I wore gloves all day in the rain and wear them most days. I keep lotion on them and now am putting Chapstick on the cracks. Most of the reason I couldn’t sleep was because the wind blew hard and the waves were crashing in all night.

I think I will be hard pressed to find a church tomorrow. There are many lakes and few churches. I came across an accident today as the ambulance and police were leaving without lights. I heard tonight from a guy camping here, and one of the first on the scene, that a 78 year old lady died. Her husband was driving and went to sleep and hit another car. He probably won’t sleep tonight.

It is getting ready to rain. I see it up in the mountains. It is only 8:30 and I am all cleaned up, fed and ready for bed. If I didn’t have this canopy over the table I would have to go to bed to keep dry. I want to walk around after it quits raining and see if I can see a moose. Dinner was crap! If I had a fishing pole I could probably catch a trout. Then I would have to light a fire. Of well, it’s not long until breakfast. I will just have another JD. The rain smells fresh.

JULY 27 – DEASE LAKE to KITWANGA

It was a great day for riding but a little on the cold side. I rode 466 miles. My, what beautiful county! The roads were good although there were some pretty rough spots and several miles of gravel. But after what I heard and expected of this road it was a piece of cake. I will say that if it was raining it would not be good to ride on a cycle.

I made it to Dease Lake and had breakfast and I was hungry. I also filled up with gas, called Mary and bought some things to eat along the way. They had a grocery store there and I bought a couple of apples. There are no churches here.

Bears, bears and more bears! I took pictures of the first three and then after that it was just, there’s another bear. I saw 6 all together today along the road. I am pretty sure all were black bears. I got a pretty good close up of the last one even without the zoom. I was close enough I could see him sniffing the air, me! It wanted to cross the road. I got my picture and left. I rode into Stewart, BC and Hyder, AK. The road is good until you enter Alaska and then it turns to gravel. Hyder is a dump. I could have stayed there in a bed and breakfast for $30 or at least that is what the sign said.

Hyder has a viewing area to view bears as they come in to eat salmon in Fish Creek.




While I was there no bears were dining. In the evening and early morning is the best time for viewing. There were many salmon in the clear water. The lakes, rivers, mountains and flowers make an incredible view and pictures don’t do most of it justice, you just have to be there. Bear Glacier near Seward is beautiful.

I found a great campsite again tonight for $15 Canadian cash, no credit cards. I had two places like that. This is Cassier RV Park. I could have stopped at Meziadin Junction but it was at an intersection of two highways and in a dusty lot. That is not my idea of camping but if you were in a RV it would probably be okay. I think a lot of them camp there, unhook their car and drive to Hyder. It was about 1 ½ hours to here. I stopped at a rest area up the road and the guy said there is nothing here but a gas station but it actually is a town with people living here. I got in here about 7:30 and was not looking forward to driving another 1 ½ hours to the next place. There is a saw mill here and they were sawing this evening.

I can’t believe how still it is. Even this camp is quiet. I need a new rear tire. I will try to get one at Prince George tomorrow. If I can’t get one I may get out of Canada tomorrow. The bike is sure taking a beating with the rough roads and gravel. It is really dirty and grimy but I am not cleaning it until I get home because I want people to know I am riding long and far. People up here sure are friendly, both in Canada and Alaska. They go out of there way to be friendly. I ate a big breakfast this morning, an apple late in the day and nuts and a Lunchable this evening. Of course I had my JD. A beer would be good but they are bulky to carry.

The RV parks are great for camping. All of them have showers and laundry facilities. Most of them have good tent sites and if they don’t I ask for better. The sun is down behind the mountain at 9 PM. The days will start getting shorter now. I am very much ready for home. I miss Mary and talking to her. I wish sometime both of us could make this trip together in an RV. Then you could stop whenever you wanted to. You wouldn’t need a great big RV like many have. It would take a lot more money for gas and even to camp. They charge RV’s more because most have full hookups. Today I gave .94 a liter for gas. That may be the most I paid for gas. I want to go through Washington and Oregon or I would cut for home now. If all goes well I should be home by Friday.

JULY 28 – KITWANGA to WILLIAMS LAKE

I came 476 miles today and really wanted to get a rear tire put on. I found a Harley dealer early in the morning that had a tire but said they couldn’t put it on until late in the day. I didn’t want to wait around all day so I kept going. Most motorcycle dealers are closed on Monday since they are open on Saturday. Just before I got to Prince George I stopped for gas and a guy on a Yamaha pulled up on the other side of the pump. I asked if he was from around there and he was. He used to be a Yamaha dealer and told me where all the dealers down the road were. He told me where the Yamaha dealer in Prince George was and how to get there then realized it was Monday and they were closed. I chose Williams Lake since it was about as far as I wanted to ride today. I got a motel here so will see if I can get one put on in the morning. My tire is bald!

I took a picture of the Kitwanga saw mill this morning and the pile of saw dust. I thought it was impressive until further down the road. There are many large saw mills and pulp mill places. It seems every other truck you see is either hauling logs or processed lumber. It is big industry here. The country opened up to pasture and hay. Many are baling the big round or big square bales. Some large fields may have 4 or 5 balers running and it also turned hot. This is my first taste of summer since I left Montana. It was 90 degrees and that is very hot compared to what I have been used to. I watched the weather and it sounds like it will be hot for the next several days. That is okay with me as long as the road is dry. With a new tire I should be able to boogey!

I saw a terrible wreck today as I was approaching Prince George. It was soon after I filled up with gas. I would imagine someone was killed. It was at an intersection and as I pulled up to the intersection behind a couple of semis I noticed they we not moving very fast. The two semis and I made it through the intersection just as emergency equipment was arriving. I’m sure they shut it down right behind me. There was debris from light poles and the vehicles in the intersection. At least one person must have been ejected as people were down on the pavement with them. Both vehicles cleared the intersection.

It is very dry between Prince George and Williams Lake, especially the last 60 miles. It is the first dry area I seen. I called Mary tonight and it is getting harder to talk to her since I miss her so much. I always get weepy! My hip and one leg are really black and blue now. It is about the size of my hand. I bought some Bud tonight and had a couple with pizza at Boston Pizza. It was too spicy for me.

JULY 29 – NEW TIRE

I am getting a new tire installed at Rosk Yamaha and they are going to wash my bike. He didn’t have a tire but called two places and found one down the street at Honda. It is one size wider but it fits. They went down and picked it up. I was at their shop at 8:30 and the owner arrived at 8:45. He looked and didn’t have a tire but called Honda right away and they had one. They had it on and I was ready to roll about 10:45. It cost me $385 Canadian and that was $275 US but I can roll now.

I am watching the logging trucks drive by. That is a very common sight here as is seeing other trucks hauling the finished product of lumber. I asked about the dryness here and it is typically a dry area. I noticed many farmers had sprinkler systems running so it is not just the year. There is a huge saw mill area across the road but I can’t get pictures from here.

Well it is 10:45 and they just finished with my bike. It looks like new, except the crash damage. At least it is cleaned up with the Alaskan mud and grim removed and I have a new tire. Supposedly they put calcium chloride in the water to help pack the roads down and you should wash it off as soon as possible to prevent corrosion.

It was a strange day. I was on the road at 11 AM. The bike seemed to ride better and run smoother after the new tire. Anyway I made good time. The roads were good but riding through the mountains tends to slow you down. It was very hot, over 100 degrees. This area is very dry. There were many log trucks and trucks hauling finished lumber. There were just many trucks in general. Going up the steep places the trucks were always in the right lane and many times that lane was rutted due to their heavy loads. That is not good for a cycle so I tried to stay in the left lane when possible.

During the famous gold rush of the mid 1800's, many hopeful prospectors traveled the SCENIC FRASER CANYON en route to the newly discovered CARIBOO GOLD FIELDS. During their exhausting journey, they often sought refuge near a small creek at the halfway point where they could store or "cache" some of their belongings and rest overnight, Today, the Fraser Canyon route from the lower mainland to the interior has been dubbed "THE HISTORIC GOLD RUSH TRAIL", and CACHE CREEK still remains the halfway stop for the modern day explorer.

It is now known exactly how the British Columbia gold rush was first started. What is known is that Indians, who had found gold on the Nicomen River, had sold to the Hudson's Bay Company during the 1850's. By February, 1858, the Company had built up a stock of 800 ounces. This they decided to send it to San Francisco to me minted. Word got out and miners headed north.

Hudson's Bay Company staff at Fort Hope refused to talk, so the miners moved up the Fraser River. On March 23, 1858, a group of miners landed on a bar 16 kilometers north of Hope. One of the party, a man named Hill, noticed particles of gold in the moss at his feet. By season's end, Hill's Bar had yielded $2 million in gold.

Through 1858 and 1859 the Fraser Bars were worked, the gold rush died away, and most of the gold seekers returned from whence they came. But hardier men filtered through to the Upper Fraser system and finally into the Cariboo country. Here strikes were made again, though not rich enough to start a major rush. Late in 1860, for instance, Doc Keithley and George Weaver made a moderate strike near the headwater of the Quesnel River at Keithley Creek. But they pushed on further to the north and east and soon saw, for the first time, the Cariboo country. They were close to the real gold!

It was Dutch Bill Dietz who found gold in quantity on a creek later known as Williams Creek. Miners again flocked to stake claims, and thousands made their way up the Fraser and over difficult trails to the Cariboo to share the bonanza. But it was a sailor named Billy Barker who, in 1862 made the biggest strike of all. On Barker's claim a foot of gravel yielded $1,000 or more, while other diggings such as the Neversweat and the Ne'er Do Well produced equally as well.

In the midst of the frenzied digging there grew the city of Barkerville. Destroyed by fire in 1868, and rebuilt immediately, Barkerville stands today as a powerful reminder of those hectic days.

I traveled the Gold Rush Trail from Williams Lake to Cache Creek. Along this route there are places they call 150 Mile House, 108 Mile House, etc. This was a route many people traveled in the 1800’s in search of gold in the area. I planned on taking Highway 97 East at Cache Creek but missed the turn. I continued to head south down highway 1. It started out following the Thompson River and it then joined with the Fraser River. Going through this extremely dry area and seeing this fast running large river was intriguing. Of course I ran out of memory on my camera and couldn’t take any more pictures. There is an area called “Hells Gate” where the river narrows and the water really rushes through. There is a tram that you can take across the canyon but since I couldn’t take pictures I didn’t go. I ended up at Hope and realized I had traveled the wrong road or at least one I hadn’t intended to travel. I was headed for Vancouver and I didn’t want to go that far west. Looking back now I probably should have continued that direction and it may have been a little cooler and not so dry.

From Hope I took highway 3 over the mountains to Princeton and then to Osoyoos, BC. This is an interesting area in that it is so dry and yet the town has a these fruit and vegetable markets. On one side of the road it was desert and on the other pretty vineyards, orchards and vegetable farms. The area is all irrigated and is quite pretty. I crossed the border in this town and stopped at Orville, WA for the night. I stayed in a motel for $33.00. I did laundry which was just across the street and went to a restaurant for dinner.

It was really a relief to cross over to the lower 48 states. I really think I will make it home now. You don’t know how it is to be 4,000 miles away from home, wreck your bike, and not be able to tell anyone. You don’t want to worry them and yet you are afraid you may not make it home safe. Before I left home the thought crossed my mind that I may not make it and I discussed it with Mary. It is something I wanted to do and if something happened she would deal with it. She is such an understanding person. She supported me even though I know she had doubts. While I have been traveling she has been keeping everyone informed by e-mail of my whereabouts and what went on. I know she worries. I love her for allowing me the adventure and for taking the risk with me. I am sure our marriage will be stronger for the risk. I love you Mary! I miss you a whole bunch. Another JD and I will hit the bed. A entered a new state today with Washington. I rode 410 miles today.



JULY 30 – OROVILLE, WA to NAMPA, ID

I rode 515 miles and it was very hot. The temperature rose to 106 degrees and the heat coming off the engine and pavement made it much worse. When I stopped for gas or at a rest area I would wet my face, head, neck, and get my shirt wet to try and cool down. I drank 5-20 ounce bottles of water plus I had a chocolate shake and large glass of water for lunch. It was a very tiring day.

I did not realize what a desert this area of the county is. Going through Washington, Oregon and into Idaho was mostly the same. There was sage brush and waste land with farming where ever they could irrigate. I didn’t even know when I left Washington and entered Oregon. I took a picture of harvesting wheat with sage brush in the fore ground in Washington. The road led up a mountain and when I reached the summit I got off and took a picture looking back down at the valley. The grass is all dead and then you can see the wheat fields. I saw a maker and read it only to discover I was in Oregon. There was a lot of area in Washington that was beautiful farmland and all of it had irrigation systems running. Some of the farms were huge orchards. I saw semi loads of sweet corn that was just picked being hauled to market. I saw trucks hauling wooden boxes returning them to the orchards so they could fill them with fruit.

Since I register commercial trucks I pay more attention to them than most people probably would. You can tell in an area what the industry is by what the trucks are hauling.

At Omak, WA I stopped for breakfast and then went across the street to a Wal-Mart and bought water and another Compact Flash for my camera. Now I could take another 60 or so pictures. I took highway 155 and headed for Coulee Dam. I was not all that impressed with the dam but above the dam the lake was gorgeous. One lake turned into another like Soap Lake, Moses Lake and Dry Falls. Steamboat Rock State Park had interesting rock formations and then below Potholes Lake there was interesting bluffs with water far below. All this water and it was in a desert atmosphere.

There were many road changes around Pasco. I was following 395 South to I-82 then to I-84. I can see on the map now when I was on I-82 and crossed the Snake River was when I crossed into Oregon. The next time I would see the Snake was when I crossed into Idaho later in the day. I took a picture from a rest stop of a combine cutting wheat and the Snake River. I stayed overnight at Nampa, ID, just west of Boise.

I went to Denny’s to eat tonight and was seated close to a couple of guys. I asked if they drove a truck and they said they did. They came over much of the same road today as I did. There was a wreck of a truck loaded with apples and a triple trailer. They said the guy with the load of apples was working on his reefer (refrigerator) and the triple trailer rig hit his truck. He was killed in the accident. It was going down a mountain and there were apples and papers scattered everywhere. The triple trailer power unit burnt up and there must have been envelopes in the first trailer. They were sucked down the mountain by traffic for several miles. The wreck must have happened several hours earlier and they were in the process of unloading apples. They still had one lane blocked. These two guys I was talking to were from St Louis and hauled processed grocery items. They were picking up a load of sugar and taking it back to St Louis. They told me of a route and I plan to take it tomorrow.

JULY 31 – NAMPA, ID to FT COLLINS, CO

I rode for 13 hours today and rode 773 miles which is further than I have ever driven in a day in anything. I left at 7:30 and hit traffic right away. There was a wreck about ten miles east and I was held up about a half hour. I skirted the edge of Boise then it was Katy bar the door. The speed limit in Idaho is 75 as it is in Wyoming and Colorado. I drove around 80 mph. The roads were good except for a few minor construction areas. I took I-86 & 30 highway to Pocatella at the suggestion of the two truckers. I got on I-15 to Lava Springs Hot Springs and then it was 30 Highway to Wyoming and I got on I-80 just west of Little America. I took a picture in western Wyoming of the landscape and Rock Springs.

At Rawlins, WY I decided that if I got to Cheyenne I could probably make it home tomorrow. I stopped to call ahead for a Super 8 Motel room. There were not any rooms in Cheyenne so I asked about Ft Collins, CO. She reserved me a room there. As I was getting ready to leave the guy behind the desk at the Super 8 said at Laramie I should cut south on 287 and it would save me quite a few miles. He said it was a good road. I walked out the door and a woman came out and said I had left my billfold on the counter. Maybe I am getting tired.

I had already ridden over 550 miles but I wasn’t tired and knew I could make it if the roads were good, and they were. At Laramie I hit strong winds and rode in that for several miles. There was a storm trying to build up but it died back down. I took 287 south headed for Ft Collins. After I got into Colorado the sun was nearly setting. The thunderstorm that tried to build up was in the east and the sun came back out below the clouds before it set. Even though I was tied I stopped several times to take pictures and the setting sun made the area just right for some fantastic pictures. Some of the rocks almost looked like they were on fire. There were so many colors in all the pictures even when shot towards the sun.

I made it to Ft Collins and had to drive across town to find the Super 8. During the day when I stopped and got off the bike I was good for another 100 miles and I stopped several times for gas and at rest areas.

Coming through Idaho there were miles and miles of irrigation of farmland. Most of it was hay but some of corn and soybeans. It was pretty to see all the systems going and the water raining down. It also helped keep it cooler. It was much cooler today and was really a pleasant day to ride. If it had been as hot as yesterday and windy I would not have made it this far. I should make it home tomorrow!

AUGUST 1 – HOME

I rode 588 miles today and it was a little rougher as the wind blew some. I arrived home at 5:30 and Mary was already home from work. The garage door was open and my pickup was on the drive so I drove right into the garage. I went in and gave Mary a big hug! Over a beer or two we talked a while then I took a shower and we went out to eat. It was great to be home!

It was a great ride. I spent the next week resting and writing this book. I kept a journal and wrote in it each day so I wouldn’t forget this great adventure. It was an adventure that I won’t soon forget. So many people took an interest in this trip and I was glad to share it with them. It would not have been shared had Mary not kept a large group of friends, family and co-workers informed of my daily activities by e-mail. Many of them in turn forwarded it to others.

At work I receive a weekly IRP Newsletter which comes from IRP, Inc. in Arlington, VA. In the newsletter they put a note that I had returned safely from my trip to Alaska and had ridden over 10,000 miles while traveling alone. They put the link to the pictures. I had told so many people that I was going to do this, including many at the Region III Workshop in Rapid City and many of them were anxious to see that I made it home safely.

I still get tears in my eyes when I look at these wonderful pictures and to think that I was actually there.

NOTE FROM KEN LAWSON

Hi Al,
I also made it home... but had several close calls and my bike fell over on me once in sand by a river while camping but my biggest thrill after seeing you was a black bear that locals said should have finished me off, no questions asked, since I didn't have a gun on me. 10 mi away I learned a black bear had killed a man in the Liard Hot Springs (near the border of Yukon and British Columbia) totally unprovoked because the bear in that area are so aggressive and starved since the berry season was delayed by lack of rains. I made an extremely entertaining 26 MB power point slide show documenting the encounter with music, sound, and a short 30 sec video clip you might get a real kick out of. This black bear was the size of the smaller (400lb) variety of Grizzly that I saw in Alaska's Denali National Park by tour bus (8 hr tour I should mention). Anyway, I've had my share of thrills and close calls in my life and this experience topped them all 10-fold.

I only got home a few days ago and was out around 31 days / 12,459 miles! And ironically, I past my own apt. going to my friends on my way in to get my apt keys and mail and ended up sleeping there because I was so exhausted. I woke up, hopped on my bike ready to see home for the first time since early July, and my bike wouldn't even make a peep when I pressed the starter button. It still hasn't started and I ended up having it towed to the nearest shop! Now that's ironic!

I ended up doing 11 states and 2 provinces and three time zones. I jumped in the arctic ocean after seeing you (200 mi more of very rough dirt road one way!), crossed many 11 and one 12,000' elev. passes (mostly in Colorado and Wyoming), saw 22 black bear (the 22nd was ripping into my sleeping bag when I woke!!), 7 grizzly's, 23 moose (only two male), porcupine, antelope, coastal and mule deer, caribou (sp?), and much more. It was one hell of a trip but I'll have to start looking for a new job in a few weeks now. In the meantime, I'm enjoying being 30lbs lighter since quitting my burn-out job in June (15lbs lost on my riding trip!), and am working on putting together a 1 hr vhs & dvd movie of my trip since I took it all in digital and have over 3,000 photos to work with.

Please find the Arctic Circle sign photos attached. I think you'll be pleased with some of them since they came out well despite the terrible position of the sun. Al, thanks for the beer and good conversation on the road. I am sorry to hear about the accident but everything accounted for, you were lucky and still had one awesome trip to remember for many years to come with satisfaction. I don't know how much data your email account can handle so I am just sending a few pictures now but if you are interested in seeing any others, like ones of the rest of the Dalton Hwy up to Deadhorse and Prudhoe Bay and the Arctic Ocean, let me know.

Enjoy the rest of your summer and I wish you well on all future trip endeavors on or off the bike.

Ken Lawson
San Ramon, Ca

California is a long ways from Kansas but if you ever have any questions about this area or might come through in the future and could use a free place to crash for a night, feel free to contact me anytime. Email is the best way as I've had the same account for many many years and I tend to move every one - two years around the Bay Area.

Attached: 6 Artic Sign pictures...5 when you were there, and one I got later in better lighting. Also, I attached 5 pictures from the start of the Dalton Hwy where I met you and Carlo from Germany. 2 of those 5 include you and your ride and set up that came out well I think. I ended up camping one night with Carlo on our way to the Arctic Ocean and his stories of travel were just incredible.