Home at last July 4th

I had a bite to eat at Super 8 this morning and grabbed a banana for later. The sky was mostly clear and it was 57 degrees out with a the north wind that was following me home. I stopped for gas shortly after entering Colorado on I-25. Its hard to believe how cheap gas is in the US. I was paying $1.25 per liter X 3.79= $4.74 per gallon and the very cheapest I found was .99 X 3.79= $3.75 per gallon. Much of this gas was regular and if you found premium it was more. Now our money is still worth a little more than theirs but not much. So when I started paying $2.69 for premium it was great.
I left Cheyenne about 7AM as I knew I was going to lose another hour when I hit Kansas. There wasn't much traffic going through Denver so I just zipped right through. I stopped at Limon for some coffee and a bite to eat, then continue on to Colby. I reached Colby at noon and the temperature reached 80 degrees which was the warmest of the trip. It continued to warm a little and around Salina went to 88 degrees. I just opened some vents on my jacket and didn't put on my mesh riding gear. I never used it the entire trip.
The winds were fairly strong out of the north but not as bad as western Kansas can be at times. The wind was good for keeping a breeze on me and also for these.

From July 2,3,4

Since it was July 4th I thought this was appropriate.

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And one with the wheat already harvested.

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Welcome to the Flint Hills of Kansas.

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I made it home about 5:30 and I was tired so I guess that is why I never showed any enthusiasm for this photo.

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Mary and I had some Corona's, a steak and some wine. After dinner we went out for some ice cream and came back and watched a few fireworks with the neighbors. By 9:45 I could hardly keep my eyes open and by 10PM I was in bed and asleep within two minutes.
Sunday was spent by going to church and thanking the Lord for my safe journey. In the afternoon I mowed, trimmed, and fertilized the lawn. Thanks to my neighbor Wade for mowing the lawn while I was gone.

I traveled 10,588 miles and took 533 pictures. I had a very safe trip and did not have any close encounters with other vehicles which is very unusual for me. I had a few scary moments brought on by antelope, moose and loose gravel and just plain inattention.
Thanks to all who followed along with me both on ADVrider and my blog. I had about the right amount of gear and it all performed well. I didn't use my mesh riding gear, tripod, and thankfully my first aid kit or tire repair kit and tire pump.
The AeroFlow windshield and fairing worked great as did the Russell Day Long seat. The Happy Trail panniers worked great and nothing got wet or dusty the entire trip. And they are American made in Idaho! The Spot tracker was great for those who wanted to follow me, especially my family. I left it on tracking the entire trip and sent out Okay messages if I couldn't call or Skype. Skype worked well most of the time. If I had a real slow connection, not so good. I had the video and also prepaid $10 for phone service of which I used less than $3. It costs less than .02 cents per minute to call.

Thanks to all the friendly people on the road I met and especially the Canadians. They are great people! If I come up with some dollar figures I may post them. I'm not sure I want to know how much.

So you ask what will I do now. Tomorrow morning another guy and I are headed to Rapid City, SD to pick up a Silverado pickup for Ed Bozarth Chevrolet in Topeka. That will be a 1,400 mile round trip in two days. Thank heavens for my Iron Butt!

Back in the USA July 3

It felt good to be back in the USA and being closer to home. I went outside to start loading up and there was a brisk breeze blowing from the north.

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There is just a one hour time difference between home now. I kept flirting with showers all day. The ones in Montana I ignored but one mother nature licked me a little.

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I had been seeing all these bears in Canada and Alaska and thought I was seeing Panda bears but they turned out to be Dutch Belted cow. The black belted bull had his eye on the red belted cow but she wasn't having anything to do with him at the moment.

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From Great Falls, MT to Billings, MT I was on two lane roads and there is some pretty country. Everything seems so big in Alberta, Montana, and Wyoming. I have taken many pictures but pictures do not do justice to most areas of the country. You just have to be there and see it and especially being on a motorcycle. You can see so much more of the landscape because there are no obstructions. Coming through BC and Alberta I could smell the pines. Through Montana it was the hay they were putting up. Then in Wyoming there were many flowers I could smell while riding and the rain. Colorado had the fresh mountain air and Kansas I could smell the wheat stubble were they were finished cutting wheat. You thought I was going to say the feed lots of Kansas didn't you. They are further south around Garden City & Dodge City.
While driving on one of the four lanes today I met a SUV and as he approached I seen this round ball come off his vehicle. It was the left rear tire and it spit the whole thing out and he was in the passing lane. I couldn't see if he went off the road or hit anything but that was the first time I saw a tire explode like that.
Coming into Billings, MT there was lots of construction and Lola got lost again. I needed fuel and stopped and asked someone where I-90 was. While I was stopped I went inside for a banana. I picked one up and the clerk rang it up at $2.59 so I swiped my credit card thinking that was a lot. After being in Canada nothing surprised me. The clerk realized the price was wrong and canceled the sale. It was .89 so I gave her cash. Yesterday while getting gas at the time I nearly ran out I had some Canadian money to spend. I picked up 2 snickers bars and asked the clerk how much and it was $2.30. I thought she meant for one so I put one back and paid her. As I was walking out she said that was for both of them so I picked up the other one.
Downtown Billings:

From July 2,3,4

From July 2,3,4

As I headed into Wyoming the storms kept following me.

From Alaska Favorites

From Alaska Favorites

I stopped in Casper, WY for fuel around 5:30 and that was too early to stop so I called ahead to a Super 8 in Cheyenne and made a reservation. I called Mary but there was no answer so I left a message that I was heading for Cheyenne. As soon as I left Casper it started to rain and at times fairly heavy. There was blue sky to my left and right at times but the rain followed I-25 where I was. Finally after about 1 and half hours it cleared up and the sun shone.

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Before I got to Cheyenne there was another storm to the northeast and you could see the moon near the clouds.

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I made it into Cheyenne about 9PM, called Mary but still no answer so I called her cell phone which she rarely has on. She answered but didn't speak loud and said she would call me back later. I was in the shower when my phone played "Proud Mary" so I didn't answer it. My computer was on and Skype was ringing so I answered it naked. That got her attention. Well as it turned out she had been at the emergency room having two fingers sewed up. When I left the lilac bushes needed trimmed and she said she would do it while I was gone. So while she was attempting to trim them with the electric hedge shears she reached down for something and it grabbed her fingers. She was lucky it didn't cut them off. She had one of the neighbors drive her to the emergency room and then wait about two hours before getting them stitched. At least there was no nerve damage and they will heal although there will be scars because some of the skin and flesh was missing.

Heading Home July 2

July 1 I stayed at the Sandman Inn in McBride, BC. They had super fast Internet but I was too tired to use it much. They had nice rooms and a good cafe. They also had beautiful hanging baskets of flowers around the cafe.

From July 2,3,4

From July 2,3,4

I left about 8AM the next morning headed for Jasper, AB and the Icefield Parkway. This park was still in BC.

From July 2,3,4

From Alaska Favorites

It was a very pleasant ride as the weather was perfect today. It was probably in the upper 50's to low 60's as were most days. I paid the $9.80 entrance fee into Jasper National Park with a $10 Canadian bill so received .20 back in change which is a real effort on a motorcycle. They should just charge $10. She asked if I wanted a map and I declined, which I would later regret. One of the attractions I wanted pictures of was the Athabasca Falls and I missed it. http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/f/f8/Athabasca_Falls_1.jpg I know I could have taken a much better picture. The last time I went through the Park I was coming from the south and rode right by the falls. I think there was another road I should have taken. I did get some good pictures while in the park but after all that I have been exposed to on this trip it is easier to pass up a shot. Some of the pictures.

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From Alaska Favorites

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If you look close at the above photo you will see people walking. You can see by this photo below how much the glacier has retracted in 100 years. It used to be near where I shot this photo.

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From July 2,3,4

From Alaska Favorites

From July 2,3,4

I headed out of the park and didn't stop at Lake Louise or Banff as I was there 6 years ago and it is more of a tourist thing. Traffic really moves on Canada 1 even though the speed limit is only 110 kph. I would say some were running 80 mph or 130 kph. I had Lola route me through Calgary and I was glad as I would have missed the road I wanted. Downtown Calgary:

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South of Calgary Lola had me heading east on a 2 lane road and I wasn't sure why but since she got me through Calgary I gave her the benefit of doubt and followed her suggestion. So I headed east on 23 highway and as it turned out was a good two lane road. I had a pickup pass me and he was running about 75 mph so I kept up with him for many miles. This country is flat and level and you can see for miles. They raise wheat and Canola which was starting to bloom.

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From Alaska Favorites

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From Alaska Favorites

I just about ran out of gas. I had filled up at Canmore and had used what I had in my can while one the Icefield Parkway. I didn't refill it because gas was expensive. Bad decision. I found myself in the middle of nowhere running on empty. I stopped at a small town and they didn't have gas and I asked a guy how far to a station. He said it was about 40 kilometers. I didn't think I could make it as I was showing about 25 miles of gas left. So I rode on at about 60 mph to make better mileage. It was probably a good thing I slowed down anyway since the sheriff officers had two vehicles stopped and issuing tickets. I finally came to a town with fuel and filled up. I still didn't put any in my can. At Lethbridge Lola tried to get me lost and I had to abandon her and make my own decision. I found the correct highway and headed for the border. I crossed into the USA at Sweet Grass, MT.

From Alaska Favorites

From Alaska Favorites

I headed on to Shelby, MT and arriving at the Crossroads Inn about 9PM. I called Mary to let her know I was okay and made it to a near by Pizza Hut just before they closed. I took the pizza back to the room, ate and went to bed. I had ridden 600 miles, more than I had planned.

July 1

My stay in Hyder was not great. They party too much for me. Being 66 years old I would much rather sleep. The noise went on until 4AM. The couple in the room above me had trouble standing. I think it was the girl and she must have fell down 5 times and it sounded like she was coming through the floor. So if you plan to stay a Sea Alaska Inn be aware of the bar and they are going to howl. If you want to sleep stay somewhere else.

I left Hyder at 8AM and no rain.
Bear Glacier

From July 1

First time in over a week and I went the entire day without rain and the temperature even got up to 68 for a while. I stopped at Kitwanga for fuel and who should I run across again but Chuck Weaver on his 93 GSPD BMW. He had a gasket leaking oil and the guy at the shop was making a new one. I remembered to take his picture this time.

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From July 1

From Alaska Favorites

From July 1

There is lots of logging going on throughout BC except the sawmill at Kitwanga was closed. These are some pictures of some sawmills today.

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From Alaska Favorites

From Alaska Favorites

From July 1

As I was leaving Prince George for Jasper a sign said no services for over 200 k so I turned around and went to the first station. There I met David Bowers who has been following my posts and is on the way up to Alaska.

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The roads and weather today were super and it was a great day to ride so I went 485 miles and ended up at McBride BC. I will head to Jasper in the morning then down the Icefield highway towards Calgary.