2wheels2alaska.com - A Motorcycle Ride to Alaska for The Austin Hatcher Foundation

In person presentation on my trip to Alaska at RevZilla Motorsports (Philadelphia, PA) on Saturday, October 17

2009-09-03T20:10:00.002-04:00

I've been asked by RevZilla Motorsports in Philadelphia to be a part of their Fall Open House on Saturday, October 17 and to give a presentation on my trip to Alaska. If you want to know more about riding to the North or think you might want to make the trip yourself then come on by! The show starts at 2:00PM. More details as the event gets closer!

Day 44 - Epilogue. I didn't ride anywhere today!

2009-07-04T13:14:00.003-04:00

Day 45 – Epilogue
Miles Today – 0

Here I sit on 4th of July. A mountain of mail needs to be sorted and the bills paid. The first of several loads of laundry is underway. Even so, I am drawn to reflect on the events of the past month. By several thousand miles this was my longest motorcycle trip to date. Friends have pointed out that 12,000 miles is equivalent to just about halfway around the world. Even so I don’t feel particularly weary. Rather, I feel invigorated by having been so far and having seen so much. Were there things I would do differently? Sure. Nonetheless, I could never really imagined that the entire trip would be so trouble and drama free. It went by in a blur! These are a few thoughts I'd like to share.

Regarding the bike:
My 2009 BMW F650GS performed almost perfectly throughout the trip. The exception was an intermittent stalling issue that appeared at about 4000 miles into the trip. I lived with the issue for about a week before putting the bike in the BMW dealer in Anchorage. Whatever they did (they weren’t talking) fixed the issue as it never occurred again. If I were starting out again I would do two things differently with the bike. First, I would add an extension to the side stand to make the foot bigger. I had repeated issues with the small “foot” sinking into the soft gravel and dirt in gas stations and parking lots in the North. Likewise, when it was just about 100 degrees last Tuesday in Wichita the bike began to sink into the soft asphalt. Fortunately things never quite so far out of hand that the bike fell down. Secondly, I would have replaced the very good, but street riding focused, original equipment Bridgestone Battle Wing Tires with something a little more appropriate to the dirt and gravel on which I regularly found myself riding. In Oregon, on the way back I had a set of Metzeler Tourances installed but, of course, by then most of the dirt riding was over. The greatest “pucker”/”heart stopping” moments of the trip were in the mud and soft gravel of construction areas in Northern BC and the Yukon. Sure did wish I had some more appropriate tires then!

Regarding the route:
If I had this amount of time to make this trip again I don’t think I’d alter my route much. I did keep a pretty aggressive travel schedule and if I had wanted to have the opportunity to stop and see more things, make more sidetrips along the way then I just flat would have needed more time. Disregarding the days when I stayed over somewhere, I averaged 332 miles per day on the Northbound trip and 375 miles per day coming back. That’s quite a bit and doesn’t leave a huge amount of time to enjoy the incredible number of diversions to be found virtually everywhere I went. On the other hand, if I had cut back to 200 or 250 miles per day it would have taken another month to make the trip. There are places that I should have gone (Cassiar Highway in BC) but it’s a little late to second guess now.

Regarding my equipment:
My only equipment failure of the whole trip was when the heated vest quit (conveniently-the day before the coldest/wettest day of the trip!). I carried all the appropriate gear that I needed for the conditions I encountered – everything from the high 20s with freezing rain and sleet to nearly 100 degrees (F). One irony of the trip is that I carried camping gear but never camped. It’s a little hard to explain but during the Northbound portion of the trip it was mostly too cold to seriously think about it. Overnight temps around the low 30s were just beyond what my stuff would have made comfortable. Then on the return trip I had gotten so geared up to have internet each night and do daily postings here and elsewhere that I kinda forgot about the camping thing. Of course, it was always there if I needed it in a pinch. Which I did not. I think for future travel I’ll be a little more specific in planning whether it’s a camping trip or not. My RevIt Sirocco Jacket performed brilliantly, although it is now so filthy that the only appropriate thing to do might be to burn it (only kidding!). It (along with my helmet) was the only piece of equipment that I wore every mile of every day. I might have wanted it to be a bit warmer on those 30 and 40 degree mornings but, on the other hand, it remained mighty comfortable in the 80 and 90 degree afternoons toward the end of the trip. For sure it’s a sound 3 season jacket not a piece of winter gear. Maybe I just didn’t understand that winter wasn’t quite over everywhere I went.

Other thoughts:
One of the very best parts of the trip was meeting new friends, whether on the road or online through my blog or web forum postings. There are plenty of motorcyclists on the road in the North from the end of May on. They are friendly, helpful, and most are also fascinating to listen to as they tell their stories. People in the hotels, restaurants and other motorists are also helpful, interested and attentive. Traveling North America is easy and it’s as rewarding as it is interesting. I have just this one additional interesting anecdote to add. I had no GPS and, frankly didn’t really need to use maps all that much. However I did usually have a map in my tankbag. Occasionally I would stop alongside the road to look at or study the map. I did this a number of times throughout the trip. I specifically recall that I did it 3 times in Wisconsin. The reason I remember Wisconsin so well is that EACH time I stopped, someone pulled up in a car or pickup to ask if I was having any trouble or needed any help. On the other hand this NEVER happened anywhere else I went. I don’t know what it is about Wisconsin people but they sure are eager to help. Fascinating. Reassuring.

While there were many highlights to this trip, the biggest of all was to be able to do something for others who are less fortunate than I. The trip has managed to raise several thousand dollars for the Austin Hatcher Foundation and, even now, additional donations continue to arrive. Thank you all for your generosity!

I also need to thank, once again, the fine folks at RevZilla and RevZilla.com. Their support and encouragement was first rate throughout. If you need motorcycle gear & equipment they’re your guys. Give ‘em a call or check ‘em out on the web at www.revzilla.com. Likewise a shout out to Hermy’s Cycles in Port Clinton, PA. They’re my BMW dealer of choice and became a supporter of the ride early on. I especially liked being able to participate in their Spring Open House back in May before the trip began. The F650GS is going to go to Hermy’s for it’s regular service just as soon as it can be scheduled. See them for your BMW and Triumph needs.

Anyone who is contemplating such a trip, even remotely following my route, is welcome to contact me at jhbfly@yahoo.com for insights, advice, or just to talk about the great adventure of it all.

A sincere thank you to everyone who has joined me on this trip. You’ll never know how much encouragement your interest has provided me.

Be Well,
Jack Broomall

Day 44 - Pickerington, OH to Malvern, PA. 12,000 Miles Later - HOME!!!

2009-07-03T18:44:00.004-04:00

Day 44 – Friday, July 3, 2009
Start: Pickerington, OH
End: Malvern, PA
Trip Miles Today: 447
Total Trip Miles: 12019

I can only say WOW! After 44 days, 20 states, 2 Canadian Provinces and a Territory, 4 time zones and 12,019 Miles I am, at last back home. No crashes, no tickets, no bike drops. Just home. Safe and sound.

There isn’t a great deal to say about today’s ride. I slept in just a bit and didn’t get on the road until about 8 AM. I ground out 100 miles in the first 90 minutes across Eastern Ohio via I-70. Inasmuch as I skipped all those “Boyhood home(s) of ……” in Kansas the other day I decided to catch at least one in Ohio. In New Concord, OH. I stopped by the boyhood home of astronaut John Glenn – now set up as the John and Annie Glenn Historic site, right there on the main street in New Concord. As a kid I was enthralled by the space program so John Glenn was a boyhood hero of mine, as he was for many of my generation. Alas, the house was not open for visitors so I kept on rolling. Sometime later, when I was about 200 miles out, and just beyond the Pennsylvania State Line it began to rain. A fine welcome back! I rode on the Pennsylvania Turnpike for about an hour in and out of showers. Nothing drenching, just enough to require full rain gear and the increased attention rain riding requires. Later the rain abated and I took the opportunity to leave the PA Turnpike to follow US-30 (The Lincoln Highway) through the western part of the state. Route 30 is a marvelous ride from Breezewood, PA headed East for about the next 30-40 miles. It’s mostly mountain views and twisties up and downhill. Any road posted “Dangerous Curves Ahead – Truck runaway Ramp 1 Mile!” has to be prime motorcycling territory. The number of other bikes out confirmed my assessment. A great ride. Further on I stopped briefly in Gettysburg, PA sight of the famous Civil War Battle (fought July 3-4, 1863…146 years ago to the day.) Pretty facsinating stuff for the Fourth of July weekend. After that it was just grinding out those last hundred miles. I was met just as I exited the PA Turnpike for the final time by my wife Lisa, and friend Don Verdiani who had ridden out to the same place they left me on that Thursday Morning 6+ weeks ago as I departed. Then my “posse” escorted me the last few miles home. That’s it. I’m home now. Of course, with ideas for other adventures after a suitable rest period!

As you know, an important part of this entire enterprise was to raise awareness for and generate donations to the Austin Hatcher Foundation (www.hatcherfoundation.org). If you have enjoyed this story and have, at any point felt compelled to join me in doing something good for those who are in need then I’d ask you now to make a donation to the Austin Hatcher Foundation. Just go to their website and click on the “Donations” tab. If you do so please make a note in the comments field that you are supporting the “Ride to Alaska” or similar. If you don’t wish to donate online but would feel better writing a check simply send a check along to The Austin Hatcher Foundation, 7421 Savannah Drive, Ooltewah, TN. 37363. Again, please enclose a note that says you are supporting the 2009 Ride to Alaska. The Austin Hatcher Foundation is a 501c3 charity.

A big part of the fun of this adventure was meeting new friends, both on the road and online. I consider all of you who are reading this to be my friends and it’s been great to have you along for the ride.

Over the next few days I’ll be posting some “epilog” and summary stuff so don’t stop visiting just yet!!

More pictures from my ride are available to see at http://jackb1.smugmug.com

The 2009 Ride to Alaska for The Austin Hatcher Foundation is supported by RevZilla.com , Philly's Premier Destination Motorcycle Gear and Apparel store and by Hermy's Cycles of Port Clinton, PA.

Day 43 - Vandalia, IL. to Pickerington, OH. Last night in a hotel!!! One more day!

2009-07-02T17:32:00.005-04:00

Day 43 – Thursday, July 2, 2009
Start: Vandalia, IL
End: Pickerington, OH
Trip Miles Today: 358
Total Trip Miles: 11572

Today started out a little differently. At departure time it was cloudy, overcast, and it looked as if I might get rained on. The lack of that early morning sun burning my retinas was actually a welcome relief from the past few days. Off we went, first through the southern Illinois farmlands, then into Indiana, and ultimately through the cities of Indianapolis, Dayton and Columbus. These are bigger cities now and they come at me more often as I near the more populous Northeast. There is not much to really say about the ride as it was all Interstate 70, as it has been for days now.

We haven’t really talked much about “road warrior cuisine” but I do want to give a shout out today for one of my favorite road foods – Skyline Chili! Skyline Chili is the prototypical “Cincinnati Style” chili. The company was founded in 1949 by Greek immigrants and has, over the years grown from the original store (within sight of the Cincinnati “skyline”) to outlets through Ohio, Indiana, Michigan and a few others. Mostly it’s a Midwest thing. I believe I previously mentioned that I lived in Michigan for many years and going through the Cincinnati area always required a stop for Skyline Chili. I was fortunate enough to find a restaurant near Dayton today and boy did that make me happy! I heartily recommend the 5-way (Chili, beans, onions, cheese, and spaghetti) if you ever get the chance. Skyline Chili can sometimes be found in food stores in other parts of the country but it’s somehow not the same as having it served to you at one of the restaurants.

For lack of time, I passed up two stops that ought to be on every traveler’s short list. I skipped the Indianapolis Motor Speedway Museum because it was sort of out of the way and also because the Indianapolis Beltway, I-465, is all torn up with construction and I feared taking a huge amount of time getting to and from the Speedway. I’ve also been there in the past 7-8 years so I just kept on riding. Likewise I drove past the U.S. Air Force Museum at Wright-Patterson Air Force Base in Dayton. As much as I would have like to stop in I just didn’t have the time. Since this is a motorcycle trip, I voted to allocate my time to the American Motorcyclist Association Motorcycle Hall of Fame Museum just outside Columbus, OH. I’m glad I did. The museum has two currently active displays. The first is “Moto-Stars” a display dedicated to celebrities and their motorcycles. Among the notables with strong motorcycle connections are Steve McQueen, Tom Cruise, and Keith Urban and there are both bikes and cycling memorabilia from these and others on display. Also featured, in a different gallery is a collection of the customs from noted builder Arlen Ness. Not exactly my cup of tea stylistically but nonetheless incredible craftsmanship that anyone can surely appreciate. In addition to these special displays there is the Motorcycle Hall of Fame Gallery and much more. If you ever travel this direction the Museum is just moments off I-70 a few miles East of Columbus in Pickerington, Ohio.

Well, tonight is my last evening in a hotel and for that I am grateful. Another 450 miles or so tomorrow and I’m back home after 6 ½ weeks on the road. I have no particular stops in mind for the final day. Just whatever coffee and “stretch your legs” breaks are required to get me through. It’s been fun but I’m not quite through yet. Maybe something surprising or interesting could yet happen. If so I’ll let you know. I really enjoy having others travel along with me.
Jack

More pictures from my ride are available to see at http://jackb1.smugmug.com

The 2009 Ride to Alaska for The Austin Hatcher Foundation is supported by RevZilla.com , Philly's Premier Destination Motorcycle Gear and Apparel store and by Hermy's Cycles of Port Clinton, PA.

Day 42 - Wichita, KS. to Vandalia, IL. Back East of the Mississippi River!

2009-07-01T20:53:00.006-04:00

Day 42 – Wednesday, July 1, 2009
Start: Wichita, KS
End: Vandalia, IL
Trip Miles Today: 527
Total Trip Miles: 11214

This was a day for which I had no real expectations, except that it would be a long ride on a hot day. Well, as it turned out, this was a day of a number of fun surprises. My only real goal for the day was to make it across the Mississippi River before calling it a day. To do so, I felt the need to leave depart early, which I did by getting underway just before 6:30AM. It seemed a bit unusual to be packing up the bike in the pre-dawn darkness inasmuch as two weeks ago I was in Alaska where there was virtually no darkness at all. It was 65 degrees when I took to the Kansas byways and I took that as an omen that another sweltering day was in store. Anyway, off I went. The initial part of the trip took me on the Kansas Turnpike toward Kansas City, about 200 miles distant. I relished the lack of traffic at that hour and in the bright morning sunlight one could see lots of deer grazing in the farm fields. Pretty nice! I covered 100 miles before 8:00am and that amount of progress gave me confidence that my Mississippi Crossing goal was in reach as well as reinforcing the notion that I could stop in St. Louis and visit the Headquarters of the BMW Motorcycles Owners of America. So on I pressed. It was shortly after passing Kansas City that I got my first exciting “surprise” sighting of the day. Just barely into Missouri and what should I see but a sign proclaiming that the town I was passing through, Blue Springs, was the home of American Idol 2008 winner David Cook! The “World’s Biggest Prairie Dog “ yesterday and now this! I guess it’s just plain wrong to say there’s nothing to see on the prairie! And on I rode. About 2:30 I arrived in Ellisville, just outside St Louis at the BMW MOA headquarters, an organizaion to which I have belonged since the early 1990s. They gave me the grand tour and I spent some time speaking with the organization’s magazine editor about doing a piece based on this blog and on my trip. We explored ideas and left open the possibility. Maybe the best part of stopping in at BMW MOA was that it’s just right down the street from the Historic Route 66! I’ve spent days (no weeks!) following all manner of pioneer trails – the Oregon Trail, The California Trail, the Mormon Trail, etc, etc, etc. However, to we geezers from the motorized travel era nothing is bigger than Route 66. The Mother Road! And I got to ride on it (if only briefly) on my bike. How cool is that? Later in the day I had another encounter with Route 66 as I stopped just before crossing the Mississippi at the location of the historic “Chain of Rocks Bridge” that carried Route 66 over the Mississippi “back in the day.” All in all a pretty good day. Oh yes, it never really got hot either. Highest temp I saw all day was about 85 and after crossing the River I rode for another hour in mid 70s temps. Just about perfect I’d say.

The plan for tomorrow is to get another early start and to arrive in the Columbus, Ohio area early enough in the afternoon to go and visit the American Motorcyclist Association Motorcycle Heritage Museum in Pickerington, Ohio. The distance is reasonable (only about 370 miles) but I get hit with another of those pesky time zone changes and lose an hour! Fortunately it’s the last one as , by this time tomorrow I’ll be back in the Eastern Time Zone where I belong! I only have one other thing to tell today but this is really weird. Tonight I’m in a hotel in Vandalia, Il. My room number is 312. In fact my room number has been 312 for 3 of the last 4 nights! Rock Springs, WY – 312. Limon, CO – 312. Now Vandalia, IL – 312. Very creepy! Maybe this means something but I don’t quite know just what yet. Stick around and maybe we’ll see before the trip is over!!

More pictures are available to be seen at http://jackb1.smugmug.com

The 2009 Ride to Alaska for The Austin Hatcher Foundation is supported by RevZilla.com , Philly's Premier Destination Motorcycle Gear and Apparel store and by Hermy's Cycles of Port Clinton, PA.

Day 41 - Limon, CO. to Wichita, KS. Hot day in the High Plains!

2009-06-30T18:27:00.005-04:00

Day 41 – Tuesday, June 30, 2009
Start: Limon, CO
End: Wichita, KS
Trip Miles Today: 433
Total Trip Miles: 10687

Today was the first of several days in a row of highway mileage that will close out my trip. Eastern Colorado and Kansas are really lovely places but I am very sure that riding through these states on Interstate 70 doesn’t show off their beauty to maximum effect. The first thing I noticed this morning, upon leaving Limon, CO before 7:00 AM was that it was already over 60 deg (f)! I took this as a clue that today might be a “warm” day. Riding eastward and looking directly into the morning sun is always a challenge but I guess that’s the price to be paid for these early morning departures. Today was, again, all about covering maximum distance so I didn’t factor in adequate time to check out many of the “ attractions” to be found in this part of the world. For example I had to pass up the “World’s Largest Prairie Dog” in Oakley, Kansas. I also made the mistake of failing to leave time for visits to any of the many “boyhood homes of famous people” scattered across the Kansas landscape. For example, I drove right past the boyhood home of Walter P. Chrysler in Ellis, KS and completely missed the boyhood homes of both Bob Dole and Senator Arlen Specter in Hays, Kansas. First thing tomorrow morning I will likewise miss, no doubt, the boyhood home of Dwight D. Eisenhower in Abilene, KS. What I did see today were the rich farmlands of Kansas which deliver wheat, corn, and other important crops to all of us. There is also a surprising number of oil wells to be seen as one drives along. Not the most scenic of views but nonetheless beautiful and important in their own way. The heat of today was pretty oppressive. By the end of the ride today I was looking at 98 degrees on the bike thermometer. Hopefully tomorrow will be a bit cooler. Tomorrow's plan is to make my way to St. Louis and hopefully beyond the Mississippi river. The evening was capped off with a very nice dinner at the new aviation themed restaurant, Hangar One, with good friend Lori Lucion from Cessna Aircraft. Thanks for being along for these last few days of the ride. Jack

There are more pictures to see at http://jackb1.smugmug.com

The 2009 Ride to Alaska for The Austin Hatcher Foundation is supported by RevZilla.com , Philly's Premier Destination Motorcycle Gear and Apparel store and by Hermy's Cycles of Port Clinton, PA.

Day 40 - Rock Springs, WY to Limon, CO. Rocky Mountain Monday!!

2009-06-30T00:28:00.003-04:00

Day 40 – Monday, June 29, 2009
Start: Rock Springs, WY
End: Limon, CO
Trip Miles Today: 497
Total Trip Miles: 10254

I feel really good about today and the route I took. By getting off Interstate 80 near Rawlings and heading south into Colorado, I was able to entirely change the character of the ride. My route took me off of the Interstate by 8:30 in the morning (yea!). Near the small town of Wamsutter I turned south on Wyoming Route 789 toward the Colorado border and the small town of Craig, CO. This portion took me through high desert and across the Continental Divide for the first of 4 times today. By the time I entered Craig, the terrain had transformed from the Wyoming High desert browns and reds to the Colorado lush greens. A VERY refreshing change. In Craig I turned East on US 40. Next location of note was the ski town of Steamboat Springs, CO. Steamboat is a little bit artsy and touristy but still with a taste of the old west. From Steamboat the Route 40 goes seriously uphill and into the Routt National Forest. The segment from Steamboat to Kremmling was the surprise and delight of the day for scenery. Forested mountainsides, alpine lakes and more. Then it was on to Granby, Grand Lake and Route 34 through the Rocky Mountain National Park. Pictures do not do these places justice, you must visit! Aside from about 15 miles of construction, near the West entrance, the Park was just about perfect. I also had my closest ever encounter with Elk. They were actually grazing in the roadway. After leaving the park I passed through Estes Park then continued on through Bolder, Denver and (sadly) out of the mountains and into the prairie. After Denver I joined I-70 and proceeded to Limon, CO, my overnight digs. I say sadly because there is a lot of flat and seeming featureless country before me as I proceed across Eastern Colorado, Kansas, and Missouri. I will be on Interstate 70 for well over 1000 miles before I exit in Pennsylvania some 4 days hence. The trip total miles is now over 10,000 and that seems like a real trek. Someday it will make me tired just thinking about it. But not yet. I’m beginning to get amped up to just pound out miles and get home. Thanks again for letting me share this little adventure with you. Jack

You can see lots more pictures from my trip at http://jackb1.smugmug.com

The 2009 Ride to Alaska for The Austin Hatcher Foundation is supported by RevZilla.com , Philly's Premier Destination Motorcycle Gear and Apparel store and by Hermy's Cycles of Port Clinton, PA.

Day 39 - Nampa, ID. to Rock Springs, WY. Through the Wasatch. 478 miles but all on the Interstate!

2009-06-28T20:30:00.004-04:00

Day 39 – Sunday, June 28, 2009
Start: Nampa, ID
End: Rock Springs, WY
Trip Miles Today: 478
Total Trip Miles: 9757

What can I say about today? 478 miles (3rd longest day of the trip!) but all on the Interstate. My route of travel is easily described – I left Nampa, ID on I-84 East. I stayed on I-84 until it ends in Utah East of Salt Lake City and at that point I jumped on I-80 East for the rest of the day. You can certainly make good time on the Interstates, especially in the west where the speed limits are high (like 75 all day today!) You do miss out, however, on much of the scenery and interesting elements of how people live their lives in the localities that you pass through. That being said, for tomorrow I’m going to leave the Interstate for a few hours and cut through the Northeast corner of Colorado via secondary roads. It’s my last day in the mountains and I’m really looking forward to the diversion, regardless of how long it may take me to reach tomorrow’s overnight destination, Limon, CO.

Highlights for today were few but the one which always stands out for me is the ride from the Salt Lake City area heading east. The climb up through the mountains is eye-popping and even the Interstate is interesting here, with sweeping s-turns, many posted for 45 or 55 mph but capable of being negotiated at higher speeds. I am definitely looking forward to lots of mountain twisties tomorrow.

The bike continues to handle the miles without complaint. I did confirm today an observation I made at the beginning of the trip coming across North Dakota and Montana. That is that the gas mileage really goes in the pot when you try to cruise at speeds above 75. While I would suspect that the overall gas mileage for the trip is about 57mpg, by really twisting the throttle to cover ground quickly the rider can drive the mpg value into the 40s. On the other hand, proceeding at more “sedate” speeds on secondary roads often yields over 60 mpg. Take your pick!

As I mentioned, tomorrow it’s Limon, CO. I’m getting far enough along that it’s getting possible to predict where I’m gonna land for the rest of the trip. That projection kinda looks like this: Monday night-Limon, CO; Tuesday night- somewhere around Salina or Lawrence, KS; Wednesday night-St Louis area; Thursday night- Columbus, Ohio area; Friday night – HOME in Malvern, PA. Still lots of miles to go but the end is coming in sight! Thanks for being here with me. Jack

There are more pictures available to see at http://jackb1.smugmug.com

The 2009 Ride to Alaska for The Austin Hatcher Foundation is supported by RevZilla.com , Philly's Premier Destination Motorcycle Gear and Apparel store and by Hermy's Cycles of Port Clinton, PA.

Day 38 - Pendleton, OR. to Nampa, ID. A second morning at Hodaka Days, then on to Idaho.

2009-06-27T22:10:00.004-04:00

Day 38 – Saturday, June 27, 2009
Start: Pendleton, Or.
End: Nampa, Idaho
Trip Miles Today: 270
Total Trip Miles: 9279

On the way back to Athena early this morning I took a few moments to cruise by the Pendleton Woolen Mills. Founded in 1893, Pendleton Woolen Mills is known worldwide as a maker of fine Indian blankets and men’s plaid shirts. It could very well be the only thing you ever heard of from Pendleton, OR. My early morning ride also gave me time to soak up the views of the local farms and the agribusiness. The area’s main crops are wheat and hay but I’m also told that a great percentage of world’s commercial green pea crop comes from this area.

Back, then, to Athena I went. What I found were many more bikes now present – maybe as many as 150-200? Also, by attending Saturday morning I got to view the Hodaka Parade through downtown Athena – a sight not to be missed! Not only is the parade fun for the participants but local folks all come out and it’s a grand old time. Many of the local residents seem to look back fondly on the Hodaka era when the brand carried Athena’s name proudly to the most distant corners of the United States. The parade brings with it the sounds and smells (and smoke!) that was the signature of two-stroke motorcycling in the 60s and 70s. Just like a trip back in a time machine! Also by visiting again on Saturday I got some time to speak to Paul Stannard and his wife Patti who are the real catalysts for the continuation of this great event. Paul is the president of the Hodaka Club and also operates one of the premier outlets for Hodaka Parts, information, and accessories. Their company, Strictly Hodaka, is based in Vermont. Paul and Patti are friendly, outgoing people, willing to help in any way and they have made a successful business out of their passion. We should all be so lucky! However, even this fun had to come to an end as I needed to get on the road and cover some ground eastward. Before noon I was on my way, rolling eastward in I-84 and covering the last 100 miles of Oregon. Shortly after crossing into Idaho I decided that enough was enough and that I had to get off the Interstate if I was to retain my sanity. I took a chance and went south from the highway and worked my way into the Snake River Valley. I followed that for about thirty scenic miles before turning back north toward Nampa, ID. my overnight destination. Unfortunately, going eastbound the time zone changes steal hours from you. When I crossed into Idaho I entered the Mountain Time Zone and lost an hour from the available riding time. Fortunately I’ll be in Mountain Time for the next couple of days so I don’t have to dial that correction into my travel plans again for a while.

It looks like each of the next few days will need to be over 400 milers in order to make my planned arrival at home on Friday, July 3. Tomorrow’s destination is Rock Springs, WY and Limon, CO the day after that. Riding the Interstates will make the mileage accumulation possible but I’m not looking forward to just highway miles. Hopefully I can cover ground quick enough to get off the highway from time to time and see the truly interesting stuff. Time will tell. Thanks for coming along. Jack

There are more pictures available to see at http://jackb1.smugmug.com

The 2009 Ride to Alaska for The Austin Hatcher Foundation is supported by RevZilla.com , Philly's Premier Destination Motorcycle Gear and Apparel store and by Hermy's Cycles of Port Clinton, PA.

Day 37 - At Pendleton, OR. Hodaka Days in Athena, OR!! Two stroke, vintage bike fun!

2009-06-26T19:37:00.007-04:00

Day 37 – Friday, June 26, 2009
Start: Pendleton, Or.
End: Pendleton, Or.
Trip Miles Today: 47
Total Trip Miles: 9009

Today was day spent in the Pendleton, Oregon area. Pendleton is pretty well known as the home of Pendleton Woolens and Knits (no woolen knits required today – 80 deg. and sunny!) Less well known, at least to people outside the motorcycling community, is that less than 20 miles up the road is Athena, Oregon the home of Hodaka Motorcycles. In the early 60s Athena based agribusiness company PABATCO (Pacific Basin Trading Company) found themselves in the motorcycle business through an odd set of circumstances including the bankruptcy of the obscure Japanese motorcycle manufacturer Yamaguchi, currency trading restrictions with Japan, and the critical mass of motorcycle enthusiasts within the PABATCO management corps (Long story made short!) The Hodaka product was pretty advanced for it’s time – employing a steel tube frame for it’s “trail Bikes” when the products from the Big 4 Japanese manufacturers were still pressed steel weldments. Also, these capable little bikes had lights, horns and other street equipment which allowed the owner to ride to the trailhead rather than haul them in a trailer. Success rapidly followed and the company sold 10s of thousands of bikes (in the US only) in just a few short years. This success was rather short lived as the little company never really had the resources to compete directly with the much bigger Japanese manufacturers such as Honda and Yamaha. When the big guys finally got it right with their “dirt bikes” (think Yamaha DT1) in the late 60s and early 70s, the Hodaka brand was wound down and finally closed about 1978. Nonetheless these bikes have quite the following nationwide and their annual “homecoming” is in Athena this week. Attending the event is special treat for me as I have a “basket case” Hodaka at home awaiting its turn for restoration. It’s exciting to see all the different models (Hodaka was famous for it’s “tongue in cheek” names for the different lines of bikes – “Super Rat”, “Road Toad”, “Dirt Squirt”, and “Wombat” were all part of the fun). Importantly, these are not just show bikes but they are ridden and ridden hard! Nice to see classics out there in the dirt! Anyway, I was able to spend the afternoon at Hodaka Days just absorbing the ambiance. I plan to return tomorrow to spend another half day experiencing the bike parade, swap meet and bike show. But, all good things must end and I plan to depart about noon or 1:00pm for destinations east. I’ll try to put a couple of hundred miles under my belt tomorrow afternoon – perhaps over near Boise, Idaho. Then the next few days afterward will be mostly just pounding out those boring highway miles while making my way home. At this time I anticipate arrival in SE Pennsylvania on Friday, July 3. I should know more after a couple of days but that seems a reasonable projection for now. I hate to see the end in sight but there you are! However, we’ve got another week to ride and anything can happen so I hope you’ll stay with me! Thanks again, Jack.

There are many more pictures available to see at http://jackb1.smugmug.com

The 2009 Ride to Alaska for The Austin Hatcher Foundation is supported by RevZilla.com , Philly's Premier Destination Motorcycle Gear and Apparel store and by Hermy's Cycles of Port Clinton, PA.

Day 36 - Ashland, OR to Pendleton, OR. Crater Lake!

2009-06-26T00:26:00.004-04:00

Day 35 – Wednesday, June 24, 2009
Start: Ashland, Or.
End: Pendleton, Or.
Trip Miles Today: 436
Total Trip Miles: 8962

The trip is getting to be pretty close to 9000 miles now and this afternoon the very first pangs of “get home itis” began to creep in. From now on, every place I go will be closer to home than the last but I’m really nowhere done yet! Today, for example I banged out over 400 miles and visited one of my absolute favorite places on earth, Crater Lake National Park.

I got an early start because I knew I faced a long day. Off by 6:30 am I was headed north on I-5 out of Ashland. It was only a short stint on the super-slab today though. At Medford, only about 15 miles away I had the great pleasure of getting off the Interstate an on to California Rte. 62, The Crater Lake Highway. The highway generally follows the path of the Rogue River, which originates high in the cascades near the north side of Crater Lake. By following the river’s path the highway lends itself to many beautiful vistas over the 70+ odd miles from Medford to the park. Much of the route passes through the Rogue River National Forest. Especially notable is the Rogue Gorge, carved by the river over eons. A number of picture stops and a few stops just to say “Wow” caused the trip to proceed at a fairly slow pace. I was, nonetheless, at the Crater Lake National Park South gate by just about 9:00 am. Since first visiting Crater Lake in 2005 I have longed to go back. To me it is among the most beautiful, and tranquil places I know. I was fortunate, once again to have a visit unspoiled by inclement weather. The weather gods dealt up another perfect morning! Photo ops and stops to simply “take it all in” ate up over an hour before I Ieft to continue northward. Jumping on Oregon Rte. 97, I proceeded, in turn through Bend, Redmond, and Madras. Somewhere North of Bend the character of the terrain and of the entire environment changes. Out of the dense pine forests where I have spent the past few days and into a more desert like, more barren region. Still, however, always in sight are the snow capped peaks to guide one. Mt. Hood, and the Three Sisters, now visible to the West as I have moved into the central part of Oregon. Late in the afternoon I reach the Columbia River Valley and the east end of the Columbia River Gorge. It lives up to its reputation by being both considerably hotter and a fierce wind is swirling. No so much fun for me (and all those people in campers), but good news for the windsurfing crowd, who are out in force! At the Columbia I turned eastward, once again on the interstate, now I-84, for the quick 100 mile blast to my overnight destination, Pendleton, OR. I plan to stick around here for the next day or so. As I mentioned yesterday, I have come to the Pendleton area, in particular a little town called Athena for the 10th edition of an event called Hodaka Days. For those of you unfamiliar, Hodakas were popular 2 stroke dirt and street bikes made in Japan and sold exclusively in the United States by a company called PABATCO (Pacific Basin Trading Company) whose headquarters was in Athena. I am kind of a fan and actually Lisa and I have a “project” Hodaka at home. I hope to have pictures and stories from this event tomorrow and maybe Saturday before I turn to the serious work of covering the 1700 miles between here and home. Hope you still enjoy the story and pics. Thanks for being here with me.
Jack

Many more pictures to see at http://jackb1.smugmug.com

The 2009 Ride to Alaska for The Austin Hatcher Foundation is supported by RevZilla.com , Philly's Premier Destination Motorcycle Gear and Apparel store and by Hermy's Cycles of Port Clinton, PA.

Day 35 - Lake Oswego, OR to Ashland, OR. Atlantic Coast to Pacific Coast!

2009-06-25T00:37:00.004-04:00

Day 35 – Wednesday, June 24, 2009
Start: Lake Oswego, OR
End: Ashland, OR
Trip Miles Today: 372
Total Trip Miles: 8526

The early portion of today’s ride was just about getting places. An early departure was necessary to get myself 100 miles down the road to Eugene, Oregon early enough to be there when BMW Motorcycles of Western Oregon opened their doors at 8:30am. My business at BMW Western Oregon was to get a new set of tires installed on my trusty old steed. This couldn’t have worked out more perfectly. With help and support from Service Manager Hugo, and Doug in the parts department, the tire change was completed in just over an hour an a half. Excellent folks. Easy to deal with, courteous, and very supportive of the traveling rider. I’d recommend these guys to anyone, so if you’re ever in the area…!

The quick work at the BMW dealer got me back on the road just after 10:00AM. This allowed me some time to play! First order of business was to head West on Oregon Rte. 126 toward the coastal town of Florence, some 50 miles distant. From Florence I proceeded South on the Oregon Coastal Highway (Rte 101) through the Oregon Dunes National Recreational Area. My main business here was to shoot a couple of pictures on the Pacific Coast and document the completion of my trip “Coast-To-Coast”. That being completed I continued S on Rte 101 until arriving at Reedsport, where I again turned inland to follow Rte 38. Rte 38 follows the Umpqua River Valley and makes for quite the scenic ride as both the road and the river climb inland. After a subsequent turn southeast on to Rte. 138, some 60 miles later I was again back on I-5 heading South for my overnight stop in Ashland, OR.

Arriving at Ashland about 4pm, I checked in at my hotel before heading over to visit with my high school friend Anne Bellegia and her husband Terry Asnes. We had a very nice dinner and they treated me to a quick tour of Ashland. That about capped the day and I headed back to the hotel for some rest. Tomorrow is a big day. I plan on an early start with a side trip to Crater Lake National Park, one of my very favorite places on earth. Then it’s a northeasterly heading to see how far I can get in the direction of Pendleton, OR by tomorrow night. Why Pendleton? Because Pendleton is close to Athena, Oregon and Athena is the site of the annual “Hodaka Days” festival. Athena was the home of PABATCO, the company that brought Hodaka Motorcycles to the US in the sixties and seventies. As a dual-sport rider, I consider that Hodaka holds a special place in the history of the breed. Before there were Yamaha Enduros, long before there were GSs, there were Hodakas – arguably the precursor to every on road/off road bike that followed. More tomorrow about Hodakas and Hodaka Days! Lots more adventuring yet to come

There are plenty of pictures from my ride at http://jackb1.smugmug.com

The 2009 Ride to Alaska for The Austin Hatcher Foundation is supported by RevZilla.com , Philly's Premier Destination Motorcycle Gear and Apparel store and by Hermy's Cycles of Port Clinton, PA.

Day 34 Abbotsford, BC to Lake Oswego, OR. Back in the USA and cruising the Interstate!

2009-06-23T22:04:00.003-04:00

Day 34 – Tuesday June 23, 2009
Start: Abbotsford, BC
End: Lake Oswego, Oregon
Trip Miles Today: 302
Total Trip Miles: 8154

Today was just kind a fun day. Got on the road about 8:00 under (again) perfect sunny skies. From the hotel there was a perfect view of snowcapped Mt. Baker to the Southeast. And this time it was even warm – like over 60 deg (f) when I departed! Less than 10 minutes later I was at the US border between Abbotsford, BC and Sumas, Washington. Surprisingly enough they let me back in without any further comment. If only they knew! After the border crossing there is about 25 miles of secondary roads and then one gets dumped onto Interstate 5, my home for virtually the rest of the day. It’s been since the end of May since I was on one of these concrete slabs. It’s also been since the end of May since I’ve driven in this sort of traffic density. Quite a shock after nearly a month in the untamed wilds. Next stop was Seattle. I love Seattle for many reasons, not the least of which is that Seattle is where I met my wife Lisa in 2001. Ahhh…fond memories. This time my destinations in Seattle were simple. I dropped by Ride West, the BMW Motorcycle Dealer there. Nice store, nice people. I didn’t really buy anything but was mightily tempted! Then I took off for the Museum of Flight at Boeing Field, on the South side of the city. The Museum of Flight is a world class presentation of the history of manned flight from the Wright Brothers through current manned spaceflight. While it obviously brings a “Boeing” slant to things (the recreation of William Boeing’s first factory – the famous “red barn” is extraordinary) the museum is, in fact, very “non-denominational”, treating all the manufacturers and inventors fairly and equally. It is not a “Boeing” museum, it truly is a Museum of Flight. Worth every penny for the admission, the museum warrants 3-4 hours to do correctly. Unfortunately I only had about 90 minutes to spend. So, off I went further southward. The ride down I-5 presents you with a wonderful new, snow capped mountain to view off to the East every hour or so. First Mt. Baker near the Canadian border. Later, near Seattle, there is Mt. Rainier. Further south we can see Mt. St. Helens, of volcanic eruption fame. Finally, as we reach the Oregon Border near Portland, Mt. Hood comes into view. All were in clear sight today on a beautiful day as arranged by the local Chambers of Commerce, I suppose. Arriving near Portland I decided to drop in on another BMW dealer, this time BMW Motorcycles of Western Oregon in Tigard. Got into a discussion about tires, and my tire situation, with one of the parts guys, Rick. One thing led to another and now I have an appointment with their sister store, in Eugene (1 hour further South) to get new tires installed in the morning if we can work out the cost & time to do the work details when I arrive. Decided on Metzler Tourances – a tire with a bit more off-road capability than the Bridgestone Battle Wings I have now. The Battle Wings are beginning to get a bit long in the tooth. I could probably stretch then out till I got home but these guys have what I need in stock so, In all likelihood they’ll get changed out tomorrow.
Tomorrow evening I’ll be visiting an old high school friend near Medford, down near the California state line. Thursday, Ill head out, this time to the Northeast to make my way to Pendleton, OR in the NE corner of the state. Why go there? How about I just hold that piece of information till tomorrow. Thanks for riding along!
Jack

You can see a much greater selection of pictures from my trip at http://jackb1.smugmug.com

Day 33 - Prince Grorge, BC to Abbotsford, BC. Cariboo Hwy. and Fraser River Canyon.

2009-06-23T00:02:00.003-04:00

Day 33 – Monday, June 22, 2009
Start: Prince George, British Columbia
End: Abbotsford, British Columbia
Trip Miles Today: 437
Total Trip Miles: 7852

Up early again. No fire alarm, just want 2 get early start, as I had a long day planned. The Route today was, again, Rte 97 South, also known over this segment as the Cariboo Highway.

The first 250 miles of today’s trip was a pleasant enough, if unremarkable, tour through the lushly forested rolling hills of British Columbia. Forest Industries are a mainstay of the Province and the cities along the way, Quesnel, Williams Lake and others are dominated by the sawmills, wood pellet plants, and plywood manufacturing facilities that shape the economy of the area. Sadly, with the current economic downturn, especially the drop in new housing starts, demand is well off for building products so these communities are hurting along with much of the rest of North America. This industry is also being pressured by another issue that is not in any way related to the economy and is likely a larger threat. Beetles. In particular is the Mountain Pine Beetle which is responsible for the destruction of tens of thousands of acres of mature pine forests in this area. Dead mature trees can be seen almost everywhere, sometimes entire mountainsides of dead trees! Naturalists are working actively with forest industry teams to help combat this threat to the livelihood of the entire central portion of BC.

Over much of it’s length the Cariboo Highway follows the Fraser River Valley. At the northern end the river valley is spacious and wide. However, south of Grand Cache the valley becomes narrower, it becomes surrounded by higher mountains, and the river proceeds downhill more steeply through the Fraser River Canyon. The Fraser River and the Canyon were named for Simon Fraser, the first white man to descend the river in 1808. The Cariboo Highway through the Fraser River Canyon is a spectacular trip with fantastic scenery at every turn, and the ride lasts some 50 miles! Riding the Fraser River Canyon was definitely one of the highlights of my trip. Great twisties and spectacular vistas at every turn. I only wish there were more turnouts to provide photo ops. When I came through today it was also terribly windy and gusty. It made me wish, for the first time on this trip, that I was on a larger, heavier bike (R12GS ??). It also made me wonder, at times, if the standard 12 ft. wide highway lane is really wide enough. Nuf said about that!

Made 437 miles today, stopped for a lot of pictures and still found my way to a hotel in Abbotsford, BC by 5:30. Will overnight here then jump across the border into the US early tomorrow. Tomorrow’s goal is to be south of Portland by the end of the day, and to integrate a stop at the BMW dealer in Seattle (mostly to just check it out – don’t really need anything ‘cept possibly tires but I’m pretty sure he won’t be able to accommodate me unannounced. The tire deal will happen a few more days down the road, if at all. Still looking at possibilities. Wednesday I’ll make my way to the Medford, Oregon area to visit a friend from high school. Then some interesting plans for the weekend that I’ll tell you about tomorrow.

For more pictures from the entire trip go to http://jackb1.smugmug.com

The 2009 Ride to Alaska for The Austin Hatcher Foundation is supported by RevZilla.com , Philly's Premier Destination Motorcycle Gear and Apparel store and by Hermy's Cycles of Port Clinton, PA.

Day 32 - Fort. St. John, BC to Prince George, BC. Back into the Canadian Rockies, if only for a time!

2009-06-21T22:37:00.004-04:00

Day 32 – Sunday, June 21, 2009
Start: Fort St. John, British Columbia
End: Prince George, British Columbia
Trip Miles Today: 293
Total Trip Miles: 7415

It was quite easy to get up early today as the fire alarm in the hotel went off about 5:30. Nice! It was, of course, a false alarm but it’s pretty hard to go back to sleep after listening to that screeching for 5 minutes. Nonetheless this was the start of my day and, it turns out, the only untoward part. I guess the odd numbered days must be the good ones because today was certainly good. Maybe even great!

At departure time it was already in the mid 50s and sunny so the weather part was handled, again! I almost actually felt a bit guilty about how good I’ve had it weatherwise after talking to two guys on BMWs from Nebraska in the hotel parking lot this morning. They basically said that they they had been in rain every day since they left Omaha. Whew, that’s tough. Anyway I’ll all the good weather days I can get and this was a really good one all day long!

The early morning route down to Dawson Creek was a little more of the same uninspiring prairie route that ended the day yesterday. This being the case I did take the opportunity, about 20 miles out of Dawson Creek, to jump off the main route and enjoy a short stretch of the old, original Alaska Highway. The 6 mile side trip also includes the chance to drive across the historic curved wooden Kiskatinaw River Bridge. This 531 ft long structure is the only original timber bridge, built in 1942, that is still in use today. A very interesting structure and there was the added bonus that nobody else was on the road, if even for that short distance.

Shortly after the Kiskatinaw Bridge I arrived in Dawson Creek for two items of business. One, to gas up, and two, to take the requisite photo at the Mile “0” marker and document having completed the round trip from Mile “0” to Alaska and return. Got my ticket punched for a round trip!

Then it was off for the 240 mile jaunt to Prince George. While this portion starts out with a bit more of the straight featureless stuff, two interesting things happened almost immediately. First the Mountains came into view to the Southwest. This instantly put me in a better frame of mind for the trip. Secondly I spied a momma moose and calf off the right side of the road. As momma mooses have been known to do, she ran right into the roadway and directly across the bow of the car that I was following. Based on his actions, I’m pretty sure that driver hadn’t seen her and was , shall we say, a bit surprised! Fortunately, no crash ensued. During all this commotion, baby moose elected to stay on the right side of the road and positioned perfectly so that I could cruise up , stop, get out the camera, and squeeze off a few shots. Which I did. While I was stopped it dawned on me that I was between a mother moose and her calf which is probably not a good place to be, so I buttoned up and went on my way. Never saw mom again and the baby just disappeared in my mirrors.

A short time later the road delivered me to the medium sized town of Chetwynd, the “Chainsaw Carving Capital of the World.” I wa sdisappointed to find that I had missed a huge Chainsaw Carving Contest just one week ago! It turns out that chainsaw carving isn’t just an art form, it’s a competitive sport! Who knew?

The best part fo the trip came following Chetwynd as the highway follows the Pine River Valley and makes it’s way higher and higher to eventually arrive at the Pine Pass through the mountains. There is unspoiled scenic wonder to behold around every corner and my pictures don’t do any of it justice. Near the top of the pass is Azouzetta Lake (shown in pic above), a setting that, in my mind, rivals Crater Lake for natural beauty.

Coming down the other side of the pass, the highway follows Misinchinka River Valley, then passes scenic McLeod Lake and follows the Crooked River most of the way to the lumber Industry Town of Prince George. There are great Provincial Parks and wonderful outdoor recreation opportunities throughout this area.

Looking for a bigger day tomorrow – ideally it will be solidly over 400 miles and leave me within shouting distance of the US border. The Canadian portion of my trip is quickly drawing to a close. I’m gonna try to get up early but hope to do so without the aid of a fire alarm ringing in my ears. Weather looks promising. Off we go. One last full day in Canada!

It’s great to have people looking in on this story!

There are many more pictures from the entire trip at http://jackb1.smugmug.com

The 2009 Ride to Alaska for The Austin Hatcher Foundation is supported by RevZilla.com , Philly's Premier Destination Motorcycle Gear and Apparel store and by Hermy's Cycles of Port Clinton, PA.

Day 30 - Ft. Nelson, BC to Ft St John, BC. Rain and tedium. Just a boring day!

2009-06-20T20:19:00.004-04:00

Day 31 – Saturday, June 20, 2009
Start: Fort Nelson, British Columbia
End: Fort St. John, British Columbia
Trip Miles Today: 255
Total Trip Miles: 7123

As much as yesterday was just about a perfect day, today was about as non-descript as they get. A paltry 255 miles through the “Land of the Interminably Boring Straight Roads.” Ok so there were a few sweeping curves now and then but, as can somewhat be seen in the map shown, I’m back in the prairie. There is very little creative to be said about today. It started out with drizzle that turned into a full-on rainstorm for just over an hour through the middle part of the ride. Fortunately the rain presented no real problem as the roadway is well drained, traffic was light and I had appropriate rain gear. That being said, I did re-prove the well known (to motorcyclists) scientific fact that rainwater is inexorably drawn to the human crotch - regardless of what rain gear you might wear. I take no credit for this discovery. This fact was discovered long ago, and previously documented by the journalist Peter Egan (among others.) Today there was no scenery to speak of and wildlife pickins were slim. No moose (though there were signs indicating the presence of same), no bears, only a solitary whitetail deer, and the odd ground squirrel. Nor did I see a sasquatch, despite the presence of warning signs for them (him?) too. All in all just a day that I needed to get through in order to position myself for the next leg.

I am looking forward to tomorrow. First I’ll cover the 47 miles to Dawson Creek and arrive back at Mile “0” of the Alaska Highway. This will complete my Alaska Highway round trip: Mile “0” to Alaska and return to Mile “0”. After Dawson Creek I’ll get on a new (for me) route and head basically South and West. I'll head back into the Northern Rocky Mountains on my way to Prince George, BC. via the John Hart Highway, Canada Route 97. I am confident that this will be WAY more interesting than today! Two days later, on Tuesday, I plan to be in Portland, Oregon. In those two days I’ve got to cover over 700 miles but there are a couple of routes to pick from so I anticipate working that out in the next 24 hours.

Tonight is the eve of my Birthday and I am celebrating by having microwaved popcorn in my hotel room while doing laundry. Is life good or what?

Thanks for being along with me on this portion of the trip. Hopefully more stories and pics tomorrow.

Jack

There are many more pictures from my ride at http://jackb1.smugmug.com !

The 2009 Ride to Alaska for The Austin Hatcher Foundation is supported by RevZilla.com , Philly's Premier Destination Motorcycle Gear and Apparel store and by Hermy's Cycles of Port Clinton, PA.

Day 30 - Watson Lake to Ft. Nelson. A day as good as it gets!

2009-06-19T22:54:00.004-04:00

Day 30 – Friday, June 19, 2009
Start: Watson Lake, Yukon Territory
End: Fort Nelson, British Columbia
Trip Miles Today: 311
Total Trip Miles: 6868

Today was just an all around great day! It started out in perfect weather and the temperature was even a little bit warmer. By the time I had been on the road just over an hour I had seen (and photographed) another black bear, some bison were kind enough to pose with the bike, and the temperature was climbing into the 50s. What more could one ask for?

Today’s route, was once again simply Alaska Highway southbound. For nearly the first 150 miles of today’s route the highway follows the Liard River Valley. On the northbound trip this was where I saw the greatest concentration of wildlife, especially bears. I had hoped to see a number of them again today but at the end of the day the tally was only two. I did have a number of Bison sightings early in the day however. One thing that I saw, that I had hoped not to see, was a large area of forest damaged by recent wildfires in the area between Coal River and Liard River. The damage is pervasive, the smoke still hangs in the valleys, and the smell just goes on forever. Wildfires are an unfortunate element of life in this area. This fire, at the junction of the Smith and Liard Rivers was over 100 sq. Kilometers at it’s peak and the Alaska Highway was actually closed for some period on June 4. I spoke to some northbound riders last week and they said that even several days after the fire was brought under control they were using pilot cars to lead traffic through the smokiest areas because visibility was extremely limited. Glad I didn’t have to go through that!

After the small village of Liard River the Alaska Highway takes a turn up into the higher elevations of the Northern Rockies toward the Muncho Lake Provincial Park, one of the most beautiful places you will ever see. When I came through this area 3 weeks ago there was still ice on the lake and snow flying. Returning today I found the lake, and park, in full summer regalia. Lodges weer full, people were out on boats and in floatplanes and the whole place had an energy to it that I hadn’t seen even a very few weeks ago.

Following Muncho Lake I made a gas stop at the Toad River Lodge (where I met three guys from Calgary bound for Inuvik on KLR650s – now THAT’S an adventure!) then began the long uphill climb to Summit Pass, the highest point on the entire Alaska Highway. I am glad I chose this route today because I had unfinished business with this place! When I can through before it was 30 degrees (f), it was snowing/raining/sleeting, it was windy, and the mile long construction area just below the pass was doing it’s best to imitate a mud bog. And yours truly came very close to wallowing in that bog! Anyway, today it was some 30 degrees warmer, partly sunny, and even the construction area was firmed up to a point where it represented no particular challenge. So, I guess the score is even.

After the pass, it’s a long downhill ride and, even though some afternoon storms were building, I endured no rain on this near perfect day! (Side note:It does, however, seem that I may get to do a bit of rain riding tomorrow.) Anyhow, then it was arrival in Fort Nelson, where I am holed up tonight in what is best described as the least “elegant” of hotels so far. Tomorrow, it’s a short day down to Dawson Creek, then on to Prince George on Sunday. It’s exciting to think about having time to do laundry once again – that’s on my short worklist for tomorrow! I’m still planning to re-enter the US on Monday or Tuesday near Seattle, then on to Oregon to visit friends a day or 2 later. At some point I’ll have to face up to the task of cooking up a route to take me East but I haven’t quite come to grips with that one yet. Soon.

Thanks for riding with me!

There are plenty of additional pictures of my ride at http://jackb1.smugmug.com !

The 2009 Ride to Alaska for The Austin Hatcher Foundation is supported by RevZilla.com , Philly's Premier Destination Motorcycle Gear and Apparel store and by Hermy's Cycles of Port Clinton, PA.

Day 29 - A peaceful ride to Watson Lake, Yukon.

2009-06-18T19:35:00.004-04:00

Day 29 - Thursday, June 18, 2009
Start: Whitehorse, Yukon Territory
End: Watson Lake, Yukon Territory
Trip Miles Today: 271
Total Trip Miles: 6557

All in all today was a pretty benign day. There was no difficulty with construction zones as yesterday. The road conditions were much improved. The distance traveled was short-under 300 miles. The weather cooperated by remaining dry (though I’d wish for it to be a bit warmer-mid 50s most of the day), and the route was the same as I had traveled several weeks ago while northbound, so no surprises nor all new scenic wonders. Low intensity days like today give one time to ponder and ponder I did. One subject I kept coming back to is humility. Within a thousand miles this trip will become my longest motorcycle trip ever. At times it feels like a fairly substantial accomplishment (OK, recognizing that I’m not actually done yet.) but just when I let that little tinge of self satisfaction creep in I happen to meet somebody who is in the process of REALLY accomplishing something! See the picture above of the white pickup truck with the kayak on top, just behind my bike? The truck belongs to a fellow I met in Teslin this morning at a gas stop. What you need to know is that this guy, an Arizonan, is headed for Eagle, Alaska – about 700 miles up the AK highway from here. When he gets to Eagle he’s going to put that kayak in the Yukon river, ride the river and the rapids over 1000 miles to the Bering Sea and then he’s going to paddle across the Bearing Sea to Nome. All this hopefully before September 1. Solo. If that’s not humbling I don’t know what is. It makes my trip seem like a quick ride down to the 7-11 for a slurpee (and return!) Nonetheless today was a good and pretty day, as the pictures hopefully show.

I’ve made a decision regarding routing for the next several days. Rather than go to Prince George via the Cassiar Highway I’m going to continue on The Alaska Highway for 2 more days to Fort St. John, BC, then on to Prince George via that Route. It’s about 100 miles longer but I like the speed I’ll be able to maintain, and the towns with lodging seem to be spaced a little more to my liking. Also, I actually went South on the Cassiar for a few miles today and there are signs alluding to construction and highway closures some 400 miles South near Kitwanga. Besides that, I’d like to have a look at the mountainous portion of the Alaska Highway between Watson Lake and Fort Nelson. It’s supposed to be the most scenic portion of the highway and I kinda missed out while northbound due to snow/slush/ice/fog/freezing my butt off a couple of weeks ago. Unfinished business. In any case, after Prince George (I expect to arrive there on Sunday) it’s on southward toward Bellingham, WA and re-entry into the US on Monday or Tuesday.

One last thought, and again I'd refer you to the pictures above. The long metal grate bridges that seem to be favored up here are creepy enough on a bike, what with that "squirmy" feeling. What do you think it's like on a bike with a trailer?

Thanks for being along for my ride! More stuff soon!
Jack

There are always more pics at http://jackb1.smugmug.com !

The 2009 Ride to Alaska for The Austin Hatcher Foundation is supported by RevZilla.com , Philly's Premier Destination Motorcycle Gear and Apparel store and by Hermy's Cycles of Port Clinton, PA.

Day 28 - Good Times in Construction Zones. Welcome to Canada!

2009-06-17T22:50:00.004-04:00

Day 28 - Wednesday, June 17, 2009
Start: Tok, Alaska
End: Whitehorse, Yukon Territory
Trip Miles Today: 384
Total Trip Miles: 6286

Well, my trip is now over 6000 miles and counting. Not exactly “epic” in the classic sense but pretty epic by my standards. I’m pretty sure that I’ll break 11,000 miles by the time I return home and 12K is not out of the question. Every epic with which I’m familiar has the protagonist engaged in battle with forces that try to undo him. Like that day, two weeks ago, when I crossed Summit Pass in the freezing rain and slush, I found today to again be a battle against the elements. The elements today consisted mostly of road conditions and a bit of weather thrown in for good measure. As I mentioned during the Northbound leg of the trip, the 125 miles from the Alaska-Canada border to the East end of Kluane Lake in the Yukon, is the area in most disrepair and the area with the majority of construction activity on any portion of the highway. When re-entering Canada this morning the construction zones were already on my mind but, unprovoked, the nice lady at Canadian Customs advised “be really careful in the construction zones, we’ve had several bikers down in the past few days.” As if I needed reminding. Basically these construction zones (5 of ‘em in the first 125 miles–varying in length from 3 to 8 miles) are where the old paved road has been completely torn out and a dirt/gravel/mud path takes their place. Sometimes there is 2 way traffic and sometimes it’s one lane only with either flagmen or pilot cars. Also, the condition varies from very hard, stable dirt with embedded stone to something that is like a slurry of pea gravel and mud. The pea gravel-stone-mud ones are the worst, especially just after rain or the water truck has come through to keep the dust down! This mushy stuff is just waiting to toss unwary motorcyclists. The first construction zone after crossing into Canada is the very worst for these conditions. I came pretty close to dumping the bike but judicious throttle application saved the day. Others were not so fortunate. Late in the day I spoke to some German Tourists, riding 2 up on a Moto Guzzi, and they had laid the bike down in that very area. Like the Canadian Customs Lady said “be VERY careful in the construction zones.” On top of the fun of customs and unstable road surfaces, I got pretty well doused with rain in the area around the aptly named “Destruction Bay” (named by Alaska Highway road builders in 1942 when, while building the first highway, some mega storm came along and trashed everything.) Not only did I get doused but, when the storm came up the temperature dropped down to 40 deg. (F) for almost an hour. Good thing that I had the foresight to put on my NEW heated vest which works flawlessly!

The route today was simply to go nearly 400 miles down the Alaska Highway. No turns, no side trips. Just pounding out miles. Still contemplating what to do for a route to Prince George – Cassiar Highway or Alaska Highway to Dawson Creek, then over the Yellowhead to Prince George. Cassiar Highway is about 100 miles shorter and reputedly has better scenery, but has some unpaved stretches 20 miles or so in length and less in the way of services – lodging, gas, etc. I sure would like to run into some riders who have come up the Cassiar to see what they have to say about the condition of the road. In any case I’ll have to make a decision after tomorrow. We’ll see.

That’s about the story of today. I’m holed up in my absolute favorite hotel of the whole trip, the SKKY Hotel in Whitehorse. Hope I can get some more sleep that last night. Here’s a travel hint for everyone. Don’t stay in hotels occupied mostly by construction workers especially if there is a bar nearby. Noisy crowd, they.

Thanks for dropping in. Hopefully more tomorrow.
Jack

Many more pictures are available at http://jackb1.smugmug.com

The 2009 Ride to Alaska for The Austin Hatcher Foundation is supported by RevZilla.com , Philly's Premier Destination Motorcycle Gear and Apparel store and by Hermy's Cycles of Port Clinton, PA.

Day 27 - The Return Begins. Anchorage to Tok . Bentleys?

2009-06-16T23:35:00.007-04:00

Day 27 - Tuesday, June 16, 2009
Start: Anchorage, Alaska
End: Tok, Alaska
Trip Miles Today: 317
Total Trip Miles: 5902

Once again, the game is on! I departed Anchorage this morning under partly cloudy skies on the first leg of the trip to home, to Malvern, PA. Ordinarily there is something distinctly anticlimactic about a return trip. That’s doubly true in this case as the first three travel days will be exactly the reverse of my northbound journey. So, today’s leg was Anchorage to Tok, AK via the Glenn and Richardson Highways and the Tok cutoff. Tok is my entry point for the Alaska Highway southbound. Despite the lack of scenery surprises (I’m seen it all before) there were several very unexpected highlights to this day. Sure I got another look at the Wrangell-St Elias Range and also the glaciers on the North side of the Chugach Mountains. In many ways the scenery looked were better than 1 ½ weeks ago because as I went along today the weather only got better and better. By mid afternoon it was mostly sunny and 70 degrees (F) so I actually did get more really good photos this time through the area. However it was those unexpected elements that served to make today special.

So how often do you see a Bentley Automobile? I’d have to say not very often and I’d wager that anyone who is reading would say much the same thing. Bentleys - stately, expensive, rare. So all that being said, who would have expected to see over 30 classic and vintage Bentleys cruising along my route today? That’s exactly what I got. Over 30 Bentleys being driven to their overnight stop in Tok, AK as part of the 2009 Bentley Drivers Club Canada-Alaska Tour. Some of the cars date to the 1920s, there are a number from the 30s and the newest that I’ve seen “only” date to the 60s. The event started in Vancouver several weeks ago and I’ve tripped over the group as they make their return from Anchorage. It looks like we’ll be on the same route for the next couple of days….Tok to Whitehorse….Whitehorse to Watson Lake, YT. I’ve personally spoken to entrants from England, Australia, and Switzerland and I’m told there are others. The Bentley Drivers Club is an International organization that stages several International rallies like this per year. Seems the members just ship their cars to wherever in the world an event is being staged. This is obviously an avocation for the “Leisure class.” To read more about this event go to http://www.bentleyalaska.com The cars are WAY COOL and these people drive then pretty hard!

The other unexpected highlight today was aviation related. First, let me back up to last weekend. Over the weekend, on TV and radio, we kept hearing about some substantial military exercises that were being commenced in the South Central Alaska area. Mostly the PR was to make people aware of the potential for sonic booms (Cool!), lots of military aircraft activity and the like. OK. This morning, about mid morning, while still following the Glenn Highway in the Matanuska River Valley, I happened to look up just in time to see two Air Force C-17 Transports flying the river valley, directly toward me, and not 500 feet in the air! Those suckers look huge at that altitude! Of course, they were gone before I could dig the camera out of the tank bag and fire it up. Nonetheless, a very neat sighting – right up there with seeing bears (which I did not today!)

Several people have asked about my return route. As mentioned, I’ll take the Alaska Highway at least as far as Watson Lake, YT. At that time I’ll make a decision whether I’ll go south to Prince George via the Cassiar Highway or continue on The Alaska Highway to Dawson Creek, BC and then go south to Prince George from there. I’m mostly waiting to seen on weather and road conditions, though the fact that this Bentley Group plans to take the Cassiar complicates things a bit as they have the ability to absorb nearly all the hotel rooms in some of these tiny towns. I’ve got a couple of days to sort that out. In any case I’ll get to Prince George, and then continue southbound to re enter the US near Seattle. After that I’ll be headed for Oregon and only then begin to head East via a, as yet, mostly undetermined route.

I’ve also had inquiries regarding the stalling issue with the bike. The bike was in the BMW Dealer in Anchorage (The Motorcycle Shop) for a week while I traveled with my wife and friends. Upon my return and following pickup the bike has performed flawlessly. The idle is stable, as it was when new, and I’ve had no stalling issues in the first 500 miles of riding. The dealer was pretty evasive about what they did but talked about lines to the vacuum canister. The fact that there is a 40+ page thread on ADV Rider regarding a whole of litany of issues as I described makes me believe that there is a real issue and apparently dealers know what to do with it. In any case, the problem is fixed – at least for now.

I’m in kind of a reflective mood tonight as it’s my last night in Alaska (for this trip!) but tomorrow, in any case, it’s off to Whitehorse. That will be a nearly 400 mile day through the crappiest (and most construction intensive) portion of the Alaska Highway so I’ll be glad to get tomorrow behind me. I hope the weather holds! Thanks for looking in. More soon.
Jack

As always, more pictures from this entire trip are available to see at http://jackb1.smugmug.com

Days 16-26 Exploring Alaska !

2009-06-16T09:42:00.003-04:00

Day 16-26 Friday, June 5 thru Monday Jun 15, 2009
Start: Anchorage, Alaska
End: Anchorage, Alaska
Trip Miles These days: 262
Total Trip Miles: 5585

Following my 5300 mile motorcycle ride to Anchorage, I was joined there by my wife Lisa, who flew in, and friends Don and Sandy Verdiani, who arrived via a cruise ship out of Vancouver. As a group, we spent the next 10 days touring – mostly by car.

The simple outline of our travels is that we spent our first day in Anchorage touring southward near Girdwood and Mt. Alyeska. Then we rode the Alaska Railroad to Denali National Park for a 2 day layover. Spent a day inside Denali Park and I must say it’s incredible. The highlights there were that we got to see Mt. McKinley on a beautiful clear day which, locals say, is very unusual. Also got to see a wolf up close from the tour bus! Two days in Denali were followed by a further 2 days exploring the Fairbanks and Chena Hot Springs area. We had lots of moose sightings on the road to Chena! A day later it was back to the Anchorage area by car and an overnight stay at the Hatcher Pas Lodge near Palmer. Incredibly rustic, beautiful views, but no running water in the cabins! On Saturday, the 13th we spent one last day touring together. Then, on Sunday, we parted company – Don and Sandy off on their own in the car, and Lisa and I doing the obvious tourist thing – riding motorcycles! We rented Lisa a Yamaha XT 225 from Alaska Rider (HIGHLY RECOMMENDED – Nicole, Ariel, and the staff at Alaska Rider do a great job with arrangements, the bikes are in top condition and – if you’re extremely lucky as we we were - the weather even cooperates!), fetched my F650 GS from the BMW Dealer in Anchorage and went motorcycle exploring ourselves on both Sunday and Monday! The first day we went south onto the Kenai Peninsula and second northward to the Wasilla/Palmer/Hatcher Pass area. There are great nearby riding areas that are accessible without traveling vast distances. If you are ever in Alaska, rent a bike from AK Rider and check it out yourself!

All that excitement having been packed into just over a week, I managed to pack everyone away onto airplanes bound homeward in the past 24 hours. All that’s left for me is the trip back to Pennsylvania, but that’s going to be well over 5000 miles, and probably more like 6000. There are not many routing options for the first couple of days – jump on the Alaska Highway and head southeast into Canada. The real options will start in a couple of days when I get the chance to pick a different return route, southward and back into the US near Seattle. And all that starts again tomorrow, Tuesday, June 16th. I’m hoping you’ll stick with me for this next portion of the 2009 Ride to Alaska for The Austin Hatcher Foundation.

There are always more pics at http://jackb1.smugmug.com !

The 2009 Ride to Alaska for The Austin Hatcher Foundation is supported by RevZilla.com , Philly's Premier Destination Motorcycle Gear and Apparel store and by Hermy's Cycles of Port Clinton, PA.

Day 15 - Hatcher Foundation arrives at the Hatcher Pass! Northbound portion of trip complete.

2009-06-05T01:03:00.006-04:00

Day 15– Thursday, June 4, 2009
Start: Tok, Alaska
End: Anchorage, Alaska
Trip Miles Today: 364
Total Trip Miles: 5323

Well, the weather held on for one more day and I was able to complete the Northbound segment of my ride to Alaska without having to crawl in to my rain gear a final time. While I did have times of cold and wet, I really don’t think I could have hoped for any better at this time of year, in this place!

The 364 miles today was pretty straightforward. South from Tok Junction on the Tok Cutoff, briefly to the Richardson Highway, then to the Glenn Highway into the Anchorage area. This is Alaska Route 1 the entire way and it would be hard to get lost. The scenery is pretty non-descript for the first 50 miles or so but then you get an excellent look at the Wrangell-St Elias National Park and the Wrangell Mountains – most notably Mt. Sanford at over 16,000 feet. After the turn onto the Glenn Highway at Glenallen, most of what can be seen is the glaciated North side of the Chugach Mountains and this range remains in view all the way into Anchorage as the highway follows the Matanuska River Valley. I did make the side trip up to the Hatcher Pass, above Palmer as The Hatcher Pass was the symbolic goal for my charity raising activities for The Austin Hatcher Foundation. Fortunately the weather was decent as it can still be pretty nasty this early in the season.

As has been the case throughout, the bike ran just fine, though it did do its little idle die-out trick a couple of times. Tomorrow it will be deposited at the BMW dealer in Anchorage for the motorcycle version of a week at the spa.

No recent day would be complete without the mention of wildlife. An early morning highlight was a very good look at a moose, up close and personal. A large cow (shown in the pictures) was grazing on the right side of the road. The good news is that I saw her in time because apparently my movement, or light, or noise, caused her to do the obvious thing – move into the road directly in front of me. Oh well, it makes for great photo ops! These animals are not PhD candidates. I did see one other moose standing in a lake well off the side of the road. However, THE most amazing sighting came at about 4:00 PM, inside the city limits of Anchorage and not a mile from the International Airport. I was sitting at a stoplight, amongst all the other cars, and here come a moose mommy and her two calves walking slowly and deliberately up the median. This sort of thing is not seen very often in the part of the world where I live!

I sit here tonight asking myself how it went by so fast. It was 15 days, and 5323 miles ago, that I was standing in the surf at Ocean City, NJ. When I checked in to my hotel this evening I felt tired, the normal result of a long hard uphill push. Less than an hour later, though, I found myself with maps spread on the bed – contemplating the return trip and how to make it a worthy partner to the northbound trip I completed today. I am both somewhat weary, but amped up at the idea of a return that follows a different route and is longer yet! I achieved all the goals I set out for myself for this segment. I arrived at the Hatcher Pass, in the Talkeetna Mountains, just north of here, near Palmer, with a minimum of fuss. This completed the “Hatcher Foundation to the Hatcher Pass” element of my trip which has been so important to me as a fund raising activity for The Austin Hatcher Foundation. In fact it was made even more fun when I added a visit to Austin, Minnesota and the Spam Museum so I could call it the Austin (Mn.) to Hatcher (Pass, AK) ride. OK, maybe only fun for simple minds like my own. I was also able to accommodate one of my most important supporters, RevZilla Motorsports, by being able to also claim “RevZilla to Wasilla.” I was, however, mightily disappointed this afternoon, as I stood on Main Street in Wasilla, and discovered that I could not actually see Russia. Perhaps if I were a little taller.

I do not intend to do daily entries as I spend the next 10 days or so traveling with my wife, Lisa, and friends Don and Sandy Verdiani. I may make entries from time to time but, not to worry, I will be back to a (hopefully) daily entry to cover my return trip starting on or about Tuesday June 16.

More pictures from today ride, as well as from the entire ride can be seen at http://jackb1.smugmug.com

The 2009 Ride to Alaska for The Austin Hatcher Foundation is supported by
RevZilla Motorsports at RevZilla.com and by Hermy's Cycles in Port Clinton, PA

Day 14 - Whitehorse to Tok, Alaska. Very close now, only 300 miles to Anchorage !

2009-06-04T00:53:00.001-04:00

Day 14– Wednesday, June 3, 2009
Start: Whitehorse, Yukon Territory, Canada
End: Tok, Alaska
Trip Miles Today: 378
Total Trip Miles: 4959

Day 14 will be fondly remembered as the day of poorer road conditions and construction zones. However, the day started out on a somewhat odd note. I departed Whitehorse with no drama and was happily sailing along, some 50 miles down the road when I noticed that the gas gauge was WAY down – like already only a quarter of a tank left. This with another 50 miles to go to the next available fuel at Haines Junction! My heart sort of skipped a beat (or two!) as I went through, in my mind, what the problem could be. Maybe the fuel gauge has failed….seems unlikely to fail in this mode. Maybe the engine controller is in some sort of default mode where it goes full rich…nah, the bike’s running too good, and there is no sort of indication of any problem in the dash. Geez, maybe the fuel tank is split and the fuel’s spilling overboard……stopped, checked, no leaking fuel! Then it came to me. The problem is that I am a moron, and I had neglected to fill the tank last night after returning from Skagway. Whew. I had pondered how I could complete the trip with some sort of failure that allowed me only to go 100 miles at a time and it wasn’t a pretty scenario. Good thing the problem is simply that I am an incompetent.

Anyway beautiful weather prevailed and the main thing to be said about today is that the condition of the roadway North of Whitehorse, and especially after Burwash Landing and the Kluane area is dramatically inferior the that of the highway further South. I also spent probably 25 miles in construction zones today – loose gravel, hard packed gravel, and mud. It’s really not so bad if one maintains a reasonable speed but the worst is the trucks and buses, all going too fast, and pelting the bike and I with rocks. Thank heavens for lexan visors. I mentioned that the road was bumpy with uneven patches, holes, frost heaves and hollows. The highway department tries to mark some of the big ones with red flags and cones but there are so many that it is easy to become numbed to their existence. Also, they clearly can’t/don’t mark them all. Be advised - if there is a red flag there is probably a bump. If there is no red flag, you cannot assume there is no bump!

The route today takes you through several regions. Most of the remaining portion of the route in Yukon continues in the same wide river valleys and around lakes in the same fashion as prior to arriving in Whitehorse. As before, snow capped peaks are not far away and almost always in sight Then, getting closer to the Alaska border the character of much of the terrain changes to large marshes, ponds, and swamps (as well as, no doubt, this year’s bumper crop of mosquitoes.) This is the kind of place where you would expect to see moose, which I did. He was a huge bull just grazing through one of those innumerable ponds. Sadly, he was too far away to get a worthwhile picture. The other wildlife sighting of the day was a very large porcupine which crossed the road in front of me, then stopped and ran alongside for as long as he could. He was a bigger animal than I expected him to be, and another critter that I had never before seen in the wild.

Rode just short of 400 miles today and will finish up the remaining 300 miles to Anchorage tomorrow. The bike has developed this cute little “thing” where it likes to stall at idle. I believe it has something to do with fuel tank venting as now, whenever I open the fuel tank to fill it there is a substantial vacuum in the tank. Just got off the phone with the BMW dealer in Anchorage and he is going to take the bike in on Friday and see what he can do with that as well as do a 6000 mile service while I am in town. Other than that, all is well and I look forward to completion of this northbound portion of the ride tomorrow and errands in Anchorage on Friday. I’m warming up to the idea of not riding for a few days and simply being a “tourist” like so many others I have met on the trip.

Thanks for reading. Cheers, Jack

Day 13 - To Skagway, Alaska and back. A second night in Whitehorse, YT.

2009-06-02T21:52:00.005-04:00

Day 13– Tuesday, June 2, 2009
Start: Whitehorse, Yukon Territory, Canada
End: Whitehorse, Yukon Territory, Canada
Trip Miles Today: 224
Total Trip Miles: 4581

For the first time in over a week I didn’t go anywhere today. Well, it’s not exactly that I didn’t go anywhere. Maybe we’ll just think of it as a “local” ride. What I did was that I got up nice and early and rode the 100 miles to Skagway, Alaska, then returned later in the afternoon to Whitehorse. I made that trip for a couple of reasons. First, the ride along the South Klondike Highway is as scenery packed as just about anywhere else I’ve been on the trip. High alpine peaks, mountain lakes and rivers, waterfalls, the Klondike has it all. Secondly, Skagway is a very cool place to spend a day (or part of a day.) Skagway was an important port of entry during the Alaska Gold Rush at the end of the 19th century. Steamships came here from all the Pacific ports – Seattle, San Francisco, et al. Here the steamers discharged their gold stampeders, some 30,000 in the 1898 season, and they began their overland (and uphill!) trek to the headwaters of the Yukon River some 40 miles distant through the White Pass. Skagway today is basically a tourist destination that plies its Gold Rush heritage to good effect. As a deepwater port at the end of the Lynn Canal, Skagway is served by virtually all of the major cruise lines that offer Alaska tours. The ships come in as day stops. There were 4 of them docked in Skagway today. There is virtually no overnighting of tourist crowds here. The town comes alive with tourists about 8:00 am as the cruise patrons surge down the gangways and by about 8:00 in the evening it’s all back to a sleepy little town again as the cruise boats depart for their next destination North or South. Shopping, exploring the town’s history (an excellent visitor center), hiking, rafting, sightseeing, dining are all available. The third reason I cam here today is that good friends Don and Sandy Verdiani were on one of the cruise boats berthed in Skagway today. I went there to surprise them and to have breakfast before they headed out on their scheduled activities. Don and Sandy are the friends who will be joining my wife and I in Anchorage on Friday for our week touring as a foursome.

Riding over to Skagway also meant that I reentered the US and, in particular, Alaska for a few hours. So I guess I can now say I rode to Alaska. Still, there are some 700 miles to go till I get to my real destination which is Anchorage and the surrounding area. No claims of “mission accomplished” quite yet.

As you can tell from the pics, the weather was perfect – except for the part where it was really cold riding out there in the early morning hours. Like REALLY COLD! Like 28 degrees (F) in places. By the time I returned after noon it had warmed up mightily and it even got over 80 (F) this afternoon, so my discomfort was short lived.

I saw two more bears today. I saw one on the way over to Skagway and the other on the way back. Both Blacks, but they seemed bigger that the ones I saw the other day. Perhaps that’s just because I was closer to these guys. Each one was right adjacent to the side of the road! No pics, though. They ran away too quickly. I suppose that’s actually a good thing.

Another visit I made today was to the Yukon Transportation Museum located adjacent to the Whitehorse Airport. The museum is a nicely done treatment of the various modes of transportation that have mobilized the Yukon Territory in the 20th and into the 21st centuries. Understandably one focus is on the building of the Alaska Highway in 1942 as a war measure that ultimately opened the area to further commercialization and tourism. The second focus is the role of aviation in supporting the huge territory and it's widely dispersed population. Fascinating stories of brave men (and women) flying sometimes "questionable" craft in appalling weather conditions. As a pilot this stuff has great appeal to me. A very nice museum that you can get through in an hour or so.

I’ve just checked the weather and it looks like the good stuff is going to hold for the next two days. That’s good. I’ve got about 700 miles to go and I am going to try to split it up as 400 miles tomorrow and 300 on Thursday. If that works out I should be in Tok, AK tomorrow night. Stay tuned to see if it happens just as planned.

Thanks for being on the ride with me!

More pictures from today and from the entire ride to date can be seen at http://jackb1.smugmug.com/

The 2009 Ride to Alaska for The Austin Hatcher Foundation is supported by
RevZilla Motorsports at RevZilla.com and by Hermy's Cycles in Port Clinton, PA

Day 12 - Watson Lake, YT to Whitehorse, YT. An easy day in beautiful country!

2009-06-01T23:06:00.005-04:00

Day 12– Monday, June 1, 2009
Start: Watson Lake, Yukon Territory, Canada
End: Whitehorse, Yukon Territory, Canada
Trip Miles Today: 292
Total Trip Miles: 4357

For once I managed to sleep in a little later and didn’t actually get on the road until after 9. This following a nice breakfast at Bee Jays Truckstop, reputed to be the finest restaurant in all of Watson Lake.

When I rode out this morning it was already over 50 degrees (F) and it only got better from there. It was 75 (F) when I arrived in Whitehorse around 3:30PM, and sunny throughout. Following two days of difficulty with weather, there was nothing but a few construction zones to inhibit progress today. Thankfully. Incredibly, after all the wildlife observed yesterday, I saw nothing in the way of interesting critters this entire day.

The ride today was almost directly westward through area dominated by hills and wide river valleys. The road follows, in sequence, the Rancheria River, the Swift River the Teslin River, then immediately before Whitehorse it crosses the Yukon. White capped mountains are seldom out of sight on this part of the route. Tonight’s layover, Whitehorse, is both the largest city in the Yukon and it’s capital. Whitehorse, at the headwaters of the Yukon River, played an important role in the region’s 1890s Gold Rush History. It was a stopover point for Stampeders who came overland from the Alaska Ports of Skagway and Dyea, 100 miles to the Southwest. After drying out and repacking their stuff most continued by steamboat to the gold fields further down the Yukon River. The area’s rich Gold Rush History colors many of the tourist attractions but there is much to see also in the way of scenery and wildlife. I personally enjoy the vistas at nearby Miles Canyon on the Yukon River. I find the remoteness of this entire area to be very compelling. I stopped once, in the middle of nowhere, shut off the engine and just listened to the silence. Until an oncoming truck ruined it, of course.

I was surprised, and pleased to find a VERY nice new botique hotel, SKKY (www.skkyhotel.com), on the Alaska Highway just across from the Whitehorse Airport. A number of years ago, while on a flying adventure to Alaska, I had stayed at the old hotel on this site, the Airport Chalet or some such. The previous place was, to put it mildly, pretty dumpy. Not so this place, which only opened in February. It's VERY nice, and operated by VERY nice people. Rates are not out of line with the numerous lesser choices. I hope they make a go of it!

More pictures from today and from the entire ride to date can be seen at http://jackb1.smugmug.com/

The 2009 Ride to Alaska for The Austin Hatcher Foundation is supported by
RevZilla Motorsports at RevZilla.com and by Hermy's Cycles in Port Clinton, PA

Day 11 - Fort Nelson, BC to Watson Lake, YT. Wild Weather and Wildlife !

2009-05-31T23:11:00.009-04:00

Day 11– Sunday, May 31, 2009
Start: Fort Nelson, British Columbia, Canada
End: Watson Lake, Yukon Territory, Canada
Trip Miles Today: 333
Total Trip Miles: 4065

Today was a day that actually seemed like two entirely different days. Part I started with a 7:30 departure out of Fort Nelson under threatening, but dry skies. Those conditions held for about 40 miles before the misting and then steady drizzle started. This, plus the temperature hovering in the low 40s (F), was ominous as the first 100 miles from Fort Nelson is mostly an uphill ride to the pass at Summit Lake, the highest pass on the Alaska Highway at well over 5000 feet. As I climber the temperature fell and the rain increased. Then I arrived at the snow band where the temp went to freezing and the rain turned to a mix of snow/sleet/freezing rain. To make matters even more “adventurous” there was, in the midst of all this, even a construction zone which basically was a rutted muddy path for close to a mile. Plenty of opportunity to fall but somehow adrenalin kept me upright throughout. In better conditions this is one of the more scenic parts of the Alaska Highway. For me, today, there was little time to look at anything but that didn’t matter because visibility was a serious problem with visor and glasses fogging anyway. The good news is that immediately following the Summit Pass the road starts downhill again and the temperatures almost immediately got better. By the time I approached Toad River, and a much needed break after 120 miles of hell, it was actually back up to 50 degrees and the sky was clearing. This was the start of Part II of today’s ride which was a very pleasant Sunday afternoon ride. This part was warm, unencumbered by weather issues, and full of great scenery and especially wildlife sightings. I’ve already addressed the bear sightings (6 in all today) in my earlier “special edition” post. Also readily sighted today were a fair share of Bison and Stone Sheep, a sheep variant indigenous to this area and similar to Bighorn but slightly smaller and darker in color.)

The bike ran well throughout the day with no complaints. Absent the big headwinds of earlier in the week, and traveling at a more sedate speed (60 mph most of the time today) gas mileage can average close to 60 mpg and this leaves me feeling more comfortable about 200 + legs as needed, for example, if someone wanted to go to Coldfoot and the Arctic Circle.

No Arctic Circle tomorrow, however. It’s off to Whitehorse, about 300 miles distant and in anticipated excellent weather all day. Yahoo! Thanks for stopping by. More soon.

Day 11- SPECIAL EDITION - It turns out that bears are real after all!

2009-05-31T19:41:00.005-04:00

We all go through life operating on some very basic axioms and assumptions. One of my personal paradigms is (was?) that bears are imaginary. (If you have not read it already, you may want to read my May 9 entry entitled "That Bear Thing" for background.) As much as anything I based my belief on the fact that I had never seen a bear in the wild in lo these.......uh, a whole lot of years. Until now. Let it be recorded that today, May 31, 2009, this paradigm was permanently shattered when, at about 8:00 AM PDT I saw an actual bear with my own eyes! Imagine my surprise! I truly thought that seeing a bear was about as likely as seeing a unicorn. Later in the day that sighting was followed by 5 more, so I have to guess it wasn't a hallucination. To all my friends who have, for years, pointed out the fallacy in my belief I apologize. I humbly confess to the entire world, BEARS ARE REAL!!!

The very best part about seeing a bear is that my friend Anthony Bucci of RevZilla Motorsports has posted a "bounty" for documented bear sightings on my trip. He made a commitment to donate $10 per documented bear sighting to The Austin Hatcher Foundation
Let's see, 6 bears today and I'm not even in Alaska yet. Get that checkbook out buddy!

A regular Day 11 entry will follow later this evening. I just wanted to get this big news out there!

Day 10 - From Dawson Creek, BC to Ft. Nelson, BC via the World Famous Alaska Highway!

2009-05-30T20:25:00.006-04:00

Day 10– Saturday, May 30, 2009
Start: Dawson Creek, British Columbia, Canada
End: Fort Nelson, British Columbia, Canada
Trip Miles Today: 278
Total Trip Miles: 3732

Got up early once again, but at least this time it was intentional. I wanted to go back to downtown Dawson Creek and get some more pictures of the Mile “0” stuff without traffic of rush hour like last evening.

At 6:00am Saturday, I'd have to say that Dawson Creek is pretty quiet! I managed to get the pictures I wanted under a perfect blue sky and that great early morning light.

Just before 7 AM it was off to Fort Nelson, BC – about 280 miles distant.

First of the day, just after crossing the Peace River was in Fort St. John for gas. This came only about 40 miles down the road, so about 240 remained to Ft Nelson. Up here one has to keep good track of gas stops and distances as gas stations can be very far apart! At this point I’m still treating the bike as a 200 miles max. vehicle (though I can go further if I really need to and get into a serious gas save mode.)

As the pictures indicate, it was a pretty morning but cold (low 40s) and very windy/gusty! In fact it was so windy at times that I had serious questions about my abiliy to stay in my own highway lane. Also, at one point I stopped to take a picture and had doubts about keeping the bike upright even while I was standing over it!

The first 100 miles or so of this route is just rolling foothills. However after a time can, once again, begin to see snow capped peaks to the west and the hills/valleys become steeper.

Commercial activity in this area continues to be dominated by forestry and gas/oil production.

This portion of the Alaska Highway in mostly very good condition. Most importantly there were no construction diversions save a very short stretch near Fort St. John
Traffic is not so heavy but there are lots of trucks and campers on highway. And, no doubt due to the wind, one camper off the highway, and upside down! Fortunately no injuries.

Sometime shortly after leaving Fort St. John I saw my first moose (actually 2) . I noticed 2 big cows at left side of highway about ¼ mile away. As got closer they crossed the highway from left to right about 150 yards in front of me and immediately disappeared into the tree line. A moose is a pretty big animal and somewhat ungainly (ie ugly). I had no more moose sightings today but I anticipate more further down the road.

I stopped for gas a second time in Pink Mountain – that gave me enough to get to todays destination, Fort Nelson. Pink Mountain was my first stop at the prototypical Alaska Highway gas station. It had a dirt parking lot, sold no brand anyone ever heard of, had regular only, and took cash only. By this time it was still dry, still windy , but sky out in front changing, and not for good.

As I rode I was actually very comfortable with heated gear but annoyed a bit by something irritating me in left abdomen-just a little scratchy feeling. At the time I thought it was some plastic ty wraps that I had used to secure the connector to my heated vest. After being annoyed long enough, I decided to stop to fix the problem and to have a snack before I got into the (obviously coming soon) rain. The snack (a banana pilfered from hotel lobby this am) was timely but the scratchy “thing” was more ominous – the first mechanical failure of the trip. The scratch was from a broken wire in the heated vest connector that was sticking me in stomach. Also, it turns out that the heated vest controller module, which lives in my jacket pocket was partially melted. Obviously this was some sort of failure involving a dead short. I'm Lucky I didn’t run the battery dead on bike. Perhaps the strangest part of the story is that the vest was still working. However, I decided to shut it off and put it away for diagnosis later. Of course, with the heated vest now gone it almost immediately began to rain and, at the same time,got considerably cooler. The temperature was now back to the same low 40s that it had been when I started the day 6 hours earlier. Without the heated vest these temperatures are tough! Tomorrow I will probably have to probably really layer up, stop more often, and just generally man up.

I arrived at Ft. Nelson shortly after 2. I found it a bit more developed than when here last in 1995. Unlike 1995, when I stayed in a shack of a motel with a black and white tv (and no telephone) I am staying in a very nice new Super 8 with internet, satellite TV and all!

I'm off to Watson Lake, in the Yukon Territory, tomorrow. It's about 330 miles distant, directly through the Canadian Rockies via a very scenic route. I anticipate that it will be raining when I leave but during the morning hours I should pass through the frontal activity that is bringing this rain. Once on the other side it is expected to warm up considerably and be excellent weather for several days. Looking forward to riding in the warm once again!! Thanks for checking in today!

You can see more pictures from today and from the entire trip by going to http://jackb1.smugmug.com/

The 2009 Ride to Alaska for The Austin Hatcher Foundation is supported by
RevZilla Motorsports at RevZilla.com and by Hermy's Cycles in Port Clinton, PA

Day 9 - Bighorn Highway from Jasper to Grand Prairie the on Westward to Dawson Creek and the start of the Alaska Highway.

2009-05-29T20:39:00.004-04:00

Day 9 – Friday, May 29, 2009
Start: Jasper, Alberta, Canada
End: Dawson Creek, British Columbia, Canada
Trip Miles Today: 326
Total Trip Miles: 3454

Today was another early riser. I woke up at 5:00 am, probably because the sun was already coming in the window. I’m getting pretty far North now and the daylight hours are dramatically lengthening. The sun now rises before 5 and sets after 10 PM.

I had breakfast at the hotel restaurant then did my quick pack and was on my way at 7:30. It may have been the coldest day yet. The TV said it was 37 deg. F though the thermometer on the bike showed the same 40 as yesterday. No worries. Put on all my kit, cranked up the heated vest and grips and off we went!

I began to see wildlife almost immediately. First elk, then some bighorn sheep standing in the middle of the road! A truck coming the other way scared them off before I could snap a pic. I saw more animals in the first hour than I saw the entire balance of the day.

It was an hour ride from Jasper to Hinton, where I stopped for gas before entering Alberta Hwy 40 - The Bighorn Highway, the “Scenic Route to Alaska.” If this is the “scenic route, then the “not-scenic route” (which goes through Edmonton) must be really dreary. I suppose that I was spoiled by yesterday’s vistas on the Icefields Parkway, so probably nothing today could have possibly compared favorably. It was nice enough but pretty plain. Mostly rolling foothills with snow capped peaks almost always visible to the West. It seemed there was more traffic than yesterday too. Much of it was industrial in nature. This part of Alberta is dominated by the logging and oil/natural gas industries. Lots of working trucks with familiar corporate names like Weyerhauser, Halliburton and Amerada. All seem to be in a big hurry! I also saw lots of signs for animals – Elk, bighorn sheep, caribou but actually saw very few animals after the initial burst of activity coming out of Jasper.

I arrived in Grande Cache and both gassed up and stopped for another cup of coffee. Grand Cache does not look like much on the map but is actually a fairly thriving little metropolis. I was concerned that I might not be able to buy gas there and would be forced to run a 200 mile segment without a fill up – turns out my concerns were for naught as there was plenty of gas to be had. I continued Northward up toward Grand Prairie which marks the Northern Terminus of the so-called Bighorn Highway. As the highway wanders Northward, the pavement gets better but the scenery gets worse. Mountains, then to foothills, then back to Prairie. This was my riding day.

I arrived in Grand Prairie about 1:00. There I got gas and took a longer break to tend to first eating, then to a couple of bike maintenance items. While I stopped here I put the bike up on the center stand to both lube the chain while it was hot and to check the oil level. Using the center stand requires that I remove the luggage bags. There is just no way I’m gonna get that thing up on the center stand with that much stuff loaded on the rear. Both items tended to, I was on my way again, this time Westward some 80 miles to Dawson Creek, BC and the beginning of the Alaska Highway.

While passing through Grand Prairie I saw a number of road signs pointing to the nearby town of Peace River. This should be familiar to those of you up on popular culture. Peace River is the hometown of Jillian, the current season hottie and star(let?) of ABC-TV’s reality show “The Bachelorette.” Don’t even ask me how I know this stuff!

I finally entered British Columbia and arrived at Dawson Creek shortly after 3:00. The next obvious potential stop point was a LONG way down the road so I decided to stop here overnight (as was always my plan.) Hopefully it will be a quiet night. The weather doesn’t look quite so promising for the next 36 hours or so. If forecasts are to be believed I will get out of here in the morning in the dry but will, soon enough, be in rain showers for the balance of tomorrow and into at least the early part of Sunday. Hey, I can cope with that – as long as it doesn’t get too cold! Hopefully more tomorrow, assuming I can find an internet server in Fort Nelson, BC. Thanks for reading.

If you want to see more pictures from my Alaska Motorcycle Adventure, posted daily, just go to http://jackb1.smugmug.com/

If you go to the RevZilla Motorsports blogsite at blog.revzilla.com you can see more pictures and find more info on my ride.

The 2009 Ride to Alaska for The Austin Hatcher Foundation is supported by
RevZilla Motorsports at RevZilla.com and by Hermy's Cycles in Port Clinton, PA

Day 8 - Icefields Parkway through the heart of the Canadian Rockies from Banff to Jasper. 130 miles of spectacular scenic beauty!

2009-05-28T21:28:00.006-04:00

Day 8 – Thursday May 28, 2009
Start: Banff, Alberta, Canada
End: Jasper, Alberta, Canada
Trip Miles Today: 179
Total Trip Miles: 3128

Today started in 40 degree(f)temperatures but under sunny skies (again!) Rolling out of Banff at 8:00 am I was struck by both the beauty and remoteness of this area. The 30+ miles over to Lake Louise passed quickly and painlessly (heated grips and a heated vest make all the difference!) There I stopped for a fuel top-off and met, for a second time, my fellow motorcycle traveler - Roger from Anchorage. Roger had, ironically enough, purchased a used BMW R1200GS motorcycle from a seller near Allentown, PA, not 100 miles from my home a couple of weeks ago. I had spoken to him very briefly yesterday afternoon at Blackfoot Motorsports in Calgary and then we went our separate ways. The chance encounter this morning happened when he saw me ride into the service station as he was looking for a place to have breakfast following his overnight stay in Lake Louise. Roger seems to love his new R12GS and I certainly wish him well with it - he told me that he needs to be at work Monday morning in Anchorage, some 2300 miles distant. He clearly needs to do some serious mile pounding over the next 4 days. I, on the other hand, can take a more leisurely approach to the balance of my Northbound trip. Clearly that leisurely approach was perfect for the 130 odd miles I rode today - the length of the Icefields Parkway. The Icefields Parkway connects the cities of Banff and Jasper and passes entirely through Canadian National Parks and the heart of the Canadian Rockies. There is really little between the two cities save some of the most compellingly beautiful scenery anywhere. The Alps have nothing on this place! I shot more photos today than the entire 7 days previous to this and yet photos do not do it justice. Certainly the perfect weather (ok - a little nippy - in the 40's most of the day) and the lack of huge volumes of holiday traffic made the trip even more pleasant, but this is a spectacular paradise in any case. If you ever have the chance to ride/drive this route then by all means do it! The roadway is entirely paved and most parts are in excellent condition despite the harsh winters. I say winter as if it is something that ended some time ago. According to some locals to whom I spoke only ended a week or two ago! There are wildlife signs posted all over the place but, in fact, I saw precious few animals. The total count was 1 elk, several deer, the odd squirrel, and several bighorn sheep. No bears. No unicorns. (Reference my May 9 post!) I actually arrived in the town of Jasper shortly after 1:00 pm. After this magnificent day I had to tend to a more mundane task – doing laundry at the laundromat. I have, after all, been on the road for a week now and I had needs. Following the great laundry escapade it was about 3:00 pm and I decided to call it a day early and remain overnight here in Jasper. Home for the evening is the Best Western Jasper Inn. I am glad I stopped early as I had some time to wander a bit in Jasper this evening, just as I did in Banff yesterday. While both are clearly major tourist destinations the two towns come off quite a bit differently, in my opinion. Banff reminded me more of one of the European Alpine towns...think Zermatt with cars. Jasper has a bit more of a cowboy feel to it. Maybe Steamboat? If the two towns were cars then Banff would be an Audi and Jasper would be more like a pickup truck. Anyway that's my story for today.

Tomorrow I plan for an early start as I want to get near Dawson Creek, BC and the famous "Mile 0" of Alaska highway. My route will have me take the Bighorn Hwy thru Grande Cache and on up through Grand Prairie. Another day of scenery but reportedly not as spectacular as today. That's the whole scoop. Thanks for joining me on my trip. Hopefully more tomorrow but with this qualifier....As I get up on the Alaska Highway and into some of the more remote parts of BC and the Yukon Territory there are few guarantees of internet access. I'll do what I can , and I will continue to feed twitter updates by cell phone to at least let you know (more or less) where I am.

If you want to see more pictures from my Alaska Motorcycle Adventure, posted daily, just go to http://jackb1.smugmug.com/

If you go to the RevZilla Motorsports blogsite at blog.revzilla.com you can see more pictures and find more info on my ride.

The 2009 Ride to Alaska for The Austin Hatcher Foundation is supported by
RevZilla Motorsports at RevZilla.com and by Hermy's Cycles in Port Clinton, PA

Day 7 - Into Canada. The scenery begins to get dramatically better! Haven't seen any bears yet but I have seen prairie dogs and dinsoaurs!

2009-05-27T22:00:00.012-04:00

Day 7 – Wednesday May 27, 2009
Start: Shelby, MT
End: Banff, Alberta, Canada
Trip Miles Today: 323
Total Trip Miles: 2949

After days of viewing the eternal sameness of North Dakota and Montana, things began to pick up a bit today. The morning's ride started out with two new features. Rather than head West, this morning I started out Northbound, up I-15 out of Montana and toward the Canadian border only some 35 miles distant from Shelby. Secondly, it was warm right from the start - over 60 degrees right out of the blocks! By 9 AM, the border crossing painlessly behind me (Hey! The let me into Canada again!)I was making my way rapidly North toward Calgary. As I mentioned yesterday, my current modus operandi is to make time for more stops, more interesting side trips, and more photos. That plan was put into play almost immediately after my entry into Alberta. The Alberta Tourist Welcome Station became a "must stop" the minute I laid eyes on the giant Tyrannosaurus Rex in the parking lot! The heck with free maps and discount coupons for touristy stops, let me see that Dinosaur! Alberta (and to be completely fair, Montana too) are justly proud of the fossils and relics that have come from the ground in this area. I couldn't resist the photo op! Then on northward. My other interesting stop was in the tiny town of Claresholm, Alberta. Enticed by a "rest stop" sign, I found myself deposited in a rest stop centered in this small burg. An 1800's railroad way station, Claresholm became an important location at the edge of the prairie and they have, today, a wonderfully kept little museum in the former train station. I spent nearly an hour there with the chatty docent, Bob from Quebec. I learned all I could ever want to know about the place and checked out all the displays. Further, Bob more than earned the nice little donation I made to the museum by producing a bottle of plexiglass cleaner/polish to clean my totally "bugged" helmet visor. Then it was on to the city of Calgary, second largest in all of Alberta. In Calgary I made a brief stop at Blackfoot Motorsports, the local BMW (and several other brands)motorcycle mega store. Showing good discipline, I limited myself to the purchase of one bungee elastic cargo net. When I left Blackfoot it was only 3 PM and I felt compelled to keep moving a bit further. As the weather continued to be perfect I decided to actually go further than planned so I continued on to Banff where I stopped for the night. This positions me perfectly to make a leisurely ride tomorrow of the 170 miles up to Jasper via the Icefields Parkway and through what is reputed to be one of the most incredibly beautiful drives anywhere. While shopping for dinner tonight I came across another of my very favorite Canadian "things". Ketchup flavored Potato Chips! I have never seen these in the states but seemingly always find them in Northern Canada. Dinosaurs, Tim Horton Donuts, and Ketchup flavored Potato Chips. There's your little dose of culture for today! Thanks for browsing!

If you want to see lots more pictures from my ride, unsorted, unedited, and without captions, then click here.

A couple of other web sites have picked up the story of my ride. Check 'em out.
First go to http://technicallyphilly.com and scroll down till you see the May 25 article - you'll find it! Then check out a story from last week in an online business pub called Keystone Edge. To read it, Click here

If you go to the RevZilla Motorsports blogsite at blog.revzilla.com you can see more pictures and find more info on my ride.

The 2009 Ride to Alaska for The Austin Hatcher Foundation is supported by
RevZilla Motorsports at RevZilla.com and by Hermy's Cycles in Port Clinton, PA

Day 6 - Into Montana

2009-05-26T22:03:00.006-04:00

Day 6 – Tuesday May 26, 2009
Start: Dickinson, ND
End: Shelby, MT
Trip Miles Today: 501
Total Trip Miles: 2626

Unlike yesterday, a day best forgotten, the weather gods promised an excellent outlook for today. And boy did they deliver! I hit the road early, at 6:30 am. The miracle of crossing time zones from East to West, is that one doesn't have time to adapt overnight so you just naturally wake up REALLY early! The flip side is that I expect to pay it all back on the return trip in a few weeks. But for now let's just leave it at this...I'm finding it VERY easy to rise and shine bad early! So, one again I was Westbound on I-94 headed for the Montana State Line. In one of my more misguided moves so far, I did not fuel up the bike last evening so I started the day with less than half a tank. Actually it was way less than 1/2 as yesterday's fuel mileage was abysmal, primarily due to the stiff headwinds. Anyway, I started looking for a service station about 1/2 hour into my trip but all I saw were highway exits posted "No Services". First of all, understand that in Western North Dakota there aren't that many exits and to see them all posted "No Services" began to leave me with a somewhat sickening feeling deep in my stomach. The "low fuel" light had come on when, finally, this most beautiful of Conoco station appeared out of the mists. Gassed and coffied up it was on to Montana. I finally left I-94 near Glendive, MT to begin Northward toward a small town called Wolf Point, where I again turned West on US Route 2. These roads may look like secondary roads when you see them on a map but tey are all trunk routes. They are wide, well paved, and REALLY STRAIGHT. Speed limits are posted at 70 - this for a road in Pennsylvania that would be posted at 40 or 45 mph. The roads are so empty that you can make freeway type time from city to city. Through the mid-afternoon I went 250 miles in just about 4 hours...including 2 fuel stops. Those roads made it easy to get 3/4 of the way across Montana in a single day. Montana is a fascinating place with spectacular scenery, interesting people, and a real Old West feel to everything. Also, every town has a casino or 5...Including ones that double as gas stations! Today was the final 500 mile day that I anticipate until my return trip. This is all sort of a grand plan...to make big miles for the first 5 or 6 days, to get through the more nondescript portion of the journey, and position myself so that once I arrived in Canada I could fall back to 250-300 mile days while having more time for stops, photo ops and such. As I sit here in my motel in Shelby, MT I look forward to such a short day tomorrow. I'm only 50 miles from the Canadian border and just another 200 miles to Calgary. It looks like the weather is holding and if so then it will be up to Calgary tomorrow followed by Banff, Lake Louise, and Jasper Thursday. Hope my luck holds! More soon. Thanks for dropping in!

A couple of other web sites have picked up the story of my ride. Check 'em out.
First go to http://technicallyphilly.com and scroll down till you see the May 25 article - you'll find it! Then check out a story from last week in an online business pub called Keystone Edge. To read it, Click here

If you go to the RevZilla Motorsports blogsite at blog.revzilla.com you can see more pictures and find more info on my ride.

The 2009 Ride to Alaska for The Austin Hatcher Foundation is supported by
RevZilla Motorsports at RevZilla.com and by Hermy's Cycles in Port Clinton, PA

Day 5 - The one where nothing much happened, there wasn't much to see, and it finally rained!

2009-05-26T19:09:00.004-04:00

Day 5 – Monday May 25, 2009
Start: St. Cloud, MN
End: Dickinson, ND
Trip Miles Today: 453
Total Trip Miles: 2125

I always knew that it had to rain. Nobody could expect to make a journey such as this one and think that every day would be bright and sunny. However, the trip so far had been blessed with mostly magnificent weather. Until today. It’s not like I didn’t have any advance warning. Last evening the Weather Channel’s forecast map was showing basically my entire planned route as being covered in their varied pastel shades of green. Much to my surprise, I awoke to a leaden and threatening sky, especially to the West – where I was headed, but it was actually dry for my 7:30 am departure from St. Cloud, MN. In fact for the entire first hour, and through my first fuel stop it remained dry. But oh that scary looking Western sky! About 90 minutes into the day, and approaching the Minnesota/North Dakota state line it happened. In a few short miles the temperature dropped over 10 degrees (to an invigorating 55 degrees F), the wind picked up, and the precip began pounding down. Fortunately I had the foresight ( I cleverly surmised that multiple lightning bolts directly in front of me might be meaningful) to stop and change into my full rain gear minutes earlier so I was as prepared as I could be. The heavy rain didn’t actually last all that long but I rode another hour in the wet. Then, miracle of miracles, it dried up for a while and the temp went back up near 70 (where, as anyone knows, it really does belong). This pleased and encouraged me enough that I started shedding my rain gear. Silly me! The shedding of the rain gear only served to provoke the Gods into and even stranger series of weather events. Approaching Bismarck, ND it began to get much colder and the wind began to pick up again, this time about 25-30 mph steady winds (with higher gusts) out of the North and directly across my path. Oh yes, did I mention the fog? It got very foggy for about an hour or more and that lovely feature was also accompanied by a light but steady drizzle that lasted for 100 miles. By the time I arrived at my overnight destination, Dickinson, ND, I had been riding in temps just over 50 degrees for two hours and much of that time in rain and/or drizzle and/or fog. And always the wind! Not my idea of a perfect little Memorial Day ride!

You may have noticed I didn’t mention anything about my route. That’s because it was the simplest and least imaginative yet. At St. Cloud, MN, get on I -94 West. At Dickinson, ND get off I-94. The entire 453 mile ride today was on Interstate 94. I will say one thing however. The states out here in the desolate prairie certainly do take a more civilized view of the need to cover ground quickly. In North Dakota the speed limit is 75. That’s a number we East Coasters can only dream of. Furthermore, I can tell you with a great deal of certainty that at least some North Dakota State Police officers will apparently show no concern over a motorist doing about 85.

I-94 through Western Minnesota and North Dakota is not exactly the most photogenic or tourist destination packed of places. However, I would be remiss if I didn’t mention to you that I did make a stop in New Salem, ND to see “Sue, the World’s Largest Holstein Cow.” She’s a big one all right, and was the highlight of an otherwise tedious day. Look at that picture. Isn’t she a beauty? Those shrubs below her - they're full grown trees!

Tomorrow I hope to get to Western Montana, then Wednesday I’ll turn North with Calgary, Alberta my goal for Wednesday. The weather report for tomorrow is suggesting it might be a bit “cool” in the morning but warmer and sunny by mid-day. We’ll see how that goes!

If you go to the RevZilla Motorsports blogsite at blog.revzilla.com you can see more pictures and find more info on my ride.

The 2009 Ride to Alaska for The Austin Hatcher Foundation is supported by
RevZilla Motorsports at RevZilla.com and by Hermy's Cycles in Port Clinton, PA

Haven't made the Hatcher Pass yet, but I have been to Austin (Minnesota that is!). Wisconsin backroads, Frank Lloyd Wright, and Spam highlight day 4.

2009-05-24T20:33:00.015-04:00

Day 4 - Sunday May 24, 2009
Start: Edgerton, WI
End: St. Cloud, MN
Trip Miles Today: 454
Total Trip Miles: 1672

A primary focus of this ride is to create awareness for the Austin Hatcher Foundation. That's why I've named it "Hatcher Foundation to the Hatcher Pass." Now I can also say that it's the "Austin (Minnesota) to Hatcher (Pass near Anchorage, AK) Ride" based on having visited Austin, MN late this afternoon. But wait, lets go back to the beginning, early this morning, as Day 4 was the most interesting day yet. The very earliest part of the morning didn't seem all that promising at the time. My plan was to leave my overnight digs at Edgerton, WI early and spend the entire morning riding the secondary roads of Wisconsin. Based on a friend's recommendation my loosely defined route was to be Northwest in the general direction of of the Mississippi valley and Lacrosse , WI. That was all well and good and it's exactly what I did. The only part I didn't plan on was cold, fog , and drizzle. But that's exactly what I awoke to and rode in from about 7:00 AM till 9:30. I was pretty depressed to watch the thermometer on the bike's dash dip into the low 50's and was actually cold enough to put on my heated vest on after riding chilled for about an hour. First stop of the day was at the Frank Lloyd Wright Visitor center in Spring Green, WI. Spring Green is where Wright built his well known home Taliesin and it, as well as his other local projects, are addressed in the excellent visitor center. Tours of Taliesin, both the house and the property are also available but the tours take several hours so I had to pass. Moving on from Spring Green, I continued North and West eventually coming across Wisconsin Rte 171 which goes West from the Town of Richland Center to the banks of the Mississippi. By the time I had gotten on 171, the sky had cleared to a perfect blue like we see in postcards, the temperature had risen to the high 60s and the riding conditions were as perfect as the choice of road! I noticeed plenty of other bikers in the area too. I turned North upon reaching the Mississippi and followed "The Great River Road" (Route 35) some 40 miles North to Lacrosse where, sometime shortly after noon, I got back on Interstate 90 (ugh!) now headed West into Minnesota. Some 90 minutes later I arrived at Austin, Minnesota. Now for those of you who don't know, Austin is the corporate home of Hormel Foods and, in particular, their signature product - Spam! No trip to this part of Minnesota is complete without a visit to the Spam museum! Seriously! It's actually a very nicely done little museum. All a bit tongue-in-cheek you know, but well executed nonetheless. This visit precipitated some necessary photographs as one never knows when one will get to come back to such a significant location. I was outta the Spam museum just about 3:00 and had it in my mind to ride until about 6 pm and see where it left me. Where it left me was overnighting in St. Cloud, MN some 50 miles Northwest on Minneapolis, and 170 miles from Fargo, ND. I failed to make it to North Dakota today but sure will tomorrow. Tonight I need to spend some time working out a route up to and through Calgary, and which will leave me in Dawson Creek, BC on Friday evening at Mile "0" of the Alaska Highway. More tomorrow, thanks for visiting.

If you go to the RevZilla Motorsports blogsite at blog.revzilla.com you can see more pictures and find more info on my ride.

The 2009 Ride to Alaska for The Austin Hatcher Foundation is supported by
RevZilla Motorsports at RevZilla.com and by Hermy's Cycles in Port Clinton, PA

On Wisconsin! I find myself in the prairie.

2009-05-23T19:52:00.007-04:00

Day 3 - Saturday May 23, 2009
Start: Novi, MI
End: Edgerton, WI
Trip Miles Today: 427
Total Trip Miles: 1218

Now we're really getting into the swing of things. 427 miles today but, while most were on logged on the superhighways, I finally had the chance to ditch the super slab and spend a bit of time on the delicious secondary roads in rural Wisconsin. Let's start at the beginning though. Once again I was up early, this time 5:00 AM. I arrived at my favorite Michigan Starbucks shortly after 6 and was able to log online to update all the travel info from Friday for both this blog and the other forums where I have trip threads running. I actually didn't hit the road till nearly 7:30 but when I did it with a vengeance. I logged 200 miles in the first 3 hours, including a fuel stop so I was covering ground rather quickly. Routing was via I-94 Westbound through Michigan, then after entering Indiana I jumped on the Indiana Toll Road (I-90) and basically stayed on I-90 through Gary,Indiana, across the Chicago Skyway, and then through Chigago via the Dan Ryan Expressway (still I-90). I was in Wisconsin by 1:30 local time and finally had the chance to do something other than cruise the Interstate. At Beloit, WI I jumped off the highway and headed West to a small town I know called Brodhead, WI. I know Brodhead as a pilot and have visited the airport there a number of times. The Brodhead Airport, a grass field, is known nationally as a hotbed of Antique Aircraft restoration and flying. While there wasn't much flying going during my brief visit(it was windy) there was a cadre of folks busy in their hangars tending to the rewarding work of restoring/maintaining these classics. Check out the picture of my bike in front of a hangar with 1950s Piper Cub resting quietly within! After Brodhead I visited with yet another motorcyclist/flying enthusiast friend who lives nearby.The Brodhead side trip allowed me to spend quality time on Wisconsin's excellent, interesting, and nearly empty secondary road system. Based on my friend's "local knowledge" and recommendations, the plan for tomorrow is to spend the entire morning on the secondary roads. I'll be heading North by West in the general direction of Lacrosse WI, and then plan to cross the Mississippi River into Minnesota by mid-day. Hopefully I can get pretty close to North Dakota by Sunday evening.The weather continues to cooperate. Today started with 50 degrees at sunrise in Michigan and ended with mid 70's in Wisconsin, and mostly sunny the entire time. If the Weather Channel is to be believed, I will have another delightful day tomorrow but am at risk to (finally) get wet Monday or Tuesday. I'm ready!!

If you go to the RevZilla Motorsports blogsite at blog.revzilla.com you can see more pictures and find more info on my ride.

The 2009 Ride to Alaska for The Austin Hatcher Foundation is supported by
RevZilla Motorsports at RevZilla.com and by Hermy's Cycles in Port Clinton, PA

Down day in Michigan to Visit with Friends

2009-05-23T06:30:00.006-04:00

Day 2 - Friday May 22, 2009
Start: Novi, MI
End: Novi, MI
Trip Miles Today: 146
Total Trip Miles: 792

Little to say about yesterday except it was wonderful to visit with friends in Michigan all day long. Rode a fair number of miles. Now the serious business of getting to Anchorage begins in earnest. I'll be riding literally hundreds of miles each day for the new two weeks straight. My butt hurts just thinking about it! Off to Wisconsin RIGHT NOW !!!

By the way, I think I mentioned that my ride got some coverage on the CBS TV outlet in Philadelphia on Wednesday night. The CBS3 people were kind enough to post some of the content on their website. - you can click here to see a some of the interview and learn more about The Austin Hatcher Foundation.

Day One - 500 Miler!

2009-05-22T06:37:00.008-04:00

Day 1 – Thursday May 21, 2009

Start: Malvern, PA

End: Novi, MI

Trip Miles Today: 555

Total Trip Miles: 645.8

The 5:00 wakeup came pretty early but no matter - I was already wide awake in anticipation. A quick shower, final packing details and suddenly it was time to take off! My wife, Lisa Barrow, and my good friend Don Verdiani were both on hand to ride out and serve as my escort. Lisa rode her BMW F650 GS (red-of course!) and Don joined on his BMW K75 (that I used to own) so it was an all Beemer departure. Lisa and Don hung on only long enough to see me to the PA turnpike entry then turned back as I headed out.

I was on the PA tpk about 7 and 10 hours later I was at a friend's home in Novi Michigan. It's really hard to put together an interesting adventure story around a 500+ mile ride on toll roads! Highlights included a lot of construction (and associated delays ) in the Western part of the state and really quick gas stops!

By 5:00 I was settled into the home of a friend who had generously offered a place to stay for 2 nights. By 7: I was at a very nice dinner at an outdoor cafe with 6 old friends (for clarification - they are friends that I have had for a very long time, not that they are "old".) Friday will be spent, similarly, visiting with folks in Michigan who have made donations to The Austin Hatcher Foundation. I'l head out of here next on Saturday, this time bound for Wisconsin.

So, in summary, what can I say about a "first day" that was a 500+ miler with no dramas whatsoever, in perfect riding weather? All my equipment and gear including the bike performed flawlessly. Looks like the F650GS is getting about 55 mpg at a steady 75 mph, even with those big bags hanging off the side - hardly an optimum aero package.

Anyway, that's it from here.

More soon. Thanks for your interest!

Jack

Day 0 - New Jersey & back!

2009-05-20T20:04:00.005-04:00

Wednesday May 20 - Day 0
Start : Ocean City , NJ
End: Malvern, PA
Trip Miles Today: 93
Total Trip Miles: 93

Sometimes it's necessary to go backward a bit in order to make progress forward. That's how today was. A quick 90 mile Eastward jaunt to the Atlantic coast in New Jersey was the first order of business early this morning. While the trip was without drama I can say that I look forward to not riding Eastward and staring at the sunrise both tomorrow and for the next couple of weeks. I don't think my retinas are actually fried but I did wonder about the possibility. The Ocean City visit was a short one followed by a quick turn back Westward bound now for Philadelphia and the headquarters of RevZilla Motorsports. I can't say that there were really many exciting photo ops while blasting back across central New Jersey on the Atlantic City Expressway. At RevZilla several friends joined me while RevZilla Partner Anthony Bucci presented me with a generous donation to The Austin Hatcher Foundation. KYW TV, the CBS outlet for Philadelphia was present to capture both the check presentation and my "official" ride away which they aired on the 6:00 news this evening. By 3 PM I was back home here in Malvern, PA finishing up with the final packing and preparations. Tomorrow I'm off on the 600 mile leg to Detroit, MI at 6:00am. For a second day it's once again going to be all limited access highway so if you're looking for the pics of exotic locations, unusual animals, and different ways of life I think you should plan on having to wait a few days. Nonetheless, I've got to get through the less exciting parts of the trip to get to the "good stuff" More tomorrow. Thanks for coming along on the ride!
Jack

Almost ready to roll!

2009-05-19T17:15:00.002-04:00

There are great piles of "stuff"staged throughout my house. Camping gear here, rain gear there, and cameras, batteries, computers, and cables just about everywhere. As an aside, am I the only one who's noticed that cables and wires now require an entirely inordinate amount of attention in our everyday life? Everything ready (well, maybe not quite "ready", but close!) to be stashed away into the integral BMW Luggage. Everything in it's place and a place for every.....er, most things. Not much left now but to get on the bike and do it. Hopefully I can get the final details of packing sorted out tonight because tomorrow (Wed 5/20) will be pretty busy. As I mentioned previously I'm going take off from home and ride the 80+ miles (in the WRONG direction!) to the New Jersey shoreline of the Atlantic Ocean. Looks like I am going to be accompanied on this little segment of the trip by long time riding buddy and partner in crime, Don Verdiani. At the beach I still plan to briefly dip my toe in the Atlantic Ocean (55 degrees they tell me ....brrrrrrr) and photo document same. This will validate the claim that this ride is truly "coast to coast." Then I'll turn around and come back to Philadelphia in time for the 1:30 PM get together at RevZilla Motorsports. Friends, supporters and interested parties are all still invited to the store to chat about the ride, the bike, long distance travel, the charity that my ride supports - The Austin Hatcher Foundation, and to check out the absolutely blazin' hot ride gear in the RevZilla showroom. Just a reminder that the RevZilla store is at 38 Jackson St., Philadelphia, 19148.I sure hope some friends, new and old, can make it. Looks like a perfect day to ride! By 3:00 I'll be headed out for real, this time headed in the proper direction - North and West. The short ride back to my home in Suburban Philly will end what I'd calling Day 0. Then Thursday the real mileage thrash begins with the 600 mile leg to Michigan! I'm excited. The long awaited trip is really just about here!!!

Geared for weather!

2009-05-18T06:53:00.004-04:00

Even as I sit here looking out the window at a beautiful sunny morning, I am reminded by the TV weather forecaster guy that it just possibly might not be perfect skies throughout my little 7 week sojourn. For example the nice folks in Calgary, Alberta are today waking up to a balmy 37 degrees and rain. I'll be in Calgary about this time next week, and it's still pretty early in the spring in the Canadian Rockies. Packing the right riding gear for a trip that could see temps from the 20's to possibly 90 or 100 presents a serious challenge. The secret is what my mother always said "layers." (My mother didn't actually say that. What she did say was "eat your vegetables" and "wear sunscreen" but I'm not quite sure how to weave those old saws into this story.) While jeans and a sweatshirt were good enough for Steve McQueen "back in the day," my riding kit is a bit more elaborate.

For what I would call "normal" temperatures my everyday outfit will consist of this stuff. First, my Shoei Multitec helmet. New last season, the Multitec is a flip up helmet that combines the convenience of an open face helmet with the security of a full face design. I've worn it for thousands of miles and find it to be comfortable, sufficiently light, and quiet. A feature I most like is the simple one handed operation of the face shield latch. Additionally, the visors clip on and off in seconds, without tools, to facilitate cleaning. As far as boots, for everyday riding I use Sidi Dohas. The Doha is an ankle height boot with the rigidity, safety features, lace and velcro closures, and gear shifter toe reinforcement that can also be worn as an everyday shoe without clomping around looking like Herman Munster in Engineer Boots. When the air temps get a bit warmer I am prone to riding in just jeans (yeah, I know that denim isn't exactly the optimum safety equipment) but most of the time I'll be wearing a pair of First Gear HT overpants. The HT pants are great for wind blocking, pretty well water repellent, and they are easy to put on and take off over my jeans. My riding jacket for this trip is a new Rev'It Sirocco. This thing is a marvel of technology. It has a zip out liner, pockets and vents everywhere, a removable waterproof membrane, and CE armor in all the appropriate places. I anticipate that may just wear the Sirocco all day, every day, in all weather conditions. The online reviews suggest it's the right choice for temps from the 30s to the 80s (F). This is right in the heart of the conditions I'll face! The Sirocco, introduced last year, was the WebBike World Motorcycle Apparel of the Year Award winner in 2008. Is it just that good? I sure hope so and I'll try to keep track of it's performance over the duration of the trip. The everyday gear also includes a pair of lightweight BMW touring gloves that I have had for years. You just can't kill 'em. When it gets cold enough that the Sirocco jacket and overpants are not enough then I can upgrade to my BMW heated vest. I know from experience that it, in conjunction with heated handlebar grips cranked up to high and heavy winter gloves, can keep me very comfortable down to the mid to low 20's. And when the torrential rains come? That's simple enough too. I do carry a rubberized full coverage rain suit, as well as full height books, that can be deployed over all this other stuff. I may begin to look a bit like the Michelin Man but I'll be (more or less) cozy and dry. Warm/cold, wet or dry I think (hope!) I'm covered but time will tell. The real challenge is to pack all this stuff in the limited storage space I have on the bike. We'll see how that goes when I actually begin packing stuff later today. Thanks for stopping by. More tomorrow.
Jack

The 2009 Ride to Alaska for the Austin Hatcher Foundation is supported by
RevZilla Motorsports at RevZilla.com and by Hermy's Cycles in Port Clinton, PA

This, afterall, a motorcycle trip, so what about the bike?

2009-05-17T11:27:00.006-04:00

In 2004 I did a 7000+ mile trip to the Pacific Northwest, down the Pacific coast to Southern California, then back across the mid section of the country to my then home in Michigan. My two wheeled companion on that trip was a 2004 BMW R1150RT. The RT was, and is, a wonderful way to cover big miles in comfort, especially on major highways. I got just shy of 50 mpg on that trip and had no mechanical issues whatsoever. The knock, if there is one, against the RT is that it's a bit of a handful for someone of my (shall we say) "modest" stature. At 5' 7", 155 pounds and a 29" inseam I could usually manage the RT just fine but I never quite felt that I lived up to the model of Teutonic manhood that BMW had in mind for RT riders. Much of the time since that trip has been spent looking for a scooter that could somehow magically combine the on-road prowess of the RT with a modicum of off/unpaved road capability and do these things at a mass that I felt I could better manage. As I searched, I was also formulating a plan for this upcoming trip to Alaska. I knew I needed a bike that, when it inevitably got dropped over in some muddy truckstop in the Yukon, I would have some hope of picking it back up myself. Tempting alternatives were explored, then set aside for one reason or another. One bike that kept me coming back was the Suzuki DL650 V-Strom. However, for reasons that even I don't understand, I never quite got to the point of writing a check. Then, late in 2007 BMW announced the impending arrival of a new F800GS. Based on BMW's newer vertical twin engine , with features like chain drive and the usual BMW amenities (heated grips, ABS), and at an advertised weight some 100 lbs lighter than my RT, the F800GS called to me. Big Time! Around Christmas time of 08 I made a special trip the the Cycle World International Cycle Show in New York, primarily to see and throw a leg over a new F800GS. Sadly that same old bugaboo raised it's head. The F800 was clearly designed around 6 footers! Worse yet, BMW had announced that there would be a lower ride height version of the bike, named the F650GS, but (at the time) they indicated that it would not be available in the US. Crestfallen, I went back back to being confused. Then in June of last year I went on an Edelweiss Tour in the Alps and had the chance to actually ride one of the new European market F650GS' and it was everything I hoped it would. With sharp edged handling, light weight, and just the right size the F650 was as perfect for me as I had imagined. Carving the twisties in the Italian Alps brought unsurpassed grins to my face and the bike was equally solid on gravelly, wet and sometime snowy surfaces. I wanted one. Badly! Shortly after I returned from Europe my miracle happened - BMW announced that they would bring the F650GS to the US after all and they would begin arriving in September. Suffice to say I was spring loaded for action. I spec'd out a unit with the optional trip computer, Tire pressure monitoring, heated grips, ABS, center stand, the BMW side and topcase luggage system, the so-called tall windscreen, and hand protectors. I brought my new baby home on October 14, 2008. Clever timing, I'd have to say as, by the end of October we were embroiled in one of the crappiest winter and spring seasons in several years. Nonetheless I abided by the recommended breakin procedures and had the 600 mile initial service done in January. The bike now has about 1200 miles on it but in 7 weeks it should have 11 or 12,000!
Nary a problem so far and I hope to keep it that way. I have resisted the temptation to dress the bike up with too many farkles and, though I may come to regret the decision, I have forgone the temptation to equip it with engine crash bars and skid plates. If I was planning to make a run for Prudhoe Bay or the Arctic Circle on this trip I would probably have done so but the vast majority of my planned trip is on "paved" roads. At this point I'd rather keep it light. The only other items I've added are the Hepco & Becker wire mesh headlamp protector (there are LOTS of trucks on the Alaska highway tossing rocks at you.) and a Wolfman Rainier Tank Bag. I chose the Wolfman bag over the BMW factory accessory bag because it installs very easy and is not so tall and intrusive as the BMW unit. On thing I have given some thought to is tires. The original equipment Bridgestone Battle Wings seem good enough in the miles I've done to date, but I anticipate possibly having to replace tires sometime during the trip. Lately I've become enamored of the Michelin Anakees on my wife's 650GS Thumper and I'm gonna give them a good luck when the time comes. That's my bike story so far. Stay tuned to see how we make out over the next few weeks. Thanks for stopping by.
Jack

The 2009 Ride to Alaska for the Austin Hatcher Foundation is supported by
RevZilla Motorsports at RevZilla.com and by Hermy's Cycles in Port Clinton, PA

Camping?

2009-05-16T15:58:00.005-04:00

Aside from the wild animal discussion (see May 9 entry), the idea of camping always generates a lot of questions about equipment. For that reason I thought I'd share a bit of information regarding the camping gear I plan to bring along. First, for the purposes of this discussion let me clarify what I mean by "camping." Camping means I'm going to sleep on the ground in a tent. I will not be foraging for nuts and berries, I will not be starting a fire with a flint and tinder, I will not be cooking over a fire or on my handy gas fired camp stove. On the other hand I will not be "camping" in accordance with my wife Lisa's definition of the term, which somehow involves finding a convenient place to park the 45 foot Prevost Motor Coach, leveling it, and aligning the TV satellite before drifting off to sleep. Camping simply means I will sleep on the ground in a tent. Neither do I intend to camp any more than "a bit." In my 18 day 2004 motorcycle trip to the Pacific Northwest, then down the California coast to LA, and back home to my then home in Michigan I camped a total of 7 nights. This seemed just about right. I never camped more than two days in a row, and I never camped in any serious rain. I am quite sure this approach to camping will serve me well for this outing too. So what am I bringing along? First my tent - it's the same North Face "Slickrock" that I have used on other trips including the aforementioned 2004 Western trip. The primary appeal of the Slickrock is that it folds and packs quite small, facilitating it's easy storage and transport in the BMW luggage on the bike. I am however, to this day, mystified how the Slickrock was marketed as a two person tent. I suppose two Lilliputians or maybe a couple of folks who are VERY good friends could possibly crawl into this tent but actually sleeping would be an entirely different matter. That being said, the North Face Slickrock (which is no longer sold by North Face) is perfect for my needs as I will be camping alone. My sleeping bag is a Timberline model marketed by Eastern Mountain Sports. This is not a bag for extreme cold, but rather rated to about 32 degrees. As I noted earlier, I am not the hardiest nor most dedicated of campers. There is an excellent chance that if it's below freezing I will not be camping! Sleeping bags tend to be a bit bulky which always represents a challenge for motorcycle campers. There is, however , a ready aid to this problem. Compression bags! Granite Gear, among others, make compression bags in a variety of sizes which when properly applied can take a rolled sleeping bag the size of your office trash can and compress it down to the size of a 2 quart saucepan. The primary ingredient in sleeping bags is air. Squeezing all that air out leaves one with a much smaller item to find a space for! Under my sleeping bag you will find a therma rest pad which also is quite readily smashed down to a manageable size. The only other item of camp gear that I bring along is a camp pillow which too is readily compressible. Did you notice a lot of compressing going on here? It's all about space on the bike. Hopefully this list of equipment will be sufficient to protect me from the elements, if not carniverous animals, on those nights when I elect to camp while headed North.

The 2009 Ride to Alaska for the Austin Hatcher Foundation is supported by
RevZilla Motorsports at RevZilla.com and by Hermy's Cycles in Port Clinton, PA

Wednesday is Day 0 !!! Let's RIDE !

2009-05-15T06:31:00.005-04:00

JOIN ME FOR THE "OFFICIAL" START OF
MY RIDE TO ALASKA
WEDNESDAY, MAY 20
1:30 PM
REVZILLA MOTORSPORTS
38 JACKSON ST
PHILADELPHIA, PA 19148

Next Wednesday, May 20th, has become the new "official" start of my ride to Alaska. Not only will I be visiting the guys at Revzilla Motorsports in Philadephia but I've decided to add a few more miles to the trip! In a moment of stunning brilliance I have realized that this trip will not really be "coast to coast" unless I actually start at one of those coasts! Given the convenient availability of such a coastline just 90 odd miles from home I've now schemed to add this little junket. Early Wednesday morning I'll hop on the bike and commence my 4800+ mile Northwestern trip to Alaska by riding East to the New Jersey shore. See, riding backwards is the new forward!. At the Jersey shore I'll accomplish two vitally important tasks. One, I'll zero my trip odometer and two, I'll dip my toe in the lovely warm (yeah, right) waters of the Atlantic Ocean and photo document same. Those items out of the way (and maybe a stop for salt water taffy) I'll saddle up and start again, this time in generally the correct direction. Next stop will be at RevZilla Motorsports for a 1:30 PM gathering to celebrate the "official" start of my ride. This is intended as a gathering of everyone in the Philadelphia area who is interested in my ride, adventure riding and motorcycling in general, and as a chance for people with great taste in Motorcycle Gear to check out all the fantastic stuff (and fantastic prices) at the RevZilla store.
We'll hang out, talk about bikes, equipment, my favorite charity the Austin Hatcher Foundation, travel and who knows what all else. Come on out and say Hi! At the end of it I'll just ride off into the sunset never to be heard from again......oops, no that's another story. Sometime about 2:30 or 3:00 I'll head on out for real this time. If you're on a bike feel free to join me for the departure and ride along for a bit. On Wednesday I'll only be going as far as my home in Malvern. Then the big miles will begin on Thursday morning at 6:00 AM. Come on out! You'll meet some great folks!

More to come soon. Thanks for reading.
Jack

The 2009 Ride to Alaska for the Austin Hatcher Foundation is supported by
RevZilla Motorsports at RevZilla.com and by Hermy's Cycles in Port Clinton, PA

RevZilla Motorsports coming along for the Ride! RevZilla to Wasilla!

2009-05-12T07:45:00.005-04:00

More big news! I am proud to add RevZilla Motorsports, Philadelphia's Only Premium Motorcycle Gear Destination Store (www.revzilla.com) to the list of supporters of my 2009 Ride to Alaska! RevZilla partners Anthony, Matt , and Nick are all avid motorcyclists and I'm pretty sure they secretly (ok, not so secretly..) want to join me on the trip. Nonetheless they'll be riding along the whole way in spirit and they have made an important commitment to support the Austin Hatcher Foundation too (www.hatcherfoundation.org) Next Wednesday, May 20, we're all going to get together at the RevZilla Store (38 Jackson St, Philadelphia, PA 19148) at 1:30PM to "officially" send me on my way. Come out and join us and if you're on a bike you can even ride the first few miles of the trip with me. OK, so I'm not gonna get so far by leaving Philly mid-afternoon (hopefully before rush hour) but it's still the start of the trip. The first "big miles" day will be the next day Thursday the 21st. Yahoo! RevZilla's going to Wasilla (Wasilla, Alaska that is) !

That Bear Thing !

2009-05-09T09:28:00.007-04:00

When told that I plan to do some tent camping during my trip to Alaska, a number of friends have expressed concern about the risk from wildlife, especially bears.

Let me say this about the subject of bears.

I've traveled and camped before, many times, in areas where these supposed "bears" are a threat to tasty, slow moving dinners such as myself. Yellowstone Park - never saw a bear. Yosemite Park - no bears. Northern Canada - lots of Moose, Wolves, Elk. Nary a bear. I once even camped in a park in Washington called the Great Bear Wilderness. Do you think I caught a glimpse of even one bear? Uh, no. In my , ahem, "many" years of life on this planet I have NEVER seen a bear in the wild.

Scientific study, careful consideration, and my own personal experience have brought me to a seemingly obvious conclusion. Bears are not real. Bears are imaginary.

But wait, you say, there are "bears" in the movies, in literature, and on television. Sure. Who doesn't love Yogi Bear, and Winnie the Pooh is a childrens' icon. Care Bears, Fozzie Bear, Paddington Bear...all constructs from the brilliant minds of A.A. Milne, Hanna-Barbera and others.

And what of the bears that we (myself included) have seen in Zoos? Those "bears" are easily explained. Ever been to Disney World? Can you say animatronic? (Though holograms may also be in play. Advanced technology is simply magnificent!)

The concept of bears dates to time immemorial. The ancients identified the patterns in the heavens with bears...recall the constellations Ursa Major and Minor. Yet, these same people are the ones who conceptualized another popular imaginary animal, the unicorn. Both are constructs of unreal animals having important meaning to humans throughout recorded history. Both exist solely in our minds but, nonetheless, provoke strong emotions. Hence my friends' concern for my safety while camping.

Let me say this again, I am not concerned about bears while camping because bears are imaginary!

Despite this compelling evidence suggesting that there are no bears, I intend to be prudent with my behavior in the wilds of the North Woods. I'll conform with the conventional wisdoms....no food in the tent, no picnics in isolated areas, make a lot of noise while hiking, etc. As an open minded person I also remain flexible to changing my opinion when faced with new facts. I'll keep my eyes wide open and the camera at hand throughout, but the truth is that I don't anticipate seeing any bears. But, I'll certainly be on the lookout for one. Of course I'll be looking for unicorns too!

Thanks for following. Jack

More news coming early next week regarding the 2009 Ride to Alaska for the Austin Hatcher Foundation (www.hatcherfoundation.org)

Good Times Saturday at Hermy's, Lois Pryce at RevZilla, and only 17 days till departure !!

2009-05-04T07:52:00.003-04:00

Hermy's Cycle Spring Open House

When the veil was pulled back on Saturday what came into view was a dreary, dark, and rainy morning. Nonetheless Saturday was the day of the Hermy's Cycles Spring Open House so there was no choice but to saddle up and ride out. Hey, if 55 degrees and rain puts me off, then getting to Alaska on the bike is gonna be kind of a problem, no? Decked out in rain gear and with the BMW cases packed with promotional material for the Austin Hatcher Foundation (www.hatcherfoundation.org) I headed down the road at about 7 AM. The good news is that as I rode, following a pretty good drenching early on, the rain gradually abated. By the time I arrived at Hermy's it had pretty much ended and (good news!) the rest of the day, while threatening, was dry. I spent the entire business day at Hermys with a little display and promotional materials to talk up both my charity ride to Alaska and the Austin Hatcher Foundation. And talk I did. It was a great oportunity to meet about my upcoming trip with a wide variety of motorcycling enthusiasts - including one who had made virtually the same Alaska trip previously and several who want to do it. Lots of chatter too about necessary preparation of my BMW F650GS for the long ride. New friends, new information, the same old penchant for adventure. Oh yeah, I collected nearly another $100 in donations for the Austin Hatcher Foundation. When the Open House ended at 2 PM I hopped right back on the bike to head out to yet another event and the chance to meet one of my "role model" motorcycle adventurers/authors.

Meeting Lois Pryce at RevZilla in Philly

A quick (OK, not so quick) 75 mile ride to downtown Philadelphia delivered me to Philly's new destination for motorcycle riding gear and accessories RevZilla (www.revzilla.com). The attraction of RevZilla, aside from their huge selection of first class riding apparel (drool, drool!) was the chance to meet global motorcycle adventurer and fascinating Brit Lois Pryce. This wee slip of a woman, fully 5 feet nothing tall and maybe 100 lbs soaking wet, has, in the past 6 years made motorcycle trips from Alaska to Tierra del Fuego and later the full length of the continent of Africa, SOLO! On bikes of no greater than 250cc! Kinda makes my trip to Alaska sound about as adventurous as riding the interstates to Cleveland. Lois is on a US tour to promote her two books Lois on the Loose which documents the 2003 North American trip and Red Tape and White Knuckles which captures the trans African adventure. Lois, who chucked her cubicle bound job at the BBC in 2003 to ride the world, is an engaging and humorous speaker. She is clearly afflicted with an acute case of adventure gene and is, even now, scheming a trans Asian ride in the not too distant future. I've read both her books and I can tell you they are a quick and fascinating read (www.loisontheloose) and I would heartily recommended each.

17 days till launch!

May 21st is coming quickly. The plan is still to depart home on Thursday morning and cover the approx 600 miles to the Detroit area that day. Friday the 22nd will be a "visit with friends" day in Michigan and then the real business of covering big miles will re-commence on Saturday the 23rd. The support that my truly generous friends have provided for the Austin Hatcher Foundation (www.hatcherfoundation.org) is truly heart warming. Over $1600 has been donated so far and the my goal of $2500 is still possible. THANK YOU ALL! Gotta go get some work done, more later. Jack

Join me this weekend - Hermy's Open House Saturday May 2

2009-04-30T08:34:00.000-04:00

Come join me this weekend at Hermy's Cycles Open House! Hermy's BMW is having their Spring Open House on this Saturday, May 2nd from 9:00AM until 2:00PM. Door Prizes, food, and other sorts of excitement! I'll be there all day to talk about my upcoming ride and about the Austin Hatcher Foundation. Hermy's is on Route 61 in Port Clinton, PA. Be There!

Exciting News...Hermy's BMW now a supporter!!

2009-04-14T09:42:00.000-04:00

Yesterday was a big day in the preparation for the 2009 Ride to Alaska - my absolute favorite BMW Motorcycle Dealer, Hermy's Cycle of Port Clinton, PA came on board as a supporter of my ride, and therefore of the Austin Hatcher Foundation (www.hatcherfoundation.org) Many thanks to dealer principal Herman Baver for his support and commitment. As part of this relationship, I'll be spending all day Saturday, May 2nd at Hermy's Spring Open House. There I'll talking to BMW and motorcycle travel enthusiasts about both my upcoming ride as well as the Hatcher Foundation. Come visit with us if you are in that part of the world! Hermy's is on Route 61 in Port Clinton, PA and the open house is from 9:00AM till 2:00PM. Rumors of free food and door prizes abound - certainly the main reason I'm going!! Go to www.hermys.com for more info. The clock continues to wind down and I can't believe it's little more than a month until departure. More to come.....

6 Weeks.....The Bike......and Thank You !

2009-04-08T17:12:00.000-04:00

So, now it's a paltry 6 weeks till I head out! You might rightfully wonder what I've been doing to prepare for this trip. The answer, of course, is "not so much!" Oh sure I've nearly finished up on the reservations for hotels, rental cars and the like for that portion of the trip where I'll be traveling IN Alaska with my wife and friends. What about the bike ride up there? Well.......let me say this. A number of people have asked what motorcycle I'll be riding for over a month and probably approaching 10,000 miles by the time I arrive back home in late June. A really important part of my preparation for this trek was the motorcycle selection. I'll be riding the 2009 BMW F650GS that you see in the picture. These BMWs were really designed to be the perfect companion for this sort of travel. Amenities like ABS, heated hand grips, and hard luggage that clips on and off the bike in seconds make the choice a really simple one. Couple those features with the comfortable and upright riding position, very good gas mileage, and a frame that's light enough that I have some hope of picking the bike up by myself after the inevitable drop in a gas station/parking lot/wherever and there you have my steed for the next couple of months. I purchased this bike last fall with this exact trip in mind.

The only other think I'd like to mention is the great response I've been getting to my appeal for donations to the Austin Hatcher Foundation (www.hatcherfoundation.org) in the name of my charity ride. My friends from all across the country have blown me away with their kindness and generosity by already donating over $1000.00... and there are pledges for even more! Please keep it up! I love you all.

Well I better get back to finishing up my taxes. If I don't do that by April 15th I'm afraid they may stop me at the border!!! More to come soon.

Jack

60 Days and Counting !!

2009-03-22T15:56:00.000-04:00

Well, the clock is ticking and it will be just 60 days now till my departure for Alaska. I've determined that I'll leave home (Malvern, Pa) bright and early on the morning of Thursday, May 21. If anyone reading has any influence with the meterological community, please ask them to schedule a sunny 70 degree day! Now that the time is approaching friends and family seem to realize that I really am going to undertake this trip. That realization seems to have provoked any number of questions. I thought I could address several of the most common ones here. The first is always "why?", with two sub-questions....."Why Alaska?" and "Why on a motorcycle?" I'll address Alaska first. I've been to Alaska before, on two occasions, once in 1995 and again in 1998. It is one of the most amazing places I've ever visited. I sum Alaska as fascinating people and culture, breathtaking scenery, incredible wildlife, and remote yet accessible. Alaska to me is one of the best places ever to just wander. You are never disappointed by what you find around the next corner. My wife Lisa, who has traveled extensively all over the world, has never visited Alaska and I have been extolling it's virtues as a travel destination for years. Finally we cooked up this trip to get her there, and to get me back again. Our Good friends Don and Sandy Verdiani will also join us in Alaska. No, none of the others are riding motorcycles - commercial carriers will be relied on to get them there as we meet up in Anchorage on June 5th. And why on a motorcycle? Well, I've been riding since high school, have ridden in most of the United States and been across the continent to the Pacific one time before. But, I've never ridden in Canada and the ride up the Alaska Highway is a trip that calls to me as it has to thousands of other cyclists. Call it a "bucket list" item if you will, it's just something that feels right for me at this particular time. People are curious to know if I'm doing this with a group or alone. Simple answer, just me. Have I planned out a route or will I make it up as I go? "Where will you stay?" My route planning is pretty darn simple. The first day I intend to ride the nearly 600 miles to Detroit via Interstate highways. There I'll spend some time catching up with friends (I lived in Southeats Michigan for 32 years) before heading out on Saturday May 23. After Detroit that the plan is an open book. Obviously I need to continually move Northwest so Wisconsin, Minnesota, and Maybe North Dakota are in my sights but no real route plan exists. Eventually I need to arrive in Dawson Creek, Alberta at the start of the Alaska Highway but the 1500 miles of great expanse between Michigan and Dawson Creek are just that, a great expanse to be covered in due time. I'm open to ideas for stops and destinations enroute. After I get to Dawson Creek it's pretty straightforward - I will follow the Alaska Highway through the Canadian Rockies and on to Alaska. Coming from this direction there is no other viable route. Lodging? I'll split my time between hotels of (shall we say) "reasonable" cost and camping. Yes, I'll be carrying a tent and sleeping bag. I do, however, draw the line at cooking over a campfire. If I've ever cooked anything for you then you know what I'm talking about. It's roadside restaurants and fast food for me! The last question I'd like to address for now is the one that usually goes like this..."What's up with this charity thing you're doing?" Let me say that I firmly believe that we need to give back. I've been monumentally fortunate to have the opportunity to live out so many of my dreams. Good health, a solid career, good luck, the continued support of family and friends, and a liberal dose of the "adventure" gene have facilitated a lifetime of great adventures. Yet so many people don't experience life that way and I feel compelled to do, in my own small way, what I can to help others. My charity of choice is the Austin Hatcher Foundation for Pediatric Cancer out of Chattanooga, TN. Founded in 2006 by my good friends Jim and Amy Jo Osborn following the passing of their son, Austin Hatcher Osborn, the Hatcher Foundation's mission is to support research for the diagnoses, treatment and development of a cure for Pediatric cancer and to provide support and hope to children and families undergoing treatment as well as those who have lost children to cancer. Their most important current project is the construction of Hatch's House of Hope in Chattanooga which is intended as a sanctuary for families stricken by this terrible legion of illnesses. Please go to www.hatcherfoundation.org to learn more about their generous and important work. I dedicate this trip to the Hatcher Foundation and hope my many friends can find it within their hearts to lend their support and any donation they can spare to this worthy cause. More info coming soon!! Jack

2009-02-18T16:41:00.000-05:00

This blog has been created to document an upcoming GREAT ADVENTURE, namely an upcoming solo transcontinental motorcycle trip from my home in Malvern, Pennsylvania to Alaska. Currently the plan suggests a departure on or about Memorial Day weekend and some 2+ weeks enroute. This ride is intended to raise both awareness and and pledges for the Austin Hatcher Foundation for Pediatric Cancer (go to www.hatcherfoundation.org) More details about the Austin Hatcher Foundation, me , and the trip coming soon!