What Cops do when not protecting and serving.

[Viejo]

Thanks, I have really enjoyed doing this. I have never paid much attention to forum sights before. I have been on advrider looking for specific things but never really paid much attention to ride reports. AusFletch turned me on to Two Wheeled Texans. I was so impressed with his report on our trip to Mexico that I wanted to tell the story about Alaska.
I just wish I had the writting skills and imagination that Fletch has.

 

[AusFletch]

I just wish I had the writting skills and imagination that Fletch has.

Your report is a potent reminder that a picture is indeed worth a thousand words or perhaps many, many more.

As for the imagination, well, I have never been one to let facts get in the way of an entertaining story.

 

[BexarWolf]

I do not want to know how much a trip like this would cost.

Although I've always dreamed of riding to Alaska, I don't feel like I need to after reading this ride report and seeing all the beautiful pictures. I feel like I've already been there without the wear/tear/money involved.

Great ride report.

 

[DaveC]

Folks, it's his story, let him tell it. Let's keep the personal opinions out of this thread please.

+1, its a forum rule isn't it, when it is a ride report?

 

[Viejo]

At the Canadian Border Dave and Raul get their photo op with their Blue Knights shirt.

 

[Viejo]

After passing through into the Yukon we are treated to a great sunset. We are now far enough south that the sun actually goes down.

Next day came across these trucks used to build the Alaska Highway



The following is a short history of the building of the Alaska Highway also known as the Alcan Highway. The construction of the 1,522 mile long road from Dawson Creek, British Colombia, to Fairbanks, Alaska through rugged, unmapped wilderness was heralded as a near impossible engineering feat. Many likened it to the building of the Panama Canal. There was much praise for soldiers who pushed it through in just eight months and twelve days. It was built during WWII by
10,670 soldiers. These men did an exceptional job under duress. Ill housed, often living in tents with insufficient clothing and monotonous food, they worked 20 hour days through a punishing winter. Temperatures hovered at 40-below-zero for weeks at a time. A new record low of -79 was established.

Some of the equipment used to build the road is still laying around.

We filled up with gas

This place was 1.49 per liter. An empty tank would have cost me $36 at this station. Ouch!

With our high dollar jet fuel off we go.

We pass through Whitehorse again and out of the Yukon into British Columbia. We come to the intersection of Highway 37 (also known as the Cassiar Highway) and the Alaska Highway. This is where we split up again.
The Cassiar has sections of unpaved roadway. It only totals about 35 miles but the Wings didn't want to mess with it. Raul knew he was going to have to buy a rear tire before we got home. He figured he would be able to get one in Whitehorse. By the time we got to whitehorse he had no tread left. The tire was bald. Problem was no one in Whithorse had a tire that would fit his 1500 Goldwing. He was forced to continue on. If he took the Cassiar it was 600 miles to the next big town in Prince George. However on the Alaska Highway he might be able to find a tire in Watson Lake, Ft. Nelson, or Dawson Creek. He and Dave stayed on the Alcan. Tony and I however took the Cassiar and we met back up with them in Prince George a couple of days later.
Turns out the Cassiar has as good a scenery as any road in North America. It was one of my favorite parts of the trip.

Coming over a hill Tony and I came upon this lake.

This is my favorite picture from the trip.

We spent the night in some mom and pop bed and breakfast complete with Llama's and had what I thought was our worst meal of the trip. Some kinda of buffet meat and vegetables. After my first bite I was really concerned about what kind of meat it was.

Lets talk about food for a moment. Once you get into Canada the typical fast food chains are no more. Everything along these roads was a mom and pop type restaurant. They were all in competiton to see who had the best hamburger. Chicken gets my vote as the best. All the food we ate on this trip was great although its not cheap. If you want to save money bring your canned stuff or freeze dried food. For me thats good for emergencies but I want my fresh hot food. Ask the guys what I'm like if I don't get it. Bottom line is you don't need to pack alot of food unles you want to save money. Its always near by.

Next day we took the Highway 37A cut off. This road goes to Hyder Alaska. Hyder is the closest town in Alaska that you can drive to from the lower 48. Its a small sea port that boats get to by running up the Fiords. This is where the 49 state tour in X number of hours begins or ends. They had photos on the wall in the Saloon of these guys who had figured out a route that would take them through all the lower 48 and Alaska in a rediculasly short time. Its kinda like a cannon ball run for motorcycles. By the way, If I were a Terrorist, this is where I would come into Canada or the US. Come into Hyder by boat.
The drive up 37A is spectacular.

Thats it for now time for Turkey dinner. Happy Thanksgiving to all!

 

[retsgtduck]

Thanks for the great report and fantastic pics!! I've been as far as the circle in the RV, your report sure makes me want to go back with the KLR650. That was a real adventure...thanks again! Retired from that fishbowl ,so I know how it is...keep up the good work. Bobby

 

[Nofear]

I thought that this was about Doughnuts

 

[Janet]

At the Canadian Border Dave and Raul get their photo of with their Blue Knights shirt.

J. R. B.
Treasurer
Blue Knights TX XX!

 

[Viejo]

Here is the Google map of where we were in British Columbia. Dave and Raul took the easternly route to Prince George, and Tony and I the west loop.

Like I said earlier the road to Hyder was steller.

This area is known for its Heli Sking. Some of those trails are from skiers.

This is Bear Glacier.

I guess this photo brings up another unmentioned problem. BUGS. I collected so many that I had to clean out the oil cooler cover a couple of times. I still can't get them out of my pants and jacket.

Don't be confused, this is not the Alaska Highway they are referring to. This is referring to the Cassiar Highway.

There were a lot of Eagles around Hyder. After getting another great Burger we went back across the Border into Canada. At this point Tony and I were in get on down the road mode. We made it to Prince George late at night.

Dave and Raul spent their 1st night after we separted in Ft. Nelson

Next morning they stopped off in Dawson Creek to get their tourist photos at the beginning of the Alaska Highway.

After meeting up with Dave and Raul in Prince George we find out that Raul was unable to find a tire. I am shocked he made it here on the tire he had. He found one that would fit his bike at the local Yamaha dealer. They wanted $450 for 1 Dunlop rear tire put on his Wing. Should have put them in jail for theft.

We head out going south and find a camp sight just north of the US Border along the Frazier River.

Aaron climbed up a tree to reflect on all the amazing things he has seen and done on this trip.

In the morning we will be back in the USA.

 

[Mer]

WoW what an amazing trip you guys had!! Your pictures are outstanding! I don't know how you made it on all those dirt roads...those are down right scary!! Thanks for posting your wonderful adventures...it is a wonderful read!

 

[MaxxTraxx]

Thats awsome...I am stoked about doing a trip like that in the future...I just need a KTM 950adv. first. How long did the trip last, and if you dont mind, could you ballpark a price range one should expect for a trip like this.

 

[Viejo]

The trip took us 28 days. This obviously is enough time to get it done, but I think alowing 5 to 6 weeks would allow you to relax more and enjoy whats up there. We averaged around 400 miles a day and when you do that day after day its tough. Also we camped probably 3 days to each night in a motel. Putting up camp each night and taking down each morning gets old as well.
You will need to sit down when I talk about the cost. Just the trip alone for 1 month including fuel, food, and camping or hotel fees cost nearly $3000. I ate out practically every meal and didn't worry about how much I was spending. If your careful I think you can get that price way down by camping more and eating canned or freeze dried foods. The other thing to consider is whether or not your plan to get on the Ferry. Its expensive. I thnk we figured that to take the Ferry from Whitier to Valdez and then from Haynes to Prince Rupert would cost about $600 each. More for a trailer and passenger. Prince Rupert only gets you half way back to the lower 48. To go all the way to Bellingham Washington was about double. However it cuts out about 2000 miles of riding so the actual extra expense probably isn't all that much. When making reseravations on the Ferry keep in mind that it takes about 72 hours to Bellingham and it was 36 hours to Prince Rupert. For even more money you can get a cabin. If you decide not to pay for a cabin they allow sleeping on deck at night in their lounge chairs. you can even put up your tent in some areas. Everything has to be picked up by a certain time in the morning. The prices I spoke of were for sleeping on deck.
There are a lot of hidden cost getting ready for the trip such as -accessories for the bike, clothes, and camping gear. Here is a list of some of the things I bought
a. 2002 GS $8000
b. Aeroflow windshield $400
c. Olympia Waterproof riding suit and boots $400
d. MC Cruise electronic cruise control for GS $600
e. Tank bag $150
f. GPS Zumo 550 $650
g. AirHawk seat cushion (you must buy this or your butt will never make it) $160
I already had all the camping gear I would need and warm clothes to bring. Don't skimp on the quality of your camping gear either. Like I said It will rain and anything less than a good tent will leak. Watch out for un insulated air mattress' They are comfy put when its cold its like sleeping on a ice cube. You need a bag that will be warm down to at least 20 degrees.
A trip like this is definatly something you have to plan out and budget for in advance.

WORTH EVERY PENNY TO ME!!!

 

[Duke]

I can't put into words just how much I have enjoyed your ride report. Thank you for putting this together for us. I look forward to hopefully meeting you one day, Maybe at a Pie Run? I would love to speak to you about your trip.

VERY WELL DONE!

 

[Viejo]

Whats a Pie Run?

 

[MaxxTraxx]

Cool. I figured the trip was a few grand. Has to be awsome though.

Thanks for doing a great ride report.

 

[Manfred]

Whats a Pie Run?

It's one of these - http://www.twtex.com/forums/showthread.php?t=22358

 

[Tourmeister]

Whats a Pie Run?

Man... haven't you been paying attention sine you signed up here, or have you just been working on this thread!? Pie Runs are our monthly meet and eat. We rotate locations to try to give everyone (except those West Texas crazies) a chance to come to one. Although, to be fair, we probably ought to schedule at least one somewhere out there in the boonies... The last Pie Run of the year is in College Station and will be catered. Folks generally get a room at the hotel where we hold it so we can stay up late visiting, watching movies/pics people have put together, and stuffing our faces with food/drink.

 

[Viejo]

Now that I know what a Pie Run is maybe I will eat some soon.

I will try to finish this tonight

Its June 24th and we crossed back into the US at Sumas Washington.

We headed east through the Cascade Mountains towards Spokane.
As we traveled along the North Cascades Highway we came upon Diablo reservoir.

Dave and Aaron have almost completed this trip together. Dave has run out of sons to take up to Alaska on the back of his bike. If he and his wife got started now he could do it again in 2025 while collecting social security.

I'm sure Raul will be up for another trip.

Its the Skagit River that feeds this reservoir.

Riding through northern Washington was surprisingly pretty. It was as good as anything else we have seen on this trip. Put this on your must do list.

As we traveled east the terrain really changed and became more arid. Almost desert like. At the end of the day we came to Coulee Dam where we spent the night.

The next day we continued East into Idaho and then back into Montana.

and we had lunch at a neat little town called Winthrop at Jacks Saloon.

I'm not going to tell ya what I drank with my burger.
Later that night we camped in Bozeman, Montana.

The next morning we off toward Wyoming by way of Bear Tooth Pass. This is an awesome motorcycle road. If ever you are in the area don't miss this ride on Montana highway 212.

View heading up toward the pass.

This is also called the Chief Joseph Scenic Highway

View from the top

I think Aaron is thinking about how he will be home in 2 days and he can finally get off the back of this thing.

This is on the Wyoming side of the pass. Wow

After getting out of this mountain range we were the Wyoming plains. We decided to get back over to I25 and Bonsai back to Austin.

This is our dumpy motel in Wheatland Wyoming.

The next day puts us into Colorado. Tony's tires are really bad. He is not going to be able to make it home on them. We stop at the BMW dealer in Loveland, Colorado. This is a very nice dealership. Dave and Raul keep going while we get the tires. We are now all in I just wana get home mode. Tony and I actually caught back up with them in the Panhandle.
Our last night was in a cheap motel in Leveland.

Its June 28. I come all this way without a single problem and just outside Mason Texas I ran out of gas. The GPS shows I have only gone 195 miles on this tank. I know that I should be able to go 225 to 235 before going empty. Whatever, Tony has to go on and bring some fuel back for me. After I got back on the road I remembered reading about how gas sometimes gets stuck over on the left side of the hump in the tank. All I had to do was lean the bike over to the right and let that fuel slip over the hump and I would have been all right. I'll remember that next time.
Man......was I ever glad to be back home and see Denise and Amy.

Starting mileage 7139

Ending mileage 17646

Total 10,507
in 26 days
Average per day 404

That’s it.........Thanks for taking the time to let me share our trip with all those who view it. I have enjoyed telling you about it.

Dave, Tony, and Raul, I am still waiting to here your side of this report.

 

[1042rider]

Great report Bill, I look forward to doing this trip some day!!!

 

[edmart001]

I have really enjoyed your report. It was well written and the photography was fantastic. Thank you. You have made me begin to think about taking a trip like this at some point.

 

[The Bruce]

Great report!

 

[C50dreamin]

Best ride report I've read...

 

[WingHog]

This was my first long trip on a motocycle. I spent about $2000.00 getting ready for this trip. I followed Bill's and David's advise on gear and did not try to get by with questionable gear. The riding suit was probably the best spent money on the trip. I had most of the camping gear so my cost was minimal on that front. I also got XM radio, but that was a disappointment. I did not know that when you get into Norther Canada, the XM satellite is so low on the horizon, that you can not pick up a signal. Most of the money I spent on getting ready, was actually on my 1993 Goldwing. I also have a 2006 Harley Street Glide with electronic cruise control, but I was uneasy taking that bike. I trusted the Goldwing more than my new Harley. That being said, I knew I had to get the clutch replaced on the wing. The new clutch job was a little over $1000.00 plus new tires, oil change, and a general check up for the old war horse. I spent a total of about $5000.00 for this trip. After I saw the beating the bikes took, I am glad I took my Wing.

A cost we did share was the rental cost for a satellite phone, it was only about $140.00 for the entire month, but it was nice insurance to have, but we did not have to use it. We came close when David took the spill on the Taylor Highway and traumatized me for life, but a passerby had a tow cable and we were able to pull his bike back up onto the roadway. Speaking about phones, if and when you take a trip, once you get into Canada, but a phoe card, it's cheaper than using your cell phone and you don't have to worry about not getting a signal. Almost every gas stop has a phone, but you don't always get a cell signal.

I can not wait to do this again, but next time I want to do an 8 week trip.

 

[Manfred]

"I'm not going to tell ya what I drank with my burger.
Later that night we camped in Bozeman, Montana."

viejo - you crack me up

Really great report - stunning pix. Thanks for bringing that report to us.