December 17 - 21, 2013…Mojave, Westmorland California & Tucson Arizona

December 19, 2013

As I peered out the motel window, Im glad that we decided to leave later rather than earlier. It is a foggy chilly morning, and my bike says it is 41 degrees fahrenheit or 5 degrees celsius.

It is absolutely fantastic to be back on the road, continuing our adventures down from Alaska. We merge onto one boring, dry and dusty highway…Highway 5. There is not much to see as we barrel across the central valleys fruited plains that quickly turn into farms starved for water and a congress led dustbowl…per the road signage! The air is filled with various pesticide concoctions, and I think to myself, if more people rode a motorcycle they would realize how nasty this stuff is!

Crossing the Tehachapi Mountains was beautiful, and as I looked out across at the "edward scissor hands" looking wind farms, I was thankful that not many of then were spinning! Yucca trees started to emerge as we entered the Mojave Desert area, the temperature is now 70 f / 21 c!

Kev has his navigation set on Saskwatch talk…it is absolutely hilarious. It squarks, clicks and screams at you for the directions. We end up skwatch talking back and forth to each other…a stupid way to pass the time riding through the desert, but fun! Even though the desert landscape is desolate and barren, there is a simplistic beauty out here. We rode to Joshua Tree for lunch then onto Westmorland, California and called it a day.

My Autocom is playing up so we will spend a couple of nights in Tucson to overnight parts to fix the problem.

Just by chance I realized that Arizona's clocks are an hour ahead. If we are going to get there before the end of the business day and possibly receive our Yellow Fever shots from the travel clinic, we better have an early start. We both wake up bright and eager this morning, and after a bowl of complementary Raisin Bran we are on the road. It is 7:30am California time, 8:30 am Arizona time. It is great because the clock on my bike was 1 hour ahead and now I do not have to change it! We are on the road early enough to see the road blocks being set up by police, and I'm glad that we are not waiting in line to go through them. The mornings are beautiful to ride in and I also feel that I can accomplish so much with many hours ahead. It is misty, a little windy and definitely crisp.

About 2 hours into the ride the wind starts to amp up, so much so that for the remainder of the day on the road we were leaning heavily to the right…into the wind. Dust and sand blew in gusts across the freeway, tumble weeds rolled in front of us, which prompted my response of "Weeeeed" into the communication system! Sorry you have to be an Aussie to get that one!…ha ha ha. Huge mature Saguaro cactus begin to forest the countryside, so impressive it is really hard to take your eyes off them. Maybe turning my head into the wind elevates some of the stress on my neck pushing against the wind….luckily for me it is in the direction of the amazing cactus. Did you know it can take a cactus up to 75 years to grow one arm?

I didn't realize how tired I was until I pulled off the freeway. My tired upper body didn't want to pull the clutch in any more, balance the bike, or be in traffic at all! Still we powered on to try and make it to the travel clinic for our shots. We did manage to catch the nurse, she had contacted us earlier, although, if we are not connected to wifi we do not get messages, and today we did not have the opportunity to connect to wifi. We received our Yellow Fever vaccinations, then rode on to AAA to pick up our international driving licenses. That is all for today. Weary we found our hotel, drug our bags in and flopped on the bed! I was out almost immediately.

Filling up??..NO, at $7.50 per gallon I think not, even though it is 100 octane — *Filling up??..NO, at $7.50 per gallon I think not, even though it is 100* *octane*

*It was very windy, and dusty traveling into Tucson today!*

*A cool Expedia score in Tucson to recover and fix the bikes before heading over the boarder.*

December 15 - 16, 2013... Leaving Lake Tahoe, officially homeless!

December 15, 2013

Everything is finally out of our Tahoe rental home…damn, and just when we finally acclimatized! I have packed a change of clothes and toiletries to leave in the truck for easy access when we eventually return? By the time everything was sorted it was a full on, packed, 12 hour day….we still had a lot fiddly, button-up projects for the bikes planned for the evening that may not get done. We had dinner and visited with Kevin's parents, returned to their home and fitted my new communication system into my new helmet while watching a movie. Not exactly interactive quality time. Unfortunately, having the bikes out of our reach, although fortunate that they were out of the snow and ice for the last several weeks had complicated and compromised our tweaking timeline. Not to be confused with twerking!…ha ha ha

We wake early to fiddle with the bikes, but can't do it without a coffee….today is the day!

Our son Christopher traveled up to collect a few household items we packed up that would make his life easier…..a vacuum, microwave, our left over cleaning supplies and food! It was fantastic having him see our final preparations and then follow us to visit our dear Uncle Frank. Frank, I am disappointed that we didn't get a picture of us all looking at the bikes…but I'm going to hold you to that dance! We filled up the bikes and Christopher's car…what are parents for, hey….then hit the road. We really had not figured out exactly what road to take, we just wanted to get going before the sun set. Finally, we hit the freeway. The bikes are very heavy, very efficiently packed and running beautifully. Yes we do need to get a new battery for Kev's bike…that will be the first stop on the list! Christopher…was that you on the freeway?…..NICE!…Love you heaps Tiger!

Ok… so how long is it from Roseville California to Manteca California???? 73.9 miles. We are out of the congested traffic, the sun is setting, time to call it a day!

Woo Hoo Hoo….we are back on the road!….Ya Ya hoo!

*Cat, Kev, Kev's Mom Dody, Christopher, Kev's Dad Phil.*

October 16 - December 14, 2013…Cambria Horizons Unlimited Event, preparing for South America

December 12, 2013

The bikes were in desperate need of a major service, so A&S BMW Motorad, Roseville was the place to go. We dropped off the bikes on our way back up to Lake Tahoe, borrowed a car from Kev's parents and continued up the mountain. The bikes will be done in time for us to pick them up and ride down to a Horizons Unlimited event in Cambria, California. We had actually been that direction just a couple of weeks ago on our trip to Morro Bay! No complaints… I could ride Highway 1 everyday, it is so beautiful!

Cambria is a very artsy seaside town. The ride down was great, but the weather was starting to get a little chilly. We had elected to have our meals prepared for the entire weekend, so all we had to do is set up our tent and decide what meetings we would attend. There were so many interesting choices of talks to attend it was hard to make up my mind at times. We concentrated on information that would benefit us in the near future….so all the information we could gather on South America was our focus.

I was pleasantly surprised when I ran into Mike & Jo Hannan, Ken Carol Duvall from Brisbane Australia…What a hoot! I did not expect to see them in California. We spent many hours standing by doorways, visiting, exchanging ideas, and enjoying each others company…several times not making it to intended meetings! Ted Simon gave a beautiful presentation, along with Jeffrey Polnaja of "Ride for Peace" and adventure author, Carol King. Really, there were so many accomplished riders, adventures and speakers that it became a gold mine of information available to us! The event really helped wet out appetite once again and gave us tools to tackle South America.

Kev and I chatted the entire 400 miles riding back to Lake Tahoe. The HU event has inspired us to take the final steps in embracing life on our bikes. The bikes are running better than ever, I have to say…the best yet! Thank you A&S BMW!

We contacted our landlord and announced our 30 day notice to vacate, then Kev and I rode to Santa Rosa to spend Thanksgiving with our youngest son Christopher who could not get time off work. Last year we were lucky enough to be in the area and spend Thanksgiving in Washington with our oldest son Paul, and his wife Karolyn.

Returning back to Tahoe we begin the process of boxing everything up and moving it into storage, or selling it. We were set back a few times with snow, but we some how managed to move everything down the rickety wooden stair case and steep driveway, slipping occasionally, which really blows, and into a storage facility. We removed the panniers from the bikes and kept them back in Tahoe to efficiently pack then made a couple of trips down to Roseville, Kev riding, me driving to move the bikes below the snow line. Unfortunately due to the weather conditions we did not get to all of the electronic projects on the bikes, before riding them out of the snow, but we will tackle issues along the way.

The last 10 days of our stay in Lake Tahoe we were lucky enough to be dog sitting our neighbors fabulous Weimaraner, Kenobi, while she was adventure racing across Costa Rica. While Mari was running, kayaking, and mountain biking to exhaustion, with the best of the best, world fitness elite, an amazing 198 hours straight with only 10 hours sleep we were soaking up all of the puppy love we could get. I really enjoyed the canine distraction amongst the final tensions of removing ourselves from the "normal-sees" of life. Kenobi is a little too large to dognap, but, don't think that we did not think about it! We will miss you both!

Driving out of Tahoe, we called in on our wonderful neighbors Jim, Judy and their dog Luke to say goodbye. The last 3 months have been absolutely crazy and it is fantastic that we accomplished all that we didI! Officially homeless and living off the bikes, I am excited and ready as ever to complete this leg that started off in Alaska.

*Horizons Unlimited Event in Cambria, California*

*Time to get the bikes out of the snow!*

*Happy Thanksgiving from a couple of Pumpkin Heads!!*

*Guess Kev misses the bike??!…Nice specs!*

You can meet some great people when you sell stuff!  Couldn't believe the license plate!  Nice to meet you Art! — *You can meet some great people when you sell stuff! Couldn't believe the* *license plate! Nice to meet you Art!*

ow that's what I mean…my own bed!  The only way to travel! — *ow that's what I mean…my own bed! The only way to travel!*

*A couple of snow storms made moving a little challenging.*

Fun with fire, buying off the rest of the wood! — *Fun with fire, buying off the rest of the wood!*

September 7 - October 15, 2013… Elko & Lake Tahoe, Nevada

September 13, 2013

I had a great night sleep and woke up feeling a little sad. I guess as we head closer and closer to Lake Tahoe, the reality of dealing with "normal life" bothers me. I don't know if we will be able to make the 9 hour trek today that will land us back at Lake Tahoe, but, we will try.

Nevada continually surprises me! Just when you think the the landscape could not get any more dreary a mountain range pops up that sweeps your bike through lush valleys. Why couldn't I see that in the distance I think…No worries, I'll enjoy this wild west scape and imagine American Indian's on their horses peering over the ranges, and enjoy the stimulation. As I lean into a gentle corner a young herd of Sierra Nevada Bighorn sheep quickly trot across the road. No doubt there is greener grass on the other side! I pull over and Kev is right behind. I open the back box, grab the camera and spend 15 minutes or so watching and capturing the moment.

By 5 pm we were tired and decide to bunk up in Elko. We are only 4 1/2 hours away from Lake Tahoe now.

This is it…we connect up with the major highways that funnel us into Reno. We decide to ride in on Highway 50 and see a lit sign welcoming bikers to Lake Tahoe! Ha Ha, how did they know we would ride in on this day, I think? Funny that we would ride into Lake Tahoe on "Tour De Tahoe" day. A 72 mile loop around the lake known as America's most beautiful bike ride. I once again was captivated by Lake Tahoe's mountainous beauty, crystal waters, pine fresh smells, crisp clean air, and bothersome static electricity jolts. The final turn onto Kingsbury Grade was exhilarating really and I felt a great sense of accomplishment sweep over my body . The Grade twisted and turned and led us to our home that we rent, the place where all of this began 2 years ago. We are back…although we are only about a quarter of the way to our destination….Argentina!

A couple of down days washing and sorting life and then we are back on the road heading south towards our primary home that we rented out 2 years ago. Our occupants are leaving and now it is time to make an important decision….Do we acquire new occupants, or do we sell?!

We decide to sell, but have some work ahead of us to prepare it for the real estate market. Here we go! After being totally unchained from "normal/everyday" life I feel overwhelmed and inundated by this process. Kev and I struggle to understand and meet the demands of others, but do. Before you know it we have conformed and uncomfortably settled into the craziness we once left. The house was listed after 10 solid days of preparation, had offers immediately and sold and closed escrow by day 40!

We did encounter craziness that compelled us to do what we do best….hop on the bikes and ride out of town! A ride and stay in Monterey, then further south to Morro Bay gave us the distance we needed to decompress before returning once again to the manic suburb.

*We encountered a herd of Bighorn Sheep today…picture time!*

*It is hard to believe that the bikes are back at Lake Tahoe!*

We camped out while we spruced up the place. — *We camped out while we* *spruced up the place.*

A ride to Monterey — *A ride to Monterey*

*How do they do that? Doesn't look that comfy!*

ne of my favorite places on earth…Monterey Bay Aquarium. — *ne of my favorite places on earth…Monterey Bay Aquarium.*

The Jelly fish exhibit is out of this world!  This is an Egg Yolk Jelly. — *The Jelly fish exhibit is out of this world! This is an Egg Yolk Jelly.*

*Stopping at the Elephant Seals on our way south to Morro Bay, California*

*A ride over to the rock before heading back.*

Magnificent Highway 1 — *Magnificent Highway 1*

September 6, 2013… Craters of the Moon, Idaho, USA

September 5, 2013

What a crazy night! I have never experienced a storm like that! Still no power, but the owner of the motel has hooked up the generator to the water pump, so at least we have water. My food supplies are low and all we have left is some peanut butter and dry biscuits, so brekky is just that. Along with a fresh coffee from our whisperlite we are ready for the road.

Thankfully our miles will be short today... we should arrive at Craters of the Moon, National Preserve, Idaho by lunchtime. We encountered a few light leftover showers along the way. You know the bright, intense light, sparkly, squinting hard kind, that almost blind you!!

The countryside vegetation began to change. The rolling grassy plains became ragged and patchy... looking as though they were suffering from mange. As you gazed across the barren landscape you could see the sharp aerated volcanic rock protruding in violent groupings scattered across this now rough countryside. This amazing large volcanic preserve encompasses 3 major lava fields. All three lava fields lie along the Great Rift of Idaho which is home to the deepest rift/crack on Earth measuring 800 ft deep. We turned off the main road and into a rift.....Noooo... the Craters of the Moon National Preserve entrance. Cool!! It is still early enough in the day for us to score a primo camping spot. Iv'e got my fingers crossed! The park is fairly small...we rode around it several times before we had made our minds up on the perfect camping site. Maybe I should rephrase that to….before I had made up my mind on the perfect camping spot!!! ha ha ha. What do you know, the camper next door to the spot we chose has New York car license plates that read "AUSSIE"….hmmm wonder who this is? We initiated camp set-up mode and within 15 minutes we had the bedroom, kitchen and living room perfectly assembled all on separate levels! This is a fantastic spot! Now to pick up some food. Kev and I ride back 20 miles into town and pick up a steak, coleslaw, ice, beer, red wine and chocolate. I dump the ice into an empty pannier, nuzzle the beer bottles in and lay the food on top…perfect!

Arriving back "New York AUSSIE" has emerged with her traveling companion "Echo", a peach faced love bird. Quite a road trip alone with a bird, quite an amazing lady with a fantastic accent! Thank you again for my wildlife proof food bag, it was a pleasure running into you!

Gazing out from our elevated rocky living room Kev and I watched the sun set over the moon-like scape and enjoyed our medium rare bbq'd steak with a chilly beer. Content and sporting a slight buzz we head off to the Ranger lead night activities to enrich ourselves and learn about the night critters of the area. It was a fun and interesting evening, complete with bats flying in and out of the projector light beam… It is great to be outdoors sleeping under the stars and back in our tight comfy tent once again!

Looking out across the Lava fields — *Looking out across the Lava* *fields*

Amazing landscape with surprising color! — *Amazing landscape with surprising color!*

September 5, 2013… Big Fork, Montana, USA

September 4, 2013

We woke to a major down pour this morning. While we were enjoying our simple breakfast of oatmeal and fruit we watched the impressive lightening flashes and listened to the bone shaking angry thunder rumbles. The rain flooded the streets within a matter of minutes. Maybe we won't be going anywhere today? We moved the bikes under the dry area of the covered motel entrance in hopes that maybe these morning storm sets would subside. Ahh ha….I see blue sky in the distance, we are going to get a break! Kev and I indicated pack up mode, our robot like routine that we methodically exercise, now with ease. The bikes are damp and even though there seems to be a break in the storms we suit up in full rain gear and head out. The road is drying out and the skies are clearing as we ride…it sure is mighty bright and beautiful!

We stop off in Hamilton at an old grille, a one time Cat House, for a late lunch of sliced tomatoes, fresh buffalo cheese with a balsamic drizzle, (personally my favorite dish ever) and scotch eggs. Tummy's happy and we head back out to the bikes and peel off the remainder of our rain gear. It looks fine enough to chance the balance of the day without it. Back on the bikes powering through the countryside I enjoy the gentle curves the road brings as it follows a sweeping rural river. We cross the 45th parallel, the circle of latitude that is 45 degrees north of the Earth's equatorial plane, and stop to take a picture. The parallel is referred to as the halfway point between the North Pole and the Equator. The skies are growing darker once more, and you can feel the prickly electricity of a pending storm in the air. I radio Kev and suggest that we start looking for a suitable place to camp. "It does not look like camping weather, check out those clouds ahead Cat!", Kev replies. We stop at a small motel, and call it a day….and not a minute too soon, the skies exploded. Within minutes the power had cut out along with the water pump, so no water, and we were camping once again only in much bigger quarters. No dinner tonight, ha…that won't kill us…we are warm, dry and safe, and, that is all that matters.

*Lunch in Hamilton...Scotch eggs & Tomato fresh Buffalo Cheese*

September 2 - 4, 2013... Kalispell & Glacier National Park, Montana, USA

September 2, 2013

Today we will be riding out of Canada and back into the USA.

The weather is grey and drizzly this morning and pretty much remains that way the entire day. We are still riding through picturesque countryside and cross over the 49th parallel. We stop for lunch in Fernie and realize that we have missed the turn off to the US border! Damn, how did we do this 2 days in a row? At least it is only 70 clicks out of the way!

We wait in line, behind the line, at the Roosville, US border. With hesitant control we slowly putt up to the officer when flagged. We were pleasantly surprised with a warm "Welcome home"!

Cool, some borders can be pleasant and hassle free. Wow! We are now in Montana, and I can hardly believe it! My first thought is….Damn what happened to the roads?! The roads are now pot holed and quite rough. They do smooth out eventually as we ride closer to larger townships. We ride through Whitefish and onto Kalispell where we have affordable accommodations. Dinner at a nearby restaurant then early to bed in preparations for a 6am ride into Glacier National Park to catch our 8am historical Big Red Bus tour of the park.

It was a very, very rough night and I was in no shape to ride, let alone, handle a day of sight seeing. I became violently ill late in the evening with suspected food poisoning. Luckily, Kev was able to change our reservations for the next day and I slept and slowly recovered the new day away.

Ok…take two! We had to book a different tour of the park that actually had us leaving the hotel at 8am…way more reasonable! We arrived at the meeting area, parked, covered the bikes and waited for our vintage Big Red Bus experience. The 17 passenger canvas rollback convertible red touring sedan hummed smoothly into the parking area. The 16 of us filed into the 4 bench seats very cozily and immediately everyone was friends. The canvas top was rolled back and we elegantly motored through the park enjoying the spectacular views as we twisted and turned up the Going-to-the-Sun Road and from Logan Pass high on the Continental Divide. We sure have had our fill of splendorous glaciers and breathtaking views, and it never gets old. This park links Canada and the US and is the worlds first International Peace Park. The area is still scared to the Blackfeet, Salish and Kootenai people, to this day still sharing common boundaries and diligently protecting this diverse area of the Rocky Mountain West. After our 4 hour Big Red Bus tour we hoped back on the bikes and glided around for a bit before deciding to call it a day and head back to the hotel.

*Waiting in line at the Roosville Boarder, Montana, USA*

*Riding Going-to-the-Sun Road on the Big Red Bus, Glacier National Park, Montana, USA*

*A friendly ground squirrel that was very interested in the camera and my legs...gave me a fright!*

September 1, 2013…Columbia Icefields to Invermere, BC, Canada

August 31, 2013

Now… I thought that we had experienced and seen some of the most spectacular scenery in New Zealand, Australia, Asia and Alaska, but I was wrong! Todays riding took the prize!

We headed south, out on Highway 93 towards Banff National Park and rode through the Columbia Icefields. It was simply a breathtaking experience!

We glided over glorious well maintained roads winding 232 kilometers through the heart of the mountain parks that span the Continental Divide between Jasper and Banff National Parks. The icefield, an echo from the last ice age oozes wonders around every corner, from pristine glacial milk lakes and rivers to broad sweeping valleys. Headwaters to three major river systems, the icefields feed eight major glaciers and brush against some of the highest mountains in the Rockies. The Columbia Icefields has been called the most scenic drive in the world, and with todays ride I would have to agree!

We hit the main Trans-Canada Highway, Highway 1, and rode into the town of Banff. As we rode into the very congested cute downtown village area of Banff, I became disappointed with the vibe I was getting. There were a ton of people out cruising the "Brand Name" and "Designer" shops. These are the same shops that they could patronage where they live! Just not my scene! We dribbled up the main drag stopping and starting while carefully dodging wandering carless pedestrians. This was painful, especially when we had just rode through some of the most expanse, majestic countryside ever! We decide not to stop in Banff for lunch and make our way back to the highway. I have to tell you that the highways in this neck of the woods are lined with very tall fence work to keep the wildlife off the road. The Canadian Government has even taken into consideration the need that the wildlife may have to cross and have cleverly provided camouflaged grassy and wooded overpasses to aide them…too cool! We sighted of a couple of wild Bighorn sheep grazing close roadside.

We pulled into Lake Louise for a late lunch….The place is swarming…man there are people everywhere! I feel as though I am standing ontop of an anthill!

Back on the road, the continuous long weekend traffic begins to thin out as we more farther away from this area. We are please to have some space on the road, so much so that we missed our turn off to Invermere, and end up riding 2 hours out of the way! Oh well, no biggy it has been a brilliant 10 hour long day!

August 30 - 31, 2013...Jasper National Park, Alberta Canada

August 30, 2013

Excited about my new rubber I rise early, anxious to hit the road, better still, reach the curves of pending mountain territory. I feel relieved that we were able to rent a basement bungalow in downtown Jasper for the busy public holiday weekend. The route today has us backtracking west on the smooth divided highway we rode into Edmonton on. My bike feels nicely sticky and rides smoothly on my new Scouts. All I can do is crank up the tunes, smile, and embrace the ride….hard work hey? We pull off at a rest stop and stretch. We chat with a friendly couple of American/Canadian travelers walking their dogs have a nice visit and hop back on the bikes. Our ride should be around 4 hours today but with all this "get out of dodge" traffic it stretches out another hour. We fuel up at a crowded petrol station and are approached by a couple out for a ride. "Are you the couple that has traveled from Alaska"? they ask "Wow"!! How do they know this I wonder?. "How are your arms healing?" they ask. "Ok have we met?" I ask curiously "No,…but you met my Dad riding in Alaska and he told me about you guys", they say. Fancy that…It is such a small world!

The roads sweep gently back and forth leading into the Jasper area. The traffic slow traffic is now a blessing causing you to ride extra slower than usual, therefore, allowing you ample time to wonder, soak, day dream and immerse yourself within this lush wilderness. Jasper National Park is the largest National Park in the Canadian Rockies and has been declared a World Heritage Site. The park is home 70 species of mammals that include the elk, caribou, moose, mule deer, white-tailed deer, mountain goats, big-horn sheep, grizzly bear, black bear, coyote, beaver, rocky mountain pika, hoary marmot, grey wolf, mountain lion and wolverine. The landscape includes jagged mountains, forests, alpine meadows, glaciers, ice fields, hot springs, lakes and waterfalls. All this can be summed up in 2 words…Simply Stunning!

Our basement bungalow was comfy and cozy and within walking distance to downtown Jasper. We were able to park the bikes off the street which was also convenient. After settling in, we familiarized ourselves with the historical township, signed up for a free town night tour commencing later that evening then parked ourselves at a roof top table and enjoyed a pizza while watching the sunset. The walking night tour was pretty cool, a tad spooky and lasted 2 hours. I love free tours! Jasper was originally occupied by the indigenous Haida people was a fur trading post along the Yellowhead Pass Corridor that, with the arrival of the railway, began to establish itself as a flourishing township. Jasper's charm lingers as the original train station, post office, fire hall, Jackman and Robson House remain intact from their early pioneer days.

We couldn't have got luckier with the weather. The skies were fresh, bright and blue. The sun was warm and inviting…a perfect day to ride and explore the Jasper wilderness. We spent the day riding around the park soaking in this amazing wilderness. At times is was hard to ride any distance at all. There was a picture perfect short around every corner! I think that you will understand when you scan through the pictures of the day

*Poutine....french fries, gravy and cheese curds*

*Enjoying the scenery from the rooftop.*

*The light over the mountains was captivating.*

*Parked, covered and out of the way in our Jasper basement bungalow.*

*Looking out over the Miette River and Athabasca River junction*

August 29, 2013…Edmonton, Canada

August 28, 2013

We rise early and get after it. We are packed, saddled up and on the road by 9am. Today we will be riding to Edmonton, and directly onto Argyll Motorsports for 2 sets of Heidenau's and brakes for me. It is a 285 mile ride, about 4 1/2 hours all on a divided highway…cake! We fill up before merging onto Highway 43 and get on it. Kev and I need to get to Argyll before 2pm. They have kindly offered to work us into their schedule today. It is an easy ride as we pound the highway miles. I'm hoping to make it there on my fill up, but looks like I am not. I pull onto an off ramp and Kev empties his jerry cans into my tank…sorted! It is almost 2pm…now to find Argyll.

What a cool showroom/museum/bike-shop…truly a one stop shop for the motor-sport enthusiast. Kev and I have no trouble immersing ourselves in their 23,000 sqft showroom and then relaxing in their lounge while the bikes are prepped. A very cool shop run by kind and efficient staff. Thanks guys!

Our hotel is only about 5 miles away, and after some dive pub recommendations we take off! Talk about night and day…my front end no longer feels lumpy, awkward and off balance. Im so happy with my ride…..so much so I have to do a little dance at the first red light. You know how it is and I'm sure you have all done it!…ha ha ha. We check in, pull out the paneer soft bags, cover the bikes, drop our stuff off in the room and head out on foot to the recommended dive pub. Kev and I are digging the scene of the Atlantic Trap & Grill, and kick back watching the locals roll in after their work day. Hungry we share a fancy dish of Poutine (chips (fries) topped with gravy and medium to firm squeaky fresh cheese curds) , fish & chips and wash it with a couple of beers…. sure hit the spot.

August 28, 2013…Grande Prairie, Alberta, Canada

August 27, 2013

Just seventy three kilometers south of Ft. st. John we arrive in Dawson Creek, Mile 0 of the Alaska Highway….DONE! We decide to enjoy a sushi lunch as a celebration. We saddle back up, ride out of British Columbia and into Alberta, Canada heading towards Grande Prairie, only 139 kilometers away. We ride with ease on the spacious, well maintained 3 laned Canadian highways that cut through beautiful, rolling, vibrant, grassy farmlands. It is a short day of riding today. Both bikes need new tires so the plan is to quit early, get settled and figure out if we can find tires in Grande Prairie, or hopefully organize something for Edmonton. We will also have time to research and plan our route through Jasper and Banff National Parks, and the mountainous countryside ahead.

August 24 - 27, 2013…Liard Springs, Fort Nelson, Fort St. John, British Columbia, Canada

August 23, 2013

Only a 2 1/2 hr ride down the road today to Laird Springs to soak in the Thermal Springs…Yeah I think that we are getting soft! The weather was kind to us today, and it really opened up into a lovely morning of riding. Nice curvy mountain roads, bright blue sky with puffy clouds, and buffalo! Huge buffalo grazing by the side of the road, what an awesome treat. We pulled into the lodge in the early afternoon, got ourselves situated and then headed over to the thermal spring. We followed the boardwalk back into the forest, keeping an eye open for a black bear that was in the area. It was a little nerve racking to say the least. I was walking faster than usual and finally after 2 k's we had reached the springs with a tasteful structure and steps leading down into the steaming waters. The water was clear misty pale blue. Rounded black pebbles massaged your feet as you found your way to the perfect soaking spot. There were definite differences in temperature as you moved around the spring. In some places you could feel a cool ribbon rise from the pebbles and in others it was surprisingly too hot to soak. Old logs were floating in the river and you could hang on and ride them if you wanted, a great way to fall asleep. It does not take long before your body releases the muscle tension and you start to melt deeper and deeper into a peaceful trance. It only took about 30 minutes and I was in full yawn mode! Definitely no more riding today! The bear did make an appearance later in the evening, that had the area on alert. Throughout the night we were woken by bear bang warning shots being blasted off by the ranger in the area to scare the roaming black bear from the campsites… definitely an unsettling way to be woken.

We woke up, looked out the window and saw the weather changing. We had been told that a change was coming by a couple of dirt bikers on their way back to Calgary. When we felt that electricity in the air we felt that we needed to get out of the area asap, and stay ahead of the storm. Kev and I were on the road by 8:30 am. I think that this is the earliest getaway for us on this Alaska adventure. I had suited up with all possible layers including rain gear. I would leave the heated vest off and turn it on when I really need it. We were about a half hour into our ride and the weather started to change. Maybe the storm the guys were talking about was coming from the direction we were riding into? Damn! As we fueled up at Muncho Lake we discussed and agreed that our wet gear does a pretty good job of keeping us dry, and that we would continue riding on today. We really had to make this decision now as there was no other fuel or accommodations until we reach Fort Nelson. It was just after 9:30am, way too early to stop! We did not think of the mountain pass that we would be riding into, and the possibility of temperature changes, or road construction to say the least. This day actually turned out to be one of the most challenging days, emotionally and somewhat physically for us. We hit heavier rain, freezing temperatures, areas of dense fog, sleet, long road construction areas with slippery muddy sections that had no way around, just through, and more of those slippery metal grated bridged river crossings. The biggest challenge for us was the freezing temperatures combined with being wet. My boots had now thoroughly soaked through, my cheeks and nose were stinging from the bitter cold as I had to have my helmet cracked open an inch or so to prevent fogging and my legs were trembling uncontrollably. As we approached Summit Lake Pass there was a small run down station that had fuel, coffee and no toilets. We stopped for a good half hour, got out of the weather, warmed up with a couple of cups of coffee and a homemade cookie. The standoffish owner warmed up to us after I complemented his cookie cooking abilities, and he talked about the possibility of snow today. Not really what I wanted to hear! We hopped back onto our soaking bikes and headed out into the low wet cloud in front of us. The time off the bikes did us the world of good. There would be more stops about very hour or so, just so we could get feeling back in our feet and hands. Our heated jackets and grips were on the highest settings, and I'm sure that we would have perished if we did not have these devises….well that is probably a little too dramatic, but our spirits were highly challenged! We made it through the 5 hours and found a nice warm room with a bath tub and free soup of all things. Needless to say we spent the rest of the day and night warming up, drying out and keeping a positive outlook…oh yeah and popping vitamins!

There is a day clearing in the weather so we have decided to move on, even though our bodies are still quite weary from yesterdays ordeal. The faster we move south the warmer the temperature will be. We are still encountering a lot of chewed up roadways and heavy road construction that slows us down. Actually it feels like you are riding on a heavy rock grit sandpaper that just grates away at your rubber. Both Kev's and my rear tires are due to be changed, and each town we have been riding into we have checked with shops and had no luck. Maybe when we get down to Edmonton?

Bison warnings for the highway today…so cool. We did come across several of the wooly beasts grazing alongside the highway, and a black bear cub climbing a power pole. On our way down to Fort St. John Kev actually lost the controller cord that plugs into the bike and his heated vest. He thinks that his leg caught it and pulled it off somewhere, but has no clue where. We are not turning around, so accept the loss. We pull off into a rest area and visit with a couple of motorcycle adventurists that we seem to have been tailing today and chat for a while. Come to find out they had picked up a jacket controller today alongside the road! Go figure, just when they thought that they had a cool find, they had to give it up. Well I guess that they didn't have to, but I'm glad they did! Thanks Tassie guy who rides the Triumph!

*Really no problems with fueling up with our legs.*

Oh Dear!  A little privacy pleeease!!!..lol  There are a lot of stuffed heads and bodies in this neck of the woods! — *Oh Dear! A little privacy* *pleeease!!!..lol There are a lot of stuffed heads and bodies in this neck of the woods!*

These hot springs were pretty fancy and fluctuated in temperature from 1st degree burns down to tepid! — *These hot springs were pretty fancy and fluctuated in temperature from 1st degree burns down to tepid!*

*Black bear cub climbing a power pole.. You know mum is nearby!!*

August 21 - 23, 2013…Whitehorse, Teslin & Watson Lake, Yukon Canada

August 21, 2013

We got up and out this morning. Both of us layered up ready to attack the road. We had about 6 hours of solid riding today with complete concentration. You could not trust that the road would be smooth, without gravel or potholes in any corner, or straightaway for that matter. It was an intense day that keep our eyes forward focused and engaged. The scenery was spectacular as it approached my front and peripheral view. The surrounding mountains were now lightly dusted with snow. The weather is changing quickly, and I am glad that we are now heading south!

We checked in at Whitehorse and warmed up. Kev and I were both worn out from the day of road focus and chilly weather.

It was our intent to ride the 436 kilometers to Watson Lake today, but my right wrist started to play up, so we ended up calling it a day in Teslin. I think that the last couple of days of riding vibrations from the bad roads have shaken it up a bit. Funny enough my left hand and thumb seem to be getting more and more flexible, and giving me less trouble. After 162 kilometers we pulled into a local roadside Service Station/RV Park/Motel/Restaurant/Museum in Teslin to fill up and ended up grabbing a room. When my throttle grip is compromised it is time to be sensible and rest up.

Riding across the Nistutlin Bay Bridge in Teslin was definitely nerve racking and not a favorite on my list. The bike wavered back and forth, almost like you were riding on ball barings. The bridge is 1917 feet long, I guess I should convert that to metric since we are riding in Canada…584 meters! It is the longest bridge on the Alaskan Highway. Another interesting fact is that the Alaskan Highway was originally built by the Engineers of the US Army as a WW II supply route. The highway is known for being a rough and challenging drive and it constantly under construction. The length of the highway runs 2,200 kilometers, 1,700 miles and has been straightened and rerouted in sections.

Our ride took us from the Yukon into British Columbia through the Continental Divide, then back into the Yukon. It was a drizzly and chilly ride in sections, but the amazing wooded and green mountainous countryside kept our spirits high. As we entered the Watson Lake we noticed an area called The Sign Post Forest. It was a perfect picture opportunity and a definite must stop.

Here is a little history….In 1942 while building the Alaska Higway it was common practice for the US Army of Engineers to put up a directional post at their camps. While working on the Alcan Highway near Lower Post, BC, Private Carl K. Lindley from Company D, 341st Army of Engineers was injured and taken to the Army Aid Station in Watson Lake to recuperate. During that time Carl’s commanding officer got him to repair and repaint the directional post. While Carl was carrying out this task he decided to add his home town sign of DANVILLE, ILLINOIS. Carl was known as the homesick, lonesome soldier and he was aware of the tradition that he started and what is now known as the World Famous Signpost Forest. Yeah…GO ARMY!!! The Sign Post Forest currently has over 72,000 signs! While we didn't have a fancy sign, I did have a RTWADV sticker that has now been placed in the forest. The weather was becoming worse and after talking to several locals about the road and animals ahead we decided have another early day and bunk down in some 1942 Historical Air Force Barracks

After reaching Kluane Lake the roads improved.  The section from Beaver Creek to Deconstruction Bay was a bitch! — *After reaching Kluane Lake the roads improved. The section from Beaver Creek to Deconstruction Bay was a bitch!*

*Roadside Service Station/RV Park/Motel/Restaurant/Museum in Teslin*

Nistutlin Bay Bridge, Teslin Yukon, Canada — *Nistutlin Bay Bridge,* *Teslin Yukon, Canada*

*Crossing the Continental Divide near Swift River border of Yukon & British Columbia.*

*Sign Post Forest Watson Lake, Yukon Canada*

*rtwadv sticker...the best I could do for now!*

Historic Air Force Lodge....GO ARMY!, Beat Airforce! — *Historic Air Force Lodge....*GO ARMY!, Beat Airforce!

August 19 - 20, 2013…Anchorage to Tok, Alaska & then onto Beaver Creek, Canada

August 19, 2013

The day started off gloomy, grey, cold and very wet. Before we could leave Anchorage we needed to take care of a 9ft length of baleen that we had purchased from a Native Alaskan in the parking lot of our hotel the night before. We had seen baleen displayed in various cafes, hotels and restaurants and though how cool it would be to own a piece. It is only legal to purchase baleen directly from a Native Alaskan, so we were on the hunt. How to get it back on the bikes was far from our mind, but if we were able to find a piece, we would deal with the transport issues later. There was no way that we would be able to ride with a 9ft length of whale tooth on the bikes, so we hailed a taxi, stuffed and bent the flexible baleen in diagonally across from the from seats to the rear and headed to the packing store. It cost us just as much to ship back to the States as it was to purchase, but there was no way we would be crossing the border with this! Sorted! Back to the bikes we saddle up in the rain and make our way out of the Anchorage area. The first couple of hours was seriously like riding into a power sprayer. It was ridiculously wet, flooded in areas, and challenging. The truckers and dually trucks that pass leave you in a nerve racking blind wet mist, which generally clears nicely if your helmet isn't fogged. It was a tense couple of hours! Men trucks and camo are king in Alaska, and if you happen on all three watch out!…ha ha ha. Gotta stay tough, commit…no wimping out up here in the "Last Frontier"!

Once past Chickaloon, I know, not a very tough name for a town in the "Last Frontier", the weather started to clear up. Our rain gear had held up and bonus…my feet were somewhat dry in my old leather riding boots. I had wrapped my feet in small plastic bags before putting on my boots to see if it would help! Why aren't I wearing gortex boots you may ask? Well I do own a pair, but just can't seem to part with my leather ones! Now that my last good zipper has finally broken, I may be forced to turn my boots into planters!

So the scenery is amazing, we are stopping every 10 mile or so to take "the perfect" shots…pull over, stop the bike, pause music, unplug communications, unplug heated vest, remove sunglasses, unbuckle helmet, remove, take off gloves, get off bike, unlock back box, remove camera…..and finally take the shot! Crikey what a major pain in the butt…beautiful weather is always a blessing and a curse. It just so happens that when we were setting up for one of these "perfect shots", a car pulls up to us. Out hop Gino and Fiona from Scotland, a couple of bikers that we met on the ferry traveling the inside passage to Haines. Awesome! After a quick visit and bitch about BMW problems we were back on the road. BMW's always break down on a Sunday! You can't even start to get parts or service until Tuesday????? Yes Gino's bike has run into problems, and that is why they are "cage'n it", for now. Good luck guys!

Amazing clouds, amazing wilderness, countess numbers of pools, rivers and reflective lakes, and even a surprise glacier view. Tonight is a full moon and I so want to take some more pictures, but we now have arrived in Tok, and after 9 hours on the road I am tired... there will be another! I have to admit that it was very spectacular riding from Anchorage to Tok via the Glenn Hwy, then traveling the Tok Cut Off.

The next day we traveled from Tok to Beaver Creek and it was uneventful. The construction in- between the US and Canada Border seemed to be less challenging, but, also seemed longer in length. I think that they have torn up more road! From what we have heard, this section is always torn up….just a little taste of challenging times ahead before hitting "the real stuff". We had pre booked a room at the Beaver Dam Hotel in town before leavingTok this morning, but left quickly after seeing the less than acceptable accommodations they provided. I think that the "Dam" stands for..."Dam awful conditions" in this case! We rode back to the gas station that we had fueled up at noticing that they had a motel attached to the property. We pull up as the hotel manager is walking in the front door. Kev asks, "Do you have an available room for the night?" "Yes we do", replies the Indian hotel manager. "Great we will take it!", Kev announces. The hotel manager turns around and is fumbling with the room keys then turns back and asks "Will your mate be needing a room also?" "No, thanks we are traveling together!" Obviously bothered by Kev's answer the manager is once again fumbling with the room keys. Kev senses the miscommunication and bursts out "My mate is my wife!" "Oh very good" replies the hotel manager and hands Kev the room key. We laughed and role played different scenarios with his misinterpretation and enjoyed our clean and comfy room for the night. Next time I will remove my helmet!!...ha ha ha.

Yes it is a little wet today.  All bundled up for the ride. — *Yes it is a little wet today. All bundled up for the ride.*

*Fancy running into Gino & Fiona from Scotland!*

Just georgous!  Now look closely at the right hand side of the picture....a black bear cub!  I just saw this, means mum was very close by!!!  WILD — *Just georgous! Now look closely at the right hand side of the picture....a black bear cub! I just saw this, means mum was very close by!!! WILD*

*Fueling up and checking room availability for the night in Beaver Creek.*

August 17 - 19, 2013...Seward, Anchorage & Whittier, Alaska

August 17, 2013

The ride into Seward was stunning. The jagged mountain slopes cloaked in lush shaggy greenery with brilliant white snow caps and blue glacier valleys, is "the icing on the cake" so to speak. Luckily, this picturesque landscape unfolds in front of you as you weave through the mountains, or I would have been off the road! I am so glad that we decided to venture out into this arm of the Kenai Mountains and visit one of Alaska's oldest coastal communities before heading back and onto Anchorage.

That night we met up with a cousin of Kev's that had been working in Anchorage, shared stories and enjoyed a nice dinner.

Today we left the bikes covered and parked in Anchorage. Walked 2 miles to the railway, rode the Alaskan Railway 60 miles south to Whittier in time to board the Klondike Express, a fast catamaran that will cruise us through the towering glaciers and rugged wilderness of Prince William Sound. I really appreciated the rail trip from Anchorage. This is actually the 3rd time for us on this stretch of roadway in the last 2 days...it is great to relax and just ride along and taking pictures this way is so simple, just point and shoot. The train passed though a section of dead forest due to the 1964 earthquake that measured 9.2 on the Richter scale. The area dropped over 9 ft, which in turn altered the tide line. The trees died from the new tide line exposing the trees to salt water. We also passed through the Whittier Tunnel a one lane combination highway railway tunnel that allows vehicles and trains, in turn to travel through. This is the only one-way reversible traffic tunnel shared with a train in the world.

Prince William Sound, originally named Sandwich Sound by Captain Cook in 1778 is 2,100 sq miles of islands and fjords that has been carved by 15 million years of glacier activity. This area is surrounded by Chugach National Forest, North Americas most northern rainforest.

Although a drizzly and wet day, it was phenomenal viewing. Bald eagles perched high in the tall moss covered spruce trees, rafts of otters floating in the frigid waters, and harbor seals taking a snooze on floating chunks of ice. The glaciers also put on a show for us today. Not only were they cracking and creaking, but, a huge spire of glacier ice broke away and belly flopped into the icy waters below. It thundered in the air around us and created a wake large enough that we had to turn into it! We enjoyed a Glacier Margarita on the return ride made with ice that was over 200 years old. We also stopped at a rock face that was home to over 10,000 birds. This Alaska place is pretty darn amazing!

*Dead trees due to 1964 earthquake registering 9.2*

*Klondike Express tour of Prince William Sound*

Otter mum's with their pups.  Awwee one fell off! — *Otter mum's with their pups. Awwee one fell off!*

Even got a show!  The cracking of the glacier echoed across the sound.  The wave the caused by the calving was significant enough that the vessel had to turn into it! — *Even got a show! The cracking of the glacier* *echoed across the sound. The wave the caused by the calving was significant enough that the vessel had to turn into it!*

An impressive gull rockery — *An impressive gull* *rockery*

In Alaska you can get your pilots license at age 14, and it is the preferred mode of transportation.  As the train rocked by I captured a quick shot of a housing community that had a personal landing strip attached to it. — In Alaska you can get your pilots license at age 14, and it is the preferred mode of transportation. As the train rocked by I captured a quick shot of a housing community that had a personal landing strip attached to it.

The train ran seaside as the sun was setting.  Mesmerized by the oyster colored waters I was privileged to see several whales breech these chilly waters. — *The train ran seaside as the sun was setting. Mesmerized by the oyster colored waters I was privileged to see several whales breech these chilly waters.*

August 15 - 16, 2013... Kenai Peninsula, Alaska

August 16, 2013

I smell rain! I peered through the crack of the "black out" curtains in Iceworm 1, and saw a light misty rain. I will keep my fingers crossed that by the time we pack up this drizzle will have not developed into anything more. We got lucky and within the hour the drizzle cleared and the only item that packed up wet was our bike covers. I'm looking forward to this ride down to Anchorage today! Soon we were on our way and well into the groove. We only encountered one section of gravel road construction that was nicely packed…no issues. We passed by many Alaskan towns that once again probably would have looked pretty cute covered in 10 feet of snow!…ha ha ha As we approached the Anchorage outer city limits the area quickly transformed from an open wooded peaceful beauty into the tense rigidness of a bustling city that just happened to be surrounded by these dramatic lush, dark green vegetated protruding peaks. We switched into our city riding mode, by trying to remain visible in the side mirrors of everyones truck. Everyone drives a truck up here and the bigger the truck the better!…lol It did not take us long to move through downtown Anchorage. I could hear the peaceful calm return to Kev's radio voice, and feel my grip loosen up on the bike once we had cleared the concrete and buildings that surrounded us and were back making our tracks through nature. The ride into the Kenai Peninsula area was spectacular. The roadway swept by Cook Inlet that was surrounded by many mountain peaks, some still lightly iced, then headed into the lush Kenai National Wildlife Refuge. This area absolutely took my breath away. I continuously fought to keep my eyes facing forward on the curving road ahead. The icy rugged mountains smoothed into lush green valleys that were covered by the delicate pinks and mauves of the Alaskan fireweed. When the milky turquoise waters of the Kenai River appeared…mwaahh…it will definitely be a ride that will be locked in my mind forever. Tonight we are staying in a small rustic cabin at Cooper Landing by the Kenai River.

We woke to light rain today and decided to hang out in the cabin, in hopes that it may let up. It was down time well spent as I have been trying to catch up with my blogging. By 3 pm the rain had somewhat subsided, and we decided to get out and enjoy the ride down to Homer, about 2 hours away. Remember it is light until after 10pm, so taking off at 3pm is totally fine. We didn't actually make it to Homer. After hitting heavier rains at the 3/4 mark we called it, and turned around, something that is almost out of my mindset! It was the right thing to do…now fairly wet and beginning to feel the cold we still had a 1 1/2 hour return ride! Visibility was foggy and limited, but, my heated vest kept me warm and toasty and must say that I really enjoyed the day!

*Through Anchorage and heading to the Kenai Peninsula.*

Picture time at  a pullout along Cook Inlet. — *Picture time at a pullout along Cook Inlet.*

Weather is changing on the Kenai.  You can actually see the salmon jump out of the water, but do you think that they could hold a pose for me?? — *Weather is changing on the Kenai. You can actually see the salmon jump out of the water, but do you think that they could hold a pose for me??*

August 11 - 14, 2013…Denali, Alaska

August 14, 2013

Today we are riding to Denali, where I suspect that the countryside will just explode, and kind of look like what you expect Alaska to look like? Kev encountered his first flat tire on the highway today. It is fairly amazing that this is our first flat in 30,000 miles! Kev quickly snapped out across the radio…"Gotta flat". I immediately pulled over to the side of the one laned highway and waited for the traffic to pass and headed towards him. We had passed a small driveway just a few yards back and decided that it would be better to handle this situation with a little more room. Kev awkwardly managed to maneuver his loaded, and now very unstable ride, slowly over to the driveway. It looked as though his rear tire had completely melted away, and this once stable rigid ride, was now riding like a wet noodle! We unhooked the panniers, pulled the bike up onto the center stand and checked out the situation. I was really impressed as Kev reset the bead, found the puncture, repaired the tire, and, had us back on the road in 30 minutes or so. Not bad, stud!

"Now this is Alaska", I thought as we rode into the Denali area. We plan on spending 3 days here to rest, explore, and soak it all in. We visited with 4 time Iditarod Champion, musher Jeff King at his Husky Homestead. We cuddled Alaskan Husky puppies, learnt about the musher lifestyle, and enjoyed listening to the amazing stories on the Iditarod Trail.

We spent the next day exploring Denali National Park. An old school bus outfitted with somewhat comfy seats shuttles you from the information center to various areas of the park, where you may get off at any time to hike, explore or pick wild blueberries if you like. We shuttled for 8 hours and were very privileged to experience many animals in their natural environment. Our first sighting was a huge bull Caribou, tongue out, panting as he hoofed it down the gravel road. We watched a female grizzly intently grazing on the close mountain side while her 2 cubs rolled, wrestled and tumbled around. They were having way too much fun to be interested in important things like eating. We saw a couple of Golden Eagles glided the thermals in the higher elevations. A couple more brown bears were woofing down berries and foliage. They were stuffing as much away, as possible, in preparation for winter. Many caribou were traveling along the rocky river ways and grazing the tundra. And we also saw several moose, one who decided to cross the road right in front of us. It was a lucky day! The weather gods were kind and granted us perfect viewing weather. We were able to view magnificent Mt. McKinley, in its entirety, continually throughout the day. This was the icing on the cake so to speak. Mt. McKinley is usually not visible and only about 30% of the visitors that visit Denali National Park actually get to see it. It was a very cool day!

We also ran into fellow biking adventurers that we had befriended on the ferry ride from Price Rupert to Haines. It was absolutely fabulous to catch up the Dave, Mike and Mira, visit, share our experiences to date and laugh a lot! We also ran into "the texas 4", as I call them…once again! They seem to think that we are following them since arriving in Haines….hmmmm, could be? Tomorrow we are moving to the hostel cross the creek, away from "texas 4"…ha ha ha. We plan on having a down day to catch up on laundry, downloads and stuff.

*Ratchet strapping the tire to seat the bead.*

*We stayed at Carlos Creek, just outside of the touristy area of Denali.*

We hiked down to this lake in hopes to view moose.  No moose, but not a disappointment! — *We hiked down to this lake in hopes to view moose. No moose, but not a disappointment!*

*The dogs look forward to a 2 mile run, their daily training with the atv in the warmer weather.*

*Kev has Earl, and I have Camo, from the "Tea litter"*

*One of the shuttle buses that take you around the park.*

*A Brown Bear, (Grizzly) and her playful cubs*

August 9 - 10, 2013…Yukon Canada, Tok Alaska, Fairbanks Alaska

August 10, 2013

Dry and fully revived we rode out of Haines Junction eager to make it across the border back into Alaska. Riding alongside the Saint Elias Mountains this morning was just stunning. Even though it was overcast today the dark green vegetation against the rugged black rocky mountainside made for a dramatic visual as I weaved alongside Kluane National Park. I saw people with binoculars looking up across the mountainside and decided to pull off at the small ranger station to see what all the fuss was about. It was Dall Sheep looking like dandruff, dotted high on the mountain ridges around Kluane Lake. Kluane Lake was also a beauty to behold, with its vast cool opaque turquoise waters running alongside the highway for 50 kilometers or so!

The road from Deconstruction Bay onwards kept us on our toes with collapsed portions of very uneven tar. There was more to come. We paused briefly at Beaver Creek for a late lunch and some fuel to attack the next section between the border. We inquired about the 20 miles of road between the Canadian check point and the U.S. Border, and got various reports. All we know is that it can be a fairly challenging section of roadway in "no mans land"! Here we go…This pretty gnarly section of road construction was laid heavily with loose medium sized, sharp angled rock, that caught your tires from time to time. The shallower areas were muddier, but in my opinion, easier to handle. I really was not enjoying this, but knew that I could make it through. After traveling at a nervous 20- 30 miles per hour through this section we were fairly wiped out we finally hit "Christmas", as we call paved road, at the U.S. Border Control Checkpoint. Kev got a major chewing out, for not "stopping" completely at the stop sign before the booth! Kev was born in California, and just can't help it!!!..lol Not really the welcoming that you are expecting especially after traveling through that hellish construction zone. I proceeded through and also received a chewing as apparently I could not answer efficiently enough where we had been traveling from! Get a life, Major A-Hole! We then proceeded on to a very unimpressive Tok. Tok probably looks great in the winter! 300 miles took us 9 hours today and we are done. We checked in at the best place Tok had to offer… a very seedy hotel. We picked the cleaner of the beds, tried not to touch anything and slept fully clothed. Tomorrow is another day, and with some shut eye everything looked brighter in the morning…when we left the room, that was!!…ha ha ha

Kev and I have opted for an easier ride today. It is only 202 miles to Fairbanks. Alaska's high desert and where the aurora borealis is viewable 200 days of the year! Unfortunately wildfires have been blazing this area and the air is thick with white smoke. What you can make out of this beautiful Alaskan scenery is hidden within a haze…kind if eerie! Actually the smoke was quite thick in areas, causing me to break into a couple of coughing fits inside my helmet...not the most pleasant reactions. It was about then that I was wondering how I could fit a recycle air button onto my helmet??? We did reach the North Pole, checked out the Reindeers, rode in Santa's Sleigh and splurged at a comfy B&B in Fairbanks. We walked into nearby down town Fairbanks, visited the Cultural Visitors Center, ate dinner and walked along the Chena River. That night, or I should say very early morning I did look out for the aurora borealis, but I think that the haze from the fires has blocked its dancing beams...Oh well!

The bridge had been hit by a truck passing through.  We were stopped here for about 25 minutes and had the pleasure of observing a nesting Osprey! — *The bridge had been hit by a truck passing through. We were stopped here for about 25 minutes and had the pleasure of observing a nesting Osprey!*

Stop for a stretch and a drink at this very interesting place!  Not far from Beaver Creek and the border now — *Stop for a stretch and a drink at this very interesting place! Not far from Beaver Creek and the border now*

August 8, 2013…Disembarked in Haines Alaska, rode onto Haines Junction, Yukon Territory, Canada

August 9, 2013

We woke up at 3am, packed up our expeds and sleeping bags, loaded up the bikes and disembarked the Matanuska at 3:45am. We hung out in the parking lot with our biker friends while we formulated the morning plan. Kev and I decided to ride the 4 miles into Haines to see what was open. We rode around the entire town when I saw an neon open sign out of the corner of my eye. We pulled into the parking lot and figured out it was a bar. We were warmly greeted by a couple of happy locals leaving through the back door who enthusiastically informed us that the bar was closing in 15, but, John would probably serve us. Out of the blue they then said "Here... have a couple of cold Pabst Blue Ribbons and welcome to Haines!" We chatted for 20 or so they gave us the info on the roads and beers, sorry that was meant to be bears, and recommended a good place for breakfast that opened at 6am. Yes we did open the beers an take a couple of swigs! Kev and I hung out in the dirt parking lot of the bar, watched a hitchhiker get dropped off, and a guy who was sleeping in his truck next to us wake up and then it was time to go to Brekky. We got back on the road around 6:45am, crossed into Canada once again, this time with no border hassles, and felt somewhat unprepared for the drastic drop in temperature. We hit rain, entered the Yukon, and the noise of our motorcycles saved a gracious bicyclist from a couple of curious juvenile black bears. As we worked our way to Haines Junction, we started to shiver. Around noon, we arrived at Haines Junction and checked in at the Cozy Corner Motel. Still feeling wonky from the boat, we pulled our wet and cold gear off, spread it out over the heating vents and then climbed into bed We were thankful to be out of the rain and in a clean room, even if the sloping floors didn't help our equilibrium... Lol.... Fantastic day!

*Gathering in the parking lot off the ferry*

*We rode out to the lake to see if we could catch some bears fishing...none there :(*

*Amazing scenery heading towards Haines Junction*

*Getting warm and dry at the Cozy Corner.*

August 6 - 8, 2013…Sailing the A.M.H.S. Ferry Matanuska up to Haines Alaska

August 8, 2013

With 656,425 square miles of rugged wilderness, scenic beauty and abundant wildlife, Alaska is huge! Which means traveling in Alaska presents some unique opportunities. Unlike the 'lower 48' states many communities are not accessible by a land based road system so in many areas the primary means of travel is by air or sea. The Alaska Marine Highway makes up a large part of the 'highway system' so special it has been designated a National Scenic Byway and an All American Road, and is the only marine route with this designation. We decided to take advantage of this amazing opportunity and embrace the seas with our bikes tied down to a ferry.

We pack up our camp site at Prince Rupert, and have our bags sorted for the ferry ride. We ride around the corner and hit the que for customs just before the ferry. Once we cleared customs Kev and I are directed to ride up to the front of the ferry line. The ferry wants to have all the bikes enter first for safety reasons. Kev and I are actually the first bikes on. We are coned in, like an aircraft and directed where to park the bikes. The ferry clunks and creaks as bike after bike rides over the rusty wet ramps. As soon as I am parked I jump off my bike, grab our ferry bags that we have prepared, and head up to the solarium to secure a "primo" free sleeping deck spot. Kev is left to secure and tie down the bikes for their 36 hour journey through the inside passage. Damn, that worked like clockwork! Within the hour we have set sail, or I should say navigating our way, via diesel power through the inside passage. Several other family groups have secured areas in the solarium, and now it is like one big cozy campsite! After several hours of motoring the cabin toting passengers eventually wander up to enjoy this magnificent view. We have secured 2 loungers that are now cushioned by our very comfy expeds and down sleeping bags. We have the best view and the freshest air on the vessel!

The trip is amazing! We became friends with many of the other motorcyclists. Most were from Canada including, two brothers, Kevin & Nevill, Dave who's riding a F650GS like mine and Mike & Mira who are riding two-up. We also met Gino & Fiona from Scotland who've ridden from Argentina. Throughout the trip we visited, ate together in the cafeteria, drank in the bar and marveled at the scenery and beauty around us. We really enjoyed our open air accommodations. We both were warm and slept soundly, I wouldn't have done it any other way!

We really lucked out with the weather and had very clear blue skies and calm waters the entire passage. The passage treated us to a variety of wildlife and the spectacular natural beauty of the multitude of islands and coves along the unspoiled United Sates coastline. The whales also seemed to agree and were out in countless pods, it was an absolutely spectacular sight! Quaint seaside towns sporting a rich mixture of native, early russian, and gold rush history. This entire region is wrapped in the Tongass National Forest, the largest National Forest in the United States and the largest contiguous temperate rain forest in the world.

The ferry made 3 stops, Ketchikan, Petersburg, Juneau, before we disembarked in Haines, Alaska.

*Float planes are common...Some towns are only accessible by boat or plane up here.*