Observations
Trip Start
Aug 13, 2007
1
9
Trip End
Sep 18, 2007
Smithville, Tennessee
Tuesday, November 6, 2007
There were a lot of Harleys at Sturgis.
It's easier to ride in the cold than heat.
My Honda ST-1300A gets better mileage at 90 mph than 60. Most unusual!!
I took a lot of stuff I didn't need and had to buy stuff I was missing.
Things are quite expensive in Canada and a US dollar only buys 1.03 Canadian. Businesses exchange even either way. Alaska is also expensive.
There is no litter in Canada (didn't go to major cities).
We saw very few cars on the roads in Canada or Alaska, mostly RV's and motorcycles.
No Harleys in the Yukon, mostly KLR 650's, BMW GS's, and a few others.
All roads seem to be under repair during the summer.
We should have taken more time to tour. We didn't get to everywhere we wanted.
You can get very comfortable camping even on a motorcycle. We did not need a folding chair, all the campsites had picnic tables.
There were no police on the highways, conditions controlled speed.
People would stop if you pulled off the road to see if you needed help.
NOTE: I'm home, safe, and a little tired. I missed Katheryn a lot and Kobi a little. Katheryn accomplished a lot around the house and organized my workshop while I was gone; it's beautiful. She also got in a trip to see both kids and the four gradchildren. She and her mom met Amy and family near Destin, FL at an Army facility.
I will continue to update and add pictures to entries Katheryn has made to this site. It may be a little difficult to follow. I have updated the first two and the last entries.
MORE OBSERVATIONS:
There are virtually no billboards in Canada or Alaska (except around larger cities).
Starbucks is taking over the world.
So is WalMart. They have very little fishing gear, lots of camping stuff, and a huge selection of hockey sticks, even in summer.
Cross country bicycling is very poplar up North, both huge supported groups and singles or couples. They have lots of gear hanging on their bikes.
Wildlife is everywhere. We saw: black bears, moose, wild goats, wild sheep, Big Horn sheep, large coyote or small wolf, badger, salmon running upstreams, black fox with white tipped tail, raindeer, and others probably.
A good comfortable seat is very important on a long motorcycle trip.
ALASKA TRIP
My 2 Cents Worth, by Nick Woodward
On any motorcycle trip, there are several things that must be done in order for the trip to be a success. Obviously the bike must be dependable, comfortable, have reasonable fuel range, and be able to carry all of the necessary baggage. This trip I rode a 2007 BMW R1200R with stock saddle bags, and on my first trip to Alaska, a 1993 BMW R100GSPD. Dick rode a 1999 BMW R1100RT both times he went, and Danner had a Honda ST1300. All these bikes did just fine, ride what you like.
Next, have the proper clothing and camping gear (assuming you will be camping, and you should). My basic riding clothing was the Aerostitch Darien coat, shirt, jeans and BMW boots (with gore-tex). If it was raining, I would put on the Aerostitch Darien pants. In two motorcycle trips from Tennessee to Alaska, my Aerostitch coat and pants and BMW boots always kept me warm and dry. When it was cold I would layer up as necessary, with a long sleeve shirt, sweatshirt, vest, coat, gloves or rain pants. This may seem overly simple, but be sure to get your rain gear on BEFORE you get wet. If you get wet first, you will find that your rain suit will do a great job of keeping the water in also.
Danner and I used the Hellen 2 Wheels luggage packing system because it has worked for me for several years. Go to Hellen2wheels.com and check it out. Dick successfully used the large waterproof "river runner" bags that you can buy at any outdoor store.
Dry Bag
This is the bag I carried my sleeping gear in. The coldest nights were about 28 or 29F, and I was never cold or uncomfortable. Most nights it was warmer.
Heat reflector (these things work well and do not take up much space)
Air mattress (1 ½ inch self inflating Thermarest)
Sleeping bag (30 degree rating worked for me)
1 Polyester sleeping bag (Ozark Trail cost about $10.00 at WalMart)
Thermarest camping pillow + a blow-up air pillow.
P- Bottle in zip-lock bag (indoor plumbing)
Nit hat for cold nights, my head got cold without it. Note: Dick carried a sweatshirt with HOOD and sweatpants to sleep in on cold nights. This is a good idea, and next time I will do the same.
My packing drill was:
In the mornings, I would get out of my sleeping bag, put on my clothes (quickly if it was cold), and start to pack up.
First I would roll up my air mattress with valve open, after it was rolled up nice and tight, I then closed the air valve. I then put the air mattress in the Dry Bag and let it unroll in the bag. When the air mattress unrolls there is a space or pocket in the center that I stuffed the rest of my sleeping gear in. Next I stuffed in my sleeping bags (2ea) followed by my pillows and Zip-lock bag with my empty P-Bottle. I will (in the future) throw my sweat suit in this bag.
Tent Bag
It will rain or at the very least, your tent will be covered with dew in the mornings, so make sure your tent does not leak. We sprayed the seams with 3M Scotchguard several times with good results. In my tent bag, I stuffed a four man Eurica Timberline tent, plastic camping hammer and ground tarp. The ground tarp is the plastic sheet that Eurica sells for that tent. In the mornings when I packed up I would: First, take off the tent fly and lay it aside. Second, I would pull the tent stakes and put them in their bag. I carried the stakes in my saddlebag. (Get the stakes from Walmart that look like a big nail with a plastic T at the top so they work with the hammer's pull out function and don't bend in rocky soil.) Third, I put the tent poles in the little tent bag supplied by Eurica and then
put the tent poles in the Hellen 2 wheels tent bag. It is easer if the poles go in the bag first (trust me). Next the tent fly is stuffed in, then the tent is stuffed in, (do not fold the tent up neatly; it is a waste of time) followed by the hammer. The ground sheet is stuffed in last. The ground sheet is generally wet and dirty on the bottom side, so I would pick it up by grabbing the sheet in the topside center and picking it straight up. That way the topside (clean side) is on the outside and the wet, dirty side is in. I would give the groundsheet a good shaking and stuff it in the tent bag last. Don't worry that the tent is wet, it will dry out quickly when erected. Also, get a large tent as there are lots of item you do not want to leave out in the rain.
Tank Bag
Tank bag cover
Ear plugs
Camera (we used WalMart to dump memory to CD's)
Bug spray
Mile Post guide book + Maps
Flash light + LED light
Tire pressure gage
Maint. manual on CD
BMW Anonymous book
Glasses
Extra Helmet visors
Rubber bands
Travel clock
Pen and small note book
Cell phone charger and electric power outlet (12v cig. type) for bike
Chapstick
Clothing bag (this is what I carried in addition to what I was wearing when I left home, I used this bag for a pillow also)
1 blue jean
6 each: underwear, socks, handkerchiefs
3 each long sleeve shirts
6 each short sleeve shirts
1 light cotton sweatshirt
1 Aerostitch pull over
1 long underwear (I never used them, but they do not take up much room)
Soap, towel and sandals (if the towel was wet it went in saddle bag or was tied to out side of bag to dry)
Medicine, Dopp Kit
Passport, money, and insurance papers (Canada is picky about your proof of insurance so call your insurer, they know what to mail you.)
Chair
Not really necessary. I have carried a Kermit chair to Alaska twice but it is not necessary as there is a picnic table at each campsite that we saw. I would not take a chair again.
Saddle Bags
Hat, I also used a LED light that clipped on my hat bill, and it came in handy when I wanted to read at night.
Extra Bungee cords and tie down straps (the straps came from Hellen2Wheels).
Aerostitch Darien pants without the liners (I rolled them up and put a rubber band around them).
Light vest from Walmart.
Heated coat ( I never used it and will not take on next trip.)
Northern Light coat with gore-tex (great product from Cabella's that I used in place of the Darien jacket liner).
Gloves, 4 pair different weights (on the water proof ones, MAKE SURE that you can put them on with WET hands).
Tools (basic torx and stuff to change tire + minor repair and extra fuel filter if your bike is fuel injected).
Tire plugs (it is hard to go to Alaska and not have a flat tire).
CO2 bottles, or a 12 volt air pump for tires, I took both.
Plastic camping hammer + tent pegs.
15 or 20 feet of light cord or rope.
Extra Zip lock bags + Garbage bags.
Travel Tips
Be sure to scotchguard your tent and riding coat and pants, bring the can with you.
Phone cards to America are cheaper when you buy them in Canada.
Know how to patch a tire and inflate it. This is one roadside repair you may get to do.
Danner used ATV handlebar muffs that were well sprayed with Scotchguard instead of heavy gloves. They are warm and waterproof.
Theft and crime are not a problem in Canada and Alaska.
Do NOT take a gun thru Canada.
"Bear Bangers" or pepper spray can be bought in AK and MT, don't know about Canada.
The Milepost is a great source of information.
Wireless is available in the bigger towns if you take a laptop, or internet cafes, libraries are available.
Cell phone coverage is limited.
Bring the individual energy bars; they were very handy, also bottled water.
Don't keep food, toothpaste, or anything else that could attract bears to your tent. Some campgrounds have metal storage containers for overnight use.
