Horizons Unlimited - The HUBB

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-   -   Tanning A Ginger Tip-to-Tip (https://www.horizonsunlimited.com/hubb/ride-tales/tanning-a-ginger-tip-tip-65817)

seantully 16 Aug 2012 22:11

Tanning A Ginger Tip-to-Tip
 
NOTE: I have decided to continue this next leg of the ride report in a new thread. Come follow along here for the next chapter: No-Moto-Boundaires

Overview


After graduating from university in 2010 and getting right into the workforce I have decided to shift gears and re-prioritize my personal life a bit. Although I am very fortunate to have a great job in a bad economy, I am slowly realizing that we really never know how much time we have here on this planet, and what you choose to make of that time, really is what you make of your life. I have always been driven to travel and inspired by those with the freedom and ability to do so. Thus, I have decided to sell-off most of my possessions and head out to see some of the world that I am so intrigued by, while doing it in the most engaging way I know how, via motorcycle.

I don't know where I'm going, or for how long I'll be doing it, but I've freed myself from responsibilities, rid my mind of expectations, and am heading out. I'll start with the Americas. I have named the trip Tanning a Ginger Tip-to-Tip. There is no doubt in my mind that things will go wrong, plans will change, and no matter how much research/prep I do, in the end I just have to get out there and experience it for myself to really know. I am doing the ride report to keep track of it all, from how the idea came about and prepping, to the day-to-day thoughts and activities that I find myself engaging in along the way.

Fear of the unknown can be one of the greatest fears of all, but there are times in life when you need to value adventure above comfort and security.

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Trip Prep Posts: I wrote up a lot of prep info in my pre-daparture boredom before leaving and it can be lengthy and winded so I have included links below if you want to read it and TLDR (Too Long, Didn't Read) summaries next to it so you don't need to.

Planting a Seed:
I got the idea while working and backpacking in Central America in 2010

Sea-town to the top:
General plan was to go North first to Prudhoe Bay AK.

Sea-town to the bottom:
Then wrap up my work responsibilities, quit my job, and head South.

Bike:
I chose a 2004 Kawasaki KLR 650 to start with.

Choosing which bike
: How I came to my decision of taking a KLR was based on my personal travel preferences and priorities.

Bike Prep:
the KLR has short-falls and I like to tinker so I tore the bike apart and heavily modded it.

SPOT:
I have a SPOT GPS tracker to check-in with.

Getting Involved:
Making life meaningful, valuable, and dare I say "fun".


Ride Report Posts:

Seattle --> Prudhoe Bay (2012)
1: Waiting
2: Getting Close
3: Crossing t's and dotting i's
4: Over Packed is Under Pre-pared
5:Off to a "Swimmingly" Good Start
6: Miles to Make
7: The Swing
8: Now Serving Miles: Breakfast, Lunch, and Dinner
9: From Dust to Dawson
10: Little Chicken, Big Character
11: Looking For a Dead Horse

Prudhoe Bay --> Seattle
12: Chilling in Fairbanks
13: Tagging In
14: Red-Dog and Brown-Bear ride again

15: Up and at'em

16: Catching Up
17: Catching Up (continued) 18: Catching Up (continued again)

Seattle --> California --> Seattle
19: Got bored, have two weeks, gone riding

Seattle:

20:
Up-dating? Upping the date? Date-upping?
21: Tooling and Tooling around

I have decided to continue this next leg of the ride report in a new thread. Come follow along here for the next chapter: No-Moto-Boundaires
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seantully 16 Aug 2012 22:13

Planting The Seed
 
Planting A Seed: Where to start, well I guess I’ve decided Seattle, but let’s start with where the idea actually sprouted from.

It’s summer 2010 and I’m wrapping up a research field-season in Central America for my undergrad program at University of Washington. The critters I studied at the time lived in the tropics, so you have to go to the tropics to study them. I wonder why I chose them???

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I’m literally sifting through hundreds of mason jarred samples of what equates to tropical bug-soup and living in a cabin up in the cloud forests with my buddy and colleague, Tom.


We have been trundling through the rainforest covering miles and miles of terrain every day for future thesis material to graduate and hopefully publish with in 9 months. I’m having a good time and I love the outdoors, roughing it, and the work is interesting for the opportunity that it has provided me…but I’m ready to move-on to a different area of study. No matter how many cervezas I use to lubricate the old trusty microscope knobs, I can’t seem to see a long-term future in this line of research for myself and am ready to shift gears to something new. After two months living in a primitive cabin in the jungle even Tom has begun to go a bit crazy.
Luckily Tom and I are of the same humor and mindset so living together in that setting made it quite fun no matter what we were doing. In addition, my university lab overlord is quite the relaxed chap and I’ve swung getting him to book my return tickets to the states to instead occur 4 weeks after my field season actually finishes, allowing me some time to see more of Central America. Now I’m prime to meet up with my girlfriend at the time, who has been traveling around Central America already with a friend for several weeks. I’m stoked and ready to freely go wherever we so desire. The thought of which has been the only thing keeping me going for the last several weeks and the opportunity to do so being inevitably what made all the work prior, 100% worth it.

Jump ahead a few weeks and I’ve finally met up with my girlfriend. We’ve been meandering for a while now with no real plans besides hopping buses from one beach town to the next, working south as we get bored, and enjoying the lifestyle of almost complete freedom. I’m really getting used to the routine and as I’m sure many know, it’s pretty rough living this sort of lifestyle.

We had heard great things about Panama so figured we would keep heading South with the few weeks we had left. On our last day before the border we found an awesome Crepery which was pretty random but a nice surprise.




It was at this purveyor of delicious crepes that everything changed for me.

After scraping up the last bits of food on our plates we pay our tab and head outside to go negotiate a undoubtedly sweaty bumpy ride into Panama. We are about to cross the street when on the other side of the road I see a cheery chap and his lady friend stroll on over to their splendidly rigged and gloriously dirty BMW 1200gsa that’s parked by the road. This is where you can que the dreamy montage as I look at them with instant envy. My reality warps and everything I see starts going slow motion, like when something super sexy is happening in a movie and wind from apparently nowhere is blowing through each of their hair as they head to their noble steed. They mind as well been the Beatles crossing Abbey Road, for to me, they were just as much superstars. I watch them kick their legs over their freedom machine, look pleasingly at the road south, and with a blip of the throttle pull out onto the open tarmac.

That solidified it for me, travel via motorcycle. Having everything you need mounted on a traveling home with two-wheels. No buses, no schedules, no worries besides maintaining your machine and deciding which roadside food-stand to hit-up? That sounded fantabulous and in my eyes, the ultimate way to see the world.

That trip in Central America was by far the best trip I had ever been on. I had traveled a bit before but never like that, with no agenda, no goals, and no real time-frame. I left that trip with a much better idea of what I wanted to do with myself in the near future. I don’t think I fully understood it at the time but I had gotten a taste for a style of traveling that I would later yearn for, and a seed had very quietly been planted that would drive me to return for more.

One Year Later: Cut forward 1yr and a lot has changed. My parents have split, my girlfriend and I have split, I have finally graduated but I’m pretty much spent both mentally and emotionally and have decided to delay applying to grad school. For the first time in my life I feel genuinely low and completely burnt out. I was very lucky though and got offered a great job with a great organization which I sure was stoked about. Ever since I had returned from Central America there had been a small part of me though pushing to find a way to buy a motorcycle and get back on two-wheels, a small subconscious step towards motorcycle travel. I had grown up riding dirt bikes but after I took a spill that hurt a good friend, as well as myself, I had largely moved on to other hobbies. I hadn’t owned – let alone ridden – a bike in over 6 years. Now that I had gotten a job and had the free time, I really had run out of excuses. As soon as my first paycheck was crossing the digital oblivion that is the the banking interwebs I was simultaneously sitting at a table signing it all away in trade for my first street legal motorcycle. Getting rid of all that green had never felt so good.


I chose a used Buell Ulysses XB12X with all the goodies, race kit, heated grips, full pannier set, blah blah blah. This is Zack and Alex, they are the coolest kids I know and the little brothers I never had, there approval of the bike was key.
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I was promptly leaving every weekend and flogging the bike around the PNW and BC racking up 10,000 miles in the first 8 months, riding every day straight through winter.

I’ve realized that although I love the Buell for this sort of docile tarmac crushing tom-foolery, I can see that I need a different beast for a bigger more adventurous trip.

But what bike, and just as perplexing, where should I go with it?

The thought process didn’t really take too long as I had never gotten that image of the chap and his lady friend riding away on their motorcycle in Latin America. I had whole-heartedly dug my time there and had fantasized of going back and continuing on ever since I returned home, maybe even all the way to the bottom. In that moment, in my head, I had committed to heading back South.

Though this time, I made up my mind that it would be by motorcycle.

Decision Made: So Latin America it is. Weather is good, no costly carnets to hinder travel budgets, cheap beer, nice beaches, and arguably some of the best adventure riding to be found. Deal. The Buell will have to stay behind though, it’s a great bike, but not the one for this trip. Nor is it up for the challenge. For this sort of travel it’s overpowered, under-sprung, too heavy for any serious off-road duty, and attracts the wrong kind of attention for my traveling preferences.

So I need a different bike…in my previous research I had seen all kinds of bikes go around the world. Everything from Harley’s to scooters and all the feedback I had gotten told me that you really can take whatever you want. Yeah sure there are pros and cons to every bike but in the end you just need to take what fits in with how you want to travel and what you will enjoy, almost everything else comes second and can be worked out provided you have the time, patience, and resources.

In the end I knew that for me it was the Kawasaki KLR650 that would be just the machine for me. This video, put together by another adventuring KLR lover, was the final thing that made me make the decision.



As an adventure bike it’s tried and true, cheap as dirt, and is as reliable as a Himalayan porter. Not to mention parts are easily sourced throughout Latin America and I am already familiar with working on single cylindered carburated motors. Sounds like my kind of bike, I’ve found my noble steed.

So now I’ve got a location, and know what bike I want to take…but when should I leave? I need more green, and I need to plan a lot more. From the people that I’ve spoken with and what I’ve read on the almighty interwebs, 6-months is the minimum prep time for a trip of this sort. Well alrighty then, leaving in a year and half sounds good I suppose. That should give me plenty of time to research, save, and set-up a bike for the journey. It will also allow me to put in some time at my recently acquired job and fulfill my responsibilities there. Great, that sounds swell. That means fall of 2012, I mark it in my calendar to try and make it seem a little more solid. Realistically it is still merely just another mark on a page that is many, many, months away.

As I look at the date marked for September 2012 I drag an arrowed line out across it’s blank, barren, 2012 pages in search of an end-date…2 months…3 months…I keep dragging and I realize that no matter what I put down it likely won’t be enough. There will always be more to see. I know that for me, barring any major unforeseeable calamity, the most probable limiting factor will be finances. Quitting your job and deciding to travel the America’s while documenting the trip doesn’t sound like it will be very easy on the pocket book. But hey, we are all on this planet for a limited amount of time, some of us are lucky and get to spend many years living out our lives exactly the way we wish. I’m willing to work hard to be one of those people, I would hate to look back on a life with regrets about what I wished I had tried to do. So I decided to make it my priority to find a way to make it happen.

Flash forward 10 months of interweb surfing and countless hours of lurking on the Horizons Unlimited HUB and the ADVrider forums and my plans are coming together.

I found a good deal on a 2004 KLR 650A and liberated it from it’s previous home of sterility in a fancy neighborhood, in a fancy garage, of a fancy engineer’s summer home. This is no place for a KLR, and I think the owner, knowing what my intended uses for it were, was happy to sell it to me.


Bike procured, check.

I purchased the bike mostly stock but in 7-months I have done a fair bit of work to it and turned the bike form this, into this. I have named her Keepa, which is a spin-off of the Basque word for stone, kepa.


I’m a tinkerer and love getting my hands dirty wrenching so I’ll post more information in the Bike Prep page about what I’ve done to set her up the way I want for this trip.

Now, the waiting part. As I’m updating this I am now ~3 months away from leaving. I have made almost all of the changes and farkles to the KLR that I desire, although as I have come to know, there is always more you can do. However, as of now with only a few more projects left to finish, I am content. Now I must sit, and play the waiting game….
………

Well shit, the waiting game got boring right quick. So I have devised an excuse to get out and do a smaller trip first to test out my gear and bike set-up. Just a little one to wet my whistle and tide me over. I was looking at a map of North America, and what do you know, living in Seattle actually puts you geographically fairly close to the top of the America’s, relatively speaking. I heard that the riding is quite good up in Alaska and it would be awesome to to ride from the very top to the very bottom of the America’s. After a couple days of interweb and forum sleuthing I see that it is actually possible to ride up into the arctic circle and put your toes into the arctic ocean, and you can also ride all the way South to the southern tip of Argentina and dip one’s toes in the ocean there as well, so that’s my plan. Ride tip-to-tip.


View Tanning a Ginger, Tip-to-Tip in a larger map
View Tanning a Ginger, Tip-to-Tip in a larger map

Between doing endless info-seeking, drooling over other peoples past as well as present trip-reports, and working on setting up my bike, I’ve decided to create a website and try to learn the modern craft that is blogging. Although I like to think that I’ve always been a pretty introspective person, I know that I have never been good about writing my thoughts down, and I have never had any sort of outlet or good reason to do so. My mentality on it has been “If I spend so much of my waking hours thinking about life etc, why would I ever take the extra time to write those thoughts down? It’s not like I’m going to forget or that they are going to get lost.” Well seeing as life seems to change so quickly nowadays and that it can’t hurt to be more open about my thoughts, maybe by creating a blog I can try to get a bit better at sharing things about my personal life in addition to keeping my friends and family updated while I’m out riding.

Maybe, just maybe, what I learn along the way may help another person get out there and do something new that they never thought they would, or always wished they could.

We only live once, time’s a wasting.

seantully 13 Oct 2012 02:35

Sea-Town to the top
 
I have decided to break up the trip into two separate legs. The first being Seattle, WA –> Prudhoe Bay, Alaska, which I have apply named Sea-Town to the top, and the second leg being from Seattle, WA –> Ushuaia, Argentina, named Sea-Town to the bottom.

I’ve decided to make Prudhoe Bay my destination as it is the unofficial terminus of the Pan-American Highway. I don’t really have a good excuse for going to Prudhoe Bay aside from that I was itching to test out the bike and had some saved up vacation to burn before I head south in the fall. In reality though it does in fact serve a great purpose, by adding this leg to the overall trip I create an opportunity to test both myself as well as the bike in a fairly forgiving setting and location. Although the terrain, culture, and scenery are obviously different up north than compared to Latin America, conceptually the effect on the bike as well as myself will be similar with long hours of seat-time and consecutive weeks of riding on varied terrain while living out of my motorcycle. It’s a good opportunity to see if I like my current set-up and, if there are any glaring changes that need to be made they will likely show themselves.

After spending some more time researching where I would like to go and trying to ask around to other veteran adventure riders what they say I really shouldn’t miss, I get the feeling that there is quite a lot to see between Seattle and Prudhoe Bay. This is great news as that means I have plenty of options, after solidifying my plans I talk it over with the office overlords at my work, get clearance for 4 weeks of vacation in June-July, pee my pants with excitement, and then promptly remember that I still have 6 months to wait.


View Sea-Town to Prudhoe in a larger map
View Sea-Town to Prudhoe in a larger map

seantully 13 Oct 2012 02:36

Sea-Town to the bottom
 
After riding Sea-Town to the top I’ll be doubling back and having a stop-over in Seattle for the rest of the summer before I head south in the fall. This will allow me to make any changes to my gear and bike set-up (if need be) and will also allow me to finish up my work responsibilities at my current job. Although I am excited about the first leg heading north, I have named the trip “Tanning a Ginger Tip to Tip” as I am hoping to get some sun on this fair skin of mine and in the end, South is where I am most excited about heading.

‘Merica:
My general plan is just that, general. I am planning to head down the west coast through Washington, Oregon, and California following the 101/1 primarily.

Central ‘Merica:
As of now I believe I’ll be riding through southern California and crossing at Tijuana and then continuing down the peninsula through Baja to La Paz. From there I plan to take a ferry to Mazatlan and continue on south, hopefully hitting up the Yucatan Peninsula as I have been fascinated by the Mayans and it’s about time I see first hand some of the business they have been uncovering lately. Caves and anything of the sort blow my mind so I should probably find some cenotes to get all up in while I’m there since the region is full of them.

I firmly believe that the single most powerful thing one can do to enrich their travel experience is to make every effort to learn the local language. If one even has a basic grasp of the language it opens up so many doors and allows you to listen to and speak with the local people. If I never speak with the local people I feel I will be missing out on an integral part to experiencing an areas culture. Seeing as my Spanish will be nominal, and is currently closer to nonexistent at best, I would like to take a Spanish immersion class in Guatemala. I hear they have all inclusive home stays with classes during the day for about 2-weeks and that they are worth every penny and are quite cheap. This sounds great to me.

After I finish up with an immersion class I’ll have a better idea of where I want to go next and what I want to see. I do have my eyes mostly set on South America as I have never been there before but there is a lot to see in Central America along the way. I plan to swing by some of the places that I have been before in Costa Rica and Panama and then, if there is any luck, the new ferry will be up and running between Panama and Columbia to transport me over the Darien Gap which, although I’m always up for a challenge, trying to drag my bike through the infamous gap is not a bite I’m looking to chew down. If no-go on the ferry, I’ll negotiate a rate with a local boat, optimally aboard the Stahlratte, to take me and my bike (Keepa) from Panama to Cartagena in Columbia.

South ‘Merica:
This is, as of now, wide open. I am prioritizing the west coast on the way down (Columbia, Ecuador, Peru, Chile, and Argentina) as these currently seem the most interesting to me but I here that all of South America is full of great riding and I intend to spend the majority of my time here as it is the region I know the least about. I would love to ride around all of South America and it seems that fewer riders/travelers make it out to the east/northeast coast (Venezuela, Guyana, Suriname, and French Guiana). I have yet to deduce whether this is due to an overall lack of interest from other riders or if the weather and road conditions/logistics make it less common. In either case, I have a strong interest to see the east coast, Brazil is massive part of South America, but it will be dependent on funds and I’ll cross that bridge when I get there.


View Ecuador to Argentina in a larger map
View Sea-Town to Argentina in a larger map

seantully 13 Oct 2012 02:37

The Bike
 
The bike I have chosen for the trip is a 2004 KLR-650. There are many bikes that I could have chosen to go with for this trip and there were many factors that went into the final decision. I’ve written a brief overview and outlined some of those factors in the Choosing page of this site. Seeing as it will be my roaming home for a while, I have done a lot of work on the bike to set it up for the way I like to travel and to make it more comfortable for the trip. It is by no means stock anymore and I have cataloged the changes that I have made in the Bike prep page.

It took me a while to come up with a name for the bike. As most motorcyclists know, every bike has it’s own character and a mannerisms, but I knew that a name would eventually come to me with time as I got to know more about the bike. After ~7 months of working on it and now riding it everyday, I have named her Keepa. The name is a spinoff of the word Kepa which is the Basque word for stone. Seeing as she’s built like a rock and strong as an ox, the name feels fitting.



seantully 13 Oct 2012 02:38

Bike Prep
 
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I purchased the bike pretty much bone stock off craigslist with 14k miles on her. I have made a lot of changes to the bike before leaving for this trip and all have been with the intention of setting up the bike to be better prepared for long distance adventure riding. Not all of these modifications are necessary. Some changes make the bike perform better, some make it more comfortable for my desired type of traveling, and some are purely for my peace of mind while I’m out on the road as everything I own will be packed on this bike, which will serve as my home away from home.

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Modifications:

Engine/Drivetrain:
  • 688 Over-bore Piston and cylinder: little more boom-boom for the zoom zoom, but really just done to tighten up the rings and prevent oil burning. *
  • Dynojet carb kit, stage 2
  • Big gun header and exhaust system (opens up the motor to help her breath a bit better)
  • K&N Reusable filter
  • Drilled out the airbox under the seat to allow more air into the motor, sealed up the side of the airbox to be able to ford deeper river crossings
  • Iridium spark plug: lasts longer and doesn’t foul as easily.
  • Carb breather re-route: allows deeper water crossings without sucking in water to motor.
  • Eagle Mike balancer chain adjustment lever (doohickey): stock lever and spring have a history of failing, parts then get blended up inside the engine causing more damage.
  • 14,15, and 16 tooth counter sprockets: currently running the 16, have the 14 for really low gear mud/sand.
  • Scottoiler: automatic adjustable chain oiler *
  • 520 X-ring chain *
  • ALL BALLS sealed wheel bearings (front and rear) *
  • Continental TKC80 (front/rear)
  • *Added after round-two (after riding Sea-town to the top)
Crash Protection:
  • Engine front bash gaurd w/highway pegs
  • Engine bash gaurd/skid plate
  • Upgraded Sub-frame bolts: stronger bolts more capable of handling the extra weight and abuse to the frame of a fully loaded bike.
  • Cycra Handlebar protectors
Suspension:
  • Cogent Dynamics dual rate front springs: got a custom wound set rated to .7kg for greater load carrying, dual rate to better absorb varied road conditions.
  • Cogent Dynamics Moab Shock: increased load carrying capacity and better build quality than stocker. *
  • Cogent RaceTech Fork Emulaters: better dampening for off-road riding, better overall handling. *
  • K9 fork brace: braces front forks to make them sturdier and more composed for off-road riding.
Brakes:
  • 320mm front rotor kit: larger rotor for improved braking and to help dissipate brake heat.
  • Braided steel brake lines: better brake line protection and improved braking.
Electrical:
  • High output stator: generates more power to run electronics and accessories.
  • Hella Rally headlights: better low/high beam lighting, draws less power.
  • SPOT GPS Personal Tracker: to update blog and provide my GPS location.
  • LED rear brake light: lower electrical draw, brighter light, and pulsates to better indicate when breaking.
  • LED turn signals: lower electrical draw, brighter light.
  • Rear turn signal relocation: relocates turn signals to accommodate panniers.
  • Euro electrical switch: has push to cancel signals, high/low beam, flash to pass, and running light adjustments to save power if desired.
  • Wired for 12v accessory plugs (one in tank bag, one under the seat): tire pump, heated vest, battery tender, charge my electronics such as camera/video camera while riding, etc.
Monitoring:
  • Trail Tech Vapor digital dash: better engine and trip travel monitoring abilities, lighter, draws less power.
  • Garmin 60CSX GPS: for navigation and tracking, hard-wired to bike in locking Touratech mount.
Ergonomics:
  • Britannia Composites Phoenix Twin fairing: better buffeting and wind protection, adjustable windscreen, better dash mount location.
  • IMS Military fuel tank: carries 6.6 gallons of fuel for increased range and helps protect radiator from impact.
  • Acerbis front fender: better debris protection, better aerodynamics at highway speeds.
  • MSR long shift lever: easier shifts and can get my motocross boots under the lever.
  • Gel seat: much more comfortable and durable than stock seat.
  • Bar risers: brings handlebars higher to help handle the bike while standing for off-road riding.
  • High-rise ATV bars: more comfortable for off-road riding while standing.
  • Off-road foot pegs: better boot traction.
  • Vista-Cruiz Throttle Lock: cruise control, give the ol' throttle wrist a break.
Luggage:
  • Happy Trail Teton Panniers: each hold 38L of luggage, are lockable, and waterproof.
  • Happy Trail luggage racks: strong and durable to easily attach/remove panniers.
  • Wolfman Ranier tank bag: storing important documents / items for easy access while riding. Also holds paper map with clear see-through insert.
  • Wolfman Expedition dry duffel: large duffel bag holds camping equipment and clothes in a dry, easily transported duffel.
Maintenance:
  • Happy Trail Center-stand
  • Tool tube: waterproof tube attached low on bike to carry tools and keep center of gravity low.
  • 12v power tire-pump: for fixing flats and adjusting tire-pressure for off-road vs. tarmac riding.
  • Tool roll: all the tools necessary to perform routine maintenance as well as completely disassemble and reassemble the bike and motor while on the road.
Tires: When available I prefer TKC80 front and rear but these will not always be available and thus are merely what I am heading out with. There are many other great tires available.
  • Continental TKC80: great for touring and off-road riding.

seantully 13 Oct 2012 02:39

Choosing which bike
 
Making decisions on what bike to take can be difficult and there will always be different recommendations from different people, and none of them are necessarily wrong, nor will they necessarily be applicable to you. The way I went about choosing a bike was to gather as much information as I could from as many varied sources as I could find. I then compiled that information, weighed what my travel priorities and preferences where, and then went with my gut.

For me and my trip, my priorities where:
  1. Budget: I want to travel for as long as possible on this trip thus the more money I spend on a bike, the less money I’m going to have to travel with.
  2. Reliability: a strong reliable bike is key for me, and if/when it fails, I want it to be easy to work on by myself. This means strong and simple.
  3. Rideability: I am young and no softy, but I still desire a reasonably comfortable bike. The more uncomfortable the bike, the faster I will tire while riding and the more likely I will be to make a mistake and have an accident. With that though the bike needs to be able to basically get, past, or through anything that I decide to point it at, so it needs to be capable.
  4. Fun factor (poweeerrrr!): I like to go fast and rip around in the loose stuff, as far as I'm concerned the more power the better, however, for this trip the ‘fun’ factor comes from where the bike is capable of taking me, not necessarily speed and HP.
Given my priorities and desired trip region, Latin America, I could basically whittle my options down to large single cylinder carburated bikes of Japanese origin. This left me with the Kawasaki KLR-650 and Suzuki DR-650 as my two main competitors.

http://i.imgur.com/oBof3DMl.png http://i.imgur.com/EACRk7al.jpg

The main difference between them for me being that the KLR is slightly taller/heavier and water cooled, whereas the DR is slightly smaller/lighter and air-cooled. After doing a ton of research and considering all the pros and cons, it was the KLR that came out at the top of my list. It’s cheap as dirt, incredibly reliable, parts are interchangeable across the 20 year time-frame that it was built (2008+ models got a face lift and slightly more street focused ergonomics, I prefer the ruggedness of the ’87-’07 bikes), parts are widely available across Latin America, and there is an endless list of aftermarket parts and modifications that can be made. Because of these aftermarket options, any area that the KLR may be weak in I will be able to easily improve on by myself. Not to mention it is the only motorcycle in use by the US military and special forces.

The bike I picked up off craigslist is a 2004 Kawasaki KLR-650 and was mostly stock when I purchased it with 14,000 miles on the odometer, it looked pretty much the same as the one in the picture above. I've spent a fair amount of time in Farklandia on this bike and I have more information about the changes I’ve made in the Bike Prep section.

http://www.no-moto-boundaries.com/wp...0_img_1992.jpgIn the end there is no one perfect bike for adventure motorcycle travel. It will always be a blend of personal preferences, the type of terrain that will be ridden on, and the type of experience I want to have while doing it. People have gone around the world on all kinds of bikes from Harley’s to scooters and everything in between. There are many great bikes available on the market and lots of aftermarket suppliers that can offer almost any accessory or upgrade that could be desired. With a little know-how and patience one can find or build the bike that will be best for them and their trip needs.

seantully 13 Oct 2012 02:40

Spot
 
I carry a SPOT GPS Personal Tracker with me. I believe this gizmo is run by magic and a vast network of garden gnomes working tirelessly around the clock. It allows me to check-in via satellite with my current GPS location which then automatically updates on the interwebs my location. This way even if I don’t have internet access I can keep the 'mother'-ship placated and sleeping relatively peacefully back stateside.

Here it is on my dash.

http://i.imgur.com/xS2iLrvl.jpg

seantully 13 Oct 2012 02:41

Volunteering
 
http://i.imgur.com/7gh3mzrl.jpg

I would be lying if I said that my sole purpose for this trip is to volunteer. That being said, I have always believed in engaging in the world around me in a positive way. In all of the complexity and variability of life that exists on this big beautiful wet rock of ours, we are essentially all trying to do the same thing - survive and live a reasonably comfortable life. The time that we have available to us to accomplish this seemingly basic life achievement is relatively short too, and our time can be up just about as quickly as it came if you aren't paying attention, sometimes maybe even before you thought it would be. Once it's gone you don't get a redo, and I don't intend to be caught later in life with full 20-20 hindsight thinking "Well shit, I wish I had done that different". Realizing this drives me to try and live life fully for myself, but also to strive to help others have the best shot at living their life well too. We have an opportunity to make our time here meaningful, valuable, and dare I say "fun", and it's important for me to do what I can to help others have a shot at that same opportunity.

http://i.imgur.com/uvMuJ0Jl.jpg

Public health and global health has been an interest of mine since I was in high school. Over the years I've been lucky enough to have opportunities to get involved with things here and there and they were always great experiences, but I would like to do more. Although I have delayed applying to grad school for now (maybe forever?!), I haven’t forgone the idea completely and am still considering going back, eventually. But right now, the opportunity that presents itself is the chance to experience and immerse myself as much as possible into new things that I haven't done before. and I intend to make the most of that opportunity while it's here.

http://www.no-moto-boundaries.com/wp...k-pics-012.jpg http://www.no-moto-boundaries.com/wp..._cimg3-168.jpghttp://i.imgur.com/l0wBQVrl.jpg

As I head south I will be actively looking for chances to get involved and engage in the community/environment around me. Seeing as I'm quitting my job I really have no time frame and am free to to take advantage of opportunities as they arise. As with most of my trip, my plans are very open ended. I have poked around on the internet a little but what I have come to learn is that anyone with a bit of money can make a nice looking website and ‘talk-the-talk’. Sometimes though, the people doing the best things or great work may not even have a website. I think that the best way to find people/groups/organizations/programs worth looking into will be to through word of mouth. By talking with locales, other travelers, and people in related lines of work I hope to hear what they have to say and who they recommend checking out. In addition, if anyone via this trip report has a group or organization they recommend looking up, feel free to send the info my way.

http://i.imgur.com/SKO50IAl.jpg
http://www.no-moto-boundaries.com/wp..._cimg2-103.jpg

seantully 13 Oct 2012 02:42

1. Waiting
 
Currently finishing up on some bike suspension projects, Googling the interwebs working on trip logistics, and slowly selling the majority of my possessions. I just got the site up but I am actively filling it in as I get time so in the coming weeks it will be gaining content.


Most of all though…..I’m waiting.

seantully 13 Oct 2012 02:42

2. Getting Close
 
I finished up my last large project on the bike (I have named her Keepa) which was upgrading my suspension. Rode back to Whidbey Island, WA where I grew up to complete the project as I have way more tools to play with there than at my place where I live in Seattle. The suspension is from Cogent Dynamics out in North Carolina, Joyce and Rick are top-notch and they sure know what they are talking about when it comes to suspension systems. There level of detail and care in helping me get a suspension just the way I want it just shows how devoted to customer service they are. They were a pleasure to work with and I will certainly go to them in the future for any suspension related decisions.

In addition to the Cogent products I also threw in a pair of Ricor Intiminators to help with dampening. So far I am pleased with the result and I’ll get a good chance to see how the overall set-up works when I start the first leg of the trip and head to Alaska next weekend.

I have broken up the Tanning a Ginger Tip-to-Tip trip into two separate legs, the first being Sea-Town to the top and the second leg being Sea-Town to the bottom. For the first leg, which will be up to Prudhoe Bay in Alaska via British Columbia and the Yukon hitting up Dust-2-Dawson's 20th anniversary "not a rally" meet-up, I have convinced my Fasha (dad) to ride along with me for the first couple weeks on his Kawasaki KLR-650 he just bought. We’ll ride for a couple weeks then he’ll be flying back home from Fairbanks Alaska around the beginning of July.

http://i.imgur.com/zkjZoCb.jpg

Afterwards one of my best friends, roommate, and riding buddy, Koshal, will be flying in to Fairbanks and riding the rest of the trip as we come back to Seattle. I say “convinced” but I don’t really think it took much convincing…taking a few weeks off work to go ride around Alaska, British Columbia, and the Yukon, isn’t exactly pulling teeth for these two.

http://i.imgur.com/wWuh35Kl.jpg

June 16th is the leave date.

seantully 13 Oct 2012 02:43

3. Crossing t's and dotting i's
 
Getting all your ducks in a row seems to always be left to the last moment. No matter how much is done in advance it always seems like there is an endless list of things to get checked off before heading out on a trip and it always comes down to the wire. The things that I know I don’t want to forget are, for the most part, things that I have already taken care of.

Last weekend Koshal- my good friend/housemate/and riding buddy, and I took the bikes apart to do some preventative maintenance and check all the valve clearances on both motors. Seeing as both bikes will have somewhere between 5-7k miles added to them in the next 4 weeks it’s always smart to go in and do the maintenance before-hand that can be done now instead of trying to do it on the side of the road somewhere. Valve clearances as many people know tend to tighten up with distance so it’s smart to adjust them to the outer-end of their spec before heading out so they have the greatest amount of room to tighten up while still remaining within the normal operating range. Koshal and I had never done this before but there’s a first time for everything and I would much rather learn how to do all the maintenance myself and get to know the bike a bit more, besides, how else am I supposed to take my relationship with Keepa to the next level?

So again we headed back to Whidbey Island, WA to do some work on the bikes.

http://i.imgur.com/DJRCkLdl.jpg

After stripping them down and opening them up we went through the valves and all of them were within their specifications but were at the bottom of the range (had the smallest recommended clearance between the valve shims and the lobes of the cams) and it made sense to put in shims that would bring the clearance more towards the upper end of the range (having the largest recommended clearance).

http://i.imgur.com/0q5RZG6l.jpg

So we pulled all the timing chains, cams, and old shims out and calculated what would need to be put in based on the current shim sizes and desired clearances.

http://i.imgur.com/G8dCRsFl.jpg

http://www.no-moto-boundaries.com/wp...0_img_0027.jpg http://www.no-moto-boundaries.com/wp...0_img_0029.jpgAfter wrapping everything up we put the bikes back together, made sure they ran and we hadn’t completely dickered things up, and then headed back to Seattle, WA. We were eager to get home and knock a few drinks back with some friends after a long day of wrenching but just missed the ferry by about 2 minutes so we waited for the next one. All-in-all we felt accomplished and finished what we had hoped to.

http://www.no-moto-boundaries.com/wp...0_img_0031.jpghttp://i.imgur.com/Z0cJEFkl.jpg

Other items on the list of preventative maintenance are replacing the brake pads all around, doing a clutch adjust, and changing all the fluids. By doing these things now it will make the amount of maintenance I have to do on the side of the road less and increase the amount of time I can spend enjoying the riding.

There’s always other miscellaneous things like replacing my sleeping pad, patching the hole I burned in my tent with a hot ember, and wiring up a 12v power source to my tank bag so that I can charge my electronics (camera, video camera, etc). All of these don’t need to be done before heading out and could be done while on the road but it sure would be handy if I got my shit together and finished them up prior. I’ve two days though (aside from the 9-5 grind) so I should be able to knock a few more things off the list.

Luckily anything that I’m forgetting to pack-up or get done is likely not to be that important…right?

seantully 13 Oct 2012 02:44

4. Over-Packed is Under-Prepared
 
The saying that being "over-packed is under-prepared" is a saying that I have come to find very true when it is applied to traveling. Just like in choosing a bike, everyone has their own preferences on how they like to travel and thus what they like to pack. By no means am I an experienced backpacker but I have definitely learned the hard way about what to bring, what not to bring, and how I like to travel. My preferred style of travel can be best described as functional-minimalist. If you are prepared you will know exactly what you will need in addition to knowing exactly what you will be fine without, preventing you from bringing pointless or excessive amounts of stuff. Thus the saying goes: Over-packed is Under-prepared.

My hierarchy goes something like this:
  1. Bring what I imminently need on a day to day basis to get by: this usually means stuff to sustain life (food, water, synthetic/wool layered clothing appropriate for full range of potential weather conditions that could be encountered)
  2. Bring what will make travel easier and more efficient were you to have these items than to not have them. (small amenities such as headlamp, cooking items, tent, water filter/iodine tablets, medicine aside from basic first aid in case of sickness)
  3. Bring what may not be necessary and even slightly cumbersome but will make the trip more enjoyable than if you were to not have these items (this is highly subjective and dependent on each trip, ex: books, electronics, hobby items like climbing gear etc)
When I apply this hierarchy to long distance motorcycle travel though the important aspect of mechanical maintenance comes into play and what I need changes slightly. This “need” part is important seeing as “need” doesn’t just encompass line 1. above. Need encompasses everything that if I didn’t have it, and I were to need it, I would be screwed. For example, when talking about the more specific topic of motorcycle travel, I may never need a chain-breaker or a master link throughout the entire duration of a trip, but IF I were to break a link in my chain and not have those items to repair it my bike ceases to function as motorcycle and it quickly turns into just a sturdy stationary heavy hunk-0-steal to keep all my shit off the ground. Because not having these items would be a game-ender until the problem is fixed, I consider these items to be a part of the “need” category, even though the likelihood may be small. A clutch cable is another great example, without a functioning clutch cable the bike doesn’t function as a bike without it. On the opposite end there are many other items that are just as likely to be utilized but are far less important.


For the first leg of the trip this is what I have packed for my personal gear not including my items related to motorcycle equipment/gear (riding gear, tools, spare parts):

*everything fit into the duffel and panniers with extra space in all for food and taking off clothing layers.


http://www.no-moto-boundaries.com/wp...img_0021_0.jpg http://www.no-moto-boundaries.com/wp...0_img_0024.jpg


Main personal items are:
  • Camping gear (tent, sleeping pad, sleeping bag, ultralight pillow, stove)
  • Clothes (layers for warm as well as cold weather including shells for rain, prefer synthetic always but I do have cotton based items with me right now. Contrary to what my Mom always beet into my brain growing up, cotton sucks, real bad...possibly even more than trying to check the rectal temperature of a wild jungle cat. Cotton soaks up and retains water like a sponge, doesn’t dry easily, and ceases to retain heat when wet, unlike other modern synthetics or wool)
  • Basic first aid kit (nothing elaborate here though, just enough stuff to treat, stabilize, and transport myself seeing as medical facilities will be a plenty for the most part on the first leg)
  • Electronics: not in picture (digital camera, laptop, video camera)
Motorcycle related gear:
  • Riding gear (pants, jacket, helmet, enduro boots, gloves. I won’t rant at someone not wearing all their gear but if you’ve ever seen a body that has met the unlucky end of that gamble it is quite persuading to trade being heavy, sweaty, and cumbersome for not having your skin/bones ground down like a block of soft cheddar after having a spill)
  • Tools (all the wrenches, sockets, drivers, tire pump, tire irons, etc to perform all the maintenance that could be necessary on my bike specifically and nothing more. For example if not a single bolt on my bike is a metric size 7 I don’t pack it. I do however throw in a few universal tools that have multiple purposes such as monkey wrenches and vice grips etc)
  • Spare parts: (tire tubes, patch kit, fuses, light bulb, masterlink, spark plug, clutch cable, miscellaneous parts that are hard to come by on the road such as carburetor parts)
  • Miscellaneous items: items that are handy to have but don’t have an immediate one-purpose use (JB-weld, epoxy, zip-ties, twine, small bit of duct tape, ohm meter for diagnosing electrical problems, etc)
After packing everything up late last night I was pleased to have extra space in both paniers and the duffel which is important since I don’t want to have everything busting at the seam. It’s taken me a while to get decent at not just filling up space because I have it and it sure pays off later when you wish you had left some room for other items.

Moooonths ago when I decided to set a date for leaving for this first leg of the trip I had apparently put a reminder in my calendar to actually leave. I can only imagine it was a way for me to put pressure on myself to make it happen. I woke up to my phone buzzing with an ADVrider background image reminding me to head out in 24hrs, I guess it’s lucky I actually prepped beforehand!

seantully 13 Oct 2012 02:46

5. Off to a "swimmingly" good start
 
Cruising down the super slab at 60MPH in torrential downpours was what the majority of the day yesterday consisted of. The Pacific North Wet lived up to it’s name and graciously dumped for several hours giving the bikes as well as ourselves a good rinse. Seeing as I was so stoked to be on the road for the first day I didn’t seem to care too much.

The night before I had replaced the breaks all around and put a new Continental TKC80 on the rear rim and adjusted a few minor things. A cold beer really helps with this process.

http://i.imgur.com/Zg4rXfnl.jpg

http://www.no-moto-boundaries.com/wp...0_img_0032.jpgFiona, the resident Frenchie roommate (I live with 6 other people in a big house we rent together) took a photo-op on Koshal’s bike. He'll be leaving the hell-raiser here though when he flies in.

http://www.no-moto-boundaries.com/wp...0_img_0034.jpghttp://i.imgur.com/Kuydtvhl.jpg

I had planned to wake up at a reasonable hour, wrap up some last minute stuff at the house and be gone by 9am. Of course, this was foolish of me to actually believe would happen because I had done the reasonable thing the night before and gone out drinking with my friends that I won’t see for a month. We kicked a quite a few back and had a good time which lead to a fair bit of sleeping in.

http://www.no-moto-boundaries.com/wp...0_img_0037.jpghttp://i.imgur.com/ZK6Kl65l.jpg

There wasn’t a big rush to make a ton of ground though that day since my Fasha-ling (Dad, father, giver of life, etc)- who is riding his KLR650 for the first 2 weeks of the trip, had some paperwork to sign in Vancouver BC that same night. Eventually though I did get under way, met up with my sister to say by as the local kids wondered what planet I was from. I entertained their intrigue, informed them I was from mars, and shared some energy bars that I had made, however energy should have been the last thing these kids needed.

http://i.imgur.com/wTJEISul.jpg

My dad met up with us there and then we got underway. Leaving Whidbey Island and going over Deception Pass it was hazey, just beginning to mist, and absolutely gorgeous. I have crossed it many times, usually appreciate it, but for whatever reason it was in one of it’s prettiest states I had seen it. Maybe I can chock it up to the good mood.

It started raining about this time and absolutely dumped rain for the rest of the day. That was the wettest I had been while riding and felt like we were literally in a swimming pool. We burned up I-5, rolled through the border, and 40 minutes later we were at our friend Shiela’s house in North Vancouver. Got a drink/food at a local pub, caught a bit of the soccer game (football for the rest of the world) and then packed it in. It felt like a long day by the time I crawled into my sleeping bag but in reality I think it was more of general decompression after several days of running around, getting stuff in order at work, and kicking it with friends before heading out that really got me tired.

Next stop, Squamish, Whistler, and then…well we’ll see where we get. Glad to be on the road again.

seantully 13 Oct 2012 02:47

6. Miles to make
 
Like a school kid putting off homework, I felt that the miles that we hadn't been doing due to our late starts where beginning to pile up. My fasha has been pretty busy with getting stuff in order before he left so there have been some bike maintenance/changes to his bike that we have prioritized doing over worrying about it later. Seeing as we had the use of a garage it was smart to do the tasks there but has meant that we haven’t been able to put in as long of days as we would have liked. With all the wet that we had yesterday we took the chance to grease bomb our boots. This Hubero's Shoe Grease is the jam, pops said he used to use it when he worked in a logging camp back when he was in college. We'll see how it holds up to modern day rain and wet.

http://i.imgur.com/YrgUnqxl.jpg

We did get underway though and got into Squamish BC and saw The Chief . I’m a climber and had still never made a trip to Squamish so seeing it for the first time was pretty impressive.
http://www.no-moto-boundaries.com/wp...0_img_0053.jpg
http://i.imgur.com/dOCVOtFl.jpg

While in town we picked up a few food items and fasha picked up some raingear to through over his riding jacket. After the downpoor the previous day and the subsequent demise of his phone he was keen to ameliarate that problem. While ringing up his items he commented to the cashier that he knows as soon as he buys them it’ll stop raining, she chuckled and responded that they had already had there one sunny day this month.

We headed out again and rolled through whistler a bit later. We were making good pace cruising along the scenic road that goes through whistler and then heads north when I got a nice speed-woble via my rear tire blew out and the tire-bead separated from the rim. I was able to slow the bike down and come to a stop without dumping the bike along the side of the road. The feeling of your bead coming off the rim is a very distinct feeling and I new immediately that I had gotten a flat, though it was alarming as to how fast it had happened?! This meant to me that it was unlikely to be something small and must have been a large object or something more egregious.

I limped the bike to a better spot about 100meters down the road as we were currently on the apex of a narrow shouldered turn and began taking the rear tire off the bike.

http://www.no-moto-boundaries.com/wp...0_img_0061.jpghttp://i.imgur.com/oPYQmT1l.jpg

As I removed the first half of the tire I could see that the valve stem of the tube had almost completely ripped clear of tube and was only hanging on by a thread.


http://www.no-moto-boundaries.com/wp...0_img_0056.jpghttp://i.imgur.com/ob5gJwhl.jpg

This was an irreparable fix and was going to need a new tube rather than a patching. I had a spare front tube but no rear and so my dad set out to see if he could find a place in the nearest town. Seeing as it was Sunday & Father’s Day though we weren’t ambitious. I stayed with the bike and began trying to see if I could jerry-rig something to get us to a place to camp for the night until Monday when stores would be open.

Shortly afterward two people pulled over and offered me a hand and tried contacting a few of the local shops to see if anyone was open. No luck on the shops but I got some addresses of places to check tomorrow and jotted them down. Thanks for the stop Nathan and Lindsey, hope your hike at Nair Falls was nice!

I figured as I was stranded there on the road I mind as well do some maintenance and be productive so I bled my rear break as it hadn’t been biting very well since I changed the pads so I assumed I had gotten a small air bubble in the line causing the hydraulics to not work. After that I adjusted my shift lever to fit my big ass enduro boots and adjusted my rear break lever to better suit my right foot as well.

http://www.no-moto-boundaries.com/wp...0_img_0058.jpgAnother motorist, Dave, pulled over and asked if he could help, he happened to own a Suzuki DR400 and just may have a spare tube back at his house that might fit. He kindly offered to go check and I got back to McGivering a plan B. I took my spare front tube which is for a 21″ rim and began stuffing it into the 17″ rear rim. I packed it in, evened out the bends etc as much as I could and then pumped it up. It was fairly rigged considering but the bead wasn’t exactly set and the tire sure appeared wobbly.

I heard the distinct brrraaaaaapp of my dads KLR returning in the distance.

http://i.imgur.com/XsDDkLNl.jpg

As he pulled up though it was a thumbs down, valiant effort though thanks dad. Dave returned shortly and he had brought his tube although it was a slightly different size. It was MUCH closer to spec than the front tube that I had stuffed in there but we heard there was a place to camp a mile down the road so we just decided to ride what I had there and wait for the local shops to open in the AM. We all got to chatting and it turns out that Dave and my Dad grew up near each other (my dad is a Canuck and grew up in Vancouver) and went to neighboring schools, and had several mutual friends! Small world “A”? Small world in deed.

http://i.imgur.com/ccG5UgHl.jpg

http://www.no-moto-boundaries.com/wp...0_img_0068.jpgThey say that it is common to want to put miles under your belt the first few days and that until that happens, people sometimes get a bit antsy. As our second day ends and we still have many more miles to go until Dawson City Yukon, with not too many days to do it before Dust-2-Dawson begins, I was definitely feeling antsy. Though as we rolled into our quaint and groomed campsite for the night and cooked up a hearty dinner, a strong feeling of simple appreciation washed any negative feelings of being antsy away. Appreciation for the simple enjoyment of just being out and riding, the great roads, and the kind people you meet along the way were the only feelings I had as I went to sleep.

Looking forward to tomorrow.

http://i.imgur.com/05kXioxl.jpg


http://www.no-moto-boundaries.com/wp...0_img_0080.jpg

seantully 13 Oct 2012 02:48

7. The swing of things
 
"Finding your stroke" or "Getting into the swing of things" is something that has to be found as you go along when you are doing something new, you never start out with it already in your pocket. For me, traveling long distances day-in and day-out is not something that I'm super familiar with, yet http://d26ya5yqg8yyvs.cloudfront.net/mwink.gif. It always seems to take a few days to work out a pace and find your “flow” as they say. For me it seems like Monday, our third day, was closer in that direction.

We woke up early after a solid - albeit short, sleep so we could swing by the nearest town to try and procure a tube that would fit my rear tire as soon as the local shops opened up. I stayed back to pack stuff up and remove my wheel again and have everything ready in hopes that a tube could be found and we could be underway asap. A bit later I here the cheerfully revving brraaaap braaap of my dad coming back into the campsite throttling his motor, signaling to me that he had found something that would work. The tube was slightly the wrong size but it would get the job done until we found a larger town which would likely have more options. I promptly stuffed the new tube into the tire, mounted it, filled my Camelback up on water from the hand-pumped campsite well and we were on our way.

The day was showing promising signs of bearing good weather and (provided we didn’t have any troubles) we were hoping to make up some miles today. "Miles", and how many of them we needed to make up for the last two days of slow-going, had been on my mind heavily. But the morning rolled on, the fog lifted, and we started making consistent ground. I felt my thoughts slowly shifting, not just my focus and dwelling on making up miles, but my overall mindset and mental state. That feeling of relaxing and settling in to the groove had pushed its way through to the front of my mind and was setting up shop. For as long as I get to just be out riding my bike I'm thinking it'll be a permanent new location for it.

In the afternoon we gassed up at a small town. My dad used to work on a river rafting outfit when he was a kid where you would get flown in way up river and then spend 7-10 days rafting down the river. Apparently this little town was where it finished and my dad hadn’t been to it since he was working that job as a kid. He said it hadn't appeared to have changed a wink in those 40 years.

The Fraser river, which is a predominant river running through BC going South down through Vancouver has been so swollen due to the rainfall this season. So full that they have had evacuation warnings in some areas where the river water is at risk of overflowing and breaking through the banks. The small town seemed to be handling all this extra water and its issues in stride though and making the best of it.

http://i.imgur.com/yakcUz3l.jpg

We headed out again and took what appeared to be a short cut on the map that went through a more adventurous section of the map taking us up a couple thousand feet of elevation and then also switching to dirt. This was a welcome occurrence and I was more than eager to get Keepa dirty and put her through her paces a bit.

http://i.imgur.com/w6obgOzl.jpg

With the altitude came a bit of condensation and light sprinkling causing the road (which is actually considered a hwy on the map) to get nice and slick with thick mud, exactly what I was hoping for. The sky broke, the sun came out, and the scenery began to open up.

http://i.imgur.com/4u1z8DLl.jpg

We were in cattle country and there were many ranches sprawling as far as I could see adjoining one after the other. Apparently we went by one of, if not the, largest cattle ranch in Canada. There were many cattle guards and signs that read “open range, cattle at large”. At reading this I pictured gangs of roaming bandit cows lurking around unseen bends, waiting to ambush our little caravan like in the old west. The most that happened though was pop’s already bent pannier coming loose from all the bouncing around on the bumpy road and going for a tumble in the mud. The bikes performed great and I really enjoyed taking that shortcut. We eventually got spit out in a small town and we proceeded on our way north.

We rode for the rest of the day, passing through more and more towns of varying sizes and characters but all with a progressively more relaxed demeanor than the towns before. This seems to be a common trend as we head further North, if it proves to hold true it’s a good sign for places to come.

If a traveling ‘groove’ must be found only with distance and time on the road, I feel like we are slowly sinking into ours. At the end of the day I was cruising along open roads with my feet kicked up on the highway pegs, one hand slouched on my hip and the throttle locked at a steady open click, my mind starting to feel just as relaxed as my body. For the rest of the day the only thing to be seen for as far as as the long rays of the setting sun could stretched to, was the passing of vast expanses of open scenery, lush forests, meandering lakes, and open pockets of farm land scattered in between it all. Bends in the road brought on new expanses around each turn.

All of the scenery though did have a common aesthetic to it, a common 'feel' or auroa about it. As we carried on down the road covering mile after mile, all of the terrain seemed to have a sort of leading sensation associated with it that gave you the feeling of be funneled in one direction, North.

As I sit back and soak it in, if this is what it’s like to travel via motorcycle, I feel like I could get used to this. A picture that I snapped earlier in the day sums the feeling up nicely.

http://i.imgur.com/mCdzs2Fl.jpg

http://www.no-moto-boundaries.com/wp...0_img_0102.jpg

seantully 13 Oct 2012 02:50

9. Now Serving: "Miles" - Breakfast, Lunch, & Dinner
 
http://i.imgur.com/9C19oNdl.jpg

For the next two days, we ate miles, looots of miles. They were served up in every way from “early morning wear-everything-you-have-almost-below-freezing” to "sweltering afternoon-sun-too-hot-to-be-sitting-still-in-riding-gear”. We were hoping to try and make it to Dawson City - which is in the middle of the Yukon, for the start of the adventure motorcycle meet-up which was in its 20th anniversary this year. To do this though we had lots of miles to ride, and so we set out to get it done.

When you are riding a popular motorcycle route around the North of America you end up running into a fair number of other motorcyclists. More often than not you continue to bump into the same people at gas stations as you push on further down the road.

Along the way we met Darby, she is a bull mastiff and was traveling with her family in her own cart/container all the way from Ohio. She seemed content chewing on plastic water bottles for amusement while her owners filled up their bikes. When it was time to roll out she would just jump right back into her deluxe trailer and cruise on down the road.

http://i.imgur.com/8XKTLlXl.jpg

We proceeded to burn further north, passing through plenty of fog, rain, and clear blue skies.

http://i.imgur.com/1ip7z4nl.jpg

http://i.imgur.com/Gc1BD64l.jpg

http://i.imgur.com/Dpfhul2l.jpg

The next day we were up at 5:00am to break camp and get to boogey-n. We didn’t stop for breakfast for a few hours but by the time we did I sure was ready for it. They say the best seasoning is hunger, and good ol’ Red River hot cereal - cooked on the back of my bike by none other than the 2nd best Red River porridge maker my dad (1st best is his dad), had never tasted so good.

http://i.imgur.com/ogwzfczh.jpg

As we burned further north, stretching the day into ever longer periods of time in the saddle, we started seeing more and more wild-life.

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We passed from town to town riding all day long. There were hat collections (this one had more than 8,000), sign collections, and giant cinnamon roles to be had.

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The cinnamon role was bomb and the owner of the only restaurant/gas station in the town was super interesting. In the winter time the Yukon Quest sled dog race goes right through this small “town” and all of the dogs/racers have a check-point at her establishment for rest and sleep. Several hundred antsy sled-dogs howling and looking to get running again must be quite the sound.

This old dog though I think was more beet than us.

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We rode for 12 hours the first day of our push and 15 hours the second day to finally roll into Dawson City in the middle of the Yukon around 9pm. With the sun never setting and just going around in circles above you it’s pretty easy to get lost in time and forget about exhaustion. We had finally made it to our first main destination, the whole reason for rushing, and to catch the start of Dust-2-Dawson.

Onward.

http://i.imgur.com/xibZfNtl.jpg
http://www.no-moto-boundaries.com/wp...0_img_0243.jpg

seantully 13 Oct 2012 02:52

9. From Dust-2-Dawson
 
Dust-2-Dawson is the name of the motorcycle 'event' that we were going to and the name seemed fitting as we literally went from dusty no-mans land to all of a sudden winding up in a town in the middle of nowhere called Dawson. We finally got in around 9pm and although we had gotten up at 4:30am and been riding for 15 hours we were both pretty stoked to have made it in time for the start of the 20th anniversary of the Dust-2-Dawson meet-up, it seemed like our exhaustion was all but forgotten. The history of the meet-up – and it is in fact a meet-up “NOTA rally”, is important to understanding the significance of the gathering I want to paint the picture. Seeing as it has already been well described before I’ll let the people who truly know about it do the talking.

The quote below describes the background of Dust-2-Dawson as seen by one of its original founders who goes by the ADVrider inmate name “Fighter”:

_____________________

Ca$h Register, along with Jim Coleman and myself are the original founders of the Dust To Dawson (D2D) “gathering” back in 1992. It was hatched over a few beers in the Dawson’s Midnight Sun where we first met.


A little pre-history.

In Spring of 1990 the Alaska Last Frontier BMW Club here in Alaska receive a letter from an Oklahoma rider by the name Ca$h Register. In that letter Ca$h related this story:

Ca$h and his long time riding buddy Jim had planned a mega-trip to Alaska for 1990 and were going to attend our little local rally. They had pre-paid their entry fee and about a month prior to lift-off Ca$h collapsed in a restaurant. Heart attack.


Jim was with him at the time and tried in vain to resuscitate his best friend. Paramedics on the scene weren’t having much luck either. At Jim’s insistence they hit the go button on the paddles a third time and Ca$h’s heart lit back up. Obviously their much anticipated trip to the North was on hold. OBTW, to this day… Ca$h’s business cards include the phrase “You only live twice” Our local club, upon reading that tearful letter and hearing the story, sent a refund to Ca$h and Jim and included for each of them a club license plate frame.


Fast forward to June of 1992.

I was on a solo run to Dawson City, YT and saw two well decked out PD’s parked in front of the Midnight Sun. The Oklahoma plates with the LFMC frames caught my attention immediately. It didn’t take me long to determine who owned those two GS’s. Ca$h and Jim had finally made it to the North country after an extensive rehab. Doctors to this day are at loss to medically explain what had happened.

I introduced myself to these two holligans and another chapter or two was written.

That evening over a few adult beverages the three of us hatched a plan to tackle the Dempster and try to make the 500 mile run to Inuvik. The road had been closed for several days due to high water on the Peel River. Lack of gas at Eagle Plain was most definitely our main issue. We waited a day or two for the road to re-open and made our break. The three of us had a wonderful ride. I remember Ca$h standing on his head at the Arctic Circle. It was his 60th birthday. Both Ca$h and Jim were excellent riders as I later substantiated on my visit to Ca$h’s hometown of Dill City, Oklahoma… the summer after we all met. Two walls of Cash’s shop were smothered with trophies and plaques that both of them had earned.

Jim’s life was tragically cut short on Halloween eve 1994 while returning home from Cash’s place…… his R100GS was no match for the Suburban.


On the original 1992 Alaska trip Jim and Ca$h had taken a side trip to Eagle and both were so taken by the beauty and solitude that they made a pact with each other. The deal was struck that when either of them died, the survivor would return to the North Country with the remains of the fallen. A year later Ca$h gave me a call from Whitehorse.


“Fite… I’m on my way! Got Jim with me in the tank bag. We were doin’ a hundred on the Casiar and Jim was laughing his head off”.


I will never forget that call, nor the one I had received on the previous Halloween night.


Ca$h was retracing the exact route the two of them had taken in ’92. He camped in the same places, hit the same cafes, took pictures from the same vantage points. Had a beer at the “Sun”. Jim’s final ride with his life-long riding partner Ca$h was just as it was the first time they came north.


Ca$h (with Jim in the tank bag) rounded a hard right hander about 10 miles south of Eagle and there on that windswept mountainside stood a single tree. The anemic looking black spruce, that had survived a myriad of brutal winters, stood tall against all odds. The view was spectacular. Ca$h later told me that when he rounded that right-hander, thoughts of Jim were so vivid that Ca$h began to weep uncontrollably. The thoughts of his lost riding partner were so intense… and the pain so near…. he could barely keep his PD upright. It was on that lonely road with its breath-taking view and scrawny tree that Ca$h said his final good-byes to Jim Coleman. An emotional two man private ceremony gave way to the Jim’s final send off and a plaque being posted on the tree. Ca$h turned around and headed back to Dill City.


For many of us it has been a long time D2D tradition to make a side trip into Eagle, Alaska (on our way to/from Dawson City) and to stop at Jim’s Tree. We do it for Jim AND Ca$h. You can see in the photos where a brush fire has swept through the area. That fire, along with brutal weather conditions wouldn’t dare “mess around with Jim” The tree has been visited and annointed by many of us and the memories of both Jim and Ca$h are alive and well. It is my hope as “keeper of the Tree”…. that the tradition continues.

Carry On.
Fite

_______________________

I originally read about D2D on ADVrider when I was looking for things to see on my way through to Prudhoe Bay in Alaska. After I read the above description I knew that it was something that I wouldn’t want to miss. The two day event is chock full of activities. In addition anytime 200+ adventure motorcyclists pull into a fun old mining town like Dawson City there is always a good time to be had.

We camped at a campsite across the water where a small ferry operates 24-7 bringing everything from foot traffic walk-ons to big
rigs across the briskly flowing Yukon River.

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After getting set-up, pops and I split up to go explore the area. I was oblivious to the fact that it was the summer solstice that day (the longest day of the year) and we just so happened to be in an amazing location to witness it (pretty far North and access to a great look-out spot). I met some younger Dawson-locals originally from Germany who said that “if there is ever a party in Dawson, tonight is the night” and that the top of "The Dome" was the place to be. They asked if I wanted to tag along and of course, I like to party.

http://www.no-moto-boundaries.com/in...ight=240&mode= So I hopped on my bike and followed them up a winding steep road just outside of town. I saw another local pedaling up the steep road on a bicycle, there was only one place he could likely be going slowed down and pulled up next to him and offered a tow to the top. He looked at me and the bike with surprise and then excitedly looked for a good place to grab onto, the pannier worked great. Once we got to the Dome a few of us road our bikes right to the tippy-top where we had 360 degree views. People began showing up and getting lively for the show. A small plane was doing some pretty fun looking stunts for the crowd too.

http://i.imgur.com/VLQMN3Pl.jpg

http://i.imgur.com/sAu2bq8l.jpg

From this vantage point later in the night you could watch the sun dip ever so briefly behind the mountain ridges to the west and then come back up about an hour later slightly to the right.

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When the hour for the sun to do it's dip came, there were lots of people hanging out having a good time and celebrating this unique day so far North in this remote, but rowdy little town.

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By the time I hopped the ferry back home I had been up for almost 24 hours, 15 hours of which was spent riding, and I should have been pretty beat. But with the sun never setting, being stoked about finally making it to Dawson City, and getting to see and be a part of an awesome Solstice in a unique little place, I was pretty impressed with my lack of overwhelming lethargy.

http://www.no-moto-boundaries.com/in...ight=240&mode=http://i.imgur.com/Zji9qBOl.jpg

After a solid sleep, the next two days were full of riding, tom-foolery, and sometimes just shooting the shit with other riders who have all made the same crazy trek to the same out-there spot. There's a great energy about being around so many people that all love to do the same thing.

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On Friday night there is a Biker Banquet where everyone gathers to eat and give awards out for things like youngest/oldest attendee, most crashes, furthest distance traveled to get here, etc. The organizers also talk about the history of the event which is so routed in the group of guys that 'started' it.

http://i.imgur.com/8Wh6DRQh.jpg

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After food and drink the biker games begin and people get rowdier. The games start around 9 and go until after midnight. All of the games focus on rider skill and technique. There are Blindfold riding contests, Slow Races (those who have the best balance and can ride the slowest from start to finish line win), Ball Drops (dropping tennis balls in consecutively smaller containers while riding), and Slalom events. If you enter a “Two-up” event there is the Water Balloon Toss and Hot Dog Bite (apparently only co-ed teams or lady teams allowed).

http://i.imgur.com/vDR4IRjh.jpg

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And of course, don’t forget to do the Sourtoe Cocktail at the Downtown Hotel so you can join the ranks of the Sourtoe Cocktail Club. Story goes that the original toe was lobbed off after a Dawson City local came into the bar with frost-bite on his toe. They dropped it in some alcohol to preserve it and then things get weird and people start doing shots with the toe in the shot. Now it's a thing and you can do a shot with the toe as well, provided you buy strong enough liquor to preserve it with http://d26ya5yqg8yyvs.cloudfront.net/lol8.gif.

http://i.imgur.com/KjZBRSZh.jpg

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http://www.no-moto-boundaries.com/in...ight=240&mode=Well I can't pass up an opportunity to join the ranks of the sick and twisted so I had to do it.

http://i.imgur.com/MxAXpkph.jpg

http://www.no-moto-boundaries.com/in...ight=240&mode= http://www.no-moto-boundaries.com/in...ight=240&mode= http://www.no-moto-boundaries.com/in...ight=240&mode= http://www.no-moto-boundaries.com/in...ight=240&mode= For anyone wondering, the texture is like rubber.http://d26ya5yqg8yyvs.cloudfront.net/1drink.gif

Next up is riding the Top Of The World Highway passing over and out of the Yukon and back into ‘Merica to head to Fairbanks.

seantully 13 Oct 2012 02:53

10. Little Chicken, Big Character
 
Chicken, Alaska, the biggest little town in eastern Alaska was where we had our sights set next. It was our first destination after heading out of Dawson City and would be our first stop in Alaska. We had heard that the home-baked pies crafted up by Susan were crazy good and I am not one to pass up top notch baked goods, especially if they involve berries.

Before we headed out we wanted to do a few touristy things that we hadn’t been able to get around to yet the past couple of days. I wanted to snap a few photos of the infamous Dawson City and we also wanted to do a tour of one of the old dredges used during the big Klondike Gold Rush. These things were used to dig for gold and could move and process amounts of earth in search of gold on an unimaginable level. The one we really wanted to go see was called Dredge No. 4. What they were able to achieve in terms of infrastructure, engineering, and sheer determination that long ago is mind boggling to think about. The lengths they were willing to go to make it happen makes it so unique as well. If you stim-out on history scope the link above, it’s pretty impressive. In essence though these enormous gold-digging monstrosities floated on a small pond of water that they were constantly digging up earth in front of, sifting through and removing the gold from, and then re-depositing the sediment out the back as they inched further and further forward, zig-zagging there way through whatever area of land they wanted to dig-up.

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On our way out I snapped a photo in front of the downtown hotel and snapped a few more around town. What it was like in the late 1890′s with 40,000 people in it at the height of the gold rush I can only imagine.

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We milled about a bit, fueled up on gas, picked up food for the next couple days, and rode our bikes onto the small Dawson City ferry to take us across the Yukon River. We were now turning East to start heading towards the Alaskan border. The route from Dawson back to Alaska is via the Top Of The World Highway and the name is very fitting. The road cuts across a mountain ridge-line for several hours of dirt riding and eventually crossing the border out of the Yukon and into Alaska. You definitely feel like you are up on a highway in the clouds.

http://i.imgur.com/FVoju7al.jpg

http://i.imgur.com/kEW9ko6l.jpg

http://www.no-moto-boundaries.com/in...ight=240&mode= http://www.no-moto-boundaries.com/in...ight=240&mode= http://www.no-moto-boundaries.com/in...ight=240&mode=There was a feeling that this border would be more relaxed than most so I asked the border guard if he would snap a couple pictures for us. There are only two guards stationed here to watch over this border, just two. One for entering the US and one for entering Canada. They each live in two separate cabins right next to each other. The guy said he is stationed there for 72 days straight then he goes back home for a bit. I wonder how often they crack beers together and ignore the rules, because rules in a place that seems so far removed and remote such as this just seem silly. Who's gonna tattle on you, the single other human that's there with you?

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We continued on East and the 'Murica side of the Top Of the World Highway was just as nice.

http://i.imgur.com/aXOCcuOh.jpg

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Eventually the road slowly dropped in elevation and we began to fall into a valley.

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When we came across the town called Chicken there was no confusion as to whether we had found it or not, on top of that, there wasn't anything else anywhere near it so it's hard to miss in spite of it's size.

Here are some handy facts about Chicken, this was written up and posted on the saloon door:

http://i.imgur.com/lYy9wCBh.jpg

This is it in all of it's glory.

http://i.imgur.com/ufUK6G9h.jpg

We stepped inside the Chicken Saloon and ordered a drink from the bartender....

http://i.imgur.com/8t5Y4uAh.jpg

We then took that drink outside and walked one building over into the Chicken Cafe and ordered some BBQ chicken, served up by the none other than the same guy who was our bartender just a minute earlier, he had just walked out the bar and into the cafe so he could serve us food as well!

http://i.imgur.com/PC8b35qh.jpg

We followed the food up with some of the home-baked goods that others so raved about. Some BBQ chicken, couple beers, followed up with some pie and my Dad and I were feeling preeeeetty damn good about our decision to come here. The food did not fail to impress.

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We camped for free in the gravel parking lot and spent the rest of the night shooting the shit with the handful of travelers and locals that gather around this glorious small little spot. The local group of folks (4-5 people) and us sat around telling stories, mostly them telling us about Chicken and its eccentricities, us gawking at the holes in the saloon door that were blown out with their home made “panti-cannon”.
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With the reluctant donation of a willing ladies thong we even got a showing of the fabled panti-cannon and they got to tack another gunpowder-obliterated undergarment to the saloon’s ever growing ceiling collection. With a thong packed in on top of two and a half shot glasses of gunpowder, the blast and subsequent concussion was deafening.

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They lit another one off around 3:30am after a fair bit more drinking that had even more gunpowder in it, along with another donated thong as well. Not a single person in town batted an eye, then again, everyone in town was just them.

- – - – - – - – -

As exciting as the characters of Chicken and the panti-cannon were, it was another traveler that captivated my interest the most. He was guy in his late 70's probably, traveling with his wife in an old pick-up with a camper on the back. He didn't seem like the RVing grandparents type though and at first I had him pegged as a local, or at least a local an Alaskan, he didn't seem like a tourist or a traveler in the same way that we were. He seemed at home here, or at least in this sort of traveling lifestyle. He had a fairly quiet demeanor and spent most of the initial evening time just sitting and enjoying other peoples conversation, sipping on his beers. He had a warm look on his face and a smirk-y grin, I got the impression that he seemed like a chill guy and one of those people that has stories under his belt, and that's why he's so quiet and content to just sit and enjoy listening to other people tell stories. Me being me I got to chatting with him and that was that. With some intrigued questioning and nudging of conversation he eventually over the course of a couple hours and several beers told me all about the things he had done throughout his life, his life story was by far the most varied and extensive history I had heard from any stranger before and I found him absolutely captivating. Sort of like when you get a bit older and you realize just how ****ing cool your grandpa is and how it's fascinating hearing all the things they have experienced in their long life. Everything from winning the famous Omak Suicide Horse race, sailing in St. Marks, flying bush planes in Alaska, to getting bored and deciding to train to do the famous Iditarod sled dog race at the ripe and spry age of 63. When he decided to try and race the Iditarod he moved to Alaska, built a home himself to train out of in the boonies, and 3 years later successfully completed the Iditarod race (he broke his neck the 2nd year so it took him a bit to rehab before he could successfully race it to completion).

Through talking with him I also learned that his name was Jeanne. I also learned that he was diagnosed with inoperable brain cancer 2 years ago. He was very frank about his prognosis and outlook and he openly said that he would be surprised if he was still around in 2 years. He still had such a sense of calm about him when talking about this though, and his spirit was just as perky and happy as when he was talking about the other things that he had done in his life. I knew that I had to ask him more questions as it's rare that you meet someone like Jeanne. I asked him "For a guy that has done so much with your life already and always lived with a drive and passion for doing what you were interested in that moment and flying by the seat of your pants, is there anything that you know you really want to do before your time is up?"

He thought about the question pensively, but only for a moment, and then laughed and smiled with the same smile he had so easily brought forward throughout our long conversation, and said that "If there was anything left that I desired to do I'm sure that I would get out there and be doing it already!" (he was still actively traveling the world and flying his plane regularly) I drew from this that the thought of "What do I do now that I know I'm going to die soon" never really crossed his mind because he always did the things in life that he wanted to do, he never back burnered anything. Living his life up until this moment in that way allowed him to - now knowing that he doesn't have much time left - live out the last of his time in comfort about what he has and hasn't done because he always lived his life to the fullest.

In the morning I walked over to where him and his wife were camping and talked with him again over camp breakfast. Before we parted ways he said that after we had all gone to sleep he had thought more about my question that I had asked. He said that although he hadn’t come up with anything that he has yet to do or wished he'd done differently, he wanted to explain that he did understand why I asked the question. He understood that I was asking the question from a place of interest being that I am young and (hopefully!) have a lot more living to do, and was seeking any wisdom from a man who had so obviously lived his life to its fullest.

He said that if he can impart any wisdom that he has learned through his his long list of life experiences, it is that:

” there is no point in spending your life doing things you don’t want to do and that don’t give you joy. You can make all the money in the world but you need to learn how to have fun. You MUST learn how to play. Since I was diagnosed with cancer 2-years ago I haven’t had a single bad day. I simply don’t have time for bad days, so I make every day a good day. Life is short and if you can get started with that mentality young, you’ll do just fine.”

With that he ended our conversation and left me to digest. With his joyful attitude, piercingly insightful eyes backed by many years of a life well lived, he looked at his wife with a smile - who had been sitting next to him quietly sipping her coffee mug held with both hands for warmth, and said simply that they should head out and get going, saying "We have things, to go do."

If I had any question about finishing up my work in Seattle and heading South in the fall, Jeanne and his wise words sure stomped them out.

seantully 13 Oct 2012 02:56

11. Looking For A Dead Horse
 
The next morning we headed out of Chicken. This place, in all of its little eccentricities, is quite the joint. If you are going over the Top of The World Highway in either direction, it's worth a stop-off for sure. Maybe it was the people, maybe it was me having no expectations, whatever it was I left with a full belly of food, as well as good times. It's a quaint little place that isn't trying to be anything it's not, and it'll likely never be anything much at all considering it's far out there location and character, and that's just the way it should stay.

http://i.imgur.com/NQWdJbHh.jpg

We were heading for Tok, a junction of sorts, where you can either head West towards Anchorage or head North towards Fairbanks. We were en route to Fairbanks at this point to meet up with my friends Sophie and Thaddeus so we would be taking the northly route.

With all the pretty scenery and seemingly endless sunlight we quickly found ourselves burnt out and falling asleep. Nice thing about Alaska is everything is so rural that you can pretty much pull off the side of the road anywhere and more or less not be bothered. We took this as an opportunity for a quick nap and recoup on the way to Fairbanks.

http://i.imgur.com/TREOFFqh.jpg

When we eventually rolled into Fairbanks we had some bike maintenance to do and needed to source some parts so we went to the shop who’s name we had heard about most often from people at the Dust-2-Dawson meetup and who’s shop came highly recommended, ADV Cycle Works over on the North end of town in Fairbanks. After being in and out for several days and getting a glimpse of how they do things over there, Dan and Shawn Armstrong are quite the duo, they sure do know their way around ADV bikes, and their outfit is a great example of how a local shop should be run. Hats off to you guyshttp://d26ya5yqg8yyvs.cloudfront.net/thumb.gif

My friends Sophie and Thaddaeus now live in Fairbanks and they have been kind enough to offer up what space they have in their cabin for my Dad and I to crash there for a few days while we re-collect ourselves and then make a dart north to ride the Dalton Highway. My pops is flying back to Seattle on the 1st of June and so we are planning to do the ride to Prudhoe Bay via the Dalton Highway before then. After some last minute bike fixes (blown rear axle bearings on my Dads bike) from ADV Cycle Works we were ready to head out.

The Dalton Highway (also known as the haul road) is a predominantly dirt road that stretches from just north of Fairbanks 414 miles up to Deadhorse/Prudhoe Bay. It was originally built to haul goods etc up to supply the Trans-Alaska Pipeline System in ’74. If you follow it all the way it takes you first up into the Arctic Circle and and then you get to continue on up to the Arctic Ocean. Where the road ends is the furthest north you can ride in the Americas. Although with the first leg of this trip my goal was only to have a good time, get a feel for what traveling via motorcycle was like, and iron out the mechanical kinks etc, I had definitely made it a personal goal to make it to the top so that I can hopefully ride to the bottom at some point as well, thus riding "Tip-to-Tip".

On the first day we waited until the afternoon in Fairbanks debating if the weather would clear. We deliberated for a bit, sat around staring at the sky twiddling our thumbs as if trying to bag an alpine summit while reading the whether seeing if a window will open up.

**** it, it wasn’t going to clear, my Dad only had about half a week left, and we weren’t going to let the weather sully our chances of making it to Prudhoe Bay. We set out from my friends cabin in Fairbanks and the roads progressively became more and more dirt. It's kind of cool because there is a blatant cut-off where the road just stops being paved, you can see it in the picture below. All dirt and gravel from here on out.

http://i.imgur.com/eGmakEgh.jpg

The further north we got the more the weather and road deteriorated making the ride a lot more fun. Man I hate super slab, at least have it be a dirt super-slab like this thinghttp://d26ya5yqg8yyvs.cloudfront.net/naughty.gif

http://i.imgur.com/X3Ixzu9h.jpg

And of course, on came the rain making everything nice and sloppy, again though, way more fun.

http://i.imgur.com/3cCyv4dh.jpg

Around 9pm we made it into the Arctic Circle and snapped our photo’s with the famous “Arctic Circle” sign. I felt pretty touristy doing this but it was sweet to finally pop a squat in front of the sign that I had seen so many other riders take photos at as well.

http://i.imgur.com/Mj2ziLzh.jpg

My dad seems to take pictures like he's in the 1800's now, you know how you never see anyone from old photos smiling? He's all laughs and good times until a camera comes out, then it's Stone-Cold steve austin, no smiling allowed. Maybe it's a blue steel sort of thing...I'll work with him on it.

http://i.imgur.com/J8uTO9th.jpg

We rode until around midnight and got just past a 'place' called Coldfoot. This is the only point between Fairbanks and Deadhorse where there is a place to get gas and a place to eat and it's at about the halfway mark. We fueled up for the last time before finding a place to camp and rest up before tomorrows 230 mile push to Deadhorse. The next morning we awoke early along with birds, they seemed to be pretty into the camp scene and know how to get a snack. Kind of a wet and mangey looking chirper.

http://i.imgur.com/JQB2h8ah.jpg

http://i.imgur.com/dbHT1Y1h.jpg

We continued on, pushing North. No need for a GPS anymore, only one road. If we loose it, we probably shouldn't be out riding motorcycles anyways. There are still trees but they are getting smaller and smaller. Although our altitude isn't very high, the winter seasons are just too harsh and long this far north that trees can't get a hold and grow. I was told that eventually we would pass 'the last tree' and then there wouldn't see anymore until we came back south again.

http://i.imgur.com/cQg1xL7h.jpg

We started heading towards Atigun Pass which is a part of the Brooks Range and is the highest pass in Alaska that is maintained throughout the year. I've seen my share of mountains and passes but after so much flat it commanded much more presence and awe than I would have expected.

http://i.imgur.com/4rby8rXh.jpg

As we climbed higher it got wetter, colder, and the road got worse. Visibility was pretty low and you never really knew when you would see a big MAC truck coming downt he road in the other direction. All over you could see where trucks had run-off the road, either from poor conditions like this or from lack of attention. You can see in the photo below that what they have in place as a guard rail has been ripped out when a truck went over the edge. Not surprised though those things would barely keep a bike from going off the edge. On the 650's we can cook along at a pretty good pace, a truck would definitely not be going that quick though.

http://i.imgur.com/h46PSClh.jpg

After a few more hours of riding I switched the page view on my GPS to show a map of where I was instead of my usual digital read-out of mileage, heading, etc. For the first time since I left Seattle I saw coastline and a big blue mass of ocean come up on the screens readout! Having grown up on an island in the pacific northwest and spending much of my childhood on a boat, I now seem to have a set of sea-legs and my head gets all weird and uncalibrated if I'm away from the ocean for too long. It was GREAT to see that coastline on the screen, even if it was just a digital image, I now knew where water was and everything was right in the world again. I kept the GPS on this view for the next 2.5 hours, watching the little arrow creep closer and closer to the blue water on the map.

http://i.imgur.com/A4phru1h.jpg

Now that we were out of Atigun Pass we were now on the tundra. There was nothing but vast open expanses of nothingness and no more trees where to be seen anywhere. These ridges on the east behind my bike were the last geographical features to see anywhere.

http://i.imgur.com/BwJYdvVh.jpg

After only a few minutes of being stopped Alaskas state bird, the mosquito, where on you like stink on shit and it was time to boogey on away from wherever you were. Where the hell do they come from? What could possibly be out here that has enough blood to feed the bagillions of these ****ers that seem to come out of the woodwork no matter where you are? They are like zombies that haven't seen blood in decades and they all flock to you immediately. I say burn'em, burn'em ALL with fire. (you can see how many of them there are in the bottom-left photo)

http://i.imgur.com/qE7THwyh.jpg

We pushed on and within the hour we had made it to Prudhoe Bay, Alaska. I finally found out the discrepancy between calling it Deadhorse and Prudhoe bay. As a handy little info pamphlet held in a box at the 'entrance of town' told me, calling it Deadhorse is like calling New York city “The Bronx”. Technically Deadhorse is a place in Prudhoe Bay. Either way though the information seemed fairly suspect and sounded like there was an ongoing dispute about zip codes and titles, so take that factoid with a grain of salt.

At any rate, we made it to the top but there would be no swimming in the Arctic Ocean for me. The entire area is controlled by BP and Conoco (HUGE oil companies for those that don’t know) and they have a tight reign on everything that goes on up there. Oil is big business here...hah actually the only business that goes on here, and they don't want you in any part of it. Seeing as it is a work camp and by no means a tourist town you feel like an outsider butting into people’s business from the moment you roll into the work camp. People eye balling you left and right, looking at you like you are most certainly lost, I have never felt like such a tourist than in this place. Essentially though this is precisely what you are doing, it’s a work camp, not a tourist destination (barring the few crazies that decide they want to go as far north as they can while riding a moto). There is a sign as you enter the area that reads something to the ilk of this is no longer a public area, you are allowed here but people have shit to do, rigs to drive, and places to get to, so stay the **** out of the way’. Obviously this isn’t verbatim, but it is clear that you are a guest at best, and it would behoove you to mind your business and not impede anyone else's.

To get to the real ocean you have to go onto BP and Conocos land, because you would be on their land and in close proximity to their oil operations, they are worried that if us non-employees were to get all self-riotous and try to **** with their oil operation it would be bad news money-bears for them, and thus you are required to obtain a security clearance pass and a background check that takes at least 24hours. Well we weren’t keen on staying in this odd place for much longer than we needed to so we made the best of what we had.

http://i.imgur.com/YgYBf7mh.jpg

http://i.imgur.com/NEiJRbkh.jpg

Honestly the whole place gave me a fairly eery feeling, if you have ever seen the movie Waterworld staring Kevin Costner you’ll understand what I mean. That movie was all I could think about while I was here and all of Deadhorse reminded me of it. The similarities where just too striking. Deadhorse's bustling industrial activity, being located in a super remote place literally in the middle of nowhere, set in a harsh and barren environment where all of it’s inhabitants are completely entrenched with searching feverishly for a single highly valued resource that their society needs to survive, in this case oil.

Funny enough though that resource, which we also need to run our bikes, was $5.35 a gallon here!

http://i.imgur.com/mC2i2LZh.jpg

http://i.imgur.com/bmUCwSph.jpg

As always though, the ride is the fun part, if the destination is nice, it's merely a bonus. So we got our pictures, fueled up on gas and food supplies, as the next place to get either was back the way we came some 240 miles, and then got back on the road towards Coldfoot being glad to be back on the tundra.

http://i.imgur.com/fCdePC2h.jpg
http://www.no-moto-boundaries.com/wp...0_img_0406.jpg

seantully 13 Oct 2012 02:58

12. Chilling in Fairbanks
 
After another day and a half slog-fest in the mud down the Dalton Highway back to where we had come from we made it to Fairbanks. The weather was about the same and it was fun slogging around in the mud on the way back. With relatively light bikes, although they aren't no scooter, we made good time and it was pretty straightforward sailing.

http://i.imgur.com/obEjVhth.jpg

http://i.imgur.com/e2mWOI3h.jpg

http://i.imgur.com/KNkPHWUh.jpg

When we got back to my friends cabin in Fairbanks I snapped a few photos of pig in all her muddy glory before I cleaned her up.

http://i.imgur.com/e2AUZwTh.jpg

http://i.imgur.com/SDhnLDch.jpg

http://i.imgur.com/DmIe4YYh.jpg

http://i.imgur.com/PGq0dWbh.jpg

After the mud had dried I noticed that there was still a peculiar wet spot on my right fork, boot, and pant-leg. Guess my right fork seal had had enough and decided it would be easier to die than do it's job. In the process it went out in a fanfare and puked it’s innards everywhere. I added new fork seals to the fix list to get done while in Fairbanks.

http://i.imgur.com/4PSBGPvh.jpg

The last few days have been spent doing laundry (I’m traveling realitively light though so don’t really have much), eating a ton of food, hanging out with Sophie and Thaddaeus, lounging in the local hot springs, scoping out the wildlife by my friends cabin we are staying in, and trying to be a bit more Alaskan and shooting some guns.

http://i.imgur.com/peK8MEth.jpg

http://i.imgur.com/fgezXuOh.jpg

http://i.imgur.com/lh2Xecsh.jpg

http://i.imgur.com/ye3hCnnh.jpg

http://i.imgur.com/2IDql1Qh.jpg

Unfortunately my Fasha (pops, dad, etc) flew out on the 1st to get back to work so this leg of the trip together with him is complete. It's been a blast Dad and I'm stoked that we got to together and see this part of North America together! On the bright side he'll be tagging-in my buddy Koshal who will be riding the next few weeks and back down to Seattle with me. Kosh is flying in Wednesday night to meet-up with us here in Fairbanks for the 4th of July which will be sweet. After that we’ll both continue on riding South towards Anchorage and probably meet up with one of Kosh's friends from undergrad who's family lives there. Then(?)…well we’ll see where we want to go from there when the time comes. Not having a fixed agenda or plan sure is nice. For now, I’m going to continue enjoying this interesting and wild little oasis up in the north of Alaska.

seantully 13 Oct 2012 02:59

13. Tagging In
 
My dad's work responsibilities were beckoning so he had flown back home to the real world and left his bike. It was time for my friend Koshal to tag in and ride the rest of the trip back down to Seattle.

http://i.imgur.com/yJC0lu4h.jpg

I hadn’t had a working phone since I left Seattle, WA (Seattle pictured here before Kosh left) so coordinating the pick-up of said person was left up to email transfers via stolen wifi and intermittent cafe use in Fairbanks. Although it’s been great to disconnect from all the digital plugs we are constantly hooked up to during our normal daily activities, not having these basic electronic connections, such as a cell phone, make it slightly more cumbersome to plan logistics. Luckily though the air-drop went fine and we eventually connected up, Kosh had arrived. Here he is trying to be a gangster at the airport.

http://i.imgur.com/Z8JtbxYh.jpg


We spent the next day going over the bikes together and hashing out what we needed to do before we got back out on the road again. We wanted to bump up my Dad’s (for the next couple weeks Koshal’s) bike’s gearing so it cruised at slightly lower RPM while running at highway speeds. I had been using a 16-tooth front sprocket since I left Seattle and was pleased with it overall. Even in the slick stuff and loaded up with gear it seemed to truck on just fine. His bike was running a 14-tooth sprocket up front which added up to about a 1,500 rpm difference between my bike and his at speed. Seeing as both bikes could use new sprockets we ended up putting new 16-tooth front sprockets on both bikes along with new chains and new rear sprockets as well (good to change the chain when you replace the sprockets and vice versa). Both of our chains were riveted rather than set up with a handy quick-connect master-link so we commandeered Dan out at ADV Cycle Works to grind the pop-rivets off with an angle grinder. Once we had both chains off we could do the swaps.

http://i.imgur.com/DGwY12xh.jpg

http://i.imgur.com/3QYZvJIh.jpg

http://i.imgur.com/5hF56kdh.jpg

My clutch has also started to slip a bit and seeing as I was at the end of both my barrel adjusters up on the handlebars and down on the case I figured I would replace my clutch pack as well rather than risk another 3,000+ miles on one that may-or-may-not be wearing.

http://i.imgur.com/MXK6kmnh.jpg

http://www.no-moto-boundaries.com/wp...0_img_0503.jpg

After getting the side of the motor opened up and pulling the clutch plates, the plates themselves looked to probably still have a few thousand miles left in them. Since I already had the whole thing opened up I just went ahead and finished the job and packed new plates and springs into the clutch basket and bagged up the older plates to keep as a spares.

http://i.imgur.com/wUZGtkih.jpg

While we were putting things back together we ran into a few Brazilians who were just starting out on a vacation ride from Oregon to…well, wherever they could get in 4-6 weeks. They had flown into Oregon from Brazil, purchased several new KLRs, and had been burning up the coast for a week or so before getting into Fairbanks. They would continue riding for several more weeks until their vacation time was up, store the bikes in Anchorage (or wherever they ended up), and then fly back home. Then the next time they all got vacation they would fly back to wherever they stored the bikes and continue on the next part of their trip heading elsewhere. By the next leg they wanted to finish somewhere on the East coast of the US so they could then ship the bikes to Europe where the bikes would sit and wait for them to return to later. Sounded like quite the plan to me and it’s surprising how often I now hear about people doing this. Sounds like a ton of fun. If you only have a couple weeks at a time to travel this is the way to do it.

http://i.imgur.com/wUZGtkih.jpg
http://www.no-moto-boundaries.com/wp...0_img_0504.jpg
Although we had squared up the bikes and gotten a lot of maintenance done we still had one further issue that needed to be remedied. A couple weeks back my dad’s aftermarket muffler had snapped one of it’s mounting brackets while we were clicking on down the road and the muffler had rattled off. When it came loose it hit the ground and got kicked up in the air like a whirling tomahawk. I pulled out my Mario Kart skills and dodged it like a ninja. After circling back to pick it up with my hands. I failed to grasp that it would likely be searing hot since it just fell off a running motorcycle and it melted the tips of my winter gloves right off. We cooled the muffler with some water and strapped it to his bike. We carried on down the road with his bike now sounding like a drag chopper. Eventually I had to pass him and ride in front as that 650 motor wound out at down the road was unbearable. We ended up getting a welder to weld the two broken pieces of the bracket together but inevitably it rattled loose again a few thousand miles later while we were punishing the bikes on the road up to Deadhorse. When we got back to Fairbanks I did some interweb sloothing and found another muffler from flea-bay that would work and overnighted it up to Fairbanks. Of course though everything takes longer to get up here in Alaska and seeing as the 4th of July was this week we knew we had some time to kill.

We spent the 4th hanging out at Sophie and Thaddaeus’s cabin with friends and dinning on homemade caribou sausage, moose burgers, and delicious beverages. Just as Americans of the far North should.

http://i.imgur.com/JBgB8kMh.jpg

http://i.imgur.com/srBf77Nh.jpg
http://www.no-moto-boundaries.com/wp...img_5723_0.jpg

A moose arrived late to the party, I guess when the sun never sets it’s hard to judge time and be punctual.

http://i.imgur.com/9Prx7EUh.jpg

Sadly the time had come for us to get ready to leave Fairbanks and head onward. It’s been a blast getting to see Sophie and Thaddaeus again, hopefully we’ll be seeing them sooner than later now that they’ll be moving down to Portland for more grad school adventures. But until then, stay classy you two.

http://i.imgur.com/ytrez4Ih.jpg



seantully 13 Oct 2012 03:01

14. Red-Dog and Brown-Bear ride again
 
We have been waiting for a part to be overnighted to us for several days now and it has finally arrived. We were getting it shipped to our friend’s University of Alaska PO Box. Since it was July 4th holiday mixed with funky campus hours the package arrived a few days later than we had intended. Having that time though did allow us to kick back, eat some great food, tour around Fairbanks a bit, and spend a couple more days with Sophie and Thaddaeus.

But now a new day had come, the muffler had arrived!

http://i.imgur.com/qogCH74h.jpg

http://i.imgur.com/x8kmuMyh.jpg

We put the muffler on right in the parking lot of the UA-Fairbanks parking lot. In two shakes of a lamb’s tail we were ready to roll and get on the road.

http://i.imgur.com/eZgR2VJh.jpg

We said our good-bye’s and bombed on down the road heading South towards Anchorage. We had 6-8 hours of riding to do so we figured we would break it up and have a stop-over in Denali National Park along the way.

http://i.imgur.com/hTiih5ch.jpg

http://i.imgur.com/41Ox52Uh.jpg

http://i.imgur.com/qjuNHETh.jpg

After Denali we headed on down the road passing through more and more great scenery…

http://i.imgur.com/btc8aY1h.jpg

…helping another rider find his son who disappeared after hitting this old caribou carcass strewn across the road…

http://i.imgur.com/r7HJ4g6h.jpg

http://i.imgur.com/iMAkxdyh.jpg

…and shooting the shit with other riders at rural gas stations. When there’s only one spot to fill up for many miles gas stations become common watering holes for people passing.

http://i.imgur.com/USfHWZsh.jpg

http://www.no-moto-boundaries.com/wp...0_img_5795.jpgWe made it into Anchorage around 11pm and had made plans to meet up with one of Kosh’s friends from undergrad, Ali, who’s family lives in Anchorage. We pulled the bikes in through the back gate to park them for the night. We scoped out her little brother’s sweet backyard play-land complete with giant trampoline, enclosed fort with climbing holds surrounding it, and a sand pit. He was rocking quite the set-up. We stayed up for a couple hours talking and catching up before sleep beckoned and we passed out.

http://www.no-moto-boundaries.com/wp...0_img_5797.jpg
http://i.imgur.com/zMGaaC2h.jpg

In the morning, Ali was kind enough to feed us a ton of food before we headed out. I dig milk and will never pass up a tall glass o' the good stuff. I’ve done a lot of stupid stuff in my short few years on this earth and have yet to brake a single bone. I believe it's the milk shield I keep well fortified.

http://www.no-moto-boundaries.com/wp...0_img_5803.jpg

http://i.imgur.com/idaimj0h.jpg

http://i.imgur.com/vNKJMWwh.jpg

When we were back in Fairbanks Kosh and I were thinking about what we wanted to do for the next couple weeks and mapping out where we wanted to go. Our buddy Jacob was working for his dads fishing boat for the summer up in Kenai. This sounded like the perfect excuse to go surprise him and ride around the Kenai Peninsula, so that was our plan. Before that though, I had a new front and rear tire waiting for me to get picked up in Anchorage so that was our first stop. We mounted the front in the parking lot in Anchorage and stashed the rear at Ali's house. We are gonna be back in Anchorage later so I'll swap the rear then. Before heading to the Kenai Peninsula we had been warned by Ali’s parents that the road was notorious for fatal accidents due to the road conditions, small lanes, and distractingly gorgeous scenery. So we put our game-faces on and headed out with caution.

http://i.imgur.com/XirBOWIh.jpg

http://i.imgur.com/ey7WEIjh.jpg

After several hours we made it to Kenai and the town docks where our buddy Jacob "Poppa" Perkins said we could find him if we were in the area. If of course he wasn’t out on the boats catching shit-tons of salmon. We hadn’t solidified any plans and instead just decided to show up and surprise him. A few quick questions to some people walking around the docks and we were directed to where we could find the one and only, “Poppa-Perkins”.


http://i.imgur.com/zHRzLxVh.jpg

He had no idea if/when we would be coming aside from a brief “Wait…are you guys riding your motorcycles around Alaska?? You should come to Kenai!” message sent to us a week earlier so he was pretty surprised for us to just roll on in to his camp. We shot the shit for a bit and met some of the other fisherman in the camp. We started talking with Poppa-perk’ and his Dad (who’s boat he was working on for the summer) about our next few days of riding and where we were planning on going. Initially we had planned to hit Kenai, say hey, then push on to Anchor Point and then stay in Homer, which is down on the far tip of the peninsula. After that we would head back to Anchorage, pick up my stashed rear tire and then make a two day ride to Valdez on the Southeast coast. After running it over with them they suggested a great alternative. Take the ferry from Wittier, which is on the Kenai Peninsula a couple hours from where we were, directly to Valdez. This would save us half a day of riding and allow us to see a lot of the coast. The only problem being that the boat only has one sailing a day around noon out of Wittier. To get to Wittier you have to pass through the longest railway-highway tunnel in North America, which is only open one direction at a time and it cycles directions throughout the day. The alternative route would only pan out if we could get to Wittier in time, otherwise we would lose an entire day. Seeing as we had less than 2 weeks left, a day is a lot to us.


We thought about it briefly, realized if we made it to Homer and then back to Kenai tonight (about a 3hr round trip), we could maybe make the turnaround happen. We would have to get up really early tomorrow to make it up to anchorage then back down to Wittier in time for the fairy though. It would be close.

"****-it, let’s do it", and booked the nonrefundable tickets over the phone. People were BBQ'n so we grubbed down and then pushed on down the coast Southwest to Homer. On the way we stopped by Anchor Point which is the most westerly highway point in North America.
http://www.no-moto-boundaries.com/wp...0_img_0575.jpg

http://i.imgur.com/nIuyjYYh.jpg

Growing up on an island in the Pacific Northwest I am quite fond of the coast and couldn’t pass up the chance to ride my bike down the beach for a bit.

http://i.imgur.com/MXxvcLCh.jpg

We eventually made it to Homer which sits out on the very tip of the Kenai Peninsula. Jacobs dad said we had to grab a drink at The Salty Dog Saloon so that was our destination. As always we snapped a few opportunistic photos along the way.

http://i.imgur.com/DJtsD7Jh.jpg

http://i.imgur.com/JXfrsj4h.jpg

As the peninsula thinned and we headed further and further out into the water we knew we were getting close.


http://i.imgur.com/X1faOtoh.jpg

At the end of the peninsula sits a very humbling place built to commemorate the sea for the prosperity it brings to some, as well as to pay it respect for the lives of others that it keeps at it’s depths.

http://i.imgur.com/dhfkOanh.jpg

A sea bell memorial: “This Bell Tolls For The Souls Set Free Upon The Sea”


http://i.imgur.com/gtEeJbyh.jpg
http://www.no-moto-boundaries.com/wp...0_img_0629.jpg
There was a placard with this poem on it.

The sea tells a story.
It tells of the life it brings,
And the lives it claims.
Its deep dark waters are home to some,
A final resting place for others.

The sea tells a story.
It tells of the cycle of life
Running through its waters.
Fish, spawning, dying, sinking to the ocean floor,
Returning to the circle that engulfs all life.

The sea tells a story.
It tells of prosperity,
Yet how that prosperity can be unforgiving.
Nearly everyone will experience its vastness.
But some will remain there forever.

- Ryan Bundy
1996

http://i.imgur.com/U7dClVph.jpg

Close to the memorial we found The Salty Dog Saloon and had our drink.

http://i.imgur.com/Tqnf9dGh.jpg

http://i.imgur.com/OL89x7Vh.jpg

http://i.imgur.com/XiCx4Rsh.jpg

We caught one last picture before leaving Homer. I wish we had more time at this special edge of Alaska, but we had places to go, and more things to see.

http://i.imgur.com/kO4Qgczh.jpg

We got back on the road, the same road we had far to recently been just coming the other direction on. We were now headed back north, back up the coast en route to Kenai. After a soberingly close encounter with a large moose running across the road, we were reminded just how careful and alert you must always be when riding, especially on these roads as the 'deer' in alaska can weigh over half a ton. Aside from the near moose collision the ride back up to Kenai was nice and the weather a nice crisp 52 degrees . We made it back into our friends boatyard camp in Kenai shortly before midnight. Upon which time a large fire was just getting going, subsequent beer-runs and merriment were had, and the long early ride to be had in just a short few hours was all but forgotten about.

http://i.imgur.com/9K6sPQjh.jpg

http://i.imgur.com/YpnaLReh.jpg

Of course, Poppa-perk threw two giant fillets of fresh caught salmon onto the fire. With nothing more than a few lemons, couple turns of pepper, and splash of olive oil, that salmon was some of the best I had ever had.

http://i.imgur.com/LcSHbYeh.jpg

http://i.imgur.com/GopylyOh.jpg

We stayed up late into the morning getting salty, swapping stories, and listening to the decades of experience that these men had out on the open ocean.

http://i.imgur.com/sODMPWQh.jpg

http://i.imgur.com/AaCwQU9h.jpg

http://i.imgur.com/hxeNr0Oh.jpg

http://www.no-moto-boundaries.com/wp...0_img_5831.jpgEventually the morning caught us and we called it a night. We needed to get at least a few hours of sleep. With any luck, in 11 hrs we would be boarding a ferry in Wittier, and on our way to Valdez.

seantully 13 Oct 2012 03:02

Up and at'em...
 
Not long after we shut our eyes to get some sleep my alarm woke me up. The inside of my tent was bright with early morning sun. I had purposefully not unpacked my bike, with the exception of my tent and sleeping bag, so that I could sleep as much as possible before we needed to head out. Kosh had played it smart and crashed in one of the campers that Poppa-perk was staying in. I like to think I have become attached to my tent, but it could also easily be attributed to stubbornness.

It took us 30 minutes from the time my alarm went off to when the bikes were packed, warmed up, and ready to ride. This was about 30-45 minutes faster than we usually take, even if we weren’t cooking breakfast.

I’ve noticed when you get on the road this early in the morning that you kind of operate in auto-pilot for a bit. It isn’t until a few miles into the ride that your brain starts to boot-up and do more than just the basic functions that are necessary for navigation and staying upright. The previous night didn’t help with this mental frost layer either. We had a great time last night. Once our brains shook off the early morning stale I think we were both feeling the repercussions of yesterday evening’s chosen form of re-hydration.

http://i.imgur.com/jKH38Vhh.jpg

It could always be worse though and as long as there isn’t any major downpours of rain this morning we’ll be just fine. Lucky for us though the weather was looking promising as we headed onto the Old Seward Hwy.

http://i.imgur.com/L6BEGech.jpg

Our goal was to ride back up the Old Seward Hwy, avoid having any accidents on the notoriously accident prone road, make it to Anchorage to pick up my new rear tire that we had stashed at our friend Ali’s place, spoon the new tire on, double back onto the Old Seward Hwy, again avoid having any accidents, and make it to the Wittier Tunnel at the right time when traffic is flowing in the right direction of Wittier.

http://i.imgur.com/MVZgQKPh.jpg

It would be tight, but we were making good time so we took a pit-stop to coffee up.Coffee truck pooch greeted us with a stick expecting us to play. We obliged

http://i.imgur.com/id5kmtxh.jpg

http://i.imgur.com/5uhfg6xh.jpg

We got to Anchorage and rolled into Ali’s parent’s place. I had pulled my bike up onto the center-stand and begun removing the rear tire assuming we would have time to mount my new tire in her parent’s driveway. Ali’s dad scoped out the scheduled openings online and saw that the next opening in our direction was coming up quickly. There was no time to replace my tire if we wanted to get to Whittier and not miss our boat. With this new information I strapped my tire on the back of the bike for later and we said our good-byes to the ever hospitable Chard family.

This time the sun was shinning so we had to stop for at least one photo on the gorgeous Old Seward Highway.

http://i.imgur.com/8Lu59hWh.jpg

Luckily we didn’t stop for any longer than we did because by the time we got to the tunnel we were the last people to be let in just before it closed. We even had to wait to get clearance to since they were so close to closing it.

http://i.imgur.com/AimX4EUh.jpg

They had a speed limit in the tunnel....

http://i.imgur.com/YZy6AV8h.jpg

...but we were the only ones so tunnel blasting was a must, the sound is just too good.

http://i.imgur.com/Pyjuir6h.jpg

We got into Wittier, confirmed our tickets…

http://i.imgur.com/ILphfgoh.jpghttps://lh3.googleusercontent.com/Hl...OSC6LnNAuBDWeW

…and scoped out the town for a few minutes before we boarded our new floating home for the next 7.5 hrs.


http://i.imgur.com/ZGnxdM1h.jpg

http://i.imgur.com/kp2EGbCh.jpg


http://i.imgur.com/dU8IW72h.jpg


Kosh and his bike almost lost a battle of physics involving slick wet steel and a heavy bike vs. gravity. Gravity almost won but Kosh managed to keep it together. The deck hand helping people load didn’t appreciate the miracle on ice Kosh had just performed to avoid running him over. The rest of the boat then loaded up and we got our bikes strapped down before heading upstairs.

http://i.imgur.com/OYMGzG1h.jpg

The boat was pretty big and there was ample space to walk around the various decks.

http://i.imgur.com/Wj1uvRyh.jpg


http://i.imgur.com/xEfx4VTh.jpg


http://i.imgur.com/sWO9WnVh.jpg

‘Merica

http://i.imgur.com/lGwpEmjh.jpg


After eating some food and getting a lay of the land I passed out for a while to regain some sleep that we hadn’t been getting much of the last few days. After a good rest I woke up and saw this kid killing his boredom by spitting on his hand, letting it drip onto the window sill, and then catching it back in his mouth after it slid off the edge.

https://lh6.googleusercontent.com/FS...eD6F18_4CF5-uZhttp://i.imgur.com/3R6VzdQh.jpg

Parent’s didn’t seem to notice/care as they had 4 other little munchkins that they were trying to keep from jumping overboard. Whatever though, he’ll probably survive the next super-bug when we all get sick. After a few hours of gorgeous scenery, whale sightings, and beautiful icebergs we were slowing down and entering into the Valdez. Along the way we saw a few of the now famous Alaskan crab fishing boats from the Discovery channel hit “The Deadliest Catch”. They were headed out of port to go get some crabs.


Once we got to shore the first order of business was some food, the ferry food wasn’t anything to write home about. We had heard that The Fat Mermaid was the place to go for some good grub and a pint so we sniffed it out.

http://i.imgur.com/pkwtkCfh.jpg

http://i.imgur.com/hKOqDjFh.jpg

After eating some bomb pizza and relaxing for a bit we asked the waitress where people such as ourselves could crash for the night on the cheap. She said that there is a spot just out of town where the local teenagers go to party by a river. She said we could probably throw up our tents there and not be bothered by the local rozzers. Cheap and hassle-free, perfect.

http://i.imgur.com/VgapZSFh.jpg

After a short windy trail we found the river bank that the waitress had spoken of. There were a lot of birds swarming over the water feeding close by. This meant there must have been a lot of fish in the area. In light of this we did a quick once-around on the banks to look for bear tracks that would indicate if our chosen tent spots doubled as the local bears breakfast table. Not seeing any, we decided to set up shop right on the bank and get some rest.

http://i.imgur.com/TPHT2GGh.jpg

I love falling asleep hearing flowing water and waking up to the fresh cool breeze that it brings. Tomorrow we were heading Northeast towards Tok Alaska where we will then turn Southeast and try to make it over the border and into Canada. After that….? Well we’ll see how far we get tomorrow.

http://i.imgur.com/FLdk4bkh.jpg

Onward

seantully 13 Oct 2012 03:03

16: Catching up
 
Wow, so I have been teeerrribbblle about updating this since I got back home. For anyone reading this my apologies. I have now been back in Seattle for a while and as may be obvious from my lack of posts I have put writing/follow-up on the back burner. I don’t have any real excuse so I won’t feign a relevant one. In any case being back in Sea-town has been good and as always, I am pushing to be in the saddle and on the road again. First though, let’s get caught up on this previous leg of the trip before moving on to what’s next.



We last left off with Kosh and I camping out in Valdez. We had no midnight bears in our campsite that needed to be wrestled so with the next morning we awoke refreshed and rested.

Such good photographers.
http://i.imgur.com/qel6WNAh.jpg

We had been putting off taking the time to change our oil because we were in a bind to catch the ferry from Wittier to Valdez. We were now pretty far past due for a fluid swap. It seemed fitting to change our oil here, but also was a sobering reminder of the infamous history Valdez shares with oil. We picked up a turkey pan from the local grocer and rode out to find a dump where we knew there would be a transfer station as well. Spoke to a couple people working the machines and asked if we could do the job there and dump our oil in their oil drums to which they kindly obliged.

http://i.imgur.com/VTmQeJXh.jpg

http://i.imgur.com/qIXQIhvh.jpg

http://i.imgur.com/43CfHwIh.jpg

We swung by a glacier on our way out, or at least what’s left of it. There has been a remarkable reduction in these glaciers over the years and it is evident when comparing photos from a couple decades ago to the present..

Kosh was less than impressed.
http://i.imgur.com/blKH9Ejh.jpg

Most signs that we see are laden with bullet holes. Shooting shit full of holes seems to be a common way to pass the time up north. The info-board to describe the glacier and show it’s fun-facts resembled Swiss cheese.

http://i.imgur.com/zkJTkFNh.jpg

We pushed out of the port of Valdez heading Northeast with our next destination being Tok Alaska. Tok is a place I had been a few weeks earlier as it is the main junction for heading North to Fairbanks, West to Anchorage, Southwest to Valdez, or in our case, Southeast back into the Yukon. We started climbing up into the mountains to get over the range that socks the Port of Valdez in geographically.

http://i.imgur.com/FdwcbAVh.jpg

http://i.imgur.com/WILYhHFh.jpg

Things started to get cold, but as always, Kosh was game and the scenery more than compensated for the inevitable cold it brought with it.

http://i.imgur.com/GWBJJzzh.jpg

A few hours later we were cresting the pass. We had to wait for a bit at the top due to construction. This man had his driving attire on lock-down. Dragging on a cig with a big-gulp sized coffee he was stylin for sure. Of course, he was also accompanied by his finest Ugg Slips and flannel jammy-jams.

http://i.imgur.com/X2Hx19ph.jpg

The further we got from the pass the warmer the temperature became. After a few hours of riding we were sitting comfortably again. With the warmer weather we decided to stop for our first real bit of food for the day and make some road-side breakfast.

http://i.imgur.com/U2o04FRh.jpg

With a full nights sleep and a belly full o’ oatmeal I was feeling spry and ready to boogey. I told Kosh we probably had another 5+ hours of riding until we got to Tok, after that we would just ride until we couldn’t anymore. My new-found energy was a little much for Kosh though and he decided he had had enough, it was better to just walk than endure my cheeky one-liners and terrible voice impersonations over out intercoms for the next 5+ hours.

http://i.imgur.com/aL8MWuHh.jpg


After remembering that we were in the middle of nowhere he came back around.

We powered through the afternoon and into the evening. We made it to Tok, ate some crazy delicious Thai food out of a truck on the side of the road, finally changed my tire that I had been carrying around since Anchorage, and just so happen to run across a tire-only waste-bin. Convenient.

https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/Re...lg7Ak1LhlWQSZThttp://i.imgur.com/hgHlPJfh.jpg
Before leaving Tok we gassed up and asked the clerk how far it was to the Alaska/Yukon border. He checked his clock, looked at us confused, and said “Are you trying to get their tonight?” We were familiar with this response though and he needed to have been much more taken aback by our intentions for us to doubt our resolve to make it. We were used to riding 13+ hour days on the regular by this point. No matter how firm our saddle-buts were though the night was coming and with night, came the cold. So we saddled up and got to moving, hoping we could race the dropping temps to the border.

http://i.imgur.com/zfdFdf8l.jpg

We made it through the border and out of Alaska customs but then we oddly had another 20 klicks until we would cross the Yukon border into Canada. This put us riding in what appeared to be a no-mans-land along a wide dirt road cutting through what appeared to be an open expanse of nothingness. A place where, in my mind, neither Alaska or the Yukon were in charge. It gave me one of those feelings you get when you are left home alone as a kid. The feeling that you should really make good use of the time and do stuff you aren’t supposed to. Unfortunately there’s nothing to do out here aside from breaking the meager speed limit.

A few minutes later and we were clicking on down the road. Something in my mirror caught my eye. It appeared to be reflecting something on fire. I turned my head around and saw the scene over my shoulder for myself. It was the most vibrant and in-your-face sunset I had ever been present for, I paged Kosh on the intercoms and told him to slow-down and look behind him

http://i.imgur.com/R73woERh.jpg

http://i.imgur.com/Ue9GEJgh.jpg

We were riding due east at that point which put the sunset directly behind us with nothing in front of us to indicate the momentary beauty that was transpiring out of view. We could have easily never seen it. Funny how you could miss something like that and just never know. It pays to look around you outside of your bubble every now and then.

We rolled up to the Yukon border shortly after the sunset and just a hair before midnight. We were greeted by two border staff who seemed bored out of their minds. Both were kicked back in their chairs, work boots up on the desk, staring at an overhead monitor which I’m pretty sure was playing an episode of 30 Rock. After riding all day I was loopy as shit and in full form for cheeky late night jokery – of which the female guard was not amused in the slightest. After clearing both of us she did let us go back across the border to grab a victory shot with their maple leaf. The dulteration of said maple leaf was not approved of either so we promptly left the border.

http://i.imgur.com/E48t2tvh.jpg

It was late and we were tired so we found the first suitable place to pull off the road and throw our tents up.

The next morning we set-out heading Southeast again. Our goal was to make it back down to the coast to the sea port of Haines. This would entail another border crossing back into Alaska but much further south than where we were crossing today. When in places where the vast majority of the land is wide open expanses of country with small pockets of people sprinkled in between it becomes important to get gas whenever you can.

http://i.imgur.com/WoTQa36h.jpg

We pulled off at this little place to fuel up but unfortunately it was dry and completely out of gas. I did however see the unmistakable green and ruby-red stems of a rhubarb plant.

http://i.imgur.com/NrclepVh.jpg

For a moment I thought Kosh and I just might score what would llikely be some amazing homemade rhubarb pie that would logically be being sold inside. All grandmothers make good pie right? Just like they were out of gas though, I was out of cash. With no ATM machine likely to apparate to our location, we left not only without the much needed fuel, but also unfed.

Kosh had a memorable moment with the dog though.

http://i.imgur.com/jk3l16Oh.jpg

The nearest gas station was another 50+ miles down the road so we emptied a Gatorade bottle to drain some gas from my bigger tank if Kosh ran out before I did. We dropped the speed back and eased up on the throttle to milk out as many miles as we could from what was left in our tanks. We made it to the next gas station and stopped for breakfast to put something warm in our bones. The wind had started to pick up gradually as we rode further South and we were noticing how gusty it had become. The name of the restaurant adjoining the gas station seemed to be fitting for the weather conditions.

http://i.imgur.com/EGSHpVlh.jpg

The waitress informed us that the area was prone to be windy, hence the restaurant name, but she did not enlighten us to the fact that a windstorm was rolling in. Not having any internet, TV, or radio made us none the wiser to any sort of warnings about weather conditions…or anything really for that matter. When we went back out to the bikes the wind had picked up even more and it was fairly ridiculous now. We tried to snap a photo and right at that moment the wind blew the camera off the back of my bike. The picture clicked and captured this lovely bit.

http://i.imgur.com/nq9Z2rnh.jpg

We chocked the extra wind up to the area norm and got on down the road. If you were able to ignore the heavy winds the road was great.

http://i.imgur.com/tmAaZUoh.jpg

Eventually though the wind got too erratic to be taking any photos. The last one I snapped was an accidental shot of my tankbag as the wind violently chucked my bike into the other lane forcing me to drop the camera onto the tether, one hand on the throttle, the other attempting to get back to the handlebar. After being glad I wasn’t off the road in a ditch (or the lake) I promptly put the camera away.

https://lh5.googleusercontent.com/jG...eGFZLRErA8wMdUhttp://i.imgur.com/KmcdRy4h.jpg
My picture taking took a toll on pace and I had fallen back quite a wase. When I caught up to Kosh he had pulled over to take a look at the lake and recoup after he himself had almost been blown off the road. My “ooohh, buddy’ face was indicative of how close we came to biting the dust.

https://lh4.googleusercontent.com/-U...WwN65md8ikEFz1http://i.imgur.com/cYwgfxph.jpg
Camera placed firmly on the ground this time for a lake pic.

https://lh5.googleusercontent.com/VB...YKeumW_gPoZS8bhttp://i.imgur.com/l20ujRLh.jpg
We didn’t take notice of it at the time but looking back there wasn’t a single other person on the road but us. We maybe should have taken note and done the same but only hindsight is 20-20. Shits weird up here, besides, we had just eaten at a restaurant called “She’ll breeze”. Aside from a spot when some trees buffered us from the winds furry I didn’t take any more photos until we got to the Alaska border later that evening.

http://i.imgur.com/32JTNuqh.jpg

http://i.imgur.com/38ydQ7Nh.jpg?1

We later heard that a semi had been blown over onto its side and off of the road where we had been that very same day and that whole towns had also lost power due to the intense winds. Next time we’ll read the conditions better, but not much else to do but push on as we had.

We were under the impression that the border closed at 8pm and we had a ferry booked the next day. Realizing we may not make it in time we spent the last hour and half before the border bombing through winding alpine roads, tucking behind our windscreens to reduce drag and eek out every MPH we could as our motors gulped for non-existent air up high in the pass. We were stoked when we made it before 8pm but only to find out that the border was actually open until midnight, just like the previous one. I had been scanning the side of the road for good tent spots in case we didn’t make it to the border and had to sleep somewhere overnight.

http://i.imgur.com/rI4zWtUh.jpg

We crossed the border just before 8 and after that we were in much less of a hurry. We continued our descent in elevation down from the border towards the sea port of Haines.

Kosh’s moody shot, I think he’s having a love moment with the bike.

http://i.imgur.com/WEG4OPCh.jpg

It was a pretty beautiful spot though, in a wet dreary sort of way.

http://i.imgur.com/MIplF8jh.jpg


Ladies take note, if you marry me, as part of the honeymoon I promise to book an all inclusive night at this party-palace.

http://i.imgur.com/AftmH1Qh.jpg

We got into Haines just in time to grab a drink and some food at the local bar, make a couple phone calls to check in, and even found a cheap bed and breakfast with one room left to crash in. Of course when we got there they said they made a mistake and only had the master suite available. We were done looking for a place to stay and could use a warm spot so we caved.

http://i.imgur.com/inKRyQdh.jpg

I drew straws for the pullout but it was still like sleeping on a cloud compared to the ground. It was the first night in the whole trip that we had paid to sleep inside and the second night that I had been in a bed since I left home 3 1/2 weeks earlier. I was reluctant at first to drop the coin but man-o-man was it nice to have a hot shower and a warm bed to sleep in. Breakfast the next morning was pretty damn good as well. I know I ate my money’s worth that’s for sure.

nicola_a 13 Oct 2012 05:35

Hey; this is a fantastic RR, very beautifully written and laid out. I guess you've just done a bulk post on the HUBB to get us up to date? Where are you now?
Trip looks amazing, you have a great bike - I wish I had the dollars to get such a good one and farkle it up! I'll be on a 125cc with some soft panniers :P Haha!
Well done! Hope you're still on the road and having a blast.

seantully 14 Oct 2012 03:16

Thanks Nicola, glad you are liking it. Yeah I just did a bulk post all at once.

Niiiice, that's rad you are riding a 125cc. The less 'ideal' the circumstances makes for a better adventure I say. I'll be looking for your RR.

This next post will now be up to date on the RR. Getting prepped now for the next leg.

Quote:

Originally Posted by nicola_a (Post 396287)
Hey; this is a fantastic RR, very beautifully written and laid out. I guess you've just done a bulk post on the HUBB to get us up to date? Where are you now?
Trip looks amazing, you have a great bike - I wish I had the dollars to get such a good one and farkle it up! I'll be on a 125cc with some soft panniers :P Haha!
Well done! Hope you're still on the road and having a blast.


seantully 14 Oct 2012 03:25

17: Catching up (continued)
 
In the morning we woke up to an amazing sunny day which was a nice change to the previous days winds and looming clouds. We headed to the ferry terminal first thing in the morning to confirm our tickets for the early afternoon ferry to Skagway.

http://i.imgur.com/fyfuFGYh.jpg

After getting the tickets we had time to burn so we checked out the town. It’s a popular town for tourists and there was a large cruise ship that had pulled in that morning, flooding the town with people.

http://i.imgur.com/QL513Fbh.jpg

We played the part and snapped some pictures.

http://i.imgur.com/gTSAQK7h.jpg

http://i.imgur.com/A1gkDqOh.jpg

http://i.imgur.com/bQpncQCh.jpg

http://i.imgur.com/CIbjhnrh.jpg

http://i.imgur.com/XP4LYTyh.jpg

Had drinks and food at this place the night before, definitely felt like an old saloon.

http://i.imgur.com/VpFPlw9h.jpg

We heard that there was a family of bears out by a nearby lake so we went to go check it out. The road out there was nice.

http://i.imgur.com/QmxxUj1h.jpg

http://i.imgur.com/JZrySY2h.jpg

There were lots of people out fishing for salmon.

http://i.imgur.com/9eVkzNjh.jpg
http://i.imgur.com/o1gWz4sh.jpg

A bit down the road I saw one bear come out and cross the road with a freshly caught salmon in its mouth. I stopped and waited to see if it would cross again but to no avail. When I went to leave I looked to my immediate left and saw the same bear had come around down the side of the path in the woods and was watching me through the trees. Once I noticed him he turned and left.

http://i.imgur.com/7tVal8Bh.jpg

We scoped out the lake for a bit then headed back.

http://i.imgur.com/Sd4Bfgch.jpg

Again we ran into the same bear, he seemed interested in the bikes when they were off and quiet (or more likely the potential food we may have). Kept coming out of the woods and up to us out when we stopped. Unfortunate that this bear was so used to humans.

http://i.imgur.com/Kowy9rmh.jpg

He was definitely more interested in stealing freshly caught fish from the fisherman though.

http://i.imgur.com/HCPQlNBh.jpg

Bear thought these two little kids fishing with their dad had something on their line. He came up behind this rock and surprised them and they dropped their gear and scampered further back. No luck though, they hadn’t caught anything yet. Dad high-fived the kids after the bear left.

http://i.imgur.com/i5TvlCch.jpg

It was time to get to the ferry to line up so we left the bear to its food hunt.

http://i.imgur.com/Yz3eSbqh.jpg

http://i.imgur.com/eIIianNh.jpg

seantully 14 Oct 2012 03:26

18: Catching up (continued again)
 
We loaded up the bikes into the ferry and strapped them down. That’s Sean and DonnyO with the BMW GSAs strapping down their bikes as well. We then saw this beast parked a few rows away. I’ve looked into them since and they are ****ing awesome. If you want to see more check outActionMobil.com

http://i.imgur.com/QjBnFJrh.jpg

http://i.imgur.com/JfXGKBoh.jpg

http://i.imgur.com/GKfHjkhl.jpg

Kosh and I checked out the new ferry digs that would take us to Skagway.

http://i.imgur.com/cQ3kTEmh.jpg

http://i.imgur.com/RjD3M5Lh.jpg

http://i.imgur.com/yhMNauqh.jpg

Kosh decided he couldn’t put up with my shitty jokes anymore. It was best to throw me overboard and carry on solo.

http://i.imgur.com/5zbtc7Mh.jpg

This was a relatively quick ferry in relation to the ferry to Valdez and in a couple hours we were pulling into Skagway. Skagway is a whole other beast compared to Haines. It’s the same concept, historically relevant town for Alaska, but there were currently 3…yes 3 cruise ships in port.

http://i.imgur.com/mOjavYWh.jpg

We said bye to Sean and DonnyO – a father + son duo riding around Alaska as well. Check out their great ride-report here called“Father + Son + Arctic Circle = Bliss Part Deux”.

http://i.imgur.com/KIUUDAoh.jpg

Our ferry unloaded and we looked around town for a bit.

http://i.imgur.com/PD91HJDh.jpg

http://i.imgur.com/80UOm7uh.jpg

http://i.imgur.com/4bDU9b6h.jpg

http://i.imgur.com/Ah1NCKwh.jpg

Kosh went to investigate the legitimacy of the brothel.

http://i.imgur.com/VJmsPVzh.jpg

http://i.imgur.com/1cjLNLmh.jpg

Local baller rolling in a ‘Limo’.

http://i.imgur.com/QmBjCshh.jpg

Noticed a saloon who’s windows were filled with this liquid gold.

http://i.imgur.com/HZffkrfh.jpg

http://i.imgur.com/qB0pI5sh.jpg

I guess Rainier Beer was shipped up here back in the day from Seattle. It reminded me that no matter how hard you try you’re really not that far from home. When we get back to Seattle we’ll be kicking a couple cold ones of these back.

With the cruise ships continuing to unload their passengers we could see the small town was going to turn into a shit-show real quick.

http://i.imgur.com/Fal0clwh.jpg

We made the choice to get out of town and see where the road takes us for the rest of the day.

http://i.imgur.com/2l7R8kqh.jpg

We set out of Skagway burning up the road and gaining elevation. The skies were opening up and we were headed Northeast for another border that would take us into BC.

http://i.imgur.com/BYo9U1mh.jpg

We crossed the border with no issues and pulled over to put on a couple more layers as it was deceptively cold at that elevation.

http://i.imgur.com/qfir0UIh.jpg

http://i.imgur.com/7EVQDITh.jpg

We rode for a while and dropped back down in elevation. My excessive water drinking from my CamelBak took its toll on my bladder and we had to pull over. While here we had a moment to reflect. The road ahead looked good.

http://i.imgur.com/rFeflg4h.jpg

Where we currently were was great.

http://i.imgur.com/Nv4FBPwh.jpg

But with Skagway being our last ‘real’ destination, for the first time since the trip began, I had the feeling that we were now heading home. Until now I was always so excited about where we were going that never found myself looking behind us at where we had come from.

But as we were getting back on our bikes I was seeing the road behind us in a way that I simply hadn’t seen it before. The road behind us was not just a road back to Skagway, or back to Alaska, it was a road that lead back to the unknown. For the first time since we left home I now had the feeling that rather than riding too something, we were instead now riding away from something.

http://i.imgur.com/zIWguKoh.jpg

We got back on the road and for me the conversations over our intercoms were quiet for a while. Although Seattle was several long days and many miles away it was a weird feeling to have our ‘next up’ destination be a place that I had already been. A place that I had a job, house that I called home, and a warm bed to come back to at night. A place that I felt I had so recently just left. For the last couple months I had been looking forward to being on my bike with nothing but the open road in front of me to go ride and explore. With every turn bringing new scenery and places I had never been. Now that I had been doing just that for the past several weeks…it seemed weird that I wouldn’t be doing it anymore. Four weeks is only 4 weeks, as far as trips go it’s pretty damn short. For me though it was 4 weeks of doing exactlywhat I wanted to be doing. Riding my motorcycle to places I hadn’t seen or been to before, with nothing else on the agenda but enjoying ourselves, the people we were with, and the places we were in.

I remembered what Jeane told me a few weeks earlier about “not wasting the time you have”. I turned my mindset around and got back to enjoying the ride home. It was a brief moment of reflection and I’m glad I had it, because if I hadn’t, I would have spent the rest of the ride to Seattle dwelling on the timer that was slowly clicking down to zero.

We kept riding for hours and with the sun beginning to set behind us we chased our shadows down the road.

http://i.imgur.com/zxfFtKoh.jpg

http://i.imgur.com/YPUKaOXh.jpg

With the sun now beginning to set we pulled off the road for a dinner of champions, Cheez-Whiz and Triscuts.

http://i.imgur.com/LXUhzH1h.jpg

The sun was now gone and we set out to find a place to camp for the night.

http://i.imgur.com/i5BXOFKh.jpg

With the sun gone it was now getting cold quickly and we were wanting to call it a day. We were ticking along scanning the sides of the road for places to pull off the road and stealth camp but we hadn’t seen anything decent now for 20 miles. There were a couple of possibilities but when stealth camping by a road you want to think about where drunk drivers or sleeping big-riggers will potentially conk out and run off the road. A renegade big-rig will turn your peaceful tent-sleep into an eternal slumber pretty fast. This means not pitching your tent in the woods on the outside of slow bends or next to a long boring straight stretch. As we came up to a bridge our lights bounced off the reflective striping of some tents off to the left. We slowed down and doubled back. Sure enough there were 3 tents and a gaggle of bicycles piled together on the underside of the bridge. We pulled in as quiet as we could and gingerly set-up our tents trying to not wake the neighbors.

In the morning we woke up to frost on the bikes, a smoldering campfire, and a pyramid of bicycles.

http://i.imgur.com/mibK4Dzh.jpg

http://i.imgur.com/meGXS6Nh.jpg

http://i.imgur.com/YZ5aoVWh.jpg

We made some breakfast and then hung out with the neighbors for a bit. They were in 3 separate groups. A 15y/o kid (left) was riding from Vancouver BC to Anchorage AK on a recumbent bicycle with his Grandpa (second from left) who was riding all the way from New Mexico. He said that he joked about meeting up and doing part of his Grandpa’s trip with him and the next thing he knew his town’s newspaper had caught wind of the idea. After that backing out wasn’t an option, he had to go and do it. Then there were a couple (center and second from center) from Buffalo New York who were riding all across the US on break from college. They had ridden up and down the east coast, across to the west coast via the south, and now were heading all the way to Anchorage before heading back down then cutting back across to the east coast via the northern route. The third ‘group’ was a guy from Mexico City riding solo, trying to get from Anchorage Alaska all the way back home to Mexico before he started college in Mexico City in the middle of September. He had a long way to go but he was chasing his bicycling idol who was on a round-the-world trip. His idol just so happened to be on the very same route and only a few days ahead of him. He was determined to catch him and was peddling crazy amounts of miles each day to achieve this.

http://i.imgur.com/hhwVxILh.jpg

We heard all about their wild misadventures. It sure was inspiring seeing people out there going and doing seemingly irrational stuff for the hell of it. Before we packed up and left they told us about a young Italian couple in their 20′s they had passed the day before that were heading north. We were likely to see them at some point while heading south. They said that the couple were walking from New Mexico. Yes that is right, walking from New Mexico. All the way to Anchorage Alaska. They were taking a break after school and had decided it would be a fun thing to do. After we got back on the road sure enough we went buzzing past them. I gave them an encouraging horn blast and an enthusiastic fist-pump to congratulate them on being so close to their goal. They had the biggest shit eating grins on their faces.

https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/Bx...K2V5NdHmEUZowKhttp://i.imgur.com/moQL97Lh.jpg
A few hours later and we were eating a second breakfast of bomb cinnamon. We fueled up the bikes as well before changing directions again to now head due South via the Cassiar Hwy.


http://i.imgur.com/k946AnCh.jpg

We heard that the Cassiar Hwy was a great alternative to the larger more developed route to Prince George so we decided to take it. Man was I glad we did. That road was great from the minute we turned onto it and opened up the throttle until the minute we turned off some 450 miles later.

Sweeping turns with no traffic.

https://lh5.googleusercontent.com/jU...Ml5Yq7gicGQVl0http://i.imgur.com/UGvvWw4h.jpg
Rolling hills.

https://lh4.googleusercontent.com/G1...RqOZXqTbw0jphxhttp://i.imgur.com/fubJarWh.jpg
And gorgeous scenery.

https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/Ql...9ACreQ8nHcU1xhhttp://i.imgur.com/XXKFSwIh.jpg
After turning off the Cassiar and heading East now towards Prince George we ran into another Action Mobil, damn these things are sweet.

https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/Gb...L4o6MqwrUFwgEAhttp://i.imgur.com/2GIvm3Sh.jpg
The owner was a French woman, probably in her late 50′s. When I asked her where’s home for her she turned around and pointed at her Action Mobil. She said she got bored, decided to sell her house and buy one of these instead. She was single, retired, kids were all grown up, and she just traveled around the world year-round with her scotty dog in her Action Mobil. She had been traveling for several years now and had been all over Europe, Asia, Africa, and now the Americas. She just followed the warm weather seasons from region to region. She had no intentions of slowing down anytime soon. Amazing lady.

https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/8m...PH2YjIB4cYleI3We were now winding down our trip. In the next two days we had 1,000 miles to cover before we would be at our doorstep in Seattle, WA. It was a bit of a tall order but Kosh and I didn’t have any other major stops to make so we started laying down the miles.
https://lh5.googleusercontent.com/sC...F3z-miKP2oJUdRAlong the way we murdered lots of Alaska’s state bird…

http://i.imgur.com/h0S4Uo0h.jpg
…passed through lots of farmland…

http://i.imgur.com/Qhsc5hDh.jpg

…some super dry arid areas at 93+ degrees…

http://i.imgur.com/ctn8IYqh.jpg

…and had blue skies all the way.

https://lh6.googleusercontent.com/7L...RSyp_Usl_uC8HOhttp://i.imgur.com/X80oaEIh.jpg
On the last day we made it to the Canada-US border.

https://lh6.googleusercontent.com/yh...vcS4PkNkWUYhCLhttp://i.imgur.com/FOrs3eTh.jpg
Yep, Kosh, “w” is for Washington.

https://lh6.googleusercontent.com/sO...WmleTxgFwOU5euhttp://i.imgur.com/VLbPh9dh.jpg
A little over 100 miles later and we were rolling into Seattle. Crossing over one of the many bridges that link up the city, this one always reminds me of coming home.

https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/nj...ncA4e-FSHkWyeXhttp://i.imgur.com/ZoCyC64h.jpg
We pulled into the driveway, I flicked my kickstand down and then…well I just leaned back and sat on the bike. It felt comfortable to be sitting on it, more comfortable than getting off. It felt like I could just as easily pull out of the driveway and head down the road again but in the other direction for a few more thousand miles. I juggled with the idea for a moment seriously wondering “why not?”. In the end reason won and I reminded myself to have patience, at least for now. All in good time.

4 weeks, 7,500+ miles later and it all went by like it was just another weekend ride. As a test-ride it was a success. No major issues that couldn’t be solved, gear worked as intended, bike performed just as I hoped, and as suspected I had a blast.

In addition to a successful test-ride I picked up a lot from this trip. I met a lot of great people, had a ton of fun with my friends, and saw some pretty amazing places. All while essentially in North America’s own back yard. The main thing that I’m left with though – after the dirt and grime from a few weeks on the road is washed off, after the bike is tidied and put back in order, after it’s all said and done – is a lingering and all encompassing feeling that trumps everything else…

I. Want. More.

http://i.imgur.com/YtifPsih.jpg

nicola_a 3 Nov 2012 22:47

When do you set off South?? :)

seantully 5 Nov 2012 18:57

Quote:

Originally Posted by nicola_a (Post 399014)
When do you set off South?? :)

Although I originally intended to leave in September my current grant cycle for work (I'm in research and development) ends at the end of March and I have agreed to see the project through to completion.

On the downside, I won't be doing any long trips for a few more months. :nono:

On the upside, I'll have some more money in the pocket to travel for longer with after March. :thumbup1:

seantully 9 Aug 2013 20:41

19: Got bored. Have Two Weeks. Gone Riding
 
I committed to finishing out our current grant cycle with work. This places me in the workplace rather than the saddle until the end of March.

It's the holidays though and I convinced the office overlords it was imperative that I leave for a bit. I have two weeks starting tomorrow, no question about it, I'm going riding.

EDIT:
Here's an little update of a trip from Seattle down the west coast that I took in December - January.

http://i.imgur.com/k8dwLh.jpg

Left Seattle, Cold, and wet.

http://i.imgur.com/ebkQrh.jpg

Please have better weather further south.

http://i.imgur.com/DVW0vh.jpg

Oregon Coast is looking...wet. Won't stop raining.

http://i.imgur.com/kBaekh.jpg

A little bit better.

http://i.imgur.com/1NkpXh.jpg

Dat Sun. Now in San Francisco.

http://i.imgur.com/nOtuIh.jpg

Northern California coming into Cambria.

http://i.imgur.com/sxBokh.jpg

Ventura, CA.

http://i.imgur.com/KOFeOh.jpg

Sun setting on CA 1, time to find a place to stay.

http://i.imgur.com/yLOPrh.jpg

Waking up on the beach.

http://i.imgur.com/3pqyWh.jpg

Heading in to Malibu.

http://i.imgur.com/2vSKTh.jpg

Bougie Hollywood hills.

http://i.imgur.com/bodSCh.jpg

LA

http://i.imgur.com/4AUxBh.jpg

Kid rockin the hawk helmet pretty hard while shredding on the scooter.

http://i.imgur.com/YssrBh.jpg

Venice beach by day.

http://i.imgur.com/Or0Bfh.jpg

Skater at the venice beach skate park by night.

http://i.imgur.com/o0SyOnGh.jpg

http://i.imgur.com/2ulyah.jpg

When hostels are available I prefer to stay in them. It's more fun kicking it with other people from other places and is almost just as cheap (in CA). Stayed here a couple days.

http://i.imgur.com/BONSWh.jpg

Rear knoby is getting tired, I packed another one though that I had laying around so I'll probably replace it soon.

http://i.imgur.com/COv0mh.jpg

Planning to meet friends in San Francisco for new years so I started heading back up the coast. Mmmm dats nice.

http://i.imgur.com/0hfP2h.jpg

Somewhere near Big Sur.

http://i.imgur.com/4sUxBh.jpg

Back end started getting squirly in the corners on the beautiful road that is CA 1 from Cambria to Santa Cruz. Pulled over to find that I had a slow flat.

http://i.imgur.com/sHGLqh.jpg

Found the culprit. Took the Opportunity to swap out my balding tire for the spare I had been lugging around too.

http://i.imgur.com/pJTeCh.jpg

As far as places to change a flat and mount a new tire go, this is hard to beat.

http://i.imgur.com/QfgU8h.jpg

Mind as well make a sammy while I'm patching the tube.

http://i.imgur.com/6QV71h.jpg

Old tire off. New tire to be mounted.

http://i.imgur.com/GeZz7h.jpg

Back in San Francisco. Hippie bus spotted.

http://i.imgur.com/sU2Qah.jpg

Getting grub in the hate.

http://i.imgur.com/HIFH9h.jpg

Sweet architecture.

http://i.imgur.com/824Rbh.jpg

Chilling at the park with friends.

http://i.imgur.com/KJUPkh.jpg

Raged on new years, this was all that was left the next day.

http://i.imgur.com/mBciBh.jpg

Rolling out of my friends place in the Mission.

http://i.imgur.com/BzTljh.jpg

Getting back onto the coast to CA 1. I prefer the dirt but mmmmm those blacktop twisties look good too.

http://i.imgur.com/boicYh.jpg

http://i.imgur.com/BreXWh.jpg

Back on the coast heading North.

http://i.imgur.com/P89RQh.jpg

http://i.imgur.com/QImxgh.jpg

Moo-cow.

http://i.imgur.com/wgPPZh.jpg

Great coastal riding.

http://i.imgur.com/EEyFth.jpg

Rolled past this place and stopped to say hello and ask where the good food can be had. Locals always know best.

http://i.imgur.com/w5LiTh.jpg

Pretty awesome show/work space.

http://i.imgur.com/DVr9Lh.jpg

Sweet bike. The panels were hand-rolled by the owner.

http://i.imgur.com/7p0PAh.jpg

Duc.

http://i.imgur.com/vcQkth.jpg

Probably so fun to ride around on these roads in the summer (or even now).

http://i.imgur.com/g9pizh.jpg

http://i.imgur.com/m4Iqih.jpg

http://i.imgur.com/B9DMch.jpg

Getting further north, passed a motorcyclists favorite sign, the one with the squiggly line and a mileage number indicating upcoming tight turns and for how long. This one said "next 21 miles".

http://i.imgur.com/svwb2h.jpg

Making that morning breaky'. It was starting to get colder and colder.

http://i.imgur.com/qT60Kh.jpg

Bomb oatmeal success.

http://i.imgur.com/qCVYVh.jpg

Avenue of the giants.

http://i.imgur.com/I3hKUh.jpg

http://i.imgur.com/8jZrRh.jpg

You don't have to eat shitty while camping. Made 5 of these and fell asleep.

http://i.imgur.com/xrCUIh.jpg

Back in Oregon meow.

http://i.imgur.com/hOTLuh.jpg

http://i.imgur.com/HCxIL9Vh.jpg

http://i.imgur.com/WhXeDh.jpg

Headed home.

http://i.imgur.com/y4ZRph.jpg

Mental batteries recharged, now back to the grind on Monday.

http://i.imgur.com/yobkISah.jpg

http://i.imgur.com/pzsXKkBh.jpg

http://i.imgur.com/PQQgaXnh.jpg

http://i.imgur.com/Gqia7h.jpg

Met Robert here, he was riding his bike around the US when he found out about a brain tumor that was hitching a free ride. Got surgery, and is now gearing up to go back and "put a tire in every state that I missed". Champion.

seantully 9 Aug 2013 20:42

19: Up-dating? Upping the date? Date-upping?
 
Alright so once again I prove bad at updating this thread. As with writing this trip report, planning and executing a trip has been a learning experience. "Planning, and executing"...man that sounds terrible now. I used to put a lot of time and effort into thinking about what I wanted to do and how I wanted to do it. When you are doing something new I suppose that's a smart idea, and that process has brought me to where I am now, which is great. Having a better idea about how I like to do motorcycle travel. Through my last trip up North to Prudhoe bay I got a more fleshed out understanding of how I like to do things. I've realized that when traveling on my bike, just like any of my other interests or hobbies, I like to fly by the seat of my pants. Be well prepared with your equipment and knowledge beforehand but always do what feels right in the moment, have a blast, and try to avoid any regrets (both good and bad).

This new found understanding I realize has really just been a return to baseline. I have always enjoyed life most when I didn't plan it out. When I do everything I can to do my best at what I'm doing, have the most fun I can while doing it, and enjoy life for what it is right then, that's when I feel most fulfilled.

I look back now at all of my planning and it feels like just a bunch of mental masturbation. Sort of silly. Something to kill the monotony of a 9-5 job post graduation. I guess it served its purpose, hundreds of hours on ADVrider, looking at gear reviews, planning out where I wanted to go, etc. It really took up a lot of time and gave me something to do. It did, however, also give me a basic level of competence in something that I was/am still pretty new to, which is smart when the act of doing that activity poorly could get you into a pickle.

I've always been a methodical person when preparing for things but not if it takes the excitement and element of the unknown out. Now that I have a basic knowledge base and have acquired the necessary equipment to do what I want to do - enough to at least keep me out of major trouble http://d26ya5yqg8yyvs.cloudfront.net/mwink.gif - I think it's time to bring this adventure motorcycling thing back towards how I really prefer to do things, well prepared and poorly plannedhttp://d26ya5yqg8yyvs.cloudfront.net/Laughing.gif.

I am still heading South, but with a very different mindset, one that I enjoy much more and am way more familiar with. I'm confident in my kit, my gear, and my senses. Anything past that will be handled on the fly and addressed accordingly. My last "plan" that I'm making is to leave on September 1st...yeeeah yeeeah I accepted an extension on my work contract (AGAIN!http://d26ya5yqg8yyvs.cloudfront.net/deal.gif) but it has worked out for the best. I have no time-frame, no goal, no destination, and no real direction. If I'm going to be in my 20's and wandering I mind as well enjoy it!

A couple months ago I went down the coast to visit friends and spin the wheels so I'll put an update in here shortly on that. Oh and I took the blog/website down that I had been cross-posting on and, as I presumed, all the photo links on ADVrider went down as well. Not sure how I'll be putting photos up in the future but I'll see if I get around to uploading the old ones again at some point. EDIT: See post #54 for pics

Cheershttp://d26ya5yqg8yyvs.cloudfront.net/friday.gif

seantully 12 Aug 2013 19:21

20. Tooling and Tooling around
 
So I finally made time to put my new 688 piston kit in that I ordered from Eagle Mike. I did a cylinder swap and the ordering process was super simple and prompt from Mike...I on the other hand was not as prompthttp://d26ya5yqg8yyvs.cloudfront.net/shog.gif and took far too long to install and return my cylinder to Mike, thanks again for your patience Mike!http://d26ya5yqg8yyvs.cloudfront.net/thumb.gif

The install went smooth and everything worked as projected. After a bit of tuning I think she's running near perfect now. I did the swap to solve oil burning and as of today she hasn't burnt a drop of oil after a fair amount of high stress long rides.

If anyone has a 'burner' and is in search of a fix, I highly recommend the kit!

Here's some pics

http://i.imgur.com/zcdEHPuh.jpg

Time to rebuild the heart of the KiLleR. She had been a 'burner' since the day I got her and although the cost of a 688 kit will buy a lot of oil, I don't like that she doesn't run the way she is supposed to and it's a pain in rural areas to be thinking about where/when the next place is to get full synthetic oil, etc. A 688 kit will fix the oil burning and she'll be all the happier for it.

I have a garage at my place in Seattle that I cleared out and filled with my tools and bike stuff. My friends and I named it 'Af-man-istan'. Here you can drink beer at any time of the day, blast music, get dirty, play darts, you name it. All females entering Afmanistan must apply for a visa.

http://i.imgur.com/8Kmbksph.jpg

This is the exhaust header where burnt exhaust exits the motor, look at all that soot build-up!

http://i.imgur.com/XrPy5mqh.jpg

That's a fair amount of burnt off oil, there were times when I was pulling long days on the road at high revs that I could be burning through half a quart and it shows!

http://i.imgur.com/sZejgUsh.jpg

Pulling the top end off the cylinder, it wasn't scored and the bore looked good. Those damn stock piston rings just aren't built to spec with tight enough tolerances. At high revs the oil-scrubbers just can't keep up and it'll slowly burn through your oil to keep things lubricated.

I say nay-nay though, not anymore.

http://i.imgur.com/ikMhd6Ih.jpg

http://i.imgur.com/2JQ0POAh.jpg

Lots of carbon build-up on the piston head. Interestingly after I took the piston out and left it on a desk by a window in the sun the oil build-up slowly just crinkled up on itself like paper shriveling up and just flaked off?? Pretty odd.

http://i.imgur.com/ZxuBVMQh.jpg

All the bits to be put back on. Checked the valves etc while I was at it obviously. Had to order some new shims as the tolerances had tightened up smaller than the shims that I had available.

Thanks Eagle Mike for the fast shipping!

http://i.imgur.com/kfSpo8Fh.jpg

Dammn look at that shine. New piston is a bit lighter and bigger. Rings fit nicer too so shouldn't be any oil burning.

http://i.imgur.com/R8VWLu6h.jpg

Bike almost back together. Went through the break-in period meticulously working the motor harder and harder with different oils as the rings and piston worked themselves in. After some fiddling with carb adjustments and jetting she's getting dialed in.

http://i.imgur.com/CP6Gfr2h.jpg

Went out to to eastern Washington to get some dirt riding in. Did a couple legs of the Washington Back-country Discovery Route, which is pretty gosh dilly-darn good. A big fire came through in 2012 and much of the route between Ellensburge and Cashmere (day 3?) was burnt out.

http://i.imgur.com/fd3f64Ph.jpg

For acres and acres it looked like this.

http://i.imgur.com/ZVx9SiQh.jpg

http://i.imgur.com/S27kz23h.jpg

The ash was really thick, glad I was riding solo and no-one had to follow in the cloud of ash behind me.

http://i.imgur.com/LKinx2Ch.jpg

The views were gorgeous,

http://i.imgur.com/CW3meLEh.jpg

the riding superb,

http://i.imgur.com/IH9y5oEh.jpg

and the exposure was great.

http://i.imgur.com/7GiCtUfh.jpg

My camera battery died as I realized I swapped out the wrong batter back at home so I used my camera on my phone instead to try and catch the sweet scenery. The ride from Cashmere to Chelan (day 4?) is really nice and the views were awesome. Didn't see anyone besides 2 other riders that were on top of Chumstick Peak.

http://i.imgur.com/FWGSNpPh.jpg

The views on top of Chumstick Peak were 360 degrees and too nice to not call it a day and camp for the night right on top.

Choke cable snapped the next morning when I tried to start the bike so I'll need to replace that. Bike still started with a little coaxing.

http://i.imgur.com/v53o1tW.jpg

Dropping back down in elevation the next day and there started to be farms and orchards.

http://i.imgur.com/2HaWblB.jpg

Headed back towards Leavenworth snapping a last shot over a wood bridge. The cold water acts like natures AC unit cooling all the air flowing over it so it was a nice spot to cool down for a bit before heading back.

Also to note, not a single drop of oil burned since the install of the new piston/cylinder/rings and under high stress and for long periods of riding, installation success.

seantully 14 Aug 2013 19:38

Posts 13 and 14 are now up
 
13: Tagging In
14: Red-Dog and Brown-Bear ride again

seantully 19 Aug 2013 23:07

Pics update: post 15 is now up
 
15: Up and at'em

seantully 21 Aug 2013 01:02

Pics update: post 16, 17, & 18 now up
 
All photos are now back online and these posts are up:

16: Catching Up
17:
Catching Up (continued)
18: Catching Up (continued again)

seantully 17 Sep 2013 05:12

No-Moto-Boundaries: New Ride Report Thread
 
Heyo, I left on Sep. 1st and have decided to continue this ride report in a new thread. Since I originally created this original ride report thread over a year and a half ago my mentality and plans about this adventure have changed a fair amount, and definitely all for the better (see post #33 above). Rather than changing or editing this thread to fit my new plans I have decided to start a new thread and in doing so preserve this one.

Come follow along here for the next chapter: No-Moto-Boundaires


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