This is a basic outline of the trip with a quick look at the accommodations - press play here
Wednesday, 27 February 2013
Monday, 11 February 2013
The Wee Motorcycle
On the "to-do" list is the preparation of my bike so I guess now is a good time to take a look at the little beauty:
2012 Suzuki DL650 V-Strom ABS known by all as "the Wee Strom"
Further additions and changes will be made soon for the Alaska trip....OEM cowl will be replaced with Givi Oil Carter (Bash plate) for stronger underbelly protection against rocks and the addition of a top case and backrest for Wifey
By the time June comes around the original tires will be done so a nice new pair of Heidenau Scouts will be installed and ready for the rigours of the Alaskan Highway which is well known for shredding rubber.
2012 Suzuki DL650 V-Strom ABS known by all as "the Wee Strom"
I've had this bike for a year now and have over 10,000k on the clock and can honestly say I have enjoyed every mile. Acknowledged as the best budget all-rounder, the "poor mans GS", it is the perfect choice for motorcycling in Canada allowing mild off-road adventures even for dirt virgins like me.
Like every other rider I enjoy personalising my ride and at this point the following aftermarket accessories have been added: Givi Airflow screen, Givi Engine Bars, Givi SideRack, Kappa Panniers, OEM Handguards, Oxford heated grips, Givi TankBag, 12v power outlet, OEM Engine cowl and various mounts for camera's, gps etc.Further additions and changes will be made soon for the Alaska trip....OEM cowl will be replaced with Givi Oil Carter (Bash plate) for stronger underbelly protection against rocks and the addition of a top case and backrest for Wifey
By the time June comes around the original tires will be done so a nice new pair of Heidenau Scouts will be installed and ready for the rigours of the Alaskan Highway which is well known for shredding rubber.
Monday, 4 February 2013
Motivation - the sound of silence
Imagine yourself standing on a deserted beach enjoying the solitude and the pleasure of being "at one" with natures wonderland, when suddenly to your surprise, a group of people appear invading the scene and in a flash the mood has changed.
Most likely they are the same kind of person as you, as they find themselves sharing the same part of the universe for the same reasons, but somehow they have spoiled that special moment.
"Getting away from it all" is a desire we all have, for me it doesn't happen in a resort or hotel complex, it happens when I am as far from other people as possible. Does this make me unsociable, a miserable bugger, a loner or all of these? Ask Wifey, she will tell you I am a grumpy old sod, but even she can see how much happier I am when travelling in the remoter parts of the world.
Thankfully its something we both enjoy.
Only after moving to Canada in 2004 did I start to appreciate how big this place is...I have ridden through parts of British Columbia (theres a lot more of it left to see) and honestly you can drive for hours on end and not see another soul, no homes, no vehicles, just a ribbon of black, its simply awesome.
Then there is the whole bike thing....that could be another blog / website on its own, ah actually it is :)
try my very own www.motorcyclingbc.com to see what I mean. Suffice to say I love riding, so I love riding in the wilderness even more, but as I get older its nice to have the comforts of home at the end of a long day in the saddle. Comfort = Shower, Bed & Beer, even though I will happily camp when travelling solo, with Wifey along for the ride thats a no-go.
So this trip has it all for me, the lure of the wild, the sense of adventure, wilderness, travelling and comfort rolled into one....and a couple of beers.
To my surprise I find that planning a trip is a pleasure in itself, hours of research on the interweb, YouTube etc, and yes, I write lists....to do lists, must see lists, shopping lists, packing lists, you get the idea. Hearing other peoples thoughts on this particular trip has been interesting and range from "Why the hell would you want to go there and do that?" to "You call that an adventure, it used to be but not anymore." Well this is going to be my adventure so please submit a comment and let me know what you think about riding the Alaska Highway in 2013.
Most likely they are the same kind of person as you, as they find themselves sharing the same part of the universe for the same reasons, but somehow they have spoiled that special moment.
"Getting away from it all" is a desire we all have, for me it doesn't happen in a resort or hotel complex, it happens when I am as far from other people as possible. Does this make me unsociable, a miserable bugger, a loner or all of these? Ask Wifey, she will tell you I am a grumpy old sod, but even she can see how much happier I am when travelling in the remoter parts of the world.
Thankfully its something we both enjoy.
Only after moving to Canada in 2004 did I start to appreciate how big this place is...I have ridden through parts of British Columbia (theres a lot more of it left to see) and honestly you can drive for hours on end and not see another soul, no homes, no vehicles, just a ribbon of black, its simply awesome.
Then there is the whole bike thing....that could be another blog / website on its own, ah actually it is :)
try my very own www.motorcyclingbc.com to see what I mean. Suffice to say I love riding, so I love riding in the wilderness even more, but as I get older its nice to have the comforts of home at the end of a long day in the saddle. Comfort = Shower, Bed & Beer, even though I will happily camp when travelling solo, with Wifey along for the ride thats a no-go.
So this trip has it all for me, the lure of the wild, the sense of adventure, wilderness, travelling and comfort rolled into one....and a couple of beers.
To my surprise I find that planning a trip is a pleasure in itself, hours of research on the interweb, YouTube etc, and yes, I write lists....to do lists, must see lists, shopping lists, packing lists, you get the idea. Hearing other peoples thoughts on this particular trip has been interesting and range from "Why the hell would you want to go there and do that?" to "You call that an adventure, it used to be but not anymore." Well this is going to be my adventure so please submit a comment and let me know what you think about riding the Alaska Highway in 2013.
Saturday, 2 February 2013
and so it begins......
So, my new smartphone has an app on the home screen that is counting down the days....right now it's 119 days to go.
Last year I set an identical one for EuroRoadTrip2012 so I am hoping this kind of trip becomes an annual affair.
I know its going to be hard to beat riding round Europe with my best friends, catching up on old times and creating new ones, but I have to admit the same excitement has entered my gypsy soul.
The reason: The Alaska Highway. I can remember as a child watching a BBC documentary in glorious black & white and since then it has always evoked fantasies of adventure, remoteness and beauty. I promised myself one day I would take that road, in 119 days I will.
I live in beautiful B.C. but its still going to take 2 very long days in the saddle to get to the start of the iconic road in Dawson Creek, B.C. When I originally decided I was going to do this trip I booked a few weeks off in June and started planning a route and only then did I learn that this is the road TO Alaska, most of it being in British Columbia and the Yukon Territories, Canada.
Spending hours on the interweb (mostly YouTube) researching mileage, wilderness camping and the do's and dont's of the Great Northern Road started to fire up my enthusiasm, this must have rubbed off on Wifey, as after a few days of maps, planners and travel guides strewn all over every horizontal surface in our home, she decided she wants to come along.
Its amazing how that changed the dynamic of the trip, from open ended days with a choice of camp sites and the freedom to stop or simply keep going, to the need for an actual schedule and booked accommodations. Well the "googles" helped a lot with route planning, mileage and even places to stay, but everybody says you must buy the Bible of the road, the Milepost, with its mile by mile breakdown of the highway and unparalleled information.
So here we are Wifey & I with time off work, route and accommodations booked, and the bike just about ready to rock'n'roll so I thought it would be a good time to start recording the whole process with photo's, video and even verbage.......here goes!!
A good place to start is with some facts:
We are not doing the "Ice road truckers" thing up the Dalton or the Demspter to the Arctic Ocean, far too bloody cold and scary, instead we are riding the fully paved Alaska Highway from Dawson Creek B.C (Mile Zero) to Delta Junction, Alaska.
Following the surprise attack by the Japanese at Pearl Harbour in June 1941 the Canadian and US governments decided they really needed to get their collective heads together and do something to secure the whole of North America.
So they built a road, a road that was 1,700 miles long... cutting through mountains, valleys, rivers, glaciers & wilderness and due to the urgent need it only took nine months to complete.
The Canadians gave permission to the Americans to build (and pay for) what was to become the Alcan Highway, on the promise they return all land back to Canada on its completion.
On November 20th, 1942 at "Soldiers Summit" the ribbon was cut and the two teams marked completion of the highway, finally a road link from the lower 48 U.S. States through Canada to Alaska, and a legendary roadtrip destination was born.
Originally 1,700 miles of gravel road with a total of 133 bridges the current length, due to straightening and improvements, is a still impressive 1,387 miles.
Last year I set an identical one for EuroRoadTrip2012 so I am hoping this kind of trip becomes an annual affair.
I know its going to be hard to beat riding round Europe with my best friends, catching up on old times and creating new ones, but I have to admit the same excitement has entered my gypsy soul.
The reason: The Alaska Highway. I can remember as a child watching a BBC documentary in glorious black & white and since then it has always evoked fantasies of adventure, remoteness and beauty. I promised myself one day I would take that road, in 119 days I will.
I live in beautiful B.C. but its still going to take 2 very long days in the saddle to get to the start of the iconic road in Dawson Creek, B.C. When I originally decided I was going to do this trip I booked a few weeks off in June and started planning a route and only then did I learn that this is the road TO Alaska, most of it being in British Columbia and the Yukon Territories, Canada.
Spending hours on the interweb (mostly YouTube) researching mileage, wilderness camping and the do's and dont's of the Great Northern Road started to fire up my enthusiasm, this must have rubbed off on Wifey, as after a few days of maps, planners and travel guides strewn all over every horizontal surface in our home, she decided she wants to come along.
Its amazing how that changed the dynamic of the trip, from open ended days with a choice of camp sites and the freedom to stop or simply keep going, to the need for an actual schedule and booked accommodations. Well the "googles" helped a lot with route planning, mileage and even places to stay, but everybody says you must buy the Bible of the road, the Milepost, with its mile by mile breakdown of the highway and unparalleled information.
So here we are Wifey & I with time off work, route and accommodations booked, and the bike just about ready to rock'n'roll so I thought it would be a good time to start recording the whole process with photo's, video and even verbage.......here goes!!
A good place to start is with some facts:
We are not doing the "Ice road truckers" thing up the Dalton or the Demspter to the Arctic Ocean, far too bloody cold and scary, instead we are riding the fully paved Alaska Highway from Dawson Creek B.C (Mile Zero) to Delta Junction, Alaska.
Following the surprise attack by the Japanese at Pearl Harbour in June 1941 the Canadian and US governments decided they really needed to get their collective heads together and do something to secure the whole of North America.
So they built a road, a road that was 1,700 miles long... cutting through mountains, valleys, rivers, glaciers & wilderness and due to the urgent need it only took nine months to complete.
The Canadians gave permission to the Americans to build (and pay for) what was to become the Alcan Highway, on the promise they return all land back to Canada on its completion.
On November 20th, 1942 at "Soldiers Summit" the ribbon was cut and the two teams marked completion of the highway, finally a road link from the lower 48 U.S. States through Canada to Alaska, and a legendary roadtrip destination was born.
Originally 1,700 miles of gravel road with a total of 133 bridges the current length, due to straightening and improvements, is a still impressive 1,387 miles.
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