Day 6 - Whitehorse - Yukon Territory

Animal Count remains the same as we traveled 450 km and didn't see a living thing.
Rain
Sun
Cold

This evening in Whitehorse is a balmy
14 degrees following a day off wind and rain. First part of the day was the windiest and wettest we have had since leaving the island and the nature of the road changed a little also today.
No more twisties, back to the wide open vista's and back up to the snow line.
Gravel and road repairs have been a feature of the day with mud, dust & dirt

A visit to the Signpost Forest in Watson Lake was the first stop of the day and a chance to add our own sign supporting Liverpool FC.
http://www.signpostforest.com/
Check this link out for the interesting history of the attraction.
At this time there are over 65,000 signs and one in particular took my eye.

 After spending the last few days with the highway to ourselves it was a big change to be sharing it with truckers who fly past at 130 kph while you are doing 65 kph in the gravel or mud.
When its dry the resulting dust-cloud leaves you blind for the next minute or so and unable to see potholes or banks of deep gravel.
Certainly keeps you on your toes.

Although a lot busier than the previous days we only got stopped at a flag person 3 times and had to wait no longer than 5 or 6 minutes each time.
Sometimes the flag person will call a motorcycle to the front of the queue for ease and/or safety, but sadly not today. Its always entertaining when you have to pass the gaggle of RV's and trucks to gain your own space and ride your own road.


I was lucky enough to sit and speak with a road engineer at 5.30 this morning while having coffee in the lodge and he described the method of using processed slurry that is positively charged, laid on the hard-pack and left to cure. Gravel is then raked over it to produce a hardy surface that will last a few years as they know they are going to be back in a couple of springs. Here it is being laid.

Staying over in the lodge was a guy called Bill from New York and when I saw the back of his bike I knew I had to have a chat with him, great guy who has traveled in 50 countries on bikes and is trying to make the other remaining 200 in the next few years. Now that's what I call a bucket list.

As stated above no wildlife to been seen anywhere today until we arrived at Mountain Ridge Motel on the outskirts of Whitehorse where a little fox was sniffing around outside the cabins, he really wasn't bothered by the fact that I walked up to him to take a photograph, just looked up then carried on eating someones food they had left on their porch.
We did visit a museum of Wildlife today and I cant believe how big a bull-moose is, I have no desire to meet one of them head on in the middle of the highway.

Dinner in town this evening, following a stroll around the Klondike paddle steamer, was in the Burnt Toast Cafe and proved to be excellent. Local Elk and Blueberry Sausage for me and a warm Gnarly Barley Salad
for Wifey.

Weather forecast for the next few days is clear and sunny but as we are getting north its getting cooler so its thermal's out on Thursday morning for the first time.

Day 5 - Watson Lake - Yukon

Bear Count -  13

11 Black / 1 Grizzly / 1 Brown

4 Moose

3 herd of Bison and lonesome Buffalo

Countless Dall Sheep

Wild Horses

This truck is located in the parking lot of The Air Force Lodge in Watson Lake - Yukon, our room for the night, following an unforgettable ride today in beautiful sunny weather until the last 10 minutes when the Yukon decided to show its stormy side with torrential rain and strong winds..... the rest of the day was perfect.
Riding over the Rockies was simply stunning and being able to laze about in Liard Hot Springs was a great respite from the road. The road is SO easy.... its wide, well paved with a shoulder most of the way and all the verges are cut back about 50 feet from the highway to enable long distance scenery viewing and also a chance to see the wildlife.
Wildlife !! Fantastic, in the first 30 minutes of today's ride we saw Moose and Bears and it just kept getting better and better. Wifey is a little scared of the animals and gets very nervous if I stop to take photo's.

Stopping off at Toad River for a cup of tea at about 11.00 am this morning revealed a ceiling with over 6000
baseball style hats attached, very quirky...

Liard Hot Springs - There are two springs ranging in temperature from
42 -52 degrees and when you first step into them, it's hot, very hot.
A mild smell of sulphur fills the air and actually stays with you all day long....lovely.
Strangely all our white gold jewelry turned gold and the silver turned black, makes you wonder what it does for the skin.

So the first day on the real Alaska Highway was a gem, truly memorable in every way, from the start in Dawson Creek to Watson Lake, mile after mile of stunning scenery and wildlife. Climbing the Rockies we passed over the highest pass on the entire route "Summit Pass" at 1267m before rolling into Toad River for gas and a break. Azure blue, glacial Muncho Lake was next before we reached the hot springs for lunch and  a soak. The highway starts to open up again following the course of the Liard River as we finally leave beautiful British Columbia and enter the Yukon Territory.

Day 4 - Fort Nelson B.C.

Bear count - 6
Coyote count - 1
Sun
Rain
Lightening

One 15 minute rain and lightening storm during the day, apart from that a beautiful sunny day that ended here in Fort Nelson at 21 degrees and its still bright & sunny at 10.00pm...guess we are heading to the land of the midnight sun.
The first day on the Alaska Highway is not exactly a challenging ride as it consists of mainly long straight stretches along side the Rockies.


Only one bear sited today but the closest encounter yet as we slowed to take a look at him, he just stared at us in disgust and you could tell he wasn't too happy being distracted from chewing on his dandelions.
The coyote appeared during the brief storm and just ran across the highway infront of us prompting a gentle tap on the brakes to ensure he didn't become a trophy.

Lunch was enjoyed alongside the Sikanni River which was in  full flood and running fast and strong. Wifey very impressed with the washrooms as they looked somewhat "artisan" on the outside but proved to be designer chic inside and very modern.

This is the original Mile Zero signpost located in Dawson Creek and not as photographed as much as yesterdays example.
As we get further north it is starting to feel like we are getting away from it all as there is hours of nothing but trees and the highway complimented by
distant mountains all day.

Day 3 - Dawson Creek

Bear Count - 5
Sun
Rain
Hail

Woke up in Quesnel to a daunting weather forecast of severe thunderstorms throughout the whole of northern B.C. and the view out the window confirmed heavily overcast skies.
Continental breakfast was available in the lobby but we are unsure as to which continent it was supposed to belong to but we filled up on boiled eggs and toast before wrapping Wifey up in her multiple layered road attire and heading to Prince George. As soon as we left the sun came out and the first hours ride to a friends house in PG was a pleasure, as was drinking Strongbow before the sun had crossed over the yard arm.
Thanks to Ken for his hospitality and the kids for keeping us entertained.
Heading north just before midday the weather simply got better and better and we marveled at the mountains  in the Hart Range as we cut along Pine Pass.....It wasn't to last, by the time we got to Chetwynd we needed the shelter of Timmies and a coffee after a 20 minute soaking alongside the peace river.
As we pulled out of the parking lot the skies ahead were jet black, we skirted the edges of the dark clouds for over an hour until we headed straight into a well defined cloudburst of hail, proper hail, painful hail, hitting the tops of my arms like hundreds of airgun pellets, until we reached Dawson Creek about 15 mins later.
The George Dawson Inn is our haven for the evening and the adventure really starts in the morning as we ride the first stretch of the Alaska Highway itself.

Day 2 - Quesnel B.C.

Bear count - 1
485 kms

Left Pemberton Suites around 9.15 a.m. following a nice breakfast pastry and coffee/tea.
Currently sheltering in the Ramada, Quesnel, B.C. following a great ride via the Duffey Lake Rd, luckily the only rain we encountered was 15 minutes away from the hotel.
No large mammal sightings except cows and horses ( 1 x alpaca ) but awe inspiring scenery all the way.

We arrived shortly after 4.30 pm after stopping for a pub lunch  ( yeah I know.........)  and will be heading to the hotel pool for a dip when the showers stop.

Day One . Pemberton

Bear count - 1
Google maps distances not very accurate. ..said 95 did 146....
No rain just a nice easy hour and a half up the sea to sky in time to see a rainbow infront of Mt Currie.
AM brings the Duffey Lake Rd...oh yeah

Two weeks and Twitching

2 weeks to go......


On March 22, 2006, BC Ferries- MV Queen of the North with 101 persons aboard, failed to make a planned course change, ran aground and sank. In less than 2 weeks time we will be setting off on a trip involving the same route on-board the replacement Northern Expedition.

This got me to thinking of all the things that could go wrong... doom and gloom.

So the current state of affairs is that Alaska's most restless volcano is spewing an ash cloud 1500 feet into the air and the latest earthquake reports constant elevated seismic activity in the region.
Today the Alaska highway is closed in both directions due to a wash out and is expected to be closed for over 24 hours, last summer a similar stretch of 130 kms were closed off with 53 vehicles and their occupants unable to reach food or shelter for nearly 3 days. The Army was used to fly in supplies for the stranded.......

Certain stretches of the highway in the Yukon Territories are 18 inches deep in snow, so lets face it, anything could happen.

"The tiger got loose after the truck was involved in an accident with a semi-trailer on the Alaska Highway"

You read that correctly the Tiger got loose, OK that's a once in a lifetime event but every year thousands of creatures are involved in vehicular accidents on the road....big creatures, Grizzly Bear, Black Bear, Bison, Stone Sheep, Moose, Elk, Deer etc. 

This is the result of our one and only deer strike an event we have no wish to repeat.

OK so lets flip this round, here's the good part, if the highway is closed we get to call our employers and inform them we will be on an extended vacation :)

Still think its not much of an adventure?

Tweaking........

As it says above I am busy tweaking at the moment. This means I am attempting to fine tune the plan and double check all those lists I started months ago. Mostly little things like buying mosquito face nets, a first aid kit , basically crossing the "I's" and dotting the "T's".....yeah, but there's one tweak I like better than all the rest, we are leaving one day earlier.
Friday May 31st will see us boarding the "Queen of Somewhere" to Horseshoe Bay, Vancouver at 5.20pm, a snack on board while crossing the Salish Sea followed by an hour or so ride to Pemberton B.C.
Best part: Day two starts with rolling out the hotel and straight onto one of my all-time favorite roads, The Duffey Lake Rd.. AKA highway 99 - this is a fantastic road.
Videos and ride reports on my website www.motorcyclingbc.com display my enthusiasm for this stretch of highway as it climbs through the mountains, past glaciers and into the high desert, all in the space of a couple of hours. If you haven't seen them please go take a look, comment, let me know what you think and if you haven't "done the Duffey", go do it.
As I write this, the sun is setting, its been shining all day, April 24th, really nice day and the view from here offers me an ocean glimpse along with snow capped mountains of the Coastal Mountain chain, all drawing my thoughts together into a palpable sense of excitement. I will be riding behind those same mountains in just 37 days time and I am getting impatient. Each evening as the peaks get bathed in the golden glow from the west takes us a day closer to setting off. Wifey comments on a daily basis now that its getting close and seems genuinely fired up for adventure.
In the 21st century its probably not a lot of peoples idea of adventure, a little tame, a little too easy, but I don't really give a damn what other people think, the Alaska Highway is part of my bucket list, I am going to tick that particular box.

The hotel we booked in Pemberton for our first night features this aptly named eating house so watch out in a few weeks for my revue of their food and beer.


I am going to make it a mission to ask in every bar "what do you think is the best local beer?" and try every one of their recommendations, shouldn't be too difficult a task, I may even extend it to trying their food specials also. Food Blog? Maybe get Wifey to takes pics on her IPhone featuring all the drinks and meals.

We will be taking lots of pics and video's along the way and will share what we have when we can find an interweb connection and obviously will update here on a daily basis so friends &  family (yeah that's you) can follow along and laugh when it rains, snows or we get lost. Pretty hard to get lost on one road eh.................

Thursday morning now and the forecast is for more sunshine and I can't see a hint of even the palest blue just a blanket of fog that hasn't kissed the ground yet. First day off in a while and I have promised myself to have a rest day, only item on the "Honey Do List" is cut the grass, even that can wait till tomorrow....so what's to do with the day? My Givi bellypan is in the mail and wont arrive till Monday so I will wait till then and do an oil change and quick service on the bike before bolting that on, so no mechanical maintenance today.

***note to self - don't forget your Jeep***   ***reply to self - it can wait till after the bike season***

So it was just a leisurely bimble through the back roads north to Parksville and up to a local viewpoint "Little Mountain". Only out for an hour or so but managing to get a good mix of roads in, before cruising back down the Inland Island Highway in time for lunch.

When I snapped this pic it just made me think about technology and what electronics we will use on the trip.

I have probably listed this before earlier but for the record:

1. Sony point and shoot cam
2. Samsung Galaxy S3 - Smart phone / music player
3. Apple I-phone 4S - Smart phone / music player
4. Scala Teamset Pro - Bluetooth helmet communications
5. Sony HandyCam - HD video / still / voice recording
6. Contour Roam - HD helmet cams x 2
7. Oxford heated grips
8. Garmin Nuvi - GPS / SatNav
9. Toshiba Tablet or Sony Laptop - to be decided
10. Everything else that I cant remember at the time of typing.

A little lightweight reading from the coffee  table which is taking on the appearance of a planning office in recent days, books, magazines & notebooks are scattered all around.

Maps of every size and scale you could imagine litter every flat surface in our actual office and that just makes me laugh....it's only one road!

Wifey goes on 1st test ride

So the trip to the Pacific Rim Whale festival was a washout...ended up being a trip in the Jeep due to adverse weather conditions but last weekend we managed to get the Strom all luggaged up with wifey onboard and took a trip around Southern Vancouver Island.
Nanaimo to Port Renfrew on to Sooke, Langford, Victoria and back...a total of 7.5 hours riding punctuated by a few smoke breaks (for me....) and stop at the 17 mile pub for lunch.
The little 650 remained an enjoyable tool for the job and apart from lacking a bit of "pulling away" power did not disappoint. Handling remained neutral and with the rear shock cranked up it soaked up all the rough road surfaces with aplomb, this is one comfortable motorcycle.
.

The adjustable Givi screen does a great job of keeping the wind and weather from your face and upper body and the OEM handguards made the heated grips redundant for the day.
Adjusting the height of the screen on the fly is easy so if it rains, up it goes, if its hot, then lower for better airflow.
I am a Givi fan as their products are really well designed and practical.





It was also the first time to try out the new Arai XD4 along with the Scala Pro Teamset bluetooth headsets.
In all my years of riding I have never had communication with my passenger before and what a difference it makes, crystal clear conversation and battery life that lasted all day with no issues.

Online reviews state that music/audio quality is not so good but we didn't experiment with music or using our cell phones, simply enjoyed being able to converse easily even at highway speeds. It will come in very handy spotting wildlife etc on our big trip.

Continuing on the Givi theme I have fitted their engine / crash bars and am very happy with them. Interweb forums have hundreds of posts relating to bad vibrations with bars fitted but I have only noticed a very slight buzz in the 4000rpm range. A starge addition to my steed as I hope I never need them but they appear very sturdy and will definately help in a low speed gravel / parking lot spill.

The Kappa cases mounted on the Givi racks make the bike a little wide to be doing any lane splitting / filtering, but are super easy to mount and remove, and large enough for Wifey and I to keep our basic roadtrip essentials protected and dry. EuroRoadTrip 2012 convinced me that hard side cases are the way to go when touring and also provide a cool place to put your stickers........

The new Kappa Mantra top case fits easily using the generic plastic mounting plate it came with, no need for an expensive 3rd party adapter, just 4 simple bolts and its good to go. Wifey likes the added security of not falling off the back when I get a little throttle happy. I am not a fan of top cases as they always seem to have the weight too far back and too high, but we will only have our waterproofs and lightweight stuff in here along with snacks etc.

After owning this bike for over a year now I am convinced it is a fantastic choice for all-round verstility and continues to amaze me with its fuss free operation, great engine, fine chassis and ABS brakes. Now it has a second fan....Wifey, she really enjoyed the ride, the headset and the comfort, all in all a successful first long pillion ride.

We cannot wait for the Alaska trip......bring it on :)

Animated Planning Map

This is a basic outline of the trip with a quick look at the accommodations - press play here

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"

 

 

 

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.

 

 

 

 

 

 

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.

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.