It is Finished

It has been awhile since I posted, so I will try to catch things up a bit.

I finished the motorcycle trip to Alaska. 13,000 miles and 44 days. It was a trip of a lifetime. I went from Key West to Deadhorse Alaska, and then back to Key West. I left May 24th and arrived in Deadhorse on June 13th. It was the most difficult ride I have done, but it was also one of the most enjoyable. I saw bears, goats, elk, bison, deer, and hundreds of rabbits. All in close proximity to the road. I went through a herd of probably two hundred bison. Half on each side of the road. That was a little scary, especially when the car in front of me stopped to take a look. The only close call I had with animals on the road was in Montana when two stupid deer ran across the road in front of me.

It was some of the most beautiful scenery I have road through. Riding across the frozen tundra of Alaska was amazing. I kept thinking to myself about how people traveled this area by sled or walking. The road to Deadhorse is a mostly dirt road called the Dalton Highway. It is a haul road built for truckers to haul supplies to the oil fields on the Arctic ocean. 90% of the traffic is semi trucks. In the winter the northern third of the road is turned into an ice road. It was a very challenging road for a Goldwing motorcycle. Even in June I rode through snow and ice. I would not have made it without electric heated clothing.

The weather was the toughest part of the trip. Amazingly to me of all the travel days on the trip I only had about four days that it did not rain or snow. Some days it may have only been 15 minutes of rain but there was still rain and you were still wet. Temperatures for the trip ranged from the 90s in the lower 48 to the 20s in northern Alaska and everything in between.

As far north as a dirt road will take you.

Fulfillment of a long time dream. I have now been in all 50 states.

The beginning of the Dalton Highway.

Part of the Dalton Highway.

Part of the Dalton Highway.

End of the Dalton Highway.

Beginning of the Alaskan Highway.

Stopped at a road camp to wait form the pass to be cleared so I could continue. 6" of snow the night before.

Part of the Alaskan pipeline.

This is what the bike looked like when I got to Deadhorse.

Hit a pot hole and bent the front rim. Had to get a new rim shipped up to Fairbanks before I could continue.

Stopped at a few places on the way back.

Bridge in Alaska.

It Has Begun

I rode to Key West today and got my witness forms signed at the police dept. and got my first gas receipt, that starts the clock on the trip. According to the Iron Butt Association rules I now have 30 days to make it to Prudhoe Bay Alaska to qualify for their Certification of the "Ultimate coast to coast ride". If the weather does not permit me to make it all the way (the last 500 miles is a gravel haul road) then it will just be a fun ride to Alaska. Alaska is the only state I have not been in and I am so looking forward to it.

I checked the weather this morning in Prudhoe Bay. It was 27 degrees. Glad I packed my electric heated clothes. That I think is the toughest part of this trip. I will be going from 85 degrees with 90% humidity to 27 degrees and I will be coming back through west Texas in late June. I have to pack for a wide variety of conditions. No matter it will be a good time.

I will try to update the blog as much as I can while on the road.

North to Alaska

Well it has been awhile since I have posted anything. I am sure I could come up with at least two or three really impressive excuses that would totally exonerate me of any blame, but to be honest it was just pure laziness. I worked quite abit after hurricane Irma, then I had grand kids to play with. After that the laziness kicked in. I am simi-retired. I work at a real job about 3-4 months a year. The amazing thing is I really do not know where the time goes. I don't know how I ever had time for a real job. I am busy all the time, but when I look back I can't see that I have accomplished anything big. One guy who lived on a boat was asked by a land lubber "What do you do all day?". I will never forget his answer "I don't know but it takes me all day". That is exactly how I feel.

We moved aboard on October 31rst 2010. Coming up on 8 years and I still love it. A boat change is in our future though. We are going back to a trawler. The power boat thing isn't working for us.

North to Alaska.
No we are not taking the boat to Alaska. I finally get to take a motorcycle trip up there. I have dreamed of riding to Alaska for many many years and now is the time. The ride will be from Key West to Prudhoe Bay Alaska and (hopefully) back. I plan on leaving on Friday May 25th and return on July 1st. 12,200 miles and 37 days. I know it will be a hard trip but hopefully it will be as fun as it is hard. I have been working on the bike for a month now getting it ready. I feel it and I are up to it. Time will tell. I have ridden over 250,000 miles in my life. The longest trip to date was 8,000 miles in two weeks. So this will definitely be the longest trip so far both time wise and miles.

I have a spot tracker attached to the link at the top of the page that will track where I am once I leave.

Packed and ready to go.

Packed and ready to go.