Alaska, One off the Bucket List

[coachchuck]

July 2, 2012

I am writing a little early today since I have a hot spot now and might not later.

A wood pecker woke me this morning banging on a metal sign. The young one was. The older woodpecker was on a tree. As you read I woke up to bear scat in the camp site. The packs were still hanging from there pole. After packing everything I went to the local bakery/espresso bar for WIFI and spent a couple of hours there posting pictures.
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While I was there I met a couple of the guides from last night’s party that where headed out to sea kayak the fjord. They recommended I head up stream to the lake to see wildlife. The first run of the Sockeye salmon was about over and there would probably be some bears there.
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So I headed that way, I had to go get my ferry ticket anyways and it was on the way. I first spotted a balked eagle setting on a rock in the river. So I stop my bike at one of the turn outs and start to get off it. I am ½ way off the boot over the seat and I look right into a grizzly bear about 15 ft away. He was feeding in the bush along the road, but stood up to see what the noise was. I did not get a picture of him. I stopped getting off the bike and got back on. Started it back up and left. He had went back to feeding before I left, I was watching the whole time. A little to close for me. So I didn’t get a picture of that eagle or that bear.
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Further up the road I got a picture of an eagle further up the road. He was setting high in a tree above the stream watching to catch a fish. I watch a couple of yearling bears play in the meadow down the stream.

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Dangerous Fishing

I also found fishing to be a hazardous sport around here. The bear wanted to fish where the fisherman were. So the fisherman moved. There are signs posted to watch for bear while fishing and move away from them.
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I saw a total of 9 bears. Some close and some farther off.
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I bought some groceries, the price is about the same as home on most things. Eggs are really high at $8.95 a dozen. I guess chickens don’t do well up here. Then back to the little espresso shop and met some more riders that will be getting on the ferry. They are going all the way to Washington, where I get off in Canada. There from Montana up here on a 2 week run.

I will be getting on the ferry later today for Juno and then Prince Rupert.

Link here to some more pictures ,https://plus.google.com/photos/11168...21005772088769

[coachchuck]

July 3, 2012

I caught the ferry to Juno last night. Since I was not going all the way to Bellingham, I was not parked with the rest of the motorcycles. It took quite a while to load. The boat had 2 floors of autos. Tying the bike down was an interesting process. I ended up tying to a forklift.
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Once the bike was secure I worked my way up to the solarium. It is open and heated from overhead heat lamps. There were many people up there. I knew a few from the wilderness first responder party. Some others were motorcyclist I had met earlier. And some that I talked with were new people I met.

I met high school basket ball coach from Juno. The format for play is different up here because of the distance travelled to play another team. They only play tournaments. The high schoolers may have to travel 1000 miles to play someone and it may take a week off school to do it.
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I got a small nap in before I had to depart the ferry. I got on at about 8pm and got off about 2 am. So upon getting off, I went to find a campground to get some more rest. I went toward Juno and found one 20 minutes later. But it closed the gates for entry from 10pm to 6am. I went back to where I started and headed north on the highway. About 2 miles later I found a campground. This is a federal campground and quite nice. I pitch the tent as the sun is coming up. Oh yah, the sun actually sets here for about 4 hours. I see darkness again and must use the motorcycle headlight to see. I have no trouble going to sleep, since I have been sleeping in the light for the last week or so. I am awakened to a Raven trying to remove the power outlet on the handle bars of the bike.
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I pack everything up and go to try find a hot spot. I go all the way into Juno downtown area. There are 4 cruise ships setting at the dock. People are everywhere shopping in the boutique stores. I find a coffee shop that advertises WIFI, but I can’t find a place to park. So I give up on using that WIFI. I head out to the ferry to get my boarding passes and along the way is a McDonalds. I stop into McDonalds and use their WIFI to load pictures. Then off to get the boarding pass.
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After picking up my boarding pass, I have enough time to run over to the Mendonhall Glacier. It is the most impressive I have seen thus far. There is also a lot people from the cruise ships there. Back to the ferry dock. I meet Steve there. I didn’t even know he was going this way. We had traveled together up to Prudhoe Bay and split the cost of a room there. There are 2 other adventure riders there. We load onto the ferry named TAKU. It has been in service since 1963.
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I pitch my sleeping bag in one of the outdoor lounge chairs and my gear beside it under the solarium. The other riders do the same. We talk about family, jobs and politics to pass the time. The over head heaters keep us warm and the glass top protects us from the rain that is lightly coming down. Someone pitched a tent on the deck outside the solarium. We pretty much have it to ourselves except for one backpacker traveling this way also.

I eat supper tonight with 3 other riders. I have Jalapeno Ravioli Cheddar Cheese Soup, and a fruit bow. It is very good. While at supper, I saw an Orca (killer whale). But I am unable to get a picture of it as it keeps disappearing. I see a lot of trees and mountains, a few cruise ships and some fishing vessels along the way. Come 10:30pm I turn in for the night. Sleeping in a lounge chair on the deck under the solarium with a light mist coming down (not hard enough to be a sprinkle). It is quite comfortable with the infrared heaters taking the chill out of the air. The Alaska Marine Highway is a pleasant way to travel.

Here is a link to some more pictures of this day.https://plus.google.com/photos/11168...18875176987425

[coachchuck]

July 4, 2012

Happy 4th of July!!

I awoke this morning around 3am. We had just pulled into port at St Petersburg. I think the announcement woke me up. We were only there for a short time and on the way again. I got up and looked around, we were going through some narrow passages. I could see the lodges and houses well as we passed through the passage. Of course it was light. The fishermen where out and about. Several small fishing boats passed the ferry which had slowed to 10mph to navigate the narrows. After a while I went back to sleep. I was woke again about 7am when we pulled into port Wrangle.
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We are back underway. We will dock at Ketchikan for 6 hours before heading off to Prince Rupert. The day is cloudy, but I would expect that from a rain forest. I took a shower and the water was forceful and hot. I feel much better now. The towels were furnished. One of the items I would change if I did this trip again is the towel. I would take one of the highly absorbent fast drying microfiber towels. The weather has been so moist with rain that the regular towel doesn’t dry before you need to use it again.
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I get to see the gill netters fishing with 1000 ft nets. We pass any small fishing vessels around and several large cruise ships. I am on this for vessel till 2:30 am on Thursday.
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When we pull into Ketchikan, the 4th of July parade is over, but the festive activities are still going on. They have games for the kids to play and booths selling food to raise money for one organization or another. I get 2 hotdogs and some fried bread with homemade jam on it. I continue walking along and meet several people from the first boat I was on. They are in port also but about to leave. We say good bye again. The building are on the side of the mountain with the street built like a dock out over the side of the mountain. The front to some houses is 3 stories of steps before the front door. This would keep you in shape carrying groceries. I stop by the Indian culture building to look at Totem poles. The walk from the boat to down town and back is only about 5 miles. I start heading back to boat as time is growing short. And the boat will not wait on me.
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I watch the float planes come and go as I wait for the boat to depart. The scenery is never ending wonderful. The small houses on the coast where people are just subsisting to the large resorts with private yachts. It is so diverse and a huge contrast. Shortly after the ferry departsI settle in to go to sleep. Even though it is only 8:30 pm, we reach Prince Rupert at 2:30 am, so it is going to be a short night.

[coachchuck]

July 5,2012

I was awakened this morning by the announcement that we were 15 minutes till port docking. I was sleeping good also. Rather rude awakening. So I climbed out of the sleeping back onto the cold metal deck and but my outer clothing on. I then proceeded to bag up all my gear for travel again. It was only about 3 minutes after I was ready till they let us down to our bikes. We all started packing them for travel again. We got the OK sign to leave and that we did. Clearing customs was the same questions as the other times.

Then off into the darkness we traveled. We had decided that there was no use trying for a hotel or campground since it would be 4am when we got there and them we would be up by 8am. So we took off into the night. The road was exceptionally smooth compared to ones I had been on before. We ended up stopping several times during the day because one of us would get tired. So we would pull over and walk around and talk or get a cup of coffee.

We made Williams Lake, BC about 4pm and we were ready to call it quits for the day. We went out to a nice supper at a local bar and grill. I am splitting the cost of a run with 2 other guys tonight.

I plan on many travel with little, if any pictures for the next several days as I am on my way home. Today started the trip home. Tomorrow we will split into 2 parties and the day after that I will be traveling alone again. As Steve will meet his wife and head for Colorado, Mark and Dennis will be on there way to California.
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[coachchuck]

July 6, 2012

I left the hotel rather late, about 9am.

The scenery was the same at first; forests of pine and spruce in a mountainous terrain. It changed to high deserts with sage brush. The only trees growing along the streams in the valleys. The farmers were irrigating the grass to produce hay. I am starting to see a lot more domestic animals, cows and horses. Then it changed to valleys that are irrigated for fruit trees, and lot of apples, grapes and cherries before I make it to the US border. Washington was a lot like the upper BC, at least where I was. Forest, mountains and mosquitoes. The roads today were very winding and fun.

I was traveling again with Steve. We caught up with the Dennis and Mark after about 150 miles. They were about to leave the gas station as we pulled into it. Strange we both chose that station since there were 3 in town. We talked for a while and they left on their way and we on ours. We had no problem clearing customs.

I stopped for water after clearing customs, the weather was getting warmer. It started the day at 42 F and was 92F at the border. This is the 2nd day in a row without rain since leaving the ferry.

I stopped in a little town of Republic, WA. I got groceries for supper, breakfast and lunch. Made a call to Karen, and watched Steve drop his bike when it fell off the kick stand. I helped him get it back up. No major damage. In the excitement I set my phone down and left it there. We left for the next campground. We stayed at Canyon Creek in the Colville Nation Forest. It was only $6 for the site, but no running water. I went to see what time it is and this is when I notice my phone missing. The last time I used it was 3 hours ago.

We set camp cooked supper and built a fire. It was fun to sit around a blazing fire while listening to the stream nearby. The nicest thing about the night was “it is dark”, there are stars in the sky. This may seem like a little thing, but it helping to get my internal clock back together.

Sorry no Pictures, the camera is acting up.

[coachchuck]

July 7, 2012

I saw 4 deer, 1 black bear, and a gray fox today and several eagles. At one point, it sprinkled a little bit, but no rain.

The ride today was interesting. No hurry, so some shortcuts were tried. Most did not work out, but saw some interesting country and talked to several people fly fishing. The roads we did take where twisty. I did about 20 miles of gravel today.

I run down a valley on Hwy 200 in Montana. It followed the river and was beautiful. But my CF card got corrupted and I lost all the pictures for today and yesterday. I hate CF cards, this is the second time this trip. I think I might need a new camera body that uses SD cards.

Traffic in western Idaho was terrible. Everyone trying to get to the lake. The heat didn’t help, but I stopped at a roadside fruit stand. I got some Rainer Cherries. They are really juicy and sweet.
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I am stopping at Exstroms Stage Station Campground for the night. I am sleeping in a Teepee. The cost was almost the same as a tent site. This campground has showers. I will sleep with the sounds of the stream just a few hundred feet away. It is quite a nice campground and I would recommend it. They even have a restaurant on site. I would recommend this campground to any family type campers.
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3 days without rain, It was in the high 40s when I got up and it got to 95 F today.

My route has changed, because I have to go to Fort Collins CO to pick up my replacement phone on Monday. It is being shipped to Steve’s house. I called on his phone this morning and got the replacement sent. I had to have an address I could get to and when I could get to it.

[coachchuck]

July 8, 2012

The camera worked today, almost. The autofocus is now not working.
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It was sunny this morning when I got up at 7:30. I said goodbye to Steve and we went our separate ways. I found a sign that said Garnet was only 14 miles it is a ghost town in Montana. I decided to go see it. It was ok, just a bunch of abandon building that someone takes care off. However the road was a blast. I followed it until the detour sign. Then I went around the sign and followed it up to the ghost town. Some of the climbs where 25% grade, and the trail was half washed out at one point, It was only 4 foot wide there. Two of the switch backs where really sharp and I could not have made them in a jeep without back up a couple of times. You would not want to do it in a car. Coming down I took the other path and it was much easier. I

I made my way back to I-90 at Drumand. They were having a parade and rodeo. I sat and watch the parade because the only way to the Highway was the parade route. After the parade I was on my way again.
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The motorcycle was making a strange sound. I pulled over and ended up changing the chain. Problem solved, no more noise. I had several people stop to make sure I was OK, they were all hauling or riding motorcycles. This was at a truck stop at 289 and 90.

With the motorcycle running good again, I headed for Yellowstone. I run up a river valley most of the way. The valley was green, but the rest was dry. They where watering to get hay. I entered Yellowstone park and the sights brought back fond memories and made me miss Karen even more. We were here together some years back. I stopped and took some pictures along the way. The camera is not auto focusing now. I have to manually focus.
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I run the side of Yellowstone that has a lot of hot places, and not to many animals. Today I saw Elk and Mule Deer. The young mule deer was still in velvet. I also saw a lot of squirrels today.
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The weather did not rain on me, but it came close. As I was closing the Continental Divide it was wet and the temperature dropped from 88 F to 49 F. I almost stopped to put on the liner in my jacket. But the road dropped down and I warmed up again.
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I pulled into Lewis Lake Campground in Yellowstone. I met another rider from Colorado. His name is Shawn. He is on a BMW 1200R on street tires. He just got the bike 4 days ago and is trying it out. He thinks he needs more aggressive tires. We shared a camp site. We are under a high fire conditions, so no campfire tonight.

It is getting close to bed time. I need to put my food in a bear box and throw away the trash. Then I will crawl into the tent for the night.

Here are all the pictures I took today. https://plus.google.com/photos/11168...49209248605953

[coachchuck]

July 9, 2012

Today I got up with the sun this morning. It was a little chilly, 45 F. But sunny with a mist over the stream. I packed and left Yellowstone. I reached Teton National park and was a little hungry so I stopped in a gas station convenience store. Nothing looked good and the carrots I had on the bike just didn’t do it for me. There was a restaurant there so I stepped inside. I food was a little pricey for the lower 48, but not as expensive as I had been seeing up in BC. So I decided to eat there. I had 2 eggs, with a trout fillet, home style potatoes and a biscuit. Of course lots of coffee. It was very tasty. At breakfast I talk with a bicyclist who is riding the Continital Divide. He thinks it will take him 36 days to complete. He is spending about $100 a day for food. Bicycling takes a lot of calories. He said that he has had more trouble with aggressive cattle and cars than wild animals.

Early in the morning while there were still few cars I see an elk in the road, and had to dodge it. I continued down the southwest side of Yellowstone to the South exit into Teton Nation Park. There was a beautiful waterfall along the way with mist rising form it. The Teton Mountain Range is lit by the sun and the mist is burning off. Not much haze so the scenery was absolutely wonderful.
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As I turn East the scenery changes slowly from mountains and forest to high plains to high desert. Some mule deer are eating the fresh cut hay in an area that got irrigated in the high plains. It seems strange to irragate for hay, but your animals need it. And this is a drought according to several of the local people I talked with. They can’t irrigate much because they didn’t get the snow pack this winter and they haven’t got the rain this summer.
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As I travel through the desert, I pull off to take a picture and speak with another bicyclist. Him and his sister are traveling from Oregon to West Virginia in 88 days. His wife and his sister’s husband didn’t want to do the trip. He is 69 years old and bought his first house this year. He is a teacher at a private school in Boston, and has always lived on campus, but is now preparing to retire and needs a place to live.
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I also see a herd of Pronghorn Antelope gathered around a small amount of water in what looks to have been a shallow lake at one time. It reminds me of pictures I have seen of the animals gathered around the watering hole in Africa. It is dry here. Nothing is green, the dry sage brush is the closest to green, the grass is totally brown or blond. Except around the rare stream or waterhole, which will have green plants along its edge. I also saw 2 dead cows in 2 different places, nowhere near a water hole that I could see. Apparently they didn’t find water. Both were dried up with the skin stretched tight to the bones.
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As I continue to travel, it changes back from high desert to high plains again. And finally from high plains to mountains covered in forests. It is all green and has rained by the time I get to Steve’s house in Fort Collins CO.
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I stopped at the “Fork in the Road” for gas and a item on their menu caught my eye. So I tried a Jalapeno cream cheese sub sandwich. It was very tasty. I might try to make them at home.
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I arrive at Steve’s house and he is in the garden pulling weeds, there have been quite a few grow since he left June 15th for Alaska. I get my phone and activate it, then call Karen, the weather has cooled to the high 90s back home. Tonight I will stay at Steve’s place and tomorrow I will change rear tires. The rear tire would probably make it home, but it would be very close and if I would get rain, it would not be safe.

And I got one more day without being rained on. The temperature started at about 45 F and the high was around 90 F. It jumped up and down between the high 70s F and the 90s F as I travelled today. It was from totally clear to heavy thunderstorm overcast. It was a perfect day to ride.

Here is all the pictures for today. https://plus.google.com/photos/11168...53428295909921

[coachchuck]

July 10, 2012

I slept well last night. Rupos (a 2 year old great daine) only woke me a couple of times last night when he would nudge me. He is a rather large dog. I went with Steve to get some tire spoons so I could change the rear tire. I got one used for cheap. I think I could have made it home, but if I run into rain, it would be unsafe. So I changed the rear tire. I looked at the Moto Guzzi and it was sweeeeet. But a bit pricy for me since my bike is paid off. I had lunch and said bye to Steve. He was a great host, feeding me 2 meals, letting me sleep at his house and use his garage.

I decided that I wanted to go back home on Hwy 50, after I looked at several routes. And it turns out I was lucky to choose that route, because it kept me in cities. This is important, because the bike quit running. In Colorado Springs the electrical warning came on and it quit as I was trying to get to a dealership. I called Rocky Mountain Cycle and they brought a trailer to pick up my bike. But it was late in the day and they were unable to diagnose it today. It is scheduled for tomorrow morning. If it is the stator, it will have to be ordered in and that will be another day. The stators are known to go out on these bikes but normally not this soon. I think I may go over budget because of this problem.

The dealership took me to the closest campground, but they did not allow tents or you had to rent a RV space which they charge $69 per night for. So then Ahren the driver took me to a motel. I ask the price and it was $99 per night, then I explained my situation and they gave me the government discount (I am a county employee), It was only $69 per night. I am grateful to the hostess at Comfort Inn. In this case the motel is the same price as the campground.

Something strange I thought was this is the first time I have watched TV since June 14th. I always had to much I wanted to do or I was talking with some new found acquaintance

Sorry no new pictures. I could have taken some of the street in Colorado Springs where the bike quit, but I was mainly on the interstate on the front range and the scenery in normal to me. Farmland, cities, populated areas, not great mountains or forest or deserts to see.

[coachchuck]

July 11, 2012

I woke up in a hotel room this morning. I didn’t sleep as well as normal. I don’t know if it was the bed vs the ground pad or me wanting to get home and being stuck waiting on my bike to get repaired. The weather is nice, sunny and cool.

A little before 9am I get a call from Josa at Rocky Mountain Cycle. They have looked at the bike and the problem is the Stator. It is ordered by next day air and should arrive between 9 and 10 am tomorrow. That means I could be on my way tomorrow afternoon again (july 12).

There is not much to do when you are stuck in a motel except watch TV. I haven’t been doing that for the last month so I see no reason to start now. I wonder around the motel and find that they have a laundry mat. My dirty clothes is in my panniers on my bike at the dealership.

I decide a little walk will not hurt me. The dealership is only 4 or 5 miles away. I take off walking. I go past Peterson air force base. I watch different jets coming into it. I can’t see the landing strip so I can’t watch them land. As I continue along, I have to walk on the shoulder of the 4 lane highway to cross a stream of some kind. It could be a irrigation channel or maybe a creek. The rest of the time I can walk along a path or road (dirt and gravel) that is beside the interstate highway. I get to cross a dry stream bed. When I get thirsty there is a 7-11 just up a little ways and I stop in for water. But I also get 2 hotdogs, a bag of chips and a small Icee for only $0.89. It appears they are having a birthday party. How can I refuse an 89 cent lunch. I finally get to dealership and get my laundry, then start back.

I get a little sunburn on my legs. I know I must be quite the site to see. I am carrying 4 small dry bags and a pair of jeans down the side of the road. I am wearing a tee shirt, shorts and combat boots. This is not what you are used to seeing walking down the sidewalk. I got a lot of honks and waves along the short trip.

In the morning I had posted on posted on advrider forum that I was stuck in Colorado Springs. Mac responded and offered to give me a ride to a meeting of the CO Springs front ridge riders. I accepted. He showed up to pick me up about 5:45 pm, in his dodge pickup. We went to Savellis Pizza place in Manitou Springs. There were 17 riders present and most had road their bike there, but one brought the fire engine (he was still on call). A new person brought the Vermin bike. It is rather well known in these parts and it is very unique. It has been around since the 70s with various owners adding there touch to it. The throttle works on both sets of handlebars. After the meet and greet, I went back to the motel. I had a good time and the calzones are big and taste great. I brought ½ mine back to the motel.
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I have had a couple of offers from riders I don’t know that will let me stay at their place with my tent or in their camper if I have to stay another night. I will take them up on it, if the bike doesn’t get fixed tomorrow.