US/Canada Travel Log Summary for 2008
Well after wiping out both the bike and rider in the Yukon, what can happen to top this list? Having your personal equipment stolen from the hospital could just make your day. Seems that the gear that was MEDEVACED from Mayo to Whitehorse, Yukon got legs. It’s too bad that this had to happen, but at least someone out there is enjoying the gear.
Itinerary
Picking up the bike in Long Beach, California in transit from Sydney, Australia and with 2hrs sleep from an over night flight from Hawaii causes the body to question the “common sense factor” of traveling. Bike put together and with a full tank of petrol it was off to Nevada. Crossing the dessert in the middle of the day, dumb….. From Nevada crossing over to Utah, Colorado, Kansas, Missouri, Iowa, Nebraska, South Dakota, Montana, Alberta, British Columbia, Yukon and finally Alaska.
By the time I had crossed back into the Yukon heading east, my travels had just gone over the 10,000 mile mark and the odometer had crossed the 65,000 mile indicator. I did not do any bush camping on this trip; all of my stops were in places indicating a RV camp site or a state or national park. So it was hot showers just about every night and questionable on fresh clothes…..
Good
A Special Thanks to the nurses at the Mayo Health Clinic, Yukon for their help; the road crew and medic getting me to Mayo; the Royal Canadian Mounted Police for retrieving my personal gear from the wreck site; the doctor and ER staff at Whitehorse General Hospital; Swedish Hospital and staff for repairing the Grey Nomad and finally the flight nurse and MEDEVAC crew of Airlift Northwest. Some how some where I will find a way to thank these people for their kindness and that extra effort that made my MEDEVAC a lot more enjoyable. Now, who stole my socks….?
Not once on this trip did I incur the wrath of anyone. Maybe just traveling by yourself and wearing the blond toupee convinced everyone that this guy is harmless. Being back out on the open road again with every mile before you another adventure, how anyone can say that they been there before and nothing is learned. Just meeting people from all walks of life, the ability to converse with them, learn their desires and why they are part of the nomad’s way of life. Everyone has a story and if you can learn to listen, their lives become a part of yours.
Having never lived in the US per say as an adult, the diversity and beauty of the North America is undoubtedly beyond what I could have ever imagined. My goal for the next few years will be to transverse as many National Parks and Wildlife Refuges as possible.
Okay, enough of my rumblings.
Motorcycle shops: If you ever get a chance to pass through Columbia, Missouri, please stop at M.C. Cycle. They are good, efficient and provide a forum for a good level of BS.
Camp sites: KOA site at Goodland, Kansas; RV camping ground in McBride, British Columbia and Tetsa River Outfitters (bakery!!), just north of Fort Nelson, British Columbia.
Of all of the National Parks that I went through, the Grand Tetons’ has to be one of the most photogenic. The wild flowers where out in all of their glory and the weather was perfect. Glacier NP for its raw beauty and the Road to the Sun.
Bad
Camp Sites: As much as I hate to say it, but the bulk of KOA sites were not laid out with the camper in mine. In stead of having the loo’s and wash rooms central to the site, it seems that the majority of the washrooms were next to or adjacent to the check in office. The only ones benefitting from this was the site managers. The worst site had to be the RV (KOA) camp grounds of Fort Nelson. The city land fill would have been preferable.
Motorcycle Shops: The Outpost, Fairbanks, Alaska for incompetence, attitude and just poor service all around. Next would be the BMW shop in Las Vegas for poor workmanship, stripping bolts when reassembling and hoping this faux pas would not be found out until I was many miles down the road.
The MEDEVAC insurance company. For total lack of concern on getting me to a hospital. More concerned on the bottom line of cost and the amount of BS that they could generate to justify their position.
Road construction from Haines Junction to Tok, Alaska. I believe that they have been working on this section of the road for the last 200 years, but I could be wrong.
Petrol prices; believe me, you are not going to find a sympathetic ear on my part. As anyone knows, the rest of the world has been paying these 4-6 dollars prices, if not higher, for years. And another item that shows just how far the US is behind the curve is the metric system. Someone some where has to extract thy head out of the sand and realize that there is a world out there besides ourselves. Don’t be surprised if within the next 5-10 years, the only export product that we will have is our military.
Motorcycle: F650GS 2005 65,000 miles (104,000K)
Repairs:
Las Vegas, Nevada- Brake fluid chg and valve adjustment. Swing arm, shock bearings greased, clutch cable replaced, spark plugs.
Salt Lake, Utah– Changed out coolant, coolant hoses and seat recovered.
Columbia, Missouri – Gas filter changed, windscreen replaced, oil/filter chg, chain & front/rear sprockets chg, air filter chg.
Fairbanks, Alaska- brake pads replaced and front and rear tyres.
Tools:
Bead breaker, tyre irons, front/back tyre tubes, air compressor, tool bag, assorted metric nuts and bolts, short handle metric wrenches ( 7-13mm), sockets, BMW spare parts, coolant/oil/lubricant, assorted nylon ties, rubber mallet,
Clothing:
Dri-rider jacket (OZ), BMW Rallye-Pro trousers, rain gear, SIDI water proof boots (talk about smell!),
Noland helmet, summer/winter gloves, bacalvar, ear plugs
Accessories:
4 Season 2 man tent, sleeping bag, air mattress and pillow, 6 (1 litre) fuel bottles, 2 (1 litre) water bottles, clothes pins, washing up liquid, paper towels, head lamp, AM/FM radio, Zip lock bags, chair,
Sandals, sneakers, 1 long sleeve shirt, 3 t-shirts, 3 pair of shorts, 1 pr of trousers, 1 log sleeve rash guard, 4 sets of socks(never washed), towel, toilet kit
Navigation:
Garmin GPS 60Cx with 2 gig storage card and North America City Navigator software installed.
Road maps were acquired through CAA/AAA
Cameras and accessories:
Canon 20D SLR digital camera. Canon G5 Point and Shoot and SmartDisk 40 gig hard drive.
Emergency Equipment:
1. Verizon cell phone
2. EPIRB with GPS (emergency satellite beacon)
3. MEDEVAC flight insurance
4. CAA/AAA road side and recovery assistance
5. USAA auto insurance
6. First aid kit
Reference Reading
1. Frank Clifford, The Backbone of the World (Portrait of the West along the Continental Divide
2 James Galvin, The Meadow
3. Dan O’Neill A land gone lonesome (an inland voyage along the Yukon River)
4. National Audubon Society
Familiar Flowers of North America (west)
Monday, August 18, 2008
Sunday, July 20, 2008
17-20 July 2008 Dawson City, Yukon to Hawaii
7.17-20.08 Dawson City, Yukon - Seattle, Washington, US - Hawaii
Weather for the next few days was rain but this morning, some what overcast but great weather for riding. Whitehorse was the destination for the day and being that there is only one road, Rt 2, a mix of sealed and gravel. It was going to be a long ride but I was finally heading east to Quebec and eventually Pennsylvania. Another 6-8 weeks of travel.
About 3 hours into the ride on gravel when I was coming up on a road grader working the right side of the road. The grader was leaving a small ridge of gravel which I would have to cross to get around him. As I was crossing the ridge, the front end of the bike started to oscillate badly, bad enough that this was the last thing I remember until I woke up on the roads earth embankment.
Waking up on my back with head facing up the embankment. Of course the first thought is I am alive, next looking at my right arm my next thought was, “I believe I have a compound fracture!". Next it was clearing away the vegetation debris and rolling over on my left, getting myself up and start climbing back to the road. Just as I got to the top, the road grader operator was there. He had all readied called his boss and their medic. The medic was there in minutes, set the arm as best as possible. The crew boss next had me in his truck and down the road to the Mayo Medical Clinic about 40k away. I was pretty much still out of the picture, but aware of what was going on.
Mayo, Yukon (pop 400)
Into the clinic, wounds cleaned, pain meds administrated, X-rayed showing a beautiful compound fracture. The doctor commented that if I had not been wearing all of my motorcycle gear, we would probably not be holding this conversation.
Now this is where it gets interesting. I had taken out air medical evacuation insurance and once at the clinic a call was made to the insurance company. They called back and for 4-5 hours could or would not make a commitment to get a plane in to Mayo for shipping me to Whitehouse where there is a major hospital. Finally the nurse got on the phone and in so many words told the company (insurance) that they had 30 minutes to make up their minds or she was calling in a medical evacuation. Needless to say, I was flown out in two hour’s time. The Royal Canadian Mounted Police had at this time gone out to the wreck site and brought as much of my personal gear as possible back to the clinic and was loaded onto the aircraft for the trip to Whitehorse.
Whitehorse, Yukon
Into hospital ER where after signing everything under the sun and another set of X-ray’s where taken. The ER doctor had at this time lined up Orthopedic surgeon at Swedish Hospital, Seattle, Washington to operate on my forearm upon arrival. And as there was a medical flight coming through Whitehorse for Seattle, a ride with this aircraft. I next called the insurance company and told them of the medical flight. It was the same story all over again, they would not cover my cost for the flight and they were looking at flying me back to Hawaii for surgery instead. The ER doctor got on the phone and said it was not possible to fly an injured patience with an open wound on a commercial aircraft. The company would not hear of this and I heard more BS then the lord allows. It finally got down to where the RN nurse with the flight told me that they will fly me to Seattle regardless if they get paid or not. On to the aircraft was leaving the bulk of my personal gear at the hospital with the intensions of having a freight forwarder box and ship the equipment to Hawaii.
The flight nurse had removed my motorcycle boots and immediately regretted that and quickly had them stuck in plastic bags. My feet had to smell just as bad and they were right next to his head for the whole flight.
Seattle, Washington at 0330hrs, operating room 0400hrs and four hours later I was in my room with a 400lb cast on my right forearm. The Swedish Hospital, located near the University of Washington, had just been open for a month. The rooms had everything imaginable under the sun for bells and whistles. Once I came out of the daze and got the doctor’s approval for a flight to Hawaii, I was back on the phone to the insurance company for a flight. And as true to form in dealing with this company, I asked for an isle seat to make it as comfortable as possible with the cast. Sure enough, they had me sitting in the middle. A short conversation with the stewardess quickly fixed that problem. A six hour flight on a 737, packed to the max and everything cost……….
Everyone that was connected some how or some where with my accident were wonderful in all respects. I can not thank these people enough. If my pockets were deep enough, we would all be lined up at the pub for a proper pint or two and a bag of chips.
The air medical insurance company was a total disaster. On a score of 1-10, they would not even register.
Norm Garon
The Grey Nomad
Weather for the next few days was rain but this morning, some what overcast but great weather for riding. Whitehorse was the destination for the day and being that there is only one road, Rt 2, a mix of sealed and gravel. It was going to be a long ride but I was finally heading east to Quebec and eventually Pennsylvania. Another 6-8 weeks of travel.
About 3 hours into the ride on gravel when I was coming up on a road grader working the right side of the road. The grader was leaving a small ridge of gravel which I would have to cross to get around him. As I was crossing the ridge, the front end of the bike started to oscillate badly, bad enough that this was the last thing I remember until I woke up on the roads earth embankment.
Waking up on my back with head facing up the embankment. Of course the first thought is I am alive, next looking at my right arm my next thought was, “I believe I have a compound fracture!". Next it was clearing away the vegetation debris and rolling over on my left, getting myself up and start climbing back to the road. Just as I got to the top, the road grader operator was there. He had all readied called his boss and their medic. The medic was there in minutes, set the arm as best as possible. The crew boss next had me in his truck and down the road to the Mayo Medical Clinic about 40k away. I was pretty much still out of the picture, but aware of what was going on.
Mayo, Yukon (pop 400)
Into the clinic, wounds cleaned, pain meds administrated, X-rayed showing a beautiful compound fracture. The doctor commented that if I had not been wearing all of my motorcycle gear, we would probably not be holding this conversation.
Now this is where it gets interesting. I had taken out air medical evacuation insurance and once at the clinic a call was made to the insurance company. They called back and for 4-5 hours could or would not make a commitment to get a plane in to Mayo for shipping me to Whitehouse where there is a major hospital. Finally the nurse got on the phone and in so many words told the company (insurance) that they had 30 minutes to make up their minds or she was calling in a medical evacuation. Needless to say, I was flown out in two hour’s time. The Royal Canadian Mounted Police had at this time gone out to the wreck site and brought as much of my personal gear as possible back to the clinic and was loaded onto the aircraft for the trip to Whitehorse.
Whitehorse, Yukon
Into hospital ER where after signing everything under the sun and another set of X-ray’s where taken. The ER doctor had at this time lined up Orthopedic surgeon at Swedish Hospital, Seattle, Washington to operate on my forearm upon arrival. And as there was a medical flight coming through Whitehorse for Seattle, a ride with this aircraft. I next called the insurance company and told them of the medical flight. It was the same story all over again, they would not cover my cost for the flight and they were looking at flying me back to Hawaii for surgery instead. The ER doctor got on the phone and said it was not possible to fly an injured patience with an open wound on a commercial aircraft. The company would not hear of this and I heard more BS then the lord allows. It finally got down to where the RN nurse with the flight told me that they will fly me to Seattle regardless if they get paid or not. On to the aircraft was leaving the bulk of my personal gear at the hospital with the intensions of having a freight forwarder box and ship the equipment to Hawaii.
The flight nurse had removed my motorcycle boots and immediately regretted that and quickly had them stuck in plastic bags. My feet had to smell just as bad and they were right next to his head for the whole flight.
Seattle, Washington at 0330hrs, operating room 0400hrs and four hours later I was in my room with a 400lb cast on my right forearm. The Swedish Hospital, located near the University of Washington, had just been open for a month. The rooms had everything imaginable under the sun for bells and whistles. Once I came out of the daze and got the doctor’s approval for a flight to Hawaii, I was back on the phone to the insurance company for a flight. And as true to form in dealing with this company, I asked for an isle seat to make it as comfortable as possible with the cast. Sure enough, they had me sitting in the middle. A short conversation with the stewardess quickly fixed that problem. A six hour flight on a 737, packed to the max and everything cost……….
Everyone that was connected some how or some where with my accident were wonderful in all respects. I can not thank these people enough. If my pockets were deep enough, we would all be lined up at the pub for a proper pint or two and a bag of chips.
The air medical insurance company was a total disaster. On a score of 1-10, they would not even register.
Norm Garon
The Grey Nomad
Saturday, July 19, 2008
07/19/2008 End of Tour
I just got word in from Norm that he has had an unfortunate accident. I don't know much detail other than the following
"not the way to finish off a trip. once i get up to speed using left hand. once i get home i will finish sending the travel log up to getting medevac from the yukon."
As soon as I know more I'll post an update
Alan Sciascia
(New Zealand)
"not the way to finish off a trip. once i get up to speed using left hand. once i get home i will finish sending the travel log up to getting medevac from the yukon."
As soon as I know more I'll post an update
Alan Sciascia
(New Zealand)
Wednesday, July 16, 2008
16 July 2008 Tok, AK to Dawson City, Yukon
This was my last day of travel before the accident.
7.16.08 Tok,Alaska to Dawson City, Yukon
After spending a pleasant night in Tok, it was the famous, "Top of the World Highway" that was on the agenda for today's travel. Out of Tok, heading east to Rt 5 north. Once you got off the sealed road and back to gravel/dirt life becomes a bit more interesting. As we are traveling on the US sector, it is full of pot holes and just a very poorly maintained road. You pass RV vehicles going at a snail's pace as they are getting hammered by both pot holes and corrugations in the road. For once being on a bike has its advantages. Of course if you meet a fuel tanker coming the other way, the cloud of dust completely wipes out any sense of direction for the next 5-10 seconds. Well we've been on the road a bit before pulling into Chicken, Alaska. Chicken is not to be passed up as it has just about everything and nothing. The cafe has fresh baked goods that put 10lbs of weight on you just from smelling the aroma. The woman that runs the place spends a month in Maui, Hawaii during the winter as Chicken is sealed off from the outside world by snow bound roads and the population drop's to 12.
We leave Chicken continuing east to the Canadian border. The higher up we go, the road conditions improve(little). Finally reaching the border, the check of the passport and a few annal questions and you are back in Canada. Road conditions improve by a multiple of a 1000% with a mixture of sealed and gravel. The gravel is hard packed and traveling in speeds 100kph or faster is possible. Eventually you work your way down off the ridge into Dawson City. Crossing of the mighty Yukon River is a must as city of lights is only a stone throw away. I estimate the current flowing down the Yukon at a minimum of 4 knots or better. Getting the ferry, which is free, across the Yukon is a work of art. Regardless of which side the ferry leaves from, the current has the ferry at a disadvantage and its interesting watching the ferry beat its way back up river to reach the other side.
Dawson City has its annual music festible, the largest in the Yukon(whatever) this coming weekend and I can get only one night as the town is booked solid. It would have been interesting to spend another day here as it has history of mining and a bit on the wildside to read about.
Didn't spend much time in the city as it was people amassed(that can't be a word) but they did have hummas, red wine and a proper bag of chips for dinner.
The next day thougts of going north to the Arctic Circle was in the plans. This was quickly shot down from a follow biker who had just returned with another tale of bad weather coming and the road in terrible condition from rain. Unless I hear different from the vistor center in the morn, I am heading south to Whitehorse.
Norm Garon
The Grey Nomad
7.16.08 Tok,Alaska to Dawson City, Yukon
After spending a pleasant night in Tok, it was the famous, "Top of the World Highway" that was on the agenda for today's travel. Out of Tok, heading east to Rt 5 north. Once you got off the sealed road and back to gravel/dirt life becomes a bit more interesting. As we are traveling on the US sector, it is full of pot holes and just a very poorly maintained road. You pass RV vehicles going at a snail's pace as they are getting hammered by both pot holes and corrugations in the road. For once being on a bike has its advantages. Of course if you meet a fuel tanker coming the other way, the cloud of dust completely wipes out any sense of direction for the next 5-10 seconds. Well we've been on the road a bit before pulling into Chicken, Alaska. Chicken is not to be passed up as it has just about everything and nothing. The cafe has fresh baked goods that put 10lbs of weight on you just from smelling the aroma. The woman that runs the place spends a month in Maui, Hawaii during the winter as Chicken is sealed off from the outside world by snow bound roads and the population drop's to 12.
We leave Chicken continuing east to the Canadian border. The higher up we go, the road conditions improve(little). Finally reaching the border, the check of the passport and a few annal questions and you are back in Canada. Road conditions improve by a multiple of a 1000% with a mixture of sealed and gravel. The gravel is hard packed and traveling in speeds 100kph or faster is possible. Eventually you work your way down off the ridge into Dawson City. Crossing of the mighty Yukon River is a must as city of lights is only a stone throw away. I estimate the current flowing down the Yukon at a minimum of 4 knots or better. Getting the ferry, which is free, across the Yukon is a work of art. Regardless of which side the ferry leaves from, the current has the ferry at a disadvantage and its interesting watching the ferry beat its way back up river to reach the other side.
Dawson City has its annual music festible, the largest in the Yukon(whatever) this coming weekend and I can get only one night as the town is booked solid. It would have been interesting to spend another day here as it has history of mining and a bit on the wildside to read about.
Didn't spend much time in the city as it was people amassed(that can't be a word) but they did have hummas, red wine and a proper bag of chips for dinner.
The next day thougts of going north to the Arctic Circle was in the plans. This was quickly shot down from a follow biker who had just returned with another tale of bad weather coming and the road in terrible condition from rain. Unless I hear different from the vistor center in the morn, I am heading south to Whitehorse.
Norm Garon
The Grey Nomad
Tuesday, July 15, 2008
10-15 July 08 Chetwyn,BC to Tok, Alaska
if anyone out there expects me to improve on my typing for the next few emails, forget it. typing with my left hand is a work in progress as the cast does not come off my right arm for another 6 weeks. I do want to thank all of you that have expressed speedy recovery on my mishap. My kid's maybe not, knowing that dad will become a major pain in the butt for that frosty glass of beer at all times of the day. Pain medication as directed by my local doctor!
7.10.08 Chetwyn to Fort Nelson, BC
Light at 0330hrs and by 0530hrs I was ready. Rt 29 - Hudson's Hope - rain- FT ST John's, still raining, and once on Rt 97 north we were back to clearer weather. But does riding on a road with trees on both the right and left for miles on end really improve your sunny disposition, I think not. Got into Ft Nelson where the RV site was one step away from being the city dump. Christ was it ever a s...hole. Its too bad as the place has the potential but its been sold and resold so many times over the past years and they have a midget running the office. Does it ever get better then this! The dumpster is over flowing with trash, the men's shower room is closed so you have to use the one at the office, which of course is right next to the laundry and if, that's after you deposit $2.00 for hot water, anyone is using the washing machines, forget hot water, matter of fact forget water.....
7.11.08 Fort Nelson,BC to Watson Lake, Yukon
Its Rt 97 NW, the only road, and just a great ride and made up for the day before. The scenery was excellent plus 3 herds of bison(Buffalo to you locals in the lower 48 states). Reindeer, mountain sheep, black bears, foxes, and the best of all was the rip-off on fuel prices the more isolated you got. Anyway Rt 1 got you into Watson Lake for the night. RV campsite just as you enter town. Clean and well attended to. The visitor center is a must see as it has license plates from all over the world posted on wooden stakes.
7.12.08 Watson Lake to Whitehorse, Yukon
All cell phones from the US or any where else will not work in the Yukon, North West Territories. The only cell phone that will work is the one that only services the two provinces. So if you break down, you are in deep trouble. How the Canadian govt can allow this is beyond even the people who live there. And was it a cold night and the morning brought even colder temps. I was bundled and multilayered to the max on the road to Whitehorse. Wildlife viewed, one female moose with two juveniles and plenty of rabbits.
7.13.08 Whitehorse,Yukon to Tok, Alaska
Of course it had to rain last night until the early morn, so the tent was packed away wet. You are multilayered until 1100hrs before you even begin to feel the sun. From Whitehorse(Rt 1) to Haines Junction(great bakery shop) to US border then Rt 2 to Tok. From Haines to Tok, the road is in terrible condition due to repairs. If you have to travel this road do it on a Sunday or a holiday or be frustrated to the max on delays. Well here we are in Tok, weather has been fine all day, at the camp site setting up tent the skies open up with heavy rain, hail and more rain. The inside of the tent is getting wet, I am swearing so bad that I am surprised that my profanity is not burning off the rain about me. Thirty minutes later everything is back to normal, I steal enough paper towels out of the loo to wipe dry the tent. Wild animals sited; 2 Bald Eagles and a black bear. And did I say that this place has the best ice cream ever.....!
7.14.08 Tok to Fairbanks, Alaska
Except for a brief sprinkle, life is good and underway by 0700hrs. Did I mentioned that Alaskan roads are terrible in relation to the Canadian roads, but give it no thought........Finally settled on staying at a RV site as a motel was $180.00 a night and that was cheap. Reason for stopping in Fairbanks was for another set of tyres. The Mitas tyres that I brought with me for this trip has served me well through my other travels through New Zealand and Australia. Average mileage per set has been 12 - 15,000 US miles at $180.00 per set. I purchased a set of Metzsler Tourance tyres at $415.00 a set. Trails End BMW had moved their shop to The Outpost, Harley Davidson dealer. As I got there late in the afternoon, the service manager recommended that I return 0900hrs next day and tyre replacement would only take an hour. The dialog gets better believe me. Wild animals seen in transit, one male moose with a fine set of antlers, one female with 2 juveniles and
one female just killed by a pickup truck.
7.15.08 Fairbanks to Tok, Alaska
Arrived at the dealership 0830hrs along with other bikers. Even with me removing the rims, it took them over 4 hours to do the job. If I thought I was the only one to suffer the BS I had other HD's bikers with the same problem. The service manager had his head up his ass along with some of the mech's with an attitude problem. Trails End BMW does not have personnel, parts or anything else at the HD dealership but a sign indicating that they are there period. Your best bet is either go to Anchorage or the Kawasaki dealer in town. I finally got out of there with a $550.00 bill. And if you think I was pissed after dealing with these clowns, your close! Back on the bike and the thoughts of going north was canceled to inclement weather for the next 3 days. So a very boring ride to Tok it was, but just thinking of the ice cream at the RV site was a very positive motivator.......!
Norm Garon
The Grey Nomad
7.10.08 Chetwyn to Fort Nelson, BC
Light at 0330hrs and by 0530hrs I was ready. Rt 29 - Hudson's Hope - rain- FT ST John's, still raining, and once on Rt 97 north we were back to clearer weather. But does riding on a road with trees on both the right and left for miles on end really improve your sunny disposition, I think not. Got into Ft Nelson where the RV site was one step away from being the city dump. Christ was it ever a s...hole. Its too bad as the place has the potential but its been sold and resold so many times over the past years and they have a midget running the office. Does it ever get better then this! The dumpster is over flowing with trash, the men's shower room is closed so you have to use the one at the office, which of course is right next to the laundry and if, that's after you deposit $2.00 for hot water, anyone is using the washing machines, forget hot water, matter of fact forget water.....
7.11.08 Fort Nelson,BC to Watson Lake, Yukon
Its Rt 97 NW, the only road, and just a great ride and made up for the day before. The scenery was excellent plus 3 herds of bison(Buffalo to you locals in the lower 48 states). Reindeer, mountain sheep, black bears, foxes, and the best of all was the rip-off on fuel prices the more isolated you got. Anyway Rt 1 got you into Watson Lake for the night. RV campsite just as you enter town. Clean and well attended to. The visitor center is a must see as it has license plates from all over the world posted on wooden stakes.
7.12.08 Watson Lake to Whitehorse, Yukon
All cell phones from the US or any where else will not work in the Yukon, North West Territories. The only cell phone that will work is the one that only services the two provinces. So if you break down, you are in deep trouble. How the Canadian govt can allow this is beyond even the people who live there. And was it a cold night and the morning brought even colder temps. I was bundled and multilayered to the max on the road to Whitehorse. Wildlife viewed, one female moose with two juveniles and plenty of rabbits.
7.13.08 Whitehorse,Yukon to Tok, Alaska
Of course it had to rain last night until the early morn, so the tent was packed away wet. You are multilayered until 1100hrs before you even begin to feel the sun. From Whitehorse(Rt 1) to Haines Junction(great bakery shop) to US border then Rt 2 to Tok. From Haines to Tok, the road is in terrible condition due to repairs. If you have to travel this road do it on a Sunday or a holiday or be frustrated to the max on delays. Well here we are in Tok, weather has been fine all day, at the camp site setting up tent the skies open up with heavy rain, hail and more rain. The inside of the tent is getting wet, I am swearing so bad that I am surprised that my profanity is not burning off the rain about me. Thirty minutes later everything is back to normal, I steal enough paper towels out of the loo to wipe dry the tent. Wild animals sited; 2 Bald Eagles and a black bear. And did I say that this place has the best ice cream ever.....!
7.14.08 Tok to Fairbanks, Alaska
Except for a brief sprinkle, life is good and underway by 0700hrs. Did I mentioned that Alaskan roads are terrible in relation to the Canadian roads, but give it no thought........Finally settled on staying at a RV site as a motel was $180.00 a night and that was cheap. Reason for stopping in Fairbanks was for another set of tyres. The Mitas tyres that I brought with me for this trip has served me well through my other travels through New Zealand and Australia. Average mileage per set has been 12 - 15,000 US miles at $180.00 per set. I purchased a set of Metzsler Tourance tyres at $415.00 a set. Trails End BMW had moved their shop to The Outpost, Harley Davidson dealer. As I got there late in the afternoon, the service manager recommended that I return 0900hrs next day and tyre replacement would only take an hour. The dialog gets better believe me. Wild animals seen in transit, one male moose with a fine set of antlers, one female with 2 juveniles and
one female just killed by a pickup truck.
7.15.08 Fairbanks to Tok, Alaska
Arrived at the dealership 0830hrs along with other bikers. Even with me removing the rims, it took them over 4 hours to do the job. If I thought I was the only one to suffer the BS I had other HD's bikers with the same problem. The service manager had his head up his ass along with some of the mech's with an attitude problem. Trails End BMW does not have personnel, parts or anything else at the HD dealership but a sign indicating that they are there period. Your best bet is either go to Anchorage or the Kawasaki dealer in town. I finally got out of there with a $550.00 bill. And if you think I was pissed after dealing with these clowns, your close! Back on the bike and the thoughts of going north was canceled to inclement weather for the next 3 days. So a very boring ride to Tok it was, but just thinking of the ice cream at the RV site was a very positive motivator.......!
Norm Garon
The Grey Nomad
Monday, July 14, 2008
7.14.2008 Missoula, Montana to Chetwyn,British Columbia
Factoid: National Parks Grand Teton; wild flowers and beautiful scenery
Yellowstone; Bison and bears and Glacier; just incredible raw beauty with the glaciers and mountains.
As of 7.14.2008 have just completed 10,000 miles (16,000K)
7.5.08 Missoula, MT to St Mary's, MT
After a good case of heartburn from the red wine the night before, I was on the road. Got into Glacier, National Park from the west end going over the road to the sun. Of course the road had just opened the day before from the latest snow storm. The traffic was backed to the hilt and every twit out there had to stop and take a picture of something some where. And of course the road got down to one lane and this just added another hour to the trip. The scenery was excellent so the delays were well worth it. The caravan site was, well you needed a hiking pass just to get to the loo but it was okay as the bushes caught hell.
7.6.08 Glacier National Park
Coming in from the east at a very early hour to Logan Pass(road to the sun) allowed me the extra time for photography. And catching the mountains from another aspect of the sun. Traffic of course was building up coming in from the west end. Stopped at Avalanche Gorge, about 2k walk and the it was all on a wooded boardwalk. The gorge with the glacier waters rushing through was worth every bit of the walk. Back on the bike and had just cleared Lake McDonald when a deer jumped out of no where and proceed in my direction. Does the word "Oh s..t" come to mind. Luckily for me my left handle bar hit the deer on its right cheek sending him down. If he had been one more step ahead of me I would not be writing this trip report. Looking in my rear view mirror as I came to a halt, the deer had flipped 2-3 times got up and was away before I could turn around. I would say from the time the deer broke from cover on the 2 lane road and hit the bike, it could not of been more then 2-3 seconds. And for the rest of the trip back to St Mary's it was a very pleasant ride.
7.7.08 St Mary, Montana to Radium, British Columbia
Coming into Alberta, flat lands with farming as far as you can see. North through the Canadian Rockies and the main road which was heavily traveled made the trip pretty much an ho hum affair. Radium, BC was just another tourist town with all of the bell's and whistles to go with it. And of course my tent site that night was next to 3 families that had decided to place all of the girls in one tent next to mine. so until 2400hrs I heard all of the gossip and giggles to go along with it.
7.8.08 Radium, BC to McBride, BC
Out of Radium and up through Banff NP and Jasper NP. This goes right down the middle of the Rockies and you really don't appreciate the glaciers until you reach the Columbia Ice field (Jasper NP). It is just so beautiful in its mass and size. Of course it is a major tourist site for everyone.
Rain out of Jasper into McBride for the night. To date McBride has to be one of the better RV(caravan) sites that I've stayed in.
7.9.08 McBride,BC to Chetwyn,BC
Rain early, tent away wet but everything else in good nick. Even washed my clothes after 6 days of wear. Stopped on Route 16 at Purden lake for coffee. The owner was telling me that from McBride to Prince George, the road is called, "The Road of tears". It seems that women over the years have disappeared or were found murder along the road. She, the owner will never pickup a man regardless of their condition and a woman is questionable. Stopped in Prince George for Camping Books from the CAA(AAA) that covers Canada and Alaska. From there it was to Chetwynd for the night and a change of oil for the bike.
Norm
The Grey Nomad
Yellowstone; Bison and bears and Glacier; just incredible raw beauty with the glaciers and mountains.
As of 7.14.2008 have just completed 10,000 miles (16,000K)
7.5.08 Missoula, MT to St Mary's, MT
After a good case of heartburn from the red wine the night before, I was on the road. Got into Glacier, National Park from the west end going over the road to the sun. Of course the road had just opened the day before from the latest snow storm. The traffic was backed to the hilt and every twit out there had to stop and take a picture of something some where. And of course the road got down to one lane and this just added another hour to the trip. The scenery was excellent so the delays were well worth it. The caravan site was, well you needed a hiking pass just to get to the loo but it was okay as the bushes caught hell.
7.6.08 Glacier National Park
Coming in from the east at a very early hour to Logan Pass(road to the sun) allowed me the extra time for photography. And catching the mountains from another aspect of the sun. Traffic of course was building up coming in from the west end. Stopped at Avalanche Gorge, about 2k walk and the it was all on a wooded boardwalk. The gorge with the glacier waters rushing through was worth every bit of the walk. Back on the bike and had just cleared Lake McDonald when a deer jumped out of no where and proceed in my direction. Does the word "Oh s..t" come to mind. Luckily for me my left handle bar hit the deer on its right cheek sending him down. If he had been one more step ahead of me I would not be writing this trip report. Looking in my rear view mirror as I came to a halt, the deer had flipped 2-3 times got up and was away before I could turn around. I would say from the time the deer broke from cover on the 2 lane road and hit the bike, it could not of been more then 2-3 seconds. And for the rest of the trip back to St Mary's it was a very pleasant ride.
7.7.08 St Mary, Montana to Radium, British Columbia
Coming into Alberta, flat lands with farming as far as you can see. North through the Canadian Rockies and the main road which was heavily traveled made the trip pretty much an ho hum affair. Radium, BC was just another tourist town with all of the bell's and whistles to go with it. And of course my tent site that night was next to 3 families that had decided to place all of the girls in one tent next to mine. so until 2400hrs I heard all of the gossip and giggles to go along with it.
7.8.08 Radium, BC to McBride, BC
Out of Radium and up through Banff NP and Jasper NP. This goes right down the middle of the Rockies and you really don't appreciate the glaciers until you reach the Columbia Ice field (Jasper NP). It is just so beautiful in its mass and size. Of course it is a major tourist site for everyone.
Rain out of Jasper into McBride for the night. To date McBride has to be one of the better RV(caravan) sites that I've stayed in.
7.9.08 McBride,BC to Chetwyn,BC
Rain early, tent away wet but everything else in good nick. Even washed my clothes after 6 days of wear. Stopped on Route 16 at Purden lake for coffee. The owner was telling me that from McBride to Prince George, the road is called, "The Road of tears". It seems that women over the years have disappeared or were found murder along the road. She, the owner will never pickup a man regardless of their condition and a woman is questionable. Stopped in Prince George for Camping Books from the CAA(AAA) that covers Canada and Alaska. From there it was to Chetwynd for the night and a change of oil for the bike.
Norm
The Grey Nomad
Wednesday, July 9, 2008
7.9.2008 Casper,Wyoming to Missoula, Montana
Factoid: I have found that there is more hair on my helmet liner then my head. I am thinking that it just might be the 6 day socks,5 day t-shirt or the 14 day shorts that are causing the problem.
Petrol cost in British Columbia 1.48 per litre
6.29.08 - 7.1.08 Casper, Wyoming to Jackson, Wyoming
It was an early start and with the wind head on and the last remembrance of Casper was the Tokyo Massage Pallor(open) as I moved west. The first hundred miles was all prairie but once beyond Shoshoni, the landscape gets a lot better. And passing through Dubois everything improves from landscape to wild flowers. The Grand Teton National Park has been the best scenery yet of my travels. Fields of wild flowers which delayed my arrival into Jackson by hours. Jackson, Wy is probably the biggest tourist trap that I have encountered in my travels. The prices of a Big Mac is 2-3 dollars more then you can buy in Hawaii. The caravan site was 12 miles south of Jackson with a small market within a mile. I was a stone throw away from the loo and within walking distance of a cuppa early in the morning.
Spent a day just running around the Grand Teton NP looking for wild flowers and the odd gravel road. Made a loop ride that included going over to Idaho and return.
7.1.08 Jackson, Wyoming to West Yellowstone, Montana
Had a senior moment once I reached Idaho Falls and went west instead of east. Welll, after 350 miles of going in the wrong direction the brain, whats left of it, decided that we were in towns that just did not meet where I really should be. Did see a bit more of Idaho then I really wanted to but it was overall a interesting ride. Approaching West Yellowstone, there was a huge cloud of yellow dust, later to find out that it was pollen, and rain following. Wet gear was on in 5 minutes and it was a grand welcome to Yellowstone.
7.2 - 7.3.08 Yellowstone National Park
Spent 2 days running around the National Park trying to capture as much as possible on ye camera. You had to get an early start as the bulk of the tourist were in by 1000hrs. And of course you have the twit stopping in the middle of the road with hand extended with either camera phone or digital taking pictures of what ever. Heaven help you if anyone sees a bear, everyone stops and life comes to a stand still. The Bison is a ho hum affair but let a bear appear.....! Get a life and go to the zoo.
I did Old Faithful but my timing was off as he was not to spout off for another hour so I caught some of the minor pools burping away.
7.4.08 West Yellowstone, Montana to Missoula, Montana
Of course before packing up the tent it had rained with the added benefit a very heavy pollen residue all over it. It was through numerous small towns in Montana and of course traveling on the 4Th of July there were parades every where. I manged to get caught in 3 of them and the last one, a very small little weasel breath of a twit was holding a water gun. You guessed it, the twit hit me full on with a burst of water.
On my way to Missoula, traveled through Virgina City. An old mining town with a great bake shop. It is worth a trip back there just for its history.
Norm Garon
The Grey Nomad
Petrol cost in British Columbia 1.48 per litre
6.29.08 - 7.1.08 Casper, Wyoming to Jackson, Wyoming
It was an early start and with the wind head on and the last remembrance of Casper was the Tokyo Massage Pallor(open) as I moved west. The first hundred miles was all prairie but once beyond Shoshoni, the landscape gets a lot better. And passing through Dubois everything improves from landscape to wild flowers. The Grand Teton National Park has been the best scenery yet of my travels. Fields of wild flowers which delayed my arrival into Jackson by hours. Jackson, Wy is probably the biggest tourist trap that I have encountered in my travels. The prices of a Big Mac is 2-3 dollars more then you can buy in Hawaii. The caravan site was 12 miles south of Jackson with a small market within a mile. I was a stone throw away from the loo and within walking distance of a cuppa early in the morning.
Spent a day just running around the Grand Teton NP looking for wild flowers and the odd gravel road. Made a loop ride that included going over to Idaho and return.
7.1.08 Jackson, Wyoming to West Yellowstone, Montana
Had a senior moment once I reached Idaho Falls and went west instead of east. Welll, after 350 miles of going in the wrong direction the brain, whats left of it, decided that we were in towns that just did not meet where I really should be. Did see a bit more of Idaho then I really wanted to but it was overall a interesting ride. Approaching West Yellowstone, there was a huge cloud of yellow dust, later to find out that it was pollen, and rain following. Wet gear was on in 5 minutes and it was a grand welcome to Yellowstone.
7.2 - 7.3.08 Yellowstone National Park
Spent 2 days running around the National Park trying to capture as much as possible on ye camera. You had to get an early start as the bulk of the tourist were in by 1000hrs. And of course you have the twit stopping in the middle of the road with hand extended with either camera phone or digital taking pictures of what ever. Heaven help you if anyone sees a bear, everyone stops and life comes to a stand still. The Bison is a ho hum affair but let a bear appear.....! Get a life and go to the zoo.
I did Old Faithful but my timing was off as he was not to spout off for another hour so I caught some of the minor pools burping away.
7.4.08 West Yellowstone, Montana to Missoula, Montana
Of course before packing up the tent it had rained with the added benefit a very heavy pollen residue all over it. It was through numerous small towns in Montana and of course traveling on the 4Th of July there were parades every where. I manged to get caught in 3 of them and the last one, a very small little weasel breath of a twit was holding a water gun. You guessed it, the twit hit me full on with a burst of water.
On my way to Missoula, traveled through Virgina City. An old mining town with a great bake shop. It is worth a trip back there just for its history.
Norm Garon
The Grey Nomad
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