Just in case this is of interest to anyone (and I don't know why it really would be) but here are some mileage and gasoline consumption statistics from my recent road trip to Alaska.
I rode a total of 4,981 miles, using 121 US gallons of gasoline (that would be Premium gasoline, being a BMW, the bike likes only the most expensive of gasolines!). So the average consumption rate was only 41.2 mpg. That's not as good as I would have expected. The cheapest gas was $2.32 per gallon in Springfield, Oregon. Canadian gas was, of course, more expensive with the most expensive being the equivalent of $3.53 per gallon in Ft Nelson, British Columbia. The most expensive gas in the USA was $2.86 per gallon in Mt Shasta City, California.
I am surprised that I even have this kind of information but I started logging it and kept up with it over the whole trip. Maintaining and analysing this kind of information is a bit sad really, there were so many wonderful things about the trip and here I am blathering on about gasoline usage! So sad.
Anyway, I hope you liked the trip log, as my friend Lee said - paraphrasing Michael Palin - "traveling to Alaska by motorbike, in the rain, so you don't have to!"
Monday, June 27, 2005
Sunday, June 26, 2005
Trip Photos
One thing about riding a motorcycle is that it is not such an easy exercise to snap a picture of some passing scenic view. It becomes a major production to stop the bike, make sure it is secure on the kick-stand, remove gloves, (if you want to use the view finder - remove the helmet, which is a production in itself), locate the camera in some hopefully waterproof zippered bag, and then take your picture.
So I tended to take pictures when it was convenient, more so than when there was something worth capturing. Nevertheless here are some photos from the journey.
First is a shot of the Fraser River Canyon - a very dramatic road through an impressive canyon.
Now here is what turned out to be quite typical - cloudy, rainy skies, with a glimpse of lighter skies in the distance that I kept forever chasing. This is from somewhere in central British Columbia.
Just to prove that I was at the start of the Al-Can highway, here is a photo of yours truly underneath the arch marking the start of the highway in Dawson Creek, BC.
In Watson Lake, Yukon Territory they do not have much to attract people, so they created this - a Sign Post Forest. Quite enterprising of them, because everyone stops, everyone wonders around and it really is the quirkiest thing on the highway (kind of like the giant ball of string in Darwin, Minnesota, or Cawker City, Kansas, except better - here you can actually nail up your own sign).
Another shot in between rain storms - this is pretty typical for this part of the world. It is beautiful though - isn't it?
There were times when it wasn't raining and the scenery was stunning - check this out on the road from Tok to Glenallen, Alaska.
Next we have the Matanuska Glacier - this is quite close to Anchorage.
On the return trip now, this is a glacial lake just south of Beaver Creek.
In Haines, Alaska - the northerly tip of the Inside Passage, here is the good ship Columbia, the ferry that took me to Bellingham.
The Inside Passage is a great waterway, you are always near land, very near land on both sides.
Here is a nice shot as the sun set as we were passing between Victoria Island and the British Columbia mainland.
This is a nice view of Mt Shasta as I approached it from the north side.
Finally, this is the machine that behaved so well - my BMW 1200 GS
So I tended to take pictures when it was convenient, more so than when there was something worth capturing. Nevertheless here are some photos from the journey.
First is a shot of the Fraser River Canyon - a very dramatic road through an impressive canyon.
Now here is what turned out to be quite typical - cloudy, rainy skies, with a glimpse of lighter skies in the distance that I kept forever chasing. This is from somewhere in central British Columbia.
Just to prove that I was at the start of the Al-Can highway, here is a photo of yours truly underneath the arch marking the start of the highway in Dawson Creek, BC.
In Watson Lake, Yukon Territory they do not have much to attract people, so they created this - a Sign Post Forest. Quite enterprising of them, because everyone stops, everyone wonders around and it really is the quirkiest thing on the highway (kind of like the giant ball of string in Darwin, Minnesota, or Cawker City, Kansas, except better - here you can actually nail up your own sign).
Another shot in between rain storms - this is pretty typical for this part of the world. It is beautiful though - isn't it?
There were times when it wasn't raining and the scenery was stunning - check this out on the road from Tok to Glenallen, Alaska.
Next we have the Matanuska Glacier - this is quite close to Anchorage.
On the return trip now, this is a glacial lake just south of Beaver Creek.
In Haines, Alaska - the northerly tip of the Inside Passage, here is the good ship Columbia, the ferry that took me to Bellingham.
The Inside Passage is a great waterway, you are always near land, very near land on both sides.
Here is a nice shot as the sun set as we were passing between Victoria Island and the British Columbia mainland.
This is a nice view of Mt Shasta as I approached it from the north side.
Finally, this is the machine that behaved so well - my BMW 1200 GS
The Return Trip – Day 7
The final day was an easy ride from Bellingham down to Sacramento.
It was quite a trip and I would do it again in a minute. All told I did 4,981 miles. It was 3329 miles up to Anchorage and, with the ferry, only 1652 road miles on the way back. The bike is a little worse for wear – it is running a little rougher (it is now overdue a service), it is very grimy and I have just about worn out the back tire.
It was quite a trip and I would do it again in a minute. All told I did 4,981 miles. It was 3329 miles up to Anchorage and, with the ferry, only 1652 road miles on the way back. The bike is a little worse for wear – it is running a little rougher (it is now overdue a service), it is very grimy and I have just about worn out the back tire.
The Return Trip – Day 6
The ferry docked in Bellingham, just north of Seattle around 8:00 on Thursday and it was back on the motorcycle again; back to lots of traffic on I-5 down through Seattle, Tacoma, Olympia, Portland, etc. The traffic was pretty heavy for the whole day and other than that it was an unremarkable journey. With the exception of Seattle that is, which looked absolutely stunning on the drive through on the freeway. It is a truly spectacular city from this perspective, made even better by the wonderful weather.
Indeed today was the first day of the whole trip without rain. Isn’t that something? That evening I made it as far as the City of Mt Shasta - that's a total of 630 miles - it didn;t seem that long, but that was the most miles of any day I think. Mt Shasta was looking splendid in the evening sun, there's still plenty of snow on the lower slopes should anyone be silly enough to want to climb it later (check this space!).
Indeed today was the first day of the whole trip without rain. Isn’t that something? That evening I made it as far as the City of Mt Shasta - that's a total of 630 miles - it didn;t seem that long, but that was the most miles of any day I think. Mt Shasta was looking splendid in the evening sun, there's still plenty of snow on the lower slopes should anyone be silly enough to want to climb it later (check this space!).
The Return Trip – Days 4 and 5
After the ferry left Ketchikan, it was a 38 hr straight through trip to Bellingham, Washington. We did not stop anywhere in Canadian waters. Again the wildlife was less than abundant; though I am sure it was lurking around somewhere we couldn’t see it. No more whales, no more orcas (Orcas although they are named Killer Whales are actually a member of the Dolphin family – I didn’t know that), just a few bald eagles and a bunch of sea gulls.
On Thursday evening we passed through the Seymour Narrows. As the name suggests this is a tight spot in the passage, but what it is really famous for is the location of Ripple Rock, or more precisely the destruction of Ripple Rock which was achieved in 1958 by the, then and now, largest ever non-nuclear human generated explosion. This ‘rock’ was always submerged by some 8 feet at low tide, but that was enough to cause many passing ships to come to grief and, at all times, the disturbances it caused in the water flow made it an extremely treacherous passage. So finally, in 1958, after taking hundreds of vessels and hundreds of lives, the Canadian Government blasted it to bits in this huge explosion that was a seismic event detected all over the continent. It was quite an engineering operation and the link is well worth checking out – it wasn’t just a few sticks of dynamite in the right place.
The blast reduced Ripple Rock to something 40 feet below the surface at low tide but its effects on the water flow can still be seen. We came through just off a slack tide but, even then, the eddies and currents looked quite nasty.
Interestingly, just adjacent to Ripple Rock on Vancouver Island is a small community, once owned by Bing Crosby – maybe that’s where he dreamed of a White Christmas and maybe even experienced one or two of them.
On Thursday evening we passed through the Seymour Narrows. As the name suggests this is a tight spot in the passage, but what it is really famous for is the location of Ripple Rock, or more precisely the destruction of Ripple Rock which was achieved in 1958 by the, then and now, largest ever non-nuclear human generated explosion. This ‘rock’ was always submerged by some 8 feet at low tide, but that was enough to cause many passing ships to come to grief and, at all times, the disturbances it caused in the water flow made it an extremely treacherous passage. So finally, in 1958, after taking hundreds of vessels and hundreds of lives, the Canadian Government blasted it to bits in this huge explosion that was a seismic event detected all over the continent. It was quite an engineering operation and the link is well worth checking out – it wasn’t just a few sticks of dynamite in the right place.
The blast reduced Ripple Rock to something 40 feet below the surface at low tide but its effects on the water flow can still be seen. We came through just off a slack tide but, even then, the eddies and currents looked quite nasty.
Interestingly, just adjacent to Ripple Rock on Vancouver Island is a small community, once owned by Bing Crosby – maybe that’s where he dreamed of a White Christmas and maybe even experienced one or two of them.
Wednesday, June 22, 2005
The Return Trip - Days 3 and 4
The last couple of days have been on the ferry down from Haines. We left on Monday evening and stopped in Juneau in the early hours of Tuesday morning - too early for me to get up and I think too early for Juneau to get up. Then we moved on to Sitka where we had a couple of hours in the afternoon to have a look around.
Sitka had a very nice feel to it, that is with the exception of all the touristy enhancements for the large cruise ships that come to town. When these behemoths arrive the town is overwhelmed with literally thousands of tourists for just a few hours - they are whisked around town on various tours with the obligatory shopping opportunities on the way and then they disappear just as quickly.
I guess all the towns up the Inside Passage are much the same (Skagway, Juneau, Ketchican, etc), they do this deal with the devil when they agree to let cruise ships in - great wealth for a few shop owners, certainly a lot of jobs, but the town is never quite the same.
From Sitka, we went on to Petersberg (in the middle of the night), Wrangell (early Wednesday morning) and then in the afternoon Ketchikan (where I am posting this). Ketchikan was chaos, with three cruise ships in port at the same time (our little ferry docks out of town and discharges maybe 75 folks, the big cruise ships discharge 1500 - 2000 or so each). All the streets and shops were thronged with people just a short while ago, now the ships are gone and the streets are dead - how strange.
The ferry trip has been great - not crowded at all, there are plenty of viewing areas to watch the world go by, a restaurant, a Parks Service Ranger to give talks about where we are and what we are looking at. There have been lots of Humpback Whales, but no Orcas as yet. Bald Eagles abound - particularly in Ketchikan where the fisheries make for lots of food. The scenery is also quite stunning - possibly the best part of the trip.
Tonight we set of for the lower 48 - we should be in Bellingham on Friday morning.
Sitka had a very nice feel to it, that is with the exception of all the touristy enhancements for the large cruise ships that come to town. When these behemoths arrive the town is overwhelmed with literally thousands of tourists for just a few hours - they are whisked around town on various tours with the obligatory shopping opportunities on the way and then they disappear just as quickly.
I guess all the towns up the Inside Passage are much the same (Skagway, Juneau, Ketchican, etc), they do this deal with the devil when they agree to let cruise ships in - great wealth for a few shop owners, certainly a lot of jobs, but the town is never quite the same.
From Sitka, we went on to Petersberg (in the middle of the night), Wrangell (early Wednesday morning) and then in the afternoon Ketchikan (where I am posting this). Ketchikan was chaos, with three cruise ships in port at the same time (our little ferry docks out of town and discharges maybe 75 folks, the big cruise ships discharge 1500 - 2000 or so each). All the streets and shops were thronged with people just a short while ago, now the ships are gone and the streets are dead - how strange.
The ferry trip has been great - not crowded at all, there are plenty of viewing areas to watch the world go by, a restaurant, a Parks Service Ranger to give talks about where we are and what we are looking at. There have been lots of Humpback Whales, but no Orcas as yet. Bald Eagles abound - particularly in Ketchikan where the fisheries make for lots of food. The scenery is also quite stunning - possibly the best part of the trip.
Tonight we set of for the lower 48 - we should be in Bellingham on Friday morning.
Monday, June 20, 2005
The Return Trip - Day 2
An early start from Beaver Creek this morning on the final leg to the ferry in Haines. Guess what - it was raining - no surprise there.
There are lots of road repairs on this section of the Highway, though, thankfully, the weather cleared up as I worked my way through each one. It could have been a bit slippy going through in the rain, but as it was, it was the other extreme - dusty. I guess it is either one or the other up here. Dusty is better though because on a bike they let you get to the front of the queue so that you only have to deal with the pilot car's dust as they lead you through the construction zones.
Coming over the Haines pass it was quite nasty - rain and a cold wind off the mountains and remnants of snow at road level! Not that I should have anything to complain about, there was a cyclist (of the non-motorized version) pushing his way up to the summit. Now that has to be hard. I have been amazed at these cyclists, there aren't many of them, but every now and then you spot one out in the middle of nowhere in the nastiest of conditions - I wonder where they plug in their electric vests?
I realize that I have been writing a lot about the rain - well there has been a lot of it and even the locals are complaining, but regardless, each day has been a wonderful day - rain or shine. No complaints really.
For the next three days it will be a leisurely cruise on the Alaska Marine Highway down the Inside Passage to Bellingham.
There are lots of road repairs on this section of the Highway, though, thankfully, the weather cleared up as I worked my way through each one. It could have been a bit slippy going through in the rain, but as it was, it was the other extreme - dusty. I guess it is either one or the other up here. Dusty is better though because on a bike they let you get to the front of the queue so that you only have to deal with the pilot car's dust as they lead you through the construction zones.
Coming over the Haines pass it was quite nasty - rain and a cold wind off the mountains and remnants of snow at road level! Not that I should have anything to complain about, there was a cyclist (of the non-motorized version) pushing his way up to the summit. Now that has to be hard. I have been amazed at these cyclists, there aren't many of them, but every now and then you spot one out in the middle of nowhere in the nastiest of conditions - I wonder where they plug in their electric vests?
I realize that I have been writing a lot about the rain - well there has been a lot of it and even the locals are complaining, but regardless, each day has been a wonderful day - rain or shine. No complaints really.
For the next three days it will be a leisurely cruise on the Alaska Marine Highway down the Inside Passage to Bellingham.
Sunday, June 19, 2005
The Return Trip - Day 1
Regretfully, today (Sunday) I have to leave Anchorage to catch the ferry from Haines on Monday evening. Most of my fellow marathoners from Sacramento left today anyway, so other, than resting those tired legs, there was no real reason to stay.
As usual I started out in relatively good conditions - no rain at least. However, as I headed up into the mountains the weather turn damp again. So it was on with all the rain gear again and off into the clouds I went. Actually it wasn't too bad until the road from Tok Junction down to the Canadian Border, where it started to pour down. I'd had enough by the time I reached my destination of Beaver Creek, the first town inside the Canadian border.
Beaver Creek is small, really small - it is the most westernmost settlement in Canada. The usual gas station, hotel, restaurant combination. But in this small community there is a laundromat, where they have a computer on a little roll around cart and you can get Internet access. Isn't that amazing, in this far flung outpost of Yukon Territory you can do a load of laundry and post to your blog! On the other hand my hotel room here is so primitive it doesn't even have television.
Tomorrow, it's a run down the road back into the USA and on to Haines where I pick up the ferry.
And for all those who doubted my ability to mount my motorcycle after the marathon - it really wasn't a problem at all. It wasn't an elegant process but I could do it.
As usual I started out in relatively good conditions - no rain at least. However, as I headed up into the mountains the weather turn damp again. So it was on with all the rain gear again and off into the clouds I went. Actually it wasn't too bad until the road from Tok Junction down to the Canadian Border, where it started to pour down. I'd had enough by the time I reached my destination of Beaver Creek, the first town inside the Canadian border.
Beaver Creek is small, really small - it is the most westernmost settlement in Canada. The usual gas station, hotel, restaurant combination. But in this small community there is a laundromat, where they have a computer on a little roll around cart and you can get Internet access. Isn't that amazing, in this far flung outpost of Yukon Territory you can do a load of laundry and post to your blog! On the other hand my hotel room here is so primitive it doesn't even have television.
Tomorrow, it's a run down the road back into the USA and on to Haines where I pick up the ferry.
And for all those who doubted my ability to mount my motorcycle after the marathon - it really wasn't a problem at all. It wasn't an elegant process but I could do it.
Saturday, June 18, 2005
The Anchorage Marathon
Well, it is official, all those folks that said that running a marathon after riding a motorbike for a week was not the best of ideas (some said it was a stupid idea) - well they were in fact right. While I did finsih the marathon, it was kind of slow, and it entailed a lot of awkward and ungainly walking towards the end. All sorts of muscles tightened up and made it painful to run so it was more of a lurching shuffle interspersed with lots of walks.
It was still a great marathon though, one of my favorites. The weather was for the most part great running weather - a steady light rain, but no wind. It stayed that way until the last 3 miles when we ran around the lakes and when the wind got up making it pretty cold and miserable. The finish was most unwelcoming with rain and a stiff wind - it made everyone get out of there as soon as possible - no basking in the glory of the finish. That's a shame because that is always a nice period I think.
Everyone did very well, Julia H. turned in a great 4:10, Leslie L. a P.R. of 4:16 - but neither of them waited for me and my feeble 5:08 time. That's the first time I have gone over 5 hours, pretty impressive no? Insult was added to injury when on the last quarter mile, Bill F. a race walker from Sacramento overtook me and I just watched him edge away from me up the hill while I stumbled along.
I think people are taking bets on whether I will be able to mount my motorcycle tomorrow morning to head south. I am optimistic for getting on - its gettin off that will be the problem.
It was still a great marathon though, one of my favorites. The weather was for the most part great running weather - a steady light rain, but no wind. It stayed that way until the last 3 miles when we ran around the lakes and when the wind got up making it pretty cold and miserable. The finish was most unwelcoming with rain and a stiff wind - it made everyone get out of there as soon as possible - no basking in the glory of the finish. That's a shame because that is always a nice period I think.
Everyone did very well, Julia H. turned in a great 4:10, Leslie L. a P.R. of 4:16 - but neither of them waited for me and my feeble 5:08 time. That's the first time I have gone over 5 hours, pretty impressive no? Insult was added to injury when on the last quarter mile, Bill F. a race walker from Sacramento overtook me and I just watched him edge away from me up the hill while I stumbled along.
I think people are taking bets on whether I will be able to mount my motorcycle tomorrow morning to head south. I am optimistic for getting on - its gettin off that will be the problem.
Thursday, June 16, 2005
Alaska Road Trip - Day 7
A leisurely day today - 325 miles from Tok to Anchorage. The weather is good and this was the first day that I didn't have rain gear on. This part of the road is quite spectacular too - the Wrangell - St Elias Mountains to the south, the Matanuska Glacier in the bottom of the valley, and then a smooth run into the metropolis of Anchorage.
Although this is my destination, it feels like this should just be the start of everything. There are so many places to go from here. I have been running into riders all along the way that are going up to Prudhoe Bay, or up to Inuvik in Northern Yukon. There is an interesting road over from Tok to Dawson called the Top of the World Highway - that looks really interesting (I was tempted to forget all about the marathon and join some riders going over on that route instead). However, I guess I should leave something undone for the next trip?
Here in Anchorage it is warm and sunny, almost hot. Time for rest and recuperation before the marathon on Saturday. It has been a great trip - 3320 miles in 7 days - I could do with a day off tomorrow.
Although this is my destination, it feels like this should just be the start of everything. There are so many places to go from here. I have been running into riders all along the way that are going up to Prudhoe Bay, or up to Inuvik in Northern Yukon. There is an interesting road over from Tok to Dawson called the Top of the World Highway - that looks really interesting (I was tempted to forget all about the marathon and join some riders going over on that route instead). However, I guess I should leave something undone for the next trip?
Here in Anchorage it is warm and sunny, almost hot. Time for rest and recuperation before the marathon on Saturday. It has been a great trip - 3320 miles in 7 days - I could do with a day off tomorrow.
Alaska Road Trip - Day 6
For the first time this trip the day dawned sunny and warm. Actually I didn't see the dawn, as the sun rises at something like 3:00 am in Whitehorse, so I am just guessing it was sunny. When I poked my head out it was sunny anyway.
Of course things change and soon the clouds appeared and the rain was coming down. I have gotten used to riding in the rain so I don't mind now. Again for much of the day it was a case of alternating rain and sun.
For the most part the road conditions on the Alaska Highway have been excellent, it is a good road surface that will allow good progress at 70-90 mph. There is little law enforcement so you could probably maintain even higher speeds with impunity. Every now and again there are some rough bits where they are doing road construction - extensive road construction. Typically, they stop everyone and then lead you through in batches with a pilot car. That makes for either a wet muddy crawl if there is rain or a dusty crawl if it is dry (and you are not at the front of the pack) - neither one ideal, but it makes the road interesting.
At the border, the customs agents are their usual surly, unwelcoming selves. They must go to school to develop that attitude - no engaging anyone in pleasant chit-chat, no smiles, no welcome back to the USA. If they are like that to their customers, I wonder how they are during the rest of their day - are they all happy and joking when they are away from the counter? Not the best job in the world I think.
In the evening I reached a place called Tok Junction (the Junction of the Anchorage, Fairbanks and Whitehorse roads). It is quite the thriving intersection with hotels, gas stations and restaurants. Like all the other places it is scruffy and characterless. A place to eat, sleep, gas up and then move on.
A light day today, some 420 miles.
Of course things change and soon the clouds appeared and the rain was coming down. I have gotten used to riding in the rain so I don't mind now. Again for much of the day it was a case of alternating rain and sun.
For the most part the road conditions on the Alaska Highway have been excellent, it is a good road surface that will allow good progress at 70-90 mph. There is little law enforcement so you could probably maintain even higher speeds with impunity. Every now and again there are some rough bits where they are doing road construction - extensive road construction. Typically, they stop everyone and then lead you through in batches with a pilot car. That makes for either a wet muddy crawl if there is rain or a dusty crawl if it is dry (and you are not at the front of the pack) - neither one ideal, but it makes the road interesting.
At the border, the customs agents are their usual surly, unwelcoming selves. They must go to school to develop that attitude - no engaging anyone in pleasant chit-chat, no smiles, no welcome back to the USA. If they are like that to their customers, I wonder how they are during the rest of their day - are they all happy and joking when they are away from the counter? Not the best job in the world I think.
In the evening I reached a place called Tok Junction (the Junction of the Anchorage, Fairbanks and Whitehorse roads). It is quite the thriving intersection with hotels, gas stations and restaurants. Like all the other places it is scruffy and characterless. A place to eat, sleep, gas up and then move on.
A light day today, some 420 miles.
Tuesday, June 14, 2005
Alaska Road Trip - Day 5
The morning was wet, really wet. I thought of going back to the room and waiting it out, but then I realised I would be driven crazy by Michael Jackson verdict analyses on the television - I couldn't stand that (though I did like Letterman's quip about Saddam Hussein wanting his trial moved to Santa Maria, Ca).
Anyway, I braved the rain yet again. More shades of grey and green again, with the addition of an ice blue glacial lake near the top of the pass. It was a bit more mountainous out of Fort Nelson and there was patches of snow on the hills. There were animals today - several moose, some caribou, and a black bear ambling across the road in front of me. The moose seem skittish and not sensible about moving out of the way in the right direction - not the kind of thing you need to make contact with.
Passing back over the Continental Divide again, now back to the western side, the weather cleared a little and it wasn't so soggy and later in the afternoon the sun even started to shine. It made for a nice late afternoon run into Whitehorse in Yukon Territory. Whitehorse is quite the bustling tourist spot playing on its Yukon goldrush days, a railway to Skagway and lots of river sport type things (rafting, kayaking, etc).
Its 10:00 pm now and the sun is still way up in the sky - thank goodness for blackout curtains. Some 610 miles today - a good day.
Anyway, I braved the rain yet again. More shades of grey and green again, with the addition of an ice blue glacial lake near the top of the pass. It was a bit more mountainous out of Fort Nelson and there was patches of snow on the hills. There were animals today - several moose, some caribou, and a black bear ambling across the road in front of me. The moose seem skittish and not sensible about moving out of the way in the right direction - not the kind of thing you need to make contact with.
Passing back over the Continental Divide again, now back to the western side, the weather cleared a little and it wasn't so soggy and later in the afternoon the sun even started to shine. It made for a nice late afternoon run into Whitehorse in Yukon Territory. Whitehorse is quite the bustling tourist spot playing on its Yukon goldrush days, a railway to Skagway and lots of river sport type things (rafting, kayaking, etc).
Its 10:00 pm now and the sun is still way up in the sky - thank goodness for blackout curtains. Some 610 miles today - a good day.
Monday, June 13, 2005
Alaska Road Trip - Day 4
Another rainy day - this is not what I planned on. I left Prince George to cross the Continental Divide and then drop down to Dawson Creek, the start of the Alaska Highway. The weather was absolutely miserable. Pretty hard rain all the way over the top - and it was cold too. Thank goodness for the electric vest and the heated handgrips, they were on for most of the day today.
The rain stopped just before Dawson Creek and conditions turned a little better. But it has certainly been a time of greens and greys - a thosand different shades of green in the trees and a thousand different shades of grey in the sky.
Dawson Creek marks the start of the Alaska Highway - it is not much of a town, unlike other towns there is no major river (though presumably there is a creek somewhere), so it is even less interesting. Like all the other towns it is shabby, dirty and totaly uninteresting architecturally (except for the grain elevator of course).
The road north from Dawson is for the most part good - lots of RVs, lots of pick-ups (its a big oilfield area) but very few motorbikes (maybe they have more sense). The country is rolling forested hills as far as the eye can see. There are some amazing views where the road goes on and on and on to the horizon. There are not many people here. Though when I stop to take a photo I realize there must be billions of other residents - namely mosquitos. As soon as I stop I am surrounded by swarms of them - big ones too. Its beneficial to be wearing a full face helmet in such conditions.
I make it into Fort Nelson and decide to call it a day - 542 miles. The guy at the hotel says that the weather forecast for the next two days is - rain showers. Oh well.
The rain stopped just before Dawson Creek and conditions turned a little better. But it has certainly been a time of greens and greys - a thosand different shades of green in the trees and a thousand different shades of grey in the sky.
Dawson Creek marks the start of the Alaska Highway - it is not much of a town, unlike other towns there is no major river (though presumably there is a creek somewhere), so it is even less interesting. Like all the other towns it is shabby, dirty and totaly uninteresting architecturally (except for the grain elevator of course).
The road north from Dawson is for the most part good - lots of RVs, lots of pick-ups (its a big oilfield area) but very few motorbikes (maybe they have more sense). The country is rolling forested hills as far as the eye can see. There are some amazing views where the road goes on and on and on to the horizon. There are not many people here. Though when I stop to take a photo I realize there must be billions of other residents - namely mosquitos. As soon as I stop I am surrounded by swarms of them - big ones too. Its beneficial to be wearing a full face helmet in such conditions.
I make it into Fort Nelson and decide to call it a day - 542 miles. The guy at the hotel says that the weather forecast for the next two days is - rain showers. Oh well.
Alaska Road Trip - Day 3
Another damp and cold morning. Today, I start off with the rain gear and the electric vest, no point in starting off on the wrong foot. The rain is intermittant as the road snakes along the Fraser River Valley and later up the Thompson River Valley. This is a spectacular piece of country - dramatic canyons, a huge river in the bottom, railroads on either side (why are there two I wonder?) and a road stuck to the side of the canyon.
After lunch in Cache Creek the road leaves the river and there are some nice dry spells - everything comes together with a nice dry stretch of gently twisting road, a little sun, some beautiful country and to top it off a couple of bald eagles circling above the road. It was worth it all just for that.
This is the land of lumber, everywhere there are logging trucks and every town has its saw mill or pulp mill or both. I guess you can say that there is some beautiful country in this part of British Columbia, but I am afraid the towns are not so nice. I don't think there has been one (except perhaps Hope) that made me think that I would want to return to stay longer.
That night I stay in Prince George - another ugly lumber town - after a 408 mile day.
After lunch in Cache Creek the road leaves the river and there are some nice dry spells - everything comes together with a nice dry stretch of gently twisting road, a little sun, some beautiful country and to top it off a couple of bald eagles circling above the road. It was worth it all just for that.
This is the land of lumber, everywhere there are logging trucks and every town has its saw mill or pulp mill or both. I guess you can say that there is some beautiful country in this part of British Columbia, but I am afraid the towns are not so nice. I don't think there has been one (except perhaps Hope) that made me think that I would want to return to stay longer.
That night I stay in Prince George - another ugly lumber town - after a 408 mile day.
Alaska Road Trip - Day 2
Saturday was a gloomy day, but I optimistically set off without the rain gear on. By Portland it was raining solidly again so it was back on with the waterproofs. By the time I reached Seattle, it was serious rain and it was a dicy skate through heavy traffic in the city center. By Bellingham it was clearer, but I was getting cold so the electric vest was plugged in for the first time - I actually didn't think I would need it - boy was I wrong.
I got into Canada around 5:00 in the afternoon, and after a missed turn before Vancouver, I finally got on the right road - Highway 1 to Hope. This part of the road is along the first part of the Fraser River Valley - a little wide and very agricultural (and smelly) at this part, but it narrows down and gets quite dramatic as you get closer to Hope.
I found a hotel in Hope that night. 498 miles on the second day - not bad considering the conditions. The bike is going very well - it cruises real effortlessly around 80 mph.
I got into Canada around 5:00 in the afternoon, and after a missed turn before Vancouver, I finally got on the right road - Highway 1 to Hope. This part of the road is along the first part of the Fraser River Valley - a little wide and very agricultural (and smelly) at this part, but it narrows down and gets quite dramatic as you get closer to Hope.
I found a hotel in Hope that night. 498 miles on the second day - not bad considering the conditions. The bike is going very well - it cruises real effortlessly around 80 mph.
Alaska Road Trip - Day 1
I did get out of Sacramento on Friday, and I am really on my way to Alaska. All was smooth sailing up the valley until just north of Redding the skies opened and we had a torrential thunder storm. So that left me sitting under a freeway bridge watching the rain come down and wondering how on earth I was going to get out of State never mind up to Alaska.
After half an hour or so of futile waiting, I geared up with the waterproof clothing and set off. It actually wasn't that bad and the rain eased off some. For the rest of the day it was rain showers as I cruised past Mt Shasta (with its head in the clouds), Ashland, Grant's Pass, and on to Eugene. Actually I ended up in Albany as all the hotels in Ashland were sold out (University graduation!). A respectable 535 miles on the first day out.
After half an hour or so of futile waiting, I geared up with the waterproof clothing and set off. It actually wasn't that bad and the rain eased off some. For the rest of the day it was rain showers as I cruised past Mt Shasta (with its head in the clouds), Ashland, Grant's Pass, and on to Eugene. Actually I ended up in Albany as all the hotels in Ashland were sold out (University graduation!). A respectable 535 miles on the first day out.
Friday, June 10, 2005
The last training run
I didn’t mention about how I got injured in that little 5K race a couple of weeks ago. It wasn’t much just a calf muscle strain I thought. Well here we are almost 2 weeks later and I still can’t run. I went out this morning and was limping by a half mile and back home in 20 minutes. That doesn’t bode well for the marathon next week, does it? The dilemma is whether to rest the leg completely, and lose what little marathon conditioning I had, or to keep trying to get a decent run in before the run. I think I will take the complete rest path – it’s a whole lot easier
Thursday, June 09, 2005
Alaska Bound....
Tomorrow I set off on my trip to Alaska - just over 3,000 miles by motorcycle. Never having been that far on a bike, I don’t quite know what to expect. I know the scenery will be spectacular, but even 3,000 miles of awesome scenery has to get old after a while. Then there is the affects it might have on the body – sitting on a vibrating piece of machinery for a week just has to be a little uncomfortable. It probably will not enhance my ability to run the marathon when I get there either.
Anyway, I am all packed up and ready to go and tomorrow afternoon I head out. Here’s hoping that the bike holds up, the body holds up, the moose stay off the road and the mosquitoes bother someone else.
Stay tuned for further information…..
Anyway, I am all packed up and ready to go and tomorrow afternoon I head out. Here’s hoping that the bike holds up, the body holds up, the moose stay off the road and the mosquitoes bother someone else.
Stay tuned for further information…..
Tuesday, June 07, 2005
The benefits of travel with an elderly passenger..
I just took Mum back to the UK at the end of her vacation in California. There are some distinct advantages of traveling with an elderly passenger:
- Police outside SFO let you park outside the terminal illegally while you schlep your bags and mum into the terminal
- First Class check in agent sees you and calls you over, bypassing the long regular line snaking around the terminal.
- Wheelchair person takes you through the preferential lines at customs and security, again bypassing long lines.
- You get to board before anyone else (in Heathrow, you even get a special lounge to wait in until the flight is ready to board).
- All the flight attendants make a fuss over you.
The English Breakfast or a Bag of Peanuts
In this day of minimalist air travel, it was encouraging to see British Airways still providing the full English Breakfast on their Aberdeen to London flight this last week. That’s bacon, sausage, eggs, tomatoes, mushrooms – just on an early morning breakfast flight. Better than a bag of peanuts or pretzels! Well done BA but how can you afford it?
Airport Security....
While going through security at SFO with my mother on her way back to the UK, they picked out her hand baggage for special treatment. After checking the contents they wiped it with a swab that ran the swab through their sophisticated test machinery. Surprisingly, the machine alarm sounded and the monitor indicated “Explosives Detected” in a nice flashing display. It said the type of explosive detected was TNT.
I thought that at this point we would be in for a spot of bother. Off to the special room for strip searches and intense questioning under bright lights. This was not to be the case. The Security man just said that often medications caused false positives, all well and good but there were no medications in the bag. I at least thought this would have caused them to inspect my bags a little more closely – perhaps some of my TNT had rubbed off on my mother’s bag during our packing of the explosives. But no, we were allowed to pass on without further inquiry. Comforting isn’t it. I would agree that my mother does not fit the bill of a terrorist, but what about me? Surely I don’t look that innocent.
I thought that at this point we would be in for a spot of bother. Off to the special room for strip searches and intense questioning under bright lights. This was not to be the case. The Security man just said that often medications caused false positives, all well and good but there were no medications in the bag. I at least thought this would have caused them to inspect my bags a little more closely – perhaps some of my TNT had rubbed off on my mother’s bag during our packing of the explosives. But no, we were allowed to pass on without further inquiry. Comforting isn’t it. I would agree that my mother does not fit the bill of a terrorist, but what about me? Surely I don’t look that innocent.
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