"...its about the journey, not the destination..."

   
"...just a thought..." As I ride along I thought about the difference in doing this trip on a bike, rather than in a car. In the car you are in a little cocoon, isolated from the outdoors. Heat, air conditioning, quiet, what ever you want. You watch the world go by through a screen, kind of like watching TV.

Along the highway between Fairbanks and Denali. 

      On a motorcycle you are not isolated, you are part of what's going on. If its hot, you're hot; if its cold your cold; if it is raining you are wet. You can smell the rain coming, or smell fresh cut grass. I'm not saying it is always pleasant, but you are always a participant! I think that is one of the things I like most about motorcycling touring.

Inside Denali National  Park.

     Today was a really easy day. 122 miles to Denali National Park. When I called for reservations I found most of the motels booked. I ended up finding a room at the White Moose Lodge in Healy Alaska, about 10 miles from the entrance to the park. Since I got here so early I rode into the park on the park road until I was turned back. If you want to go farther you have to ride a bus. This trip is about riding a motorcycle. I turned back.

The White Moose Lodge Healy Alaska.

 
      I checked in to my room around 2pm and laid around. Then into town to the Totem Inn Pub for dinner. Back to room to finish my entry for today, then watch a movie and to sleep. Up at 6 out by 8 in the morning for the 252 mile to The Motorcycle Shop for a oil change in Anchorage. I plan to spend three nights there exploring the area. An early start in the morning insures an early arrival in Anchorage, I hope.

The view out the window at the Totem Inn Pub Healy Alaska.

"...its about the journey, not the destination..."

     Woke up this morning at Buckshot Betty's to a damp day. Had breakfast with another BMW rider who had set up his trip to do 500 to 600 miles a day. Too much like work! The cabin that I rented was EXTREMELY clean, very warm and cozy. I slept like the proverbial rock.

     I was not in too big a hurry to get on the road, and didn't leave until 9am. It was only 24 miles or so to the border. As I passed through American customs the day brightened, and turned sunny with only patchy clouds. It was still chilly and I rode all morning wearing my electric vest, often with it turned on.

     By the late afternoon it must have warmed up into the low 70s. It was great to be in an American state with miles per hour, instead of kilometers! I had to change back to my American money, and put the Canadian money away for the return trip. I took a break in the late afternoon to enjoy the warmth at the Salcha Store and Service, where they had some picnic tables out front. From there it was about a 30 minute ride to the hotel in Fairbanks. Another day, another great ride.

"...its about the journey, not the destination..."

Typical Yukon panorama along the Alaska Highway.

      Another beautiful morning. I found a car wash that opened at 8am, so after breakfast at Tim Horton's I rode over to the car wash and got a lot of the dirt off of the bike. You can actually read the license plate now. On the road by 9am, which was late for me. The temperature was in the high 30s when I woke up, and low 40s by the time I got on the road.
   

It is sometimes difficult to keep your eyes on the road with such beautiful scenery.

     Snow capped mountains have now become routine, but still pretty. It was chilly enough this morning that I put on my electric vest. WONDERFUL!  278 miles today. As I continued to ride north I came to a Kiuane Lake, which is very large. There was a rest area with two picnic tables and a beautiful view of the lake. I stopped there for an hour or so and read.

Rest area along Kiuane Lake.

     As the afternoon passed the number of clouds increased I had chosen Buckshot Betty's as the place to spend my last night in the Yukon Territories. Throughout the day I had seen and spoken with several motorcyclists also heading north. When I checked into my cabin at Buckshot Betty's two of the fellows are in the next cabin. Some interesting conversations. Tomorrow Alaska!

Buckshot Betty's in Beaver Creek YT.

"...its about the journey, not the destination..."

     There is a great temptation to just get on the bike and ride until I reach Alaska. Its around 550 miles from here to the border...but this trip is truly about the journey and not the destination! The idea is to go at a pace to enjoy the trip, not just arriving in Alaska. Some years ago I was on a ferry going to Labrador from Newfoundland. There I met fellow Americans who were on the ferry and traveling by motorcycles. When they got off the ferry they took off and rode the 55 miles to Red Bay which was the end of the paved road. I saw them there later in the day having lunch. Then they rushed back to the ferry and went back to Newfoundland. They had seen Labrador.

The border between Quebec and Labrador

      Not true!!! I spent the night at a B&B in L'Anse au Clair Labrador, spending time with people from there, Norm and Gloria (who is Inuit!) and who had lived there all of their lives. I would submit I got a lot more out of my visit. The people you meet really enhance the journey. I plan to spend two more nights in the Yukon Territory.

Soon I rode under the cloud deck.

     Today I rode under a cloud deck leaving Watson Lake. No rain, but no sunshine. Around 280 miles to ride. Again off in the distance I could see mountains with snow. I tried to capture the view, but my efforts fell short. Today I came across several construction zones where they spray the road with tar, and then spread stone over it. This process makes the road quite dusty, and you must slow down because of the questionable surface. I have now met several people who are also riding to Alaska. Perhaps the most  interesting are Arturo and Mario. They are from Portugal, and had flown their bikes to Brazil. Then they had ridden them all the way up to the Yukon, and were intent on riding to Prudhoe Bay. While Arturo is on a newer R1200GS, Mario is on a 2003 R1150GS similar to mine. Interesting guys.

Afternoon break in a picnic area about 20 miles before Whitehorse.

      Later in the day I took a break at a park about 20 miles outside of Whitehorse YT. There were several families there, and I saw kids in swim suits. I had my heated grips on and the temperatures had to be in the upper 50s! People up here are obviously very sturdy! From there it was a 20 ride into Whitehorse where I will spend the night. It is now 9:19pm and the sun is still up, but... the sky has turned blue. Hopefully sunny day tomorrow.

As I rode into Whitehorse. Notice the bike is so dirty you can't read the license  plate!

"...its about the journey, not the destination..."

The view that awaited me as I left Fort Nelson!

     Today was a PRIME example of this. As I left Fort Nelson this morning I was stunned by the panorama that I saw. Snow capped mountains on the horizon. I would be riding in these mountains all day. I could have stopped a hundred times to take photos. It was absolutely stunning!

It is impossible for someone with my skills to capture the beauty of the vista.

     I spent most of the day riding in valleys between mountains. Some of them had snow from a storm that had passed through two days previously. Some were solid granite with no trees. The road often climbed up and down, from mountain passes down in  the valley. Often there was a river in the valley. The road, which is the only road, there are no other options, wound through these valleys along the course of the rivers, making for some great motorcycling.

A stop along Muncho Lake. Simply beautiful.

     There was not much traffic, nor were there many gas stations. I started looking for gas around 100 miles or so. Sometimes I filled up at some pretty "sketchy" pumps. However the alternative might just be running out of gas! There was an abundance of wild life along the way. I probably saw a dozen mountain goats, 6 or so black bears, often just to the side of the road. My favorite was the Bison! At one point a family of 6 decided to cross the road just in front of me. They took their own sweet time. One large fellow walked onto the road, stopped and looked at me and my bike for a minute. Then he just meandered across the road. I really don't like animals that are larger than me!

Gas stop at Rocky Mountain Lodge in Stone Mountain Park.

     I arrived at the town of Watson Lake around 5:30pm. I had decided to spend the night at the Air Force Lodge. The proprietor was a German man who was a fellow motorcyclist and quite the character. We exchanged stories for about an hour, and then I went to dinner. This sign is in the men's bathroom.

"...its about the journey, not the destination..."


     Today is going to be about a 364 mile day, from Grande Prairie AB to Fort Nelson BC. The gps says this should take 6 hours and 13 minutes. It will be a full day, but that is what the trip is about. Riding the motorcycle. I can't say enough about the service department at Argyle Motorsports and Marine in Edmonton. I have put over 30,000 miles on my BMW R1150GS since I bought it and NEVER have the brakes been this good. They were fast, friendly and competent.

     One look out the window and I knew I was probably going to run into rain. It was in the high 40s when I left around 7:30am. The ride was fine, but I rode under the cloud deck, and by 8:30 I hit rain. This would continue off and on all day. The key to riding in this weather is to not push it, and to break the day into "pieces." I stopped at a Tim Horton's around 9:30 after gassing up for the first time. I spent some time there with a LARGE cup of hot chocolate.

A look out the window at Tim Horton's at Fort St. John BC

     After the break back on the road for another tank of gas. BC is really pretty, but I just couldn't bring myself to stop the bike, in the rain, and take scenic pictures. The ride was not bad. Although my "waterproof" boots gave up the ghost early I just enjoyed the ride. As I headed north, which is what I did all day, I also went up in elevation. The result of this was that it got colder. I stopped at a rest area and put on my electric vest. Ohhhh so nice to push a button and have heat spread around your body under your jacket. My vest has a heated collar. Man is that great!

The view out the window at the Buckinghorse River Wayside Park restaurant

     Stopped for lunch around 1:30pm at the Buckinghorse River Wayside Park, and gassed up since this was the last fuel for 100 miles! A very nice lady was the cook and the waitress. Outside it was dreary, but inside it was nice and dry and warm. I called the Super 8 in Fort Nelson and reserved a room. I had just 100 miles to go, and easy run. I pulled into Fort Nelson ready to get warm and dry out!

Fort Nelson BC. The bike is MUCH dirtier than it looks!

"...its about the journey, not the destination..."

   My bike wasn't finished last night, but by 10:30am I was on the road, with new brake pads up front, fresh hydraulic fluid all around, and brand new set of Metzler Tourance tires. My plan today was to ride around 300 miles to the town of Grande Prairie Alberta. The weather was sunny with just a few clouds. West of Edmonton the land grew hillier and there was less agriculture. Pine forest grew along the road side, and towns became few and far between.

     Although I got a late start, for me, I was determined to enjoy the "journey." Around noon I stopped at a rest area. The folks in Alberta have a few things to learn about rest areas. It was mainly a huge, flat parking lot with a men's and ladies bathroom in the middle. No trees, no shade, no picnic tables. I guess they expected people to just sit in their cars with the sun beating down on them.

     I couldn't do anything about the shade, but a few years ago my daughter Katie gave me a small chair that folded up with a small bag to hold it. It fits in my travel box. I often use it on the Blue Ridge Parkway, and it really came in handy today. I sat, overlooking a pond, and read for about an hour.

     Back on the road by 1pm I cruised along at 120kph (about 75mph), and I wasn't the fastest vehicle on the road. At my last gas stop I called ahead for reservations at the Super 8 in Grande Prairie. I have found waiting until 3 or so in the afternoon gives you the option, if the weather is bad, or there is a problem with the bike, to stop early for the day. This added flexibility is worth the risk of not getting the motel you want. There have been many times over the years, including this trip, when I had to push to get to a hotel I had reservations at. This can be uncomfortable, and it also could be dangerous. As Vince Lombardi said, "...fatigue makes cowards of us all." The more tired the greater the chance you could make a stupid mistake. That would ruin the day!