Entering Alaska - Pics

Just before sunset at midnight:
Riding the Glenn Highway from Glennallen to Anchorage.

High above the glaciers on the Glenn Hy.

Deserted truck at midnight sunset

Midnight moon at sunset

Sunday - Tuesday June 28 - 30 Ride Report

Originally, I had hoped to ride past Whitehorse through the night to pick up some of the time lost earlier in the ride. However, it was raining lightly east of Whitehorse becoming heavy as I entered the Wolf Creek Campground. Since I still haven't been able to fix my faulty electric vest, I was getting the shivers and was getting a bit wet under my rain gear. Cold and wet are not my two favorite feelings, and the original plan was to use Wolf Creek anyway, so Wolf Creek was where i stayed.

I had been riding the latter part of the day with Canyon Evans whose route has been cris-crossing with mine since we met at Calgary earlier in the week. We both left Ft. Nelson in he morning and headed off in the same general direction. It's funny how that seems to happen when you have so many people going in the same general direction for many days. A sort of informal community develops. Canyon was plagued by similar electrical gremlins and he was every bit as cold as was I. Canyon is a 6'8" tall red-bearded young man who had a great knack of chatting up new people and extracting lots of information from them. He had some sort of sheet of graph paper or something like that, which was chock full of information about towns and camping options along the way. How about that! I've been planning this trip, doing on-line research, buying books, and burning up computer gigabytes plotting my routes on Garmin and in this blog. Then along comes this kid without a plan, and in a few days of asking questions, has more data on his little sheet of paper than I could imagine! Ladies, there actually is a guy out there who actually stops to ask directions! Canyon Evans is his name. One of the folks he spoke with told him that Dawson City Yukon is quite the location, with old western shows complete with show girls and all their trappings (or whatever is is that showgirls have going on) So Dave, the old guy with a plan, is going to freeze half to death riding through the night to Anchorage, while Canyon, the young man without a plan is going north to be warmed by the Dawson City experience. Maybe sometimes old ain't so wise after all.

Overall, the ride from Ft Nelson to Whitehorse was mostly interesting for its wildlife. Northern BC and Southern Yukon Territory is a beautiful countryside with more wildlife per mile than anywhere else on our continent. I spotted several black bears, including a mother and two cubs just of the road to my left. Mama bear was trying her best to keep track of the two little ones while trying to eat her meal of grass and weeds in peace. I pulled over for a picture or two, but didn't have the telephoto mounted at the time and If I took the time to dig out the telephoto lens, I might have lost the moment.

A bit later on, I saw a rather dark object beside the road which turned out to be a big old male black bear. I pulled over to the side, keeping the motor idling and the bike between me and the bear. Again, I had the wrong lens and the bear was kind of big so I took what I had and will crop and expand the picture before posting.

When I crested another hill There were four horses just standing in the breakdown lane. One of them had a slight limp. Maybe they were waiting for a tow truck.

I was kind of excited to cross back into the states when I entered Alaska mid afternoon. I would have made better time had I not needed to stop frequently to thaw out in the occasional diner along the way, but I was determined to make it to Anchorage on Monday, even if it would be late at night.
The interesting thing is that as I move north, the days get longer. Stopping about 120 miles east of Anchorage on the Glenn Highway, I was treated to a colorful sunset at about 11PM, and a half-moon suspended over the tops of the mountain ranges to the south. Taking pictures in this sort of lighting condition is difficult to figure. I hope they turn out OK. If not, I'll still be in Anchorage for and extra day and will try it again. Basically Tuesday is a rest day, shopping day, getting new tires on the bike day, with not much else to report. I'm staying at a free campground behind the Anchorage Harley Davidson Dealership, which is open to riders of all brands. I'll take my time leaving tomorrow.

Speaking of which, I'd better get to work in the pics so I can post them.

Ft Nelson to Whitehorse Pics

Wood Bison:
Plentiful in western Canada. Slightly different from plains cousins

Brown Bear cubs:
Two cubs jousting


Note all "black" bears aren't black. Mom is close by. This is close enough for me.


Wild horses are everywhere.

This big guy wasn't too far from the road.

Sunday Ride Report

I'll file this partial report now on the fly. I'm sitting at the Coal River Lodge having breakfast in the afternoon. I may not be able to access internet later, but no problem. I plan to keep moving past Whitehorse tonight since it is light until after 11PM. That is, if it doesn't get too cold etc.

So far, since leaving Ft Nelson, I've seen three herds of buffalo. Got some close up pics. I've seen 4 black bears, Dall sheep (I think), caribou, and other wildlife critters. I was going to keep the camera in the saddlebags, but couldn't resist. All these photo ops are slowing me down, but today I'm slowing it down to smell the roses.

If I get a chance later, I'll add to this post, but for now, I'm hitting thre road again.

Saturday June 27 Ride Report

I'm sorry for not reporting in sooner, but Wifi and cell service are scarce up here.

Yesterday (Saturday) was one of those days that test a person's resolve. It seems that my days have been alternating between incredible beauty, and days from Hell. Yesterday was one of the latter.

Starting out in Hinton, Alberta I wanted to try to fix a couple of problems with the bike, so I got off to an 11:00 AM start. None of the problems were fixed. The day was going to be colder than any of the days so far, making it essential that I get my heated vest working. It hasn't worked since the heavy rains of a week ago when I also lost function of my Bluetooth GPS. Unable to fix either issue, I bundled up and hit the road at 11:00 AM. The objective was Ft. Nelson BC. The expected ETA was something after 9PM. I wasn't in the mood to miss any more objectives. Press on and if necessary ride through the night, but I resolved to make Ft. Nelson regardless of what it would take.

The ride itself was disappointing. Alberta is a beautiful province, but for the whole day, I saw nothing but trees, trees, and more trees. Apparently forestry is a big industry up here, as evidenced by the numerous logging trucks on the road. It was just a long day of slogging through a vast sea of green, with no particular geographical features worth mentioning. Staying awake and alert was more of a challenge here.

Hinton to Grand Prairie was along rte 40. When I entered Grand Prairie, a sign listed the population at 50,000. This is a town big enough to have motorcycle shops. Perhaps I could find one that sold Tourmaster clothing and I could replace the non-functioning controller to my heat vest. No luck after trying three shops. Another hour and a half wasted, I returned to the route which is now rte 16.



I picked up the beginning of the official Alaska-Canadian (ALKAN) highway at Dawson Creek mid afternoon. It felt good that I was finally on tha Alaska Highway, making me feel somehow closer to my destination, and because of the historical significance of the road itself. A short distance out of Dawson Creek, I saw a fash of red passing me on the left. It was my friend Canyon Evans, a young rider that I met at the Calgary campground. I took his picture with my windshield cam and motioned him to the side of the road. I asked him where he was planning to pitch his tent for the night. he had no specific plan, so I sugggested he check in to the campground in Ft. Nelson. He agreed and we proceeded to Ft Nelson.


Canyon Evans: Sharing the Alcan.



Only 5:00 in the afternoon and I was now starting to get the shivers. Not good. GPS said I'd arrive at Ft. Nelson at 10:30 pm. Time to suck it up and just get there somehow. Boring that the roads were, they are also fast. Physically exhausted and cold to the bone, I rolled in to Ft Nelson at 9:45. I pitched my tent and crawled in. No wifi service here except in the laundry room next to the office. I'm sorry, but I thought sleep was more important at this point. I'll have to file this report in the morning. Canyon pitched his tent and mingled with a large group of dual-sport riders from the Czech Republic that were also at the campground. I joined the conversation for a brief while, but soon went back to my tent. Plenty of time to catch up on the news later. It was strangely light out even though it was about 11:00PM, but I was tired enough to pass out quickly.

It is now Sunday, and my objective is to make Whitehorse by nightfall. Canyon decided to ride along with me for another day. Since nightfall this far north is around 11:00 PM, I might push beyond Whitehorse and ride through the night with maybe a power nap in the saddle (known as the iron butt motel to long-distance riders). If I can do this, I will be able to arrive in Anchorage late Monday. Anchorage will be a rest day for me, so I can't wait to get there.

One final thing for now. While in Canada, I'm on international roaming, and I'm a cheap old bastard. Therefore, I'll be keeping my cell phone stashed in my saddle bag until I get to Alaska. If anyone calls and I don't answer or reply to voice mail, it doesn't mean I don't love you.

Later,

Dave

Calgary, AB to Hinton, AB Pictures

Banff NP near Lake Lousie, AB



Bow Lake in Banff Alberta:
A few pictures






Jasper, Alberta NP:

Ride Report June 26, 2009 Calgary, AB to Hinton, AB

Today is the first full day in Canada. The objective was to reach Hinton early enough to settle in early enough to file this report before everyone back home goes to bed. It is now 8:30 mountain time and I'm sitting in my tent in bright sunlight. as I travel further north, the days get longer. Last night, the sun set at 10:30 PM. Tonight it will set a bit later.

After taking care of some internet business tracking down some items I'll need later, I left at 11:00 AM westbound on Rte 1. The high winds of yesterday were gone, and the sky was a clear blue from horizon to horizon. Already today is better than yesterday. After missing Chief Joseph Highway and Beartooth Pass on Tuesday (actually I will get those later) and Glacier NP on Thursday, I wanted badly to visit both Banff and Jasper National Parks, take lots of pictures and post some of them tonight. The night is still young. I'll post this now, and edit the pictures in after I get some food. It should still be light until 11:00 PM tonight.

Later

Today was supposed to start out at West Glacier and end at Hinton, AB KOA campground. After the disappointments of yesterday's time wasted in Missoula, the extra heat of the afternoon and high winds, I was hoping for less of the same and more good fortune. However, when I rode to the West Glacier entrance to the park, the rangers informed me that Logan's Pass was closed for at least one day due to extreme winds (up to 80 mph). The option would have been to ride into the park for 32 miles. turn around and exit the same gate, then ride around the outside of the park to St Mary and entering and exiting the park from that end to see the Going to the Sun Road from both ends. This would have meant riding more than twice the mileage, but missing the high point of the ride. What? Thanks, but I'll catch your park on the way home.

Not only did this closure of Logan's deprive me of the best part of the day, it also blocked my short cut route up to Calgary, Banff NP, and Jasper, NP. I now had to go around the park on a route that was more than 100 miles out of the way. I rode Rte 2 and 89 through Blackfoot country east to I-15 north to Canada. The winds that closed Logan's Pass was part of a bigger system blowing through the area. For the whole day, I felt as though I was wrestling an 800 pound grizzly. My bike with a dry weight of 700 pounds, plus over 100 pounds of gear was blasted by side winds of 30 mph with frequent gusts higher than that. The result was literally a wrestling match that had me leaning forward to put more weight on my feet for control, and with a firm grip on the controls.

My agenda was now out the window. I would be getting to Banff and Jasper too late in the day to take any pictures, plus the danger of animal collision increases at dusk. Finally, I would have arrived at Hinton KOA in the wee hours of the morning. Frustrated as hell, tired, and hot, I made the decision to call Hinton to make a reservation for tomorrow night instead. I asked my imaginary girlfriend (the Garmin voice-prompt girl) to guide me to an alternate campsite in Calgary. We (me and Garmin Girl) will have a more leisurely ride of only 300 miles ahead of us tomorrow. Occasional showers and the same high winds are in the forecast, but I'll take whatever we get.

A few random thoughts ran through my head since I wasn't taking any pictures today.

• As I was wrestling with my 800 pound grizzly westbound on Rte 2 through Blackfeet country, I happened to notice a historic site roadside marker. I slowed down enough to read the heading "Camp Disappointment" marking the site of Lewis and Clarke's most frustrating excursions through the Northwest. I chuckled at the irony.
• Hey what's up with the women who do the flag details at roadside construction sites. All day long, with their two-sided sign on a stick, they communicate only two messages to the rest of the world -- STOP, and SLOW. STOP, and SLOW. Nothing else! This has to carry over into the rest of their lives! My advice is - don't date these women. They are way too negative.

Also, because of the frequent changes I had to make to the route today, there were six or seven separate tracks generated. I only uploaded the last on so you can see my latest location on the "Live Link". Maybe I'll ask GarminGirl to show me how to combine these segments. but not too soon. She thinks I'm working her too hard.

Tomorrow will be better. It has to. If the above two observations are all I could smile about all day long....

Dave

Report Jun 24

Today, we left Big Timber, MT for Bozeman for new tires and periodic maintenance. I selected Team Bozeman for this job weeks ago after researching on line. When the tires, which had to be special ordered, arrived at their location, they called me to confirm the arrival of my parts. This morning, I called them from Big Timber to make sure that they knew I was coming. When I arrived at around 10:30AM, they had a service bay open for me and they took me right in. They had me out the door in about 2 hours and made sure everything was OK before I rolled again. The staff and physical layout of their showroom is the best I have ever experienced. If I need anything done during my return trip, I'll make a point of calling them first.

The next stop on the way to Glacier National Park was 204 miles away in Missoula to attempt to ship a package to myself in Alaska. For various reasons of company policy, neither UPS nor FedEx was able to take care of my needs. An hour and a half later, I continued on to Glacier.

Since I was running late, I checked in to the KOA in W Glacier, rather than the campground inside the park. I will need to backtrack 30 miles to Kalispell tomorrow morning to address my shipping problem before continuing through Glacier on the Going to the Sun Road to St Mary, MT and up into Canada through Banff and Jasper parks in Alberta.

Except for about 75 miles, the approximately 400 mile ride today was all super highways. Considering the stationary time in Bozeman and Missoula, today was productive mileage wise.

Everything is still on schedule. We'll see what tomorrow has in store. The weather is supposed to be partly cloudy and windy. There is a weather advisory out for high winds in the area tomorrow. High mountain passes in high winds? Fun!

Kalispell Lake: A beautiful sight at the end of a long arduous day

Ride Report - Dubois, WY to Big Timber, MT

Yesterday's report wasn't filed last night because I was downloading Photoshop Elements on my NetBook computer at the Big Timber KOA with a slow connection. This report will be quick and I'll flesh it out later.

We left Dubois, WY on time but ran into extensive road repair delays in the Teton NP and in Yellowstone. Since we lost so much time in the hot sun, I decided to cut out the Beartooth hand the Chief Joseph Highway loop and cut across from Mammoth Hot Springs/ Gardner to Big Timber to arrive at the KOA there at 7:30 local time. Today (Wednesday) I have an appointment in Bozeman for new tires and periodic maintenance on the bike. While I'm waiting in Bozeman, I'll finish editing the picture files down to a size small enough for web consumption.

After leaving Bozeman, I'll be heading north to Glacier NP for the night. My capable wing man, Max will be pealing off for home and I'll be riding solo for the rest of the trip. I'll miss the banter and the brotherhood. Thanks again Max.

More later,

Dave

Dubois, WY to Big Timber, MT Pics.

Chasing Max toward the Tetons:


Grand Tetons up close:

Yellowstone Lake:

Yellowstone Lake:
Note the sulphur springs steaming in the foreground.

Plains Bison:

The mountains of Yellowstone:

Longmont to Dubois Pictures

Rocky Mountain National Park:

Looking back towards Estes Park near entrance to park.

Long Mountain:

Highest point in the park

Mad Max and his Radical Roadie:

My Ride:

looks like something Jed Clampett would be proud of.

Looking across the top of the alpine tundra

Racing across the high plains toward Dubois:

Re-approaching the Rockies from the east:

Interesting rock formations near Dubois:

Longmont to Dubois ride report

What a glorious day! Left at 0700 for Dubois. The weather was perfect and the ride through Rocky Mountain NP was beautiful. Took lots of pics. Everything exceeded expectations. Arrived at Dubois at 8:30. Pitching tents in the dark was a challenge, but got it done.

From the start:

We rolled out of Longmont and stopped for breakfast in Loveland. Lee (Max) wasted no time hitting on the cute little waitress. All fueled up on eggs and bacon, bikes packed like Beverly Hillbillies on two wheels, we checked in to Rocky Mountain NP and began climbing through the twisties to 13,000 feet, stopping for numerous pictures. I got off the bike and walked a couple of trails to get the best angles. Walking or climbing at three miles high, is tough for seasoned hikers half my age. Although I was out of breath, I got some breathtaking shots of the Arctic Tundra.

Rte 125 Granby to Walden: This stretch of open prairie is flanked by Rocky mountains on the west and the east. It is a road to be enjoyed for it's riding as well as its viewing. It was impossible not to push the envelope on this road, scraping floorboards through the long sweeping high-speed turns, while also taking in the scenery. Funny thing is you put two guys on similar motorcycles, add a challenging road, mix in a little adrenalin, and ... well... you know the rest of the story. We ended up in Walden a little ahead of schedule.

Leaving Walden after lunch, rte 125 becomes a long straight road for a while. I was riding in the lead, and noticed that Max was no longer in my mirrors. Backtracking to find him, I crested a hill and there he was by the side of the road, with a cruiser parked behind him with the blue lights on. I'm no fool, so I continued without stopping, but noticed that the trooper was a young female. You're on your own with this one Max old buddy! I proceeded over the next hill and passed them again, pulling over well up the road to await the news. After a while Max rejoined me on the road and took the lead for a while. Neither of us wanted to stop to exchange stories just yet. I did notice that his throttle hand became considerably weaker for the rest of the ride north out of Colorado. No more fun and games for a while. I later found out that no ticket was issued.

Rte 125 ran into 130 and 230 to 26 toward the Tetons and the Dubois KOA . The tent site is without the necessary utilities to do the proper photo editing details on my computer, so I'll add them to this post when I get to a site better suited to the job.

Tomorrow we leave for the next leg which will take us through the Teton NP, Yellowstone NP. Chief Joseph Highway, Beartooth Pass, ending the day at Big Timber, MT. I'll try to get a cabin instead of a tent site so I will have use of a desk and decent lighting to organize the pictures and insert them into the posts. Tomorrow will be a very photogenic day, so many pictures will be posted, as well as the set I took today.

Dave

I meant wifi with computer.

Arrived lincoln, nebraska moments ago rough night, but 1500 miles in 24hrs. More to tell when I get to a wifi with my computer. Problems with my bluetooth gps.

GPSed Track "leg 1"

Hi Everyone,

First and foremost thank you all for virtually riding along with me. It helped to know that some were checking in.

Secondly, I'm sorry for the failure of my Bluetooth GPS that was going to send the live tracks via my cell phone. Maybe it had something to do with all the rain, but whatever the reason, it simply died of natural causes.

I will meanwhile simply upload the tracks from my main Garmin GPS at the end of each day. It's not as much fun as live tracking, but I'll do the best to send something in the form of pictures, tracks, and observations every day. If the end of any day finds me in a remote area without cell or Internet coverage, I'll catch everything up when I am in an area with connections.

Finally, if something fails (like today), don't get worried. The greatest likelihood is that some technology item failed, or that I failed to use it correctly.

Finally, I deleted the links to the failed track and replaced them with three segments off my Garmin:

1. Labeled "1 Nashua, NH to Lincoln, NE" I separated this out for Smitty's sake. It shows as 1501.1 miles on the Garmin track, but translates to 1499.1 when translated to the GPSed format. It's funny to note that the time was 23:57 or something like that. It satisfied my curiosity about whether the 1500 can be done in 24 hours, Read on.
2. the second track is captioned "2 Lincoln, NE to York, NE". As mentioned above, I was feeling kind of good about doing 1500 in 24 hours, but I overextended my self to the point that I needed a nap or would simply fall off the bike. This problem was aggravated by the fact that I was fighting high winds, thunderstorms, road construction, old age and general grumpiness by then. That explains the 54 mile leg. I pulled in to a rest area, turned everything off, and napped for three hours on the pavement in a rest area beside the bike (the rain had ended).
3. After the morning power nap of 2 1/2 hours, the third segment was about 468 miles or so to Lee's house in Longmont. It was good to see my old friend even though I had to lecture him about becoming a mother hen when my tracks went poof in the night.

No pictures for this portion of the trip. The object here was to get to the Rockies as quickly as possible, and to start the trip cris-crossing the Continental Divide looking for the best of the best. Maybe fruited plains and fields of grain will be the theme of another ride.

To see the tracks of the newly uploaded segments, just click on the live location link at the top of the navigation pane (as we have been doing) and the three tracks will be on my GPSed page. In the future, the new posts will have the links directly attached to the post itself.

Tomorrow AM, we travel from Longmont, southwest through the Rocky Mountain National Park then turning northwesterly stopping at Dubois, WY for the night. The tracks still won't be live until I find a replacement tracking device. Everything will be posted in the evening, beginning tomorrow (Monday) night.

Thanks again for riding along.

Dave

Start Time

Due to minor equipment difficulties with the bike that kept me up until 12:30 AM, the start time will possibly be later by an hour or so. I should try to get at least 5 hours sleep before leaving. Everything else is fine, and I look forward to sharing the experience in a few hours. Check "Click Here" link just above this post for actual start time.

First Leg - From Home to Colorado - Sched 6/20-6/21

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Start 5:00AM June 20 2009 - Finish Approx. 5:00 PM June 21 - 2,027 miles in 36 hours

This will take us from Nashua, New Hampshire to Longmont, Colorado.

Main waypoints:

• I-90 to Lee Mass Service Plaza
• I-90 to Chittenango, NY Service Plaza
• I-90 to Clarence, NY Service Plaza
• I-90 to PA exit 3 for fuel
• I-80 to Erie Islands, OH Service Plaza
• I-80 to Ohio Exit 34 for fuel
• I-80 to Wibur Shaw Service Plaza Indiana
• I-80 to IL exit 56 for fuel
• I-80 to Iowa exit 246 fuel stop
• I-80 to Iowa exit 93 Conoco
• I-80 to Nebraska exit 405 Phillips 66
• I-80 to Nebraska exit 272 fuel stop
• I-80 to Nebraska exit 126 fuel
• I-80 to Wyoming Exit 115 Conoco
• I-25 to Longmont, CO
• Local roads to Lee Sutherburg's "Mad Max"(Maxair Engineering).

OK, I know, I promised to make this an event with no creature comforts, taking in an unfiltered perspective of the view and the elements. I also know that 2027 miles in a day and a half is a lot of miles in a very short time (kids, don't try this yourselves). However, the focal point of this ride is to get to the rugged West through the Rockies to Alaska, stopping to smell the roses and take a lot of pictures to share. Something about a promise of a hot shower, comfortable bed, a good cigar and a chance to ride with an old friend into the real part of the journey changed my perspective. There will be plenty of time later to rough it. First, let's get there. After all, I-90 and I-80 aren't exactly on any one's list of favorite scenic by-ways anyway.

Seriously though, I'll be welcoming the companionship as we leave the plains and begin our climb into the Rocky Mountain National Park. Watch for the live tracking on June 20, and the posted pictures each evening beginning on June 21.

Lee, you'd better rest up. We're going to ride!

Obviously, the story behind this particular segment of the trip is more about the physical challenge and its test of human endurance. This type of ride profile should not be taken lightly, and should only be taken if similar endurance rides have been accomplished in the past. Anyone else thinking of doing thousands of miles in one long stretch should first spend time researching the subject. Point your search engine at Iron Butt Association, Long distance riders, LDR, and spend time reading and following the advice and suggestions.

"Be sure you're right, then go ahead" - Davey Crockett

Second Leg - Longmont, CO to Dubois, WY - June 22

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This leg begins the photogenic part of the journey. 471 miles in approx 10hours allowing stops to capture a few shots.

Leaving Lee's place with Lee in hot pursuit, we'll go north a few miles to pick up rte 34 west to Rocky Mountain NP. This portion of the ride was mentioned in the original "Planning" post as the first attempt to raise the bar from previous favorites. I'm not sure where Lee will be peeling off to head back home.

Waypoints and segments. Not all fuel stops listed here:

• Hwy 34 from Estes Park, CO through Rocky Mt. NP to Granby, CO


• In Granby, taking Hwy 40 Hwy 125 to Wyoming


• At Wyoming, hwy 125 becomes hwy 230


• Hwy 230 becomes Hwy 130 north to I-80


• I-80 to Rawlins, WY exit for fuel


• Rte 187 north to Dubois, WY KOA

Photos and comments will be posted to the blog after settling in. This will be a tent site, but KOA has wifi and cell service.

Third Leg - Dubois, WY to Big Timber, MT - June 23

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This leg of the trip includes several of my previous favorite roads. Chief Joseph Highway, Beartooth Pass, Grand Tetons, Yellowstone. The big issue here will be to cover the ground, take interesting pictures, and still make it to Bozeman in time for my appointment for new tires and maintenance the following day. Total miles 471. Time about 10 hours. Maybe I should have someone zip-tie my wrists to the handlebars so I can keep going. So much to see, so little time!

Main Features and waypoints:

• US 287 and US 26 from Dubois through Grand Teton NP
• US 191 from Grand Tetons to South Entrance of Yellowstone.
• Stop at Grants Village in Yellowstone for services
• Loop around Yellowstone Lake and exit park at East Entrance.
• US 14 to Cody, WY
• Hwy 120 out of Cody to Hwy 296 Chief Joseph Hwy.
• Hwy 296 to Beartooth Hwy 212
• Through Beartooth Pass on 212 to Red Lodge, MT
• Possible stop at Red Lodge KOA
• Continue north to on Hwy 78 to I-90 west to Big Timber

Fourth Leg - Big Timber, MT to Glacier NP -June 24

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Shorter leg due to bike maintenance scheduled in Bozeman.
Waypoints:

• Leave Big Timber to Bozeman via I-90
• Bike service at Team Bozeman
• I-90 to Missoula exit Rte 93 north
• Rte 93 north to Kalispell and Whitefish
• US 2 to MacDonald Lake campground in Glacier NP
  

Fifth Leg - Glacier NP to Hinton Alberta - June 25

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Today will cover Glacier NP (an old favorite) and move up into Canada to visit Banff and Jasper NP to see how those two parks compete with what we've seen before.
Waypoints:

• Leave MacDonald Lake campground and take the Going to the Sun Road through the park to St Mary, MT
• US 89 up to Canadian border crossing.
• CN 2 to Calgary
• CN 93 north through Banff and Jasper parks
• Rte 40 east to Hinton KOA

There should be tons of pictures and thoughts to upload from campsite in Hinton, AB.

This will be a long day of about 500 miles and about 12 hours. The challenge will be to get it all done and adequately recorded in the time alotted. Fortunately, as we move nrthward, the daylight hours are getting longer.

Leg Six - Hinton to Ft Nelson - June 26

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Hinton Alberta to Ft. Nelson BC

Rte 40 from Hinton, AB through Grande Cache to Grande Pairie, BC is one of the candidates vying for favorite status.

Waypoints:

• Rte 40 to Grande Prairie BC


• Rte 43 to Dawson Creek, BC


• At Dawson Creek, pick up rte 97, beginning the actual Alaska Highway.


• Alaska Highway (97) to Ft Nelson
  

At Ft Nelson West End Campground, uploads and updates will be logged.

Leg Seven - Ft Nelson, BC to Whitehorse, Yukon - June 27

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Finally, after days of travelling further north, we're finally turning westward toward Alaska!

As we progress westward, we are also crosing the Continental Divide again. The terrain becomes more rugged, services more sparse, the weather colder.... Are we there yet?

Leg Eight - Whitehorse, YT to Glennallen, AK

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This nice little Sunday ride will take us back into the US. After passing through Beaver Creek, Yukon on Canadian Rte 2, we will enter Alaska heading northwest on A2 to Tok.

After flogging this tired old body and my reliable Stratoliner for over a week, I expect the emotions will run the gamut from the relief and excitement of finally crossing into Alaska, and another emotion familiar to many long-distance riders - the extreme melancholia that sets in when the one of the ride's major objectives has been met. The challenge at that point will be to maintain the focus on the road ahead. I don't know, but maybe the prospect of Anchorage and a day of casual shopping for supplies, dining at an actual restaurant, calling home, and updating my log will push me through this.

One thing is certain. Whenever I get to Anchorage, I'm treating myself to a day without clocks, calendars, agendas, mile markers or many other artifacts of the long-distance rider.