Pondering a Route

Let me start by acknowledging that the details in this entry will probably change dozens of times before the trip, but it's fun to plan it out and consider the possibilities.  I'm browsing through my 2006 - 2009 Milepost books like I used to do when I was a kid drooling over toys in the Sears Wish Book.  I'm also bookmarking Internet sites like a tourist.

I want to maximize my time seeing the sights in Canada and especially in Alaska, so I plan to speed ball it from Dallas into Canada and then slow the pace and enjoy the view.  I figure I can reach Canada at the end of three days if I repeat the pace I ran on my Whidbey Island trip.  So far, I'm thinking this way...

Dallas, TX to Denver, CO  ~800 miles

Denver, CO to Great Falls, MT  ~775 miles

Great Falls, MT to Edmonton, Alberta, Canada  ~500 miles

Edmonton to Dawson Creek, British Columbia  ~ 370 miles

Dawson Creek to Watson Lake, Yukon Territory  ~ 600 miles (gotta see the Signpost Forest)

This leaves me about 600 miles from the U.S. border at Alaska.  I suspect there will be plenty of camping and last-chance hotel stops along the way.  I'm guessing also that there aren't too many Hilton owned hotel properties where I can cash in my frequent stay points.

I've been using Google Maps to give me a basic idea of potential routes. I find the satellite imagery of the roads and terrain coupled with the ability to drop to ground level and see a 360° view of any spot I select to be very useful and informative.  So I decided to look at the ground view of the Alaska state line heading northwest out of Canada.  I found the image displayed by Google Maps at that exact spot to be a profound indication that I am meant to make this trip happen.  Click the image on the left or a larger view.

GPS Woes

I need a new GPS.  I know, I know.  Real bikers don't use GPS.  I recently talked with an old biker at Strokers Ice house in Dallas who looked old enough to be Methuselah's grandfather.

  

 He described to me how he rode the the entire perimeter of the United States in the early 1970's with little more guidance than folded maps.  I thought about that; no GPS, no cell phone, no iPod or stereo on the bike, no cruise control, and AMF-era Harley Davidson quality.  After considering what it would take to make a trip such as he described, two words came to mind. "Fuck that!"  I respect the accomplishment like I respect the Apollo moon landings completed with vacuum tubes, but I need more than a slide rule, sextant, a compass, and maybe an abacus.

I have been called many things, but I have never been labeled a Luddite.  I'm a digital man.  If it makes my life easier, if it's cool, if it lights up, makes noise, and has a handlebar mount, I want it.  Better yet, if it has a USB port, I need it! I'm working on a blog entry to detail the electronics and technology that will be accompanying me on this ride. I think I'll title it "Ned Ludd Can Suck It"

I used a TomTom Rider2 GPS on my last trip. That trek was 6,000 miles; roughly 300 of which could have been avoided because the TomTom led me astray.  I had printed maps and routes as a backup, but those a bit tough to use at 80 miles per hour.  I admit that it was my fault that I hit the road with map software that was from 2006, but I tried repeatedly to update the map software and had no success.  TomTom support said it's a common problem and that since my unit was out of warranty, I had no recourse.  They did offer me me 10% off a new Rider2.  I respectfully passed.  It wasn't the poor customer service agent's policy and she was embarrassed to break the news to me.

Needless to say, my eyes and mind are open for something new with update capabilities and I'll be scanning reviews of the latest motorcycle-specific GPS devices.  In the mean time, TomTom can get in line behind Ned.

UPDATE 

It didn't take long to find the model I want. I'll keep my eyes peeled for a good price on the Garmin Zumo 660.  It sports all the features I need and has a good reputation among my riding peers.  Garmin sure is proud of it though.  The cheapest I've seen it on line is $575. Consumer electronics prices always drop during the holiday season and I'm in no hurry to buy.  I'll set  some internet price alerts and strike when the price is right.

Negative, Negative, Negative...

Man, I'm hearing it from everyone on this one. Many of the riders with whom I discuss the trip are the types who have a five year-old Harley in their garage with about a thousand miles on it.  Still, even some of my hardened biker buds look at me like I'm crazy.  Comments include:

• "Do you have a will?"
• "Can I have what's left of your bike if they don't find your body?"
• "If they do find your body, can I have that cool NSA coin?"
• "Do you have a living will because bears don't always kill their prey?"
• "Is your life is so empty that you think you have to do shit like this?"
• "Why don't you fly into Alaska and rent a motorcycle to ride around up there?"
• "Don't ride your Harley.  The roads are rough and you might get scratches and dings from the Dalton Highway pebbles."
• "Ride up to Alaska if you must, but rent a KTM or BMW for the trip up the Dalton to the Circle."
• "Bear food..."
• Talk all you want, but you'll won't really go."

I think I'll just keep my mouth shut and not discuss it anymore. Yeah, right.  Anyone who knows me knows I can't keep my mouth shut about anything.

None of the comments even remotely resonate with me; nor do they deserve a response.  I have to admit though that that last one is a little haunting.  I'm a goal driven person and get depressed without a long term goal or something to look forward to.  Planning a trip like this offers me a goal to reach for while yielding short term rewards as things fall into place. It also offers a nice diversion from the geek work world of my job at IBM.  The logistics are a bit daunting, but nothing I can't overcome.  There are also plenty of people offering encouragement and support and expressing envy over not only having the time to do it, but the drive.  I've even had a few people I know from various Harley related forums offer a place to sleep or wrench if I need it.

Compadres or Solo?

I have two riding buddies from Dallas talking as if they want to come along on the trip. Honestly, I have mixed emotions here.  There are pros and cons to both sides.  Riding alone means I don't have to wait for anyone.  I ride my own schedule on my own terms.  I stop when I want and ride as fast or as slow as I feel.  I don't get delayed by someone else's sore butt or given crap because my butt is too sore to continue on.

Of course, there is a flip side.  Sharing the scenery and the memories with friends is invaluable. Having buddies to rag on, to talk to, eat dinner with, and to watch my back does have its benefits.  I see pictures of groups of guys all leathered up, smiling ear-to-ear next to their bikes with a mountain range and a river behind them and I start to think a group ride would be more fun. It also makes me think about beer. When I think further of possibly camping in bear country, there's a whole other level of security concern that riding in a group would address.  I know I can't outrun a bear, but I'm confident I can outrun these two!

Both are discussing the trip with their wives.  I won't be so callus as to say they're "asking permission".  Taking up to 24 days away from home for something like this is very selfish. In my case, I get three weeks vacation from my job and an additional five floating holidays outside the usual Federal holidays.  Still, being gone so long from the ones you love and who love you is asking a great deal from them; especially in my case when I travel for work almost every week of the year.

Hester Ready to Roll - Colorado 2010

The invitation is open and honestly, I'd be proud to ride with anyone who wants to make the trip with me.  Somehow though, I suspect when the rubber hits the road, it'll be just two wheels and they'll be carrying Hester and myself.

Initial Brainstorming

This is one of those events that will likely be similar herding cats.  There are so many aspects to consider.  When I made my trip to Whidbey Island, WA last summer, All I had to be concerned with was getting to the island by Sunday night.  After that, the pace for the rest of the trip was dictated by my butt and the amount of daylight remaining.

The first few days of this trip is similar in that riding up through the Unites States should be a snap.  The ride through Canada entering from northern Montana up to Alaska is about 2,300 miles.  Google Earth shows some pretty decent roads all the way up to to the Alaska border. As I learned riding through Idaho, construction could certainly impact that.

I'll need to look for places to sleep, be they hotels, camp sites, abandoned gas stations, whatever.  I don't plan on carrying much in terms of camping provisions and I'm spoiled, so hotels and cabins are my plan.

I'll need Canadian currency, which should be no big deal.

I need to look into the Canadian laws regarding carrying my pistol through Canada.  Alaska is a self-protection friendly state, so it's no big deal once I re-enter the US.  There are Canadian forms and fees that make it possible, but generally speaking the Canadian government prefers unarmed peasants.  I just need to decide if it's worth the hassle.  When I think of the bears up there, the hassle seems to diminish.

June is nine months away, but I laid awake for hours last night mulling all this over.  I'm generally not one to over think things.  I just hate to miss important details.  That said, I suspect there will be plenty more of those nights.  I ordered the 2010 edition of The Milepost to help with initial planning and to make for some good bathroom reading.  The 2011 edition will be published next March. I'm sure I'll buy that one too.  I still have 2006 and 2007 editions laying around.  As I mentioned, Alaska has been calling for a long time.

It's Time

How long am I to keep saying "One of these days, I'm gonna do that..." and still believe it?

Picture Me Here

Alaska has been calling me for years.  I've dreamed of riding my Harley there from Dallas and making a video/photo documentary of the trip.  I want to ride up the Dalton Highway to Deadhorse Alaska in the Arctic Circle and take in the surroundings at the sign. Don't ask me why because I don't have an answer.  It's just a nagging vision in my head that I need to realize.  Up to this week, it was a pipe dream; a one-of-these-years thing.

Martin @ Sturgis 2009

Today, it's different.  A co-worker and friend dropped dead at his desk this week.  He was only 48 years old.  I'm 47 and like me, he had raised his kids and was at a point in his life where realizing pipe dreams like this was possible.  Also like me, he rode a Harley and we used to tease each other over who would make it to Alaska first.  To add to that, my 68 year old father in-law sits in a wheel chair with 25% mobility following a massive stroke last year.  He completed two full careers and was set to enjoy the lifestyle for which he worked so hard.  These examples are weighing heavily on my mind right now.  There's rarely a good time to do things like this, but I'm all too aware that too late will come before I know it.

Alaska is calling again.  This time, I'm answering.  Get ready Yukon, because in June/July 2011, the Infidel is coming.

I'll post details of the logistics and planning on this blog as I sort them out.   It won't be too exciting to read.  If nothing else, each entry will serve as a reaffirmation of my plans and provide a checklist of important items to make the trip not only possible, but somewhat safer.