My adventure starts for real on the 12 July 2006. Touring 4000 miles around the British Isles in May 2006 and bits of Europe is really just like riding in my back garden. This for me is the real thing. 36000 miles, from the Arctic region to the Antarctic region, Ice to Ice, and very hot in the middle (Central America).
Wednesday 12th July
4:50am- Get up and head for Birmingham international airport England, My first problem!!! Would you believe it, after calling and checking with the embassy and booking the tickets, I get to the airport and they say I need a 6 months visa because my return flight is not till 10 Jan 2007. The fact that I am only in the USA for approx. 10 days, and then heading into Canada is not considered by the US immigration dept, unless you have written proof with you specifying how you are leaving the country, difficult when motorcycle touring and camping, so first exercise a return flight booked for the 6th September 2006 to keep immigration happy, makes you wonder! All issues sorted (hopefully) it’s on the plane and off. The bike I had planned to purchase, was a BMW GS1150 in Manhattan until problems with the Title papers made me pull out of that deal on Sunday 9th July so now I am now going to look at a Triumph Trophy in Arlington mass (if its still available when I land) otherwise its a new machine from the dealer. New York, Newark Airport immigration, customs, great no problems, nice people, very helpful, straight through. All the hassle at Birmingham for nothing! The wait, connecting flight to Boston Mass, 1 hour 15 minutes on the runway waiting at Newark Airport (it was the wrong sort of rain) it’s not only British rail that come up with good one’s (the wrong sort of leaves on the track). 14.40 We are finally in the air, 35 minutes later land at Boston. It’s raining, transit bus to the water bus stop and the harbour ferry to Quincy, to be met by my sister in law Joyce (I get good food, lots of it, a warm bed, but too much beer).
During my waiting at these airports I took the opportunity as a good husband to call my wife, “all well at home you have only been gone 12 hours don’t call till Friday I am out tomorrow it’s my birthday”, Her family are giving her a barbecue. It’s great to feel missed but then I did fly the day before her birthday.
One good bit of news the motorcycle dealer in Anchorage had called me in England, and the wife told him I was in Boston. I should be able to negotiate a better deal if I can not find a suitable machine second user in mass, sales men are always hungry especially in a state with only a 2 month motorcycle season.
Thursday 13th July
(WHAT a Hangover) 2 in the morning crawl back from the pub with Gerry (my brother). It’s hot, sticky, wet, so to cool down I took his BMW R1200 out for a spin, nice bike.
Friday 14th July
Riding Gerry’s BMW R1200, 1998 7000miles on the clock, this is quite common! My Brother has turned into an American biker all looks no go, The Sunday morning brigade would feel well at home here as 99.9% of bike are only out for a couple of hours polishing 30 minutes riding once a week for 3 months a year. On the other side to day just riding through town a lad on a Suzuki sports bike riding carefully a few hundred yards in front of me was knocked of his bike by a middle aged woman who drove straight out of a side street into him, car drivers here have no sense of perception at all. I have seen countless incidences with people driving - mobile phone in one hand, coffee in the other and smoking - doing 60 through back street, drivers out of there head on drugs who the police won’t prosecute because the drugs are prescription, and just pure stupidity. To get killed while driving a car here is difficult, to get killed or injured by someone driving one whether you’re a pedestrian, motorcyclist or on a push bike is common place, at least the pedestrian’s or cyclists if they live make a fortune through the insurance, motorcyclists have a fight as all the driving laws are against safe driving for bikers what we call defensive riding in England, here is referred to as aggressive riding. (Going to the front of the traffic at lights, filtering down the line, avoiding cars Lorries etc. while staying within the speed limit). As an added precaution I am going to fit the camcorder to the bike.
Back to Friday. Today I searched for a Bike the motorcycle shops here are friendly decent places I visited Honda, Yamaha, Suzuki, BMW I test rode the Suzuki VStrom 650 a very nice bile good range 300 miles nice performance after 2 hours of trying to source luggage for the bike I gave up, apparently there’s no demand for the equipment here not even Suzuki USA stock it the dealer tried Givi they had the bags but not the fitting kit the bike price here under $6000. Honda had no suitable bikes they don’t import them into the USA, as the market is not ready for Adventure bikes. (The dealer then added that if they did not have a ton of chrome and plastic the locals would not buy them they had to look right polished in the living room and that only a few dual sport and sports bikes were imported and bought usually by Europeans who knew how to ride a bike) I got the same line from every motorcycle dealer here, all great guys and girls who knew there bikes and would love to sell more but who are dragged down daily by people only wanting to plod around on a Sunday morning on a big lump of chrome.
The BMW dealer was expecting a Dakar 650 in but it had not arrived by late afternoon so it was back to Gerry’s. I hit the internet, CraigList.com a sort of American Daltons weekly. 100 miles away there was a BMW R1150GS, Luggage, Crash bars, hand guards, touring screen, engine guards 20K on the clock, 2001 model, $7800. I call the guy a real biker and a college professor and arranged to call at the weekend, I also found a BMW GS650 at a New Hampshire dealer new for $7800.
Saturday 15th July
We headed up into New Hampshire about 90 miles north the bike was nice I test drove it the dealer was a decent guy a 2 store dealership only BMW the only thing I had with the bike was the seat height it was very low for me, Max the shop owner adjusted the shocks but it was still low and then fitted the Dakar seat it was perfect, I asked for a price fully intent on buying the machine for cash then 2 hours later we got up and left the sales person could not even get a price for the bike with panniers, touring screen and high seat, when I pressured him into finally giving a figure it was higher than buying the Dakar version with the extras already fitted it was a complete waste of time. Back to Boston we dropped the girls of and Gerry and I took the BMW R1200 to Springfield the GS1150 was perfect just as described along side it an Aprilla Falco 1000 fully tricked out your man was selling both bikes as he wanted a BMW 1200 adventure and he kept getting pulled on the Falco.
I bought the GS1150 for $7500 a price both of us was happy with. I rode the bike back to Boston it was as steady as a rock and a 100 mile on I90 and I93 was a good test for the bike. I stripped the bike down, checked the oil, electrics and wired in my Garmin harness, still no problems so far so good.
Sunday 16th July
Rest, beers, shopping, it is very hot…
Monday 17th July
Bike insurance and Plates (Registration local tax). $465 insurance, $455 Plates and Tax, the bike is now legal and so am I, then back to Springfield. Gerry is buying the Falco for $5000 including all the original parts and service items, with some great bike stands.
Tuesday 18th July
Today the bike has to be tested (MOT) and I have to pack, as I want to ride out on Wednesday morning. The bike passed on looks, the inspector heard my accent, looked at the bike and said I won’t have any problem there and filed in the paperwork and took his $15. We spend the next hour talking motorcycling touring, great guy, and Vietnam veteran turned motorcycle mechanic.
Wednesday 19th July
I ride to Niagara Falls; 6.30 repacking the bike, 7:30 on the road, 10:00 I left Boston, I missed the turning for the Mass Pike (I90 trans American highway) so I had to go back through Boston in the rush hour, half the tunnels closed and burst water mains an extra 50 mile’s, at last I got the I95 to route 1 and then across to the I90 I was on my way to Alaska (via Niagara Falls) the journey was uneventful through some beautiful countryside and 530 miles later in temperatures up to 40 degrees I was in Niagara US side, a bit of a dump I thought like Blackpool on the river instead of the sea. I tracked down a us immigration person to check on travelling to Alaska and the time period I would be in Canada to be informed that Canada did not count as I had to make a meaningful exit from the country and that exiting to Canada or Mexico were not considered meaningful, (try telling that to the Canadians or Mexicans).
He did add that if I got my passport stamped by the Canadians and had an itinerary when re-entering the country there should be no problems! Canada what a difference is just like Due South the TV series, the people are friendly and roads clean and Canadian Niagara City is a delight its spotless and not just at the falls, they even drive better and are more courteous that south of the boarder.
The immigration man stamped my passport and gave me directions to the campsites, he could not have been more helpful or better mannered, and he liked my bike!
Total mileage today: 655 miles.
Thursday 20th July
I set off from Niagara at 7:00 so I could snap a picture of the falls on the way to Toronto, the biggest traffic jam I’ve seen other than the M25. I joined the 401 outside Toronto follows the east coast of Lake Huron up to North Bay, and then route 17, which goes over the top of the Great lakes. The heat and humidity on Wednesday had taken its toll of my motorcycle boots; I had ridden into a small town to find a bike shop to get a BMW power adaptor. When pulling up to a traffic light I tried to put my foot down and instead ended up on the floor with the bike. I rolled out from under it with my boot in 2 pieces, the sole had separated from the boot and stuck to the gear lever and pedal. A friendly Canadian jumped from his car and helped me get the bike up and on to the sidewalk. There was not a mark on the bike and only my injured pride at having dropped it, even though I was standing there with only one boot on as the other had fallen to bits. Luckily I had a pair of hiking boots in my bag so I put them on a carried on down route 17. I stopped for the night in Massey Motel, in West Massey where they had wireless internet and I could video call home (technology’s great when you can get broadband for the laptop). 1 nights stay $67 £33
Total mileage today: 610 miles. Mileage to date: 1265 miles
Friday 21st July
I carried on west to Thunder Bay on the north west shore of lake superior. This was a great ride; the road was superb following the lake shore with forest, rivers, and lakes all round stunning scenery. I just rode and admired, finally getting to Thunder Bay and camping at the KOI site on the edge of town which had wireless internet. Thunder Bay is a nice port town on the lake with large docks for grain ships. Amongst others, it had all the usual shops, Wal-Mart etc and still no bike boots. Camp site: $29 £15
Total mileage today: 590 miles. Mileage to date: 1855 miles
Saturday 22nd July
Set off from Thunder Bay at 7:30 heading west on route 17. It was a nice morning not to hot; and I was stopping at every town, of any size, for 600 miles looking for a shop that stocked Motorcycle boots! One guy had some Harley boots suitable for line dancing! Motorcycling is not the in thing here, which I find odd as Scandinavia which has the same climate is mad on it!! During my lunch stop I was chatting to a guy (Dave) who was cycling across Canada. He had set of from Victoria on Vancouver Island on the 10th of June. I had the strangest lunch, potato covered cheese patties with fried onions and sour cream, it was lovely and only $6 approx £3. I rode through the remains of a forest fire from last year, 10 mile of highway, and as far as I could see hills in the distances burnt clean. The main road had been used as a fire break but it did not always work. Little did I know I was riding into the most boring places on earth, Manitoba where the Buffalo roam (used too before they shot them all anyway).
I arrived at the prairies. They are big, flat, and 100 miles at 343 meters above sea level, within 3m accuracy. Then another 100 km at 250 meters above sea level. The sky here is big as the horizon is flat and the tallest objects are grain silos, which you can see 10 miles away and they are only 4 stories high. The first 30 minutes of riding here is inspiring, the sheer size of the sky is difficult to explain. It’s just big very big, after that initial surprise it gets very boring, it just goes on and on. In Manitoba they must have hired roman road builders because the road are straight 100 of miles same altitude same scenery (wheat), no bends, no curves, nothing. Just dead straight and level, and then out of no where, traffic lights!! On the main highway! I would love to see the accident stats for the traffic light junctions.
I was heading for Winnipeg where, I presumed, I would get all I needed. I thought wrong. It’s a beautiful city, but at 4:30 on a Saturday afternoon it was almost a ghost town. Everything was closed, and hardly anybody about, just the odd group of First nation guys getting drunk in shaded areas (They have a bit of problem with First Nation people ( Canadian Indians) fitting in to a European culture even after 400 years..).
I carried on down the highway to Portage La Prairie, camping the night at camp o’rama. It was a nice enough place, but, alas, no internet access. The town, like all I have been, in was very quiet. However, yet again, the bike generated a lot of interest at the local restaurant. People wanted to know where I was heading and my general journey plan. So I had comfortable conversation while enjoying chilli and soda for dinner.Petrol average per day £22. Camping $18 £9
Total mileage today: 620 miles. Total mileage to date: 2475 miles
Sunday 23rd July
I headed North West on Yellow head (a great name for a road) towards Edmonton Alberta. I am only going to do 300 miles today as I need to do some laundry and get internet access. The scenery has improved as I am moving out of the prairies into lakes and green farm land with trees and animals! The time changed again as I entered Saskatchewan, I am now 7 hours behind the UK.
Today I saw the first wild animal of my journey! A deer sprang across the highway 100m in front of me. After 1000 miles of signs telling me to watch out for Moose on the road, seeing any animal at all was a welcome change!I stopped at a delightful town called Foam Lake, where I found a great campsite for $10 a night, with power and showers. Across the road was a Canadian Mounted police station with free wireless internet access, a good result! Re-iterating previous thoughts, I keep getting reminded of the pleasant image of the Canadians give by Due South!
Total mileage today: 326 miles. Total mileage to date: 2801 miles.
Roughly half way to my start point!
Monday 24th July
I head off for Edmonton maybe just maybe I will find a motorcycle shop that hold some stock of the bits I want. First big town was Saskatoon, but I kept on going, it was a very busy town and packed. The next town was Battleford, I stopped at Wal-Mart got a few bits and then on the way out of town, 2 bike shops. Battleford Supercycles had Boots a great pair $115 about £60 and there superb for the type of riding I am ding here see picture) I went through the shop for any thing else I could spend my money on but unfortunately they did not do BMW.
I had intended to do 600 miles today however circumstance change, I drove on from Battleford I was heading along route 3 that parallel the main high way for a while and had more interesting surrounding nice villages, lakes etc and stopped to cross ref the GPS to my paper maps as the road had been moved (They seem to do that a lot up here as the paved roads are only a little bit of tarmac over clay and they get damage badly during winter so they change the signs and reroute the traffic.) anyway I and checking my position when this old man pulls up along side in his car and asks if I need any help, I explained I was checking my location and we started talking, we went to the local café for a coffee and it transpired that Dennis (Dennis Lemp of Dewberry, Alberta ) had travelled Europe on an CZ Jawa motorcycle in 1973 and hiked around south America and Asia we talked till 3 in the morning after having dinner at his place made from ingredients that he had produce potatoes and beet from the garden and venison his daughter shot perviously with a home made choke cherry wine.
Total mileage today: 366 miles: Total mileage to date: 3167 miles
Tuesday 25th July
I left Dennis at 12:00 we had talked from 9 till then over long breakfast , heading up the back roads to rejoin the main highway when I came to road works on route 3, 20Km they ploughed up the road flattened the mud and diverted the traffic on to it with a guy at each end with a go slow sight and it had been raining I ended up standing on the pegs the whole way picking out a path at 40mph good practice for later on up the road. I headed for Edmonton. On the 16 the sky ahead got dark and the wind picked up as I rode over a hill and before was Dante’s inferno it looked like hell. The City was covered by a very black cloud and massive lightning strikes where lashing out all over the place, the wind was blowing a gale rain lashing down and the whole thing surrounded by oil works with the burning gas flames and I had to ride into it I rode straight to a coffee shop I could safely exit the road to and got under cover, 2 hours later after having explained to 7 people where I was going the rain stopped and I ventured out looking for the BMW dealer , directions to which an estate agent ha supplied me around the first corner a massive bike shop not bow but they fitted a pair of Tourek tyres for $480 in 50 minutes. It was 17:30 when I left the bike shop so I decided to look for a motel outside the city, I found the Haven motel in Maythorpe a nice family run place with wireless internet at $55 dollars (Canadian) plus an extra $5 for the young lad to wash my bike, a bargain considering half the insect population of Alberta was squashed to it, and a tone of mud., I checked the oil and added half litre lost from the cylinder cover weep.
The country side in this area a much like England mixed farming small rolling hills a lot of lakes though and reed marsh areas. The big difference is the population splits most village are 200-300 people and split on religion or culture so you have Melanise areas, Ukrainian village etc.
Total mileage today: 307 miles: Total mileage to date: 3474 miles.
Wednesday 26th July
I was aiming for Dawson creek to day , the start of the Alcan (Alaskan Highway) the farmland was giving away to forest again and the oil industry is everywhere you are hard pressed to find any where that as not got a gas or oil well on it or been drilled, the increase in oil price has made Canadian oil very describe. The road is now a 100m wide strip through the forest, paved as 2 carriage ways with 2 wide lane and 2 hard shoulders each and he lorries are massive and fast, I have seen more heavy freight and tankers on this bit of road (1200 miles long) than ever in England . and you do see lots of attractive Blond female drivers pulling 60 tons of steel at 80mph. no fat hairy assed Tesco driver here, you also find a lot of women working on the road works here something I have never seen back home. I am in British Columbia and now 8 hours behind the UK, the scenery is improving I am 78 miles up the Alaskan highway, the road is getting worse I had my first large steel decked bridge Camping tonight just off the highway at the Sheppard’s Inn, a motel/RV /gas stop with a very nice café and wireless internet.
Total mileage today: 374 miles: Total mileage to date: 3848 miles
Thursday 27th July
Breakfast and cleanup at the Sheppard’s Inn, call home, packed up and hit the road. The traffic thinned out today and I had 270 miles of dry riding before stopping at Fort Nelson to refuel and call home and few friends at Bison burger and coffee from a road side van was superb and only $4.75 (£2.45) and use the wireless LAN with skype 5 calls to England and Ireland lasting 1 hours cost 20pence not bat value. My next stop was to be Summit Lake in the Rocky Mountains the pass through there is rate as secular unfortunately for me it was pouring with rain and cold as I passed through at 2300 meters I stopped for a coffee and to dry off at camp site in the mountains but decide against staying as there was no internet access.
At Last I saw Moose and Caribou the rain had easy off and I was heading for the Toad River Lodge when I notice a movement by the road side ahead I slowed right down ad sure enough a young Caribou was walking along the road side and across it taking it easy I got few snaps off (See Pictures) before carefully riding around it and off to find the motel it dry off it was worth it just for the close up shots. I got a few of the mountains as well but they do not do justice to reality, at the motel the Moose came down to the water at dusk a mother and .young male, I spend most of the evening talking and taking pictures by the lake with a Germany retired couple touring Canada and an American doing the same thing, a very pleasant evening. Motel cost $59 plus $7 for laundry Approx £31 diner $9
Total mileage today: 385 miles: Total mileage to date: 4233 miles:
Friday 28 July
I headed of for Whitehorse, Yukon territory through a rain storm in the mountains, I was fully kitted out this time as I could see the storm from the motel, the bike seems to like it cold and wet it was handling great which was a relief as I was stuck behind a twin fuel tanker going down hill for 20 miles with another one on my tail and nowhere to pull over with very little visibility I was very relieved when the opportunity came to let the lorry pass at nearly 90mph on a road smaller than the old A5 back home. The Rockies are great to drive through full of the unexpected I was along side a lake 300 feet deep at the top of one the pass and near the bottom relaxing in a hot spring just of the road, the hot spring must have been a welcome relieve for the early explorers. A little further down the road a heard of Bison were grazing on the verge had to ride carefully there as they are big animals, great pictures though. I continued on to Whitehorse getting held up waiting for a coyote to get off the road in front of a single lane entrance to a steel platform bridge, I was not happy, as those bridges you need to hit a 30 and just keep going as the bike wants to follow the steel rails if you slow down to much. Whitehorse what can you say the capital of the Yukon and 60% of the territory’s people live there and area twice the size of England, a city of 25000 people not much more than a small town by our standards, it has a great road system and I was looking for the city centre and could not find it because I was there, by the Wal-Mart, according to the staff in the resteraunt it had to be a big city cause it had a wal-mart !!!!! The food was good though the staff friendly and the camp site clean and cheap at $16 Canadian and it had wireless internet.
Total mileage today: 506 miles. Total mileage to date: 4739 miles.
Saturday 29 July
Today I cross into Alaska, I had a great ride along the side of the Yukon River and the Rockies with snow capped mountains and Glaciers in brilliant motorcycling weather. I met up with an another biker on his way to Alaska, Rob Murphy from Minnesota , Rob who is riding a Kawasaki KLR600 had just retired and was fulfilling an ambition to motorcycle to Alaska and the Dalton Highway to Prudhoe Bay so we will be meeting up along the way. A lot of road works to day with many miles of gravel and roads damage by frost heave, but the scenery more than made up for it. And a very large moose in a lake by the road side was very impressive. US Immigration to Alaska was straight forward and I headed for Tok a town that really just a road junction but plenty of RV, camping sites though more expensive than Canada at $22 US to pitch a tent with showers, laundry and power.
Total mileage today: 506 miles. Total mileage to date: 5245 miles.
Sunday 30 July
I headed on to Fairbanks, it was cold and raining, the most miserable day I have had. Only the occasional Caribou to break the monotony, I stopped when ever possible for a hot coffee to thaw out, through on one occasion there was 90 miles between petrol stations. On finally get some fuel from a station 20 miles outside Fairbanks; I spend the next 2 hours talking the lady who ran the place. She came from the Island if Subou where my cousins daughter had just got married and had trained as a school teacher over there, her and her American husband owned the petrol station here and it paid better than teaching. A senior teacher in Alaska gets form 24-36K £13000 to £20,000 pounds a year. No wonder the teaching standards in America have dropped below that of many third world countries. On arrival in Fairbanks I was met by signs everywhere welcoming back there troops as a local regiment was expected home from Iraq. The troops did not get home as the term was increased by 4 months at the last minute. The rain had eased of and I stopped by the super 8 Motel to enquire about cost only to be met at the door by Rod Murphy who had set of early and got to Fairbanks in the heavy rain booking straight in to the first motel he found the super 8, The price $148 a night I said NO that was double the cost of every where else I had been there excuse was it’s the holiday season and with the troops expected home all the families would be booking in to meet there loved ones “Talk about supporting the troops). I decide to ride about Fairbanks a spread out but small city of grid square and approx 60000 people finding the Thunder Road Custom Bike shop open. Thunder Road is a family run non franchise custom shop and they are lovely people excellent knowledge of bikes and genuine. They recommended a hostel recently opened just 5 minutes away. The Hostel the Northern Explorer is excellent a small camp site plus dormitory style fixed tents with a kitchen block; shower and wash room block and secure parking at $22 a night for the Dorms that slept. I shared with 2 Norwegians who had just been dropped of by plane several hundred miles in the outback of Alaska and had cannoned back over 11 days. And an American guy who spends his life travelling 6 months and working 6 months he had travelled almost the whole world by foot and bus. I unpacked the bike and washed it down (It needed it) and tried to dry things out. I fancied a beer that evening as I intended to stay in Fairbanks on Monday to get an oil change and let the weather improve!1 I decided to go out for a meal, I had noticed a motel and restraint called the Klondike not far from the Hostel so I went there and had a 24 once T bone steak with all the trimming $18 and Coors beer at $2 a pint., I sat talking to an ex-US navy guy called John of Irish ancestry who had worked on the same naval navigation equipment as myself, and was now working as a contract electrician for the Air force we ended up playing pool and it was a very good evening, meeting a lot of real Alaskan Indians, most only drank sodas but the ones on alcohol could not take much at all, so there is something in what the Canadians had said.
Total mileage today: 270 miles. Total mileage to date: 5515 miles.
Everything was still soaking wet but at least it is not raining. I striped the bike and headed of to the Coffee shop to breakfast a large coffee and bagel with the intention of getting to the bike shop for 10, as usual I started talking to a lad who serviced aircraft at the civilian strip where the aircraft were all grounded due to weather. At 12 I headed to the BMW bike shop, it did not open till 13:00 this is one BMW dealer were your have to look at the pictures, because words do not do it justice. Stratford road and Churchill’s are spotless shiny shops in comparison to this place, how the guy who runs it finds anything is beyond belief. I headed up to Thunder road were they changed the oil and filter $56 using 20/50 fully synthetic. I then returned to the e BMW Trails End Motorcycles and obtained a new right hand plug cover, ( I had not clipped the old one on properly and lost it) a set of cylinder head cover gaskets and a power plug for $46, very good value.
I had been warned to take some form of defensive weapon with me on the Dalton as there were reports of bears following tourists who got out of there cars to take photos of them, and left food for them, strictly against all the laws as this encouraged the animals to follow people. Bikers were very much at risk if they had to stop for any reason, so it was down to the Sport and Hunting shop for a Knife and Flares just in case.
I purchased a 2 gallon petrol can that fitted into the panniers along with an emergency tyre inflation can of slime and a new camel back for drinking water.
The only kit I was taking on the trip to Prudhoe Bay was a clean shirt, pants, socks, first aid, spare petrol, 1l oil, duck tape, sandals, 2l drinking water In camel back and tooth brush and paste and hairbrush. I called the Prudhoe Bay motel and booked a room for $110 and that included dinner and breakfast. I felt it preferable to stay in a motel rather than camp as 465 miles of dirt road over a mountain range more than likely rain and lorry’s hauling kit to the oil rigs and I had to finish the leg in one go with one stretch of 260 miles with no petrol stops, so a good nights sleep was going to be required, as I was returning the same way the next day, all being well.