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November 3, 1999 Hi
- Because
you are one of my favorite people I am including you on the list to receive the
recap of my fun Alaska motorcycle ride this summer. This adventure is one of the
highlights of my life and certainly the most recent. I feel compelled to share
it with you. If it gets too detailed or drawn out for your reading style, please
feel free to skip over any part(s) you wish. Until
early this year, I had never thought about nor considered riding a motorcycle to
Alaska. As you know, I have had some exciting experiences like
trying to become a Flat Track Motorcycle Racer on the 1/4 mile Gardena
Speedway track in Los Angeles at age 19, and sailing a 14 ft Sunfish sailboat
from Sausalito to San Leandro on San Francisco Bay. So, the idea of riding a
motorcycle all the way to the Arctic Circle wasn’t too much of a stretch for
my thinking. But, since I did not ride motorcycles between 1960 and 1998, and
even though I successfully completed the Motorcycle Rider’s Safety Course in
April 1998, my riding skills were not what you would call expert. Nonetheless,
in January this year I decided that I would do the Alaska thing and I talked to
Jim, my brother and riding compadre, about going to Alaska instead of (as we had
previously discussed) around the perimeter of the contiguous “lower 48”
United States. In truth, I didn’t give Jim a choice - I pretty much dictated
that we would do this thing and he graciously accepted the change without asking
too many questions. The
following is my personal journal of the trip. I sincerely hope that you enjoy
reading about it. I am happy to share another small part of my life experiences
with you. Hugs, Hal ForAlaskaer
This
is my personal journal of the ride from El Paso, Texas to the Arctic Circle and
back between the dates of June 6, 1999 and July 20, 1999. I have written in
narrative, first person, singular (mostly) form. I recorded a daily mileage log
that is available if you are interested, but it is not included in this journal.
I hope you enjoy sharing the adventure.
PROLOGUE
I
requested info from many sources - the Internet, Magazines, etc.,
about Alaska in general, specific towns and places in Alaska, the Alaska
Marine Highway System (ferry ship system), fishing in Homer, etc and I pored
over all the material numerous times. I mentally traced possible routes, then
looked at the maps to confirm my ideas. I began to read BMWMOA (BMW Motorcycle
Owner’s Assoc.) and IBMWR (Internet BMW Riders) postings on the Internet,
books about people who have ridden a motorcycle to Alaska, and magazines with
ride reports on Alaska. I bought a copy of “The Milepost”, the bible for
Alaska Highway travelers, and checked and re-checked info about a hundred
details that came to mind. The
itinerary for the trip was quite a challenge, so I approached it by starting
with the Calif. dates of the graduations I wanted to attend and worked backwards
in time. This gave me a June 7th start date from El Paso, and two nights on the
road before arriving at San Jose the day before Jeff’s graduation. After that,
I noted Katie’s graduation Saturday the 12th, the Sunday party that Janet was
planning, and scheduled a tax appt. with Al Farnum in between. Also, I had the
SJSU dedication and lunch on Friday the 11th,
and other social things to fit in. From there, I simply worked my way up
to Bellingham, WA and the June 18th sailing date. In early March I made
reservations on the Alaska Marine Highway ship Columbia from Bellingham, to
Haines, Alaska, and that’s when the Alaska portion was born! Because no cabins
were available we would have to sleep in a tent on the deck of the ship - so, I
shopped for and bought a tent, sleeping bags, and air mattress pads over the
Internet. Also, I bought a myriad of items for the motorcycles, camping,
personal wear, etc. Jim
and I had anticipated that he would join up with me in El Paso on June 6th, but
he was delayed in Wichita, KS. Then, he would meet me in Tacna, AZ, then
Fremont, then at our sister Jean’s place in Shelter Cove, then in Bellingham.
He did meet me in Bellingham the afternoon before we sailed. I
planned to ride my 1998 Honda Shadow ACE 750 since I didn’t want to beat up
the newer 1999 BMW R1100RT, and I proceeded to prepare the Honda for the trip. I
bought a new front tire, had the 24,000 mile service performed, a new chain and
sprockets, installed a “Stopper” LED auxiliary stop light, installed a
polycarbonate headlight guard, etc. But during the week before the start I
changed my mind and rode the BMW. Luckily it needed very little
special preparation, but I did install deer whistles to warn deer that I
was in the vicinity (I guess they worked - didn’t see a deer the entire
trip.), and a headlight guard. Preparation for Jim’s bike was quite extensive,
including a new windshield, installed a “Stopper” LED auxiliary stop light,
two new tires, a new chain and sprockets, a complete tune-up, and for his
personal wear he needed a First Gear jacket and pants, wool “longies”, a
good wool shirt, wool socks, cold weather gloves that were waterproof, etc. I
tried more than once to catalog all the gear I accumulated but I didn’t
succeed. Resources
that were very important were lists of camping and motorcycle maintenance items
from IBMWR, other lists posted on the Internet, and in magazines. From those
lists I compiled my own list. During
a trip to Anchorage in May, I bought wool long underwear, Pendleton wool long
sleeve shirts, wool socks, waterproof bags, and other expedition gear for both
Jim and me. All of that came in very handy. I appreciate the advice of Tarja and
Ken about what we would need to stay comfortable during the ride in the far
north - especially the recommendation for the “longies”. I
began to make some reservations - in Haines, Alaska for the night we disembark,
in Tok, Alaska the first night after our first day of riding, etc. My experience
is that a smooth start sets the stage for the entire trip. Two
weeks prior to June 7th I began to sort items according to use and need for
accessibility. I sorted everything more than once, each time refining my sort
criteria. There were a few items I decided to leave home, some duplicates that
required a choice (e.g.: I had 4 or 5 flashlights and I chose an appropriate
one), and I thought of other things I might need. There was a box in my office
at Teramar for Jim and I put things I bought for him there. There were items
ordered thru the Internet; I shopped at Wal-Mart, K-Mart, Walgreen’s and other
places for various items like mosquito repellent (100% DEET), sun block, a
hatchet, long tent pegs, plastic tarps for each of us, etc. I placed the
clothing items I thought I would need in a plastic tub in my bedroom and I added
or subtracted as June 7th drew nearer. I packed an extra pair of boots, thinking
I would change every day (I didn’t), and a pair of low-cut shoes suitable for
the graduations, the SJSU dedication and luncheon, and any other social function
that might come up. The low-cuts were a good idea. I bought a new Olympus Stylus
Epic pocket camera that is water resistant, has a zoom, and dates each photo. I
replaced the batteries in the handheld CB radio, recharged the battery in the
cell phone, bought new batteries for the flashlights, bought a new tiny digital
travel clock, film for the camera, found the sunscreen, etc. etc. I
practiced just one time erecting the tent and I was concerned that I wouldn’t
do it well on the ship. But, everything worked out OK. Oscar
made two signs, each about the size of an auto license plate, that read
“Arctic Circle or Bust.” The original was of plastic-laminated cardboard and didn’t
last through the first day. The second version was mounted on an aluminum plate
and went the entire distance. Many people asked about the sign during my trip
north - it was a good conversation piece. On
June 5th I packed the BMW with what I expected to take and it fit perfectly. The
sign looked good and I felt I was ready.
THE
PHASES OF THE TRIP
1999 Alaska Trip |
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