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Day
42 Saturday July 17
Today
after lunch I told Jim I needed to ride on toward El Paso, and that he could
find a place to rest up, that we would split up here. He had been saying that he
needed to stop riding and rest for a day or two. Then
I rode hard and fast to Ogden. Funny thing about the Utah Drivers - some of them
get in the left lane and stay there! I guess they are going the speed limit and
don’t feel it necessary to move over and allow others to go faster. I
had 3 slices of German Bologna left over from yesterday lunch, so I bought a
bread roll and fresh fruit and ate that for dinner. Yummy! And a welcome change
from the restaurant stuff I’ve been eating. I
was out of clean socks and underwear, so I washed my clothes in the laundry area
of the Motel Six in Ogden. That will get me back to El Paso with a change every
day. Overnight at Ogden, Utah. Day
43 Sunday July 18
Long
ride from Ogden to Durango - south of Grand Junction, CO I started thru the
mountains toward Durango. There are three mountain passes to cross and before
the first pass it began to rain. It rained all the way from there to Durango and
it became very dark. A miserable ride the last hour and a half. The face shield
on my helmet fogged up and I opened it a crack, but then my spectacles fogged up
also and my visibility was reduced to the point of being risky. There was no
shoulder onto which I could pull over and stop, so I continued into the dark
night until I saw a Gas station where I asked for directions to the nearest
motel. I dripped a lot of water from my First Gear suit onto the floor of the
restroom and while I was walking in and out. I
stopped at the first motel I came to and paid their price with no questions. I
was embarrassed while signing for the room because I was dripping so much water
from my First Gear jacket and pants - all over the floor and the counter. But, I
was completely dry inside the First Gear. Overnight
at Durango, Colorado Day
44 Monday July 19
Rode
hard and fast until around Truth Or Consequences, NM where an unmarked Highway
Patrol car pulled me over for going 90 mph in a 70 mph zone. Luckily he gave me
a warning after I promised to slow down, which I faithfully observed the rest of
the way to Las Cruces.
Day
45 Tuesday July 20
Late AM I rode to El Paso to complete the trip - YAHOO!! YEEHAW!! 8,998 miles of riding since I left here on June 7th. Took me 10 days to totally unwind and relax.
EPILOGUE
Looking
back, I’ve had many thoughts about various aspects of the trip. I felt
compelled to write about the journey - both in terms of the physical movement
and the people I met along the way, and the emotional experience. As with many
human experiences, this 9,000 mile trek has many facets and perhaps that is
reason enough to record how I viewed and experienced each day. My
life has been a series of adventures, but this one to Alaska was a major
experience. Before it began I wondered if my World View would change
dramatically as it did following my life’s many transitions. I suspect that
the trip was a Rite if Passage, but the full impact is not yet clear to me. It’s
amazing how a new idea can change a person’s life. Outside change is one thing
- fate, new people, circumstance, and chance, can bring change, but my own ideas
seem to be more powerful, as if propelled by a force from within me that is very
strong. A
thought pops into my mind, then a conscious response of “- yeah, that sounds
like fun!” I verbalize the nature of the idea to my friends and loved ones,
and I may think more about it, search my memory bank for experiences I can
relate to it, and do some research on the Internet, at the Library, etc., and I
start to make plans. The
anticipation and preparation for the trip were very satisfying. Searching the
Internet for and finding info on motorcycle touring and camping; scanning
magazines for articles about Alaska or touring; searching Amazon.com for books,
etc was fun. On
at least three occasions, during the ride to Bellingham, men (and one or two
women) asked me about the Arctic Circle or Alaska and would remark, “I envy
you,” or “I wish I were going with you,”
or “I want to do that someday,” etc. I think the Arctic Circle sign
brought this response from people. Was that the lure of the frontier? I think
so. The
companionship and camaraderie of my brother Jim was an important aspect of the
trip. I don’t think I would have ridden to Alaska alone, and I am happy that
we could share an adventure like this, as brothers. Thanks, Jim. This ride was undoubtedly one of the highlights of my life. I wanted to share it with my friends and relatives, and I do hope you now know me better as a person. If this journal brought us closer, by sharing this human experience, then it was worth the effort. Ride or drive safely. Hal Foraker
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