Equipment Review

I think that we did a really good job preparing for our trip.  We used most everything that we brought with us (although we only used the stool just so that we could say that we did).

Vehicle prep

Our vehicle preparations were (mostly) spot-on:
* The clear plastic film did a good job of minimizing incidental scratches and nicks from rocks on the road.
* We scraped the skid plate a number of times in construction zones and on secondary roads.  I am sure that I would have done damage to the bodywork without this skid plate.
* Without the luggage rack on the trunk we just wouldn't have had any place for the tent and sleeping bags.
* The little pouches for glasses and incidentals worked out well.
* Cargo nets in the saddle bags and trunk worked well and are quite cheap.
* The backrest was welcome at times, but also a bit of a nuisance at times.  It wanted to constantly flop forward requiring someone to set it up before the driver could mount.

Things that didn't work as well as I thought they would:
* The foot rests (highway pegs) weren't as comfortable as I would have liked.  My feed kept knocking into the front fenders.

The vehicle itself

With the exception of the cruise control, the Spyder performed perfectly.  Its stability in the greasy construction zones of the Yukon was very welcome, as we didn't have to worry about falling over.  We talked to a number of two-wheeled riders who had issues with this, to the point of damaging ankles!
The Spyder always had plenty of power and was quite comfortable, especially on the pillion seat.  Although the spousal unit had no problems with the front seat, my backsides would complain after about an hour and a half when riding in the front position (this is not unusual for me, for I have this experience with many seats).

Power was always plentiful, tractable, and smooth.  I really like the manual transmission as it provides plenty of engine braking on long downhill runs.  The service tech in Eagle River was surprised to see how little brake wear we had experienced compared to the automatic transmission models.

Again, once one gets past the fact that it is not a two-wheeled vehicle, it is a remarkable machine that does what it does very well.  It is purpose-built as a three-wheeled vehicle and performs that role admirably.

Even thought the fairing and front of the vehicle protect the rider well from cold and rain, the handlebar warmers were most welcome during those ~50 degree days.  I  only broke out the cold weather gloves twice.

I tried using the radio a few times, but at anything over about 35 mph it is just garbled noise.  So most of the time I just left it off.

Other equipment:

We only needed the mosquito head nets twice.  After the horror stories we heard about the 'State Bird' of Alaska, we are not disappointed.  As small as these head nets are, they made for cheap insurance and were welcomed when they were  needed.

We also only used the Kelty awning twice.  Again, it was most welcome when we used it in Seward and Homer as someplace to get out of the rain without having to be crouched inside of the tent.  Definitely worth the space and weight, including the pole.

The Klymit sleeping pads are RECOMMENDED!  They roll up into a small package, yet are still very comfortable.

The Eddie Bauer and Marmot down sleeping bags did a good job of keeping us warm and could be compressed with the tent into the dry bag carried on the luggage rack.

Clothing:

Both the BMG Mercury (his) and Tourmaster (hers) jacket/pants combinations performed admirably!  I took the lining out of the BMG in favor of a light fleece jacket which made it easier to layer up/layer down.  The BMG liner has a lot of buttons/zippers/loops making it a chore to install/uninstall.
There were only a couple of times when were were a little cold, and we never got wet while wearing this gear.  Since we were tight on space, these jackets were worn almost constantly, and with the pants were welcome on wildlife and glacier viewing boat excursions.

Electronics:

The tablet was great for updating the blog and for internet searches.
Although I added a second power outlet in the front trunk of the Spyder, we rarely used it as it was often blocked by stuff.  However, the power outlet in the rear trunk was regularly used to charge phones, camera batteries, kindle, and tablet.

Signs along the way

This post is just a compendium of interesting/obligatory signs encountered on our trip.  Enjoy!

 How about a cup of coffee in Seattle with a stranger?

Every trip along the Alaska highway includes this sign at Dawson Creek, B.C.

The Road Kill Grill (and RV park), Clinton, B.C.

Leave your muddy boots at home, boys

Someplace to stay in Valdez

Not sure what this is about, seen in the UAA dorm

Another obligatory photo

Our contribution to the Signpost Forest...

The most obligatory sign of all - we made it!

What does it say about Seward when one wants to eat a 15-pound burger and fries before one dies?

Got to watch out for these

Mmm...tasty!

The place to make a call when entering Homer, AK

Many of us wonder the same thing

The People...

One of the most interesting things about traveling by motorcycle, and especially by one as weird as the Spyder is that one gets to meet a lot of very interesting people.  What I hadn't anticipated is just how much the Spyder is a magnet for the curious, especially when sporting a Colorado license plate in Alaska!  There were many times that we had opportunities to meet with people we would never have met otherwise.

We had many conversations that went something like:
"How do you like that thing?"
Well, for our current travels it seems to do quite well, with two people and all of our gear it performs quite well.
"You rode all the way from Colorado?"
Yes.  We came up through Wyoming, Montana, Idaho, Washington, and now we are working our way through British Columbia on our way to Alaska.  The return trip will be by ferry.
"Well, I rode the Alaska Highway back in 1974.  It was a dirt road back then."
Since I was a teenager I have always wanted to do this.  Now I can, so I am.
"You ride safe!"
Thanks, you be careful too.

Traveling by motorcycle also provides convenient opportunities for conversation.  Being 'adventurous' types, motorcyclists don't mind approaching other motorcyclists to see what they might have to say.  This is a great way to learn about the road ahead.  On the first day I noticed what I assumed to be an 'experienced' motorcyclist in Laramie, Wyoming.  After a little conversation I told him that we were on our way to Alaska.  He mentioned that the University of Alaska in Fairbanks would host people in their dorms for $40 per night.  While we never made it to Fairbanks, we did discover that the University of Alaska in Anchorage had a similar arrangement, which we took advantage of.  Staying in the dorm rooms proved to be much cheaper than booking hotel rooms in Anchorage.  This is something we would have never known about if we hadn't talked with this guy.

A couple of  times we heard the phrase "Alaska changes a person".  They said that once you come here, you want to come back.  This is something that I now understand.  We met several people who have arranged their lives so that they can spend time in Alaska.  In fact, we have already decided that we will be back someday.  Traveling by motorcycle was a great introduction to Alaska.  However, next time we come we will be traveling in some kind of a 'van' so that we can bring along things like kayaks, coolers, bikes, fishing poles, ...


Richard
We met Richard in British Columbia.  He appeared to me to be in his mid '70s and was on his way back home to California on his Kawasaki 650.  He had been to Alaska by motorcycle several times before.  Richard told us about the new, inexpensive yet nice Hostel at Liard Hot Springs.  This guy really impressed me as someone who lives life to the fullest, working through whatever it takes to do what he wants to do.

Grandma
We met a woman (didn't get her name) who admitted she was "pushing 80" and was also traveling by Spyder from Oregon to Fairbanks and then on to Anchorage to see her children.  Her husband didn't want do do the trip, so she continued on with her grandson and daughter.  She figured that this may be her last trip to Alasks by motorcycle.  A truly lovely woman who again, lives life to the fullest. Her machine is the maroon one below, her daughter's is the yellow one:

This photo was taken at a campground at Teslin, Yukon Territories.



Geno and Andrew
We met Geno and Andrew at the municipal campground in Seward.  Geno keeps wooden beads in his beard and has a minivan that he has been living in while traveling through Alaska.  He told us how he spent some time in Hawaii working on a coffee plantation, then he was in Oregon helping some friends building bee hives.  He connected with Andrew while traveling through Alaska.
Geno provides transportation while Andrew provides Salmon and campground fees.  A truly symbiotic relationship.  Geno traveled above the Arctic circle to experience 24-hour sunlight (something that we will do on a future trip).  It would have been nice to spend some more time with these guys, but we had miles to go.

Niv
At the same campground in Seward, Niv set up camp right next to us.  He is a young man who was traveling solo from Israel, with just what he carried on his back.  When I asked what brought him to Alaska, he mentioned how he had seen shows on television about Alaska and told his friends that he was going to go to Alaska.
After a couple of years his friends said "So, when are you going to Alaska?".  At this point he figured that he had to make good on this proclamation, so he got plane tickets to Alaska and train tickets to interesting locations therein (after Seward he planned to travel to Denali by train). From now on, Niv will be able to say that yes, he has been to Alaska.  That should shut his friends up!

Guenther and spouse
While camped at a free campground at the Tetlin National Wildlife Refuge we met Guenther, who was traveling from Fairbanks on a big BMW motorcycle.  His wife was on a smaller Japanese bike.  We shared some very pleasant conversation and Guenther shared some salmon which he smoked himself, packed in oil.  Easily the best smoked salmon that I have ever put in my 'trout hole'.  Be careful with the leavings he admonished, as they make great bear bait!

Just a nice photo that I took at Tetlin National Wildlife Refuge with the sun shining through birch bark

The Guy from Brazil
On the way home traveling through Wyoming, we passed a guy on a really interesting motorcycle.  At first I couldn't figure out what it was.  A VW-powered Guzzi perhaps?  I have seen them before, as well as  Subaru powered Moto Guzzis.
Later, he stopped at the rest stop where we were cooling off, pouring water on our shirts in the 100 degree heat.  It turned out that he was riding his Amazonas from Brazil to Sturgis.  How cool is that?!

Regrets...
One of my biggest regrets is that I didn't take pictures of the people that we met.  While I have a few photos of the people we met on the ferry, I failed to take pictures of people we met on the road.  This is something I will have to rectify on future adventures.

The numbers...

This post is all about numbers, some meaningful, some not.

Buckets filled

• Riding the Alaska Highway by motorcycle (this was a big one for me)
• Visiting Alaska and notching the final state of all 50
• Up close and personal encounters with glaciers
• Icebergs (ok, not really)
• Riding a train in Alaska
• Seeing whales in nature
• Seeing Sea otters
• Puffins!
• Grizzly bears (I've seen plenty of black bears)
• Pitching a tent on the deck of a ferry
• Riding the Sea to Sky highway (didn't know this bucket existed until we were on the highway)

Mileage/Gasoline

Total number of miles driven:  7464
Number of gallons of fuel consumed:  188.48
Miles per gallon (calculated):   39.6
Number of times ran out of fuel:  1
Comments:  The mileage figure seems really good for a fully-loaded 2-up, 1330cc machine!  I had heard that one can expect about 40mpg, now I believe it to be true.

When available, we typically purchased mid-grade gasoline.  In more remote areas we just purchased what was available.  Sometimes it was low-grade, sometimes it was high-grade.  There are certain things one doesn't ask when one is in certain locations.

We didn't keep track of how much we paid for fuel, as such costs tend to be quite volatile, and can vary very much based on location.  If one assumes a cost of about $3.00/gal, we spent about $565 just on fuel.  If we were driving an RV that got 13 miles/gal, our costs would have blown up to something like $1721.

Although not technically mileage/gasoline, the cost of the ferry from Haines, AK to Bellingham, WA was $1221.  This included two fares, $369 each for the spousal unit and I, and conveyance of the Spyder, which as a vehicle under 10 feet cost $483 (note that taxes are hard to find in Alaska).

Cool people met

12 - One meets a lot of cool people on a trip like this. This is the topic for another post.

Lodging/Camping

Number of days on the road:  29
Number of days on the ferry:  3
Number of nights in lodging:    8
Number of nights camping:      21 (not including ferry)
Most expensive lodging:         $150 cabin in Valdez (worth it because we were cold, wet, and exhausted)
Least expensive lodging:        $0 tent on ferry deck (well worth it for 3 days, fabulous views and good company)
Camping/lodging ratio:             3.625
Total spent on lodging/camping:   $1002.85
Comment:  This matches what we had projected.  We had expected to stay in nicer digs about every 3-4 days.  Most campsites run $10-$20 per night, whether the charge is in USD or CAD.  To calculate the total amount spent, CAD was converted to USD by multiplying CAD by 0.78.

Nourishment

We didn't really keep records of how much we ate/drank.  What one eats/drinks is so variable based on individual needs and desires that it didn't really make much sense to keep track of.  However, we did make an effort to eat fairly inexpensively.
With a camp stove we often made coffee while packing up the bike.  Breakfast usually consisted of in-camp oatmeal or granola bars.  Road food was often granola bars, jerky, bananas, and deli takeout.
We sometimes were so into riding that we skipped meals so that we would have one 'large meal' for lunch or dinner and just have road food for one other small meal.
When we were on the coast we splurged on some good local seafood since this is rather scarce where we live in Colorado.

Animals

We saw plenty of wildlife.  Some of the following are just 'guesstimates' as we drove by.
Bears: 4 black, 3 grizzly
Caribou: 8
Buffalo: 12
Antelope: too many to count
Stone sheep:  12
Bobcat: 1
Elk:  6
Deer:  7
Eagles:  57
Humpback whale: 1
Fin whale spouts:  20
Stellar Sea Lions: 27
Mystery whales (seen from ferry):  9
Dolphin/porpoises:  9
Puffins:   11
Sea Otters:  8
Birds removed from radiator: 1

Insects

Nights requiring head nets for mosquitoes:  2 (Jean just hid in tent)
Ounces of Coleman 100 MAX insect repellant used: .25
Number of times bike cleaned of bug collections (including radiator):  3

Sightseeing Excursions

Number of tour boats (Whittier, Seward, Portage Glacier): 3
Number of train rides (Whittier): 1

Miscellaneous

Number of times other drivers tried to user our lane when we were: 2
Number of bottles of muscle relaxant purchased: 2

Day 23, Haines Junction, YT to Haines, YT 167 mi

20 July 2015

[note to real-time readers:  We have had no/limited internet access for the past week.  Thus the reason for the lack of posts.  We are now back home (27 July) so I can write the posts that I was working on during our trip.  A number of these posts will be added in the coming days.]


Since we are no longer in any hurry to get to Haines, we took our time driving actually UNDER the speed limit.  This is quite alright on this road, as it is mostly an excellent, smooth road with fabulous scenery.  As we make our way to Haines, we are both full of 'Wow's, 'Ooh's, 'Fantastic's, and whatever other superlatives one can imagine.  Then we run out of superlatives and just soak it all in.

The scenery on this road just keeps on keeping on.  Vista after vista.  Glacier after glacier.  Mountain after mountain, all just fabulous.

YAFG

Two glaciers for the price of 1

YAFL

On this road we even spied our first grizzly bear.  It was minding its own business on the side of the road, just munching on some tasty berries or whatever.  No, it wasn't an Alaska grizzly bear, as it was a British Columbian grizzly bear.  In any event, still a genuine grizzly bear.

<<insert photo of grizzly here>>

Once we crossed back into the US and reached Haines, we found a small RV park right at the waterfront named Oceanside.  The proprietor indicated that we could put our tent right on the waterfront (where there was yet another fabulous view) for $15, showers an additional $3 each. 

View from our tent

She also mentioned that they would be grilling salmon and cooking some local shrimp for the campers.  Everyone was invited, with the suggestion to bring something to share.  I suggested a peach pie, but was overruled by the spousal unit who always favors brownies.  So brownies it was.

We had an excellent time visiting with the other campers and sharing stories of the road.  The proprieter of the RV park made everyone feel very welcome and keeps a nice place.  Ocenside RV park is RECOMMENDED!

Some numbers for the day:
Number of cruise ships passing by from Skagway to Juneau   3
Number of families camping from Germany 1
Number of families from Great Britain 1
Number of salmon observed caught by snagging (but let go)1
Number of bears sighted 1
Number of bald eagles sighted ~5

Day 29, Ogden, UT to Longmont, CO, 506 mi

26 July 2015

Now we are on for the final push home, a 3 state day (Utah, Wyoming, Colorado).  We are on the road early (around 7:00 am), and head towards I-80.  With 3 bars on the fuel gauge, we stop at a place on the edge of town for coffee, fuel, and something to eat for breakfast.

The fuel pump says 'See Cashier' when I insert my credit card.  Going inside, I am informed that their gas pumps are not working and that someone is on the way to fix them.  Not wanting to wait around, we continue on down the road.

Now with the fuel gauge showing 2 bars we see a 'gasoline available' road sign at the next small town. Turning off the highway, we head into town but can't find the gas station.  So we are on the road again.

In a short while we reach I-80, but now the fuel gauge is showing only 1 bar.  Hmm... The next exit says 'No Services'.  The exit after that says 'No Services'.  The next exit is a long way off.  Can we make it to Evanston, WY?

I slow the speed down and drive on the shoulder to conserve fuel.  We pass the port of entry/watercraft check station, and continue along slowly.  Eventually the engine just stops.  No sputtering, no warning, no nothing.  Over 7000 miles driving through sparsely populated British Columbia, the Yukon, and Alaska, and I run out of fuel in Utah - Ack!

Conveniently, we still have a whole liter of 'white gas' for the camp stove, which we haven't used for a while.  It all goes into the gas tank.  The Spyder doesn't like this fuel very much (it pings), but it seems to run  reasonably well.  At about 40 miles a gallon, I mentally calculate that we can continue run for about 10 miles.  Soon we pass a sign that says it is now 10 miles to Evanston.

Continuing to drive slowly on the shoulder, we take the first exit into Evanston and again run out of fuel about two tenths of a mile from a gas station which I can see on the other side of an overpass.  I grab the camp stove fuel bottle and start walking.  In no time a police officer stops and asked if I am the guy with the out of gas motorcycle.  "Yes I am" I reply.  He says to get in the truck and takes me to the nearest gas station where I fill up the fuel bottle.  He then says he would take me back to the bike. With another liter of fuel in the tank the Spyder starts right up and off we go to the gas station and fill 'er up.

After a tasteless Mc Donalds' breakfast muffin and coffee we are back on the road cruising at full speed.

At one of the rest areas in Wyoming I encounter a guy riding a Volkswagen-powered motorcycle.  He tells me he is from Brazil and is heading to Sturgis.  Yes, the bike has a Brazilian license plate.  He tells me that except for a section in Central America, he rode this thing all the way from Brazil (Colombia, Mexico, Arizona, Utah, Wyoming).

When I said that we were on our way home from Alaska, he thought that was pretty cool and asked how many miles we had ridden.  I told him that we had ridden about 7,000 miles.  I really liked this guy and wish that I could have spent some time talking with him, as he probably has some really good stories.

Now this is a RIDE!

I believe that his bike started out life as an Amazonas.

Day 28, Yakima, WA to Ogden, UT, 647 mi

 25 July 2015

This is a 4-state day, and our highest mileage day!  We started out in the wine and hops region of Yakima, WA, and ended up in the desert area of Ogden, UT.  This means that we traveled from Washington, through Oregon and Idaho, finally making it to Utah.

It was getting rather late as we traveled through Utah.  This makes me nervous as I am always concerned about wildlife jumping out onto the road and killing me.  Having lived in Texas and Colorado and seen what an ungulate can do to a truck/camper/motorcycle, I really want to avoid hitting a deer, so I am anxious to find a place to spend the night before it gets too dark.

We finally see a sign for camping as we approach Ogden and found a KOA campground.  We checked out another place before the KOA, but their tent sites were right along a busy road.  Noisy!  Question:  Why do RV parks always place the tent sites out front along a busy road/highway, rather than towards the back of the property.  The RV people at least have hard walls/windows/air conditioners to mitigate the road noise, but tent people only have a thin sheet of nylon separating their ears from the sounds of the road.  I have seen this arrangement at campgrounds across the country and it still puzzles me.

As seems to be usual, the KOA campground was expensive.  The most expensive campground we stayed at on our trip ($31.97), even though we were only there for about 9 hours.

Since we did so much driving, we didn't take too many pictures today.  I suppose that most everyone already knows what Oregon, Idaho, and Utah look like.  Right?

While in Washington, I saw many vineyards with what appeared to be fans in them.  Is that what this is?

Mysterious (to me) object in vineyard

 

Day 27, somewhere along the inland waterway to Yakima,WA, 235 mi

24 July 2015

One thing that has really surprised me is how protected the inland waterway waters are.  One could easily travel from Seattle, WA to Alaska by small boat, almost entirely in protected waters.  There are only a few relatively short passages exposed to swells from the open Pacific Ocean.  For the most part, travel by boat is quite comfortable and smooth.  Again, without the distractions of email/cell phone/television/internet, it is very contemplative.  I never felt bored or lacked for something to occupy myself.

After a good night's sleep (the sound of the engine no longer keeps us awake, and the gentle motion of the ship seems to promote sleep), we all awake feeling refreshed.  The day is overcast and cool, with periods of rain.  The tent people get their tents packed away early,  before we are in another rain shower.  Luggage is loaded on the bike at the first access to the car deck at 8:15am.

Note:  Access is allowed to the car decks only at certain times of the day so that passengers can attend to their pets which must remain in vehicles on the car decks while underway.  During these times one can also access their vehicles to retrieve items they may need.

One can 'feel' a different attitude on the boat today.  People are antsy to get back on the road.  We all know that the relationships we have made will soon be dissolving as we prepare to return to our regular lives.  Some exchange contact information with others so that they can keep in touch.

There isn't a whole lot new to take pictures of this morning, just a few lighthouses spaced a few miles in from Vancouver, Island.

Vancouver Island in the background

Ferry terminal in Bellingham, WA

We eventually get to Bellingham, WA and watch as the ferry is docked.  Curiously, everywhere else the ferry docked side-to so that cars were loaded from the side of the ship.

However, in Bellingham, the ferry docked such that the door in the stern opened so that vehicles could be unloaded.






  

Working the lines

This is quite the process, which the workers carry out with real professionalism.  Final positioning of the ferry is handled by winching the stern of the ship to the dock using 2 inch thick lines.


First, a thin messenger line with a monkey's fist (knot) is thrown to a dock hand.  This line is used to haul the heavier dock line which is made fast to a bollard as shown in the photo.

No tug boats are used when docking or un-docking.  Just the engines and bow thrusters.

We were fortunate to be in this group of bikes that got off the ferry early

While passing through the Seattle area we stop to visit with a friend, Ash who now lives in Redmond.  Some famous Seattle coffee was enjoyed while we got caught up on each others lives.

After all, when in the Seattle area, one MUST have coffee, right?






From there we worked our way to Yakima, WA.  The highway just climbs up, up, and up from the coast.  As it does, the weather clears and gets warmer.  Soon we are shedding layers that we have worn almost constantly for the last couple of weeks.

Eventually we reach Yakima, have a couple 12-ounce bottles of muscle relaxant and a plate of nachos for dinner.  When we return to our hotel I am too exhausted to use the hotel's Internet to update the blog, so we just lose consciousness until morning.

Day 26, Ketchican to somewhere along the inland waterway

23 July 2015

We slept much better in our new location on the lower deck, only awakened by the announcements attendant to our docking/undocking from Ketchikan at 3 a.m.  For the first time in a couple of weeks I can see that the sky is actually dark!  I had become used to going to bed (near midnight) and waking up to twilight.

When we wake up we notice that the passage has become more open and we can feel the gentle rocking of the boat to the muted swells of the Pacific ocean that manage to find their way into the waterway.

Today is laundry day.  How nice that the boat has on-board laundry facilities.  Two washers and dryers are located in each of the rooms for men's and women's showers.

One thing about the Inland waterway is that there is always something to see.  Islands near or far.  Boats  of all kinds: fishing boats, sailing boats, barges, runabouts, derelict, etc.  Birds of many kinds.  Whales. Dolphins.  Just a small sampling...

A beautiful 3-masted schooner

Coast Guard exercises

One of many lighthouses

Traveling by boat has proven to be every bit as enjoyable as I had expected it to be.  For very long stretches we are out of cellular communications range, which means no email, internet, or phone calls.  This provides people the opportunity to have casual conversations and get to know one another.

I remember traveling by air before cellular phones became common.  Upon boarding a plane I would 'test' my adjacent passengers to see if they were interested in conversation.  If so, we might enjoy a pleasant conversation for the next few hours, making the flight pass quickly.  Now everyone's attention is diverted to some electronic device, often attached to earphones effectively saying "don't" even talk to me.  Without these distractions on a boat one is left to read a book, watch a movie in the on-board theater, watch the passing scenery, or visit with fellow passengers.  Really quite civilized.

After spending several days on a boat, one observes little communities develop of people who have never met before, and will likely never see each other again.  The tent people enjoy hanging out together.  The motorcyclists can all identify each other and find it easy to start conversation about shared common experiences.  The parents with children tend to hang together.  A number of the same people can regularly be seen sitting in the open air on the stern decks, making it easy to notify each other about the latest whale sighting.

We end the day in the dining room with a couple in the process of retiring from Fairbanks to Washington state enjoying a delicious Alaskan seafood dinner of salmon, halibut, and local shrimp.

The day goes by slowly, pleasantly, presenting lots of opportunity for photos of the passing scenery.  Just a few more...

These guys usually transit in the night

Just a view forward

Spectacular location

Day 25, ferry day 1 Haines to Ketchikan with stops in Juno and Petersburg

22 July 2015

Exploring the ship in the morning we find another deck that allows tents, two down from the solarium deck that we pitched our tent on.  This location is much better protected from the weather (being under the dining room), exhaust, and engine noise.  We quickly decided that this would be our new home, so we moved the tent to the lower deck and re-erected it using previously used Gorilla Tape scavenged from the deck.  Even previously used Gorilla Tape is better than the tape that we brought.  Gorilla Tape is RECOMMENDED for use on ferry decks!

Ours is the Marmot

At the Juno stop some more marine campers joined the impromptu Hooverville.  Soon our little enclave is well occupied.

At this point we felt that we needed to establish an HOA to keep the riff-raff out, and to make sure that tents that didn't conform to our color palette not be allowed to move in.

Despite being accessible only by air and water, Juno appears to be a fair-sized city.  The ferry terminal is some miles away from the city, precluding our ability to just walk off the dock and explore, so we just hang out while cars unload/load.

As we pull away from the ferry terminal and make our way out to the inland waterway we can see the Mendenhall glacier just to the east of the city.




Continuing on our way, we are notified of sightings of porpoises and whales.  Out come the cameras to shouts of "Thar she blows"  "Over there, a breach"  "I see two of them!"  As is usually the case, by the time one clicks the camera shutter, all that is caught is a splash.  We do, however manage to capture a few whale images.

A whale of a tail

Petersburg is a picturesque working town of fishermen.  Since our stop here was very brief, we didn't go ashore here either, but we did take some photos.

I've never seen a dock for float planes before

As we make our way down the inland waterway the water is very calm, and the views typically fabulous.  We learn from one of the ferry employees that we will be traveling through the second most narrow passage approved by the US Coast Guard for large vessels such as our Ferry, the M/V Columbia.  I think he said that the ferry is the only ship of its size approved to go through the narrows. When we reach this passage shortly past Petersburg we see that it is indeed quite narrow, and the ship has to make quite a number of turns through the narrow passage.  There are many parts where it would not be possible for two such ships to pass each other.

As evening arrives, some of our Hoovervillians are prompted to play a little music.  One couple from Canada on their honeymoon play mandolin and fiddle, while a third from New York brought along a guitar.  These musicians had never met before, but like the true professionals that they are, they soon were making great bluegrass music together to the delight of their audience. Some of the tent people offer to buy them dinner for their entertainment and we are asked to join (we just had pie and coffee). It was a fun evening all around.

Bluegrass on the Inland Waterway

Day24, Haines to ferry transit, N/A miles

21 July 2015

Not a whole lot to talk about today, as we are  mostly biding our time until it is time to load on to the ferry.
We went to the library to update the blog with a couple of posts.  Unfortunately, a sign on the door said that their internet access was down.  Bummer.

So we spent the day exploring the Haines area and took a few photos.

These ducks were in the middle of the Chilkoot River.  It looks like this rock sees a lot of together time - just ducky!

On Chilkoot Lake

Since the salmon are now running in the Chilkoot, the fishermen are out and about trying to catch a few.  We were told of a place where the bears sometimes compete with the fishermen for salmon and went to see for ourselves.  Despite the signs cautioning humans not to interfere with the lives of bears, we didn't see any bears with which to interfere.  We did, however see a number of bald eagles, which were the subject of many camera lenses.

This guy just missed something in the water

At around 7:00 pm we arrive at the ferry dock and find about 8 motorcycles already in the lane 1 queue to get on.  As the evening progresses more and more congregate in the lane 1 area.  Soon there are about 30 motorcycles of many makes and types.  Mostly Harley Davidson and BMW models, but also KTMs, Hondas, one sidehack, another Can-Am Spyder from Texas, and even a Ducati with two tires tied on back.  As is always the case with motorcyclists, people started introducing themselves to each other and shared stories of their Alaskan/Yukon/British Columbian adventures.

Our ship comes in

Eventually we board the ferry at about 12:30 Wednesday morning.  We had heard that there can be some serious competition for tent space on the deck, so the spousal unit sprints off to find a spot while I secure the Spyder on the lower car deck.  When I find her on the upper, solarium deck I find that we are the only ones with a tent!  We try to secure our tent with the lousy duck tape that we had brought (it sticks to itself and to the tent stake, but not to the deck!).  We finally crawl into our sleeping bags at around 1:30 am, to the fine aroma of diesel exhaust and the sound of noisy engines.

Day 22 US/Canada border to Haines Junction, YT, 385 km

19 July, 2015

The plan for today was to make it to Haines, AK.  This involved more backtracking into the Yukon to Haines Junction where the turnoff to Haines begins.  The day was cool and rainy, making the long construction sections muddy, messy, and slow going.

By the time we got to Haines Junction, we were hungry, having only eaten granola bars for breakfast.  On one of the side streets (there aren't many here), we found the Village Bakery and Deli.  After a tasty lunch, we learned from a BMW rider curious about the Spyder that our ferry departure has been delayed until very early Wednesday morning.  After consulting the internet to confirm the ferry status, we now have more time before we need to be in Haines.  Or more time to spend in Haines.

The spousal unit suggested that we get a room in Haines Junction.  Providentially, we noticed a sign coming into town for cabins for $75 CAD.  Coincidentally, we still had about $85 CAD in Canadian currency remaining, so we booked the room, did laundary at a nearby laundromat, and found a frozen pizza for dinner, thus exhausting our Canadian currency.  Sweet, no need to convert back to USD!

The cabin is one of two, with a wood stove, simple kitchen amenities, and a shared bathroom with shower.  All in all a very comfortable and rustic setting.  Carnivore Cabins is RECOMMENDED!  Conveniently, the cabin is just across the street from the previously mentioned Village Bakery which is supplying this internet access.

Bike dirty again from construction on Alcan highway

Kluane Lake is just as fabulous going south as it is going north.  This lake is huge!  Unfortunately, the sun was obscured by clouds just as we pulled off the road to take this picture, causing the colors to be much less vibrant (the blues were fantastic!).

Kluane Lake

The road to Haines is supposed to be spectacular.  Stay tuned for more fabulous photos

Day 21 Palmer, AK to 30 mi near border, 351 mi

18 July 2015

This was another day about putting on miles as we make our way to Haines to catch the ferry to Bellingham, WA.  After three weeks it seems hard to believe that we are on the backside of our adventure.  By now we have kind of figured out a rhythm  on the road.

Morning  comes.  I start the stove and boil water for coffee.  The spousal unit deflates the sleeping pads and stuffs the sleeping bags into a plastic bag.  Off comes the tent rain fly.  If there is sun is out the rainfly is set to dry.  If it is  cloudy/raining, the wet side is folded in on itself.  After coffee, the tent is packed into the dry bag with the sleeping bags along with the laundry.

After coffee, all of the camping detritus is stuffed to the various storage locations on the machine and the dry bag winds up on the trunk rack. Maps are  consulted, and a plan is made for the day.  Then we are on the road.

Time to get fuel.  Someone asks about the Spyder resulting in another nice  conversation with a local.  "Where you from?"  Colorado.  "All the way on that thing?" Yes, this is our first time to Alaska.  "Well Alaska will changes a fella"  I can see how.  "How do you like that Spyder?"  Once you get past the idea that it is not a motorcycle and appreciate it for what it is, it is really a fine machine for this trip.  "You should really check out the Cassiar road  the views are spectacular". Well, that will have to wait until next time, as we are on our way to pick up the ferry.  Like the man said, Alaska will change a fella so that he (or she) will want to return.

Today we finally saw the mythical Alaska bears, we had heard that they exist, and today we actually saw them.  Two cubs and their mama.  We don't have evidence of the cubs, but we do have photographic evidence of the mom.  See:

The cubs are already in the woods on the left side of the road

We can also see that fires are still burning along the border with Canada.  Hopefully they will show up in the following:

We could see 4 fires at once from here (not all visible in photo)

Highlight of the evening:

We stumbled onto the Lakeview Campground at the Tetlin National Wildlife Refuge some 30 miles north of the Canada border.  It is free (but accepts donations), has a clean pit toilet, but no water.  A sign says that water is available at the visitor's center. 

There is even a photo blind for taking pictures of birds in the adjacent wetland.  This campground is obviously well-loved and is RECOMMENDED.

Another couple motorcycle camping at the same campsite just shared with us some salmon that was caught just two weeks ago and smoked in Seward, packed in oil.  Easily the best smoked salmon I have ever put in my trout hole!

Day 20 Anchorage, ak to Palmer, Ak, 67 mi

16 July 2015

This was a low mileage, high satisfaction kind of day.  After checking out of our UAA dorm room (co-ed nonetheless!), we made our way to the train station for the trip to Whittier.  The train follows the Turnagain inlet for most of the journey, which we had already seen a few times during our local travels.

Near the junction to Portage Glacier the train enters the first of two tunnels.  The first is an unremarkable train-only tunnel.  The second one is a combination train/car/truck tunnel that is the longest combined car-railroad tunnel in North America at 13,300 feet in length.  Cars and trains must share the tunnel, each able to travel in only one direction at a time.  This can be problematic for single track vehicles (two-wheeled motorcycles), since they may get a tire caught in the rail grooves,  so they are allowed through the tunnel last.
Whittier tunnel link

Once in Whittier we boarded another cruise boat to check out some more glaciers.   On the way to the glaciers the boat serves a nice salmon and prime rib lunch which was enjoyed by all.  It turns out that traveling by motorcycle has some nice benefits, one of which is that we had proper attire for the excursion in the form of warm rain gear - how nice, because it was cold and wet when we started out but cleared later. As usual, the views were fabulous...

Walter White has nothing on nature

After feasting our eyes on fabulous glaciers for a while, including minor calving, we had to indulge ourselves with the obligatory glacier ice chilled Margarita (sans salt).  Made with blue curacao, it was quite tastey.  We found this Margarita to be a bit more 'aged' than those we usually make with fresher ice.

<<Margarita photo here>>

One thing curious about Alaska laws is that one must always present an ID when purchasing muscle relaxant (you know, sometimes spiced, often mixed with Coke to make a refreshing end of the day beverage).  When we asked about this policy we were told that people who have a problem with such substances will have a red stripe on their ID, indicating that they are not allowed to make a purchase.  If two people present themselves at the checkout counter, then both people must present their IDs!

Returning to Anchorage by train, we spied a small bore tide <<link here>>.  Once I heard that they exist here, I wanted to see one.  Of course, we saw lots more fabulous glaciers (oh look, there's another one - yawn).

Once back in Anchorage we got a head start on our trip to Haines by putting on just a few miles to Palmer, AK where we found a lovely campsite very near town for $15 per night, the Matanuska River park.  We have now refined our camp setup that we can be in our sleeping bags in the tent in about 10 minutes!

Tomorrow should be a fairly high mileage day as we retrace our route back over the border and through the Yukon towards Haines Junction.

Matanuska River park.

Buckets filled today 6:
Calving glacier view
Being relatively up close and personal to a big glacier
Train ride in Alaska
Cocktail with glacier ice
View of a bore tide (although I did see one once in the Bay of Fundy)
Alaskan moose (3) and bear (1) Sea otters (2)

Day 19, Homer, AK to Anchorage, AK 251 mi

16 July 2015

Today was the drive to make it back to Anchorage and check back into UAA (University of Alaska at Anchorage) for the night.  In the morning we will be boarding a train bound for Wittier where we will be taking a boat ride to look at some more fabulous glaciers.  Be on the lookout for more YAFG pictures soon.

The whole day was cool and rainy.  Mostly in the low 60s / high 50s.  We didn't stop to take many pictures since the route from Homer to Anchorage is the same as from Anchorage to Homer, when we took lots of pictures.  It is a good thing we took pictures on the way down, because on the way up there was much more cloud cover making for less fabulous pictures.

Nevertheless, we did take a short detour to Hope where we found many fishermen and fisherwomen catching fish in a small river.

Cleaning fish

Looking down from the bridge we could see that many fish, about 18 to 20 inches in length were positioned in the water, appearing stationary.  In the short time that we were there we saw a few of the fisherpersons catch some of the fish.

Main street of Hope, AK

Hope is an old gold mining camp that once had 3000 people in it.  The 1964 earthquake caused the land to drop by some 6-8 feet, inundation much of the town.  As a result a number of the buildings were moved to higher ground, including those in the following photos.

View from Hope across Turnagain Arm

Tomorrow should be a full day of taking pictures of fabulous views from the train and pictures of fabulous glaciers from the boat.  As soon as we return to Anchorage from the train we will start heading for Haines where we will pick up the ferry to Bellingham, WA.  The trip will take a couple of days, as we need to go all the way back up to Tok, then down into Canada again.  It may be a couple of days until we again have internet access sufficient enough to make updates.