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.

Day 18, Homer, AK to Homer, AK, 50 mi

15 July 2015

This is the farthest from home that we will be on this trip, and we figured that it should be a 'relaxing day'.  Since our campsite doesn't have showers, and we haven't showered for ? days (only we know), we indulged ourselves and our clothes in a good cleaning at a nearby commercial RV/camp.  After $6.00/shower and $6.00 for a load of laundry ($18.00 total cleanliness fee), we were ready for lunch.

At the Homer Spit we found Captain Pattie's for lunch where we split a pound of mussels in coconut milk with ginger and curry followed by a fine lunch of grilled halibut, salmon, scallops, and shrimp (they were out of local oysters on the half-shell).  Easily the best mussels I have ever put in my clam hole!
Captain Pattie's is RECOMMENDED.

The rest of the afternoon was spent sucking up the local glacier views.

YAFG

The big deal here is halibut and salmon fishing.  If we wern't on a motorcycle we would probably be fishing too.  However, without a cooler it is hard to deal with 10's or 100's of pounds of fresh fish.

Day 17, Seward, AK to Homer, AK, 173 mi

14 July 2015

I don't like breaking camp when it is wet, but that is exactly what we did, after it rained all day and all night.  We went to bed listening to the patter of raindrops on the tent.  In the morning the tent was wet, the tarp was wet, we were wet, and on it went.  In any event, the weather finally let up as we moved out of Seward and visited Exit Glacier.  This appears to be a popular glacier to visit & photograph, and we saw a number of tours that cater to the ice climber as well.

Now this is blue ice!

YAFG (Yet Another Fabulous Glacier)

Once we left the glacier our focus was to get to Homer.  Although only about 170 miles away, the trip took almost all day because of slow speeds, traffic, and construction.  I've noticed that after we haven't ridden much for a day or two, my back/shoulders start to ache after just a few hours.  However, after a few repeat days on the Spyder this doesn't seem to be a problem.

Along the way were rivers the color of cloudy turqouise enjoyed by fishermen and rafters.  Of course we took pictures, but don't know if the colors will come through.  We passed many businesses catering to fishermen including an Orvis shop.

No, the colors just don't show well

Once we reached Homer, we feasted our eyes on some of the finest high caliber, high-octane Alaska scenery known to man, including multiple glaciers and your usual fabulous fjord views!

View across Cook Inlet

YAFG as viewed from Homer

Not much else to say about this day except that we found another nice municipal campground for $8.00/night for tenters.  Karen Hornaday Hillside Park has pit toilets, plus flush toilets at the adjacent playground.  This is a nice place with very private campsites that are out of the wind.  No mosquitos, but watch out for the stinging nettle (ask me how I now).

Karen Hornaday State Park is RECOMMENDED

For dinner we found some frozen scallops taken from across the bay and cooked them up over charcoal with summer squash with onion and hollandaise sauce (for the oil).  Mmm, tasty!

Day 16, Seward, AK to Seward, AK, 0 mi

13 July 2015

This was another full-on first-rate Alaska day, complete with another bucket filled (first whale sighting).

The rain really came down last night, and I woke up to a lot of commotion from birds, a large ship coming in, fishermen heading out, and traffic noise.  After a cold breakfast under the tarp, we reassessed our camp and decided to move the tent to a location where water wouldn't run under it.  NBD (no big deal).

After a casual morning we strolled into town and got a tasty lunch of halibut and crabcake.  Pricy but tasty.  Next we made our way to the previously scheduled tour boat, which came c/w about 45 middle school aged children.

Next we made our way on foot to the waterfront where we caught a wildlife tour boat operated by Major Marine Tours.  I'll let the following pictures show how the afternoon proceeded...

Yuo talkin' to me?

Mr humpback showing off, over and over

Puffin w/o cigar

Hanging out, digesting

Just a cool photo

We also managed to catch a couple of fin whales spouting off.  Way cool!
Major Marine Tours wildlife cruise is RECOMMENDED!

Day 15, Anchorage, AK to Seward, AK 154 mi

12 July 2015

Although 154 miles isn't much compared to many of our other days, it was enough for today.  The entire day has been cool and rainy/misty/foggy/drizzly.  We donned our rain pants shortly out of Anchorage and made our way on to Seward.  En route we spied more YAFLs, but the weather didn't really make for lovely photographs, so we will try for photos on our way out.   Like Valdez, there is only one way in and the same way out over land.

Seward Marina docs float w/ the tide

When we got to Seward we were both a bit chilled, so we decided that a coffee was in order, which really warmed us up.  We also discovered that the city maintains a LOT of municipal camp sites, including a number of nice tent sites.  These are really nice because they are within walking distance of town centers.  From the campsite we are in one can walk to grocery stores, restaurants, etc.  The marina is also within walking distance.  At $10, this campsite has pit toilets, but no shower.  However we just heard that one is available just a few blocks away.  The municipal campsites in Seward are RECOMMENDED.

I also found open internet access from the tour company we are using (Major Marine Tours), so I nabbed some bandwidth too.

More on Major Marine Tours tomorrow

First time we used the tarp - it was definitely worth bringing

This is a major location for trips into the Kenai Fjords Park area.  In fact there was a large cruise ship docked in the harbor when we arrived.  The focus here is much less on glaciers than on wildlife.  So of course, the spousal unit had to book another cruise in hopes of seeing large marine mammals.  What this means is that we will be spending two nights at this camp site (nice not to break it down tomorrow morning).

While here we stepped into the Yukon Bar (since 1942).  This is one of those bars with the dollar bills plastered all over the ceiling and guns on the wall.  Yes, one of those kind of places (my kind of place).

I'm sure my dollar is here somewhere

Don't take your guns to rown, boys

As I write this it is 9:30 pm and there is still plenty of light.  There will still be plenty of light in two hours.  I am starting to get accustomed to the extra light, but it still seems a bit weird.  Once we start moving south again days will start to seem really short.

Numbers for today...
Average temperature: 60 degF
Number of beers consumed: 2 (each)
Number of calories in dinner:  1300 (each, Progresso chili with Fritos and onion)
Number of interesting neighbors conversed with: 2

Day 14, Anchorage, AK to Anchorage AK, ~ 60 mi

11 July 2015

We spent today goofing around Anchorage.  Nothing fabulous today, sorry.

We started at the local Farmer's Market and Festival.  This is a Saturday/Sunday thing where one can procure the usual touristy stuff, and in addition buy local vegetables and some tasty, if overpriced fruit.  Of course we purchased some of both.  

Unlike those found in the grocery store, the cherries and nectarines are actually ripe and delicious!  Birch syrup wound up in our bag - I didn't know this was a thing, but it is fabulous (ok, one fabulous thing).  The purveyors informed us that it takes multiple amounts of birch sap to produce this syrup in comparison to that which is required to produce an equal amount of maple syrup.  Of course, they also convinced us to purchase the first-day batch which definitely has a more 'fruity' flavor, but at a premium price.

We also purchased some salmon jerky, salmon chowder, and meat sticks that are allegedly fractionally composed of caribou.

A few random pix of the market...

This young guy was playing some excellent classical music:
Rodrigo (concierto de Aranjuez) Bach, etc.
I just had to flip him a couple of bucks.

Even here Austin must be kept weird

Your usual Farmer's Market scene, only in Anchorage

I just liked this sign in Anchorage

After the market we made the obligatory rounds of the tourist shops, had a beer, and watched a beautiful movie about the auroras. 

Now, what I really want to talk about today is electronics.

When I last traveled by motorcycle (early '80s) the only electronic device that I carried was a small Walkman-like device that included an FM radio and ran on batteries.  I fashioned some headphone pads to work in my helmet, and put the device in my tankbag.

  

Now examine the photo below:

Electronics gone wild!

Let's see what we have here?

1 electric razor (with attendant 110v charger, 'just in case')

1 Kindle (for the spousal unit)

1 Samsung tablet (for updating this blog, I just couldn't fit a small laptop in)

1 bluetooth keyboard (because I have difficulty with on-screen keyboards)

1 bluetooth mouse (because I have difficulty with on-screen touching)

2 110v USB chargers (at least these can be shared by tablets and phones)

2 camera battery chargers (Sony and Olympus cameras not shown)

2 cigarette lighter, double USB chargers (the white ones)

1 cigarette lighter, double USB charger (the black one)

1 'emergency' USB charger (really just another battery) for cell phone use 

2 HTC One cell phones (one for me, one for the spousal unit)

1 cable for playing music through the Spyder radio speakers

Various and sundry USB cables

The Spyder comes from the factory with a cigarette lighter style power outlet in the rear trunk, and I added another one in the front trunk, so ideally we could charge two USB items and a camera battery at the same time while riding.  This is a good thing, which we have taken advantage of.  On the downside we have to find space for all of this stuff.  And untangle the wires.  And fish out the appropriate item from the 'electronics bag' as required.

Before we left the spousal unit purchased the two white cigarette lighter USB chargers (a good thing).  However, we soon learned that the silicone grips on these things caused them to push themselves out of the cigarette lighter sockets (a bad thing).  This prompted us to purchase the black equivalent in Idaho, which doesn't push itself out of the cigarette lighter socket (a good thing).

At the end of the day this all seems to be a bit too much, but I'm not really sure what to do about it.  I want my stuff, the spousal unit wants her stuff, the Spyder invites us to bring our stuff, and so we do.  At least we didn't bring a stand-alone GPS unit.  This is something that I have seen on a lot of other bikes up here.

  

In the end our motorcycling lives just aren't as simple (electronically speaking) as they were in the early '80s.