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