Jim W

So Mike and I are less than a month out before we head off for our great adventure. I’ve been checking the wx lately in Dawsons Creek, Fairbanks, and Coldfoot, and have been very encouraged by the temperatures. Much warmer already than I expected, so that means the snow should be gone, and give the road crews more time to fix them before we get there (a nice thought anyway). I think we’re ready, and have just about completed our planning. We have passed the GPS routing back and forth, so it is about as good as it’s going to get. We’ve compared notes on what each is taking for tools, electronics, to amount of clothes. Pretty sure we won’t look too much like the Beverly Hillbillies traveling down the road, unless Mike brings a ... read more

Toys are great, and when you are planning a trip like this, it gives you a reason to buy more! My latest toy will provide the readers of this blog with, I hope, a better experience than they would have had otherwise. On past trips, I have worn a camera around my neck on a lanyard, and in quite an unsafe manner, grabbed it and sort of aimed to get my shots. Some came out good, some I missed what I was wanting completely, and others were discarded. Regardless of the resulting picture, just about everyone had some thought of a wreck or other misfortune run through my mind. My GPS, radio, CB, and other toys all provide enough distractions, that I think my new toy can be considered a safety enhancement. Who can say no ... read more

From Capitol Reef it was gorgeous scenery, great roads, and great wx. I had seen signs for the last couple days that warned drivers that it was Open Range country. I hadn’t really thought about what this meant until I came around one curve, and found a herd of cattle in both lanes. I was able to slow down enough and they seemed no more interested in blocking my way, than I did in bothering them. Never really paid attention to how large the cattle are until your next to them, and they are larger than you on your bike. The older ones meandered off, but the young calves danced and kicked around. These were the ones that had me concerned. From here I went to Arches, Canyonlands, and Moab for the night. Arches and Canyonlands ... read more

This post is primarily to practice posting pictures to the page. The Veterans Day weekend, Mike and I rode from Little Rock to Montgomery, AL, to Memphis,, TN, and the to our respective homes from there. It was just a great time for a ride, and we needed to make sure that 500+ mile days were within Mikes capability ;-). We also made a "small" excursion to get the Florida state sign picture. I really though the state line was just across the bay!... read more

We made ferry resevaitions yesterday for the Whittier, AK to Bellingham, WA way home. Glad we did this as we are still 7 months out from leaving, and the ferry was down to 6 rooms with windows already. We depart Whittier June, 2012. Using that, we backed up the date to determine when we would departure home. The current planned routing is; Day 1: Home to Sioux City, SD – 631 miles Day 2: Sioux City, SD to Portage la Prairie, Manitoba, Canada – 510 miles Day 3: Portage la Prairie to Lloydminster, Alberta, Canada – 630 miles Day 4: A - Lloydminster to Grande Prairie,Alberta, Canada – 435 miles B – Lloydminster to Dawson Creek, British Columbia, Canada – 519 miles Day 5: A – Grande Prairie to Ft Nelson, BC – 366 miles B ... read more