Geo: 48.0516, 8.20554Excited to hit the road, we got up early, got the bikes loaded, and left Stefan's B&B after a tasty breakfast. Our first stop was Heidelberg Castle, where we took a tour that ran longer than expected and put us behind schedule. Back on the road, our route took us along the Neckar River, lined with numerous castles. We stopped in Neckarsulm for lunch in the town square and had hoped to tour the NSU Motorcycle museum, but our schedule forced us to push on. By the time we conquered road closures and frustrating directions, we finally arrived at our lodging outside of Furtwangen (source of the Danube River). We are staying in a country home on a hilltop meadow surrounded by forests. The area has beautiful hiking trails, with benches in the most ... read more

Geo: 37.7792, -122.42Our bags and gear are all packed and we're ready to fly! After spending the night in Walnut Creek, we'll take a shuttle to SFO to catch our flight. We are thrilled and excited to finally begin our big adventure after what seems like an eternity of planning and preparation. By tomorrow, we will be in Germany, arriving in Frankfurt, and overnighting in Heidelberg at Knopf Tours where hopefully we will find our bikes waiting for us. Our planned ItineraryBlack Forest, Germany - July 11-18Lauterbrunnen, Switzerland - July 18-25Andermatt, Switzerland - July 25-Aug 1St. Moritz/Pontresina, Switzerland - Aug 1-8Innsbruck, Austria - Aug 8-15Hallstatt/Salzburg, Austria - Aug 15-22Cortina, Italy – (the Dolomites) - Aug 22-29Lake Lugano, Switzerland/Italy - Aug 29-Sep 5Briancon, France (Alps) – Sept 5-6S... read more

Geo: 59.2367, -135.437 It had rained heavily during the night, but not enough to make an impact on the bike's muddy condition. As we packed up to leave Beaver Creek, the sky was still covered with heavy, grey clouds. With the forecast for 30% chance of showers, we decided to forego the rain gear again. Taking off after a quick breakfast at Buckshot Betty's, we got on the road about 9:00, with temps in the low 60's. The 180 miles to Haines Junction was an ugly ride; a combination of poor roads, low cloud cover, perpetual mist, and occasional stretches of light rain. We were definitely ready for warm food and coffee by the time we reached the junction of Hwy 1 and Hwy 3. After our stop for lunch and fuel, we headed down Haines ... read more

Geo: 61.1308, -146.348 It was pouring when we got up in the morning, the rain turning to a light drizzle by the time we finished breakfast. We packed up our raingear and extra layers of clothing and headed to the marina for our excursion out into Prince William Sound. Again, the weather Gods were looking out for us. By the time we left the harbor at 11:30 the cloud cover was starting to break up. As we cleared Port Valdez channel, the sun came out and we had wonderful blue skies. The cruise was a wonderful collection of sights, combined with extremely interesting and detailed information provided by our captain along the way. The trip included a good collection of marine life, including sea otters, sea lions, puffins, bald eagles, and some great humpback whale sightings. ... read more

Geo: 61.7114, -148.894 It was a beautiful warm and sunny morning as we headed out of Steward, back over Moose Pass, and along the lower portion of Kenai Lake until we picked up Highway 1 again. Traveling along the Turnagain Arm, we had more spectacular views of the Portage Glacier and surrounding mountain peaks, this time without all the cloud cover and dark skies of the previous visit. The bike had been performing well thus far, but starting in Homer we noticed that the rear shock kept bottoming out on the dips and bumps of the road. On closer inspection we discovered oil seepage from the piston. We were already planning a stop at the Motorcycle Shop in Anchorage for a t-shirt, so we used the opportunity to have them take a look at the problem ... read more