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Best Of

It’s been nearly 20 days since I’ve returned from my epic trip. I thought I would put a little space in between the trip and coming up with my Best Of lists to make sure I highlighted the memories with staying power. There were some really noteworthy geographical topics I decided were just too difficult to name only a few, like best mountain views or river crossings. However, some of the items on my lists made it there because they contained a greater concentration of my favorite views and crossings.

Without any further ado, here we go:

 

Most Scenic Highways

This is very difficult because there were so many wonderful roads. As noted earlier, most all routes had incredible mountain and river views. Reasons for citing these particular highways are noted.

One) Lower Klondike Highway – Variety of lakes, dunes and waterfalls. The drive from Carcross to Skagway is simply amazing – a quick decent to sea level.

Two) Stewart/Hyder Access Road – Forty miles filled with views of glaciers and waterfalls, ending at sea level.

Three) Dalton Highway – Vastness, solitude and the engineering marvel of the Pipeline.

Most Difficult Road Challenges

Each of these represent only a small portion of the particular highway.  I did not find any road I was on to be overly challenging in its entirety.  Also, you won’t see pictures of these portions of the road because I was a little too busy to access the camera.

One) Dalton Highway (southbound just south of the Yukon River Camp) – Without question, my biggest challenge was the freshly wetted mud/stones in an unpaved construction zone coming back down the Dalton. Fishtailing at 40 mph on a Bagger is not my idea of fun.

Two) Alaska Highway (northbound just south of Beaver Creek, YK) – A ten mile section of normally-paved highway was an ever-changing blend of hard-pack, dust, washboard, ruts and wet. But when I hit that deep, soft gravel travelling at a pretty good speed, it felt like someone was pulling the motorcycle backwards with the instant loss of momentum.

Three) Cassiar Highway (southbound for the first 50+ miles south of the Alaska Highway connection) – Lots of construction, plenty of ruts and a very thin road leaving not much room for error with oncoming traffic. But probably the most energy-taxing part was the fact that this area is known for wildlife activity and the trees were literally on top of the road – no runway whatsoever.

 

Most Interesting Stories (with an international flair)

One) Indian Unicyclist – While I did not meet the fellow, the story was corroborated by at least two other people I met. As I understand, this guy from India was riding his custom unicycle from the Arctic Ocean in Deadhorse to Fairbanks – over 400 miles. He carried his gear in a backpack and a small pack under his seat. I was not able to find any material produced by the unicyclist, but I did find this from another Dalton traveller. Enjoy.

Two) Romanian Bicyclist – This guy was on the beginning of a trip from the Arctic Ocean to Tierra del Fuego at the southern tip of Argentina. I understand he was born in Romania, educated in Montreal and now lives somewhere in Canada. I did not meet this guy, but did see him pushing his bike up a 10% grade gravel portion of the Dalton. He’s the tiny black dot to the left of the tanker semi in front of me.

Three) Venezuelan Motorcyclist – I first heard of these guys at breakfast the morning in Tatogga, BC. I was told the owner of the hotel opened the kitchen for them at 11:30 PM because they had just repaired a flat tire and found this hotel in the middle-of-nowhere. In the morning, we waited out the rain for a couple hours together. There were on day 46 of their ride from Venezuela to Alaska. They would eventually ship their bikes back from Vancouver and fly back themselves.

 

Best New Beers Tasted (and my Untapped comments)

One) Bitter Monk, Achorage Brewing Company

• Style: Belgian IPA
• Location: Westmark Hotel, Skagway, AK
• “Ya, baby! Belgian IPA w Brett!”

Two) Broken Nail Double IPA, Red Lodge Ales

• Style: Imperial/Double IPA
• Location: Old Chicago, Billings, MT
• “Excellent! Hoppy. A little sweet”

Three) Love Buzz, Anchorage Brewing Company

• Style: Saison/Farmhouse Ale
• Location: Westmark Hotel, Skagway, AK
• “Love the Brett. It’ll make a sour lover out of me yet. This is outstanding.”

Four) Doppelbock, 49th State Brewing Company

• Style: Doppelbock
• Location: 49^th State Brewing Company, Healy, AK
• “4 4 4. Every beer here has been outstanding. This one right up there with the Germans and Capital.”

 

Best Place to Drink Beer

One) 49^th State Brewing Company, Healy, AK – Hip and trendy place in a “Wisconsin Up North” setting. Every beer I had was fabulous. The bar area was really nice (a fireplace built into the circular table at which I ate), but the clincher was the “activities” area out front. Graveled courtyard with darts, horseshoes, corn hole, fire pits and much, much more. Great food menu, as well. Had the service not lacked a bit when I got there, it could have been one of my favorite beer places of all time.

Two) Hoodoo Brewing Company, Fairbanks, AK – Super beer scene in Fairbanks. Beer Garden out front filled with beer lovers. The place closes at 8pm Fridays, so I had little time to sample their beers. Those I had were solid. No food, but I was told there were food trucks somewhere near by.

Three) JL Beers, Minot, ND – Who would have thunk it? Minot? This place had 40 taps ranging from locals to the coasts. And the burgers are outstanding! They give you a name tag, but you don’t have to wear it.

Four) Pete’s Beach, Summerland, BC – Not a public beer establishment like the others, but Pete’s friend John made my day by bringing several new IPAs for me to taste. Each of them were very solid and only enhanced an already perfect day of fun with new friends.  And the location was “heaven on earth”.

Most Memorable Meals

I didn’t go specifically with “Best Tasting”, because mealtime is meant to be an event, not just food.

One) Tomato Soup (Palmer, AK) – Most memorable because I was cold and wet. Nothing warms the body better than a good soup with a side of bread. The flavor decent, but this meal will be most remembered for the circumstances.

Two) Moose BBQ (Summerland, BC) – My first time eating moose and the roast Peter had grilled was excellent. Combine that with a beach setting and new friends that had all brought dishes to pass, this was a meal I shall not soon forget.

Three) Burger/Soup (Coldfoot, AK) – I had a lot of burgers on this trip, but the burger at the truck stop in Coldfoot was tops. (a) It was north of the Arctic Circle. (b) Homemade bun. (c) Good accompanying chunky, tomoto soup.

Four) Salmon (Healy, AK) – I ate salmon as much if not more than burgers. All were very good, but the most memorable was smoked salmon in a seafood salad at 49^th State Brewery in Healy, AK. It was my favorite pub of the trip, but the in-house smoked salmon has inspired me to get into salmon-smoking myself.

Most Memorable People

One of the most fun parts of the trip was meeting lots of new people and learning their “stories”. I came in contact with hundreds of people on this trip and I met probably dozens. My recollection of some of the names is starting to fade, but not the memories. In my particular situation, whether it was on the road or in a bar, I think you meet people by opening your mouth, but you learn about and appreciate them by opening your ears, your mind and your heart. The names below made the most significant impact on me.

One) Pete’s Friends (Summerland, BC) – This is an easy number one because I was able to spend more time with them than others on this trip, and they are such good people with interesting stories. John (wife Amanda) the beer lover, Brian the swimmer,  Marcus and Rachel the winemakers (http://daydreamerwines.ca/about-us/), Tracy, Carrie, Lori,… the list goes on… Great people indeed.

Two) Darren and kids (northern BC and YK) – One of the many people I would leap frog throughout the trip, but one of the few I chatted with several times. Darren had off work for about two weeks and chose to go on a road trip with his son and son’s friend. They had no plans except to drive as much of the Alaska Highway as possible without leaving the country (no passports). Darren had a very thick Canuck accent that I found intoxicating. I found myself asking some of the dumbest questions just so I could hear him speak again.

Three) Kathy and Walter (Arctic Circle Sign, AK) – This wonderful couple from Springfield, MO has spent the past several summers of retirement volunteering for various Park Service agencies. What a great gig and great way to see the country. Kathy and Walter are perfect for their roles. They enthusiastically greeted me at the sign and announced themselves as the official “picture takers” for the sign area. I returned the favor was samplings of cured meat. I hope to see them again when my son plays in Springfield on Halloween.

Four) Rob (Pink Mountain, BC) – Rob is a natural gas field worker who works two weeks on, two weeks off. His permanent residence is Edmonton, AB about 500 miles away. I found it interesting that in his business the workers are on call 24-7, so they are forbidden to drink during their 2 weeks on. When I asked the bartender about that “rule”, she claimed most of her paying customers were “never there”. Hmmm.

Five) Washboard Willy and wife (Healy, AK) – Had it not been for striking up a conversation with Willy’s wife, I may have walked out of the best brewpub of the trip. I sat down next to them at a circular, high-top table with a fireplace in the middle and waited for a server. And waited. And waited. I finally made my way into the bar to get a drink and by the time I got back to my seat Willy’s wife had flagged down a waitress for me. Willy’s wife also recommended the seafood salad with the in-house smoked salmon. The couple was actually on vacation when we met, but Willy was soon to be touring the various State Fairs in Alaska (yes, they have separate ones in most of the borroughs). http://www.washboardwilly.com

That was fun.  If anybody has other ideas for “Best Of…”, please respond with your questions.

Post Ride – Stats

Below are just a few statistics from the trip and a follow-up on “The Pack”.

I washed the bike yesterday (second time I have now used a power washer) and downloaded all my pictures earlier today.  Now it’s time to separate the good from the bad and put together a watchable slide show.

STATS

• Days ridden – 20
• Miles ridden – 9141
• Average Miles per day – 457 (Longest – 828; Shortest – 119)
• Furthest North – 67 deg 40.4′ (Dalton Highway)
• Furthest West – 150 deg 16.5′ (Parks Highway)
• Highest Altitude (feet) – 6329 (Homestake Pass, Montana)
• Lowest Altitude (feet) – 0 (Haines, AK; Skagway, AK; Stewart, BC)
• Hottest temp (degF) – 95 (Montana)
• Coldest temp (degF) – 36 (British Columbia, but the 39 degF and rain in Yukon was much colder feeling)
• Days with some precipitation – 14
• States/Provinces – 9/4 (WI, MN, ND, AK, WA, ID, MT, WY, SD / SK, AB, BC, YK)
• International Border crossings – 10 (each one seems to have an interesting story)
• Gas Stops – 50 (about half of them 91 octane and above)
• Gallons of Gas used – 225.5
• Average MPG – 40.5 (Best tank – 47.9; Worst tank – 33.8)
• Average Gas Price per gallon – $3.83 (Lower 48 – $3.18; Canada – $4.12; Alaska – $4.21)
• Most Expensive Gas per gallon – $5.49 (Yukon River Camp on Dalton Highway)
• Cheapest Gas per gallon – $2.63 (subsidized 10% ethanol in MN)
• Pictures taken – 1362 (Canon Rebel – 550; Panasonic Lumix – 667; iPhone – 145)
• Lifetime memories experienced – countless

PACK LIST FOLLOW-UP

• Packed items never used on the trip – Expanded Tool Kit, Tire Repair Kit (+ compressor), Electrical Tape, Duct Tape, Clear Packing Tape, Various Bungees in Mini Soft-Cooler, Fire Starter Sticks, LED Lantern, Bear Bell, Mosquito Head Net, Binoculars, First Aid Kit, Mosquito Repellant, Side Stand Puck, Road Atlas, Flash Light, 2015 H-D Multi-Tool, Canon Accessories (used one lens the entire trip), Reading Material, Garmin 650, additional USB Memory, Chair, Lighter
• Things I regret not packing – nothing I can think of

I may follow this up with a “Top Things Experienced” series (roads, foods, people, etc).

Day 20 – Home Sweet Home

Day 19 – Brookings, SD

I got an early start this morning (6am), sun still not up.  Temp was decent, for a while, at 63.  As I drove southeast out of Billings, I saw the sun coming up over the distant hills. The haze initially made the sun look pink – I don’t think the pic does it justice.

Early morning the temps would fluctuate from mid 60s to low 50s and back again.  And again…  While there’s not a lot to see in those parts, I really love the morning smell out there.  Dewy sage and wild grass. A real grainy, spicy scent.  That does it for me.

And of course there would be one last pilot-led construction zone.  This would be one of the longer waits of the trip, probably 15 minutes.

I knew I wasn’t going to ride through the Black Hills, but I was hoping to catch a glimpse of them to the south.  But the wildfire haze was still hanging around these parts.  It wouldn’t be until I passed Sturgis that I would shake the haze entirely.

Sturgis was kinda surreal.  Knowing that just a few weeks ago it entertained record crowds, it now stood dormant.

I rode Hwy 34 east out of Sturgis through Pierre.  It was great how the landscape progressed from wild to ranch to farm.  It’s a long state!  But then again, I’ve been through only big states and provinces on this trip.

There was a lot of SPLAT today.  Mostly bugs, but I also got one bird.  That bike will take a lot of work to clean.  It’s also still carrying quite a bit of Alaska dust.

Most of the afternoon was sunny and pleasant.  Coming into Brookings was absolutely perfect – sunny, low 70s and sun at my back.

I had dinner dinner in the hotel with my son tonight. He brought his local favorite BBQ.  We shared stories of my travels and his school and fall camp.  Can’t wait for kick-off in Lawrence 9/5.  Go Jacks!

Home tomorrow!!

Day 18 – Billings, MT

Big Sky.  Big smoke – in Montana and on Wall Street.

I got up this morning to watch the opening on Wall Street (6:30 local time).  That was quite a ride – mine was better.  The skies were still quite hazy when I woke up, but the smell of smoke was way down.  My pants still smelled like I’d been sitting at a campfire all night.

Northern Idaho and Montana had been my favorite areas to ride in the Lower 48.  Unfortunately, the haze really took away from many of the great sites.  The lake in Coeur d’Alene was barely visible.  Some of the best riding was up to and over the passes where I could still get an appreciation for the walls of evergreen.

I did not have breakfast in Spokane, so by the time I needed to fill up I was getting pretty hungry.  Unfortunately, the place I stopped was not an all day breakfast place.  I lost an hour going into the Mountain Time Zone, making it just before noon.  The Rueben was pretty good, though.

The rest of the day was really just gas-and-go.  I made only one more gas stop before pulling into Billings.  The haze did get lighter as I proceeded east, but it is far from clear.  I did see some blue sky at times.  Temps peaked at about 95 and very dry.

Time now to head out for dinner (first pizza in over 3 weeks!) and get back for some sleep. Tomorrow will be a long day 600+ miles) and I will finish by having dinner with my son in Brookings, SD.  Go Jacks!

[Added later: Just recalled the funniest sign of the day. Traveling eastbound on I-90 just east of Missoula. “Testicle Festival”.  I sure hope that had something to do with bulls]

Day 17 – Spokane, WA

The issue today was going to be wildfires. I checked for updates before I left, but I would later learn my planned route was actually not open.

I woke up to the sound of construction around 7am. The guys working Pete’s subdivision take no days off. Pete and I shared a coffee on his deck before I would pack up and head out to breakfast. The smoke was still thick and we could not see the other side of the lake.

Pete’s girlfriend and another couple joined us for brunch in Penticton at the southern end of Okanagan Lake.  Nice place on the water and good smoked salmon eggs benny (sorry, forgot photo).

I pulled out of Penticton just after noon.  The ride to the border (about 50 miles) was smoke-filled. Vineyards and orchards all the way into Washington.  Would have been much more breathtaking without the smoke (oh wait, the smoke WAS breath-taking).

I asked the customs officer the best way to get to Republic, WA.  He said he didn’t think that road would be open, so I then asked him about Spokane. My best route would be straight south until I was due west of Spokane.  Quite a bit further than the straight shot on an angle. I had ridden these roads a few years back, so it was nice to see some of the sites again (Chief Joseph and Grand Coulée Dam, huge orchards, old lava fields).  Again, the smoke was so thick it was difficult to see anything that was at a distance.

When driving through the area that had burned near Okanagan,WA last week, I could actually feel the heat emanating from the land at the side of the road.  Breathing was getting pretty tough at that point and my eyes were beginning to burn.

One of my favorite sights of the day was seen riding on fresh black pavement with starkly contrasting yellow, fresh cut straw on either side of the road. I don’t think this pic quite captures the amazing contrast, but it was really neat.

I arrived in Spokane just before 5.  Got caught up with my family, finished yesterday’s post and went next door for a nice salmon dinner (can’t get too much salmon in the northwest).

Tomorrow I will pounding the interstate to Billings, MT.  I’m closer than I had originally planned (thanks, fires), so tomorrow will not be too long a day.

Have I mentioned I can’t wait to get home?  This is the final stretch.  1685 miles to go.

Day 16 – Summerland, BC

Per my earlier post, Saturday was my coldest start yet.  I should have clarified for my international friends that the 36deg was F, not C (oh, now I get it).

I pushed it pretty hard riding to Summerland making only one stop fir fuel and snack.  It was very interesting how the landscape changed over those 378 miles.  Very green to start, then sage and dry grass with evergreens only at the tops of mountains. Then coming into Summerland via Peachland, I felt like I was riding into California.

The view of Okanagan Lake coming down the mountain was priceless.

I arrived at Pater’s place about 1:30.  He’s got a lake lot as part of a subdivision he’s developing with some partners. Right now he’s living In a 5th Wheeler, but it’s a really nice set-up.  Right on the beach. We caught up on things and I set up camp.  The rest of the day was filled with boating and swimming. What a boat (twin 502 engines!)! What a great lake!  What a great area!  Heaven on earth.

At night Peter cooked up a couple of moose roasts and friends brought many sides. Fantastic meal!  Oh, and there was a hint of libation.  One of Peter’s friends is also an IPA lover, so he brought several new ones for me to sample.  Another one of Pete’s friends is a winemaker across the lake, and he brought some of their wines to sample.

The night got really eerie when the winds switched from northerly to southerly.  The smoke from the wildfires in Washington rolled in.  We completely lost the view of the opposite shore.

All around a great day and night. It was nice to break up the trip with a day like this. Great people!  Thanks, Peter!!

Day 17 – begin in Summerland, BC

Great day with Peter and his friends. More details will come later tonight. Can’t wait to get home.

Day 16 – begin in Quesnel, BC

I can’t wait for a morning that I don’t have to wear additional riding pants. This will not be that morning.