Alaska - The ride report

[tzrider]

Yep, the old 939 twin, desmo, but wet couch and water cooled.

So, you did bring the couch! Might be nicer if you can keep it dry though.

 

[two wheel tramp]

Curious about the Ducati
I’m guessing Is it a Vee-Two, 900 cc.
Does it have the Desmo Valve system
Anyhow, it’s a nice bike

​

every bike is a race bike.

 

[N4teTheGreat]

So, you did bring the couch! Might be nicer if you can keep it dry though.

Dammit, autocorrect! I suspect I'll wish I had about halfway through this trip though...

 

[BillSmith]

N4te-

Ground floor rooms at motels are specifically designed for motorcycles. Wheelie in with the front cocked if your handlebars are too wide. No problem for Harleys with narrow ape hangers.

Kidding aside, a favorite stop of certain motorcycle clubs was the Golden Trails on US-50 in Placerville. Tucked the bikes in at the foot of every bed.

 

[N4teTheGreat]

I tried it once at a shady motel where too many people were interested in my bike, door was pretty narrow and the bars / bike proved a bit to wide to get it in. I just put it against a wall with the disc lock on figuring that'd be pretty tough to deal with.

 

[Escape pod]

And here I am, base layers washed and drying, belly full, beer being sipped and a cigar on deck. It is concerning that I am starting to get some saddle soreness already, and some pretty painful blisters on my throttle hand. I guess we'll see how I manage over the next 23 days or so.

I’m not a doctor,; I have stayed in a best western motel: ~ wrap of rubber shelf liner on the throttle grip. Then fold it in the dimension you like to form a seat pad.

Gorilla Grip powerGRIP Drawer Shelf and Cabinet Liner, Thick Strong Hold, Non-Adhesive Liners Protect Kitchen Cabinets and Cupboard, Bathroom Drawers, Easy Install, Breathable Mat, 12" x10', Beige

https://a.co/d/0U403Qo

I noticed in the photos, you’ve been blessed with some white clouds /making for some Fair weather.
May you continue to have Fair weather with your travel.

 

[GAJ]

What is your destination Nate?

Visiting friends or family?

 

[berth]

What is your destination Nate?

Edge of the Earth, then make a left.

 

[bikeama]

Great thread, I will be following along.

 

[blrmaker]

Nice write up Nate. Subscribing to continue the adventure with you.

 

[TowerRigger]

Hey Nate,

Can I ask what your Route is in Canada ? I live in Vancouver here.

 

[N4teTheGreat]

The below is my day to day on the way up, I am also taking the Cassir highway back, but diverting to Whistler to do the Sea to Sky highway on the way to Vancouver. I may end up in Vancouver for a day or so if I need a new tire by then (which I likely will)

Mon, Aug-19

Brewster WA to Clinton

300

Route

Cariboo Lodge

Tue, Aug-20

Clinton to Vanderhoof BC

309

Route

Coach Light Motel

Wed, Aug-21

Vanderhoof to Meziaden Junction BC

335

Route

Mezaiden

Thu, Aug-22

Meziaden Junction to Jade City BC

277

Route

Jade City Motel

Fri, Aug-23

Jade City to Whitehorse YK

333

Route

Destination Family Hotel

Sat, Aug-24

Whitehorse to Beaver Creek

277

Route

1202 MOTOR INN

 

[TowerRigger]

Hey Nate, Worked all over BC up to Whitehorse, and Whitehorse to Dawson City, as well as the Dempster to Eagle Plains. it will be a beautiful trip. I'm sure you know about drivebc.ca which is all things Highway cams, closures, construction and wildfires. there is also bcwildfire which will give you the wildfire routes. Well you are more than welcome to reach out if coming back thru whistler to vancouver corridor. I'm more than happy to take ya for beer and food for some stories of the trip. if you have any questions about BC routes etc feel free to reach out and I will help where I can. Randy

 

[two wheel tramp]

Hey Nate, Worked all over BC up to Whitehorse, and Whitehorse to Dawson City, as well as the Dempster to Eagle Plains. it will be a beautiful trip. I'm sure you know about drivebc.ca which is all things Highway cams, closures, construction and wildfires. there is also bcwildfire which will give you the wildfire routes. Well you are more than welcome to reach out if coming back thru whistler to vancouver corridor. I'm more than happy to take ya for beer and food for some stories of the trip. if you have any questions about BC routes etc feel free to reach out and I will help where I can. Randy

rad.

welcome to barf.

 

[N4teTheGreat]

At any rate, made it to Canada today and realized this is the first time I have ridden a bike I own outside of the US, so there's that.

I was a bit nervous about crossing the border as I'd heard it can be everything from a nothing burger to a hour long ordeal, so when I woke up at 6:30 I couldn't get back to sleep. I also wasn't really that motivated to go super early, so instead I made coffee, got 90% packed and just hung around for an hour or so sipping coffee and being lazy. I finally got my self together, loaded the bike up and was on the road around 9:30. It was slightly overcast, but still in the 80s. I was not far from the border and things were already looking different. I really liked this part of Washington, small towns, lots of orchards, good views and the people all seemed very friendly.

I had a tailwind yet again, probably what was driving the overcast weather. I felt like fall. I kept on going as I wanted to get to the border ASAP. But, it was monday and there was roadwork. Washington has great roads, but, that comes with a lot of roadworks.

On the upside, this was at about the hour mark, so it was a good opportunity to get off the bike and stretch. I got to watch a train roll by as well.

Right about the time I was as stretched as I was gonna get, we started moving. I just stuck to the pace as there was no sense in trying to pass such a long line of cars. Things spread out after a bit anyway and the scenery kept me from being bored.

One last picture in Washington (Oroville) with the border a few miles away.

Next thing I knew speed limits were dropping and I was approaching the border and it was... empty. I rolled up the the checkpoint with only two cars in front of me, both with Canadian plates. I had all my documents and made sure to kill me engine as I stopped. The guard walked behind my bike to check my tags, took my passport and asked about my plans. I read from my itinerary because I hadn't committed it to memory. He agreed Alaska was ambitious and explained which types of bear spray are legal to cross the border in case I bought any. With that I as on my way. Nice guy, but disappointingly didn't look anything like South Park has led me to believe.


And with that I was in Canada realizing I have no idea how to translate KM to Miles so speed and distance didn't compute. What's My range in KM? I adopted the get gas every 50 miles method of dealing with this and let my phone GPS tell me my speed in KMs, which btw, is irrelevant because they drive like bats out of hell, or bats fresh out of a hotbox in BC. One or the other. I watched a few passed in their wine country by cars that I think most of us would think twice about. And yet, I pass a semi a few kilometers past the end of the dashed yellow and I get the horn? But I digress...

My initial few pictures in BC were rushed as I was taking it all in

I turned around for this one because it was weird.

It's a heavily mineral rich lake with no drainage, like the salt lake on steroids but with more minerals. Very striking and as such no surprise it has a long long history as an important site for local indigenous folks. It kinda looked frozen at first glance.

I was basically in their wine country, but with more fruit stands than Napa / Sonoma can shake a vine at.

Once it ht noon I decided to stop for lunch as I had about 4 hours left to go to my destination. The place I stopped at ended up full of bikers, so I guess I chose wisely.

I got poutine, because Canada.

Then I got back on the road, and the road got good. Smooth pavement, fast sweepers, good views. Oh and those semis that don't like being passed. Subsequently this was the only picture I took on a very twisty, scenic stretch, because there were a lot of truckers hauling two trailers a piece while hauling ass, and once I got around them, I didn't wanna let them catch me. But trust me, the road was scenic and fun.

Quite some time later I happened upon this massive copper mine. The scale is unbelievable. I didn't stop for too many photos as the wind was aggressive, blowing, I dunno what out of their dry tailings pond. But wow, mountains of tailings everywhere.

Thankfully one of the few times I had a headwind today, but it was aggressive.

After that, just miles and miles of more fun roadway which distracted me from taking pictures. Eventually I pulled off to grab a shot. Soft shoulder warning, managed to slide and not fall.

And the view of Cache Creek

Grabbed gas in Cache Creek, 94 up here, supreme!

Thought this building by the gas station was neat.

And then it was just 30 minutes to my stop for the night, Clinton BC.

I got in around 5pm, showered, laundered my base layer and cleaned the chain.

Then it was time for dinner at the "pub" which lacked bar stools, so I sat at a table, had my meal and few drink and then got a few cans to go.

Tomorrow I head to Vanderhoof, my last taste of easy riding before I'm in the Yukon riding all day with no cell reception or services (well some services, but I'll be carrying gas).

 

[needles]

Hey Nate, Worked all over BC up to Whitehorse, and Whitehorse to Dawson City, as well as the Dempster to Eagle Plains. it will be a beautiful trip. I'm sure you know about drivebc.ca which is all things Highway cams, closures, construction and wildfires. there is also bcwildfire which will give you the wildfire routes. Well you are more than welcome to reach out if coming back thru whistler to vancouver corridor. I'm more than happy to take ya for beer and food for some stories of the trip. if you have any questions about BC routes etc feel free to reach out and I will help where I can. Randy

He’s good people and has explored all over Northern British Columbia and the Yukon on various adventures with his job. if you come down the 99 through Whistler, he really will take you out for a beer and dinner before you head back into the United States.

 

[TowerRigger]

rad.

welcome to barf.

Thanks for the Welcome!!! Barf has an amazing Moto community, and this story was one I was looking forward to for sure. Nate is capturing that part of BC well. cant wait until he stumble upon the 7 sisters mountain range near Burns Lake. you are gonna love Hwy 16!

 

[Lucytriple]

Hey Nate, you can change your dash to Km in the setttings menu. More fun not to know what’s going on, though! I made that miles vs km mistake before phones and GPS traveling to Baja. Couldn’t get nearly all the way down because double the miles Bummer to hear you still have that weirdo intake stall, but glad you can get around it. It’s gotta be some kind of swirl/artificial turbo/hose suck anomaly thingy

 

[N4teTheGreat]

I was gonna change it, but I'm too reliant on my miles to tank knowledge. I'll let the phone tell me KMPH and go from there on a side note, I keep forgetting things are in CAD not USD and being surprised at how expensive stuff is until I do the math.

The CEL thing is annoying, slightly scary when in front of a big truck, but I've just accepted what the motor can't do, it's either bat out of hell, or just cruise and let the wind / hills win and I'm not doing bat out of hell for the sake of my tires.

 

[N4teTheGreat]

Hey Nate, Worked all over BC up to Whitehorse, and Whitehorse to Dawson City, as well as the Dempster to Eagle Plains. it will be a beautiful trip. I'm sure you know about drivebc.ca which is all things Highway cams, closures, construction and wildfires. there is also bcwildfire which will give you the wildfire routes. Well you are more than welcome to reach out if coming back thru whistler to vancouver corridor. I'm more than happy to take ya for beer and food for some stories of the trip. if you have any questions about BC routes etc feel free to reach out and I will help where I can. Randy

I'll definitely hit you up once I'm en route to Vancouver. Odds are I'll be stopping there for a tire unless this one magically lasts more than 5500 miles