June 17, 2012 - Yellowstone NP, WY - Bridge Bay CG

Weather is good as we head out from Gilette.  We’ll target Cody as our next stop, then into Yellowstone.  The elevation is a steady ascent and I can tell it on the gas gauge.  We stopped for breakfast up the road.  We took the southerly route to Cody.  The pass there as you cross the Big Horn mountains is 9650 feet.  This will be a test for the bikes, being fully loaded.  As we proceed, we are not surprised that very few of the vehicles can maintain the 65 MPH speed limit.  In fact most everyone is only going 55.  We had gassed up with what we thought was a good cushion to get to Cody.  Once we passed the sign that said “Cody – 49 Miles”, I knew I was in trouble.  I told Don if I made it on that tank, it would be a miracle.  WE pulled into Cody, filled up, taking 5.8 of a 6.2 gallon tank.  Whew – that was too close.

Campsite at Bridge Bay in Yellowstone NP

Ice Shelf Above the Yellowstone River at Grand Canyon of The Yellowstone

View of Lower Falls From Overlook

One of Five Entrances to Yellowstone

Exiting from the North Entrance Into Gardiner, MT

Since it was only 2:30 – far too early to stop for the night, we decided to go into Yellowstone tonight.  I was able to get a reserved site for the night.  The winds are picking up as we leave Cody, and by the time we get to Yellowstone, they were horrible.  The waves on Lake Yellowstone were breaking on the shore and sending water over the road.  We checked into the campground and set up.  The wind is so bad, it blew several half-full beer cans off the picnic table.  The ranger said they were gusting to 40 MPH and were supposed to continue through tomorrow.  We hit the sack early and hoped for a calm tomorrow.  They have bear lockers here.  That means we have to put all our food, toiletries, gum, and anything else with a scent into the bear lockers.  We have dealt with bear lockers before, and they are not our favorite item or activity.

June 16, 2012 - Gilette, WY - Crazy Woman CG

No explanation necessary

At the Badlands Visitor Center

Overall View of the Badlands

By daylight, all had cleared, but was still overcast.  We packed up and headed out for the Black Hills.  By 9:30 or so, it was blue skies.  We rode through the Badlands.  Don got a stamp for his National Parks Passport book.  We took a few pictures and continued on.  We stopped at Wall Drug to take some pictures.  We figured since we have no time frame, we might as well get all the cheesy pictures we can. 

A view from the back of Mt Rushmore

A Great View of Mt Rushmore

What a Motley Duo!

We continued to Mt Rushmore and – you guessed it – more cheesy pictures.  There are a ton of bikes out and we have been told that there is some sort of gathering at Deadwood.  We continued on to I-90 again and passed the place we had originally intended to stay.  We checked ahead and decided to stop at Gillette, WY for the night.  We stocked up on some groceries and a few other things at a local Wal-Mart.  Got to the campground, and are just relaxing.  The weather is great.  About 75 degrees, light breeze with the same predicted for the next few days.

June 15, 2012 - Murdo, SD - American RV Park

It rained all night with lots of thunder and lightning.  Rain is predicted in the region for the next three days.  We got to the dealer and we discussed the previous days issues with the tech.  He seems much more capable than the previous tech and didn’t seem puzzled off the bat. 

I went back to the motel to update my journal.  I walked back about an hour later and it is found and fixed.  It was a bad ground to the brake lights.

Camp In Murdo, SD

We ate breakfast and are on our way, most likely in the rain.  We planned to spend the night in Murdo, SD.  We could see black clouds ahead of us.  We made it to a campground in Murdo, ate, drank, and played some cards to relax.  It started to rain and the wind picked up.  We headed for the camper, continued cards and the skies opened up.  All night it was heavy rain, and winds. 

Enjoying the evening refreshments

June 14, 2012 - Council Bluffs, IA - Motel

The brake lights are out again.  We press on to St Joesph, Mo. and find a Honda dealer.  The short story is that after 5-1/2 hours, much frustration, no cure and a refund of $115.00 for the work they did, we are on to Council Bluffs, IA.  Rain is predicted and it might be a welcome relief from the heat.  It has been 90 degrees or so most of the day. We had contacted another dealer in Council Bluffs, explained the situation.  He told us to be there at 8 AM the next day. 

We heard that a major celebration in Council Bluffs, IA is cancelled due to the weather.  Great!!!  We continued on and about 60 miles out, decided to put our rainsuits on.  Good choice because a few miles up the road, the rain hit with high winds and lightning.  The only saving grace of the rain is that we were able to cool off finally.  Oddly enough, our boots and feet became considerably cooler from the water splashing on them.  We decided to motel it tonight.  We got the last room, as all the motels are booked because of the College World Series.  To top it all off, the air conditioning in the room is not working.  We were told to “open the window”.  We ate Mexican, and crashed maybe 10 PM after a long and nasty day.

June 13, 2012 Columbia, MO - Finger Lakes SP

We departed about 6:10 AM, gassed up and headed out.  Towing the camper is a chore and the bike behaves entirely different.  We decided to keep the speed to a max of 65 to get used to towing both the camper and Don’s Bushtec, fully loaded.  Additionally, the Wing gets much better mileage when you keep it under 65.  We hit a little traffic in Indy but nothing significant.  We are targeting a fuel refill at 150-160 miles, since both trailers are sucking the gas. 

Both Bikes Packed Up, Trailers Hooked Up, and In the Garage - waiting...

We pushed it to St Louis and got off for gas about 15 miles before crossing the Mississippi River, in Troy, Illinois.  Construction was all around including everywhere on the exit.  A few hundred yards before turning into a gas station, the left wheel of the camper locked up.  I left about 150 feet of skid mark and was just beyond an intersection with traffic coming from all directions.  We were able to get the camper jacked up, and I used a screwdriver to back out the shoe adjustment so I could get the drum off to inspect the assembly.  I was able to provide a temp fix and as I was doing so, another Wing rider came up and offered his shop to us, which was about 2 miles away.  We went there, removed the wheel, drum and bearings again to inspect the whole thing.  We wired the parts together and made the assumption the parts interfered with each other.  We pulled out with only a one hour delay.  Extraordinary, considering what could have happened, such as me going down.

We continued on our way planning to go beyond our goal of Columbia, since we made such good time, despite the hour delay for the camper wheel.  There was heavy construction from there westbound.  We stopped for gas just across the Mississippi River.  Don pulled out first and I noticed his brake lights were not working on either the bike or his trailer.  About 50 miles down the road, we stopped in a rest area to decide whether to stop in Columbia for the night or go on.  I told him his brake lights were out and naturally, we were both bummed. 

We decided to stop at Columbia.  While Don was trouble shooting the brake lights, I went into town for some vittles.  After I got back, the two of us deduced a failed relay.  Fortunately he had a spare and replaced it.  All is well and we are now consuming mass quantities of a brewed adult beverage.  It will be an early departure tomorrow.

July 15, 2012 - Klamath Falls, OR - Collier Memorial SP

We woke up to a heavy mist and almost rain.  I woke up at 4:45, go up and walked to the beach, where I had heard the waves all night.  I took me about ½ hour to get to the beach.  It was so foggy, when I walked over the dunes all I could see was beach.  I couldn’t even see the waves.  I continued on, determined to get into the Pacific Ocean.  It must have been 500 yards to the water, and the waves were crashing.  I rolled up my pants and waded in with my flip-flops.  DAMN…my toes went into a freeze mode.  The water must have been 50 degrees.  No wonder nobody was swimming. 

I walked back, started the stove for coffee and tea.  By that time the mist was falling at a near rain pace. 

We ate, packed up, suited up and headed out into the fog and rain.  It was about 45 miles to the turn we needed to take eastbound and towards Crater Lake NP. 

Don At The Entrance to Crater Lake

Me At The Entrance To Crater Lake

The road and weather weren’t very friendly.  We could hardly see in many areas and our speed was slow enough that the rain only hung on our windshields.  We stopped along a few overlooks and took pictures of the fog and what we could see of the ocean.  I kept telling Don the forecast inland was “abundant sunshine” and 82 degrees.  Once we passed east of Eugene, the clouds broke and immediately there was blue sky. 

One Of The Many Snow Sticks In Place
On The Road Around Crater Lake

We shed a few clothes and continued towards Crater Lake.  I was looking forward to seeing Crater Lake, since my first trip out west 42 years ago.  I had always by-passed it, and said, “Next time”. 

Our First View Of Crater Lake - SPECTACULAR!!!
The Blue Color is Accurate.  It Really is That Color

The Island In The Middle, Which is The Tip of the Extinct Volcano 

At A Crater Lake Lake Overlook

Overall View of Crater Lake From Overlook

We ascended the road towards Crater Lake.  As we went up, there was more snow.  Much of it was below us.  We pulled into the first overlook of Crater Lake.  It was spectacular.  Don was hesitant to take the 150-mile or so route to see it.  I am happy to say he was impressed as was I. 

Crater Lake is a collapsed volcano that has been filed with snow-melt, with an island in the middle.  We stopped at several overlooks and took pictures.  He was still in awe and I was glad of that.  We hit the visitors center and he got his passport stamp. 

We decided to stop early as it had been not a high-mileage day, but tough none-the-less. 

Campsite At Collier Memorial SP - Fort Klamath, OR
No Chipmunks In This Picture

We found Collier Memorial SP that was well off the road, have showers, and not crowded.  We made camp, put all our damp and wet articles out to dry in the SUN!  The campground is in the middle of a national forest.  Consequently, small critters are all around.  The place is over-run with chipmunks.  They are everywhere and their burrows make for precarious walking sometimes.  When Don and I sat at the table for a relaxing game of cards, beer, and some peanuts, they couldn't get on the table fast enough.  I had the lid of the peanuts filled and the little darlings went up to the lid and tried to steal some.  I was swatting at them.  Fast little things they are.  I finally got a small piece of wood and used that as my chipmunk swatter.  I never connected with any, but the message was passed around and in five minutes or so, they stopped hopping onto the table.

We will figure out tomorrow which way to head from here.

July 31, 2012 - Summary of the Alaska Trip

I went 13,861 miles, and Don went 14,317.  His was higher because he went from Visalia to Fresno to pick up my replacement motorcycle parts, rode down the mountain after my wreck, doubled back a few times elsewhere, and lives 145 miles from me.

Don spent $1,626.19 on gas at 400.77 gals. He had 111 fill-ups. Avg MPG was 38.56, with a low of 29.5 MPG, and a high of 45.6 MPG

I spent $1767.09 on gas at 422.62 gals, although Don filled up my tank about five times because of me pulling the camper and using more gas. I had 110 fill-ups. Avg MPG was 33.02, with a low of 26.04 MPG, and a high of 44.8.

We were gone 45 days, from the morning of June 13th, to the evening of July 27th, and went through twenty states (including Ohio), two Canadian provinces and one Canadian territory.

We had temperatures that ranged from 30 degrees in Yellowstone, to 108 degrees in Needles, CA.

We estimate that about ninety-percent of the motorcycles on the Alaskan Highway were dual-sport design.   After travelling the highway, we know why.

The drivers in British Columbia were the most courteous.

Even though the exchange rate between Canada and the US is even, the cost of goods and services in Canada is 30-100 percent higher.A twelve-pack of beer was $26.  A pound of ground chuck was $7.89.  Gas averaged about $1.45/lt.  That equates to about $5.50/gal.

Except for the Alaska Highway, we were probably no further than 50 miles from a Casino at any time.  They are everywhere and crowded at all times.

We took over 1,000 photos using my phone, Don's phone, and Don's camera.  Only a small portion are posted on the blog.

We can't imagine how people traveled the Alaska highway 30, 40, even 50 years ago.

Everyone we met along the way were wonderful people.

All vehicles on the Alaska Highway and surrounding areas, are absolutely filthy.  Many of them had taillights and headlights totally covered with mud, dust, and the likes of farm fields, muddy roads, and unpaved areas.  I asked several locals about it and the general response was, Why wash it?  It will only get dirty again.

Would we do it again - you bet, but not on big touring motorcycles.