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OldKneeDragger
Tue Dec 9th, 2003, 08:56 PM
Well now that the cold weather has set in and riding through the Colorado mountains requires good electric gear and a sharp eye on the lookout for ice and sand in the road, I'm starting to dream of next summer. I've decided that I am going to take on Alaska! I've been as far north as Edmonton, Alberta but that is only 1/3 the way to northern Alaska :o

This is a trip to prepare for... Something on the order of 4K+ miles each way should make for quite the adventure. I'll shoot for nice comfortable 700 mile days adjusted to take into acount sight seeing and other activities. At that rate, I'm thinking 2 weeks of pure motorcycle nirvana starting in mid June :) Anybody interested in joining?

Nick_Ninja
Tue Dec 9th, 2003, 10:23 PM
<sits back by the fire and thinks about signing up :P >

Hozerking
Tue Dec 9th, 2003, 10:56 PM
Sounds like a dream... esspecially if you go through Canada on the way up. Unfortunatly I won't have two weeks off next year :(

-al

Hoopty
Wed Dec 10th, 2003, 09:59 AM
Sounds like a dream... esspecially if you go through Canada on the way up. -al

How else do ya think they'd be getting there? :slap: :P

Hozerking
Wed Dec 10th, 2003, 09:50 PM
Farie!(sp?) or just along the coast! ... what I meant was to see the western part of Canada, not just the coast! :D

-al

OldKneeDragger
Thu Dec 11th, 2003, 07:29 AM
The goal is a GREAT MOTORCYCLE adventure, not droneing on the freeway :) I plan on following the Rockys up to Glacier National Park along the US border and enter into Canada at Roosville, BC. I'll continue through Banff National Park and catch the Alaska hiway at Dawson Creek. That becomes the ONLY road into the Alaska interior. There are lots of choices getting to Dawson Creek and I don't want to come back the same way I go. There are places in Western Canada that I would like to see as well. Riding 12 hour days and keeping a good pace it's a 6 day ride each way. Add pictures and gawking and you are at an easy 2 weeks for the round trip. As long as I get to Alaska I would also like to drop down to Anchorage on the way back. Plus, I figure I will have to replace tires and perform general motorcycle at least once along the way so I need to pre-arrange some critical stops.
http://www.sportbikes.org/images/alaska04.jpg

Anonymous
Thu Dec 11th, 2003, 07:30 AM
Farie!(sp?) or just along the coast! ... what I meant was to see the western part of Canada, not just the coast! :D

-alIt's "Ferry", and the interior of Alberta and BC can be quite picturesque, but I'd wouldn't mind seeing Vancouver - you've got ocean on one side side of the city, and mountains on the other. I saw a really cool picture once - made me want to drop everything & go there.

Hoopty
Thu Dec 11th, 2003, 08:10 AM
Vancouver is next on my places in Canada to visit list. :D

Anonymous
Thu Dec 11th, 2003, 11:06 AM
http://www.sportbikes.org/images/alaska04.jpgThat looks like a nice route up. :idea: Since you're already wanting to hit Anchorage, why not make a loop of it and take the coastal route back?

friscokidd
Thu Dec 11th, 2003, 01:44 PM
Sounds like a dream... esspecially if you go through Canada on the way up. -al

How else do ya think they'd be getting there? :slap: :P

:spit: :lol: :cry: :pointlaugh: :bow:

OldKneeDragger
Thu Dec 11th, 2003, 01:51 PM
You can drop down to Anchorage but you have to go back north to Fairbanks and follow the Alaska hiway to Dawson Creek (way into BC) before you can head south again towards Vancover... Which sounds like an excellent way to come back. The only other alternative is to put it on a Ferry and take it off in Vancover or Seattle. Although I would expect nice ocean views from the Ferry, it's hardly the same as winding down some mountain road you've never been on before ;) I'll save the boat ride till when my wife want's to do a cruise :idea: This one's for me :shock:

BenDover
Thu Dec 11th, 2003, 03:45 PM
Vancouver is next on my places in Canada to visit list. :D

Gee, I wonder why. :idea: :lol: Oh, yeah. Those "Coffee" shops, right? ;)

Hoopty
Thu Dec 11th, 2003, 03:56 PM
C'mon dude, if that was all I was about that would have been my first trip! :P I've already been to Toronto twice and Montreal once.

gary n
Thu Dec 11th, 2003, 04:06 PM
In the last couple weeks I have just started thinking about this same trip too, but I won't be able to go until the summer of 2005. I will probably look for a ST1100 and use the time to get it (and me) prepped for the trip.

There are ferries that go from Seward (south of Anchorage) to Haines (changing boats in Juneau). Haines is about 100 miles from Haines Junction and I don't know what that road is like. It costs about $500 (sleeping on the deck) and takes about 2.5 days.

Good luck! I wish I could go this year!

BenDover
Thu Dec 11th, 2003, 10:41 PM
C'mon dude, if that was all I was about that would have been my first trip! :P I've already been to Toronto twice and Montreal once.

I'm just messing with ya. :P :D

Vancouver is definetly a city I would love to visit. I've been through Banff and as Spiderman said it is some of the most beutiful scenery in North America.

I'd love to do a nice long trip like that, but I don't think my knees, ass, or bank account would let me. It sounds like a ton of fun though. 8)

Hoopty
Fri Dec 12th, 2003, 08:05 AM
I hear ya man. Someday, someday... :)

Harry Biker
Sat Dec 13th, 2003, 12:37 PM
8) So you're going all the way to Deadhorse are ya? Which sled? ZX12R on the Haul road in the muck?Doable, but she won't come back as perty as she likely is now. My guess is you'll choose a different stable mate.

You know, there is a large group of riders meeting in Fairbanks I think on 6/11/04 for a little bar-b-que then heading out the next day with truck support/satellite phones on the 12th.,(this is through the MTF & their attempt @ the IBA Ultimate coast to coast ride.) I REALLY want to do this ride, but am getting some static on the home front re: being gone for 3 weeks etc. etc. :cry: If you'd like more info re: this group,assuming you're not already familiar w/ them let me know.

Assuming I do not do this ride,(the UCC which I would run from south-north) I may join you for part of your ride as you are crossing into Canada @ the same location I may do a boarder to boarder run.


:idea: How flexible are you re: your route getting to Alaska? Any chance you'd care to do a clockwise semi-loop heading up the California coastline 1st & then we'd split off near Vacouver? What are your thoughts re: lodging/camping etc.

We may have ridden together once? Were you in attendance @ Jessica's memorial ride along side Will,(GSL)? if so, I was 2-up on an FLHTCUI.

OldKneeDragger
Sat Dec 13th, 2003, 03:38 PM
I wanted to go to Alaska last summer but with the move to Colorado and all I was busy and my ZX12 had some 80K miles on it. It's still reliable but it is hard to do a 2 week trip on it due to lack of luggage and by the time I put my fuel cell on it, it's almost impossible to carry anything. So the opportunity presented it's self and I picked up a new 04 FJR1300 specifically for this trip. I really have a lot to do to it to make it road worthy (GPS, Radar Detector, XM Radio, and my satellite tracking that I will be manufacturing and marketing this spring!).

My ride schedule and route is very flexible at this point as nothing is cast in stone, other than I AM GOING TO ALASKA :) I've enjoyed the LD rides and rallys that I have participated in but I want to have the flexibility to stop and take pictures or gawk without feeling the need to keep putting miles on for the sake of the miles for this trip.

Yes, I rode behind you :o during the memorial ride on the ZX12....

Nick_Ninja
Mon Dec 15th, 2003, 01:30 AM
Lurking ----- been to CANADIA through the Roosville portal and on up through Fairmont Hot Springs and over the top. NOT through BANIF cus the CANOOKS said it was over run and not too friendly. Going up through the ICE HWY. to JASPER this summer ------ via the EAST COAST --- USA

Harry Biker
Thu Dec 18th, 2003, 04:43 PM
Congrats. on the new bike & fine choice I might add!

Assuming we ride together & you're hip on heading to California 1st, then up the coast we could,(might as well) do the CSC annual Vegas trip! This would be the 4th year in a row that @ least 2 CSC members have ridden to Sin City in June :o . Albeit you & I would not be in town long. So if anyone else can sit in the saddle for 1500 miles, & likes Vegas-taking a bike from Denver makes for a fine ride,(scenic route of course.)!

Now you'll be on a tighter schedule than I, thus I'll let you dictate mileage/time etc., but I do want to ride all of Hwy 1 South to North. Is that still gonna work for you? Assuming we stayed on your 700 mile/day schedule that means we'd ride together for 3 days & then I'll head East @/near Vancouver, whilst you head WAY North.


As far as commiting I'll know better 1/13/04 as I have an appt. with an orthopaedic surgeon yet again :cry:

towneh
Fri Dec 19th, 2003, 04:57 AM
oh no, not the Ortho-mann!!!! :lol: and dysco with mono.... i'm gonna play with the Busa and learn it in small, managable trips! i've only got 1000 on the clock now.
Happy Holidays everyone!
Henry

Frauenheld
Wed Jan 21st, 2004, 08:32 PM
I'm down. i have to go to Alaska anyway for a NOLS course this summer. I am probably leavibng late May to arive in Palmer 1st week of June and traveling back sometime in July.
Any company is welcome. Comments and sugestions welcome

Player 2
Wed Jan 21st, 2004, 10:06 PM
The goal is a GREAT MOTORCYCLE adventure, not droneing on the freeway :) I plan on following the Rockys up to Glacier National Park along the US border and enter into Canada at Roosville, BC. I'll continue through Banff National Park and catch the Alaska hiway at Dawson Creek. That becomes the ONLY road into the Alaska interior. There are lots of choices getting to Dawson Creek and I don't want to come back the same way I go. There are places in Western Canada that I would like to see as well. Riding 12 hour days and keeping a good pace it's a 6 day ride each way. Add pictures and gawking and you are at an easy 2 weeks for the round trip. As long as I get to Alaska I would also like to drop down to Anchorage on the way back. Plus, I figure I will have to replace tires and perform general motorcycle at least once along the way so I need to pre-arrange some critical stops.
http://www.sportbikes.org/images/alaska04.jpg
WOW, if you take this Route, I have a place for us to crash 1 hour across the Roosville station. We have 101 acres outside of Cranbrook!! :D

Anonymous
Thu Jan 22nd, 2004, 12:27 AM
The goal is a GREAT MOTORCYCLE adventure

To say the least! That's going to be a life experience...

Fucking awesome! :up:

FZRguy
Sat Jan 24th, 2004, 11:31 PM
Yes, what Ralphy said! I'd love to do a trip like this but probably not on the Fizzer...a V-Storm comes to mind. 700 miles per day, huh. Longest day in the saddle for me is 430 so far...maybe copper butt?