Spring 2011 Adventure

Marlene and I decided to take a little spring break trip this year and test our gear to make sure we could handle a "big" summer trip of scooting and camping. I had plenty of camping experience last summer with the trip to Alaska, but we hadn't gone on a significant trip together. We settled on a campground in Concan, TX and purchased a new tent (the tent cot wouldn't cut it!) and planned for a 3 day trip. The area north of Concan, including Leaky, is a motorcycling dream. The roads have plenty of hills and curves, and little traffic. Of course, as the sign shows, you have to be careful!

We also upgraded our cooking equipment with a larger pot and pan set and made a sterno stove. We normally don't cook much on our trips (who wants to clean dishes in a campground) but there's always the chance you'll get somewhere and be so tired you don't want to travel to dinner, so we keep an "emergency" meal with canned foods that we like and we can heat them up with the little stove.

I carried most of the gear this trip, and even though the tent was much larger than the tent cot, it folded down to a much smaller package. I bolted our camping trunk to the luggage rack on my scooter so I was able to cut down on the number of bungee cords needed to strap the whole mess on each time I packed. It was nice to have a better balanced load than what I carried for 10,000 miles last summer, which hung off the sides.

We set out on the trip after wearily watching the weather forecast because rain is not fun on a scooter and we were staying along a river that floods easily. We ended up with no rain, but the high 90 degree temperatures and very strong winds made for a rough ride. My windscreen even developed a large crack around one of the mounting holes.

The campground didn't have much wind, just dust and thousands of big ants. Fortunately, the ants were harvesting the pollen pods falling from the trees and didn't bother with our tent or bags. The evening was another story, but the pests were human. Near our campsite was a group campsite and the occupants "celebrated" very late into the night. When we departed in the morning we made as much noise as we could to help the hangovers next door, but Scooters just aren't very loud.

After a nice day of riding through the hills we returned to our campsite and settled in for a comfortable second night - we had figured out where all of our stuff should be stored in our enormous tent and just how much air to put in the air mattress. It was still hot enough that we had to sleep with just the thinnest sheet for cover, but we were used to it at least.

Packing up the third day went very quickly, and we made it home quickly too. We were very happy that everything worked just fine and we were ready to take a bigger trip during the summer.

Northern British Columbia

We started packing up along with some little birds that were picking around at the bottom of a tree in our campsite and headed south. The scenery was even more impressive than the day before since there were barely any clouds in the sky. The mountains were all 'perfect' since there was little logging activity so far north. The reason is that the trees are too small. With a short growing season even a fully mature tree is pretty small, and the ones in Alaska were downright "scraggly" - it was obvious that it's a harsh climate. The further we rode this day, the bigger the trees were, and soon we began to see signs of logging.

About an hour into our ride I started seeing bicycles and got very excited. Dad wasn't sure why I was photographing these riders, but I knew exactly who they were. It was the Austin to Anchorage riders from UT, raising money for cancer research. I saw on TV when they left for Alaska on June 4, and although we were leaving over a month later I knew we'd easily catch up with them since it is a 70 day bike ride but only a 10 day scooter ride. They were amazed that we were actually coming back after having been up to Alaska already, but we went 300 to 600 miles per day while they averaged 60.

I was really hoping to be able to stop and talk to a few of the riders, but after we passed a couple dozen I knew my chance was probably over and I didn't see any stopped that I could stop near. We pulled in for gas at a little outpost (just a general store and mail stop and a few other buildings) and after I finished getting gas in pulls one of the support vans. Took a photo of it and the girls inside probably thought I was nuts, but then I introduced myself and it was obvious that they missed home because they were really happy to see someone from Austin, even if he was dressed like an alien in big puffy pants. (I had 4 layers of pants on trying to stay warm)

We chatted for a while about what we'd all been through on our amazing experiences, and exchanged information about the road and how to get in touch later, then I was back on the bike for another few hours to the next gas station.

As we rode further south the roads gained shoulders, then the vegetation was trimmed back, and finally, we were seeing striped roads and things were looking a little more civilized.

These were great motorcycle roads, with long straight sections with beautiful scenery, punctuated with long sweeping turns. Fun for the seat of the pants and the eyes, and easy to make good time on.

At our next gas stop, there was a really neat "ski lodge" and I didn't think much about it until the helicopter showed up. There are no ski lifts at this lodge, you get on a helicopter and they take you out to the mountain and drop you off at the top. Looked like fun but on this day they were using the chopper for moving some construction materials into the back country. I imagined that they were building some shelters for the skiers somewhere on the mountain. As we were getting ready to leave someone pulled up with what looked like a boat trailer, but that was no boat on the back. I imagined they were going to have an amazing time flying through those mountains somewhere up north.

We left the lodge and met a few more bears crossing the road. We also rode across a very long wooden bridge.

We saw dozens of wooden bridges and loved how smooth they were, but imagined that they would be slick when wet. A german tourist saw us taking photos of it and asked if we'd like a photo of the two of us riding across together. Since we didn't have a photo like that from anywhere else we happily agreed and rode across together for the picture. Unfortunately, she snapped the image a little early but it's still the only photo with both of us riding together.

We called it a night at the Glacier View campground after a long day of riding and I set up my tent and tarp to incorporate the picnic table instead of the bike for extra storage because there were so many dead bugs on the Burgman that it smelled!

Whitehorse and Highway 37

This time we saw more of Whitehorse than just the campground and Walmart. We stayed in the same campground, but in the morning we went into town and ate at a Tim Horton's and toured the last riverboat that operated until 1955. It was way bigger than I expected and I was amazed at the weight saving measures they employed in it's construction. It only weighed 300 tons, and could carry 300 tons of cargo! It was also very luxurious, but passengers were carried only when it had freight to transport. If the mines were not shipping ore then the boat was parked - the passenger business was not profitable enough to pay for the voyage. They also used a lot of wood, and the boiler was designed to burn whole logs, about a foot around and 4' long. I'd have hated to be the fireman who had to chuck one of those in the fire every 30 seconds.

After leaving Whitehorse we were facing 1000 miles of very remote areas, so we did our laundry, got a really good, hot shower and started South. We would follow the Alaska Highway to just before Watson Lake, then turn south on Highway 37 and drive down the western part of British Columbia.

I didn't realize it until I started mapping our route that BC is about the same size from north to south as the western US. Just to cross BC was the equivalent of a drive from San Diego to Seattle! Unlike the US, there is no Interstate 5. The first 60 miles or so of Highway 37 were basically a two lane gravel road (recently sealed though, so not too bad) There were no painted road markings, few signs, and the trees came right to the edge of the road, so the sheep, bears and horses crossing the road appeared almost instantly in front of you.

We stayed at a very remote campground, but they did have internet access so I managed to get my work done before the generator was shut off and the internet connection went dark. Since there were no restaurants around, we used the camp stove and ate some Pork skewers that we bought in a grocery store and some dehydrated food and canned veggies. It was very cold at night, so I slept well since my tent fan was not working so heat would have been an issue.

As soon as I heard the generator come back on in the morning I checked my email and then it was time to go.

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Destruction Bay - one more time

We decided that a 600 mile day that included the northern part of the Alaska Highway was too far, but in the end it was a 500 mile day due to our early stop the night before.

We had lunch in Tok, AK at the "Grumpy Grizz Cafe" and tried one last time to verify that the Top of the World Highway might have been re-opened in the past few hours, but no luck so we'd be heading back the way we came.

The border was super easy to pass through (no wait, and 30 seconds to show our passports) and the road seemed very familiar. We managed to pass through without damage, but did see a few trailers parked at the side with damage and a film crew taping footage of a burned out frame of an RV that didn't make it...

The road damage through this part of the highway is hard to describe. Part of the problem is that you are driving on a road that looks like they paved over ocean swells, and you bounce up and down like you're in a boat. The road was once flat though, it's the ground that's sank and heaved. The other damage you see is long cracks that have opened up in the road. They run for hundreds of feet, and the worst ones are nearly a foot across and a foot deep. They run along the road in places, then change direction, so as you are trying to avoid them they move into your desired path. Sometimes you can find a spot to cross them that's been filled in, and other times you just have to hang on and try to cross them at a good angle where they are narrow enough not to grab your tires. Most of the bad spots are marked with flags, but not all of them, so you don't want to rely on the flagging system too much.

It's certainly the part that people have driven the highway before are talking about when they say you need a really good suspension on whatever you're driving, but if you are slow and careful it is not a problem...

Most of the parts that were "bad places" along the highway were gravel areas that were very dusty, and difficult to operate a motorcycle on, but actually relatively smooth.

We saw very few police while in Canada - Destruction Bay apparently decided to take matters into their own hands with speeders on the highway and put up a plywood police car to slow everyone down as they came into town over the hill. It worked with me the first time I saw it from far away!

Dodging Icebergs

On Friday it was finally time to head toward home. We left Girdwood in the morning and rode to the Whittier Railroad tunnel, where we had to ride between the rails. The tunnel was opened in 2000 to vehicle traffic after 55 years of being the only access to Whittier from the rest of Alaska - and only by trains. To get a car or boat there, you had to put it on a train.

The brochure I read made it sound very complicated, but basically they added some safety shelters along the length of the tunnel and put concrete between the rails so you could drive through there. The tunnel is open for 15 minutes for one direction, then closed for 15 for trains to go through, then open for 15 minutes for the other traffic direction, then the trains get it again.

The tunnel is 2.5 miles long and very tall and skinny compared to a normal car tunnel. They make you close your convertible roof and if you are on a motorcycle you go last and have to wear a helmet (duh) because rocks and water come down off the ceiling (it is bare rock)

I was a little leery of having to ride for 2.5 miles on a strip of concrete 3 1/2' wide, while trying not to get dizzy from the passing lights and carbon monoxide, but it went just fine. The concrete was textured so it had good grip for my tires, and the speed limit is only 25. They also made a big deal about the jet fans at the entrances, but compared to the winds we've been riding through for 2 weeks it was a light breeze!

Once we were in Whittier it was time to catch the Ferry to Valdez, AK. I had booked us on a "Fast Ferry" and was not disappointed. After waiting in the rain outside on our bikes we were let on board to strap down our bikes on the vehicle deck and take a seat in the passenger level. The ferry wasn't at all what I expected - it was clean, modern, and very smooth and quiet. We left the dock so fast and smooth that you almost couldn't tell we were moving. After clearing the harbor we were going 39 knots - 45mph. That is faster than a lot of motorboats and we passed a few that were going in our direction.

After the safety briefings - similar to an airliner's - the displays showed a moving map along with our course and speed. I made sure to go outside to the sun deck (rain deck?) and take photos from there since the rain was beading on the windows making it hard to photograph from inside.

Dad used the time to catch up on his sleep.

When we entered the area of Prince William Sound where the Exxon Valdez had it's troubles I went outside to take some photos and nearly fell over when the ship suddenly changed direction. We then whizzed past an iceburg, then another turn and several more icebergs went by... There were dozens of them. Most were about the size of a car (OK, the part above water was...) and a few were the size of the fishing boats. Since they were the "tip of the iceberg" I have no idea how big the rest was!

We left the ferry in Valdez and I needed gas, but we didn't see a gas station so we decided to just head out of town and I'd get gas somewhere along the way. Soon we were in a very remote area and climbing fast. I stopped at the summit and took a photo of the snow by the side of the road. I threw a snowball at dad but he didn't seem to want a snowball fight. (and since I had snow and he had rocks it would have been a lopsided battle anyway, so I backed down)

No gas though - and there weren't any more gas stations until we got to the next town 60 miles away! Fortunately I made it and dad was still very wet and cold from getting stuck in the rain without his rainsuit while waiting for the ferry so we checked into the Caribou motel (where they "caribout you") and had dinner at the Caribou Restaurant. (but I had a hamburger, no reindeer meat please)

We left most of our stuff outside and wrapped the bikes in tarps which was good because it rained really hard during the night.

Fishin' for Silvers - added video

Friday was the big event I'd been waiting for all week. We woke up bright and early (when the sun comes up at 4am that's easy to do) and rode to the Hood lake floatplane base. Hood lake has a ton of floatplanes and is across the street from Anchorage international airport. It is actually somewhat in the middle of the airport. The roads around the lake have signs warning “yield to aircraft” and “aircraft have right of way” and they aren't kidding – there were planes parked everywhere and we found a nice parking space for our motorcycles right under the wing of a float plane that was sitting next the the building we were leaving from.

After getting our fishing license at the office we boarded a Turbo Otter from Rust Flying Services and were taken about 30 minutes across the tundra to a place on Yetna river. I had never been on a float plane before, but basically we lined up on the dock, climbed in (there was room for 10 passengers) and then they loaded whatever freight or baggage was going inside the cabin with us. The only amenity beside the metal framed canvas folding seat was a set of headsets. I would assume the pilot could use them to talk to us but he never said a word after he gave the safety briefing as he was closing the freight. (passengers are "self-loading freight")

We were pushed from the dock and the engine was spooled up, then the pilot went around the lake in small circles to warm up the engine and get clearance to leave. Once he was ready we went down the lake very fast with the floats just barely touching the water, then he slowed down, made a 180, and sped up again. We took off so fast I didn't have a chance to make a video of the takeoff. We were up in the air by the time I hit "record"

The flight was made from 800'. We were going about 130mph so we arrived at the river in half an hour. Even from the 3nd row I could read all of the pilots instruments so it was fun to watch what he was doing when I wasn't glued to the window watching the landscape go by. Since we were so low everything was passing very quickly.

There wasn't much warning we were going to land other than the pilot reducing power, drifting down to about 500', then lowering the flaps and dropping right down to the water level. In all it took about 30 seconds. Very turbulent muddy water was swirling around below us, full of whirlpools and logs. The plane gently sat down on the water and pulled up to a sandbar where small skiffs were waiting to take us to the lodge and get our fishing gear.

We put on some waders, drank some scalding hot chocolate, and headed off to the spot our guide “Dragon” recommended. Our fishing licenses were for one day of fishing which allowed us to catch 3 silver Salmon each. Once we reached the fishing spot in a grassy slough off the Yetna where the water was filtered by the grass along the banks we dropped in a hook with a big clump of fish eggs that were pickled from the previous year's catch. It didn't take long and the first bite I got was hauled in. It was a 10# silver with a nice hooked “beak” The next two fish I brought in were a little smaller and didn't have the hook. They were about 8# or so.

Dad brought in two that were similar to them, and I caught a pike which the guide cut loose after it tried to bite him.

We went to the fishing lodge (about 3 miles up river from where we were fishing) and had a lunch of mashed potatoes, pork, and applesauce with a reduced vinaigrette drizzle. It was all stacked up in one pile, which sounds weird but I want to make it again some day because it was very good.

In the afternoon we went back to the same spot but the fish had lost all interest in eating. I caught one more little silver (6 or 7#) and we used it to finish out dad's quota. When we returned to the lodge our guide cleaned the fish for us and we took the bag of fish with us to the plane so it could go to the processor in Anchorage. I'm hoping to get 15 or so 1# steaks out of it. Marlene said those steaks go for $20 each back home, but it will cost $200 to have them processed and shipped so there go most of the savings, and of course add the $10,000 or so that the whole trip up here cost and those will be expensive Salmon steaks, and I don't even eat fish!!! I'll eat these though!

After another snack at the lodge we went back to the river to catch the float plane, which made a big, low circle over the fish camps in the area to let everyone know he was arriving. An army of little boats converged on the sandbar where the pilot stopped and started unloading the plane. The plane was stuffed to the ceiling with boxes of mail, fresh fruits, stuff from Costco, many cases of alcohol and soda, and even a shower stall from Home Depot. All was taken off one at a time and handed down to the boats. Then the pilot put the seats back in place and we were allowed to board. I made sure I was the first one over to the plane and climbed up to where the co-pilot might sit if there were controls present. The rudder pedals appeared to have been removed and the plane had the type of control column that could be passed back and forth. I love aviation and was really glad to have a front row seat.

We drifted a few feet down river into the strong current and the pilot took off. Here's video of the takeoff. It was amazing how fast the plane can leave the water. The air was bumpy for the first half of the ride, but was smooth as we crossed the Knik arm into Anchorage, and I was able to record our approach and touchdown.

When we arrived back in Girdwood we were full of fish stories, but they were all true! Aunt Donna made another amazing dinner (a pasta dish I need to get the recipe for) and then we started packing for a quick departure in the morning.