July 27 - left Pennsylvania early to try to get to NYC middle of the day to avoid rush hour.
we made it to Cross Bronx about 1pm. some traffic but not bad. however it was the most traffic we hit on the entire trip. and it was HOT. in the nineties. Bikes, seats, legs get very hot when temp is over 80.
Anyway we made it home. Successful trip. no accidents. just one close call with the goats, and a tenuous ride through the bison herd.. Enjoyed the ride up there, and the week we spent with Viginia and Patty touring Alaska. the ride home was pushing it the entire way. seven and a half days from wasilla to home. i havent calculated mileage yet. but we rode over 10,000 miles and drove about 1400 miles in alaska.
Thanks for the ride Tony. Thanks to folks at work for handling everything for me. Thanks to Patty for taking care of things at home, and for spending the week in Alaska with us. thanks to all who read our blog, and those that commented. see you next year.
Thursday, July 28, 2016
Tuesday, July 26, 2016
July 26 - riding all day. 720 miles. 500 in Michigan . Through Ohio. Ended in Pennsylvania
No photos today. We expect to be home tomorrow . Worst part of the trip will be through the Bronx tomorrow . Final post will be tomorrowy.
ps i love the bike. i hate the seat. i love the ride. the upper peninsula of michigan is a great bike ride.pennsylvania should be nice. i been thru it many times but its usually a blurr on the way out or the final step to get home. tomorrow i am gonna pay attention.
No photos today. We expect to be home tomorrow . Worst part of the trip will be through the Bronx tomorrow . Final post will be tomorrowy.
ps i love the bike. i hate the seat. i love the ride. the upper peninsula of michigan is a great bike ride.pennsylvania should be nice. i been thru it many times but its usually a blurr on the way out or the final step to get home. tomorrow i am gonna pay attention.
Monday, July 25, 2016
July 25 - In North Dakota last night. left this morning about 9am. we traveled today through North Dakota to Minnesota to Wisconsin and finally to Michigan. we are in northern Michigan in marquette. covered over 600 miles today. relatively uneventful, and plain scenery.we did see Lake Superior today. it looks like the ocean. extremely hugh.
temps today were the hottest since we left Montana 2 weeks ago. in the high 80's. bikes get very hot when temps are over 80. funny that after spending the day riding in the 80's, that when the temps decreased to 70 by the end of the day, it felt cold enough for jacket and gloves.
right now we are about 1100 miles from home. expect to be home for wednesday night.
we ate dinner at red lobster tonight in michigan. ironic that although michigan has the most lighthouses in the US, in red lobster they had a large photos of the portland lighthouse, and the bass harbor lighthouse. both in Maine. i have taken photos of each of them.
temps today were the hottest since we left Montana 2 weeks ago. in the high 80's. bikes get very hot when temps are over 80. funny that after spending the day riding in the 80's, that when the temps decreased to 70 by the end of the day, it felt cold enough for jacket and gloves.
right now we are about 1100 miles from home. expect to be home for wednesday night.
we ate dinner at red lobster tonight in michigan. ironic that although michigan has the most lighthouses in the US, in red lobster they had a large photos of the portland lighthouse, and the bass harbor lighthouse. both in Maine. i have taken photos of each of them.
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| sunflower field in wisconsin |
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| small town USA |
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| passing a logging truck |
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| watch your head tony. he's coming in low. |
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| approaching duluth |
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| in duluth |
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| port for lake superior |
Sunday, July 24, 2016
July 24 - in saskatoon last night. got up early and left, headed for the US. the scenery was more of the same as yesterday - flat, farmland. More fields of yellow flowers. we learned to day that those yellow flowers are not mustard plants, but rather canola plants.
Canada is the biggest single producer of canola. An old guy we met at a gas station today told me that they have a real good crop this year becasue of the rain, and the price is very high too. we made it to the US border about 2pm today, headed for Minot ND harley dealer. we got there about 4pm but their service department was closed today. we continued on and ended up covering 571 miles. the highlight of the day was passing through Rugby ND. Why you ask? because Rugby is the geographical center of North America. WOW. I entertained myself today by taking photos of cows and old barns. exciting huh?
we ended the day in Devils Lake ND. with 1700 miles to go we should be home in a few days.
PS help me!!! Please. somebody help me. frank now says that because i take out the water restrictors in the shower heads at every motel we stay at, that his hair is falling out because of the high pressure, help!
PSS did he really say last night - whatever bounces of him sticke to me??? WTF
Canada is the biggest single producer of canola. An old guy we met at a gas station today told me that they have a real good crop this year becasue of the rain, and the price is very high too. we made it to the US border about 2pm today, headed for Minot ND harley dealer. we got there about 4pm but their service department was closed today. we continued on and ended up covering 571 miles. the highlight of the day was passing through Rugby ND. Why you ask? because Rugby is the geographical center of North America. WOW. I entertained myself today by taking photos of cows and old barns. exciting huh?
we ended the day in Devils Lake ND. with 1700 miles to go we should be home in a few days.
PS help me!!! Please. somebody help me. frank now says that because i take out the water restrictors in the shower heads at every motel we stay at, that his hair is falling out because of the high pressure, help!
PSS did he really say last night - whatever bounces of him sticke to me??? WTF
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| whats in the back pack Easy Rider? |
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| arriving at the Harley dealer in Minot ND |
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| Rugby, ND - wow. exciting |
Saturday, July 23, 2016
July 23 - we were in Grand Prairie, British Columbia last night. didnt realize that we had switched time zones from 3 hours to 2 hours different than NY. as a result we got up an hour later than we thought it was. Oh well we'll make it up. off we went headed toward Edmonton. we stretched the ride a bit to far. after 273 miles my bike conked out. No gas. Shoulders are about 3 feet wide so not much room for safety. i was able to continue to roll down the hill for about half a mile before the bike stopped rolling. parked on that little shoulder with trucks whizzing by just wasnt comfortable. so i attempted to start the bike. it started and i was able to ride the shoulder for another couple of hundred yards making it to an exit ramp. at least now i wasnt right next to the main traffic lane. tony realized i wasnt following so he stopped and called me. he then went to get gas and returned. thhat ate up half an hour. we went to gas station and continued on with full tanks. when we got to Edmonton, we got stuck in a traffic jam - rush hour combined with road construction slowed us down for about half an hour. we did manage to continue riding to Saskatoon, Saskatchewan. a total of about 615 miles today despite the delays.
the scenery today was pretty much the same the whole way. flat farm land, with field after field of those yellow flowers. i posted photos of them yesterday. well they continued today for the whole 600 miles. i dont know what they are. they must be some kind of crop. nevertheless, they make the relatively boring countryside sparkle.
tony just googled, and found that the yellow flowers are mustard plants. this region is the worlds largest producer of mustard. who would have guessed.
we expect to be back in the US tomorrow. we're headed for North Dakota.
ps cliff, what is a cogb ? on to the ride and this incredible new motorcycle. again i feel like a half ass astronaut with wires to my helmut and wires to my heated jacket, but once on the rode it is really nice to be so comfortable on a bike. music, phone calls(only the ones i want to accept or make), gps, way cool.plus with regular gas at 75mph im getting better than 50 mpg. twice what my road king gets(still my favorite though, its just such a real motorcycle, maybe it just has the best memories attached to it.
the roads today took a drastic change . from riding in majestic mountains with really fun terrain to riding on straight flat, monotonous roads. i still love it and its is great being here. the only real hold back on these roads is my riding associate. he likes going fast then he likes to go so slow i lose him in my mirrors.so then i have to slow down and make sure he didnt fall down or break something or run out of gas. although he never runs out of gas in our room. Pat i dont know how you do it. you must have sewed up sinuses. well goodnight and ill talk to you all tomorrow. next time i bring a clothespin or a cork with a hammer.
PSS - since he doesnt talk to me if i change his comments, i therefore feel compelled to respond to his insulting statements. he's full of it. i think he doeth protest too much. it takes one to know one. whatever he says bounces off of me and sticks to him. Get my point.
the scenery today was pretty much the same the whole way. flat farm land, with field after field of those yellow flowers. i posted photos of them yesterday. well they continued today for the whole 600 miles. i dont know what they are. they must be some kind of crop. nevertheless, they make the relatively boring countryside sparkle.
tony just googled, and found that the yellow flowers are mustard plants. this region is the worlds largest producer of mustard. who would have guessed.
we expect to be back in the US tomorrow. we're headed for North Dakota.
ps cliff, what is a cogb ? on to the ride and this incredible new motorcycle. again i feel like a half ass astronaut with wires to my helmut and wires to my heated jacket, but once on the rode it is really nice to be so comfortable on a bike. music, phone calls(only the ones i want to accept or make), gps, way cool.plus with regular gas at 75mph im getting better than 50 mpg. twice what my road king gets(still my favorite though, its just such a real motorcycle, maybe it just has the best memories attached to it.
the roads today took a drastic change . from riding in majestic mountains with really fun terrain to riding on straight flat, monotonous roads. i still love it and its is great being here. the only real hold back on these roads is my riding associate. he likes going fast then he likes to go so slow i lose him in my mirrors.so then i have to slow down and make sure he didnt fall down or break something or run out of gas. although he never runs out of gas in our room. Pat i dont know how you do it. you must have sewed up sinuses. well goodnight and ill talk to you all tomorrow. next time i bring a clothespin or a cork with a hammer.
PSS - since he doesnt talk to me if i change his comments, i therefore feel compelled to respond to his insulting statements. he's full of it. i think he doeth protest too much. it takes one to know one. whatever he says bounces off of me and sticks to him. Get my point.
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| alot of yellow fields today |
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| oil well working |
Friday, July 22, 2016
July 22 - we left the Northern rockies Lodge at Muncho Lake at 8am today. the road for the first 5 miles travels along the very edge of the lake. the lake is very light bright blue color from all the minerals in the water. the road was wet from overnight showers.
shortly after reaching the end of the lake, there was an embankment along the right edge of the road.
as tony approached that point in the road he observed and pointed to about 6 mountain goats on the embankment about 10 feet above the road. i was trailing about 50 yards behind him. as he went by them, they got spooked and all started to jump down onto the road. several crossed the road right behind him. but i was concerned about two that were running along the side of the road. i recall last time we went to alaska a caribou was running along side the road and then did a 90 degree turn to cross the road directly in front of tony. he missed it by inches. so i knew this was not going to be good. sure enough as i slowed down expecting them to cross the road, they darted across the road directly in my path and about five feet in front of me. i applied brakes and attempted to swerve to the right to miss the first one but due to the wet road, the rear wheel started skidding to my left. this is not gonna end well. so i had to release the brakes, and i managed to pass behind the first goat and in front of the second goat. missed both by a goat's hair. the fact that they were running like hell helped as i squeezed between them. they scurried down the left side of the road down to the river and i continued ahead, realizing how close to disaster that was.
forty miles later we stopped at Toad River lodge for gas and a quick bite to eat. as the clouds ahead looked ominous i went through the hassle of putting my rain pants on, ensuring that we would not hit rain. we didnt.
for the rest of the ride we continually hit road construction sites, loose gravel, mud, potholes. this slowed us down considerably. at the construction sites we had to queue up and wait about 15 minutes as traffic is only one way, and is guided by pilot trucks.
the road from toad river over to fort nelson is a great road to ride (except for construction work) with a lot of winding curves along the side of the mountain. along the way tony spotted a black bear. i stopped and got a nice shot of him as he ignored my on the side of the road.
At one point we spotted something running along side the road. as we approached we saw it was a deer, with a fawn. the mother darted into the woods on the right, but the fawn was confused and turned left, right onto the road way, between tony and car ahead of him. since we all saw the deer in advance we were all going relatively slowly. the poor disoriented fawn kept running down the road for about 100 yards, right in front of tony. then it made a left turn, crossed the road and went safely into the woods on the left. i hope he found his mother later.
when we got to Dawson Creek, we made a quick stop at the famous alaska Highway sign for a photo. then we continued our journey to Grand Prairie, Alberta. total mileage today was about 550 miles.
hotel, car wash to clean the completely dirty bikes from the dusty, muddy roads we were on, called home, went to dinner, and back to the hotel.
tomorrow we head to saskatoon or further depending.
ps first i need to extend my deepest condolences to joyce, her husband tommy who is janes cousin, passed away the other day. he was only diagnosed a few weeks ago after having pains in his stomach with stage 4 pancreatic cancer. he was a great guy and i am truly overwhelmed. that is why i need to take these rides.you never know when your number is up. if you dont do the things you love while you can you never will. remember, you are here for only a split second but youre dead forever.
all i can say is the riding has been great. yes the roads have been under construction and muddy and gravelly and twisty and hilly and a bit scary with a herd of bison in your way and bears and goats and deer and they are just perfect. they are in the yukon and british columbia. i wouldnt change a thing except i wish all of you were here doing this with us. im sure tommy wishes he was. dont wait to do tomorrow what you could do today. you may not have a tomorrow. say hello to sal for me tommy...
shortly after reaching the end of the lake, there was an embankment along the right edge of the road.
as tony approached that point in the road he observed and pointed to about 6 mountain goats on the embankment about 10 feet above the road. i was trailing about 50 yards behind him. as he went by them, they got spooked and all started to jump down onto the road. several crossed the road right behind him. but i was concerned about two that were running along the side of the road. i recall last time we went to alaska a caribou was running along side the road and then did a 90 degree turn to cross the road directly in front of tony. he missed it by inches. so i knew this was not going to be good. sure enough as i slowed down expecting them to cross the road, they darted across the road directly in my path and about five feet in front of me. i applied brakes and attempted to swerve to the right to miss the first one but due to the wet road, the rear wheel started skidding to my left. this is not gonna end well. so i had to release the brakes, and i managed to pass behind the first goat and in front of the second goat. missed both by a goat's hair. the fact that they were running like hell helped as i squeezed between them. they scurried down the left side of the road down to the river and i continued ahead, realizing how close to disaster that was.
forty miles later we stopped at Toad River lodge for gas and a quick bite to eat. as the clouds ahead looked ominous i went through the hassle of putting my rain pants on, ensuring that we would not hit rain. we didnt.
for the rest of the ride we continually hit road construction sites, loose gravel, mud, potholes. this slowed us down considerably. at the construction sites we had to queue up and wait about 15 minutes as traffic is only one way, and is guided by pilot trucks.
the road from toad river over to fort nelson is a great road to ride (except for construction work) with a lot of winding curves along the side of the mountain. along the way tony spotted a black bear. i stopped and got a nice shot of him as he ignored my on the side of the road.
At one point we spotted something running along side the road. as we approached we saw it was a deer, with a fawn. the mother darted into the woods on the right, but the fawn was confused and turned left, right onto the road way, between tony and car ahead of him. since we all saw the deer in advance we were all going relatively slowly. the poor disoriented fawn kept running down the road for about 100 yards, right in front of tony. then it made a left turn, crossed the road and went safely into the woods on the left. i hope he found his mother later.
when we got to Dawson Creek, we made a quick stop at the famous alaska Highway sign for a photo. then we continued our journey to Grand Prairie, Alberta. total mileage today was about 550 miles.
hotel, car wash to clean the completely dirty bikes from the dusty, muddy roads we were on, called home, went to dinner, and back to the hotel.
tomorrow we head to saskatoon or further depending.
ps first i need to extend my deepest condolences to joyce, her husband tommy who is janes cousin, passed away the other day. he was only diagnosed a few weeks ago after having pains in his stomach with stage 4 pancreatic cancer. he was a great guy and i am truly overwhelmed. that is why i need to take these rides.you never know when your number is up. if you dont do the things you love while you can you never will. remember, you are here for only a split second but youre dead forever.
all i can say is the riding has been great. yes the roads have been under construction and muddy and gravelly and twisty and hilly and a bit scary with a herd of bison in your way and bears and goats and deer and they are just perfect. they are in the yukon and british columbia. i wouldnt change a thing except i wish all of you were here doing this with us. im sure tommy wishes he was. dont wait to do tomorrow what you could do today. you may not have a tomorrow. say hello to sal for me tommy...
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| made it to toad river after mountain goat encounter |
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| mountain goats. not the ones i encountered. |
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| toad river |
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| approaching way station |
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| valley |
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| black bear |
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| hay fields |
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| reached dawson creek, BC |
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| fields of yellow flowers |
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| approaching grand prairie where we stayed tonight |
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