Towed

7/31/07 continued
Well, since the first towing companyt fell through, the second one did
much better. Stan showed up right at 6 PM like they said he would and
we got loaded and on the way in about 1/2 hour. That still wouldn't
give us enough time to get to the dealer by 7 though so I knew I was
stuck for the night. Stan and I talked about deer hunting, volcanoes,
durg abuse, etc all the 55 miles back to the interstate and then the
12 miles south to Longview, WA. When we pulled into town, he drove by
the dealer I was going to just to see if anyone was there but it was
dark so no go. The boss, Jerry, was there when we pulled in. He lives
close to the shop and he offered to let me sleep in his motorhome that
he keeps there. He also suggested that I just see if they'll sell me
the part and I can install it at his shop. He even had some
suggestions on how to get the part here from Portland if they have to
order it. It seems like I should have some options for tomorrow
morning but we'll see then.
For now, I'm at a local bar sipping a brew and having a chicken sandwich.

--
============
Todd Ryan; Hudson, MA
Westborough HS Science Teacher
MSF RiderCoach

Stranded

7/31/07
Well, it was a great start. I got up about 6, got cleaned up and
packed, and made it to the KOA breakfast again.
I headed out by 7:30 for Mt. Rainier. I started going the way the guy
at the KOA suggested but then I found out that the road would be
closed after the vc and I would have to ride a long way back the same
direction to get back to the interstate. I learned this at a US
Forest Service ranger station in Enumclaw so I turned and started
heading out. On the way out, I found an alternate ranger station with
a passport stamp so I headed there. It was a twisty road that was
paved and in good shape. It was like being enveloped in conifer trees
as they grew right up to the road. On the way to the Copper River
Ranger station there was a sign saying that entrance was closed! As I
was only 8 miles away, I took the chance and headed for it. The road
into the park was closed but the Ranger Station was open and they had
my stamp. I got it and headed for Mt. St. Helens.
I found my way to the interstate and pulled over at a rest stop. I
called Ruth and she told me the AMA GPS point was at the Johnson Ridge
vc so I decided to go there. It was 54 miles from the interstate but
it was a great ride. The day was clear and bright and riding the road
was awesome. It had huge sweeping curves and a gorgeous vista so I
enjoyed the trip out but I was hearing my chain act up again. I
decided to tighten the chain again in the vc parking lot. I did but
when I went to retighten the axle nut, it simply spun on the bolt! I
took it off and realized it was stripped!!! I tried my cellphone and
had no signal. Here I am, 54 miles down a dead end road and I'm
stuck!
I walked to the vc and found a payphone. I called the Allstate RV
Roadhelp and they found someone that said they could get here in 2-3
hrs and gave me the name of the shop they'd take me to. I called the
shop and made arrangements to get the axle.
I make this seem easy but it wasn't. The payphone did not allow me to
call without a calling card so I actually had to call Ruth collect
after getting the towing set up and have her call the tow company to
find out where they were taking the bike, then she called the bike
shop to tell them what was wrong with it. She then called me back (on
the vc phone because the payphone wouldn't accept calls) to relay the
information to me.
The problem was that at the end of 2.5hrs, I called Ruth to find out
when the tow truck would be here and they hadn't left yet. They were
still 3-4 hrs out.
I called back RV Roadhelp and another person found another tow company
that could get here quicker AND get the bike to a closer dealer that
was in the right direction but it would certainly be closed by the
time I get there. They're going to hold the bike for my until morning
and then drop it off for me at the dealer.
Right now, I'm sitting in the vc awaiting the tow truck. Hopefully,
they'll show up by 6 PM as stated because that is when the visitor
center closes. Well, if nothing else, I'm camping in the vc parking
lot tonight.
I'll let you know......

--
============
Todd Ryan; Hudson, MA
Westborough HS Science Teacher
MSF RiderCoach

The Timeclock Begins...

7/30/07
Today will be the start of my 4 Corners Ride. I'll have 21 days to
finish it (well, I really have 22 because it will be tomorrow's
postmark). I simply have to get back to Blaine and mail my gas
receipt at their post office at 5 PM. So, I've got some time to kill.
I started by showering and doing laundry. I then had a KOA breakfast
of "all you can eat" pancakes for three dollars. Then, I left for
Seattle and the Klondike Gold Rush Museum. That was in downtown
Seattle and I hate their traffic. At least as a motorcycle, I can
take the HOV lanes and make it simpler. I found the place (with the
help of the GPS) and got my NPS stamp. After seeing the museum, I
then headed north toward Blaine. I got off in Lynwood to find a
library and gas. I also got a haircut there. The library didn't
allow me to upload photos so I've still not done that.
I then got the final AMA Tom Tom site in Seattle and another road on
the AMA Roads tour.
Then, I found a bank to exchange my Canadian Currency for American and
a WalMart so I could change the oil in the motorcycle.
I did learn something about changing oil at WalMart. They do take the
used oil back but don't tell them you changed it while you were in
their parking lot; they get sore about that. I also forgot to put the
cap back on the motorcycle where the oil goes in and when I started
the bike, it spewed out a stream much like a whale spout. I had oil
all on the side of the bike and on the 'stich's leg. I wiped up what
I could and turned north.
All this took until about 1 PM. It was an hour to Blaine so I decided
to wash the 'stich while waiting for the postoffice to get the mail
the last time. In the laundry I met another biker and we chatted
about my ride and rides he's done. He's heading to Sturgis tomorrow.
Unfortunately, the dryer broke one of my zipper pulls on the left cuff
of the 'stich so I've got to find a key chain to replace the pull
sometime. Perhaps tomorrow at Mt. St. Helens...
I mailed my letter right after the man emptied the outside mailbox.
He asked if he could take it for me but I told him I wanted it to be
postmarked tomorrow so he went on. I then got on the bike and rode
the 2 hours back to the KOA. They told me to expect about 1.5 hours
to Mt. Ranier so I should pull out of here about 7:30.

--
============
Todd Ryan; Hudson, MA
Westborough HS Science Teacher
MSF RiderCoach

The Timeclock Begins...

7/30/07
Today will be the start of my 4 Corners Ride. I'll have 21 days to
finish it (well, I really have 22 because it will be tomorrow's
postmark). I simply have to get back to Blaine and mail my gas
receipt at their post office at 5 PM. So, I've got some time to kill.
I started by showering and doing laundry. I then had a KOA breakfast
of "all you can eat" pancakes for three dollars. Then, I left for
Seattle and the Klondike Gold Rush Museum. That was in downtown
Seattle and I hate their traffic. At least as a motorcycle, I can
take the HOV lanes and make it simpler. I found the place (with the
help of the GPS) and got my NPS stamp. After seeing the museum, I
then headed north toward Blaine. I got off in Lynwood to find a
library and gas. I also got a haircut there. The library didn't
allow me to upload photos so I've still not done that.
I then got the final AMA Tom Tom site in Seattle and another road on
the AMA Roads tour.
Then, I found a bank to exchange my Canadian Currency for American and
a WalMart so I could change the oil in the motorcycle.
I did learn something about changing oil at WalMart. They do take the
used oil back but don't tell them you changed it while you were in
their parking lot; they get sore about that. I also forgot to put the
cap back on the motorcycle where the oil goes in and when I started
the bike, it spewed out a stream much like a whale spout. I had oil
all on the side of the bike and on the 'stich's leg. I wiped up what
I could and turned north.
All this took until about 1 PM. It was an hour to Blaine so I decided
to wash the 'stich while waiting for the postoffice to get the mail
the last time. In the laundry I met another biker and we chatted
about my ride and rides he's done. He's heading to Sturgis tomorrow.
Unfortunately, the dryer broke one of my zipper pulls on the left cuff
of the 'stich so I've got to find a key chain to replace the pull
sometime. Perhaps tomorrow at Mt. St. Helens...
I mailed my letter right after the man emptied the outside mailbox.
He asked if he could take it for me but I told him I wanted it to be
postmarked tomorrow so he went on. I then got on the bike and rode
the 2 hours back to the KOA. They told me to expect about 1.5 hours
to Mt. Ranier so I should pull out of here about 7:30.

--
============
Todd Ryan; Hudson, MA
Westborough HS Science Teacher
MSF RiderCoach

Sleeping in Seattle...

7/29/07 continued
It was about an hour wait at the border. I, of course, picked the
slowest line and the line that people going to the duty-free shop
would add to. When it was my turn, they only asked where I'm from and
why I was in Canada. Two questions, 20 seconds. Well, that was easy.
I then headed toward Blaine. It was spitting to raining and on the
way, I found a KOA to get a photo of.
In Blaine, I took a picture at the post office, and then got gas at
the Chevron so I had a gas receipt to mail in. Since the date of the
gas receipt doesn't matter, I decided to make certain I had it today.
I also checked to see when to mail my letter and I need to send it
after 5 PM so it will have a Tuesday postmark.
I then turned south toward Seattle to do some other bonus hunting.
For the AMA Roads tour, I got Interstate 5 and Rte 20 in Washington,
for the AMA Tom Tom I went to the Deception Bay Bridge, the Space
Needle in Seattle, and Jimmy Hendrix's grave in Reston, WA.
Let me just say here and now that driving in Seattle is as bad as
driving in Boston. Perhaps I should just realize I HATE driving in
cities on a bike. They go too fast, they don't make signs large
enough or early enough for me.
From the Hendrix grave, I called Ruth and she gave me the address of
the KOA in South Seattle. I think this will work well for tomorrow as
I can leave the tent set up and spend two nights here. I can pack in
the AM, go to a library to post photos, ride to Blaine, exchange my
Canadian currency for US stuff and then patiently wait for the post
office. After dropping off the envelope, I can drive through Seattle
again with the traffic slightly reduced and then be south of the city
for the start of the 4 Corners tour on Tuesday.
Wednesday I'm heading to Mt. Ranier and Mt. St. Helens before cutting
over to the coast. I'm going to ride the Pacific Coast Hwy all the
way from Astoria to San Francisco. I really hope that doing this
doesn't take so much time that I can't get the 4 Corners tour done.
Only time will tell...

--
============
Todd Ryan; Hudson, MA
Westborough HS Science Teacher
MSF RiderCoach

Back to the USA

7/29/07
Well, yesterday I spoke with Dave Johnson from the 4 Corner's ride and
he said they use the postmarks for the starting and ending time. He
doesn't really pay attention to the dates on the gas receipts. He
said no one has ever presented this problem before; starting on a
Monday means you only have 20 days to finish because you can't get a
postmark on the final Sunday, SO, I'm going to start late on Monday.
The 4 Corners ride has different requirements than an Iron Butt Assoc
ride. I've got to go to the appropriate town, get a photo of me in
front of something that identifies the town (Post Office, Police
Station, Fire Station, etc) and get a phone number from one of the
local establishments. The phone number, and a gas receipt, are sent
in an envelope from the post office in that city. The photos I'll
have to print out when I return to send in then.
If I start the ride late enough on Monday, it will get a Tuesday
postmark and I can then ride with Ruth for the final leg from Hudson
to Madawaska and have a Monday postmark on it.
The tent was dry when I awoke. Actually, it was the 3rd or 4th time I
awoke because the campground is appropriately named the "whistlestop".
I had trains go about 30 yards from my tent multiple times during the
night and they hit the whistle at an intersection about 1 km away
(loud enough to wake me). In addition, the TransCanada is only 100 m
on the other side so really, the campground is scenic and noisy. It
was still nice but I think I'd find somewhere else to stay next time.
I've already packed and gotten to Abbotsford, about a 90 km drive.
This was the turnoff to the USA border and I found a final Canadian
Tim Horton's for breakfast. I've become fond of their everything
bagel with herb and garlic cream cheese for breakfast.
Its spitting outside now. I guess I'll go pack up and head back to the USA!!!

--
============
Todd Ryan; Hudson, MA
Westborough HS Science Teacher
MSF RiderCoach

Vanderhoof to Hope, BC

7/28/07
I'd thought today would be the day I got out of Canada but I didn't
quite make it. I had a good ride but some roads were slower than I
thought they might be.
To my surprise, I had cellphone reception when I awoke. I didn't last
night but I didn't ask questions, I called Ruth. It was great to hear
her voice.
The sky was clouded as I left. There was a Tim Horton's about 2
blocks from the motel so I had breakfast there. I then got on the
road about 8 AM.
I saw one bear alongside the road on the ride to Prince George. In
Prince George I saw a Canadian Tire where I could get WD40 to clean my
chain and just do some other shopping.
As I was leaving Prince George, the two guys I'd met on the Cassiar
yesterday pulled onto the road with a third bike. We rode together
for about 50 km but they wanted to go faster than me today so I fell
back and rode alone.
In Williams Lake I was able to check email at the vc and headed south.
The road got really interesting from Cache Creek to Hope. Rte 97
there is called Ranchlands and Rivers. It starts being much like the
American west; sagebrush and pretty steep hills. It then turned into
the Fraser Valley with the Fraser River running through it. The
canyon I was in blocked cell phone reception but it was fun to ride
in. The walls were fairly steep, you got glimpses of the river and
there were tunnels. The traffic moved briskly until I got behind an
18 wheeler with a trailer. He made good time on the downhill stuff
but the uphill he slowed way down and I couldn't find a place to pass
with the traffic.
I finally got out of the canyon in Hope, BC and then found a
campground. I set the tent up, called Ruth and then went to a nearby
café for dinner.
On my way here, I noticed the chain making the same sound it did
before I left on the trip. That sound meant I needed a new chain and
I guess because of the gravel, it may mean it again now. I'm going to
give it a good cleaning tomorrow and if it doesn't improve, swap the
chain on Monday. I've got a spare and the chain tool (thanks to the
wisdom of the MTF folks!!) but, I just realized, I'm not certain that
I have the correct wrenches for this. I may have to stop at a
Canadian Tire or Sears to get a couple sockets.

--
============
Todd Ryan; Hudson, MA
Westborough HS Science Teacher
MSF RiderCoach

Dease Lake to Vanderhoof

7/27/07
When I got up, the sky was overcast and everything was wet from the
rain. I knew I had to pack it all up and get on the road. I hoped to
make it to Prince George, 600 miles away today. That was ambitious
considering the conditions.
As I pulled out of the campground, there was a little pavement so I
put the bike on the centerstand and lubed and adjusted the chain. It
really needs a good cleaning but it would be wasted time now as the
road ahead is still all gravel and, according to a guy from last
night, the road ahead is worse.
I reached the first construction zone in about 10 minutes. The
flagperson had just let folks through but she told me is was EXTREMELY
slippery. She was right. I was last in the line and I had an 18
wheeler ahead of me, then two pickups and then two other adventure
motorcycles. The 18 wheeler waved me around him (he was going VERY
slow) and, after the construction, the two trucks passed the bikes. I
rode with the two of them for 1/2 hr to the next construction and then
I introduced myself while we waited for the pilot car. They were from
MI and (sorry, I'm sure I've forgotten one guy's name) were Nick and
Hugo (?). They'd gone to Prudhoe and were heading home through CO and
AZ. I figured I'd follow them to Prince George but as soon as the
construction was over, they pulled in to get gas and I wanted to get
going so we parted.
The day alternated between cloudy, partly cloudy, and rainy. The
construction zone with the two other guys was the last significant one
and the road changed to mostly paved before long. I was able to make
90-100 kph the rest of the length of the Cassiar Hwy.
I did see three bears at three different times during the day. The
first was a bear crossing the road at a distance. It was just below
the crest of a hill and, while I hadn't seen much traffic, I knew that
was a dangerous place for a bear to amble across a road. Fortunately,
the car coming was cautious and slowed and only made the bear hurry a
little.
The second bear was eating clover on a steep embankment about 10 m
from the road. I got a couple of good photos of him.
The third bear was just a glimpse of a bear on the side of the road.
I also spied a coyote hunting alongside the road and tried to
photograph him/her but s/he hid well in the long grass. He caught
something but s/he also ate it in one gulp.
Last bit of excitement was a hawk that tried to hit me. It dove off a
tree and was on a collision course with me as it was crossing the
road. I ducked or it would have him my helmet.
The remainder of the ride was just a nice cruise. I had hoped to get
to Prince George but about 90 km from it I was getting tired so I
stopped in Vanderhoof. On the way into town I saw the biggest sawmill
I ever saw in my life. They had at least 30 stacks of logs (about 50
logs/stack) waiting to be sawn and then they had so many piles of
lumber of all sizes that I couldn't believe how much was there. I
rode through the town and decided on a nice motel (I deserved a room
tonite) at the Sunset Motel. It was clean and comfortable. I then
went to wash my bike at a truck wash and fill up before calling Ruth.
The truck was took either loonies ($1 coins) or toonies ($2 coins).
Perhaps this would be the last CaCl2 I get on the bike from the gravel
roads. I didn't get it all off but I got the top layer off.
I called Ruth and then went to bed.

--
============
Todd Ryan; Hudson, MA
Westborough HS Science Teacher
MSF RiderCoach

Whitehorse - Cassiar Hwy

7/26/07
I set the alarm on my Screamin Meanie to get me up at 6 but I was
already up anyway. I quickly packed and waited a couple minutes for
the gate of the campground to open. When it did, I got to the Tim
Horton's but found a long line. I got in the queue and chatted with
the woman behind me about my trip.
When I was finished, I asked the 5 RCMP (Royal Canadian Mounted
Police) about headlight modulators. I had to show them what they were
but they then said they were ok to use in Canada. It didn't escape my
notice that there were lots of police at the donut shop...
I then headed south on the Alaskan Hwy. I'd ridden this route to
Whitehorse at the end of June and needed my Gerbings because of the
cold and today it was the same. The only difference was that it
wasn't raining so it wasn't as bad. It was overcast though.
The road was good and wide. I spied a black bear on the side of the
road and thought to myself, its a cloudy day, the critters will be out
more than yesterday. In about an hour, I spied another black bear
that ignored me enough that I could get some photos.
About 1:30 I approached the turnoff to the Cassiar. There was a sign
saying to check fuel as there was no gas until Lake Dease and I was
low. The two stations in town were OUT of gas so I had to go into
Watson Lake to get gas but its only 13 miles so no big deal. I then
returned to Sally's Diner and met some bikers having lunch. Two were
going north but Lamont was heading my direction. He was riding a
Suzuki that he had LOADED with bags, tent, milk crate, etc but he
really made that thing move. About 10 miles down the road, we ran
into construction. The flag person (woman) warned us about how
slippery the road was. She said it had washed out and was needing
lots of repair and there was a light loose layer on top of the road.
Lamont had knobby tires and went before me but he was sliding so I was
alerted to the road. I almost lost it a couple times as it was 100
times slipperier than the road to Eagle yesterday (which was already
an 8 on the slippery scale). After we got through that, we continued
south. Lamont and the truck were riding much faster than I wanted to
go so I set the cruise on 80 kph and just cruised.
At first, the Cassiar is a rougher road; the surface is rougher, there
are stretches of intermittent gravel and the sides are not as well
maintained so the animals will be closer when you see them.
Then, you read a mountainous area. Here the road is a bit wider and
there is more room but the road got rougher with even more gravel and
pot holes.
I noticed a couple of bikes ahead stopped so I slowed. It was Lamont
and another guy that saw some Dall Sheep on the side of the road. We
had 3 ewes, 2 lambs and 2 rams running around there. I got some
photos and continued on. Another sheep ran across the road in front
of me.
I came across one of the few "towns" here; Jade City. THis is really
just a couple of stores that sell BC Jade mined in this area. They
had jade jewelry and carvings that were interesting and a huge jade
saw out front cutting stone. As I left here, it started raining.
A few miles down the road another car was stopped. I again slowed and
this time it was for a fox. It was elusive and didn't allow me to
take a picture.
Nothing more happened as I approached Dease Lake. I filled up with
gas and got some fruit for the morning. While I was inside, it
stopped raining and cleared. I then got a chicken sandwich at a bar.
The cooks birthday was today so they had a cake and sang to him. I
also chatted with some locals about bikes and my trip. They are
either always interested or just very polite. I then headed the 6
miles to the Tanzilla Lions campground to set up my tent. While
setting up the tent, a dog came up and stole my bag of tent stakes but
I was able to distract him long enough that he dropped them and I
could get them back. I built a campfire and was going to write, but
it started raining and thundering again so it sent me to the tent
early.

--
============
Todd Ryan; Hudson, MA
Westborough HS Science Teacher
MSF RiderCoach

Dawson City to Whitehorse, YT

7/25/07
I awoke to a partly cloudy sky. That's an improvement to what I've
been seeing. I leisurely packed camp and the bike.
As a side note, the shop towels that I bought are a very handy item
during the trip. I've used them to to clean my chain, wipe down the
bike, wipe the tent and groundcloth dry and Ruth used them for washing
her face. I've got to remember to put them on my camping list.
This was the last time I'll be using the ferry over the Yukon. It was
a good crossing.
Not really too much involved in the traveling today. I simply got on
the Klondike Hwy and headed south toward Whitehorse. I decided that
Whitehorse was the place to go because they have a Tim Horton's and I
liked their bagels.
The day was absolutely gorgeous. It was a bright blue sky with almost
no clouds. It was warm enough that I removed my jacket and rode with
just a t-shirt under the 'stich. I also made great time as the road
was fairly empty and good. The only issue was a bit of road
construction. At the only pilot car stop of the day, I was
chattingwith the flag lady and she said that they had noticed the
ravens being very noisy and when they went to investigate, they'd
found a roadkill moose. The moose had attracted a grizzly and the
ravens were following the bear. They moved her away from that spot
then.
At another construction site, I finally got to experience what Tim Yow
told me about; gravel berms. A truck will lay down fresh gravel and a
grader comes behind it to smooth it. When you come upon the grader,
its going slow so you're going to pass it but to cross lanes, you've
got a 2 foot wide PILE of gravel that is loose and treacherous. The
safest thing is swing wide right, get as close to 90 degrees as
possible, and go for it!
In Carmacks, I got off at the historic site to have an apple and while
I was there, two bald eagles flew over us.
As I got close to Whitehorse, I looked in the Milepost for a place to
stay. I found a hostel and decided to have my first hostel experience
solo. Unfortunately, they were full and suggested I go to the other
one in town. It was also full but they suggested a nearby campground.
It was on the river and near downtown and is called the Robert
Service campground. I knew of Robert Service already because he was
the poet they were reading at the Ester Gold Camp. The sites were
wooded and it was mostyly only foot traffic into the camp. They also
had a little store and showers so it was a great choice. The cost was
only $16. I set up camp and got directions to the library so I could
email Ruth. I even reached her on the pay phone. I then ate at a
Boston Pizza (nothing really Boston-like there; I couldn't even get
the Red Sox game on the TV) and then headed back to the camp. I got
to bed about 10:30 and yes, it was still light out.

--
============
Todd Ryan; Hudson, MA
Westborough HS Science Teacher
MSF RiderCoach

finally, back in the USA

I haven't had any cell phone coverage for about a week as I left AK
and traveled through Canada. Tonite I'm in Seattle but I'm going to
post the blogs that I didn't get posted before. Tomorrow I hope I can
upload some photos ...

--
============
Todd Ryan; Hudson, MA
Westborough HS Science Teacher
MSF RiderCoach

Chicken - Eagle - Dawson City

7/24/07
It was a clear sky when I awoke at 5:30 AM. I knew the Chicken Café didn't open until 7 AM so I was going to just have my coffee and wait for them to open. The skies then grew dark in about 10 minutes time so I knew that I had to tear down camp wet. I got it all put away as the café was opening. I went in, had a sandwich and got on the road by 8 AM.
In the café they told me the road to Eagle had LOTS of construction but I decided to go there anyway. I had quite a bit of extra time because Ruth and I figured out that if I start the 4 Corners on Monday, July 30, she would be able to ride the end of it with me. Even if I get to the lower 48 early, I'll just putz around Washington until Monday AM to start the 4C ride.
I gassed up at Chicken and chatted with the gas station owner about the road to Eagle. He told me to be careful; that because of the rain, the shoulders were soft and they had to pull a car out last night that slipped into a ditch. I also met a couple that lives in their RV full time. They've been doing this for 2 years and they were heading to Eagle today. Good, there is someone else on the road with me.
It started raining on me almost as soon as I left. I rode to where the road splits (either Eagle or Canada and Dawson City) and headed north. It was nearly exactly like the start Ruth and I had on the Dalton Hwy, foggy, wet, gravel, and cold. What little scenery I could see I knew was great but I could only see about 100 yds ahead of me.
I came around a bend and saw movement in the road. As I neared, I saw it was 6 caribou. I tried to get close but they were very skittish and ran every time I approached. They finally climbed a very steep embankment to get into the woods and elude me.
It was 100 miles from Chicken to Eagle and I'd gone about 60 of it in 1.5 hours but then I hit the construction area. I had to wait about 20 minutes for a pilot vehicle and that truck drove too slow for me to easily maintain momentum. It was hard following him the 16 or so miles through the construction but finally he let me go on.
Eight miles from Eagle I saw more motion in the road. This time it was a lone gray wolf. I quickly stopped but it also darted away. No one wanted their photos taken today.
Eagle is fairly small but it had electricity and indoor plumbing, something Chicken didn't have. I rode through the downtown and found the National Park Visitor Center for the Yukon-Charley Rivers National Park and went inside. I got my Passport book stamped and asked if they had a video about the park. They were thrilled to get it out and start it up for me. I watched the movie and then returned to the main lobby. There I met the couple from Chicken again and another person who wanted to know about my trip. We all chatted for a bit and then I packed up and left. I got gas before leaving and headed back the only road to Eagle (65 miles back the way I came).
When I got to the construction zone, there was one VW camper there and they told me it would be about 0.5 hour until the pilot car showed up. At least the drizzle had ended although it was still cloudy. I ate an apple that I'd bought in Eagle. That time passed and then the pilot vehicle showed up but the driver didn't want to leave yet because of some trucks that were coming so we waited another 25 minutes for the trucks to come and turn around. At that time, they got word that a tour bus was about 8 miles away and they wanted to wait for it. Another 20 minutes passed. I'd now been waiting for over an hour and 15 minutes to cross this construction. They pilot vehicle took off. He was driving about 15 mph, WAY too slow for me maintain balance in mud easily. I slipped numerous times and one time, I was in thick mud and was riding sideways trying to maintain momentum.
As we exited the construction zone, I saw the lead vehicle for the tour bus reach over and give something to the flagperson. I assume they tipped them for waiting for them on the other end. I guess you've got to buy your way through Alaska construction zones...
As soon as I could, I passed the VW and then rode about 40-45 the rest of the way out. The weather cleared shortly after leaving the construction and the skies even became blue. I did see two more caribou on the road also; a doe and her calf.

If you're keeping track, I've now ridden 165 miles of gravel so far today. I turned toward Dawson City and the "Top of the World Hwy". It was still a gravel road to the border but the sky was blue and I was riding the tops of mountains. There were deep valleys all around me.
At the border, the guard told me he'd seen over 300 caribou in the last day because they're getting ready to migrate. In Canada, the road switched to paved for awhile and I was cruising at 70 kph along the tops of mountains. What an awesome ride!!! The road then became gravel with paved areas so I'd estimate that all together today, I rode over 200 miles of gravel, most of it wet, slippery and gooey. It was all over the bike.
As I approached Dawson, I found a Yukon Territory government campground for $12 (for awhile, all prices will be in Canadian $) so I set up camp to let me stuff dry while I got a bit to eat.
Around the bend from the campground is the Yukon River. They don't have a bridge going over it, I had to take a ferry. I found a restaurant named Sourdough Joe's and stopped. There was a Ural w/ a sidecar there and the guy and I chatted for awhile. He'd just finished eating and I'd just ordered so it was perfect timing. Another guy on a BMW dakar came up and we all talked about our trips. They told me where a power washer was in town so I could get some of the stuff off the bike and I did this right after dinner. I then got back on the ferry and returned to my campsite. The tent was dry so I cleaned the bike's chain, lubed it up well, and then sat down to write this blog. I'm quite tired after all the gravel and mud today so I'm hitting the hay soon. It was a good day but I really with Ruth was still with me....

Leaving AK

7/25/07
Today I'm leaving Alaska. This is with very mixed feelings as I've had a great time here but am also looking forward to being back in the lower 48 and doing the 4 corners ride. Well, here goes....

Chicken, AK

7/23/07
It was raining when I awoke. Ruth had already called telling me she was on the plane from Dallas to Boston. I started getting my things out of the trailer and setting it around my bike so I could pack it all. Roger came out and was on his way to haul mud for someone (it would really be topsoil but in the rain, its mud). I packed and hit the road by 8:30 AM. It was raining for most of the ride across to Glenallen. About 30 miles from there, the sun broke out and the weather improved but there were still gray clouds following me. I filled up with gas and went to the visitor center so I could see what the road to Chicken was like. They knew of no construction so that was on my plans for the evening.
The weather was clear and I headed toward Tok. I saw one ptarmigan along the road but no other wildlife.
In Tok, I ate a halibut burger at Fast Eddie's and called Ruth. I think the bluetooth headset was a great addition to the trip. Its great to be able to eat and have a conversation with her while I'm eating. Of course, the waitress thinks its a little weird that I'm talking to myself.
At Fast Eddie's the waitress told me that the Taylor Hwy was closing from 7 PM to 7 AM between Chicken and the border. I knew that meant I could get to Chicken and spend the night.


The ride to Chicken was interesting. There had been a fire a few years ago so all the spruce were burned but were still standing. There was brush there so its been about 3-4 years since the fire.
There was also signs identifying that this was the part of the area that the world's largest caribou herd migrates through. They weren't here at this time though.
I could also see rain ahead in a number of places. I was lucky and missed it most of the time but about 8 miles from Chicken, I hit a hard rain. The road also stopped shortly after that and I had a slippery gravel/dirt ride to Chicken. My first stop in Chicken was the Saloon. It had lots of business cards and hats hanging from the ceiling. I only spent a moment there and then went to the gift shop. On the dorr to the gift shop it says that Chicken is home to about 15 people but in the summer it swells to 30. The town was named for the state bird, the ptarmigan but no one could spell ptarmigan so they called it Chicken. The children do correspondence work with the schools. I bought something for my daughters there Chicken (including a magnet for Ruth's mom). I also asked what my options for camping were and the lady at the gift shop told me I had three; two RV spots or I could just throw the camp next to the parking lot there. I opted for the third option since I had everything I needed for the night. I had a sandwich in the Chicken diner and this is where I am right now.


It appears that they hire college students to work in Chicken during the summer. The 5 of them are sitting here in the diner chatting with each other and just enjoying themselves.

New photos added to pbase

http://www.pbase.com/drtryan/alaska__4_corners

Ruth just uploaded all the pictures from her camera to pbase.... she'll do the 2 gig card from Todd's camera after she buys a card reader tomorrow...

Travel Day

7/22/07
Today is one of those lllooooonnnnnggggg travel days. Ruth's flight
is at 10 PM yet we've got to be in Anchorage at 8 AM to return her
motorcycle. This means we've got lots of downtime.
It rained most of the night and was still doing so as we left. It
stopped just as we entered Anchorage and we made it to AK Rider by
7:45. I removed the seat Don Kime has loaned us and then disconnected
the cables from the battery that ran Ruth's electric jacket. She'd
had two issues with the bike; the stock Kawasaki luggage is HORRIBLE
(the zippers began pulling apart on day #1 and wouldn't hold anything)
and she'd lost a bolt to the left handguard on the Dalton Hwy
somewhere. The bike was great, they treated us well, we were happy
with AK Rider.
After turning the bike in, we went for a late breakfast. We ate at a
50's style diner with the staff in costume. The food was good.
We next went to a downtown marketplace to kill the morning. It was
interesting as there were lots of crafts (both native and people
copying native styles), foods, and entertainment. It rained heavily
during the time we were there and we'd stop in a booth under the tent
and chat with the seller. We met a lady from Austin making her own
beads for bead jewelry (Ruth is into that) and a guy (auroradude) that
photographs auroras. He and I chatted for awhile as I could recognize
constellations in his photos and we'd talk about the colors,
electrons, animals in the photos, etc. He was interesting.
We left because I had an appointment with Barb at Alaska Leather to
get new tires on my bike for the trip home. She made way for me to
pull my bike into a covered space to pull the wheels and we put new
Tourances on it. While we were there, Ruth decided that I needed a
Holstein pattern sheepskin for the wheeStrom. Barb also let us check
email, chatted with Ruth (Barb is a German native so they spoke in
German some too) and was just quite accomodating.
After this, we went back downtown to see an aurora show but because we
were a bit early for it, we had another reindeer sausage and Ruth's
first funnel cake. I think she's now hooked to fried dough!
The aurora show was only ok. It was a slide show that described how
auroras are made for about 5 minutes and then had 30 minutes of aurora
photos with new age music in the background. That, and the dark room,
made staying awake a challenge for both Ruth and I. When this was
over, we went for a coffee and then rode to the airport to wait the
final 3 hours for her to leave. We just sat and chatted and had a
bite to eat and because of the size of the line, she went into the
passenger area about 9 PM.
Ruth teased me lots of being sad she is leaving but she is also sad to
leave Alaska. Its been a wonderful two weeks and we've had a great
taste of what it has to offer. We've decided that we've got to return
in the winter to see the auroras (from AK) firsthand and see what a
day is like with so many hours of darkness and a few hours of
twilight...

--
============
Todd Ryan; Hudson, MA
Westborough HS Science Teacher
MSF RiderCoach

Homer to Wasilla

7/21/07
We woke early and went to Duncan's for breakfast. This was one of our
favorite eating places in Alaska with a very friendly atmosphere and
great coffee. We then returned to the hostel and finished packing and
loading the bikes. We said our goodbyes (Casey, Robin, Billy, Layton)
and then turned toward Anchorage. The sky was clear and we could
actually see across the inlet and see the mountains that we knew were
there. We stopped at a scenic view for the mandatory photo.

We had a bald eagle fly past us and land in a pine tree. Ruth said
that it then dove off the tree but I was past it by that time.
It was surprising to us the amount of traffic we saw going in the
opposite direction. We were hoping for a leisurely ride to Anchorage
and we had to pay close attnetion to the volume of traffic.
We took a break at a café near the Hope Junction and saw about 100
motorcycles there. We'd seen lots of small groups of bikes but not a
large group. This looked like some type of run.

We turned north on the Seward Hwy and saw police with a bashed
motorcycle and Ruth saw a truck with a flat tire. We found out later
that the bikes swerved to avoid a black bear and it had wiped out
three bikes. The bikers were taken to the hospital but he said they
weren't hurt badly.
Ruth and I tried to go to the Double Musky restaurant in Girdwood but
it wasn't open. We pressed north to Anchorage.
We did see some traffic stopped and saw two Mountain Goats on the
rocks above it. They were our only Mountain Goats of the trip.
When we arrived in Anchorage, we went to the library so I could post
photos of the Brooks Falls trip.
We then headed toward Wasilla. Ruth saw another bald eagle on the
road from Anchorage to Wasilla. I stopped at a Lowe's to get more dry
lube for the bike chain.
In Wasilla, we stopped at Evangelo's restaurant for dinner. Ruth
NEEDED another salmon dinner before heading home so she had a smoked
salmon fettucini which she loved. I can tell that she is ready to
return to work as she stared at the window treatments in the
restaurant. It turns out they are all from JCPenney and she said the
entire restaurant would have been a $15000 order. No wonder that the
guy in the Anchorage JCPenney is #3 in the company.
We got to the Bliss' house about 7:30 PM. Mary Ellen was there with
Rocky but Roger was out working. They'd planned on going to a biker
gathering but it started to rain just as Roger got home and they
changed their mind about going. We sat on the porch and chatted for
quite awhile and finally said our good nights and goodbyes about 11
PM.
Mary Ellen and Roger were EXTREMELY gracious hosts allowing us to
shower, do some laundry and bike maintenance. Roger's Suggested Tour
of Alaska webpage was a great list and we didn't regret doing any of
the things on it.

--
============
Todd Ryan; Hudson, MA
Westborough HS Science Teacher
MSF RiderCoach

Photos at Brooks Camp; Grizzlies

We can't BEAR the excitement!!

7/20/07
We awoke early so we could get ready for the flight to Katmai to see
the Grizzly. We arrived at Bald Mtn Air at 8:30 AM and had an hour
orientation on what we were going to see. There were 16 of us going
on two planes; a beaver and an otter. We were on the otter which held
10 people.
The trip there was mild. There was little wind and the ocean was
calm. Mt. Augustine was putting out steam and we were hoping there
would be no eruption.
There are two landing sites at Brooks Camp at Katmai; a lake, which is
near the visitor center / lodge, and a beaver pond. The beaver pond
is the preferred landing site because there is a bridge between the
National Park Visitor Center that sometimes has "bear jams" on it. A
bear jam is caused when a bear comes down the river and the bridge is
closed. Its closed because they try to keep people at least 50 yards
from the bears and if one is near the bridge, its closed. If we land
on the beaver pond, we have access to the BEST viewing areas without
having to worry about the bear jams. Unfortunately for us, we had to
land on the lake near the vc. I didn't actually mind because that
meant I was definitely going to get my NPS stamp for Katmai from
Brooks Camp.
As soon as we landed we spotted a bear about 500 yards down the
lakefront. We were excited about our adventure. Prior to visiting
the falls, we were required to attend a NPS presentation on bear
etiquette and then we had an early snack. We were told to meet at
3:30 PM so off we went. WIthin the first 20 yards, we spied a bear on
the beach which paralleled our path. We walked in its direction. It
was a sow with two cubs. We were initially the required 50 yds away
but it then turned and walked towards us. Ruth and I moved back but
another guy stood his ground and snapped pictures. The cubs started
running right at him and he just sat there. They ended up about 5
yards from him and he just took photos. He is sooooooo lucky that the
mother didn't decide he was a threat.
We then continued on toward the bridge. As we approached the corner,
we saw a bear bouncing in a tree about 30 yards to our left. A ranger
was approaching from the bridge telling us to get back. We obliged
and she suggested a back trail that would allow us to get to and cross
the bridge. About 7 of us took off for it but, as we popped up near
the bridge, the sow and two cubs had come too close and that had
closed the bridge. We had to return to the original spot and wait
again!!
The bears meandered into the marsh and milled around about. They
moved on in about 15 minutes so they reopened the bridge. We wasted
no time crossing and heading toward the falls.
The upper falls has a limit of 40 people on the viewing platform and a
time limit of 1 hour. We were put on a list to visit the upper falls
but while we waited we were allowed to visit the riffles platform.
There is really little point to me trying to describe the next 2.5
hours. We saw upwards of 16 bears at a time fishing, fighting,
posturing, jawing, yawning, and stealing each other's fish. We could
smell the bears they were so close and, in a few cases, we could hear
the fish's bones crunch as the bears ripped them apart.
The photo's will be posted ASAP.

--
============
Todd Ryan; Hudson, MA
Westborough HS Science Teacher
MSF RiderCoach

These boots are made for walking...

7/19/07
Ruth's phone woke me at about 6:15. It was Kira telling us that they
were cleaning the house. ;)
We went to Duncan's Café and had 2 groovies and 2 bagels (a groovy is
yougurt, granola and fruit). We then went walking to see the town.
We walked to the edge of the Homer Spit but nothing was open yet so we
walked back toward the hostel. We got back near it and decided to go
to the Pratt Museum in town. It was really neat. They had lots of
interesting exhibits about life here and then we saw a movie about a
native Alutiq seal hunter and how they hunted.
We walked to another level with a seabird cam that was showing the
nesting sites of Glaucous Gulls. We then went further downstairs to
an exhibit on the Exxon Valdez oil spill. Ruth and I stood transfixed
by reading the account of the spill and the aftermath of it. Of
course, there may be some bias but they sure make Exxon look bad in
the descriptions about what occurred. They had a map with a plastic
disc that was the size of the oil spill and we could sit it on Cape
Cod and the spill stretched further than Buffalo, NY. They described
the effects upon fisheries, wildlife, and individuals. Now, 28 years
later, they still find clumps of oil in the sound and over 1/3 of the
species have shown NO recovery from the spill.
Our next stop was a video cam from the McNeil River where they show
grizzlies feeding on salmon. If you want to see the cam, go to
www.prattmuseum.org and click on the bear cam. Eventually, you'll
come to a live cam of the bears in the waterfall. It was fun watching
them fish.
After this, Ruth and I decided to walk out to the Homer Spit. It took
us an hour and a half to walk there but it was fun to just walk and
talk on the way there.
Ruth spotted a bald eagle that was just flying above the spit hunting
for food. We ended up seeing it 4 times during the walk.
By the time we returned from the spit, we'd walked about 15 miles
today. I'm exhausted from it.
We also went shopping at Safeway to get a lunch for tomorrow. We need
something to go on the plane with us to Katmai so we got some apples,
bananas, yougurt and a sandwich.
The sky has now cleared significantly and we're sitting at a local
restaurant prior to heading back to the hostel. I imagine we'll sleep
well tonight and tomorrow, we're looking forward to a fantastic
journey to Katmai.

--
============
Todd Ryan; Hudson, MA
Westborough HS Science Teacher
MSF RiderCoach

On to Homer

7/18/07
We woke and got ready to travel in record time. Our first stop was to
the "Moose is Loose" bakery for a breakfast. It appears this is the
cheapest place to eat anywhere in AK as our breakfast only cost $6.60.
We then left for Homer. It was only 75 miles so the distance was
short. It was cooler and overcast for the ride. We pulled over at a
couple of rest stops to see the sights but it was so cloudy that we
couldn't see much.
It started raining when we got into Homer. We stopped at the Homer
Hostel because we were scheduled to be there TOMORROW night but we're
here a day early. Will is the guy running the place but he wasn't up
yet so we left for a couple of hours. We visited the Homer Spit. A
spit is a point of land that is left after a glacier comes through.
This spit was a commercialized boardwalk but it was also the site of
the Bald Mtn Air that we were taking on Friday out to see the bears at
Brooks Camp in Katmai National Park.
We easily found their storefront and spoke to Rachel about the trip.
She weighed both Ruth and I to know how much luggage we could take and
gave us the regulations. We do this on Friday so you'll hear more
about it later.
We also walked around the boardwalk but then went to the library to
see if I could post some pics on the blog. The library didn't allow
that so we checked email and went to get a bit for lunch at Duncan
Café. It was pretty good food.
We returned to the hostel and got a tour. We were told we had a place
to stay but that Will wouldn't be available until about 4 PM.
We went to the Alaska Oceans and Islands vc so I could get a Lake
Clark stamp from Homer. The vc had great exhibits about birds because
it was part of the USFW Wildlife Refuge system.
We thought we'd walk on their trails but it started raining harder
again so we just returned to the hostel and chatted with Linda until
Will was available. We got setup for the night and then rode on the
bikes back to the Spit for a little more R&R.

--
============
Todd Ryan; Hudson, MA
Westborough HS Science Teacher
MSF RiderCoach

Photos added to the posts

I've just gone back and added a few photos to the previous blog entries. You might just peruse some of the older ones to see what's been added. Sorry I can't get them in as often as I'd (you'd) like but many libraries won't let me upload photos.

ENJOY!!

Homer and the Hostel

7/18/07
Ruth was a world traveler in her younger days. She actually made a 14
month backpacking trip to Asia. To keep expenses low, she stayed in
hostels everywhere and that is where she got some of her best
traveling ideas. Because of that past, she wanted to utilize hostels
during this trip. Well, Homer has a hostel. Its my first time
staying in one so I'm going to give my first impressions now.
Its a lot like staying at someone's house except there are MANY more
of us here. I believe there are three private rooms that can
accommodate couples and than two bunk areas. Ruth and I are in the
upstairs bunk area (the private rooms are full) and it can hold 8
people (its full). We share three bathrooms and a kitchen. There is
plenty of room to park and lots of folks to talk to. So far, we've
met Will (owner), Linda, an ex-corporate person from Atlanta that
moved to AK last year and Casey (from Maui). Linda spent her first
Alaskan winter lodge-sitting. She had worked there during the summer
and they needed someone to stay in the lodge during the winter and she
and her cat did it. I can't imagine being the only person around for
6 months (unless I'd get internet and TV). Well, I'll tell you more
about Homer and the hostel tomorrow....

--
============
Todd Ryan; Hudson, MA
Westborough HS Science Teacher
MSF RiderCoach

Ride 'Em, Salty

7/17/07 supplemental
On of the things I forgot to mention on the trip from Seward to
Soldotna was a site I'd seen in the Milepost magazine, Land of Living
Trees. I thought that trees were always alive but I digress.
The place is a chainsaw carving studio. They had all types of
animals; salmon, halibut, bear, moose, and eagles. Many were
realistic but many were caricatures also. It was cool to see.

--
============
Todd Ryan; Hudson, MA
Westborough HS Science Teacher
MSF RiderCoach

Soldotna and Kenai

7/17/07
We woke to a bald eagle in the trees above our tent. It called a
couple of times but it left before I could get a photo. We took that
as a sign to get up and we went for breakfast in Seward.
After breakfast we packed the camp went to the Alaska Sea Life Center.
They had a presentation about the Steller's Sea Lion first so we hear
Bill talk about this endangered species (that we'd seen on the cruise
last night). He identified three populations of Sea Lions of which
the Alaskan ones (Western population) had undergone a drastic decline
in the 80s and early 90s. They had three of them there but don't have
permits to breed them. I asked him about the genetic diversity of the
species but he didn't know what it was.
We continued on our self guided tour but they called for a lecture on
Salmon Life histories so we went to it.
Mareth Griffith did an excellent job with it. We know there are 5
types of salmon (she taught us a mnenomic using our hand) and that the
salmon hatches in fresh water, lives in salt water, and returns to
fresh water to breed. The stages of their life are Alexine (?), fry,
smolt, and adult.
After the Alaska Sea Life Center, we headed toward Soldotna. The
scenery was gorgeous, as all the scenery has been but its cooler than
yesterday. We only saw one bald eagle prior to our arrival in
Soldotna. We found a site for the tent at the Centennial campground
and we packed up and headed to do laundry.
After the laundry, we headed to the beach in Kenai. There were people
camping on the beach and some swimming in the water but the majority
of folks were standing in the surf holding dip nets. The nets are
about 3' across. They hold them perpendicular to the shore and when a
salmon swims into it, they flip it up and onto shore. We spoke with
one guy that got 44 fish in three days of fishing. They take them to
a processing plant where someone else guts and prepares the meat.
After this, we stopped at the Kenai VC to see what they could tell us
about the region. They charged for the cultural film so we just
looked at the touristy things they had and then left.
We went to a locally owned restaurant and split a "Grizzly Burger"
which was a HUGE hamburger topped with bacon and cheese. It measured
over 9" across so it was MORE than enough for Ruth and I to split.
From here, we're heading back to the camp. Tomorrow we ride the 100
miles or so to Homer.

--
============
Todd Ryan; Hudson, MA
Westborough HS Science Teacher
MSF RiderCoach

Puppy Love

7/16/07
It was tremendously windy all night. We were awoken to the mewing of
mew gulls and a few raucous ravens that decided that we should get up.
We found a bakery for breakfast and during breakfast we planned to
take an evening dinner cruise at the Kenai Fjords and to do a dogsled
ride with Iditarod Mitch Seavey's Ididaride Dog Sled Tours.
After breakfast we visited the Kenai Fjords vc. We chatted with the
ranger and she also convinced us to hike towards Exit Glacier in the
AM. We left and went to the Major Cruise lines and we scheduled our
visitor cruise.
We then rode out toward Exit Glacier. Mitch Seavey's is on the way so
we scheduled the dog sled tour first.
The glacier visit was a short 1.5 mile hike to a viewing site to get a
photo of the glacier and us. Its the only glacier in the NP that you
can drive to. The light was good and Ruth said she could easily see
the blue ice of the glacier. I don't see it so well but that is
because of my colorblindness.

We then rode back to Mitch Seavey's where we were told about the
Iditarod race and then shown the dog yard where the dogs stay. We
went and saw some puppies and finally, we boarded a sled for a ride.
The sled is made of diamond aluminum and has 4 wheels and 3 bench
seats. Because there were so many of us, I got to ride with the
driver on the back of the sled.
It was really too warm for the dogs to pull us the 2 miles easily.
They were panting more than usual but it was also because these dogs
are LEARNING to pull sleds also. This is the training for the dogs
that are not yet Iditarod racers. We did get to meet Tread, the dog
that won the MVD (most valuable dog) in the 2000 Idatarod that Mitch
won. Tread showed us all the clothing that dogs wear when competing
in the 1100 mile race.
I also have to mention that I was wearing an Upper lakes Foods
windshirt and one of the tour guides goes to Univ of MN-Duluth and he
recognized the company. His name was Andrew and he's already
completed the Iditarod once. He did say that he was also available
for sponsors (Craig, that was a plug for him).
From here, we returned to Seward for some personal maintenance. There
were public showers at the Harbormaster's office and a 7 minute shower
cost $2.
After the showers, we went to the library to check emails.
It was time for the evening cruise. We went to the dock and checked
in for our cruise and met two couples that drove MGs from Kalamazoo,
MI. During the cruise we joked and chatted with them all evening. On
the cruise we saw two humpback whales, a rock of Steller's Sea Lions
(endangered), lots of Tufted and Horned Puffins, Murres, Pelagic
Cormorants, Dall's Porpoises and Bald Eagles. We paid a bit extra
(everyone did) and had an all-you-can-eat salmon dinner. They also
had a naturalist, Dan Paine, that told us about the various glaciers,
rocks and wildlife we saw. Overall, Ruth and I had a very nice time
on the cruise and a very good day overall. We were also told that we
need to visit the Alaska Sea Life Center in Seward before we leave
tomorrow. The boat docked about 10:15 PM (and yes, it was still light
out).

--
============
Todd Ryan; Hudson, MA
Westborough HS Science Teacher
MSF RiderCoach

Tunnel Vision

7/15/07
After getting off the Valdez - Whittier ferry, we had to travel
through a shared tunnel to leave Whittier. A shared tunnel is one
that is shared with a train and it only one lane wide. On the hour,
you're allowed to go from Whittier out and on the 1/2 hour, you're
allowed to go into Whittier. They run the motorcycles last after
everyone else has gone because of some accidents. The tunnel is 2.5
miles long and you've got to ride between railroad tracks for the
length of it. The tracks themselves have some larker gaps with them
that make it an edge trap for motorcycle tires. Ruth and I made it
through with no problems.
We then headed to the Aleyeska resort about 15 miles toward Anchorage.
Ruth had heard of the Seven Glaciers restaurant on the Travel channel
and we wanted to go eat supper there.
We traveled around the area looking for an RV camp to set up the tent
but there wasn't one that we could find so we went to the Aleyeska to
go to the restaurant. The restaurant is at the TOP of the ski slopes
so we had to take a tram to get there. My MILEPOST magazine gave us a
two for one deal to get to the top. We were told at the bottom that
there were no reservations available but we were going up to at least
sit in the lounge.
At the top we found out the restaurant didn't open for 45 minutes. We
sat on the viewpoint looking at the glaciers and talking with locals.
At 5:30 we went to the restaurant and they told us they had some
cancellations so we could get in. Ruth and I split our dinners; she
had halibut and I had salmon. The food, atmosphere and company were
all great. We had a strawberry shortcake for dessert.
We headed for Seward after that. We'd hoped to find someone to camp
soon, but there was nothing. We started asking at motels but they
were all full. We ended up riding all 78 miles to Seward and setting
up the camp at 10 PM on the waterfront.

--
============
Todd Ryan; Hudson, MA
Westborough HS Science Teacher
MSF RiderCoach

Valdez - Whittier

7/15/07
We awoke the first time via the alarm on Ruth's cellphone.
Unfortunately, she set it for 5:45 AM EST and we're in Alaskan time so
it was 1:45 AM here. :)
The next time we awoke, it was the correct time. It only took a
couple of minutes to pack the bikes and go across the street to the
Totem Inn for breakfast. The sun was shining and we were impressed on
how Valdez is within a bowl of mountains. They completely surround
the town.
A quick breakfast and off to the ferry.
When we arrived, we had a $10 fee to change our reservation for today
and then we showed our ID's and got our tickets. Motorcycles are the
first to load and we had to ride down a steep steel-grating ramp and
turn around in the ship's hold to get a spot to store the bikes. We
cinched them down with tie-downs and headed upstairs to claim seats in
the forward viewing area. We then went onto the bow area. It was
gorgeous.
Before we left the Valdez harbor, I'd spotted a mature bald eagle
sitting atop an iceberg and identified this to the Forest Service
naturalist. She also pointed out both Bligh Island and a buoy marking
Bligh Reef. This is the reef where the Exxon Valdez ran aground in
1989. They were trying to avoid the icebergs from the Columbia
Glacier and then never countersteered to avoid the reef.
On one of the icebergs I spotted a harbor seal and pointed this out to
the naturalist also. I then shortly saw a sea otter lying on its back
as we passed it. I determined that I should be getting the
naturalist's salary for this trip :)
Someone else spotted a humpback whale but Ruth and I were able to find
it and see it spout before we passed.
We also saw lots of salmon jumping, jellyfish, guillemots, cormorants,
glaucous gulls, terns and kittiwakes.
I'm sitting in the lounge on the ship currently after eating a salmon
burger (another new method of eating salmon).

--
============
Todd Ryan; Hudson, MA
Westborough HS Science Teacher
MSF RiderCoach

Salmon Variations

7/14/07
So we had salmon again for dinner tonight. This means we've had
salmon grilled, broiled, fried, smoked, jerky and sushi (if you count
the mostly raw salmon I had for one time at the Salmon Bake). Still,
when we were at the river near the Valdez end of the pipeline, the
swimming fish still looked tasty... ;)

--
============
Todd Ryan; Hudson, MA
Westborough HS Science Teacher
MSF RiderCoach

PekingParis.com

7/14/07
We awoke at 6 AM because someone had set the TV to be an alarm and it
went off then. There were others up already so we got dressed and
went to the Grumpy Grizzly café for breakfast. It was unremarkable
but as we were almost going to go we met a man, Arthur ??, that just
returned from the US after driving in the Peking-Paris Rally. He was
driving a 1950 Ford of some type and he and a codriver had finished
the rally. After the car was brought back to the US, he was driving
it to Anchorage where a friend was going to drive it to Ohio and
eventually back to FL where its kept. Arthur told us about a few
other adventures he'd gone on including a trip to New Guinea. He was
nearly a member of the 100 country club and was next going to go to a
place on the planet where you can stand in all 24 time zones at once.
I'll let you look up where that would be... ;)
We left and headed south toward Valdez. We actually saw Arthur twice
before Glenallen as he drove his car that way. We only saw one moose
prior to Glenallen so the trip was pleasant yet unremarkable.
South of Glenallen, we stopped at the Wrangell-St.Elias vc I was at
about a week ago. Ruth had a problem with her heated jacket so I
worked on fixing it while she saw the vc. She'd broken one of the
wires to the battery on the Dalton Hwy so I got that repaired and
tightened her chain.
When she returned, we headed south toward Valdez. The Alaskan Range
was in the distance and we had NUMEROUS photo stops, each one getting
prettier than the last. When we got into the mtns, we did the same
thing. Real close to Valdez we saw the Worthington Glacier, which was
phenomenal. You could see the blue in the ice/snow and how it was
dirt covered at the toe.
We then started ascending the mountain to cross Thompson Pass. It was
2600+ feet tall and was cold. Ruth was amazed that there was still
snow on the ground.
After the pass, we descended into Valdez, passing numerous waterfalls
on the way (our favorites were Bridal Veil and Horsetail Falls).
In Valdez we found the Ferry Terminal and then looked for a room.
There was nothing inexpensive so we ended up in a cabin at an RV park.
We didn't think we could camp because we've got to be on the ferry at
7 AM. At the RV park, they told us a site they've been seeing a sow
grizzly so we drove there hoping to see it. We did see an immature
bald eagle with a salmon on some mud flats and some seals and LOTS of
salmon at a water inlet but no bears.
We returned to town and had the fried salmon for supper.
What a great day!!

--
============
Todd Ryan; Hudson, MA
Westborough HS Science Teacher
MSF RiderCoach

Ruth 7; Todd 1

7/13/07
We left North Pole heading south on Rt 2 toward Delta Jct and Tok.
Ruth saw a moose and its calf about two miles down the road.
Another couple miles down the road Ruth saw another one feeding just
off the road. We were able to get a few photos of this one.
Another few miles down the road I spotted a moose that allowed us to
park and walk up to it. We got quite a few photos of this one.
While we were standing watching this one, Ruth spotted another cow and
calf cross the road about 300 yards down the road.

We then rode the remainder of the way to Delta Jct. We stopped at the
Visitor Center and got a photo of the End of the Alaskan Road pole.
When we left Delta Jct we'd only gone about 100 miles so I thought
we'd get gas somewhere a little later. I didn't realize that there
wouldn't be gas again until Tok.
Ruth and I were riding pretty slow as we were watching for wildlife.
After I got about 75 miles down the road (175 total) I realized we
wouldn't get gas until Tok. Ruth and I kept going 45 hoping that her
KLR could go that far without fueling.
It turns out I worried for nothing. Ruth never even had to switch to
reserve and when she got gas, she used less than me.
In Tok, we stayed at the Snowshoe Motel. It was clean and a
reasonable price. We went to Fast Eddy's for dinner and had a
halibut burger and salad bar. It was a great meal....

--
============
Todd Ryan; Hudson, MA
Westborough HS Science Teacher
MSF RiderCoach

North Pole

7/13/07
Ruth and I are getting our earlier and earlier. Its getting easy to
put together our stuff and pack and get going. We again had breakfast
at LuLu's and they remembered Ruth.
Two women were looking at our motorcycles so I went to speak with
them. They were interested in getting a dual sport so I told them
what I knew about them.
We stopped at a Lowes to get Ruth a pair of tie downs for the ferry on
Sunday. We then rode the 13 miles to North Pole, AK.
Ruth got a photo of her with the candy cane poles and then again with
the post office. We then discovered the Santa's House at the North
Pole. It was there that we got our photo taken with Santa and Ruth
saw a wall with LOTS of letters from kids to Santa.

--
============
Todd Ryan; Hudson, MA
Westborough HS Science Teacher
MSF RiderCoach

What a difference a day makes!

7/12/07
I awoke earlier than Ruth because one of the researchers was outside
walking around. The lodge appears to have been made from local logs
by Heidi's husband. The inside of the shower was wooden and water ran
off of it well. I packed and then went into the common area and read
through the MILEPOST to see if we missed anything. Ruth got up and we
packed and headed to Coldfoot for breakfast.
I'd have to say that the Boreal Lodge was the best value that we've
stayed at. It was clean, comfortable, and very rustic. If we were
staying there awhile, I don't think it would have been as desirable as
the mosquitoes were out in full force but for what we were doing, it
was good.
At the Coldfoot Trucker's café, we filled our tanks (3.89/gallon; most
expensive of the trip) and had breakfast. During breakfast, a man
came in that was obviously on bicycle. We spoke for a moment and he
told us that he and his companion rode from Ushuia, Argentina to there
and were heading to Prudhoe Bay. It had taken them 1.5 years to make
that trip. They were German so Ruth had a great conversation with
them. We got his web and will see where he goes next.
We knew the ride from Coldfoot to near the Yukon River would be fine.
It was 85 miles of decent pavement and we did about 50-55 for most of
the trip. We did a few photo stops but overall, just a quicker trip.
I also had a good feeling about the first 25 miles of gravel. Ruth
and I moved along very well, averaging about 45 mph on the gravel.
Yesterday we'd gone about 40 on this so it was just a little better.
The sun was shining and we only hit occasional showers. We actually
made it to the Yukon River camp about 15 minutes early because of our
great times.
Ruth and I filled up (only 3.69/gallon here) and she went into the
café. There were 4 other motorcyclists there; 2 guys that rode
Harleys and a couple on a Goldwing trike. They were all going to the
Arctic Circle and were curious about the quality of the road. We
provided the report and chatted for awhile before we all left.
The next 150 miles to Fairbanks took us 5 hours yesterday because of
rain. Today, the road was pretty good and we made GREAT time. We did
some photo stops but still made it to Fairbanks about 3 PM. Ruth was
actually sad when we left the Dalton Highway because that meant we
were (mostly) done with a gravel road.
At one point on the highway, we were flagged by a truck to pull over
because there was a SUPER OVERSIZE truck coming. It was carrying more
than 1/2 a house so we pulled way out of the way to let it pass.
Back at Fairbanks, we went back to the College Inn because of the
great price. We unloaded the bikes and then went to a car wash to get
the outside layers of dirt off the bikes and then to the library to
add photos to the blog. We grabbed a Subway sandwich and then headed
back to the room.
What an absolutely great day!!

--
============
Todd Ryan; Hudson, MA
Westborough HS Science Teacher
MSF RiderCoach

Guest blog

7/11/07
Sitting at the Restaurant in Coldfoot.... Just talked to a guy from
Germany who is riding to Deadhorse on his BICYCLE... All of a sudden
it doesn't seem so macho anymore to do the trip on a motorcycle...
Yesterday was an awesome day.... Shouldn't have listened to the
whining two men at Rogers house... Because listening to their story of
the Haul Road almost made me not want to go... But it's been really
great and not hard at all.. Just found out that the german guy on the
bicycle actaully started one and a half years ago in Terra Del
Fuego... Amazing... Well... Todd's finishing his all you can eat
buffet and we have to get going... The ride back to Fairbanks is going
to take 9 hours... Can't wait for the last 5o miles with all the
construction... Hahah... Maybe this time I'll get a photo of those
monstrous construction vehicles... And sleeping 6o miles past the
arctic circle was AWESOME ... Got up this morning and was outside the
cabin with wolves howling ... Whoohoo... Ok... Gotta go ... Miles to
cover... Hopefully it won't rain today... Got soaked on the way here
yesterday... But I'm in love with my electric clothes...
Ok everybody... Hope you're envious .. :)

--
============
Todd Ryan; Hudson, MA
Westborough HS Science Teacher
MSF RiderCoach