Home At Last
I was encouraged to make one more entry into this blog by Doug and Joan.

We arrived at A&S at 3pm on Saturday. We were surprised to see a lot of the same people there waiting for us who sent us off four weeks earlier. My cancer support group was there and I was moved by their presence.

Doug and I posed for the camera:

We had a cake:

We even took a group photo with my support group:


I am very proud of what Doug and I did on this trip. Each of us, in our own way, fulfilled a dream. Doug had long wanted to ride the Dempster and the Dalton highways end to end. He was able to do both highways and with a great deal of style, I might add.

I set a goal of reaching the Arctic Circle on the Dempster Highway. Our ride up the Dempster was an exercise in patience but we made it. It was almost anti-climatic when we arrived at the Arctic Circle the next day since the road was dry and the weather was great.

My most rewarding feelings came from meeting inspirational people along the way. Also I received many emails from people following the blog from as far away as Europe. To hear how our ride inspired them made me feel great. Finally there was a fair amount of money raised for the Sutter Cancer Center. Kind hearted people from all over donated to our local effort.

As important as anything Doug and I were there for each other. Doug would always warn me about challenges in the road on our two-way radios. He would do his best to get me a ground floor room because he knew stairs would be difficult for me. When Doug ruined his tire on the pipeline highway I was there for him to get him home safely.

If you are reading this, Doug, I want you and everyone else to know that you go beyond epitomizing the spirit of the road. You were there for me when I needed you and you demonstrated skills on your bike that men half your age can only aspire to. You are a road warrior and I am proud to have made this ride with you.

What's next? Well both Doug and I are wondering how hard it would be to get our picture taken at the equator; only time will tell!


- posted by Dell @ 5:53 PM 1 comments  

 
Welcome Home Party - Sat. the 14th @ 3:00 p.m. | A&S BMW Motorcycles
Let's welcome our weary travelers home!! Meet here at A&S BMW Motorcycles tomorrow, Saturday July 14th - the guys expect to roll in around 3 p.m. or shortly after.

Can't wait to see them!

-Megan

WHAT: Welcome Home Reception
WHERE: A&S BMW Motorcycles | 1125 Orlando Ave. | Roseville, CA | 95661
WHEN: Saturday, July 14th on or before 3 p.m.
Questions: Call Megan at 916.726.7334 x159
- posted by RowdyGirl @ 11:45 AM 0 comments  

 
It's Almost Over
Well here we are in another dingy ($65) hotel outside of Biggs, Washington. We are both well but tired from the ride in the heat. Heat has a particularly bad affect on me because the chemo I take makes my skin sensitive to burning. The heat also makes me more tired than normal. So we decided to get some things at a local grocery store and eat in our rooms tonight. We both have microwave ovens so I actually had a tv dinner.

Tonight may be the last blog entry considering I never know if I will have internet access and frankly there is not much to write. We are just two beat up guys on dirty bikes dragging ourselves home to our loved ones. I for one can't wait. Doug briefly mentioned our next adventure this morning; I pretty much just smiled and stayed quiet.

We hope to make it to Medford, OR tomorrow. From Medford we should be able to make it to A&S by 4pm.

Dell
- posted by Dell @ 6:26 PM 0 comments  

 
Rain, heat and the bear
I am writing this from Penticton, BC. Since I last blogged Doug and I have ridden from Hyder, AK to Penticton. We started out yesterday from Hyder. The night before we had a nice Alaska seafood dinner at the Bus. No kidding you ordered from the side of an old bus which is also the kitchen. You then go into another room where the food is brought to you:



The morning was so depressing because it was the first day that we awoke to pouring rain. We have encountered plenty of rain on this ride but never a full downpour as we loaded the bikes.


However the further we got from Hyder the better the weather became until it was actually quite pleasant yesterday. The trip is getting a little boring now because we are so homesick and we just want to get home. Doug forgot his cell phone at the Hyder hotel but I told him we were not going to ride back for it! He called the hotel on the sat phone and arranged for it to be sent to his home.

Even though we are focused on getting home, still we saw some beautiful scenery. A couple of interesting things happened on the road yesterday. The first was really fun. A black bear crossed in front of Doug. In fact he only missed it by about 10 feet or so. The bear was big and was running from right to left across the road in front of us. It was lucky that Doug didn't hit it.

The other thing was not so fun. As we were riding along a car stopped and a man jumped out and waved us down. He asked if we had seen a moose carcass in the road. A car crashed into a moose up the road from us and they could not find the moose. We saw the car and it was severely damaged. The driver was being loaded into an ambulance. It was a reminder to us to watch for animals on the road.

Another interesting thing happened that we really didn't have anything to do with but I want to write about it here just for fun. Do any of you remember the television show M*A*S*H? The character BJ Hunnicut was played by an actor named Mike Farrel. He was stuck in one of the towns on our route. From what we heard he was riding a BMW 1200GS with a white tank and was having battery problems. Doug thought it might be the alternator belt and we just happened to have two with us. So Doug set out on a mission to rescue BJ Hunnicut. We came to the town and there was a GS with a white tank. However it was not Mike Farrel's bike; he had fixed his problem and moved on. This bike had a rear end failure and was ridden by a guy from South America who rented it from a BMW dealer in Vancouver. The guy did not speak English so he was having problems. Unfortunately even Doug McGuiver could not fix this problem so on we went.

We spent the night in a Sheraton hotel in Prince George. It was simply luxurious compared to the hotel in Hyder.

This morning we rode to our current location and complained as the weather got hotter and hotter. It was a great ride but got a little to hot for me. Two examples popped up today on how lucky we have been regarding our constant speeding through Canada. Today we rounded a curve way over the speed limit. Actually if it says 70 we just drive 70. The problem with that is they mean 70 kilometers per hour and we mean 70 miles per hour. Anyway we were met by a trouper who turned his flashing lights on. We slowed down and Doug even motioned with his left hand to slow down to me. Low and behold, no ticket!

Another incident happened when Doug passed a slow moving vehicle. The problem here was it was a double yellow line. As he passed another vehicle came towards us so I did not pass. As luck would have it the vehicle coming towards us was a trouper! Doug has just passed on a double yellow line in front of a trouper. Once again no ticked. I hope we continue our lucky streak.

Tomorrow will be even hotter. There is a record setting heat spell up here. We are debating riding the Oregon coast but we are mindful of our goal to reach A&S between 3 and 4pm on Saturday. We still feel we will be able to be there. I asked Doug why he wants to return to A&S rather than just ride to our homes. Doug feels that by returning to where we started it will bring closure to our adventure; we will have completed the loop.

I am so anxious to see everyone again.

Dell
- posted by Dell @ 8:48 PM 0 comments  

 
The Cassiar: rain, gravel, mud, construction and more
We left Whitehorse, YT yesterday after changing our tires back to the street tires. Here is a picture of John the technician that did the work. He is a great guy and really helped us out:


Notice Doug kept his knobby tires. I don't know if he is emotionally attached to them or if he really might use them. In any case he looks like a gnarly adventure rider by carrying them on his bike.

I am starting to sound like a broken record with all my complaining about the roads. Today was especially bad because of the road construction. Yesterday and today we traveled the Cassiar Highway. It is quite beautiful but our views were hampered by the constant downpour. Even my waterproof bags leaked!

The road construction reminded me of the feeling I had on the Dempster when we went up to the Arctic Circle. Here is the interchange that took place between me and the pilot car driver just before she led us through the construction. She said, "Follow me and I will lead you through the best spots. Watch the rocks because they are razor sharp. Don't get over confident because what looks firm is actually very soft and slippery. If you go down don't worry because we will have a truck there soon to bury your bike; we will name the bump after the color of your bike."

By the time she finished I was trembling in fear. Sure enough it was like she said. Once I got in trouble and shouted over the intercom, "Doug I'm in trouble." Doug's response was not too helpful when he said, "just keep it out of the deep gravel." The reason I was in trouble is I was already in the deep gravel. So, I stood up on my pegs, shifted all my weight to the outside peg, closed my eyes and twisted the throttle. To my surprise I escaped the gravel and stayed up. Of course I escaped to the slimy mud which was not much better.

Last night we stayed in a wide spot in the road called Dease Lake. Not much to report there.

This morning we set Hyder, AK as our goal. On the way into Hyder I snapped this photo of a beautiful glacier:
It really is spectacular and we are hoping tomorrow when we depart the weather will be clear so we can get better photos.

When we arrived in Hyder it was nothing more than a muddy town. For some reason it attracts bike riders from all over the world. Both Doug and I are wearing t-shirts that say: I've been Hyderized. Not sure what that means but we have the shirt!

Here is a picture of the hotel. It looks a lot worse in person! On the other hand it is part of the adventure.



Tomorrow we depart for Prince George. We on our way home. Our goal is to be in Medford, OR on Friday. Then from Medford to A&S the next day. I think the worst roads are behind us. I know it will start warming up as we go south. We have been freezing the last week or so. My heated clothing keeps me warm but it is a bit bulky.

By the way this hotel has no TV or telephones in the rooms but it has WiFi. Go figure?!

Dell
- posted by Dell @ 5:41 PM 1 comments  

 
Coming Home The Long Way
Tonight Doug and I are in Whitehorse, YT. Last night we stayed in the village of Beaver Creek, YT. Our room did not have TV, which bothered Doug, or telephone/internet, which bothered me. It was a long but beautiful ride yesterday from Valdez to Beaver Creek.

Leaving Valdez we were treated to some of the most beautiful landscape I have ever seen. Here is a picture and Doug and one of me in front of a glacier:


The first part of the ride was just beautiful; the last 150 miles or so into Whitehorse was a little boring. This is very funny in a way because all the scenery is beautiful but Doug and I are a little overdosed on beautiful scenery.

Today we left Beaver Creek for Whitehorse. We came here to reinstall our street tires. The ride started out bad with about 40 miles of loose gravel. I hate loose gravel when it gets deep because it pulls the motorcycle around. I have found the faster I go over it the less I feel the pull but I get really nervous that I will fall at a higher speed.

Just when we thought we were out of road trouble the road heaves began. The road actually undulates and my shocks compressed enough that my tires scraped on something. This has happened a number of times on this trip. I must slow down to avoid disaster. We met a fellow in Fairbanks who was tossed off his Honda Goldwing in one of the heaves. He was not wearing protective clothing and he looked pretty scraped up. His bike was undrivable. Another guy on the road today said he was almost tossed off his Honda Shadow.

To make the ride even more bad, we encountered road constructions. For about 15 miles we waited and then proceeded behind a pilot truck. The truck only wanted to go about 5 mph which was difficult for Doug and me considering the surface was mud and gravel. It is easier to move a little faster on a motorcycle. Oh well, as Doug always says, "it's just part of the adventure."

I want to end with a story about a guy I didn't meet yesterday. Doug and I had just completed lunch at a little town called Tok, AK. I was in the parking lot getting ready when a guy on a Harley with a sidecar pulled up. I noticed he had a passenger and another passenger in the sidecar. As usual I greeted him but he more or less ignored me. He looked like the typical Harley rider with leathers, half helmet, head band, etc. He looked mean and I felt he was probably mean by the way he ignored my greeting.

His wife got off the bike and they both walked around to the passenger in the sidecar. The man gently reached down and removed the full-face helmet from the passenger who was a teenage boy. He then helped the boy out of the sidecar and the woman handed the boy crutches. All of a sudden I realized this mean, hard looking man was being gentle and loving to his son. The boy will never ride but he will have stories to tell about how he, his dad and mom rode across Alaska on a Harley Davidson.

I guess this reinforced the old addage, "never judge a book by its cover." I will try harder.

Tomorrow we head to the little town of Hyder, AK. We must get there on the Cassiar Highway which is about 60% gravel. I hate gravel.

We are working our way to Vancouver and then through Washington, Oregon and then into California. If all goes well we will arrive back to A&S on Saturday, July 14th between 3-4pm. It is difficult to predict because of the weather and road conditions we may encounter but we have a goal and so far we have made all of our goals.

Dell
- posted by Dell @ 8:09 PM 0 comments  

 
Fear and a nice boat ride
We left Homer, Alaska this morning at 7:30am with the goal of Whittier, AK where we would catch a ferry to the city of Valdez, AK. We were a little tight on time because as we learned we had to time our arrival to Whittier in time to enter a tunnel. The tunnel is actually a train tunnel that they open on regular intervals for auto traffic. We had to time our arrival to the tunnel opening and also the ferry departure. In order to do that we had to average 60mph. Normally this would not be difficult but the rain was coming down very hard.

Most of the ride to Whittier I had difficulty seeing out my helmet visor because it fogged and there was so much rain. I hope we do not encounter conditions like that again.

When we arrived at Whittier we had only 3 minutes to spare. We paid our fee for the tunnel and waited in a spot where there was a couple from Germany. Wolfgang and Heidie were traveling around the US for a year. I spoke German to them when Doug said, "say something in German!" Not wanting to disappoint Doug I started to speak to Wolfgang in German. My mouth was so cold from the ride I could barely speak English let alone German but it was fun anyway

Then the big fear began. We were told to get ready to move through the tunnel. I was third in line behind the Germans and Doug. Here is what I saw: railroad tracks with a grated metal plate in between the tracks. We were asked to ride between the rails on the metal grate. I almost had a heart attack. The grate pulled my wheels in every direction but straight. If I had hit the rails I would have gone down for sure. I noticed Doug standing on his pegs. He hardly ever does that so when I asked him why he did it he said he was so nervous his legs were shaking and standing was the only way to stop the trembling.

The tunnel was two and a half miles long and it was constant stress all the way. They had a truck follow us all the way because so many motorcyclist go down they want to be there to help. Needless to say we survived. There was lots of fear.

We loaded our bikes in the bottom of the boat and Doug took my picture:


I notice I am always smiling through adversity. The fact is we had just ridden over 200 miles in a pouring rain in temperatures so cold I could barely feel my hands and then the tunnel; and still I smile. I think I am genetically suspect.

On the ferry Doug immediately flaked out:


The ferry was very luxurious and the view was beautiful.

Tomorrow we head back to Tok, AK. We are on our way back to Whitehorse, YT to get our street tires reinstalled. If we make Whitehorse in time on Saturday we stand a chance of returning back to A&S Roseville a week from Saturday.

As I have said we are both homesick but every day brings a new adventure and the trip is still fun.

Dell
- posted by Dell @ 10:30 PM 0 comments  

 
Inspiration Takes Many Forms
This is the first opportunity I have had in a couple of days to connect to the internet. The big news is Doug made it safely off of the Pipeline Highway (aka Dalton, Haul). It was an amazing stroke of good luck that he was able to return to Fairbanks so quickly. Here is a photo of Doug's bike on the road:


Here is a picture of his tire with a tire iron poking through the rip.



Fortunately the tire I bought for him in Fairbanks arrived on time and he rode straight through from top of the Haul Highway to Fairbanks. Doug now belongs to a pretty exclusive club; riders who have ridden both the Dalton and the Dempster, end to end, within a 5 day period. Doug's ability inspires me.

In Fairbanks I met a gentleman who road a cruiser on many of the same roads we have ridden. His son followed him in a truck for support. His name is John and he rode from Arizona to Alaska because he wanted an adventure. Frankly I was impressed because he looked about 75 years old. When he told me his age I could have been knocked down with a feather. John is 90 years old. He was born in 1917! My own father who passed away in April was also born in 1917 so I felt a little tinge of nostalgia. John's son who was driving the support truck is 67 years old. John told me he can hardly believe he has a son so old! Here is a picture of John and me:


John is an inspiring man. He is living his dream at the age of 90. I was so impressed by him.

Last night we stayed in Wasilla, Alaska. Wasilla is near Anchorage. We stopped there to visit Friar Mike at the Abbey. Actually Friar Mike is a top notch BMW mechanic and the Abbey is the name of his garage. Both of the bikes needed an oil change and we arranged for Mike to do it.

Mike could not start the job until 8pm so Doug and I went to dinner. In the parking lot we were approached by a fellow named Richie. Richie rides a KTM motorcycle which is a great motorcycle for the type of ride Doug and I are making. Eventually the talk turned to doing things despite disabilities. Of course I made my pitch to get a colonoscopy. One thing let to another until Richie revealed that he rides with a disability as well. Suddenly he reached down and pulled up his right pant leg to show an artificial leg. He lost his leg many years ago and continue to pursue his passion. Richie is an inspiration to me. He is able to ride a KTM off road, which requires a lot of physical activity. His lack of a right leg does not stop him from riding.

Today we arrived in Homer, Alaska:


We immediately rode to the end of the Homer Spitt. The Spitt is a sliver of land that juts out in the water. Lining the Spitt are RV/Camping sites and tons of fish restaurants and tourist traps. It was crowded with tourist and frankly I could not ride out of there fast enough.

For the cancer patients following this blog I must say the ride has actually made me feel better. All of the dermatological side effects of my chemo have cleared up. I needed that! Today I began my oral chemo again, Xeloda. The side effects are manageable.

Two more things on a personal note not related to this trip. You know how everyone worries about you because you ride a motorcycle? Dangerous right? Well my beloved brother, Les was standing under an overpass on highway 101 on his way to his ranch in Willits yesterday while his dog "did his business." Suddenly the ground underneath his feet gave way and he found himself falling down a sharp slope some 35 feet to a river below. When he stopped falling he had dislocated a finger, broken his wrist and his arm. He had to crawl up to his car and he managed to drive the rest of the way to his ranch where he was taken to the hospital. Heal fast Les.

Finally, tomorrow my wife, Joan turns 29 years old yet another time! July 5th is her birthday and I am so sorry to miss it. If you know Joan give her a call or email.

Tomorrow Doug and I want to arrive in Valdez. The problem is how to get there. Doug wants to take a ferry from a city named Whittier. The problem is there is a tunnel that we must ride through and it has a grate surface which is not easy on a motorcycle. Further, the tunnel only opens every 30 minutes to traffic so timing are arrival for the Ferry is tough.

I want to ride to Valdez but it means backtracking on most of the same highway we rode today. Neither Doug or I like this. I think Doug is with me on this one but we will probably take two days to ride to Valdez. Hopefully we can arrive in Valdez early enough on Friday to charter a boat or some other fun activity.

Both Doug and I are home sick and are already planning how to arrive home a few days sooner than our original schedule.

Dell
- posted by Dell @ 8:56 PM 1 comments  

 
Doug has a problem on the Dalton Highway
I am posting this because Doug is fine. I just talked to him and he is at the hotel. So here is the story.

After leaving Deadhorse this morning at about 11am I received a call from him on the sat phone that he ripped his tire on the side. In other words it is unrepairable. He was about 30 miles south of Deadhorse on the frozen tundra north of the Arctic Circle. I was so worried because not only does it get bitterly cold there are bears in that area.

Doug figured out a quick solution to get him moving again. He put three plugs in the ripped section and filled the tire with air. The air would last for about 2 miles when he would stop and fill it up again.

I was in my hotel room trying to get help for him. It was very frustrating since this is Sunday and most places are closed. I called Trail's End BMW and they had one tire left. I darted over and bought it. I then rode to the airport and prepared a care package for Doug that included the tire and some tools. Alaska Air will have it to Deadhorse tomorrow before 10am. Doug will have to change the tire himself but he should be fine. Thanks goodness for the sat phone and for George at Trail's End.

Now for those none BMW Motorcycle folks George is a legend up here. I don't think he is really a BMW authorized service center but he is darned good at repairing them. I am told if George doesn't like you chances are you will not get any help from him. Consequently everyone is on their best behavior around George. It sort of reminded me of the Soup Nazi from the old Seinfeld show.

Here is what I saw when I arrived at Trail's End. There was barely enough room to get my bike through.




Here is a picture of George and me. When I told him I was almost 60 years old he said he couldn't believe it. He though I was under 50! I was flattered and smiled. When he told me he was 72 years old I just kept quiet. He seems to be doing well though, he rides a bicycle around his property to save his knees because he has heard that old folks always have knee problems.

Anyway it was a really neat experience to meet George.


With the new tire attached to the back of my bike it was off to the airport.

Hopefully tomorrow I will have a story of Doug's successful return to Fairbanks. It can't be too soon for me as I am really tired of this Super 8 hotel room. I am anxious to move on. However the rest has been great for me so I won't complain.

Dell
- posted by Dell @ 7:05 PM 0 comments