The End of Day 5 Finds Me Back in Moab, Utah

This was taken on Highway 191 heading down to the Canyonlands NP's Needles Area.

Canyonland NP - Needles area.

Canyonlands NP - Island in the Sky area.

Canyonlands NP - Island in the Sky area.

Arches National Park. If you click on this image to enlarge it, you will see some people below the arch an get a sense of just how large this arch is!

From a distance this sure looks like three women in front of two tables.

Arches NP

Arches NP - What a balancing act!

I am back in Moab after visiting the Canyonlands and Arches National Parks. I rode a total of 265 miles over 8 hours and took some hikes in both parks. The day was beautiful, mostly sunny with temperatures in the 70s most of the day.

The ride down to the Canyonlands' Needles area was on Route 191 and it was a beautiful ride with lots of rock formations to keep it interesting. The canyon was interesting and hugh. I backtracked northbound on 191 to reach the Canyonlands' Island In The Sky area. This section of the canyon was even larger. It is impossable for me to fathom the amount of rock and soil that was eroded to create it. I can't wait to see the Grand Canyon to see how it compares.

After spending time looking down into vast canyons, I journeyed over to Arches National Park where you had to look up at the hugh and wonderous rock formations. It was amazing how many of the formations looked as if they had been sculpted by an artist to portray everyday objects that we are familiar with. I did a couple of hikes. The first was uphill for about 3/4 of a mile to get the picture of the arch. (I had my motorcycle jacket and boots on so the hike was quite a challenge.) The second hike I took was in the Devil's Garden and I think that I hiked about 2 of the over 7 miles of trails available.

I met a couple from Pittsburgh (Jeff and Mary Ann) that we riding a trike pulling a trailer in Arches NP. When I pulled into the motel parking lot their bike was sitting there. While I was offloading my bike, they came out of the hotel so we got to talk some more and decided to go out to dinner together. The company was most enjoyable and the food delicious. (I was ready for a nice steak and got one!)

Tomorrow I'm off for Capital Gorge and Escalante NPs. I have no idea where I'll end up tomorrow night.

P.S. I think that I am finally getting the hang of posting pictures to the blog. I apologize for the previous posts. But it is way too hard to straighten out what I've already done.

Day 4 (June 12,2009) Finds Me In Moab, Utah

I had a wonderous day of traveling today. I covered 368 miles from Denver to Moab, Utah. There were some threats of rain and storms but it was mostly sunny and I didn't get rained on.

After I passed through the skiing region (Summit County) of the Rockies the road and scenery were all new to me. And what wonderful scenery it was too! Glenwood Canyon was awesome as it followed the path that the Colorado River had cut through the mountains. I didn't realize that Colorado had mesas but as I traveled through Mesa County, CO there was one visual treat after another.

Once I entered Utah the landscape sort of flattened out a bit. But once I turned off Interstate 70, I travelled 50 miles viewing giant mesas as I followed the Route 128 along the Colorado River. It was really nice to get off the interstate and slow down from 75 to 45 mph. I am definitely sold on the idea of taking the road less traveled.

I took 238 pictures and could have taken hundreds more. Unfortunately neither pictures or words can do what I saw justice. I'm glad that I've been given sight and the opportunity to make these memories!

On The 3rd Day I Reached Denver

Kansas occupied my journey for the better part of 400 miles. It is the land of granaries, power generating windmills, and surprisingly, oil wells (or are these deep well pumps?).



While the day was mostly overcast and threatened to rain on my parade, I did see some blue sky.



Denver and the Rocky Mountains were a welcome sight after riding for close to 550 miles.

I arrived at my hotel just North of Denver around supper time. By the time I'd stowed my baggage Rich Else (my friend and coworker from my days of employment with AT&T) showed up with some tools that I used to adjust my highway pegs. Then we went to supper.

It was a delightful evening but I'm quite tired. I think that I got about 3 hours sleep last night and I put 571 miles on the Gold Wing today to get to Denver. So I will apologize and call it a night.

It is less than 400 miles to Moab, Utah tomorrow.

P.S. Thanks for the comments. It is so nice to feel the warmth of family and friends.

2nd Day (June 10, 2009) - No Backtracking!

Today was the first day of all forward progress. I traveled a total of 547 miles passing through Kentucky, Illinois and Missouri. The day's travels ended in Lawrence, Kansas.

The most notable event of the day is that I didn't get rained on as I went through several areas of heavy rain clouds as shown in the picture on the left.

I thought that I'd taken a couple of better pictures of The Gateway To The West arch in St. Louis, Missouri but this was the best one I ended up with. You'd think that they would have a rest stop on I70 where you could stop and get a decent photo! Traffic is very heavy and the interstate is VERY twisty in this area. And the congestion that starts in St. Louis proper extends many miles to the West. This was not a fun part of the trip.

This picture of Kansas City didn't turn out as well as I would have liked but it is kind if neat and also shows the threat of rain that I dealt with most of the day.

Sorry. This post is not displaying properly and I can't seem to make it any better.

1st Day - Journey to Louisville, KY Was Successful

I have arrived and checked into a Hampton Inn located in New Albany, Indiana (just West of Louisville).

I turned a 530 mile journey into a 660 mile one as I left my laptop's AC power module at home. I was a little over 60 miles away from home when I thought that I might have forgotten it. Pulled off the next exit on I81 , checked my bags. and sure enough, I had to turn around and head for home. I only lost 2 hours and 130 miles to my forgetfulness. Fortunately the repeated mileage was in the beautiful Shenandoah Valley.

Supper this evening was a bit of a disappointment. I can see civilization but can't quite get there. Had to settle for 3 pieces of chicken that had set under a heat lamp for probably at least 8 hours! Tasted OK and hopefully won't kill me. I'll try to get settled in a little earlier tomorrow in Kansas City. Then I should have more food choices.

Well, tosday's ride through the Virginias was mostly overcast. (In the resort areas they would say partly sunny! :-) ) But thankfully I only had one brief downpour to ride through.

I've been on I64 through most of West Virginia before so there were really no surprises there. But even in the humidity and haze, it was a privilege to get to ride through such beautiful mountainous landscapes.

Entering Kentucky, my expectations of what I would see was left wanting. I was expecting BLUEGRASS and HORSES. And while I might have seen some blue-green grass, I didn't see one horse in my travels across the entire State 0n I64! I guess that you have to get on the "blue roads" (the roads less traveled) to be treated to images of big horse farms. Eastern Kentucky is a mountainous extensions of West Virginia (on a moderated scale). Western Kentucky toward Louisville is not very interesting at least from the interstate.

I hope to get a reasonably early start tomorrow in the hopes of getting a good supper in Kansas City.

Hi Ho, Hi Ho ... It's Off To Alaska I Go!

Well the mount for my Garmin Zumo 550 was waiting on my doorstep when I arrived home this afternoon. This time, the part that they shipped fixed the power problem!!! So I should be on the road sometime fairly early tomorrow morning, Tuesday, June 9th. My destination is Louisville, Kentucky. If all goes well I should post from the Hampton Inn tomorrow evening.

Now I Know Why My Trip Was Delayed

Wow! What an experience I had this past Saturday, 6/6/09. Since my Alaskan trip was on hold I spent the weekend with my youngest son and his family and attended a dance recital that included two of his three daughters. The special treat was seeing him dance on stage with his youngest daughter. That was one of those very special moments in life that come all too infrequently.

Boy am I glad that I didn't miss out on this experience. And now I have a very special memory to take with me on my future travels.

At this point I expect to be back home Monday and finish preparations of an early Tuesday morning departure for Alaska.

Well ... I'm Still On Hold

I received the UPS shipment at 5:15 this evening but Garmin sent the WRONG part!!!!

I have the correct part (hopefully) scheduled to arrive Monday, 06/08/09.

At the moment, I feel so bummed that I do not want to speculate if I'll head out next Tuesday or just "pull the plug". I'll post more when the current disappointment subsides and I regain some sense of where this is going! Check back next Tuesday to see the latest!

Departing Thursday, June 3rd, Lord Willing

The UPS tracking information says that my replacement GPS mount should arrive Wednesday, June 3rd. So I am planning on heading West on Thursday.

Trip Status ON HOLD

I received the replacement GPS and it DID NOT fix the problem. (Bummer)

After a couple of phone calls with Garmin and various voltage measurements, I have a replacement mount coming Monday or Tuesday of next week. At this time, I don't know if the trip is delayed or canceled. More to follow on that.

One good thing to come out of this is that I've added a small multimeter to my tool kit. Now I can at least check for 12 volts and continuity while away from home.

Replacement GPS Due Thursday

According to the UPS tracking information, my replacement GPS should arrive Thursday. If so I'll be heading out early Friday morning as I don't have to delay my departure for departing photos for this second assault on Alaska. I've already made a motel reservation in Louisville, KY for Friday night. Let's hope that I can keep it.

Check back Friday to see if I'm leaving a new breadcrumb trail!

My Cockpit

This is the command center of my Gold Wing! I've added several items to add to my touring pleasure.

On the left handlebar I've mounted a Garmin Zumo550 GPS and XM antenna. (This is the unit that failed me on my first attempt to reach Alaska.)

On the right handlebar is a SPoT Transceiver (the orange rectangular box). It is the device that allows others to know where I am. (I've moved the SPoT transeiver to the clutch reservoir on the left handle bar as I was getting an orange shadow in my pictures.) To the right is a Fuji digital camera mounted on a 5" RAM Mount Extension. The camera is attached via a quick release platform so that I can stop, remove the camera and take pictures with minimum effort. I have also installed a cup holder that works perfectly for keeping a bottle of water near at hand.

Packed For Alaska

Here's a picture of me around 7:30 AM on 5/22/09 just before I left my home in Woodstock, Virginia for Alaska. (I don't know if you can see that I got a GI haircut to solve the helmet hair problem.)

For anyone who might be interested, I'll point out how I packed for the trip.

At the bottom of the stack on the passenger seat, I have a Deluxe Luggage Rack Bag from Wingstuff. I really like this bag and have it stuffed with clothing. I pack it firm so that it also serves as a backrest. (In fact I've removed my Utopia Backrest for this trip.) I use the two pockets on the front corners of the bag to hold two bottles of water and a tube of sunscreen. The bag weighs 24 pounds.

On top of the rack bag, I have three pieces of Helen Two Wheels' packing system. First, closest to my shoulders (if I was sitting on the bike) is a Medium Cord Close Sack. This holds my 2 person tent and ground cloth. Behind that is a Medium Roll Top Sack which is a dry stuff bag that holds my sleeping bag and pad. And strapped on top of the roll sack is a Wet Bag for my towel and washcloth (or any other wet items) that I want to dry out as I ride down the road. The loaded weight of the Cord Sack is 8 pounds and the Roll Top Sack weighs 7 pounds.

Total weight on the passenger seat is 39 pounds.

On the trunk lid I've installed a Kuryakyn Luggage Rack and use a Kuryakyn Convertible Luggage Rack Bag that attaches easily and securely. In it I carry all my heated clothing and gloves. Total weight of the loaded bag is 13 pounds. (Incidentally, I installed the rack with risers and star washers to distribute the weight. I also installed a WingRider Trunk Support System to support the lid and minimize chaffing between the lid and body of the trunk.)

On the back of the bike I've installed a Pakit Rak and Bag. The bag is used to carry all my camping stuff (such as MREs, Coleman Max Micro Stove, small coffee pot for boiling water, snacks, bath towels, etc.). The bag as loaded weighs 25 pounds and the Pakit Rak platform that the bag sits on weighs another 7 pounds. (I don't know how much the mounting bracket weighs but I would guess that it is another 5 pounds.) So we'll say that I've added approximately 37 pounds off the rear end of the bike's frame.

My left saddlebag has a lot of space for dirty clothes but as packed to leave home it contains 10 pounds of miscellaneous items.

The right saddlebag contains rain gear, a half cover for the Wing, medications (in a waterproof roll bag), and a flip visor I can add to my open-face helmet in the event of rain. The contents of this bag weigh in at 12 pounds.

So in addition to my dressed out self at approximately 200 pounds, I am carrying approximately 111 pounds of additional stuff for my extended travels. I put around 700 miles on the Wing during my aborted first attempt at "Alaska Or Bust". A couple hundred of those miles were on twisty back roads. While the bike was not as agile as when not loaded with over 110 pounds of stuff, it still handled VERY well. I was still able to enjoy the curves and felt totally in control. Breaking seemed to be unaffected.

I'm sure that as I resume my travels, I'll be switching stuff around, adding and eliminating as I go. But as a novice preparing for his first extended trip, I am rather pleased with the results so far.

Home Safe But Way Ahead Of Schedule!

I arrived home safely around 6 PM today.

I decided to take the road less traveled, taking Route 219 up through West Virginia. During the ride I discovered some more pork that Senator Byrd claimed for the Mountaineer State ... Scenic Route 150. It is 22 miles cut through the mountains with no other purpose than to provide enjoyment to the traveler. (Much like the Skyline Drive but at least the Skyline Drive collects a fee its use.)

Temperatures reached the high 80s today but for some reason I was comfortable for most of the trip. This is certainly a beautiful time of year to explore those roads less traveled.

Thanks to those of you who have offered your well wishes for my trip. And also to those offering condolence for my failed first attempt.

I will post when my new Zumo 550 arrives and let you know about my plans to make a second attempt on Alaska Or Bust!

Alaska Or Bust Is Busted!!!

More to follow but I just want to let all who might be checking my progress know that my Alaskan trip has BUSTED, at least for the time being.

I left home this morning around 7:45 AM and all went extremely well until my GPS unit, a Garmin Zumo 550 no longer would use the 12v power from the Gold Wing. I rode for a while with a dimmed screen powered only by the GPS's internal batteries and unable to use the Zumo's XM antenna to listen to XM radio! Bummer.

I stopped about 275 miles into the trip and determined that the problem was the Zumo 550 and that there was nothing I could do. At this point I decided that as much as I hated to turn around, there was no way I was going to go an additional 15,700 miles into ,uncharted (for me) territory without my GPS and XM radio!

I am currently spending the night in Lewisburg, WV. I called Garmin and they have a replacement unit on the way that should arrive around Wednesday of next week 5/27/2009. If the replacement unit works, I may head out once again on my great adventure.

I will keep you posted!

Craig

Plans For Alaska

Currently I'm planning on leaving Woodstock on May 21, 2009. I’ll travel through Denver on my way to exploring southern Utah, touching on the North Rim of the Grand Canyon, exploring Idaho, passing through the State of Washington and entering Canada at Abbotsford, BC around June 1st.

In British Columbia, I plan on taking Route 99 (The Sea to Sky Highway) from Vancouver area through Whistler (site of the 2010 Winter Olympics) headed northward. Picking up Route 97 I'll head to Prince George with a planned side trip to Barkerville (a restored gold mining town). At Prince George I'll pick up the Yellowhead Hwy (Route 16) and follow it all the way to Prince Rupert. Next stop will be Stewart, BC. From there I'll cross into Alaska and visit Hyder.

Then I'll take the infamous Cassiar Highway (Route 37) to the Alaska Highway (Route 1) in the Yukon Territory. I'll follow that back into Alaska to Skagway. From Skagway I'll take a ferry to Haines (saving 350 miles of backtracking). I'll reach Valdez, AK by entering back into BC and on through the UT. Then on to Seward and Homer located on the Kenai Peninsula. From there it is on to Denali NP and Mount McKinley. Then to Fairbanks and on to the Arctic Circle via Route 2.

Now I am homeward bound.

First stop is Eagle, AK before heading to Dawson, YK via The Top Of The World Highway (Route 9). Traveling south I'll go through Whitehorse on my way to Dawson Creek, BC. I'll then enter Alberta and head to Jasper & Banff National Parks after which my sojourn in Alaska and Canada will be almost over.

I plan on reentering the lower 48 States at Glacier National Park, continuing on through Yellowstone, the Grand Tetons, on into Red Lodge, Montana (traveling the Beartooth Highway in both directions). Cody, Wyoming is the next stop and then on into the Black Hills region of South Dakota. Then onto home via Chicago. Hopefully I'll arrive home safely some 3 months and 16,000 miles after my May departure.

Planned Route Above Lower 48 States Of USA

Planned Route For Lower 48 Stated In USA

8,284 Miles

Keith & His Dad (Me) Starting A Three Day Adventure

On April 28th, Keith, my youngest son and I are on our way to visit his inlaws in Ripplemead, VA.

Our Journey took us from Woodstock, VA down the Skyland Drive and Blue Ridge Parkway. Our return was via a route that followed the VA/WVA border.

We had a great trip dispite some mechanical problems with the VTX1800. Keith's motorcycle is like a cat, it doesn't like to get wet. When riding home in the rain the motor died. After drying out overnight, we continued our journey in the morning.

Keith and his VTX1800 on the Blue Ridge Parkway.

A small picture of my GL1800PM.