States & Providences I've Traveled With My 2008 Gold Wing!!

Google Earth Map of Craig's Alaska Or Bust Trip (Using SPoT Tracks)

Home Again!!!!

Thursday morning at Keith's I found that I had a flat rear tire on the Gold Wing. Perhaps the nail that I found embedded in the tire was also responsible for the air loss discovered during the oil change in Prince George, BC. Anyway, I am greatful that it decided to go flat now rather than on one of my dirt road adventures. I decided to have both tires replaced as they were nearing the end of their useful life. The tire changeout wasn't completed until Monday morning. After which Keith and I rode and enjoyed some rural roads in Pennsylvania.

I left Keith's this morning (Tuesday, July 21) after spending five wonderful days with he and "his girls".

I arrived home this afternoon to a welcome home banner and an almost immediate visit by Hokie Neighbor!

I'm glad that I got home today as tomorrow is my 65th birthday and I look forward to spending it with Milly.

Day 37 - Cambridge, OH to Reading, PA

Well my trip has come full circle as I find myself at my son Keith's home to spend a few days helping out with some handyman chores. (Remember the early post with the picture of Keith dancing with his youngest daughter, Laney?)

Keith met me outside of Harrisburg, PA and we road the remaining miles to his house together. (He has a VTX1800.) It was quite enjoyable riding with someone I knew after all those miles I put on the Gold Wing riding by my lonesome.

I am going to consider my Alaskan Adventure to be complete at this point. The final leg from Reading to Woodstock is a trip that I've done many times and while enjoyable, certainly does not qualify as an adventure.

So some statistics ...

In 37 days I traveled 12,450 miles as indicated by my GPS or 12,927 miles as indicated by the Gold Wing's odometer. (I'm sure that the GPS is the more accurate.) Based on the GPS mileage, I averaged 44 miles per gallon making the Wing a fairly economical ride!

I averaged 336 miles a day which is pretty much what I'd planned. Although I only had 2 days with no forward progress which is about 3 less that I had planned for the little over five weeks I was on the road.

And some thoughts ...

I did not see a single speed trap and only a couple of vehicles pulled over by a police cruser in all the western states and British Columbia. They are definitely not trying to raise revenue via speeding tickets. And with the lack of police presence I did not notice an increase in the number of vehicles that were traveling excessively over the posted limit. Perhaps we could get by with fewer law enforcement officers if we Easterners adopted the Western model.

Hyder, Alaska has no police force or taxes. Plus each citizen got a check for $3700 last year from the oil revenues. Why do so few people live there? Perhaps it is the fact that none of the streets are paved.

Why does the Northwest (and half of Colorado) and British Columbia (and a small part of Alberta), have such a monopoly on breathtaking beauty? (Yes, I know that there are magnificent places in the Northeast. But few of them take your breath away!!)

I think that we should begin negotiations to annex British Columbia and make her the 51st state! Then Alaska would no longer be isolated from the Lower 48. And we will have picked up a real jewel.

The miles go by quickly when you are enjoying the sights offered by the Western landscape. On the other hand, traveling through the Great Plains seems to take forever.

I slept better the six nights that I camped than the nights that I stayed in motels. Perhaps it is because there was nothing to do but to go back to sleep at 3 A.M.. In the motel, I'd get up and get on the computer. Computers are neat. And the Internet is wonderous. But both seem to have infused themselves into my being in an obtrusive way.

Companionship, while not necessary, would have been nice. I was having a wonderful time traveling by myself. But the happiest bikers I saw were traveling in small groups sharing the experience (and costs! :-) ). And I might have made it up the Cassiar if I'd had a support group with me.

You, the readers of this blog, were my support group. I really apprecated the comments and emails that offered encouragement. Especially to continue the blog as there were times that I posted out of a sense of obligation because I knew, that if I fell behind, I would never catch up! I also now know that the blog will serve as a reminder of my trip and allow me to revisit a special time in my life as time rushes on.

That's it for now. Thanks for keeping me company!!!

Day 36 - Peoria, IL to Cambridge, OH

470 miles of fairly boring travel today. There was a lot of truck congestion on I70 in Ohio, I guess that I'll have to get used to that again as I81 around Woodstock, VA has very much the same problem. It's amazing how yoy forget what traffic is like once you get out into the Wild West or British Columbia.

I sure can't complain about the sunny, fairly mild temperature day that I was treated to.

I guess that it will be one more wake up and I'll find myself in my own bed tomorrow night.

As promised, I do plan on posting some summary statistics and final thoughts once I arrive home and settle in.

Day 35 (5 Weeks) - Sioux City, SD To East Peoria, IL

After traveling some 478 miles in mostly sunny, warm conditions, I've arrived safely at my room for the night.

I have to admit that my derriere is a tad sore from the riding today. There is definitely a difference in endurance when riding in the 60s versus the 80 degree temperatures. And riding the backroads versus the interstates.

The ride, scenery wise was not bad across Iowa and a part of Illinois. The landscape has been rolling farmlands all day. Nothing to "knock your socks off" but very pleasing to look at.

The only interesting thing that happened to me today was that I almost ran out of gas. Coming into Illinois I was running low but being on an interstate highway, I expect to find gas at least every 20 miles or so. Not so in this part of Illinois. When the needle on the gauge reached the "you 're are out of gas" point. I really slowed down. Eventually I ran upon an exit with gas but the station was 2 miles down a local road. I thankfully reached the station with gas to spare. I just thought it was funny that I never had this problem once in my many miles of travel in the West and British Columbia where gas stations are very scarce.

Tomorrow should be my next to last day on the road. I have reservations in Cambridge, Ohio tomorrow night.

Day 34 - Rapid City to Sioux City via Badlands NP

This and the following pictures were taken in the Badlands National Park.
It rained most of the time I was there so I'm surprised that the pictures turned out as well as they did.

Today I started out from Rapid City, SD in the rain. And it rained pretty much for the fist 100 miles until I was through the Badlands National Park.

The Badlands are pretty neat when you consider the history of how the lawless used them to avoid justice. But as far as geography goes they have a hard time competing with similar geography in places like Arches NP. That said, and even taking the rain into account, I have to say that I enjoyed my 30 some miles riding through the Badlands very much.

The majority of the day was spent in the plains between the two cities of Rapid and Sioux in South Dakota. The fields were green and I didn't see evidence of irrigation that I'd seen in the high desert regions prior to the Blackhills of South Dakota.

Tomorrow there are no scenic stops scheduled and I hope to end up in East Peoria, Illinois tomorrow evening. It should be about a 470 mile day. About the same as today's 478 miles.

Day 33 - Deadwood to Rapid City, SD

1/32 scale model of Crazy Horse Monument in the foreground.

The following three pictures were taken on the Needles Highway.

It was another wonderful day. Only 144 miles covered but lots of sight seeing! More clouds than sun but moderate temperatures and only one brief afternoon downpour.

My first stop after leaving Deadwood was the Crazy Horse Memorial. I really like what the Ziolkowski family has done both in keeping the project private (out of government hands) and in promoting the dignity of Native Americans on the memorial site. I have my doubts that this memorial will ever be completed but feel that it is a must see even in its current state. It was well worth the visit and the $6 admission.

I hate to say that I was disappointed by Mount Rushmore but I was. I'd seen it in 1965 and was quite thrilled by it. But now, unlike Crazy Horse which is intended to uplift and celebrate all Native Americans, I see Rushmore more as a memorial to the men depicted than to the country that they served. I overhead conversations between other tourists expressing the same sort of disappointment. Sorry, I didn't mean to wax political!

In between the two memorials I rode the Needles Highway and the Iron Mountain Road. Both roads were fantastic.

The Needles Highway was narrow and twisty with (I think) two 5 mph turns and many 10 and 15 mph ones. Even on the motorcycle these speed limits needed to be respected. There were several narrow passages through the upright rocks that were single lane and narrow at that.

The Iron Mountain Road was also very twisty with drastic elevation changes but it wasn't as enjoyable as there was a lot of traffic. I almost felt like I was going to fall over in some of the tighter turns as the traffic was moving so slow.

I guess that the party is pretty much over at this point. I am in Rapid City, South Dakota about 1600 miles from home. The only attraction that I intend to visit between here and home is the Badlands NP. I will probably be home in 3 or 4 days. I'll keep you posted as to my progress but the travelogue (such as it is) only needs one final post to detail some statistics and overall impressions which I will do once I get home.

My thanks to those who have encouraged me to keep posting. I'm glad that I could share the ride with you.

Day 32 - From Cody, WY to Deadwood, SD

The Absarcka Mountains come into view in a little over an hour after leaving Cody.

The climb begins!!!

If you enlarge this picture, I think tht you will see the roadway that connects these two peaks.

Awe! The summit!

Looking into the Bighorn Basin formed by the Beartooth Mts. to the West and the Absarcka Mts. to the East.

The next three pictures were taken riding the high plateau created by the Absarcka Mts.

The blue flowers were really pretty and much more noticeable than the picture portrays.

My GPS got me into this mess. Someday I may be willing to whisper to friends and family how I got out of it!

Devil's Tower National Monument in Wyoming.


The following picture was taken shortly after I entered South Dakota.

I had a wonderful day of travels over 435 miles in almost perfect weather. (Low of 63 and a high (briefly) of 83). I was pleased that almost every mile was interesting. I thought that after I left the Rocky Mountains I would have to struggle to stay alert and interested in the ride. Thankfully, at least for today, that wasn't the case. Most of today's ride was on Route 14 or Alternate Route 14. Once in a while I was forced onto I90.

It was a wonderfully steep and twisty road that climbed from the Bighorn Basin to the top of the Absarcka Mountains. And an equally steep and twisty road that descended onto the plains of Wyoming before you reach South Dakota. And in between the ascent and decent there were many miles of high mountain meadows to enjoy.

After Devil's Tower, I headed to Sturgis. I expected a very old cowboy town. And while some of the buildings were old, most probably date from the 50's or newer. I had an enjoyable grilled Alaskan salmon special at The Knuckle Saloon.

I'm staying overnight in Deadwood which is pretty much a new town built over an old town. Almost every business offers some form of gambling. The most interesting thing that I've seen is related to where and how Wild Bill Hickok was killed. I just can't get into the gaming thing and they allow smoking which is also a turn off for me. So I finished up the evening working on this post.

Tomorrow I plan to visit Mount Rushmore and the Crazy Horse Monument. I have reservations in Rapid City tomorrow night.

Day 31 - Beartooth Revisited , Landed In Cody,WY

Heading out of Red Lodge, Montana.


The following four pictures were taken on the Beartooth Scenic Highway.

The following three pictures were taken on the Chief Joseph Scenic Highway.

This was just a too cool spoof on what advertising has done to the image of the American cowboy. A Budwiser is in his hand and a pack of Marlboros is in his pocket. The dog got the can of Coors.

Today was a spectacular weather day. No rain and cold to cool temperatures. (I was bundled up on the Beartooth when the temperature dropped to 38!) I didn't see 70 degrees until I was prety close to Cody, Wyoming. It was a short travel day and I had lunch in Cody before visiting the Buffalo Bill Center for almost 6 hours.

The Beartooth was just as windy and cold as yesterday but there was a bit more sunshine. This a spectacular drive and I no longer question all the rave reviews that I've seen on the internet for motorcycling this road. The pass is just a little over 10,900 feet so there is little wonder about the cold temperatures and lack of trees.

After riding the Beartooth I turned off south onto the Chief Joseph Scenic Byway. In my opinion it is every bit as scenic as the Beartooth. Just not as twisty and at lower elevations. A very enjoyable ride.

The morning's 129 miles passed too quickly. But after a quick lunch in Cody, I was off to Buffalo Bill Historical Center which turned out to be five museums in one! Only about a quarter was devoted to Buffalo Bill Cody. The rest was devoted to Western animals, art and culture. The museum is very well done and I'd recommend spending some time there if you are ever in the area.

I feel priviledged to have seen and done all that I got to do today!!!

Tomorrow night should find me 424 miles down the road in Deadwood, South Dakota.

Day 30 - Yellowstone to Red Lodge, MT

Can you see the deer?

The next two pictures were taken leaving Yellowstone.

The rest of the pictures were taken on Beartooth Pass.

When I broke camp this morning it was 38 degrees at 7 A.M.. I really enjoyed the ride through northeastern Yellowstone. It had many lush green fields and hills and mountains!!! It was nice to get away from the burned out areas covered with young trees and the ugly remains of a recent forest fires. There were many buffalo. It seems that buffalo have replaced bear as the main wildlife attraction in Yellowstone NP, although I did see one brown bear (grizzly ?) at a distance in a high meadow. (Too far away to photograph with my cameras.)

Leaving Yellowstone, I once again ran into road construction and delays. Fortunately I found very few soft spots in the dirt and gravel sections. But the fear of encountering such areas made the drive very intense. Thankfully the construction zones ended soon after I reached the Beartooth Pass (Route 212).

What a treat The Beartooth Pass was. It is an amazing streach of road through Wyoming and Montana that leads into Red Lodge, Montana. It climbs to high elevations with drops into deep canyons. Despite the date, July 8th, there was quite a bit of snow. And the winds at these high elevations were brutal. By the time I reached Red Lodge my senses were saturated with sights, wind and elevation changes. I decided to find a motel room in Red Lodge after today's 177 miles. Time for a haircut and a much need shower! I will tackle the return over Beartooth Pass in the morning on my way to Cody, Wyoming.

Day 29 - Yellowstone to Grand Tetons to Jackson, WY and Return

The Grand Tetons!!!

The following three pictures were taken in Jackson, Wyoming.

Can you see the propellers?

It was a picture perfect day. Low hunidity, a high of 72 and no rain.

The worst part of today's travel involved road constuction. I had two 30 minute delays and about a half a dozen of the 5 to 10 minute varity. And the worst was that I had to travel on freshly graded gravel and dirt that had some treacherous, soft spots to navigate. Thankfully I made it through both ways without incident.

The Tetons are "Grand" indeed. I have seen many mountain peaks that I'd call more awesome than the Tetons. But I think that it is the arrangement of those peaks and how they rise up from the plains that make them special. I rode the backroads southbound and the main highway (Route 89) on the way back to my campground in Yellowstone. The Tetons showed their splender in both directions.

I'm glad that I went down to Jackson, Wyoming. I got a good lunch, saw some neat scenery and got gasoline for less than $2.50. ($2.79 had been the cheapeast since returning from Canada.) Jackson was flooded with tourists. I can't imagine what it is like during the winter ski season as the slope is practically in town as you can see from one of my pictures.

After 188 miles today, I'm spending my second night in Yellowstone's Lewis Lake Campground. I hope that I am as successful at warding the mosquitoes off as I was last night.

I'm heading for Yellowston's eastern entrance in the morning. My planned destination is Red Lodge, Montana. To get there I'll ride the Beartooth Highway, Route 212, a great motorcycle road.