Alaska Day 6

Got and early start today. Pulled out of the motel around 4:30 am just as I could see the sky was lighting up. I had to ride 132 miles to catch up with the crew in Calgary, so I stayed in the saddle and arrived around 6:30 am.

I found the guys having breakfast in the breakfast room, so I joined in. Wasn't a bad meal for free. They already had the bikes loaded up, so after we finished breakfast we headed out. We needed to get to Grande Prairie tonight where we would meet up with out fifth member.

We took a back roads route to Grande Prairie which led us through a bunch of small towns. It was a nice ride, but a bit on the cool side. We ended up meeting Brian in Whitecourt. Seems he has been tracking John with his Spot Device, so he knew about where we were and planned to intersect us at White court. It worked out fairly well since he found us.

We were all together now, so we started the final 200 miles to Grande Prairie, where we planned to stop for the night. We did take a short break at the 100 mile point at a road side pull out, where we chatted briefly and caught up a bit on Brian's computer endeavors.

I had made reservations in Grande Prairie mainly due to a miss communication. John had thought when he spoke to Brian that he had tried to make motel reservations at Valley View, which is about 60 miles east of Grande Prairie. John understood that all the rooms were booked, so being a bit concerned we, or at least I, decided to make some reservations in Grande Prairie. Turns out that was a bad idea. What Brian meant was that he couldn't make make any reservations on line. Not a big deal we had reservations right?

Arrived at the Canadian Motor Inn and found out the clerk was just shy of a full load. She didn't even know what a Discover Card was. To make matters worse you had to leave $10.00 as a key deposit. I haven't had to do that in over 15 years. We finally got checked in and the rooms turned out to be pretty good.

After Brian and I had our first drink, John informed us that we were going to eat now. Who wants to argue with John, so away we all went to the Husky Restaurant next door to the motel. After an overpriced meal we returned to our rooms and called it a night. I don't know about the rest but John and I were beat.

Tomorrow the plan is simple. Eat breakfast and ride to Dawson Creek and do some laundry. Get our pictures at the start of the Alcan Highway. We then will decide to stay in Dawson Creek or move on a bit down the road. The bottom line is tomorrow will be a short day.

We are now about to head up the Alcan Highway, Internet availability may be a bit scarce. I will update the blog whenever I can.

Alaska Day 5

Today was a good day. Had perfect weather, cool temperatures, and fantastic scenery.

I left the motel in Broadus, MT at sunrise, which was about 5:00 am. I headed west on 212 to I -90. Soon after I left the motel I found out the Montana Society of Mule Deer were having their Lets Get Fred Convention. Had to take it easy because deer were every where.

I stopped for breakfast in the small town if Hardin, MT. Turned out it was a great breakfast for a great price. While I was there a guy was trying to put a con on the waitress while trying to pay his bill.

He told her that he forgot his cash and asked if he could write an out of town check. She discussed it with another employee and they decided to let him write the check. He then wanted to make is for more than the bill and get some cash back. About that time my waitress was filling my glass of tea, and I quietly informed her that they are probably going to get ripped on the bill, it would be best not to give him any cash. I told here I have seen this before and I willing to bet my breakfast the check he is writing is worthless. They decided not to let him write the check for more than the bill.

After breakfast I continued on I -90 to Billings where I took MT 3 to Hyw 12 and then 191 north to 87. I then took 87 into Great Falls where I picked up I – 15. I was able to cross the boarder without incident and arrived in Lethbridge at approximately 5 pm. I thought about going all the way to Calagry, but I rode in heavy winds from Great Falls to Lethbridge, and the bottom line was, I was beat. It was time to call it a day.

Tomorrow morning I will meet back up with Dick and John at their motel around 7 am.

Alaska Day 4

Well, today is a different day. I was up early wondering if my trip to Alaska would end today. I figured I would be here in Pierre for at least two more days. That would make it almost impossible for me to catch up with the guys unless I want to do 700 mile days. I'm not interested in doing that kind of mileage, so I figured I would just take the scenic route home.

I went to the local Perkings restaurant around 7:30 am for breakfast. Afterwards I headed to the shop. When I arrived they already had the bike on the lift and was getting ready to work on it. It took them about a hour to remove the drive shaft, and it turned out the problem wasn't the u-joint as I first believed.

It seems the shaft jumped off the splines due to lack of lubrication. The shaft was stuck in the rear position and with the flex of the bike it jumped off the splines. Why there is a lack of lubrication is something I will have to think about. This is not what could be considered a maintenance item. The bottom line is I was back on the road in two hours.

I headed west on Highway 34 out of Pierre. What a scenic road. This is for sure another must do road. I followed 34 to Sturgis where I took a small break and ate a hot dog. I then headed north on 79 to 212 where I turned west. The winds were high today. The one main thing I do not like about the trike is that its a bitch to handle in the wind. You get moved around a bunch. By the time I arrived a Broadus, MT I was ready to call it a day.

I checked into the local motel, and then contacted John. They are in Great Falls, MT which means they are about 400 miles ahead of me. We hatched a plan, where I would leave at daylight in the morning and drive to Shelby, MT. They are going to have a short day and stay in Calagry. Shelby is only about 200 miles from Calagry, so I will get another early start, and should be caught up with them by 8 am Monday. Of course that assuming that I don't have any other bike problems.

We will see what happens.

Alaska Day 3

Ever get the feeling that something is telling you not to do something, but you not quite sure what it is?

I'm starting to have that feeling big time. Got up this morning in North Platte, NE and saw John and Dick off. They left the motel around 6:00 am. I hung around the motel until 8:00 am. The dealer doesn't open until 9:00 am, so I planned to grab some breakfast.

There was a little diner car place near the dealership so I had a fairly decent breakfast. I arrived at BUDKEPOWERSPORTS, yes they put all the words together, at about 8:45. They were just opening the doors, and I was the first in line.

I explained my situation to the service manager, and he quickly wrote up a ticket and took the bike back to the service area. Now all I had to do was sit and wait for the news. This dealership is a combination Harley and Honda. The waiting area had over stuffed couches and recliners. Waiting here was not going to be a problem.

About 45 minutes later the service manager came out and told me the news. Good news it was. The SM told me that they hooked the bike up to the computer and he showed a fault in the temperature sensor. This does effect the running of the bike, and all it means is my temperature gauge will be acting crazy for the rest of the trip. They did check the fluid flow, and for signs of any leaks, where everything checked out. They told me to have a good time and get the sensor replaced when I return home. Just for those that don't know, to replace this little sensor is a major major job. It would require leaving the bike at the dealership for several days.

It was 10:30 am when I pulled out of the parking lot after having to hook up my trailer and put on my boots and such. I planned to continue on US 83 north to Murdo, SD where I would catch I-90 and then head west towards Rapid City.

This is a scenic road and the ride was very enjoyable. That is until I was passing through White River, SD. Believe it or not I busted a U-Joint on the bike. For those reading this thats not mechanically included. That is part of the drive shaft that connects the transmission to the rear drive. In other words it what turns the wheels. If it's broke you ain't moving..

As luck would have it, I was just in front of a small store, so I coasted into the parking lot. I knew I would need a tow, and since I am a member of GWRRA, I had also signed up for the Rescue Plus roadside service. I pulled out my phone, and crap, no service. I went into the store, and found out there is not a single pay phone in town. Crap what to do now? I explained my situation the young lady behind the counter, and showing her I was calling a 1-800 number she allowed me to use the store phone.

To make the story short, Rescue Plus came through and I had a truck and trailer arrive about two hours later to pick up the bike and take it to a shop in Pierre, SD. We arrive at the shop around 5:30 pm. It was a 78 mile tow from where I broke down to the shop. The nice thing is the first 100 miles of the tow are part of the package, meaning I don't have to pay.

I was able to briefly speak to the owner of the shop while we were unloading the bike, and he impressed me by telling me they will look at the bike first thing in the morning. The thing that really impressed me is when he pulled out a set of keys to a car, and told me to go find a motel. This shop gave me a loaner car to drive while my bike is in the shop. It's an old car, but who cares, it runs and and has air conditioning.

To replace the U-Joint is not a big job. Matter of fact its a simple job and won't take long, the problem is getting a u-joint. Most dealers don't carry them in stock, and if we are not able to get one today (Saturday) it will be Monday and maybe even Tuesday before we can get one shipped in.

Again its a waiting game. With some luck and if the local dealer has the u-joint I can be back on the road this afternoon. If not I will be visiting Pierre. Not much of a town, but what can you do?

If I can get back on the road today, I will continue on the trip and meet up with the guys in Canada. If I have to hang around several days, then I think I will take the scenic route home through Colorado or something. Time will tell.

Alaska Day 2

Day two started in Childress, Texas at 5:00 am. We loaded the bikes and headed to the local Kettle Restaurant for breakfast. Breakfast was pretty good, but a bit expensive. We were finally heading down the road at 6:00 am. The plan for the day was to stay on US 83 to McCook, NE. It was about 500 miles and we knew it will be a long hot day.

The ride did start out cool and very pleasant. While riding north John's GPS showed an alternate route of Highway 23. We decided to take this road instead of beating down 83. The road was great. It parallels 83 and is basically a country road with all the small town flavor. We stopped in Grainville, KS for lunch at some no name pizza joint. It was all right, nothing to rave about.

Now the bike. The bike ran normal temperature until it hit 90 degrees outside. The temperature gauge then all of a sudden started acting crazy like yesterday. It would be up and down, and at times runs normal. The bike never appeared to get too hot, and never boiled over any coolant.

We made it to North Platte, NE at around 4:00 pm. We found a Fred motel in town, named the Blue Spruce Inn. Room rate $52,00, my kind of place. After checking in I called the local Honda Dealer and explained the problem. The told me to have it there at opening time in the morning and they will have a look at it.

I don't have a whole lot of hope for the morning. I did a bit of Internet research and found out to check anything the part basically needs to be removed. This could take some time. I'm hoping they have a decent mechanic and he will have some experience working on Goldwings and know a few tricks.

I think the problem is going to be the gauge. If that is the case its not a trip stopper. It will just mean that I have a funky gauge the rest of the trip. To chance the sensor is a major job and could take a couple of days, so if that appears to be the problem, I will continue on with the trip and get it fixed when I get home. A bad gauge and/or sensor should not effect the running of the bike. At least I hope thats the case. If its the thermostat or water pump, it can be fixed as long as they can get the part in. It may keep me down a couple of days, but if they can overnight the parts in tomorrow, I could hopefully be in the road by Sunday morning.

John and Dick are going to continue on. Depending on what I find out, I will catch up with them or be heading home a lot earlier than I expected. I'm just hoping my trip is not ending before it even begins. I guess I will know in a few hours.

On the plus side, its raining here, so John and Dick may get a bit wet while I sit in the dry motel room waiting for the dealer to open.

Alaska Day 1

Our day started at 5:50 a.m. at the Chevron station located on Hwy. 59 just south of Houston.  Our route for the day was going to be simple, just take State Highway 36 north to Abilene and then hook up with US 83 and keep going north.

On a trip this long and with so many miles to cover there is bound to be some bike problems.  We mine was the first.  I notice just south of Abilene that my tempature gaguage on the bike was running higher than normal.  The temperature was over 95 degrees, so at first I thought it may be the cause.  Over the next hundred miles I knew there was a problem because the gaguge kept bouncing around.  The bike didn't seem to be over heating, but something was just not right.

To make a long story short it appears my thermostate may be sticking.  I was able to run in 102 degree heat without the bike overheating, so I'm hopefull with us getting into cooler temperatures the bike will make the trip.  The next couple of days will tell the tale

Alaska - The Journey - Day 0

It's the day before we leave. The bike is all but packed, and the weather forecast shows that it's probably going to be the hottest day of the year. It figures, as much as I hate the heat, I knew we would be leaving on the worst day. It's not all bad though, at least we will be moving north into some lower temperatures.

Just have a few errands to run today. Need to get the important stuff like liquor, tobacco, and even some cash. I figure you can't go far without at least one of them.

Nothing more to really do or say, so the next post will be for day 1. The adventure begins....

Fred

Alaska - The Journey

It's time for another trip to Alaska. I will again be making the trip by motorcycle, but what makes it different this time is I will be riding my Goldwing Trike. I planned up to a week ago to take the BMW, but a unknown source oil leak, and a dive bombing bird changed my mind. The bird busted the lower fairing on the bike. Since I am taking the trike, I have also decided to pull my trailer. There should not be a problem with packing now.

The trike is pretty much ready to go. I had to order a head light guard, front bra, and after checking the front brakes, I decided to replace them. They probably would have made the trip, but it may have been close.

I will be leaving the Houston area with John on June 24, 2009 and we will meet up with another rider in Milano later that morning. There will be a total of five riders, but we will meet and split off at various time during the trip.

Not much else to do, but wait and pack. I plan to try and keep up with the blog as much as possible during the trip, but many of the places where we will be staying does not have Internet access. In that case the blog may run a few days behind. I will still write on a daily basis, but may not be able to upload on a daily basis