May 10, 2013 - Moving forward.

I got what I wanted! I now have the bike as I ordered it and am very satisfied. The over all appearance of the bike is very nice. The Jesse bags are a plus also. They are a bit beefier than the ones I had on my 2007. I am very happy with my choices. Now, all that needs to happen in my finalized commitment to the trip. I am sitting on the fence at present. The weather patterns are less than perfect here in Alaska and the lower 48 has had the worse April weather in ten years. So, I have moved my leaving date forward to about June 9th or so. I...

Apr 30, 2013 - Potter Marsh and the Alaska Museum

Date: April 30, 2013 Tonight’s Location: Anchorage, AK Mileage: End - Start - Total Miles for the day: very few Weather: mostly cloudy, a few snowflakes, weak sunshine this evening. Temperature: start 30º High 41º Wildlife count: Year List: 197, Life List: 343 Birds: Green-winged Teal, Greater Yellowlegs (50), Bald Eagle, Glaucous Gull, Sandhill Crane, Ruffed Grouse, Mallard, Raven, Snow Geese, Rock Dove, Magpie, Canada Geese We enjoyed a very relaxing morning, with breakfast at the local Denny’s – just ½ block away. We attempted to...

Apr 29, 2013 - Errand day, AND we are MUCH younger!

Date: April 29, 2013 Tonight’s Location: Anchorage, AK Mileage: End - Start - Total Miles for the day: 0 Weather: sunny and warm Temperature: start 27º High 48º Wildlife count: Year List: 196 Birds: Ravens, Canada Geese, Glaucous Gull Today was a day of blessed relaxation! We were up with the sun, but that doesn’t take much here! Sunrise is at 5:55 am, and sunset is at 10 pm today. The real trick is to close your eyes to go to sleep, and as tired as we are, that is not much of a problem. We spent the morning catching up on bill-paying,...

Apr 28, 2013 - Tok to Anchorage and relaxing!

Date: April 28, 2013 Tonight’s Location: Anchorage Mileage: End - 17974 Start - 17651 Total Miles for the day: 323 Weather: brilliant sunshine and very cold Temperature: start 3º (that is F, +3°) High 47º in Anchorage Wildlife count: Bobcat Year List: 195 Birds: Ravens, Harlan’s Red-tailed Hawk, Snow Buntings, Magpie, Bald Eagles, Greater White-fronted Geese, Snow Geese, Canada Geese, We were up early this morning, as we had to remove all of the window coverings! Over our blackout shades, we hung towels, as well as lap blankets from...

Apr 22, 2013 - Issues...

Well heck, the dealer here in Anchorage received an Alpine White bike that was gathered from another dealer, but... This bike has a grey and black seat on it though. A different seat than the one advertised for this color selection (this seat is the one shown on the black selection)and, in my opinion, a less attractive selection than the one I had anticipated. I had decided earlier to take this bike since the one I special ordered is still in route and is about a month out as I write. This new bike had options on it that I had not ordered...

Mar 2, 2013 - New tool.

Today I ordered a new tool for this trip. I ordered a new 2013 GS1200 Adventure. I have to admit it was not necessary, since my 2007 is still in fine condition, but I am getting older and, well, life is short. Now if it arrives in time for the planned May departure date all will be great. I need to receive it by about the end of April or I will be a bit rushed to get the bags on it and put the 600 miles or so on it before hitting the road. But, I don't have to leave on any particular date so I guess it is not a big deal. Anyway, decisions...

Jan 25, 2013 - "Without first a dream, there is nothing."

I found this site while researching a back-road trip through Canada. I thought I might as well record this trip for history, or why ever folks record their lives on these media sites. I have made DVD's of previous trips but they seem to only be interesting to me, so since there are so many of you out there, I thought I would expand my baseline and see if any of you find such rambles interesting. This will be my eighth motorcycle trip through Canada and the US. I have to date logged 90,000 miles on two BMW motorcycles traveling around the...

Oct 3, 2012 - #9 Anchorage - Cultural aspects

#9 Anchorage - Cultural & Educational aspects; - Museums and Gardens and such As much as we enjoy our primitive campgrounds, off-the-beaten track explorations, and end-of-the-road adventures, the city centers have a lot to offer as well. Generally they hold more interest for me than for Marvin, who is content to save the entrance fee, stay with Cappy and view the exhibits by proxy when I get back with my usual staggering quota of photos. I had collected info and brochures, and I had plans for our visit to Anchorage. My top priority was a...

Sep 17, 2012 - # 7 Marvin's report on Denali NP

#7 Marvin's report on Denali NP When I thought of Alaska, I imagined a vast wilderness peopled by a few hardy souls, and lots of wild animals. I knew there were a couple of cities (Anchorage and Fairbanks), a few outposts, and some small seaports along the southeast archipelago. But what attracted me most was the scenery, the wilderness, and the animals. I had very little interest in the cities, or in tourist resorts. (Of course, Ann wants to see and do it all…) Denali National Park is a wildlife preserve which tries to keep wild things...

Sep 4, 2012 - So long!

It wasn't raining this morning! Got up at 6:30 so that we had plenty of time to get packed up and make the 42-mile trek from Palmer to Anchorage to return the RV by 10:00. At that time, we were still gasing up the RV & filling the propane tank. No problem, no penalty. We have nothing but good things to say about ABC Motorhome Rental. Their "half-price sale" season (late spring & late summer) made the trip more affordable. I'd take an RV trip again...just don't know where. If you are considering a trip such as this, we'd be happy to talk to...

Aug 25, 2012 - Day 57

Another relaxing day. Made chili for us and our friends who came over for dinner. As we were finishing dinner, Zander noticed two moose near our campsite. It turned out to be a cow and two calves. Momma was being hard to photograph, but the calves were cooperative.

Aug 23, 2012 - Day 55

Rain had started during the night, after two beautiful days, and continued shortly into the morning. As we left Seward, we made a brief detour, about 8 miles one way, to Exit Glacier. The ranger station for the Exit Glacier is about 1.3 miles from the glacier, with hiking trails to three different points to observe the glacier. You can actually hike up to and walk on the glacier. Since it had been raining, we opted not to do the hiking, even to the shortest viewing point. We then returned to the Seward Highway proceeded towards Anchorage,...