These are Harry's mileage readings. My mileage is lower than anyone else's for the trip (except Kenny's of course) because of several factors. 1. Most direct route out. 2. Most pessimistic odometer (reads less than others when we compared) 3. Most time in shops vs. riding! Missed daytrips in Bellingham. 4. Took NOWHERE near as many side trips as John who was our overall mileage champion with over 12,000 miles! DATE ODOMETER MILES DESTINATION starting 30.749.3 5/5/2002 31,649.4 900.1 Waynesboro to Sweet Springs, Missouri 5/6/2002 32,404.8 755.4 Laramie, Wyoming (rain in morning) 5/7/2002 33,000.5 595.6 Twin Falls, Idaho (nasty winds in Idaho) 5/8/2002 33,705.6 705.1 Bellingham, Washington (gorgeous riding) 5/9/2002 Take Bike to shop in Bellingham! 5/10/2002 33,721.0 15.9 Load on Ferry! 5/11/2002 " 0 Riding on Ferry 5/12/2002 " 0 " 5/13/2002 33,874.1 153.0 Haines, AK to Haines Junction, YT 5/14/2002 34.175.2 301.1 Tok, Ak (nasty roads & rain) 5/15/2002 34,443.3 268.1 Valdez, Ak (snow & sleet, then the Sun came out!) 5/16/2002 34,549.2 105.8 Rode ferry to Whittier, than rolled to SEWARD, AK 5/17/2002 34,781.9 232.7 Seward, Ak to Homer, Ak 5/18/2002 35,046.9 265.0 Homer, Ak to Anchorage, Ak (stop at Soldotna HD shop) 5/19/2002 35,411.8 364.9 Anchorage to Denali and touring Denali 5/20/2002 35,564.1 152.3 More time in Denali, then ride to Fairbanks (leave bike in shop) 5/21/2002 36,034.1 470.0 Arctic Circle, then to Twin Rivers, then back to Fairbanks 5/22/2002 36,331.6 297.5 Fairbanks to Chicken, Alaska 5/23/2002 36,775.3 443.7 Chicken, Alaska to Whitehorse, YT 5/24/2002 37,177.3 402.0 Dease Lake, YT 5/25/2002 37,562.3 385.0 Smithers, BC 5/26/2002 38,018.5 456.2 Tete Jaune Cache, British Columbia 5/27/2002 38,303.5 285.0 Canmore, Alberta 5/28/2002 39,058.3 754.8 Minot, North Dakota 5/29/2002 39,608.8 550.5 St. Paul, Minnesota (dinner & karaoke at Beer Belly's) 5/30/2002 40,347.4 738.6 Richfield, Ohio (dinner at Booze 'n Burgers) 5/31/2002 40,756.5 409.1 Home to Waynesboro, Va. TOTAL MILEAGE: 10,007.2 WHAT a RIDE! |
Some Miscellaneous ramblings about our trip: (hey fellow Alaska adventurers, what do you want to add here? More to come on this page if we get the urge!) |
We don't have pictures of every animal we saw, but within our group, all of the following were spotted: Pronghorn Antelope Bison Bald Eagle Caribou Wolf Whitetail Deer Golden Eagle Karaoke singers Fox Moose Mountain Goats Wild Turkey Coyote Elk Mountain Sheep Whales Dall Porpoise Sea Lions Seals Grizzly Bear Black Bears Brown Bears Wild Horses Porcupines |
PROBLEMS: 1. Digital Camera: We could only put pictures on the webpage from Harry's camera. It was DROPPED on the floor of the Ferry when we loaded in Bellingham. All pictures taken after Bellingham (starting with the ferry) were taken with a broken LCD display, so we had to sight the camera through a small viewfinder that wasn't focused. NOT BAD on some of those pictures, huh? 2. Internet connections....difficult to get in lots of places in Canada (screwed up phone systems in motels). 3. The backlight on Harry's Laptop PC died somewhere in Yukon Territory. 4. Getting along with each other? NEVER A PROBLEM! This was a GREAT group of people to travel with! 5. Other Bike Problems - Kenny's Wreck, John's one flat, Richard's tour pack bracket, Bill's cosmetic damage from a sandtrap. LATE BREAKING NEWS: 10 miles from his home in Woodbridge, Bill's bike lost a drivebelt and it had to be trailered to the local Harley shop. {Bill, are you SURE you don't want a DYNA-BAGGER?} 5. Harry's Bike problems...... a book unto itself! Exhaust rubbing, wiring problems with the AM-FM radio, exhaust bracket coming loose, starter problems (for over 2000 miles in Alaska, I had to loosen the starter each time I wanted to start it). Starting in Bellingham, Washington, shops said I had a bad knock in the front cylinder. (7000 miles later, whatever is knocking still hasn't blown up!). Oil leaks (definitely marking it's spot). Slashed rear tire (replaced in Fairbanks). Also needed new front & rear wheel bearings in Fairbanks. Missing exhaust bracket bolts (TWICE!). Blown seal in front right shock, blew hydraulic oil all over the bike and engine. Replaced the primary drive chain in Bellingham (somebody had been hot-rodding this bike, can you imagine that?) A constant worry that it might not make it home. IN OTHER WORDS IT WAS THE PERFECT MACHINE FOR A REAL ADVENTURE! I LOVE MY HARLEY DYNA-BAGGER AND I HAVE MORE PLANS FOR MODIFICATIONS. I PROMISED IT NEW PARTS FOR THE LAST 8000 MILES! |
HIGHLIGHTS? The people we traveled with, the people we met, the incredible views, the great food, the challenging experience, the feeling of accomplishment.......... Chicken, Alaska...... We'll never forget this adventure! |
