Dorothy
Beaver Creek to Haines Junction – 270 miles
We began the day with 10 bikes opting for a trip off-road to the Indian Burial ground. It was 20 miles through the woods on an old, un-maintained logging road. We stood on our foot pegs all the way in and back. There were deep ruts, mud holes, and rocky slopes. Very difficult, but as the Brits say ‘Brilliant’. The Vee Strom seems to be able to handle any terrain, as well or better than the BMW’s. Mac and I then set a relaxed pace for the next five hours of highway riding. The highlight for me was stopping at a small gas station/trinket shop around noon. The owners were in their mid sixties and getting ready to have their breakfast in the shop. I asked if we could join them and they made us coffee. We spent over an hour drinking percolated coffee and discussing Canadian healthcare. Dorothy had lung cancer surgery three years ago and is doing well. Jim has had two new knees and a hip replaced. In October he’ll have the other hip replaced. Great people!
Delta Junction, AK to Beaver Creek, Canada 240 miles
Easy ride after I fixed my gear shift linkage. I cleaned the Suzuki after a week of dirt/gravel road riding. It was filthy. I now know that pressure spraying a motorcycle can cause problems. Apparently I forced all of the grease out of the linkage parts. When I got up this morning to get coffee I couldn’t switch gears. Our Kiwi van-man and mechanic (maybe the best guy in the whole group, more on him later) Jeff said, ‘Let’s have a look at that mate’. He tried to take the linkage apart but hadn’t the right tool (mine is the only non-BMW motorcycle). ‘Let’s pop down to the bike shop down the road and borrow a seer clamp plier from them’. So we did. Twenty minutes later he’d re-packed my linkage and it was like new.
The 240 mile ride was on smooth pavement through a mountain and lake region once inhabited by the Athabascan Indians. Now it is sparsely populated. Mac and I stopped to shoot a moose and her baby. I approached to get better picture but retreated when I spotted the young one. Never get between a mother and her offspring, especially when mom is wild and over 2000 pounds.
Tomorrow we go on an optional 40 mile side trip. It is a single lane dirt path to an old Indian burial ground and a lake. Two years ago the group saw several bears on this excursion. With luck I’ll post bear photos tonight.
Easy ride after I fixed my gear shift linkage. I cleaned the Suzuki after a week of dirt/gravel road riding. It was filthy. I now know that pressure spraying a motorcycle can cause problems. Apparently I forced all of the grease out of the linkage parts. When I got up this morning to get coffee I couldn’t switch gears. Our Kiwi van-man and mechanic (maybe the best guy in the whole group, more on him later) Jeff said, ‘Let’s have a look at that mate’. He tried to take the linkage apart but hadn’t the right tool (mine is the only non-BMW motorcycle). ‘Let’s pop down to the bike shop down the road and borrow a seer clamp plier from them’. So we did. Twenty minutes later he’d re-packed my linkage and it was like new.
The 240 mile ride was on smooth pavement through a mountain and lake region once inhabited by the Athabascan Indians. Now it is sparsely populated. Mac and I stopped to shoot a moose and her baby. I approached to get better picture but retreated when I spotted the young one. Never get between a mother and her offspring, especially when mom is wild and over 2000 pounds.
Tomorrow we go on an optional 40 mile side trip. It is a single lane dirt path to an old Indian burial ground and a lake. Two years ago the group saw several bears on this excursion. With luck I’ll post bear photos tonight.
Beaver Creek to Haines Junction – 270 miles
We began the day with 10 bikes opting for a trip off-road to the Indian Burial ground. It was 20 miles through the woods on an old, un-maintained logging road. We stood on our foot pegs all the way in and back. There were deep ruts, mud holes, and rocky slopes. Very difficult, but as the Brits say ‘Brilliant’. The Vee Strom seems to be able to handle any terrain, as well or better than the BMW’s. Mac and I then set a relaxed pace for the next five hours of highway riding. The highlight for me was stopping at a small gas station/trinket shop around noon. The owners were in their mid sixties and getting ready to have their breakfast in the shop. I asked if we could join them and they made us coffee. We spent over an hour drinking percolated coffee and discussing Canadian healthcare. Dorothy had lung cancer surgery three years ago and is doing well. Jim has had two new knees and a hip replaced. In October he’ll have the other hip replaced. Great people!
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