June 29 2007 R.B.T. Home Sweet Home Day 12

Up early... On the road out of Jasper by 7:00 am.

It's cold .. down to about 4 degrees C for an hour or so. up and over the pass and stop at the bottom of the 270 degree swooper and check out the river that falls into a rock crevasse. Cool spot. We get hung up by some trailer traffic. and work our way through it. then on to Canmore for fuel and I need 2 RED BULL for the final leg back to Calgary. ..

It's now a few days later and while I write this it would be great to be back out at it.

It has taken me hours to clean up the calcium chloride (dust suppressant) that was used on the Haul Road. ) when wet. that stuff sticks to bike parts and bakes on to exhaust . it is hard to get off! As opposed to Jon Lee who is easy to get off, or so I'm told. I enjoyed the trip immensely.

Apart from Ryan and I we were 4 guys that knew each other casually. We have become "fast friends" . Like James "the Hammer" said: "No one can take this away from us!" Great time. A little painful at times. What great adventure comes with out the reality checks and a "bit" of pain? We all stretched our capacity for endurance and have tested these machines to the maximum of our present capacity to push them. The machines are amazing.

Truly impressed with the versatility of these motorcycles..

Oh and did you know "Red Bull gives you Wings"

June 28 2007 R.B.T. Push to Jasper Day 11

Early start and good going. Stop at Fort St. John for Timmy's and fuel and Red Bull and scoot off to Dawson Creek. pictures at the mile '0' monument and continue to Grand Prairie. Stop for some fuel and pep & ched and Yep Red Bull and then off to Grand Cash.. Great Road. rippin fast. eat at Grand Cash and on to Jasper.

The 4 stooges

June 27 2007 R.B.T. Rippin' the Alaska Highway Day 10

The Alaska Highway “Scenic Section” Watson Lake to Fort Nelson.

What a beautiful road… we stop to chase some Bears and to wait for the Buffalo to cross the road … then hold up at Liard Hot Springs for an hour or so… good times.

Watson Lake Sign Post Forrest

What a great Road... Rippin'

Greg with his Super Man Rally Suit chasing Bears... with the Paparazzi following...

Ryan showing us a different kind of Bare.

Where is it! I wanna soak in the Hot Springs.

Puttin' out the vibe

Once Liard is done we Red Bull up and look at the road ahead it’s dark, Dark and stormy looking … a guy comes up to us and says: "that was the hardest rain storm I've ever been in"… we look at each other … swallow hard and do what we always do when we face adversity… get on the bike and ride. We got a little damp but the bulk of the storm passed before we got there. Beautiful country.

We stop at Ft. Nelson and fuel up eat and get ready to head out to Fort St. John. It’s 8:30 pm and we won’t get to Fort St. John for 3 ½ hours if we push… so we wimp out and take a room… so we can get up early and head er’…

Oh I forgot Greg and I started to chase bears mid way through the day... He wanted to wrestle them and I wanted to get pictures to sell them to the tabloids... It was fun... And we got some pretty good pics...

June 26 2007 R.B.T. Skagway Day 9

Breakfast at 8:00 meet up with a biker coming from the south and ask how the roads were he tells us of a nightmare construction zone ahead. We tell him that the road north is bumpy but not too bad. The construction zone south was cake, in fact it was a lot better than what was north of us. Sorry Dude... we didn't know.

We scoot down to Whitehorse fill up and Red Bull up. "did you know that Red Bull give you wings?" Then off to Skagway.

James taking a drive by picture of a Griz in the ditch while I take a picture of James

Some good times in Skagway.... So much fun it hurts...

Best meal of the trip... "Thanks Ryan"...

Posers!

What a drive! That road is beautiful. It is one of the most remote and away feeling places I've ever encountered (next to the Haul Road and Top of the World and White Rim and West Coast Trail and...) to think of the work and man hours spent hauling stuff up and over those passes during gold rush times makes me weak just thinking about it. The town is delightful. Lots of period dress and touristy stuff to take in . We went to the Museum and wandered around town for a while . Ryan bought us all a great seafood meal and we fueled up bike and mind and took off into the wild blue yonder once again. North East at Carcross and pushed through to Watson Lake. I got so tired at one point that we stoped at the road side to sleep on a gravel parking lot for 15 minutes and then head out again. We do some rippin' with Greggy at the head end of our train.

June 25 2007 R.B.T. Anchorage Day 8

We go to Alaska Leather and buy stuff, Barb finds me some R1200 GS rear brake pads. Mine are done. At 12,000 km. We go to Alaska Rider and they have pads and let me change them in their shop.... 30 minutes later and we're fueling up and Red Bulling... up and out the door.

We go through a radar trap that consisted of a mini van on an over pass with a lazer gun. whoosh. slip through that one. We stop at the musk ox tourist trap and rest a while. Then back on the road. We take the Glenn Highway . It's a twisty ripper... Loads of fun

This youngster was so keen on motorcycles that he really needed to climb on board...

Midnight on the Alaska Highway

Up to Tok Junction and down the road we go. Next stop the Border. slip through and are so tired at Destruction Bay Yukon that we try to get into the hotel but the front desk is closed for the night. 1:00 am.

Ryan Greg and I get out camping stuff and are ready to camp out in the entrance of the Hotel. Out of the rain . Next thing you know James has found the Hotel manager and we're getting checked in. for a decent sleep. Way to go James!

June 24 2007 R.B.T. Day of Rest Day 7

The Day of Rest.

Meet up with George (Trails End BMW) and we start to look over the "No Start" issue.

It ends up being a loose starter relay. we look every thing over for a while and as luck has it the relay made a little noise and we pounced on it like a pack of dogs on a 3 legged cat. Sho' 'nuff George pushed in the Relay and all is now good. George Rocks. Ready to roll.

We roll and get to Denali National Park and take the road as far as we are allowed.

Stop to eat at Cantwell. this is a jumping off point to the Denali Highway, a gravel road that is closed during winter. I'm tempted . we decide that

will have to wait for another trip. Off to Anchorage. Driving rain for

the last 2 hours. arrive at the hotel and crash.

A day and a night and a day of full blast GO! Day 5&6

Day of Preparation.... Night of go Go GO Go!!!!

So the questioning began a few days ago when Greg asked a few folks about the road to Prudhoe and he got reliable intel to add to his internet research, that the Haul Road is a 4 day event if you can do it at all… so the question is “Why” and it came down to My Ego… and the bragging right of saying Been There. Then the all important tire change and meeting up with Ryan and James who fly in and uncrate their bikes later today. As with all real adventure a little grief and questioning your sanity is important and inevitable.

Wake up and go to Trails End BMW (George)… I’ve called in advance and have Tires ordered We’re gonna install them and get ready for the “Dalton Highway” also known as the infamous “Haul Road”… When we arrive at Trails End we find a most interesting sight… tons of old stuff hanging around a trail into the woods and a note on the door of a dwelling that says I’ll be ready to work at 1:00 pm … We can’t find any one here and decide to go to breakfast… During breakfast we see front page news that the Haul Road has claimed many motorcyclists in the last 2 days and gives a stern warning to all who pursue this fool hardy quest..

I try during breakfast to round up the TKC 80’s that we are looking for. I have limited success. We decide to go back to Trails End and George is there. He says come back about Noon. Back to Georges… Change oil Change tires on both bikes. Spend quality time with George. This is a man that goes and goes. His passion is BMW motorcycles and he has 45 years of experience with BMW. I didn’t ask however I expect that George is in his 70’s and is more capable than most.

George will just “get er done”… Tires on and balanced and we pack up and say our good byes to George and take off to meet Ryan and James at the Harley Shop.

There they are all clean and smelling nice. A bit of a departure from us 2 road worn hoodlums. Ryan and James have their hands full getting everything straightened out… their bikes assembled loaded up and out the door… When we are finally set up we scoot out fill up and head out to eat… We just get under way when James comes to a screaming halt… full on brakes? What was that all about? The harley guys come out and we find that the hand guard was pushing on the front brake lever. So adjustments made and away we go…

This could be the "Last Supper"

Now let me give some facts here…Greg and I have covered some big miles and are some what road weary. James and Ryan have been up since about 2 am (Fairbanks time) traveling from Calgary to Seattle and up to Fairbanks … assemble their bikes pack up and ready to go do a 24 hour assault on the Haul Road? We look over (front page news) a Haul Road wreck that is in the Harley lot??? What are we thinking… It’s now 9:00 pm and we are all a bit frazzled… from the days events… we do a reality check and decide that there is no time like the present to attack this thing… So we eat at Hill Top… Fuel up and gather up a lot of Red Bull… Remember “Red Bull gives you Wings”!

The excitement from our 2 new comers to get going and for Greg and I to be on the “Haul Road” is euphoric! We scoot down the road with confidence of the uninitiated and determination of a Lap dog taking on a St. Bernard… I hit a pot hole just before the Arctic Circle and the rear mud guard is sacrificed to the Haul Road Gods as an offering of safe passage. They return with the “curse of Mark’s bike won’t start”… it will run but the starter will not engage. Fortunately we are on a hill and I coast down the hill and bump start the bike. Next stop … fuel at Coldfoot… 1:30 am. 4 ½ hours from Fairbanks and we’re already in Coldfoot… we Rock…

Chat with the gas station guy at Coldfoot and he says to go ahead is a death wish… Bad fog ahead over the Atigum pass this time of morning. 2 riders crashed within the past 48 hours and needed to be Hauled out on the back of a truck… 6 to 10 Adventure bikers are hanging around on the gas station patio… We try to push my bike to get it started to no avail, (lack of available horse power) not to mention no traction. So we tie a rope to the front guard on my bike and to the rear of Greg’s bike and head out to the Haul Road for some speed and traction to start my bike… it works and we are out of there. We do a Red Bull stop in a few minutes. We do another reality check (it’s about 2:30 am) completely light outside, looks like heavy fog and rain ahead… we deliberate and decide what all intelligent reasonable folk would do under the same circumstance …. head out into certain catastrophe. Up the Atigum pass into the fog and rain … the road deteriorates … we go through a construction site where for 20k the road surface is so slippery it would be hard to walk on. Calcium chloride is put on the roads and used as a dust suppressant… This stuff is very slippery when wet and it is really wet. Forward we go…

This is “Really Big Country”. We see the pipe line most of the time… it’s raining hard and about 1 degree Celsius. We are trying to keep a rapid pace… It’s about 8:30 am when we roll into Prudhoe Bay. We find the Caribou Hotel which consists of a pile of Atco trailers joined together to be accommodation, common area and buffet eating… Breakfast is over and lunch doesn’t start until 11:30 so we ask where we can rest and are given permission to sleep on the couches in the common area.

Sleep … We wake up around 11: and are still shaking from the cold and wet.

We take in some hot apple cider and wait for lunch to start… we are some of the first in line and have a great lunch… feeling human agian we head out … Bike starts under own power… cool…. Go fill up all 4 bikes … once done … we need to pull my bike again to start it up. We take pictures of the Caribou and water at Prudhoe Bay and wander around town for an hour then take off again into certain peril…

Bad weather continues … slippery road is even worse. The weather improves and we pull over beside the pipe line and sleep for 30 minutes. We decide to stop every hour to do a reality check… just to see how we are doing individually….

All goes well. We stop and eat at Hot Spot… A very BIG Burger…. We all eat about 1/3 of the burger and surrender… Back to Fairbanks… one more jump start for Greg and Mark and I screw it up… the bike is running but I allow too much slack on the line and run the rope over with the front tire and it gets caught up in the fender and forks and locks up the front wheel… down I go with Greg dragging me … darn it… we get up and get it going and head straight to a Carwash in Fairbanks which is about 2 hours away at this point… We roll into town at 11:30 pm it’s still light out… 27 hours of an assault on the haul road… off to bed and we’ll think about what we've accomplished over the next decade or so.