The Klondike Highway out of Whitehorse weaved through dusty construction and short turns. We camped in Twin Lakes campground despite the bear warning…

Video: short snip of the Klondike leading up to Dawson City…

 

Fact of life for anyone on a motorcycle road trip: you’re stopping at gas stations two-three times a day to fuel up machine and body. Range on my 1200gs is about 210 miles, depending on speed and conditions. Brady was able to squeeze out a full 240 miles between Coldfoot and Deadhorse on his F650. I pushed the range limits of my tank a few times…

And then I made an oopsie: I didn’t top off my tank at the Cassiar/ALCAN junction, thinking I would fill up at Swift River, completly forgetting my notes that the stop had been converted to a maintenance center and had no public services. We discussed U-turning back to top off, and decided to go a conservative 50mph hoping I could land in Teslin on fumes. I made it to 9 miles out before running out of gas. While Brady scooted ahead for juice and container, I grabbed a few shots.

A well-spent day brings happy sleep. — Leonardo da Vinci

 

Alas, I was only able to use the hammock for three nights. The remainder of the outdoor nights were in the tent on the ground. One and a half thumbs up for the Exped Synmat 7 mattress – plenty of cushion atop gravel and rocks, and a tinge too narrow when sleeping on my back, my elbows would be on the ground instead of the mattress. And I’m not that wide. Really.

With the trip taking place in July, we were treated to a couple of weeks of a 24-hr-a-day light skies, which required a blindfold to sleep at night. Although the sun would dip below the horizon at ‘night’, we didn’t need a flashlight to move around at, say, 1am. Not many stars to look at as well.

Nestled here in our own little corner of the country, nicely insulated by mountains from the microwave heat across the middle of the country, I’ve always eyed the province of BC as a polite unassuming neighbor down the street, home to world class skiing and the occasional street riot (no need to shut down internet access for those crowds, just cut off their beer supply).

And then we rode. And rode. And rode. Three long days south to north. British Columbia is not only big, it’s beauty fully merits public declaration on a license plate. It’s geographic diversity ranges across rain forests, mountains, ocean, almost desert, rivers, and 20 square meter islands, and is home to some of the most remote landscape on the North American continent.

 

 

Video: helmet cam footage from Stewart to the main junction…includes Bear Glacier and a bear crossing @ the 3 minute mark.

Glacier Highway BC via motorcycle.

The scene: we’re traveling northbound on I5, left lane, just 5 minutes after departure from Brady’s house.

What happened: I glance at my left mirror…the sleeping bag bundle supposedly secured to my left pannier jettisons off the back and into traffic. What?! I punch the hazards, pull the bike over to the far left, out of the traffic lane, and look back.

The bag is sitting in the right tire well of the left lane of traffic on I-5 in downtown Seattle on a Saturday morning. A semi-trunk approaches the bundle, my eyes go wide, and the truck weaves around it without a touch. I start walking fast to the bag. Another car approaches, and goes around it. And another. And another. I’m now parallel to the bundle, wondering how to retrieve it while the cars whiz past. Then a mini-van driven by a mom with her kids in the back completely stops in the lane, waves me to cut over and retrieve the bag. We wave to each other while I scurry back to safety.

Damage assessment: ripped hole in the dry bag, ripped hole in the sleeping bag cover, and the sleeping bag appears to be okay.

Later that night, I secured the hole of the exterior dry bag with gaffer’s tape, and put the sleeping bag in a spare dry bag, where it stayed dry throughout the trip. And the lash down method received extra attention as well, no other similar issues from there out.

I haven’t yet left my home turf and already I had an incident. Doh!