Finding Freedom...World Wide Ride

BcDano · Jul 19, 2012

We finally did it in June 2012. After we sold nearly everything, quit our jobs, and hit the road to find freedom on our BMW F 800 GS and F 650 GS. It was 10 months from Vancouver to Inuvik, Alaska, 20 USA states and 20 Mexican states to end in Panama City. After shipping from Panama City to Bogota it was then 4 more months to get from Colombia to Ushuaia in January 2014! The epic adventure continues in 2014 for another year in South America. We started 2015 with 3 month in Brazil and then we shipped from BA to Madrid. We then spent 9 months heading south in Spain and to Morocco, Portugal, France, "THE UK", the Isle of Man, Scandinavia, Nord Kapp, Iceland, and the Faroes. We finished off 2015 with a tour of Germany, Austria, Switzerland, and the south of France. We also added Luxembourg, Lichtenstein, and Andorra to bring us to 43 countries. In 2016 we will explored the south and east of Europe and the Ukraine. In May 2017 we rode east from Germany to Turkey, Georgia, Armenia, and Iran. We hit "the Stans".....and head to Russia, Mongolia, and China. We arrived in Malaysia in December 2017 in time to ship to Auckland for New Years. In March 2018 we shipped to Melbourne and then from Darwin to Dili, Timor Leste. We are island hopping in Indonesia and then headed back to KL and then North America!

Links to the blog posts!

BC, The Dempster, Alaska, USA http://advrider.com/index.php?threads/finding-freedom-world-wide-ride.810030/

USA , Bear tooth Mexico http://advrider.com/index.php?threads/finding-freedom-world-wide-ride.810030/page-2

Mexico South and Yucatan http://advrider.com/index.php?threads/finding-freedom-world-wide-ride.810030/page-3

Guatemala http://advrider.com/index.php?threads/finding-freedom-world-wide-ride.810030/page-4

El Salvador http://advrider.com/index.php?threads/finding-freedom-world-wide-ride.810030/page-7

Honduras and Nicaragua http://advrider.com/index.php?threads/finding-freedom-world-wide-ride.810030/page-8

Costa Rica http://advrider.com/index.php?threads/finding-freedom-world-wide-ride.810030/page-10

Panama http://advrider.com/index.php?threads/finding-freedom-world-wide-ride.810030/page-11

Shipping across the Darien http://advrider.com/index.php?threads/finding-freedom-world-wide-ride.810030/page-12

Colombia http://advrider.com/index.php?threads/finding-freedom-world-wide-ride.810030/page-14

Ecuador http://advrider.com/index.php?threads/finding-freedom-world-wide-ride.810030/page-18

Galapagos http://advrider.com/index.php?threads/finding-freedom-world-wide-ride.810030/page-20

Northern Chile http://advrider.com/index.php?threads/finding-freedom-world-wide-ride.810030/page-22

Dakar 2014 http://advrider.com/index.php?threads/finding-freedom-world-wide-ride.810030/page-24

Ruta 40 south to Ushuaia http://advrider.com/index.php?threads/finding-freedom-world-wide-ride.810030/page-25

Ushuaia http://advrider.com/index.php?threads/finding-freedom-world-wide-ride.810030/page-26

Antarctica http://advrider.com/index.php?threads/finding-freedom-world-wide-ride.810030/page-27

Torres del Pines http://advrider.com/index.php?threads/finding-freedom-world-wide-ride.810030/page-28

Carretera Austral http://advrider.com/index.php?threads/finding-freedom-world-wide-ride.810030/page-29

Easter Island http://advrider.com/index.php?threads/finding-freedom-world-wide-ride.810030/page-30

Argentina Moto GP & Adventures in Northern Argentina Big dunes and white lava http://advrider.com/index.php?threads/finding-freedom-world-wide-ride.810030/page-31

Bolivia http://advrider.com/index.php?threads/finding-freedom-world-wide-ride.810030/page-32

Machu Picchu and the mountains of Peru http://advrider.com/index.php?threads/finding-freedom-world-wide-ride.810030/page-35

Argentina and to Buenos Aires http://advrider.com/index.php?threads/finding-freedom-world-wide-ride.810030/page-40

El Salvador and Home for the summer http://advrider.com/index.php?threads/finding-freedom-world-wide-ride.810030/page-42

Iguazu Falls Brazil mountains and canyons http://advrider.com/index.php?threads/finding-freedom-world-wide-ride.810030/page-45

Minas Gervias State Brazil http://advrider.com/index.php?threads/finding-freedom-world-wide-ride.810030/page-49

Rio de Janeiro for New Years at Copacabana! http://advrider.com/index.php?threads/finding-freedom-world-wide-ride.810030/page-51

Salvador de Bahia Brazil. http://advrider.com/index.php?threads/finding-freedom-world-wide-ride.810030/page-53

Chapada Diamantina a MUST SEE in Brazil! http://advrider.com/index.php?threads/finding-freedom-world-wide-ride.810030/page-54

Kite surfing in Cumbuco Brazil and the Amazon http://advrider.com/index.php?threads/finding-freedom-world-wide-ride.810030/page-56

South in Brazil http://advrider.com/index.php?threads/finding-freedom-world-wide-ride.810030/page-57

Uruguay country 18! Shipping to Madrid http://advrider.com/index.php?threads/finding-freedom-world-wide-ride.810030/page-58

Spain http://advrider.com/index.php?threads/finding-freedom-world-wide-ride.810030/page-59

Morocco http://advrider.com/index.php?threads/finding-freedom-world-wide-ride.810030/page-62

Southern Portugal http://advrider.com/index.php?threads/finding-freedom-world-wide-ride.810030/page-70

North to the UK via the coast http://advrider.com/index.php?threads/finding-freedom-world-wide-ride.810030/page-72

South Wales and Ireland http://advrider.com/index.php?threads/finding-freedom-world-wide-ride.810030/page-73

Isle of Man http://advrider.com/index.php?threads/finding-freedom-world-wide-ride.810030/page-74

North Wales and The Lake District http://advrider.com/index.php?threads/finding-freedom-world-wide-ride.810030/page-75

Scotland http://advrider.com/index.php?threads/finding-freedom-world-wide-ride.810030/page-76

Netherlands http://advrider.com/index.php?threads/finding-freedom-world-wide-ride.810030/page-78

Iceland http://advrider.com/index.php?threads/finding-freedom-world-wide-ride.810030/page-79

Faroe Islands http://advrider.com/index.php?threads/finding-freedom-world-wide-ride.810030/page-85

Sweden & Norway http://advrider.com/index.php?threads/finding-freedom-world-wide-ride.810030/page-86

Nord Kapp http://advrider.com/index.php?threads/finding-freedom-world-wide-ride.810030/page-88

St Petersburg, Russian federation http://advrider.com/index.php?threads/finding-freedom-world-wide-ride.810030/page-90

Estonia, Latvia, & Lithuania http://advrider.com/index.php?threads/finding-freedom-world-wide-ride.810030/page-91

Sweden & Denmark http://advrider.com/index.php?threads/finding-freedom-world-wide-ride.810030/page-92

Germany http://advrider.com/index.php?threads/finding-freedom-world-wide-ride.810030/page-93

Belgium http://advrider.com/index.php?threads/finding-freedom-world-wide-ride.810030/page-94

South Germany, Nurburgring, Datona http://advrider.com/index.php?threads/finding-freedom-world-wide-ride.810030/page-95

Austria http://advrider.com/index.php?threads/finding-freedom-world-wide-ride.810030/page-97

Dolomites http://advrider.com/index.php?threads/finding-freedom-world-wide-ride.810030/page-98

Switzerland http://advrider.com/index.php?threads/finding-freedom-world-wide-ride.810030/page-100

South of France http://advrider.com/index.php?threads/finding-freedom-world-wide-ride.810030/page-101

Barcelona http://advrider.com/index.php?threads/finding-freedom-world-wide-ride.810030/page-102

Review of Summer 2014-2015 http://advrider.com/index.php?threads/finding-freedom-world-wide-ride.810030/page-103

Back in the Schengen Zone http://advrider.com/index.php?threads/finding-freedom-world-wide-ride.810030/page-106

Alicante, Carcassonne, and Avignon http://advrider.com/index.php?threads/finding-freedom-world-wide-ride.810030/page-107

Monaco and Lake Como http://advrider.com/index.php?threads/finding-freedom-world-wide-ride.810030/page-108

Milano http://advrider.com/index.php?threads/finding-freedom-world-wide-ride.810030/page-109

Tuscany http://advrider.com/index.php?threads/finding-freedom-world-wide-ride.810030/page-110

Florence http://advrider.com/index.php?threads/finding-freedom-world-wide-ride.810030/page-111

Corsica http://advrider.com/index.php?threads/finding-freedom-world-wide-ride.810030/page-112

Sardinia http://advrider.com/index.php?threads/finding-freedom-world-wide-ride.810030/page-113

Italy parks and coast http://advrider.com/index.php?threads/finding-freedom-world-wide-ride.810030/page-114

Sicily http://advrider.com/index.php?threads/finding-freedom-world-wide-ride.810030/page-115

Albania http://advrider.com/index.php?threads/finding-freedom-world-wide-ride.810030/page-116

Greece http://advrider.com/index.php?threads/finding-freedom-world-wide-ride.810030/page-117

Macedonia and Bulgaria http://advrider.com/index.php?threads/finding-freedom-world-wide-ride.810030/page-119

Serbia and Montenegro http://advrider.com/index.php?threads/finding-freedom-world-wide-ride.810030/page-120

Croatia and Bosnia http://advrider.com/index.php?threads/finding-freedom-world-wide-ride.810030/page-121

Venice, Dolomites, and Glossglockner http://advrider.com/index.php?threads/finding-freedom-world-wide-ride.810030/page-123

Vienna and Ljubljana http://advrider.com/index.php?threads/finding-freedom-world-wide-ride.810030/page-124

Hungary and Romania http://advrider.com/index.php?threads/finding-freedom-world-wide-ride.810030/page-125

Slovakia and Ukraine http://advrider.com/index.php?threads/finding-freedom-world-wide-ride.810030/page-127

Getting all the visa!! http://advrider.com/index.php?threads/finding-freedom-world-wide-ride.810030/page-135

Headed east from Europe (Germany, Czech, Hungary, Serbia part 2) http://advrider.com/index.php?threads/finding-freedom-world-wide-ride.810030/page-136

Bulgaria http://advrider.com/index.php?threads/finding-freedom-world-wide-ride.810030/page-138

Turkey http://advrider.com/index.php?threads/finding-freedom-world-wide-ride.810030/page-139

Georgia http://advrider.com/index.php?threads/finding-freedom-world-wide-ride.810030/page-141

Armenia http://advrider.com/index.php?threads/finding-freedom-world-wide-ride.810030/page-143

Iran http://advrider.com/index.php?threads/finding-freedom-world-wide-ride.810030/page-146

Turmenistan http://advrider.com/index.php?threads/finding-freedom-world-wide-ride.810030/page-150

Uzbekistan http://advrider.com/index.php?threads/finding-freedom-world-wide-ride.810030/page-151

Tajikistan Pamir Highway and Wahkan Valley http://advrider.com/index.php?threads/finding-freedom-world-wide-ride.810030/page-152

Kyrgyzstan http://advrider.com/index.php?threads/finding-freedom-world-wide-ride.810030/page-156

Kazakhstan http://advrider.com/index.php?threads/finding-freedom-world-wide-ride.810030/page-159

Russia http://advrider.com/index.php?threads/finding-freedom-world-wide-ride.810030/page-160

Mongolia http://advrider.com/index.php?threads/finding-freedom-world-wide-ride.810030/page-162

China http://advrider.com/index.php?threads/finding-freedom-world-wide-ride.810030/page-172

Tibet http://advrider.com/index.php?threads/finding-freedom-world-wide-ride.810030/page-177

Laos http://advrider.com/index.php?threads/finding-freedom-world-wide-ride.810030/page-182

Cambodia http://advrider.com/index.php?threads/finding-freedom-world-wide-ride.810030/page-184

Thailand http://advrider.com/index.php?threads/finding-freedom-world-wide-ride.810030/page-186

Malaysia http://advrider.com/index.php?threads/finding-freedom-world-wide-ride.810030/page-187

New Zealand North Island http://advrider.com/index.php?threads/finding-freedom-world-wide-ride.810030/page-190

New Zealand South Island http://advrider.com/index.php?threads/finding-freedom-world-wide-ride.810030/page-193

Australia-Melbourne to Darwin http://advrider.com/index.php?threads/finding-freedom-world-wide-ride.810030/page-200

Australia-Darwin to Perth roadtrip http://advrider.com/index.php?threads/finding-freedom-world-wide-ride.810030/page-204

Timor Leste http://advrider.com/index.php?threads/finding-freedom-world-wide-ride.810030/page-205

Indonesia https://advrider.com/f/threads/finding-freedom-world-wide-ride.810030/page-207

Brunei https://advrider.com/f/threads/finding-freedom-world-wide-ride.810030/page-212

Road home https://advrider.com/f/threads/finding-freedom-world-wide-ride.810030/page-213

Hello fellow inmates!

Well we are little slow in getting things happening here on ADV. What can I say the riding has been fantastic and sitting in front of a screen typing falls very low on the priority list. The scenery has been incredible and the adventure has been better than we had hoped for in the Yukon and Alaska.

We have already met a lot of great ADV riders in the three weeks we have been on the road and look forward to connecting with even more as we now turn south for Ushuaia. To cut the screen time we will be posting the links to our blog. The first few entries can be viewed here

http://www.worldwideride.ca/blog

A tad late, but welcome to our worldwide ride.....

Daniel & Sara Photo review of the trip so far,

6 month update

Ten Countries Ten Months. Just the start.

In Canada's North West territories this is the half way point at eagle Plains on our trip up the Dempster highway.

We were over the top of the world into Alaska and 19 other states.

Ten weeks in Mexico was just enough to scratch the surface.

Ambergris Cay Belize was just voted best Island on earth.

Guatemala has many hidden jewels, like the limestone formations at Sumec Champey.

El Salvador has lots of adventure riding starting with the road to El Impossible.

Honduras was a short but luckily uneventful ride.

Nicaragua has lots of great riding up north and historic beauty in Granada.

Costa Rica has beaches, lakes, and volcanoes.

Panama has a lot more than the canal at Miraflores.

A ONE YEAR UPDATE FROM SANTIAGO de CHILE

Back to Panama City pick the bikes up after 4 months and ship them to Bogota.

We LOVED Colombia!

We made it to the equator and finally found some freedom and unfortunately a fractured and dislocated toe for Sara when the stator of the 650 died.

Sights in Ecuador

Peru

Chile

Now for the Dakar 2014 Argentina!

Perito Moreno Glacier near El Calafate

The end of the road, but not the adventure. Just over 14 months and just under 70,000 km!

A dream come true was an expedition to Antarctica.

The hike to the very stunning Torres del Paines near Puerto Natales

The Carretera Austral

Isla Chiloe and another "end of the road" This time the Pacific Coast Highway from Lund BC and according to some the end of the Pan Americana from Alaska.

The first flat after 15 countries and almost 75000 km.

The magic of Easter Island

The Argentina Moto GP

The big dunes of Antafogasta

Salar de Uyuni

Machu Picchu

Canyon del Pato Peru

"Death" road Bolivia

We have ridden up and down in SA so much this Capricorn has crossed the Tropic of Capricorn for the third time.

Iguazu Falls from Argentina

Brazil Country number 17!

The 100,000 km mark!

Day 1

100k kms

All pack and ready for the flight to Madrid

Madrid

Morocco

Cabo san Vicente (lands End) Portugal

France

UK Land's End South

Ring of Kerry Ireland

Giant's staircase Northern Ireland

Isle of Man

Hard Knott Pass The Lake District

Scotland

Netherlands

Iceland

Faroe Islands

Norway

Finland

Baltic States

huzar · Jul 19, 2012

BcDano · Dec 23, 2012

Copenhagen is the jewel of Denmark.

Germany riding towards the freedom monument

MRT Meeting

Daytona like a visit to Mecca

Bruges, Belgium at night

Luxembourg

Austria

Dolomites, Italy

Switzerland

Andorra

Liechtenstein

France

Monaco

San Marino

Corsica

Sardinia

Amalfi Coast, Italy

Sicily

Albania

Greece

Macedonia

Bumot Sophia Bulgaria

Serbia

Montenegro

Croatia

Bosnia

Dolomites

Venice

Glossglockner

Slovenia

Hungary

Romania

Ukraine

Poland

Czech Republic

Serbia

Bulgaria

Turkey

Georgia

Armenia

Iran

Turkmenistan

Uzbekistan

Tajikistan

kyrgyzstan

Kazakhstan

Russian Federation

Mongolia

200,000 km on the World Wide Ride!

China

Laos

Cambodia

Thailand

Malaysia

New Zealand

Australia

Timor Leste

Indonesia

Brunei

Borneo

Vermont

New Hampshire

Maine

New Brunswick

PEI

Quebec

Ontario

Manitoba

Saskatchewan

Alberta

Connecting the line

This is it!!!

BcDano · Dec 23, 2012

Well its weird to be back at day one, but here it goes. Leaving the lower mainland on June 22, 2012 we rode to Pritchard where we could store some belongings and get ourselves packed and ready for ? 5 years on round the world.

And so it begins

Getting out of town

We made it drop off some things for storage and then set off from Pritchard, which is near Kamloops, BC.

Horizons Start map

Here are the bikes a loaded up.

Ready to Rock on the Ranch

F800GS Loaded

Starting odometer reading on the F800GS.

Daniel bike odometer start

Day one it was hot for BC and we had a fairly short day planned to Lac La Hache, where we are camped the first night.

First evening of freedom

Our goal is Ushuaia and so it seems weird to be riding north, but we had to get to the top so we can ride south to get to the bottom. How is it possible that we have never been to northern BC and the Yukon! This land is massive and spectacular. We followed the Gold Rush trail thru 100 mile, Burns Lake, and Dease Lake.

Night number two we were camping by the lake in Vanderhoof.

A Palace for Two

A frequent sign.

The highlight has been the ride into Stewart, BC with the valley dripping in green and dotted with dozens of waterfalls streaming down the steep sides.

The Bear glacier comes down to meet you at the bottom of WINDY hill.

Bikes RIpley Creek Inn

Stewart Flower

We visited Hyder, Alaska at mile zero then headed north to the Yukon. You cross from Canada into the USA with no border procedure. The roads are gravel on the Hyder side. There is not much here except the "halibut" bus where you can get great fish and chips. When we rode back a while later the USA border guards asked the typical, but ludicrous questions. Where are you coming from (you saw us drive by on the way out), where have you been (not too many choices), and did you buy anything (there were shopping opportunities we missed?)?

Entering Hyder Alaska

We did not get all the way to the Salmon glacier because a mining company had blocked the access road about 2 km away and the guy refused to let us pass. The road is open July 1!!!

There is nothing in Dease lake except expensive gas and one hotel. The hotel was not cheap, but it was cold and raining so opted for that. The only thing we could afford to buy in the grocery store was ramen noodles.

Finally we were leaving Beautiful British Columbia for the Great North.

We met up with fellow RTW rider Deb Hewson returning from Deadhorse, while on or way to Whitehorse. She made us lattes on the side of the road!

This rider was traveling with two German shepherds in his side car.

BcDano · Dec 23, 2012

We arrived to the home of Daniel's uncle Bruce who lives in Whitehorse. He was all ready to take us fishing on the Teslin River. Step one get a fishing license.

We set out from Whitehorse on a three- hour tour;

well we drove 90 minutes with a stop at Jake's Crossing for lunch and a bear encounter.

Trolling on the Teslin River for the big one, Daniel landed an almost 20 pound trout.

We headed for the shore where our master guide/chef Uncle Bruce whipped us up a 5 star meal over an open fire.

With the stunning Midnight sun still shining, we had time for some target practice in the basement.

Whitehorse has so many things to do in the out of doors and in summer its light out all the time.

Leaving the comfort and hospitality of Whitehorse behind we headed north in the rain to the frontier town of Dawson City.

BcDano · Dec 23, 2012

Dawson city did not disappoint! We loved this friendly gold rush town. The buildings are as colorfully painted as the characters that live here.

This place is very biker friendly.

We toured the engineering marvel the Dredge #4, panned for gold, and ate Canada Day hotdogs.

We stayed at the hostel across the river and used the free ferry to commute. Deiter is a bit crazy, but the wood fire heated shower house is so worth it.

Sara led a historic walking tour of the old town.

Jack London Cabin 1897

We met up with fellow travelers Miquel (retracing the path of the great Spanish explorers) and Alicia (Attempting to be the first Spanish woman to circumnavigate the globe by motorbike).

Now we are off to conquer the mighty Dempster.

BcDano · Dec 23, 2012

Sara: It was all smiles and sunshine as we started out from the mile zero sign up to Tombstone. We had an amazing view from the campsite. We were such newbies on the trip we really didn't prepare food for the road. Luckily we had left over Chinese from Dawson City. We hiked up the Klondike river trail to see the ice still on the river. There had been some rain and we knew from One Wheel Drive that one should not attempt the Dempster after the rain. We naively said oh it's not rained much and it's stopped now. That was our first mistake. There will be no photos from the day up to Eagle Plains because it poured rain all day. The riding was challenging at best. The mud was 4 inches thick for several hours and was like trying to drive in peanut butter. Thank goodness for our rain over suits! I dropped my bike at very low speed in the thick mud. Later that day there was very deep mud on a hill and one minute I was ok and the next I was face down in the mud with the bike on top of me and spun 180 degrees. Poor Dan had to try and get off his bike and run back to help me while listening to me on the intercom. Worst minute of my life. Luckily for me the road got much better after this for the last almost 60 km. I did badly injure my right knee and I could not walk on it at all. I could sit on my bike and stand a bit. We had to spend an extra day at Eagle Plains so I could ice my leg. (update I hobbled on it for 4 months and it was mostly better by 6 months. At 10 months its 90%).

Daniel: A little note about Sara is in order here. Wow was the mud bad. Like hardcore for the big guy bad. Like OMG we may not make it and why are we doing this stupid Dempster highway bad. Okay with this in mind picture tiny Sara on a very big machine, loaded to the max and weighing over five hundred pounds. Wow what a trooper. My wife is officially a hardcore adventure rider forged out of the mud of the Dempster at its very worst.

Eagle Plains is quite the place as some of you will know. The locals say being stuck here is like being stuck in a dentists chair. The sun was finally out though and shining almost 24 hours a day. Despite the pain in my leg we pressed on. I really wanted to get on a truck and go home at times. Dan did lure me with that option if I still felt the same when we got to Inuvik. FYI they closed the road behind us for 2 days after we passed and the hotel was almost out of food when we got back.

The first big landmark of the trip was crossing the Arctic circle. 50 km further north we entered the NWT.

This is what we called the good mud since it was not very deep or slippery.

We had 2 ferry crossings. Finally we arrived in Inuvik! We checked into the Arctic Chalets and the owner Olaf gave us his truck to get to the North Mart before it closed. There was so much mud on the bikes that both fans were so clogged they were not working. Thanks again to Olaf and his power washer.

Here is me trying to sleep with the midnight sun.

We toured the town sights, including the igloo church, the visitors center, and the Jak's tower look-out. We went to the cloud 9 at the airport for musk-ox chili and dipped our toes in the Mackenzie River at the east channel.

sara east channel mckenzie river dipping

This is the end of the 10 km of paved road in Inuvik and where the dirt road back to Dawson begins. I had recovered enough mentally to drive the road back south. My knee was very swollen and painful, but I was actually most comfortable in the riding position.

We set off early to get on the road while the sun was still shining. Stopping for a snack we took in the glory of the vista.

Having traveled over 900 kilometers so far on the Dempster we had only happened upon six small rabbits. Disappointing to say the least. The scenery is amazing. We ran into a few of these unimog types up here in the North.

Just when we thought the northern highway was not going to reveal its wild inhabitants wow did we get treated to an arctic spectacle. Fifty kilometers north of the Arctic Circle in the gleaming sun and green tundra we happened upon a massive herd of Caribou. This day was adventure riding at its very best.

Herd of Caribou

Hunting Inuit style.

BcDano · Dec 23, 2012

Done with THE DEMPSTER, we were over The Top of The World!

We stopped in Chicken for the free coffee and then went on to Tok. We found a small hotel as there was rain in the forecast.

We had a well-deserved spa treatment while (glamp) camping at the Chena Hot Springs.

Amazing Nicoise salad and a crazy BBQ set up

This 90 km side trek provided 90% of the wildlife we saw in Alaska.

Now on to Denali National Park.

mile 15

There was no more stopping for photos after the 17 th moose. Denali National Park was a bit too Disney like for us, but our riverside tent cabin at the Grizzly Bear Resort did not disappoint. The mountain is not visible from the park, but you can see it well from the road to Talketna.

On our way south the mountain views were spectacular.

Arriving at Talkeeetna Air taxi at 104 pm to inquire about flightseeing.They said be ready at 1:15!!! We were so lucky as it was an amazing sunny flight with breathtaking views of Denali just before the clouds rolled in. The landing on the glacier was surreal. The town of Talkeetna is full of charm and lots of colorful locals.

This is a sign you don't see too often.

During a 700 km ride to Valdez, there was 100 km with gusting wind blowing us sideways and 100 km in the pouring rain. That did not diminish the spectacular trip there over the high mountain plateau. What a gem this place is.

Dan at Worthington glacier

valdez coastline views

f

We ran into German bikers Anja and Torsten whom we had last seen at Tombstone.

We had an incredible day on the Lu Lu Belle seeing sea otters, seals, sea lions, puffins, Dalls porpoise, and Humpback whales. The highlight was the masses of ice flow and the huge icebergs.

lu lu Belle

humpback whale

sea lions

sea otters on the ice

We stopped by the side of the road for a break and looked up to see this guy.

BcDano · Dec 23, 2012

After a whole week in Alaska we did not see a bear of any colour! We had incredible hospitality at Kluane B&B! Rabbit (Snowshoe hare) is delicious. What an amazing wilderness setting with all the comforts of home. We tented out by an old settlers cabin.

The museum at Burwash Landing has the largest gold pan in the world and an incredible natural history display for a village so tiny.

We ran into the crazy Spaniards again there too.

BcDano · Dec 23, 2012

On the way to Haines, Alaska we finally saw a small brown bear.

brown bear

The drive there is also over a high pass and then meanders along the Chilkoot River. These contraptions are Salmon Wheels, which are essentially automatic salmon catchers.

salmon wheel

Haines is a very quaint town with a charming old Seward Fort area. We camped right on the seafront.

After 3 weeks in remote wilderness areas finally a Grizzly on the beach 2 km from the ferry dock.

The trip from Haines to Skagway is just 15 miles, but takes 4 hours including the pre-boarding checks, security, 1 hour cruise time, and complex loading and unloading of huge motor homes thru the side of the ship. They actually drive in and turn around inside and exit thru the same door. This town is tourist central with 4 huge cruise ships docked in the harbor. Now back to civilization for a few days of R&R in Whitehorse.

Mismaloya ferry

rtwpaul · Dec 23, 2012

good stuff guys, looks like you are in Mexico according to your blog...check out my RR on here, lots of info on Central America border crossings, they are not difficult just confusing if you haven't done them before...have a great first christmas on the road

BcDano · Dec 23, 2012

Thanks Paul we will!!

BcDano · Dec 23, 2012

Daniel did a major bike cleaning and maintenance and changed the oil in the Walmart parking lot. We were then ready to head south from Whitehorse.

We stopped at Watson Lake for the obligatory photo at the sign Forrest.

Watson Lake

Liard Hot spring was nice for a relaxing soak, but the mozzies were voracious. The campers across from us never left their car. We packed up in the morning fully dressed in our gear and helmets.

Liard Hot Spring

Muncho Lake Provincial Park is teaming with wildlife. We saw moose and lots of Bison. We had said that we were not going to stop again to take a photo of a moose unless it had twins.

Sara at Muncho Lake

The mile zero sign is in Dawson Creek, BC on the other end of the highway from Hyder, Alaska.

There will be no photos from the day we road to Jasper since it poured for 7 hours. What an amazing test for our gear though. It was incredible when at one point we were driving over a pass with the clouds super low and at 11 am it was almost dark. It was like driving into Mordor. We had planned to camp, but no way. The rain was so hard it was shooting out of the culverts and straight up in the air. Luckily it cleared up that evening and we had some nice views of the mountains. The Elk here just walk thru town.

We toured the sights at Maligne Canyon, Athabaska Falls, and the Columbia Ice fields. We hiked up onto the glacier and had lunch. It is so weird because it is not slippery at all. Some people were walking up there in flip flops.

Camped by the Bow River we were lulled to sleep by the rushing water.

Bow river Campsite

The route south thru Kananaskis and Peter Lougheed Provincial Park is incredible. Here we saw Rocky Mountain Big Horn Sheep and mountain goats. There was a freak hail storm. We came upon the deep hail on the road and luckily some cars had passed so there were tracks. Unfortunately some guy on a Harley was not so luckily. His bike was in the ditch and his gear was spread all over. We got off to search the ditch and under the bike to make sure he was not still there. Someone must have seen him crash a taken him to hospital.

Rocky Mountain Big Horn Sheep Peter Lougheed Prov park

Our first UNESCO world heritage site was Head-Smashed-In Buffalo Jump.

Head smashed in Buffalo jump

Thanks so much to Stan and Shelly Davey for the 5 star hospitality at the Broken Rail Ranch! We headed for Montana at the Chief Mountain crossing. The border official only asked me one question "when did you leave home?" And I was worried they might have an issues with us wandering their country for months. We were sitting in the sun at our campsite in St Mary's when ash began raining down on us. There was a huge brush fire near by requiring a visit from the volunteer fire department.

The next day we were lucky to have a sunny day and a totally unimpeded ride on the Road To The Sun. This is unheard of since usually it is a traffic jam all the way from the east gate to the west.

Road to the sun

We were disappointed to learn that bikers are not welcome at the National Bison Range. They told us bikes are not allowed because they have unpaved roads do they know about the Dempster?

National Bison Range

BcDano · Dec 23, 2012

If you've never been to Coeur d'Alene in August you should. This place is stunning. Silverwood's Amusement park in Athol (don't say that too fast) is a great way to spend a hot summer day.

We needed to have our new sprockets and DIG chains mounted. We can't say enough about the service we had from the Honda dealership in Coeur d'Alene. Thanks Randy (ex BMW master) for your help!

It was enough of luxuries and was now time for some back roads and gravel on our way to Moscow! The winding highway 12 follows the raging rivers and takes you thru Lewiston then east to Kamiah. The Old Spiral Highway outside of Lewiston is like driving down a corkscrew. We then followed the river south thru Grangeville to the rafting Mecca of Riggins. We needed our cooling gel neck wraps and a swim in the river to beat the 36-degree heat.

Old spiral highway lewiston

free beer in Riggens ID

The next mile stone was crossing the 45 th Parallel.

Heading south from here we started to see the smoke of the many fires burning in the state. Several roads were closed, but luckily none on our route. There were active fires in Boise National Forrest, but fortunately highway 21 had opened to get us to Stanley and Red Fish Lake. We did get to see the famous Sawtooth mountains, but thru a smoky haze. The high here was 32 but the low 2.

We were heading south- east to Arco and the Craters of the Moon National Monument. Following the Peaks to Craters Scenic byway we arrived in Salmon. Thanks Joe for the tip on Syringa lodge! FYI the Junkyard Bistro there is awesome. No more messing about. Off to Montana and the Gravelly Range Road!

BcDano · Dec 23, 2012

Welcome to the BIG SKY of Montana! We followed the old west trail to Ennis. This might be the perfect town for Daniel they have auto parts and ice cream in one location.

We wondered into a dive bar and were surprised to find the most delicious best rib eye ever.

22 oz ribeye

This is a quirky little town.

We rode just out of town to the lake near by.

Following the Varney road to the Gravelly Range we passed thru forests and alpine meadows. There were stunning views of the grassy valley and the Black Butte. We saw several herds of Pronghorn.

Eureka Basin Rd

Continental divide rd

primative road

We camped at the Eureka Basin Road junction. I was worried about bears bothering us, but I really should have been more concerned about the cows tripping over the tent. The sunset was stunning. The ride continued down the Continental divide road to end near Spencer, ID.

Camp site off the Gravelly by Worldwide Ride.ca, on Flickr

BcDano · Dec 23, 2012

Jackson WY is a quaint touristy town at the gate to the Grand Tetons and Yellowstone.

We had a great camp spot near the river at Gros Ventre.

The smoke from Idaho fires was still there a bit, but we were lucky to get great views of the Tetons at sunset and the next day.

The visitor center here is incredible. There are very picturesque views along the Jenny Lake scenic drive.

Jenny lake

Church of Transfiguration

Then it was on to the famous Yellowstone Park to see the geysers, boiling pools, and mud pots. The upper falls were very impressive. We had several wildlife jams from wondering bison, but the best was the Bison pace car that luckily for us was in the oncoming lane as there were at least 50 cars and motor homes behind him.

This led us up thru the north east part of the park to Cooke City, MT and the AWSOME Beartooth Scenic Byway. We met Robert the Scot at the summit.

The route ended at Cody with a stay in a Teepee and an oil change in the Walmart parking lot. The Buffalo Bill Center is well worth the admission and plan to spend half a day here.

red tail hawk

Turkey Vulture

Next for a close encounter with the Devil's Tower. We played the music and brought mashed potatoes, but still no aliens.

We came upon a huge mine with shovels so big you can drive onto them and the biggest dump trucks in the world.

BcDano · Dec 23, 2012

You could spends weeks riding in the Blackhills of SD. There are lots of off road routes too (though we almost were killed by some moron going 100 km in his Subaru on the Nemo road). The town of Deadwood is a bit too Vegas for us and there were over 20,000 people there for Hot Deadwood nights.

Mount Rushmore is worth the visit for sure. The film and museum should not be missed. The ride from the monument south thru Custer State Park is AWESOME! Wind Cave National Park lives up to its name with the big gusting winds especially in the afternoon.

BcDano · Dec 23, 2012

We were in Nebraska, but only for 3 hours.

Welcome to Colorful Colorado! We had so much scenic driving here. Each road seemed better than the last.

We headed out down a dreaded interstate 25 in super windy conditions, but luckily we headed west on 34 thru Rocky Mountain National Park. The Bighorn pass is incredibly stunning high mountain route.

The town of Granby is super cute and the food at the local bar is very good.

It was then west on the 40 to go south on the 9 thru Silverthorne, Breckenridge, and Fairplay. Then we rode on down the 285 south to Beuna Vista and east on the 50 to Montrose. This is where they have one of the original Mc Donalds with only 1 golden arch. We stayed at the KOA and had a great evening with the RVers Ula and Karl (Thanks for the beer and snacks). It was all good until the automatic sprinklers turned on FULL force for 45 min at 3 am. Our tent is waterproof, but not if the sprinkler head is shooting up under the fly.

one arch McDonalds

The Black Rock National Park here is beautiful and there is a VERY steep VERY windy 5 -mile paved road from the rim to the bottom of the canyon.

black rock canyon

We had heard about the scenic drive to Telluride so we jumped at the chance to change up the route to Moab. At the end of Telluride town there is a steep and windy gravel route up to the falls and the old lodge. Utah here we come!

BcDano · Dec 24, 2012

We set up camp at the Moab KOA and met up with Deb Hewson again. She showed up and cooked us up an amazing gourmet meal including smoked Cornish game hen, Morel mushroom risotto, and rose hip panacotta. The camper in the next site Calvin is a very cool dude so we asked him to join our BMW commune.

Sara talking to Calvin about feelings

It is pretty hot here after 11 am so we hit Arches National Park at 7 am for an 11.6 km hike to the double O arch. Then we had some time to tour the other sites including the delicate arch, balanced rock, and double arch.

Double O arch

Dan in the o

Dan on the Primative trail

private arch

Landscape Arch

Balancing Rock

Tamara at the visitor's center told us how great the sunrise was thru the Mesa arch at Canyonlands, so I managed to convince everyone to get up at 5 am to see it. There was a full moon setting just before the sun -rise too. It was worth it for sure.

sunrise thru the arch

Dan did a bit of diagnostics on the bikes and the boys did some bodge jobs to fix up some issues on Deb's bike.

One of the most scenic Byways in the USA is the Colorado Canyon from Moab north to the Interstate.

Deb joined us on the tour of the Utah parks in summary Natural bridges (not worth the effort), Capital Reef ( very cool rocks and pioneer relics), Bryce Canyon ( wow the hoodoos are so cool), and Zion (most amazing park ever including a 1.1 mile tunnel thru the mountain).

We got all our gear packed up and headed out south from Moab in the wide-open spaces.

The first stop was a detour to Natural Bridges National Park, which after Arches is disappointing, but we have park passes so we used them.

Natural bridges Nat Monument

Then we headed north towards Capital Reef, with a stop for a swim and lunch at Glen Canyon National Recreation Area.

Riding to Capital Reef

Glen Canyon Nat Rec area

Capital Reef Nat Park

Capital Reef is a cool park with more rocks, but also was the home of pioneer homesteads and there are still orchards there.

Glen Canyon Nat Rec area overlook

Grand Staircase-Escalante National Park

We camped for the night and Deb and I whipped up an apple crisp from the apples we had picked.

Bryce Canyon is really interesting and the hoo doos are just too cool.

The ride to and thru Zion National Park is WOW! The scenery and colors are amazing.

Zion Mount Carmel Highway

We hiked to the lookout and brave Deb dangled over the edge.

We drove thru the 1.1 mile tunnel and took the shuttles up to view the angel's landing.

1.1 mile tunnel

We had a bit of a long day and ended up well after dark looking for a place to stay. In the end we got and shared a hotel.

Heading to the Grand Canyon we drove thru the VERY HOT vermilion hills and hid in the shade at the gas station. I think our hottest temperature this day was 45 degrees.

dan riding past the Vermillion hils

BcDano · Dec 24, 2012

What's surprising about Arizona is how green it is. When you are driving down to the North rim of THE Canyon there are forests and meadows right up to the rim. If you have only a short time choose the south rim for sure.

We spent a very sketchy night camped at the Quality Inn & campground in Tuba city. This is a horrible place and we were so worried about Deb with all the meth addicts around she slept in our vestibule.

Then we parted ways with Deb so she could run for the border before her visa expired.

We toured the South rim on the bikes and via the shuttles to hermit's rest. Luckily we arrived after the labor -day weekend so it was not mobbed and we camped at Mather point.

Hermit's rest

Flagstaff is a nice town and Dan found the perfect hotel. First the price was an amazing deal and then across the street was Walmart, a huge Laundromat, a self car wash with air-dry wand, a jiffy lube for the oil drop, and a tripadvisor 5 star Indian restaurant. We hung out here to rest up and regroup. We rode to the Montezuma Castle thru Sedona and the Red rock Scenic byway.

Dan at Montezuma castle

Now we are off to New Mexico for some bike service and new tires at Sandia BMW in Albuquerque.