Alaska and Back, on a Hayabusa

Well done Shnizzle! I like Alaska ride reports.


~TR~

GREAT report!!

Thanks for sharing and...

a 'Busa to Dawson...

...didn't you know you have to have an "Adventure" bike....

RESPECT!!

Great ride report!

I like solitary reports like these. May have to try one myself one of these days. Well done!

What an EPIC adventure!!! Thanks for sharing!

I'm very impressed you did that ride on that bike! what is the tarp and pole you have?

One of the sub-forums has this in the title.

I think you answered that question.

I'll look for your ride in the upcoming 2013 Guiness Book..............!!!!!!!!

Thanks all,I really appreciate the positive response. I was kinda nervous to post up a RR. Upon reviewing I see that a couple of pics are missing but the corrasponding text is there,sorry. I am not techy and I had to type into my tablets Supernote,add the picture numbers,then email it to my son,who posted it for me.

Hey, when I look at my busa,I think I see adventure bike!!.....LOL.

The tarp and poles came as a set advertised as a "sunshade" from Crappy Tire. I set it up in the yard then held the hose full blast on it and no leaks. The poles collapse into 3 parts they are heavy steel,so not the lightest by far....BUT....the tarp and poles I bought on clearence for 30.00!. The tarp when I use the full configuration is big.

Doing that trip on my own,battling rain wind ect,ect and ,I neglected to add,significant arthritis in my fingers wrists and elbows,hips and one knee,with my torn rotator cuff to boot was another obstacle to manage, Oddly, my shoulder started to feel better the more I rode. See.....motorcycle physical therapy,its good!

I tried to stay away from painkillers,only when I had trouble keeping the throttle open and using the levers,did I pop a couple,just over the counter Advils ect.



I am a much more confident person now, I feel like I have something to offer and I have applied to become a Big Sister. I overcame a husband who walked out after 16 years, leaving me with 5 children and no real work skills, I had been a stay at home mom,coupled with 2 immediate family suicides, as horrible these experiences were,they are part of the fabric of who I was, I guess, and who I am now.

I am very proud of myself for completing this journey because you know its not just a physical journey now is it? It's such a exploration of the inner you that can be suppressed and ignored.But that other you is in there and what a great personal reward when that person emerges through good and bad experiences.

I am especially proud that I did it on my own with no riding partner or group. And not take the easy way out either,with motels and restaurants. Maybe this was my own custom " Outward Bound".......? ( Ummm...no offence to those who motel and eat out,btw,it just wasn't in my budget)

I hope that one young girl somewhere in the Big Sisters program will look at me and know that despite the shit that you get dealt in life sometimes,you either curl up in the fetal position and hide under the bed, or pull yourself up by the bootstraps and get on with your life.

I know that I didn't traverse the world or go on a particularly exotic adventure,but it was MY mountain on a bike that everyone said would be a complete folly and I overcame the my trepadations,tried to turn negatives into positives...( I tried, OK....I tried...!!!) and came out the other end a better person.

umm...that all a bit heavy isn't it.......so ,hey, when I bathed in the lake,that water was fucking COLD!!!!!!......LOL

Just read your report and enjoyed it. Have made the ride to Alaska myself and enjoyed reliving it.

Glad you met Jack. Great guy!! and appreciated the interaction with other riders along the way! always the best part of riding for me.

Great Job on your ride report, and the adventure. Proves that the bike does not matter! It is about the adventure!!

Lorie,

A most excellent report! Glad you illustrated it lavishly with your great photos. With this ride you managed to raise the bar several notches for your male counterparts. It was certainly an honor to spend some time riding along with you, sharing a few of the miles.

A "colorful character", in more ways than one, with a grin that never seemed to fade. -


Now it's just a question of "Where to next?" Ride safe, Young Lady. Enjoy many more happy miles.

Jack

PS: Getting ready to head south - I'll gladly trade some of that rain you experienced for the heat of Arizona in August.

Great report, awesome pictures, and a new you, what else can you ask for? LOL
Couple of questions.
How did you come up with a number for the financial side of the trip?
How did you pick your route? I'm sure you got a lot of suggestions, but how was the final roads chosen.
What brand maps did you use? GPS help?
Why the tape on the mirrors? guessing wind/gravel protection.

And the rider! Great ride report, pics.

Nice RR, quick question how did you decide on the busa?

I've seen these in Europe & the Grand Canyon. Like Contiki tours, sleeping quarters on the back...if you want to live like sardines! I'd rather pitch the tent, mind you who wants to take an organised tour anyway, have always had more adventures, doing speradic trips, & doing the funky things along the way!

Great RR, cool bike, knarly adventurer!!

I roughly calculated what an " average" campsite may cost,sussed out fuel prices by trying to follow price trends where I knew I was going to ride,and just used maps from CAA. I need to see where I am in relation to where I want to end up. And look at all route options and change my mind when I want.

There's not really that many routes to get to where I wanted to go but I knew I wanted to ride some of the south BC roads and thankfully this forum provided a great route that I followed,thanks again BC guys!

oh, back to expenses....roughly calculated my mileage,by how many litres my tank holds,I think it was in the ballpark of 500 fillups?...and just added the numbers then rounded up ,of course.

To get the funds for the trip, I sold my car,my van,my computer,my tablet,my " adventure " bike I had bought for the trip,had a garage sale,sold as much gear as possible and tried to save as much money as possible. I paid for everything cash or debit so it was paid for right there,no nasty bills afterwards.

Yes, tape was for wind protection and it was really effective. so much so, I may do that in spring and fall. Ideally, I would have something fabbed up that I could take on and off, that would be the same shape but that would be expensive, I'm guessing. Duct tape comes off easy enough with contact cleaner.

Ummm.....I think I am a little embarrassed about my " Dr Phil" moment there in my earlier post,note to self,after doing a night shift after being up all day,sleep before you post.....

I am impressed by your courage. Going solo and remaining that way.

I was most surprised by your hair color!

Never be embarrased to express your true feelings. More folks should do that rather than hiding in liquids or pills.

You should be very proud. Ride safe.

Thanks for sharing. It was fun following along.

Excellent report!! Major cudos to you for the TOW ride. I rode it in the rain last year on a GSA and sometimes I felt like 'am I ever gonna get to Dawson!!??". You hooked up with some amazing people. I owe a huge amount of the success of my trip to Fite, The Dick, ALCANRider and several others. Route planning, dos and don'ts and Jack gave me the $2.50 tour to Valdez for the mere fee of some fudge!!! Great bunch of inmates up that way!!

Congrats on an amazing trip on a bike most people would not have dared to take up there!!!


I am pretty sure we were at the same row of sites at the same campground just a year apart!!
My morning view at the Camp Ground on 37