2 Texans to Alaska (and back)...

[Merfman]

Really enjoying the report, thanks! As an aside, we have two Frenchies and I can attest to the difficulties (and associated guilt resulting from) of leaving the pups at home.

[wee_V_in_Calgary]

AWESOME Is all I can say.... I have also been to Crater Lake and agree on the beauty of it.....

Originally Posted by jglow

Cascade Locks, OR to Prospect, OR


Day 28 - June 27, 2010
Mileage Today: 355
Total Trip Mileage: 7,807

Sunny from the start this morning. That has not happened in quite sometime. We had a pressing matter to attend to this morning.
The problem: When we arrived in Bellingham, WA off of the ferry there were no “Washington” signs, and as you may have noticed, we like to take our picture in front of those signs. We do have a contingency plan in place to deal with such an event: take the picture of the sign when you leave the state. There were 2 problems with this.

1. We were on I-205 with no good place to stop.
2. When states are bordered by rivers, they tend to put the signs on the middle of the bridge that crosses that river. Again, no good place to stop.

The solution: Well, as luck would have it, we camped on the Columbia River last night, and that just so happens to be the border between Washington and Oregon. There was a bridge back across to Washington that we had spotted the previous night while out looking for some dinner.



It was called "The bridge of the gods" and it cost a buck to get across.



Every time I see a bridge like this (or any metal structure for that matter), with all it's million rivets, bolts, straps, I-beams, etc... I cannot help but think how much it would suck to have to paint it .



We crossed the bridge, and found our "Washington" sign, but they were not gonna make it that easy. The sign was in the worst possible location, to where we had to park on a non-existent shoulder off of a blind curve - I sure hope the photo album appreciates the effort we are putting into this. And since I am such a loving and caring husband who would obviously never put his wife in harms way - I allow her to be on the protected side of the guard rail.



We stay on the Washington side of the river as we follow the road back West towards Portland.







We picked up I-5 for a bit in Portland, and headed South until we could turn off onto a smaller Hwy. Very nice scenery off of the smaller Hwy.



We were starting to get closer to our target, Crater Lake.







And we started to climb.





Still tons of snow...



We reached the top, and got our fist view of Crater Lake.

*Disclaimer - Non of these photos are photo shopped. This is the color of the lake naturally.




It is probably the most intense blue I have ever seen in my life




And our trusty steed that has wanted for nothing (except maybe a new chain, which I still had not dealt with).




A few more shots as we rode around.





We ate up a good part of the day here, but it wasn't quite late enough to stop for the day, so we pushed on.

Action Shots:





We rode on for a few hours



And found camp at a State Park, and set-up.



Tomorrow we are headed back to the Pacific Coast. We aim to take the less traveled scenic route, and are not disappointed.

Jordan

[doogiepooch]

Just stumbled across this ride report and I have to say, it's probably one of the best, if not the best, I've read on this site. I actually found myself not wanting the reading and photos to end as you were getting closer to home. No super modified bike, no super expensive trick farkles and 2 regular folks that didn't have to be able to rebuild the bike with a toothpick on the side of the road to be able to make it to Alaska and back.

I do have one question though......what kind of jobs do you have that allow you to take off 35 days

[jglow]

Originally Posted by doogiepooch

Just stumbled across this ride report and I have to say, it's probably one of the best, if not the best, I've read on this site. I actually found myself not wanting the reading and photos to end as you were getting closer to home. No super modified bike, no super expensive trick farkles and 2 regular folks that didn't have to be able to rebuild the bike with a toothpick on the side of the road to be able to make it to Alaska and back.

I do have one question though......what kind of jobs do you have that allow you to take off 35 days

Hey, thanks! That was the message I wanted the report to have - We are just regular people, not sponsored by Touratech, and generally have little idea what we are actually undertaking. This all helps to keep stress and expectations low .

As far as jobs for allowing us to do these trips... I am self employed. I own a small company, and we do industrial painting. And for Nikki... During the Alaska trip she was finishing her last year of college for her Elementary Education Degree, and if our funding of schools around here in Texas ever gets good again, she might actually be a teacher one day - which would still allow her summers off so we can continue our Epic trip tradition.


Jordan

[axlebear]

Thanks for the RR. Enjoyed it!

[Wandering Nomad]

I've been reading this atr work during slow periods and lunch.
I have to tell you it is one the best on the forum.
Thanks for the pictures and the tale.
I really have enjoyed it.

Lewis

[skdvr]

Wow, I just came across this while at work. Next thing I know 2 hours have passed. Going to get back to work now, and catch up on the rest of the report later. Thanks for such an awesome RR!

[ajklik]

thnks for your wonderfull story and pictures
did my preparation, shipping my tiger1050 next year from the netherlands to halifax and go to anchorage and back to halifax. Always nice to see same experiences to light my fire
albert

[oldswimr]

Originally Posted by jglow

Believe me, we were expecting the ferry trip to be awesome as well. In hindsight, there were several factors that contributed to it being a bit of a let down...

1. Weather (as I mentioned earlier) - it seriously rained 80% of the time for the 4 days we were on the boat.

2. We had also been on the road and on our own schedule for several weeks. I think it was quite a shock to suddenly be confined to one area with no options.

3. Duration - we took one of the longer Ferry rides. I think 2 days would have been the ideal length of time.

Overall I wouldn't recommend against taking the ferry. Heck, it's the only was to see, and access, a lot of those areas. We did get to see Humpbacks and Orcas, and made some new friends while aboard. For us, it was just bad luck with the weather really. It was nice to be off the bike for those days to rest, but by the end of it we were ready to ride!


Jordan

I lived in SE Alaska for some years, utilizing the Ferry System frequently. Some of the best times were spent just getting off in the villages like Tenakee or Hoonah, and hanging out a day or two. You have to have loose expectations as far as what your experience will be. That part of Alaska is like no other place I have ever lived, and I've been a lot of places. Great report, very enjoyable.

[Bluecomet]

Thanks a million for your excellent ride report with the many super pictures. I know that you both have a life time of memories and your relationship will be stronger from the experience.

On a personal note, I recently had surgery and was really bummed that I had yet another day to spend laying around......however, I spent the whole afternoon soaking up your ride report and actually enjoyed the afternoon in bed (alone).

I know that a report like this took a ton of time and we all greatly appreciate your willingness to allow us to tag along!

[brfinley]

FYI, These pictures are in the area of Two Dot Ranch, north of Cody. My grandfather owned it for a few years in the 1920's. My mother spent some summers there when she was little. Who knows maybe I would have too if the family had kept it. It is a beautiful place right up against the Absaroka Mountains and Yellowstone Park. Earnest Hemingway spent several summers in a cabin on Two Dot Ranch a little north of this spot in the 1920s and 30s.

Originally Posted by jglow

Cody, WY to Great Falls, MT
Fri. June 4, 2010 – Day 5
Total Mileage Today: 372
Total Trip Mileage: 2,325

Got a late start out of Cody. We hung around the camp park sucking up wifi and what not. Today we were headed up to Montana via Yellowstone National Park and the Chief Joseph Scenic Byway. The day started out well enough.



I would totally live in that outhouse if that was my backyard .

[ipaqpoweruser]

Fantastic trip and great story. Thanks for sharing.

JL

[MiloBramble]

I just bought a 2005 Wee Strom. Nice to see what these bikes are capable of..

[jglow]

Thanks for the nice comments . I love when this thread pops back up from time to time - makes me wish we were back doing it again! I hope this Ride Report inspires y'all to do a big Alaska ride (or anywhere!). Remember, you get to Alaska same as anywhere else - One day at a time!

BTW... I am still rockin' the V-Strom 650. I sent off the suspension last winter/early spring to Sasquatch and had him re-work it. The bike is better than ever, and ready to do something big this summer . We'll see...




Jordan

[mart´n]

Amazing r.r - thanks for taking the time to write it.

I know you must have spend several hours in front of the screen to produce something like this!
Like other inmates have said, this was like reading a really good book, that you don´t ever want to end

I hope to be able to ship my v-strom to the states one day, and drive all across the u.s and finishing up in alaska - dreams dreams dreams

Thanks again and stay safe!

Greetings from Denmark

(red v-strom owner too )