Virginia to Alaska and back on an '86 Yamaha Radian

[dave6253]

I got to ride up to Alaska this summer as well. I can't imagine the courage needed to do this as your first long solo trip. I can't wait to see the rest.

[GISdood]

Awesome report... subscribed!

And if you're ever back up this way, there's tentspace (or a spare room) in PG at our place!

Looking forward to the rest of this story.

[k9companion]

Better late than never. I'm in.

[i4bikes]

Great adventure, great read, thanks.

[ruffntuff]

Day 11:
May 31, 2012
Prince George – Pink Mountain, BC: 384mi

Everyone learns humility. We all know if you ride motorcycles, it’s just a matter of time before you’re going to drop the bike. I was surprised I had made it 3600 miles without dropping it so far.

It was chilly in the morning when I rolled the Radian out of the Jacuzzi shop onto the sidewalk. As I was packing up some folks from the hostel kept me company asking questions about my gear, my bike, and my trip. I let the bike warm up with the choke while I put on my armor, just as I always do.

In hindsight, I didn’t let the bike warm up enough. I waved goodbye to the hostel folks as I rode off the sidewalk into the road to make a u-turn. As I got half way through the turn the bike stalled. I managed to come to a stop and put my feet down. But with the bike already leaning and the weight of all my gear, I felt the bike fall in slow motion.

I hopped off to the side with the Radian lying down in the middle of the intersection. Thankfully it was a quiet road and no cars were around. I threw my hands up laughing at myself while the hostel folks ran over to help me. It was leaking fuel so we got it up fast and rolled it to the side to sit for a bit.

There’s a first time for everything. I remember feeling relieved. I finally dropped the bike. It was a good icebreaker.

Thankfully there was no damage. I was a bit shook up however, and after taking off for the second time I could feel myself trembling a bit. Just a little ways out of town I realized my left mirror was knocked loose. I pulled over and took a couple deep breaths while I dug out my tools to tighten it back down.

It took a little ways for my body to relax on the bike again and feel comfortable. I think that was the most important part of learning humility. It’s how I overcame it. By the time I felt relaxed, my riding become even more fluid than before. I became more careful and more efficient. I had more respect for the bike. Sometimes you have to fall hard so you know how to stand tall.

I left Prince George on 97 before stopping at Bear Lake for a snack. It was a leisurely ride and a bit boring compared to what I had seen so far. I was disappointed to realize I had lost my Bluetooth and couldn't even entertain myself with music.

I took the Hudson Hope Loop Road (29) bypassing Dawson Creek to get to the Alaskan Highway. It was pretty riding along the Peace River through lush green foothills and pasture that reminded me of Virginia. I started missing home and found myself lonely the majority of the day.





I stopped at a gas station and was uplifted seeing Alaska plates for the first time. It was a cute Volkswagen van, the kind where the top pops up. It reminded me of the old school-bus orange one my parents used to have in the 70’s.

We struck up a conversation since he asked if I had really ridden all the way from Virginia. It turned out he had just bought the Volkswagen and was driving it home to his family in Anchorage. When I told him I was headed there too he was happy to give me his name and number in-case I would need a place to stay or any help while on the road.

Feeling comforted for knowing someone on the road ahead, my spirits began to uplift. It’s funny how just one quick little interaction like that can have such an effect on my emotion. I was riding to Alaska! Be excited!

I stopped at Moberly Lake for lunch and found a sunny place to sit. It was very windy however so I didn't stay long. As I was leaving I ran into some friendly park rangers that gave me a Park Passport. Apparently all the parks in British Columbia have this to collect stickers of parks you have visited for future discounts. I wasn’t really interested but was comforted to meet some more nice people.

Reaching the Alaskan Highway was very anti-climatic. There was no obvious sign and the highway was a straight road surrounded by evergreen trees and a mowed edge for spotting wildlife. It could have been a road from anywhere.

It may have been a boring road to ride on but I did get to see some wildlife. I saw a black bear that stared at me in curiosity as I drove by. He looked a bit confused but couldn’t be bothered either. Later I stopped in the road to let a mamma moose with her baby cross. It’s amazing how tall they are. It’s hard to realize until you’re close to one.

According to the Milepost, Pink Mountain campsite is, “one of the nicest campgrounds on the Alaskan Highway.” This was in fact the worst campground I stayed at on my entire trip. For an RV, it may be nice. It had all the hookups and supplies RV’s consume. But for a street bike and solo tent, it sucked.

They were in the process of cutting down trees and moving debris to create more campsites. The place looked like a construction zone with tractors and dead trees everywhere. I struggled finding a campsite away from the roaring RV’s and with a decent safe place to park the bike. Most of the parking places were on mulch hills with soft deep ground.

I had to weave around branches and rocks, loose dirt, tree trunks and holes in the ground to get to my campsite. I was wishing I had a dirt bike and was determined not to drop it twice in one day. When I finally found my site some stupid kid that worked there came up to me and said, “you sure look nervous to be riding that thing.” I wanted to punch the little fucker.

So I enjoyed a peaceful evening setting up my tent next to piles of dead trees and cooking my rice with tuna to the majestic sounds of tractors and RV’s humming in the wind.

Hopefully, I will make it to some hot springs tomorrow and leave this shit-hole behind me.


The picture doesn't make it look so bad. But if you turned around, I had a view of RV's, tractors, and piles of trees.

[TheAdmiral]

This has been a fun ride report to follow and read along. Much of the Canadian portion of your route I've been on, about a month behind you. For me, one of the most boring sections, yet it has tree's, was from Ft. St. John area to Ft. Nelson, as we took the same side route (29) bypassing the actual start of the Alaskan Highway.

Only because you mentioned Bear Lake does this come to mind. Bear Lake was my first of many run in's with the Mosquito. Inside of city limits weren't too much of a problem. Outside of city limits, such as Bear Lake where we camped, it was a bugger!

Anyway, great trip you had and great ride report now! Two thumbs up!

[MizzouRider]

You said, "I had to weave around branches and rocks, loose dirt, tree trunks and holes in the ground to get to my campsite. I was wishing I had a dirt bike and was determined not to drop it twice in one day. When I finally found my site some stupid kid that worked there came up to me and said, “you sure look nervous to be riding that thing.” I wanted to punch the little fucker."

I just about spit my Special K all over my iPad..

Thanks for posting another day's ride. Just a great narrative. You do have a gift for the written word.

[trapperj]

I don't read a lot of RR..I really enjoy your style and can't wait for more.
I wish you had punched the "little fucker" ..pics of that woulda been spectacular!

Onward!

[BikePilot]

Great RR!

If you get stuck on the center stand again and are feeling adventurous, you can put it in first, rock the bike back and let the clutch out just as the tire hits and ride off the center stand. Probably not the most polite way to get off the stand and probably somewhat likely to lead to a really comical accident, but so far so good for me

[Snowclem]

Holidays and all, I get it, but have we been forgotten?

Richard

[RoninMoto]

... That I found your ride report! I've been waiting since we met in the Yukon to see how the rest of your trip went!

Keep up the good ride report. It was a pleasure to meet you even if it was only for a couple minutes.

[MizzouRider]

Originally Posted by RoninMoto

... That I found your ride report! I've been waiting since we met in the Yukon to see how the rest of your trip went!

Keep up the good ride report. It was a pleasure to meet you even if it was only for a couple minutes.

Noah, you threw me a curve there, to see your pic over on this thread. I'm following three RRs, and I had just checked yours.

Ruffntuff, isn't it about time for a update?

[TooTallRacing]

“you sure look nervous to be riding that thing.”

I've seen you ride, you ride just fine.

Take it from an expert on the subject. Sometimes guys say dumb shit to women trying to impress them. It's all good.

Don't stop now, the best part is coming up.

[Chessie-Owner]

Very inspiring! You may have convinced my girlfriend that we need to do an Alaska trip. We need an update.

[ruffntuff]

Haha I'm loving all the encouragement on this ride report! I'll admit they are getting tougher and tougher to write. However now that I'm back at home in the every day swings of life, no longer traveling, writing this has been my therapy. Re-living this adventure and journey through this report has been very healing for me. And all the responses I have gotten keep pushing me along. Thanks you all for your support. I have not forgotten you. It will be a work in progress. More is coming. I promise.