Seeking riders for San Francisco to Alaska this summer.

[nuttynu]

Originally Posted by SpecialAgentNancy

I've got a spot with the tracker, it would be easy to coordinate using that.

Hmm not familiar with. How that work ? With a GPS ?

[SpecialAgentNancy]

Originally Posted by willys

I may have missed it.....usually do miss the important items....lol....
What bike are you riding?
If not a street bike or you are competent on gravel.....research.....Salmon Glacier and Telegraph Creek as must see's. You will pass right by them on your way up #37......they truely are worth the time spent getting to them. #37 you will see more wildlife than at any other location along your trip from what I experienced. I just gave up counting the different number of animals.....so many bears.
You also should research the D2D and think it too would be a great day or two to relax.....an excellent event and Dawson a fantastic Goldrush town with plenty to do and see for a day or two.
Then it's Top of the World Highway into Alaska......more fantastic scenery!
Heated gear is key, also rain suit and the secret weapon a good sized tarp to hang over your bike and at the same time spreads over your tent to a centre pole. This way your bike is never wet to pack your equipment away in the morning, your tent never gets wet, it never gets packed away wet and you can live in the dry, even unpack in the dry once you have set this tarp up as soon as you stop for the night. It is the best way to deal with poor weather locations. Hope this helps. I carry a 16X20 tarp, just the cheap webbed variety and a 6 foot extendable pole, think extended tent pole to keep the opposite to the bike end up.

You will get soaked on your trip and this is a way to reduce this possibility.....

Tiger 800 XC (its on my profile too)
Bears???? Did you say plenty of BEARS!?!?!
Yahoo! I've been in CA for a decade and have YET to see a freakin' bear!
Very good advice on the gear and tarp....how much riding time in Alaska would be sufficient? I don't want to spend all day in the saddle but do want to see everything you mentioned.

[SpecialAgentNancy]

Originally Posted by nuttynu

Hmm not familiar with. How that work ? With a GPS ?

All you need is connection to the internet, here see where I was today!

It pings every 10 minutes. So you can see my location, progress, direction and of course there is the GPS to pick a meeting spot.

[SpecialAgentNancy]

I've read some other Alaska threads and it seems the most popular route/ferry is ride to vancouver, ferry to vancouver island, ride to Port Hardy, ferry to Prince Rupert, then ride, ride, ride.

$427 CAD - 1 passenger + 1 motorcycle + no accommodations (tent on deck)

http://www.ferrytravel.com/

VERY SEVERE warnings about booking in advance not only for ferry passage but also for accommodations in either port.

[steveWFL]

*subscribed* I'll be riding from Tampa, FL to Alaska this summer on a Concours14. Will be going through CA either on the way there or the way back

[almissoula]

Hey there, what neighborhood are you in?

I've been on long rides to Grand Tetons, San Felipe and points south, +3000 mile long trips and by process of elimination, the new spots are harder to come by. So I've been looking at trips to Alaska and July (after the 4th) or August would fit nicely. Feel like grabbing a coffee or a beer to figure this out a little more..shoot me a PM.

[SpecialAgentNancy]

I live in Emeryville, right over the Bay Bridge from San Francisco.
I am on sabbatical but will be back in May and going to probably make the Mendo Rally first weekend of May...then will start training rides 200-400+ mile rides to get ready.

June is the best time to go weather wise....also once July 4th hits, the drinking and driving and overall partying sky rockets so think twice about waiting for July and August I've been told you could get caught in "some" snow.

going to PM both of you
Thanks for posting your interest

[steveWFL]

Originally Posted by SpecialAgentNancy

I live in Emeryville, right over the Bay Bridge from San Francisco.
I am on sabbatical but will be back in May and going to probably make the Mendo Rally first weekend of May...then will start training rides 200-400+ mile rides to get ready.

June is the best time to go weather wise....also once July 4th hits, the drinking and driving and overall partying sky rockets so think twice about waiting for July and August I've been told you could get caught in "some" snow.

going to PM both of you
Thanks for posting your interest

I have no choice but to leave Tampa, FL around July1st. Thanks for the heads up. I've had to dodge the drinker/driver types here plus the elderly, and also have been caught in snow in the Rockies (in July!). Looking forward to having your fresh tips from the experience of your trip up and back (just before mine) and appreciate it!

[SpecialAgentNancy]

Just discovered that Spot satellite tracking does not work in Alaska.
Anyone knnow an alternative?
I'm not going into the rugged unknown with bears and such without some kind of safety net.

[AKDuc]

Originally Posted by SpecialAgentNancy

Just discovered that Spot satellite tracking does not work in Alaska.

I beg to differ. I sell em and they've been proven to work fine all the way up to Prudhoe Bay.

There are alternatives, especially if you think you need to 2-way text.

Have fun, Mark H.

[SpecialAgentNancy]

OK well the same place that I discovered that Spot didn't work in Hawaii (where I am now) said that it was also like that for far northwest Alaska
http://gearjunkie.com/gear-review-sp...lite-messenger

But yes, what are some alternatives?

[Tom S]

Originally Posted by AKDuc

I beg to differ.

Me to. as usual
Don’t have one, friend with an airplane does.
I can’t see how Spot satellite tracking would keep anybody safe from “bears and such” anyway. Ok, it might help to find your remains if a bear gets you. Or if the bear eats the thing maybe find the bear?
You wouldn’t think a ‘Special Agent’ would be very concerned with such things.
Well, maybe Nancy ain’t the kind of agent that comes to mind when one hears ‘‘Special Agent’?
She may have some ‘splainin’ to do 'bout that.
Don’t worry, Nancy. You can’t ride to anywhere near far Northwest Alaska anyhow. Takes a good boat or an airplane. You should be ok as long as you stop or stay in places like the one I just recommended to the guy looking for campground prices.
Check it out here.

http://www.advrider.com/forums/showp...47&postcount=8

[AKDuc]

Originally Posted by SpecialAgentNancy

OK well the same place that I discovered that Spot didn't work in Hawaii (where I am now) said that it was also like that for far northwest Alaska
http://gearjunkie.com/gear-review-sp...lite-messenger

But yes, what are some alternatives?

That review is 5yrs old. SPOT's service area increased dramatically about that time. Because you already own and use a SPOT I recommend just sticking with it and calling it good.

FYI SPOT uses the Globalstar sat phone system. Up here people have long preferred the Iridium sat phone system with it's north/south orbiting satellites. DeLorme took the SPOT/SPOT Connect one step further with their inReach unit which allows 2-way texting using the Iridium system. It's also a monthly service compared to SPOT's yearly fee.

Mark H.

[SpecialAgentNancy]

Thanks Mark.
Spot has the texting option too with the newest model but the additional details about the satellites is helpful.

Sounds like Spot will be fine and I'll just get a SAT phone for the ride.

Sent you a PM

[HayDuchessLives]

FYI - I used the "new" Spot tracker last summer when I flew my bike up to Nome to go riding around and it worked great. I explored the Seward Peninsula, which is in western Alaska, and the people who were tracking me said it was fun watching my progress. I even giggled to myself a few times as I knew AlcanRider was watching my tracks, so I paddled figure 8s in my packraft out on the lake a few times and also hiked in figure 8s a few times. I thought he might wonder what I had been drinking and got lost so was going in circles.

Maybe the Spot does help with bears as I had received countless warnings about bears on the three very remote roads I rode and camped on and I didn't have any problems.

Don't worry too much about bears. Be "bear aware" do the usual safety practices (eat and prepare food a distance from where you sleep) and you should be okay. I'm out in the backcountry a lot, sometimes by myself, and carry bear spray and so far, thank goodness, haven't had a serious issue yet.

---Amy