(FAKE) Alaskan Adventure Ride

[Z_HARSH]

We found an overnight parking lot and camped up above Smith River. Not a bad spot overlooking the ocean.







The next day the plan was to explore the redwoods, Avenue of the Giants type stuff. But, we started out and the extremely reliable KLR started hiccupping. I had to pull in the clutch and rev it up a little and it seemed to clear up and smooth out. It worked for a while, but then started getting worse. We made it down into Jebediah Smith Redwood State Park, then passed Del Norte Coast, and Prairie Creek.



And, the trees were big to say the least.







By the time we made it down by Eureka I was trying out choke to see if that would help, but finally it got to the point where it was running, but just barely. Honestly, I probably shouldn't have pushed it that far. But I figured it was likely the last ride of the trip so I was reaching for it.

Finally I had to pull over and see if I could do something about it. First thing was the air filter, and it was filthy. That air filter on the KLR clogs up pretty easily, it seems like it is always dirty. Plus, I am not quite sure if I had cleaned it after my little ride up to Prudhoe Bay and back, not to mention the other little jaunts since. In the little built-in tool box I took out the tools out of the bag and stuffed in a socket set, ratchet, and allen set. It barely fit, but if it was packed just right it would close. The stock tool set won't let you pull the side cover.



I grabbed some twigs and sticks, scrapped the K&N as clean as I could and put it back together. But it still ran like crap.

[Z_HARSH]

So I have been slacking a bit. Well not really, I have actually been busting ass on my TransAlp Project:




























But that story is for a different time and a different place.

I need to get back to this one and finish it up.....

[Z_HARSH]

So there we were, 60 or 80 miles from the truck with a bike that was running like crap. I tried to scrape off the dirt as best as possible, but it only helped so much. I was fiddling with it for an hour or so, would get it back together and start it, take it apart again and try something else. Several people drove by and asked us if we needed help, but I had everything I needed other than a good way to clean the filter. I figured trying to clean it with gas next to the road wasn't a very good idea. So I pulled the side cover to get more air into the airbox and limped it back towards the truck.


I was hoping to do Avenue of the Giants and all that, but it wasn't in the cards. It was still cool riding through the massive trees.





The fog rolled in and gave it an mystical feel.






I found a cool little side road that wound up the coast and we putted our way back.





It would do OK in the mid-throttle range so I held it there and prayed it would get us back to the truck.


We finally made it back and loaded up so we could roll out in the morning. That night I looked for the best way to get out of California. I hate all of their dumb-ass rules. Sure, it is cool they are one of the only ones that allow lane splitting, but trailer law of not allowing you to go over 55 is incredibly annoying. So I took the shortest way out. And looked for a couple more things to explore on the way home.