South Florida to Alaska and back - 19,000 miles, 68 days and a lot of photos!

I thought about doing a trip report while I was on the road for these past 10 weeks, but I decided not to. Keeping my blog updated weekly was already too much work and I tried to keep my online life to a minimum, so I could spend more time riding and getting to places. It was a fantastic experience, and I'd like to share the blog posts here now, since I'm so grateful for all the insights and tips I got on the forum while I was preparing for life on the road.

A special thank you goes to Alcan Rider, who took his chances and rode most of the Dempster Hwy with me. Jack, you're a very dear friend and I just can't wait to get back and ride those final miles with you. Your knowledge of the Dalton also helped me make it to Prudhoe Bay and back in one (walking) piece.

There are tons of photos on the blog, and below are just a few ones for those of you who don't have the time or the patience to go through 10 or so weekly posts. One thing is for sure: the Northwest becomes an addiction after you get there for the first time. Already planning the next one now!

http://ricardoserpa.com/alaska-2013-first-week/

http://ricardoserpa.com/alaska-2013-second-week/

http://ricardoserpa.com/alaska-2013-third-week-the-dalton-highway/

http://ricardoserpa.com/alaska-2013-week-four-the-kenai-peninsula-and-the-dempster-highway/

http://ricardoserpa.com/alaska-2013-fifth-week-stewart-cassiar-highway/

http://ricardoserpa.com/alaska-2013-sixth-week-british-columbia-washington-and-oregon-coast/

http://ricardoserpa.com/alaska-2013-a-very-special-surprise/

http://ricardoserpa.com/alaska-2013-seventh-week-northern-california-yosemite-and-the-loneliest-road/

http://ricardoserpa.com/alaska-2013-eighth-week-utah/

http://ricardoserpa.com/alaska-2013-ninth-week-colorado/

http://ricardoserpa.com/alaska-2013-one-last-road-going-home/

http://ricardoserpa.com/alaska-2013-the-journey-is-completed/



The completed route from Spotwalla



Near Williams Lake, BC



On my way to Mariposa, CA



Redwoods, CA



Somewhere in BC, Canada, past Lillooet



Leaving Prudhoe Bay at 5pm



Somewhere on the Cassiar



Close to Prudhoe Bay



End of the day in Tropic, UT



Getting close to Moab, UT



Dalton Highway souvenirs



Another nice side road in BC, Canada



Mt. Evans, CO



Prince Rupert, BC, Canada



On the Cassiar, shortly after leaving Watson Lake



Zion National Park, UT



Alcan Rider leaving Glenallen, AK, in an early sunny morning



A curious mountain goat in Mt. Evans, CO



Kleber Pass Road, near Crested Butte, CO



A side road near the Million Dollar Highway, between Silverton and Ouray, CO



The Bear Tooth Highway



Florida's Gulf Coast, near St George Sound

Thanks for taking the time to read it!



Ricardo

Fabulous photography, the color, light, and composition all very thoughtful. This is going to be a very popular thread. Except for those of us that think we compose photos on this level. Of course, there will be a lot of screen savers with your work now. I'll be clicking all night. Congratulations on a great ride and recording of your experience. And thanks for sharing.

Amazing pictures!!!!

Later
John

I was on some of the same roads earlier in the year but your pics beat mine by a mile. I know what you mean by spending time on the blog, also !!!!
Well done matey !!

Thank you! I don't know about the screen savers , but I hope to put together a good book from the whole trip, with some time and a lot of luck!

Thanks, John!

Yes, it's difficult to find the balance between riding, taking your time to enjoy every moment on the road and also do my job as a photographer. That's why the posts were weekly, couldn't even think of doing it every single day.

WOW, amazing, amazing and beautiful pictures! And damn, that is a lot of stuff you have on your dash!

Thanks! As for the dash, it really looks busier than it actually was: an iPhone holder, the GPS, a rarely used GoPro mount and the radar detector, which stayed most of the time in the tank bag anyway. I learned early on the trip that less is more when you're on the road for a long time...

Great pics. In my humble opinion that is what makes the difference in a great ride report.....the pics. There are a ton of RR's out there but very few with quality photography. Your pictures are excellent and each one tells a story. When I come across a RR with poor or no pics I usually move on. Looking forward to your write up on the trip and of course the quality photography. Thanks for posting.

Thanks, glad you enjoyed the pictures! I have more on the links I posted above, and the little notes are there as well. Hope you will enjoy them!

Near Pink Mountain, on the Alaska Highway



Atigun Pass, Dalton Highway



Highway 12, Utah



Bryce National Park, Utah



Oregon coast



End of the day (and end of the rainbow...) in Stewart, BC, Canada



Glenn Highway, going to Anchorage, AK



Dietrich River, on the Dalton Highway, around 11pm



Arriving at the Homer Spit, Alaska



Near Dease Lake, on the Cassiar



Tombstone, on the Dempster Highway



Dempster Highway, crossing into the Northern Territories



Another late night on the Dalton Highway, close to Wiseman



On the Cassiar Highway



Near Girdwood, Alaska



Yet another one on the Dalton, going back to Fairbanks

..still blown away by the pictures. These are the best ride report pictures I've seen yet.

I've never understood how some of you guys are able to travel with these amazing camera setups and bring them home intact and not in pieces or destroyed.

One of the best set of trip photos I've ever seen.

I'm usually not one to comment on threads, but your photographs are awesome. I rode to the same places last summer and I don't recall them looking as good as your pics (of course I barely saw the sun for the first two weeks).

That's very generous! I also scratched my head quite a lot before the trip, trying to figure out what to bring (and how to do it), and I finally settled for a smaller camera setup: an Olympus Micro 4/3, the OMD EM5, and 4 lenses, all in my tank bag, where they should be relatively safe unless I had a major screwup. It worked just fine, and I had the camera on my shoulder a good part of the time. Really light and small enough not be felt.

Thanks!

Thanks, I guess I got really lucky with the weather. I still had my fair share of rain, but nearly as much as I thought I would have. First trip luck!

Arches National Park, Utah



Highway 12, Utah



On the way to the Moki Dugway, Utah



Pikes Peak, CO



Near Valdez, AK



Moab, UT



Dalton Highway, AK



End of the day ride to Yosemite, CA

I got back from a longish trip on the bike, carrying my DSLR and a few lenses. After the trip I knew I wanted something smaller and a few months ago sold my DSLR kit to move to micro 4/3.

Micro 4/3 + motorcycle travel make a happy pair.