The Alaska Slo-Mo Photo Tour.

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Exceptional report... Brought back many memories of Alaska, the Yukon and British Columbia... Now comes the hard part... Fitting back into the routine of everyday life... No salmon jumping, bears or moose, no mosquitos to swat and no tent or sleeping back to roll up in the morning.... Welcome back and thanks for taking us with you. Rich

 
Great report! It is making that itch for me even stronger. Now I need to get enough time off to do it justice.

 
Exceptional report... Brought back many memories of Alaska, the Yukon and British Columbia... Now comes the hard part... Fitting back into the routine of everyday life... No salmon jumping, bears or moose, no mosquitos to swat and no tent or sleeping back to roll up in the morning.... Welcome back and thanks for taking us with you. Rich
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Amazing! Thanks for sharing.

When are you gonna start the Uberkul Alaska touring company?

 
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I have always had trouble re-living the trip and writing a good road report. Great trip and it deserved this incredible report.

 
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But seriously.

Great stuff Brad. That had to be a lot of work putting this RR together. Thanks for the effort and the tour.

You don't have to say but if you wanted to mention what your total expenses were for this trip,,,,,,inquiring minds want to know.

I imagine it will either scare me off, or wet my appetite.

Mark

 
Lets see if I can address everyone's comments in the order they were received:

Bugnatr, 1/4 roll of TP was more than enough. Those folks up north even have flush toilets! Most campgrounds we stayed at had really nice pit toilets. I do have an unused bear spay if anyone is heading that way. 1/2 off!

Old Michael, We only saw friendly bears on this trip and thankfully no verbal of physical abuse was inflicted to any of the participants.

Bokerfork, Hate me? I though you were my bug juice jocky?

TomInCA, 2- 10 ft lengths of rope worked out great for clothes line and ferry tie down. Had 20 ft of tow strap webbing but never used it. Gorilla Tape was THE BEST tool we (Don) brought.

Huron52, My $500.00 in Canadian worked out great but the Canadians have the credit/debit card thing well worked out and seems to be the preferred way to settle up. Getting gas and having to go in sometimes was a PITA but such is life.

Bokerfork, My little camp knife and Spyderco Dragonfly worked out great. Now if you can get deals on Boker we need to talk.

SacramentoMike, It rained on us but not nearly as much as expected. Maybe 5 days off and on or 24 hours total.

CAJW, After research it appears The Swedish Bikini Team either rappel in or ride in a convertible. The bus is a myth!

Beemerdons, No permissions or licensing required for republish. Unless there is money involved then my attorney Rich will be contacting you.
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Gregory, as awesome as it would be to make a living out if this type of thing it would still be work. Having to take care of winy sniveling clients would take all the fun out of it. Not to mention you would always be one lawsuit away from the poorhouse every trip.
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Bokerfork, I figured $100.00 per day with the camping and motels averaged out. I think I ended up at $3700.00 in expenses but that included a travel shirt and pants bought on the road. Getting geared up was not cheap because coming from a backpacking background I wanted to go small and light. Too bad the only thing I kept from the mountaineering days was an ice axe. But now I have it and will stay out more rather than coming in for a motel on future trips.

Future trips?

A. Circumnavigate Baja with as much dirt as possible.

or

B. Continental Divide Trail.

C. The biggie someday... Ushuaia!

A big thanks to everyone who posted encouraging words on the report. That was the fuel that kept the fire burning.
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"A. Circumnavigate Baja with as much dirt as possible." Did someone say Baja, ese! Tus Papa Chuy Viejo will ride South to Baja at the drop of a Sombrero, es Verdad mi Compadre! JSNS!

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Brad,

Thanks for the responses. Count me in as your official Bug Juice Jockey when you do the Continental Divide. All I need now is a Big Red Pig, KTM 990 or a Yamaha S10.

Of course, if you opt for Baja, you may not need a Bug Juice Jockey, but I'll be more than happy to lube your chain every morning. (Oh ****, did I type that out loud?)

 
Brad,
Thanks for the responses. Count me in as your official Bug Juice Jockey when you do the Continental Divide. All I need now is a Big Red Pig, KTM 990 or a Yamaha S10.

Of course, if you opt for Baja, you may not need a Bug Juice Jockey, but I'll be more than happy to lube your chain every morning. (Oh ****, did I type that out loud?)
Don't sweat it Marky-Mark, Old Michael said the same exact thing to Papa Chuy Viejo if I took him beach camping at Playa Coyote between Mulege and Loreto! What happens in Mexico, stays in Mexico! JSNS!

 
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Brad,
Thanks for the responses. Count me in as your official Bug Juice Jockey when you do the Continental Divide. All I need now is a Big Red Pig, KTM 990 or a Yamaha S10.

Of course, if you opt for Baja, you may not need a Bug Juice Jockey, but I'll be more than happy to lube your chain every morning. (Oh ****, did I type that out loud?)
Unless you add masochist to your resume I would stick with a big single for the rides I'm thinking about. Or get REAL good at your Captian Morgans.
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Don you are as good as in on any Baja Sur ride just because you habla. Even better if you get a smaller bike.

Do I smell a traveling FODS coming on?
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I hear you loud and clear Brother Brad, I need a lighter single such as yours! I love "Salma Hayek", my 2009 BMW F650GS Twin, but at 456 pounds she is just too heavy for me! Fat Ass Hoser Canuckistani yamafitter calls her "Miss Piggy!". jes' sayin' and nuff said, ese!

"Don you are as good as in on any Baja Sur ride because you hablo Espanol. Even better if you get a smaller bike.

Do I smell a traveling FODS coming on?"
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NOTE: Photo is courtesy of our Arkie Goober rushes, Thanks Russ!

 
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This was as good a RR as I have ever read. The pics were outstanding and the witty prose was even better. I envy you the ability to say a lot with just a few words.

I cannot thank you enough for taking the time to share all of this with us. I personally know how hard it is to come home and jump right on the computer and start typing while the wife and kid are looking at you with "that look". "Are your forum friends more important than us?" How do you answer that one?

I felt your pain at having to "amputate a limb" and cancel part of your carefully planned trip. I have been there all too often. It is one thing to budget your own time, it is quite another to control someone else's pace. You seem to have had a wonderful friend and co-adventurer.

I also know that feeling of melancholy when you feel the trip winding down. After all that planning, all that work, all that anticipation, and now it is just...over. Fortunately that feeling usually flows right into the anticipation of seeing the family and the home. I am glad you made it back to your home safely.

 
Afterward

Now having Don’s photos of the trip I can tell a little more of the tale, including a few Cpt. Morgans by yours truly. Yes, I really was on this trip.

Giddy as school girls as we pull out for the first leg of the trip.

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And then the second leg.

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You learn to sew in the Army and Don’s Airhawk needed mending.

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For the most part the logging roads were well maintained. Not so much in this section.

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Going up and down is easier than stopping and parking for a picture.

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Tandem formation rain riding.

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Hey Don, bet you can’t pet that cute little cub...hee hee hee.

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A decent soundtrack helps the beautiful miles go by.

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George questions whether his ride is going to make it through this trip or not.

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A sharp tool is a safe tool. In reality, I think I had just nailed a rock splitting wood and needed to repair the abuse.

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Other than getting a conversation going George didn't do much around camp.

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This much sugar is good for a solid hour of hyperactivity.

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Don had more focal length than me… imagine that.

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Doing my thing and loving life.

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See that little drop off to the left, that’s me between the trees.

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The yellow rain cover on the HAWG was a great bonus feature I’d never used on the Camelbak.

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Could have spent a long time here, if we hadn't looked left a found a higher hill up a dirt road!

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Commuting back to the tents on the Yukon ferry in Dawson City.

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We wouldn't know, and glad for it.

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Chillax’n

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Here I am rolling into the Yukon/Alaska border like Donny Osmond on a first date. Stop, wait, go, stop, yes ma’am no ma'am. She just loved me compared to that other lawless border basher who just attempted a one man moto invasion on the great state of Alaska.

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Indiana Jones was in town.

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I don't know why we always smiled in the shots. Picking the beasts up was a bitch!

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Coffee, 50% of the life blood of our little adventure. Whiskey was the other half.

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Ugg, me fix!

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One more little chunk to follow.


 
A few shots a Don’s flight to Denali and the Root Glacier.
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Trolls?
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Had to make sure I had my right ass cheek firmly on the wrong side to accomplish this one.
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Why so happy at a gas station? Probable because I didn't have to take off my helmet to pay inside.
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Berry and buddy along with the dog no one trusted to not bite you. These were our plan B guys for the oil change.
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Berry and his wife Rita rolled into Don's shop in Sutter Creek California a few days ago for a little reciprocal hospitality. The needed some meals, a bed and tires mounted. Don hooked them up and worked the angles to get us invited back to Alaska anytime.

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Back to the story...

The porter was well on his way to no tip.
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More Eagle on seagull action.
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My back likes this rock a lot.
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The yellow insert was pretty handy on those rainy overcast days. Visor down for blood sucking flying mini vampires.
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Don’s tribute to anti lock brakes. Saved his bacon.
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It had been one of those days. Don thought this was funny, which got me to laughing and pretty soon we were both rolling.
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The foot/moto bridge over to the Kennecott Mine. It narrowed at each end with lots of pannier marks indicating riders "oh ****" moments.
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I’m sorry but….why?
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Don heard that dryer sheets kept mosquitoes away. Or he just wanted to see if I'd wear one on my head too. The performance didn’t warrant the dork effect.
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The idea was to jump the bike off the little tabletop. Can you say lame video that I can't seem to imbed because I don't see this button in the options.

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    - This will allow you to link to media, such as a video or song.
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Don had to get a picture of the pig in ****, bear ****.

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Chain maintenance is a dirty job when you use a charred log as a kickstand.
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Don getting a little bird in the hand action himself.
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I try never to let an opportunity to lay back go unexploited.
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Our host at the fish grill bus in Hyder. Cool kid and can cook the hell out of some fish!
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Reaching for the extra gallon on the south side of the Cassiar.
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True happiness is getting spark back in the middle of nowhere.
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Actual bike miles, 1800 more truck miles.
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I’m not a high-fiver nor much of a hugger, Don is both.
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The passing of the tools. The ten or so pounds worth he passed on to me to get some more tire mileage at the start of the Cassiar.
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The next morning, shouldn't we be doing something like this by now?
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When you invite a great guy on a ride who really appreciates it he gives you a little something as a thank you. This is one kül-ass keepsake.
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The end for now.

 
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