Phoenix To Alaska, The Rewrite

[Guest]

I'll never forget a guy blowing by me on a Wing while I was on my Magna climbing a hill in WY. That was the beginning of my opinion on Wings changing. I'd love to have one for the trip I'm about to do.

Following this thread because, I am looking at an Idaho, MT, Canada, maybe Washington/OR swing late this summer. As soon as I get permission <_< :wheel:

Will Wing it almost for sure!

PM me if you want any suggestions or have any questions.

[turtlecreek]

thanks for reposting this. awesome pictures and such....i love my hills in TN, but one day, one day i will go out west on a bike and enjoy everyminute of it!!

[Guest Revenant665]

Thx for showing your trip...Awesome pictures!!! well, im from Phoenix too...and im about to take a ride up to seattle...im going alone, but i heard sometimes the best trips are alone....im really looking foward to it!!!! ill def be postin some pics when i get back.....i got a quiestion, if you know about how much fuel you consumed on your trip back from seattle....i was wonderin if you logged any of that info....im trying to get this trip planned out a little better and any info would be appreciated...its my first 1000+ mi trip... url=http://www.vfrdiscussion.com/forum/index.php?automodule=gallery&req=si&img=24004][/url]

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[Guest]

Much more important than fuel. Get on the PC1! PLEASE don't interstate by this road. I get nearly 45-50 miles per gallon when I'm on a trip. Good luck and get up early and get through the desert. Nice looking bike.

[Guest]

Day 6: Insanity begins:

Route: http://maps.yahoo.com/#mvt=m&q2=burns+...6836&mag=12

Mileage: 375 miles

Have you ever seen a pine tree? No? Would you like to see billions? Well…I’ve got just the place for you! British Columbia!

Remember when I said insanity crept into this trip? The weather was dreary and after the scenery from the day before, well, trees were a bit of a let down. The day went something like this: trees, trees, trees, trees, city of Prince George, trees, trees, lake, trees.

No good pics from the road this day but feel free to google ‘trees’ and ‘pictures’. After a few hundred miles it no longer feels like you’re moving, just floating. Staring at the back of my friends helmet (yeah target fixation is a biatch) I began to ponder things like ‘why couldn’t Bigfoot leave up here’, ‘a serial killer could just pick off people once a year or so up here’, ‘how far am I from the nearest Honda dealer?’, ‘if he doesn’t stop soon I might kill him tonight’

.

Lake somewhere NW of Prince George:

We camped in the city park of Burns Lake. We were instantly surrounded by Native American kids asking for cigarettes and whiskey.

We tried to relax while swatting at bugs and sharing some whiskey (among ourselves, not the kids). The big excitement was helping a retired couple unhook their little SUV from the leviathan they called an RV.

Here was the lake we camped on:

Day 7: Alaska!

[Guest Revenant665]

YA, ive been debating wether-or-not to take the pacific coast highway...i would love to...last year i lived in LA and took the PC1 from Laguna Seca back to LA (MotoGP)...it was an amazing stretch of road...but i noticed it took a couple hours longer than it did taking the 101 north to monterey...i didnt really mind the extra time, the scenery mad it well worth it, but im just concerned with this trip being 3 times the distance if taking a much slower technical road would be wise...especially alone...im probably going to do it anyways! haha. I've been thinking of just taking the 5 to san francisco then the 1 the rest of the way up to seattle....any advice on any essentials i should pack for "on the road"

[BonusVFR]

YA, ive been debating wether-or-not to take the pacific coast highway...i would love to...last year i lived in LA and took the PC1 from Laguna Seca back to LA (MotoGP)...it was an amazing stretch of road...but i noticed it took a couple hours longer than it did taking the 101 north to monterey...i didnt really mind the extra time, the scenery mad it well worth it, but im just concerned with this trip being 3 times the distance if taking a much slower technical road would be wise...especially alone...im probably going to do it anyways! haha. I've been thinking of just taking the 5 to san francisco then the 1 the rest of the way up to seattle....any advice on any essentials i should pack for "on the road"

I just rode RT1/101 from Central Cal up the coast almost to Eureka. Describe pro and cons, alternate routes, gear, bike mods etc

My ride report is in progress - http://www.vfrdiscussion.com/forum/index.php?showtopic=33540

Will have more on RT1 in a day or two. Big Sur can take a lot more time, especially on a weekend. Watch fog in the AM.

As bigmilelittle says don't slab. I get about 45mpg on tour with bags etc.

[Guest]

PC1 north of San Francisco is not something to miss. Its a few hours of your life, spend it wisely, what the hell are you going to do worthwhile when you get home?

Bonusvfr,

I'm taking the name change as a compliment. :beer:

[Guest]

Day 7: Alaska!

Route: http://maps.yahoo.com/#mvt=m&q2=burns+...8933&mag=11

Miles:297

Well…we made it. The drive in is incredible. Big mountains covered in rain forest (really) with glaciers feeding waterfalls. It looks absolutely surreal. I kept expecting king kong or T.rex to appear and climb down the mountains.

The road turns to gravel at the border of Canada and Alaska (something the local Canadians were very proud of). Hyder, Alaska and Fort Stewart, BC are very cool places. The area is Misty Fjords National Park, IIRC.

I never got a good shot showing the glaciers, waterfalls, and rainforest all in one shot…I'm still pissed about that….

A few miles from Hyder:

The money shot

We got there at about noon, immediately went and got Hyderized (taking a shot and getting a certificate) and then went to Fish Creek watching area. It’s a National Forest Service walkway built along a creek famous for black bear and grizzly bear coexisting during the salmon run about 1.5 miles from Hyder up a gravel road.

The creek was literally filled with HUGE salmon. It’s the spot were they literally swim in place until they die and the bears just eat and eat and eat. You could walk across the stream and never get wet by stepping on salmon.

I never thought I would get bored watching a grizzly bear hunt but we left after about 2 hours, it was amazing.

Hotel

Bears, bears, bears

We stopped on the way back to take a picture of the river. Suddenly a black bear walked into the shot (yeah, lotta bears round these parts), looked at us and jumped in the river and started swimming towards us. We hopped on the bikes and rode back to the hotel, the whole time we would look over and see the bear still swimming towards us. I think he continued down the river all the way to the ocean…weird.

We stayed at Seaside Hotel which is…at the side of the sea. The bar was hoppin’ and we met a guy on a GS that claimed to have won the lottery. THEN the group of Swedish and English people showed up, all girls except for one. They had an American girl as a tourguide/driver that drove an RV from Seattle up to Alaska. At some point a challenge was issued regarding the drinking pride of various countries. America won. However there was a price to buy…$8 a beer X a lot beer plus buying a few drinks for some people = ouch on the wallet and a healthy morning hangover.

Didn’t think I’d end my first night in Alaska drinking with Swedish girls…but I ain’t complaining.

We walked down to the pier by the hotel and took this shots the next day:

The past 3 trips I’ve seen a rainbow, weird:

The hotel had internet so we checked our email. I vividly recall my friend and I sitting at a computer each and him saying, “Hey we should check the ferry times.†My reply “Yeah, we should.†We didn’t. This becomes significant at a later time.

We had to make the ferry because it only leaves for Vancouver Island twice a week from Prince Rupert. We were going to ride the length of the island and then take a ferry to Seattle.

[Guest]

uhhh...why do my quotation marks and apostrophes turn into wingdings?

[V-FORE]

Excelent Day 7!! sounds like you had a blast

thanks for sharing!!

[Guest]

One thing I forgot. Several of the female rangers were quite unpleasant, funny that the only people I met that I didn't like in the last 1000 + miles were American. :beer:

[BonusVFR]

uhhh...why do my quotation marks and apostrophes turn into wingdings?

I have the same problem with a MS Word paste. I just use the VFRD edit stuff now to add emphasis!!!

You should take all my remarks as compliments!!!!!! :thumbsup: :beer: Forum rules!

[BonusVFR]

Day 7: Alaska!

Bears, bears, bears

I have seen bears in Yosemite and Yellowstone but not like this!! Well done.

[Guest Revenant665]

One thing I forgot. Several of the female rangers were quite unpleasant, funny that the only people I met that I didn't like in the last 1000 + miles were American. :mellow:

doesnt that suck!!! the image of americans most of the world gets is these crazy, or complete stuck up rich americans thinking their shit dont sink, and treating the locals in whatever country they visit like crap! if the rest of the world only knew there were people like us here!!! lol i have a friend that is from Edinburg, Scotland and she said a lot of them, both scots and brits hate americans cause the way we treat them when we visit!!! and thats our allies!!! ENGLAND!!! sad but true!!!!

[Guest]

Alrighty, I'm back from a ride out to the East Coast. Sorry for delay, I'm sure many of you had sleepless nights waiting for my next post.

The plan:

http://maps.google.com/maps?f=d&hl=en&...mp;z=7&om=1

Bleary eyed and with heads filled with sand, we straddled the bikes around 10 am after waiting for an hour for the other guy to mail a postcard. I don't really recall this day, expect that the ride to Prince Rupert was quite pretty as it followed an inland body of water.

Outside of Prince Rupert

and

We met a local guy and woman on a harley while I was investigating the plumbing of a BC park outhouse. We asked about the ferry we planned on taking in the morning.

"The ferry that sunk a few weeks ago, Ay?"

"Uh...what?"

"Oh yea, ay, that ferry sank 'bout 2 or 3 week ago."

"Really"

"Yea, now they only have one that runs on Tuesday."

"Really"

We hoped/assumed this was some local joke played on American tourist.

We drove into town, quite tired and pulled into a suspiciously empty ferry parking lot. Exchanging looks of dread, we approached the info window that was manned by a troll of a woman. Now I know that I'm no fine specimen but this woman was ugly on a level that invoked curiosity. I was staring at her mole and the accompanying hairs when she said the ferry to Vancouver Island didn't run for 4 more days.

We were screwed.

This is the most depressed I've ever been on a motorcycle. We had come thousands of miles in a little more than a week. I was in pain from the moment I started the bike up at this point and we had boosted our spirits by talking about how great it would be to park the bikes, have some beers, and enjoy the scenery as the miles pleasantly slide by. Alas, it was not to be. I wish I had taken a picture of us in that empty parking lot that I could laugh at now, however at the time my friend may have sprayed me with bear mace had I pulled out the camera.

Depression turned to despair as I stared at the map in disbelieve. No road connects Prince Rupert with Vancouver, we would have to backtrack to freakin' Prince George and then head to Seattle. In a decision that I still can't believe we were capable of doing, we crawled back on the bikes in an attempt to at least get back to the point that we would erase our error of going to Prince Rupert.

So this is what our day was really like:

http://maps.google.com/maps?f=d&hl=en&...mp;z=7&om=1

We slid off the bikes, got a hotel room with a liquor store attached to it, bought some liquid consolation and generally felt sorry for ourselves.

Tomorrow: the DAY FROM HELL

[Guest]

Day 9

This was one of the worst days of my life. In a decision borne of anger and despair, we decided to spit proverbial beechnut in the eyes of the motorcycling gods and drive from Terrace, BC (the prior post was wrong, it went from Prince Rupert to Terrace not Smithers) to our friend’s house an hour south of Seattle. Our logic was that we could get to Seattle and spend a day off the bikes with the time we made up.

I’ve recently done an Iron Butt. Two days ago I did back to back 14-15 plus hour days after riding across most of the country. Nothing compares to the pain of this day. Numerous elements merged to create the “perfect storm” of riding misery: 9 days of prior riding, many a poor night of sleeping, the route we took was mostly two lane with stoplights and low speed limits with surprising amounts of traffic, highway 5 was CLOSED at the border so we had to take the worst detour known to mankind-costing us over an hour.. In all it took 19 hours of riding to reach our friend’s house. Entering Seattle at hour 18 and having Honda Civics with coffee canister mufflers whizzing by at triple digit speeds didn’t help. This was, all kidding aside, stupid and very dangerous. I couldn’t even really maintain a lane when we finally got on the 5. We stopped at a gas station in SeaTac (spelling?, near the airport) and we’re promptly told by a street merchant selling questionably obtained bottles of fake perfume that we looked like two gentlemen that cared about how they smelled. Keep in mind I’ve got 2 weeks of beard (starting growing it out before the trip), a once yellow textile jacket with around 3000 miles of bug guts, road grime, and general fifth and a pair of jeans that were supported several competing colonies of bacteria. I, ever so gently, told the merchant “to get the hell away from me.”

Our friend greeted us with several questions about the bikes while we were still sitting on them. I told him I was really ready to get off the bike if he didn’t mind. He then served us warm beast lite and a hamburger patty each.

I slept on the floor with my sleeping bag and awoke to the sound of his roommate (who I didn’t know existed until then) watching a bollywood movie at about 90 decibels. Waking up to a man speaking very little English about three feet away from you, watching bollywood at a time that is several hours before you wanted to get up, is rather disorientating.

The Mountains near the border made for what would have been good riding on another day.

[Guest]

Day 10 & 11

After my odd awakening, we loaded the bikes up and headed to my friend’s brother’s house where we cooked out, drank beer, and tried to forget what tomorrow entailed. I met a very fat dog that I promptly fell in love with; he now lives with me in Phoenix and is on a diet (imposed by girlfriend).

We spent a night out on the town in Seattle. A very good drinking city btw. If you are in the area and want to get hammered in record time, I highly recommend long islands at Earl’s. An older woman makes a long island where the coke is merely splashed for a bit of color, yet is somehow very tasty. Later that night, as I hung my head over a guardrail in Seattle proper I contemplated whether she was an angel or a demon.

Day 11-We took a ferry from Seattle over the Olympic Peninsula. This route is highly inaccurate since: 1. we took a ferry from Seattle, 2. I have no idea where we actually stopped on this day.

http://maps.yahoo.com/#mvt=m&q4=south+...4631&mag=11

Several bikers were headed over and we chatted with them for awhile as we looked at Mt. Rainer. We didn’t take the route recommend by some bikers and I think we missed the best part of the Peninsula…oops.

Here is a shot of one of the clearest lakes I’ve ever seen:

After speaking with perhaps the best park ranger this side of the Mississippi, we headed off for the rain forest on the SW corner of the Peninsula, a very bizarre place.

It also has a rather large tree just outside of the park:

The ranger warned us of the local yocal enforcement. As I was sitting on the side of the road waiting for the unfriendly officer to return with my driving award (which I felt was BS) and license, I thought about how ridiculous the US revenue earning ticket system is.

The ticket put a damper on the next few days, although we would eventually get the ticket removed after submitting dozens of pages on radar theory and after paying ‘administrative fees’ to the court.

We crashed on the beach with hundreds of other campers and roamed about the beach which was littered with huge driftwood and covered in fog, eerie and cool.

[BonusVFR]

The perfect trip! Good lessons for everybody.

So how many miles was it back to Seattle? Was it the biggest day- mileage wise - of the tour???

[Guest]

Good to hear from you. :rolleyes:

The Seattle day was the longest mileage and certainly longest hours. I think it was around 820 miles or so...not sure. I know that it was MUCH more brutal than doing an interstate iron butt.

Off topic, but have you ever compared or noticed that riding under 65 really seems to save your body? I just got back from the east coast and noticed that even though the Viffer is smooth that sustained speeds of over 80 really took a toll on the body. The days in the Rockies, which of course the twisties and beauties helped stave off exhaustion, really didn't tire either of us even though we rode from sunup to sundown. Starting to think those guys on the interstate doing 65 know more than me.

I've got to get over and check out your Cali report. :thumbsup:

[Guest]

Day 12

Route: Inaccurate again because I’m not sure where we camped the day before or where we camped this night. IIRC it was right over the California border.

http://maps.yahoo.com/#mvt=m&q4=south+...4631&mag=11

We drove down the Oregon Coast, which I was really looking forward to. I was disappointed by the road and the traffic. Although the bridge across WA and OR is impressive. The Columbia River I think?

We broke off from the coast once we were parallel with Crater Lake, so maybe we missed the best part of the Oregon coast? The route to Crater Lake was truly enjoyable, except for the cruiser traffic. I definitely want to head back to this part of Oregon, all the roads around here seemed great.

Crater Lake is breathtaking. The road around the Lake look great on the map, but we didn’t have time to take it. Anyone know the condition of the road? Part I was on were rough with no guardrail.

We rode on to California, crashed in the mountains at a campsite with cougar warnings, tried to sustain a fire, passed the bottle o’ Beam around and eventually crawled into our respective tents.

Day 13 Boonville

http://maps.yahoo.com/#mvt=m&q4=south+...4631&mag=11

We headed back west after deciding we just couldn’t leave California without visiting Anderson Valley Brewery in Boonville nor could we not get back on the PC1 for at least awhile.

It was misty in the morning but cleared as we got to the coast. I turned up the wick and gave the PC1 my best. It was a great day, little traffic, good weather…just a pleasant time to be on a great road. Thanks to all those California drivers for letting me by. :thumbsup:

Cali Wildlife

We got to Boonville and sampled…numerous beers, met and hung out with the owner (thanks for a great time Ken) and the brew master. Love that place and the beer. Although now that I enjoy Lost Coast Great White beer, I wish we had stop at their brewery, which IIRC is in Eureka.

Boonville

Day 14- We left Boonville, got on the highway and the rest of the trip sucked. My bike overheated on the LA freeway which left me on the left side of the road in August during LA rush hour(s). Awesome.

We crashed in San Bernardino (anyone know the Frank Zappa song…” San Bernardino”?) after having our IDs copied and sent to the police in case we were Meth Gang Bangers.

http://maps.yahoo.com/#mvt=m&q4=south+...4631&mag=11

Day 15- San Bernardino to Phoenix. If you’ve done the trip you know why I don’t have any pics. The only cool part is the windmills…and I have no pics of them.

http://maps.yahoo.com/#mvt=m&q4=south+...4631&mag=11

If you can’t tell, I’m a bit tired of this ride report (and I’m sure some of you are as well). Thanks for all those who hung in to the bitter end. If you’re wondering if I learned my lesson about retard mileage days on a VFR…well, no. I just returned from riding from Phoenix to GA (with an iron butt thrown in on day 2 of 3 of that leg), then to VA, then NY, then Chicago, then bless’d Colorado. But NOW I’m really starting to understand that whole trailer your bike concept.

[BonusVFR]

Good to hear from you. :warranty:

The Seattle day was the longest mileage and certainly longest hours. I think it was around 820 miles or so...not sure. I know that it was MUCH more brutal than doing an interstate iron butt.

Off topic, but have you ever compared or noticed that riding under 65 really seems to save your body? I just got back from the east coast and noticed that even though the Viffer is smooth that sustained speeds of over 80 really took a toll on the body. The days in the Rockies, which of course the twisties and beauties helped stave off exhaustion, really didn't tire either of us even though we rode from sunup to sundown. Starting to think those guys on the interstate doing 65 know more than me.

I've got to get over and check out your Cali report. :thumbsup:

One my CA tour on the last part of RT 1 going north to Fort Bragg, we were going into a 20mph headwind and were going 65/70 mostly. Beat the Hell out of me - proving your point!

[Guest]

Well, I was right about something. I should write this down. I was so sick of riding when I got back from the East Coast last week, I stuck the bike out back (not in the garage), cleaned it quickly, and haven't touched it since. I REALLY understand trailering now.

[Guest]

Your trip really did look great. I want to check out the Lost Coast next time I'm in Cali.

[Adam30]

Last summer, i had my bike shipped to Los Angeles so i could take it up the coast to suprise visit my buddy in Portland. Took Hwy 1 the entire way until just before the oregon line. Just spectacular. Like another one said, the best part is probably north of San Fran. Almost no traffic, with clean twisties for a good couple hours depending on speed and stopping. I was in that area in the evening, and when far enough north i almost had issues finding lodging for the night. Small towns are very small, many with no hotels and are sometimes 1/2 hr or more apart from each other. Combine that with the fog rolling in from the coast and it starting to get dark, and it can make one a bit nervous. And, keep an eye on your gas. But that's all part of the adventure. South of san fran still has many many awesome stretches of road, one of my favorites being just south of Monterey and into the Big Sur area. Given that there are some straight stretches here and there, and some busy little towns that can and will kill your fun, a trip up Hwy 1 is a must-do for any motorcyclist, no question about it!