Motoblag

Mooching off Safeway’s wireless. Will camp out this evening at a provincial park near Kitwanga, BC.

The roads are terrible and full of traffic.  Views suck, too.

Click for slightly bigger:

Sweet, my post was lost due to interweb access problems here at the public library. I’ll make it quick: got a phone, debit card didn’t work yesterday but should be good now, not going all the way to Hyder, AK today due to time constraints.

Here’s an excerpt from my log from last night:

As I slam the Givi lid shut on a pleading face of the Star Student bear, I feel independent. Thoughts of my debit card not working, with my credit card sure to follow, never enter my thoughts. Only a mild, pleasant sense of content as I look at my tent. Everything needed for an indefinite length of time is currently enclosed in it. The sounds of a busy highway next to the campground are less an annoyance and more of a reminder of things to come – miles upon miles, new territory with its unique sights and smells. As I wax poetic, the sun sets. The coffee at Starbuck’s in town seemed like a good idea at the time, but when the Wifi didn’t work it was a poor decision and as I have nothing to do when it’s dark, an even worse one. I should call the folks and see how they are.

Here is my office this morning (click for slightly bigger):

I am not sure if I’ll be able to find a phone that will work up north.  All the prepaid phones I can find online use the Rogers network, which is useless to me north of Prince George, BC or so.  In other words, if I buy one I could use it for all of today and some of tomorrow.

The solution I am thinking of is just being out of touch for the most part until I reach mainland Alaska where my Verizon phone should work.  According to my schedule that’s about eleven days.  I should be able to check in via pay phones but the blog may not be updated.

As the title suggests, I am in Kamloops, BC. I punted and paid for a hotel room since wifi access isn’t nearly as common as expected.

I am axing the Kamloops loop from my schedule because my Verizon phone doesn’t work at all in Canada. A prepaid phone will be located and purchased so my friends and loved ones don’t think I was mauled/et by a bear.

Pictures will follow sometime soon tonight.

.. and here they are! Click for a slightly larger version.

My camp in Glacier in Montana:

Bowman Lake, near the camp ground:

I finally made it to the forum meet the next day, in Calgary. They were introduced to a silly and excited Matthew who, by then, was well acquainted with the city’s layout.

Tomorrow: find a bloody phone and head towards Prince Gorge, BC. If I miss a wifi hotspot in the next day or two, I am not sure when the next update will be. At least I can call the people who worry the most and let them know I am alright… if I can find a phone.

I’m going to get some breakfast, load up the bike and embark on the journey.

The blag will be updated whenever feasible.

Everything but my tent, sleeping bag and jerry can:

And it all fits!

A month on the road looms in the immediate future! I’ve got a rough itinerary outlined so folks know where to find my remains after the bear has its fill.

Day one: To Lolo, MT to Missoula, MT to Glacier, MT. Sleep in/around the state park. 380 mi.

Day two: Glacier to Calgary, AB, Canadaland. Stay in the KOA out of town, hang out at a pub and drink tea, hopefully meeting some folks on a forum I frequent. 230 mi.

Day three: Calgary to Kamloops via Trans Canada Highway. Beginning the Kamloops… loop. They should come up with a better name. 386 mi.

Day four: Kamloops loop - Kamloops to Kamloops. 463 mi.

Day five: Kamloops to Prince George, BC. 327 mi.

Day six: Prince George to Hyder, AK. Hot springs, watch bears eat salmon, pay for items in an American town with Canuckbucks. 437 mi.

Day seven: Hyder to Watson Lake, YT. 406 mi, Google Maps says 19 hours.

Day eight: seriously, Google said 19 hours.

Day nine: Watson Lake to Carmacks, YT. 366 mi.

Day ten: Google said 28.5 hours for that leg.

Day eleven: Carmacks to Dawson, YT. Home of the infamous Dust to Dawson event. 221 mi, easy day.

Day twelve: Dawson to Inuvik, YT. That arctic circle don’t cross itself! 481 miles, 30 hours.

Day thirteen: continue to Inuvik.

Day fourteen: Bomb around Inuvik, back to Dawson, YT. 482 mi.

Day fifteen: continue to Dawson.

Day sixteen: Dawson to Fairbanks, AK. 388 mi.

Day seventeen: Fairbanks to Homer, AK. 579 miles. Camp on the spit.

Day eighteen: Homer to home via the Al-Can. 2,475 mile.

Day ninteen: continue.

Day twenty: continue.

Day twenty one:continue.

Day twenty two: continue, reach home.

Total mileage: 7,620.

Brutal.

I have a full month off of work so I have a few slop days to take care of adventurous things, such as: bike catching on fire, getting partially et by bears, bike setting bears on fire, harassed by angry shopkeep with shotgun and, of course, general tomfoolery like hangover recovery rest days.

Trip prep:

Got my chain and sprockets all cleaned up. Slapped all my luggage on the bike and started figuring out what goes where. The addition of a big red fuel container for the stretches in YT mixes things up a bit, but it should all fit well. I’ll have my 36 liter side cases, 52 liter top case and huge tank bag to fit all my stuff in: clothes, food, fire making materials and the most important bit, shaving gear cigars and booze.

Lois Pryce realizes her desk job in London was sapping her soul at a rapid rate. Fed up with annoying coworkers, office politics and documents on how to properly use revolving doors, she does what anyone would in that situation: decide to ride the Americas.

Going from Alaska to the southern tip of South America at Tierra del Fuego, her wit provides both humor as well as excellent imagery. Laugh with her discovery of what noises terrified her, in her tent in the frozen northland. Take a view into cultures some of us may never encounter.

Some of the passages of conversing with the locals were so well written I had to share them with my friends - several times. There is nothing like an almost poetic description of an irate Alaskan shopkeep to get laughs going.

If there’s one bit of the book I would hit with the big red correction pen, it would be how very little content there was about North American. Alaska and a little of Canada received far less attention than anything south of the equator. Perhaps my view is a bit different since I’ve been planning a trip for Alaska and Canada for a while and it comes across as a vast expanse, but maybe there’s only so much one can write about the landscape - the true fun comes from interaction with people.

That bit aside, the book reflects an excellent journey.

The feeling of accomplishment of reaching Tierra del Fuego at the end of almost palpable. The bittersweet feeling of the adventure wrapping up and having to return to a “normal life” comes through the pages extraordinarily well - the reader feels the same way about the book ending.

Throughout the book, pages still turn quickly and easily, with British wit and humor abound in even the most unlikely places.

Final verdict: highly recommended. I am going to pick up a copy of her next book, Red Tape and White Knuckles, covering her adventure through Africa, as soon as I can.

Geeze, I’ve been waiting for someone to ask me that. After reading some snappy replies to it, such as “you’re not looking too bad yourself” and “nah, it’s a new air conditioned suit,” nobody has talked to me about it despite record-breaking heat.

Bah.

You meet the most interesting people when you’re on a motorcycle. My latest encounter was with a gentleman on top of a local twisty road. You know, the kind where riders treat it as their personal race track and deny the law-abiding folks use without dirty looks by the locals.

Our small group made it to the top, pulling over to take some photos and shoot the breeze. We pulled up behind a lone motorcycle in the parking area, noticing the rider chain-smoking a little ways away.

We all dismount and strip off gear and earplugs. I was scoping out the motorcycle - it was a brand you don’t see often out here, so naturally I was curious. Things went downhill when I started talking to the owner.

Aside from looking as if he rode out of the Faces of Meth project, the chain smoking and twitching wasn’t too hard to get past. I’ve seen more interesting characters. However, as soon as the discussion moved from looks and general questions about the bike to performance, the crazy started leaking.

“Yeah man it’s got loads of power you can wheelie it’s pretty awesome and those front brakes have stainless steel lines so you can stop fast and stoppie *twitch* it’s pretty awesome man I love this bike wheelie.”

As he lights up yet another cigarette, his verbal face-stabbing continues:

“There’s totally this awesome place for stuntin’ because that’s what my crew does we do it in back of the grocery store nobody cares *twitch* and you can pull mad wheelies and stoppies and stunt and I’m a stunter and I stunt my bike WHEELIE stunt stunt man I do mad sick wheelies man just look at my stoppies oh man it’s nice because people almost never *twitch* call the cops and when they do show up you can just leave and wheelie and give the pigs the finger and stoppie on their hoods oh man that makes them angry FUCK THEM TRYING TO RUIN OUR FUN WE DON’T HURT ANYONE except when we hit each other BUT THAT’S OKAY BECAUSE WE STUNT AND WHEELIE AND STUNT AND STOPPIE have I *twitch* mentioned I stunt? Okay I gotta go, see ya.”

After putting his tobacco stick out under his shoe, he wheelies out of the parking lot.

I was impressed but not for the reasons Mr. Meth was expecting.