Hi everyone, I’m back and starting my newest adventure. On May 19, 2006, I arrived at the house of my old friend Burt Wagner, the Chapter Director of Illinois C, the Windy City Wings. Back in 1998, I had traveled with Burt and friends from Chicago to Washington State and back. I had a great time, and it sure is good to see him again. I found out he enjoyed my company so much that he has since acquired his own traveling companion, Mandrel. Since both of us are primates we became instant friends.
I thought Burt was taking me on a bike trip to Alaska, but the next day I was on an airplane and soon found myself in Maui, Hawaii. Now I consider myself well traveled, but Maui is something else; palm trees, lava beaches, and the ocean. It is indeed a paradise! Burt’s son is getting married here, and I got an invitation to the wedding.

May 24th, I had a new experience today. I went deep-sea fishing. We caught a Mahi Mahi weighing almost 25 pounds. The seas were calm, the sun was shining, and I made quick friends of the crew on the boat.

May 25th, Mandrel and I quickly did the visitor’s guide to help Burt figure out where to ride. We rented a bike from Island Riders, and since there are no Gold Wings on the island, the three of us will have our first experience riding a Harley Davidson Ultra Classic (FLH). We decided to go around the North end of the island where the roads were twisty, steep, and in some spots so narrow a motorcycle and a car could not pass each other at the same time. The scenery was breathtaking! As far as the Harley goes, let’s just say I’ll stick with Gold Wings.

We hardly got back to Chicago when it was off to the Region C Rally in Onawa, Iowa, where I had the chance to see some of my old friends from the Midwest. Onawa bills itself as the ‘ice cream capital of the world’ and we sure made good use of that fact.

Friday, June 23rd, 7am in the morning, we left Chicago on the start of our Alaska trip. Our group consists of Burt Wagner, the ride leader, Mark and Sho Busse, Rolf Bruins, Mandrel (Burt’s mascot), and of course me, Waldo. Rolf’s speedometer cable went out as he pulled into our meeting place. I sure hope that isn’t a preview of things to come. But the weather is a perfect sunny 75 degrees, and we are anxious to get started on this adventure.

Our first day was kind of a no brainer. We went 545 miles, most of it on interstate 90/94. Burt likes to call this his get-away-day. A couple of hours into the trip I had an accident. The wind blew me off Burt’s bike; but Sho was on the ball and saw me go. Everyone pulled over, and Sho walked all the way down the road to save my life from all the cars and trucks; THANKS SHO! Burt decided to lock Mandrel and me in the trunk until he could figure out a better way of keeping us on the bike. I hate being locked in the trunk.
Just outside of St. Paul, Minnesota we got onto Route 12, and will be taking this almost all the way to the ferry in Washington. Our first night was spent in a little town called Benson Minnesota. Kind of the typical small Midwestern town. Here we stayed at the Benson motel. Now that was a real experience. Actually, they were not motel rooms, but small cabins. Let me tell you, it may not have been the worst place I’ve ever stayed, but it rates right up there. I’m sure our wives would not have stayed there.

Saturday, June 24th, day two of our adventure. We were on route 12 the entire day. Did you know, Route 12 was the first coast-to-coast highway in the United States? Any way, the temperature was in the low 80’s, and most of the day was partly cloudy. We did hit two small pockets of heavy rain. Burt put Mandrel and I back in the trunk, AGAIN, for safekeeping. He did take us back out to visit the Sitting Bull burial site in Mobridge, SD and the Petrified Wood Park in Lemmon, SD. I’ve already been to both places the last time I went with Burt, but they were new spots for Mandrel.

We stopped in Mott, ND for the night. The kind of town that if you blink, you missed it. Burt knows of this restaurant called the ‘Final-Go-Around Supper Club’ and wanted us to have dinner there. Yum, steaks, and prime rib; not cheap, but delicious. Since we stayed at the Mott motel for only $38.00, the extra dinner price didn’t hurt so bad.

Sunday June 25th, day three of our adventure was a picture perfect day. The weather was sunny, in the mid 70’s and the four bikes performed perfectly. We stopped at the Range Rider’s Museum in Miles City, Montana. Burt had to drag us out of the place. Kind of reminds me of the Pioneer Village in South Dakota, only smaller. There were sure a lot of pheasants along the road, and we even saw a couple of antelope. We decided to make it a short day, only 256 miles, stopping in Forsyth, MT for the night. We are going to try to find a Honda dealer in Billings to get Rolf’s bike fixed in the morning, if we can.

Monday June 26th, we had a change in plans today. Rolf suggested that since we were so close to the ‘Little Big Horn’ battle site that we go down there. Since we have an extra day penned in everyone agreed. I had been here the last time I went this way with Burt, but they have made a lot of changes since then, and it’s an interesting place. Mandrel and I had our pictures taken, again.

After that, we doubled back to a place called ‘Pompays Piller’ National Monument. This is on the famous Lewis & Clark trail. It’s a 400’ tall hill where ‘Clark’ scratched his initials back in 1808. Then off we went to put on a few miles before turning in at the Super 8 in Big Timer, Montana. In all 313 miles today. The weather was 88 and sunny.

Tuesday, June 27th, another perfect weather day, sunny and in the mid 80’s. We got back on Rt. 12 heading west, and stopped at the Blair Family Museum in Martinsdale, MT. When we got there we found out that we had gotten some bad information and they were closed that day. But after a phone call, the lady came down and gave us a private tour. This is an absolute must see place if you are anywhere in the area. We were there two hours, and enjoyed every minute of it. To describe the place would take an entire story by its self.

Pushing on we made Missoula, MT where Rolf again tried again to get his speedometer fixed: but, it seems no one in four states has the parts he needs. They would have to be ordered and that takes 3 days. So, for now he will just have to get by.

Wednesday, June 28th, We were up early and headed out on Rt. 12 from Mossiula, MT to Lewiston, ID. Man, what a ride! This is 200 miles of the absolute best motorcycle road anyone could ask for; perfect surface, fast turns, little traffic, and a lot of beautiful scenery. This is the 2nd time I have done this road with Burt, and it was even better than I remembered it. Of course we took lots of pictures and video footage.

See, Burt has the real cool setup on his bike for video. He mounted a ‘lipstick’ camera in his faring, ran the cable to his handlebars, and plugs this into his video recorder mounted between the handlebars. That way he can video the road, and still keep both hands on the handlebars, a real good idea while riding on Rt. 12.

We stopped in Lowell, Idaho, population 23, for lunch. When we went back to the bikes to get ready to leave, Burt put on his gloves. What he didn’t know was that a bee had flown in the index finger. When he put on the glove he got stung. Now we’re all more careful when we put on our gear.

Rolf found a Honda dealer in Anchorage who would order the part he needed for his bike, and when we get there he will put it on, and Rolf will have his speedometer back.

We had to make up some time so we had to do a lot of miles today, 445 to be exact. If that wasn’t bad enough, the temperature today was a sunny 99 degrees. By the time we got to the hotel in Kennewick, Washington we were sure glad it had a pool to cool off in.
Let’s see, today we started in Montana, went through Idaho, Washington, Oregon, and then back to Washington. It kind of makes your head spin all the states. Tomorrow we will be visiting with Rolf’s cousin who lives in Arlington, Washington.

Thursday, June 29th, I got a comment yesterday about a couple of mistakes in what I sent out. Hey guys, give me a break, I’m a MONKEY. Besides you try riding 450 miles in near 100-degree weather, and you won’t be thinking too straight either. Anyway, back to today’s story.

Not wanting to spend too much time on the interstate, we quickly got off and onto Rt. 97, which took us through the Wenatchee mountains. What a nice ride that was. We got up to 4,000 feet and were a bit surprised at the amount of snow we could still see in July. The temperature dropped from the 80’s to the 60’s, and then went back up to 80 in a matter of minutes.

Mark’s luggage rack broke while we were on a bumpy, turney road, so we strapped it to the back of Burt’s bike, rearranged Mark’s things, and continued on until we found a UPS store where he sent it home. His design will have to undergo some changes before his next trip.

We had lunch in Leavenworth, WA. It is a Bavarian town up in the mountains. Rolf said ‘It looked just like the real thing in Bavaria, Germany but the brats weren’t as good. After lunch it was on to Rolf’s cousin’s house.

Gisela and Joe Dickson and their 20-year-old daughter, Kelsey, are very nice people. Their home sits on 2 acres, with the forest right behind them. We had BBQ and talked about the area and our trip. Burt took both Gisela and Kelsey for very different rides, and they both seemed to enjoy their ride.

If you want to see more pictures Sho has been uploading some to the following web address: www.neiu.edu/~mbusse/, you can check them out and see our progress. She will be updating it as regularly as possible, so check it often!

Tomorrow we get on the ferry to Alaska and I will be out of contact for 3 or 4 days. Talk with you when I can.

Friday June 30th, Kind of a lazy catch up on everything morning. We washed our bikes, and even Rolf cleaned his a little. Burt got his new phone updated, but was unable to get the connector he needed for his phone interface, so that still isn’t working. Also, it seems that Mandrel and I have picked up a new nickname. We are being called “the boys.” Burt is always saying, “I’ve got to take the boys.” People look at him like he’s a bit crazy when he brings us out for pictures. Even so, he takes us into museums, restaurants, and ice-cream places. Burt loves to show us off, and tell our story.

It was only a 40-minute drive to Bellingham to catch the ferry. As we drove through the town we wished we had more time to stop and look around. But it was already time to get to the ferry and get loaded. If there is a next time, we may do it a little differently and spend some time in Bellingham.

It was much easier than I thought to get boarded; however none of us knew that we should have brought tie-downs for the bikes. Still, we got lucky and some of the other bikers had extras. So we were able to get our bikes lashed down. The waters seem calm and the weather forecast is good, so I don’t think there are going to be any problems.

I am a bit upset with Burt, he left both me and Mandrel tied to the back of the bike, parked in the hole, with all these smelly cars. Not much of a way to treat your mascots if you ask me. Sho and Mark yelled at him for it, so he did promise to come get us later and show us around the boat.

The ferry is like a small cruse ship, except you have to pay for your food; and while the food is good, it’s not fancy. I must admit, things are cheaper on board than we expected. We had a great supper for only $8.50, and it sure is relaxing just sitting on the deck watching the scenery go by. A very nice break from the grueling 300 plus miles on the back of the bike. Some people put up tents, or sleep in sleeping bags on the deck, or in chairs. I’m sure glad we sprung for a nice comfortable cabin.

We also gained another hour because the boat travels on Alaska time. It already doesn’t get dark until around 10pm, and the sun comes up around 6am.

After dinner everyone was tired and we all turned in early. The hum of the engines, and the gentle vibration of the waves have made everyone sleepy. Yawn.... Talk with you tomorrow.

Saturday July 1st, Kind of an interesting night, our first night on the ferry. It seems that at 3:30am they had a fire in one of their generators. While the boat and passengers were never in any peril, every 30 minutes or so the Captain thought it was necessary to wake everyone with a status report over the public address system. They did compensate everyone with a complementary breakfast. Other than that, we are still under way, the sun is shinning and it is in the mid 60’s. Another beautiful day on our Alaska trip. I’m sure glad Burt got that nasty liquid sunshine (rain) over with right away!

Sunday July 2nd, First major fiasco on the trip happened today. Remember I told you that there was a small fire in one of the ship’s generators; well, we only got as far as Ketchikan, Alaska and then got stranded. After much worry we were able to get on another ship that leaves out of here on Tuesday night. So, for three days we get to visit Ketchikan, a small island. By the way, there are only 30 miles of drivable highway on the island of Ketchikan. I assure you, we will drive them all in the three days we are here. Since you can only get on the island by boat or airplane, not too many people can say they drove their bikes here. Lucky for us, Mark’s uncle lives here, gave us the grand tour, and took us to a nice dinner. The ship is letting us stay in our cabins and comping us our meals. The weather is a beautiful 70 and sunny, a good spot in the day.

Remember if you would like to see more pictures, Sho has been uploading to the following web address: www.neiu.edu/~mbusse you can check them out any time to see our progress. She doesn’t have Photoshop on her computer so the file sizes are rather large, and these are HER pictures, and I take no responsibility for their content.

Monday July 3rd, another beautiful day in paradise, sunny and in the mid 70’s. Jack, Mark’s uncle, said normally the weather here is much cooler, and rainy. He thought we must have brought the good weather with us. I told him about Burt’s magic, but he had his doubts. We spent the entire day exploring the island of Ketchikan. First stop the ever-present Walmart, to get a few things. Then to Radio Shack where Burt was able to get the connector he needed to get his cell phone interface working again; but somehow lost his glasses. I had told him to bring an extra pair, but he said no. Now he will have to wear his prescription sunglasses all day and night.

While the island has only about 30 miles of paved road, we didn’t let that stop us. We explored many of the side gravel roads. One took us to Cornell Lake in the middle of the Tongass National Forest. While everyone explored, Burt let Mandrel and I play in the trees. What a good time we had. There we ran into the caretaker of the lake’s dam, his name is Pete, who took everyone out on the dam for pictures. Well, almost everyone. It seems Mark is afraid of heights and wouldn’t go past the gate. Everywhere you go in Ketchikan you can see eagles. I’m sure glad they only eat fish, and not small monkeys. Next stop was Wade Lake where everyone walked around taking pictures. Then towards the end of the day we stopped in downtown to nose around in the shops and have dinner with Jack,

Mark’s uncle. We were surprised at how run-down all the exteriors of the houses looked. Perhaps from all the rain or the salt water.

Tuesday July 4th, the morning weather was only in the low 60’s and overcast, but we went for another ride of about 50 miles; and now we have seen it all. Spent a lot of time on gravel roads today, and Burt saw a brown bear about 50 yards ahead crossing the road. That was just before it happened; Burt got stung, AGAIN. This time he got it in the neck. I guess the bee got stuck under his chinstrap, didn’t like it, and let him have it. Poor Burt, he loves bees so much.

We spent the afternoon downtown and watched their 4th of July parade, the duck races, and rummaged through the shops. But we didn’t buy much, but Mark and Sho did OK. Since this is a stop for the cruise ships, things are a bit pricey, or just plain junky. The weather turned sunny and in the 70’s, and Burt was able to take a lot of pictures of Eagles on the way back to the boat. There must have been 25 of them flying around.

Today, around 12pm, we said goodbye to the Columbia and boarded our new boat the Malaspina. But, not before they gave us a free 4th of July BBQ of ribs, hotdogs, hamburgers, and corn on the cob. I sure hope we have better luck with the new ship. However, I must admit that the crew of the Columbia has been accommodating, and apologetic for the inconvenience. We will even get free meals on the new boat.

We have traveled 918 sea miles or about 1,056 land miles in the 2-days we have been traveling on the ferry (not counting the three extra days in Ketchikan.) If you were to drive the roads from Bellingham, WA to Hanes, AK you would have to drive 1,811 miles. The ferry cost us $900.00 with our bikes and the 2-person cabin. Guessing at hotel and fuel costs for the drive, costs are about the same, and the ferry was a whole lot easier then the drive. Of course, what we would have gotten out of the drive would have been different than what we got out of the ferry. Still, the break in driving was appreciated by all, and we would take the ferry again just for the break in the middle.

Wednesday July 5th, this was a very uneventful day on the Malaspina. We did see some Hump Back Whales, the ice floes (glacier), lots of water, and trees.

Thursday July 6th, Last night was fun! We tried to find the Fort Seward Lodge in Hanes AK. In the dark at 1am. Finally, Burt called and the owner said he would turn the light on. Gas is $3.58 a gallon here in Alaska, and over $4.00 a gallon in Canada.

The weather was sunny and the in the low 70’s. The road, with the exception of the last 50 miles south of Beaver Creek Canada, was excellent. It was there we hit a couple of sections of gravel, about 12 miles in all. Still, other than a lot of dust, the gravel was hard packed, and we were able to go about 45mph. But now our bikes look more like dirt bikes than they do road bikes, and you should see both Mandrel and my fur, we both need a bath.

We had no problem crossing at the Canadian border, and it was interesting driving through the St. Elisa Mountains. While we never got over 3,000 feet in elevation, there was still a lot of snow on the ground. Of course, we had to stop, take pictures, and play in the July snow.

Rolf saw a bear and a moose today, but we weren’t able to stop right then to verify his sightings. Still, I’m sure we will see a lot more animals before this trip is over.

What timing, Burt does it again. We weren’t in our hotel 15 minutes when it started to rain. He is real good at avoiding the rain. Today we did another 350 miles putting us over the 3,000-mile mark for the trip.

Friday July 7th, Wow what a day, 577 miles! Outside of Tok, Canada the locals talked us into a 120-mile detour to avoid the road construction. It seems a couple of bikes went down in the soft gravel the day before. Made for a real long day on the bike. The Roadway Motel is a real ‘no tell motel.’ We have not had good luck with hotels here in Alaska. High-speed Internet is also hard to find.
The weather was in the low 60’s and partly sunny. We did hit a little rain, but not enough to stop and put on our rain suits. Roads have been surprisingly good. Most of the time we can go 65 or 70mph. Much better road conditions in the USA than in Canada. We have hit patches of gravel, but each time they were only like 50 to 100 yards, and they are real hard packed. Now we are taking these sections at around 50mph. The bikes seem more stable at that speed.

Since we blasted to Anchorage, we passed up a lot of neat stuff; like Glacier Park, and the Alaska pipe line. Since we will have to back track 700 miles, Burt promised that we would have more time to stop at these places on the way back. Still the scenery is gorgeous, and the Tundra is unlike anything I have ever seen. Tomorrow we will get Rolf’s bike fixed, and see what’s to see in Anchorage.

Saturday July 8th, we dropped Rolf’s bike off this morning first thing, but no special service, and the guy behind the desk had the personality of Jack The Ripper. He told us that he only has one mechanic, and he would get to it sometime today. So now Rolf gets to be Burt’s Co-Rider for the morning. Bike was finished around 1pm, not too bad.

We spent a few hours at the Alaskan Native Cultural Center, a very interesting place. We took the tour and learned a lot about Native Alaskan people. I bet you didn’t know that the word “Eskimo” is derogatory. Most Native Alaskans don’t like being call that. Other than that, all we did was go shopping for souvenirs. Up early tomorrow and on our way back home; be it ever so humble.....
It has been tough with the light situation here in Anchorage. At 10pm it still looks like 3 in the afternoon. Takes some getting use to, going to bed at 10pm in broad day light.

Sunday July 9th, The unthinkable happened today, Rolf went down. HE’S OK, but I’m sure he totaled his bike. We were in an area where they were putting down a new lane of asphalt. You know where one lane is a layer higher than the other, and we were following the ‘follow me truck’ at about 30mph. Well, I guess Rolf went left over the edge, tried to come back too quick, and the bike went down on the right side. The bike then bounced back up and went over left; ending up on it’s left side.

He took out both mirrors, both sides of his windshield, trunk, saddlebags, and highway pegs. The highway pegs pushed in on both sides cracking both valve covers, so the bike was leaking oil from both sides.

We all sprang into action getting the bike up, and moving it down the road to a nearby RV park. Burt took off on the 75 mile round trip to a Wal-Mart and brought back some oil and epoxy, so we could plug the holes, and try to make the bike drivable. Of course Mandrel and I helped with every step. But alas, we deemed the bike too unsafe to continue the trip.

After much discussion, it was decided that Rolf would drive the bike back the 90 miles to Anchorage to the dealer, get a room, and reexamine his options Monday. The rest of us would continue on the 3,500 miles home. Burt’s suggestion to Rolf was to let the insurance total his bike, buy an airplane ticket and fly home, not to try to get any repairs done, or to drive home by himself. I will keep you informed of his decision.

The rest of us continued on to Tok, Alaska to spend the night. We did NOT take the long way this time and we had a lot of gravel sections on the way back. At one stretch the gravel road was 10 miles long. Still, we are getting use to the roads, and didn’t have any real problems.

The weather is still cooperating with temperatures in the low to mid 60’s and partly sunny all day. We sure have been lucky as far as the weather is concerned. Mark won’t let Burt say it ‘Never’ rains on his trips because we had those two small 10-minute rains in the beginning of the trip. So now Burt says ‘It HARDLY ever rains on his trips.’ Mark doesn’t believe Burt has any magic powers for the weather, but I know better.

Monday July 10th, Happy to say we have had a very uneventful day. Another 400 miles, with a lot of gravel, bumps, and endless trees. Believe it or not, the roads are finally getting better.

We did get a hold of Rolf, who was in a rent-a car heading up to Denali to visit the park. He is waiting for the insurance adjuster to look at his bike. But he did mention that he was considering having it fixed, and riding home. I hope he reconsiders that decision. Still, he is a very experienced international traveler, and I’m sure he will make it. But still, the bike is a total loss.

Weather was once again perfect, in the upper 60’s and mostly sunny. Today we saw a gizzly bear walking across the road. But by the time we could get stopped and get to our cameras he was gone.

Tuesday July 11th, We are back on schedule and after going over the Nisutlin Bay Steel bridge (1,917 feet) we stopped in Watson Lake, Yukon Territory, for the night. Of course we went to the ‘Signpost Forest, where Mandrel and I helped Burt nail up one of our chapter flags. There are hundreds of signs from all over the world in the park.

Another 400 miles in near perfect weather, and finally the roads are pretty good. Temperatures were in the upper 60’s, and mostly sunny. People keep telling us that they have been getting a lot of rain, but so far we haven’t seen any. We did see an elk by the road. However, yep, you guessed it, we didn’t have our cameras ready again.

Another thing, it seems like the chipmunks like to play chicken with cars, and motorcycles. When they see you coming they scurry into the middle of the road, wait until you almost get there, then go running back to the side. Unfortunately, not all get out of the way in time. So far Sho and Burt are tied, one and one, and Marks batting 0.

We did find out that although our cell-phones work here, the cost is very high. $9.99 a day to connect, $ .99 a minute PLUS $.99 a minute from the local carrier. We all got calling cards so we can call home that way instead. In these small towns Internet is also a hit and miss situation. So I’ll talk with you when I can.

Sho gave us her stats, she has taken 4,000 pictures, not counting the 700 some odd pictures she has deleted, for a daily average of about 216. We should have enough photos when we get home to wallpaper the bottom of both Mandrel’s and my cage for years to come. Plus, Burt is on his 3rd videotape.
I almost forgot to tell you that after taking pictures at the Nisutlin Bay Bridge, Burt forgot to strap us guys in, again. If it hadn’t again been for Sho, we would be laying someplace in the Yukon by the side of the road. Mark said Burt ‘should be convicted of monkey abuse,’ and I agree!

Wednesday July 12th, Another beautiful day with temperatures in the high 60’s and no rain. Also, another 350 miles putting this trip over the 5,000 mile mark (not counting the boat miles.)

Lots to report today; we have seen a bear, elk, lots of mountain goats, a heard of wild horses, and a buffalo. This time we were ready for them and took pictures. The horses were blocking the whole road and wouldn’t let anyone pass. So Burt finally had enough, just drove right up to them, and they nonchalantly moved to let us by.

We also traveled through Mucho Lake Province Park, and let me tell you the scenery was just spectacular with mountains, valleys, running water, lakes, and lots of the wildlife in the park.
Things sure are expensive up here in Canada. Since there is only one road in or out, everyone takes advantage of the tourists. Today Burt filled his motorcycle, had lunch (cheeseburger w/fries, pop, and a slice of pie) $38 Canadian. We have been paying about $1.25 a liter, or $4.17 a gallon for gas, and Mark’s patience is wearing thin with the lack of amenities in the hotels. But, for now we have to just bite the bullet. We will soon be back in civilization.

Thursday July 13th, This morning we left to overcast skies and the threat of rain. Thinking that discretion is the better part of valor, we put on our rain gear. But Burt worked his usual magic, and we quickly out ran the clouds without getting wet. Way to go Burt! The rest of the day was in the upper 60’s with partly cloudy skies.

The roads are steadily improving, 335 miles of them today. However, we have still hit a few patches of gravel, and some construction. However, most of the time we are tooling along between 65 and 70mph.

Talked with Rolf today, he is having his bike fixed enough so he can drive it home, and leaving this afternoon. He said the idea was to drive to AND from Alaska, not take an airplane home. He will keep us informed of his progress. Like I said, he is a very experienced international traveler, traveling a great deal in his work. Still, he is by himself, and we are all worried about him.

Again today we are seeing a lot of wildlife from the road. We saw a mother black near with her cub, lots of mule deer, and a moose. Some we have pictures of, and some we don’t. It’s getting to be almost commonplace to see them by the side of the road. Speaking of pictures Sho only took 96 today.

We are staying at the Day’s Inn in Chetwynd, B.C. Canada tonight. We’re all tired of hearing Mark complain about the accommodations. Tonight he can internet until his fingers fall off. No, seriously, it’s nice to have a clean hotel, with modern facilities. Not sure when we will find this again up here.

Burt had a little time today to put up my very own web page. If you would like to follow my adventures on line, go to: http://www.gwtailc.org and click on the ‘Where In The World Is Waldo’ link. Now this was a quick, on the road kind of a thing, and will take a little redoing as time goes by. So please, give poor Burt a break. He is doing the best he can with the time he has.

Friday July 14th, Today we left to overcast sky’s, and soon had some very ominous rain clouds overhead. Burt did his best, but alas, we had to drive a total of 9.7 miles in the rain. Granted, it was only about 5 miles in actual rain, the rest was in kind of just enough to keep you windshield wet. I made sure I checked the distance, as Mark is having a great time needling Burt that it does in fact rain on his trips.

Other than that, not much today, about 350 miles of mountain roads, and even more trees. We are staying in McBride, BC which is about 100 miles outside the Banff National Park because rooms are too expensive in the park. We will be doing the park tomorrow. The one big change for today, Sho only took 26 pictures.

Saturday July 15th, Man have I got a lot to tell you today. First, when we left McBride the skies looked very threatening, so we put on our rain gear. Not..... Burt once again worked his magic, and all we got was a light mist on our windshields. But, since it was only 50 degrees when we left the extra warmth of the rain gear sure helped.

By the way, McBride, BC Canada is famous for it’s chain saw carvings. When you look at these carvings, it’s hard to believe that they were done with a chain saw.

We spent the morning dodging the rain, and watching the clouds dance their way through the trees, and over the mountains. It was quite the site to see. But the best was yet to come; the Canadian Rockies and Banff National Park of Canada.

After a quick stop in Jasper for gas, and to look around, we headed right into the park. It cost us six bucks Canadian each to get in, but it was money well spent. Right at the beginning of the park we saw a lot of elk, but that was it for animals for the day.

Instead of animals, we were greeted with about 120 miles of the most spectacular scenery any of us have ever seen. Just mile after mile of mountains, glaciers, shear cliffs, deep valleys, and trees. All on near perfect road, with only partly cloudy skies, and the temperature rising into the 60’s the whole time we were in the park. At one point in the park we were at nearly 7,000 feet.

Mark made the comment that the trees were so thick, and covered so much of the mountains, that from a distance it looked like someone’s lawn; like solid green grass.

Of course we had to stop at Lake Louise, and the lake was unbelievable. There is no way to describe the color blue of the water. I only hope the pictures (Sho took 646 today) and/or video, we shot, show some of its beauty. Of course I had my picture taken by the lake, and everyone looked at Burt like he was crazy when they see me with him. He adds to this as he walks around petting and talking to me, and/or Mandrel, all the time. But just before they call the men in the little white jackets to take him away, he explains my story, and everyone agrees that I am a great idea.

Sho wanted to do the Lake Louise gondola, so that’s where we went next. Since Mark is afraid of heights, Mandrel and I stayed with him to keep him company while she and Burt did the ride to the top. All they could say when they came down was “what a view.”
After we left the park we headed for Calgary, Alberta and back to civilization. We even had our first Dairy Queen in nearly two weeks. Burt wanted to turn around and go back to the boonies, but we all talked him out of it. I think the rest of us have had enough of the remote country life for a while.

While driving on Rt. 1 into Calgary, we noticed how quickly everything flattened out. In a matter of 60 miles we went from the mountains, to the plains. It’s hard to think of Canada as anything but trees and mountains.

Sunday, July 16th, Heard from Rolf, he is in Jasper Park and spending the night there. He is making good time, but riding long hours as he hopes to catch us before we make it home. He even did a 1,000 miler one day.

Today was a long 500-mile day. Route #1 between Calgary, Alberta and Regina, Saskatchewan is four lanes of pavement in a straight line for as far as you can see, with nothing but grass fields on all sides, also for as far as you can see. I think we’re back in Kansas now Toto. At least the temperature was in the mid 70’s under mostly sunny skies.

We did go through Medicine Hat, Alberta where we saw the ‘World’s Largest Teepee.’ That was the biggie for the day.
Tomorrow we will pick up our last Province of Manitoba then head back into the good old USA. It’s only a 1,000 miles back to home. You know it’s been a long trip when you say it ONLY 1,000 miles to some place.

Monday, July 17th, Another 350 miles down the road finds us back in the good old USA, in a town called Rugby, North Dakota, the geographical center of North America. There was something about coming back into the states. Even though the roads were identical to the ones we were just on in Canada, it just felt different. Kind of like a coming home sort of thing. We did get stopped at the border, and had or bags, and bikes, searched. Then had to answer a lot of question about Mark’s needles and Burt’s Nitro pills. But eventually they realized that we weren’t drug smugglers, and let us go on our way.

Once again today we saw humongous (how about that for a big monkey word) hay fields, with hundreds upon hundreds of these large, round, bails of hay. Burt stopped so Mandrel and I could monkey around on them for a while, and get our pictures taken.

We got into the hotel a little earlier today, and found that they had a swimming pool. That was all it took for us to put on our suits and go for a dip. Mandrel was beat so he stayed in the room while the rest of us went swimming. Kind of a party pooper that Mandrel. We took some pictures, but they didn’t come out. So we had to go back and get wet a second time. Since they forgot to take off my vest I couldn’t go in the deep water.

We are planning to be home this Thursday, since it’s only about 700 miles, but we are going to be making a stop on Wednesday to visit with my old friends the Grangers, and have dinner with them.

Tuesday, July 18th, Well, we had a first today; we went 400 miles, and Sho took no pictures. Yep you heard it correctly, no pictures. That should give you some clue as to how boring the roads were.

When we left, it was about to start raining, so we again put on our rain gear. But like before, Burt again worked his magic and we were soon far ahead of the rain without getting wet. What we couldn’t out run was the wind. The first hour was real tough, with a very strong side wind. But Burt soon took care of that also, the rest of the day was only overcast, and in the upper 70’s. It seems Burt’s magic also has us coming in after all the heat.

Now, Mark disagrees with me. He said, “we are going east, and the rain is to the west, so we would out distance it anyway.” Well, when we left there was rain to our rear, rain to our left, and rain to our right, but no rain to our front. I don’t care what Mark thinks; it’s Burt’s magic that cleared our path.

We again heard from Rolf. He will make our hotel tonight, and we will once again be a six-some in the morning. His only comment so far “it has been an adventure.”

Wednesday July 19th, Rolf met us this morning. He had caught up with us last night but spent the night in a different hotel. It seems that his problems continue, he left his bike turned on, and now his battery was dead. Burt tried to jump it five times but we couldn’t keep it running. He will have to find a dealer and get a new battery.

The night before we had heard that a strong front was coming in, and we were going to leave early to try and stay ahead. But the extra time we spent trying to get Rolf going caused us to leave in a downpour. None of Burt’s magic could help with this rain. As we drove out of town it looked like night, not morning. So again Mandrel and I were put in the trunk, and the rest of the day was riding in and out of the rain. We all knew our luck couldn’t last forever.

We stopped in Richland Center Wisconsin and had lunch with the Grangers. Cathy couldn’t believe how dirty Burt’s bike was, and kept taking pictures. When they asked us where we wanted to go to lunch, we all said ‘CULVER’S’ at the same time. It’s been 4 weeks since we had good ice cream.

After lunch, we rode for about three hours before we hit more rain, and it rained off and on the rest of the way home. But still in all, we can’t complain about the weather on this trip.

My adventure is quickly ending and I sure hope you have enjoyed my stories about our trip, and got a few laughs along the way. It has been my pleasure to send this out to you. If you are ever taking this trip, call and we’ll give you a few tips and clues.

Here are some quick statistics about the trip

7,784 miles
Average speed 57.7mph
27 days
134:55 hours on the road

Yours In Friendship
Waldo and Mandrel (Burt, Mark, Sho, and Rolf)

The 10 things I learned on my 8,000 mile Alaska motorcycle trip

1. 8,000 miles on a motorcycle is a long way.
2. The further Northwest you go, the worse the roads will be.
3. You are going to spend a lot of time on gravel, learn to deal with it, and consider the nicks on your bike badges of honor.
4. Everyone on the Alcan Highway waves.
5. Everything costs more in Canada/Alaska, and be sure to bring Canadian money,   locals don't always give you the current exchange rate.
6. Have a quality tool kit. Because something WILL vibrate loose, fall off, or break.
7. Nothing replaces a quality riding jacket, good rain gear, and waterproof boots.
8. Bring a lot of film. If you’re digital have a lot of memory for all the photos you will take.
9. It can be a long distance between gas stations, carry an extra gallon of gas.
10. Be it ever so humble, there’s still no place like home.

Toad tips

Having trouble putting on your Frog Toggs. Try putting a plastic bag (from a grocery store) over your boots. It will make you boots slide right into the legs.

Riding on a bumpy road; try riding in the middle of the lane instead of the right/left. This area gets far less traffic, and is often much smoother.

Gravel roads are often easier to negotiate at a little more speed. If you go too slowly you will skink down into the rocks. A little more speed keeps you from sinking.