Friday morning I got an early start after breakfast with Larry and Brad.
Our conversations were of future travel and the next "Epic trip".
Between the three of us I think we were looking for ideas on that next adventure.
Traveling by motorcycle is an adventure in its self no matter what type of bike you ride.
You meet the nicest people on motorcycles!
Prince George BC south on the 97 towards Cache Creek I hit Highway 99 headed towards Whistler BC.
This segment of highway, AKA the "Sea to Sky Highway" is a great ride on a motorcycle.
I rode it in Sky to Sea direction because I was on the way to Horseshoe Bay BC to catch the ferry going to Vancouver Island.
I made it to Squamish BC which was a long haul and found that being the start of weekend, reasonable hotel rates would be hard to find. I was able to negotiate a decent price by my 4th stop and what appeared to the last room available anywhere. Right, I got that line a lot on this trip. I just worked my best "Tommy Wants Wings" routine and made a pretty good deal!
Next day I was on the Ferry heading to Vancouver Island BC. While on the way to the port town of Nanaimo I was given some idea's for some nice roads to ride and destinations to see from a motorcyclist who lives in Vancouver BC.
I decided to ride out to Tofino on the West Coast of the Island. This was a beautiful ride, even on worn out knobbies!
The weather was perfect and I had lunch while watching the sea planes take off and land in the bay.
I got back to the mainland pretty late but was able to find a hotel with a few phone calls while riding the ferry back to Vancouver.
After checking in, I parked next to another motorcycle which was the last parking place on the lot.
The bike looked familiar and had Oregon plates on it. A quick streaming through my iPhone photos revealed that it was Mark from Oregon's bike who rode up from Skagway towards Whitehorse with me several days earlier! Turns out he was headed to Vancouver Island that morning and I was headed back home.
The last two days was a 990 mile sprint as I was eager to get home.
I was able to see the Boeing Museum of Flight and see the Blue Angles fly in Seattle while on the way home. Great added bonus!
Riding on the Super Slabs made for long days and through northern California it got hot enough to wish I was back in AK!
The BMW GSA never failed me and I arrived on Sunday night the 7th of August at about 7:00pm.
29 days of riding had come to an end with Katherine and Allyson there to greet me!
A quick recap on the numbers for the ride,
- The longest day, 570 miles traveled was Day 29.
- 29 days on the road. Started the trip on 07-10-16 - Finished the trip on 08-07-16.
- 8,744 total miles traveled.
- 1,500 miles traveled off rode.
- Rhys and I rode the entire 500 miles of the Washington Back Road Discovery Route from Stevenson to Nighthawk WA on our GS's without falling down!
- 1,900 miles traveled using TKC-70 tires after a puncture forced me get knobbies installed for the phase 2 portion of the trip.
- 220 gallons of fuel used.
- 6 International Border crossings required.
- 2 Canadian Provinces traveled.
- 4 Western USA States traveled.
- 6,844 miles traveled on K60 Scout knobbies.
- 3 ferry rides.
- 6 Black Bear encounters.
- 24 hours of daylight north of the Arctic Circle.
Some of the folks I rode with or met along the trail on this trip!
Vic posting the Colorado Plate
Mac Goes North to Alaska was an Epic Adventure made better by the people I met on the way!
Who knows what next year will bring, Mac Will Be Back for another Epic Adventure!
Congratulations, Dad! What an adventure! Glad to have you back home in the Golden State. Also, I appreciate the Tommy Boy reference :)
ReplyDelete