Down to T-minus seven days till Eric and my bikes get shipped off for the trip! Seems like not too long ago we had PLENTY of time to get things in order. Now I am starting to feel a bit unprepared...
My bike has taken over the garage along with a table holding most of the gear I am taking and the BMW crate is tucked against the wall waiting for the big day. The plan is next Monday (May 3rd) I will ride the bike in to Anchorage and Mandy will drive the truck in with my crate. We are going to swing by Eric's house and grab him and his crate then head to American Fast Freight where we will package up the bikes in their parking lot. Then the wait begins..... I will have almost three weeks without the bike before we fly out. Hopefully I won't talk myself in to bringing a bunch more stuff that what goes with the bike!
May 21st, Eric and I will fly directly to SLC, UT and arrive around 0930 on Saturday the 22nd. We found another BMW shop in South SLC that has been GREAT to work with! One of their employees even offered to pick us up at the airport on her way to work! We will uncrate the bikes and the shop will put new rubber on both of them before we leave. They are having a Grand Opening celebration there that weekend so there will be stunt riders, BMW reps on site and food from what I hear! Not to mention four blokes from Alaska gearing up for their 5000+ mile trip back home. I'm betting we will get quite a few comments/looks during the celebration with all the Alaska plates! :)
Gary will already be in Utah visiting his family and picking up his bike (and figuring out how to ride it....) about one week before Eric and I arrive. Singh ended up buying a sweet 2004 BMW 1150GS which he will be picking up in Coeur D'Alene, ID about 3 days before we come down. Hopefully he will have a safe trip.
Now....off for some more gear prep!
Monday, April 26, 2010
Wednesday, March 24, 2010
Snow is melting!
Things are coming together nicely. Plane tickets are purchased, crates for the bikes are secured, I have acquired more motorcycle oriented gear than I have EVER thought I would (just ask my wife...). The bike now has handlebar mounts for my GPS and digital video camera and the tank bag is wired to keep things charged up on the road.
Our fourth rider, Singh, has purchased a beauty 2004 1150GS which he will be picking up a few days early near Coeur d' Alene, ID and meeting up with us in SLC, UT on May 22nd. Gary has a nice 2005 1200GS sitting at the BMW shop in SLC waiting for him. He also will be going down a few days early (mainly just to figure out how to ride the thing!) to get organized and pick up the bike. Hopefully all will go well with the new ride, the pictures look great!
Eric and I are waiting on boots to arrive at AK leather. Other than boots and a few odds and ends I think we have gear taken care of.
Tires are still a concern... We are trying to figure out if we should pay Alaska prices and get them done here or wait till we are in SLC or somewhere along the way to get a better price. The issue in waiting would be having to schedule the change somewhere along the trip or do it right when we get to SLC. This decision will have to have some more debate.
I managed a quick couple of rides over Valentines day due to the unseasonably warm weather. It was nice to get back on the bike and put a few miles on. A day or two later we had a fresh foot of snow on the ground and my bike has been tucked in the garage ever since.
A week or two ago, Eric and Gary came to my house and we did the 12000 mile service on my bike. It was fun to get into it and see what all was involved. We got a good idea of what tools to bring on the trip and feel pretty good about digging into the bike if something was to act up on the trip. Hopefully there won't be any gremlins!
This last week the weather has been fabulous! Above freezing during the day and only down into the 20's at night. I've been chomping to get out and go for an evening jaunt, but a nasty cold has kept me grounded for a few weeks. I finally went to the doc and got a z-pac which cleared things up nicely. I may get a ride in this week after all!
Our fourth rider, Singh, has purchased a beauty 2004 1150GS which he will be picking up a few days early near Coeur d' Alene, ID and meeting up with us in SLC, UT on May 22nd. Gary has a nice 2005 1200GS sitting at the BMW shop in SLC waiting for him. He also will be going down a few days early (mainly just to figure out how to ride the thing!) to get organized and pick up the bike. Hopefully all will go well with the new ride, the pictures look great!
Eric and I are waiting on boots to arrive at AK leather. Other than boots and a few odds and ends I think we have gear taken care of.
Tires are still a concern... We are trying to figure out if we should pay Alaska prices and get them done here or wait till we are in SLC or somewhere along the way to get a better price. The issue in waiting would be having to schedule the change somewhere along the trip or do it right when we get to SLC. This decision will have to have some more debate.
I managed a quick couple of rides over Valentines day due to the unseasonably warm weather. It was nice to get back on the bike and put a few miles on. A day or two later we had a fresh foot of snow on the ground and my bike has been tucked in the garage ever since.
A week or two ago, Eric and Gary came to my house and we did the 12000 mile service on my bike. It was fun to get into it and see what all was involved. We got a good idea of what tools to bring on the trip and feel pretty good about digging into the bike if something was to act up on the trip. Hopefully there won't be any gremlins!
This last week the weather has been fabulous! Above freezing during the day and only down into the 20's at night. I've been chomping to get out and go for an evening jaunt, but a nasty cold has kept me grounded for a few weeks. I finally went to the doc and got a z-pac which cleared things up nicely. I may get a ride in this week after all!
Saturday, January 16, 2010
......and then there were four!
Well, we have added another rider to the pack. He will be the odd man out though since he will be riding a Kawasaki KLR650....I guess we will wait for him on occasion :).
On another note, Gary just finalized the purchase of his bike which happens to be in SLC already! He bought a yellow 2005 BMW 1200GS and it is waiting patiently for us already at our starting point. He is quite nervous about flying down and jumping on the bike for a 5000+ mile trip without "getting to know" the bike. I say he has 5000+ miles to "get to know it"!
My father in law is probably going to be driving out of AK this spring and has agreed to trailer the other three bikes to SLC for us! That will save a LOT of money, this trip is looking better all the time. We have secured a 16' enclosed trailer for the trip from another friend which my father in law will simply drop at Gary's family's place in Utah then will pick it up on his return trip to AK after a few weeks of vacationing in the lower 48.
We are getting anxious to get more detail about our route and have met some folks who have done many trips around the area. They have agreed to sit down with us and pour over maps and show us "must do" roads.
I can't wait for the trip to get here but also I know once it begins, it be over before we know it.... I guess we could start planning the next trip while we are on this one. :)
On another note, Gary just finalized the purchase of his bike which happens to be in SLC already! He bought a yellow 2005 BMW 1200GS and it is waiting patiently for us already at our starting point. He is quite nervous about flying down and jumping on the bike for a 5000+ mile trip without "getting to know" the bike. I say he has 5000+ miles to "get to know it"!
My father in law is probably going to be driving out of AK this spring and has agreed to trailer the other three bikes to SLC for us! That will save a LOT of money, this trip is looking better all the time. We have secured a 16' enclosed trailer for the trip from another friend which my father in law will simply drop at Gary's family's place in Utah then will pick it up on his return trip to AK after a few weeks of vacationing in the lower 48.
We are getting anxious to get more detail about our route and have met some folks who have done many trips around the area. They have agreed to sit down with us and pour over maps and show us "must do" roads.
I can't wait for the trip to get here but also I know once it begins, it be over before we know it.... I guess we could start planning the next trip while we are on this one. :)
Tuesday, October 13, 2009
A few "small" changes....
After giving this trip much thought, we decided to make it simply a run for fun celebrating our rapid entry into middle age rather than trying to tie in the fund raising part. We are still going to work on the memorial, but will probably try to work it in for the 10th anniversary (June 2011) of Justin's death.
We have also rearranged the route a bit. Our new starting point will be Salt Lake City, UT where Gary has family. The trip back to Alaska will actually start out by heading South... We are going to "swing by" the Grand Canyon (mainly because I have never seen it...) via Zion national park then swing back around East and North through Torrey and Moab, UT.
We will continue on to Yellowstone and Glacier National parks and then up through Banff and Jasper National parks in Canada. Finally we will head back home to Alaska via the Cassiar hwy.
We are still planning on 15-17 days for this adventure and have been doing a lot of preparation regarding gear and the bikes. We had a "fitting" at Gary's house this past Sunday. I rode my bike in and we all had dinner together then spent some time putting different gear on the bike and playing with loading options. Gary is shopping like a mad man since Eric and I already have beemers in our garages.
It is a LOT of fun seeing this project come together!
We have also rearranged the route a bit. Our new starting point will be Salt Lake City, UT where Gary has family. The trip back to Alaska will actually start out by heading South... We are going to "swing by" the Grand Canyon (mainly because I have never seen it...) via Zion national park then swing back around East and North through Torrey and Moab, UT.
We will continue on to Yellowstone and Glacier National parks and then up through Banff and Jasper National parks in Canada. Finally we will head back home to Alaska via the Cassiar hwy.
We are still planning on 15-17 days for this adventure and have been doing a lot of preparation regarding gear and the bikes. We had a "fitting" at Gary's house this past Sunday. I rode my bike in and we all had dinner together then spent some time putting different gear on the bike and playing with loading options. Gary is shopping like a mad man since Eric and I already have beemers in our garages.
It is a LOT of fun seeing this project come together!
Thursday, September 24, 2009
.....and then there were two.
As of yesterday, there is another happy new BMW owner in Anchorage! Eric found a good deal on a 2006 GS and picked it up.
Gary is starting to feel left out and we appear to have abandoned the plan of buying bikes outside all together. After discussing the logistics of this trip we believe having the bikes in the garage over the winter to tinker with will save us some time and probably some rather large headaches when we get to Texas. Right now we are pouring over accessory catalogs and motorcycle forums trying to gather what knowledge we can and putting together "wish lists" of trinkets (known as "farkle" in the dual sport bike world...) we would like to see adorn our newest family members.
Work is slow on planning the memorial. Working with the State of AK DOT can be tiresome especially since our project isn't exactly a top of the list item. We will be making a fund raising effort through all of this, but some details need to come together before we put the hand out.
Snow is coming down the mountains rapidly and we have been getting frost in the mornings. Yesterday I braved the weather and rode my bike to Anchorage even though the temp was at 29*. The heated seat and hot grips were a very welcome comfort on the way in. Sunny and 50* in the afternoon made for a beautiful ride home. Maybe we will be able to make a couple short afternoon rides before the snow actually hits us at sea level...
Gary is starting to feel left out and we appear to have abandoned the plan of buying bikes outside all together. After discussing the logistics of this trip we believe having the bikes in the garage over the winter to tinker with will save us some time and probably some rather large headaches when we get to Texas. Right now we are pouring over accessory catalogs and motorcycle forums trying to gather what knowledge we can and putting together "wish lists" of trinkets (known as "farkle" in the dual sport bike world...) we would like to see adorn our newest family members.
Work is slow on planning the memorial. Working with the State of AK DOT can be tiresome especially since our project isn't exactly a top of the list item. We will be making a fund raising effort through all of this, but some details need to come together before we put the hand out.
Snow is coming down the mountains rapidly and we have been getting frost in the mornings. Yesterday I braved the weather and rode my bike to Anchorage even though the temp was at 29*. The heated seat and hot grips were a very welcome comfort on the way in. Sunny and 50* in the afternoon made for a beautiful ride home. Maybe we will be able to make a couple short afternoon rides before the snow actually hits us at sea level...
Friday, September 4, 2009
Life just got a bit more interesting (aka complicated...)
So I've had my "trainer" for all of five and a half days now and tomorrow morning I go to pick up my highway bike! After all the preliminary searching I've been doing, I come across a deal I couldn't refuse right here in AK. The bike I will be riding on the trip is a 2008 BMW R1200GS with a load of options!
I ended up with a bike that is 3-4 years newer than what I thought I would get and is nearly ready for the trip already. The complication comes by having to orchestrate shipping it down to Dallas, TX which shouldn't be that difficult but I will have to spend a little $$. Crunching the numbers though, I will still come out ahead in the deal by not having to spend any time prepping a bike in Texas. I should be able to pop open the crate, fuel her up and hit the road! Plus I will be able to put a few miles on it and get to know the bike a bit.
No turning back now!
I ended up with a bike that is 3-4 years newer than what I thought I would get and is nearly ready for the trip already. The complication comes by having to orchestrate shipping it down to Dallas, TX which shouldn't be that difficult but I will have to spend a little $$. Crunching the numbers though, I will still come out ahead in the deal by not having to spend any time prepping a bike in Texas. I should be able to pop open the crate, fuel her up and hit the road! Plus I will be able to put a few miles on it and get to know the bike a bit.
No turning back now!
Tuesday, September 1, 2009
The "trainer"....
Well, Sunday I picked up my "training" bike. I found a beautiful 1985 Yamaha Maxim 700 that will be perfect for putting some miles on this fall and next spring.
Thanks to Julie (previous owner), you have maintained this bike immaculately! Julie and Eric are on their own 18 month around the world adventure (check out their blog here ).
Since Sunday afternoon, I have put over 200 miles on and am loving every minute of it! This photo is the group that will be going on our Alcan ride next spring. Left to right - Me, Gary, Eric.
My 2 1/2 year old son is ready to ride! I took him for a short ride around the block and he was giggling out loud before we got off the driveway! I'm not sure how my wife will handle him on a bike though...
Thanks to Julie (previous owner), you have maintained this bike immaculately! Julie and Eric are on their own 18 month around the world adventure (check out their blog here ).
Since Sunday afternoon, I have put over 200 miles on and am loving every minute of it! This photo is the group that will be going on our Alcan ride next spring. Left to right - Me, Gary, Eric.
My 2 1/2 year old son is ready to ride! I took him for a short ride around the block and he was giggling out loud before we got off the driveway! I'm not sure how my wife will handle him on a bike though...
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