July 16th - On the road at last - Highway 99 to Lillooet

Off we went bright & early this morning, stopped at Ihop again and this time we all ate sensibly, even Mac. Joe left us at the exit leading to the Ural shop as they were going to install a new front tire on his BMW.

The border crossing went easy, just had to confess to possession of Counter Assault pepper spray and no, we're not carrying weapons or tobacco. What is it with these Canadians and tobacco anyway? I guess we looked harmless enough so they passed us through, Mac first and then me. I didn't watch to see which way he went and when it was my turn I erred slightly and ended up wandering around aimlessly in the parking lot from hell. I expect the border guards found this amusing but I finally found my way out via the construction corridor where I found Mac patiently waiting.

We'd decided earlier that Mac should lead as I'm still getting used to riding with someone and he seemed to know where he was going. For awhile that is, then he pulled over and asked if I had any idea where we were. That was just the beginning. We eventually became so totally lost wandering around in the megatropolis of Surrey that we had to gas up again. It was around that point we decided I should lead as my GPS provides more details. Not particularly more accurate, just more. On the third lap around the same industrial neighborhood we stopped to look at a real map. This attracted the attention of a Hindu gentleman sporting a cell phone in his ear which he held there continuously. Not once did he speak into it, just held it there. He and his assistant were very insistent that we accept their help in finding our way out and in between rapid-fire questions about Mac's new Ural they pointed us in the general direction we should go. We left with many thanks and rode for nearly a mile before becoming lost again. I asked Mac what his take was on the Hindu guy and the cell phone and his answer was clear and simple: "He probably doesn't want to miss any calls..."

Eventually we made it out of the maze and onto Highway 1 leading to Horseshoe Bay where we'd planned to be all the time. There was soon a minor mishap though, traffic was snarled and ugly and in the process of it all we got separated. After 20 miles or so of not seeing Mac I pulled off the road and waited for him to catch up. I have a slightly lower than average tolerance for waiting and after 10 agonizing minutes I figured he was not coming or had found an alternate route north, or maybe had headed back to Iowa. Moving on towards Horseshoe Bay I came upon one of those ominous signs that advise you to gas up as there are no more stations for the next umpty-ump kilometers. Not wanting to dig my spare can out standing next to the freeway I opted for the last-chance gas stop and paid the brutal highway robber rate. Once finished I rejoined the herd on 99 and bumped along through more of the on-going construction zone heading north. By this time I fully expected to never hear from Mac again as it had been well over an hour since I'd last saw him. To make matters worse he wasn't carrying a cell phone (frugal man, eh?) and there was no set plan for a place to meet if by chance we became separated. Smooth thinking guys. Imagine my surprise when I rounded a curve in the construction zone and there he was, parked on the shoulder patiently waiting for me. Dang, what luck.

We yakked it up for a few minutes, then got back on the road heading north past Whistler, up through the mountains stopping on occasion for photo ops and finally arriving at Lillooet. It had been hot as hell all the way and the further north we rode the hotter it got, which was our deciding factor for checking into the Gold Panner Hotel. I'd stayed there two years back and liked it a lot, the owner Jay and his wife operate a first class hotel plus it has air conditioning, free WIFI, and a nice continental breakfast. Jay lets bikers park right in front of the entrance which makes for a more secure feeling although Lillooet itself feels very safe so it probably doesn't matter where you park. To make things even better there's a great Greek restaurant and a liquor store within a couple of blocks. Always nice to have your priorities satisfied, eh? If you ever have occasion to visit Lillooet I'd highly recommend the Gold Panner.

We'll do better at keeping track of each other tomorrow.

July 15th - A day of reckoning...no lie...true...true

Every dog has his day and today was a 3-dog day. Well maybe 2-dogs? I got up at 05:00am and the other two twinks got up long afterwards. Wotta couple of lazy people, absolutely zero class. As I write this Mac is trying to peek over the back of the laptop to see what I'm doing. I told him I'm writing all sorts of unkind things about him as he's been making fun of my feet. I'll hold off for a bit until I have something really good on him.

Aanyway, after a fast cup of camp coffee off we went at a ridiculous hour to meet up with the Ural dealer who would do the 5000 k service on Mac's Russian beast. Three weeks seems like a reasonable time for that amount of mileage, eh? On the way to the shop we stopped at the local IHop for our morning fat fix wherein Mac ordered a number big enough to feed three people. Shy he is not. Not even. Joe and I sort of ambled out the door...

We arrived at the Ural place 30 minutes early so we had time to off load all the stuff on my bike as I was hoping they might be able to figure out what was causing the fuel problems. Mark Watson, one of the two owners showed up right on time and let us in, making a pot of fresh coffee for us. Nothing like being made to feel welcome!

Mac's bike was first priority so while they started on it we pulled the air filter of the Aprilia and discovered it was as clogged as could be, probably from the super dusty trip up the haul road to Winter Harbour. We called around and located a shop in town by the name of Cycle Therapy who might be able to help out. The owner Tim just happened to own an Aprilia Caponard, the big brother to my Pegaso and was willing to work in a fast repair of the bad filter. True to his word, we followed the GPS over to his place and he replaced the clogged filter works with a foam/oil media that could be washed out as needed. He also provided a spare spark plug just in case and we were on our way back to the Ural shop.

The rest of the afternoon was spent watching Mark perform at his best as he completed the 5000k service. Mac and Joe had wrestled with a faulty spare time/rim issue on the way to Bellingham which turned out to be an out-of-round unit. The issue was resolved with the gratis replacement of a new unit and Mac added two new tires to the mix.

Mark Watson and Stephen McBee are two of the nicest most accomodating guys you could want to know and we're totally grateful for the quality service they gave us today. Our thanks go out to them and Tim at Cycle Therapy for their help and support on our Alaska ride. We're now ready for the real start of the journey, both bikes are fully serviced and should be reliable as can be. Joe's not going with us to AK but may ride along with us for awhile, then he'll head back to Omac, WA and other places of interest for the next several days, then back to Iowa.

Our day ended back at the KOA camp where we consumed huge quantities of memory-making nourishments (aka booze) and Joe performed his KOA dance routine complete with yellow plastic bag-on-the-head. Other campers tended to avoid this particular production. Tomorrow we leave early and know not when we'll be back on line, soon we hope.

July 14th - We're all here at the KOA camp in beautiful Bumsteer, WA!

There's a definite advantage to arriving at the campground first, you get to choose the site most likely to satisfy so that's what I did. On the way, just for grins I let my GPS attempt to find the place and as we sailed by the correct off-ramp I figured someone in Garmin-land must have been out to lunch when that particular mapping data was loaded. I had several hours to kill before Mac & Joe arrived so I let it do it's wandering routine for 30 miles at which point it decided to do a u-turn and go back to square one. Knowing there was a faster way I rode back via the correct route and arrived at the KOA all the while listening to the GPS lady yell her head off. I sort of like her in a mysterious way, she reminds me of someone, most likely one of those ladies I've purchased houses for in my past life. Anyway I picked out a site big enough to hold our bikes and gear and not long after that the guys arrived. The tents are set up and laundry is being done after which we'll head out to the local barbecue joint for some manly food and maybe another beer or two.

There were plenty of stories to swap about our misadventures up till now, Mac's rear tire went south with only two thousand miles on it and the spare rim combo won't quite fit on the back of the bike. Not a good deal but at least they were able to pull the new tire off the spare rim and mount it on the regular one, thereby getting back on the road. Tomorrow he'll see if the Ural dealer can do anything about making it fit properly. My Aprilia's fuel dilemma continues, the engine stops dead at the most inopportune moments with little warning. Fortunately it starts right up again so I haven't a clue what's causing it. What the heck, maybe it's not fuel related at all? I still think it is as this morning I filled up and the last 80 miles required 3.5 gallons of precious fossil fuel. The Ural dealer says he'll take a look at it tomorrow and maybe figure something out. Weird Italian bike dragging a Russian sidecar... good luck.

July 13th - Nuts 'N Bolts

No peekshurs today mon, jus messin aroun wi' da hack... today was one of those maintenance days, had to do a few repairs on the rig, replaced some missing nuts and bolts due to the ride up the Winter Harbour haul road. The guys in the local auto parts store fixed me up with what I needed plus I bought some rubbing compound and wax. Both the hack and bike looked terrible so I power washed them and of course after that they needed more TLC. All in all they're not so bad although they'll never look like new again. The haul road in AK will probably do them both in but that's what they're all about eh? No trailer queens in my world, just working rigs.

News Flash: 7:15pm Sunday: Mac just called, he and Joe are about 250 miles out and will be at the KOA around 2:30pm tomorrow. Presuming the Italian beast behaves we'll meet up there, and maybe if I arrive early I'll get the best tent site? Film at eleven...

July 12th - Ferry to Vancouver - Yikes, the freakin bike is croaking!

Today I figured it would be smart to head to the KOA campground where I'll be meeting Mac. I wanted to get there early and spend some time cleaning up the bike, maybe send some email as all KOA's have WIFI now, eh?

The ferry ride over was nice, lots of sunshine and time for a doze in the lounge. Unfortunately the Aprilia has decided it's unhappy about this entire traveling thing and dies whenever it chooses. Usually in front of large trucks or in the middle of off-ramps sans shoulders to park on. It has something to do with the fuel feed, maybe crap in the tank (who knows how bad some of the gas has been) or maybe the filter is plugged. Doesn't matter, it has to be fixed or the trip is kaput. I called the Ural dealer where Mac's going to have his bike serviced and he's willing to have a look at it at the same time. Got my fingers crossed on that one.

This afternoon I stopped at the Burlington KOA thinking I'd stay there till Mac arrives but holy cow what a dump the last tent site is! At $39 per day plus tax, no water, no table, just trash and weeds, I don't think so. Off to Days Inn I went, only $79 per day including all the amenities. No contest. I wonder what Mac will think when he arrives? Footnote: There is a God, ran out of gin a day or two back and discovered Yukon Jack is very tasty with Tonic water.

July 11th - Back down the Haul road, Telegraph Cove & WFP logging

Heading south today, fixed the digital display bracket with electrical tape and hope it holds for awhile.

Met some people in Port Hardy, two weird guys hanging around the bike and one nice gal who rides a Honda Shadow. She suggested stopping at Telegraph Cove to see the local sites so I did. Big WFP log operation and some touristy stuff for boaters. I ended the day at Elk Falls above Campbell River again, nice provincial park for $15 per night. Wish they had showers though...pheww

July 10th - Port Hardy & the Holberg Haul Road to Winter Harbour - Bears & The Jesus Soul Tree

Port Hardy's a little like Bandon, touristy stuff, fishing charters, etc., nice place to visit for awhile but time to move on. I'd decided to check out Winter Harbour, population 22 way out on the western tip of the island. You can either fly in or take the unpaved "road" that leads to Holberg and from there it's the haul road to Winter Harbour.

Setting out early the first genuine point of interest was the "Jesus Soul Tree" located a few miles west of Port Hardy. It's been there for years and people keep piling old shoes & boots on it, some brave souls have climbed to the top to nail logging boots onto it. Damnedest thing I've seen on this trip so far.

I saw several black bears on the way to Holberg, a couple of them even posed for pics. There was also an interesting public safety sign involving a very large tree and a smashed car. You get the picture. In Holberg I gassed up at the local gas lady's place - sign says closed but just knock and she'll come out. After that I had lunch at the Ibis Pub where I met a number of locals who advised me on the haul road and which route was best to take. A lady at the timber company office gave me a map and more advice about the best road to take, not the one the guys in the pub recommended. I decided to go with the guys and take my chances with the logging rigs.

The timber company maintains the haul road and though they allow public use of it they advise against it as the logging rigs are huge and take up the entire road. They weren't lying... The first one I met up with was the biggest rig I'd seen up close and personal. I moved the bike over till the hack was riding in the bushes and he just barely squeezed by. When I looked straight up I could see his top logs over my head, about 12 ft up. Very cozy. The drivers and tenders were all friendly though and gave me lots of thumbs ups for the rig.

The haul road raised hell with the bike & sidecar, I lost several nuts & bolts and the mounting bracket I'd made for the digital meter display went south. Electric tape provided a temporary fix for that, the hardware will have to wait till I can find the local True Value.

Arriving in Winter Harbour I located the one and only municipal park, right on the water and complete with free firewood and no admission. I was the only one there so I had my pick of the sites, mosquitoes and crows no extra charge. There were several sea otters eating shell fish just off shore and several Bald Eagles flying around. I heard the fishing was good and several float planes came and went while I was there. No other bikers, probably for a good reason. The haul road...