Post #8 - Motels....gotta have 'em.

When I originally started planning this trip, I would be riding up to the Arctic Ocean and then back to Anchorage to pick up Audra from the airport.  I would be tent camping 80%+ of more than half the trip....very affordable.  I haven't thought about it much, until this weekend, when I was reading one of the Riding Alaska Motorcycle Books....and they said tent camping could be done with little to no planning or reservations.  But if you want a motel room, you best get reservations 2-3 months in advance.

This was an OH CRAP weekend!!!

We are a week and a half from departure and I have no reservations.  Saturday night, after celebrating a wonderful dinner with some of my kids, grand baby and Audra, honoring the work of my son and daughter in law to graduate from Colorado State University.....I went to work.  10pm to mid-night, I began to search.

The hotels going up: Craig, CO; Pocatello, ID; Missoula, MT.... were a piece of cake, as were the hotels coming back south in: Whitefish, MT; Bozeman, MT and Riverton, WY.   Then I started working on Canada.  Expedia became my friend, as I searched the tiny towns heading north.   I am certain the AK riders of the 70's and 80's didn't the luxury of technology and online searches and reservations, but even though I was late to make reservations, I was able to put together an itinerary for each night.  It did take me another 4 hours of work this morning to finish up and finalize.  Thank God.....I would have been in the hot seat with Audra.

Ridiculous that I forgot or procrastinated.....not advisable to anyone else....get your reservations at least 8-12 weeks earlier.

I will say, it was fun to call the motel in the remote reaches of the Cassiar Hwy, and talk with the gal with the crying baby in the background, to book my room.  I put her at ease, when I said my grand baby was visiting and teething and a little cranky.  It was also fun to converse with Kim at the David Thompson Resort, just north of Banff, where she knew I wasn't Canadian with my Texas/New Mexico/Oregon accent.   hahahaha

Nobody in particular...just a great pic!

It is exciting to see everything come together to a better degree.  I will say...the fact that I have a hotel, motel, cabin or bunkhouse booked every night of this trip, it is a bit daunting that we will be so planned and regimented.  Our riding mileage will be: 263, 419, 363, 383, 324, 422, 335, 500, 290, etc.  We will have to average 380 miles a day.

In a patriotic effort....we will be back in the States for the 4th!!!!