Post #6 - The Capture

The Alaska trip will allow Audra and I to hone our skills with a resurrected love for film photography.   We will carry a 40 year old Canon FTb with a 24mm wide angle lens and mostly shoot B&W.  I chose the FTb, as it is a completely manual, mechanical camera that doesn’t have electronics that could die.   It is built like a tank and should easily take the abuse of the trip.  

Canon FTbN - B&W 35mm Film and Wide Angle Lens

Of course we won’t be without a digital camera, and we will also have our camera phones for immediate photo publishing on this BLOG each evening.  In addition, I will also sport my trusty, 6-year old GoPro Hero1.  Four 32G SD cards will allow about 8 hours of video, both action shots on the bike and daily video journaling.  A month or so after the ride, I will publish an hour long Vimeo Movie for everyone to view and experience the ride beyond this BLOG.

Post #5 - The Route

Great Map of Canada and Alaska

The rough plan for the route will tally about 8,000 miles, round trip.  I have altered my original route, since Audra will join me, so as not to require too many hours in the saddle each day.  We will need to average about 400 miles a day (8 hours of riding), which should give us plenty of time to enjoy the sights, experiences and people.  

Middle portion of the trip

From Colorado Springs we will head northwest, to the Wyoming-Idaho border, on our way to Coeur d’Alene.  We will briefly venture into Washington State, before crossing the border into British Columbia, Canada.  Roughly we will head due north to Prince George, catching the Cassiar Highway, which will intersect us with the Alaska Highway, close to the Yukon Territory border. 

Northern part of our trip

From Tok, we have decided to head south to Anchorage and then back up to Fairbanks. The next morning we will point back south, with Valdez in our sights, before heading back north for Chicken and down the Top of the World Highway to Dawson, YT.  The trip back home will include the south end of the Alaska Highway, Lake Louis, Banff, Glacier National Park and Yellowstone National Park.

Post #4 - The Bike

The bike will be a 2005 BMW R1200GS.  I purchased this “Garage Queen” in early 2015, a ten-year-old motorcycle with only 12,000 miles on her and in tip-top shape, including a new final drive in 2012. 

The bike put back together with the new paint job

She came outfitted with the BMW Vario Boxes and the factory GPS.  I have added a touring windshield, engine guards, a stiffer progressive rear spring, a throttle lock, and touring saddle.  Mounted on the handlebars is a SPOT satellite locator, and our kids will receive half a dozen texts a day with “OK” messages and our coordinates.  And to help her be more photogenic,  she has a new paint job and decals.

A BMW GS 'skinned down"

Audra and I have ridden a lot on the bike, including 2, three day trips over a thousand miles each.  We know the bike to be the most capable and comfortable of any 2-up machine we have owned.  The weekend before we leave, I will check/adjust the valves and install the new spark plugs.  New air/oil filters will be added, along with new, high-end synthetic lubricants.  

Yep, I twist my own wrenches, as I want the peace of mind that all the work is done properly and I want the skills to work on the bike if I have too during the trip.  We will run highway tires to Fairbanks, where we will get a fresh set of sneakers for the off-road excursions.  The bike has a 250-mile fuel range with the stock tank, so I have added tank panniers that will house two ¾ gallon fuel containers, giving us another 75 miles in a pinch.  The GS should be the perfect bike for the frost heave and pothole infested tarmac of the Alaska Highway, as well as the 500+ miles of dirt road that we will tackle.