Shrinking The Planet – One Ride At A Time

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Ride To The End Of The World – Fin del Mundo (Part 3)

Filled to the brim with Aurelia’s tasty empanadas, we wobbled over to the bikes for another few hours riding.  We were quickly on the gravel and entered a national forest which winded its way alongside some beautiful mountains.  We were at times completely covered by canopies of trees that made it appear that it was early evening as we traversed patches of mud from rain that hadn’t dried from who knows how long ago.  Still it was great riding and the air smelled clean and fresh if not a bit humid even in the chill of the shadows.

We bumped along happily until we hit our first stretch of construction.  The road was completely closed and what little traffic there was sat and waited while the graders, backhoes, loaders and dump trucks did their work.  Some of the delays were quite short, just a minute or two, others were half an hour long or so.  The work being done was quite impressive with large stone walls being created by sorting, fitting and piling rocks into “cages” of gigantic chicken wire like boxes.  The rocks were well placed and there were few gaps between them.  It looked as though they had been cemented together when in fact they had only been sorted and piled into the wire.

By the way, if you don’t know, click on any one of the pictures in the gallery below and it will open that picture into a full size picture and then you can click your way through the remainder of the pictures in either direction in full size.

What is really nice about being on a long adventure ride is that you really don’t “have” to be anywhere other than to get to the place where you are going to lay your head for the night.  So it was no big deal for us to wait for the construction to finish.  We had the opportunity to chat with other folks waiting in line and walk around a bit, take in the sights and enjoy the fresh air.  So these little “impositions” in actuality increased the adventure of the trip somewhat.  We met new people and saw sights that we might have bypassed if we had not been held up by the delays.

When we had cleared the last construction delay of the day, we were almost at the end of the forest and had the opportunity to turn the speed up a bit.  The problem was that it was extremely dusty.  Plumes of solid grey arose from the bikes tires and when a car or a truck (think construction vehicle) came from the opposite direction, it was a complete grey out for a significant length of time.

The dust rose in giant plumes with cauliflower heads that rose quickly and seemed to hang in front of you refusing to return to the earth from which they had sprung.  Entering them was like diving into a vat of grey water.  At first it yielded to your presence as your body left its impression on the face of the cloud.  However, almost immediately, the cloud would recover its form and envelope you in a murky and misty grey nothingness where forward vision was all but lost.  Our best bet for forward navigation was to look slightly forward and down for the road surface was about the only clear sight to be seen with everything else appearing only as ghostly shadows.  Not a pleasant thought when you know that construction vehicles may be coming from the other direction.

Luckily for us, the heavy dust continued for only 10 miles or so, and the road turned more to the hard gravel surface it had been earlier in the day.  That was a good thing since it was already getting later in the afternoon , the sun was starting to obscure vision and we’d rather not end up riding in the dark.  We had come across too many wild and roaming cattle, horses, goats, sheep and dogs to feel comfortable riding with such reduced visibility.

We were determined to get to our stop for the night before dark but not so determined as to dismiss the beauty of the surrounding area.  We were crossing a modern concrete and steel bridge when we noticed the old wooden bridge that it had replaced.  It had been a multiple span bridge and the center span had long since fallen into the river.  But the remaining spans framed by the mountains in the background and the still water, created a picture opportunity that could not be missed.  So we stopped and got off the bikes to take some pictures of the awesome sight before us.  While we stood on the modern technology of the concrete and steel bridge, the beauty and grace of the old bridge still reflected its brilliance upon the land.

After some oohing and ahhhing, we were back on the bikes only to come across a bridge that combined the two mediums of the new and old bridge we had recently passed.  This one was composed of concrete and steel, yet had wooden decking and so combined the two eras together.  Once again it made for a nice picture and of course we had to get one of us crossing the bridge over the River Mayo.

This day was becoming rather memorable for its sights and lack thereof in the dust.  But sunlight was indeed running out and we needed to get to our room for the night in San Carlos de Bariloche.  We did not know what our little room was going to look like, and when we finally arrived it was nearly dark so we weren’t able to see what our digs for the night looked like from the outside.  Let’s just say we were not disappointed.  We’ll tell you all about it in Part 4.

August 8, 2012 | Categories: Adventure, Adventure Motorcycling, adventure riders, Adventure Rides, Argentina, Chile, dual sport, enduro, Fin del Mundo, Motorcycle, off road, Overland, photo, pictures, R2ADV, Ride2Adventure, Travel, Uncategorized | Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | 6 Comments

Ride To The End Of The World – Fin del Mundo (Part 2)

Villarica’s peak still puffed white smoke into the chilly early morning air as we prepared our bikes for the first real riding of the journey to the Fin del Mundo; the end of the earth.  Both Kim and I were quite excited to get under way and I was quite impatient to get started.  Gear sorted on our rented BMW F650GS twins we rolled out of the parking lot, puffs of steam from our mouths in the cold Chilean air replicating the puffs of smoke from Villarica.  Today we would have a short hop on pavement but would soon be on the gravel and headed towards our first border crossing into Argentina.  Our trip would take us across the Argentine and Chilean borders several times, but that was part of the fun for this trip.

By the way, if you don’t know, click on any one of the pictures in the gallery below and it will open that picture into a full size picture and then you can click your way through the remainder of the pictures in either direction in full size.

As we made our way on smooth pavement, we were greeted by green scenery and farms of various sizes.  Flowers and plants were in full bloom even though it was November.  Getting used to all the rich colors of flowers took some getting used to.  Where we had come from, the bright color palette of many different flowers and plants had long since dwindled to browns and greys in anticipation of the upcoming cold New Hampshire winter.  But here, the flowers and plants were just reaching their stride, full blooms with bright colors reached towards the sun as if summer would never end.  Already, our surrounding environment had us wishing this journey would never end.

The day took on a bit more overcast look as we approached the Argentine border.  To match the darkening skies, the road conditions changed from smooth pavement to rough and loose gravel.  It became quite apparent that we were approaching some mountains and we’d be riding through the mountains on gravel roads.  The surface was fairly good but quite dusty.  Clouds of dust rose quickly and obscured vision if we rode too closely together.  We decided to give each other a fair amount of spacing since we wanted to be able to see the sights as we trundled along the gravel.

After about an hour of riding, we found our first new experience in the form of the Monkey Puzzle Tree.  A cross between what appeared to be a cactus and a Douglas Fir tree, the Monkey Puzzle tree was indeed a bit of a puzzle.  Thick spiny needles protruded from branches and trunk of the young trees.  Mature trees were over 75 feet tall with very large green spines.  They were indeed puzzling, were they cacti or trees?  Well they were trees and they were quite cool.  Apparently the locals thought so as well since the roads were sometimes split by them with each lane going on either side of the tree.

Riding sometimes steep climbs and descents, we winded our way over and around these gravel mountain roads.  Beautiful scenery passed us by on both sides of the road.  Mountains surrounded us as we wended our way through forests in uninhabited areas for many miles.

Having ridden three hours on gravel, suddenly, as if someone had just turned on a pavement machine, we were off the gravel and on pavement.  It was not long before we began to see small farms with livestock and signs of people.  It was not long before we arrived in the town of San Martin de Los Andes.  San Martin de Los Andes sat near the base of the Andes and the rim of a large beautiful lake.  It had a bit of a tourist feel to it and as a result, had all the amenities of a small city.  Stores, restaurants, banks, cars, busses etc. were all present.  It had a true hustle and bustle feel.  A tiny city connected only by gravel roads on both ends.  We made use of the ATM to pick up some Argentine currency and were quickly on our way.

Before we knew it, we were off the paved roads and back on the gravel and in the isolation of the Andes.  Once again climbing and descending, we rounded a corner and entered a flat area and there it was in front of us, Lanin, another active volcano.  Capped in snow it appeared as a stone giant dominating the skyline.  As Kim rode by, I could see just how big and powerful Lanin was.  Although Kim projects a strong and powerful presence, her form was overwhelmed and overcome by the sheer size of Lanin.  As she got closer to the monolith, Kim appeared to quickly vanish into the background of Lanin’s might; it was a quick lesson in humility of humankind versus nature.

Shortly after passing Lanin we arrived at the Argentine border where we met with a somewhat of a delay.  We spent over 3 hours at the border straightening out paperwork, but ultimately were able to clear the Aduana (Customs) and get underway.  This was to be our only delay at Customs for the entire trip, so we considered ourselves very lucky to cross as many borders as we did with only one significant delay.

With the border crossed and three hours lost, we had made it into Argentina with a wide open eyes and empty stomachs.  Happy faces searched the roadsides for signs of civilization and a place to eat, because by this time we were pretty hungry.  As we rode along, we noticed a string of roadside stands.  Hmm…  could this be a place to eat?

We pulled off the road and did a little investigating.  Yes indeed, some of the stalls had food and we were in for a treat.  One of the stands sold empanadas.  If you have not had an Argentine empanadas, you are really missing something.  They are pastries filled with meats such as pork, beef and chicken as well as cheese.  They are amazing!

In addition to this delicious food, we were treated to even more.  It turns out that our cooks consisted of three generations of women who had been cooking empanadas at the roadside in this very stall.  The matriarch of the family was Aurelia and although my Spanish is poor, we chatted a bit about her empanadas stand and how long she’d been there.  She even brought out a magazine article in which she and her family were showcased for their longevity and the deliciousness of  their empanadas.  Well we’re here to tell you that they deserved every bit of print they received and we’ve yet to find empanadas anywhere near as good as the ones we had at Aurelia’s little roadside stand in Argentina.

We still had a fair amount of riding to do for the day, but we’ll tell you about that in Part 3.

August 1, 2012 | Categories: Adventure, Adventure Motorcycling, Adventure Rides, Argentina, Chile, dual sport, enduro, Fin del Mundo, Motorcycle, off road, photo, pictures, R2ADV, Ride2Adventure, Travel, Uncategorized | Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , , , | 1 Comment

Spirit & Soul

Here you’ll find all sorts of things that Kim and I have found to enriches our riding experiences either on or off the bike.  We’re not talking about gear to use while your riding, but things you might enjoy while you are riding, or perhaps while you are taking a break from riding.

In any event, we hope that all of the things you’ll find listed in this section will be food for your riding brain, enriches your adventure soul and increases your riding pleasure.

We hope you enjoy.

Mike and Kim

July 18, 2012 | Categories: Adventure, Adventure Motorcycling, books, music, photo, pictures, podcast, podcasts, Ride2Adventure, spirit and soul, Travel, Uncategorized, website | Tags: , , , , , , , , , | 1 Comment

Shrinking and Sharing The Planet Through Adventure Travel

A new private message arrived in my ADVRider email account and I opened it with unbridled anticipation.  You see, the message was in response to our listing on the “Tent Space” thread where we offer food and lodging in our home to adventure riding motorcycle travellers.   We’ve hosted travellers in our NH home from as far away as Australia and we’ve enjoyed every minute.  We’ve generated new friendships and been able to share a bit of our country with people from other parts of the world.

It turns out that this traveller was not from very far away, in fact he was from Brooklyn, NY.  He was finishing up a three week sortie of the Trans Labrador Highway, Newfoundland and Nova Scotia.  Awesome!  The Trans Lab loop was one of our favorite rides which we had last ridden 2007.  We were anxious to meet the rider, hear about the Trans Lab and what he experienced during this trip.

We emailed our potential guest back and told him that we would be delighted to have him come and stay with us.  We had a few back and forth contact emails and around 10:00 PM as we sat around the fire pit of our little VT getaway home, we could hear the familiar sound of a single cylinder motorcycle coming up our gravel mountain road.

We left our little fire and greeted our guest Ben Recchi.  What a great person.  We fed him some dinner since he hadn’t eaten in quite a while and had been on the road since early in the day.  We stayed up and chatted until well past midnight talking about the Trans Lab, his and our travels, where we’d been, what we’d seen and where we’d like to go.

It turns out that Ben had been to many other places on a bike, including Central America more than once.  To do so, he learned Spanish and was capable of communicating with the people he met.  This made his journey more enjoyable and helped him share a little about himself with the communities he came in contact with.   He really enjoyed Central America and said he would be happy to return.

We told him about our experiences and where we had been and a little about what we had seen.  We briefly discussed our trips to Ushuia, Iceland and the Trans American Trail and we all agreed that riding to different parts of the world was an excellent way to learn and share.  We probably could have talked longer, but it was getting late and Ben had to get back to Brooklyn and we were pretty tired.  So we all adjourned for a good night’s rest.

The following morning, we chatted some more over breakfast and found that we were all also MotoGP and Formula 1 fans.  Wow, another thing in common.  Ben had planned to leave fairly early in the morning but when I told him that I had DVR’d the MotoGP race, I was able to convince him that he should stay a while longer and at least watch the race with us.  With the remote and the skip commercial button, we could get the race watched and done in less than 45 minutes.

So we sat in the living room and watched the race together, commenting on what was happening in the race and the championship, who was going where at the end of the season and all the fun things that fans discuss when they are enjoying their sports of choice.  It was like having a long term buddy in our living room, not just someone we’d met the evening earlier.

So after the race was completed, the victor announced and the trophies handed out, Ben started to pack for his final leg of his three week journey.  We helped him load up his bike, took a few pictures of our new friend and wished him safe travels on his way home to Brooklyn.  It was with real regret that I watched him motor down my driveway and onto the gravel road down the mountain back towards his home in NY.

We had made a new friend and shared some mutual experiences.  We found much in common in the less than 24 hours that we shared together.  We broke bread together and learned about each other, all in the spirit of friendship and sharing that is brought about by adventure motorcycling.  What a great way to learn about other people and shrink the planet.  Although in this case Ben was not from a far away land, we did share and we did make a new friendship.  We were invited to come and visit him in his home when we came by his way.

So even though the distances between our respective homes was not great, I believe that the sharing that we did together did indeed…

Shrink The Planet, One Ride At A Time.

Get out there and shrink the planet a bit, please.

July 2, 2012 | Categories: Adventure, Adventure Motorcycling, Adventure Rides, Motorcycle, Newfoundland, Nova Scotia, off road, Overland, photo, pictures, R2ADV, Ride2Adventure, Trans Labrador, Travel | Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | 6 Comments

Transiting The Trans Labrador Highway & Canadian Atlantic Provinces – Final Chapter

We awoke in our small dark room to a steady soft rhythmic drumming on the roof of our rented cottage, the “Gold Miners Dream”.   Was it rain or the spirits of the gold miners of the past letting us know that they were still among us?  Perhaps a combination of both?  We brushed aside the curtains and found it was indeed raining again, the miners weren’t with us this time.  As the sky slowly grew lighter, it was time to get out of bed and pack the bike for the relatively long ride to Brier Island.

This ride would take us roughly two thirds the distance down the length of the Nova Scotia peninsula and across its width.  We’d also get a couple of ferry rides in before we ultimately made it to our destination, the Brier Island Lodge. But due to the rainy conditions, we’d have to work a bit to get there.

Because of the distance involved, we decided to put in a significant amount of highway miles, something we rarely do.  So on went the rain suits and as soon as we could hit the highway we were off and running.  Things were pretty mundane for the first three hours or so.  Just a moderate rain and some patchy fog here and there, but nothing special.  However, as we were riding down Route 103 we came across a couple of signs at the side of the road that said in capital letters; “ROAD FLOODED AHEAD” but no flag men, cruisers with flashing lights or other signs indicating a detour or any other significant hazard.

So we continued onward at about 30 MPH in a 100 KPH zone (62 MPH) waiting for the flooded highway.  Boy they weren’t kidding!  We found the area first as some large puddles so we slowed down to a crawl; it was a good thing.  As we slowly rode onward, the puddles turned into real water crossings.  Not inches deep but over a foot deep and getting deeper.

It was amazing to be on a four lane highway (two in each direction) creating a bow wave of water with the water covering two thirds of the front wheel.  Luckily, the deep flooding lasted only for about 500 yards and we were able to continue on.  We did have the highway to ourselves as we seemed to be the only ones on the road at the time.  Perhaps everyone else was smart enough to stay off the roads?  But we were due at Brier Island, and other than the flooding we experienced on Route 103, it was just a steady rain ride.

We ultimately reached Digby, Nova Scotia where we caught our first ferry.  While we were waiting for the ferry to depart, the rain slackened somewhat and I was able to snap a picture of Kim on her bike under the bridge of the ferry, aptly named Petit Princess.  The picture then was quite apropos, my petit princess on the deck of the Petit Princess.  Nice!

Unfortunately, the wind was up and the tide was going out.  Since the ferry ride was so short, there were no tie downs for the bikes and we just sat on them with outstretched legs and planted feet as the ferry’s engines spooled up to take us across the bay.  The ocean across to the next landing was very rough and as we chugged our way across, waves splashed over and across the bow.  Sheets of water flew above the rail while ocean spray rose from its remnants covering our Roadcrafter suits with salty water droplets.  It was another of nature’s reminders; she was still the boss when it came to man versus nature.

As the ferry lurched forward, we lurched in the opposite direction and strained to keep the bikes upright.  With every pitch and yaw of the ferry, we put in a counter input.  It was going to be a challenge just to keep the bikes upright for this crossing.  But that off road riding skill came in handy and we were able to keep the bikes upright for the first ferry journey.

The second ferry ride was much smoother and we made it onto Brier Island without much drama.  Since the island is so small, there’s not much riding to be had there, but it is a nice place to hang out and explore.  There are walking trails right from the lodge that you can take to the other side of the island as well as to the lighthouse on the island.

If you like to look for beach glass, it has the most remarkable beach glass beach we have ever had the opportunity to search.  Within a couple of hours, we had filled up a coffee can worth of quality beach glass and other beach baubles.  We found rusty gears, pottery, chains and other interesting brick-a-brack.

It was also fun to go for a walk through the downtown area.  On the day that we went, it was drizzling and foggy.  But it just gave the scene a bit of a soft, ethereal feel, like a soft cotton swaddling.  We were wrapped and comforted by the misty shroud.  Pictures we took had a soft fuzzy texture, the hard edges of day to day life erased by nature’s weather made cocoon.

While we were out and about, we found some sights to be enjoyed.  Some fishing boats nestled together in the fog, almost as to huddle closely together to share each others warmth, their brightly colored buoys hanging over their sides giving them each a different personality.  Then there were a stack of lobster pots, stacked as if waiting their turn to re-enter the sea and play their role in the cycle of nature.

Finally, there was evidence of mankind’s shortcomings.  As we walked back to the lodge, we passed a pickup truck.  Inside was a sign advertising its status for sale.  Unfortunately, the sign read, “House for Sale”.  Hmmm….

We walked back to the lodge and got a good nights rest.  When we awakened, the weather had cleared, but it was time to head home to NH.   Yes, our Trans Labrador and Atlantic Providences Adventure was truly coming to an end.  We grabbed a quick breakfast and took the two ferries back to Digby.  From there we headed to Yarmouth and caught the catamaran car ferry called The Cat.  A huge water jet ferry it could make the overnight crossing back to Portland, Maine in about 4 hours.  In so doing, it sent rooster tails of water 25 feet into the air.  It was an impressive sight, but it did indeed mark the end of this most excellent adventure.

Thanks so much for coming along on this ride.  We hope that you have enjoyed coming along with us and that we have inspired you to…

Shrink The Planet – One Ride At A Time

June 28, 2012 | Categories: Adventure, Adventure Motorcycling, Adventure Rides, enduro, Motorcycle, Nova Scotia, off road, Overland, photo, pictures, R2ADV, Ride2Adventure, Travel | Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | 4 Comments

Transiting The Trans Labrador Highway & Canadian Atlantic Provinces (Part 8)

Before we could make it to Lunenburg, we had an intermediate stop in the small seaside town of Charlos Cove.  We were headed to a little inn called the Seawind Landing.  Right on the water with great places to beach walk as well as grassy lawns to sit and stare at the ocean it was a wonderful place to hang out.  To top it off, they had an excellent little restaurant with home cooked food and a nice wine selection.  This was definitely going to be our “high-end” stop for the trip.

Traveling over the very bumpy and sometimes grass filled roads, we made our way towards Charlos Cove.  The sky was bright blue with white puffy clouds seemingly racing us as we made our way to our destination.  Some were fairly low and as we made our way up and down ridges and hills, I could see their shadows as they floated and squirmed their way across the pavement.  They looked to be in a hurry to get somewhere but were relegated to moving in a straight lines.  Although they can fly, I wondered if they wished they could traverse the twisties with us instead of flying straight.  Were we clouds, it would a be a wonderful but tragic fate; to fly with the wind but be doomed to an unchangeable course set by it.

(By the way, if you click on any one of the pictures, a full size picture will open and you can then scroll through the entire gallery of pictures in full size in any direction.)

It was a long and bumpy ride, and by the time we reached our destination, we were pooped.  Saddlesore and tired, we were more than ready to get out of our gear and have a nice quiet dinner and grab some shuteye.  We unloaded our bags from the bikes and Kim normally quite resolute about long rides, said that the ride was so bumpy and filled with grass filled cracks, she’d almost have preferred to have ridden her dirt bike.

We were however, rewarded with a wonderful dinner, a room overlooking the ocean and a spectacular red sunset.  Thoroughly satiated, we hit the rack for a great night’s sleep and a lazy rest day.  We generally lay and sat about doing a bunch of nothing, reading, lounging in the Adirondack chairs in a grass covered field while taking in the sun and enjoying the day.  But it couldn’t last forever and around 2:00 in the afternoon clouds began to gather.  Shortly thereafter, the sky became grey and dark and a heavy rain shower began.

But it was just another beginning because it seemed like as suddenly as it had started, the skies began to clear and we were treated to a double rainbow and freshly scrubbed salty ocean air as the sun began to set.  In doing so, its light cast a warm golden glow upon a nearby island  and we sat and watched the end of a lazy perfect day.

The following morning we packed the bikes and headed towards Lunenburg for our actual destination, the Ovens Natural Park.  Owned by the Chapin family, (yes if you know of the singer Harry Chapin, it is indeed his family that owns the Ovens)  the Ovens is a combination campground (with rental cabins available), nature walk, sea cave exploring, and music wonderland.  Right on the ocean not far from Lunenburg, the Ovens allowed us to get to know a bit of Canadian life, enjoy the ocean, walk the beach and explore several caves that run right out to the ocean.

We took half a day walking the nature trails which wandered among the sea cliffs and led to the entrances of the sea caves.  There were beautiful views and paths that led directly into the caves for exploring.    The caves are called the Ovens, which is what they look from the outside from the sea; hence their name.

Around noon, we headed into Lunenburg and were lucky enough to arrive just in time for the arrival of a Canadian national icon, the Bluenose.  She was arriving into port with a full cannon salute and bagpipes piping.  A crowd was anxiously waiting on the dock for her arrival and many camera were raised to take photos of the Canadian icon returning to its home port.

We quickly parked the bikes and joined the crowd.   It was evident that there was a lot of pride in the Bluenose and it was great fun to be part of the crowd.  With the Canadian flag proudly flying from her middle mast she majestically glided into the dock to great fanfare.  Up close we could see that she was indeed a beautiful vessel, trim with sleek lines, a true portrait of the speedy racing ship that she was known and loved to be.

We took a few pictures of our own, chatted with a few people and decided to take a walk around Lunenburg to experience its sights and sounds.  Lunenburg is known to be a bit of an artists colony and it did not disappoint us one bit.  During its history, Lunenburg was a fishing town.  Although the fishing industry is no longer its main source of income, its heritage has not been forgotten.  As we walked down one of its main streets, we looked up at the street lamps and saw that they had been decorated with large, hand cut and hand painted metal fish of the Atlantic.  They were great.  Each light post had a different fish and they were in the fish’s actual colors.  It made us want to walk the length of the street just to see the different fish!

Wandering along the streets of Lunenburg, we were treated to many galleries, shops, restaurants and even a museum.  It was a grand afternoon of walking, visiting and just plain enjoying the sights, sounds and people.  But the sun was rapidly sinking and it was time to get back to the Ovens before dark.  We jumped back on the bikes and enjoyed a sea side setting sun ride back to our cabin.  It had been a great day and we were looking forward to tomorrow.  We had a fairly long ride to the tiny island off the coast Nova Scotia named Brier Island where we’ll take you in part 9.

June 23, 2012 | Categories: Adventure, Adventure Motorcycling, Adventure Rides, dual sport, enduro, Motorcycle, Nova Scotia, Overland, photo, pictures, R2ADV, Ride2Adventure, Travel, Uncategorized | Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | 6 Comments

Transiting The Trans Labrador Highway & Canadian Atlantic Provinces (Part 7)

We awakened to falling rain and fog.  Our foggy heads cleared quickly, but the fog and rain outside refused to do the same.  We resigned ourselves to more riding in the rain and reduced visibility, but that is part of the adventure isn’t it.  We were more disappointed that we would be missing scenery along the way to the ferry at Port Aux Basques.    Unfortunately, we didn’t see much for most of the ride, but as we approached the ferry, the rain did stop and visibility did increase somewhat.

Although the weather obscured the traditional scenery, we were in for a treat when the ferry arrived in port.  Out of the fog, a giant ghostly shadow appeared.  Moving slowly, it glided silently towards us with a nearly imperceptible rocking motion.  We knew it was a ship, but we couldn’t clearly make out any detail.  As it approached, it blew its horn and there was no doubt it was a large vessel.  Then out of the gloom we made out the blue, white and gold of the MV Caribou.  Although it was a very large vessel more than 565 feet in length, her impressive form glided more like giant kayak across the calm harbor waters than a ferry capable of carrying 1,200 passengers, 370 cars and 77 trucks.

Just as we thought she would pull into the dock and tie up, she gave us a special treat.  What we hadn’t noticed was that the vehicles entered and disembarked from the rear of the ship.  The Caribou was headed straight into the dock, so how would she unload her cargo.  Ahhh….  A 270 degree turn would be necessary in the very narrow harbor.

So as easy as pie, the Captain of the Caribou turned his gigantic vessel around in the middle of the small harbor with very little clearance.  It was an awesome display of seamanship.  You want to see it?  Well, OK…..

After a successful docking, we were able to load the bikes onto the Caribou for the ride to Nova Scotia.  It was a smooth uneventful trip and before we knew it we were being discharged on the shores of Nova Scotia around midnight local time.  Of course it was raining again and finding our hotel was a bit of a chore, but find it we did and we dropped into the rack to sleep the sleep of the dead.

Viola!  We awoke to bright sunshine with only a few clouds dotting the sky.  What a wonderful change!  Having heard about the beauty of the Cabot Trail and the twisty roads that surrounded it, we made a beeline for the reportedly smooth pavement running along side the mountains and ocean.  We were not to be disappointed; not one iota.

On narrow, bumpy and mostly deserted roads, we passed many small towns which seemed to have one thing in common; wonderful people.  During our brief stops, or our overnight stays, it seemed that everywhere we went people greeted us and wanted to chat.  All the greetings were warm and welcoming, we often felt like lost relatives.  They wanted to know about us and they often told us much about their families and themselves.  This give and take is in our opinion what true adventure riding is all about.  We were really not all that far from home, but we were learning much from the folks we interacted with and I think we got a true feeling of what it was like to live in the Canadian Atlantic Provinces.

As welcome and comfortable as we were, we hightailed it towards Cape Breton and the Cabot Trail.  The blue skies, clear blue ocean and sinuous mountain roads beckoned to us.  As we rolled along the road that paralleled the bright blue ocean, we passed the tiny town of Wreck Cove and immediately the mountains which mark the beginning of the Cabot Trail became visible.

We could see the steep and twisting road immediately in front of us.  A sharp hairpin turn led to the steepest part of the road that clung to the side of the mountain as the ocean lay calmly hundreds of feet below.  There was only one thing left to do and it was to ride that road.  And ride it we did.  The road was steep enough at the beginning that we used first gear for the a significant portion of the climb.  It was a bit interesting to be riding this twisting road only a couple of feet from the guard rail that was the only barrier a several hundred foot drop to the ocean below.  But nonetheless, the view was spectacular.

As we crested the first ridge of the mountain, we lost sight of the ocean, but the pavement became very smooth and we were able to enjoy some twisties on a smooth surface.  We both hooted and hollered into our communicators and told each other how spectacular the riding was and  how much we were enjoying Nova Scotia.  Although we were enjoying the twisties, we did take the time to stop and enjoy some of the spectacular mountain views along the top of the mountain pass.

Later as we began our descent from the top of the mountain, we were treated to another set of twisties, this time even more exciting than at the beginning of the day.  Hairpins and decreasing radius turns awaited our eager throttle hands and wide open eyes.  But this wonderful steeply descending road presented us with a significant dilemma.  The problem was that the twisties were so technical that we dare not take our eyes off the road while navigating each corner.  So you say, why would that be a problem?  The problem was that just beyond that guard rail were the most amazing views of the north Atlantic you can imagine.  The bright blue sea met an equally dazzling ocean and where they met at the horizon, it was as if the two were merged into one.  The decision as to which to look at was mind rending.

But as we laughed to each other over our communicators, “someone has to do it,” we started down quickly scanning from road to sea, road to sea.  If you know anything about instrument flying, it was an exercise in scanning.  Don’t stare at anything, keep moving your eyes, soak it all in to your brain and make the correct control inputs.  It was a test, but a wonderful one at that.

As the road straightened out a bit, it still provided awesome views of the ocean and of itself as it undulated up an over little ridge crests alongside the sea.  To your left, green trees sprouted from the sheer mountain walls while to your right, the ocean vied for your attention.  It was an amazing test of willpower just to stay on the road.

The mesmerizing ride took away all realization of time for us and before we knew it, we had completed the Cabot Trail and were headed back inland across the peninsula towards Lunenburg.  A very lovely town with an artists flair, we were treated to more local sights and flavor.  We’ll take you there in Part 8.

June 20, 2012 | Categories: Adventure, Adventure Motorcycling, Adventure Rides, dual sport, enduro, Motorcycle, off road, Overland, photo, pictures, R2ADV, Ride2Adventure, Travel, Uncategorized | Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | 7 Comments

Alaska – Gravel, Grandeur & Goofy Grins (Part 9)

Wild animals, humans and motorcycles thoroughly mixed and mingled, it was time to make our way towards Seward.  On our way out of the wildlife park we came upon a rather wheezy looking caribou.  With  his head hanging low in an apparent weakened display of age and surrender, his impressive rack still was over the top of my head.  I stopped my bike beside him to take a picture and to give him the “oh you poor old boy” condolences when suddenly his head popped up.  He stiffened, snorted angrily and took a quick step towards me as to say “get lost or I’ll trample you into little pieces of Alaskan tundra.”  I was really started, nearly dropped my camera and almost fell off my bike.  OK then.  Note to self, old Alaskan caribou can still kick butt.  Give them a wide berth because they can be quite cranky.  Got it.  Oh, and luckily for me, Kim was behind me a fair bit and she saw nothing.  My dented male ego was to remain somewhat intact.

With that, we (actually I) expedited our exit from the Alaskan Wildlife Refuge and set course for our next stop, Seward.   We were quite psyched to be headed there because it is a seaport town and we had planned to go on a full day marine mammal/bird/glacier boat tour while we were there.  Continuing south and traveling along Turnagin Arm we were greeted with more ocean views and twisty roads.  The weather was good and in no time we made it to Seward and our hotel for the next couple of days.

By the way, if you don’t know, click on any one of the pictures in the gallery below and it will open that picture into a full size picture.  Then you can click your way through the remainder of the pictures in either direction in full size.

Now the hotel was not much to write home about, but it did offer some surprises.  As we entered the hotel’s lobby, we were immediately surrounded.  Surrounded?  Yes, as in surrounded by wild animals.  Completing our entrance through the one person revolving door we were immediately confronted by two bears, a musk ox and caribou!  In the hotel lobby!  This just after my run-in with the cranky old caribou.  Further in, we found moose, arctic fox, mink and pheasant.  Ge’ez, didn’t we just leave the conservation center?

Well what really happened is that all these animals were indeed in the hotel lobby but they were stuffed.  Perhaps they had been cranky with someone else and then they paid the price?  Oh well, it was just strange seeing all these animals in a hotel lobby, it wasn’t like we were in a hunting lodge.  We quickly “headed” to our room to drop off our gear.  We opened the door there and found…  no stuffed animals.

We put our gear in the room and decided to walk around the town a bit and get some dinner.  We found some murals painted on the sides of buildings which had been painted by the locals.  They showed topics such as the settling of Seward and some were about native Alaskan culture.  They were pretty cool so we snapped a few pictures for memories.  Then we did the tourist thing for a while, checked out a few shops in town and finally settled in for the evening, because we had a full day boat tour with an early start in the morning.

The following morning dawned bright and mostly sunny with fairly calm seas.  It was going to be a good day for a boat tour.  Actually, the boat was more of a ship.  It was a 95 foot vessel with twin 3600 horsepower engines.  She could make well over 26 knots with a full capacity.  This was no little boat.  By the way, I know the vessel facts for reasons I’ll tell you about later.

To ensure we got good seating, we arrived early and plopped ourselves down in the cabin by the windows.  I was sitting there reading my Kindle which at the time was a fairly new device.  The Captain of the ship walked by and asked if I was in fact reading a Kindle and I replied that I was.  We chatted about it and I let him look at it.  It turned out that he wrote software in his spare time, and the e-ink technology was a hot topic so he wanted to see how it looked on the screen.  We chatted a bit more about Alaska and the motorcycle ride we were on which he thought was pretty cool.  Ultimately, he said he had to get back to work and we thought we wouldn’t see him again.  We were wrong.

The boat departed on time and we headed out to sea.  Almost immediately we saw sea otters lolling about in the harbor, some lying on their backs sunning themselves while others rolled lazily like tops to help aerate their fur to aid in insulation.   They were as cute as you hear about and can imagine.  Clear of the harbor, the Captain laid on the power and 45 minutes later we arrived at two islands, one of which was a Steller Sea Lion rookery.  We laid up appropriately close and we could see the females with their cubs sunning themselves while the very large bull males made themselves know with loud vocalizations.  Every once in a while, there would be a bit of a dust up between the sea lions over space, but all in all, they seemed quite happy to lie in the sun and take an occasional dip in the water.   We watched for a half hour or so and it was time to move on.

Thirty minutes later, we arrived at two more islands, the Beehive Islands which were appropriately named because of their shape and one other thing.  The were bird rookeries for many species birds and they flew and swooped all around the islands making them seem like beehives inhabited by bees.  As we got closer to the islands, it became apparent that the islands were crammed with birds.  It looked like every tiny ledge, crevice and crack had a nesting bird or its partner sitting or standing on it. The walls to the island were quite sheer, so they’d stand or sit on very narrow precipices to be used as nesting areas.  There was very little free space by the time the birds had found all the spots they wanted to use.  It was quite amazing.

We watched the birds wheel and soar in the air around and above the island.  Had there been air traffic control, it would have been a controller’s worst nightmare!  But they all seemed to be able to navigate and fly without crashing into each other.  We humans aren’t so lucky.

After about thirty minutes of watching the birds act like bees it was time to find some whales and check out some glaciers.  Both of which we found and saw in abundance.  We’ll tell you about them and the little secret in Part 10.

June 2, 2012 | Categories: Adventure, Adventure Motorcycling, Adventure Rides, Alaska, dual sport, enduro, Motorcycle, off road, Overland, photo, pictures, Travel, Yukon | Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | 1 Comment

Transiting The Trans Labrador Highway & Canadian Atlantic Provinces (Part 5)

The ferry Sir Robert Bond effortlessly cruised up the bay so as to deliver us on time and early in the morning in Cartwright.  The short overnight cruise had been uneventful and we slept heavily until the morning arrival announcement awakened us.  Offloading was a cinch and we found ourselves deposited in Cartwright hungry and in need of fuel.  First things first,  we immediately made…  breakfast the priority.

Not being a very large town, not too far from the ferry dock we found a small diner where the locals were busy getting ready for the day.  We joined them, munched down some good local fare and inquired about obtaining fuel.  They told us the only gas station in town would open around 8:30 and it was now 7:30.  Kim and I looked at each other and decided that with the extra fuel I was carrying we would head on towards Port Hope Simpson where fuel was available and where we planned to stay for the night.

By the way, if you don’t know, click on any one of the pictures in the gallery below and it will open that picture into a full size picture and then you can click your way through the remainder of the pictures in either direction in full size.

We meandered along the TLH enjoying ourselves and the scenery, just soaking everything in.  It was decent weather, we were in no particular rush and in fuel saving mode.  We’d been traveling a couple of hours.  Cruising along, I looked into my rearview mirror and saw a dust cloud and two headlights coming our way at a high rate of speed.  They weren’t spaced evenly so it wasn’t a car or truck.  As I stopped to see what was coming, my guess was confirmed.  It was our friends Roy and Jeff from the ferry.  They had waited for the gas station to open and were high tailing it to try to make the ferry at Blanc Sablon.  They had covered in one hour what we had in two.  They were moving!

We chatted briefly and they decided to get going so they didn’t miss the ferry at Blanc Sablon.  We wished them well and their bikes and their dust cloud soon vanished in the distance.  Their bikes having disappeared over the horizon, it was time for us to make our own headway towards Port Hope Simpson to get the fuel we needed and obtain respite from the black flies which had recently made themselves known in full force.  In fact, for one photo stop, Kim refused to open her faceshield lest she immediately be swarmed by the nasty little critters.  She was right, it was better to keep moving.

After some beautiful riding and some very abbreviated photo stops, we arrived in Port Hope Simpson and found the General Store that also sold fuel.  To our surprise, we found some familiar faces.  Yes indeed, it was our friends Roy and Jeff from the ferry once again.  It seemed that the power was out in town and therefore, the fuel pumps were not working.  We chatted and walked into the General Store to find out if they knew when the power might come back on.

The clerk there told us not to worry, that the power should come back on in an hour or so.  She told us that this always happened when the guys down at the saw mill turned up the power without calling first and it trips off the breaker.  That puts that part of the town out of power until the circuit could be reset.  So we waited around for about an hour and sure as the sun rises the power came back on and we were able to fill all our bikes.

Unfortunately for Roy and Jeff, they were now truly under a time deadline and they REALLY had to make a beeline for Blanc Sablon if they wanted to make the ferry before it left the dock.  (We found out later that they did make it but only by a matter of minutes.)

Fully fueled, we headed to the only accommodations in town and settled in.  We were sitting in our room relaxing when the phone rang.  Kim and I simultaneously looked at each other with bewildered looks.  Who would be calling us in a little tiny hotel in Port Hope Simpson in northern Labrador?  I walked over to the phone and picked it up wondering who might be on the other end.

A unfamilar voice said “Mike”?  Yes, I replied warily.  The voice on the other end said, “Hi, it’s Dave Noel.  We’ve been corresponding on the Ride The Rock forum and I thought I’d come over and say hi.”  I was shocked but really pleased.  Dave and I had been chatting on the excellent Ride The Rock forum (you can find the link on our links page) when I was planning the TLH ride and Dave had been following my postings on ADVRider.com (you can also find their link on our links page)  He took it upon himself to ride over 25 miles on gravel from his home town Mary’s Harbor, just to say hello to someone he had never met.  In what other community would that kind of hospitality be shown?  I was amazed and pleased to no end.  I met Dave in the “lobby” and we went back to our room for a chat and we decided that the three of us would ride together tomorrow for a while.  We would meet at Dave’s house and ride from there.

The following morning we easily found Dave’s house and met his family, his wife and two sons.  Soon we were on the TLH headed towards Red Bay.  The trip had been cool, and along the way we found how cool it had been.  It was mid June and we found large patches of… SNOW!  More than enough to make snowballs and enough for Dave to try to sneak in a couple of sneaky snowball attacks!  However, I am pleased to report that he was unable to connect any either of these New Hampshire natives.

As we approached Red Bay we stopped for a couple of pictures.  We were on an elevated portion of the TLH with a partial view of Red Bay.  In the distance we could see the bay and I could see white specs in the water.  I was somewhat speechless.  I told Kim to look closely behind her and look in the bay.  Did she see what I saw?  Were there really icebergs in the bay?  Now we were really excited because neither of us had ever seen icebergs in person.  Dave humored us and we descended into Red Bay.

As we approached, it became clear that the specs were indeed icebergs and they were majestic.  Sparkling white and huge, they floated silently in the bay.  We did not sense any motion, but they floated there like barren white islands of various shapes and sizes, daring you to describe them.  Some were gigantic, towering monoliths of ice, jutting out of the water.  It amazed us to think that fully two thirds of the berg lay under water.  Others were smaller and flatter, still white almost silver in color, again defying description.

We stopped at a small restaurant in town and had lunch with Dave.  He needed to get home so we wished him the best and thanked him for taking the time to come and meet us and share this journey with us.  We remain friends to this day.

After we said our goodbyes, we rode closer to the bay to gain the best view of the icebergs and yet another magical thing happened.  As I was sitting on my KTM staring, I noticed a spray of water in front of the iceberg.  Then another, and still another.  My mouth dropped agape.  I couldn’t believe my eyes.  There from the side of the road, right in front of me, were several icebergs and in front and around the icebergs were several pods of Humpback whales feeding!  They were breeching and if I listened carefully, I could even hear them blowing.  It was a spectacular sight.  One that I will probably never experience again.  There must have been more than 100 whales feeding.

As I sat beside the road, a local came out of his house and said, “Pretty good show huh?”  They were here all day yesterday and today.”  I was dumbfounded.  All I could mumble was, “Yes, it’s a great show, I am so happy to be here to enjoy it.”  So everyone, I was lucky enough to have my little point and shoot camera with me which had a video mode.  Because it’s a little point and shoot the video isn’t excellent, but I think it’s worthwhile.  Therefore, I am indeed pleased to share with you the best whale watch I’ve ever been on, (including those on boats hehe) that was taken from the side of the road on my KTM motorcycle.  You can find it here:

We sat there for an hour watching and listening to the whales.  It was an amazing experience.  Words just can’t describe it, it’s one of things that you just have to experience for yourself.  We could have watched for hours, but we too had an appointment with the ferry at Blanc Sablon and it was time for us to make our way there.  So with significant regret, we mounted up again and made our way towards our next stop at Blanc Sablon and the ferry to Newfoundland where we’ll take you in Part 6

May 21, 2012 | Categories: Adventure, Adventure Motorcycling, Adventure Rides, dual sport, enduro, Motorcycle, off road, Overland, photo, pictures, Travel | Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | 4 Comments

Motorcyclists – Who Are Those People And Why Should They Share?

Having written R2ADV for a couple of months now and expounded on the virtues of recording your journeys so that you can recall them yourselves and also share them with others, a comment on a recent post has gotten me to thinking.   After telling you all to do so, an anonymous poster commented that all the scenery etc. pictures were nice, but the one Kim and I would always allow us to remember the journey and the good time we had.  Thank you anonymous poster!

So with that bit of wisdom, I had to think I failed to reinforce how important those recordings are to the person who takes the picture as well.  Stopping to take the picture is not only for sharing with others, but for sharing with yourself later.  OK you say, so what?  Well, you might not look at that picture for years or you might look at it regularly, but if it re-kindles the passion for the ride that you took, then you have succeeded.  Succeed in getting yourself out to ride and perhaps getting someone else excited enough to get out there as well.  So that’s a big deal on two levels, that’s what!

It also dawned on me that we’d never properly introduced ourselves, or given you a taste of how we share our adventures.   Frankly, we always ride together on journeys of any significant length, and almost always on shorter journeys.  What could be better than traveling with your best friend eh?  It’s with this thought in mind that I thought that I would share with you on two levels; the first level is an attempt to show how important taking pictures for later enjoyment and sharing can be.  The second level is to act as a brief introduction into who we are.  I think you’ll get the idea.  We hope you like these pictures and the inspire you to do the same on your travels.  Perhaps you’d be so kind to share some with us here?

We hope you enjoy these.  If the response is good, we may even put up a second set.

By the way, if you don’t know, click on any one of the pictures in the gallery below and it will open that picture into a full size picture and then you can click your way through the remainder of the pictures in either direction in full size.

May 19, 2012 | Categories: Adventure, Adventure Motorcycling, Adventure Rides, dual sport, Motorcycle, off road, Overland, photo, pictures, Travel | Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , , | 2 Comments

Transiting The Trans Labrador Highway & Canadian Atlantic Provinces (Part 4)

We awoke to light drizzle but with an increasing outlook for sun.  We were headed for Goose Bay, but we’d have an intermediate stop in Red Bay and it was to be an exciting experience, one that we’d not soon forget.  We left our combination hotel, restaurant, supermarket, high school building and packed the bikes.  Soon we were off the paved roads of the town of Churchill Falls and back out on the gravel of the Trans Labrador Highway.

As the sun climbed higher in the sky, so did our spirits as the clouds parted and the temperatures rose.  Today was going to be a truly nice ride and we were about to reach one of our milestone places, Goose Bay.  From Goose Bay, we were going to take the ferry to Cartwright and the final run through Labrador to Blanc Sablon where we’d take another ferry to Newfoundland.  Goose Bay was to be , the beginning of another adventure in our adventure.  We were psyched!

By the way, if you don’t know, click on any one of the pictures in the gallery below and it will open that picture into a full size picture and then you can click your way through the remainder of the pictures in either direction in full size.

During the day’s trip, the gravel was to transform many times.  We were had been impressed with the overall condition of the TLH, the stories we’d heard of how dangerous it was for bikes hadn’t seemed to be true.   Caution was indeed necessary as was demonstrated by Kim’s get off outside of Labrador City.  But overall, the gravel had been fairly uniform and other than the hazards presented by the road graders, the road condition had been pretty good.

Today however, was a day of road and sky transformations.  It seemed that the road condition changed with the sky.  The clearer the sky became, the deeper and looser the gravel became.  Later in the day as it began to cloud up again, the road firmed up and became almost like pavement.  It was truly strange.  But enough about the road conditions.  We were headed for Goose Bay!

We traveled over and between verdant forests.  Many shades of green contrasting on the same hill or mountainside.  It was an irregular patchwork of greens, a pattern chosen by nature into a decoration of magical proportions.  All the while, we swooped and dived between the mountains on a path of stone and sand.  It was a symphony of nature and music for my ears was unnecessary because the music of nature before my eyes played in my head as I rode.

Time passed very quickly even though by this time we were in and out of rain showers.  Before we knew it we made it to the greeting sign for Goose Bay and Happy Valley.  It had stopped raining for the moment and it gave us the opportunity to take some pictures in front of the sign as evidence that we had made it.  Someone had left a marker of their achievement as well and built a rock man figure to the left of the sign letting all others know that people they had been there previously. and now so had we.

Shortly thereafter, it started to rain again and we headed to our hotel for a day and a half layover since the ferry would not be leaving until then.  We parked the bikes and unpacked the gear we needed in the rain.  Once in our room we dried off and warmed up.  It had become quite chilly by this point and the warmth of the hotel was greatly appreciated.  Now all we needed was a hot dinner.  Luckily for us, there was a small restaurant right next to the hotel and we headed on over.

They were serving a buffet and we passed a gentleman in the line.  I guess we look like “bikers” because he asked are you the two on the bikes?  We told him that indeed we were.  He said that he noticed our New Hampshire license plates and remarked that we had ridden a long way from home.  We told him we enjoyed the ride, especially over the TLH and that we were now headed to the end at Blanc Sablon and the ferry to Newfoundland, then on to Nova Scotia.  He said he was very interested in our trip and asked if he could join us for dinner to chat about it.  Of course we said yes and we had a terrific dinner discussing where we had been and were going on this trip and about adventure riding in general.  In return, he told us about himself and his family.  He was the local pastor in Goose Bay and had travelled there from Quebec a few years earlier.  His flock was growing and he was enjoying being in Labrador where he said could be a part of a community where people were like family.   After dinner, we wished him well and we returned to our hotel room feeling like we had become a bit part of the Goose Bay community, we learned about them and they about us.  It was a nice feeling.

The following day, I did a little preventative maintenance on the bikes and we did a little looking around Goose Bay.  But late in the afternoon, it was time to head to the ferry terminal to pick up the ferry to Cartwright where we continue our journey to the end of the TLH in Blanc Sablon, Quebec.  Little did we know that this part of the trip was to become very, very special.

We arrived at the terminal fairly early and found ourselves one of the few vehicles in the lot.  Parked at the pier was our ride to Cartwright, the Sir Robert Bond, our ferry.  She was a sturdy looking vessel and we were somewhat impatient to get on board, tie down the bikes and get underway for Cartwright.  It was to be an overnight trip and we had rented a berth so we could arrive fresh and rested to start the beginning of the end of our TLH ride.

Loading time came and was orchestrated very well.  It was an easy process and we were supplied with tie downs for the bikes.  Faster than we thought possible, we were on board and ready to depart. We walked around the Bond looking for some dinner and they did have a cafeteria.  Well, it was a cafeteria, and the food quality merited the name cafeteria food, but it was food and we were hungry.  Fed, we were ready to hit the sack and we adjourned to our berth for a good night’s rest.  Along the way, we met a couple of other riders, from all places, Massachusetts, the state right next to New Hampshire.  They too had been riding the TLH albeit at a much higher rate of speed.  They were really zooming and had covered much more ground in much less time than we had.  We had a good time joking around and having fun with them.  In fact, so much fun that I guess we drew a complaint from someone and a member of the crew staff asked us to keep the noise down.  Ooops!

Our partying done, now it was time to hit the rack.  The last of the TLH lay in front of us in the morning and well tell you about this and the very special happenings (the pictures will knock your socks off!) in Part 5.

May 18, 2012 | Categories: Adventure, Adventure Motorcycling, Adventure Rides, dual sport, enduro, Motorcycle, off road, Overland, photo, pictures, Travel | Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | 1 Comment

Alaska – Gravel, Grandeur & Goofy Grins (Part 8)

We hated to admit it, but it was in fact time to leave McCarthy.  Time had passed so quickly, I was really somewhat upset to be leaving such a beautiful place.  Kim as ever, was taking all in stride and had already packed our gear in plastic bags and was patiently awaiting the van to pick us up and drop us off at the foot bridge so we could walk the last quarter mile or so to our bikes to re-pack our gear.   I truly was going to miss the Root glacier and the amazing sights and story of incredible perseverance of all those who had toiled at the Kennicott mine.  But I knew there was more to come for us in Valdez and Seward, perhaps even better, and those thoughts buoyed my spirit as we prepared to leave this absolutely amazing place.

Sooner than we knew it, we were back at the foot bridge carrying all our gear back to our bikes to commence our re-packing activities and hit the road for the day and to head for Valdez.  After about half an hour, we were ready to move on and we headed back out on the 60 miles of gravel back towards the pavement from whence we had come.  It was a faster an easier ride than the previous one since we had already ridden the route but still an enjoyable and exciting jaunt.

By the way, if you don’t know, click on any one of the pictures in the gallery below and it will open that picture into a full size picture and then you can click your way through the remainder of the pictures in either direction in full size.

As we approached the pavement, the weather started to deteriorate and we began to experience the first rain of the day.  Rain had become one of our friends during this trip and it was no big deal as we motored on happily and the temperature continued to drop.  Further into the ride towards Valdez, we started to climb which helped the temperatures to drop even more.  The wind began to pick up significantly and the temperature began to plummet.  Snowflakes started to fly as they were ripped from the not too distant clouds just above us.  They roiled above us and we could see them being swept up the side of the mountains but being halted at the summit by some other competing wind.  The sun began to fade and the weather was truly beginning to get nasty.

I radioed to Kim over the communicators to stop so we could add some layers and check our maps for location and distance to Valdez.  We stopped to check our map and found that we were almost right in front of the Worthington glacier.  It rolled down the side of the mountain in extending two icy fingers in a “V” for victory having made its way across and over the top of the mountain ending right next to the road we were on.  It was impressive!  It had made it across the mountain where the clouds had been unable to.

After checking our maps, we found that we were not that far away and if the snow didn’t pick up, we could probably make it into Valdez in a couple of hours or less.   After taking a few pictures of the Worthington glacier  we were off again and headed to Valdez in the snow and rain.   As we neared Valdez, the clouds continued to lower and we were concerned that we may hit some really difficult weather and intense snow.  But as we entered a canyon, several blue holes opened overhead and the sun burst through in bright flashes.  So there was hope to make it to Valdez and there was a sun above! Great!

The road began to twist and turn surrounded with high jagged rock canyon walls covered in greenery.  If the weather were better, this road would have been the kind boy racers would enjoy quite a bit.  But as nature would have it, there was another show to be viewed that would slow us down.  Under a blue hole, in the sunlight, a cascade of white water crashed down from above.  Bouncing from prominence to prominence, the water cascaded in a flash of white and a veil of misty fog.  We had to stop to take it all in.  In fact, while we were there, several folks were similarly effected and chose to stop as well.  It was a feast for the eyes; a delicious sight.

After a few photos it was back onto the bikes and only a short jaunt to Valdez.  The rain picked up again, but was an on and off affair for the two days while we visited.  So in the on and off rain, we decided that it would be a good idea to visit Valdez and meet some of the locals and find out a little about the city.

We took the time to visit Valdez’s two museums full of information about the history, establishment and people of Valdez, as well as Good Friday earthquake and tsunami that wiped out most of the city in 1964.   We saw a specimen of the extremely rare Alaskan Furry Koho salmon.  It was encased in a glass enclosed case so you couldn’t pet it, or eat it.  Those Alaskans, they protect their rare species carefully.

We later met the curator of the museum who gave us the opportunity to have our picture taken with an Authentic Alaskan hunting rifle saying that “everything is bigger in Alaska”.  Shortly thereafter he came out with a 7 foot long rifle that you will see in the pictures here.  Quite a guy that curator.

Did you know that Valdez claims to be Alaska’s snow capital?  We had a chance to check some of their snow removal equipment and if it’s an indicator of the snow they get, we don’t doubt them.  Snow machines 15 1/2 foot tall with 5 1/2 tall augers tell of a need to move a lot of snow; and there are several of them.  When the auger of the machine is taller than my wife, you know its a big machine.

We also saw several examples of the symbol of our country flying around the harbor.  Bald eagles are plentiful in the area and they can be seen quite regularly in Valdez.  It was great to see them and they are just as majestic as you would think they are.

After two days of rain in Valdez, it was time to move on to Seward.  By this time, the weather looked to be clearing a bit and we were anxious to be moving in some sun.  We planned a full days ride with a couple of stops along the way.  The first stop was to be in Girdwood at the Alyeska Tramway, a ski area that has a view of Turnagain Arm.  Girdwood is also known for the Girdwood festival which has Alaskan artists, exotic foods and entertainers from all over Alaska.  The ride was once again beautiful with curving roads alongside the ocean and mountains.  The views were spectacular as the harbor was as placid as a mill pond and it reflected the surrounding mountains.  It was a wonderful sight.

We parked at Alyeska and took the tram to the top.  It was even more spectacular.  From a white snow covered perch, you were witness to an amazing view of Turnagain harbor stretched out in front you.  As if by some magical plan, a parasailer floated silently by us and down to the valley floor below.  The water of the harbor was blue and sparkled in the sun, reflecting the surrounding mountains.  It was perfect.

Again, we could have stayed forever, but we had to make Seward in one day, so we hopped back on the tram and headed down the mountain and got back on the bikes.  Not too far from Alyeska, we spied a sign that pointed us to the Wildlife Conservation Center.  Kim enjoys seeing “wild” animals so we set our course for the Center.  It turned out that it was a drive through center where people drive through with their cars to see the animals.  We were on bikes.  Hmmm…. do we really want to be in a wild animal center on bikes?  Can I really accelerate that hard on a fully loaded adventure bike?  Do I really like wild animals that much?

Never fear we were told, all the “dangerous” animals were fenced in.  So we paid our fee and visited with bison, elk, moose, musk ox, caribou, and supposedly bears which we never saw (although we saw the pelvis of some poor departed animal in their enclosure).   Do you know that a musk ox makes a sound that sounds like a lion’s/tiger’s growl.  I’m here to tell you that I heard it up close, and it does and it’s impressive.  All in all, it turned out to be a good experience with the opportunity to get pretty close to the animals and see their behaviors.  It was money well spent.

Time was indeed fleeting and we needed to get to Seward.  So we said our goodbyes to the animals and hightailed it the rest of the way to Seward in clearing and brightening weather.  When we got to our hotel, little did we realize that we would once again be surrounded by wild animals.  We’ll tell you more in Part 9.

May 14, 2012 | Categories: Adventure, Adventure Motorcycling, Adventure Rides, Alaska, dual sport, enduro, Motorcycle, off road, Overland, photo, pictures, Travel, Yukon | Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | 2 Comments

Signs Of A Great Ride

Sometimes your “adventure travel” can become a bit mundane but if you look around, but even in the mundane there are sights to be seen.  I know that as we’ve traveled to many places, we’ve seen signs that have made us say wow!  Sometimes humorous and sometimes amazing, not only in print form, you may see signs that make you laugh, think, or take action.  Seen any like these…?

So while you are out on your adventure, make sure  you always stay alert for signs of adventure.

Ride2Adventure – Shrinking The Planet One Ride At A Time

May 7, 2012 | Categories: Adventure, Adventure Motorcycling, Adventure Rides, dual sport, enduro, Motorcycle, off road, photo, pictures, Travel, Uncategorized | Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , , , | 4 Comments

Alaska – Gravel, Grandeur & Goofy Grins (Part 7)

As we had seemingly been waiting for all day, we finally came to the fork in the road where we left the pavement and hit the gravel for the sixty mile jaunt to McCarthy. Almost immediately we began a fairly significant climb on a loose gravel surface road with no guard rail. It was quite a way down to the water below, but we were by this time quite use to the feeling of riding mountainous gravel roads with no guard rails. We continued further into the road and civilization quickly started to vanish. The road became a single two track that had us wondering for a while whether we had actually made the correct turn to McCarthy. Grass grew three inches high from between the two well defined wheel tracks and the trees closed in to only a few feet from the sides of the tracks. The road was beginning to look more like a trail than a road.

Hmmm… After about 20 minutes of this type of riding I began to wonder whether we were indeed on the correct road. But shortly thereafter, the road began to widen and some beautiful vistas became evident. Below us glowing a bright silver in the late day sun was what/who we would find out was the Copper River. She was wide and wonderful, carving large sweeping swaths between the mountains, sometimes running fast with white water, and other times merely dawdling along. She was full of life and effortlessly showed her power while letting her magnificence be known. She was breathtaking and she knew it.

Onward we rode and signs of civilization made themselves known in short spurts along the way. A few houses huddled here and there, out in this wilderness among the towering trees, mountains and bright blue sky. However as we continued deeper into the forest, we came to recognize that to live here you must be sturdy and self sufficient. Here, the laws of nature come first and are in control, not the laws promulgated by man. Winters with double digit sub-zero temperatures and snow measured in feet not inches are not for the weak of body or mind.

Nearly two hours after leaving the pavement, we came to the parking lot (yes, parking lot!) for the place we would be staying for the next few days; the Kennicott Glacier Lodge. We had found this place nearly by accident on the web and when we found what it was near, we decided we had to visit. But here’s the deal, you can’t ride or drive there yourself (without permission from them which is almost never granted). You must take a foot bridge across a section of the Copper River to a waiting van that will drive you the last couple of miles to the lodge. In all honesty, there are other means to get there, but the natives keep that to themselves and it’s only fair to leave it that way for them.

So what’s so good about the Kennicott Glacier Lodge you ask? Well despite great accommodations in the middle of the Wrangell-Elias mountain range, it’s located directly beside the Root Glacier and a short walk from the Kennicott Mine which is now a National Park maintained in a state of arrested decay by the National Park Service. As such, it looks like an abandoned mine that it is, but it is not being permitted to decay any more than it has to date. Therefore, you can visit and experience some of what the miners life was like and what conditions they dealt with 100 or so years ago.

So it was at this awesome place that we decided to give our bikes a rest and take some time to soak in what the Wrangell-Elias mountain ranges had to give us. One day we took a flightseeing tour and flew over numerous glaciers. Words really can’t express their beauty. They are truly something that defies description so you must make it an absolute to visit a glacier in person during your lifetime.

A glacier’s amazing attributes make it one of the wonders of the world. A slow moving dynamo, a glacier is an unstoppable force, one that the earth itself cannot stop. Able to render solid rock from the walls of a mountain and carve new pathways, they possess incredible beauty often glowing so brightly that they are difficult to look at. When you do gaze upon them you may find them to be solid white or silver, striped, or brown/grey, completely covered with the rock and gravel they have scoured from the mountains as they have slowly journeyed past.

It was therefore an even greater treat to walk upon the Root Glacier for a 4 hour guided trek, where we found the glaciers not only to be beautiful, but alive. As we approached, the scene was a bit lunar like as the surface was grey and rocky with the murrain that the glacier had removed as it traveled along the mountain’s sides.  However, as we made it to the top, the surface glinted and gleamed under our crampons as we walked up the side. As we crested the first peak of the glacier and investigated its surface, we saw that it indeed had the attributes of a living being. There were streams that twisted and turned, ponds of bright blue and dark azure, deep crevices and soaring ridges, all located on the body of this single glacier and all viewable during this short hike. Amazing. We stopped for a short lunch from a ridge overlooking a bright blue pond and sooner than we knew it, it was time to leave. Having been on the glacier only 4 hours, we felt cheated but at the same time honored to have witnessed its power and beauty so close and at such a personal level.

Next, we toured the Kennicott mine. Again we witnessed amazing sights but on a more human and personal level. This mine was one of the largest copper producers in the world. But producing the copper took a gigantic toll on the men who extracted the copper from the mine. The mine was truly in the wilderness and as such Kennicott had to be totally self sufficient. Rail brought in supplies and took out product, but that was about it.

You were on your own and needed to work hard to make a living. Your bunk was supplied by the company and it was a hot bunk. When you were not sleeping in it, someone else was. You worked in the mines or in the factory that separated the copper from the ore and you did it 7 days a week. The temperatures we in the double digits negatives and the heat supplied was not for the workers but to keep the machinery working. It was the lucky worker who was stationed next to the heaters that heated the machinery. If you were far from those heaters, you got the temperature the environment gave you. As we said earlier, this land required stout people.

Before we knew it, it was time to leave McCarthy and the Kennicott mine area, get back on the bikes and continue our Alaskan adventure. In the morning we would once again wait for the van beside the Root Glacier and be taken back to the foot bridge so we could make our way towards Seward where we will take you in Part 8.

May 6, 2012 | Categories: Adventure, Adventure Motorcycling, Adventure Rides, Alaska, dual sport, enduro, Motorcycle, off road, Overland, photo, pictures, Travel, Uncategorized, Yukon | Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | 2 Comments

I’m Going To Stop To Take A Picture (Part 3)

When you are out adventure riding, there are certain moments that beg to be recorded.  The problem is that the timing may not appear to be right to take a picture or a video.  You are too busy enjoying yourself, you are angry about a situation that has occurred (the 4th puncture of the day may be such  a time), you may be very sad because of a sight you’ve seen or been part of someone’s plight.  But the recording of such events, while at the time appearing to be too maddening, too difficult, or almost inappropriate (and there are inappropriate times I would suggest), in the fullness of time actually call to be recorded.  Who will remember these times?  How will these times be shared without such recordings? 

Do yourself and the world a favor and record the happenings.  And…  once recorded, share them with others so that they too can experience what you have done, seen, and experienced and they in turn pass it on to others.  Such times do are short in duration, but can be made to last forever if you just take the time to record them.

 

Lastly, record what’s important to you. Don’t let others tell you what is and is not important. It’s what important to you that matters. Because what’s important to you reflects who and what you are, and that’s what you want to share now isn’t it? So let’s find out who Kim and Mike are from some of their moments, but believe us, there are thousands of them that we could put here. If you’d like, send us some of yours and we’ll post them here as well.

Now come on now, send us some pictures to post! Send them to Ride2Adv@gmail.com and we’ll see what we can do. Remember, to shrink the planet, you must share yourself.

By the way, if you don’t know, click on any one of the pictures in the gallery below and it will open that picture into a full size picture and then you can click your way through the remainder of the pictures in either direction in full size. 
Ride2Adventure – Shrink the Planet One Ride At A Time

April 30, 2012 | Categories: Adventure, Adventure Motorcycling, dual sport, enduro, Motorcycle, off road, Overland, photo, pictures, Travel, Uncategorized | Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

I’m Going To Stop To Take A Picture (Part 2)

Since I posted Part 1 of “I’m Going To Stop To Take A Picture (Part 1)” (which has been our most popular post by far to date) I’ve been mulling over exactly what constitutes “scenery”.  Having been going through the selection process of many of our pictures this afternoon, I’ve found that there’s a very definite question of interpretation.  Are we just talking about landscapes when we talk about scenery or can it be more?  Can people be in a scenery picture or do they distract the view from the overall viewing pleasure?  Well, having thought about it for a good part of the day I’ve come to the conclusion that…  I don’t know.

One thing I do know is that I’ve found that I have a lot of pictures that could be classified as scenery, so I’m not sure how I’m going to present them to you or how to best sum them up to you.  Hmmm…..  Will it just suffice to say that they recall beautiful or memorable scenes?  Is that too broad a definition?  I really don’t know.  So here’s what I’m going to do.  I’m going to show you some nice pictures and call them scenery.  The only rule is that there are no people in these pictures and then I am going to let you decide whether they constitute scenery or not.  Perhaps after you’ve looked at the pictures, some of you will care to comment on what constitutes a scenery picture and what you thought of the pictures I chose to post.   How’s that?

Oh and a last confession.  I must have as Carl Sagan used to say…  “Billions and billions” of pictures that could qualify as scenery and I have not posted them all in this post.  So if you are not careful, I just may post a Part 2a.  You have been warned.  I sincerely hope you enjoy these pictures from all over the world where we have been.

By the way, just in case you don’t know, clicking on one of the thumbnail pictures will open it to a full size picture and you can then click through the whole gallery of photos if you like.

April 28, 2012 | Categories: Adventure, Adventure Motorcycling, Adventure Rides, Motorcycle, off road, photo, pictures, Travel, Uncategorized | Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | 9 Comments

I’m Going To Stop To Take A Picture (Part 1)

The left ear speaker in my bike to bike helmet intercom crackled with a monotone voice I thought I’d already heard fifty times today.  “I’m going to stop to take a picture.”  Arggghhh!!!!!  No, not again, please, not again.  We were just making some decent time and now we have to stop again?  But you know what?  That voice in my left ear was my riding buddy, Kim’s Dad Dick.  He was the smart one that day and he taught me something as well.  Riding, especially adventure riding is a special experience and if you can capture it so you can re-live it later, you’ve done yourself and others a great service.  Because remember, your adventure isn’t all about you, it’s about the others that you meet and what we exchange when we interact.

When you capture that experience particularly in pictures or video, you share the experiences not only that you had, but potentially the impact that you had on others.  So take the time to not only experience your journey, but also record it for you and others to share later.  The sharing of these experiences on film or video can be almost as good as experiencing it first hand and if you can convince someone else to take an adventure ride, you will have made the planet a smaller and more sharing place.  Congratulations.

Now you may be asking how do these picture and recordings let me enjoy my adventure over and over or make the world a better place?  Well let’s take a couple of moments and figure this out together.  You can generally remember that the trip you went on was a lot of fun and that you had a good time, but will you remember all the individual scenes during your adventure, perhaps with someone you love, or care about, the gorgeous landscapes, the people you met, the weather you experienced and dealt with, or that you saw something that effected you.  How about all the action scenes, riding through water crossings, over logs, through sand, mud and… snow.  When you have pictures or video, these things are brought back to life.

So let’s break these down a bit and see what we can see, eh?  We’ll do this in several parts so for the first part, let’s look at personal one on one photos.  Ones that capturing the essence of the riding experience, fun or the adventure itself.  How do we do that?  Well it can be different for different people, but when you are really, really having fun or if there is a difficult situation, if you just take a picture right then and there, you will likely have captured the essence and spirit of the ride.  What do I mean by that; and who wants to stop and take a picture just when you are having fun or really ticked off?   I mean literally just take the picture.  Here are some of my favorites in this regard…

Capturing the person…

Here capturing some of the fun…

Perhaps the not so fun times…

And finally some reflections on riding…

With each of these pictures, a memory is renewed or an experience potentially forgotten forever shared.  Don’t let them get away, keep them forever.  Next time, in Part 2 we’ll take a look at scenery.

April 26, 2012 | Categories: Adventure, Adventure Motorcycling, Adventure Rides, dual sport, Motorcycle, off road, Overland, photo, pictures, Travel, Uncategorized | Tags: , , , , , , , , , | 8 Comments

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