Other than traffic, another slabber to here.
So, Day 27 reflection - the boys made it UP to Alaska, and are now back DOWN and almost home. Aside from the scenery and venues previously described, thought it would be interesting to share some of the general contrasts going UP and coming DOWN.
UP
The shiny side of the Beemo-potomai
DOWN
The rubber side - Szak, the bells just need to carry us one more day. We have been lucky - aside from a few close encounters with deer and imbeciles (could be a forward reference here), we've had no rolling incidents.
DOUBLE DOWN
That said, I did have a vertically challeged moment with my ride on the ferry into Dawson City. P-Rock and I were loaded onto the front of the ferry, having crossed the sand loading area. Engine off, both feet solidly on the steel ferry floor. After completing the loading process (2 bikes, 4 cars, 6 pedestrians), the ferry pulled away from the bank and executed a sharp turn into the current. The boat listed left, taking the 1100 pounds of bike/rider for a hard left lean. I had the bike until the sand on my left boot and the wet floor of the ferryboat caused my boot to skid out - the bike went over in slow motion. Admittedly, P-Rock almost lost his as well - we were only one patty and special sauce short of a Beemer Big Mac. The bikes have tip-over bars, so the only damage was my (deployed) J-Peg bolt and a small scratch on a rear chrome section (not very visable). The only thing I hurt was a pulled shoulder muscle lifting the bike back up. Lesson learned - deploy the center stand on ferrys.
UP
Our spirits. They started sky high, have continuously been good, but the excitement built as we reached the higher latitudes.
DOWN
Spirits - we downed a few. The ale seemed to get stronger as we headed north, peaking in the Yukon (particular caution when experiencing Yukon Grasshopper Ale and a long rubble ride the next day).
UP
Dust and bad roads increased steadily as we ventured further north. The sign "Loose Gravel" gained higher relative importance as we headed north. Interestingly, the planned challenge roads (Top Of The World, Dalton Highway) were less fearsome than some of the high lattitude construction zones.
DOWN
Our average speed as we headed north, no doubt due to above. Hitting a 75MPH speed limit (then adding trooper margin) when re-entering the US allowed us to cover some amazing distances in comparison.
UP
Our happiness with the machinery - the Beemer LTs have been a pleasure to ride (at the time of this blog 10,700 trip miles). Ditto for the J-Pegs, adjustable windshield, and the Throttle Boss.
Down
Usable tire tread - replaced my front tire in Anchorage, both of us will be driving rear slicks when we hit PA - hoping for good weather...
UP
Mileage on the way up: 44MPG
DOWN
Mileage on the way down: 47MPG
Other than windage, this has yet to be explained.
UP
Fuel quality and fuel availability became important planning points the further north we got - one did not want to miss a fuel stop, particularly if the local Octane was higher then 87.
DOWN
Once again spoiled by pay at the pump, credit card acceptance, and REAL PREMIUM fuel
UP
Quantity of pictures and video increased steadily - hopefully leading to some decent post-production material
UP
The number of RVs per square mile increased steadily with Lattitude
DOWN
Heading back down to the states (and Interstates), the number of imbeciles (drivers) per square mile has grown exponentially, perhaps owing to the population density and the availability of texting while driving. The largest road hazard we've faced (by far) during the trip has been other drivers during the past few days.
A couple of new pictures in the SmugMug gallery - mind you these are raw images - will hopefully have a cleaned up version available soon after return:
See ya soon.
Blackie out.
Posts
No comments:
Post a Comment