Leg 12

6-8-14
Norm's Ride
Fairbanks, AK to Wiseman, AK
267 miles


We awoke to a sunny day.  Good.  We checked all of our unneeded bags and gear at the dormitory in their storage room.  We wanted to make the bikes as light as possible. I was nervous. This was it.  "I'll be ok once I throw a leg over the bike and get started," I kept telling myself.  I wasn't feeling confident at all. It's not too late. I don't really have to do this. What am I doing?  Why am I even thinking about doing this?  The answer kept repeating itself in my head:  Norm, Norm, Norm.  Yes, Norm.

OK, let's go. This is the whole reason I came.  I kept telling myself,  "It can't be that bad. It just can't be that bad."

At the last gas station heading north out of Fairbanks, we fueled up.  I finally got to use my two 1 gallon Rotopax gas containers.  Finally.  This is the reason I've been hauling them around with me the whole time.

I knew the road would be paved for awhile.  Norm and I rode to the Arctic Circle in August of 1998, so I kind of was familiar with what was to come, but beyond that was a total unknown.  Eventually, the pavement ended and the gravel/dirt began.  Funny, I didn't have the "death grip" on the handlebars that I remember having back then.  I guess that's when experience kicks in.

We made it to the start of the Dalton Highway, then crossed the mighty wooden Yukon River bridge finally reaching the Yukon River Camp. 

I could see the camp building from the start of the Yukon Bridge.  It hadn't changed much from when we had stopped there before.  We were starving, so after we fueled up we stopped for lunch and a bit of shopping.

We left the Yukon River Camp with renewed strength and headed north towards the Arctic Circle.  The weather was declining, the road was continually getting worse and the rain started, but we still managed to take a few photos in-between rain drops.

We planned on spending the night at the Arctic Getaway B&B - Igloo #8 in Wiseman, located 70 miles north of the Circle and 17 miles north of Coldfoot, but we had to get there first. That would mark our half way point to Deadhorse, but we still had 70 miles to go.

I'm not sure if I can adequately describe how bad the road became between the Circle and Coldfoot.  It is nothing like I have ever experienced before...and I have ridden over 400,000 miles (including riding Ruta 40 to Ushuaia, Argentina).  The amount of concentration it took along with the sudden changes in road conditions was unbelievable.  It ranged from wet, slick, muddy ruts to stretches of pavement, back to gravel, freshly grated soft dirt and then 15 miles of following a pilot car through road construction, back to mud.  Not to mention the pouring rain, mist, then more pouring rain. Crazy!  At times the bike was wiggling so wildly under me that I thought there was no way I was going to make it.  More than once I thought I was going down. It was NOT fun!

As we pulled into Coldfoot, it was raining pretty hard.  If I recall correctly, and I'm not sure if I am or not, there were only two gas pumps:  one for diesel and one for gas...I think.  I pulled into one side of the pump behind John while the other two swung around to the other side.  No convenient credit card swipe here.  Nope. You had to walk inside the building, leave your card at the register, walk back outside, fill up your tank, walk back inside the building, pay for your gas, then go back outside and move your bike.  Did I mention that the parking lot was a giant mud pit with more giant mud puddles sprinkled throughout?  Stupid!

By this time, I had had it! But, nooooooo.  Jeff was competing in the National Parks Tour and decided that he wanted to stop at the Gates of the Arctic National Park and Preserve Visitor's Center in Coldfoot to get a passport stamp for his National Park's book.  Are you kidding me???  I'm sure we were a spectacle when we sloshed into the Center soaking wet, dripping water with every step we took, creating a small swimming pool at the Park's stamp location. 

Well, eventually Jeff got his stamps.  I think there were around 7 or 8 of them there, like I said, at that point I didn't care, but having done the National Parks Tour in 2001 or so, I understood why he wanted to get the stamps.  It was cool.  I even ended up getting them on a blank piece of paper to add to my book.  Now, if I can only find my book when I get home.  The other two guys were standing at the counter buying something, so I was curious.  I never bothered to take my helmet off and with my ear plugs securely implanted in my ears I could barely hear what was being said.  "What? Huh? What?", I gave up and took my helmet off displaying the most gorgeous head of helmet hair I've ever had!  Certificates, they were getting certificates.  I had to have one for my collection, so I paid the $1.  The Parks Junior Ranger (she was so young) placed mine and Jeff's in a plastic bag and sealed it with tape to protect if from the torrential rain outside. Then, unfortunately, we headed back out in the rain and headed for Wiseman.  He had room in his top case, so that's where it went...and stayed.  

I could see that the sky up ahead was starting to clear just a little.  Thank goodness.  Maybe it'll stop. 

Wiseman is tucked away in the scenic foothills of the Brooks mountain range.  You have to really watch for the hand made sign to Wiseman, otherwise, if you blink, you'll miss it.  We missed it twice and had to turn around a couple of times.  The GPS isn't always exact.  After you turn off the Dalton Hwy., the gravel road takes you across a bridge over the rushing river and then you have to drive about 3 miles further. It's located in a beautiful, forested area of birch, aspen and spruce.

The log cabins are very secluded, quiet and "off the grid", but very clean and comfortable.  It is owned by a wonderful couple, Berni and Uta Hicker and their two children who actually live in the main house which is a 1920's former gold rush dance hall.  Uta's sourdough pancakes the next morning were wonderful!  I didn't want to leave.

 

Leg 11

6-7-14
Norm's Ride
Fairbanks, AK

We decided to stay an extra day in Fairbanks in order to rest before departing for points north.  The University offers free laundry services.  You only have to provide the soap and fabric softener.  Piece of cake. I brought both. It felt good to be clean again and I'm sure we smelled a lot better, too.

The guys decided that they wanted to ride to Chatanika, AK, 28 miles north Fairbanks for lunch.  There is supposed to be a Lodge there that has great food.  Justin, manager of The Outpost/Trails End BMW, recommended not only the food, but the beautiful ride to get there.  According to fairbanks-alaska.com, Chatanika was once a busy gold mining town and the center of one of the richest placer gold districts in Alaska.  Over 70 million dollars in gold was taken out between 1926 and 1957.  Today, it's a "gold camp resort" on the Steese Highway.

I wanted to go, but I didn't want to go. A day off the bike seemed good to me, so I didn't go.

Hours started passing.  Where are they?  Finally, I received a text from John.  Walmart.  Walmart?  Men in Walmart??  Didn't compute, but they'll be back soon.

As John and Mike were checking into the U of A to get a room, there were several other riders in the lobby that also were waiting to check-in.  They looked bad.  I mean really bad.  They looked like they had been dragged through a knot-hole.  Dirty, exhausted, beat-up. They explained that they had ridden all the way back to Fairbanks from Prudhoe Bay in one day (roughly 400 miles).  I plopped into a chair across from one of the riders that didn't have enough energy to move.  "What was the road like?"  "Horrible, road was just horrible."  My confidence was waning.  "Gravel, pot holes, frost heaves, road construction, deep, soft dirt, road graders coming at you leaving 12" berms that you have to cross, wet, slick-as-snot sections, deep ruts, crazy truckers that want to kill you...."  I quit listening.  I don't think I can do this.  I'm really scared.

Oh, by the way, the Chatanika Lodge was closed and had a "For Sale" sign up.

Detour

Things have taken a detour. After several days of limited communication, we learn Linda had an accident.

OUCH!!

In her own words (June 11, 2014):

First of all, I'm ok. We left Prudhoe today and the weather was bad. Should have stayed another day, but didn't. Apparently it had rained all night.
About 100 miles out of Deadhorse  the road really got bad. I mean really bad!  Slick, muddy and deep, horrible ruts. The bike was literally all over the place. Long story short, I went down and am now at a drilling site along the Alaska Pipeline waiting for an Aleyaska courier to pick me up at 6:30 am tomorrow and transport me to Fairbanks. The bike won't start, so the guys at Sag River are going to crane it onto a truck and put it in a safe place until I can get it picked up and hauled to Fairbanks to the Dealer.  This is the coolest place. Nobody gets to see the inside of one of these places. Security is very high. A haul road trucker picked me up in his 18 wheeler and took me to the Sag River DOT Station where a paramedic was called. It took him a long time to get there, but I have been treated like a princess.
My right shoulder is hurt, but I don't think anything is broken.  That's why you wear all the time all the time. I am so happy that I accomplished my goal and got Norm's sticker stuck on the general store and his little figurine is sitting on a display platform inside the store. Yeah!
I will give more details after I arrive in Fairbanks and have internet and am not so tired. I know you have lots of questions, but I'll explain when I'm not so tired.
Again, I am fine. This is turning into a REAL adventure. These people here are wonderful!!  Almost makes me want to move here. 😊. Not really.
More later.

X-rays at the ER

At least she is (mostly) ok and continues to view this as an adventure. Her next email (June 12, 2014):

I just made it to Fairbanks and am in the ER right now. X-rays show slight fracture in my right shoulder. Just waiting to see the orthopedist. I rented a car so I could get around. Expensive, but I'll be ok. Need to get the bike to Fairbanks somehow. Then maybe fly out of here. We'll see. 

More later. Would you pls. pass the word to everyone?  Thx. 

Stay tuned. I don't know what will happen next. Then again, has anyone ever really known what Norm or Linda would do next?? When she is able to communicate again, I will post it. I want everyone to know she is all right. She is on the mend and will bounce back. Linda is definitely resilient. Amazingly so!

Leg 10

6/6/2014
Norm's Ride
Delta Junction, AK to Fairbanks, AK
98 miles

Welcome to North Pole

We rode around Delta Junction for a little while to find someplace to eat breakfast and finally ended up getting a donut at the local grocery store.  Alaskan's are a breed all their own.  Hearty, self-reliant, helpful. They have to be.  Even though it's beautiful in the summer, I don't think I could take the winters.

Alaskan Man

 One last section until we make it to Fairbanks, but before we make it there we stop at North Pole, AK, where I get to talk to Santa and see his reindeer and send post cards.  Jeff is so patient in allowing me to indulge myself at this stop.  What a fun place, but not really a "man's" place. You can see it on the faces of all the husband's that are trailing their wives around the store.  They're not exactly excited to be there.  It's become a big place since the last time I was here in 1998. Reading from the Mile Post," North Pole is one of two energy production centers in Alaska.  Almost half of Alaska Railroad's freight revenue comes from hauling petroleum products made in North Pole.  The Flint Hills North Pole Refinery and the Petro Star Refinery produces heating fuel, jet fuel, asphalt and other petroleum products. Eielson AFB and Fort Wainwright military bases are nearby as well."

Linda and Justin Kleiter at Trails End BMW

Then on to Trails End BMW.  I had emailed Justin Kleiter who is the Sales Mgr. a couple of months ago alerting him of our arrival.  I was excited to meet him as we both have traveled extensively around the world by motorcycle.  But before we could even make it to the front door a few BMW riders that were sitting outside waiting for work to be completed on their bikes recognized me and said that they thought they knew me.  Yep.  They were Iron Butt riders and they knew Norm, too.  They had just ridden the Dalton Hwy the day before and described the adventure that they had just completed.  Didn't sound like much fun to me.  Having second thoughts and cold feet entered my mind.  Then my daughter, Katherine, reminded me that Norm was with me and would protect me.  She's right.  He'd go for it!  And so will I...for him.

Even the animals love Santa

Linda sits on Santa's lap

Finally, we made it into the store.  Beautiful!  And, Justin did not disappoint.  What a great guy!  We chatted for quite some time, a long time actually, until we finally left to get something to eat and find lodging.

University of Alaska Fairbanks

The cheapest place to stay in Fairbanks is at the University of Alaska.  You can rent dorm rooms there for about $80/night.  It's been a long time since I've been in a college dorm room.  It certainly brought back memories. Not all good.


Looks like Cliff and Roberta will finally arrive today.  Jeff has kept in touch with them through blogs and email.  I think tonight we'll all be staying at the dorm.  This time it'll be a BIG slumber party.  All six of us. Should be fun!

Depending on how they feel, we may leave for Prudhoe tomorrow.  I'm biting my nails, but Norm says it'll be ok.

- Ed. Note: We all know Norm is with Linda, and I say, "GO, LINDA, GO! RIDE ON, LADY!!" Norm's gentle guidance is pushing you forward. Enjoy - for both of you! - KB

Leg 9

6/4/14
Norm's Ride
Haines Junction, YT to Delta Junction,AK

 400 Miles

Potholes, frost-heaves and Whoop-dee-doos.
 

We stayed at a lovely motel.  The Cozy Corner.  The room was super clean and the view of the Wrangell St. Elias mountain range was spectacular.  I'd highly recommend it to anyone staying in Haines Jct.


As I was loading my bike in the parking lot a fella walked over to talk to me.  "Which way are you headed, north or south?"  "North," I said.  "Well, be careful.  About 100 miles north of here you'll start hitting potholes filled with gravel and some pretty severe frost-heaves in the road.  Then you'll run into construction just before Beaver Creek.  Loose gravel, too."  Oh, great, I thought to myself.  A perfect way to start the morning...bad news.  I thanked him and we parted ways.

 

Jeff and I eventually left.  About 50 miles into the ride we saw a moose leisurely cross the road in front of us. He was tall and lanky and definitely in no hurry.  I'd hate to hit one of those things.  I knew a guy once who did just that on a motorcycle and survived.  He was extremely lucky.  Other than that things were pretty boring.  Then we hit the first patch of loose gravel-filled potholes.  Then the frost-heaves. Whoop! Up in the air, then back down again just in time to hit the next one. This is fun!!!  It's like being on a mini-roller coaster.  The best part though is being able to pass the RVs, semis and cars. They had to slow way down.  It made me feel like I was getting even with them because I'm sure they were laughing at us having to ride through the rain.  Karma!

We saw the flagman ahead with his stop sign.  Great!  At least there was a guy there this time and he was cute!!  After waiting for what seemed a very long time, the pace truck finally showed up and after the on-coming traffic cleared we started following him back through the road construction.  It was the usual ...gravelly, wet and messy. I was getting a bit concerned about gas at this point because every gas stationed we had passed was either closed or abandoned and my gas light was on.  I can understand the lack of tourism as the price of gas per liter is around $3.99 Canadian. It takes 4 liters of gas to equal 1.05 gallons. You do the math.  Expensive!

Construction stopped just short of the Alaska border and we filled up in Canada for the last time in Beaver Creek.  My tank holds 14 ltrs and I put in 13 1/2 ltrs.  I bought a Coke and some decals and readied to cross the border back into the States. This time Alaska!  Finally.  The female border guard made us take our helmets off.  Then the mosquitoes swarmed in.  It was an ugly sight and I couldn't wait to get my passport back and take off again leaving those blood suckers behind

It was a pretty ride into Tok where we stopped at Fast Eddies for lunch.  Good food.

We finished the day at Milepost 1422, the end of the Alaska Highway.  We had survived.  We took the usual pictures of the monument and visited the Visitor's Center, got some decals and the certificate to verify that we completed the whole Alaska Highway.  Stayed at Kelly's Alaska Country Inn in Delta Junction.  It's good to be back in the U.S.

Leg 8

6/4/14
Norm's Ride
Teslin, YT to Haines Jct., YT

We rolled into Teslin, I got gas and caught up with John and Mike.  Then we went across the street and checked into the Nisutlin Trading Post.  Not much going on in Teslin, but the next morning we enjoyed free donuts and coffee before our departure.

We rode the short distance (104 miles) to Whitehorse, YT.  Whitehorse has been the capital of Yukon Territory since 1953.  We had several things we wanted to see here including the SS Klondike sternwheeler;  visit the Welcome Center and receive our free pin, and the MacBride Museum. We were delighted to see a McDonald's as we entered the city, so we decided to stop and have something to eat.  So far it's the cheapest meal that we've had.  Then we headed over to the SS Klondike National Historic site.  It was amazing.  It sits beside the Yukon River and was built in 1929 by the British Yukon Navigation Company.  She ran aground in 1936 at the confluence of the Teslin and Yukon rivers.  After that she was used as salvage parts to build a new ship, the S.S. Klondike II.  We had a wonderful time exploring the three decks of the ship.

From there we headed towards the MacBride Museum, but after spending so much time on the SS Klondike, we decided that we didn't have time to visit the whole museum, so we just bought some decals and headed towards the Welcome Center to get our free city pin.  When I was here in 1998, the city handed out a really cool pin.  It was a white stallion rearing up on its hind legs, kind of like the statue of the Denver Broncos stallion at Mile High Stadium.  The new pin is a picture of the SS Klondike.  Guess they wanted to change their image.  I liked the old one better.

We could see the clouds moving in, so we decided to head towards Haines Junction.  The original plan was to make it to Tok, AK, but we messed around in Whitehorse too long.  That was ok.  It was a nice change of pace.

Arriving Haines Junction, Jeff recommended an ice cream/restaurant combination place that he liked.  Frosty's.  It was wonderful. Mike started out with a chocolate sundae. Then he ordered fish and chips.  Dessert first.  My kind of guy.  John and Jeff were more traditional.  They both ordered hamburgers, then banana splits.  They were huge.   When we asked them if they knew of a good motel for the night, they recommended The Cozy Corner.  We headed there.

Leg 7

6/3/14
Norm's Ride
Muncho Lake, BC (just short of Liard Hot Springs) to Teslin, YT

We got a late start in Muncho Lake.  Even though it was still raining, we decided to leave.  Not so sure that that was a good call, but later we found out that Ft. Nelson got 4" of snow after we left, so I guess that it was a good call after all.  Cliff and Roberta are still there.

We rode in rain most of the day and ran into road construction in one stretch. Jeff was leading.  We passed the flagman's stop sign, but there was no flagman, but we could see John and Mike far ahead.  We thought we had gotten lucky and made the last part of the pace truck convoy before they stopped traffic.  No such luck.  Jeff picked the wrong lane and we hit the freshly grated dirt making the bikes wiggle and wobble.  I hate that feeling.  But wait, there's more.  The looming picture of the approaching road grader confirmed the fact that we were in the wrong lane.  We quickly tried to maneuver out of its way without falling down.  Not an easy task, but after taking a few deep breaths and regaining my composure, I was fine. 

 

The town of Watson Lake was next.  "Gateway to the Yukon" , originally known as Fish Lake, Watson Lake was renamed for Frank Watson, who settled here in 1898.  He was born in Tahoe City, California and came north looking for gold.  Watson Lake was an important location during construction of the Alaska Highway in 1942.  Today it is known for its Signpost Forest.  This was an especially important stop for me.  I had brought along some extra smaller stickers of the ones I had made up of Norm's Memorial Ride.  I wanted to leave a part of him here, so I wandered around the Forest trying to decide where to place one of them.  I found two.  I placed one on a sign from New Brunswick, and another on a sign from Colorado.  Norm had some great times in each place.

The rest of the day was pretty uneventful until we were approaching Teslin, YT, for our evening layover.  Just before you enter the downtown area you have to cross the Nisutlin Bay Bridge.  It's not just any bridge, it's the longest water span on the Alaska Highway.  It's divided into 7 large sections.  Each section has metal grated decking which is really squirrely when riding over it and becomes very slippery when wet.  Thank goodness the rain had stopped.

Nisutlin Bay Bridge

Taken from To Alaska by Land Rover.

Generous permission granted by J Steinborn.

Leg 6

6/2/14
Norm's Ride
Dawson Creek, AB to Muncho Lake, BC (just short of Liard Hot Springs)

This morning Cliff knocked on our door and politely asked if we'd consider changing our plans in order to go on to Liard Hot Springs instead of staying in Ft. Nelson overnight as planned.  They would really like to ride there and soak in the hot springs and perhaps spend a rest day there.  I had some reservations about that because Liard Hot Springs is quite a bit further than Ft. Nelson and Cliff still hadn't gotten his bike fixed.  But, after a group discussion, we decided that that would be fine and we'd pair up and meet Cliff and Roberta at the hot springs later that night.

Mike and John took off on their big 1200GS Adventures and me on my 650GS and Jeff on his GS.  Flash!  Jeff and I were gone. We rode by the famous sign that signifies the start of the Alaska Highway, Mile 0, and took our obligatory pictures.  Then off we went.

Everything was fine, until Jeff and I stopped for gas in Buckinghorse River.  We pulled into what we thought was a gas station.  Well, there were two big white buildings with 4 posts on each corner.  Only one corner had a gas nozzle stuck into it, so we pulled up to it.  There were directions on how to pump gas:  pull this button and it turns on the gas; we pulled the button, started tying to pump gas, no gas.  Tried it again, no gas.  We gave up and went into the attached restaurant to ask for directions.  You have to go back outside and enter a smaller building with a glass door, go to the ATM-like  machine insert your credit card, pass a “training course” on how to pump gas, wait for a receipt with a code on it, reinsert your credit card, enter the code, run out to the pump, pull out the knob and pump your gas.  It worked, then I yelled to Jeff, “Quick, open your gas cap!  Let’s fill up your tank, too, so we don’t have to go through all this again.”  What a complicated ordeal.  We no sooner finished when John and Mike rolled in and needed gas.  Lucky for them.  Jeff and I were experts at this by this time, so we helped them fuel up as well.  We all got a big laugh and decided to have lunch at the small restaurant that was in the building next door to the "gas station".  Good choice.  It was delicious, but like everything else on this trip, wasn't cheap. We were still wondering where Cliff and GoRo were, but thought that Cliff's bike would be fixed by now and that they'd be on the road.  No problem.

The rain started falling lightly, but soon became monsoon like.  Gosh, we hoped Cliff and Roberta were ok and weren't caught in this storm like we were.  We finally decided to pull the plug when we made it to Muncho Lake.  The lodge there is beautiful and they had little cabins that four could stay in comfortably.  It was great!  I've never been so lucky.  I mean, what girl wouldn't love staying with three handsome men all night?  During dinner, John zoomed in on where Cliff and Roberta were via watching her Spot.  Ft. Nelson!  Are you kidding me?  They are the ones that wanted to go to the Hot Springs. To make a long story short, they're still in Ft. Nelson.  They decided to take a rest day.

Leg 5

6/1/2014
Norm's Ride
Jasper, AB to Dawson Creek, AB

I was freezing cold all night last night even though I had my heavy down sleeping bag.  It was a restless night trying different things to stay warm. When everyone else awoke, they were as cold as I was.  We broke camp and packed up as quickly as we could and headed into Jasper to fuel up and have breakfast.  The temperature was rising and after a hearty breakfast we started to Dawson Creek and the beginning of the Alaska Highway. 

I was following behind GoRo (Roberta) and not long after we got on the road I started seeing patches of something yellow flying out from underneath her bike.  Did she run over something?  Then I saw the same yellow “thing” wrapping itself around her rear wheel.  Maybe a snake?  She must have felt it, too, because she pulled over.   We jumped off the bikes and discovered that the yellow t­-shirt that she had stuffed down by her seat had flown off and gotten caught in her wheel.  She was very lucky.  It could have been a real disaster.  Cliff, her husband, cut off the t-shirt and I stuffed it under my spider web.  Back on the road again.

The day was uneventful until after lunch when we started down the road. Cliff pulled over and discovered his brake line was rubbing against his front tire.  He fixed that and we resumed riding.  Further down the road we discovered that both Roberta and Cliff were missing in action.  Rain clouds were looming so we decided to keep riding and let them catch up to us.  Before long sprinkles began falling, then rain, then hail.  Ouch!  No Roberta, no Cliff.  Mike turned around and rode back some distance looking and waiting for them, while Jeff, John and I waited at a gas station.  Then Mike returned to the gas station without any sign of them.  We waited.....and waited...and waited.  Eventually we saw headlights and then Cliff and Roberta appeared.  Thank goodness.  Cliff’s muffler had vibrated loose and he had stopped and was trying to fix it.  It needed more repair, but we thought he could make it to Dawson Creek, so off we went again. This day is turning into a comedy of errors!

Finally, Dawson Creek. Hotel here we come.  We stopped at a Super 8, but they wanted $180 a room.  Not gonna happen.  John, the youngest one of the group and most tech savvy, pulled out his cell phone and started searching for another location.  He found one just down the road, so off we went. Well, the hotel clerk was Chinese and didn’t speak very good English.  Jeff and I tried to explain to him that we wanted to share the cost of a room, so we gave him two credit cards.  He understood that, but he also did the same thing for Cliff and Roberta who paid in cash, and John and Mike charging them half price each. They didn’t realize that.  My paper map was falling apart so I returned to the front desk asking for some tape to repair my map.  He wanted to know where the other people were that didn’t pay.  I looked at him questioningly trying to figure out what he meant.  Roberta’s an accountant, so I left to find her and brought her back.  The short of it is, she figured out what he was saying and got everything straightened out.  Whew! What a struggle.  Good job, GoRo.
Cliff still needed parts to fix his muffler so, mistakenly, he asked the clerk if he knew where an auto parts store was.  The clerk stared at him blankly.  Didn’t know.  So Cliff took off searching for any place that might carry parts. He found two places, but they were closed.  Now the plan was to be at the parts store exactly at 8:00am the next morning when they opened.  We all hoped that would happen and that we could be on the road again at a reasonable hour.

- Ed Note: The crew is so far north now that communication is difficult. Photos are not being sent. The posts may come several at a time, then nothing for a few days. As soon as I receive the posts I will post them, but pictures will follow at a future date. -KB

Leg 4

Norm's Ride
Calgary, AB to Jasper, AB

Leaving Calgary we head toward Banff National Park.  It's a beautiful. sunny day.  The temperature is just right for riding.

Main Street Banff

  A few miles inside the Park we see a group of cars stopped which usually means some kind of animal is present.  A group of Bighorn sheep is leisurely grazing on the mountain side.  They are so majestic and look perfectly at home climbing the mountain's rocky ledges.

Banff City Limits Sign

During the next fuel stop I enthusiastically talk the other riders into stopping at the small resort town of Banff.  It's a bustling tourist town known for its mountainous surroundings and hot springs.  Our main mission for stopping today, however, is to have lunch and purchase local decals. Mission accomplished!

Lake Louise is our next stop.  The last time Norm and I were here you could almost see the bottom of the lake because it was so clear.  Today the sign reads, "Thin Ice".  Even though it was mostly covered with ice, it was still a spectacular sight to see, especially since it is framed by such towering snow-capped peaks.  Breath taking!

Group Photo at Lake Louise

I'm always amazed at the beautiful scenery and wildlife in Canada.  Today is no exception.  We saw three bears and four mountain goats before arriving Jasper.

Lake Louise

We decided to camp tonight and as soon as we finished setting up camp, a Canadian Park Ranger informed us that a female elk had just charged one of the other campers. They were warning us to be on the look out, but they were going to try and find her and gently persuade her to leave the campground.  He no sooner left when she appeared.  We kept a close eye on her, but she seemed more interested in grazing.  That was ok with us.  It's never a good idea to make any female mad, especially one that's bigger than you.

Athabaska Falls on the Icefields Parkway

Leg 3

312 Miles
Great Falls, MT to Calgary, AB

We received word that two more intrepid riders of our group were heading our way.  John and Mike left Albuquerque and rode to Moab, UT, and then spent two nights camping in Yellowstone National Park. Between the bad weather and bison incident it sounds like they had quite a time. I can't wait to hear more about that.  We made arrangements to meet in Great Falls in order to continue to Calgary as one group.  When they arrived we quickly said our "hellos" and immediately left Great Falls to head for the Canadian Border.

There are a total of six motorcycles at this point with one more joining us along the way. Who knows where.  Two Suzuki's, three BMW 1200 GS Adventures and my little BMW G650GS.  These people are definitely serious riders.  Four men and two women total so far.  There is one other female rider.  Her name is Roberta Orbach.  I nicknamed her GoRo because she just keeps going...and going...and going.  All these riders really stack up the miles.  It's a good group.  And it's nice to have another woman rider along as well. Someone needs to keep the guys in line and add some class to this group as well.

The Canadians are friendly people.  Everywhere we stopped people wanted to know where we were from and where we were going.  I must say we were an impressive group with all of our riding gear, waterproof luggage and just shear size of our group. 

After clearing Canadian Customs we headed to Lethbridge where we finally stopped and had lunch.  It was nice to take a deep breath and have some time to relax and finally be able to chat.  Then on to Calgary, our final destination of the day.  As we worked our way through stop and go rush hour traffic towards our hotel destination, there was a kid riding a bicycle along the sidewalk next to us. It seems he was racing us and trying to keep up with us.  He was doing an amazing job of jumping curbs, winding around obstacles, flying through the air and sometimes even passing us.  When it was time for him to turn off and go his separate way, he actually bounced off the curb into stopped traffic right next to us and gave us a big smile, swung his bike around and took off. I think he could have been in a circus act if he wanted to be.  He was that good.

As I rode along I recalled so many fond memories of previous trips to Canada.  Riding through each little town and remembering things we had done together brought me closer to knowing how fortunate I was to have known such a wonderful man.

Leg 2

348 Miles
Sheridan, WY to Great Falls, MT

We woke up this morning to gray skies and strong winds. I feel like I'm in Patagonia again. The wind can get so strong that it can literally blow you off the road. The clerk at the front desk told us that a semi and RV were blown over last night on the exit ramp.  That made us feel good.

After careful consideration, we decided to leave and take our chances.  We prepared to be whipped around like puppets, but a few miles down the road the wind let up and it wasn't all that bad.

One year Norm and I entered a National Parks Tour contest put on by the Iron Butt Association.  The contest consisted of visiting as many National Parks by motorcycle as we could in a year and get their stamp in our National Parks Passport book.  I don't recall the number of Parks we visited, but it was a LOT!  So, when we talked about stopping at "The Battle of the Greasy Grass" as the Indians called it, better known as Custer's Last Stand at the Little Bighorn National Monument, it was a given. It is one of the most famous battles in American history. It was a brutal attack by the US Army's 7th Cavalry on the Sioux and Cheyenne tribes in one of the Indians last armed efforts to preserve their way of life. It was sobering.

Before

Departing Colorado for Prudhoe Bay, Alaska
May 28, 2014
Leg 1
The Norm Babcock Memorial Ride

In the Beginning...

I am about to depart for Prudhoe Bay, AK.  I've named this trip "The Final Corner-The Norm Babcock Memorial Ride ".  Norm and I were able to ride to some very special and remote locations: Nordkapp (Norway), the furthest most northern point in Europe; the Cape of Good Hope (S. Africa), the southern most tip of Africa; and Ushuaia (Argentina), the southern most point in South America, but we never made it to Prudhoe Bay (aka Deadhorse, AK), the northern most point in North America.  We had always planned to do Prudhoe eventually, but he became too ill before we could.

One day it occurred to me that we had ridden to three of the four most remote corners on this Planet, but never made it to Prudhoe.  You know, not many people can say that.  So that's what I'm going to try and do...for him...for us...to complete The Final Corner of the World. This one's for you, Norm.