Alaska Trackling

Sunday, August 5, 2012

Red Lodge, MT
Thanks to my sister Chris and Clare, we learned about pig races on Saturday night in Bearcreek, near Red Lodge, MT. The money raised is used for a scholarship fund, which over a period of years has raised $95,000! The place was crowed,  including families with children. Gabby 1 (Ed) and Gabby 2 (Redsy) were in their glory. So many people, so little time!

People lined up to buy chances for $2 each


As Chris said, "The funniest part was the way the people left their burgers and beers and ran for the back deck when the race was on...................then went back to their dining experience after the race was over".







Friday, August 3, 2012

Hogs eat a healthy breakfast!

But we had Whoppers with cheese last night!

Hooked back up with Redsy yesterday in Butte, MT. He left Seattle area Sundat to visit a friend near Helena, MT, while I stayed in Everett WA with friends, Ken and Janice Moores, getting trailer issues temporarily resolved.

Heading to Yellowstone and Bear Tooth Pass today.

Thursday, August 2, 2012

Deer Damage, Sprague, MT

A DEER HIT ME LAST NIGHT! You heard right. I'm near Spokane, WA. Don't usually ride at night because animals. Tonight I pushed my luck as I didn't leave Everett, WA until after 2 PM. Rode the last half hour at night on I90 then 3 miles to the camp site. About a mile from camp there was suddenly a rear standing by the road. I slammed both front and rear brakes, but that quick it ran out. It hit my right hand with something hard and also slammed into my knee. I guess I swerved into the deer as it hit because I don't think I headed into the other lane or toward toward my ditch. Of course the Rocket with luggage and me on back is about 1300 lbs. 


No harm to me or the bike. The hook on a trailer luggage rack bungy was straightened and the trailer has a few new scratches Don't know how the deer made out.Didn't capture it for the BBQ. Thought maybe when I reached the campground, it'd be on the trailer ready to butcher LOL


Hooking backup with Redsy, somewhere in Montana

Friday, July 27, 2012


We have seen countless bear since first entering Canada and talked to at least dozens of people about their bear (not bare) experiences. The further North we traveled, the more the bear and other animals seemed to want to put distance between them and us. Early on we hit the brakes hard if a bear appeared ahead. They were gone before we had a chance to shoot a picture. Later we accelerated in hopes of capturing a picture. We caught this guy Wednesday evening in Hyder, Alaska walking the bank asking everyone, "wheres the salmon bake?". The people throughout Canada and Alaska respect but do not fear either the grizzly or black bear. A flag lady on road construction today told us that she occasionally has to beat on the construction barrels to get wandering bears to leave. BTW, throughout Canada and Alaska, motorcycles are invited to the front of the line when waiting for the pilot vehicle to escort them through the countless construction stretches (many flag persons are attractive young ladys and a 20-minute wait  seems to be over in seconds!). Wednesday night Redsy was riding in the middle of the little town of Hyder, AK, when a black bear ran across the street in front of his motorcycle.

Having said all of that, Dick Wooley's 12-gauge pump shotgun, loaded with OO buckshot, has been closer to my sleeping bag than Faith. I have the shotgun in one arm and a super sized bear repellent spray can in the other arm. SAFETY FIRST :=)



Tuesday, July 24, 2012

SOrry you haven't heard much from us. Many days there is no internet or cell phone. Other days just disappear.Tonight I'm updating this in a campground laundry room at 1 AM PDT, somewhere in the Yukon Territory. Above is a cob-job repair to the broken trailer suspension. The suspension A-frame on the trailer I tow behind the Rocket broke in 2 places Sunday afternoon about 15 miles East of Whitehorse, Yukon Territory. It also punctured a air/oil shock which also drained the air from the shock on the other side.We walked in a dirt road that led to a cabinet maker. He kindly cut 4 blocks from 3/4 plywood to our description.. He then walked out to the road and helped lift each side of the trailer while I slid the blocks in between the suspension and body. With this we were able to limp back to Whitehorse to a campground.

Today I found a welder who fixed both breaks. That leaves the problem of a punctured shock with both shocks deflated. So rather than wait several days for air delivery of a shock from Tennessee, we improvised the temporary fix, pictured above until we finish the crippled trek of about 1800 miles to Seattle where the shock should be waiting.

Since the picture above is rotated to the left, lay on your left side to view it. In the center is one of two welds. To the left (Top) of the weld is a hunk of truck tire tread attached to the suspension with plastic wire ties.This currently supports the body, in the absence of a working shock. Hey its better than bailing wire and bubble gum! So now we will probably stop at the big cycle rally at Sturgis, SD where the trailer company will replace the whole chassis on warranty. If not there, I'll stop at the factory on TN. The Alaskan Highway is bruttele!

Tomorrow we hope to see bears catching salmon and grizzlys chasing the fishermen-NOT!


Wednesday, July 18, 2012

Faith and her credit card arrived in Anchorage and immediately boosted the local economy at the Harley store!

Redsy eating roadkill moose from the barbie North of the Arctic Circle!
Haven't blogged for a while. Been sitting on the porch with Sarah for a week looking across at Russia (or did Tina Fey say that on SNL)


Wednesday, July 11, 2012

4th of July-45F with rain-off the road for a day in Grand Cache , Alberta...Hot dogs, beans and good old red, white and blue PBRs

4th 0f July--Celebrating kicking the Redcoats ass in Grand Cache, Alberta, Canada. We have global outlook...celebrated Canada Day (Independence) in Banff, Alberta on July 1 in an Irish pub...so many ironies, so little time.


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Grizzly picture from the cell phone of  traveling salesman we met at Vegas Restaurant and Lounge in Grande Cache, Alberta during rainy day layover. Taken along the road we rode in on.

Bison along the road in theYukon Territory

Redsy on a plank bridge on the road from British Columbia into the Northwest Territory
Two old retired farts (one with a blocked artery) spent a nasty day looking out a motel window and napping, while the poor working stiffs with jobs to rush back to, slopped on :-)

Travel Parks in Lake Watson, Yukon, don't like Yankees (at least with tents). A "local" directed us to a secluded spot  of unknown ownership  nestled between an tiny airport Lake Watson. Redsy built a big bonfire and I cooked the usual fine meal on the Barbie.....can't remember what. LOL


(see grizzly caption earlier above) Same road, different grizzly eating elk kill.

In the tent and ready for bear


Ron/Redsy misses Barb!

Tuesday, July 10, 2012

WE MADE IT! Arrived in  Tok (~toke) Alaska, about 100 miles from the Canadian border. We felt a big sense of accomplishment making it to this point.....2 old farts, 1 with a blocked artery! We've been camping, but last night we got a room. Good thing. Its in the 40s and rained all night and all day.  Going to check out and head to Fairbanks tomorrow.

Tuesday, July 3, 2012

Canadian Rockies Between Banff and Jasper, Alberta
Sunday, June 1, we arrived in Banff, which is a major Alberta tourist destination and also the site of some of the Calgary Winter Olympics twenty something years ago, What we hadn't realized when we headed to Canada last weak was that July 1 is the equivalent of our July 4th. Additionally things are ramping up for the Calgary Stampede (allegedly the biggest rodeo in the world). So, the result is an abundance of tourists (some from pushy shovey cultures :) and a shortage of camping and lodging places. But, being resourceful ,we did score a campsite (w/o fire ring, boo hoo) and celebrated Canada Day in grand style at St James Irish Pub. Being camped in Grizzly, country, Redsy slept in his tent with a loaded shotgun.I was tired and left my shotgun (borrowed from Florida friend Dick Wooley) in the trailer, useless, and left my fate in the hands of Redsy "Grizzly Adams" Goshow. We talked to a couple Monday morning who camped at Lake Louise (between Banff and Jasper) Sunday night. Everyone with a soft sided trailer or tent, was required to camp in an area surrounded by an electric fence. They saw 3 Grizzlys outside the fence when they went to the showers in the morning,

Monday June 2, we had intermittent rain and couldn't find an available camp site, so stayed in a Best Western in Hinton, Alberta. We'd camped 6 nights straight (since Fargo, ND).

Elk East of Jasper, Alberta




Monday, July 2, 2012

Video - Sheep we watched coming out the east side of the Canadian Rockies today, west of Edmonton. We saw a Grizzly and black bear along the road today, but didn't  get pictures.

Sunday, July 1, 2012

Ed promoting improved international relations between US and Canada with bridal party at the Last Chance Saloon near Calgary (should qualify for Obama stimulus money - no pun intended!)

A fun stop near Calgary - Last Chance Saloon

Fargo ND - Ron getting registration paperwork in order to take shotgun into Canada

Wednesday, June 27, 2012

We decided to hang here in Fargo, ND for a day. Been riding 3 days in the heat since, Memphis and felt a day  of rest was in order. Redsy is in his tent sleeping at 3 PM CDT.


The top picture is him filling out papers for carrying his shotgun through Canada to protect me from the bears.


The bottom picture is Redsy chatting with Peter from the next tent site.He lives in Juneau, AK and is peddling his bicycle from Washington State to Bar Harbor, ME. He is more nuts than we are! 


.Last night Redsy grilled chicken on his Pro[pane stove. Excellent!

Tomorrow we head for Manitoba, Canada.


Monday, June 25, 2012

Today we traveled North through the rest of Missouri and stopping off for the night in Sioux City, Iowa. We decided this was probably the place to have steak. Wow!

Redsy is turning into a real techno geek.. Can't get him away from texting and back out burning up the road. He's always in a corner omewhere with the phone, PBR and cigar. He's ticked because no one sells Dutch Master cigars in this part of the country :-)

Tonight,the mission is to enter email addresses and get the link to this blog out. .

Sunday, June 24, 2012

Blogging is new for me, so please be tolerant. This is my first attempt at getting a picture from my iPhone into the blog. Hope you are not blinded by the reflected sun.

So, we are off, having left Memphis this morning. My partner for this grand adventure, Ron Goshow (pictured here with our modern day pack mules), and I spent the first day on the road together today with temperatures approaching 100F. He left home in Southeastern Pennsylvania, Thursday, June 21. I left home on Central Florida's Atlantic Coast Wednesday, June 20. We reached our Memphis meeting point Friday afternoon within 10 minutes of each other.Temperatures are too high for camping, so we are in a sleep cheap in Bolivar, MO, about 2.5 hours South of Kansas City.

Wednesday, June 20, 2012

Well, it took until 12:30 today to get on the road. The challenge was to take what is needed and have room remaining for Faith's things when she arrives in Anchorage on July 17. Given the late start, I decided to stay on the road until 7:30, and stay at a sleep cheap (Microtel) rather than camping. Need a good nights rest :-).

I think the blog is working with tonight's adjustments. We shall see.

I may look for Hank Williams monument in Montgomery, AL tomorroe.

Tuesday, June 19, 2012

Tomorrow is the beginning my most aggressive trip, touring by motorcycle. Over the past 3 years the trips have evolve from a 3 week trip between Florida and Pennsylvania to a 2+ month trip from Florida through  the South, Southwest, West Coast, Northwest, Upper Midwest and back to Florida for a total of 12,000 miles. Tomorrow begins a trip from Florida to Alaska and back via Seattle.

My trusty transportation consists of a 2011 Triumph Rocket III (2300 CC) Touring, towing a Bushtec Turbo+2 trailer, loaded with camping gear and supplies.