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Deane, Norm, and Kay's Motorcycle / RV Trip to Northern Canada and Alaska | |
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Getting Ready for the Big Adventure |
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When Deane and Norm started talking about a second ride to Alaska, they both recalled that on their first motorcycle trip to Alaska, they would have liked to have ridden some of the really challenging Northern Canada and Alaska gravel roads . However, these were roads they wouldn't tackle on the big Honda Gold Wing touring bikes. These big bikes are wonderful for the paved roads that make up the journey to reach the gravel roads, but are not the bike of choice once on the gravel roads. Norm wanted to ride the "Dempster Highway" which goes from Dawson City in the Yukon Territory to Inuvik in the Northwest Territories, by way of 450 miles of gravel road (900 miles roundtrip). Also, to make that an interesting challenge, Inuvik is about 200 miles North of the Arctic Circle! Deane wanted to ride all the way up to Yellowknife in the Northwest Territories, for which the last 60-75 miles is gravel road and construction, and then on the way back to the Alaska Highway, ride about 400 miles of gravel road on the "Mackenzie Highway" and the "Liard Highway". Both Deane and Norm also considered riding the "Dalton Highway" from Fairbanks, Alaska to Deadhorse, Alaska (Prudhoe Bay), along the Trans Alaska Pipeline (1,000 miles roundtrip; 200 miles paved, another 800 miles gravel ). However, they decided this was one too many long roads, and they would ride only a piece of that one. Well, that meant they each needed TWO motorcycles to do what they wanted - the Gold Wings for the majority of the 9,000 mile trip on pavement, and another bike for the 1,500 miles of gravel roads, But, they could only ride one motorcycle at a time. Both Deane and Norm currently own smaller motorcycles that would make the gravel road trips well, but again, they could only ride one motorcycle at a time. Plus, the two "Silver-haired Road Warriors" didn't feel they could make the whole trip comfortably on the smaller bikes. Enter Norm's wife, Kay. Kay had visited much of Alaska with Norm and her parents several years ago, and loved it, but had not made the driving trip on the "Alaska Highway" (formerly called the "ALCAN Highway"), and wanted to do that. Kay retired from the FAA this last Spring, and now had the time to take the extended trip to Alaska by driving. Deane's wife, Diane, couldn't make this journey because of being very busy in her volunteer work, not liking long driving trips, and still recovering from knee surgery. Also, Norm and Kay had just bought a new motorhome RV to take long trips, and decided that this was the year for them to really get out and go. So, it was decided that Kay would drive the RV, pulling an enclosed trailer with a second motorcycle for each Norm and Deane! Now at any one time, there would be two motorcycles on the ground and two motorcycles in the trailer! Such a deal! Kay and Norm go from their home in Vandalia, Ohio each year to a "Campmeeting" in West Texas, for a get together of families and friends that Kay has been part of from childhood. After attending that, it is only a long day's drive to arrive at Deane's home in Albuquerque, New Mexico. Then a day to load up Deane's second bike, rest a little, and get ready to set out on this "Great Adventure". |
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