Oregon

Day 33, July 26, 2008-346 miles. Not a bad day! We got up, had a bite of breakfast, and hit the road. We had decided via coin toss to ride north and west to ride across the bridge over the Columbia River on Hwy 101. To do that, we followed the Columbia west and then north. A nice ride, parts being fairly curvy and up and down. Part was boring (Interstate parts).

About 3 hours after leaving the motel, we came to the bridge. Up until almost the bridge, the weather was pleasant; almost warm and some sun mixed with clouds. Approaching the bridge, the weather worsened rapidly, with cold and mist as we rode across the big bridge. All in all, I was disappointed. It was not as big nor high as I had understood it to be. Not to be unfair, the Columbia is a very big, wide river at that point. I didn't measure it, but I would imagine it was at least 2 miles across, with one part probably 200 feet above the water. Not a small bridge by any standard, but not what I expected.

After crossing it northbound, we turned around on the north shore and rode across it again so we could be on Hwy 101, the road we wanted to ride south on.

Hwy 101 was initially disappointing, as well. The first hour or so, we went through town after town, all with slow traffic and lots of congestion. Not a fun ride. Also, I had thought it would ride right along the ocean, but we had not caught a glimpse of the Pacific after riding almost 2 hours.

Then, I caught a glimpse of the Pacific, and my attitude improved. The road got closer to the water, and, as we rode south, we saw the water more and more often. The weather still was not nice; very cool (had to stop and don our liners) and mist from time to time. Not wet, but just messy and very cool.

We stopped for pics several times, trying to capture the beauty of the ocean and rocky shore. We went into one small town on the beach to get pics and get a flavor of the Oregon Beaches. It was neat, but so different from NC beaches. Huge boulders jutting up into the air from the waters. Dark sand. Cold water. Not nearly as nice as our beaches; I'll leave their beaches to them and keep ours!

Late afternoon we decided to start looking for a place to camp. The first campground we stopped in, we found a site, started unpacking, when two young girls drove up and informed us that they had reserved the site for the night. While there was no “Reserved” sign on the site, I believe they were telling the truth, so we left and rode further south.

Finally, we found a site at one of the campgrounds just north of Florence, OR. Set up camp quickly and went into town for dinner. Found a local place, the Firehouse Restaurant, where the food was great. Then back to camp and bed.

A good and interesting day.

Tomorrow—South to California

Off the Ferry and Into the Woods

Day 32, July 25, 2008-331 miles. Off the boat--at last! While it was good at first, and never was bad, it got old. Maybe a cruise with someone special to keep you warm at night, or maybe with more on-board things to do it might have been less boring. But I did get bored looking at mountain after mountain.

The ship docked on-time at 7am AK time. The instant we hit the ground, the time changed to Pacific time, so in reality, we docked at 8am. Having been up since 5:00, drinking coffee and eating a big breakfast, I was ready to get into the hold and get the bike untied and pack the bike. It felt good taking the hold-down straps off the bike and getting it ready to go.

The bikes worked their way out of the hold as they were able. Since space was tight, and since they were in two columns, and since they had to be backed out of the space, it was not bad getting them freed. Everyone got off the boat with no mishap.

We had arranged for all the bikes to gather at the top of the parking area for some pics and goodbyes. Somehow we had bonded pretty well for folks who were strangers just 5 days ago. I guess the tales of adventures and the instant understanding of events helps people to "feel" what the other is describing. In any event, we had become friends in a few days.

The pics were taken, goodbyes were extended along with good wishes for safe rides, and we were off for the third leg of our adventure.

We had pre-arranged for Juan and Dick, two who were riding Vstrom 1000s and lived in the Seattle area to guide us to Ride West BMW. Dick has been considering a BMW GS Adventure bike and he wanted to ride one. So, we left as a group, got gas (cheap at $4.35 for regular), and started our journey south to Seattle.

They knew a road that ran parallel to the water, through some mountains and connected to I-5, the main artery for folks traveling north or south through the far west. The road was fun; lots of curves and elevation changes. Challenging enough to keep us awake and alert.

When we broke out of the mountainous area, the land became flat as a pancake. The topography changed much faster than in NC. Shortly we connected with I-5. South on I-5 about 60 miles, and to the dealer just a short distance from the interstate.

I went to the service desk, talked with Eric, who remembered my dilemma and had gotten the tire ordered, and went back outside to remove the wheel from the bike. It came off eaaily (BMW rear wheels on their R bikes are simple to remove. 5 lugs like a car, and it's off!)

Eric had agreed to work me in and in about 45 minutes, the new rubber was mounted and balanced, and I was ready to re-install the wheel and get on the road. No problems reinstalling the wheel, so we were ready to go about an hour after arrival. Not bad at all.

While waiting, the general manager came up to talk, and he wanted to show us some rides on a map. We went back inside and in about 15 minutes, we were amazed at all of the options we had--they have great roads out here (far west)! Too many for us to take advantage of many of them. Too bad!

So, we said goodbyes to Dick and Juan and got on I-5 for a while. We had decided to ride south and east to Mt. Ranier, just to see if we could ride on it. I had been there with friends and my ex-wife 19 years ago, so I wondered if I could remember much of it. As it turned out, I could remember some pieces, but not much.

The ride itself was great. Lots of turns and elevation changes; some places fairly challenging. We rode into the Mt. Ranier National Park at one of the accesses, renewed our annual passes to parks, and rode as far as the pavement went, to Sunrise Lodge. The ride to the Lodge was good, and even more challenging than the other roads. FUN! The RT has such good, abundant power, and terrific brakes--it's fun to ride it hard on challenging roads. These roads had lots of abrupt rises and falls in the pavement, working the bike's suspension pretty hard. Glad to have on-the-go ability to change the suspension for different road conditions. The RT is a great touring bike! I'm happy with my decision to buy it on July 30 of last year.

Because it was now getting later in the afternoon, and Gary was beginning to get low on gas, we did not do the loop to Paradise Point. Maybe another time later...

We rode south towards Carson, on the banks of the mighty Columbia River. The roads from the park to Carson were awesome. The first roads were average roads cutting through the countryside, but soon they turned into a roller-coaster ribbon of asphalt that went for about 80 miles. I can't describe them adequately, but picture a narrow road through a huge forest of Fir trees right up to the edge of the road (felt like riding through a tunnel much of the time) and winding left and right, up and down, for miles on-end. Throw in some hairpin turns, and it was a blast! The RT's suspension was tested to my limits. Leaned more than I had ever leaned on the RT, and it never failed me! Thank goodness!!

Finally, we arrived in Carson at about 8:30, found a room in the Econo-Lodge, unpacked the bikes, walked a few blocks for our exercise and dinner, and called it a night. Slept well!

Tomorrow--??? I don't know where we're going, but I believe it will be fun!

Ferry Ride

Days 28-31, July 21-24, 2008-1,500 miles via ferry. I'm going to cheat today by combining all of the days on the ferry. We got on the ferry in Haines, AK about 7:30pm on Monday, July 21 and will get off the ferry in Bellingham, WA on Friday, July 25 at 7:00am.

When planning the trip, I had lots of mixed feelings about whether to ride all the way back or whether to take the ferry back to the lower 48 states. I had talked to people who did it, and most said they felt it was a good experience.

From a financial viewpoint (which always must be considered), riding was probably a little cheaper. The ferry, with bike cost over $800. But the price of gas in Canada, the wear and tear on the bike and rider, and the lodging costs incurred made the ferry only a little more expensive than riding. So, the deciding factor was to do it for the experience of a multi-day ferry ride.

It was a good decision. The flat tire reinforces that I made the right decision; no worries about the plug not holding. Only have about another 100 miles of riding from Bellingham to Seattle and the nearest BMW dealership. And a tire is waiting there.

The ferry, the Columbia, is a big ship. It will hold 499 passengers and hundreds of vehicles of all sizes and descriptions. It's big. Looks like a luxury liner at first glance. But it's pretty spartan once inside. It has nice viewing areas in the front of the boat, two dining areas (snack bar and restaurant), a bar, a movie theater, cabins (2 twin beds or 2 sets of bunk beds) (some of which have bathrooms), and a solarium on the top-rear of the boat. Limited Internet service is available--in order to connect, I have to get up early before other computer-users are up. And the connection is very slow. It's too slow to post pictures, but I'll post pictures when I get a faster connection on the mainland.

The solarium has been our home on the voyage. It's an area with glass panels on top and the sides and open to the rear of the boat. Infrared strips provide needed heat to keep it from being cold. Behind the solarium is a small deck area in which tents are pitched.

Initially our plan was to get on-board, secure the bikes, and run upstairs to get a lounge chair and pitch the tents. The plan partly worked! We secured the bikes in the hold, ran upstairs and found that the wind was blowing a gale. We grabbed a chair each and vacillated over whether or not to pitch the tents. In the end, we decided that pitching the tents was probably a bad idea because of the winds.

Just to explain, the tents are held in place via duct tape to the deck of the boat. We were afraid that the duct tape would not hold and we'd lose the tents and contents to the straits of Alaska. In retrospect, the tape held for those who were brave enough to try it, so our decision can be challenged.

But the deck chair was not bad at all. It folds flat, making into a bed. I laid my bumblebee down for the mattress, then my summer sleeping bag on top of the bumblebee, and my other sleeping bag to sleep in. More comfortable than I thought, and almost equal to my cot. Not too bad!

Gary choose to use his air mattress instead of the chair, so his sleeping accommodations have suited him well.

We've seen several whales, a Gray Whale and a Killer Whale. And we've seen tens of thousand mountains on either side of the waters. The route, the "Inside Passage" is part of the Alaskan Highway System. It's the same route used by the luxury liners, so we're seeing what those passengers see. The waters are blue-green and crystal clear. Beautiful waters. But, truth be told, I've seen enough mountains and pretty water to hold me for a while. They get pretty boring when seen day after day.

There's a naturalist on-board from the National Parks Service, who does presentations from time to time. They have covered bears, whales, and navigaion. Interesting presentations.

The bikes are on the main deck. I'd call it the hold, but they refer it to the "Car Deck" when making announcements on the boat's speaker system. We have access to the bikes when the boat is in dock or every 6 hours, whichever comes first. Otherwise, the hold is not available to the passengers.

The boat's movement is almost imperceptible. There's a constant vibration from the propulsion system that's a bit annoying when I pay attention to it. Otherwise, you can't tell we're moving at all. No up and down motions. The only motion felt is when the Captain changes course left or right. And that is pretty slight.

The ferry serves several towns along the way, so we dock from time to time to let people and vehicles on and off. So, we have new neighbors occasionally. The boat was in port two times long enough for passengers to disembark and go into town. I chose to go into town only once in Ketchican (yesterday).

Probably the best part of the cruise has been meeting fellow riders and talking about the bikes and adventures. We've made new friends from the Seattle area, Moab, Las Vegas (Kurt), Anchorage, and other areas. One of them is a native of Brazil, and I've enjoyed listening to him and his banter about bikes. The one from Moab does tours of Utah and Colorado; I might look him up sometime to arrange a tour. Getting to know them a little and enjoying the chatter back and forth has been a great surprise.

All in all, the ferry ride has been good. As I write this, we're on the last full day of the ride, and have no ports to visit. So, it will be an opportunity to have a final bull session tonight before disembarking tomorrow morning. I'm pleased with my decision to do the ferry.

Tomorrow--disembarking and riding to Seattle for tire and the unknown...

Arrival at the Ferry

Day 28, July 21, 2008-340 miles. Ok, I'll cut to the chase quickly—the plug in the tire held to Haines and the ferry!

The day started early; we were worried that the plug would fail, perhaps stranding us along the way. Sometimes they hold for a little while and then slip our or leak, stranding the rider. So, we had valid concerns over whether or not we'd make it to the ferry. And a flat tire in Alaska or the Yukon Territory is no small deal. First, there are few places at all along the way. Second, there are no motorcycle facilities outside of Anchorage or Fairbanks. So, a huge bill is incurred when a bike fails along the way. We learned of one rider on the Haul Road who had a flat that cost him $1,000 in towing and tire replacement charges, plus several days delay. And if we missed the ferry, I had no plan on what to do since it runs once a week, and a big penalty is charged for cancellation. So, needless to say, I was concerned.

When I went outside to check the tire, I was relieved to see that the tire pressure was where I had left it the day before. The plug made it from repair to Beaver Creek. But would it hold up for another 340 or so miles to Haines? Still concerned....

We started riding south, and I led the way. At first I rode a little slower than usual, about the speed limit, but after a few miles, sped up to more of our normal riding speed.

Repairs were along the way here, too. So when I saw one, I'd slow down to make sure I didn't hit any obviously sharp rocks.

At Destruction Bay, the wind picked up, and big repairs were underway at one place. We had to wait at one place for a pilot car to lead us through the 7 kilometers of repairs we had to pass. But it did not slow us much.

We stopped at Haines Junction for gas and a quick snack. Then south on the Haines Road to Haines. This road was in great condition, with almost no repairs to deal with. Some of the road was actually SMOOTH! But it was pretty windy, with the gusts blowing us from side to side in our lanes.

At one point, it got really cold, when we were going through a mountain pass. My thermometer read 43 degrees, and with a light rain and the wind, it went from cool to cold really fast. I was glad to have a heated jacket and heated grips. I just wished I had donned my heated socks. My feet were not happy!

After a while, the road went downhill to lower heights, and the thermometer went to higher temperatures and happier feet. The town of Haines was a welcome sight!

The first order of business was to find the ferry landing and learn the check-in process.

It was easy to find, and check-in was simple. Show them the itinerary printed from their website and a picture ID, and they issued tickets to Gary and me. The second order of business was to find some food for lunch and some supplies for the 3-day ferry ride.

We rode back into town and found a restaurant that served food and beer. We had not had a real meal since Sunday morning, so we needed some solid food. I was hungry! The cheeseburger and fries was good with a cool beer!

Then we rode back to the ferry and waited for its arrival, some 2 hours later. We made it and were ready to board.

Finally, the ferry came into sight—a big ship looking like a luxury liner. It is huge compared with ther ferries we're accustomed to in North Carolina.

After a while of loading many cars and big trucks, they let the motorcycles board. Getting into the hold was easy; tying the bikes down was pandemonium. We had a lot to do and not much time in which to do it.

The bikes were parked in two rows, with tie-down points on the outsides of the bikes. So, to secure them, they had to be tied together in addition to the tie-down on the outside. Then, we had to carry our gear up 5 stories to where we were staying. All in about 20 minutes! Too much to do in too little time.

We had planned to set up tents on the Solarium Deck, as many folks do. We got on the Solarium Deck, found deck chaise lounge chairs, and decided not to set up the tents because it was blowing a gale and we were afraid we'd lose the tents and their contents! I was able to get almost everything I needed from the bike to the deck, so it turned out okay although harried.

With a tentative decision not to erect our tents, we got our chairs situated. The Solarium is a neat place. Fitted with glass windows on top and both sides, it is protected from the weather pretty well. It is also fitted with infrared heating elements on the ceiling, providing much needed heat in cool weather as we were experiencing. They were very welcome.

We got a bite of dinner (bowl of chili), and went back to the Solarium. Gary inflated his air mattress, and I fixed my bed (the lounge chair). I used the Bumblebee and summer sleeping bag for a mattress and got out my sleeping bag. And laid down. And fell asleep, listening to the wind, the ship noises and Gary's snoring.

At around 11:30, as the ferry neared Juneau, it's first stop, I got up so I could go back into the hold and finish getting what I was not able to bring up earlier. Access to the hold is limited when the ship is moving; available only when it is at dock or every 6 hours, whichever is sooner. Not a bad thing, but it is a little inconvenient sometimes.

Got back to the Solarium and fell asleep and slept pretty good.

Tomorrow—cruising....

Flat Tire!

Day 27, July 20, 2008-434 miles. Today's ride was from Anchorage to Beaver Creek, YT. We got up, had a leisurely morning visiting with Gary's family, with a goal to be on the road to Beaver Creek about noon. Before leaving, we decided that we needed to go by the base to personally thank the captain for his hospitality. Our host arranged to get us in with him so we could see him.

We left our base at about 12:15pm, rode across town to Elmendorf AFB, and parked the bikes in a public area. Our host thenloaded us in his truck and we entered the base and went to his building. In a few minutes, our captain appeared with his wife and smallest child, and we let him know how much we appreciate all he did to take us fishing. He admitted that the trip was maybe his best trip ever, so we felt good that he enjoyed it too.

Then we got back on our bikes after thanking our host, and hit the road to Tok, AK.

The ride to Tok was uneventful. We went by Matanuska Glacier again, huge and white on our right. Awesume!

At Tok, we got gas and headed sougheast towards Beaver Creek on the Alaskan Highway.

The Alcan Highway is always under repairs in the summertime. Frost heaves create havoc with the road, with elevation drops of several feet. The road would suddenly drop and perhaps 30-40 feet ahead would rise to the level before the drop. These “heaves” are fun on the bike. Feels like a roller-coaster ride. Not quite steep enough to get air; sometimes they felt like they would launch us towards space!

There are places where they're working on the road. A “Broken Pavement” sign warned us that the road conditions were changing severely ahead. The repair sections were in varying states of repair, with most being dirt or dirt and gravel for several hundred feet to perhaps ½ mile in length.

Gary is a very experienced, good rider, on pavement and dirt. His bike is also built for roads of varying consistency. So, he enjoys some dirt and gravel along the way. I'm NOT!

My earlier bike, the Vstrom, is made for road conditions similar to Garu's GS, so it handles dirt and gravel well. My RT is built for touring (on paved roads), and I'm not as experienced as Gary, so those sections are much more challenging for me. I can do them, but with less confidence than he has. On top of all this, it had rained just prior to our arrival to this area, so add mud to the mix of dirt and gravel.

I did very well, all things considered. There was one stretch where I almost lost the front end on deeper gravel. The bike saved me from falling; I can claim no credit. But I stayed upright. Another two patches had lots of mud in a watery consistency. I think the bike slid s little, but, again, no mishaps.

After each repair situation, I'd pour on the gas to catch up with Gary, who had ridden at close-to-normal speeds while I worked my way through them.

After one patch, I noticed that the bike felt different; squirrely in the rear. I played with it just a bit and decided that something was not right. So, I called Gary and told him to stop at the first safe place. A couple of hundred yards up the road, we stopped.

I got off the bike, kicked the rear tire, and it was flat! 9 pounds of air when tested. We put the bike up on the centerstand and rotated the rear, looking for a nail or screw. Nothing! So, I got out the pump, hooked it up and let it run. After about 5 minutes, I disconnected it and could hear air escaping the tire. There was a hole in the center of the tire; no nail or screw. I don't know what I hit, but nothing was in the tire but a clean hole.

I travel with a plug kit and the pump. Today they paid off. The plug kit, a cheapo from Wallyworld, had successfully plugged several tires over the year. So, with a clean hole and the kit, I felt pretty confident that I could plug it successfully. So, I plugged it, finished inflating the tire, and we got on the bike to continue to Beaver Creek, some 40 or so miles away.

Another GS rider from Las Vegas had been following us through the repairs sections and he stopped when we stopped. Kurt, who works for a BMW shop, helped us get it all done. Kurt, thank you for your support!

We rode successfully to the US border just north of Beaver Creek. The crossing was slow; there was one vehicle with a gun issue, and a truck with some other issue. So, we were delayed getting through the border. Our crossing was uneventful, for which I am thankful.

We rode to Beaver Creek for the motel, found it and checked in. Very small room, twin beds, small shower, no TV or phone. But it was very welcome at 11:30pm.

We did a short walk, went into the bar for a dinner of beer, potato chips, and a beef jerky. Then the welcome bed.

So, an adventurous day which ended well. But will the plug last to the ferry some 340 miles away, and if it does, what next?

Tomorrow, ride to the ferry at Haines.

Fishing!

Day 26, July 19, 2008-0 miles. Wow, what a DAY! One of my dreams of Alaska included going Halibut fishing. At one point in the trip, Iwas not sure it would happen, but our gracious host arranged for a day on the waters in the Prince William Sound.

The day started early, at 5am. We got up, got dressed, had a cup of coffee, and headed south to Whittier. The trip included going through the famed 2-mile tunnel, carved for trains, and used as one-way traffic for cars and bikes. We were lucky and the tunnel was open for car traffic to go into Whitter as we arrived at the tunnel and paid the $12 fee.

The weather on the mainland side of the tunnel was dark and dreary, looking like rain at any moment. However, when we got to the Whittier side of the tunnel, the sun was out bright and the wind was blowing a gale. And cold.

First, I worried that I did not have enough clothes for the trip; I borrowed a rain jacket from Gary's brother, so I put it on and it blocked the wind. Underneath, I had 3 layers; a sweatshirt, a fishing shirt, and a long undershirt. So, I was properly layered.

We found our captain, one of the men who works for our host, another man who works for him, a friend of theirs, and Gary and me with out host. 6 in all. We boarded the boat and started off into the sound.

The boat was a beautiful 28' aluminum boat, equipped with a full cabin (including refrigerator, stove, sink, toilet, table, and berth space for several folks. Our captain said he and his family use it for camping on the water. His family numbers 6 people!

It also had an inflated skiff on top of the cabin for emergencies. Two 150 hp Honda outboards powered the boat. It truly is a very classy boat that is equipped with redundant equipment (one large Garmin GPS with radar) and 2 other GPSs, along with other crucial equipment.

We rode for a little over 2 hours at about 30mph before we stopped to fish. It was a spot where he knew from experience that fish were likely present. The anchor was dropped, and the rods handed out.

Wow, the fishing equipment is heavy duty. The short, stout rods were equipped with big Penn reels holding 100 # braided line. The terminal tackle included a 5 # ball of lead to pull the bait to the bottom, some 200 feet beneath the boat. Crystal clear water was beautiful! No wind and the water was almost as slick as glass. And it had warmed to a very comfortable temperature. Perfect conditions!

We dropped the bait into the water, and about 3 minutes later could feel the weight hit the bottom. Jigging was the technique, pulling the weight about 3 feet off the bottom, and then raising and lowering the rod to attract the fish to the bait.

In about 2 minutes, I felt a definite tug on the rod, and it pulled back! Fish On!! as people had told me, it was work bringing it to the surface. Probably 5 minutes to reel it in—a Halibut bigger than I had ever seen live before. I don't know how big it was because as soon as it was gaffed and pulled into the boat, it went into the fish hold. But it was a big flat fish as far as I'm concerned. Catching the first one, and a Halibut put me into blue heaven. I loved it!

Within a couple of minutes, others had a fish on, and the battle ensued, with us winning most of the time. I caught a toltal of 6 fish, one of which was tossed back in for it's smaller size. The limit was 12 Halibut (2 per person), so I got more of my share. But I probably fished more than the others. The captain and his co-worker, and our host did not actively fish, with them helping manage the fish caught and bait and picture taking chores.

I had a ball! Gary is not an avid fisherman, but he enjoyed this trip.

When we made our limit of Halibut, the captain asked if we wanted to catch some other fish. Dumb question as far as I was concerned!

So, we took off to another location maybe 15 miles away to look for Ling Cod. And we found them!! The technique here was drift fishing, with the boat drifting by the tide and us jigging with lighter tackle. Actually two kinds of rigs were used; silver plugs were used and big leaded plugs were used.

We found that the big leaded plugs caught Ling Cod and the lighter tackle caught Black Sea Bass. The Ling Cod are big, ugly fish. They are voracious feeders and have a huge head and 18 big teeth. We were warned not to put any body parts into their mouth or we might lose it. Big and ugly. The size limit was a minimum of 35”, so all we caught (11) were between 36 and 42 inches in length. We thought we had our limit of 12, but learned at the dock that we miscounted and shorted ourselves by one.

The Black Sea Bass were not small fish. They probably averaged 2 feet in length and probably weighed 10 pounds each. We caught what we thought was our limit of 12, only to learn later that the limit was 5 instead of 2. Oh well, we had a ton of fish already.

When we left this area, our captain asked if we wanted any Silver Salmon, so of course we said yes. They were closer to our dock, so we rode for about 2 hours back towards the dock before he stopped to rig for the salmon. We fished once, but caught nothing. So, we headed back to the dock.

The ride back was fairly long and more violent than the ride out. Big sprays of water and bangs of wave on aluminum hull made it loud.Several of us (me and our host), tired from the day's activities, took a nap along the way. But we got back to the dock, unloaded the fish and gear. Our hosts then cleaned the fish. Actually, they filleted the fish and put them into gallon ziplock bags. 40 bags of fillets!! They filled one of the huge Igloo coolers, leaving no room for ice! A nice problem indeed.

The hosts then cleaned the boat, filled it with gas (100 gallons, which was very economical for what we did!) and we loaded up and went back to our base.

Topping off a perfect day, on the ride back to our base, it was raining, and the sun was shining. Looking over our left shoulders, a perfect rainbow was sighted. Perfect in that it was complete—it ranged from one side of Turnagain Arm to the other side mountains, and also that it was brilliant in colors and had a mirror image just outside the main image. We took a few pics that did not show the brilliance or completeness of the rainbow.

A great day! One of my life dreams realized, thanks to our wonderful friend in Anchorage. I'll forever be grateful for their hospitality.

Tomorrow-beginning ride to the ferry.

Denali National Park

Day 24, July 17, 2007-22 miles on bike; 132 miles on bus. Today was a mixture of good and boring.

We got up, got dressed, had the continental breakfast offered by the motel, and went to the park to check in for the bus ride. All of the check-in procedure worked just like clockwork.

The bus ride was one of several offered by the park. It was a 9 hour (total), 66 mile ride into the park on a bus like a school bus.

We were fortunate that the bus was less than half full, leaving each of us window seats. We had been advised that the left side of the bus was the best, so we could possibly see Mt. McKinley. Of course, it was very cloudy, so seeing the big mountain would be impossible today. It's viewable only a small percentage of the time, so our trip was like most folks'.

The ride started, and we rode and rode and rode. Part of the ride was on pavement, but about 80% was on dirt and gravel. Bumpy! Noisy! Lots of gear whine and engine moise. And DUST!

Over the course of the day, we saw 3 Grizzly bear, Arctic Ground Squirrel, Red Foxes, Dall Sheep, Moose, Snowshoe Hare, Beaver, and other small animals. I liked the bear best since I didn't see them the last time I was there.

It rained some; lightly scattered during the day. It was pretty cool and overcast, with some variable winds.

A good day with very little riding on the bikes.

Tomorrow-back to the base.