As I rode into the darkness, I was constantly on alert for animals. The deer are really thick near my parent's home. I did not see any and suspect that was due to storms the night before. I almost always see deer when I go to my parent's house.
As I pressed on in the darkness, I could see a fantastic lightening show off in the distance. It was great to watch until I caught up with the storm. I caught the tail end of the storm near Limon, Colorado and rode in the rain and dark for about an hour until the sun came up. It continued to rain until I reached Burlington, then cleared up.
I arrived home at 3:00 pm CST and was greeted by the kids. Devon was not home as I had sent her with a friend of hers to a salon for a pampering session. I spoke with the kids for a bit. Devon got home at about 3:45 pm. It was a wonderful reunion. I showered up and we all talked until it was time to go to dinner. On the way to dinner, we almost got into a head on collision in the car. A 16 year old driver came into our lane and was headed for us at about 50 miles per hour. I slammed the brakes on and hit the horn. With about 10 feet left, he swerved back into his lane, lost control of his vehicle, spun out, almost hit the car behind us, and crashed into the ditch. No one was hurt, but it was a very scary and tense moment. I am thankful that no one was hurt.
We had a wonderful steak dinner and a great evening.
No wildlife counts for today.
I'll bet you are wondering about some stats from the trip, well here you go:
Days traveled: 15 (14 days on the bike, one day spent in Fairbanks)
States traveled: 6 (Oklahoma, Kansas, Colorado, Wyoming, Montana, and Alaska.)
Canadian Provinces traveled: 3 (Alberta, British Columbia, and Yukon Territory.)
Miles traveled: 10,063
$ spent on Gas: $1462.87
$ spent on Hotel: $689.50
$ spent on camp sites: $80.00
Most Expensive Hotel: Super 8 in Dawson Creek, they wanted $150.00 for the night. I negotiated the rate with the clerk to $110.00. I also was able to negotiate the rate at the Blue Bell Motel in Fort Nelson from $110.00 to $90.00. Most hotels were around $80-90 for the night. The cost to stay at the University of Alaska is $56.00 per night for a single.
Least Expensive Hotel: Corral Inn in Harlowton, Montana at $50.00. I tried to negotiate a better rate, but my charm did not work with the clerk
Most Expensive camp site: $30.00 in Tok, Alaska
Least Expensive camp site: Free at the gas station in Teslin. Most camp sites were $10 to $20.00.
Favorite part of the ride: All of it :-). Most definitely Muncho Lake, the ride for the Alaskan Border to Tok, Alaska, and gaining status as an international rider.
Days without rain: None, I was rained on every day of the trip. The most rain in one day was the ride from Dawson Creek to Watson Lake, it rained a little over 12 inches that day.
Repairs to the Wing: Unknown at this time. For now; cruise control, speedometer, right fork seal, tires (I wore the set out), decorative light wiring, and a decorative cover was lost. This ride was brutal on the bike. I knew it was going to be tough on the bike, and it fared better than most. I will start rehab on the bike next week.
Even though I fell 80 miles short of my goal, it was the trip and experience of a lifetime that I will never forget. Thank you for all of your support, friendship, and love.
It is now time to settle back into normal life again and dream about future rides. Time to start learning Spanish and starting to plan out the next large adventure set for 2027. This would be my 55th birthday, and the ride would be to Ushuaia, Tierra del Fuego Province, Argentina. There will be other adventures between now and then, so stay tuned.
Ed
Great read! And, it looks like the ride was very enjoyable...and wet! Guess it can't rain on your parade. Glad you made it safley Ed. Thanks for the Blog. Might just have to try that ride someday on my Wing.
ReplyDeleteBrian,
DeleteThank you for your comments. I am glad you liked the blog. The ride is definitely one you should put on your list. My only recommendation is that you take time and explore. There are so many things to see and do there and on the way.
Devon and I are planning to go someday in the future. I really cannot wait to take her.
I hope to see you on the road,
Ed