So five star luxury tonight in the leading Alaskan Ski resort, but it does not have Wi Fi in the rooms. I am sitting in the lounge getting this off.

Hoping that I do not have a repeat of yesterdays loss, not loose, of all the hard work. The Opus about Bankers. Two whole days now floating around in cyber space. I am in the process of recreating it.

My Sunday started badly. This was to be the first day of my Motoquest tour and all I had to do was be at their offices by 10h00. As the offices are less than 10 minutes from my hotel, no problem. A great dinner last night to meet the team and early to bed. All packed up and ready to go, almost. what could go wrong?

The first thing was a phone call from my dear friend Harold at 01h00 in the morning. A serious issue to  be sorted out. His iTunes account had run out of money. This needs me to sort it out as he is now almost a bachelor and therefore technically incapable of these things. So I could not go back to sleep. Two hours reading. Then at about 03h00 I made the mistake of reading my mail. An urgent please for assistance from cousin dearest. So now the mind was really working.

So mail composed and around 06h00 a telephone call to the UK. More documents and so on until sure as hell I missed the 10h00 deadline and only got there at 10h30. One other complication as well. In my selective thin out of gear I sent my tried and tested bag back, full to Michigan and bought a smaller waterproof bag. However it is so much smaller that my residual shit did not fit into it, so a quick trip to REI for a repeat purchase of the original.

On my own for the first 100 miles to catch up the gang, a great and very beautiful ride from Anchorage via Girdwood to Seward. Seward is in effect Anchorage’s harbour and is physically very stunning. In a Fjord, it is a real fishing village. Lunch with all and then back to Girdwood and the Alyseska via Hope.

When we arrived here, Brendan the young hotshot tour leader announced that for those who wished to partake, there was a small off road ride. “About 30 kms to an old mine on a well prepared gravel road/path”. I have heard this shit before. It is the epic sort the men out from the boys early on stuff. So nowhere to hide. The woeses riding Harley’s were definitely out. They all had girls with them and therefore other things to do on arrival. Some of the big mouths on BMW’s also bailed quickly. In the end five of us went. As I suspected it was anything but easy. However I ditched all my peripherals beforehand. Luggage, Panniers, Tank Bag and spare tires. Also having learned from Jan Du Toit, down went the tire pressure and I was ready.

So I am proud to say I did not let the SA Men down, unlike the Stormers, another bunch of Bishop’s morphies. we arrived after much tail sliding at the old gold mine entrance and  a waterfall of unimaginable beauty. Unfortunately this is not the place to upload anything.

Then back. Now the pace was really picked up by young “Rocket Man” to the extent that at one point around one of the corners I managed to do a Valentino Rossi slide and my “rocket pocket” underpants are soaking in my basin, having needed a full wash. But I am here and the ridicule will be reserved for the Harley boys.

So tomorrow up to Denali and lots more dirt. This is good as it is real riding.
I cannot be late so it is good night blog and off to bed.

Good Night and Good Luck

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