So the ten days back home in the US have been and gone and I am in the UK.

I have once again made the mistake of thinking that I will have time on my hands and my hands have come up empty. I have been frantically busy doing so many things that have been outstanding for all too long. All neglected in my previous life and now all begging out for attention.
Bonnie has had her major service and is in perfect running order. A testament to her breeding, that after all this riding through harsh and changing conditions, every one of her mechanical parameters was exactly as it was designed to be. No adjustments were needed.
I have added a few bits and pieces as a result of what I learnt on the trip. So she now has very sexy handle bar raisers which means that I can ride her in the standing position without my back feeling as if it is about to break. We will both be happier and more importantly, I will able to go at it for much longer in this position, exactly what every girl wants her rider to be able to do.

As importantly, my friend Mike at the BMW dealer, he is their technical guru, has found and fitted an aftermarket Tire Pressure Warning system, so hopefully no more flat tires without me becoming aware of it early on. That having been said, without the flat Walla Walla, the Penticton ladies and lithe Leslie would never have happened. So fate plays a hand in everything an as the title of Ernest Gann’s remarkable and must read book on aviation “Fate is the Hunter” points out, it really does influence everything in our lives.

Our condo has returned to normality. The laundry is all done. Riding gear that was hanging throughout the house to dry, it cannot be tumble dried, has been put away/ My camping gear is in its storage position. My credit card slips for the trip have been sorted and I have an Excel spreadsheet with all the costs now tabulated. They have been significantly more than I thought they would be, but overall I have had an experience that will remain with me forever and one which has fueled my lust for more of these adventures with my girls.

Two and bit months worth of post has sorted and filed. The only place that still looked like a war zone, after my first week home was my study area and that has also been sorted out. Minor maintenance done and the condo prepared for winter.
The key facts of the trip are as follows:
GPS mileage 11,250 miles or just over 18,100 kms

Time away was 57 days.

The number of days when no riding took place was 9, so I was in the saddle on 47 days.
Longest time in the saddle on one day was close on 11 hours from Whitehorse to Fort Nelson. This was 597 miles and the biggest single mileage day on the trip.

The shortest riding day was the day I rode from Rapid City to Mount Rushmore and then around the Black Hills at 134 miles.

Average speed over the trip was 53,4 miles per hour

Average fuel consumption was 37,4 miles per gallon or 6.27 liters per 100 km.

This is not as good as I expected it to be, but it was materially negatively affected by the trip back starting at Valdez on Saturday two weeks ago. I really “tonked” it on the way back. 3717 miles in eight days. Bonnie was heavily laden, we had a headwind for much of the way and from Edmonton, the new Metzler tires that I had fitted there also seemed to be heavier on the fuel consumption. There are a number of new small diesels that can beat these consumption figures, but not I suspect, at the speeds at which we were hauling ass on the way back.

I have worked out my rough costs. It has not been a cheap exercise. My fuel costs alone were in excess of $ 1250. Hotels ran at an average of about $125 per night and I only had the one nights camping in the Glacier National Park, after which I decided that camping would only be an emergency item. So the total cost of gas, lodging and fuel will be well in excess of $12k. For this I got as much pleasure as I have ever had in a two-month period and memories to last a life time. In addition I have made some fine new friends.

Camping when you are on the move every day is all well and good when you are in a car and you can chuck the stuff in the trunk and get going. On a bike trip it is not so easy, especially when you have a mountain of stuff like I did. I love camping, but on this sort of bike trip it was no fun. Different if you go to one place, set up camp and then do daily rides from there.

The other thing to note is that very few US and Canadian campsites have shower facilities so you need to find a nearby motel or hotel that will let you use a shower for a fee. This is also not my scene. Swimming in the lakes to clean off is freezing cold but at least there are no crocodiles to worry about and no one to steal your clothes and possessions while you are in the water.

I have been asked what the most memorable moment or place was. There were a few that stood out:

• Mount Rushmore for sure. It is spectacularly impressive!
• The Stewart Cassiar Highway near Stewart
• The vastness and beauty of Alaska
• The views of Denali and Tarkeetna.
• The ride into Valdez
• Lake Hood Seaplane base

The worst moments.
There were no really bad moments but

• every minute in Watson Lake was un-enjoyable ( only the signpost forest is worth a stop)
• The last full day of riding from Minnetonka near Minneapolis to Milwaukee because of the traffic and high prevalence of Nikita’s.
• Sitting at the Harley dealer and waiting forever for a tire, which ended up not being changed by them.
• Dropping my Bonnie in the parking lot in Watertown. Fortunately no damage to her only to my ego.

The most fantastic thing was the number of interesting people I met over the period. Had I been in a car I would never have been so lucky. People noticed that Bonnie was different and because of the way she was packed, I was inundated with people wanting to know where I was going to or coming from. Once they found out it was from Alaska, they became completely animated. It is a much bigger deal than I gave it credit for.

People were helpful to the “enth” degree and particularly in the small towns and in Alaska and Northern British Columbia, the inhabitants are worlds apart from their city counterparts. Very conservative and distrusting of government

In the next few days I will be writing to a number of them personally to thank them.
The US and Canada are vast, and then there is Alaska which is even vaster. The distances are staggering. However unlike in Africa where, when you are in the bush, you can always make a track or get a vehicle through the bush, in BC and Alaska this is not possible as the “bush” comprises trees that are less than half a foot apart. This makes it impossible for any vehicle to make its way anywhere off road. There is therefore no such thing as Bundu Bashing. Hence the reliance on Float Planes and Helicopters to get anywhere off the beaten track.

The roads in Alaska and British Columbia are generally good to very good. However and this is a big however, when they turn to dirt or gravel they are shocking, mainly because of all the ongoing rain and damage done to them in the winter. In addition the heavy trucks that are used in the mining and logging industries inflict immeasurable damage to the roads. A motorcyclist’s nightmare scenario is on these roads, because there are very deep ruts made by these huge trucks. Once in one, it is extremely difficult to get out of the rut whilst moving. In fact it almost guarantees a fall. The nightmare gets real when one of these monsters come at you in the opposite direction and he has his outside tire in the same rut that you are riding in. It becomes a case of can you stop fast enough and get out of the rut. He for sure is not.

Everyone working in the northern areas only has three to four months of work a year so it is highly paid and there are no daily or weekly hour maximums. You work all day and the days are long! You get paid by the hour and if you are a truck driver slowing down for a motorcyclist costs time and money.

The US west of Minneapolis and east of Portland is extremely conservative. No ways Obama is going to win much support here. Agriculture was and is the name of the game. The drought is very evident. When I rode outbound the corn was low and green. On the way back, other than in the Dakotas, Alberta and Saskatchewan, everything was showing desperate signs of lack of water. But in the crazy world we live in the farmers receive all sorts of subsidies and will muddle through. People in these areas have little or no interest in the world afar. I suppose this is no different to the country districts elsewhere in the world. There is absolutely no news on South Africa and even the Olympics received scant attention.

The native Indians and first nations as they are known in Canada get a rough deal and they all have alcohol problems. Lots of subsidies to smooth over everyone’s consciences. The Canadians do not really like their southern neighbours and distance themselves from the US at every opportunity. The Canadians are very friendly and much softer than the Americans, but one thing that really surprised me was the level of body mutilation displayed by Canadians. Almost every person has as a minimum a tattoo, some part of the body pierced or destroyed. This applies across the social strata, it seems, and is really ugly.

The big question I am asked is “would I do it again?” The answer is undoubtedly yes, but with some variations as follows:

• I will not necessarily ride all the way across the US, but will probably ship my bike to Vancouver or Seattle.
• I will then ride on the Highway to the Sky, which I did not do. This goes from Vancouver to Whistler and from there on to Prince George and up the Stewart Cassiar Highway to the Alaska Highway.
• I will not stay in Watson Lake, not even with a honey in the honeymoon suite.
• From Whitehorse I will ride over the Highway over the top of the World to Tok and then on up to Fairbanks or down to the Kenai Peninsula.
• On the way back I will route through Haines Junction and Haynes, from where I will take the ferry to Bellingham near Seattle, like Kelly and her father were going to do. This is a four day trip that is meant to be fantastic.
• From there I will ship the bike back to Michigan.
• The other parts that I want to revisit will be the Glacier National Park, the Black Mountains near Sturgis and northern Idaho in the area known as the Pan Handle.

All of the above presupposes that there will be a Honey with me, someone to enjoy the moments with me.

I learnt a lot about myself, as one does when one has only one’s self for company over an extended period of time. I have no problem with my own company and had some very interesting one on one conversation with myself. However all said and done it can only be better with someone along with you and best that be a honey!

Bonnie was the perfect bike for the trip. I took too much gear with me as one tends to do. Far too many clothes. I would not waste my time with more than three pairs of underwear, socks or T shirts. One pair of jeans and one pair of light weight trousers. A few layers of tops for when it gets cold. Everything can be washed in most of the places you stay at, certainly all the chain middle level hotels have laundry facilities and sometimes I simply did my underwear and socks in the basin. The best T Shirts are the new age materials although under your riding gear cotton may still be better as it absorbs the sweat rather than just transmitting this to the jacket.

Camping kit would be extremely limited and only for an emergency. The same with food. Medical and emergency spares would not be cut back on, nor would my SAT Phone or EPIRB Beacon, even though they were sparsely and not used respectively. The SPOT beacon was a godsend. This is a little satellite beacon on which you push a switch when you arrive at your destination and it sends an sms and e-mail message to recipients of your choice advising them that you have arrived safely and the GPS position at which the message has been sent. They can log in and see this on Google Maps.

Of the other equipment in/on the bike and with you, the following is essential

• A sheepskin saddle cover or Motohawk cover. These are much cheaper than a custom saddle and the factory standard saddle is a killer on extended days and trips.
• A tank bag. I had a debate out this with Charles Tasker before I left. He is one of the best bike riders I know. He was not in favour of tank bags. Having decided to take mine, it was the correct decision as it enables you to store stuff you need to access rapidly and easily such as your camera, cell phone, snacks and a knife or basic tools. It also has a clear panel on the lid in which to place one’s maps and notes. Despite having two GPS’s I still like a paper map as it gives one a much bigger area of situational awareness and the notes are often essential.
• Music or audio books. These and great in ear headphones. I have found the best in the world and will tell you more about these once I have secured the agency for SA.
• A good plug in electric pump for the tires as these should be checked every morning and the pressures adjusted. Also when riding on the really bad and wet stuff you need to drop the tire pressure much lower to increase the cross sectional size of the tires road contact area and hence for more stability. As soon as you get back onto the tar you must pump them up before you ride at higher speeds.
• Good cloths and a cleaning solution for you visor and windscreen. Bug murder takes place and the above need to be cleaned regularly.
• A good anti bug spray for yourself. The best being OFF Active by Johnson and Co as it does not have the repulsive smell of the others but appears to work just as well. In addition sun block out for your face is also essential as you are in the sun and wind for many hours each day.
• A good selection of healthy snacks. When you get a bit cold and tired these are critical. If you are feeling a bit sleepy the best is chewing gum as it is impossible to nod off whilst chewing.

Finally you just have to decide to do it.

So I am now back in Cambridge and have been reunited with three of my children and Jayne. On this coming weekend I will be back with DD, the jealous mother, the two Mugwumps who are about to be horrible spoilt, my dogs, with Spot and, of course, also with Lesley

I thank you all for reading this nonsense. I have enjoyed writing it and keeping in touch with you all through it. I hope that no one has been offended and you have been entertained.

Below are a few additional pictures from my trip. Enjoy

So until January next year, from Chile and Argentina when the adventures of Biker Pilot will resume,  from Cambridge UK a final, Good Night and Good Luck.

Copyright 2012