Danimal

I’m the cheapest bastard here, but probably the only one who always has spare brake pads with me. Changing them is easy AF. They’re as disposable as tires or chains or sprockets or even rotors (assuming your attachment hardware isn’t frozen) and would be thrown out if soaked in any petroleum products. That said I’ve ridden with fork oil-soaked pads and they can negatively affect the rotors surface as well. Rotors being harder to source when traveling, it’s just not worth it.

Some day you’ll roll out the after lunch details I’m sure

Sure you didn’t

I

Go for it Jim. You’re rich and in need of a real motorcycle

Great deal. GLWS

Got word while in Alaska that my Dad was hospitalized with congestive heart failure issues. He’s now home but the prognosis isn’t good so I’m making a beeline back to his home in Ohio, now slugging out long miles across Alberta. Fun time is over for now.

Yesterday I took Mystery for a ride up Hatcher Pass not far from their home in Palmer where I’ve been staying while resolving issues on the bike. With all systems go now, it’s time to explore a bit. As we ascended and descended the pass, I handed the Nikon to Mystery and she was the trip photographer. Summit Lake at the top of Hatcher Pass AK watching hang gliders descend afterwards, live music at the Palmer Alehouse

Made it to Seward Alaska and the best crab I’ve ever had!

I’ve been off grid for a while, riding the Denali Highway and camping. This is something you folks should make a bucket list item. It’s doable on a road bike if careful. Stunning scenery everywhere you look. Camp sites as far as the eye can see. I have lots of pics and video to download. Here is a cell phone photo from my tent last night Before hotels and motels Alaska had “Roadhouses”. There are some still around. Tonight I’ve got a room at Meier’s Lake Roadhouse near Paxon Alaska at the end of Rt. 8, the Denali Highway its raining hard. Relaxing and wondering what’s to come. Tomorrow it’s into Palmer Alaska and reuniting with a girlfriend I haven’t seen since 1989 !!!

I made it to Tuktoyaktuk NWT today. It was by far the most difficult road I’ve ridden to date. Now I’ve been as far north and south as you can ride in the Americas!

I’ll be heading back to Dawson and then taking the ferry over to Alaska. I’ll do the Dalton then, so I’ll be through Tok. Too bad you didn’t have time. It would have been a trip to run into you Nevin. And thanks. This has been a crazy road. Still not sure I want to do this last stretch to Tuk tomorrow. My leg still makes it hard to even walk. One fuck up and it could be bad. It’s probably stupid for me to be doing this shit still. It’s all I know now, and one of the few things that make me truly happy.

Correction: the second crash (the one I photographed the remains of) was as a rider from Michigan who survived and in critical condition in Whitehorse Yukon https://www.rcmp-grc.gc.ca/en/news/2024/second-motorcycle-collision-week-the-dempster-highway

I made it into the Arctic Circle!! I’m riding with a couple of Johns on big Beemers that I met at the D2D Rally. We have conquered multiple sections of the infamous Dempster Highway together already. Dawson City to Eagle Plains. Eagle Plains to Fort McPherson. There to Inuvik where I am. Two of the locations were out of fuel. Many bikes stranded. And the fuel truck carrying two tanks nearly took me out when he passed going the other way! And it indeed deserves its horrid reputation. Two motorcycle deaths in the past week I rode past the remains of one of the BMWs laying in the ditch. The Police tape wrapped on its remains caught my attention. I’ve had several close calls with Semis coming the opposite direction. Thank God for the new knobby tires. Seriously. I don’t care how long they last. They’re worth their weight in gold. Now we are stopped in Inuvik where we got gas and are waiting for John 1 to catch up. We were separated at the McKenzie River ferry. There were two ferry crossings today. Nothing like wet steel ramps and fresh dug dirt hills to start your grand exit. We may get rooms here and attempt to ride to Tuktoyaktuk and back to here again tomorrow. Or we may regroup and ride to Tuktoyaktuk tonight. We’ll see. It doesn’t get dark at all anymore. RIP GS pilot