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$4000 for a picture

Thankis for the replies on approx trip cost. I hope to do a Retirement Celebration Trip next Summer. Would like to do an over the Great Lakes trip and Central and Lower Alaska then meander myself back down the PCH.
So I was attempting to get a grasp on how much it would cost within 1000 bucks. IE Tire changes and bike service along the way. No camping planned but emergency stuff in case of need.
Again thanks.
 
:brainsnap Why do I feel like I've stumbled into the Brokeback Mountain Bar in Kodiak, AK?
 
:brainsnap Why do I feel like I've stumbled into the Brokeback Mountain Bar in Kodiak, AK?

:rofl: :rofl: :rofl:

I'm thinking of a really tacky joke I'm not sure I should share :lol2:
 
Day 14

In the light of morning I had a chance to look around the campground a bit more. This isn't the first sweet looking classic we would see today...

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Our last camp :(

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Heading east...

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Since we were now back in civilization, we availed ourselves of an American classic in Vernon. There were several bikes out front all ridden by lady riders whose husbands were driving the sag wagon.

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Our waitress really had Graeme's number. He made some wise comment and she quickly surmised that he needed "special" treatment - she put a bib on him and brought out his pancakes already cut up in bite-sized pieces!

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After breakfast, we headed east on Highway 6 toward Needles and and the ferry crossing of Lower Arrow Lake to Fauquier.

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A few years ago Graeme had spent an entire summer riding the roads in western Canada, and he had billed these as some of the best in the country. I have to say he was right. We wound our way through steep mountains and lush green forests. There were stretches where we rode for miles where the longest straight-away was only a few hundred yards - it was marvelous! The roads were so twisty that I didn't take very many photos, I had to keep both hands on the bars and concentrate.

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We stopped for a break in the little town of Nakusp. We fueled up and had snacks from the gas station and made a few phone calls.

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I really liked this picnic table that was in the grassy area next to the station...

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After our break, we continued generally southeast on Highway 6 to New Denver, where we picked up Highway 31 east. This took us up over a mountain pass, where we stopped on the way up to check out a waterfall...

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After crossing the pass we descended to Kootenay Lake and rode south along the lake for several miles to Balfour where we boarded the ferry across the lake. This is a long ferry ride of nearly an hour, and the ship has a coffee shop and snack bar. It was nice to get off the bikes and be a passenger for a while and enjoy the incredible beauty of the lake and mountains. I imagine Graeme felt right at home - it felt like scene from a loch in the Scottish highlands.

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On deck I spotted this amazing Jaguar XK-E...

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Once across the lake we headed south to Creston, then turned back west to the mountain town of Trail. Al's in-laws live here, and his kids were staying with them for the summer, so it was a chance for him to reunite with family, even if only for a night. They had an amazing home-cooked dinner for us, real beds to sleep in, real showers, and covered parking for the bikes. It was postively luxurious.

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One of the coolest things about this trip was the different lodging experiences, we were guests in people's homes, we stayed 100-year-old motels, and we camped in the wilderness. It was neat to experience just about all aspects of traveling in one three-week trip.

This was indeed one of the best days of riding, and the twisty mountain roads left us all happy and very tired.

Mileage for day 14: 385
Total bike mileage to date: 5,471
 
Day 15

Up early the next morning, we started our final day of riding with a hearty breakfast and fresh coffee courtesy of Al's in-laws. They are awesome people!

I think Al's youngest wanted to go with us...

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We headed west into town to get some gas and stopped at this over look where you can see the valley and the town of Trail...

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We headed back east along Highway 3 where we ascending another high mountain valley with breathtaking views...

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We passed through Creston then picked up Highway 95 north. We stopped in the little resort town of Kimberley where we had lunch and strolled around town for a while. I think they were having a polka festival or something like that...

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I saw this sign, and thought of one of our TWT members. Hey Poser, this is for you...

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From there, we headed north along 95 toward Radium Hot Springs, and stopped at yet another scenic overlook with spendid views of the valley, and the sleeping Moose...

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Yet another immaculate classic...

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Bill was getting a little concerned about his back tire. There were lots of cuts in it, and he wanted to take it easy the rest of the way to make sure we could make it to Calgary...

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At Radium Hot Springs, we turned east into Kootenay and Jasper National Parks. The entrance to Kootenay is a narrow canyon...

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In Kootenay, we crossed the Continental Divide at Vermillion Pass...

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From here it was downhill into Calgary. Heading east, we passed under several wildlife bridges that are designed to let wildlife freely move across the highways without any danger from passing cars. According to Graeme, they spent several million dollars on these and the camera traps they set up at each have yet to show an animal using them.

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The final stretch into Calgary...

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And finishing safe and tired at John's house...

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After a long 15 days of riding, we retired to the corner pub for some beers and dinner.

Mileage for day 15: 400
Total bike mileage to date: 5,871
 
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Epilogue

The remainder of the trip consisted of loading up the truck and trailer and the long drive back to Texas. We had some 2,200 miles to sit quietly and contemplate what we had just done. I think we each learned something about ourselves on the trip. Personally, I had a lot of time on the bike to think about my life and my priorities. I know that I returned a changed person. It is only now, six months later, that the impact of this journey on my life is coming into focus. I won't go into those details here, suffice it to say that my life is profoundly different.

When we returned my wife helped me put this image together of all of the SPOT tracks from Houston to Alaska and back to Houston. I'm not sure of the exact total mileage, but it is somewhere close to 10,000. When seen from this view, it is truly amazing. North America at ground level is the journey of a lifetime.

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This concludes my portion of the story. Thanks for reading.

P.S. I finished the ride report before the end of 2008 - just barely! :rider:
 
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Re: Epilogue

Personally, I had a lot of time on the bike to think about my life and my priorities. I know that I returned a changed person. It is only now, six months later, that the impact of this journey on my life is coming into focus. I won't go into those details here, suffice it to say that my life is profoundly different.

I have enjoyed this report and am truly envious of y'alls journey. One day I too will make that trek.

As for the life impact, I only hope that it is for the positive.

Thanks for taking us along.:clap:

Duke
 
Re: Epilogue

I have enjoyed this report and am truly envious of y'alls journey. One day I too will make that trek.

As for the life impact, I only hope that it is for the positive.

Thanks for taking us along.:clap:

Duke

You're most welcome. The life impact is very positive. I'm probably happier and more content now than I have ever been in my life. Thanks for the comments!
 
Sparky: you must be a professional photo-journalist!! To ALL of you, well done!!
 
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