Alaska Baby, Alaska!

Yep, I made it! Yesterday I left Beaver Creek in the Yukon at 8:00AM in the morning and rode all the way to Anchorage Alaska. The journey covered about 450 miles when it was all said and done. Ride time totalled about 11 hours. This was in large part due to multiple road construction delays, but that being said, the ride could not have been more enjoyable.

First, the weather was perfect. It was sunny almost all day and during the afternoon the temp hit about 70 degrees (21 C). Second, the scenery was everything I thought it would be and much more. I found the wide open spaces, incredible vistas, and a multitude on “one horse towns” (meant in the most positive way)… What could be neater than that? Third, wildlife encounters continue to be incredible. Check out my “money shot” of the mother moose and her calf at the lake. Ansel Adams would have loved to have snapped this one! And last, but by no means least, the people of Alaska could not be any nicer. No question that this is the land of the "individualists". I have already met some really great people up here.

Dinners tend to start late here due to the long summer days. At 11:00PM the sun is still not yet set and it seems so strange to go to bed when it is still sunny outside. I am really excited about being up here for Summer Solstice.

My reaction to my ride yesterday... We have all had those special days in our lives that we will cherish and remember forever. Well folks, yesterday was one of those days for me.

After Twin Falls Idaho, my bike now continues to run like a champ although it looked like it was about 40 years old after the last couple of days on the road with the accumulation of Yukon and Alaska road dust and dirt. To show you how bad it was, it took me three washes at the do it yourself car wash to get it looking good again. Notice I did not say great.

Tomorrow I take Captain America to the Harley dealer for a 5,000 mile service and to make sure my new tires are not old after the trip up here. I also want them to go over the bike with a fine tooth comb to make sure that every bolt is tight and that pieces are not ready to fall off…again!

Also, tomorrow I am going to be interviewed by KTUU TV here in Anchorage (NBC affiliate) about my Cruising for the Cure adventure. Should be fun! Thanks to the great folks at Interval and at Susan G. Komen for setting this up. We are now also working on several more interviews that hopefully will take place over the next couple of days

Although there is a HOG (Harley Owners Group) rally here in Anchorage this weekend that would be a kick, I think I am going to leave on Friday afternoon. A big weather front is due in over the weekend and I want to get to Denali National Park before the skies open up again. I have had my fill of rain, but so be it if it comes. My rain gear is also working like a charm.

That’s about it from here my friends. I can’t wait to see more of this amazing state and to meet more of the locals. Alaska is something everyone should experience in their life time and there is no better way to do it than straddling a 650 pound Harley Davidson. Whether or not you do it on a bike, as Nike says, "Just do It. I suggest that you put this destination on your “Bucket List” and scratch a line through it sooner versus later. After all, “these are the gold old days”!

Ride on my friends, ride on!