Good evening from Fairbanks, Alaska!

A one-room school in rural Alaska

The last few days have been packed with nothing but great things on my journey. First, by total coincidence my sister and brother-in-law and their entire family were in Anchorage while I was there. They were preparing to embark on a week long cruise back to Bellingham Washington. We had a chance to get together for drinks and dinner two nights in a row. It was really fun for me to see them all and to spend some quality time with family. We ended up eating at the same incredible restaurant both nights. A place called Humpy’s and if you ever make it to this part of the world we would all recommend it highly… especially the crab. Just be prepared for a crazy local spot that is busy all the time. No reservations taken.

After dinner, on the second night, while I was walking home I heard a huge commotion across the street and as I looked over I saw two restaurant security guards chasing a guy who allegedly pulled a “Smoky Tennis Shoe” (ran up a US$300 bill in their restaurant and bolted for the door without paying). As you can see, I am also now a member of the Anchorage CSI unit based on the photos I took. The police asked for my name and contact details so they could contact me if necessary. Of course, I handed them one of my Cruising for the Cure cards. I was not sure how they were going to react when I started playing Jimmy Olsen, but thought I would give it a shot. They were actually appreciative because I recorded everything and they felt this would counter the guy yelling “police brutality”.

In Anchorage I decided to go ahead and have a 5,000 mile service done on my bike. While there I met some great guys at the Harley dealer. There is something about motorcycles and the fraternity of people who are drawn into this sport. You meet people on the road and it does not matter the brand of bike, their city, state, country of origin, what the person does or used to do for a living. There is an immediate common bond and understanding as you talking to most of them as if they are old friends. It is truly amazing and a total kick to be accepted into this fraternity.

At the Harley dealer while waiting for my bike service to be completed, another guy and I wondered over to a motorcycle touring company that was located next door. The very experienced guy working there highly recommended that we take Hwy 7 east and then Hwy 4 south to Valdez. His comment was that “If you were only going to make one ride in Alaska, the Valdez run may be the one, but weather can by iffy at best”. That is all it took for me to change my plans… I canned Denali and headed for Valdez the first thing the next morning. He was spot on with his assessment of the beauty of this experience. Even better was the fact that I hit perfect weather both going and coming. Sunny and warm most of the both days.

The touring company guy also recommended that I take Hwy 4 north to Delta Junction which also was a great ride. From there I headed into Fairbanks just in time for the Summer Solstice Festival that was held last night. It was a giant street fair with bands, food stands, and junk for sale from hot tubs to jewellery and tee shirts. I finally called it off and went to bed at 1:00AM with it still light outside. What a trip it is trying to go to sleep when it is still totally light outside!

The festival brings out all type of individuals!

Today I hung around the hotel all day and did some work, some wash, and made some phone calls to Asia and to the Middle East.

Tomorrow I head to the Harley dealer here in Fairbanks due to a potential clutch cable problem that developed late yesterday. I would rather take care of it now than be in the middle of nowhere and find out that I have a real bad problem. I am cautiously optimistic that it is only a minor adjustment that I need. Will keep you posted.

That is about it from here for now. I will be going into a dead zone again over the next few days as I start heading toward Alberta and Saskatchewan and then on into Montana for the 4th of July. I am really excited that Doreen will meet me in Montana for a couple of weeks starting on the 5th of July. We have rented a house on the Gallatin River just outside of Big Sky. Our kids and their significant others will be joining us for part of the time and it will also give us a chance to visit with my cousin Sharon and her husband John who live close by.

The trip continues to meet and exceed all of my expectations. Saying good bye to Alaska in a couple of days will be difficult to say the least. No doubt I will come back to see more of this incredibly beautify state with all its colourful people. As one Alaskan resident told me when we were talking about the large number of men in comparison to the much smaller number of women living in this part of the world, “The women feel that the odds are good, but the goods are odd up here in the land of the midnight sun!”

Travelling alone and with Cruising for the Cure as my cause, I have had the opportunity to experience things that I never would have imagined had I done it any other way. I guess that is why they call it an adventure.

Enjoy your day and be good to one another. I will resurface when I can.

Dave