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| Sunset over Turnagain Arm, south of Anchorage, AK |
"I think we should stay there for a few months during the summer", she said to me over the phone. "There's so much business up here for us, and it's so beautiful. I could fly up here, and you could ride your motorcycle."
Oooh, that last part.
You know, riding a motorcycle from San Diego to Kenai is no easy feat. I did it six years ago in fact, and while it was a fun adventure in retrospect, I wasn't sure I wanted to do it again.
Even in the middle of summer, it still pours rain up there, and still gets cold. Not to forget, the 500 to 700 mile riding days. It's a killer.
But yet, there's still that strange little part of me which wants to do it. It's more of the alone time, actually. I like the idea of running away, being alone out in the wide open. I think of Les Stroud, the guy who hosted "Survivorman", who actually was all alone and had to videotape everything himself. Yeah, I want to be that guy.
Honestly, however, it would take at least 3 weeks to get up there. I mean, in 2010 it took me two weeks to get up there, and I was really pushing it. That means 6 weeks of traveling up and traveling back. That leaves only 6 weeks for me to be in the Kenai Peninsula.
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| Me entering Alaska in 2010 |
Sash said...
"I heard there are actually a lot of used motorcycles in Anchorage you can buy cheap. You may not have to ride up here. Apparently, a lot of riders ride to Alaska, sell their motorcycle in Anchorage, and fly back home."
What?
What kind of pussy does that?
That's kind of like trailering your motorcycle to Sturgis.
Well, who am I to judge. I suppose I ought to look on Craigslist for cheap bikes in Anchorage. But on the other hand, why the Hell would I fly to Alaska when I consider myself a long distance motorcycle rider? Right? Either you're a rider, or you're just a motorcycle owner.
So if we're actually going to do this, we'd be looking at next June to do this. On the other hand, a lot can happen between then and now, and I'm normally one to just think about the now.
In the meantime, I've been working really hard trying to help us raise income. In other words, I haven't done much riding lately. I guess I'm making the most of my downtime here in San Diego. I mean to ride more, and write more too.
A vagabond who hauls a motorcycle around the country in a toy hauler, earning a living as a website developer. Can often be found where there's free Wi-Fi, craft beer, and/or public nudity. 
I think it all depends on how much time to you want to spend in the saddle riding up and back. If you want to spend 12 weeks on the road getting to and from then ride, but if you'd rather spend that time riding in Alaska, buying up there is the way to go.
ReplyDeleteIt is all about what you want out of the trip. Go with your heart.
Several years ago, I rode from Fairbanks to Monterey, CA, and back. Even with the week in Monterey and a week in OR, the whole trip was a month. I think that was 300-600 mile days.
ReplyDeleteIt's a great road trip! Two years later, I did it with a Ural so the miles/day were a lot less and more time was spent repairing things. But still, only 9 weeks.
Very cool cool, Steve. No bad options in your future. Curious to see what you end up doing!
ReplyDeleteFunny how time slips away. You gave me good advice when I was contemplating an Alaska ride a few years back.
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ReplyDeleteOf course looking at that photo of Turnagain Arm and seeing your bike there makes me want to go there even more. Now that I'm home in San Diego it seems so far away. But it just depends upon how we get there. Maybe another option?
ReplyDeleteSash