Ride Report- Mississippi to Alaska & Back - Pic Heavy

[DK Custom Products]

So today I am taking a break from posting pics to answer a couple of questions that I have had.

1. What mods did I make to the bike for this trip, and how have they worked out.


In 2012 we took a 11,000 mile trip through 16 States and 1 Canadian Province. There were a few things during that trip that I knew I wanted to change prior to the next big trip.


A. Get the heat under better control.

Last year we spent some time in traffic and the EITMS would kick in.

Also, on long runs interstate runs at 75-85 mph, in high ambient temps (90+*), the oil temp would start creeping above 230*, which is not acceptable to me.

I did two things to address this-

Traded out the PCV for a Power Vision

Installed the CVS fan from Wards Parts Werks


The Power Vision is an amazing tool that has worked well for me. Before leaving I did a bunch of auto-tuning (with the narrow band sensors) and got it running better than ever, and better MPG too. This was in 80* temps.

That is the map I used the entire time. However, as noted in an earlier post, I was able to use the "Tweak" tuning and the realtime MPG and Throttle position readings to get me better MPG when we needed to make it to a gas station that actually had gas. lol

ALSO, when we got into some warm temps, I am able to monitor the engine temp on the PV and use the "Tweak" tuning to richen it up a bit so as not to run hotter than I wanted.

Lots of other benefits to the PV. Very pleased with it.


The other thing I did was install the Ward Parts Werks CVS fans. I have known about these for awhile. Just did not want to spend the money, plus the looks of them was not all that appealing to me.

Well, I bit the bullet and installed it. WOW! The fans direct air right over the hottest part of the engine (right over the spark plugs). Works better than a parade fan that pushes the majority of the air between the cylinders, plus I can keep my cowbell in place.

EITMS has not kick in one time. Engine temp, as displayed on the PV, is an average of 20* cooler while running down the road. At an idle, just sitting, the engine temp would actually drop and stabilize around 210-220.

Very happy with the CVS.





B. Prepped for the gravel and dust that turns to cement when wet.


Took a piece of plastic (from an old saddle-bag liner) and make a front fender mud flap. Only 1.5", but that is all it took to keep mud & rocks off the oil cooler. It also never dragged the ground.

Mud Guard





Also, I normally run my Outlaw Air Cleaner with an exposed element. I keep a rain sock with me that I use if I'm in heavy rain for extended periods of time.

However, after reading how the dust turns to a cement like material when it gets wet, I changed my cover from a Cyclone style to a Bobber style. Has worked great!

Cyclone Style Cover


Bobber Style Cover




C. Prepare for the cold up north.


I normally run an 8" recurve windshield during the summer and a TALL Flat-top recurve windshield during the winter.

Since we were going to be doing some of our traveling in some pretty warm weather, and other in some pretty cold, I compromised and put the stock windshield back on. This gave us more air in the hot weather than my flat-top, and better protection in the cold weather than my 8" recurve.

A good compromise.


We already have been using gerbing jackets for a couple years now. We have one power port for a dual controller for the two jackets. Well, we thought it would be cold enough that we would want heated gloves also. So we added the gerbing gloves to our gear, and added a second power port for another dual controller.

Turns out that we wore the gerbing gloves quite a bit, but we never had to actually put any power to them.



C. More electricity!


On our last long trip we took I would spend a LOT of time each night making sure all the batteries were charged.

2 cell phones
MP3 Player
2 camera batteries
3 video camera batteries

Even though all were topped off every morning, sometimes we would run out of camera or video battery before the end of riding.

So I picked up a power-point at wally world and installed it in the tour-pak. Ran a line directly to the battery (with an in-line fuse). With that I added a 4 port USB hub so that we could be charging going down the road.

This is much better, I no longer need to be switching out batteries in the chargers in the middle of the night. Nor do we run out of charge during the days when Mary is snapping hundred of pics.



D. Highway peg heel rests.


Adding heel rests to the highway pegs added several extra positions to how I can stretch out. Huge improvement!


There are lots of other mods to the bike, but I'm pretty sure these were all that we did in prep for this trip.



Next post will be answering the other question we have had many times....What all did we pack? Will get to that one tomorrow.

[patriot]

Thanks for spending time to provide your updates on your bike. This truly will hep those preparing for a trip like your.

At the end of your trip, if your Dont mind, providing a breakdown of your expenses will really help in preparing for an Alaskan trip. So many times, we underestimate the cost and become surprised when we run out of funds.

Thanks again.

[Nana]

Regarding the Salmon Glacier area (and all of the other BC pictures ) ... WOW!

[DK Custom Products]

Thanks for spending time to provide your updates on your bike. This truly will hep those preparing for a trip like your.

At the end of your trip, if your Dont mind, providing a breakdown of your expenses will really help in preparing for an Alaskan trip. So many times, we underestimate the cost and become surprised when we run out of funds.

Thanks again.

Glad it can be a help.

RE: finances...I don't want to think about it now, nor will I probably want to think about it later.

But you are right! We have been surprised by how expensive food and motels are in Canada! I still have not figured out how Canadians get by. It's not just a little more expensive, it is significant. We are way over budget, have dipped into savings...not just because it is more expensive, but also because we are not covering as many miles per day as projected, making the trip longer than expected/budgeted for.

I am NOT complaining, this is definitely a trip making some amazing memories, but it has been a bit of a surprise $ wise.

I will take some time to do as you asked on a breakdown of expenses.

Regarding the Salmon Glacier area (and all of the other BC pictures ) ... WOW!

Yes, I agree! WOW! We will definitely be coming back to BC at some point!

I have been following your progress through the days and I am always looking for your post when I cannot see it in the home page. GREAT TRIP!!! GREAT Partner!! and you guys look to be having a GREAT time! Be safe and I am looking forward to more riding.

You are right, Mary is doing a fantastic job with the photos. But hey I think you are doing a great job with the posting. Ride Safe....

Thank you! Will keep posting!

[DK Custom Products]

I have been asked a bunch of times, what all did we pack, how often do we do laundry, etc.

So here goes. We planned for a 45 day trip. We also knew that we would be in both HOT & COLD temps.

Regarding the temps. We cheated a little.

We wore our armoured mesh jackets until we hit Missoula, MT. We shipped our leather jackets and Marys leather chaps to Missoula (where our son and granddaughter are). We left the mesh with them and took the leather up into Canada and Alaska and back. Stop by Missoula on the way home for a short visit, swap the leather for the mesh. Pack up the leather and ship it home.


Almost everything else is in the picture below. Sorry it's fuzzy, I took it, not Mary. lol

We use stuff sacks for a few reasons.

* I can cram them in the trunk, taking up all the space available, that would just not be possible with hard cased containers

* We used magic marker on the stuff sacks, identifying what generally is in each one. That way we only have to open the one we want, instead of sorting thru a large bag to find one little thing.

* There is a lot of room in the trunk in the upper rear corners. Amazing how much you can get in them when you have such a flexible bag.



I'm just going to start at the top of the picture and work down.

Small soft cooler. This has one of those hard blue ice things in it that you freeze every night and it stays cold throughout the day. We keep whatever foods that could spoil in there. (sliced turkey, cheese, sandwiches, etc. It stays bungee'd to the rack on the Tour-Pak, along with the 2 gallon gas can.

Upper left-Large Red Stuff Sack- This has a couple of pillows in it and the power cord for the laptop. Yes, we took pillows! Some motel pillows leave a lot to be desired. Gotta have a good nights rest for tomorrows ride. lol Also, if I'm not wearing them, my longjohns go in there.

To the right of that is a zip lock bag. That has the extra batteries and memory cards for the camera and video camera. It goes in the TP at the top for easy access on the road.

To the right of that is a Blue Stuff Sack- This has some of Marys clothes. 2 under-armor type tank tops, 2 cotton tank tops, 1 dress shirt.

To the right of that is a Green Stuff Sack- More Mary clothes. 1 pair of blue jeans. 2 pairs of thin silk/wool long underwear and a long sleeve shirt.

To the right of that is another Green Stuff Sack- More Mary Clothes. 5 sets of underwear, 4 warm weather pairs of socks, 1 cold weather pair of socks, bathing suit.


Moving back to the left, directly to the right of the large red stuff sack is a black overnight bag.

It rolls up to go in the trunk, and unrolls and hangs up in the motel. Picture below.

It has all our tolietries, first aid kit, shampoo, pretty much everything we use on a daily basis at home, plus some.




To the right of that is a smaller Blue Stuff Sack- This has some of Marys clothes. 2 pairs of shorts, 1 skirt, and a Perri Ink Flag T-shirt.

To the right of that is a Medium Size Red Stuff Sack- This has non perishable food in it. Bread, nuts, jerky, etc.

To the right of that is a Blue Stuff Sack- this is all our vitamin bottles. Yeah, we take a lot of vitamins. Since the vitamin companies generally only fill a bottle around half full, and then lots of cotton, before we left we put 2-3 bottles worth in one bottle to save space. Even so, we have had to stop and resupply a couple of times.

On the left is a Yellow Stuff Sack- This is my clothes bag. Pair of blue jeans, 2 pairs of Muck Boot socks, two pair of under-armor type shorts, two under-armor type shirts, pair of short pants and 1 DK Custom cotton shirt with the two portable hard drives wrapped in it.

Hairbrush goes in the TP

To the right of that is a small Red Stuff Sack- this has all my e-cig stuff in it

To the right of that is a Medium Dark Blue Stuff Sack- this has more food stuff in it, can opener, corkscrew, gum, coffee, tea-bags.

To the right of that is a small Red Stuff Sack- this has all the computer wires and battery charges in it...specifically, 8 USB cables, 4 chargers and a mouse for the laptop.

That sort of black looking bag has our passports, receipts, etc. in it. It goes in the TP.

Then there is the large Dark Blue Stuff Sack that does not look full. It has two collapsible fishing poles in it, and all the fishing gear. Sometimes it is in the TP, sometimes it is bungee'd to the rack with the cooler...all depending on what room we have in the TP.

On the left is the gray laptop computer case. It goes in the TP on the bottom.

Then Marys tennis shoes, and we both have a pair of flip-flops.

Then the Milepost book, a regular mapbook, and print-outs of different routes are in the manila envelope.

At the very bottom left is my camo long sleeve shirt and Marys Fireweed long sleeve shirt. Depending on the weather, they are either in the TP or we're wearing them.

Then the Big Black Stuff Sack- This has our cold weather gear:
Scarves, wool neck wraps, quilted flannel shirt, chill blocker gloves and socks. We have not needed this bag. I've worn the flannel shirt a couple of times. Nothing else has been used. Oh, Marys leather chaps go in here when she is not wearing them.

The gerbing jackets have done a great job.


Not pictured/listed above:

What we wear each day, which is in addition to what is listed above.

Also, the following is in the Tour-Pak- Night glasses, CD's, bear spray, sunscreen spray, skin-so-soft, gerbing controllers, two flashlights, Marys brown hoodie, air shock pump, handiwipes. There are always 3-4 water bottles in the TP also.


Also, the following is in the trunk-

Tool bag, which is a overnight bag with two compartments. It is very heavy duty and works much better than the stuff sack I used for years. Marys VERY GOOD idea. Pictured below.




Mini air-compressor, set of sockets and torx, set of lyndal brake pads (front and rear), extra oil line, funnel, octane booster, two cable locks, couple of micro fiber towels, some blue shop towels, trash bag that we use to cover the sheepskin at night, and the soft lowers when not in use.


Also in the trunk are the rain suits when not being worn. These are Dry Bones suits from Pro Sport. They have been working very well for us for quite a few years.


As far as laundry, the muck boot socks and the under-armor shorts and shirts are easily washed in the motel and hung up to dry...they dry quickly. This is done every few days.

We have hit the laundry mat a few times for the jeans and cotton stuff, and Mary has also washed some that in bathtubs a few times. I think we have only been in two motels that had laundry facilities. That was nice.

Oh, we each have our warm weather light weight gloves and our gerbing gloves...so one pair or the other is always in the TP also.


The TP is relocated 2.5" back from stock and Mary has a pocket in the back of my backrest. She keeps the camera in there, sunscreen, water or coffee, tic-tacs, jerky, chap stick. Actually holds quite a bit.




I think that about covers it.

If I think of anything else, I will add it in. Feel free to ask any questions.

[slick rick]

,,,seems as though Mary packs three times as many clothes as you did ,just as Donna does when we go on a little trip ,, ,,,,,LOL ,,, got to be a man thing . Some great imfo and just keep it coming ,look forward to it each day .....pepperpepper

[ktnhog]

Thanks for the bike info. The cooling fans looked interesting. I have power for recharging cells/etc in my tour pack for trips.

DW just got a new TG (she lets me drive sometimes) and she is loving it! Almost 300 miles now and we live on an island!

Yes, it is expensive. Even to us Alaskans. We have made the run from Prince Rupert to the USA many times, and it is beautiful.

Bear spray, did you pick some up while in BC? I know Canada customs always asks me about it...

Ride safe!

[icedad]

Kevin, you and Mary have posted some absolutely stunning and beautiful pictures. I love the commentary and descriptions. I started going through your'e thread and like a good book, I couldn't put it down until I got this far. I can understand why Canadians are so proud of there land. It's beautiful up there. Thank-you so much for sharing.

[DK Custom Products]

,,,seems as though Mary packs three times as many clothes as you did ,just as Donna does when we go on a little trip ,, ,,,,,LOL ,,, got to be a man thing . Some great imfo and just keep it coming ,look forward to it each day .....pepperpepper

Yeah, I tease her a bit, but she used all the stuff she brought, and I got no complaints about that.

Glad you're enjoying it.

Thanks for the bike info. The cooling fans looked interesting. I have power for recharging cells/etc in my tour pack for trips.

DW just got a new TG (she lets me drive sometimes) and she is loving it! Almost 300 miles now and we live on an island!

Yes, it is expensive. Even to us Alaskans. We have made the run from Prince Rupert to the USA many times, and it is beautiful.

Bear spray, did you pick some up while in BC? I know Canada customs always asks me about it...

Ride safe!

Yes, the fans are a bit weird, sound like little turbos winding up, but when the bike is running I don't hear them, and they work very well.

I should have done the power point in the TP about 3 bikes ago. It is really handy!

As you know, Alaska is more expensive than the lower 48, but Canada make Alaska look like a bargain when it comes to gas, motels and food!

Mary ordered the bear spray online before we left. Don't remember them asking about it...they might have, but the one guy at the first Canadian Customs station was stuck on asking me about firearms so many times, that is what really sticks out in my memory.

RE: Alaska, I really enjoyed it never getting dark there...while we were there. Still can't really figure out what it must be like to have months with little or no sunlight for you guys.

Kevin, you and Mary have posted some absolutely stunning and beautiful pictures. I love the commentary and descriptions. I started going through your'e thread and like a good book, I couldn't put it down until I got this far. I can understand why Canadians are so proud of there land. It's beautiful up there. Thank-you so much for sharing.

Thank you! Canada really has been a big surprise to me!

[DK Custom Products]

Today we head out for Prince George a second time!

This is where we stayed in New Hazelton.

Recognize that bike from Destruction Bay? That's the British couple. They must have pulled in late. It is 10:30 am and no sign of them.

They've been camping a lot...we've seen them a few times since Destruction Bay, each time headed to a campground. I'm sure the motel is a nice change for them!.



Right outside of town...should be an easy day, only 435 km.



Kicking back, ready to eat up some miles...bout 270 of them.



Road is nice, Mary is playing with different camera angles, it's about 50*. We know we're on the last little bit of the trip, but we're enjoying today.




Right about the time we are settling in, we come up on a civilian (Pastor John) who has set up a road block.

A lady a ways up the road was trying to get her cat back up on the seat of her truck and ran off the road. They have the road blocked both directions.

She is not hurt bad, sore from the seat belt.

We learned a bit about the area from Pastor John as we waited for over 45 minutes for them to open traffic back up.




Not sure why they had the entire road blocked for the truck that was not even on the road, but we are back on our way.




We get to Smithers and stop in at the Harley Dealer. Talked with the owner, he's been there 26 years. Asked them if they wanted to do some warranty work and fix my reverse. The wait is 2 hours just to look at it, and he does not give me the feeling that they will be able to fix it, so we pass.




Back on the road, enjoying it. Mary shooting pics blind over my head. lol



We are far enough south now that we begin to see the land being used for farming. North of here we have seen a few greenhouses, but nothing growing in the ground except for trees.



Great road, great weather. Thoroughly enjoying the easy ride!



More in next post.

[DK Custom Products]

A different perspective.




We come up on Burns Lake. Decide to stop and




eat some sandwiches Mary has made up.




Before Mary eats hers, she needs to fix her hair, using our portable mirror.



Now she's ready to eat.




We follow the railroad for quite awhile. Great pic of one of the many lakes we passed.

I'm still amazed at how she takes these pics when were rolling at 70 mph.



We passed quite a few lumberyards. I have never seen so many trees in on location. This pic shows how deep the stacks are, from the road back.



This pic does not show how long these stacks go on for...would not fit in one picture. Mind-boggling.



Then after the timber, there were acres and acres of lumber. This is just a small amount of what was there.



Before we knew it, we were in Prince George!



PG is quite a large city. No pics, but when we went grocery shopping we got turned around on the way to AND back from the store. Ended up seeing a lot of the city.

[slick rick]

,,,,As usual ,,,FANTASTIC,,,, made my morning . I normally scan each morning to see if you guys posted just to start my morning great pics and good editing . BE SAFE !!!

[DK Custom Products]

,,,,As usual ,,,FANTASTIC,,,, made my morning . I normally scan each morning to see if you guys posted just to start my morning great pics and good editing . BE SAFE !!!

Cool! Thank you.

[DK Custom Products]

At the motel in Prince George. Did not know Mary took this pic. Do not know what I was doing. Looks like I am still asleep when I should be packing the trunk up for our ride to Cache Creek. lol




Not going to Vancouver today!




There it is, Cache Creek. Another easy day of riding.



Cache Creek is where we will stay the night before getting on the Sea-to-Sky Highway.

Really enjoying the ride and the good roads.



Passing thru the scenic town of Quesnel.




As we head south, it is a bit warmer, there is more and more farming going on, there is more traffic and power lines....



there are no towering mountains with glaciers, but it is still big country and good views!



Did not hang out behind this guy at all!




This pic reminds me of the signs I've seen the few times we entered Canada...something about turning off your radar detector, they are not legal in Canada.

I think I've gotten a pretty good feel for how Canadian drivers handle the really low speed limits.

Of course, I DON'T know how the RCMP will feel, have not been stopped. But in open road like this, the limit is mostly 56 mph, but most Canadian travel it at 65-80 mph. I'm doing about 70 mph in this pic.




Does this pic need any words?



More in next post.

[slick rick]

...............

[DK Custom Products]

Pulled into this little station about halfway between PG and CC.

Mary snapped this pic before we filled up, then we sat on the bench out front and had some lunch.




In most of our travels in Canada and Alaska there have been very few choices on main roads to take...and when there was, very few big official looking signs like this. We're keeping left!




Towns & Cities are getting closer and closer together.




A little bit of road construction, and



a little bit of rain.



We start heading up thru a pass in some hills/small mountains.



Coming down the other side of the small pass, there is a lot of traffic moving sort of slow...way to many to play leapfrog passing 1-2 at a time to get ahead of them all. So we settled into a slow pace and enjoyed this cool green valley, commenting on this house or that house on how well it was situated.



I'm not sure how long that lush green valley was, maybe 15 miles or so. Then all of a sudden, within a 1-2 mile stretch, it transitioned into an almost desert like terrain. The air temp went up 20-30 degrees. If was quite a surprise!



In the morning we'll be doubling back 5 minutes to take this turn-off, Hwy 99 South, which will turn into the "Sea-to-Sky" highway.




We got a motel in Cache Creek, went down to the pool for a swim. Even though it was 80 degrees out, the pool felt ice-cold. Neither one of us accepted the others dare of diving in. lol We went and ate at the Subway that shared the same parking lot. Then walked across the street to the convenience store as the sun was setting. Yep, it is getting dark at night now.

Saw a payphone booth. It was enough of a novelty that we snapped a pic.



Next report will be on Hwy. 99!

[DK Custom Products]

Part I

We're leaving out of Cache Creek, headed toward Horseshoe Bay.

Horseshoe Bay is in West Vancouver. Mary has scoped out a ferry that will take us & the bike, from there, over to Vancouver Island.

Today we take the 99 south, which turns into the "Sea to Sky Highway" about halfway down.


This is the view from our motel room in Cache Creek. It was quite a fast/surprising transition into this high desert type area yesterday.



A slightly different angle...Mary is about ready to roll!

btw, the bike is dirty by normal standards...but we are still hitting construction zones everyday...so the only thing we are cleaning regularly is the windshield.



Backtracking about 5 minutes to get to the 99 turn-off.



Here we go! Not very many km, but Lots of pics...gonna be a two-parter.



Almost immediately we begin climbing and getting some good curves and a twisty every now and then.




I get the feeling early on that this is going to be a great riding day!



WOW! It looks inviting for a swim...but we know...that water is ice cold!



The road is so nice. Today we only hit two short road works areas...most of the time it was this really nice smooth stuff. You all may laugh at my pre-occupation with road surfaces, but I will never take it for granted again after the Yukon and parts of Alaska. lol



Those of you that have ridden with me know that I am fully enjoying and taking advantage of the TG's exceptional handling on this road!



Looking back and to the right at a river we have been following.



More in next post.

[DK Custom Products]

The straight road is only there leading up to the next curve!



Getting into the zone.




It is still a bit desert like, but it is much cooler and greener.




We've traveled less than 100 km's and we got 255 to go! Yeah!

Not sure if it is because we are nearing the end of our time in Canada that I am so stoked on this road...I think it is just because it is because there is so little traffic and the TG is made for this kind of riding.



Looking back at where we have ridden thru, and



looking forward to more curves and twisties!



I am in the zone, time does not exist, it is just Mary, me, the TG and the curves!






This is the kind of road, that when it straightens out, I normally turn around and ride again...but there are a couple hundred km's of this and we do have reservations in Horseshoe Bay.





More in next post.

[DK Custom Products]

Check out Mary in the mirror! She is a trooper. I am running these curves almost as fast as possible, she's just snapping pics.



I do slow down in the straights and take in some of the amazing sights.





It is my intention to ride this road again some day.





We have been following this river for awhile, I start looking for a place to pull over, where we can get down to it.




This looks like a good spot!




We explored around here for a bit...and guess what...NO clouds of mosquitoes!!!




I can only imagine what it is like during the winter...but it is fantastic in July.



Mary climbing down closer to the water.







Ride to Horseshoe Bay to be continued.

[slick rick]

,,,,,AMAZING ,,,,,,,,,,