Adventures By Guy

I have been retired for exactly two weeks. I forget about it as I left for this trip 2.5 hrs later. It just seems like I am on vacation. Mike and I were talking and he would like to ride my Tenere when it is emptied of its load. Told him he should ride his wing down and ride it. He said ok. Then I said… I will havecto check my schedule to find out when I am free… then as soon as I said that it dawned on me that I don’t have a work schedule to check anymore!!!!!!
Not much to tell today. We hit the road from Dawson City and they left me as I took a moment to check out of the hotel. We’ll see you at the gas station as they rode by as I walked back to my bike. What gas station? I could see one from the hotel. They weren’t there but I filled up and headed south. I saw them at a gas station on the way out of town and honked as I rode by. They’ll catch up. I cruised along at 63 mph mid 50’s and no wind. Supposed to get up in the mid 70’s. It was most of the day and it was a very good riding day but in the afternoon it got up in the low 80’s and was warm. During the morning I saw something crossing the road so I slowed down to not hit it and to look. Oh, good morning Mr Porcupine! He didn’t even look at me but he was a sight all those quills glistening in the morning sun. Maybe 20 miles further I got stopped at construction and the guys came up maybe 2 minutes later. Jeff led off from the construction and then after it he kinda left at speed. Mike and I were on intercom and when we get to far apart it beeps notifying you that comes are lost. I slowed down and Jeff was gone. Mike and I talked the miles away. Found Jeff at the next gas station about 100 miles down the road. His BMW GS800 gets excellent fuel mileage as he gets 50 mpg when doing low 70’s and has the longest range of 300 miles. Mike always burns about a gallon less than me for the same miles in a full tank even though we have the same bike. I’m bigger, my panniers are much bigger and wider and I am loaded heavier. All contribute to lower mpg for me. If I go 60 to 63 I don’t get bad mpg upper 30’s to low 40’s. In the 75 mph range in the upper 20s to lower 30’s.
At the gas stop Jeff left and we stayed behind to ensure that Dick made it through the long stretches of construction gravel. He showed up and I left to find a convenience store to buy a soda. I found one over 100 mikes further along. By this time it was getting hot and I was getting sleepy. I pulled off for a soda and didn’t bother with gas. I saw I had cell phone service so I called Loraine. Never saw Mike or Dick pass Byron O figured they had to gone by while I was inside. Hopped on the bike and talked with Loraine until coverage went away… in about 3 miles.
We were supposed to meet up in Carmack and it was almost 100 miles away. I found them and they hadn’t been there that long. Jeff saw me eating some good stir fry and decided to order something because seeing me eat made him hungry. Dick and Mike left and we had no worries as we usually rode faster. Jeff and I took off… but I got stuck behind a truck. Eventually I around and in about 20 miles I could see Jeff up ahead. I slowly closed the gap over the next 40 miles. We got in some heavy smoke and then it cleared. Just the distant haze was all. Mostly you are riding down an avenue of evergreen and Poplar trees. Hills are around and then you go up a hill and then the trees go away and you can see miles of a valley filled with pines and Poplar trees.
The most interesting thing of the day was when I came across 3 different burn sites. One was fresh as there were square mikes of blackened skeletons of trees. Grass and low brush were starting to grow. Aspen/Poplar trees come back first and they grow up just packed together. How? How do they all get planted so thick? Eventually evergreen trees start back too and the Poplar die off as they have a shorter life span. I was riding by an Aspen forest and they were bigger than what I had been seeing. Then there was a sign saying the Minto Burn. 1969. So 54 years it took for those trees to get that size. Further down the road I saw one for 1996 and those trees were much smaller. Mostly we just rode the miles down today. Got to the Continental Divide restaurant and Lodge. Valerie was still in her kitchen and being friendly with us as we had been there a few days before. She took our orders and started cooking them up and bringing them out to us. She’s a few years older than me but is a joker so Jeff and I banter back and forth with her. She came up to the table and I said… I have a question. She said… No, I’m not married. Is that your question?
The guys laughed and said something then she said… what’s your question… ah, I forgot. Must not have been important. Still can’t remember it. We payed and left to walk over to the 10 room small box motel. No AC and the rooms are hot. I stayed outside as it was cooler and was talking to some young men who are changing duty stations from Alaska to Kansas. Airforce. Asking about how it is in boot camp. I’ll just say… it sure has changed.