What goes around comes around... Dublin to New york

Watson Lake to Tok Alaska

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I left Watson lake very early in the morning and it was bitter cold. It doesn't really matter how good your gear is, when it gets cold up in these latitudes after about an hour your going to be freezing too.

I stopped off for a coffee to get some heat and met a biker who had just retired from truck driving and was now driving around north america in a fairly aimless direction. He had his dog with him which he kept in a little suitcasey baggy type thing....See a truck driver who was as rough as a badgers arse riding around with this little critter brought a huge smile to everyone who saw them. We went inside, murdered about 5 cups of coffee each and wished each other well as we went our separate ways.

The big news up here at the moment is that the top of the world highway is all washed out, which means there is only one road in and out of Alaska, the Alcan highway. The rain was so heavy that it washed a whole section of the road away, and the local consensus was that it wouldn't be opened again until the end of the summer. Not a big problem, but it would mean having to go back down the same 658 mile road I just came up when it would be time to head east again.

After a couple of hundred miles I got to Destruction bay, one of the more scenic areas on the Alcan highway, the water in the lake was so blue it had me saying to myself..."Man...that doesn't look real!"

I crossed the border into the US and made my way to Tok where a guy tapped me on the shoulder and said..."Hey!.. I know you...I'm following your blog". Its the first time in almost two years of on and off travelling where I met someone who I didn't know who was following the blog. John invited me back to his place where we nailed a couple of Guinness's and two pizza's and talked away for a couple of hours about bikes and road trips.

I said good luck to John and set about trying to find the motel where I'd stayed two years ago.

Myself and the owner had really hit it off and had a great night so was looking forward to seeing him again. I found the place, saw the bould buck...but he didn't remember me! I went up to him and said "hey! hows it going! remember me!"..to which he replied with a slowly drawn out "Yeeeaaaaahhhh"....which if you had subtitles running under it would say "haven't a fucking clue who you are".

It was a bit mental I thought, I had often remembered sharing a couple of beers with this old timer in Alaska...and it was firmly filed in "good times" folder....and then the fucker didn't even remember me!...its not like I'm a normal looker fucker!....6ft 4inch fat bastard with an Irish accent with a mouth on him like a sewer, riding a bike to fucking Argentina....

I wanted to say to him...hey whats your name ya bollix!...Al? Al fucking Zheimers!


Off I went anyway...and as I rode off to find a place to stay....a "well fuck that for a game of soldiers" was muttered under my breath....

There's a good lesson there somewhere!

Over and out
A big hairy Irish Bollix!
 
Just found this thread and bl**dy brilliant!

Like a lot of other readers I'm glad you have decided to continue the story until the end.
 
Down to Valdez (Mostly just Pictures)

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Just a very quick update....

The ride down from Tok to Valdez was a great day out. The sun shone for most of the day and some of the views available from the Thompson pass as you cross over the mountains and into Valdez were spectacular.

Once I dropped down from the mountain pass the clouds gathered in and the rain started and it didnt' stop until I crossed back into Canada.

More later
Oisin
 
Quick vid from the road between Tynda and Yakutz

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Out and about in Valdez...

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Valdez is a fishing town and its also an oil terminal, the end point of all the oil thats pumped down from the Arctic Ocean. With the amount of boats out fishing its hard to believe that any fish make it upstream to spawn but apparently fishing is prohibited until there are for example 100,000 Salmon gone up the river, at which point fishing is allowed to start. Its turned on for a finite period of time, and then turned off again; and the general consensus is that the authorities here do a very good job managing it.

The setting for the town is about as scenic as it can get with snow capped mountains on all sides, but the architecture of the buildings in the town is pretty bovine, all of the buildings in the town are functional and there isn't really anything nice to see just walking around.

I met an Ozzie couple who I hung about with for most of the time I was there, and we went out on a boat trip into Prince William sound together. The weather as you have to expect in Alaska was wicked and the trip was a mix of looking for wildlife and taking a trip out to the Colombia Icefield/Glacier.

The Captain spent an inordinate amount of time looking for puffins, a bird about the size of a can of diet pepsi with a yellow beak. The risks he was taking, bringing the boat in really close to the cliffs and into the entrance of sea caves seemed pretty disproportionate to the reward. I doubt you'll ever be hounded to show a slide show of your pictures of the lesser puffin...... like most of the rest of the passengers .....I was firmly in the ..."take her out to sea and lets see if we can see some whales!" side of the house.

Mostly we saw seals, seaguls, some whale tails, and the much sought after lesser puffin. Even though the weather was crap it was a really good day out and we went out had some fish and chips to celebrate afterwards.

The Glacier/Ice field is very impressive, and if your down this way, its well worth a look. Apparently the best way to see it is from the air.

It was time to start thinking about going home.... I plumbed in Valdez to New York excluding using the interstates and diverting south into Montana and Wyoming, it had me pegged at a little over 5,000 miles.

I had originally planned to do the Dalton highway again, but having done it in 2008 and with the weather forecast as gloomy as I'd ever seen it I decided tomorrow I'd Iron butt it the whole way to Burwash Landing in the Yukon about 475 miles.



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For those who want to put the finger in the wounds!

Ref Dalton in the Last post
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Stunning pictures and words, as always.

Pictures and your words would make a lovely book and a few bob for yourself.

Don't stop.

:beerjug:
 
What an awe inspiring read!

Oisin
I stumbled accross this thread on Friday morning and have spent the entire weekend reading your blog, looking at your pics and video footage.

It's absolutely savage man. Fair play to you. What an incredible journey and you have a fantastic ability to convey the experiences back to the many people who are following your trip. It's an inspiring read.

Good luck with the remainder of the journey. I will be checking out this blog on a daily basis!

Barry.
 
Burwash landing...

<table><tr><td><img src="http://lh3.ggpht.com/_8x5h-fHHXiI/TEk81E5JPnI/AAAAAAACICA/vdgSsJkAuN4/s720/DSC_0002.JPG" WIDTH = 700></tr></td><tr><td><img src="http://lh4.ggpht.com/_8x5h-fHHXiI/TEk85EjSDwI/AAAAAAACICg/pySVG0bPpDg/s720/DSC_0004.JPG" WIDTH = 700></tr></td><tr><td><img src="http://lh3.ggpht.com/_8x5h-fHHXiI/TEk9Hu0bSlI/AAAAAAACIE0/5vE4FX0JDts/s720/DSC_0013.JPG" WIDTH = 700></tr></td><tr><td><img src="http://lh3.ggpht.com/_8x5h-fHHXiI/TEk9SxVixII/AAAAAAACIG0/b7H_tvbzumk/s720/DSC_0021.JPG" WIDTH = 700></tr></td><tr><td><img src="http://lh4.ggpht.com/_8x5h-fHHXiI/TEk9Ue7h6WI/AAAAAAACIHI/_qz3aVqZVBQ/s720/DSC_0022.JPG"></tr></td><tr><td><img src="http://lh3.ggpht.com/_8x5h-fHHXiI/TEk9YB5xjwI/AAAAAAACIH4/J8CqzYH8CB8/s720/DSC_0025.JPG"></tr></td><tr><td><img src="http://lh4.ggpht.com/_8x5h-fHHXiI/TEk9jS4N4_I/AAAAAAACIJw/mRuER-vlA3o/s720/DSC_0032.jpg"></tr></td><tr><td><img src="http://lh5.ggpht.com/_8x5h-fHHXiI/TEk9tmq5N4I/AAAAAAACILc/c-DZFbAd1iQ/s720/DSC_0039.JPG" WIDTH = 700></tr></td><tr><td><img src="http://lh5.ggpht.com/_8x5h-fHHXiI/TEk9wKzbs4I/AAAAAAACIL8/LYcBdSg1CF4/s720/DSC_0041.JPG"></tr></td><tr><td><img src="http://lh4.ggpht.com/_8x5h-fHHXiI/TEk9yqRorCI/AAAAAAACIMc/E-yPFd0gh9g/s720/DSC_0043.JPG" WIDTH = 700></tr></td><tr><td><img src="http://lh5.ggpht.com/_8x5h-fHHXiI/TEk93JaHxUI/AAAAAAACINM/XXPh63zpYvw/s720/DSC_0046.JPG" WIDTH = 800></tr><tr><td><img src="http://lh4.ggpht.com/_8x5h-fHHXiI/TEpdxMkhj6I/AAAAAAACJV8/T4VyYg319yU/s720/DSC_0094.jpg" WIDTH = 800></tr><tr><td><img src="http://lh5.ggpht.com/_8x5h-fHHXiI/TEpeDSv1v-I/AAAAAAACJW0/SyddFDx8udo/s720/DSC_0098.JPG" WIDTH = 800></tr><tr><td><img src="http://lh4.ggpht.com/_8x5h-fHHXiI/TEpezyZSeBI/AAAAAAACJaM/GO3MCpe5whA/s720/DSC_0111.JPG" WIDTH = 700></tr><tr><td><img src="http://lh6.ggpht.com/_8x5h-fHHXiI/TEpfQsg5PcI/AAAAAAACJcQ/JEauH7JWpQ0/s720/DSC_0119.JPG" WIDTH = 700></tr><tr><td><img src="http://lh5.ggpht.com/_8x5h-fHHXiI/TEpfdYRNN8I/AAAAAAACJdQ/-tSVCSU4jXc/s720/DSC_0123.JPG" WIDTH = 700></tr></table>

I left Valdez as I'd arrived riding out up over the pass in a fine drizzle the whole way. The Thompson pass was covered in fog as i went over and the mountains were nowhere to be seen. No problem, i'd a lot of miles to do today and I'd seen it all in the sunshine on the way down so I couldn't complain.

After a hundred miles or so I stopped for gas and met a Danish Couple (Mini and Moose) who were out touring the Great North west.

From there I continued on up to Tok, stopped for more gas and a bite to eat and kept going up towards the Canadian border. Around about then the clouds and rain disappeared and the sun peaked out for the first time in nearly 3 days. Along the way I passed an overturned truck which had been transporting fish. There were tens of people helping themselves to the fish before the load went rotten.

I got to the Canadian border and passed through continuing onto Burwash landing where I stopped for the night.

Its is a small motel and RV park beside a lake. It's a nice enough setting but run by a grumpy oul fella. Much like Watson lake the location so may miles from anywhere with so little in between means that this is one of the "default" locations where you get stuck on the Alcan because your too tired to go any further.

In the restaurant there were five other guys all sitting at tables by themselves, all staring down into their dinner. It reminded me of when I used to go on business trips to the US from Ireland.

The folks at home would think, "Oh its well for you heading away to America", but the reality was that when you got there you were alone, and off you would go to a restaurant and have a bite of grub and sure enough the restaurants were all full of people sitting alone and much like the Yukon, all staring into the dinner wishing they were someplace else.

I went out for a stroll, pointed my face east, wasn't hard to find the sun was setting behind me......about 12,000km that way I reckoned was Ireland.... I was feeling good... I was on my way.


Over and out
Oisin
 
Oisin

Those Alaska pix bring it all back as I did this last year. I have the same feeling's about Alsaka as you do of Mongolia. It's there every day!!

I'm sure you know but do the Top of the World Hwy whilst your there:thumb

*edit just realised it's washed out*
 
:-)

Sgt Bilco said:
Oisin

Those Alaska pix bring it all back as I did this last year. I have the same feeling's about Alsaka as you do of Mongolia. It's there every day!!

I'm sure you know but do the Top of the World Hwy whilst your there:thumb

*edit just realised it's washed out*
Click to expand...

yep from what I hear it wont be fixed for a while yet....
 
Quick vid from the road between Chita and the Tynda turn off

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bit long...
but my clutch on the bike is knackered so had some time to kill!!
 
Burwash landing in the direction of Fort St John

<table><tr><td><img src="http://lh6.ggpht.com/_8x5h-fHHXiI/TFgmcudLpyI/AAAAAAACQhw/I4J7idn5IgY/valdez%20to%20burwash%20landing.jpg" WIDTH = 700></tr></td><tr><td><img src="http://lh6.ggpht.com/_8x5h-fHHXiI/TEk-J27pciI/AAAAAAACIQ8/8aaEQyVrcFY/s720/DSC_0060.jpg" WIDTH = 700></tr></td><tr><td><img src="http://lh3.ggpht.com/_8x5h-fHHXiI/TEk-geVkMRI/AAAAAAACIUY/tkliS2xf3RU/s720/DSC_0074.JPG" WIDTH = 700></tr></td><tr><td><img src="http://lh4.ggpht.com/_8x5h-fHHXiI/TEk-1F6iM8I/AAAAAAACIXw/TiHOUfOLFdQ/s720/DSC_0087.JPG" WIDTH = 700></tr></td><tr><td><img src="http://lh3.ggpht.com/_8x5h-fHHXiI/TEk-8A9hXrI/AAAAAAACIYw/_eZfCZPsUyg/s720/DSC_0091.JPG"></tr></td><tr><td><img src="http://lh6.ggpht.com/_8x5h-fHHXiI/TEk_ADAYy4I/AAAAAAACIZQ/pSG2RtANheg/s720/DSC_0093.JPG"></tr></td><tr><td><img src="http://lh5.ggpht.com/_8x5h-fHHXiI/TEk_C2qwLeI/AAAAAAACIZw/QhBjlKtxB2o/s720/DSC_0095.JPG"></tr></td><tr><td><img src="http://lh4.ggpht.com/_8x5h-fHHXiI/TEk_KNuW44I/AAAAAAACIa4/G0W8pJJtaNo/s720/DSC_0099.JPG" WIDTH = 700></tr></td><tr><td><img src="http://lh3.ggpht.com/_8x5h-fHHXiI/TEk_O9rGylI/AAAAAAACIbg/gOqQYKZWU9Q/s720/DSC_0101.jpg"></tr></td><tr><td><img src="http://lh4.ggpht.com/_8x5h-fHHXiI/TEk_iKrSuhI/AAAAAAACIeM/TdLlDy0-zYk/s720/DSC_0112.JPG" WIDTH = 700></tr></td><tr><td><img src="http://lh5.ggpht.com/_8x5h-fHHXiI/TEk_k7xQAMI/AAAAAAACIes/3hGVfiDUknU/s720/DSC_0114.JPG" WIDTH = 800></tr><tr><td><img src="http://lh4.ggpht.com/_8x5h-fHHXiI/TElAjGXm2GI/AAAAAAACInc/K5mD7cUBbwc/s720/DSC_0150.JPG" WIDTH = 800></tr><tr><td><img src="http://lh3.ggpht.com/_8x5h-fHHXiI/TElAlt-ndYI/AAAAAAACIn0/4ABa_Xawxbc/s720/DSC_0151.jpg" WIDTH = 800></tr><tr><td><img src="http://lh6.ggpht.com/_8x5h-fHHXiI/TElA6t8mRGI/AAAAAAACIrQ/krmWgEZqYJM/s720/DSC_0165.JPG" WIDTH = 700></tr><tr><td><img src="http://lh5.ggpht.com/_8x5h-fHHXiI/TElBDHT34zI/AAAAAAACIsk/2lafRS2zUjU/s720/DSC_0170.JPG" WIDTH = 700></tr><tr><td><img src="http://lh5.ggpht.com/_8x5h-fHHXiI/TEpUlqzkDGI/AAAAAAACIxs/ink1lzUU0eM/s720/DSC_0184.JPG" WIDTH = 700></tr><tr><td><img src="http://lh5.ggpht.com/_8x5h-fHHXiI/TEpUqWQ5qZI/AAAAAAACIyM/m7Ui4rri8nI/s720/DSC_0186.JPG" WIDTH = 700></tr><tr><td><img src="http://lh5.ggpht.com/_8x5h-fHHXiI/TEpVHrGwBqI/AAAAAAACI0Q/RcTaqnuyAqE/s720/DSC_0194.JPG" WIDTH = 700></tr><tr><td><img src="http://lh6.ggpht.com/_8x5h-fHHXiI/TEpU1aMyCGI/AAAAAAACIzE/OQdOs3u2C9M/s720/DSC_0189.jpg" WIDTH = 700></tr><tr><td><img src="http://lh4.ggpht.com/_8x5h-fHHXiI/TEpUytCftwI/AAAAAAACIy0/_4vzfMBUxWY/s720/DSC_0188.jpg" WIDTH = 700></tr><tr><td><img src="http://lh4.ggpht.com/_8x5h-fHHXiI/TElBHh9oBYI/AAAAAAACItU/-8aG1F_mhbI/s720/DSC_0173.JPG" WIDTH = 700></tr><tr><td><img src="http://lh3.ggpht.com/_8x5h-fHHXiI/TEpU4IYERAI/AAAAAAACIzM/2dN5Ut3-FUk/s720/DSC_0190.JPG" WIDTH = 700></tr><tr><td><img src="http://lh5.ggpht.com/_8x5h-fHHXiI/TEk-XprB6rI/AAAAAAACITI/FgOb-1xUsM8/s720/DSC_0069.JPG" WIDTH = 700></tr><tr><td><img src="http://lh4.ggpht.com/_8x5h-fHHXiI/TEk-6Tn9IPI/AAAAAAACIYg/01_kNAuhXio/s720/DSC_0090.JPG" WIDTH = 700></tr></table>

The weather picked up again once I'd left Alaska and while I was making my way down to Fort St John I was getting Deja Vu up the yin yang from when I was here in 2008. If you lucky enough to get the weather there are few places in the world which can match the rugged landscape of the Great Northwest.

I was in a nice rhythm, leave where I stayed very early - get about a hundred miles under my belt then stop for some breakfast... do another hundred miles....stop for a coffee... you can guess the rest of it.

At one of the stops there was a girl with long black hair, with the body of a bantam weight with tits. I think she thought I was German too so came over and said hello, as soon as she picked up that I was Irish and had only enough German to order grub off a menu she was gone like a scalded cat. As she walked away I could feel my head rocking side to side like a pendulum as my gaze was fixed on the movements of her backside.

I did what most guys would do in that instance....

Guys when travelling alone will develop a dude partner in their head.... so your first response would be...

"I'd give her a lick of the cango...."

and the other side of you says...

"Ah she'd take your best and laugh at ya!"

which is swiftly countered with (at least in this case anyway)

"I'd say that one is very rough in the scratcher, she'd probably come looking to beat you with a stick across the hind quarters if the performance wasn't up to scratch"

and then the other lad says...

"Yeah, (little laugh)... and as she's beating you she says "Tell me I'm a good Fraulein! Tell me I'm a good Fraulein!"

To which both of the lads laugh heartedly. Well girls, now you know, if you see a guy giggling for no reason, hes chatting with his internal "Chicky babe reviewing buddy"

I got as far as Watson lake again and met Don Seedle again, who I'd already met up in Alaska and we chatted on for a couple of hours about what we'd seen so far on the road. As we sat outside sipping some cokes and yapping the amount of bottom feeders that walked by all trying to get some booze was startling.

The weather for the next two day was supposed to be terrible so I resolved to try and make it the whole way to fort St john, a total of almost 1700 miles covered in three days.


A bizarre situation occurred in a roadside cafe not long after I left Watson, I'd stopped for coffee and this chap in the opposite table was ordering breakfast. The waitress was from Quebec and could speak perfect English but it just had a thick French accent. The guy who was from somewhere the gene pool had long since dried up couldn't understand her. I offered to help.... and there i was translating English between two people who were both speaking English.

more later
Oisin
 
2nd last ever Mongolia Vid...I promise~!

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Quick Video from France...

Hi folks,
This is a way out of sequence video from then I rode through France.

Just to set the scene...

When I went to the Normandy beaches and surround allied graveyards, like most people who take the time to visit these areas I was struck by how quiet and peaceful these towns and villages are today. Could this really have been where D-Day happened?

You can't help but be blown away by how different it must have been way back in the early 1940's when these areas were the scene of the greatest invasion in human history.

Well, I came across a speech which was broadcast live on American Radio way back in 1939.

The speech is by Adolf Hitler to the German Parliament and was the defining speech that made WWII inevitable.

The translator is working live and its clear he is nervous about what he is translating having no clue what Hitler would say next. He's also interrupted twice as both the French and English Governments recalled their parliaments into emergency session as the speech started and all the world knew that matters were about to escalate into a world war.

The pace of events and how they unfolded leading eventually to D-Day seem to be at such odds with the images I recorded from that area. Only the countless white crosses now serve as a reminder of what happened.

(If you interested in any historic speech, you can find lots at the link below in Mp3 format.
<a href="http://www.freeinfosociety.com/media_index.php?cat=8&type=3"></a>

http://www.freeinfosociety.com/media_index.php?cat=8&type=3

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Take care
Oisin
 
Hinton, Alberta (3000km done in 4 days)

<table><tr><td><img src="http://lh5.ggpht.com/_8x5h-fHHXiI/TFoOTWMp_II/AAAAAAACQjI/bpeMoC91G5k/hinton.jpg" WIDTH = 700></tr></td><tr><td><img src="http://lh4.ggpht.com/_8x5h-fHHXiI/TEpVVBoBM5I/AAAAAAACI1c/7wnEX_Tjh8g/s640/DSC00030.JPG" WIDTH = 700></tr></td><tr><td><img src="http://lh3.ggpht.com/_8x5h-fHHXiI/TEpVaX47UYI/AAAAAAACQjQ/LuooIQtncIw/s912/DSC00034.JPG" WIDTH = 700></tr></td><tr><td><img src="http://lh6.ggpht.com/_8x5h-fHHXiI/TEpVeKXfwnI/AAAAAAACI2U/vPZSJBfiMiQ/s640/DSC00037.JPG" WIDTH = 700></tr></td><tr><td><img src="http://lh4.ggpht.com/_8x5h-fHHXiI/TEpVfWFUL4I/AAAAAAACQjc/QE-gOrxBij8/s640/DSC00038.JPG"></tr></td><tr><td><img src="http://lh5.ggpht.com/_8x5h-fHHXiI/TEpVgQZddrI/AAAAAAACI2k/I3sGQ0VA5Ys/s640/DSC00039.JPG"></tr></td><tr><td><img src="http://lh6.ggpht.com/_8x5h-fHHXiI/TEpVjSnWjMI/AAAAAAACI20/-ul9WKedVNg/s640/DSC00041.JPG"></tr></td><tr><td><img src="http://lh4.ggpht.com/_8x5h-fHHXiI/TEpVmGVFgBI/AAAAAAACI3E/HaaSzG06_WU/s640/DSC00043.JPG" WIDTH = 700></tr></td><tr><td><img src="http://lh3.ggpht.com/_8x5h-fHHXiI/TEpVoyFZ0tI/AAAAAAACQjk/X1Ab7vq0src/s1024/DSC00046.JPG"></tr></td><tr><td><img src="http://lh6.ggpht.com/_8x5h-fHHXiI/TEpVru-V9DI/AAAAAAACQj0/dWi22HVLnBg/s1024/DSC00047.JPG" WIDTH = 700></tr></td><tr><td><img src="http://lh4.ggpht.com/_8x5h-fHHXiI/TEpVwYzgKdI/AAAAAAACI30/hVygdGWIRF8/s640/DSC00049.JPG" WIDTH = 800></tr><tr><td><img src="http://lh3.ggpht.com/_8x5h-fHHXiI/TEpV67JhiWI/AAAAAAACI4E/uAngpfJjTeQ/s640/DSC00051.JPG" WIDTH = 800></tr><tr><td><img src="http://lh3.ggpht.com/_8x5h-fHHXiI/TEpV-1WNceI/AAAAAAACI4Y/yXZdFkIkjEQ/s640/DSC00053.JPG" WIDTH = 800></tr><tr><td><img src="http://lh4.ggpht.com/_8x5h-fHHXiI/TEpWeKX57YI/AAAAAAACI60/-May2Cj6chA/s640/DSC00076.JPG" WIDTH = 700></tr><tr><td><img src="http://lh3.ggpht.com/_8x5h-fHHXiI/TEpWjR9LWlI/AAAAAAACI7Q/fN-XiRFcJR8/s640/DSC00079.JPG" WIDTH = 700></tr><tr><td><img src="http://lh3.ggpht.com/_8x5h-fHHXiI/TEpWxdjL4KI/AAAAAAACI8U/fO49hwYKX_I/s640/DSC00087.JPG" WIDTH = 700></tr><tr><td><img src="http://lh4.ggpht.com/_8x5h-fHHXiI/TEpW9BohG7I/AAAAAAACI9M/MzHL6mw9UvM/s640/DSC00094.JPG" WIDTH = 700></tr><tr><td><img src="http://lh3.ggpht.com/_8x5h-fHHXiI/TFEPKdEU9DI/AAAAAAACO4I/uZFfiw_idfI/s720/DSC_0023.JPG" WIDTH = 700></tr><tr><td><img src="http://lh6.ggpht.com/_8x5h-fHHXiI/TFEPrQmDX1I/AAAAAAACO64/YACI9OTIxa8/s800/DSC_0032.jpg" WIDTH = 700></tr><tr><td><img src="http://lh5.ggpht.com/_8x5h-fHHXiI/TFEPs8UUfdI/AAAAAAACQlI/IXnyHwwSsqU/s640/DSC_0033.JPG" WIDTH = 700></tr><tr><td><img src="http://lh4.ggpht.com/_8x5h-fHHXiI/TFESM4DLTDI/AAAAAAACPLk/6BJS3xn8UnQ/s720/DSC_0094.JPG" WIDTH = 700></tr></table>

Once you get to the end of the Alcan highway you start to get back into some Canadian prairies. The roads are straight and long with a couple of chipmunks being the peak highlight for a about 500 miles.

I met 3 riders from Michigan on the road, two of whom were retired and one was working as a police officer in Detroit. We first met at a construction zone on the highway where we all had to park up for twenty minutes to wait for the pilot car to come back. It was pretty obvious that the guys key worry was bears.

One of them seemed to be going on like bears occupied every thought in his head,...what to do if you saw one...whatever you do don't run....raise yourself up so that bear thinks your bigger than him.... but what he didn't notice was that a bunch of RV's had pulled in behind us.

A lady deciding to make some use of the delay on the road took out her dogs to take a leak on the road and the biker dude caught the sight of a moving black animal (the lady's dog) in his peripheral vision and he thought it was a bear and let a screech out him. When he realized it wasn't a bear he started whooping and hollering like he'd won the lottery. The other bikers and myself were rolling around pissing ourselves laughing at him.

I met them again later on when we stopped for breakfast and they were a great laugh. They told me a lot about Detroit, not a town I'll be visiting soon based on their advice. One of them was a real romeo and noticed some women eating over in the corner so he jumped up and poured coffee for everyone in the room.... I said to the other guys...Jeez...thats really nice of him... they looked at me from out behind their raised eyebrows with a grin and one said..."He's just using it as an excuse to check out Ms Hotty in the corner" We chatted for a good while and had a good laugh and we said our goodbyes and wished each other well.

That night I went to see Inception, with Leo De Caprio, if you haven't seen it well worth a look. It was the first movie I'd seen in the Cinema since I'd left Ireland, Fort St John didn't have a whole pile else going on so it was as good a way as any to pass the time.

You start to see the mountains again as you turn off for the town of Grand Cache. I remember coming this way before with Jolly Jim Green and I went to same cafe as we'd stopped in, as a kind of a salut to old trips and good friends. Well, Jim, its still a shit cafe! :-)

I stopped in Hinton in Tim Hortons for a Crystal Meth Donut (apple fritter) and a coffee and got talking to a biker and his wife. As is often the case I told him who I was where i'd come from etc.... I told him I'd be done and dusted with travelling mid august ... remarking that the funs over. He replied dead pan "Well you must be getting married" which brought a round of laughter from ourselves and the adjoining tables.

I told him that I was in the part of the world last year and the year before but never saw so many harleys on either visit which it turns out is on account of the Canadian Dollar's strength against the US Dollar.....everyones buying them apparently.

While the road down to Hinton is fairly boring I enjoyed it. The sun shone the whole time and the air felt fresh and clean the whole way and I didn't have a care in the world.

I'd covered 3000km in four days. My ass was wondering what exactly it did that was so wrong to deserve such punishment.

Over and out
Oisin
 
Last day in Canada...magic mountains...

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I drove down from Hinton to Jasper and on into Bannf on the ice field parkway today. This road must rate as one of the worlds most scenic byways and all even though it was my 5th time riding this road I was still muttering "Holy Jaysus" under my breath as I rounded bends and was continuously confronted with the views you see in the pictures above.

The road was teeming with bikers. I was hear a little under a year ago albeit in August at the start of this junket and there wasn't a sinner on the road, although the weather was terrible back then which probably explains it.

There is a bucket in your head where you store all the scenic views and by about 3pm I was done. I couldn't see another beautiful mountain, brilliant blue lake.... i was full up. So I pulled over and got a cabin, purchased a six pack of beer and sipped away as i watched the sun set behind the mountains.

Tomorrow i'd cross into the last country of the trip the USA....via the Montana border.

I was as giddy as a school kid going to bed, after such a great day on the bike with all the incredible landscape I drove through... I knew I'd be doing it all again tomorrow.

Over and out
Oisin
 
Some great fotos there Man, and funny stuff yer talkin there, its great.
I'm starting to think oh no he is nearly finished what am I going to do at work now when he is done.
 
Where from here...?

Hey Oisin, any idea what your planned route is going to be from where you are to New York?

All the best :thumb2
 
Nippy Normans supply Touratech, Wunderlich, Desert Fox and many other makes of accessories.
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