Alaska Bound 2013
Donnis and Sarah Moore
Part 1                      Part 2                       Part 3                       Part 4

June 9 - Jackson, Wyoming to Evanston, Wyoming
This is just a place in the road that had affordable lodging on the way to our next destination. We left Jackson, Wyoming and rode through parts of Idaho and Utah to get back to Wyoming. Evanston is right on the border of Utah and Wyoming.

On the way there we saw a huge nest on the top of a power pole. At first Donnis thought it was an eagle but there was another gentleman there taking pictures that said it was an osprey. It was sitting beside the nest and there was an adult bird sitting in the nest. It sat there a few minutes and Donnis got these pictures.

Then the one left but there is still another osprey in the nest.

At this same place was this sign about beavers.

As we were traveling along we came to the town of Afton, Wyoming. It had the "World's Largest Elkhorn Arch" or so the sign said. Donnis pulled over to get pictures of it for me.

A picture of a storefront in Afton.

We got to Cokeville and came to a gas station and decided to top the tank off. Then the GPS told us to turn on Collette Avenue. We followed the GPS and Collette Avenue got smaller and smaller. It had no shoulders, and no stripes or lane designations. The surface was paved but it was rough. The GPS said to follow that road for 60 miles. We rode about 6 miles down it and became concerned. Donnis worried that it might turn to gravel and also it was in the absolute middle of nowhere. There was no cell service, no traffic at all so if there had been a problem it could have been days before someone found us because of no way to contact anyone. Donnis could see in the distance, over to the east, a parallel road with traffic on it. He decided to go back the 6 miles and go down that road. It was a wise decision. It was a well traveled road and it got us to our destination.

I hate to brag for fear of jinxing our luck on the weather. It hasn't rained in several days. The sun has been shining but today was the warmest day we have had since we started out on April 27th. Along the way we stopped and both took off our jackets. It was the first time in a long time we had ridden without a jacket. The temperature in Evanston when we arrived was 81 and its been about 3 hours and its still 81. That isn't hot but it certainly is warmer than we have had in awhile.

We rested a bit after we got here and got hungry but didn't want to climb back on the bike and go find something to eat so we ordered in pizza. We got the box that contains a medium pizza of your choice, 5 cheese breadsticks with marinara sauce and 10 cinnamon sticks with icing. It was a TON of food. We had a really early supper so we are glad there is a microwave in our room so we can have some later if we want it.

June 10 - Evanston, Wyoming to Beaver, Utah
It started out in the mid 60's today but quickly warmed up. The highest temperature we saw today was 95. The pavement wasn't hot though, so the steamy asphalt didn't radiate up. It felt ok in the shade. It was a gorgeous ride. We saw some canyons and some really rough looking mountains. There was lots of green everywhere. We were trying to beat the heat so we didn't stop to take any pictures.

Tomorrow morning we are getting up at 6 a.m. and hope to be packed out and leave at 7 a.m. to beat the heat. We have done this before and it gives you from about noon or so to rest and recuperate. Donnis and I neither one do well in the intense heat.

We came to our motel in Beaver, Utah and rested for a bit and I did laundry once more. There was a Subway and a McDonald's in walking distance. Subway is healthier and I wished I liked it, but all the sandwiches taste exactly the same and when they go to slice it in half they smash it down flat and then its totally unappealing. We went to McDonald's and both had the Quarter Pounder with Bacon and Cheese. I ate about 1/3 of mine. We could eat a real meal for what McDonald's costs but we didn't want to climb back on the bike and go find something so this was a compromise.

Let me tell you, I don't think I would survive on Indian food. The couple that owned this motel were from India and resided there in the motel. They were a very nice couple and spoke excellent English. The lady cooked their supper. The entire motel reeked of curry. It was down the halls, in the laundry room, in our room, the smell was everywhere and overwhelming. This wasn't just from today's cooking. It must be an everyday thing. We didn't complain though. We were too tired to try and find somewhere else.

Donnis walked outside to check on the bike and noticed this homemade trailer being pulled by a motorcycle. They painted it like a U-Haul. Since U-Haul is a copyrighted name they did paint NOT across it. The trailer was cute, at least to us. It was almost dark so picture is not the best.

This day is done and we already know tomorrow is going to be a hotter ride than today.

June 11 - Beaver, Utah to Las Vegas, Nevada
We are headed to Vegas today. This is one of our favorite places to visit. We are not gamblers but there are many things to do besides that. The light show at night is spectacular. The fountains outside of Bellagio are beautiful. There are magic shows along the sidewalks on the Strip. There are shows galore to see. The shows cost money but the rest is free. There is a buffet at Bellagio that Donnis absolutely loves. It's not your ordinary buffet -- it has fancy stuff that I have never seen anywhere else on a buffet. It's pricy but the selection is second to none.

Also you get fancy rooms for a fraction of the price than anywhere else we have stayed on this long journey. But this is not the real reason we came to Las Vegas. Sure, its a great place to relax in luxurious rooms and see the sights but . . . it's on the way to Hoover Dam.

June 12 - Las Vegas, Nevada
Today is a day to relax, see some sights, and rest up because tomorrow we are getting up before daylight and leaving here to head towards Hoover Dam. It's only about 45 minutes away but we want to beat the heat.

We were going to go down to the Strip and always have a good time there. But it's HOT!! It was already 93 at 8 a.m. People always say well it's dry heat. Yes, it may not have the humidity of home but I tell you it still feels hot to us. Also, it almost takes your breath away on the bike. We were here once when it was 115! That is no fun on a motorcycle. First off you have the air temperature, then the sun beating down on you and then, almost the worse of all, the road heat from the asphalt radiating up. So on the bike you get it 3 ways. When you're moving it's better but lots of traffic here and sometimes you're in stop and go traffic.

We stayed in the air conditioning all day except for a brief moment to go out and see how hot it really felt to know if we wanted to get on the bike. We didn't. I love to people watch so I did that some. We went to the breakfast buffet here at the casino. I spent time in our room writing this report, uploading more pictures for this report and working jigsaw puzzles online.

There is also a 10 screen Regal Cinema inside Texas Station and we decided to watch Fast and Furious 6. It was better than I thought it was going to be. Donnis already knew he would like it.

June 13 - Las Vegas, Nevada to Hoover Dam to Flagstaff, Arizona
We left at 6:30 a.m. headed for Hoover Dam. We were going to leave earlier but I am ailing again and it took us longer to get ready and packed out. We stopped by the store to get some more sodas for the ice chest.

We have been to Hoover Dam numerous times. It's truly wondrous. We took a tour of it a few years back and the construction is amazing. Main traffic goes right down on those windy, twisty roads over the top of the Dam. We got to see the inner workings of it all. Then 9/11 happened. Security was now a risk for the USA. They set up checkpoints before entering the Dam area from both the Nevada and Arizona sides. Your vehicles are searched.

They also began plans on a high expansion bridge above all of the existing road. This would make things safer and also traffic would flow easier through this area because even the 18 wheelers had to go down and over the old roads. So construction began in late 2001. Completion was to be in 2007. We rode through there several times during this and saw the new bridge under construction. We were excited and wanted to ride the bike over it. We were there in 2005 and noticed construction looked different, and different it was. Two supporting beams had collapsed. They had to start almost completely over. This was going to delay the 2007 completion. So we went again in 2009, still not complete. It was finally completed in 2010 and opened to traffic but we haven't had the opportunity to visit since then.

This is the reason why we decided to come this direction to go home. It was to see the new bridge over Hoover Dam.

Here is a website with all the information about this magnificent bridge. http://usatoday30.usatoday.com/news/nation/2010-10-18-hooverbypass18_ST_N.htm?csp=fbfanpage

We made it and spent about 2 hours there. We walked almost the full distance of the bridge. There was an awesome view from the top. We also drove down over the dam to get a picture from down below. Bridges are one of Donnis' favorite things and he got some great pictures. Notice the water mark on the rocks by Lake Mead. It's been dry there and Lake Mead is several feet low.

We left Hoover Dam headed towards Flagstaff. It was beginning to heat up. Both of us felt too warm and dehydrated. Donnis found some shade and we parked under it and had something to drink. That helped immensely. It's amazing how cool it can be in the shade with a slight breeze blowing.

We continued on to Flagstaff. It was 250 miles today which was good considering we stopped for 2 hours at Hoover Dam. We arrived here around 3 p.m. which gives us a good amount of time to rest since we are getting up at 4 a.m. We have 323 miles to go tomorrow so want to get a head start on the heat.

June 14 - Flagstaff, Arizona to Albuquerque, New Mexico
We left at 4:40 a.m. to beat the heat. We both dug out our jackets this morning because it was 50 degrees. It felt nice after yesterday's heat but we knew today was going to be hotter, thus why we left early. We lost an hour today due to time zone change and arrived in Albuquerque at 11:50 a.m. Mountain Time. Of course it was too early to check in. I think that when you have a prebooked room, and you arrive early, they should have housekeeping get right on the room that they have already assigned you, but they told us it would be 2 hours or more before it was ready. We climbed back on the bike to go find some lunch. By now it was HOT. On the way to Chili's we saw 2 hotels that were cheaper than where we were staying AND they included wifi in the room price, something where we booked didn't include. The cancellation policy was by 6 p.m. today so we went to one of the ones we had seen and asked about vacancy. They had what we needed, at a cheaper price, with wifi included.

So we cancelled our prebooked room and booked the new one. Well . . . the first room they gave us the air conditioner was not already on in the room so it was warm in the room. The air conditoner came right on and worked great for a little bit, but it was on a timer, and it was off longer than it was on so it couldn't cool things down. Donnis went to the front desk and asked about it, they gave him another key and said to try that room but to keep the room we had for the time being. The new key was for the room next door. He tried the air conditioner and it came right on just like this one had and sure enough, it was on a timer also and stayed off longer than it was on. He had mentioned timers to the guy at the front desk but he neither confirmed nor denied the timer issue. So he went back down to the front desk and said that the second room was on a timer and wasn't cooling it fast enough to keep up. So the guy gave him yet another key, that makes 3 room keys we have now, and said to try it. He assured us that the air conditioner in this 3rd room was not on a timer. BINGO!! The air conditoner came on, stayed on and cools. So we moved out of the first room into the 3rd room and were doing great.

A huge rainstorm, with small hail started up. Then the rain stopped and the electricity went off so its now warming up in here again. Anybody that has been to Albuquerque knows how hot it gets, so we are hoping the electricity won't stay off long.

It's been close to an hour. We are on the 3rd floor and the elevators won't work now, nor the switchboard to the front desk. If we want to know the status, one of us is going to have to go down a dark hall and three flights of dark stairs to find out.

The electricity went out at 5:15 p.m. The rainstorm that came through caused that. One hour later, at around 6:15 p.m. the loudest alarms I have ever heard came on. It was LOUD. All the halls were dark so Donnis had gone down to the bike to get a flashlight. It was getting hotter and hotter in the room. I wasn't sure what I was supposed to do with all those alarms. We were on the 3rd floor so you had to climb the stairs cause the elevators were inoperable. You couldn't call the front desk because the switchboard was out. The alarms FINALLY stopped after 15 minutes and that was a relief. Then a lady from the motel knocked on my door and said we all had to come down the lobby to wait until the electricity was restored. My knees are shot and climbing 3 flights of stairs wasn't fun but I made it.

We sat in the lobby another hour and a half with still no word on when power would be back. They were transferring people to the other Super 8's in Albuquerque so we decided to do that. We had to go back up the dark stairway 3 floors and bring down a huge ice chest, a white bag with our overnight clothing, 2 small toiletry bags and our overnight case with our medicines. Also our 2 laptops and our soft shoes. We were trying to do it alll in one trip and it was a trip just to watch us. One guest had pity on us and grabbed the heaviest item, the ice chest and walked it down the stairs. We packed the bike and trailer back up. There were 2 other Super 8's and we wanted the east one since that is the direction we are headed in the morning.

We got the address of the motel, put it in our GPS, and headed out. It said we would arrive in about 15 minutes. There were extremely dark clouds around still though and we were afraid it was going to be another downpour. But we made it just fine, they comped our room, and we settled in again but didn't bring up as much stuff.

Another early start in the morning so we are glad we found a room that was cool and all was well for the night.

June 15 - Albuquerque, New Mexico to Lubbock, Texas
We made it to Texas today!!! April 27 we left Texas and hadn't been back until today, June 15. The ride was cooler than we thought it would be. It started out at 50 degrees and it was cloudy almost all day. About 2 hours into the ride the sky looked ominous and we decided to pull over and put on our rain gear just in case. The majority of the time this wards off the rain. It's uncanny. This was the case today as well. No rain. June 2, in Watson Lake, Yukon Territory, was the last time it rained. We have enjoyed the 2 weeks without it. We also found our favorite restaurant, Cheddar's. We haven't had any really good meals during these 7 weeks. I guess we are getting pickier in our old age. But today we had something we liked and seasoned the way we are accustomed to. Today was 7 weeks since we left and its good to be almost home.

June 16 - Lubbock, Texas to Abilene, Texas
Another day of not many miles but since we had gotten up at 4 a.m. the past two mornings we didn't want to do that a third morning in a row. We slept till 7:15 and an hour later, we had packed up everything and headed out. The temperature was 70 when we left so we knew we were in for the heat today. It was a gorgeous day though, and not a cloud in the sky. We knew we wouldn't have to worry about rain.

Merkel, a small town 17 miles west of Abilene, was a landmark for us because it was there that we had ridden 10,000 miles thus far on this trip and we're not quite finished yet.

We again found a restaurant more to our liking, Texas Roadhouse, and stopped to eat lunch. We were thinking about riding further, but after being in the restaurant for an hour, as soon as we stepped outside, we knew we were going to stay in Abilene for the night.

June 17 - Abilene, Texas to Austin, Texas
This is the day I get to see my 3 grandchildren -- Aidan, 10, Iris, 5, and Arley, almost 3. We normally see them every 2 weeks, and its been 8 weeks since we saw them, so we are excited about seeing them again. And of course, we have souvenirs for them as well. We will be here a few days before heading to our final destination of HOME.

June 18 - June 22 - Austin, Texas
We had a great meal at Ho Ho's Chinese Barbecue on Friday night (June 21) in Round Rock. Round Rock is where our daughter and her husband live and they came to eat with us as well. Before we left for the restaurant, we were going to get our handicap placard off the bike so we could park closer due to my bad back and walking. Well it was GONE!! We have ridden with that placard thousands of miles on the bike over the years so we suspect someone took it. We are not certain when we last saw it. It could have been before we ever got to Austin, but we can't recall for sure when it was last there. We can go get another one and we still have one for the car. We were just surprised because normally its safe for it stay out on the bike. We had a great few days in Austin visiting with our children and grandchildren. It's always good to be with those you are close to and it was a great way to end our trip.

June 23 - Austin, Texas to Livingston, Texas
We left Austin at 6:30 a.m. so we could beat the heat. As I was getting on the bike I noticed that the trailer lights were not working. We were already out in the road and it was going to be a lot of trouble to figure out what was wrong. Earlier in this report I mentioned our trailer lights had gone out in Edmonton on May 5. Donnis put in a new fuse and it has worked ever since with no problems, but today there were out again. We decided to go on down the road and find a better place to check what was wrong but instead we came all the way home with no consequences.

We arrived in Livingston around 11:00 a.m. It was 91 here so we were glad we left when we did. The yard looked like a jungle. Some of the places it was waist high. We had turned off the air conditioner since we were going to be gone for 2 months. That meant we had to cool the house down in the heat of the day. We had also turned off the well and the water heater. We turned all 3 of those back on and went to Wal-Mart to stock up with food and supplies that we needed. We got back and the house was cooling -- slowly, but at least it was cooling.

It was a great trip. We were gone for 57 days. The beginning odometer reading was 48,080. The ending odometer reading was 58,572. That is 10,492 miles. Alaska was worth seeing and so was Canada. In Canada we especially enjoyed the Yukon Territory. All of our motorcycle riding buddies that have ridden to Alaska before said May was the month to go. We followed their advice only little did we know that Canada and Alaska were having a late spring. The natives said it was highly unusual for it to be as cold and as snowy as it was in May. That's just our luck, but we felt lucky because we were able to go and see things we never thought we would see.

In perspective, had we chosen to go in a more conventional way, like a car, we would have looked around and said anyone that would come here on the Al-Can Highway and travel through the snow and rain, would be CRAZY to come on a motorcycle. Well call us CRAZY! We probably would never have completed our goal of all 50 states on a motorcycle had we gone in a car first. We are glad we were fortunate enough to visit all of the states.

Donnis teases about us getting a used convertible (wind can still blow in your face) and starting all over with the 50 states. The big advantage to that is you wouldn't have to get up before sunrise to beat the heat, or battle rain, or cold temperatures. His teasing might be more serious than I thought though because he is looking at used Miatas. Who knows.

I appreciate everyone who has read this far. Some of it I am sure you found interesting, some of it boring, some of why in the world would she tell us all of that. I have been doing motorcycle journey reports for about 10 years and put them on motorcycle forums that we are on but, due to Facebook, most of them have gone by the wayside.

Credits:
Photography by Donnis Moore -- other than the 2 or 3 that he is in, he took every picture.
Dialogue by Yours Truly -- I hope you enjoyed it.

I have an extraordinarily special husband. I feel fortunate to have had him in my life for almost 43 years. He has provided well for me and has taken me places I could only have dreamed of otherwise.

THE END

Part 1                      Part 2                       Part 3                       Part 4