My own private hell
Mood:  don't ask

Wheee Pictures!
Just a quick post to get some pictures up!





This day there was about 2 inches of snow on the ground but I went riding anyway!



Mt Adams in the distance from the top of Mt Hood. Best run on the mountain that day.



The gang after a hard day on the slopes (L to R: Me, Alexa, Brad, Beth, Teresa, (missing are Alex and Missy))



For Christmas, Alex helped me get my '97 Bandit to Portland for Alexa's Gift!

Mike

Happy Birthday to me!
Mood:  celebratory
Now Playing: Uhm. . . the birthday song?
Hey, I just realized that today is the one-year anniversary of this web log!

Wish me luck on the next year!

Mike

What we got here is failure to communicate. . . .
Mood:  suave
Now Playing: Tick tock tick tock tick tock
Seems like just yesterday that I started on my trip across the US but it was in fact over seven months ago and 21,117 miles later, I was done with my first motorcycle trip across the United States and Canada. I have been forever altered by the experience and I am already starting to plan for a much longer trip, both in time and mileage. I am toying with the idea of a round the world trip on a much smaller and more off-road capable bike. Though this dream is still in its infant stages I am hoping that it will not be solo. I have learned a lot about myself during my months on the road and feel that I have become a much stronger person with a greater sense of who I want to be. I am now studying here in the UK at Loughborough University and have not had as many opportunities to ride since getting here but I know that I will be back on the road in the future. Thanks to all of you who have read my blog and looked at the pictures that I have put up. Unfortunately, these few small pictures are all that I have to look at from my trip as the loss of my camera in Fairbanks AK has taken all the others from me. Thanks also go to all of you who housed, fed, helped, taught, laughed with, cried with, and opened your hearts to me. I am forever in your debt.

Now for some hard numbers and some observations about my trip.

21,117 number of miles traveled
1,841 longest non-stop ride
41 hours taken to complete longest ride
154 days on the road
2,282 number of miles traveled on a plugged rear tire
1282 longest stretch of riding in continuous rain in miles
32 number of states traveled to or through


Most of the equipment I purchased and took with me was invaluable and performed wonderfully, some of it was marginally useful, and some was useless and should have been chucked away or not taken in the first place.

The Good:

Aerostich Road crafter 2 piece riding suit: an absolute joy! Worked better then advertised, never leaked, provided great protection from the elements, was ?ber comfortable, and never needed even a snap repair. A absolute must for living on the road. I even slept in the thing a few times; the back protector makes the hardest ground comfy!

Wolfman Explorer tank bag: daily workhorse. Kept every thing within reach and organized. Map window sat flat and within easy view, strap on version a bit harder to use when fueling but an absolute rock solid platform is the result. Shifted a few times in high wind situations, Kansas was hundreds miles of non-stop side wind, all in the same direction and the bag shifted to the right a bit but I was never worried about it falling off. Only downsides are the necessity of a rain cover and the not entirely rainproof map case. In heavy extended rain, the water migrated through the seams on the sides of the plastic and leached in to the map.

Shoei RF 1000/XR 1000: Comfort, comfort, comfort. This helmet is lightweight with great ventilation and decent noise characteristics. Kept the bugs off my teeth and out of my eyes (when I had my visor closed) the rain off my glasses and the sun from scalding the scalp off my head. Should also keep my brains in my head should it come to that.

Sidi On-Road Sympatex boots: dry feet, are they too much to ask for? If your togs are in these, you will never have to ask that question. Absolutely 100% guarantied waterproof. Full stop. Never had to worry about wet feet and the easy on off Velcro system made them a non-issue when it came to getting dressed or undressed. Good grip from the soles too. (just avoid the anti-freeze/oil slicks that form at toll booths and the Canadian American border crossings.)

Givi V46 Top Case: Rooooooooooooom! Hugely usable space with an unbelievably easy access system. I managed to fit all my clothes (minus my heated jacket and fleece) inside this beast as well as an assortment of items including all the paperwork for the bike. Waterproof to the max and the ability to remove it in approximately 3 seconds makes this a winner in my book!

AAA Maps: Where the heck am I? Clearest of clear maps, easily replaceable, and best of all: free.

iPod 40 Gb and Sony mdr-ex71 ear-phones: Boredom killer! I probably would have gone insane if I had not had music during those hours and hours on the road. This system allowed me to have music t fit any mood or occasion and brought it into my head with all the comfort I could ask for. Damn those thieves for taking this from me.

SW-Motec Engine guards and center stand: what price comfort? The "highway" pegs added in Florida to these bars allowed me one more place to set my feet and stretch out to keep the long legs from getting cramped. Also kept the plastics off the ground on the Strom's one meeting with the ground. The center stand made working on the beast that much easer. Loading was a cinch and the parking situation was improved too!

Moto-Lights: Hello Sunlight, Hello dead battery. Made the road in the foggy nighttime sprint through deer infested tree lined, curvy/twisty/hilly country bright as day. However, the V Strom's electrical system is not quite up to the task of running these with any other electrical accessory is running. So often, I had to turn them off in order to have warm hands or body or I would kill the battery whilst riding. I am now on the hunt for lights that will draw much less than the 70 watts that these people need.

Givi E--41 side cases: Is your bike pregnant? I love the ability to get to my stuff through the access panel on the top using no key, great for those things that get used often like different gloves, my fleece or heated jacket, and of course water or drink bottles. However, the rounded shape make them a bit tough to load, the asymmetric mounting makes balancing the bike tough as the right side one is farther away from the centerline. In addition, can they make my bike any wider? Hoping to upgrade to something with as much room (or more) but with a much thinner profile, perhaps Jessie's or happy-trail's.

Pro-Oiler automatic chain oiling system: Low maintenance master. For all the miles, I have traveled with a functioning chain oiler I have not had to stop every 600 miles or more often and lube my chain. When riding through rain or mud all I had to do was press a little button on the dash and, presto! A clean oiled chain!

Gerbings Heated jacket liner: Heat good, cold bad. . . . Yep worked just as promised, heated my torso and arms up, and did an admirable job too. However, it works even better under a windproof fleece and over thermal underwear. In addition, if you do not have UnderArmor under it, it is more effective.

Scott Steering damper: Ooooooohh shiny! This little bit of eye candy is drop dead sexy mounded front and center on my handle bars and does a remarkable job of keeping the front end from waggling. Good thing too as the Metzler Torrances I have mounted make the bike wag its head like a convulsing doped up Osborne. However, it made noticing the flat back tire a bit harder than normal.


Helen 2 Wheels Dry Bags and Straps: instant backrest! These two bags that I strapped to my back seat were a screaming deal. Each bag was less than $40 the straps were less than $20 and they work just as advertised. They hold an incredible amount of junk in a neat and dry way. The small one held my Therma-Rest sleeping pad and my Sierra designs sleeping bag and was wonderfully comfortable to lean against. The larger one held the following for a large portion of the trip: 1 North Face Slick-Rock 2 person ultra light tent including fly, foot print, and poles; tripod for my camera, one can Mothers carnauba wax, 4 wax applicators, 3 polishing cloths, 1 pair of rubber slippers, 3 shirts (won at the BOSS rally,) one set of front brake pads, 2 extra bulbs for the Moto-Lights, and 750 ml extra petrol.

The Bad:

Kryptonite security chain: AKA the boat anchor. Probably could be used to tie the space shuttle to the ground but weighs a frickin ton! I left it in Florida with Jason and promptly lost 25 lbs from my gear!

Himalaya Motor Bike Wear rain pants: water proof? These pants I bought in Fairbanks to get me back to Portland after my stich was stolen and managed to last a whole 500 miles before they promptly blew out 2 seams and delaminated along the front of the knees, the top and sides of the thighs and the butt. So at least my calves stayed dry. Absolute poo.

Himalaya Motor Bike Jacket: AKA the straight jacket. This jacket was actually waterproof. However, I do not think I could find a more uncomfortable jacket if it were lined with barbed wire. I have never been so chaffed around my neck, it felt like I had a sun burnt neck covered with sand after about 45 min of wearing this thing and I had 2600 miles to go. . . .

Koss The Plug ear phones: Ouch. These things are great to listen to for an hour or so. Without a helmet on. In a helmet 25-30 minutes max. They could be used as torture devices after that. The driver is just too big and puts pressure on the ear in new and interesting ways. Honestly thought I was bleeding from my ears after wearing them for about 3 hours.

Aerostich Padded bike shorts: huh? These things are recommended by all sorts of long distance riders to help prevent monkey butt. Supposed to help prevent pressure points from building up. I found that the pads in them not only caused hot spots for pain but as they are chamois type material, they also collected moisture and kept it against my skin. Kinda like riding around in a wet diaper. Not good for the skin. The Patagonia micro fiber boxer briefs I bought to replace them work 100 times better.

Rand McNally maps: expensive poo. At $6-9 a pop, these things are not that helpful. They are not very clear, fold in stupid ways so that in order to get them in a map case you have to be an Origami master, and generally inferior in material too. I managed to rip my first one just trying to get it in to the map case for the first time. Not just a little rip either. Get AAA maps or the free ones at state welcome centers, much better in almost every way.


I am now writing this at 35,000 ft (10668 m) as I jet off to Portland OR to meet up with Alexa, Teresa, Brad, Alex, Missy, Beth and several others to go skiing for a week at Mt. Hood and try to decompress from the past semester at Loughborough. If I have not been clear or it has not been obvious before now, Alexa and I are an "item." She and I met up during one of the hardest times of my life for the first time when she came to Hawaii to visit her sister T. When we re-met up in San Francisco sparks flew and we have never looked back. Long love the human capacity for adventure and taking risks! * tink of glasses *

As I mentioned before I have been bitten by the bug to travel by motorcycle and am currently starting the preliminaries of organizing a circumnavigation of the earth via motorcycle. I am hoping to get to ride on six of the seven continents on the way around and Ill leave you to figure out which one Ill be missing. I am hoping that this will take place from the spring of 2009 or 2010 (depending on whether I get in to the masters program or not) until the following fall or approximately 1 ? years. I am still in the inquire stages and the research phase; specifically I am researching suitable steeds for the trek. I am placing high importance on off-road capability and lightweight. In addition, reliability, price, and durability/crash-ability are all near the top of the list. At the moment the one bike that seems to be closest to what I am looking at is the Kawasaki KLR 650, though I dearly would love to have one of these http://www.rallytwin.com/ However, I find the asking price a bit too steep. So, I now have a plea for you my faithful reader. I am looking for any advice, tips, ideas, routes, points of interest, help, or even riders interested in living out their dream. I am hoping to travel in a small manageable group of 3-5 people and at the moment this may break down to Brad, Alexa, and myself I would love to add another couple of people to this as I think that having about 5 of us would make the going the easiest. Feel free to post or email me any ideas or comments about this as I could use all the help I can get.

I have learned a lot about what should be taken on the road and a few things I found that I really did not need. In the future, I think I will be able to pair down my stuff even further. The Strom performed flawlessly and I honestly don't think that there is a better bike made today that can do all the things I asked it to for a better price.

Lastly to every one of you who has been inspired by my ride: This is your one shot at life, this is not a practice round, live it without regrets and hunt down your dreams.

Mike Jansen

I drove for miles and miles just to wind up at your door. . .
Well at last the end has come. I am here in Vancouver awaiting my flight to London and have been parted from my trusty steed till this coming Monday. The past several weeks since my last post have been a whirlwind of activity, planning, shopping, and taking care of replacing documents. After I left Prince George (without a tire unfortunately) I headed south as rapidly as I could on my decrepit rear tire. I have to say that crossing the border gave me a lift that helped me manage the next 5 hours on the bike. It has seemed that through my trip that I have seen only a handful of LEO's and generally when I am just heading through scenic areas, however this night I was stuck at speeds just over the limit as I ran across more cops around Seattle and the state of Washington in general that I think that I have seen my whole trip. This would have been one thing if the weather had been poor but as it was a clear cool night it was ideal for making up lost time and cursing at much higher speeds. Also after sitting at or around 100mph for days through northern Canada I found that 60 was torturous. When I crossed into Oregon I was once again beset by rain. Lots of it. As I crossed the bridge between Washington and Oregon I came upon a cop who had hydroplaned into the wall of the bridge and totalled his cruiser. And I was still on a very bald back tire. Arriving at Alexa's doorstep I felt the long miles of riding slip off my shoulders like letting down a heavy pack. A hot shower and a warm bed were like nirvana to me.

Over the next few days I hunted down all the documents I needed for my Visa to the UK and readied myself to return to Hawaii to settle some banking needs brought on by my lost check book. Once in Hawaii Alex picked up Alexa and I and took us out to go and retrieve my Mom's Jeep so that she and I would have a set of wheels for our duration on the island. Leaving the top behind Alexa and I headed out around the island to soak up some warm sun and hit some of the more beautiful beaches. The trip was like a dream of warmth, food, friends, and good times. As we headed back to the mainland we had found that we had become very close during our time together and were both loath to have to return to the "real" world. The next week was spent attempting to make sure all my documents would be where I needed them when I needed them. However all the best plans always seem to go to waste. On Monday I headed to LA to apply for my visa only to get to the office to late to apply. As I had to leave for Vancouver on Tuesday I did not have time to spend in LA getting my visa the next day. I decided that I would head to the UK and then head back in a week or two to Chicago to get my visa there.

On Tuesday my shipping documents had still not arrived and I was forced to spend another night with Alexa (not that I was complaining.) On Wednesday my documents had finally arrived and I headed north to Vancouver. Arriving at the shipping office at 630 pm I found that the office had closed at 6pm. Seems that this was just not my week. After checking in to a hotel that evening I proceeded to get drunk in the hotel bar and hit the hay. In the morning I hit the Shippers once more and finally got my bike accepted to get on a plane. Now it is Friday and I am just waiting for my flight and looking forward to my new life in the UK studying at Loughborough University.

Ill be posting one or more wrap up posts in the next month or so once I have settled into life in England so keep reading and waiting for news of mike.

Drizzle
Mood:  hungry
Yeay for me! I made it to Dawsin Creek! I have finished the Alcan Highway! And I did the whole thing in the rain! I left there and then headed to Prince George where I am staying for the night. Hopefully in the morning Ill be able to find a shop here in town that can fix me up with a new back tire. I have to say that the scenery is better between Dawsin and prince george that for most of the rest of the way up the Alcan. And there were twisties again! Looks like Ill be sleeping in Portland at Alexa's place tomorrow night!

Mike

How to ruin a good ride
Mood:  down
Now Playing: Uhm. . . .
So here I am in Fort Nelson after riding in the rain for the past 2 days and the last 1200 miles. My rain gear has failed, my back tire is on its very last legs, I am exhausted, cold, hungry, and out of pations. I miss my stich. I want to be in Portland already and it looks like it may take another 2 days at this rate. That is if I don't hit a moose, deer, sheep, horse, caribou, other driver. Or wreck. My back tire is getting interesting in the rain to say the least. Wish me luck!

Mike

How do you say goodbye
Mood:  chillin'
Now Playing: Colective Soul
Boy-Howdy! I have been all over the place since my last post and have had a doozy of a time. Lets see last post I was in Colorado Springs and about to head up to see my sister in Denver. Well I headed out in the early afternoon up north and the weather decided that it would be a pain in the ass. I had been having trouble with the weather for the past few days in the Springs, lightning, thunder; hail you know all the pleasant stuff, also tornado warnings. I can say that riding through freezing rain over grooved, construction torn pavement where there is 2 inches of standing water is no fun. Hopefully the Fog City visor insert that I just picked up will mean that I will be able to ride with the visor down next time. The rain was so cold that my eyeballs went numb. Feels weird blinking when ya cant feel your eyes. So I got to my sis's and had a great time catching up whilst I dried out a bit before dinner. After I was warm and dry once more we headed out to a local steak house and had a couple of bloody steaks for diner along with more great conversation. After dinner we decided to go out and party a bit in honor of her birthday. We decided to go find a club and eventually found our way to The Church. The Church is an old Catholic church that has been converted to a club and has several rooms and is quite cool to hang out in. This evening there was some DJ playing so the cover was a bit pricey but the music was fantastic. Being Malia's birthday, and the fact that she knew the bartender (Stephanie, the cutie) Malia got comped a few drinks and we had a blast dancing up a storm and sucking down the booze. After the Church closed at 2 am we headed across the street to an after-hours club. When we finally decided that we had enough we stumbled home around 4 in the morning.

Ouch. I gotta start remembering not to drink quite so much. The morning was not a welcome visitor on that Saturday. However, now that we were awake we might as well go and find some food. After a good greasy hangover breakfast we went and ran some errands then head back to her place and watched a movie and crashed. In the morning (fathers day) we called our dad who was surprised to here both of us that morning, then I packed up and after a lunch headed out toward the four corners and toward Las Vegas.

The ride from Denver toward the 4 Corners over monarch pass is amazingly beautiful. The mountains are spectacular and the roads are filled with lots of high-speed sweepers and great elevation changes. Cars though, are wonderfully sparse. I underestimated the time element and got to the 4 corners monument 15 minuets too late to be able to get to go and see it. Oh-well I decided that I would just have to return some day and continued on in the failing gloom toward flagstaff AZ. Just a tip for those of you that are thinking about doing this ride, fill up as often as you can! I crossed into AZ with about 80miles on the clock and thought nothing about passing the gas station that had been behind me by about 10 miles. When my gas gage started blinking at 260 miles and I did not see a town much less a gas stop I started sweating in spite of the chill. At 300 miles I was really starting to panic as I had only enough spare gas to get me another 10 miles or so. Luckily I got to a station at 305 and put 5.4 gallons in to my 5.8-gallon tank. The rest of the way to Flagstaff was uneventful but mind numbingly beautiful. I stopped the bike at one point turned it off and took off my helmet and just looked at the sky. Out in the plains hundreds of miles from any major town the heavens open up and provide quite a show. The velvety dark is split by hundreds of millions of sparkling jewels, each flashing in its own brilliant setting. The inky void is truly humbling and awe inspiring.

In the morning I headed out from Flagstaff toward Kingman where I would head up the 93 over Hoover dam and into Vegas from the south. When I pulled off the highway into a Sonic drive-in I pulled up next to a couple of guys who looked like they were also touring a bit on their bikes. Both the 2nd Gen Bandit 1200 and the late model VFR 800 sported lots of luggage strapped on and California plates. After some introductions and some grub we decided to ride towards Vegas together as that was where they were heading too. The heat was oppressive as we headed up 93 (long, flat, straight, boring, but HIGH SPEED {only posted @ 65 but I toped out at an indicated 120.}) Even though we were hitting some impressive speeds the wind was not refreshing. We parted company at Hoover and I headed toward the sparkling excess that is Las Vegas lost in my thoughts and delirious in the 100-107 degree F heat. I got to the MGM Grand and met Alex who had flown in that morning from Hawaii. The AC inside the room was heavenly and the shower that was waiting for me was almost orgasmic. After getting refreshed, Alex and I went down to the casino and spent some $$ at the games. That evening Brad rode up from San Diego on his Nighttrain? arriving around 1 am. He was lucky on the ride, as even though it was hot he at least did not have to deal with the sun. We proceeded to get some drinks into us walk around a bit (ogle the girls) and then crashed around 6 am. We decided that since the town is so 24 hour we would miss the heat of the days by sleeping through them and exist mostly at night. Over the next several days we proceeded to drink, go shopping for some clothes, Alex got an Bernini suit, look at women, drink, smoke way too many cloves, party at studio 54, drink, party at the Ghost Bar (highly recommended,) drink, eat occasionally including at the Belagio buffet (also highly recommended,) party at Rain (flames are cool,) and had our room paid for with nickels! So on the last night we decided that we should party till we were done and then head out in the morning toward San Francisco. So after getting back to the room around 6:30 am Brad and I loaded up our bikes said goodbye to Alex and head out in the growing heat. We decided to head up the US 95 then transfer over on some other road and pass through Yosemite toward the foggy city. The less said about the long hot straight road that we went up through Nevada the better. Once we transferred off the 95 after lunch the riding got a whole lot better. The road started to gain elevation and cool off a bit also the traffic (what little there was) disappeared and we had a great ride going as fast as we wanted to and just goofing off a bit. We rode along the shores of Mono Lake and turned west once more to enter Yosemite National Park. The lushness and coolness that was to be found in the park was shocking after spending so much in a desert for the past few days that we both ended up a bit giddy and could not stop grinning like fools and acting a bit drunk. However, as we rode on it became apparent that the long nights of partying had caught up with us. About 40 miles of the road don't exist to Brad or me. I pulled off the road at one point, as I could not keep my eyes open any longer and apparently woke Brad up too. It seems that he was following me thinking that at least I was awake and he could just follow me and trust me not to crash. Where as I was thinking that as he was following me he would pull me over if I got too dangerous looking. So that is how I rode through Yosemite and did not see a thing. I slept through it. When we got out of the park (and its dreadfully slow speed limits) we pulled over and looked at the map just to realize how far we still had to go. We saddled back up and headed into the sunset. On the ride out of the mountains we got a chance to get some real turns back into the ride and I managed to get both of my pegs down that afternoon. We found the freeway's of SanFran and proceeded to get lost time and time again on our way to Berkley where we were to meet up with Teresa and Alexa. After several attempts to get in touch with Teresa I realized that I had Alexa's number with me the whole time and gave her a ring to let her know that Brad and I had made it to their hotel. All I have to say is that after 15 hours on the road, from the heat of the desert to the chill of 11,000 feet, and all the dust and annoying drivers that we could have had thrown at us, there is nothing better then being greeted by two of the most beautiful women on earth wearing nothing but bikinis and towels saying that we had to hurry up and get naked so we could get in to a hot tub with them.

After a quick change in to some shorts Brad and I slipped into the hot-tub and just about melted, feeling the miles and miles that we had racked up melt out of our tired bodies. Unfortunately as we had gotten there so late the security guys cut our fun short and we were forced to head back to T?s and A?s room. After showers to get a bit cleaner Alexa and I headed out to get some wine and some food brad and I as we had not had food since about noon and were famished. As the first full-sized passenger I have had on the bike, Alexa was a joy to have behind me. The bike did not seem to notice her at all and was very comfortable for both of us. When we got back to the room Brad and Teresa were in bed . . . but not with each other unfortunately. After a bit of food and wine all around I bedded down on the floor and passed out till the morning. In the early morning the girls had to get ready for their older sisters wedding and after a hectic few hours they headed out and brad and I crashed back out for a few more hours of sleep. When the girls got back we headed out to find some dinner and walked into Berkley looking for something interesting to eat. Well we found a street fight in progress. Then we found a Jamaican restaurant that looked interesting. After a wonderful meal we were ushered out of the restaurant by the owner as the place had been reserved for a private party later that evening. But, get this the party was going to be booze free. As in no alcohol. None. At all. Does this not strike anybody else as a boring party?

So after dinner we headed back to the hotel for some conversation and some drinks then we retired to attempt to allow Brad and I to catch up on some sleep that we had been sorely missing over the past week or so. In the morning we headed in to the heart of San Francisco to check into a hostel and party in the city a bit. This was in its own way a ?Very Bad Idea.? Brad and I rode our bikes into the heart of the city on one of the craziest days of the year. It was the Sunday of Pride Weekend. We spent 2 hours attempting to ride 20 blocks to our hostel. The traffic was shot to hell because of the parade and of course the parade was running down a street that we had to cross to get to the area of the hostel. So what did Brad and I do? We rode through the parade. After we finally got there and checked in we got changed and decided to walk around and hunt for some dinner. We selected a nice Indian food joint and proceeded to have a great time.

In the morning the girls headed out to the salon and Brad and I headed to his sister?s. When we got to her place Brad and I passed out once more, seems that not sleeping for almost a week does bad things to the human body. When Brad?s sis got home we had some food and talked for hours late into the night. In the morning Brad and I headed down the Pacific Coast Highway toward LA. The ride was memorable due to the amazing views of the Pacific Ocean, the incredible twisting road (sample sign: Curves and hills next 78 miles), and the outrageous gas prices (3.80 for premium!) We rolled into Riverside where Brad?s new apartment is and passed out around 3 in the A.M. In the morning the bikes got a very needed bath.

I last got my bike clean in Orlando before I headed up to Maine. 11,000 miles, 21 states, hail, rain, dirt roads, bugs, damaged oiling system, lost filler cap, more rain, desert sand, more bugs, birds (2,) gum (L), a cup of coffee, and more bugs, worth of various filth was plastered to the bike and it showed. My once sparkling blue ride was nothing but an assorted mismatch of tan, gray, black, and brown. After scraping, rubbing, soaking, soaping, hosing, wiping, buffing, and generally using lots of elbow grease the Strom was looking sharp once more. The appearance of scratches, pits, and chips in the paint and plastics of the bike were expected but still a bit disappointing nonetheless. Later in the evening Brad and I headed to his complex?s movie room armed with his XBoX ? and proceeded to make lots of noise playing Rally Sport till way to late. Over the next few days I added my Scott Damper (mike porn) and washed and re waterproofed my Roadcrafter suit. One day I headed down to say good buy to my friends in Sandiego. I met John for lunch and chatted with him for an hour or so then headed to track down Jannettie and Jessilyn at their grandfathers. After I met up with them Jenny showed up with AJ and we headed out to find some food and have a chat about what I had been doing and how there lives had been going over the past couple of months. After I left them I headed out and met up with Dan and Brad at Dan?s place then headed out for drinks and grub with Dan and Brad. Later Brad and I rode back to his place in Riverside. The next day I spent getting ready to get back on the road and headed out around 11:45 p.m. to Portland.

I arrived at Alexa?s door at about 5:30 p.m. the following day after I had gone 1100 miles in 16 hours 45 minutes. After catching back up with A, she and I headed down to the riverfront blues festival. Where we saw some killer zydeco band just tear up the stage. I spent a week in Portland recuperating from the past months of hard touring and had the 15000 mile service done to the bike as well as adding the Suzuki knuckle guards to the bike. I think in that time I fell in love with the city and surrounding area of Portland. Portland has the ability to be a big city in the midst of a country area and yet feels small and English at the heart of it. On every corner is a small family run eatery and within 15 minutes you can be in the middle of farmland or a forest yet still be close to concert venues and nightlife. I am thinking that I will se if I can live here later in life after I graduate from Loughborough University.

On Monday the 12th of July I headed out towards Americas Last Frontier. I stopped in Seattle and spent that night with Rob and Mya and headed north the following morning. I crossed into Canada several hours later after waiting to cross the border for almost 2 hours in the 90-degree heat. After I navigated my way through Vancouver I headed up route 99 through Whistler toward CA route 1 and continued north till I hit 100 Mile House where I spent the night. In the morning I continued north through the vast emptiness that is Canada. That night I hit Meziadin Junction on the Stewart-Cassiar highway and slept in my tent at a rest area next to a wooden bridge. I have never had so many dreams of being run over by a big ass truck as I did that night. When I headed out that morning I did not realize how lucky I was to have decided to stop the night before. Over the next several hours I found my self repeating the phrase ?glad I stopped last night, this would have sucked in the dark? as I went over miles and miles of broken, gravel covered pavement. The freshly graded mud was fun as well; I always liked not being able to tell where the bike is going to go. Along the way a guy on a BMW 1150 RS and I kept passing each other as one or the other of us stopped for gas or piss breaks. When I got to the Cassiar/Alcan junction I decided that I needed food. Seems that I had not eaten since pm the night before and here it was approaching 3 pm. After I filled the bikes and my tank I was getting ready to head out when who rides up? That?s right the BMW guy. Turns out that he and I are heading the same place and so Kevin and I decided to ride together. The Alcan Highway is not nearly as grueling as the Stewart/Cassiar and the ride to Whitehorse was a pleasant high-speed jaunt.

When Kevin and I arrived in Whitehorse we found that the only hotel that had rooms available was an overpriced dive but the thought of a shower after the dusty, buggy, muddy, hot day that I had just ridden through was enough of an incentive to get me to fork out the cash for a room. It was a good thing that Kevin and I ran into each other as once we decided to share the room the price was much more reasonable and the conversation was great. When I awoke the next day Kevin and I packed back up and head out toward Alaska once more. The scenery between Whitehorse and Tok is fantastic if a bit monotonous but the lake that you pass has to be seen to be believed. Kluane Lake has the most amazing color I have ever seen, kind of a blue green silver that defies the imagination.
Shortly after Kluane Lake we entered Destruction Bay and met up with a guy on a Harley that we had seen riding behind us now and then. After some introductions and some lunch together we continued along in a sort of a pack though Kevin and I were keeping a pace quite a bit higher that that of Jim. We crossed the border in to Alaska late in the afternoon and stopped in TOK to say goodbye to Jim as Kevin and I were planning on heading to Fairbanks that evening. Well after getting touch with Terra, Kevin decided that he was going to spend the night in Tok as well ad I headed out alone for the first time in 2 days. The ride to Fairbanks turned into a bit of a race as I was trying to get there as soon as possible and I was attempting to keep my now destroyed chain on the bike. Since I had left Colorado I had been limping along on a damaged oiler but the mud, gravel, and dust on the Cassiar had finally killed not only the oiler but also my chain. Every 100 miles I had to stop and readjust my tension and give it another coat of oil. Shortly before I got to Fairbanks I reached the end of my adjusters and knew that I was in big trouble if I did not get a chain on my bike soon.

I limped into Fairbanks around 11:30 pm on Friday the 16th. I magically ended up across the street from where Terra and her friends were hanging out when I gave her a call letting her know that I had made it. After parking the bike I pulled off my ?stich and the tank bag from the bike and asked if I could put them in a car as I did not want to loose them. After securing my junk I headed in to the club for some drinks and to meet the gang. Around 2 am we headed out to the car and found that some one had decided that my Aerostich suit and my tank bag should be theirs.

In one fell swoop the thief had made off with all of the most valuable things I was carrying short of the bike itself. I lost my: Aerostich, Canon digital camera and all the pictures I had taken on the trip, iPod, Tank bag, over gloves, prescription shades, passport, checkbook, first aid kit, Bible, daily journal, everybody?s addresses, bike log, many of my maps, two bandanas, flashlight, Swiss army knife, security cable, keys to the bike and its luggage, all my Pounds and Euros, my flat tire kit, and countless other items I had accumulated along the way. I have now had to reschedule the rest of my trip and so from here my route will be a bit different than what the original plan was going to be.

Since I have been in Fairbanks I have gotten to know a bunch of Terra?s friends and they have been most friendly and welcoming. We have done all kinds of neat things together including: jet ski, float down a river on rafts for hours, drink WAY TOO MUCH BEER, and just have a generally great time inspite of it all. I got a new chain and oil change on the bike and started trying to replace the stolen goods with substitutes so that I can ride back down to Vancouver to ship my bike to the UK. Ill be leaving Vancouver on the 27th of August after I get back from Hawaii where I am forced to go to cancel my checking account (American savings bank sucks.)

I am looking forward to continuing my journey when I get to the UK and I hope that you all will keep reading, as I will keep updating as time goes by.

I would like to extend a special thanks to those of you who have housed me, fed me, encouraged me, supported me, and most of all believed in me. Thanks go out especially to Hannelore without whom this would have been impossible, to Brad who was there by my side through some of the toughest rides, to David and Sarah who?s council and advice has been invaluable, to Malia who took a chance, to James who was always open to listen to me bitch, to Alexa and Teresa who provided a much needed respite from the road, to Darrell the man behind the legend, to the Doigster catalyst, to Jenny and John support crew, and lastly to God through whom all things are possible.


mike

Damn and Blast - two good friends of mine lately
Mood:  don't ask
Now Playing: Not my iPod, thats for sure. . .
right just a quick note to update yall.

Good news! I makd it to Fairbanks AK!

Bad news : when I got here some degenerate decided that my Aerostich and my tank bag should be his. I have lost my passport, check book, iPod, Canon A70 digital camera with about 350 photos on it, my perscriptioned shades, and lots of other things that are irreplaceable.

My new plan is to ride to valdez then take a ferry to vancouver and ship me and the bike off to the uk.

My trip has been cancled.

I seams that I am no longer Lost In America.

mike
mike too

Lost in my thoughts. . . .
Mood:  rushed
Now Playing: The Gray Album
Tonight I head north once more. I am now on my way to AK. I have had an amazing experience so far and I know that this is still just the beginning. I have come to the realization that I am probably going to have to extend my trip once more probably to about Aug 15 so I have another 6 weeks to get to Toronto. Wish me luck!

I am a bit sad in knowing that I will be leaving the friends I have here in CA behind and that most of them will never make it to the UK to see me. I just hope that I have inspired a few of you to get out and make the most of each day, to chase the dreams in you and to live life without regrets.

Mike
Mike too