Caladin's 2010 trip: Arctic bound

[Caladin]

Salmon Glacier ends in Salmon River. Summit Lake sits at the top of Salmon Glacier. Every year in mid July the lake breaks an ice-dam that contains it and then flows under the Salmon Glacier into the

Salmon River. It brings a rise of 4-5 feet of water to the river for several days

The sign reads "Leaving Hyder - The friendliest ghost town in Alaska!". That is the Canada Customs office in the background.

Canada Customs. The nervous guard had me empty one of my cases to retrieve my bear spray. To "verify" it was indeed bear spray and not OC spray. Its funny that standard pepper spray is considered a weapon, yet a big can of bear spray is perfectly OK to carry.

Ships can sail up the channel to Stewart. It's Canada's most northern ice free port.

One of the many waterfalls along the highway.

One last view of Bear Glacier on highway 37A.

This trucks load did not look to secure.

 

[Caladin]

Day 9: 1187km / 738mi - Smithers BC to Abbotsford BC

Not many pictures for the last day. I had to cover a lot of ground. Once things start to look like home I tend to stop taking pictures.

My SPOT II tracker had shut off on me several times. I changed the batteries. That seemed to solve it for a day or 2 but then it began shutting off again. I noticed while checking the batteries that there was a powder from the battery labels being worn off inside the compartment. The batteries were vibrating around and likely causing a bad contact I'm guessing.

Bald Eagle in a tree.

Coming through the snow shed on the Coquihalla. Almost home!

I arrived home at 12:45am. What a trip! Here is my odometer at the end. 92842km (57689mi)

 

[Caladin]

A total distance of 7674km / 4768mi in 9 days. So over 9 days that makes an average of 852km (530mi) a day.
My GPS stats showed a moving average of 86.9km/h (55.6mph).

The bike fared well for the trip. But it will need suspension rebuild now. It was just about needing it before I left.

New air filter and an oil change. Just about good to go. I only needed one minor adjustment to my chain once home.

I did notice my air box seal seems to be leaking a little on one side. At least it is on the dirty side of the filter.

Here she is all cleaned up and just about ready to roll again.

So I added 2 territories and 1 state on this trip to my FZ6 travel list. I have now been in 2 Territories, 10 provinces and 36 states.

Not to shabby!

And there we have it... that's all. :rockon:

 

[Kazza]

Awesome pictures. I always enjoy pics of your trips.

Very jealous of your travels.

You're doing what we all want to do - that's the whole point of having a bike.

Thanks

:thumbup:

BTW, I think you've got August BOTM in the bag, no matter which picture you submit

 

[Smersh]

Just one word: Amazing!
Thank you for this great post!

 

[LERecords]

just awesome.. great pics.. thank you for sharing.. hopefully someday I can get in a trip like that...

 

[rchamberlain]

All I can say is "WOW."

 

[necrotimus]

As always truely breathtaking and epic. I'm not lying when I say someday you should create a book (or ten).

 

[Shinleung]

That's impressive.
Must take a lot of courage to really do it!

The photos are really great!

 

[Wavex]

Awesome. Thanks for sharing.

 

[dturpen]

Very beautiful scenery up there! What an unbelievable trip that must have been! I hope you had a good time! I'm always very jealous of the long road trips, especially when it's so well documented like yours are. Thank you very much for sharing.

 

[616ah]

Thanks for posting another excellent trip Caladin! Its not everyone who can capture nature and the feel of the open road like that. Still fewer would attempt a trip like that, and almost nobody can put it all together - every single time! I like how your pics always focus on nature, excellent views and the open feel of the whole trip - not just the tourist traps that most everyone else takes.

Much respect for keeping the shiny side up and taking pics (among other things!) - I don't know if I could - that gravel looks evil!

BTW somewhat envious of your time off in July...

Aaron.

 

[FizzySix]

Wow...just wow. Thank you so much for sharing! Truly inspiring...I want to grab the fizz and go!

 

[tuningfork]

awesome thread and pics!

 

[Adirondack Jack]

One of the best photo documentary's I've ever seen, man. That's incredible. I can say I've been to the Peace River area and it's beautiful but so much more lies beyond. I was fascinated to scroll through all the pics. Great job and a great ride. Something I could never imagine until you brought it home.Wow. Have my sights been set too low lately.

 

[AngelFZ]

Amazing!!!!!!!!

Thank you so much for sharing.

 

[FZ1inNH]

Speechless once more. Thank you for sharing such an incredible journey!

 

[VEGASRIDER]

Three Questions:

Why an FZ6 for your ADV?

Why do you choose to have your spot tracker on your bike rather than on you. If you got separated from your bike, it would defeat the purpose.

Why go by yourself, kind of dangerous doing that trip solo isn't it?

Rep coming.

 

[lonesoldier84]

coooooooooooooooooooooooooooooool

me likey.

will read properly on weekend.

 

[Caladin]

Thanks everyone for the feedback! I love sharing my pictures after a trip.

Three Questions:

Why an FZ6 for your ADV?

I bought my FZ6 with the intention of doing only my first trip across Canada and the US. I never imagined I would manage 3 large trips thus far. Every trip I have taken has thrown more and more challenging conditions at me. Miles of highway that were anything but highway. My trip last year had an absolutely terrible section of highway between Yellowstone and the Tetons. The road conditions were as bad as some of the areas I encountered on this trip up north. I remember riding through it and thinking that if I could manage this, I could manage anything else that was thrown at me. I basically decided at that point that the FZ6 could handle a trip up north as well. People have traveled the Dempster on everything from scooters to Harleys. Sometimes the adventure is not using the "right" tool for the job.

Truth be told I have looked into several so called "adventure" class bikes. But the FZ6 has handled everything I can throw at it so far. I told myself when I bought my FZ6 that I would hold onto it until it was no longer financially an option (due to repair costs) or that it was simply worn out. She is running strong so I cant see myself replacing it with a more suitable ride anytime soon. If Yamaha Canada brings the Tenere (XT660Z or XT1200Z) across the pond I would have a serious hard time holding onto my cash though.

I have to say as well that I really cannot describe the feeling of flying down a gravel road at 130kph on a sport bike in the Arctic. It's way more then just an adrenalin rush, I would describe it almost as a state of euphoria.

Why do you choose to have your spot tracker on your bike rather than on you. If you got separated from your bike, it would defeat the purpose.

I'm assuming you mean separated from my bike in the terms of the rider being thrown from it. If not, the spot does snap out of the mount so I can take it in my pocket when off the bike for some sight seeing.

This is one of those things that I feel comes down to a matter of personal preference. I have read arguments going both ways. I feel the unit is more protected mounted on the handle bars, and more likely to survive a crash. If it was in my pocket it may be broken when I hit the ground on top of it. The safest place is inside one of the side cases, but then I have no way to know if its still workings or getting a signal out. At least when it is mounted on the bars I can see it is tracking. I always have people watching me travel. My routine is to send an OK message at the end of every day when I stop for the night. If I stop in the middle of nowhere and don't send an OK message my friends/family will know something is wrong.

So I guess it comes down to that I feel if I cant get back to the bike to activate the SOS feature, I'm likely to be unconscious and unable to do it even if the unit was in my pocket. So its better to have a good solid track leading to where I am. The unit also work much better when sitting in the open with the logo facing the sky. Storing it on you in a pocket will not hold it like that.

Why go by yourself, kind of dangerous doing that trip solo isn't it?

I actually have no friends that ride. Zip, zilch, zero. My first trip I planned was originally going to be done with a friend in a car I was rebuilding. When they backed out I decided to do it on bike by myself.

With spot I know that I always have someone knowing where I am. There is something very nice about knowing that people are watching over my shoulder tracking my progress.

My biggest concern for this trip was bears. It may seem silly but I actually considered taking a shotgun with me. I have a fair amount of experience with firearms at work, so I am comfortable with the idea of packing one along on the bike. It really didn't make a lot of sense though. A little knowledge and planning is more effective then any 12 gauge. It pays to read up on how to camp safely and how to respond should you find yourself being challenged by a bear. I always keep my bear spray and bear bangers close at hand and ready to go. Know the limitations of both items and when to use them, and just as importantly when to not sure them! Use a bear vault or other cache method or store food/smelly stuff away from your tent. Once your in your tent a shotgun is basically useless anyway in my mind, you are better off with a good knife. I'm no expert, but I do try to prepare myself and be informed.

Things are always safer in a pair/group. That is really one thing that is holding me back from future trips at the moment. I am dieing to head down into South America, but these are not places that I should go by myself. I may talk myself into a Solo trip to Mexico though. I have done some research into a little warm up trip to Los Cabos.

Anyone want to go to Mexico with me? :cheer:

Anyone here could ride the places I have gone. I am by no means even close to a skilled rider. I'm willing to bet that 90% of the riders here would EASILY out pace me on a twisty road. I feel that my strength in riding is knowing my limits and having excellent situational awareness.