watch our.....
DVD!
see the DVD
Teaser!
(download QuickTime)
see scenes from 2004!
see the DVD
Teaser!
(download QuickTime)
Twisted
Throttle
Sport & Adventure
Touring Equipment
Welcome to Happy Trails Products!
Your Motorcycle Accessories store, specializing in
Dual-Sport and Adventure touring.
SealSkinz® are the world's only range of waterproof, breathable, close-fitting socks and gloves.
Alaska Rider Tours proudly uses Aerostich gear. Of the highest quality,it is perfect for the diverse riding in Alaska!
January 2006
North to Alaska…and
pie
Alaskan Adventure Ride
by Kevin O'Shaughnessy
It was somewhere between the towns of Chitina
and McCarthy when it finally started to sink in, that feeling of not knowing
what time it is, not knowing what day it is and most importantly, not
caring. That is when you know your are having a good ride. Mike and I
were trying to catch the Old Man; he was getting nervous about the thunderheads
in his mirror. Rounding every turn, we saw his fresh tracks cutting through
the Alaskan wilderness; looked like the Old Man was getting’ busy
on that KLR, he really doesn’t like the rain.
Speeding along, we came up on fresh tracks of another kind, yep, there
she was, a mother black bear with baby in tow and she was not happy to
see us…
As I look back on the planning of this Alaskan
trip, seeing bears or going fishing was not my primary focus. It was going
to be all about riding Alaska, and it had been on my “to do before
you die” list for quite some time. I realized a while back that I
love travel and I love riding motorcycles, it didn’t take a genius
to figure out how to combine them. There are a few simple steps:
#1 pick your next destination
#2 jump on the internet and do a search for (fill in the blank) motorcycle
tours
#3 remind yourself that life is way too short, grab your credit card and
go! That was the easy part. Trying to get your buddies to join you, now
that can be challenging. Everyone has an excuse. “I don’t have
the money”, “I don’t have the time.” My answer to
that is: Get even, die in debt. As for the time, what are you going to
do? Go to work? Mow the lawn? I say, find the time, tomorrow has no guarantee.
This time it actually worked; it didn’t
take much to convince the Old Man, he has been telling me about Alaska
for years. The conversation went something like, “Hey Pops, you wanna
go to Alaska and rent a couple of dual sports?” “Sure.”
My brother on eht other hand, took some work. He comes from a motocross
background so if the bike isn’t scary fast and constantly trying
to throw you off, he isn’t interested. I pulled out the “Pops
isn’t going to be around forever” speech and that did the trick,
he signed on and left the wife and kid to fend for themselves for a week
(don’t kid yourself Mike, they loved every minute!).
When we arrived at the Anchorage airport the
rain was coming down in buckets, no exaggeration, it didn’t look
good. The Old Man started to mumble something about a car rental when
Mike and I chopped that right off, although, I am sure Mike and I were
thinking the same thing, “this might suck”. This tour was going
to be a little different, it was a self guided tour, in other words “Good
luck boys, try to keep the rubber side down, see ya next week!” There
is a certain freedom in that approach, I couldn’t see this trio of
characters doing it any other way; besides, the Old Man would have tested
any tour guide’s patience with his constant home-made pie stops.
If there was pie, we stopped. Actually, in retrospect, that wasn’t
a bad plan at all.
We showed up at Alaska Rider Tours after a
heapiung breakfast across the street at Gwennies (wicked crab omelets).
Phil, the head cheese at AK Rider, was there to meet us. His crew was
busy outfitting our bikes, two Kawasaki KLR 650’s for pops and I,
and a Suzuki DR 650 for Mikey (he had to have the sporty one). After what
seemed like just a few minutes, we had packed our gear into the saddlebags
while receiving general instructions like, “You guys are gonna have
a blast” and “Don’t forget to do the bonus rides.”
Phil had given us each a personalized tour book, with maps and suggested
side-trips.
As we pulled out of the parking lot the perma-grin
started in. I had finally made this happen, riding a motorcycle in Alaska
with my Dad and brother and to top it all off, the sun had decided to
escort us out of town (after Mike’s stop to buy some bear spray).
I must admit, getting out of town wasn’t the highlight. I don’t
care much for freeway but we must pay our dues. It wasn’t long before
we got off though, maybe twenty miles to the Old Glenn highway. Some raid
had come through a few hours before and it left behind that wonderful
smell, fresh, clean, a smell that reminded me of the north coast but somehow
different. This was Alaska.
After some really nice twisties, we took a break at Independence Mine,
then up to Summit Lake. A dualsport is the only way to go in Alaska, some
of the best scenery is found off-road and you can make good time while
having a blast. Mikey and I took a detour to go and walk onto a glacier.
Our first night was at a mountain lodge with
incredible 360-degree views and much-appreciated locally-brewed coldies.
One of the preconceptions that I had about Alaska was that the food wouldn’t
be any6 good. This place straightened us all out right quick. Another
preconception that went out the window was about Alaskan women, again,
this place straightened us right out (or was that one too many coldies?).
The following morning we woke up to some menacing-looking clouds headed our way and by the time we had the bikes packed and warmed up I felt just a few drops; time to put your head down and grab a handful. We got away from it for the most part. Had to stop for pie in Chitina. After you cross the Copper River it is sixty miles of dirt road to McCarthy and some of the most incredible scenery, and of course, angry mamma black bears.
Touring Rallye Racing Technology
* To register for any of our motorcycle tour or rentals, please print,
fill out, sign and send in our
Click here to download Adobe Acrobat Reader to view forms.
Join our
Mailing List!
keep informed on Alaska Rider Tours
specials and Alaska riding!
 |
|
|
|
|
