"California Dreamin`"

My route south down the 101 brought me into California and a town called “EUREKA” (at last I`d found it!) unfortunately I couldn’t find a suitably cheap place to stay. Eventually, after riding around for a while I ended up in the less salubrious part of Eureka and got a motel room for $44. Deja vu! Very rough round the edges, sticky carpets, and clientele who looked “interesting”.



Downtown Eureka Motel

I chained my bike right outside the door that night and after a fitful night`s sleep I headed out of town at a brisk pace searching for the “real” California. I stayed for two nights in the little town of FORT BRAGG, mainly because I found a good value motel that was really clean! It also allowed me to catch up with my e mails, source a replacement netbook battery buy some automatic transmission fuel for the chain (I`m looking after this chain like it`s part of the family!) and liaise with my next couchsurfing hosts in the town of PETALUMA.

Couch Surfing in Petaluma!

My hosts in Petaluma were Payette and "J.C." Payette being named after a river in Idaho (discovered by a French explorer) and J.C. being named after, well..... J.C. They were going to be at “The Rivertown Revival Festival” down by the river in Petaluma, so I arranged to meet up with them there.



Payette



"J.C."

That was the theory! For some reason I just assumed I would bump into them! Still, the best laid plans of mice and men (by the way, when did you ever hear of a mouse making a plan?) In the meantime I enjoyed the music, had a beer, and watched a demonstration of robot wars. It was like something from Terminator 2 (or was it 3?). I finally met up with them at their house. A great place on the hills overlooking the town. J.C. invited me in and within a couple of minutes said, “Do you wanna beer?” I was going to say, “Is the Pope a Catholic?” but wasn`t sure he would get the reference. After a very quick shower (didn’t want the beer to get too warm), the conversation flowed as easily as the beer. We covered lots of topics - travelling, computers, politics, ecology and the delights of commune living, well into the night and well into another 6 pack of very fine Alaskan Amber (which I promised to replenish the following day). Before I got into discussing religion, I thought it time to turn in as they both had an early start the next day. Sunday was their designated kayaking day. They would get up early, drive to the sea, and paddle with some kindred spirits to a secluded bay, where they would eat food,drink wine and then paddle back. A very pleasant way to spend a Sunday! Meanwhile I caught up with internet stuff, did all my washing (aren`t clean clothes great!) and picked up some more beers. Another fascinating Couchsurfing experience.

"Jets and belly dancers"

I got up early the next day and leaving as quietly as I could, headed towards SAN FRANCISCO. I`d posted a request for help in servicing my bike on the “Chain Gang” website (you remember “The Chain Gang?”). One of its members, very kindly, not only offered to help me work on the bike, but also give me a room for the night, and so I was heading for SAN RAMON, in the Bay area of San Francisco to meet Paul. Thank goodness for sat navs! Negotiating the bridges and freeways of San Francisco was an interesting challenge! I`d arranged to meet him at 10.00 a.m. and as I pulled around the corner, there he was, waiting for me, garage door open and ready to go! I rode straight in, pulled my helmet off and introduced myself properly.
Paul turned out to be not only a top bike mechanic, but also a top aircraft mechanic. A local multi millionaire employs him to look after his two private jets, so when he`s not keeping the jets flying, he`s riding his Triumph Tiger on dirt roads for fun and helping out people like me!
We got going pretty much immediately. With Paul`s help we stripped the bike down to get to the valves (don`t ask me – but apparently they have to be checked!). While they cooled down, we jumped in his truck and he took me round to several shops so I could get the parts for the service. The day went so quickly we didn`t even have time for food. We stopped off to buy something for dinner and headed back with two huge steaks (which he cooked to perfection!) and an extraordinary bottle of wine. I couldn`t resist it - $1.99! I thought it was a mistake, so I checked again, “Yes, sir, $1.99. It`s our own brand”. By a country mile, the best value wine I`ve ever tasted!
The following day “we” finished off by changing the oil, replacing the throttle cable and cleaning all the remaining Dalton Highway dirt off (yes, there was still plenty left!). He wouldn`t take any money for all his troubles.
“Think of it as my contribution to your journey!” He said.
So thanking him once again, I wished him the best of luck with the “hot date” he was going on that night - an attractive, belly dancing member of Mensa! (Who wouldn`t be fascinated!)

And so, the road was calling again and the delights of Santa Cruz were beckoning.

"Random Acts of Kindness!

The coast was indeed cooler! Having stripped off all my lining and waterproof inners in Redmond, I hadn`t gone more than 40 mins before I was stopping to put them all back on again. I decided to head for a place called GOLD BEACH, mainly because it sounded nice! It turned out to be a little bit further than I wanted to travel (having made the decision to slow down the pace and make more stops along the way) so I resolved to stop at the first place that looked pleasant and find a place to stay for the night (great decision making criteria!) and so I happened upon the little seaside town of BANDON.



Followed my usual routine of riding around first to check out any nice coffee shops and cafes, and it looked perfect. I negotiated a favourable rate at a nearby motel and went for a “cappuccino stroll”. By this stage of the week my body was beginning to complain. Cumulative hours were taking their toll on my back, so finishing an excellent cappuccino (oh, and a lovely slice home baked banana cake) I went in search of a massage. I`ve discovered that on a trip of this scale, if I don`t put looking after my body as a high priority it rapidly deteriorates. A nice helpful lady in a shop made a call for me and put me in touch with a local massage therapist called Suzanne Alexander. I called her, but being a Sunday she wasn`t at work. When I explained I was only in town overnight she agreed to come back into town and see me! What a nice, kind thing to do, I thought. My belief systems support the notion that people turn up in your lives when you need them. And so began a series of serendipitous meetings with total strangers who all played a part in supporting me on my journey. The massage was exactly what my body needed at the time and more importantly, the conversation I had with her was just what my spirit needed too. We talked about the journey, physical and spiritual, positive affirmations and even quantum physics (although we didn`t refer to it as such!) as I was leaving she gave me a piece of writing which she thought I might find helpful and inspiring to help me along the way. It was brilliant and so relevant. I left feeling calmer and more relaxed than I`d done for weeks. The next morning I was having breakfast before heading off down the road, when a mother and daughter (Sharon and Marlyn) came into the cafe and sat on the next table. I recommended the breakfast croissant (mmm, yummy) to them and we got into a conversation. They were originally from New York but now lived in Miami and came to Bandon for their vacations. They asked me about my journey and were so thrilled at what I was doing, they promised to sponsor me! We talked about many things for about an hour, and because it seemed appropriate, I showed them the copy of the writing I`d been given the night before.

Sharon and Marlyn

They loved it so much Sharon sent Marlyn around town to find a place to get a photocopy. They were such lovely, warm people and they said that they were so glad to have met me and it had made their day! Promising to e mail them with my blog details I headed off with my faith in human nature positively reinforced again. Arriving at GOLD BEACH, I was surprised to see that it didn`t really live up to its name! Nevertheless, it was pleasant enough. I was riding slowly down the main street when I saw a sign “Rooms from $35” – Perfect, just what I was looking for! I was getting off my bike to take a closer look when a couple on another BMW pulled up behind me for a chat (as bikers do!). It turned out, they`d been to the rally too (naturally). We had a brief chat and they gave me their number and offered me a place to stay if I wanted, at their home which was about 150 miles further south. Isn`t it incredible how you can meet perfect strangers and be invited as a guest into their homes? I thanked them for their kindness and wished them a safe ride back. I went to enquire about the cheap rooms advertised at $35,but unfortunately, Luis the owner, had none left! “I`ve only got that one over there and it`s $85”. I explained that it was way over my budget and told him of “The Journey for Hope”. He thought for a second and said, “it`s a good thing you`re doing – I`ll give it to you for $48” which was certainly the best rate I would get in town. I asked if he had WiFi and sadly he didn`t. I told him about my blog and how an internet connection was so important so he rang around town to see if he could find someone who would give me a good rate! Eventually he found one for $54 + WiFi. I had to take it. I thanked him very much for all his help and was about to get on my bike when he said, “Good luck with the trip!” and he shook my hand with a $20 bill in his palm and said, “Have dinner on me tonight”. I was half way through saying “I can`t........” When I stopped myself, smiled and thanked him warmly for his kindness. Once again, a total stranger going out of his way to help.



Luis

I`d decided that if anyone showed me kindness or offered any help on this trip I would just accept it and thank them. Karma – what goes around, comes around. Sharon had advised me to book on a river trip if I stayed in Gold Beach, so having done nothing “touristy” since I`d arrived from England I decided I would. The following day I booked on an 80 mile jet boat trip up Rogue River (with a bit of white water thrown in for fun!). It was an excellent day. I sat at the back next to a couple from Fresno, California. We exchanged a few words before setting off and then it was “hang on to your seats stuff”. Great fun. We stopped half way for dinner and I settled down with a book waiting for my food to arrive. I was the only single person on the boat and Barbara (one of the couple next to me) came over and asked whether I would like to join her and her husband Ron for dinner. I said I would love to and so we spent an hour or so chatting about travel and work. Ron is an accountant and Barbara works with the victims of juvenile crime. After hearing what I was doing they seemed so impressed and excited for me they offered me a room with them if I was passing through Fresno and also paid for my dinner! A lovely, kind and generous couple.



Ron and Barbara

Setting off the following day, I headed down the coast for a town called EUREKA. By now I`d got into a routine of getting up early and getting some miles in before stopping for breakfast. For some reason I decided to pull off highway 101 and headed down into a little harbour side cafe for breakfast. A quiet place with only one person eating. While waiting for my eggs and bacon, the waiter asked me where I was from and where I was going. I told him about the trip and we talked about the homeless in his area and how he had done some work for them. The lady who was eating turned out to be the owner of the place, a tough, resilient lady called Elaine Righetti. She`d lost her husband only recently after 44 years of marriage . We talked about the challenges that life throws up and how we deal with them and that above all, life was for living and you have to grab it while you can and live it to the full. She took down my details and promised to sponsor me and also gave me breakfast on the house!



Elaine

It`s interesting - I keep meeting people, warm, generous people who want to help me on my way.


Bandon/Gold Beach

Tea and hot tubs in Surrey!

After a long, hot and sticky ride I finally arrived in Surrey (about 13 miles from Vancouver). Nathan and Sandra had kindly offered to accommodate me for a couple of days. I was met at the door by Nathan`s Dad, John who greeted me with a cup of tea and sandwiches (and also, a few beers!) It felt like being back in England (apart from the weather of course). Later, when Nathan and Sandra had got back from work we all jumped in the hot tub (as you do) and I started to feel the stresses of the road slip away.


The next day, Sarah (Nathan`s business partner) also came over and we had a fantastic barbecue and I think I decimated their beer supply.



Nathan and Sarah run a company called “Body Mods”. Yes, that`s right, they`re in the business of body modification, and I don`t mean going to the gym! They sell “things” that you either stick on, or in your body. You get the idea! I was considering having a tattoo of a BMW 650 Dakar across my back and maybe a couple of piercings, but in the end I decided to book a massage instead. There`s only so much pain I can take. I had a brilliant time and was once again overwhelmed by the generosity and hospitality I received, but after a couple of days of R+R, it was time to hit the road again. I was due to attend a big BMW rally in Redmond, Oregon two days later. On the way down I had arranged to stay overnight in Seattle, with Tim and Angela, the couple I had briefly met in Prince George.
The U.S. border was only a few miles from Surrey and as I approached I was mentally preparing myself for the 3rd degree. I`d hear about many U.S. and Canadian citizens getting a grilling and was warned not to get caught with anything controversial in my luggage, so I kept reminding myself “whatever you do, you must declare the bear spray. You must declare the bear spray”. I rolled up, the guard checked my passport, asked me about the trip I was on, wished me luck and waved me on! Easy! Of course, I completely forgot about the spray.
After a couple of hours of riding I needed a break and was looking for a good place to stop when I came across a sign for a town called Hope, so obviously had to stop for a coffee! When the owner saw the sign on my bike (Journey for Hope), he looked at me, looked at the sign and said, "congratulations, you`ve arrived!"


A town called Hope

I hit Seattle just in time for rush hour on the freeway which slowed me down a little but still got to Tim`s before he did – he was behind me in a car apparently! After unpacking and showering Tim drove us to a little Mexican restaurant and bought me dinner (more generosity!) and the following day we both set off for Redmond, Oregon. It was really nice to have a bit of company on the road for the first time in a month. Tim, knowing the roads so well took us on a scenic route via several volcanoes including the famous Mount St. Helens which erupted in 1980. The roads and scenery were spectacular, none of which I would have seen if it hadn`t have been for Tim.The route took longer than we thought so we ended up camping overnight when it was clear we wouldn`t be getting to Redmond that day.

The Redmond BMW Rally

Up very early the next day we rode a couple of hours and arrived in Redmond in the sweltering heat – 95 degrees! And it pretty much stayed that way for the next 3 days! The rally was huge. In the end, over 6,000 bikers arrived. I spent my time picking people`s brains and attending as many technical seminars as I could. In the meantime, I cleaned my air filter and chain. It was quite funny as people passing ,seeing the bike stripped of its panelling, kept asking what I was working on! (As if I knew what I was doing! ) Didn`t have the heart to tell them I was just poking around.I met the man who set up the web site for my type of bike (f650.com)commonly known as "The Chain Gang" (because our bikes have chains!)very charismatic and slightly eccentric. He was a cross between a preacher, teacher and mechanical wizard!His name is Steve Johnson aka "The Professor!"

I said goodbye and thanked Tim for all his help as he left early on Saturday morning to do a week`s worth of riding on the dirt!

I spent the rest of the time wandering around trying to learn as much as I could. I met some very interesting people who gave me good advice about entering Mexico. The consensus was – don`t hang around near the border towns (drugs, shootings, etc), avoid the big cities and whatever you do, get off the road before sunset.
Mmm, should be interesting.
I felt much better for having the three days off the bike, socialising, resting and having a few beers (well I was told to drink plenty of fluids). It was quite sad to see everyone packing up to leave on the final morning. I exchanged e mail and blog addresses and it seemed all too soon that it was time, yet again, to get back on the road. I`d spent the past couple of days wondering where to go. I could head east and take in a couple of National Parks or west and head for the coast. In the end, the weather decided for me. It had been so intensely hot, I decided to head for the cooler air of the coast and the famous Pacific Coast highway 101.

Bear Paranoia and the Rockies......

Cruising the Rockies

Diary Time

The day after broke with blue skies and at last I could see the real beauty of the Rockies. I walked the 2 miles into Jasper and immediately went on my usual quest of finding the nearest wifi. Found a great cafe/bakery and ordered a cappuccino and pastry only to set up my netbook and find their wifi was down! Finishing my breakfast I resumed my internet search. Found a spot quickly, but had to order a full cooked breakfast in order to use the internet! C`est la vie! These are the challenges of being on the road. Staying on top of my e mail, skype, blog, etc, sometimes proves difficult. The day before I left I met 3 BMW riders at the camp who were really helpful. Ron helped me adjust my chain and also suggested I attend the big BMW rally that would be taking place in Oregon in a week or so. Meeting like minded spirits seemed like a good idea and it would also give me a few days off the bike and maybe pick up some advice about Mexico and further south. With that in mind, I created the first real plan in 3 weeks – Redmond, Oregon it was! From Jasper, I rode about 2 hours to Lake Louise and queued to get one of the last spots available in the campsite 2km from the town. Same routine, pitch the tent, stow any food in the bear proof lockers and walk into town to find wifi! In the evening attended an outdoor lecture on “A Year in the life of a Grizzly” (thought it wise to be informed!) This campsite had bear warnings all over the place even though it was surrounded by an electrified fence like a mini Jurassic Park!
Came back to find another bike next to my pitch. Turned out to be 2 people from England, riding an older BMW. David and Jill from Plymouth. We exchanged stories from the road and blog addresses.



They were on their way to Calgary for the stampede and asked if I wanted to ride with them because they had a spare room in Calgary. I must admit to being sorely tempted. It would be nice to have some company on the road. But I had committed to “Couch Surfing” (www.couchsurfing.com – a brilliant idea) in a place called Kelowna 200+ miles south and my hosts were expecting me. (Also, I needed to get my oil leak checked out at the BMW garage).

Couch Surfing in Kelowna!

What an amazing experience! A friend recommended it as a worthwhile thing to sign up for, so as a virgin Couch Surfer I was really interested to see what would happen. I logged on the site and punched in Kelowna and found several people offering to host. For some reason I was drawn to a lady called Myrna Park and when I checked her bio discovered she was into speaking and training! Coincidence? I don`t think so. She told me to go straight to the BMW garage and drop off my bike and her husband would be over to pick me up. “You can`t miss him. He`s a tall man with a beard and will be driving a pink car!”


Layton and the pink hot rod!
Sure enough, a big bear of a man rolled up in a pink hot rod! Enter Layton Park, speaker, author and humourist! And so began a fascinating two days were they treated me as one of the family, introduced me to their friends and even took me as a guest to a local meeting of the Canadian Association of Professional Speakers (CAPS). Myrna created some fantastic, healthy salads (best food I`d had in weeks!) and Layton regaled me with stories of his books and bikes. Two extraordinarily talented and generous people. We talked about quantum physics, personal development and the journey (literal and metaphorical) I was on. They created a haven for me to recover after many days of hard riding. Just what I needed. Coincidence? I don`t think so. I was so comfortable there, I didn`t want to leave! But too soon, I had to get back on the road. Myrna insisted I soak my neck scarf and t shirt with water to combat the stifling heat (30-35 degrees!) and warned me about dehydration. With a commitment to stay in touch, I waved and headed off over the mountains towards Vancouver.

1,900 miles later......somewhere in Canada!

Brian and Wendy
After an extended stay in Fairbanks the journey recommenced with a 200 + mile run to a little place called TOK where I discovered the bike had an oil leak (not a great thing to happen when you`re about 1,000 miles from the nearest BMW garage! An anxiety set in which stayed with me for quite a while. Not sure how bad it was I bought extra oil and tried to nurse it along to the nearest garage of any description. They were few and far between in the Yukon as I discovered. The weather which had been fine in Fairbanks became “changeable” pretty much from there on in. Cold, blustery, wet........ you get the picture. From TOK to HAINES JUNCTION (another little outpost) was uneventful but fairly arduous (7/8 hour ride) followed a day later with another 7/8 hours to WHITEHORSE, the capital of the Yukon. The Yukon is about twice the size of Britain and has a population of 30,000, and 26,000 live in Whitehorse! Found a Yamaha dealership and asked them to check the oil leak and put new road tyres on. Everything (apart from the bill) was going swimmingly! Got the cheapest hotel I could find (the backpackers hostel was full) and went for a beer. With the locals being extremely friendly, conversation was easy at the bar. Had an interesting chat with a slightly drunk chap who insisted on buying me a beer and said I was either ex military or slightly crazy doing the trip I was on. “Those people down there (the U.S.) are dangerous!” He was shocked I wasn`t carrying a gun or any weapon at all. I told him it wasn`t an English thing to do! He just shook his head. “You`re about the bravest f****r I know”. Didn`t know whether to take it as a compliment or what. The next day, confident the bike was now O.K. I headed for WATSON LAKE (271 miles) through some appalling weather and worse roads. It seems scattering 50 – 100 metre patches of gravel across the road is the way they construct the highways. Not so good on two wheels. Met up with an American Harley rider who was one of 800+ riding from Key West, Florida to Homer, Alaska (9,000miles). First past the post wins $500,000!
Found cheapish accommodation in Watson Lake at an old 1940`s airbase (ironically run by a German couple who had lovingly restored it). Unpacking the bike, I discovered the leak was back. Now the only place to get it looked at was going to be Calgary (a long, long way). The anxiety returns! Tried to amuse myself by visiting Watson Lake`s main attraction – The Signpost Forest.
Don`t ask why, but signposts from all over the world are placed there. After raining most of the night, I set off early for Fort Nelson. Sounds a nice place but wasn`t. It poured down for two days. Nothing to do but find a nice pub (Dan`s Pub) and watch baseball and Canadian Football (like American, but they think it`s better!) Next day brought a minor break in the weather so I got up early but had to wait until the shops opened to buy some Bear Spray. Heard so many horror stories and good advice I felt I needed some protection. This was bear country after all. The previous day I had seen two black bears and a brown bear by the side of the road. Not a place to run out of petrol or break down, miles from anywhere and not much passing traffic. It seemed to really concentrate the mind somehow. On top of keeping a lookout for stray moose, buffalo, deer, gravel, and pot holes, I was totally knackered by the time I reached DAWSON CREEK. During a petrol stop en route I met a couple from England who now lived in Canada. Brian and Wendy Blackwell (you can check out their blog at www.wearetheblackwells.blogspot.com). We had a chat and since they were heading in the same direction, I said it would be nice to meet up for a beer that night. They were such a lovely couple, even though Brian had been having technical problems with his BMW, they took pity on me and bought me dinner - the best ribs I`d ever tasted! That was the last of the good life. Having decided I was way over budget and needed to severely economise, the day after I set off for Prince George determined to find a campsite. Another long and very tiring leg eventually found me arriving in town at about 5.00 p.m. Maybe I was just very tired, but I pulled up to a junction to check the GPS for a campsite and lost concentration. The bike went down with a crash! Another blow to the ego and a snapped front brake lever (still, you don`t need the end two inches anyway). By which time I`d had enough and went to the cheapest, seediest downtown motel there was, which luckily was just round the corner. Shower, lube the chain and find a bar. Deja Vu? The following day I was going to be heading to Jasper in the Rockies. A famous ski resort and a place I`d heard a lot about. While packing the bike (for the mandatory early start) I noticed a problem with the pannier racks from the drop the day before, so it was out with the tools. A couple on a big Honda Goldwing, Tim and Angela, were also staying at the Motel and he kindly helped me put the racks back on straight and offered me a place to stay in Seattle if I was going that way!
Tim and Angela from Seattle

Just like Brian and Wendy ................ the world`s full of kind, generous bikers! Thanking them for their help I set off for Jasper and was soon soaking wet (again). The beautiful Rocky Mountains hid themselves behind dense clouds and swirling rain. Still, it did clear up in time to pitch my tent and armed with my Bear Spray I went to bed knowing tomorrow it would be better. You know what`s coming! Yes, it rained all night and pretty much most of the next day. It was cold, grey and pretty miserable, so with nothing else I could do (Jasper itself was 2 miles away), I went back to my sleeping bag.

Leaving the Arctic - It`s now south all the way!

My goal for the first part of this journey was to reach Prudhoe Bay and dip my toe in the Arctic Ocean. As you have seen, it was much more demanding and challenging than I ever imagined. I must admit, my night in Prudhoe was didn`t involve much sleep!I was very apprehensive about the return journey. My room mate Austin felt the same but he couldn`t wait to get out of there. At 3.00 a.m. he was up and gone! I left at about 6.00 a.m. and the weather, if anything, was worse. The dalton was relentless in its challenges to the bitter end. And, in the end the score was:- Dalton Highway 1 Intrepid Biker 0.