Delayed!

Turns out it was not my fork seal that was bad, it was my whole fork.  The tube is bent.

 I am pretty sure the damage actually happened last year while in Mexico but I've gotten away with it for this long.  I'm thinking having to strap it down for shipping must have finally done it in.

Because we were on our way up to Deadhorse (and out of cell coverage) I couldn't get the call in time to have them order parts before the weekend.

Though this is not ideal, if this didn't happen before leaving Fairbanks it surely would have happened on the Dalton Highway... And that blog post would have had a very different tone.

Keep an eye out for some posts about the finer parts of Fairbanks!

It's Still Two Wheels per Person

Brief entry for the moment...coming to you from Prudhoe Bay, I'm proud to say.

Nick juggles atop Finger Rock.

Due to some mechanical issues, we left the bikes in Fairbanks for repairs and rented an SUV for the run up to Deadhorse / Prudhoe Bay. Lots of quick decision-making and research Wednesday evening. We got it sorted, though, and hit the road this morning with hopes of making the entire run to the Arctic Ocean in a single day.

Our steed, ready to depart the motorcyclemotorcy shop.

Indeed, what Google prophesied as a 13.75-hr journey, we did in 12, including stops. We got in around 9:40 p.m. Not much here; and what is here is closed, so we've opted to slumber in the car overnight.

The last 100 miles in blowing snow.

It was an awesome drive (more on that later). And even if we happen to be in a car, we still only average 2 wheels per traveler. :)

Kansas City is just not the same.

Sara and I talked tonight at Juggling Club and we were both glad to learn that the other is constantly checking the boys status and location.  I don't think I have ever been so attached to my phone, but I don't want to miss a call or text - who knows when they will be out of cell phone range?!

Both of us are so excited for the boys and we know they will do great!  Everyone at my work asks about Nick every time I go in, it is fun to be able to talk about it.

Sarah informed me tonight that it is 53 days until we are scheduled to see our boys in Ecuador!  I have to find rain gear for the trip, and we are only able to pack the smallest amount of items.

(this is my first EVER blog post!!)

Welcome to Fairbanks! And your hostel of shame...

Rode up from Telkeetna today.  Stopped in Fairbanks to supply up for the Dalton Highway run. And wouldn't you know it...

The forks, they leak!!!!!! 

If we weren't knowingly aiming for a trechorous road I would have seen how it went for a while. But we are, so now I'm at the Yamaha dealer.

Nice enough guys considering I didn't have another option.

We found a hostel very nearby so we loaded half of my gear on Ryan's bike and then I took a little walk of shame and met him there.

Of course I'm wearing this shirt...

Here's to tomorrow!

Talkeetna

Stopped in Talkeetna last night around 7 or so. Popped into the West Rib -- which doesn't seem to be sure whether it's a Cafe & Pub, Deli & Pub, or Diner & Pub -- for a spicy caribou burger, fries, and local brew. Quite tasty!

Set up camp in the park at the west end of Main Street, near large piles of yet-unmelted snow. The sun was still high when we decided to turn in around 10, but sleep came quickly.

Nick is on the right, partially obscured by the tree.

This morning, the jalapenos from the caribou burger decided to make apparent the disadvantage of having a 5-minute walk to the outhouse (the facilities at the campground are still closed for the season). The return trip was lovely, though. I passed back by the West Rib...

The West Rib, beside Nagley's Store.

Across from Nagley's: an inn with quite the list of rules!

...then walked down to the Susitna River, which still had plenty of ice and snow, but was flowing.

Every couple of minutes, an iceberg would pass by...some up to a couple yards across. 

Today: on to Fairbanks at least; perhaps on up to Coldfoot.

A Slow Morning

In the lull as we await delivery of the motorcycles, I've been catching up on some other things. Got the KCJFX and the Great Kansas City Circus Show websites launched. More work to do on them, but the basic info is now available. Finally read the article Nadine gave me on a group that drove across the Arctic Ocean from Deadhorse to Barrow ("The Ice Highway", Popular Mechanics, April 2018). Pretty impressive feat.

After that, I turned back to considering the adventure we're on. Thought about tracking some stats, so started a spreadsheet. Since I didn't log yesterday's flight hours or miles, I dug around the internet and -- lo and behold -- found a site that logs flights. Yesterday for Nick and I:

• AS729 from KC to Seattle
• AS109 from Seattle to Anchorage

Nifty!

An Enviable View to Awaken To

Here's what I awoke to this morning:

Sleeping on a couch has never been so good.

Sarah and I were just walking from the parking lot to Terminal B in KC when Nick and Nadine drove in. We had a few moments to chat after they met us inside, and Nick wisely brought the last of his liquor pistol from the trip to Monterrey last year for us to have a send-off toast.

Then on through security and to the plane.

I left Lassie on through the flight, though she had a hard time finding satellites. Still, on the Track Us page, you can see the general shape of yesterday's 6.5 total hours  in the air. We had a layover in Seattle during which Lassie didn't ping at all, so certainly not totally accurate. Also, curious that our elevation in the air is noted as 0 meters. Pretty sure we were higher than that. Makes me curious about the limitations of personal GPS devices.

In Anchorage, Megan and Kevin met us at Door 5 with their energetic pup, Quorra. They gave us a lift out to their delightful cabin in the mountains near Girdwood. Turns out it's right up the road from where Fred and I panned for gold several years ago at the Crow Creek Mine. (Incidentally, he's about to go on another trip. Follow his exploits and quest for Fortune and Glory.)

The sun rises early in Alaska this time of year, so I'm up before 6, though my body thinks it's already 9 anyway.

Bikes should be meeting us down the road in Girdwood this afternoon. For now: