Final Route and tentative schedule...

Tentative Timeline....

After fresh oil and checkup the Steed is ready for the journey.  I spent most of the evening rethinking packed items trying to reduce the weight on the motorcycle.  I also finalized the route and tentative schedule.  Based on being in Anchorage on the 18th, we have 3 days to spare or possibly stretch out one or more of the 400+ mile days in the middle of the adventure.

Camping and fuel locations along the route

T minus 2 Days

The Bear Lake shake down ride was great.  Cambria slept in while a few of us rode to Bear Lake for a coffee.  325 miles round trip and the Steed handled the weight perfectly.  The new Rigid Industries D2 lights are VERY bright and make us more visible than ever to oncoming traffic, which is great when you're on a motorcycle.

Today the Steed goes to the dealer for a service, then back home to reinstall the panniers.  I will download the final route to the GPS tonight, relax Thursday.  Friday morning, kickstand up at 7:30AM and the adventure begins...

Loaded

The Steed is ready for the Sunday test ride.  All I need is to add Daughter and we're off....  Notice the cool ADV stickers!!  

Last minute prep...

First Aid kit arrived and loading the gear on the Steed is nearly finished.  This weekend I will ride a test run fully loaded around Bear Lake.  After reading about the dust on Dalton Highway and the speed of the big rigs, I decided to order a set of Rigid Industries D2 lights with amber covers to make us more visible in any situation.  Big thanks to Kurt at Black Dog Cycle Works.  He has been great to work with as I prepped the Steed for the adventure.  His skid plate is indestructible and the foot pegs are a game changer regarding comfort.

Sample picture, you get the point...better visibility. 

This time next week the adventure will be underway!!

More Gear...

During the next few days the last of the gear will be arriving.  Today the new tent arrived and I set it up in the house (wife loved that...).  The bear deterrent was delivered too.  A reminder of what we are in store for during our adventure.  Amazon Prime rocks!  HUGE time savings ordering gear rather than driving or calling around town.

It was 95 degrees today, set up the sent in the house

Packed tent 4.5 lbs

Bear Spray and air horn...hope it works 

Survival Gear

With less than 11 days to departure, we are staging our gear.  In addition to the items below, we will pack clothing, tent, and a small laptop.  Everything must fit on the motorcycle 

Shelter

Today was spent finding a light weight tent with enough room for both of us and gear.  Alaskan summers are very wet with heavy rain.  Of course none of the 6 tents we own will work.  My motorcycle adventure tents are built for one! This tent only weights 4 lbs (with all accessories).

MSR Mutha Hubba NX 3-Person Tent

Tomorrow I will begin loading the bike down with gear!! I also ordered a new set of tires to be installed in Fairbanks prior to riding the Dalton Highway (The Haul Road) which is 500 miles each way and most of it is a logging road.

Our ADV bumper sticker

We will have 100 stickers to mark the route along the way!!!  RV's beware, we will be tagging you :)

Prepping the Steed

OK this post is for my geek motorcycle friends.  Prepping the bike is half the fun!
  The bike is ready for Alaska.  

Taller windscreen and headlight guard

LED light guard and highway pegs

Highway Pegs and valve cover guard

1 gallon fuel, 1 gallon H2O, on BMW Panniers

Black Dog skid plate

Black Dog larger and lower footpegs

New Seat....

BMW Nav VI GPS and Satellite locator beacon...

Route

The initial route to meet the family in Anchorage is 4,200 miles.

SLC-Prudhoe Bay-Anchorage

Before leaving the US, we will stop in Yellowstone National Park and Glacier National Park.

Safety

Safety is a major concern when riding nearly 8,000 miles.   Cami has all new gear, the same brand and safety standard as the gear I've rode thousands of miles in, KLIM.  The jacket, pants and boots are Gore Tex treated, waterproof material,  Both jacket and pants have full body armor; back, elbows, shoulders, hips and knees.

The goal is always rubber side down, shiny side up, but you have to be prepared.  I am always safety conscience, but my precious cargo on this ride makes it ultra-important.  We also expect to ride through a lot of rain during our 18 day ride, and the Gore Tex will keep us dry and warm.

Welcome to our EPIC Daddy- Daughter Alaska Adventure.  We depart for Alaska July 1st and plan to ride 4,200 miles, which includes a stop at the Arctic Ocean (Prudhoe Bay) before meeting the rest of the family in Anchorage after 18 days of riding.  After the family vacation, I (dad) will ride 3,500 miles home.  Our preparation is in high gear, so the first few posts will be catching you up on what we have accomplished.  This is our first time blogging anything, so bare with us. We hope you enjoy our adventure.

                                                      This is our trusty Steed, a 2016 BMW GS Adventure.



This is our first test ride, 205 miles around Northern, UT.  Cambria did great, but we need a different seat, the OEM seat is a torture device. New Sargent Seat on order for my passenger.



Time OUT!                                             Ice cream break