Headed North - The Lemonade Tour | GTAMotorcycle.com

Headed North - The Lemonade Tour

oomis

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In January, I took a new job. I left a company I was with for 12 years for something new - a chance to be a part of something really interesting. It was a high risk, high reward sort of gig.

Long story short, there were a log of things wrong with the situation, and I wasn't happy. But I was willing to work through what was an unwinnable scenario because, you know, winning...

The company is going through a difficult time, and can't seem to settle on what it needs to do to move forward. And I ended up getting caught in the crossfire. On Monday everything was fine. On Tuesday, things weren't fine. And on Thursday, I was being handed a fair package from HR. Terminated without cause - meaning I did nothing wrong.

Although it's early days and I'm still processing, I feel like this is a good thing. Sometimes life gives you lemons. *&^% happens.

I'll be ok, the settlement was fair, my reputation won't be compromised and my skillset is in demand.

So what does a guy do when he's handed lemons? He rides to the Yukon to make lemonade.

I have the bike, I have the gear, I have the equipment. I'm ok financially. I have family support for this. Like a lot of other riders, the North has been on my list for quite some time. Like a lot of other riders, the time it takes to ride out all that way is the stumbling block.

Suddenly, I find myself with the time, and when am I going to get this opportunity again? Not only do I have the time, but I don't have to be back by a certain time. I have time and flexibility.

So I've got a few things to get in order at work, and on July 7th I'm headed out.

I'll use this thread for route planning, for folks to post suggestions, and as I'm out I'll write out a ride report and post pictures.

Bike is a 2013 R1200GSW. Currently shod with Continental Trail Attack 2's, which I understand are a 90/10 road/dirt bias. That'll do to get me out there. Any suggestions on the right tire for up there? Any suggestions on where to order the tire into and where to get tires changed?
 
Sorry to hear things didn't work out for you but I'm actually envious in a way. If i was in your shoes I would take the opportunity to take a ride like this as well. All I can suggest is to check out some ride reports over on ADV Rider for info on tires and shops in the northwest.
 
I remember when something similar happened to me. I quit my job & went for a good ride to gather my thoughts. It wasn't a long ride, but it was a ride.

Have a fun ride & I hope you restrategize yourself
 
I've Conti Trail Attack2 on my Versys this year with about 7500km on them.

Have a look at their TKC 80's, as I know a couple of friends who used them to great results on the gravel of the trans Labrador Highway and on into Newfoundland.

My brother-in-law swears by then on his GS800, for street and off road use, and the lean angles he gets out of them are amazing.
 
Good for you OP - do it when you can. We'll wave from the train. Heading to Edmonton on the 3rd by train then north from there by cage.
Pickup Milepost - that's your guide up there.

This figure 8 might work as a start for you



https://www.google.ca/maps/ms?msid=...=58.516652,-130.737305&spn=23.06947,51.108398

That's Tok Alaska at the middle of the top figure 8 Fairbanks to the top left, Dawson/ Eagle to the right and Anchorage?seward over to the left.

So depending on wweather etc youcan pretty much choose your route without repeating
Denali is between Fairbanks and Anchorage.

Should be lots of tips on ADVR and here.

BC you can go up the inner route and down the one further east starting at Banff Jasper

Enjoy
 
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I'm into 8 months squeezing lemon into lemonade, so far the juice is worth the squeeze. Just go, no need to plan except the next day. Locals can guide you to hidden gems.
 
TKC80 is a good choice specially if you're all by yourself. They are a bit noisy on tarmac.
Don't forget the tyre repair kit. It saved me on my last year trip.

Have a safe trip.
 
TKC80 is a good choice specially if you're all by yourself. They are a bit noisy on tarmac.
Don't forget the tyre repair kit. It saved me on my last year trip.

Have a safe trip.

yeah, been there. Won't tour without a tire repair kit ever again - it's saved me on more than one occasion
 
As I'm staring at google maps, dragging routes around, I'm realizing that it doesn't matter. Planning this trip doesn't matter. I don't need to plan a day to day itinerary. I don't need to figure out where I'm going to end up at the end of the day. I don't need to be home in exactly a month.

All I need to do is to head west to somewhere south of Calgary. Then I head north until I hit Dawson.

Simplicity.

Now if only I could be so simple about packing...
 
You should worry more about bringing enough of your favourite road side snacks!!! Have fun, enjoy your life, it was meant to be this way.
 
Pack mosquito/back fly netting if it isn't already on your list.

In Labrador we became quite practiced at drinking beer through a head net. :p
 
Pack mosquito/back fly netting if it isn't already on your list.

In Labrador we became quite practiced at drinking beer through a head net. :p

A head net? Would you recommend anything else? And is there anything I should be looking for when I buy it? Any material differences between good stuff and cheap stuff?
 
Any material differences between good stuff and cheap stuff?

Yes, there normally tends to be. I would keep a close eye at point of purchase. Anyway, lovin your trip.
 
I've ordered new tires in Whitehorse - Yukon Honda has been very helpful, with a set of TKC80's waiting for me when I get there, and some sort of touring rubber waiting for me when I'm done with the far north to get me back to civilization. I have to doublecheck what kind of tires the TKC80's are - tubeless or tubed.

With the new PR4's I'm going to install before I leave, that's 3 full sets of rubber that I'll be going through on this trip. $ouch$

In poring over ride reports and looking at good advice from those who've done this trip before, I'm revising my packing list as well. I'm not really a "kitchen sink" kind of guy - I've learned to pack light, but my trips are usually 1 - 2 weeks.

I'm going to pack clothes for a week only. That'll give me an excuse to hit a laundromat on a day off, or a day of light riding, and will make sure that I can do all my washing in one load - in and out, easy peasy.

What's causing me some grief is my camping equipment. It's taking up a lot of room.
- 3 man tent (bigger is better, to a point. I've tried 1 man tents, and at 6'3", they just don't work for me). I may try packing the poles and the tent seperately, I think I can get it to pack smaller than the tent/fly wrapped around the poles.
- sleeping bag (rated to 0C, packs quite small)
- inflateable backpacking pillow
- twin air mattress. I have tried sleeping on thermarest sleeping pads, they don't work for me. The twin mattress is small, and will afford me a good enough sleep.
- air pump for mattress. I originally wanted to use my tire air compressor to inflate my mattress, but the valve in the mattress is too large.
- collapsible camping chair. Setting up camp and realizing that there's nowhere to sit (ie no picnic table etc.) sucks.
- Nesting cooking pots
- MSR nesting eating dishes
- coleman dual fuel stove (can run off camping fuel or unleaded)
- kitchen mess kit (cooking utensils, knife/fork, cooking spices / oil, scrubber, etc)
- one metric *&^%-tonne of dried backpacker food (I actually enjoy eating this stuff)
- paper towel
- toilet paper
- collapsable sink (for doing dishes, washing hands)
- water bladder
- water purification pump
- small LED lantern
 
I used coke can alcohol stove. I like it because it burn clean and leave no sooth on my cookware. You do need to carry alcohol for fuel but there is always HEET you can buy in most US gas station. My insulated lunch bag double as sink.
 
Here's the mount, a 2013 BMW R1200GSW, whatever. Just like all the other Beemers with adventure pretentions...



Riding (reluctantly) with me is Chris the Gnome. Chris has a backstory...

20 years ago, in 1993/94, some friends and I liberated a 300 lb 3.5 foot tall solid concrete garden gnome from a house around the corner from me.

With much glee, this gnome was relocated by several of us from Toronto to London, ON, at the house of a dear friend of mine who can remain as anonymous as the rest of us thieves. I'm sure the gnome is still there.

This story was told to my children, now ages 9 and 11, who decided to judge me for my ancient crimes.

Please meet "Chris The Gnome", a present from my kids, and my new motorcycle travel companion. He will travel with me on motorcycle trips and figure prominently into my pictures for however long he lasts, like my personal albatross, until such a point as balance is restored.

My children have an awesome sense of humour and karma. But seriously, packing around a garden gnome for this trip just seems ridiculous. Maybe Chris will meet some awful fate somewhere along the road.

This is where Chris is living, in my top case.


He's living in a padded zippered case, and I suspect that at times he'l be more comfortable than I am.


 
Tomorrow we leave. As close to 5 am as I can get, crossing the border at Detroit and aiming to get as far past Chicago as I can.

Hopefully I'll be able to get around Chicago before evening rush hour begins. I lived and worked in Chitown for 18 months a number of years ago, and the traffic is very much like Toronto's - epicly awful.

Beyond Chicago, my itinerary has been carefully plotted out on Google Maps. I have reservations at camp sites or motels for every single day I'm on the road. It was a steep learning curve, but I plotted 3 routes into my GPS for every day. The first will get me to breakfast, the second to lunch and the third to my final destination. I know exactly where I'm going every day I'm on the road. This gives me confidence and allows me to feel like I'm in control.

Ok, so maybe not. My itinerary actually looks more like this:
Day 1: Get past Chicago.
Days 2 through 30ish. I dunno.

I have tires waiting for me in Whitehorse - Colin at Yukon Honda has been very helpful, and there's a set of TKC-80's waiting for me on the way up, and when I'm done with the north and on my way back down, he's got another set of touring rubber (I dunno what kind) that I'm sure will more or less get me to just about home or so.

I'd like to check out the Alaska Ferry system, maybe from Haines to Prince Rupert.

Or whatever.
 
It says you are still in Brampton, enjoying this fine weather.

Best of luck on your trip!
 

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