Canada - USA - R1100GS

Who	Gearjammer ~ email
Profession	Try anything
Born 1959	Nationality British / Australian
Previous travel experience	30 years hitch-hiking / driving / riding round the joint
Previous bike travels	See previous trip reports

This trip	Canada / Alaska/ USA
Departure date	01 August 2002
Number in group	Solo
Trip duration	5 weeks
Distance covered	19,100 Km
Cost of trip (not incl. bike)	USD5,000 (excl shipping bike)

Best day	Any day it doesn't rain
Worst/ hardest day	Having to turn back 200Km short of Prudhoe Bay because of road closure
Favourite place	Fairbanks, Alaska (most of the truly memorable people I met on this trip lived in, or were passing through, this crazy town)
Biggest headache	Finding a vacant campsite if you want to stay overnight in popular National Parks.
Biggest mistake	Not checking rear brake pads for wear
Most pleasant surprise	Alaskan wilderness hasn't been over-commercialized and is still a great adventure
Any illness	None
Other trips planned	Another shot at Prudhoe Bay
One travel tip	Take a break from camping and check into a motel now and again

Bike Model	BMW R1100GS
Age/ mileage on departure	7 years / 77,500 Km
Modifications	Corbin seat
Mods you wish you'd done	None
Type of baggage	Metzeler Tourance
Tyres used	None
Number of punctures	Touratech boxes

Bike's weak point	Weight
Bike's strong point	Heated grips (Yessss!!!)
Bike problems	None
Number of accidents	One high-speed encounter with road-maintenance (?) plant followed by regret and recriminations
Same bike again?	No doubt
One biking tip	If shipping a bike overseas be prepared for at least a couple of days delay to its expected date of arrival.