Valdese and Asheville

North Carolina

USA

Friday . 03 June 2010

USA and Canada Summer of 2011

From North Carolina to New Orleans, Louisiana, then north to our 49th State, Alaska

A Travel Summary
Good morning Family and Friends Todays trip is with the same white 1986 R 80 G/S BMW motorcycle as before. The bike has been mechanically restored, at 349,282 miles, this past winter and spring by Ivan Messino of Motorrad, Unlimited of Asheville, North Carolina. The planned route of the ride is to New Orleans, Louisiana, north to Fairbanks, Alaska, and then turn south on an uninstructed route to California. Plan to return home in late October or early November. An

Itinerary follows with accompanying Travel Notes:

All is going well. With best regards, Nick William L. Palmer . Valdese . North Carolina . USA

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ITINERARY
Day 01 0 miles Day 16 2,922 miles Asheville, North Carolina 03 June 2010 (349,863 miles beginning trip odometer reading) Northwest Angle of Minnesota Lake of the Woods 18 June 2011 (352,785 miles)

Day 23 Dawson Creek, British Columbia, Canada, Southern Terminus of the Alaska Highway 4,633 miles 25 June 2011 (354,496 miles)

Day 28 Delta Junction, Alaska, Northern Terminus of the Alaska Highway 1,475 traveled miles (1,422 miles actual construction miles) 6,018 miles 30 June 2011 (355,976 miles) Day 32 6,504 miles Anchorage, Alaska 04 July 2011 (356,367 miles)

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TRAVEL NOTES
North Carolina and Tennessee
Rode west through the Appalachian Mountains on earlier established roadways along the Little Tennessee River (Fontana Dam and the Appalachian Trail), crossing the Tennessee state line on Highway US 129 to Pumpkin Center - 318 curves in a distance of 11 miles, Summer has arrived with + 99 F showing on a banks window in Sweet Water, Tennessee at 5:30 PM.

Georgia and Alabama

Missed seeing Bill Lueising of Atlanta, a classmate at Chapel Hill, NC. Had a late afternoon meal with his college roommate, Bob Walker, at the Hickory Tavern the evening before departure. A well maintained Capital and Grounds of the State of Alabama in Montgomery and missed what would have been another pleasant visit with Dwight (Hop) and Virginia Harrigan in Fulton at their home, Orange Hill. Now, in the Heat of the Summer and the first day of calendar summer, with the 21st of June - a couple weeks away.

Mississippi, Louisiana, Mississippi, Tennessee

Heat and humidity are making themselves known with intermittent quick and strong lightening showers. The newly replaced stainless steel exhaust headers are turning to a strawberry bronze hue with dark blue included on the left one. Lake Pontchartrain has a new duel bridge (I-10), three lanes each with wide shoulders. Entering New Orleans an electrical storm commenced at Exit 235a for the French Quarter. Lightening strikes and fire engines could be heard nearby for more than an hour (remained out of harms way) then when the sun came out on to Jackson Square, the Caf de Monde coffee and chicory with several beignets. Recommended by Phil

Coleman but missed Center Grocerys muffuletta sandwich at 923 Decatur Street, created by its original owner, Salvatore Lupo and located just a couple blocks from General Andrew Jacksons statue. Highway # 61, The Great River Road along the Mississippi River north through Baton Rouge; Natchez; the Natchez Trace Parkway. >>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>

The Natchez Parkway: A 444 miles federal roadway to Nashville, Tennessee At

mile marker 386, Grinders Stand on October 11, 1809 Meriwether Lewis (of the Lewis and Clark Expedition, Corps of Discovery, 1804 1806) met his death and is buried there. >>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>
Vicksburg; heat is persistent (+107 F); Memphis - Now across the Great River and north along the Mississippi River on the Arkansas side. The River seems to have withdrawn back to its original banks following its near record setting high flood stage in April/May. There is still farm land under water.

Missouri and Iowa

St Louis (+110 F) founded in 1764 by Pierre LaClede as a trading center and The Gateway Arch, near the confluence of the Missouri and Mississippi Rivers, standing above the impressive Jefferson National Expansion Memorial, with Missouris beautiful State Capital in white on bright green grass framed between the legs of the Arch when looking at it with the Great River at ones back. Highway # 61 continues north through Bowling Green and Hannibal located on the Mississippi, Hannibal, home of Sam Clemens 1839 - 1853, where Becky Hatcher lived next door his pen name, Mark Twain, with his two world known young men Tom Sawyer and Huckleberry Finn - still live! One day later in Waverly, Iowa, and the temperature at a local bank registered 57 F - a change of 50+ F in a 24 hour period.

Minnesota
Albert Lea, Minneapolis, Morris visited with Ed and Joan Dablow,

Motorcycle Maintenance - To include an oil change 20W-50 Castrol.

A hair cut at Daves, Saint Cloud (crossed the Great River for the last time this summer),

Duluth - Aerostich & Andy Goldfine, the founder, and two blocks away, Duluth Tent and Awning, Two Harbors preparing for their annual marathon, a run to downtown Duluth for tomorrow (18 June) and Granite Gear with Jeff Knight co-owner/designer, Wade Niemi - production and Dana Jablinske receptionist, Ely - It was once named "que quam chep", which means "land of the berries" in the Chippewa language and is located in the Vermilion Iron Range, Ely is the home of our

Boundary Waters Canoe Area Wilderness (BWCAW or BWCA) - a 1.09 million acre wilderness area under the administration of the U.S. Forest Service. The BWCAW is renowned as a destination for both canoeing and fishing on its many lakes and is the most visited wilderness in the United States and home of The International Wolf Center - the center is celebrating its 25th anniversary as it continues to fulfill its mission to educate people about wolves and their relationship to the wild.
Met Chuck Ciaramita and Cecil Gregory preparing to go into the Boundary Waters on a fishing trip. They were waiting for their friend Brad Zimmerly Tower, Virginia (Verizon and changing to the US/Canadian phone plan), Cook, International Falls, Baudette at the east shoulder of Lake of the Woods on the US/Canadian border, the border outcropping called the Northwest Angle of Minnesota.

>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>> was made in the interpretation of the source of the Mississippi River as stated in

The Northwest Angle: A survey error (part due to the use of the Mitchell Map) Treat of Paris (1783), the treaty that concluded the American Revolution War.
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CANADA
Manitoba
Crossed the international border (the 49th Parallel) at Sprague, Canada, Steinbach (a cup of Tim Horton coffee and a cranberry muffin), Winnipeg (Red River Floodway), Now entering the Interlake Region of Ashern, Moosehorn, Grand Rapids. Ponton (Gasoline at $1.334 CD/liter X 3.8 liter/gallon= $5.07 CD/gallon X $1.02 USD/CD = $5.17 USD/gallon) and Snow Lake a visit with Don and Elena Gowans, Flin Flon.

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Flon, is taken from the lead character in a paperback novel,

The Sunless City by J. E. Preston Muddock. A prospector named Tom Creighton

found the book in the wilderness. The story is about a man named Josiah Flintabbatey Flonatin, who piloted a submarine through a bottomless lake. Upon passing through a hole lined with gold, he found a strange underground world. When Tom Creighton discovered a rich vein of almost pure copper, he thought of the book and called it Flin

Flon's Mine, hence the towns name. >>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>

Saskatchewan
Have now entered the Mountain Standard Time Zone, Creighton, Smeaton, Prince Albert (Farming field within 60 miles are slightly underwater - thoughts of Arkansas rice fields. Heavy rains for the last week, today sun shine, but flooding south along the Trans-Canada Highway, Hwy 1 - Regina, Moose Jaw. Evacuations in North Dakota

Missouri River coming out of its banks), North Battleford (501 miles), now joining the Yellowhead Highway with a heavy dark weather front overhead.

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The Yellowhead Highway is named for the Yellowhead Pass, the route chosen to
cross the Canadian Rockies and after the fur trader and explorer named Pierre Bostonais, who had located the Pass many years earlier. His nickname was

Jaune" (Yellowhead) because of yellow streaks in his hair.

"Tte

The Yellowhead Highway is a major east-west highway connecting the four western Canadian provinces of British Columbia, Alberta, Saskatchewan, and Manitoba. It was started in 1962 and officially opened in 1970. The total length of the Yellowhead, including ferries, is 2,960 km / 1835 miles.

the highway begins at Masset, British Columbia in the Queen Charlotte Islands and its eastern terminus is at the corner of Portage Avenue and
In the west,

Main Street in Winnipeg, Manitoba. >>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>> And the last city in Saskatchewan and first in Alberto, Lloydminster

Alberta Wild Rose Country

Alberta is known as the Petroleum Providence of Canada and it is evidence by the many refineries, heavy trucks, and at time oil wells, Edmonton (the providence capital) met Don Peake just before arriving at a service station on a hill with a far reaching view,

The agriculture fields are now starting to show evidence of new crops and to come later at harvest time will be the Bright Yellow Fields of Canola and the Sky Blue of the Flax Fields side by side a stunning sight, Whitecourt for an overnight stay, Weighted the bike, rider and a full tank of fuel, 390 kilograms (858 lbs) at an official truck inspection station (rounds up to the next full 10 kilograms) on the outskirts of Whitecourt, Western Alberta is now pasture country with the energy industry every present, Valleyview, Grand Prairie is an impressive petroleum center, reminds one of Odessa, Texas.

British Columbia
Now entering Pacific Standard Time Zone, Dawson Creek and the beginning of the

The Alaska Highway, starting at Mile Post 0.

>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>> or ALCAN Highway, was constructed during World War II for the purpose of connecting the contiguous U.S. to Alaska through Canada. It begins at the junction with several Canadian highways in Dawson Creek, British Columbia and runs to Delta Junction, Alaska, via Whitehorse, Yukon.

The Alaska Highway also known as the Alaskan Highway, Alaska-Canadian Highway,

Completed in 1942, it was 2,237 km or 1,390 mi long but is becoming shorter due to rerouting. The historic end of the highway is where it meets the Richardson Highway in Delta Junction, Alaska, about 160 km (99 mi) southeast of Fairbanks. The Alaska Highway is popularly (but unofficially) considered part of the Pan-American Highway, which extends south to Argentina. On February 6, 1942 the construction of the Alaska Highway was approved by the United States Army and the project received the authorization from the U.S. Congress and President Franklin D. Roosevelt. Canada agreed to allow construction as long as the United States bore the full cost, and that the road and other facilities in Canada be turned over to Canadian authority after the war ended.

The official start of construction took place on March 8, 1942 after

hundreds of pieces of construction equipment were moved on priority trains by the Northern Alberta Railways to the northeastern part of British Columbia near Mile 0 at Dawson Creek. Construction accelerated through the spring as the winter weather faded away and crews were able to work from both the northern and southern ends. On September 24, 1942 crews from both directions met at Mile 588 at what became named Contact Creek, at the British Columbia-Yukon border at the 60th Parallel; the entire route was

completed October 28, 1942 with the northern linkup at Mile

1202, Beaver Creek, and the highway was

Soldiers Summit.

dedicated on November 20, 1942 at

The needs of war dictated the final route, intended to link the airfields of the Northwest Staging Route that conveyed lend-lease aircraft from the United States to

Thus, the rather impractical, long route over extremely difficult terrain was chosen.
the Soviet Union.

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An alternate route to Dawson Creek (Prince George to Dalton Creek) is now closed a bridge recently washed out. Fort Saint John, Pink Mountain, Buckinghorse, Fort Nelson, Steamboat, Summit Lake (services closed for sale), Toad River (met Butch Cooper and Stan Smith of Paragould, Arkansas, both on R 1200 G/Ss), Muncho Lake, Laird River, Cold Creek, Contact Creek (gas only),

Yukon Territory
Watson Lake (fine visits with Mike Lexow, owner of the Air Force Lodge and Denis Houyoux of Virginia and Key West a resourceful young man of an amazing off road ride with a Kawasaki Versys), Junction 37, the turn off for the Steward-Cassiar Highway (Hwy 37) now paved road to the Yellowhead Highway (Hwy 16) in the south, Rancheria, Continental Divide (with nearby lodging), Swift River (services closed), Teslin (Dawson Peaks Lodge 5 miles south), Johnsons Crossing, Jacks Corner, Marsh Lake and the Yukon River, Whitehorse, Hanes Junction (47 F and light rain), Destruction Bay (120 miles of frost heaves and construction to Beaver Creek), Beaver Creek, International Border; Alaska

Alaska, USA
Looking for the ever-evasive Pressure System !
Where did the Blue Skies Go?
Alaska Standard Time Zone now four time zones from home, Tetlin Junction (Turn-

Chicken aka Ptarmigan and the Top of the World highway to Dawson City & Whitehorse, in the Yukon Territory), Tok, Delta Junction, Big Delta, Fairbanks
off for (Hospital visitation), Denali National Park, Trapper Creek, Anchorage The Motorcycle Shop - Don Rosene, the owner and Zach Johnson, the service supervisor, Visited with

Vic Micol - his wife Jane presently in Washington, DC, representing the State of

Alaska at the annual Daughters of the American Revolution Conference as its Regent, Lodging at the North Star Inn, Elmendorf Air Force Base.

Motorcycle Maintenance - Replaced rear tire with a Metzeler Lazertec and

changed engine oil (10W-40 Mobil 1), the stainless steel oil filter cleaned. Seward Highway, Alyeska Resort of Alaska, Visited with Emil & Margaret Cekada and their family in Anchorage for a 4th of July cook-out celebration, with Vic in attendance.

Nick - William Lea Palmer . Valdese . North Carolina . USA Mailed . Anchorage . Alaska . 4th of July 2011