Getting Ready for a BIG Adventure
Every once in a while, we get a chance to fulfill a dream and do something that really enriches our lives.
For me, that opportunity comes unexpectedly as the company that I work for was sold to a US based firm and all management functions moved to existing officers in that organization. I resigned my position June 1, 2016 when the deal closed and am working on a retention contract to help move systems of value to the new IT organization.
While this sudden transition provides a good excuse to become negative, I am looking at it as a massive opportunity to do the adventure of a lifetime. No, this is not a multi-year round the world trip - I still want to work until the mind goes soft and no longer adds value.
The Plan
The plan is to drive from Toronto to Kelowna and visit briefly with my son, who will be in his last year of engineering school by the time the trip starts. And from there, zoom up to Dawson Creek BC, to start the ALCAN (Alaska Canadian) highway which will take us to Dawson City, Yukon, where we will stage the ride up the Dempster Highway to Inuvik, NWT. Inuvik take us above the artic circle into the land of the midnight sun. Calling it remote would be an understatement.
Note: you can click on the blue links for more information
The rest of the trip is still up for planning, but ...
Plan B
The picture of the mud caked bike above suggests that it's a good idea to have a plan B in case the Dempster is subject to several days of rain. In that case, we'll proceed to Tok, Chicket and Fairbanks and then find our way back.
The Dempster is a challenging road
The Dempster is a wilderness road and in fine weather - is a challenging but very doable road, especially with a competent Adventure bike like the BMW 1200 GSAW. Road bikes are not recommended but can do the trip under ideal conditions. The road gets ugly when it rains because the calcium chloride used to harden the road when dry and to manage dust, turns into snot when wet. Light rain is doable since the snot layer will be thin - it's still a layer of snot. When rain persists for days, the snot layer can be 4 inches and the road becomes unridable. Every year, unfortunate, unlucky or unprepared riders leave the Dempster in an emergency evac helicopter. Wreckers charge $1,600 to pickup broken bikes and return them to Dawson Creek - and the do this often.
We'll just have to plan and plan to be careful.
Solo - with a friend
Few people have the same about of time that I do, during the transition. I'll be looking for another executive role, as CIO in an organization that needs to implement significant change due to restructuring, a board/strategic directive or some other directive. Complex turnarounds is my specialty, but it will take time to find the right company, so in the mean time, I get to travel.
My buddy Jeff is planing to join the adventure for the Arctic/Inuvik segment. He has 2 weeks, so we need to do that carefully, likely trailering his bike to Kelowna and starting from there.
Update: Cipi is joining us on the trip, on the 800 GS but Josh wil not be able to go due to work commitments.
Update: Cipi is joining us on the trip, on the 800 GS but Josh wil not be able to go due to work commitments.
Long distance touring is a specialized sport and the team needs to be compatible, or the ride can be miserable. Jeff and I go back many years as scout leaders when our now 20+ year old sons were in Beavers. I'd love to share the ride with our Adventure Amigos team but someone would need to win a large lottery for that to happen.
Bike Prep and Trip Plan
The 2016 1200 GSAW is being prepped for the ride. One can spend a lot of money farkling but this trip needs a protected bike, ready to survive the perils that a long trip and a nasty road like the Dempster can dish out. I'll do a separate post on bike and camping prep.
