THE BEGINNING

OK let's get this blog on the road! Most all of you reading this will know by now I'm on  my way to Ushuaia, Argentina from my home in Skagway, Alaska. My vehicle of choice  is a 2004 BMW GS Adventure Motorcycle toting a shit load of stuff including tools, spare  parts, camping equipment, clothes for at least two seasons, cameras and oh yea there is  room for one liter of wine! I'm also sporting a Spot device from which you can follow my  progress via the web at: http://share.findmespot.com/shared/faces/viewspots.jsp?glId=0mFoBjpvVUtRk7iK81NGJynQYEfuhL7js Prepping KTM before leaving Riding with me on this trip will be my adventurous son Max. What an opportunity for  me to have a son that is willing to spent 7 months of his adult life with his controlling  father! Also riding with me is John Briner, a friend of mine from Skagway, who was  already planning a winter trip to Argentina but decided getting there via motorcycle would add some adventure to his trip. Although he hasn't ridden a motorcycle in over  30 years he bought a bike, a KLR650, riding gear and everything else he'll need for this trip  and signed on!  I began my trip September 8th riding from Skagway to Oakland California (somehow it  seemed important that I ride from my house, down to the end of the world and back to  my house). Not wanting to ride through rain, sleet and snow I decided to ride to California, park my bike there and then fly back home to winterize our properties. I'm currently in flying south to reunite with my bike. John and Max decided to ferry down from Skagway  then ride down and meet me in Oakland. Morning ride along Moncho Lake, BC     Don Corwin trying to squeeze in one more thing While leaving Skagway from the Smothie Shop My ride south was somewhat uneventful. I road down the Alcan highway for the umpteenth  time. My friend Dharma Don accompanied me as far as Laird Hot Springs on the 1st day and  I was on my own after that. It rained cats and dogs the first night but the morning dawned  sunny with patches of low fog making it a beautiful start of the day. Muncho Lake and Stone Mountain were a joy, great scenery and animal viewing combined with smooth twisty roads  made for careful but fun riding! Chetwynd for dinner. As I was eating a man walks in and  asks me if that was my bike outside. Thinking he was an admirer I puffed up and said "yep  that's mine". He then said "well it's laying on it's side". Bummer! Fortunately being in Canada  I had lots of help getting it back upright. Seems someone hit it while backing out of their  parking space. No harm no foul I finished eating and got back on the road. In hindsight I  should have stayed the night there but I pushed on to Prince George. I ended up riding in the dark, and I mean dark! The highlight of that portion of the ride was as I'm riding along  envisioning moose, bears and deers lurking just beyond my headlights my mirrors light up! Turing my head I'm treated with an amazing display of Northern Lights stretching from one  horizon to the other! I guess it's kind of rare in that neck of the woods. Total miles for that  day was 730! That's about 200 too many.  The next day it was on to Hope, BC. A much easier ride highlighted by the Frazier Canyon. I made it to Widbey Island on Sunday and spent the night with friends. Steve, Sara, Oceanius (not sure about the spelling) and Ellis were great hosts. BBQ'd the thickest New Yorks  I've seen. Yum. I haven't mentioned the weather, probably cause it has been great. Ever since leaving  Skagway, where it had been raining for three weeks straight, The skies have been blue and the roads dry. On Monday I hooked up with my friend Russ (from the old Jewell Construction days) and after riding around the Olympic Peninsula found the perfect campground. Restaurant,dive bar and  campground all within 100 yards of each other. http://maps.google.com/maps/ms?msid=210918567354699193917.0004b74c44674e70c1d95&msa=0&ll=48.156009,-122.799683&spn=0.516697,1.229095 Tuesday broke camp and headed south on 101. Breakfast in Astoria (served by this lovely  lady named Sherina who had spent time in South America building houses for Habitat for  Humanity) but I degress..... Shortly after Astoria we tired of the coast and found some cool  twisties out of Hobo. We then worked our way down to 199 to Cave Junction where we entered Cobra Country. ( For the few of you who haven't heard of the Cobra MC they are a motorcycle club I've belonged to since high school. Mostly guys I went to high school with we  meet yearly and tear ass around Northern California and Southern Oregon occasionally veering  off course and finding ourselves in the Alps or Colorado). From Cave Junction we road the  familiar roads in the Trinity  Alps even passing the spot where I started to crash while in  California and finally came to a stop in Oregon. Spent the night in Weaverville. Note: We did not get to Weaverville but instead ended up in Rice Hill just off Hwy 5 south of Cottage Grove, Oregon. Cool digs in Rice Hill Or. Wednesday  I parted company with Russ (he had to high tail it up to Medford to hook up with  his hot new girlfriend). He was later going to meet up with the Cobras but I never saw him  again. Must have been to intimidated or maybe just having more fun with his squeeze. Thursday through the following Friday was spent with the Cobras riding most of the same roads I had just come down on. The rest is as we say "what happens on a Cobra trip stays on a Cobra trip". Then it was back home in Skagway for three weeks tending to business winterizing our properties for the winter and getting ready for phase two of my journey. Cool digs in Rice Hill