Trip Summary, Statistics and Oddities

My name, for those who don't know me is Brad Sanderson.

I have been motorycling seriously since 2002, though got my first motor bike in 1979. I love to tour and travel from the seat of a motorcycle, and I find camping quite enjoyable.

This trip was inspired by a friend, who also took a similiar solo trip about the same time, and a somewhat the same route as mine. Though we never met on the trip due to timing and different routes, our paths crossed a remarkable number times in a few days offset fashion. Indeed, we stayed at several the same campgrounds, and even the same campsite at least once.

Myself, I took this trip without a firm idea of the exact route... just a string of places I would like to see and only an approximate idea of how long it would take me to complete it.

Some statistics:

The trip covered 20,869 kilometres and 38 days. My overall average speed when moving was a decent 84.8 kms/hr. The less accurate overall average stopped and moving while the GPS was turned on was 71 kms/ hour, but skewed by a few times I accidentally left it on for extended time when I should have it off.
38 days total – an average of 550 kms riding per day (343 miles) – not bad considering the varied conditions, few days of rest and little riding, and some tough days of weather.
I crossed water by ferry 11 times, crossed the Great Divide at least a dozen times, visited 14 Provinces, Territories and States. Traveled to a height of almost 11,000 feet, and was at sea level. Of the almost 21,000 kms of road travelled, about 8% or 1700 kms were gravel covered roads.
For me, the trip was a fantastic adventure. I saw many things I had not imagined, met many interesting people. It also was finished in the range of my stated budget, though a final accounting will never be done, I know it was not exceed by a great amount.
But, the trip took a bit of a toll on my mind and body. I found I lost 10 lbs of weight during the trip – a surprising revelation since I felt I ate well enough. I found that I dislike travelling in cross winds; I never overcame my phobia of travelling in close proximity of large trucks especially at high speeds. The American west – the prairie lands, I don’t think I will ever care to visit them again on a motorcycle. Boring and too exposed to the winds that never seem to have a direction that can be counted on.
My Suzuki V-strom bike performed flawlessly. It handles well, had great passing capabilities, and was comfortable enough except for the small diameter grips it is equipped with. I believe that larger diameter grips would have helped relieve the cramping of my right hand. It gave me good gas mileage and other than the cross wind handling which I would rate as poor, it was a good bike for a trip such as this.
High points, meeting interesting people, some are now friends. Learning by way of incidental meetings days later that my hotel room offered to Sean, Ingrid and Kate was accepted and that Ingrid was very pleased with it. I still am in wonder at meeting people more than once, or our paths crossing day apart and many many miles apart, especially confirmed by that news of the motel room in Eagle Plains YK that was confirmed twice – both times in Alaska in different locations.
And some co-incidences between my trip and a friend who left on a similar trip a week earlier than mine. Checking his trip report, we stayed at several of the same campgrounds, and oddly, even the same campsite once. He also left a gas can behind at a the Klondyke Lodge (mile 0 of the Dempster Hwy and Klondyke Hwy intersection) with a note to the next biker to use it... and I was the next ... though that fact wasn’t known for 3 weeks later when comparisons of trip reports by email were made.
Not sure what the future holds. I did have a plan to travel to the east coast and visit the Maritimes and Newfoundland as well as tackle the Trans Labrador Highway, but for now, those plans are on hold. Maybe next year.

As is the nature of Blogs, the first day of the trip is buried deep back 38 posts ago. The next post after this one is the last day, the end. To read this in the order it was intended, you need to scroll back to the start.... and then start reading. But enjoy it in any order you like :-)