Although the post says I got home Friday, August 31, I've already physically moved on (back to work) and I'm writing to you from Appleton, Wisconsin. And I can tell you, it's just not the same.

Sure, I'm knee deep in catch up and am overwhelmed at times about the amount of work I have going on but I have to share with you--it's worth it. I wouldn't take anything back or change a thing. I look at the opportunities in front of me differently thanks to my experiences. I've been places and seen things ya know.

I took a once in a lifetime opportunity and I rode it as far as I could! I can't wait till next time.

I got the bike back on Friday from being serviced and headed home and the ride was a short 325 miles. After riding 1000 miles 325 just isn't the same.

Nothing seems the same and it's a good feeling. When was the last time you had that feeling? Was it by choice or because it just happened. You can make it happen. I'll continue to use this blog to talk about the possibilities of A Proper Holiday. How, Why, When, Where, Who. Strategies to help make them a reality for you--for me.

Working hard, taking these opportunities, sharing them with someone and enjoying them make our time here that much more worth it.

If you could go anywhere, where would you go on your Proper Holiday and what would you do? Drop me a line and let me know.

It's Thursday and I took a few moments to update the photos on the site. Turns out I've exceeded the number of photos allowed (500) in my album so I've created a second one:

Click here to see the first AlaskaandBack album. Click here to see the second AlaskaandBack2 album. I plan on creating a custom photo book from one of the photo book sites, I'll keep you posted on that experience. I also plan on creating a book out of this blog using Blurb. Check them out.

Here's the most up to date map.

I'm waiting for the bike to be finished and head back to Philly today, tomorrow or Friday so I can finish my trip. I'm thinking about what to share about the entire experience and what I plan to do with "A Proper Holiday." The more and more I talk to people they often say..."But I can't get the time off" and I think in that is the greatest opportunity to teach people how to go where they want to go in the near future instead of waiting until so much later in life...or putting it off so long, you don't get to it.

One of the best things I've written so far is: "We've seen so many things and had some wonderful experiences. I think the purpose of A Proper Holiday is to allow the opportunity to go, see and do things you don't normally get the chance to. If you do it...and do it right; you'll be ready to come back at the end."

I will get with Don and talk about a few thoughts to share with you. Also you can check out a map of the Iron Butt run below.

We made it safely to Rochester, NY by 2:15 a.m. this morning! We did the Iron Butt Saddle Sore run-- 1000 miles or more in a 24 hour period. The photo at left is a picture from the GPS screen as we came through the US border on our way to the remaining 80 miles to Rochester.

We left at 4:30 a.m. yesterday from Grand Rapids, MN and Laura the night manager at the Super 8 acted as our departure "witness" according to the Iron Butt Saddle Sore guidelines. From there we headed east on Route 2 through Minnesota, and parts of the upper peninsula in Michigan. We picked up I-75 in Michigan and the rest was Interstate history down to Flint. MI and out east to Canada and back into the US through Buffalo and finally Rochester. Paul, the night manager at Wegmans in Henrietta, NY acted as our arrival "witness."

The stats for the day are: Total Miles: 1100.3, Total Time: 21:55, Moving Time: 17:33, Stopped: 4:21, Overall Avg Speed: 50.2 mph and Moving Avg. Speed: 62.66 mph

Similar to the Iron Butt Associations 25 tips for Long Distance Riding, here's a few tidbits we learned from doing our Iron Butt Run:

1. Stay on the Interstate. Although the local routes are enjoyable and we had our share of great small local towns, if you want to go 1000 miles in 24 hours, get it done. To get to I-75 it took us about 8 hours to go 475 miles. Then it took us about 9 hours to go 625 miles. Amazing!
2. Take lots of breaks and beware of fatigue. Although I suggested staying on the interstate, frequent breaks helped break up the monotony as well as give your body a rest, and refresh yourself. We used about 150-175 miles as stops for rest, gas and bio breaks.
3. Go with a friend: Although the IBA suggested to be careful when riding long distances with someone because you may push yourself if you feel tired because your friend doesn't stop; thanks to Don we took turns leading and talking strategies at stops and camaraderie helped to make the miles melt away.
4. Eat three square meals: Make a point to stop and eat three meals the way you normally would on any other day to keep your body familiar with something.
5. Ride Cautiously: Besides you being tired, many drivers don't see you and know what you are doing. Being extra cautious during a long distance run will keep your brain busy as well as keep you safe rather than sorry.

I haven't updated the photos just yet and will do so tonight as well as give some additional thoughts on our Iron Butt ride and the last few days of my ride. Don's at home but I still have to get back to Philly but I have to wait to get the bike taken care of. Jake at Country Rode Motorwerks BMW, in Fairport, NY is doing my 6000 mile check up and repairing my broken left turn signal. Thanks Jake! You can take a look at the map to see where we went and where we are.

Who knew? Who knew Minnesota had a Grand Rapids? I'm used to Grand Rapids, Michigan where Uncle Frank lives but not Grand Rapids, MN.

If you recall in the beginning of the trip and the blog I talked about crazy people who do Iron Butt runs. 1000 miles in under 24 hours, 1500 in under 36 hours, coast to coast in 56 hours or less...all this on a motorcycle and within the realm of the speed limit. The Iron Butt Association website has a tag line, "World's Toughest Riders." Well Don and I are going to make our Saddle Sore (1000 miles in under 24 hrs.)run tomorrow. The last two days we've covered almost 1200 miles, now we're going to try 1000 in less than 24 hours. We'll wake at 4 a.m., depart the lot of the Super 8 by 4:30 and be on our way. We plan on going up through the Michigan peninsula and down through Detroit and Canada and drop into Buffalo then Rochester, NY. That's about 1089 miles. I think it's a fun way to end the trip. I've always wanted to try it and I was happy when Don said he'd be up for it...and so we will! The weather looks good and that's a big part. Among other things is a good rest, so I plan on keeping this short and just wish all of you a great Monday and I'll let you know how it turns out tomorrow night.

I did put in a photo here of Don and I at the geographical center of North America. We passed through Rugby, ND today and thought you might get a kick out of the photo here.

I'll update all photos and the blog Monday night. Goodnight!

Whew...and here I thought I'd be happy about God's Car Wash today. A little rain turned into an ENTIRE day of rain. But let us start with Sunday morning. Don and I are sitting at Mr. Mike's steak house as we write this entry to you.

We lucked out with the weather Saturday night as we camped for the first night. A star filled sky gave way to a sunny morning and awesome weather all day. The shot to the left was the view out of the back of our camp site in the morning. The miles melted away as we headed south on the Alcan and passed by the Cassier Highway (Highway 37) we took as we headed north on our way to Alaska. We stopped in Watson Lake for gas and a chance to see the the Sign Forest. What can I say but, "Holy Signs!" over 10,000 of them--further research says over 45,000 of them! Acres of signs. Road signs, highway signs, warning signs, street signs and so many more. This is something you should not miss if you head up the Alcan.

Speaking of signs, we've been seeing road signs for deer, caribou, moose and more since we started this trip. Finally we get to see some wildlife from the road (luckily not jumping out in front of us). We ran across a large herd of buffalo on the left side of the road and the right side of the road...as well as the middle. Down the highway we saw some stone sheep and a lone caribou calf. Already we were excited about seeing wild beasties on the highway. Next we saw a young bear crossing the highway far ahead scampering across the road.

The road led us into the Muncho Lake Provincial Park filled with wonderful views of the Northern Canadian Rocky Mountains. We stayed the night at the Northern Rockies Lodge in Muncho Lake. Billed as the largest log cabin structure on the Alaskan Highway. Not only was the lake and the surrounding wilderness significant, so was the great room. 40 foot high hand carved map of this area of BC with the Northern Rockies Lodge and the outlying cabins prominently displayed for all to see. That's Don at the bottom of the map to show the scale of this thing. We saw the owners two float planes, chalets and cabins surrounding the main lodge. They've got their own gas station and LP gas service as well as plane fuel and the three huge diesel generators that powers the entire resort. The owners even put in their own airstrip to so they can bring people in and out from Edmonton. For those of you interested in spending a week or more in a quiet tranquil setting...this is the place. You can fish, hunt, write, veg out and more...be sure to bring lots of cash and they do take Amex and MasterCard.

We woke early Monday morning to threatening skies and got going at 7 a.m. We continued on the Alaskan Highway and stopped in Toad River for breakfast, the internet, a look at 7300 hats and a chance to meet a dad taking his 2 kids and their friends on an Alaskan trip of a lifetime. We had to agree. Rain gear donned and breakfast consumed...we rode on down the road and saw sheep and caribou that once again crossed our path. The sheep came right up to Don and then climbed the cliffs in front of him. After that it was nothing but rain, rain and trucks with more rain and road spray along with dirt and gritty dirt that got on and in everything. The saying goes when it rains it pours...well for me it poured. After getting gas I went to get back on the bike but for some strange reason I put the kickstand up before getting on. This is NOT the proper procedure. The bike fell toward me and I tried to "catch" it but instead laid it down "gently" in the mud and water. With Dons help I got the bike back up and off I went without a scratch on the bike, but my ego was bruised.

We got to Dawson Creek and found the Ramada Inn to serve the purpose of a room to dry out in and get warmed up with a shower. Alas the internet didn't work. That's how we wound up at Mr. Mikes finishing this up and grabbing a bite. We'll be in Edmonton then Calgary for the next 4 days days while I do seminars for a local printing company and for Xerox Canada. Gotta pay the bills ya know. We'll see if Don will take a few pictures of me doing the training.

We'll be getting our bikes serviced in Edmonton as well. I'm due for another 6000 mile check up (Seattle seems so long ago), a new tire and an oil change while Don's just getting the oil change. We'll see you down the road.

Don't forget to check out all the pics and the map of where we are. For some reason the new pictures are at the top instead of the bottom.

We've made the turn! We're heading south and east. We're on our way home. Ah...some releief and some sadness as we leave the mountains and the people behind as we retreat back to "the lower 48" as the locals call it.

On Friday Don and I headed out of the Denali Princess (said goodbye to the bear there as well as the morning closeup of McKinley) and went 75 miles north on Highway 3 (George Parks Hwy) and picked up Highway 8 the Denali Highway. It's about a 120 or so miles of unpaved roads and it was the best off road riding of the entire trip! I thought more than once that it could be a pretty scary ride if it were wet, but it wasn't, the sun was shining and the miles melted away as we went from gravel, to rocks, to dirt and more. I had a blast!! We saw lots of other riders, hunters, vistas, lakes and tundra. At one point I stopped to wait for Don and I looked up to see a military jet doing loops and turns and loud sonic booms. When the jet faded you heard the sound of the wind passing over the tundra and silence. A most calming silence. I could sit there for hours, yet the pickup truck that rumbled by broke the silence and it was time to get back on the road. I wish the ride wouldn't end because the site of the distant mountains reflecting off the water reminded me of pictures or paintings I've seen of Alaska and now it was real.

The dirt road ended and the paved road began. One would think we'd be in for a smooth ride after so many miles of dirt and pot holes and rocks...think again. The frost heaves had their way with the road and we (me) enjoyed a 15 mile buckin' bronco ride over hill AND dale. I found this bowling guy's commentary on Frost Heaves pretty funny: "Frost heaves? What the hell does that mean? And how do you adjust your driving for it? Frost heaves. Is “heaves” a verb or a noun in this case? Does frost actually heave? (And if so, what does that look & feel like?) Or is a frost heave a condition I might encounter? (And if so, what does that look and feel like?) Just as I give up looking for a place to pull over so I can call someone and either ask what to do should frost heave at me (there’s no place to pull over on a 10-degree down grade)..."

We pulled into Tok and had dinner at Fast Eddie's (we did so on the way up as well) and hit the hay.

As we were leaving Tok this morning we saw an interesting bike in the parking lot of Fast Eddie's. Now Don and I bought Bear Repellent before coming on the trip. I happened to forget both bottles before leaving Green Lane, but as it turns out they would have confiscated it at the Canadian Border. Since we didn't see any bears we wouldn't have needed the spray. I'll bet this guy doesn't get stopped at the border for "Bear Repellent" but I would have to say that given enough room to swing (good luck in a tent) I'll bet he can give a brown bear a pretty good shot to left field. Note the protruding bat on the lower right. I also liked his "mug holder" as he lashes it to the pile.

Today we headed to Whitehorse, YT (Tok and Whitehorse are the only stretches of the trip where we're on the same roads as the ride up). It was an uneventful ride with the exception of many dead bugs. On the way up this stretch was our first wet day. Today the sun was out and we really enjoyed the ride, the road, more frost heaves. We had our worst lunch in...oh I don't remember. Oh yes, Burwash Landing. Get the gas and keep going! Lunch was a turkey on rye "special" that was deli turkey, peeled from plastic cheese and stale bread. Although the scenery surrounding the lake was great.

As we pulled into Whitehorse, Don and I finally camped! We're staying at Robert Service Campground just outside of Whitehorse. It's a great night and I'm happy to be sleeping out. We set up both tents and headed into town for dinner. I highly recommend Klondike Rib and Salmon Barbecue on 2nd Ave and Steele. Mmmmm. I'm still licking my fingers after the ribs. Don went for the fish fry and found that to be finger lickin' good too. I didn't have enough room for the bread pudding--but I'll be back! After dinner we headed back to the site and I had a coffee and sat down to the wireless network and wrote the blog to you. It's late and the tent calls. I need to get some sleep as we head off for Muncho Lake, BC tomorrow.

I got some good pics over the last 2 days. Check them out here.

It's 11:35 p.m. here in the lobby of the Princess Hotel in Talkeetna. I'm looking out the window at Mt. McKinley and it's still ringed in gold from the setting sun that went below the ridge about an hour ago.

Don and I woke at 4:30 a.m. and hit the road by 5 a.m. to go the 120 miles to the park entrance to see if we could get on one of the bus rides into the park. It was one of the best days for riding. We got to see sunrise, sunset and even some excitement as we worried we may not make it to the gas station this morning. We've been riding the bikes about 180 miles or less per tank. We've never pushed them on the reserves. We both rolled into the gas station this morning (after riding 90 miles) on near fumes at 220 miles or so. We waited 30 minutes for the gas station to open before we could fill up, grab a bite and get back on the road to the park.

Once at the park we decided to do the ride to Fish Creek. It's about an 8 hour bus ride with 4 stops on the way out and 3 stops on the way back and lots of wildlife (we were lucky) along the way. You can get out and hike or walk or sit and the next bus will be along within the hour but we chose to stick with our original bus since neither Don or I brought boots or day hiking gear. The bus system has been in place since 1972 and it keeps the traffic to a minimum and helps to maximize the opportunities to see animals in the wild that won't get domesticated by animal feeding non-respectful people. The system runs very efficiently and our driver Jeremy turned out to be a great spotter, story teller and fact finder.

We saw bear (grizzly and black), moose and calf, ground squirrel, hare, salmon, sheep, tourist and more! I will admit after multiple safaris in South Africa where the driver will drive off the road to get up close to the animals--the key word in Denali is to let the wild be wild. We kept quiet and stayed far away from animals. Most of my shots are blurry from the digital zoom but that's okay it's about what we were seeing. Animals in their natural habitat and it's one heck of a beautiful habitat. We got to see Mt. McKinley more than a once and as always...it was spectacular. Although it was a long ride, it was worth it to see the park in a way we never could on our own.

The evening ride back to the Princess was great. We outran some rain and got enjoy the rainbow effect as a result. We'll be up early to start our trip south west for Edmonton by Tuesday evening. I'm doing customer gigs on Wednesday, Thursday and Friday in Edmonton and Calgary. From there we're thinking about checking out Banff, Glacier Park and then head home via Route 2 and come through North Dakota, Minnesota, Wisconsin, Michigan, Ontario and drop back in around Buffalo, NY. I'm hoping my "stuck" left turn signal doesn't give me any more problems now that I've removed the bulbs from the front and back. Mysteriously the left turn signal comes on and goes off intermittently. I'll get it looked at in Edmonton. Goodnight everyone.

Pictures are here and the map is here.

Today, we're celebrating. Don and I spent the last two days in Anchorage. We got the bikes serviced, did laundry, we let some laundry go, drank frozen drinks while reading at Barnes&Noble, got to spend time with some of the locals, ate some eggcellent breakfasts and dinners and now find ourselves in Talkeetna, AK just southeast of the entrance to Denali National Park at the McKinley Princess Lodge watching the clouds slowly clear and show us a glimpse of North America's highest peak at 20,320.

The photo at left was taken when we got here a few hours ago. The photo at right was taken only minutes ago. Maybe...before I finish this post you'll get a full look. If not I will try to capture it for you tonight. Tomorrow we're going to rise at 4:50 a.m. and get on the bikes at 5:00 a.m. so we can arrive at the gates of Denali by 7 a.m. and try to sneak onto a park bus at 7:15 a.m. We've been thinking of how to enjoy the park, ride (we can only go 15 of the 85 miles by private car), fly, sit on a bus...hmm what to do, what to do. The last thing I'm thinking I want to do is sit 11 hours. 4.5 hours in and 4.5 hours out along with about 2 hours total of walking along at different stops. But, we've heard from numerous locals who say...you have to do it. Riding the bus gets you the furthest into the park and close to the ground to see the animals, Wonder Lake and close ups (as close as you can get without climbing it) to McKinley.

Wow...the mountain is almost there. People are buzzing. Both the guests and even the employees are popping out of the kitchen to check and see if the McKinley is "out." I just heard one say "It's trying real hard." "I took a couple of cool pictures from both directions to give it a cool perspective...I hope they turn out." People work here just to be close to nature and the mountains. "It's getting close" says another guest.

I forgot to tell you why we were celebrating. I've just completed my 21 (well it took me 22 since I lost the bottle for 2 helpings) days of my regimen of antibiotics to kick my Lyme's Disease. Two weeks before I left I found a very small tick on me. A week later I didn't feel so well and under advisement by my doctor (the world renowned Dr. Gene Lee) I got a blood test and it came out positive for Lyme's. The 21 days have been easy, with the exception of the sun. I've been on 50 and 75 SPF and I still can't keep from burning my nose, cheeks and wrist which have been exposed to sun. I've been hunting high and low for zinc oxide but NO ONE has it. So the 70 just hasn't been getting the job done. Ah well, everyone enjoys pointing out that I'm sun burnt and I let them know it's because of the drugs. In all seriousness. Read up on it and check yourself often for ticks if you're in the woods or tall grass. I'm thankful to catch it because it can lead to some disabling side effects. Thanks Gene.

Well the mountain is out and my food is getting cold. Enjoy the all the pictures and the map and we'll show you shots from the park tomorrow when we get back. After tomorrow we turn south east and start our trip back.

My belly is FULL! We just finished our huge breakfast in Sterling, AK. I had a "Strawberry Fields Forever" shake for breakfast. It didn't help my chills from the cool morning, but it tasted so good. Who says you can't judge a shake by it's name?

The last two days have been two of the most enjoyable of the entire trip! You need to see all the photos to get a feel from it...go to the bottom and work your way up.

We left Anchorage 2 days ago and decided to stay in Seward, AK. On our way we stopped for some breakfast and we both tried deer sausage. Well it sounds good, but it wound up having the consistency of a hot dog and the taste of well...hot dog. The rest of the ride to Seward is an enjoyable ride along Chickaloon Bay and through Moose Pass. Seward is a coastal town just west of Prince William Sound and at the tip of Resurrection Bay. We found a hotel with a great rate, dropped off our stuff and went on a 6 hour bay and glacier cruise with Kenai Fjord Tours and did the Northwestern Fjord Tour.

We saw Orca whales, porpoises, a humpback whale, lots of birds (including horned puffins and seagulls), harbor seals, sea lions and more. Our destination was the Northwestern Glacier, one of the fingers off of the Harding Ice Fields. The captain of the ship pulled us within a few hundred yards of the glacier and turned off the motors so we could look closely at the glacier as it advances about 3-6 feet a day. The rate at which the glacier advances does not equal the speed of the recession. We saw a photo slide show of the the alarming change over the last 100 years vs. hundreds of years before. Dinner and a sunset was included with the tour and that was icing on the cake! We returned to the hotel by 10 p.m. and were exhausted from the bike ride and the water ride but seeing all the animals helped to make up for our lack of other animals we haven't seen during this trip.

Early yesterday morning we headed from Seward to Homer, AK. Homer is the western and southern most part of our trip on Alaska and we got a chance to spend some time with an old friend Taz Tally. He's shown me pictures from his deck before and it just doesn't seem to do it justice. Let me say that people (like me) take pictures of glaciers, print them and hang them on the wall in their offices...Taz merely looks out his office window and sees these things everyday and they are amazing. When he's not teaching graphic arts topics he's busy kayaking, hiking, skiing and biking. His most recent book he's working on is about hiking the mountains on the other side of Kachemak Bay and part of the same Kenai Mountain Range. Taz gave us some suggestions for dinner and an evening ride and we enjoyed it all.

We had dinner at Captain Patties on the Homer Spit. The crab legs have been described "as long as your forearm" and I have to agree. The food was tasty and fresh. From there we went back past Taz's and out the East End road all the way to the end. Once again I got to enjoy the dual purpose bike and I proceeded down a dirt road that Don chose to avoid. Steep, steep, steep...but it was worth it. I came out on the beach and got to ride a long it awhile and snap a few photos before mountain goating my way back up.

We arrived back at Taz's and opted to sleep out on his deck under the stars and I was rewarded by late night shooting stars and watching satellites pass by.

We're heading back to Anchorage for service on Don's bike and then up to Denali National Park.