Pre-Trek

I. Introduction
What's the deal? What's going on? Why the blog?

Simply put; I am embarking on an adventure I've always dreamed about and will use this web-log to capture the action. In addition to simply memorialize events I have several goals I plan to achieve, again via this blog format:

• Real-Time Communication. First and foremost I want to communicate the journey, in real time, to my children and wife who will be suffering incredibly during my absence...Ha. Experience tells me email is not going to work well for the format I envision, ie lots of photos, time-zone shifts, random updates, etc. I am hoping this electronic format will prove convenient both for the author and the target audience: Claire Joseph and Pam (you to Mia).
• Planning. For others that might consider such a venture, and for myself when I do this again, I want to capture the planning and and travel considerations (design criteria for you participating engineers), so that doing this again will be easier.
• Routing. Details on the planed and actual routing will be provided
• Tech Stuff. Being an unreformed gear-head I would be remiss without a good technical discussion of the machinery involved: the motorcycle, modifications, the gear used. Be prepared for candid critiques from the road. Note: a wet rider is an unhappy rider.
• Personal journal. An escape as epic as this almost guarantees becoming a transformational experience and demands a measure of personal reflection: time in the wilderness, man-nature interface, near death encounters with semi-trucks, grizzly bears and road house food. Hopefully, I can touch on some of these personal level insights without getting too mauldin - we'll see.
  

II. Prologue:
I have had Alaska on the brain for years and in particular the idea of riding a motorcycle there. Recently two events have conspired to bring this idea to fruition:

1. My interaction with, and travels to, Alaska in support of a past client: Alaska Pipeline Services Company (the folks that run the Alaskan Pipeline).
2. My acquaintance and friendship with riding-ace, Alan Harrelson.

It turns out Alan has been doing some serious motorcycle touring over the last years: cross-country ride, re-tracing the Lewis & Clark trail, etc, had Alaska in the queue as well. We got to talking one evening while making a Blue Ridge Pkwy ride and realized we were both serious about doing this AK ride and both had a single standing constraint from our wives, "You cannot do this ride alone". The assumption being that another willing and non-crazed participant was not to be found. Well that is all it took; Alan and I both bolted home, told our respective wives we had found some one that appeared rational and could we have permission to go. The deal was done. So, in classic innovation theory, we have a long simmering idea (AK ride) brought to life by a chance encounter with an enabling agent (Alan).

That was a year ago and since then Alan and I have been scheming, plotting, planning and acquiring to make it happen. Amazingly, this has all been done with minimal communication. Neither of us has done any kind of dual-sport touring before (ie lots of dirt roads) and didn't have any of the gear or even the motorcycles. My Harley and Alan's Goldwing are just not the right mounts for this type of ride. Alan and I agreed on the type of bike needed, time frame and duration, route and we have been individually busy making it happen. It is great working with competent people.