2 weeks
5954 km / 3700 miles

Late August 2015 Jayne and I rode north from Portland, Oregon through Washington State. We decided to do the first 300 miles to the Canadian border by interstate, just to cover some ground. Our first and main goal was Hyder, Alaska.along the Cassiar Highway with Salmon Glacier and the bear watching platform. We then continued on North just barely into Yukon at Watson Lake with the Sign Post Forest. From there we took the Alaska Highway back down. We rode through Jasper and Banff National Park along the Icefield Highway. Then through Yolo National Park and along Franklin D. Roosevelt Lake. After that we took some smaller roads through Washington State and Oregon back home.

The road conditions are generally good,even the Cassiar Highway is comletely paved. One thing to watch out for are the many miles long road construtions sites on the Alaska Highway. They often have removed the pavement for re-paving and graders push up a dirt/gravel berm that one has to cross sometimes.

In terms of safety wild animals are probably the greatest thread. Not only bears can be dangerous, but mountain lions and even racoons can be dangerous. We always left our food in locked aluminum panniers when camping. Another danger are truck drivers on the Alaska Highway, and not only for female hitchhikers. Some of them have no respect for motorcycles and try to push you off the road.