Monday, February 7, 2011

Yup... It's That Time Again...

Time to shake things up a mite... Gonna change the Logo bar up top too... still tinkering with the new Pictures... *actually came back and changed it already :o) whatcha' think?*

Have you noticed? Something is the same, 'round me for a while... I get itchy to see what's new... somewhere... trucks, roads... hell, even Motorcycles! Some call it an affliction... Some call it, a blessing... Me, I like to call it restless curiosity... and I just call it... Me! :o)

So... Leaving me settin' alone out in the desert gives me waaaaaaay too much time to cogitate and scheme up some more trouble... and yup... I been thinkin' as me and the dogs ramble across the desert on these sunny days...

You know... a lot of folks ask me questions like; "We're goin' to Yellowstone... or Arizona... we're gonna there a whole week... What's the list of things to see? Is there enough to keep us busy?" ... You get the picture...

I grew up in Arizona, and started cowboyin' there... wearin' the steel off a lot of horses feet wandering that desert. I've been wandering to and through Yellowstone, since 1968... I've not seen all of either... yet. Lost count of the runs up to Yellowstone. I even horse packed the back country there for a living for a while.... and I've still only seen a fraction of what's there to see...

My point?... You can't see it all in one trip... or a dozen... SO... don't screw up the trip you're on... by even trying to!

What brings this up in the tangled mess that amounts to my Thinkin'? ALASKA! :o)

Went last year Solo on My Raider... and, fruit loops or not... we're goin' back, draggin' the rig we've got... This year... likely the mileage will tally up something close to what I racked up on the bike last August...

Now... if you lay the map of Yellowstone... in the same scale... next to a map of British Columbia, The Yukon... and ... ALASKA... drip in there a few thoughts about how I ain't even managed to fill my eyeballs with all of Yellowstone yet...

... are you startin' to catch my drift? There's a whole lot to see up there along the ALCAN, which for a lot of us is the Last Frontier...

So... I've been thinkin' hard about HOW, to make that Journey... the first time, the second time... and any other times... 'cause, no way in hell, can I see but a fraction of that Glorious Land...

My thinkin' is workin' like this... we'll travel easy for a few days, starting' early and stopping early... maybe two or three... making as many boondocking night camps as we can on those Travel Days (to stretch our budget best we can)... and then, have a few places picked out where we'll set up for a few days... or a week... or whatever seems right... to put the Raider on the ground...

... and do a lot of day tripping along the Alaskan Highway, from there... to SEE... as best we can... the sights and personality, of that local area.

I know, for sure and for certain, there's things we're gonna roll on past... things we'd wish to see... but we can not see it all... it just can't happen... defies physics... even in the warped brain pan of a Biker Cowboy... so... those things'll have to wait... for another hoped for return... Alaska III ? :o)

and we'll do the best we can to do honor to the things We Can See...

... and that's the best advice I can give to anybody wandering any where... take the time to see where you're at... and accept the fact that you just can't see it all... so do it right, with what you can...

Do what you CAN do... and quit worryin' 'bout what you may have missed... or you'll miss it all!

This Desert Has My Brain Smokin' Again! :o)
-Brian

Return to the main site of goin' RV Boondocking or Visit my Sister website Motorcycle Touring on Freedom Road

6 comments:

Future Troutbum said...

Howdy! I'm thinking you already know about the program that some of the Anchorage schools used whereby you bookdock on a school ground in the summer - in month-long chunks, I thought - the goal was to help prevent vandalism. I don't know if that is still in operation, however, as I just did a quick online search and came up empty handed. Maybe they don't do it anymore or, more likely, I just didn't use the correct search terms.

Don't know that you'd want to be "locked down" for a month, but it could provide a good base for some short runs while holding down the "stay here" costs.

No doubt, some of your loyal followers have better and more recent info to share.

By the way, sun's shining brightly, all the way up to 18 degrees, got the snow all moved this morning, but another 10" - 12" possible in the next couple of days.

Enjoy the warm!
Steven fm Monument

Gaelyn said...

Very good advice. Most people take a two vacation and try to fit in two months worth of "places to see" until they don't know where they've been. I'd rather spend all my time at one place and enjoy the NOW. What the heck, one can always go back to wherever and look again. AK is on my list, although it may have to wait a while, so I look forward to seeing your journey. To me planning is half the fun.

Barry and Linda said...

Great job with the Blog site, got rid of the 'Vanilla' look. I agree with the 'Alcan' being the last frontier and the vastness of it all. One can only see what we can see.
I've lived in one spot fer' forty years and still find new sites to see & things to do, in my own state. When you get out of 'Vacation Mode' and slow down you really start to see things ya' just passed up on the twenty other times ya' took that route. It's kinda like your motorcycle. It's not about the destination, it's about the ride. Just go slow, save fuel, and take in as much as ya' can along the way.
I loved the 'North Country' frontier and would love to go back a few more times while I'm still able.
Where ever ya' go, Travel Safe

Anonymous said...

Brian,

I really like the new look: The pictures, what with sunsets and fall foliage, etc., look like slickly produced post-cards, and give your site a really professional look.

Michael

Brian said...

Thanks Steven... We may look for some "Income" up there... hopefully some Nuggets the Gold Rush boys missed! :o)

Gaelyn; Slowin' down is something I have to do very deliberately. I sometimes have the bad habit of pushin' too hard... so I need to read my own words frequently! :o) and I have to agree... the anticipation of a trip can be almost as fine as the adventure itself!

Barry and Linda; Thanks for the words on the site. I appreciate it! And yeah... it 'lacked' something before... I like it now too! and as for the rest of your comment, I guess I'm preachin' to the choir! :o)

Michael; Your gonna have to quit that... you're makin' me blush... and my head is swellin' so my hat is too tight! Hard to believe a broken down Ol' Buster did it his own self ain't it? :o)

Sharlotte said...

Well, no doubt about it, you did a great job with the site. Kinda glad you had the time to be figuring things out. Yep, on our trip we are going to go slow and spend anywhere between 4 to 5 days at places where we can range out from the base camp. I know we can see much more with just the truck and not drag the trailer behind us.