2012 Sturgis Rally is coming soon. We've attended the rally last year so now we decided to come again this year. But this time it would be different. Instead, we will do the Iron butt's Border to Border Ride on our way there, Sturgis Rally will be the last destination. We will start our journey by crossing the border to Tecate, Mexico and ride across the US and into the border in the North, Canada. From there we will ride to Prudhoe Bay, Alaska, then, we will go to Sturgis and hope we could still make it before the Rally ends.
To ride more miles without too many stops for gas, I installed a six gallon auxiliary tank on my 2010 Harley Davidson Street Glide. I had the tank for a while already but I made a mistake when I order for the tank. After making all the necessary corrections on the tank, including a new reinforced tank bracket, I had the tank installed.
Yesterday, Wednesday, July 11, 2012, I decided to test ride the bike with the auxiliary tank installed. Test riding it before you actually use it on a long ride is always been the best thing to do instead of finding the problems on your actual ride. To test ride it, I decided to ride the Angeles Crest Highway with it's winding roads, I'll be able to determine if the tank is really fit for any conditions on my planned ride to Sturgis. I fill up three gallons of gas on the auxiliary tank and begin my ride. From my house, I took the Fwy 101 heading East towards Panorama City. I stop by Yoshinaya Restaurant for a quick lunch then I inspected the tank for any leaks or any irregularities. So far so good. No leaks and the bracket that I installed is working really fine.
The auxiliary tank did what's it supposed to do. No leaks, works perfectly, the fuel transfer to the main tank without a hitch.
Diet coke and Dorito chips for a snack before I continue my ride along the Crest
Then I head on to Roscoe Boulevard heading East towards Sunland to ride the Angeles Crest Highway. I stop by the Newcomb's Ranch Restaurant for a snack and check my tank again. It's doing good, no leaks. I continue my ride along Angeles Crest Highway heading East towards Wrightwood. I am really enjoying the ride on the twisties of the crest that when I reach Wrightwood I decided to continue my ride towards Big Bear Lake. I cross the Fwy 15 and took the Highway 138 heading to Big Bear Lake.
I reach Big Bear lake and stop by Starbucks for a coffee but not before inspecting my tank. Again, I'm so happy to say that the tank works as it should. No leaks, all the gas went into the main tank as needed. After coffee, I start heading home as I don't like to ride the twisty road in the dark. I stop at an Arco gas station and this time I fill up the auxiliary tank with $20.00 gas, about 5.3 gallons. I did not fill up the main tank as I am still on the testing phase of the tank, to see how it delivers the gas to the main tank as open the valve. I took the Highway 330 going down to Fwy 210 heading West. I stop by Bass Pro Shops to get a helmet liner and use the restroom. The ride back to my house is un eventful, just took the Fwy 210 heading West and it is about nine in the evening when I reach home. Everything works, the tank is good and the bracket is holding on. Now we're ready for the big ride to Alaska.
Regular coffee with creme and sugar is all I had at Big Bear Lake
Tom Tacusalme, a Pinoy Harley Riders Club member, heard about my plans to ride the Iron Butt's Border to Border Ride from Tecate, Mexico to Edmonton, Canada before heading to the 2012 Sturgis Rally. He is interested in joining me on this ride together with Manny Slow Hand, another Pinoy Harley Rider. From Canada, Tom and Manny will ride down to Sturgis, South Dakota while I head towards Alaska. I told them that since they got a smaller tank and don't have an auxiliary tank like me, we will not be able to complete the Border to Border Ride in less than 24 hours but for sure we will make it in less than 36 hours. After a few days, Tom inform me that Manny will not be going for this ride since he will have other commitments with his family. So, now the problem is, Tom will be going to Sturgis by himself after we reach Canada, which will not be a good idea for him. He ask me the phone numbers of other Pinoy Harley members who are also planning on going to Sturgis to see if anyone else would like to ride with us to Canada so this way someone would be with him when he rides down to Sturgis. For now, I will be waiting for Tom to decide on what he really intends to do. Ride with me to Canada or ride with the other Pinoy Harley Riders to Sturgis. We will just wait and see for now.
July 23, 2012. As of this writing, I already replaced the front and rear tires even though I still got about 50% threads on my old tires. As this ride is gonna take about 10,000 miles round trip, I don't want to take any chances, specially on the ride from Fairbanks to Prudhoe Bay, which is about 450 miles of dirt road. That is the only part of this ride that I am very concern of. I just hope that the weather is dry when we come up on that part of Alaska. That would be a nightmare to ride on a dirt road on a rainy day. I also noticed that the rear brake pads only got about 20% pad on them, so I decided to replace them with a new stock break pads. The oils from the engine, primary and the transmission are drained and replaced. Spark plugs also changed even though it is not with a Harley Davidson spark plugs since I work on it on a Monday and most dealers are closed. My auxiliary tank on the other hand works perfectly. Now I fill both tanks full of gas and I could go for about 400 miles every fill up.
Also, Tom Tacusalme just informed me that he might not be able to join me on this ride since he will be alone on a ride from the Canadian Border to Sturgis, South Dakota since me and my wife are riding towards Alaska after we cross the border. If he could not ride, then he and his family got another plan for a road trip instead. I suggest that they should drive to the 2012 Sturgis Rally instead so his family could have a feel of what a bike festival is, experience to be with thousands of bikers and enjoy the fun and excitement at a biker event. Who knows, this might make a way for his wife to start riding with him. It's a possibility.
Ruben Garcia, another Pinoy Harley Riders, embark on a ride to Alaska on July 12, 2012. He is with another rider Manuel Obscena Roxas, and both of them ride together heading to Alaska. They took the the Freeway 5 North all the way to Washington, then took a ferry for about 3 days of crossing into Alaska. This route would save them about a thousand miles compare to using the Alaska-Canada Highway.
Ruben Garcia
Life on board the ferry
Manuel Obcena Roxas while they are waiting for a ferry ride
We made it! Prudhoe Bay, Deadhorse, Alaska. The sweet taste os success. We left our house in Newbury Park, California on Saturday, 9/4/2012 at about 7:00 am., heading towards Tecate, Mexico to start our Border to Border Ride to Alberta, Canada. We got in Tecate at about 11:00 am., and heads to a liquor store to but something and get a computer generated receipt for our official starting time and date. We went to OXXO Store and got me an orange juice for myself. Outside at the parking lot I noticed two guys looking at our bike and talking to my wife. I came out and introduce myself. They are so surprised to see us and knowing our plan to ride to Canada for the Border to Border Ride. After a little introduction on the ride that we're about to do, I am able to convince them to be my witness for my starting point of my ride. The agree and they sign my documents with their informations needed for a witness.
Then at about 11:30 am., we head towards the US Border Crossing to ride across the states of California, Nevada, Arizona, Utah, Idaho and Montana. After 27 hours of straight riding, we arrived at the border crossing of Canada in Alberta.
We spend the night in Edmonton, at the house of my high school classmate, June Guilera, whom I've never seen since our high school days. Next day, Monday we left Edmonton at about 3:00 in the afternoon and head towards the Alaska Highway on our way to Prudhoe Bay. We reached Dawson Creek, British Columbia at about 12:00 midnight and took pictures of the Alaska Highway Monument as the start of the Alaska Highway.
From Dawson Creek, we ride about another 60 miles to Fort Saint John and found a rest area where we set up our tent and camp for the night.
Next morning, Tuesday, we continue our ride and made a stop at Fort Nelson for gas and little rest at their Visitor Center where we're able to use the internet and update all our friends about our whereabouts.
Gas stop at Fort Nelson
A quick nap at the air Conditioned Fort Nelson Visitor Center after a cup of free coffee.
We continue our ride until we pass Watson Lake. We did not stop in Watson Lake and head on towards Whitehorse where we hope to get a hotel for a good night sleep and a much needed shower since the last one we had was in Edmonton. But it started to rain as we approached Watson Lake and the road started to climb up. So, when I saw a rest area about 60 miles to Whitehorse and we stop for the night. We set up our tent and retire for the evening.
The morning after at the rest area about 60 miles to Whitehorse.
We reached Fairbanks in the evening of Wednesday and stop at a McDonald's for the first decent meal after we leave Edmonton on Monday afternoon. We look for a hotel in Fairbanks but they are all fully booked and so expensive for about $250.00 per room. It is about midnight when we decided to ride north and look for a rest area to camp for the night. After about 60 miles ride we found the Hilltop Truck Stop. We don't have a choice but to stop here since the next stop will be about 118 miles at the Hot Spot Cafe along the Dalton Highway. We stop for gas and I convince my wife that we should rest here for the night. The restaurant is closed and all we found are several trucks park for the night. That is when I decided to set up our tent right at the parking lot beside the restaurant building. After a few hours of sleep, we woke up at about 5:00 am. and put all our gears in our bike as the restaurant employees started to arrive for work.
Hilltop Truck Stop where we camp right beside the restaurant building because my wife is so worried that the truckers might not see us and just run over our tent.
Thursday morning we start heading to Prudhoe Bay. We took the Elliot Highway until we reach the start of the Dalton Highway which will lead us to our final destination, Prudhoe Bay. As soon as we made a right turn to the Dalton Highway, the start of the 415 miles highway, we encounter a dirt road right away. We ride about 40 miles until we reach the first construction site, as was told by one of the truckers we met at our last stop at Hilltop Truck Stop. According to him, there are three construction areas along the Dalton Highway, being the third one as the worst, as they are laying rocks along the highway and not yet covered with a fine dirt and gravel as the top layer. He also mention the couple who are riding a motorcycle along that part of the third construction site who crashed and has to be hospitalized. That made me and my wide nervous since that couple is riding a BMW GS bike, a much appropriate bike than what we had, a Harley Davidson Street Glide, a heavy touring bike, with all my gears, a 6 gallon auxiliary tank that weighs about 45 pounds when full, and my wife as a passenger. But, we came all the way from Los Angeles, about 4,000 miles to be discouraged to continue our journey, as we are about 415 miles to our destination. I told my wife that we will continue the ride as far as we could go safely and if we really could not make it, we will just go back.
A few miles from the start of the Dalton Highway, we saw a construction sign and another sign that everyone has to stop for a pilot car. As we approached the stop sign, there are several trucks and other vehicles already lined up waiting for the pilot car to arrive. The flagman or the flagwoman as I soon discover she is a female worker, signal us to continue riding all the way to the front of the line. I ride past the line of trucks and other vehicles and slowly stop my bike in front of the first truck, balance my bike as good as I can to prevent it from dropping it to the dirt ground and avoid an embarassment. So far we stop without any incident. I turned off the engine and we dismount the bike to wait for the pilot car. As it turned out, the flagman is a woman, and she is from the Philippines like us and live in Fairbanks. We started having a little talk and that's when the truck driver approach us to join our little conversation. The truck driver, as it turned out, is one of the truck drivers of the Discovery Channel's Ice Road Truckers show.
The guy on the left is one of the truck drivers of the Discovery Channel's Ice Road Truckers show, the flag woman is from the Philippines living in Fairbanks, Alaska.
I feel so relieved that I am able to stop the bike without dropping it to the ground. Every time I stop the bike I always have this feeling as we are too heavy and I can always feel the slushing of the gasoline on my auxiliary tank as I did not pay extra $35.00 for the baffles inside the tank.
