Thoughts After Accident Part II

Here's some more stuff I wrote while waiting for a ride in Haines Junction, Yukon:

When I spoke with my mother from the payphone in Destruction Bay, I could tell she was rightfully upset. I said I was sorry because I genuinely feel bad for causing her stress. In reply she said that she's sorry my trip had to end this way. Of course my health comes first, but now that that seems fine I start to think about other consequences of the accident. First in my mind is money and insurance. I'm pissed that I had to buy an 800 dollar plane ticket home and I hope her insurance will pay for all this. Next, just like my mom said, I'm sad my trip ended so abruptly and in such a horrible fashion. I had a route planned with places to see and friends to visit that I haven't seen in at least a year. I was looking forward to spending time with them before I go to school. Now I'm going right back where I came from and canceling the rest of my trip. I'm thinking about driving my car up to Colorado when I get back but I'm not sure.

I'm sad and at times I feel like I'm going to tear up but I remind myself that it could have been much worse. What a wonderful psychological reflex! You can ALWAYS think of something worse that could have happened and instantly feel better. Its like an adult pacifier. Of course you can also think of plenty of ways it could be better but what good would that do you! :-)

I'm still impressed with how nice everyone has been to me. Bob, Deb, Grace, Sharon, Tickie, Kevin, Amber...I love them because they took the time to not be so goddamn selfish and help. They are everyday heros as far as I'm concerned. I can only hope that I have the same good will and instincts inside of me when someone else needs it.

A few thoughts from the after the accident

I wrote a few thoughts down after the accident so I could perserve what I was thinking. Here they are:

The outpouring of sympathy and help has been nearly overwhelming. Complete strangers like Bob and Deb Klunder are praying to God for me. After the nurse told me that they had called her at 7 AM to see if I was okay and let me know that their praying for me, my eyes watered. They still water just thinking about it. It's out of love. They are loving people and that's what they have given me.

Like most accident vicitims do, I've looked back at the events and decisions leading up to my getting hit and feel somewhat afraid in recognizing how small seemingly inconsequential decisions led to a very consequential event. Like when I saw the cars waiting at the construction site and decided to pull into Burwash for a bite to eat, hoping my timing at the site would better when I got back on the road. If I hadn't done that this wouldn't have happened. At least, this particular accident wouldn't have occured. I might have been hit by a truck instead. Of course I've known for awhile that that is how life goes, but there's nothing like a vivid color example to make the point abudantly clear...and personal.

Again, I look backward from the accident and find other events or thoughts that are pulled from insignicance to pertinance through the filtered lens I'm looking through. Like how a few minutes before the accident the guys on Harleys told me about an accident that happened at the Fairbanks ralley and how it wasn't the bikers fault.

I save my I-pod for the times when I'm truly bored driving and thanks to the amazing terrain here I don't wear them often. Sometimes to pass the time I hum or sing into the 60 mph wind swirling by. When hitting the random selection button on my mind's jukebox, a frequent song that pops up is Rush's "Roll the Bones". The main idea of the song is that life is unpredictable so just get out there, keep rolling the dice and see what hand you get dealt. What else can you do? The other point the song makes is that its futile to ask questions like "why are we hear" and "why does it happen". They are unanswerable and you can spend your life hung up on them or get out there and actually live it.

Back in Austin

I got back to Austin on Wednesday and have since seen my doctor. I got X-rays yesterday of my hand, wrist, and ribs but haven't yet heard the results. My doc gave some pills for the pain and swelling and they're working nicely.

I've posted my remain pictures so you can all have a look. I have a few of the winner's circle for the Sourdough Campground Pancake Toss in which I appear. I successful threw a sourdough pancake into the "buckit" to earn myself a free breakfast. The guy that owns the place, Ken, is a riot and I had a great time there.

The other pictures are after my accident. One of me on the side of the road, my bike, and me in the hospital bed. Although you can't see my eyes because of my helmet, rest assured I am giving the evil eye to the woman in the blue shirt standing over me. You guessed it, she's the one who hit me.

Winners and Losers

Impact in the Yukon

I don't know how many non-family members are reading my blog but if you are out there, let me first say, thanks for reading. Second, my trip has come to an abrupt ending, unfortunatly.

A few miles north of Destruction Bay in the Yukon Territory, I was hit from behind by a woman trying to pass me and the semi in front of me. I was traveling about 55 mph and was ejected from the bike. I tumbled down the road and then slid to a stop on the embankment. Thankfully I only have minor injuries but I might have something broken in my hand. I need to get it X rayed in Austin. Right now I'm in Denver waiting for my Austin flight, the last leg of a milk run starting in Whitehorse, the Yukon's capitol.

I will post more details when I have time. I have a picture of me on the side of the road and my bike, taken by another motorcyclist. Before I close, let me say this. My sincere thanks and gratitude are with Bob and Deb Klunder who stopped to help, Grace Cohoe the volunteer EMT who responded, Kevin Easton and Nikki ??? of the Whitehorse Air Ambulance who also responded, Sharon Kerr who treated me at the Destruction Bay Health Center, Corporal Hayes of the Royal Canadian Mounted Police who pursued the woman who hit me and drove me to Haines Junction, and again Kevin Easton who in addition to responding as an RN, also drove 2 hours to pick me up and bring me to Whitehorse where there are flights out. Without Kevin I'm not sure where I'd be right now. Probably still in the Yukon trying to figure out how to get home. Thinking about the generosity of these kind people makes tears swell in my eyes. I don't know how to repay them for how much they gave me. I'm very grateful they w!
ere all around me when this happened. It's good to know people like that have your back even though you don't know them and will only meet them when something goes wrong. I know I'm going on about it and am way into melodrama but I don't care.
Brian

Pictures!

So I managed to get a few uploaded. Here they are:

Denali and Arctic Circle

The Denali ones came out great. It is very rare to have a nice day like that in the summer time and the lake was nice and still too. I think I might frame one of those when I get back.

Back from the Arctic

Yesterday I rode up to the Arctic Circle. The ride was pretty tough. 100 miles of curvey road followed by 120 miles of gravel featuring huge potholes. Not fun stuff. My teeth were rattling and so was my poor bike. :-( Then I got to do it all backwards to get back to Fairbanks. I got some cool pictures though and I can claim I made it to the Arctic on my motorcycle. So I got that going for me, which is nice (Caddy Shack reference).

When I got back to Fairbanks I was greeted by rainshowers that lasted...well, they haven't stop yet and I have since driven over to Tok. I'm now headed back south. I can't remember how many miles are on the trip meter exactly but it's around 6000! I've got about 4000 more to go then I'm back in Austin.

I know you're all interested in seeing more pictures and I'd love to upload them but you wouldn't believe the kind of trouble I'm having trying to do it from internet cafe's (slow connections, no good photo editing software to resize pictures for uploading, restrictions on installing software). Anyhow, I gave it a shot today and it just wasn't going to happen. I'll try again from somewhere else.

Fairbanks

Tonight I'm in Fairbanks. I was xchased out of Denali National Parl by the mosquitos. They are just too damn annoying. I sprayed myself with enough DEET to qualify as a Superfund cleanup site and they would still find spots I had missed or just bite me straight through my clothes. Ugh.

On the bright side, I finished reading Into the Wild which was fitting considering the kid the book is about died about 40 miles NE from where I was in the park.

Tomorrow I'm heading for the Arctic Circle. On the ride there you can see the Trans Alaskan pipeline so I'll check that out too

When I find a computer I'll post my Denali pictures. I got some really good ones on a cloudless day. That mountain is breathtakingly massive. At 50 miles around the base, it's the widest mountain. Also, it rises around 18000 ft which gives it much higher vertical elevation than Everest. I'm glad to have seen it. Next time, I'll have to climb it! :)
Brian

Wonder Lake

Went on a hike today to McKinley River Bar. The glacial rivers consist of various ever changing channels giving them the name, braided rivers. They are very very wide but at the same time unimpressvie since each channel is only 10 to 15 feet across.

I plan to strike camp early tomorrow morning and take the 8 AM departing bus back to the parking lot. Sine it's a 6.5 hour ride, I'll probably drive the 125 miles to Fairbanks and then head up the Elliot Hwy to Livengood. I'll camp there for the night and then head for the Arctic Circle in the morning. After that, I head SOUTH! What a concept?!

I just finished reading Into the Wild. It,s disturbing to me how much I share in common with Chris McCandless, the kid the book was written about. Our personalities have some clear overlap and I've said several of the same things he had. For instance, I wrote in my private journal that a challenge where success is assured is no challenge at all. You must feel the real possibility for failure in order to know you're pushing yourself. I figure the big difference between he and I was the size of bet we're comfortable playing with. He played with his life as a wager. I risk a bit of shame if I turn around early having not made it.

Brian

Into the Wild

The following is from Wednesday when I got to Denali National Park:

I successfully got all my crap loaded onto the camper bus and we have started the 6.5 hour drive to Wonder Lake. I'm a bit anxious about doing 8 nights back here but I figure I can always catch a bus back out if it gets too hairy. I admire the backcountry campers. I'm not yet enough of a woodsman to trust myself out there, especially alone.

The weather was excellent driving up from Anchorage but it's going to rain pretty soon. I'm glad I made it onto the bus before it starts. I hope it'll be done by the time we get to Wonder Lake.

I'm so glad I decided to do this. "Life is too short. Eat dessert first."

-----

The only element that distinguishes this area from pure wilderness is the road that cuts through it. This blood vessel of civilization carries me into the wild and is my way back home. Without the road, I'd have to figure out how to sustain myself apart from society.

I can't remeber when I first had this thought, but I'm often in awe of roads when I go on a trip. We have adapted our lifestyles around them and have abandon skills that were previously essential for travel. What amazes me the most is that there is a clear unbroken path from Prudhoe Bay, Alaska to the tip of Argentina. When I'm sitting by the side of the road, sometimes I look down at its surface and take a journey along it in my mind through the countless miles and turns.

Brian

Pictures!

Okay, so I typed in a big long post about everything that's going on and then lost it b/c Internet Explorer sucks. Anyhow, I've found an internet cafe when the computers are compatible with my camera and I've uploaded the pictures I've taken so far. Enjoy!!

Canada and Alaska Through Anchorage

I took my bike to the shop today for an oil change and new front tire. Also, it turns out the thumbing I've bheen feeeling through the footpegs was just the new chain loosening up a bit and not a major tranny problem as I was worried. If the transmission was messed, I'd be lamed up for at least a week in Anchorage. Tradgedy averted.

Today I'm spending stocking up on stuff and running last minute errands before I go to Denali tomorrow. I'l l be at the Wonder Lake camground which is practically at the base of the mountain. It should be a good view.

I also stopped by a book store and bought a copy of Into the Wild by John Krakhauer. It's about a guy who graduated college, dropped off the radar of his friends and family, and left for Alaska. He was found by a group of moose hunters just north of Denali...rotting. I figure it'll be a good read while I'm in the park and be effective in squelching any ambitions I harbor of sustinence living. I also have my Goldman Sachs book so I can get pumped about I-banking while I'm camping out in front of one of the world's most beatutiful mountains...err...maybe I'll leave Goldman for the trip home.

Still trying to get used to the fact that it's broad daylight at 10 PM, other than that I'm having an awesome time.

Retirees

Two nights ago stayed in Tok, Alaska at the Sourdough Campground. The owner, Ken, bought it last year after he had had enough working for Hilton Hotels in Salem, Oregon. He and his wife moved to Alaska and are now running the campground. Ken wants to bring camping back to what it used to be by gwtting everyone out of their motorhomes and together. Every night they have live music by a Tok native and a pancake toss contest to win free breakfast. It's a little cheesy but everyone got into it.

What made the biggest impression on me was watching all the retired couples. They are too cute. They sing along with the music without knowing the words, make corney jokes that awarded with belly laughes all around. It's heart warming to see them all having such a good time. They honestly look like young couples again, ex-doctors, lawyers or whatever, back to being themselves again.
Brian

Mother Nature's Kitchen

Sorry for the lack of posts. I haven't had cell phone coverage since Dawson Creek so I haven't been able to post much. Here's a quick update:

I'm in Valdez, Alaska. Today I drove from Tok down to Valdez on what was the most INCREDIBLE drive of my life. I call it "Mother Nature's Kitchen" Massive mountains, glaciers, muddy rivers pulling sediment out to sea. Blue and green lakes full of glacial "flora". As one of the park signs says, this is one of the most dynamic places on earth...a glimpse of what the earth looked like 10,000 years ago at the end of the ice age. The scenery is unbelievable! At some point I've got to get some pictures up but I have been unable to do so.

Tomorrow I'm driving to Anchorage where I hope to get my front tire and oil changed. I also hope to take a nice hot shower too. :-)

Whitehorse, YT

For all of you "southerners" (and you're all southerners from my perspective right now) YT stands for Yukon Territory. You know you're way the hell north when the highway signs say, "Yukon: Canada's True Northern Territory". It wasn't long ago when I though of Montana and Washington as ridiculously north. :-)

Anyhow, the weather has severely sucked for the last few days but I've pressed on in spite of it. Tomorrow, I'll cross the boarder into Alaska and probably spend the night near Tok (small small town). From there I'll actually TURN ONTO A DIFFERENT ROAD. This is a huge occasion and I think I might be overcome with joy and sadness at the thought of leaving the ALCAN highway. Those feelings will be quickly squelched when I then remember that I have to drive back home.

Between Tok and Anchorage, I'm planning on staying overnight at Grizzly Lake, which hopefully does not draw its name from an abundance of that particular type of wildlife. I'll then be spending two nights near Anchorage before I drive up to Denali National Park. I doubt I'll have cell service there, but maybe if I climb a really tall mountain in the area...

The last few days have been packed with thoughts and I've typed them into my Blackberry but since I still don't have cell service I can't upload them. I'll post them when I do but things might be a little out of order.

More or less, I've met four other motorcyclers. Great guys with varied backgrounds and good stories. I've also chatted with many RV'ers who get a real kick out of me and my motorcycle antics. I've happy for their companionship.

Traveling up here is a unique experience. I meet people at a cafe, pass them on the road, then see them again at a differently reststop and continue our chat. It's almost as if there's a transient community of the ALCAN highway itself. I'm beginning to feel like this road is my home. I know the names of all the towns. I've met to proprietors of the gas stations and restaurants. This trip is far from over but I already know I'll come back here again.

And so it begins...

Dawson Creek, British Columbia
Mile O of the Alcan Highway

Mile 0?!! What about the last 2,000? Don't those count for something?

I don't know how cell service will be for the next four days so I might not post frequently. Nobody panic. I'm okay. :)
-Brian

Visit my blog as I drive my motorcycle from Texas to Alaska and back!

bcanderson.blogspot.com

Two dudes

About 80 km out of Whitecourt, I passed two guys on motorcycles. When I stopped to gas up further down the raod, they pulled off too and we chatted for a bit. These guys are on a big trip too. They met the University of Hawaii and recenlt graduated. One is from California, the other from New York, so they met up in Montana and are on their way up to Alaska. They're planning on selling their bikes and finding summer jobs. I'm listening to them, thinking their crazy, and then I tell them my own crazy story. :)

Anyhow, I call them "the two dudes" becuase they were all pimped out in Harley style gear, Blues Brother's sunglasses and faded jeans. One had some big old chops too. Much more "Easy Rider" than I am. I look like I'm straight out of an animie cartoon with my sport bike and black leather suit. :)
-Brian

Visit my blog as I drive my motorcycle from Texas to Alaska and back!

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Camp Whitecourt, Alberta

When I left the Painted Rock Campground near Saskatoon this morning, I thought I set a tent striking record. A huge storm was brewing to the west and it looked like it would start dumping any minute. The last time I had packed my tent, it was a little wet so I was happy that it had dried out overnight. I was going to be pissed if it rained in time just to pack it again. Tradgedy was averted and I left PRC before the rain.

When I planned my trip in Austin I selected PRC b/c it sounded like there were actually some rock formations there. You know, some geological features to gawk at? None to be found. Just nice looking landscaping rocks that were (you guessed it) painted. :) I'm still glad I stayed there. The guy was really nice and the showers were as he boasted when I registered (the best in western Canada). I can't say they really are the best but the wall behind the door had a framed award from a Canadian couple that had traveled the Yellowhead. It read, "Cleanest and Prettiest Commode Award, Cross Canadian Trip Part II". I can't make this stuff up.

As I said earlier today, the bike is running great, but I think I'm going to need a new front tire when I get to Fairbanks.
-Brian

Visit my blog as I drive my motorcycle from Texas to Alaska and back!

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It's official...

Canada is really really big. I'm now in Lloydminster, which sits right on the Sask/Alberta border. Relative to the US, I'm midway across Montana.

The bike is performing flawlessly now that I got the new chain. I feel a lot better with everything in good working order. Before I found the Suzuki shop in Yorktown, I had called ahead to one in Saskatoon to schedule an appointment. The service guy said, "You from the states?" I said, "Yes sir. The United States.". He chuckled and replied, "Of course the US. Up here theres only one 'states'". I called back this morning to cancel the appointment and got the same guy. I told him I had called yesterday and he said, "The American! From the -united- states.". He really got a kick out of it and I throught it was funny too.

Another short story...
I stopped at Walmart and ran into a guy with a NYPD hat. He recognized me as the motorcycle guy that passed him on the highway so we started talking. Turns out he's from actually from NY and he's headed to Alaska with his wife and home on wheels. Small world though I imagine I'm going to run into the 1st mechanized division of America's retirees when I get to the acutal Alaska highway.

I have a new level of envy for motorhome owners. They pop out of their RVs looking refreshed and styled. I on the other hand look like, well, like I've been driving across Canada on a motorcycle and camping at night. :)

I'm planning on getting to Edmonton today or possibly a little further. Weather permitting, of course.
-Brian

Visit my blog as I drive my motorcycle from Texas to Alaska and back!

bcanderson.blogspot.com

Can you Saskatoon?

Of course you can. Now say it with a Canadian accent. :). Tonight I'm camping just east of Saskatoon. It took me forever to get here because I took a long lunch and stopped at Yorkton to get my bike looked at. It turns out that my chain was shot and luckily they had a replacement. I also broke down and invested in some higher quality rain gear and disposed of my crotchless ones. The new rain gear is great and I feel good for contriubuting to the Canadian economy.

The guys at the bike shop were very friendly and pretty funny too. One of them was trying to sell me on an electrically heated vest by telling me about a recent ride of his through BC where it's "colder than a whore's heart". I guess that pretty damn cold. The shop was good to me and had a maintence guy drop what he was doing to work on bike and get me back on the road.

Its supposed to get down to 6 C tonight, which I think is a little warmer than a whore's heart but still pretty cold. :)

Funny enough Canada has 10x better GPRS service than the US but the roads are a joke. They're fairly well maintained but very small. Thr main east-west trans-Canada road, called the Yellowhead, is a two laner. More land than the US with only 30 million people equals no tax revenue.
-Brian

Visit my blog as I drive my motorcycle from Texas to Alaska and back!

bcanderson.blogspot.com

Higher Spirits

The weather has been a lot better today. Much less wind and no rain so far, but I think I'll run into some this afternoon.

Another motorcyclist stayed at the same motel that I did in Potage la Prairie. We were packing up our bikes at the same time so we chatted for awhile. He's from British Columbia and is a retired high school principal. Now he drives around on his Harley selling databases to schools. I love hearing the background on these people. You just never know what they'll say.

He clued me in on how much you can speed and not get pulled over and had a few comments on the road conditions. His started the chat by noting that I must be freezing my ass off given where I'm from. It's been on the cold side but the sun has peaked through the clouds a few times today.

I think I'm going to have my bike looked at in Saskatoon. I'm a little worried about the chain and it seems like a wise idea to make sure everything checks out before heading even further north.
-Brian

Visit my blog as I drive my motorcycle from Texas to Alaska and back!

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Canada

This morning I left my sister's around 9 AM and headed north toward Winnipeg. The weather was exception crappy with total downpours and 20 MPH crosswinds. Not fun on the bike.

Before I left Minneapolis, I bought some bear spray which is essentially high power pepper spray. When I got to the border the Canadians initally wanted to confiscate it! Apparently, in addition to guns, pepper spray is also illegal in Canada. Crazy! Since it says "bear deturrent" on the label they let me keep it under the condition that I don't spray someone. I agreed and they let me go on my merry way.

Everything was going fine until I downshifted a few times to slow the bike at an intersection. It clunked a few times when I downshifted so I figured the chain was slipping. I've never tightened a bike chain in my life but I figured it out pretty quick. Let's hope I put it back together right!

In other news, I ripped the crotch of my rain gear doing my superduper bike mount/dismount. Now I'm walking around scaring Canadians with my crotchless attire. It draws some funny looks.

Today was a long ass day. 520 miles! That's a lot in one day for me. It will take me 8 more days to get to Anchorage but I only have to do 400 mile days from here on out.
-Brian

Visit my blog as I drive my motorcycle from Texas to Alaska and back!

bcanderson.blogspot.com

Me on my bike in Lubbock

Minneapolis and St. Paul

For the last two days, Sherry, my sister and I have been touring Minneapolis and St. Paul. It's been quite a whirlwind tour and we've seen a lot of great sights. I've linked to a photo archive of dozens of pictures.

Minneapolis Pics

I apologize that they are mixed up bunch of stuff but I really haven't had the time to organize all of them.

Here are the places we've been so far:

Walker Musuem of Modern Art
St. Paul's Cathedral
Minnesota Capitol Building...the governor was giving a press conference so we took his picture
Museum of Art
James J. Hill House (magnate who built the Great Northern Railroad)

I'm having a great time here and am looking forward to the next leg of my trip when I get into Canada.

Oh, here are some pictures of me on my bike with Jay. There are a couple mixed in of my tent and the geographic center of the U.S., as promised.

Kansas Pics