The Aftermath: Sparkle gets a bath/ Bitchin' Linda doesn't

Sparkle before.

I left a lot of Alaska on my dad's driveway.

Sparkle after! Well the big service is still next. Do you think the guys at the shop will appreciate the clean?

Bitchin' Linda on the road. Funny thing, she's even dirtier now. But a wash and an oil change are imminent. Really.

Here's the reason that dirt and bugs still exist on Bitchin' Linda. I've got my hands full with house repairs. Ugh. Alaska seems so far away....

Day 22: Our first day home in Victoria

Check out the big-ass diamond on Hailey's left hand. I guess Matt must have really really missed her.

Maria's surprise from Clint. Well, this and a new sunroom. And a birthday party.

Clint and Maria

August 21/2010: When we arrived home both of our boyfriends had surprises for us.

Patrick and Maria cut the cake

Patrick, wearing his birthday cake.

I wore a little cake too.

We celebrated Patrick's (another riding buddy) and my birthday. 

Riding the "Corkscrew" at Laguna Seca.

Of course, we're already planning another trip. The Laguna Seca Raceway near Monterey, California, is one possibility. The racetrack is 3.602 km in length with a 91 m elevation change. It has 11 turns, including the famous "Corkscrew." I know Hailey will enjoy this, especially if she gets to participate in a track day. As for me? Maybe I'll do a lap of the track, or maybe I'll wimp out and watch Hailey while I drink a lemon martini.

Day 21: Port Hardy to Victoria

Sparkle and Bitchin' Linda had company outside our Port Hardy hotel.

Um... some of the sights in our hotel parking lot.

Our Port Hardy hotel was a pretty grim two star property. So I guess four bears equals two stars?

August 20/2010: Today we made the 500 km trip from Port Hardy to Victoria. The ride was uneventful but boy was it hard to get used to riding in traffic again. We're home now, having clocked 8,300 kms in 21 days, ridden through two forest fires, and made a whole whack of new friends. Sparkle is going for her 30,000 km servicing this week and my Vstrom has a new name. She is no longer "Bitchy Linda" but "Bitchin' Linda." With all the good work she's done over the past few weeks I figure she deserves the compliment.

Day 20: Prince Rupert to Port Hardy

Saying goodbye to Prince Rupert.

Tucking Sparkle and Bitchin' Linda in for the long ride

August 19/2010: We got up at obscenely early hour of 4:30 this morning to catch the BC ferry from Prince Rupert to Port Hardy.

The ferry crossing took 15 hours. We amused ourselves by watching the scenery.

Hailey, Robert, Justin and Marc (our hilarious waiter)

Exit stage left.

Dining with new friends and touring the ship's engine room.

Surprisingly, these doors aren't always locked.

Eric took us on a tour of the engine room.

A cylinder liner!

Yikes! That looks like it would hurt. Eric said that if we got in the way of the stabilizers we'd "become lubricant." 

This area is known as "void 14." Doesn't that sound like something out of a Douglas Adam's novel?

I regret that I did not have the nerve to lift the lid. Now I'll never know what Pierre was up to.

Day 19: Terrace to Prince Rupert

August 18/2010: Terrace is a strange town. When we first arrived, two cops stopped us as we walked down the street with a warning that it wasn't safe to park our bikes downtown. Encouraging. Then there was the little matter of not being able to order a beer. Seems the downtown bars are only open Thursday to Sunday, because with the economic downturn Terrace residents aren't hitting the bars during the weekdays. Which was bad news for us as it was a hot Wednesday and we'd ridden a long way. In the end we had to settle for coffee at Starbucks.

Prince Rupert

Prince Rupert

Prince Rupert

We left Terrace in the morning to battle crosswinds on Highway 16 en route to Prince Rupert. Later that afternoon officials closed the highway because of the wind and...wait for it...another forest fire. Fellow bikers who drove the route right after us recounted tails of trees and power lines falling across the road!

Hailey, making the most of our new luxury digs. Can you see? She is telling everyone there are four pillows!

I guess BC Ferries' reduced room rate at the Crest Hotel doesn't include a sea view.

With BC Ferries' new vacation package (thanks to Frenchy for telling us about it because BC Ferries didn't) we were able to afford a room in the swanky Crest Hotel (http://www.cresthotel.bc.ca/accomodations) in Prince Rupert.

Hailey's beet and blue cheese salad at the Crest Hotel. Sadly I forgot to take photos of the lemon martinis.

After a lovely dinner at the Crest Hotel, where I discovered the most delicious drink in the world--lemon martinis--we headed to the casino. Right after Hailey took this photo of me at the slot machine (where I lost $9.77 by the way) an official rushed over and insisted we delete the photo. We complied but the photo didn't actually get erased as I thought Hailey had deleted it and she thought I was being sneaky. Anyway, here it is.

Day 18: Hyder, AK / Stewart, BC to Terrace

August 17/2010: Sigh, another day another flat tire. Poor Hailey! Seems that puncture just won't hold the plug, or rather the plugs aren't keeping the air in. The answer? A bigger plug!

But no, the big plug doesn't do the job either. So Hailey resorts to using slime--fluorescent green goo/sealant-- considered the final solution when it comes to a job like this.

Unfortunately, all this fixing and inflating the rear tire with our little compression pump has worn out Sparkle's battery. Here you can see her getting lots of helpful advice. In the end we had to bump-start her bike by pushing her along Main Street.

We rode another 200 kms with Wayne and then said our goodbyes. He's such an awesome guy. We hope to run into him again soon.

Sigh. Another day, another grated bridge. (The Johnson Street bridge at home is going to be a snap compared to all of these northern bridges.) This is the Skeena Bridge in Terrace and not only is it grated. It has curves!

Anyway, long story short we're in Terrace tonight updating our blog in an Internet cafe. To date we've ridden 7,300 kms. Tomorrow we're heading to Prince Rupert where we'll catch the ferry home to Port Hardy.

Stay tuned...

Day 17: Iskut to Hyder, AK & Stewart, BC

August 16/ 2010: So the three of us are off to Hyder, Alaska--which is located right across the border from   Stewart, BC.

Bear Glacier on the way to Stewart.

The scenery is fantastic and there are some very nice curvy roads.

Main Street, Hyder

 But with 100 people and two bars, one of the things that Hyder is best known for is the tradition of getting "hyderized."

At the Glacier Inn in Hyder, innkeeper Judy sells the highest proof alcohol that anyone can legally buy (150 proof), serves it to you in a shot glass and explains the rules. "No sipping, no smelling, just slamming."

Of course, we had to do it.

Once we became sober again, we took a little trip down a dusty gravel road to the park where you could watch grizzly bears fishing. It was all lots of fun until Hailey got another flat tire...