oh yay!

I had thought I lost my main key, but seems it was just misplaced. I found it and in the mail came my key blanks. Instead of getting 2 metal and 1 plastic key blank, they shipped me 4 plastic coated key blanks! awesome.

I went to Home Depot, and since i didn't buy the blanks there, they cut them for free. bonus.

Now i'm waiting for my saddlebag stays, a pair of gloves and my gas tank to come in the mail. I'm getting antsy for the tank because I don't know how I'm going to mount it yet!

All the gear I need to bring is on my loveseat and i should be ok for storage. I think there's going to be a bunch of stuff i'll have to strap onto the bike instead of going into the bags, like my tent, sleeping pad, and all my clothes.

Oh noes!

I was thinking about taking a short ride today since the weather was nice (about 7c) and it will be raining/snowing the next couple of days. I started looking for my main motorcycle key. Seems I may have lost it. What a pain in the ass!!! gotta hate jeans that have holes in the pockets.

I guess it's a good reminder to bring a spare with me and leave a spare at home. I don't want to have to change all the locks on the bike (toolkit, helmet lock and ignition). I bought some blanks online... I'll see how they do.

some more purchases recently. A tent, inflateable matress, multifuel cook stove, bear pepper spray and a bunch of odds and ends for camping and for the bike.
I also got a 3 gallon external tank that I'll have to mount on the bike somehow when I get it.

I bought The Milepost trip planner and a book by Neil Peart, the drummer from Rush. The book is called Ghost Rider: Travels on the Healing Road. I started reading last night and couldn't put it down. It also made me think of my trip, my frame of mind and my purpose. It also made me think to not be an ass on the roads, because you never know who you could bump into or pass the other way. Imagine bumping into Neil Peart! That would be awesome.

I said it made me think... I didn't say I had the answers. heh.

It made me think that this is the type of trip that i may not make back from. If it is so, than so be it... it'll be doing something I love. It makes me wonder if riding is my life sometimes.

On another note, I need to remind myself to say hi to Greg in Inuvik, from Josee at Trailhead in Ottawa. For such a vast stretch of land... Canada is a very small place.

I hate it when things don't work out as planned

So today was going to be nice and sunny and i was to work on the bike. re-add the new stebel air horn (as the last one was either stolen or fell off), put on my new national cycle hardcases, add the new highway bars, and battery led display as well as fix up some minor issues.

Well, I couldn't mount the horn where i wanted since i'll be putting the highway bars in that location. I finally mounted it under the PAIR valve. I started mounting the brackets for the Hardcase luggage and noticed that they won't work properly. Seems a monkey did the welding job. I got one case mounted but it seems very flimsy to me and probably won't stand up to the abuse i'll be putting it through.

Daylight was running short, so i tried to get my headlight rattling fixed. it's been doing it for over a year now (ever since the headlight essentially fell off the bike. It doesn't rattle anymore, but one screw isn't threaded properly and i'll have to devise a way to weld a bolt on the inside of the headlamp. Cheaply made stuff I tell you...

Found a few broken wires on the left PIAA lights, probably as a result of the one crash i had a long time ago.

I'll have to return the hardbags and bracket and probably just pick up cheap saddlebag stays instead.

things to do... get GPS fixed, return saddlebags, buy a ton of stuff for camping and plan some more. I guess plan is the wrong word to use as opposed to preparing

I think I am crazy

Ever since my trip out east last year, I've been toying with the idea of going up north, to somewhere I've never been... undiscovered yet by me.

I read an article about a pair of motorcyclists that took the Dempster highway many years ago, all the way to Inuvik. I then later read about others travelling to Inuvik and experiences that they have had.

I decided that this year, I will be making the trek to Inuvik myself, going solo on my Suzuki M50.

I've talked to a few people and most have just two questions when I say this. The first question is, "why?" and the second is "are you crazy?".
The short answers are "because" and "perhaps"

Here's a rough route I plan to take. This is the best case scenario and the route I'd 'like' to take.



View Larger Map

I guess a longer answer would be nice. Here are the longer answers to the two questions above.

Why? I'm totally drawn to it. I'm being pulled in that direction. It's almost like I have no control over it and i have a total need to go. I would have liked to go to Tuktoyaktuk, but as there are no roads in the summer, then Inuvik will have to be the furthest point north. Maybe I'll get lucky and take get a tour/charter to Tuk, but I highly doubt it. I have essentially 1 month to do this, and 2 months to prep for it. I guess I have to get my ass in gear.

As to the second question... am I crazy? perhaps. At least i feel sane :)