This trip has been in the planning stages for almost two years and finally I have a departure date of early May 2010.

I met Jack (NCRoadToad) on the Adventure Rider forum. Jack lives in NC, is also a fellow ST rider. We decided to give it a try at riding the trip together. Both of us will be riding V-Stroms for the trip.

My major objectives are to:

Ride to the Arctic Circle in Alaska and hopefully on up to Deadhorse, AK on the Dalton. Deadhorse is the most northern point in the US reachable by road.

Ride to the Arctic Circle in Yukon and then continue on up to Inuvik in the Northwest Territories on the Dempster. Inuvik is the most northern point in Canada reachable by road.

Complete an official Ultimate Coast to Coast (UCC) Challenge.
(Cross North America from Key West, Florida to Deadhorse, Alaska in 30 days or less)

The original plan was to wait until after/if we made Deadhorse and then at the end of the trip, make the run to Key West which would certify us for the UCC. However, Jack is just about as impatient as I am to get the trip started. He came up with the justifications (valid or not, it did not matter to us) that if we left about 2 weeks early we could ride to Key West and go ahead and get the clock started for the UCC in Key West. Also this would let us test out our packing skills, road test the camping gear, hopefully identify what we forgot that we should have taken with us, and see how the bikes handle loaded for Alaska. This also would allow us to return home, and give us about a week to make any final adjustments to the bikes, change tires and oil, etc. and then head north. Our final departure date heading north is based upon giving the rivers time in the Yukon to thaw so that we will be able to cross them by way of ferry when we get there. If we get there too early we would have ice bridges on the rivers to cross. If the ice on the rivers broke up before we got back, we would have to wait until the rivers were clear of ice and the ferries were running. Also, if we got there as the rivers were thawing but still had icebergs floating then the ferries would not be running and we would not be able to get across the river.

I will be leaving Woodstock, GA and riding to Key West on Friday, May 7. I will meet Jack in Savannah and then we should have our first night of camping in the Everglades on the 8th. On the 9th we will ride to Key West which will start the clock for our 30 days to get to Deadhorse. We will return to the Everglades for the night and then take the next day or two getting back to our home states.

My scheduled departure date for heading north is May 20. Jack will be leaving a day or two earlier and we will meet in Sauk Centre, MN on the 22nd and head for points north on the 23rd. Both of us being typical ST riders we plan on a few side trips on the way up to Deadhorse and on the trip back home. If all goes well, we should be back home around June 25.

May 7, 2010
Miles: 556
Total Miles: 556
Time on Road: 13 hours

Woodstock, GA to Eustis, FL

I left the house around 5:30 this morning and rode down to Savannah to meet Jack, I had the option of riding in Atlanta rush hour traffic or getting to Savannah early and waiting on Jack. I chose the rocking chair at Cracker Barrell instead of traffic. I got there at 10:30 and Jack who had the longer ride arrived around 12:00.

Leaving Savannah we went in search of Florida's best motorcycle riding roads. Jack came up with some good roads going through Ocala National Forest Nice ride but it is starting to get a little warm for when you are riding ATGATT.

I think that Florida does not bring out their really good roads until after dark, when there is not a full moon. Or maybe they just hide them with cages so no one can find them.

We are spending the night in Eustis. Tomorrow will probably be a lot of traffic or we will have to return to the slab. We have a short ride to get to the Everglades and camp for our first night.

May 8, 2010
Miles: 402
Total Miles: 958
Time on Road: 9 hours

Eustis, FL to Key Largo, FL

The day started off warm, plenty of sunshine, and just good riding conditions. We took US 19 south to US 50 and headed west over to I-75. Traffic was light and it made for a good ride. Heading south on I-75 the traffic started to increase and remained heavy until just north of Naples. We started collecting a few of the Florida state birds (love bugs) on our bikes on the way down. While we were stopped in Naples, we noticed several cars covered in love bugs. It seems that the cars had been traveling from east to west on I-75. Leaving Naples we picked up US Hwy 41 and rode the Tamiami Trail east toward Miami. It was a very scenic route and as luck would have it, we did not collect any more love bugs. For some reason the love bugs were heavy on I-75 but non-existent on Hwy 41.

Everglades, Florida

After re-evaluating the camping situation, Jack decided that there was a very good place to camp in Key Largo. We by-passed camping in the Everglades and continued on to Key Largo. Upon arriving in Key Largo, we located Jack's desired camping area. The name of it was the Holiday Inn. This worked out so well that we decided to replace our upcoming scheduled camping nights with motels. This would also allow us to leave the camping gear at home and not have to deal with the additional weight on the route north.

Key Largo, Florida

Key Largo is in Monroe County, Florida, United States, located on the island of Key Largo in the upper Florida Keys. The name comes from the Spanish Cayo Largo, or "long key". It is the first island of the Florida Keys and the originating point of the Overseas Highway to Key West.

The Everglades

In many ways the history of the Everglades is the story of Southwest Florida.

Often considered a "walk back in time" life, the Everglades is more typical of earlier days of Florida's development than in the communities found on either coast. Many of those who live in the area have deliberately chosen to take a slower approach to life and live closer to nature, enjoying and preserving the resources of the area.

The Everglades are subtropical wetlands in the southern portion of the U.S. state of Florida, comprising the southern half of a large watershed. The system begins near Orlando with the Kissimmee River, which discharges into the vast but shallow Lake Okeechobee. Water leaving the lake in the wet season forms a slow-moving river 60 miles (97 km) wide and over 100 miles (160 km) long, flowing southward across a limestone shelf to Florida Bay at the southern end of the state. The Everglades are shaped by water and fire, experiencing frequent flooding in the wet season and drought in the dry season. Writer Marjory Stoneman Douglas popularized the term "River of Grass" to describe the sawgrass marshes, part of a complex system of interdependent ecosystems that include cypress swamps, the estuarine mangrove forests of the Ten Thousand Islands, tropical hardwood hammocks, pine rockland, and the marine environment of Florida Bay.

Human habitation in the southern portion of the Florida peninsula dates to 15,000 years ago. Two major tribes eventually formed in and around Everglades ecosystems: the Calusa and the Tequesta. After coming into contact with the Spanish in the late 16th century, both tribes declined gradually during the following two centuries. The Seminoles, a tribe of Creeks who assimilated other peoples into their own, made their living in the Everglades region after being forced there by the U.S. military in the Seminole Wars of the 19th century.

May 9, 2010
Miles: 406
Total Miles: 1,364
Time on Road: 10 hours

Key Largo, FL to Key West, FL to Vero Beach, FL

The morning started out hot and humid. We left Key Largo around 7:45 and headed south to Key West. The Sunday morning traffic was fairly light so we made good time getting to Key West.

While stopping for breakfast we saw one of the endangered Key Deer crossing the road. The deer came up to the side of the road, stopped and then waited for the traffic to stop in both directions before crossing the road. Now if only the other deer could learn from the Key deer.........

We arrived in Key West around 11:00. Key West was crowded with cages, scooters, and people. Not my favorite kind of place to ride. We made our way to the Southernmost monument and took the required pictures for the UCC certification. From there we were off to the local fire station to obtain a witness to sign our forms. Arriving at the fire station we found that it was closed. We programmed in the local police station on the GPS and we were off again. There was also a fire station next to the police station. We stopped at the fire station and it was closed. We then walked over to the police station and it was closed. Jack found a phone located on the outside of the police station and was able to talk with a person on the inside of the building. They sent a local Officer who verified our odometer reading and license plate number, signed our witness forms and then we were on the road again.

Southernmost Point
Key West, Florida

We stopped at the first gas station that we came to and topped off the tanks. This gave us our official UCC start time. My receipt showed 2010/05/09 : 11.55 am. I now have until 11:55 am EDST, 09 June 2010 to reach Prudhoe Bay (Deadhorse) Alaska and get a dated receipt to officially earn my UCC certification.

With all tasks completed we head north. Traffic is now slow heading out of Key West but we are still able to travel around the speed limit. Arriving back in Miami we pick up the Florida Turnpike and start putting on some mileage. We cross over to I-95 at Fort Pierce, go north a few more miles up to Vero Beach and then stop for the night.

May 10, 2010
Miles: 587
Total Miles: 1,951
Time on Road: 9 hours 45 minutes

Vero Beach, FL to Woodstock, GA

At 7:30 am we were on the road again. The weather was cool which gave us good riding temperatures. Today's objective was just to get back home. When we got to Jacksonville Jack continued north on I-95 up to North Carolina. I turned off on I-295 and then took I-10 out of Jacksonville over to I-75 and headed north. The temperature starting dropping rapidly just north of Macon, GA. I stopped in Forsyth, gassed up and put the rain liner in my jacket to block some of the wind. I was welcomed back home in Atlanta with rain and of course, the Atlanta stop and go traffic.

The bike will go back into the shop tomorrow for new tires, brakes, and a final check up. After it comes back home I will put in a new battery, change the oil again, repack without the camping gear, and the bike should then be ready for the northern route. My next scheduled departure date is 20 May. I will meet Jack again on 22 May in Sauk Centre, MN. KSU for the northern route will be on 23 May.

May 11 - May 19, 2010

Maintenance and down time.

After returning from the Key West section, the bike now has new tires, new brake pads, a new battery, and an oil change.
The bike has been repacked, minus camping gear, and awaiting an early morning departure.