Haven’s 2023 Alaska Motorcycle Adventure
A little backstory…
Flashback to 2001. After three years of working 16+ hour days, mostly by my own choosing, I was getting exhausted and burned out. The Dotcom bust was well underway, and it was palpable in the San Francisco tech industry at the time. I needed a break. I made a decision: take some time off and recuperate, apply to graduate school, and get a fresh start when I emerge.
The timing turned out to be perfect.
In a matter of months, "irrational exuberance" would manifest in a collapsed tech industry, a damaged economy, and my former employer closing its doors abruptly. Then the tragic events of 9/11 punctuated the end of the era and changed everything forever.
So why Alaska?
When I told my good friend Josh what I was doing, he said, "You should come up to Alaska and hang with me for a while." You're going to love it up here." It seemed like a stretch, but a stretch was what I needed. Josh's advice was simple. Fly to Bellingham, Washington. Then, take the ferry to Juneau. Pack a sleeping bag and camp on the ferry's top deck.
After three days camped on the top of a boat traveling through the beautiful Inside Passage, Josh met me at the dock in Juneau and the rest was history.
That's how one of my most memorable experiences began. The ferry ride was incredible. My few weeks in Alaska were unforgettable. By the end, I knew I had to return someday.
Then, life happened. A lot of good things, some bad. But, a desire for adventure crept back into my mind. Then, 22 years later, an opportunity arose.
In 2018 I learned to ride a motorcycle and purchased this fun machine, the 2018 Honda Rebel 500. It was the perfect starter bike. It took me on many fun adventures around the San Francisco Bay Area — redwood forests, grassy valleys, rugged coastal cliffs, and vineyard covered hills.
But all it takes is a new motorcycle.
My gift to myself at the beginning of 2023 was the intention to make the trip to Alaska... and this new 2023 Triumph Tiger 850 Sport. A new gadget can be a strong motivator to follow through.
Time for a dry run.
Up to this point, my longest single-day ride was 180 miles. And I only traveled this distance on occasion. The Alaska trip requires 200 to 300 miles per day minimum for five to six weeks. In late April, I set out for an overnight camping trip in Monterey, California, with all my intended gear in tow.
The trip was a success, as in a success at failure. On the way home, somehow, I lost one of my side cases due to a faulty latch connection — read: user error. It was an expensive mistake, as I never recovered the lost gear.
I replaced the gear, made some improvements in my gear attachment strategy, and loaded up for the official ride.
