We have about 16 bikers for this year's trip. Some bikers are already registering for 2014 already!
Bikers registered by April 15, 2013 are being offered a free tire sealant kit by Ride-On. Since 2007, the ony bikers who had flat tires did NOT have Ride-On!
On-line registration is closed. Email DrASL@aol.com if you are interested in joining us. The earlier you join, the better as some lodging places up in the Northwest are full already, especially at Haines Junction, Yukon Territory.
Unsolicted letter from a recent biker "Wow, and I thought with being a police officer for 37 years in Miami, Florida, that I had "been there, done that, and bought the T-shirt." Au contraire mon frer. Forget your riots and hurricanes, this is the real deal. I tend to ramble, so I'll get to the point: All members of our riding company have used this phrase many times until it has become stale and worn, but nevertheless, I'll say it again: "This was truly the adventure of a lifetime."
Want an adventure? Don't let this sign to the left make you nervous ... until Fairbanks we will be able to stop for gas every two hours (or around 150 miles), stretch and enjoy chatting. This group size is growing larger by the week (for every biker that joins, our riding day stretches by 15 minutes but then we all love to stop every 150 miles and just chat and stretch. What is the hurry?
2013 trip route will take us on the coolest possible route (through Wawa, Ontario), arriving in Alaska August 4. Benefits include the ability of your friends and family to track us live. Enjoy a cool July and August cruising Canada and Alaska with Mike on his 12th Annual Florida/Alaska adventure!
Here is what a typical day may be like:
7 a.m. Breakfast with other bikers (on your own)
7:30 a.m. On the road (you should already have gassed up the night before)
9:30-10 a.m. Fuel stop and "shooting the breeze"
12:30 p.m. -- Fuel stop and lunch with other bikers (on your own)
1:30 p.m. Back on the road!
3:30-4 p.m. Fuel stop and "shooting the breeze"
5 or 6 p.m. Arrive at destination --- gas up bike, check into your lodging
7 p.m. Meet for dinner with other bikers (on your own)
You can be in this picture! While in Hyder, email photos like this to your biker friends! Enjoy spectacular temperatures in the 60s and 70s while navigating Northwest Canada and Alaska's roads and one of North America's largest glaciers, as John Dickie in this photo is enjoying! Take a look at our 2011 notes and video!
Preplan for 2014-2045 trips! The starting date for this year's run is Saturday, July 27, 2013 which will allow us to arrive at the peak time of the salmon run and see the bear feeding frenzy as they fatten up before the end of summer (we will be at one of the only two bear viewing stations in North America just outside Hyder) as the forest rangers have advised us. Also, the highways will be in a much better and safer condition as bikers who arrive in June or early July may encounter mountain roads covered with snow or muddy or not yet repaired.
One accommodation will be listed on the schedule ... a "middle of the road" hotel such as Hampton Inn. With the addresses, you can easily do a Mapquest search and find other accommodations closeby if the one listed is not to your liking. HOG and GWRRA chapters are encouraged to invite us to join their evening activities (please contact Mike Tuccelli at DrASL@aol.com).
Why not make a tax deductible donation to help deaf, deaf/blind or medically fragile babies? C'mon .. click this link and you will find a few ways you can donate. 100% of donations go to SKI-HI, an early intervention group.
"Wow, and I thought with being a police officer for 37 years in Miami, Florida, that I had "been there, done that, and bought the T-shirt." Au contraire mon frer. Forget your riots and hurricanes, this is the real deal. I tend to ramble, so I'll get to the point: All members of our riding company have used this phrase many times until it has become stale and worn, but nevertheless, I'll say it again: "This was truly the adventure of a lifetime." Oh, don't get me wrong. This trip certainly wasn't all sunshine, lollipops, and roses. And, it is definitely not for the faint-hearted or the novice rider. You will be challenged in many ways and must be able to keep up. There will be days that you think will never end and all you keeping thinking of as your grinding out the miles are a hot shower and a warm bed. Maybe not even dinner. But, there will be those days that will be truly magnificent weatherwise and even more so scenery-wise and those few bad days will fade. Salmon Glacier, Mount Robson in Jasper National Park, bison, bear and moose right up to the side of the road by Muncho Lake, great little "mom and pop" restaurants and hotels, curvy, twisty mountain roads and so on. In any case, spectacular or not quite so spectacular, each and every hour of each and every day you will be making memories to last your lifetime. I tell Mike that this group of 16 that I rode with was special. We did have a chemistry. That's not to say there wasn't the rare personality clash. But when you put together 16 strong-willed adventurous types that's bound to happen. We helped each other when necessary and laughed with and at each other when it wasn't. And poor defenseless (Not!) Jenny. How she put up with the antics of 15 guys (albeit all harmless) I'll never know. I'm sure that every group Mike puts together thinks they were special and head and shoulders above all others that have made this trip. With apologies to all previous groups, in my mind it was this group. 15 very special people and me. So, if you're thinking about this trip and you're up to it healthwise, spirit wise, and experience wise, do it. By all means, do it. I'm already thinking about 2011. And to quote Dorothy from the Wizard of Oz, "loonies, and toonies, and liters, Oh My!" That's an inside joke. But make the trip and you'll figure it out soon enough. Regards to all, Russ Kubik"
Hi ... I'm Mike Tuccelli and I would like to invite you to join us in 2013 on an adventure ... North to Alaska!!! The above photo is one of the several stunning scenes you will see (this is Salmon Glacier next to Hyder, Alaska
Put yourself first put morelife in your years! You've worked hard ... you've done this, done that ... so have millions of others. Join the elite few who actually make their dreams come true. Take off some time in July and August 2013 and join us! This is a picture of bears fishing for salmon next to Hyder. The salmon won't be running until the end of July so that's why the timing of the trip is so crucial -- leaving July 27, 2013. Too early, no fish, no bears ... too much snow in mountains, can't get up to see glacier. and clear your calendar and let's go North to Alaska in 2013! My 97-year-old Dad who rode his motorcycle daily said it is not the years in your life ... it is the LIFE in your years! C'mon and join us!
Spectacular rainbows, vibrant waterfalls, wild animals! Come and experience Alaska with a group of bikers! For your information, the temperature during this July 2008 day was just 74 degrees and it was very muggy in the mid 90s in the lower 48 states!
You can read what were live updates in "2004-2012" button at the upper left of this page.
In a future trip (2015 and 2020), drive on the original Alaska Highway and cross this wooden bridge!
The trip planned in 2015 and 2020 will be the long ones -- over 10,000 miles! For instance, once you arrive in Fairbanks, you can drive to Denali and Anchorage and Homer and Valdez. At Denali, you can take the shuttle into the park to spot glaciers and bears, and gaze up at Mount McKinley. The more you see and do in Alaska, the more you will want to join us every year. In 2015, I am planning an optional side trip to the Northwest Territories. Why? Because it's there!
What to do? If you drive south of Anchorage, you will see Turnagain Arm and it's heart-grabbing scenery with Russian Orthodox villages. If you want to stay around Fairbanks, go about 100 miles east and find Chena Hot Springs and its enormous boulders which surround a big, steamy outdoor pool. If you want serious bragging rights AND you have a bike designed for dirt/gravel roads (or you can rent one in Fairbanks or rent a car or take a van tour), take the Dalton Highway North to Deadhorse. Try Dalton for 20 miles. If you are still game, keep going about three hours and you will reach the Arctic Circle (the above picture shows me on my '02 Silver Wing on my 14,000-mile Key West/Maine/Arctic Circle/Mexico trip). Keep going and you will reach the Beaufort Sea and outbrag even the Alaska Highway crowd. Biker wannabes do events such as Sturgis, Daytona Beach, etc. but serious bikers will do this! Darryl Petrack made it to Deadhorse on his Baby Wing in 2007! You can see a link for his photos so you can admire his determination and excitement! Do read the 2007 updates, though and feel his excitement and determination in his detailed notes.
This 2013 adventure will leave St. Augustine, FL July 27, 2013 from Georgie's Diner -- kickstands up at 7:30 a.m.) You can also join us at any of the overnight stops listed going up through Michigan to British Columbia via the TransCanadian highway to Hyder, Alaska. There, we will stay two full days, taking in the sites.
Many bikers may continue North to interior Alaska. When you join up with us, you will find out who is going where and you can change your trip plans or continue back home with me. Most likely, I will return home via US 2 from Washington State and cut South after Minnesota (because it's cool!). You can return home with me or retrace the route yourself or join up with other bikers to return home.
For 2013 and 2014 and 2016 through 2019 we are taking the same route which is the shortest possible way to get to Alaska on roads with NO GRAVEL. Most of these will be 20-day trips (averaging 400 or so miles per day) meaning you can leave Florida Saturday morning and be back in three weeks. This is planned specifically for people who have full-time jobs and can't take off too much time. Of course, you can join us at any point in the trip and leave at any time. Some bikers have ridden with us for as few as six days.
Our 2013 schedule is deliberately designed so we will arrive in Hyder for the salmon run but also late enough in July so the mountain roads will be open. In 2008, the mountain roads were still closed at the end of the first week of July. You will see one of the largest glaciers in North American spread out as far as you can see from horizon to horizon.
For the past 10 years, I've been experimenting with various routes (some as long as 14,500 miles) and have decided from now on, will take the same route most years so I can cultivate discounted rates in the future (and hopefully get deaf associations and interpreter affiliates and parent groups to host meal stops for us. along with HOG and GWRAA groups). The 2015 and 2020 trips will take in the Arctic Circle via Fairbanks and will be almost four weeks with a side trip option to take in the Northwest Territories.
You are absolutely encouraged to take side trips ... for example, in 2009, Paul Glunt and Wayne Cox drove up together to Prudhoe Bay on a "side tour". Another biker took an airplane ride over the tallest mountain in North America. Another took a bush mail flight to a remote Eskimo village way up in North Alaska.
This is a great chance for avid bikers to get their spouses involved in their love of long distance biking! Imagine leisurely 400 mile days through America's and Canada's most scenic topography! Imagine eating a gourmet dinner in a vintage hotel at the end of the route where there is actually an antique car parked inside the hotel's dining room. Imagine your spouse telling you that he/she understands your love of Alaska trips! Imagine your dream no longer and be involved and make this happen. Reserve your spot now!
We will start from St. Augustine, Florida July 27, 2013, drive to Hyder, Alaska and end the trip in Florida the middle of August, 2013. Basically, I am picking out scenic destinations about 400 miles apart and list two "headquarter hotels". You will then, if you don't mind, let me know where you are staying so other bikers may want to stay in the same place.
With at least 21 stops, at 2011 prices, it could be something like $500 for lodging if you share rooms or cost even more (of course you are on your own for food).
Here is a link where you can register with a non-refundable deposit for this tour. To guarantee that you are serious about this trip, the registration fee is $200 with up to $100 refundable if you collect mileage sponsors. If not, then it is a tax deductible donation. You can then go ahead and make your reservations at hotels to be posted. Each place should have photos or weblinks so you can see for yourself how wonderful this 2013 trip will be as we continue to raise awareness and funds for deaf and/or blind babies thru SKI-HI.
Basically, this 2013 trip offers:
1. Shorter average daily miles -- 400 to 450
2. Just one hotel will be listed and of course, you can use Mapquest search features to find a nearby place to your liking.
3. Smaller group size .
The difference between 2013 and previous years basically is that for 2010 I had listed dozens of lodging options at various stops but we lost a lot of group chemistry because we didn't stay together. I will only list one lodging option in an effort to keep us together for camaradie and bonding. Of course, you can mapquest the lodging and find a nearby place if you really want to ....
As bikers register for this 2013 event, I will be giving you their emails so we all can email back and forth in group emails … you can let us know which hotel you reserved at and most likely other bikers will reserve rooms there also.
You will be able to arrange room-mates (if you desire) from the bikers on the email list that will be sent to you after registration.
Want an adventure? Don't let this sign to the left make you nervous ... until Fairbanks we will be able to stop for gas every two hours (or around 150 miles), stretch and enjoy chatting. This group size is growing larger by the week (for every biker that joins, our riding day stretches by 15 minutes but then we all love to stop every 150 miles and just chat and stretch. What is the hurry? 
You can be in this picture! While in Hyder, email photos like this to your biker friends! Enjoy spectacular temperatures in the 60s and 70s while navigating Northwest Canada and Alaska's roads and one of North America's largest glaciers, as John Dickie in this photo is enjoying! 
"Wow, and I thought with being a police officer for 37 years in Miami, Florida, that I had "been there, done that, and bought the T-shirt." Au contraire mon frer. Forget your riots and hurricanes, this is the real deal. I tend to ramble, so I'll get to the point: All members of our riding company have used this phrase many times until it has become stale and worn, but nevertheless, I'll say it again: "This was truly the adventure of a lifetime." Oh, don't get me wrong. This trip certainly wasn't all sunshine, lollipops, and roses. And, it is definitely not for the faint-hearted or the novice rider. You will be challenged in many ways and must be able to keep up. There will be days that you think will never end and all you keeping thinking of as your grinding out the miles are a hot shower and a warm bed. Maybe not even dinner. But, there will be those days that will be truly magnificent weatherwise and even more so scenery-wise and those few bad days will fade. Salmon Glacier, Mount Robson in Jasper National Park, bison, bear and moose right up to the side of the road by Muncho Lake, great little "mom and pop" restaurants and hotels, curvy, twisty mountain roads and so on. In any case, spectacular or not quite so spectacular, each and every hour of each and every day you will be making memories to last your lifetime. 
Put yourself first put more life in your years! You've worked hard ... you've done this, done that ... so have millions of others. Join the elite few who actually make their dreams come true. Take off some time in July and August 2013 and join us! This is a picture of bears fishing for salmon next to Hyder. The salmon won't be running until the end of July so that's why the timing of the trip is so crucial -- leaving July 27, 2013. Too early, no fish, no bears ... too much snow in mountains, can't get up to see glacier. and clear your calendar and let's go North to Alaska in 2013! My 97-year-old Dad who rode his motorcycle daily said it is not the years in your life ... it is the LIFE in your years! C'mon and join us! 
Spectacular rainbows, vibrant waterfalls, wild animals! Come and experience Alaska with a group of bikers! For your information, the temperature during this July 2008 day was just 74 degrees and it was very muggy in the mid 90s in the lower 48 states! 
You can read what were live updates in "
In a future trip (2015 and 2020), drive on the original Alaska Highway and cross this wooden bridge!
What to do? If you drive south of Anchorage, you will see Turnagain Arm and it's heart-grabbing scenery with Russian Orthodox villages. If you want to stay around Fairbanks, go about 100 miles east and find Chena Hot Springs and its enormous boulders which surround a big, steamy outdoor pool. If you want serious bragging rights AND you have a bike designed for dirt/gravel roads (or you can rent one in Fairbanks or rent a car or take a van tour), take the Dalton Highway North to Deadhorse. Try Dalton for 20 miles. If you are still game, keep going about three hours and you will reach the Arctic Circle (the above picture shows me on my '02 Silver Wing on my 14,000-mile Key West/Maine/Arctic Circle/Mexico trip). Keep going and you will reach the Beaufort Sea and outbrag even the Alaska Highway crowd. Biker wannabes do events such as Sturgis, Daytona Beach, etc. but serious bikers will do this! Darryl Petrack made it to Deadhorse on his Baby Wing in 2007! You can see a 
Our 2013 schedule is deliberately designed so we will arrive in Hyder for the salmon run but also late enough in July so the mountain roads will be open. In 2008, the mountain roads were still closed at the end of the first week of July. You will see one of the largest glaciers in North American spread out as far as you can see from horizon to horizon. 
For the past 10 years, I've been experimenting with various routes (some as long as 14,500 miles) and have decided from now on, will take the same route most years so I can cultivate discounted rates in the future (and hopefully get deaf associations and interpreter affiliates and parent groups to host meal stops for us. along with HOG and GWRAA groups). The 2015 and 2020 trips will take in the Arctic Circle via Fairbanks and will be almost four weeks with a side trip option to take in the Northwest Territories. 
