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View Full Version : 2012 Ryding Adventures with Akspyderlady and Akspyderman



ARtraveler
03-19-2012, 02:44 PM
Just getting the thread set up for when we get rydeing this season. I am hoping its not to many weeks away.

FreedomRings
03-27-2012, 02:12 PM
The temperatures are starting to break things up well, shouldn't be long now.

ARtraveler
03-27-2012, 02:24 PM
1 3/4 blocks of icy road and 40ft of driveway and we are out and about.

CyncySpyder
03-27-2012, 02:33 PM
:yes:We'll be follow'n along for the ryde :clap:

FreedomRings
03-30-2012, 08:27 PM
Got mine home today with the new theme. I started a mod thread so check it out.

http://www.spyderlovers.com/forums/showthread.php?37769-Our-tribute-to-the-military&p=433612#post433612

ARtraveler
04-07-2012, 03:08 PM
Today was the day we were going to go out on the Black Widow for the first ride of the year.
I installed my new brake pedal pad yesterday and awoke the Black Widow from her long winter sleep. She started instantly (was on a battery tender) and sounded happy to be awake again.

I had to adjust the clock--since it was running slow--but that was the only glitch.

All the snow and ice had melted from the road and only about 10ft left on my driveway. This morning we awoke to another inch of snow--Mother Nature's way of saying not yet buddies. It has been snowing for the last 5 hours. Sort of puts a damper on today's planned ryde.

We needed two and a half inches to beat the all time snowfall record. We did it.

Hopefully we will get some warmup during the next week and can try again.

ARtraveler
04-29-2012, 06:56 PM
Some medical issues behind me and the snow finally melted from my drive, Linda and I took our first rydes of the year together this weekend.

The weather was nice as in partly sunny, high 50's, mid 60's.

Friday night we took a ride out to Wasilla for our Friday night date night and went to one of our favorite restaurants. Had not been there for three months or so as we do not like driving there in the winter.

Saturday we rode the Eklutna Lake road to enjoy the climb and the twisties. Eklutna lake is a big glacier fed lake that supplies the drinking water for Anchorage. The lake was still frozen over--but will probably be breaking up in the next three weeks or so.

Sunday we took the old Glen Hwy and rode along the Knik and Matanuska rivers to Palmer, where we stopped at one of our usual restaurants. They still remembered us from last year.

No pictures this trip because the leaves are not out yet--I am expecting leaves in the next two weeks or so. Even though I still have patches of snow in my back yard and woods--the buds are starting to break open and small leaves are out.

We will have pictures for the 2012 album on future rydes--but they look so much better with leaves etc.

The bottom line: its great to be riding two up again. YEAH!

ARtraveler
05-21-2012, 04:49 PM
Saturday May 19th. We thought we would ride with a different group this year, so joined up with the Anchorage branch of Goldwing Riders. This was their first meeting of the year. We met for breakfast in Anchorage and then went for a short ride to Ekluta Lake. Coincidently, the same ride we posted about 3 weeks ago.

It was a great bunch of people to hook up with, and we were welcomed by everyone. They started out with 16 goldwings, 1, 1989 Honda Pacifica--looked like a mini goldwing, and our Spyder. The Spyder and the Pacifica got a lot of attention from the group. We spend a lot of time answering the usual Spyder questions.

The ride was pretty good. We had overcast skies so it was in the mid 50's when we started out. The leaves are mostly out now except in places of elevation. We had leaves about halfway up the climb to lake Eklutna and then it dwindled to just opened buds. The temperature also dropped about 15 degrees as we got back up into the mountains. Lake Eklutna is fed by a glacier so the wind blowing off the glacier and coming through the valley really made it feel cold. Akspyderlady got chilled to the bone--even though she had her Firstgear with liners on. I faired better.

No pictures on this trip--I am waiting for the full leaves. We will be going back to Lake Eklutna and share the highlights of the ride in pictures. This is a regular short ride as I live only about 10 miles from the area.

bobnaquin
05-21-2012, 05:13 PM
Just getting the thread set up for when we get rydeing this season. I am hoping its not to many weeks away.

Good Deal. I want to head to Alaska this July and any tips i can gather from you on your adventures would be welcomed.

ARtraveler
05-21-2012, 09:29 PM
PM me or post here. I will do my best to answer any of your questions.

bobnaquin
05-25-2012, 06:49 AM
PM me or post here. I will do my best to answer any of your questions.I want to go up there in July and the weather is my main concern: How cold? How wet? I am also concerned about accomodations along the way as I would guess that they become impacted in the summer months. I do like to do 3-400 miles a day and then settle in for the night. I sthat a reasoanble range for a place as big as Alaska? Any thoughts on taking the ferry back tot he lowere 48 would be appreciated.

I just rode 250 miles in a 50 degree drizzle yesterday and I was quite comfortable with that. The day before I was riding in 42 degree dry weather and the gear I had with me was not so good for that. Heated grips are in my future.

ARtraveler
05-25-2012, 02:49 PM
"I want to go up there in July and the weather is my main concern: How cold? How wet? I am also concerned about accomodations along the way as I would guess that they become impacted in the summer months. I do like to do 3-400 miles a day and then settle in for the night. I sthat a reasoanble range for a place as big as Alaska? Any thoughts on taking the ferry back tot he lowere 48 would be appreciated.

I just rode 250 miles in a 50 degree drizzle yesterday and I was quite comfortable with that. The day before I was riding in 42 degree dry weather and the gear I had with me was not so good for that. Heated grips are in my future. "

Thanks for your interest in AK.

I recommend purchasing a copy of the "Milepost" magazine for 2012. Road conditions and accomodations change--so the most current version is my recommendation. It gives you the latest information about traveling the Alcan and lots of ideas for traveling AK. It lists for $30 but you can find it for less. Walmart, Amazon, other book stores. Places pay to get mentioned--but it is complete enough that you will not encounter difficulties.

Temps: I am assuming you are going to make your entrance via the Alcan Highway. June/July are the two best months to see AK at her best. July temps are in the 60's mostly. You may see a 70 day once or twice. Be prepared to encounter cool and rainy though. It does get cool riding the Alcan and you can expect to experience 40's to 60's. Just be prepared for rain with good rain gear and you will be fine.

Accomodations: If you are planning on 300-400 miles days, you will not have a problem. Most towns have something. Let me know your route and I can make specific suggestions. Most of the accomodations are "rustic" but adequate. Gas--get it where you see it. You can go 100 miles in some places without gas in between.

Ferry: the ferry back is an extra adventure that people like a lot. Check with BMW on our site--he took the ferry back after his trip here.

Once you get your plans finalized let me know. If you want any ride suggestions once you arrive, I will be happy to make some suggestions based upon your schedule and where you may want to go.

FreedomRings
05-25-2012, 05:58 PM
Glad you guys got to ride, I have been stuck down here in Houston for work since mothers day. By the time I get home next Friday I hope summer is still around. lol Dave has been riding his bike and promises me he hasn't been putting any miles on the spyder, but we will see. Enjoy the ride and we will catch up with you when I get back to Alaska.

ARtraveler
05-25-2012, 06:55 PM
Freedom Rings: we are looking forward to getting together with you and hubby when you get back. Hopefully, akspyderlady will be driving the :spyder2: on her own by then.

I have not seen your spyder on the road--so maybe hubby is behaving:roflblack:

ARtraveler
05-28-2012, 07:25 PM
First of all Happy Birthday to Akspyderlady. :yes::yes::yes::yes::yes:

Akspyderlady and I went out for her first serious driving lesson on the Black Widow. She drove 150 miles today. Twisties, and Highway driving. I am very impressed how well she did for the first time this year. She got in less than 50 miles driving in 2011--so this almost like starting over again. She handled the :spyder2: as though she had many more miles accumulated driving. I was very impressed. I got to drive behind as tailgunner on my Vulcan.

We start doing weekend rides next week if all goes as planned. I will remember to bring camera beginning next week to share some of our adventures with all of you.

ARtraveler
05-29-2012, 02:38 PM
Rumor has it that FreedomRings decked out :spyder2: won first prize in a show.

Hope she comes on and tells us some more about it.

http://i455.photobucket.com/albums/qq275/ace44_album/Spyder/Spyder10.jpg

REMEMBER
05-30-2012, 12:53 AM
This is FreedomRings riding partner. I stole the spyder out of the garage and took it to the Car / Cycle show in Wasilla last Friday evening. What a response! Instantly there were several people taking photos and asking all kinds of questions. I was overwhelmed to be honest, and I usually handle things like this very well. I explained it was Jen's spyder and that she was out of town, but really wished she could have been there. I was presented with a 1st place medallion but promised as soon as the trophy was ready they would give us a call. I guess there was a problem with the trophies being ready in time for the show. After the show I had to take the long way home.;) For memorial day I thought it was only appropriate to ride the spyder to work, of course with the mrs. permission. I had to take the long way home after work too. :roflblack: She is suppose to be home this weekend, if not I may have to take it for a ride just so it doesn't get dusty. ;)


http://i455.photobucket.com/albums/qq275/ace44_album/Spyder/photo26.jpg


Rumor has it that FreedomRings decked out :spyder2: won first prize in a show.

Hope she comes on and tells us some more about it.

http://i455.photobucket.com/albums/qq275/ace44_album/Spyder/Spyder10.jpg

ARtraveler
05-30-2012, 01:23 AM
Thanks for the update. :2thumbs:

ARtraveler
06-03-2012, 04:35 PM
Akspyderlady (Linda) drove the RTS another 260 miles this weekend. On Friday we went for a small "joyride" totaling about 70 miles and on Saturday we went down the Glen Highway 190 miles round trip to a place called Sheep Mountain. This particular drive contains some of the most spectaular scenery you will find in driving Alaska roads. The road features miles of twisties with climbs requiring speeds of 45 or less--called the Chickaloon Hills. The road follows the Matanuska River, goes by the Matanuska Glacier and has huge snow capped mountains in the background and on both sides of the road. Yes, I took some pictures for this trip and will get them posted to the Alaska album for 2012 within the next 24 hours or so. Maybe a couple here also as a teaser.

BMW shared this ride when he was here a couple summers back.

Linds's driving skills continue to improve and it looks like we will be doing regular weekend rides for the rest of the summer. I rode along as wingman on my Vulcan.

REMEMBER
06-03-2012, 11:23 PM
Jen and I rode the same ride Saturday afternoon. After getting in at 2 am Saturday morning she couldn't make a morning ride, but by about 3 pm she was ready to go. It's always a good ride. ;)

ARtraveler
06-04-2012, 11:39 AM
We were going to call you folks Satruday but Linda thought you would be too tired from your travels. We must have just missed you. We stopped at the Grandview (milepost 109) for lunch and got home a little after 5:00.

I will have Linda get in contact if you want to do something next weekend. The Wasilla Goldwing riders meet at the Denali restaurant in Wasilla on Saturday morning. I was going to check with them and see where their ride is headed. I was also thinking about the possibility of going to Hope or Talkeetna if that does not work out or as an additional ride on Sunday if it does.

Glad to hear your back from Texas.

ARtraveler
06-05-2012, 11:26 AM
http://www.spyderlovers.com/forums/attachment.php?attachmentid=47356&thumb=1&d=1338883169 http://www.spyderlovers.com/forums/attachment.php?attachmentid=47355&thumb=1&d=1338883163 I posted some pictures from last Saturday's ride in the 2012-Alaska Gallery

ARtraveler
06-11-2012, 11:25 AM
The Alaska weather was cool again; hovering in the high 50-to low 60's. Mostly cloudy. We got drizzzle on Friday, just missed it on Saturday, and no precip. on Sunday.

We did another driver training weekend for Akspyderlady so did not go on any trip of note. Linda got in another 270 miles of driving the :spyder2:. This makes about 700 miles driving now in three weekends. It's looking like next weekend will put her over a thousand miles on driving the :spyder2:. Once again, I followed along on the Vulcan.

We took some local roads with twisties and altitude. Hiland road, Eagle River road, the Old Glenn, Knik River road, and also ventured up to Hatchers Pass. There was still some snow up at the pass, and the gate allowing access over the pass was still closed because of snow on the road. It seem a little late this year for the pass to still be closed. We are so fortunate to have such nice places to go--all very close to Chugiak.

I did take some pictures and will be adding them to the 2012-the Alaska Album later today, along with some teaser pictures here.


New Pictures added to 2012-the Alaska Gallery from our June 8 weekend rides

http://www.spyderlovers.com/forums/attachment.php?attachmentid=47720&d=1339628116 (http://www.spyderlovers.com/forums/album.php?albumid=1990&attachmentid=47719)

ARtraveler
06-13-2012, 06:33 PM
More pictures added to the 2012-The Alaska Gallery

REMEMBER
06-16-2012, 10:35 PM
Enjoyed riding with you guys today. Only was able to get a couple pictures with the Iphone.

http://i455.photobucket.com/albums/qq275/ace44_album/Riding%202012/turnagain.jpg

http://i455.photobucket.com/albums/qq275/ace44_album/Riding%202012/portage.jpg

REMEMBER
06-17-2012, 09:17 PM
Another great day of riding, thanks! A few pictures here and Jen will send you a few more, don't like to post pictures of other people without their permission.

http://i455.photobucket.com/albums/qq275/ace44_album/Riding%202012/glacier.jpg

My awesome wife and her pride and joy.
http://i455.photobucket.com/albums/qq275/ace44_album/Riding%202012/jen.jpg

http://i455.photobucket.com/albums/qq275/ace44_album/Riding%202012/spyder.jpg

ARtraveler
06-17-2012, 09:48 PM
Permission granted about the pictures.

Akspyderman and Akspyderlady went on two separate rides with Jennifer (FreedomRings) and Dave (Remember) this weekend. We had a great time with them and look forward to many more rides this season.

I am going to write up our weekend ride post later this evening and add a few pictures. I will also have about 20 more pictures for the 2012-The Alaska Gallery covering our weekend rides.

REMEMBER
06-17-2012, 11:10 PM
A couple more pictures from today.

http://i455.photobucket.com/albums/qq275/ace44_album/Riding%202012/spyders.jpg

http://i455.photobucket.com/albums/qq275/ace44_album/Riding%202012/spyder3.jpg

Thought I had better throw one in of the Harley. Looking a bit lonely, but really enjoyed the ride with the spyders.
http://i455.photobucket.com/albums/qq275/ace44_album/Riding%202012/hd.jpg

ARtraveler
06-18-2012, 10:30 AM
June 14th. We picked up the new Spyder RT for Linda. I got to test drive it for her the first 50 miles and then turned her loose. We drove a little over 100 miles on local roads the first night.

June 15th. We drove another 150 miles or so and ended up going to Hatchers Pass. The snow had melted by about 1/2 since the previous week. The pass was still closed and there was snow across the road. They are expecting that part to be opened somewhere around July 1st.

June 16th. We joined up with the Anchorage Gold Wing Riders for breakfast and a ride. We also joined up with Jennifer (Freedom Rings) and Dave (Remember) from Spyder Lovers site. There were about 12 bikes that morning. 7 Goldwings, 3 Spyders, 1 Electra Glide, and one other Honda. We took a group ride down Turnagain Arm as far as Girdwood. Linda, Jennifer, Dave, and myself continued a ride to Turnagain Pass, a few miles down the road. We took a sidebar to Portage to see Portage Lake and the Glaciers. There were still icebergs floating in the lake. I always like to get a June picture with the bikes, the lake, and the icebergs. We then drove back to Palmer and had supper. We covered 270 miles on Saturday.

June 17th. We joined up with Jennifer and Dave again and went on a ride down the Glenn Highway--destination Eureka--a small town in the middle of nowhere. We ended up at the Grandview for a great lunch. The pictures in the previous posts are from our two rides as a group.

The four days of rides are some of the most scenic rides you can find in Alaska. I rate Hatchers Pass, Turnagain Arm, and Glenn Highway to Matanuska Glacier as top 3 out of 5 in the whole state of Alaska.

The new RT performed flawlessly. It was set up well and did not burp once. Linda took to it as though she had been riding :spyder2:,s for years. Since Thursday night she has put 717 miles on the new :spyder2:. We are ready for break-in service as soon as the new lights come in. Driving lights, and ESCI trunk light bar. I am also installing purple glo ryders, a brake pedal extension, and Seal Pup floorboards. Then we will wait and see about more farkles.

Jennifer's bike was also a show stopper wherever we went. The patriotic wrap is a real scene stealer. We met and talked to a lot of people wherever we stopped. There were people asking to sit on our bikes and have their pictures taken at Portage Lake.

I will be adding another 20 pictures or so later today to our 2012-the Alaska Album with pictures from all the weekend rides. I will add another post when that project is completed.

We are planning some additional rides with Jennifer and Dave in the weeks to come.

Life can sure be fun on a :spyder2:

ARtraveler
06-19-2012, 11:09 AM
I added 20 more pictures to: 2012 The Alaska Gallery. Hope you enjoy them.

REMEMBER
06-24-2012, 02:18 AM
Another good ride with akspyderman and akspyderlady, appreciate the company and tour. Here are a couple of pictures from today.

http://i455.photobucket.com/albums/qq275/ace44_album/Riding%202012/turnagain-1.jpg

http://i455.photobucket.com/albums/qq275/ace44_album/Riding%202012/spydersalongturnagain.jpg

http://i455.photobucket.com/albums/qq275/ace44_album/Riding%202012/Jensspyder.jpg

ARtraveler
06-25-2012, 10:57 AM
On Friday Linda and I went for a shorter ride. We ended up going to Lake Eklutna and then out the Knik River Road. A total of about 80 miles. I had just installed the new Seal floorboards on Linda's RT and she was eager to try them out. She was very pleased with the comfort that was added to the RT's ride, with the new floorboards. The ride which is one we do a lot, covers elevation, and twisties along with beautiful mountain vistas and scenery. I added a Lake Eklutna destination picture and the new floorboards to the 2012-the Alaska Gallery. I tried to post them here--but was not able to.

On Saturday the 23rd, we joined up with Jennifer and Dave and took a nice ride to Hope Alaska. Hope Alaska is about 5 miles across Turnagain Arm (as the crow flies) from Beluga Point. To get there, you have to drive about 65 miles down and around Turnagain Arm, over Turnagain Pass, and then drive the other side of Turnagain, down to the end at Cook Inlet. The ride was a little over 275 miles for us round trip and was very enjoyable. The weather for both days was in the mid to high 70's with lots of sunshine. One of those "special" Alaska summer days. We had to go through Anchorage and down Turnagain Arm, up and over Turnagain Pass, and onto the Hope Junction Road. Dave posted some Turnagain Arm pictures and I posted some Hope destination pictures in the 2012--the Alaska Gallery. Once again--I could not get my pictures to copy into the thread here. Interesting thing happened in Hope. When we arrived at our destination road house--there was not a single customer there. We parked our four bikes outside and other bikes started arriving in groups. By the time we finished our lunch, there were another 6-8 bikes parked outside next to ours. Mostly H-D's an Indian, and a Gold Wing or two. The place looked like a biker restaurant with all the bikes lined up out front when we left.

Neither of us stopped to take a lot of pictures this trip--but we had posted some Turnagain Arm and Turnagain Pass pictures from the previous week. I purchased a new camera on Sunday--one with a 25X Zoom and Wide Angle lens. I hope to be taking some sharper and better pictures of the scenery on our next ride out. The next time we go to Hope, I am going to take some pictures of the homes and the "main street" area. A lot of the buildings are 100 years old and look every year their age. We did not feel we had the time to "do it right" on this trip. That will give us incentive to return a couple more times this summer.

The weather tuned again Sunday--cool, 60's and some rain showers. So, we left the bikes parked for once and did something else.

ARtraveler
07-02-2012, 11:23 AM
We kept our Friday ride local and did a little over 80 miles on Friday. The weather was in the 60's for the weekend with a lot of clouds again and a few breaks with sunshine. We did not get rained on though.

On Saturday, we decided to drive up to Talkeetna. About an hour and a half up the Parks Highway. Talkeetna is a tourist stop about 15 miles down the Talkeetna Spur Highway--just off the Parks Highway. It is a starting point for many of the Mount McKinley (Denali) climbing expeditions. Mount McKinley is the tallest peak in North America. Talkeetna draws a lot of tourists from the cruise ships and they arrive by bus or train to spend the day. The downtown is full of quaint shops that have soveniers, and various types of food and treats. The town also offers flightseeing tours that will take you to McKinley or guided fishing and sightseeing tours up the Talkeetna river to fish for that big salmon of a lifetime. It was quite busy when we arrived there on Saturday afternoon.

We stopped at our favorite restaurant on the outskirsts of town, Lattitude 62. Then we got on the Spyders and took a slow tour up and down mainstreet and took several pictures. I will post them on the album 2012-The Alaska gallery in a couple of days. I have a new camera and have to figure how to transfer from the camera to the computer and then the album.

Did not get a picture of Mt. McKinley since it was shrouded by clouds. McKinley makes its own weather, so the days when you can get a good photograph are few and far between.

ARtraveler
07-02-2012, 03:22 PM
:welcome: and :congrats: on your new RT.

I got your PM and answered back. You are welcome to join us for rydes. I sent contact information.

ARtraveler
07-09-2012, 04:46 PM
Another cool, rainy weekend cropped up. This has been a very cool and wet summer--similar to the summer of 2010 where it rained mostly every day and reached 70 degrees only a couple of times. I am hoping that the pattern does not continue.

We took a break from the :ani29:'s this weekend. Drove to the Nikiski area of the Kenai penninsula and stayed at Daniels Lake. A very quiet and picturesque lake very similar to a lot of the Boundary Waters Canoe Area Wilderness lakes that I went to for 20 plus years while living in and near Minnesota. We stayed in a nice log cabin in the woods, soaked in the hot tub and just vegged out. I will add a few pictures to my 2012 album later this week.

Driving through Cooper Landing, on the way to our final destination, the devastation caused by the lack of a good salmon run was very noticable. The Kenai River is known for its great salmon catches near Cooper Landing and the confluence of the Russian River. Tourists from all over the world come here to catch that "salmon of a lifetime"--20# to 50# are not uncommon. There are so many fish and fisherman that they refer to this as "combat" fishing. There has been a ban on the catch so the tourists have stayed away in droves. The Sterling Highway, in that area, is usually bumper to bumper. No such case this trip. Most of the businesses in Cooper Landing only had one or two cars at them. Many were closed, and it was not hard to find a lot of for sale signs on houses and various properties. It looks like a very bad summer for those who rely on tourist business to make their incomes on the Kenai.

We will be back on the road next weekend and have talked with some new people. Perhaps they will join our little group.

ARtraveler
07-16-2012, 03:19 PM
We were back to doing some riding on the Spyders this weekend. We went through another week of cloudy with rain almost every day. Temperatures in the mid 50's. The normal for this time of year is mid 60's.

Friday the 13th--we did a local ride. We got drizzled on by the rain a couple times.

Saturday the 14th--Based on the local weather radar, we went back out the Glenn Highway past Matanuska Glacier and stopped at the Grandview Restaurant. The weather was mostly cloudy with a patch or two of sun. Temps right around 60. No rain, and hardly any traffic on the 80 mile stretch between Palmer, AK and our destination. We just took it easy and enjoyed the sights. I took and posted pictures of the area a couple weeks ago. Another high mpg trip. Akspyderlady got 36 mpg and I got 34 mpg. We kept the speeds under 60 on the "fast" areas--but there is a lot of sub 50 mph driving due to twisties and hills.

Akspyderlady now has 2000 miles on her new RT, and almost 3000 miles driving the :spyder2:'s so far this year. It's looking like she will have at least a 5000 mile summer season. She had 5000 plus seat miles last summer--her first introduction to the :ani29:.

Sunday the 15th--it pretty much rained all day--so we left the :ani29:'s parked.

Weather is supposed to be on the mend--mid 60's this week--(normal)--but still partly cloudy with a chance of rain.

I am hoping the weather makes a turn for the better for the people that are coming up the first two weeks in August. Time will tell.

ARtraveler
07-23-2012, 02:11 PM
Another on again off again good/bad weather weekend.

July 19th--Thursday--Sunny and beautiful. We went for about 80 miles on local roads then stopped for supper. Weather in the low to mid 70's.

July 20th--Friday--the weather was threatening to rain all day but we still went out on local roads and put another 100 or so miles on the spyders.

July 21st--Saturday--we had planned on attending the GWRRA poker run--but it rained constantly the night before and continued through all day Saturday. We left the Spyders in the garage and worked around my house getting some small stuff done.

July 22nd--Sunday--another mostly cloudy day--but we hit the road anyway. Explored several side roads that I had not been on before--no spectacular scenery--so I did not pull out the camera. Went another 145 miles.

We covered 325 miles for the weekend with temps in the high 50 to low 60 range for Fri, Sat, and Sunday.

ARtraveler
07-30-2012, 01:32 PM
We had a great weekend for riding--put over 700 miles on the :spyder2:'s. Akspyderlady now has over 3000 miles on her new RT. Not bad in my opinion for one month of driving. We had sun and 70's Thursday through Sunday. I am officially calling it our Alaska Summer.

Today, (Monday) its raining and back down to the 50's. I guess Mother Nature is gearing up to welcome our SL friends from Cheyenne--who arrived in Fairbanks yesterday.

We made two road trips during the weekend. First to Seward, AK, down on the Kenai Penninsula. We also took a side trip to Exit Glacier and noted that the outrun has melted about 50% just since last summer at this time. I took some pictures to add to my album. Seward is very reminiscent of the fishing villages you see along the coast of Maine. Cruise ships dock there and drop off tourists for bus rides to other parts of the area for one to two day jaunts. You can also go on glacier tours or on charter fishing trips. The downtown area is back to back tourist shops with high and low end goods for the tourist market. Gas was $4.37 for regular compared to $3.85 for regular in the Anchorage area. Add: .20 per gallon for premium gas in either location.

We also went north out towards the Matanuska Glacier. A regular ride which we like because of the majestic scenery and the twisties. Once again we had the road almost to ourselves. We found another Alaska roadhouse to stop at for lunch or whatever. I have been driving by the place for years and never ventured in because of customer loyalty to another roadhouse about 5 miles down the road. I am glad we tried the new one. It is a beautiful lodge style building with all the rustic lodge furniture and tables. The whole place has stuffed critters around the perimiter. A couple bears, a musk ox, mountain goat, beaver, and others which now escape my memory. I did take pictures of these because I am planning on sharing with those who are interested through my posted gallery on the site. The dining room overlooks the Matanuska Glacier and offers the best view I have seen. The pulloffs on the road to view the glacier are not as good. Yes, I took some pictures of the glacier from the Longrifle Lodge. I am going to try to post the pictures to my gallery this week. New camera and I have to figure out the mechanics. I will have pictures from the last three weeks or so.

We also took local rides on Thursday and Sunday.