07 June 2012

Side Notes Part 2

Socks: Socks are not smart wool unless they are Smart Wool. I brought four pairs of socks which will seem excessive to most motorcycle tourers, and lacking by most other people's standards. When temps are really low, I double up on them. Wool keeps body parts warm even when it is wet, breathes when temps are warm, and has anti-bacterial properties. All of this naturally, and inherently better than synthetic fibers. For the life of wool, it is blended with synthetics that help keep those properties and keep it from shrinking insanely. Three pairs I brought are Smart Wool socks and one pair is made by Wigwam. The two days I rode through pouring rain and my boots proved to be not waterproof, my feet were kept warm by the Smart Wool socks. The Wigwams failed to keep them as warm. Lesson learned.

Midnight Sun: We left the restaurant in Denali around midnight and rode back to the campsite being able to see the road, no problem. Last night, here is Talkeetna, we left to go to the bar at midnight, and it was still light out enough when we came home at two to easily see our way. We have naturally changed our schedules as we've gotten used to this. We sleep in a little longer, eat lunch around three and dinner around nine or ten. The way it has affected us mostly is that it feels more like vacation somehow. Apparently, up here, the veggies feel that way and though they have such a short season, they grow the largest veggies here due to the never ending growing time during the day.

Rain: It has rained on us, in some way, every day since Lake Louise. It also rained on us the second day we were riding through Wyoming and just getting into southern Idaho, and the next day into Montana. I don't care much for the rain as many of my friends know. Josh says it would seem silly to think we would ride for six weeks and not encounter the rain. I tell him he doesn't remember California very well. I think it is silly that we have ridden for 21 days and seen rain at some point of the day for 18 of them. our day off to do motorcycle maintenance in Talkeetna--it has rained all day.

Post Offices: In Canada, they have cute baby moose and caribou on their stamps. We bought stamps in Denali National Park, in the good old U. S. of A., and they had Hawaiian shirts on them with the word "Aloha" written across the bottom. Really!?!

Luxury: I brought one item of true luxury with me, not sure if it would get much use--my red Cashmere turtleneck sweater. I am sooooo glad I did! That one little item feels so nice and is such a vibrant color. It can immediately make me smile putting it on, and it jazzes up the zip-off cargo hiking pants and hiking boots I have with me to wear off the bike if we go out.

 

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