May 23, 2022 - Gainesville, FL

 I will be leaving for Anchorage tomorrow May 24, 2022 instead of May 25.  That will give me a little extra breathing room plus I am going stir crazy and Susie told me I was driving her nuts.  

The map below shows my route for going to Anchorage with some waypoints along the way.  Susie will be flying to Anchorage and meeting me on June 7, 2022.  We will then ride around Alaska for a week or so and then start heading south to Portland, OR for our niece's wedding July 9, 2022.  The only room reservation I have heading north is tomorrow night and then in Anchorage.  I'm going to play it by ear on the way up and make hotel reservations day-to-day depending on how I feel and what I see.  

We found hotels in AK were getting full so we made reservations in AK and on our way to Portland. We'll then travel on a day-to-day basis on where we will be staying on the way back to Gainesville.

Below is the link to our GPS tracker so you can follow us in real time to see where we are.

Tracker Link:

https://new.spotwalla.com/trip/9d99-1be6109d-a985/view 

Planned route north and south

This is the dry bag for all of Susie's riding gear that I will be carrying with me to Alaska next to our dog Bandit.  It's a big bag but doesn't weigh too much.  Bandit will be staying in Gainesville with our son Max.

GNV4ALL Goes to Alaska!

 

GNV4ALL Goes to Alaska!

A Fund Raising and Awareness Campaign for the Gainesville for All, Gainesville Empowerment Zone Family Learning Center

Who We Are

My name is Terry Clark and my wife Susie and I are traveling by motorcycle roundtrip from Gainesville, FL to Alaska during May-July, 2022.  We have partnered with Gainesville for All (GNV4ALL) to raise awareness and funds for their local project entitled The Gainesville Empowerment Zone Family Learning Center (GEZ-FLC).  The title of the campaign is GNV4ALL Goes to Alaska! 

A satellite tracking device will be mounted on the motorcycle so you can find out in real time where we are located.  Terry will also be writing a daily blog providing trip updates and photos.  

Our goal is to raise $10,000 for the GEZ-FLC project and to spread the word about this important organization and project.

The GNV4ALL Gainesville Empowerment Zone Family Learning Center

In 2015, only 28% of Black third-graders in Gainesville read at or above the third-grade level compared to 74% of white third-graders (University of Florida, Bureau of Economic and Business Research, 2018). This is unacceptable and the GNV4ALL GEZ-FLC is designed to raise the reading levels of Black children in Gainesville.  For more information about the project please visit gnv4all.org/gez-flc. 

How to Contribute

There are two ways you can contribute:

1. Contribute on a per-mile basis.  For example, if you agree to contribute one cent per mile and Terry and Susie ride a total of 10,000 miles you would contribute a total of $100.00 at the end of their trip.  If you agree to contribute one-half cent per mile and Terry and Susie ride a total of 12,000 miles you would contribute a total of $60.00 at the end of their trip.  The amount you contribute is dependent on how many miles Terry and Susie travel and is paid at the completion of their trip. Or,
2. Contribute a lump sum.  This is a simple lump sum contribution regardless of how many miles Terry and Susie travel.

You will be provided links to the GNV4ALL Goes to Alaska! tracker and blog once you commit to contributing funds.  

To commit to contributing funds please send an email to Terry at terryandrewclark@gmail.com and James F. Lawrence, Director of GNV4ALL, at gnv4all@gmail.com indicating:

• You are participating in the GNV4ALL Goes to Alaska! campaign, 
• If you are contributing on a per-mile or lump sum basis, and 
• How much money you want to contribute.  

All contributions are voluntary and based on the honor system, it is your responsibility to contribute.

 
You can contribute any time before, during or after the trip at gnv4all.org/gez-flc. 

September 6, 2021 - Macon, GA

We decided to start heading south today by taking back roads through Athens and getting a room in Mscin tonight. Tomorrow I'll head home to Gainesville and Ted will go to Orlando.

Today was a mixed bag of some heat, a little rain, traffic and slightly mixed up directions (possibly my fault).  

Morning at the cabin

Getting ready to head out this morning 

Me wondering where Ted went

September 5, 2021 - Bryson City, NC

We spent a lot of time in the saddle today, didn't cover a lot of miles but spent a lot of time on nice, mostly 2-laned country roads.  We had breakfast at the Fryemont Inn in BC and began heading towards Hot Springs, NC by way of "The Rattler", a very twisty road, 206 turns in 24 miles.  It was a fun ride and the best part was there wasn't much traffic, unlike the Tail of the Dragon. We stopped at Ferguson General Supply Store which starts The Rattler heading north and had a nice chat with an old Geezer who tried to sell us one of the housing lots that used to make up his farm.  They were too rich for our blood.

We stopped for coffee in Hot Springs and a bite at a small local owned bakery and cafe. Next stop was the jam packed Little Switzerland resort which was too crowded so we turned around and left.   There was a fair amount of traffic heading back to BC through Asheville.  Instead of waiting for dinner we stopped at an Ingels grocery store for some salad stuff and went to the cabin.

Ferguson General Store

Ferguson General Supply Store

Start of The Rattler 

Ted gearing up next to a $55,000 Honda Gold Wing trike

September 4, 2021 - Bryson City

Ted and I did a lot of riding and eating. Breakfast was at a local place in town. We rode around and ended having a late lunch at the Tapoco Lodge on the Cheoah River built in 1930 by Alcoa Aluminum to lodge employees of former hydroelectric dams.

When we were riding around we rode to Clingman"s Dome in Smoky Mountain National Park and saw a black bear only about 15 feet from us in the parking lot.  It happened so fast we didn't have time to get a picture.  

Video of Oconaluftee River in Smoky Mountain National Park HERE

Ted sitting on cabin porch in his LL Bean slippers

Tapoco Lodge on the Cheoah River 

Tapoco Lodge on the Cheoah River 

Fontana Dam

Terry at Tapoco Lodge on the Cheoah River 

September 3, 2021 - Bryson City, NC

 Ted and I left Brunswick around 8:30 AM and got in to Bryson around 4:00 PM, had dinner and hot to the cabin around 6:00 PM.  The cabin is owned by Chris a friend of Ted's who is also his SnapOn tool guy. 

The weather was great and the traffic wasn't too bad except for around Columbia, SC on I-26.  We took a little detour to Pisgah resort area on the Blue Ridge Parkway. We got to over 6,000 feet elevation and the temp dropped to 63 degrees. 

Sam and Max gave a pair of sun glasses that correct my color blindness and I wore them all day. I really like them and they work great, especially on the bike in full sun.

This an example of Ted's routing expertise - riding around in circles

Ted sitting on the cabin porch in Bryson City 

I took this selfie while riding today wearing the new sun glasses that correct my color blindness. They work great. I really like them especially when riding when it's sunny. 

Sitting at Pisgah resort 

Ted on his BMW R 1200 GSA

Flooding damage

Sunset at the cabin

September 2, 2021 - Brunswick, GA

I am leaving this afternoon to meet brother Ted in Brunswick, GA where we will be staying tonight.  Tomorrow we head up to Bryson City, NC to a cabin of a friend of Ted's.  The weather looks decent now that Hurricane Ida is gone.

The trip tracker for this trip can be found here: HERE 

The picture below is one Sooz took of me sitting on the GS, without riding gear, obviously.  I am ordering a new seat from Russel Day Long Seats and they wanted a couple of pictures of me on the bike to help them properly size the seat.