On the boat Aug 4-5

Wrangle was the next stop on the boat. It was a quick stop to let off and pick up passengers. I was spending a lot of time visiting with several people that I met in Haines. Jon and Jason was a father and son that had ridden their bikes up form New Mexico to Alaska. They were riding a couple of Yamaha FJ1100. I simply could not figure out how they got all of their stuff on these bikes, but they did. Jason was leaving for college at the end of the trip. This father, Jon, ran an online lingerie business. I am thinking cool job. Then he makes some reference to being a Mormon. Now I am thinking there has to be a story here. It turns out that he has developed a lingerie line for professional women. The lingerie was designed to match a woman's skin tone. This allows women to wear shear clothing with out having the color of their undergarments show through. Just when I thought there were no original thoughts left in the world, this happens.

Ray and Holly were another couple that was traveling together. They had a brand new Harley that Ray told me had cost him $42,000. The wild part was that he had driven it 300 miles to Haines on one cylinder. He believed that he had broken the connecting rod that connected the piston to the crank shaft. I was amazed that it was still running and that there was a motorcycle that cost that much. They were heading to Bellingham to get the motor replaced. In addition to being amazed by their bike, their relationship was also a source of wonder. They were divorced and Ray announced that they would be celebrating their 6 month anniversary while on the boat. How do you talk your ex into going on a bike trip to Alaska after getting divorced? Now that’s something to think about. I know I did.

Stony and Marci were another couple that I got to know. They were riding from Rochester, New York on separate bikes. Stony was a really cool easygoing guy and Marci was the life of the party. Within only a few minutes of being on the boat she would make several new friends. In fact we all got off the boat in Ketchikan and were waiting on a bus. Marci got tired of waiting so she stopped a truck and talked them into giving us a ride downtown.

A guy by the name of Roger joined our party from time to time. He was an English and Special Education teacher that was working on his PHD in Psychology. He was 46 years old and had a 23-year-old girlfriend who was Jehovah witness. His girlfriend, he explained, had mental problems and was very possessive. Over time, the topics of discussion with Roger started to make all of us in the group believe that Roger was the one with the mental problems. I think most men living with women half their age do.

Les and Brian were two other guys traveling with their sons. Their sons were Kit and James. Les was a contractor in Las Vegas and Brian was a CFO for a mining operation that made line. Both were really smart and witty guys that had done a ton of riding. While talking with them, we all agreed that, after about three days on the boat we were all getting a little board with it. The view was beautiful and the ship was very comfortable but we all wanted to get back on our bikes and ride.