Note: Kyle Basnar is an intern for this year. He is our favorite.
Blog #1: I have always had a passion for travel. While growing up I was fortunate to have a family that traveled and embraced other cultures. My past time on these family trips was usually spent breaking off from the group and trying to surround myself with the locals. Any time I could getaway by foot, bike, or motorcycle I was truly happy. This feeling of adventure and exploring the unknown was thrilling to me. I realized in my teens, that I wanted a career that would involve traveling.
In 2006 I started a degree of Nation Resource Recreation and Tourism with a business minor at C.S.U. After finishing my classes I took a year off and spent my time working and looking for the right internship to complete my education. I have been riding for around nine years and motorcycle trips were starting to become all I wanted to do. Taking work off as much as possible to do a long ride always seemed to be high on my priorities.
I was planning on going to Patagonia and looking into the logistics of opening a motorcycle touring company in the lake district. While researching the possibilities of touring in Patagonia I found MotoQuest Tours online. Looking into what they did and I was very impressed by their website. MotoQuest's tours seemed to be exactly what I wanted to do. I contacted the owner, Phil Freeman, and asked if he was looking for an intern. The company had never considered an internship and I was the first to contact them about the possibility. Phil said he could give me a motorcycle to ride and a place to stay. That was enough for me. I was ready to start working for MotoQuest Tours and see what they do as a company in Alaska.
My ticket was booked and I left May 1st from sunny Fort Collins Colorado. When I arrived in Anchorage I had no idea what to expect. Brenden my travel companion and soon to be co-worker took me to the shop. My eyes lite up when I saw thirty motorcycles waiting to be driven for the summer. The first month of opening the shop for the summer was time consuming and drawn out. There were a lot of little things that needed to be done to get the shop into working order. By late May we started doing more work involving business and marketing. That helped spark my interest and I hope I can help bring in more costumers.
When I found out that I was driving the support vehicle for the Kenai Tour I was floored! I was really hoping that I would get to do one tour so I could see how the company really works out in the field with customers. We leave in a couple of days and I’m really excited! I have been through part of the Kenai Peninsula, but not all of it, so I am doing my research and making sure I sound like I know what I’m talking about. I have gone through Jethro our support vehicle and familiarized myself with where everything is and how to use the all the tools. Jethro is impressive and I can’t wait to take it on the road!
Blog #2
We set out on the road today from Anchorage to Seward Alaska. The weather was sunny and warm when we got to the Alaska Rider shop. I thought I had been excited for the Kenai Peninsula trip when I found out I was going, but I had no idea that I could get this excited for a tour! I had an ear-to-ear grin the second I woke up and started packing the truck and washing the bikes.
We departed Anchorage around ten o’clock and headed up the Turnagain Arm on Seward Highway headed for Girdwood. The weather couldn’t have been any better. The water level in the arm was high and the mountains looked amazing mirrored off of the sea. As I followed the motorcycles I realized why I came to Alaska. The beauty is phenomenal and the scenery never stops changing. I felt a weird level of excitement a person might get right before a vacation but it was ten fold because I had a responsibility as well. I was in charge of taking care of these high paying customers. That was an exquisite feeling of importance and dependability.
We stopped in Girdwood and went to the famous ski resort Alyeska. We took the gondola to the top of the mountain, which transported us two thousand feet in a couple of minutes. The views of the water form the incredible forty-five degree slopes were spectacular. It was very warm and the snow had turned to slush but people were still skiing in T-shirts and tube tops. It’s not everyday that you see a girl in shorts, riding a bike to the slopes, with a snowboard strapped to her back. Welcome to Alaska.
We had a great lunch at The Bake Shop a famous eatery at the base of the slope. After lunch we got back on the bikes and headed to Seward. On the way up into the first pass we drove by the half sunken cabins that became victims of the sea during the 1960’s earthquake. Making our way into the mountains we could feel the temperature drop rapidly as went through the snow covered mountians.
We made the one hundred miles feel effortless as we passed lake after lake. Waterfalls from snow melt drop off cliffs right next to the road and disappear into the earth. It’s truly amazing to see.
We pulled into town and checked in at our hotel. Everyone was a little tired form the road so I drove the support vehicle to the restaurant after a short tour of the sleepy little town. After a great dinner we went out to the point, past the harbor, and watched a great sunset as seals swam by us. Not a bad day or start to the tour at all. Now coming to Alaska is all starting to make sense.
Blog #3
I slept great and woke up early. The pavement was still wet from overnight rain but the weather looked promising. We all met for breakfast at the lodge and let some coffee and tea wake us. The riders seem to be warming up to us and we are all getting more comfortable with each other as the days go on. After a leisurely breakfast we checked all the vehicles to make sure they were ready for the road. As we left are cozy lodge ten bald eagles circled above. I think that’s good luck, right?
Our destination for the day would be Homer on the other side of the Kenai Peninsula. We had a slight sprinkle of rain as we approached the Kenai River, other then that the day delivered great weather. The river and lakes were completely picture worthy. We back-tracked thirty miles from Seward to the Sterling Highway. The group pulled off onto our first dirt road of the tour. The road submerged the person behind you in dust but if you hung back a little the views were beautiful. At the end of the road was a lake full of people camping and boating for memorial weekend. After relaxing we got back on the Sterling highway and grabbed lunch at a roadhouse that served us amazing organic ½ pound burgers. I felt tired after eating a big lunch but the motorcycles were flying today. I had to really focus to keep up with them.
Continuing to Homer the hills became less frequent and the river slowed down next to us. We took another dirt road for good twenty miles that beat the first one. The road in some places almost appeared to be a tunnel, due to vegetation growing so thick on the sides. On the left you could see a part of the forest that had been in a fire. The foliage was short and the tall trees that still stood were grey and dead. It’s always amazing actually seeing nature recycle itself.
Our next stop was the beach off of the Sterling Highway. It was a nice change of scenery to view the ocean again. The beach was made up of soft fine sand and pebbles by the water. People were camping and enjoying the wonderful sunny Sunday along the cliffs. The rest of our journey was a bit slower and ran parallel to the ocean for great views. To many bald eagles flew over us to count today.
Coming up on Homer is a really nice drive. The mountains from across the water are breathtaking. They start at sea level and shoot straight up to the sky. Homer is a nice town and the smell of the ocean is pleasant. We had another great dinner with a beautiful view of the ocean. As we ate we watched the locals pull a fish out of the water every couple of minutes. It was entertaining to see what they would pull out next. I had the best clam chowder I have ever had and the tilapia was cooked perfectly.
The temperature has dropped a little by the water and the sunset looks amazing as it always does in Alaska. Another great day of the tour on the Kenai Peninsula.
Blog 4
We all agreed the night before that we wanted a laid back morning. The last day had the most miles but we were in no hurry and just wanted to enjoy the beautiful scenery by the coast. The clients met us at breakfast and we ate while watching the fisherman pull in fish after fish. It was another breathtaking day on the peninsula. The weather on this tour could not have been better. The morning sun illuminated the mountains and the sky was filled with fluffy clouds.
Our first stop was the highest road in homer with a spectacular view. We took a group picture and realized that our trip was almost over. The ride North back up the peninsula was fast and steady. We stopped in Soldotna and had a great lunch at a quirky place with fun facts on the menu that kept us laughing while we ate. The rest of the ride home was smooth and we got into Anchorage earlier then we thought we would. For being relaxed about the mileage we made great time. We were even able to squeeze in a ten-minute nap in cooper landing. We had napped everyday this tour and one of the clients named it the snooze and cruise. We all thought that was a perfect name. It really wrapped up the theme of the ride this weekend. We had perfect weather, covered a good amount of land, saw our fair share of wildlife and it was all smooth and relaxing.
When arriving in Anchorage we went home and showered for the farewell dinner. We met at a really great restaurant overlooking lake hood, where you can watch all the seaplanes come and go. The sunset once again was beautiful and we recollected the last few days together. These people had become our friends and we seemed to all enjoy each others' company. It made me think about being a tour guide and the amazing people you get to meet and the ones you become life long friends with.
We said our goodbyes and I was sad that the tour was finally over. I learned a lot on this trip. It really made me think about all the options in life that are in front of me, career wise. I will always be appreciative for this opportunity and I believe that I have taken a lot of good lessons from it. It was educational to finally see what we do outside of the shop and how we interact with the clients. It takes a certain type of person to be able to take people out for a good time while making sure they are safe. It takes a multi-talented individual with good mechanics, people skills, common sense and an ability to feel how the group is feeling as a whole. All these tasks are not always easy to do at once.
I had a really great weekend and hope it won’t be my last. This tour made coming up here completely worth it. I have my head wrapped around the company better now and I think I will be able to help benefit and market MotoQuest accurately.
Pam