Northern Exposure: Alaska Motorcycle Touring

Phew! I breathed a silent sigh of relief as my large, heavy suitcase and bulging northern exposure disappeared down the conveyor belt at the Air New Zealand check-in counter. I was expecting to be told that I would have to pay for excess baggage. Packing for a motorcycle tour in Alaska had proven to be a challenge and involved packing helmet, boots, a full set of wet weather gear, sleeping bag, thermals, spares for apres -riding, plus a set of lighter weight summer gear (Draggin' Jeans plus Draggin' denim jacket). After six months of planning I was on my way!

Alaska is not the easiest of places to get to from New Zealand and in my case my travel arrangements necessitated an overnight stay in Los Angeles, giving me a spare afternoon to kill. It's always interesting to visit LaLa land and see what is going down, and this trip was no exception. Walking from my hotel, the first thing what struck me was the renewed outburst of patriotism on display everywhere. Like every store is competing to display the Stars and Stripes. Billboards proclaim "In God we Trust, United we Stand" and pick-up vehicles have the Stars and Stripes displayed on their tailgates. Some of this appears to be a genuine reaction to the events of 11th September- rallying around the flag in defiance of the unseen enemy - a kind of "don't f*** with us" message. However, some of the flag waving is nothing more than pure commercialism.

Supermarkets were selling rubbish bins decorated in the Stars and Stripes - a little tacky. The events of 9/11 were obvious in other ways. Clearing immigration at Los Angeles took 1-1/2 hour and I was told that this was a lot quicker than usual. The queue in the entry hall was a shambles with luggage trolleys snaking backwards and forwards through the entire hall. Next day, when leaving for Anchorage, I passed through three different metal detectors and had to rake my shoes off so they could be inspected by a security guard. I also had to turn my belt buckle over to show that there was
nothing being shielded by it.