Juan Antonio, Juan Pablo and Juan (me)
“Updated in May 2026 with new information about the trip preparation.”
June 12 to 16, 2022
The dream that started with a map
Planning a trip like this is one of the things I’m most passionate about. It’s an escape from the daily grind: a room where you lock yourself in, dream, trace routes, change them, change them again. No limits. Anything is possible.
The 2022 dream was big. Leave Anchorage, Alaska, cross the Canadian Yukon and ride down to Seattle. With JA, my travel companion, and JP, who would be living in Seattle with his own bike. A beautiful trip.
First: the dates
Deciding the dates is the first real filter of any group trip. That’s where you see who’s truly committed and who’s still hesitating. There’s always something: a birthday, a graduation, a conference, an anniversary, a meeting that’s been scheduled for months and suddenly gets moved to exactly the week of the trip.
The three of us were one hundred percent in. June 2022. A splendid month to travel, roads open, no summer heat. Perfect.
The flights: a post-pandemic opportunity
With the dates confirmed, I bought the tickets for JA and me. Coming out of the pandemic, few people were still travelling, and I found business class tickets at reasonable prices. Madrid, Chicago, Anchorage. I even chose the seats. Everything was looking good.
We just needed the bikes.
The call to Motoquest: the first blow
JA and I had travelled four times with Motoquest, a motorcycle travel company based in Anchorage. I knew them well. Together we had done Prudhoe Bay in Alaska, the Himalayas, the American National Parks and the Lewis & Clark route. With six months’ notice, I was sure there would be no problem.
I called Brenden.
— Hi Phil and Brenden, how are you? I’m calling because we want to rent two bikes in Anchorage and return them at your Portland base. A couple of BMW 1250 GSs, like the ones we ride every day. How much would it cost for two weeks?
— Juan, great to hear from you! I have to tell you, what you’re proposing is very complicated. After the pandemic we’re fully booked and have no bikes available.
— Is there no other solution?
— Could you do the trip in reverse, from Portland to Anchorage? We need the bikes in Alaska in June. Everything is sold out. We had two very tough years with the pandemic, but this year we’re hoping to recover.
Very bad news. Not only did we have tickets bought to Anchorage, but I also discovered that at that time, due to pandemic restrictions, we could cross from the United States into Canada but not re-enter from Canada into the United States, unless we were American citizens. The two countries didn’t resolve that situation until two months later.
The Yukon trip was off the table.
Plan B: Seattle and the National Parks
We changed the flight from Chicago to Anchorage for one from Chicago to Seattle. The route changed completely: instead of the Yukon, we would head to the great American national parks. It was the world turned upside down, but we had to adapt.
For the bikes, JP gave us the solution: EagleRider, one of the largest motorcycle rental companies in the United States, with an office and workshop in Seattle just a few kilometres from JP’s house. Everything online, straightforward, and we could pick them up and return them at the same place. Suddenly, simplicity won out.
How did the trip begin?
It all started with a COVID test in Madrid the day before the trip, which came back negative. Great news — it meant we could go.
Then the next day — the day of our trip — the Americans lifted COVID restrictions for foreigners. In the end the test hadn’t been necessary, but we didn’t know that… of course.
When we arrived in Seattle at JP’s place, we spent three days acclimatising to the 9-hour time difference between Seattle and Madrid — something to bear in mind, as 9 hours requires a proper adjustment before starting a trip. We finally went to pick up the bikes at EagleRider, where we found brand new BMW 1250 GSs with very few miles on them and fresh tyres. A genuine surprise, absolutely fantastic — the trip was off to a great start.
Before setting off, we had time to go out for dinner with JP’s family and enjoy some exceptional seafood.
The accident
And then came the final blow.
JA had an accident on the first day of the trip.
We cancelled everything. The doctors in Seattle had to treat him. The 2022 trip ended there, cut short before it had really begun.
But the idea was still alive. And a year later, JP and I would try again.
📍 Useful resources for planning your trip to the USA
🏍️ Motoquest — Specialists in motorcycle routes through Alaska and the American Northwest. Book well in advance.
🏍️ EagleRider — The largest motorcycle rental network in the USA. Pick-up and drop-off in multiple cities.
🗺️ Lewis & Clark Route — If you’re passionate about American history, this motorcycle route is a unique experience.
Route from Seattle to Yellowstone and Glacier Park
- 2022 USA, a dream trip … failed!
- USA, a dream trip 2, we did it!
- Seattle (WA) to Walla Walla (WA)
- Walla Walla (WA) to Lochsa Lodge (ID)
- Lochsa Lodge (ID) to Gardiner (MT)
- Yellowstone & Bear Tooth Pass (WY)
- Yellowstone (WY) to Idaho – Irwin (ID)
- Idaho via Salmon on the way to Missoula – Stevensville (ID)
- Idaho to Montana, to Glacier Park – Kalispell (MT)
- Going to the Sun – Glacier National Park (MT)
- Glacier Park (MT) to Colville (MT), riding along the Canadian border
- Highway 20 Along the Canadian Border, heading to Concrete (WA)