Have you ever wondered what it would be like to take to ride to Alaska? Did you ever think about a ride that in total would take 25 days and cover about 10,000 miles? I can tell you this much: It takes a lot of planning and research.

The idea started sometime in 2006. At least that's when I started seriously thinking and talking about doing it.

First I had to find another rider who was willing to go along. When you first mention that you are considering a motorcycle ride to Alaska, most people question your sanity. But eventually you find more and more people who have done it or know someone who has made the trip.

Then the advice and cautions start to flow. "You will need two sets of tires to make that ride." "The road is so bad you will be covered with mud." "It will trash your bike."

Actually, there is some truth to those comments.

There was no chance I would expose my Harley to the trip, but I had my eye on the BMW GS Adventure since I first saw and rode one in Daytona, Fla., back in 2004.

My wife acquiesced to the idea that it was going to happen, and within a short time I found another rider who committed to make the trip with me.

His name is Jim Talerico, and he lives close by, so that made the planning and research meetings easy. We would meet at each other's house and start making the dream a reality. I found a used BMW GS 1150 Adventure and, before long, it was time to leave.

Early on we found that a travel guide known as the Milepost is an essential publication for anyone considering a road trip to Alaska. This guide is the legendary Alaska trip planner and Alaska travel guide. It has details about the highways, roads, ferries, lodgings, recreation, sightseeing attractions and services along the Alaska Highway, including Alberta, British Columbia, Northwest Territories and the Yukon.

Based on information in the Milepost and various Web sites, we decided to make the trip in the early spring. We selected the last few days in May and three weeks in June. From all reports early summer is the least rainy riding season in northwestern Canada and Alaska.

We decided to avoid the interstates and take the old U.S. routes when possible, stay in mom-and-pop motels, meet as many people along the way and just enjoy the trip.

The trip really went well but early on we, or I should say I, had a surprise. We traveled to Ithaca, Mich., that first day for a total of 478 miles. The adrenaline was flowing high and the miles seemed to fly by.

That evening we ate dinner at a local restaurant named Brick Alley Cafe. After retuning from dinner I locked my bike with a brake disk lock. As soon as I snapped the lock closed it occurred to me that I had forgotten the key. Two hours later, and after a visit from a local locksmith, we were in bed by 11:30 p.m. It was a very long first day.

The route took us from home up through the center of Michigan, across the Mackinac Bridge to U.S. Route 2. We rode Route 2 west to Shelby, Mont., and finally turned north.

Once into Canada we headed for the Ice Fields Parkway and rode through British Columbia and Alberta to Dawson Creek, B.C., and the start of the Alaska Highway. Our Alaska destination was Fairbanks. From Dawson Creek, Fairbanks is 1,500 miles away. By then we had been on the road for nine days.

Once on the Alaska Highway we passed towns with names such as Fort Nelson, Summit Lake, Toad River, Muncho Lake and Liard River. We started to see wildlife. Black bears, caribou, moose, big horned sheep and dahl sheep were becoming common sights. After three days on the Alaska Highway, we arrived in Fairbanks on day 14 for a couple of days rest. We did our laundry and serviced the bikes and started planning the return trip.

The trip home started on day 16 and took us past Denali Park, Anchorage and Wasilla. We rejoined the Alaska Highway at Tok, and we were officially on the way back home.

Part of our original plan was to pick up a new set of tires at the BMW dealer in Anchorage. Fortunately we didn't need to do that. After about 5,000 miles we still had more than 50 percent tire tread remaining. I should mention that we both started with a new set of tires. I would not recommend otherwise.

We were also fortunate in that we didn't experience any flats. We did take tire repair kits and practiced using the tire repair plugs before we left. I would recommend anyone considering the trip do that. The gravel on the Alaska Highway is very abrasive and there are sections of gravel road surface that last for more than 30 miles.

My riding companion, Jim, turned out to be not only a good friend but also a compatible road partner. We didn't have one disagreement over motels, restaurants or riding styles. Without his companionship the trip would not have been the same and I would not have someone with whom to recall stories.

Looking back, I would say that the people we met along the way were the most memorable part of the trip. The photos capture the sights and scenery but they can't capture the instant friendships one makes on a motorcycle. It seems that the universal ice breaker is the motorcycle.

Naturally, other bikers are your friends, but the non-bikers who strike up conversations at gas stops and restaurants always make you feel at home. Here is one story from my journal that I'll share:

Day 19 June 16, 2007. Today we rode the Alaska Highway from Watson Lake, Yukon Territory, to Pink Mountain, British Columbia, for a total of 470 miles .... Along the road between Watson Lake and Fort Nelson we saw more wildlife than we have for the past four days. We saw deer, elk, caribou, sheep and a grizzly bear with her two cubs.

After Fort Nelson we pushed on to Pink Mountain, British Columbia, and stayed at the Pink Mountain Motor Inn. Before we left on this trip I saw this hotel advertised in Mile Post Magazine and it looked very nice. Turns out it's an oil camp. Oil camps are motels that the oil riggers use during the winter. The accommodations are basic but clean.

As one could guess at dinner that evening we met a fellow rider. He was from Long Island, N.Y., and was on the way to Fairbanks on a Honda Goldwing. This fellow's name is Ben and he had a touching story. He was on this trip alone. Years ago before he was married and before he was in the military he and his father talked about and planned to ride their motorcycles to Alaska. As things turned out time and life events passed. And then one day his father was gone. Those plans were never to be. Ben was on this trip and carrying his father's ashes and planed to spread them in Alaska. What else can I say?

The motorcycles were relatively new and performed well. We didn't have any breakdowns or what I would call any close calls. That makes for a good trip.

Would I do it again? As they say, if you have to ask you probably wouldn't understand.