Mackenzie Highway Anniversary Ride—Yellowknife by BMW in 1982

Description:

In 1982, the author and his childhood buddy celebrated ten years of motorcycle touring by riding a ten-day 4,400 km loop, of which 1,200 km was unpaved at that time, from Vancouver to Yellowknife, the capital of the Northwest Territories. It marked ten years since their first motorcycle camping trip after finishing high school in 1972. The trip was on a 750 cc 1974 BMW R75/6 and a 600 cc 1973 BMW R60/5. In 1982 the author captured it on Ektachrome. In 2015 he looked up, where possible, what the same spots looked like a generation later and used Google Streetview to make side-by-side “now and then” comparisons. It turned out to be their last ride together.

subjects: Friendship,  BMW Motorcycle,  Motorcycle Touring,  ADV Rider,  Adventure Riding,  Gravel Highway

Places: Alberta,  British Columbia,  Cardinal Lake,  Clearwater,  Dene,  Edmonton,  Evelyn Falls,  Fort Providence,  Hay River,  High Level,  Inuktitut,  Moberly Lake,  Northwest Territories,  Quesnel,  Rae,  Slave Lake,  Spirit River,  Vancouver,  Yellowknife

Times: 1982