Ghost Rider
"Ride-along"
Chapters 1-3

Below we provide the Ghost Rider "Ride-along" for Chapters 1 through 3 that were originally released on the Sunlight on Chrome twitter acct (@sunlightonchrme) during the Spring of 2023.

Let's take a RIDE together!

The Ghost Rider "Ride-along" #1

"...In any case, I was now setting out on my motorcycle to try and figure out what kind of person I was going to be..." [NEP, G.R., Chap 1, pg 10]

Likely first major road NEP hit as he headed west across Quebec

The Ghost Rider "Ride-along" #2
"...Ach. Cold and wet. Lunch in Cadillac, Que. Heavy rain the past few hours, surprisingly heavy traffic. Trucks roaring in spray plume. Scenery? Dark, wet, gloomy - like me."

[NEP, G.R., Chap 1, pg 12]

The Ghost Rider "Ride-along" #3
"...As I crossed into Ontario the rain let up at last, but the day remained chilly, and I finally sought refuge at the Northern Lites Motel, in Cochrane, 850 km (531 miles) was plenty for that kind of day."

The Ghost Rider "Ride-along" #4
"...I began to respond to the landscapes around me too, the rugged cliffs and forests around Lake Nipigon..."

[NEP, G.R., Chap 1, pg 15]

The Ghost Rider "Ride-along" #5
"...On the third morning, I crossed into Manitoba and pulled off the Trans-Canada Highway into a rest area in a groove of evergreens"

[NEP, G.R., Chap 2, pg 24]

The Ghost Rider "Ride-along" #6
"After Winnipeg, I turned northwest on the Yellowhead Highway, just because I'd never gone west that way, and started to think about where to stop for the night."

[NEP, G.R., Chap 2, pg 25]

The Ghost Rider "Ride-along" #7
"...On the prairies,... a clump of trees in the distance usually means a town, and I decided to stop at the next grove of trees on the horizon. Closer up, Neepawa looked welcoming..."

[NEP, G.R., Chap 2, pg 25]

The Ghost Rider "ride along" #8

"Breakfast at Russell Inn: nice-looking motel and "family restaurant." Wasn't thinking of stopping yet, but couldn't resist."

[NEP, G.R., Chap 2, pg 27]

The Ghost Rider "ride along" #9

"...late start out of Edmonton. Riding north now,... I stopped at a rural gas station...the young attendant handed me the nozzle, [after filling he] said, "Your bike runs on diesel?" I shock my head... and said "No"

[NEP, G.R., Chap 2, pg 27]

The Ghost Rider "ride along" #10

"By 6:30 I'd had enough, and felt a strong desire for a large whiskey and a hot shower, so I pulled into the Horizon Motel, in Valleyview....and...took a table at the neighboring Chinese restaurant..."

[NEP, G.R., Chap 2, pg 31]

The Ghost Rider "Ride-along" #11

"We were now officially getting 'out there,' for a sign in Dawson Creek announced 'Mile 0 of the Alaska Highway," and there was no BMW dealer until the end of it, in Fairbanks, over 1,000 miles away."

[NEP, G.R., Chap 2, pg 32]

The Ghost Rider "Ride-along" #12

"In Fort Nelson, I stopped at The Pantry* for a bowl of soup and a chance to warm myself, and write in my journal,..."

[NEP, G.R., Chap 2, pg 33]

*The Pantry is no longer there, but an old MapQuest map shows that it was next to Shannon Motel

The Ghost Rider "Ride-along" #13

"So it was that cold, wet day on the Alaska Highway, and after 622 miles I was glad to arrive at the Northern Rockies Lodge, on the shore of Muncho Lake."

[NEP, G.R., Chap 2, pg 36]

The Ghost Rider "Ride-along" #14

"Then came the day's first reward. As I crossed over the bridge... above the...Liard River, I glanced down and saw something large and dark in the...water....my eyes widened as I saw that is was a huge black bear..."

[NEP, G.R., Chap 3, pg 43]

The Ghost Rider "Ride-along" #15

"My journal described it as a 'scary, scary road,' and I was...rattled when I pulled up in front of the Stikine Riversong cafe',...lodge and boat-tour headquarters. All....housed in one large white frame building..."

[NEP, G.R., Chap 3, pg 45]

The Ghost Rider "Ride-along" #16

"...I threaded slowly...through the soggy...mud...and... made my careful way out to the main road at Dese Lake. The morning was windy and cold, but I was glad to be back on pavement as I sped north once more..."

[NEP, GR, Chap 3, pg 48-49]

The Ghost Rider "Ride-along" #17

"Back on the Alaska Highway, I stopped...at the 'Sign Forest' where...30,000 town signs from all over the world were displayed,...a custom...inspired by a single sign posted by a homesick GI...during World War II"

[NEP, GR, Chap 3, pg 49]

The Ghost Rider "Ride-along" #18

"...[I] circled the...streets of...Whitehorse in search of...facilities [for maintenance]...At the Canadian Tire... I found the bulb I needed...[but] the 'Enviro-Lube'...didn't 'do' motorcycles...and the Honda dealer...was closed."

[NEP, GR, Chap 3 pg 49]

The Ghost Rider "Ride-along" #19

"As I set off on the Klondike Highway toward Dawson, passing...a couple coyotes...it was bright and sunny. At the Braeburn Lodge [an "everything" place]...the owner sold me some oil and gave me a bucket to drain mine into."

[NEP, GR, Chap 3 pg 50]

The Ghost Rider "Ride-along" #20

"I crossed the Yukon River at Carmack, and now I was out of the mountains again, for the low forest stretched to the horizon in every direction..."

[NEP, GR, Chap 3 pg 51]

The Ghost Rider "Ride-along" #21

"Up at 5:30, chipping the ice off saddle. Now at Klondike River Lodge* for breakfast, at turnoff for Dempster. Should I try it or not?"

[NEP, GR, Chap 3 pg 56]
* Lodge burnt down in 1/2013
https://whitehorsestar.com/News/klondike-river-lodge-fire-deemed-not-suspicious

The Ghost Rider "Ride-along" #22

"At the start of the Dempster Highway a...sign announced that there were no emergency facilities...basically, "You're on your own"...[At] Eagle Plains...the halfway point...I was relieved to see the long...complex of buildings..."

[NEP, GR, Chap 3 pg 56-57]

The Ghost Rider "Ride-along" #23

"...north of Eagle Plains, a sign announced [arrival at] the Arctic Circle...I stopped to...claim to this new territory...A van pulled into the... parking area...[the] driver offered to take [a photo] of...me...in front of the sign..."

[NEP,GR, Chap3 pg 58]

The Ghost Rider "Ride-along" #24

"...after a...ferry carried me over the Mackenzie River...[the road worsened]...I rode slowly...but with zero traction...I was down...unhurt...I took hold of the...bars and [wedged] my knee under the bike...[to try to raise it]..."

[NEP, GR, Chap 3 pg 59]

The Ghost Rider "Ride-along" #25

"...when I hit the...paved road [connecting] Inuvik's airport with the town, I felt relieved and exhilarated... The first building I encountered was the Finto Motor Inn*..and I stopped right there."

[NEP, GR, Chap 3 pg 61]

The Ghost Rider "Ride-along" #26

“...and as the paving ended, I found myself swearing out loud at the road, the rain, my life, and whatever Power might be responsible for all my bad fortune...”

[NEP, GR, Chap 3 pg 62]

The end of Chap 3!

Hope you've enjoyed the trip so far!

<< NEED LINK TO WHERE GOOGLE MAP IS>>

Ghost Rider "Ride-along" Chapters 1-3

Ghost Rider
"Ride-along"
Chapters 1-3