Early on a cold and rainy morning, Rich and I rode our bikes from Stewart, British Columbia over the bridge into the thriving metropolis of Hyder, Alaska. Population 87 in 2010. An American city who uses Canadian money and the Royal Canadian Mounted Police for law enforcement. “Alaska’s Friendliest Ghost Town,” as locals call it. But then, we saw no locals. One nice feature: travelers need no passports to go from Canada to Alaska…only to return. Rich couldn’t find his and feared he might never see his wife again. I had to think of the Eagles’ tune “Hotel California.”
This almost deserted mining town seems a strange vacation destination. But Alaska represented one of the four states I’d not ridden a motorcycle in. Honestly, I’d given that up. But on a ride the year before Jerry and I ran into some bikers from PA, and they mentioned Hyder is the southernmost Alaska site reachable by road. So I made a strange goal: bag Alaska as 47 at Hyder. I imagine most of us have had some unusual goals at some point in life, this ranks among my most unique.
So I started the research. 2,200 miles away, a four day ride. Grizzlies and brown bears and moose often strolled down the last stretch. Glaciers on both sides of the road--but a gorgeous one from Kitwanga Junction, as seen on a GoPro video of a biker. No lodging in Hyder, but Stewart BC had some, just next door. I mentioned it to my riding buddies, most laughed it off, but Rich volunteered to go along, coming from South Dakota. My wife was concerned, so we talked that out.
I figured out the housing and gas and food costs, and started doing some side jobs to fund it. We met outside Seattle and rode north to Prince George, west to Kitwanga, then southwest to Hyder. Yeah, got some very heavy rain. The temp never got warm. But we made it, had a lot of fun, collected a lot of good stories, and got home safe. 47 down, 3 to go. Stay tuned for future plans.
That adventure gives us a fine template for our goals, our plans, our ideas, our dreams. The good ones, the strange ones, the ones we must do, the ones we can choose.
First, get a rough idea of what it is, and why you want to do it. I’ve often killed a goal when I figured out why I really wanted to do it. Might be ego, the flesh, or some idealistic flash in the pan.
Second, go to God. Bathe this in prayer and ask for God’s input. He might surprise you.
Third, count the costs and balance them with the benefits. In Luke 14:25-33, Jesus gave an extended lesson about a cost/benefit analysis. And, as a part of this, get some advice. Talk to trusted friends, your spouse if you have one, and listen. Realize that costs go beyond financial. Time. Ability. Impact on others. Listen, and truly consider.
Fourth, refine your goal and methods based on the last. I decreased the number of days, which required longer rides, but my butt and the Goldwing could easily handle that.
Fifth, reexamine your cost/benefit analysis. Changing 4 will impact 5. And be sure 2 touches each step.
Some of the worst decisions of my life have been impulsive, where I made a decision too quickly, and got bit on the butt. But others, like proposing to the lady who became my wife, were impulsive and among the best decisions. Go figure!
But in all your planning, remember Proverbs 16:9, “The human mind plans the way, but the LORD directs the steps.”
Kick Starting the Application
Think back on some impulsive decisions that hurt you. What caused them to fail? How could you have done better? Think of some strange goals you’ve had. How well did you strategize them? How can you improve your strategizing?