By Carl “CJ” Hanlon

It was the journey of a lifetime. I had turned 60. I wasn’t getting any younger. This was the time to do it. And this way: on my bike.

I rode from Florida to Alaska and back on my Indian Chieftain. My wife, Denise Godreau Hanlon, joined me for the Colorado to Alaska section. What a memorable ride it was!

Here are some numbers: 10,272 miles, 208 gas stations, 52 days, 45 different accommodations, two countries, 18 states, two provinces, one territory. There was 102-degree heat in the Montana plains and 52 degrees in fog, rain and wind through the Alaskan peaks.

We experienced the third-worst fire season in British Columbia and one hurricane approaching the Southeast states to welcome me back.

Riding solo or two-up, we rode through the Blue Ridge Mountains, the Ozarks, the Tetons, the Rocky Mountains, and the Alaskan range, also along the Chattahoochee, Tennessee, Mississippi, Missouri, Arkansas, Colorado, Green, Yellowstone, Yukon and Copper Rivers.

We rode 1,390 miles on the Alaskan Highway and navigated four days through the Alaskan Inside Passage on a ferry, encountering grizzly bears and porcupines, caribou, moose, red foxes, bald eagles, seals, belugas and killer whales—there seems to be no end to the perils and wonders of traveling this distance on a motorcycle.

I was born in Newfoundland, Canada, and raised all over, the eldest son of an Air Force veteran and his North Carolina bride. Of all my father’s posts, there was one that stayed with me and shaped my entire adult life by creating a thirst for adventure and a love for open land. For four years in the early 1970s, our family was stationed at Elmendorf Air Force Base in Anchorage, Alaska.

I remember going fishing and hunting with my brother, Keith, who was only a year younger than me, running all over the woods. It was a paradise for two teenage boys.

Since then, I had wanted to return but never found the time.

What took so long?

Maybe I wanted to plan a trip that was as epic as my memories of Alaska. But I don’t know. Life just gets in the way.

Now, as a small business owner, I can call the shots. I am my own boss.

I’ve been riding motorcycles since I was 16 years old. I’ve owned Hondas, Triumphs, Harleys and BMWs. But, for this trip, I rode on my latest and newest love affair, a 2017 Indian Chieftain.

I love this bike! It has a 1,811cc V-twin engine with dramatic, beautiful lines that blend both its heritage and a contemporary feel. It is agile, responsive and powerful and comfortable.

What was the best part of the trip? Easy. The part when my wife joined me.

Denise flew to Denver, jumped on the Indian’s passenger seat, and rode through Colorado, Utah, Wyoming, Idaho, Montana, Alberta, British Columbia and Yukon Territory to reach Alaska with me and be part of this incredible, once-in-a-lifetime adventure.

If you want to hear more about the trip, stop by my shop, Belicoso Cigars and Café in Winter Park, Fla., and I’d be happy to share my stories over a cup of Belicoso coffee, a craft beer and a cigar.