Alaska Ride Report & Pictures - June 2006

[Green Geck0]

There can be only ONE:

Your right Hans, that is one scary looking place.  :smt119

[Green Geck0]

Day 6. 466 kmÌs/ 279 miles.





Awakening first thing in the morning I couldnÌt see out of one eye. At first I wasnÌt concerned, thinking it was cause and effect from the night before, no such luck. IÌm pretty good at bandaging up skinned knees on my kids but I figured this was beyond self medication. Since we were just inside the Canadian border I thought it would be best to take care of it now. So I scouted out the Northern Med station across the street.

First in to see the health nurse, she checked me out and figured I must have taken a bug or something in my eye. Turns out sheÌs from Calgary and we had a good chat. I told her about the rough ride the day before and she told me the number of people they medi-vac out of there because of it. Thanks nurse lady. She gave me the meds at no cost and bid me good luck.



After a quick breakfast at Buckshot BettyÌs we went over the border crossing into Alaska and headed towards Tok. After a gas, chicken finger, Red Bull stop at Tok, we headed South to Gulkana. Our leg today was going to end in Paxson which would stage us at the beginning of the Denali Highway.



The ride was beautiful. It was only minutes South of Tok that we ran into construction, no less than 4 flag car zones.





Some of the scenery.





Our first sighting of ÏThe PipelineÓ.





Clint winning the contest, who can hit the most potholes.





We arrived in Paxson to find a run down motel and a gas pump that sometimes worked. Clint stayed to check out the Bates Motel and I headed down the road to some log cabins that had an ad in the Milepost. The cabins were beautiful but expensive ($150US).

We decided to risk our personal safety and stay the night in the motel.



Some of the highlights of our room.





No pets allowed, No cleaning of game in the room. Man was I glad I saw that sign before I starting gutting that road kill IÌd picked up earlier.





The view from the room.





Thinking that we might not make it through the night, Clint began to power drink.





to be continued÷.fog, Denali, V-Strom stability issues÷ #-o

[GatorTiger]

Did you like the Showers?  :twisted:

[Green Geck0]

Day 7. 460 kmÌs/ 276 miles.





We promptly bailed out of the Bates Motel on empty stomachs and headed down the Denali Highway.  About 20 clicks down the road we found a motel/restaurant serving breakfast. They had neat little cabins on a lake available the night before for $20 less. Had we only known÷







Fuelled by full stomachs we were pumped to take on the Denali. The Denali consists of a short run of pavement starting at Paxson and then turns into hard packed, gravel, dirt and some soft road that ends at Cantwell.

It was drizzling rain, foggy and overcast. Although we didnÌt get to see as much scenery as weÌd like on this road, it was still very beautiful.







This is the Denali road winding through the valley.





We stopped at a bridge for a photo opportunity. I think this was either the Sustina or MacLaren River÷.wait for it÷





wait for it÷





WTF??? The V-Strom decides itÌs had enough and lays down for a rest.





Clint showing his best Hulk impression trying to lift his motorbike.





With a little effort and no damage we continue down the road÷.note the one eyed Tiger.







Oh my gawd!!! WTF??? The V-Storm is tired today. 10 minutes after the last snooze it lays down for another nap.  :smt015





Clint signaling me to stop and help.  :smt100





We mount up once again and head down the road.







At the West end of the Denali is Cantwell. We stopped there to grab something to eat at a gas station. Not seeing chicken fingers on the menu I opted for a bowl of tasteless chili. Do not eat the chili.

From Cantwell we made good time heading straight up to Fairbanks doing highway speeds. I took out some sort of road critter that ran behind my front wheel. All I heard was a thump on my bashplate and a sickening crunch. Although this was my first kill of the trip, Clint had beat me to it outside of Prince George when he made a down pillow out of a bird on his windshield.



We arrived in Fairbanks late in the day with tire changes and accommodations on our minds. With having over 20,000 kmÌs on my set of tires, I wanted to ride the Dalton with a bit more rubber. Fairbanks is a much larger place than I had expected. After going through and staying in such small watering holes over the last few days, we had hit civilization again.

The first motorcycle shop we found was a Harley Davidson dealer. IÌm not going to start bashing or going into details but the words that were spoke, I quote, ÏWe only service what we sellÓ. So with that in mind we headed off to the next shop.

If you ever find yourself in Fairbanks needing service or parts, remember these 2 words, Thunder Road. I canÌt say enough good things about Jerry and his crew. I was already bummed from the last greeting and when we walked into their shop I was expecting the same. Thunder Road services & sells all sorts of cruiser bolt on bling & gear. They also have a number of cruiser styles motorcycles for sale and do custom work.

After talking with the lady at the counter, she left to speak with Jerry in the back. There was some discussion and she returned to say that heÌd be out to speak with us in a minute.

As he came out IÌm thinking okay here comes the PFO speech. WRONG! Not only did he want our business, he wanted to make sure he had the proper rim centers for his balancing machine so that he could do it correctly. To top it off we had an offer of accommodation, laundry facilities and a place to park our motorcycles for the evening. We respectfully declined the offer of accommodation (but borrowed their phone to find some) and headed off with the agreement to meet first thing the next day for some tire swapping.



Our accommodation for the evening were at the Go North Hostel. $24/night to stay in a tent cabin. Showers, kitchen, internet, laundry service for $5 & motorcycles were allowed to park right outside.







I did some quick service work on the Tiger which included changing out my burnt headlight. Clint went to talk to his motorcycle about sleeping on the road.





to be continued÷.Dalton Highway?, Artic Circle? Coldfoot? Deadhorse?

[wonko the sane]

Great report, and I especially want to thank you for adjusting  your images for a fast download.  Even with my slow dial-up connection, the page loads in less than two minutes.



Thanks.  Really. :smt041

[Bruincounselor]

:lurk



Keep those photos coming. This brings back memories.



Bruin

[Green Geck0]

Day 8. 0 kmÌs/ 0 miles.



We headed off to Thunder Road first thing to get our tires changed. Since Jerry was busy in the shop with other appointments we agreed to wrench the rims off ourselves and let him change out the tires on his equipment. We had packed all the necessary tools when we left on our trip to remove and fix tires in an emergency, but having someone else change them is so much easier. Something I almost forgot to mention. When we paid up, Jerry handed me his business card and said if we get into any trouble on the Haul Road to call him and they would try and help us anyway possible. Then he took his card back and wrote his personal cell number on the back. You don't see many shops doing that.



Wrenching the rims off.









With new rubber and part of the day gone, we decided to hang out in Fairbanks. Some sightseeing and much needed laundry was done. It was nice to relax before taking on the Haul Road the next day. We also bought some food supplies for this leg because we unsure what was down the road for amenities. As it turns out it was a good thing we did.



Me dining on Alaskan king crab and smoked salmon at the hostel. My last good meal for awhile.





to be continued÷. Dalton Highway, tank slapper, Artic Circle, Coldfoot.

[zombie]

awesome trip report

I'm heading there next june

can't wait to read the next installment

[Green Geck0]

awesome trip report

I'm heading there next june

can't wait to read the next installment

Give me shout if your heading through Calgary. I can give you my leftover bear spray. :lol:



Curtis

[Green Geck0]

Before we begin this part of the trip, some facts gleaned from the Internet:

The Dalton Highway travels 414 miles through some of the most remote land accessible by road in Alaska. Paralleling the Trans-Alaska Pipeline System from Livengood, the Highway crosses the Yukon River, Arctic Circle, and Brooks Mountain Range on its way to Prudhoe Bay and the Arctic Ocean.



Alyeska built the haul road, now known as the Dalton Highway, for $150 million to supply the oil facilities on the North Slope. The pipeline bridge across the 1,875 mile Yukon River is the only span across that river in Alaska. The road was built in just five months in 1974 using 32 million cubic yards of gravel.



But this is not a road for the faint of heart, or those with a brand-new vehicle!  It is still the main supply route for the Prudhoe Bay oilfields, and you will be sharing the road with large tractor-trailers. Windshields and headlights are easy targets of flying rocks. Most rental companies will not allow you to drive their cars on the Dalton. Trucks speeding along the slippery gravel track kick up thick clouds of dust or mud, reducing visibility to absolute zero; potholes take a heavy toll on vehicles and services, gas, and repairs are practically nonexistent.



Calcium Chloride is used on the road to control dust. It is corrosive to vehicles and slippery when wet. Think of Vaseline times 10. There are several steep grades (10 to 12 %).



Uhhhhh, tell me again why weÌre doing this?



to be continued....

[GatorTiger]

Calcium Chloride is used on the road to control dust. It is corrosive to vehicles and slippery when wet. Think of Vaseline times 10. There are several steep grades (10 to 12 %).



Uhhhhh, tell me again why weÌre doing this?

...because you wanted to write a cool trip report that makes everybody jealous?!?!?  8)



Can't wait to hear about the grades and even see pics of them...  

[Mudhen]

...because you wanted to write a cool trip report that makes everybody jealous?!?!?  8)

Says the guy that writes cool trip reports that make everybody jealous!







More, more, more!!!

[GatorTiger]

Says the guy that writes cool trip reports that make everybody jealous!







More, more, more!!!

Alaska is on my long list!!!  

[Green Geck0]

Day 8. 423 kmÌs/ 253 miles.





Sunday brings us some overcast and rainy weather. From what we hear the road isnÌt in the greatest condition. Seems itÌs been raining the last couple of days and itÌs a bit sloppy.



We head north out of Fairbanks. Although the pavement is frost heaved, it offers a few sweeping curves. ItÌs a nice start to our Sunday morning ride.



ThatÌs the pipeline snaking its way up and into the hill.





The turn off to Livengood and the official start of the James W. Dalton Highway.





Clint looking for his secret stash of Red Bull.





The pavement ends and the fun begins.





The road and the pipeline snake along each other all the way to Prudhoe Bay.





Some of the better road surface.





Ensuring the fire hazard is at a low.





Catching a quick break as a truck passes.





There are vast amounts of these pink plants. I think itÌs known as Fireweed. It grows after a fire has cleaned out an area.





Now somewhere along this stretch was a construction area. I came around the corner and down the hill a little fast. The road was like soup, 2 trucks were coming up at me from the other way and I was trying to get to the side. My cheeks clenched the seat and I went into panic mode. I went from lock to lock a couple of times trying to stay upright and slow down at the same time. I didnÌt want to grab my front brake and I had my feet down for stability. I managed to crawl to a stop by dragging my feet. The trucks passed, (no doubt laughing at the silly bikers). We continued on after I changed my underwear.

This is a picture taken the next day. DoesnÌt look like much with a dry road.





Yukon River crossing. There are cameras and huge speakers all over this bridge. The pipeline goes across here.





On the other side there is a truck stop, motel, gas & food. We gassed up & grabbed a coffee. By this point I wasnÌt having a whole lot of fun. All I could think about was those 2 guys back in Skagway. The lady inside assured me the road and weather would get better.





After we left the coffee place we stopped to chat with 2 guys on motorcycles. The first bikes we had seen. One on a Beemer and the other on an Africa Twin. Turns out there were a whole bunch of Advrider people coming back from a Prudhoe run. The Honda guy was from Britain. They looked burnt out and were kind enough to tell me how they had to ride through 6 inches of mud past Coldfoot. The road just keeps going÷





and going÷.this is a much welcomed, although short, piece of pavement.





Clint taking in the sights. Note the kickstand is down on his V-Strom to discourage sleeping on the road.





Finger Rock back dropped by nasty sky. I remember it being very cool and windy around here.





We arrive at the Artic Circle. Wahoooo!!!









A Tiger in need of a bath.





My Iron Butt Ass÷





After another Red Bull we hop back on and head towards Coldfoot, our stop for the evening.





No comment.





One of many pump stations dotting the pipeline.





Chasing another storm.





We arrived in Coldfoot. Coldfoot used to be a camp for when they built the highway and the pipeline. There is not much there.

Post Office





Motel across the road.





Restaurant, truckers stop, gas, bar.





We inquired about food & accommodations for the evening. The restaurant was closed and trailer rooms were $120 US. We filled up our tanks and opted to stay down the road at the campground. $8 for the night.

Our accommodations for the night. We dined on sandwiches we built back in Fairbanks and washed them down with rum.





to be continued÷.rude awakening, road tales, Antigun Pass, grizzly bear, Prudhoe Bay.

[GatorTiger]

:lurk