Ride Report- Mississippi to Alaska & Back - Pic Heavy

[DK Custom Products]

Road was a bit better. The entire rest of the way was a nice curvy road. Tetlin Pass.




We came up on the Tetlin National Wildlife Refuge Visitor Center. Took a look around. Evangaline, whom we had met a few times over the last week rolled up right after us.

We ended up riding together for the next week.




If I look a bit beat down, I was. The roads in the Yukon are rough! And the last 128 miles from Burwash were the worst.

Not sure the reason why...but Burwash is the last town in Canada along the Alcan before the US border. It may be that that stretch of the Alcan has the lowest priority.



Evangaline is from Australia. She flew into Seattle, bought a GS800 BMW, set it up, and is on the road in Canada and the USA until next April.




It rained most of the way thru the pass and Mary had the camera tucked away. It did not take away from the great ride!

Starting to come out of the rain.




Looking back at Evangaline and the storm we rode thru.




A few more miles of nice road!




Coming into Tok. This is the first town on the Alcan in Alaska. It is quite small.



It rained and stormed off and on in Tok all evening.

Here we are at the Motel when we first arrived. Notice how "clean" the bike is after getting plenty of rain. That calcium cloride dust just turns to a cement type material and sticks to everything.

[DK Custom Products]

Here Evangaline and myself stand still for Mary in Tok, getting ready to head toward Fairbanks.



Off to Fairbanks!



Beautiful day!




Evangaline is riding a nice sound BMW, it has aftermarket 2-1 pipes with the core baffle removed. It gets up and moves!



Went just a few miles before the all too familiar "loose gravel" sign.




But this is the good kind! Smoother than most of the pavement.



Back on the pavement. Alaska so far is rather dull compared to BC and parts of the Yukon. Pretty straight and flat, relatively speaking. But for the 7.2 million paid to Russia, still a deal!




First time we saw the Alaska pipeline running alongside the Alcan.




We got a bit of rain...not enough to stop for the rain suits...we are close and push on...it's not that cold, in the 70's.

I should qualify that...not that cold to me. Mary is wearing her chaps, Evangaline is wearing $500 pants that are waterproof and have armor, but breathe, so good in cold or hot weather. I'm wearing my kevlar jeans.



More in next post.

[DK Custom Products]

Here's a bit of fun! Still raining a bit, but the TG holds the road well at speed, wet or dry.



Never knew there was an actual town called the North Pole.



I forget why we stopped here, but when we did, even though it was raining, we were immediately surrounded by mosquito's. So a couple of pics with the North Pole sign and off we went.



In the pic above you can see that all I am running for an air cleaner is 4 layers of shirt material. :biker1:

When I had called our shop a couple of days ago, I asked them to send a new backplate to me at the Harley Dealership in Fairbanks. So that is our first stop. Farthest North Outpost.

There is a Harley Dealer, Victory Dealer and BMW all under the same roof.



Evangaline on her dream BMW.



Then she went and sat on a Sporty Super-low and fell in love with it. When she gets back to Australia, she says she will be getting one.



Here is a pic of the road to take to the Harley Dealer in Fairbanks. Yep, it's gravel! lol



We did not get any pics, but after the Dealership we went and got checked in at a motel just down the road. They had a nice parking lot, so I went to the autoparts store and got some supplies.

Changed the oil in the parking lot at 11pm that night. No pics...the girls had taken a shower and did not want to get bit up by mosquito's or put any repellent on.

I knew it did not get dark up here iduring the summer, but to experience it is quite another thing. Still daylight at 2am.

[eagle1]

A trip of a lifetime!!

[RdKnB]

I am so enjoying you post, Thanks

[Blondie Gal]

Can't wait to have similar experiences!

[DK Custom Products]

A trip of a lifetime!!

Yes, we did not realize when we started out...how big a trip this is, and all that we would see.

I am so enjoying you post, Thanks

Cool!

Can't wait to have similar experiences!

It is definitely worth it!!!

[DK Custom Products]

Here's a picture of two ignorant dumb-asses at 10:30am in Fairbanks, getting ready to head out to the Arctic Circle up the Haul Rd.



The folks at the HD Dealership had told us it was 150 miles up, 300 round trip, and that the road was good the whole way...some gravel, but smooth. NOT!

This is a nice part of the road leading up to the Dalton Hwy. (aka the Haul Rd.)




90 miles later we finally reach Dalton Hwy.

We got off the bike for a pic or three, we were immediately surrounded by mosquito's. Not a dozen or two, literally hundreds. It was so bad it was actually funny.

I normally do not use any kind of repellent, really dislike the feel on my skin. But there was no avoiding it, had to use it.



Couple of pics and we are back on the TG.



Within a couple of miles we hit the dirt/gravel.

This is the nice kind, smooth, not dusty.



This is still nice and smooth, but eating some dust.

btw, you might have noticed we both ride with Nolan modular helmets, I ride with mine open quite a bit, and even when I close it down, I leave the face shield open, except in heavy dust or really heavy rain.




Dusty and not quite so smooth, but no one in front.



Ahh, back to some nice smooth road. This was actually the best surface to ride on...what little asphalt there was, was not as smooth as the slightly wetted down smooth dirt.



HEY! Something's not adding up here. We've gone 120 miles, and we know that the Arctic Circle is well past the Yukon River...plus there's been no sign of gas for quite a while. We have used almost 4 gallons and only have about 4 more gallons with us.

Not the first time a HD Dealer has given mis-information. lol



More in next post.

[DK Custom Products]

A little bit of paved road....it is only a trick...it will either turn into nasty pothole ridden or back to gravel. lol



At 150 miles we get to the Yukon river, there is gas here, AND mosquito's...so many we did not even take the time for a pic.

Oh, and found out the Arctic Circle is another 60 miles!



Good pic of the Alaska pipeline right next to the bridge.



Nice good dirt road...actually came to really like this stuff...it is smoother than most of the paved roads in Alaska and the Yukon.

None of the pictures really capture how long or steep these hills are. More than 10%...there were no signs, but my guess is 12-14%.

Speed limit on the Dalton is 55 mph, but on this stuff we were traveling 65-75 mph.




So were these guys!



Stopped at Finger Mountain. Talked to this couple that was coming back from Deadhorse. They said beyond Coldfoot the gravel was 6" deep for miles at a time. Good thing we are not going that far.

They at both washed out a couple of times in the stuff at about 45 mph, but all their BMW gear prevented any injury or even bruises....bikes had a bit of duct tape thought. lol



At this point we already know, that if we knew, we would never have left, but we are only 20 or so miles away.



Not such a good pic, but this is the road immediately leaving Finger Mountain. Loose gravel on a NOT smooth surface, and, yes, that is the road as far as you can see.




Well, ya'll might be bored with me writing about the road surface, and to be fair, on two wheels it probably is not as bad. On the TG we have three tracks, vs two wheels only have one track, even trucks and cars only have two tracks. It's a bit more difficult with three tracks to find a smooth line.

More pics in the next post.

[DK Custom Products]

We're HERE!



Yep, this is what we rode 210 mile for...a pic in front of a sign. lol



Oh, wait! We have to ride back. 420 miles, so here's another pic.



We are seriously tired, we left at 10:30am and it is almost 6:00pm. I consider going on to Coldfoot for the night. But it is another 70 miles of even worse road, then we just have to do it again tomorrow.

So off we go!



Pipeline along the road.



I know the road a bit now, we are making good time. Even on this wet squishy stuff, the TG is surprisingly stable.





More pics in next post.

[DK Custom Products]

This stuff had us going about 10 mph, fortunately there were only a few spots like this, maybe 5 miles total.



We did not get a pic of this fancy sign on the way up, so here it is on the way back.



We are off the Dalton.





Took a break for some sandwiches (and mosquito's). This pic was taken around 11 pm at night.



And here we are, back at the motel at 11:30 pm.



Gone 13 hours, 12 hours riding, 420 miles, and we did not need the gas can. We made it, but gotta say the road beat us. Neither of us have the slightest desire to do it ever again.

[Bill Reber]

I sure wish I could still sit a saddle like you folks can , well I will just dream along with you !

[bustedwing]

This has been a fantastic awesome voyage so far and from the majority of us that can't or have not made the trip you are showing us how fantastic everything can be, given what can be shown thru a camera. Thank you for taking the time to do this, it's great. Enjoy your travels Ride safe.

[DK Custom Products]

That's cool you all are enjoying it. Mary takes 200-300 pics a day, I try and include a good cross section to give a feel for the days ride.

[DK Custom Products]

After getting back from the Arctic Circle we did not do anything the next morning.

Evangaline took this picture in Fairbanks...since it does not get dark during the summer in Fairbanks, the Northern Lights are not visible.

Not sure what this is-



That afternoon we headed out to Chena Hot Springs, where the Ice Museum is.

Nice easy ride on some nice roads! About 100 miles round trip, ALL on pavement!!!










Momma moose eating with her two young-ins back on the shore.




A close up so you can see them better.





Evangaline taking a pic of Mary taking a pic.




Another Triker. Lots of bikes up here, mostly BMW's. We do see some Harley's, Honda's & KLR's. Every now and then a Can-Am.



At Chena Hot Springs Resort, walking around the grounds before the Tour of the Ice Museum.



More in next post.

[DK Custom Products]

Some folks enjoying the hot springs.




This duck came up and started quacking and nipping at Evangalines' knees. It was pretty funny, would not stop.




Mary and I.




The Ice Museum. It is a metal building. Inside it is kept at 28 degrees with power for the refrigeration coming from the hot springs.



When you first go in there is a ante-room where there are down coats for everyone to wear. After that you step into the main room. The first section is the work area where the ice sculptors do their work.



All the pieces are sculpted right there, with ice from the river that was cut out during the winter.

Some of the sculptures have been in here for over 3 years.



Me listening to the tour guide, standing next to a sculpted circular staircase.



The knights and horses are life size.




Everything is made of ice!



Toward the back of the museum are 4 bedrooms. These are available for $600 a night! All made of ice!

They put reindeer fur on top of the ice bed and it is supposed to be warm.





More in next post.

[DK Custom Products]

They use LED lights that don't put off much heat for the lighting.

They have a bar. Bar stools are made of ice, topped with reindeer hide. Sat down on one, sure enough, my tukus was warm sitting there.



Tour guide doubling as the bartender.



Yep, the glasses are made of ice, one time use only. Take em outside and break em while making a wish.







They have quite a large greenhouse operation here also.




Headed back to the bikes.



Dang BMW is blocking the view of the moose. lol





Mary gets some great cloud pics.



Upper left...the every present mosquito's.




Had a bit of rain on the way back.

[Blondie Gal]

Fascinating! Great job!

[DK Custom Products]

After a couple days in Fairbanks we are off to Denali, where Mt. McKinley is.




Another great day to ride!




Quite a few changes in terrain between Fairbanks and Denali.




Stopped at the Fireweed Roadhouse. Had some sandwiches in the parking lot and took a couple of pics.





Got within 22 miles and hit road construction. 10 miles of gravel.



But it was wetted down, so not so bad after a 20 minute wait for the pilot truck.



After it turned back to pavement, we stopped for gas. Almost there, let's go!




Big Sky!



Even though the park road is closed to private vehicles after the first 15 miles, that is our plan, ride in the first 15 miles, having a look around. Mary and I talked about riding the bus tour thru the rest of the park...decided against it.



More in next post.

[DK Custom Products]

Got a little rain once in the park.



We got all the way to the 15 mile mark, saw some caribou, but the pics did not turn out.

Walked around a bit. Saw some more caribou off in the distance. Too far for our camera.




Headed back toward the entrance. That is Mt. McKinley in the distance. It looked much more impressive to the eye than what the camera captured.

We were fortunate, according to the literature, only about 30% of the time is it visible during this time of year. Usually too many clouds.



There was some snow on the side of the road, ice really, and like any kid, I had to go play in it a bit.



Moose munching on some bushes on the side of the road. We were about 20 feet away.



Back on the road, looking for a motel. Stopped at several within 10 miles of the park. All Full, no rooms. We went on to Cantwell, about 30 miles and found the Bluesberry Inn.

It's really a bunch of log cabins. Good price, and very nice.



Evanaline got a room right off. He did not have a second room ready, suggested we go down to the cafe for some dinner, it would be ready when we got back.

As far as we could tell there were only 4 businesses in town, the Inn, 2 gas stations and this Cafe.






Back at our little cabin. This pic was taken around 10:30 pm. I'm digging that it never gets dark!