July 15, 2010
I rented a car and drove to Denali National Park where I stamped my National Park Passport booklet indicating my National Park visits of Acadia & Denali National Parks. The weather was not cooperative, with low clouds and light to heavy rains Mt. McKinley was not visible at all. A return trip is definitely in the planning stages just to see this place with less clouds and more sun.
There is a short drive into the interior of the park using your personal vehicle and the parks shuttle buses or tour buses are only allowed to travel the ninety miles into the parks interior. Lots of wild animals are visible including grizzly bears, & moose.
I spotted an adult male moose in heavy brush and it was a sight to behold. His antlers were at least 5-6 feet across and stood as tall as a horse. He is an incredibly impressive animal to see in person.
The visitor center provided great displays of the park and its animals along with a short film about the park and lots of seminars on mountaineering, backpacking, hiking, and a special dog sled presentation displaying the ranger’s mode of transportation during the winter.
Well it is time to pack and return to the lower forty-eight and most importantly the return to the ATV road between the US & Canadian border and Haines Junction YT. The Wanderer has had a couple of days rest and we are ready to head back for the family reunion in Chi-Town baby.
Friday, July 16, 2010
A day of rest
July 14 2010
Finally a day off, as I typed this I counted 17 days of continuous motorcycle riding averaging as little as 300 miles to six hundred miles a day. On the return trip back to the US or as the locals say, the lower forty-eight, I will modify my plans. Instead of taking the Ferry from Haines Alaska to Prince Rupert British Columbia, I will travel the Stewart-Cassiar Hwy #37 in BC towards Prince George British Columbia.
This route has been suggested as an impressive scenic route, especially a side trip to Stewart Alaska where the road meanders between two steep mountains along a river.
It is going to be a slow roll back to the US no sense in hurrying, I want this to last.
Finally a day off, as I typed this I counted 17 days of continuous motorcycle riding averaging as little as 300 miles to six hundred miles a day. On the return trip back to the US or as the locals say, the lower forty-eight, I will modify my plans. Instead of taking the Ferry from Haines Alaska to Prince Rupert British Columbia, I will travel the Stewart-Cassiar Hwy #37 in BC towards Prince George British Columbia.
This route has been suggested as an impressive scenic route, especially a side trip to Stewart Alaska where the road meanders between two steep mountains along a river.
It is going to be a slow roll back to the US no sense in hurrying, I want this to last.
Fairbanks Alaska
July 13, 2010
I started out towards Fairbanks Alaska, from Tok and the ride along the two lane road was a mix of heavy pine trees and section of open grass tundra. No wild animals were seen, which was kind of weird.
I stopped at Delta Junction which is the end of the Alaskan Highway at total of 1422 miles from the starting point in Dawson Creek. Just for the record, it was just over 1550 miles to Fairbanks Alaska.
I arrived at the University of Alaska in Fairbanks where motorcyclist traveling during the summer gets dorm rooms for $36.00, yeah baby! One of the guys I met in Dawson Creek gave me the head up on that little known secret. Apparently one of the administrators is an adventure rider and he suggested the idea to the college and they agreed. Their campus in Anchorage allows the same.
Being in the dorm room brought back many memories of college days at Northeast Missouri State University. I reminisced backed to those college days as I stored my gear away and washed some laundry.
I started out towards Fairbanks Alaska, from Tok and the ride along the two lane road was a mix of heavy pine trees and section of open grass tundra. No wild animals were seen, which was kind of weird.
I stopped at Delta Junction which is the end of the Alaskan Highway at total of 1422 miles from the starting point in Dawson Creek. Just for the record, it was just over 1550 miles to Fairbanks Alaska.
I arrived at the University of Alaska in Fairbanks where motorcyclist traveling during the summer gets dorm rooms for $36.00, yeah baby! One of the guys I met in Dawson Creek gave me the head up on that little known secret. Apparently one of the administrators is an adventure rider and he suggested the idea to the college and they agreed. Their campus in Anchorage allows the same.
Being in the dorm room brought back many memories of college days at Northeast Missouri State University. I reminisced backed to those college days as I stored my gear away and washed some laundry.
Tuesday, July 13, 2010
Destination "ALASKA"
Monday July 12, 2010
I began the ride with heavy overcast low clouds, light rain, and temperatures hovering around 45 degrees, yeah a little raw. This portion of the Alaskan Hwy from Haines Junction to Tok Alaska is well known as challenging to say the least. After getting gas I began along the road with the three bikes riding behind me. It wasn’t long before my glasses fogged up and a short stop needed to make corrected gear changes.
None of the beautiful mountains were visible because of the low cloud layer. Fifty miles into the ride the road began to show signs of what people were talking about. The locals call it frost heaves, I believe the correct term should be ATV trails.
There were sections of the roadway with sink holes as you drove into them, offset different levels in the left and right tracks. Most of the problems areas were broken into sections that gave you an opportunity to recover and prepare for the next section.
There were gravel sections some packed and depending on the construction taking place some were muddy and slick.
As the day wore on the clouds broke up and the sun began to shine the temperature increased to 75 degrees. I took several conquering photos at the welcome to Alaska sign, along with the group from Utah.
The road conditions began to get better several miles after the border check point into Alaska. The fifty miles of road towards Tok Alaska was the best part of the day.
I was initially planning to continue on toward Fairbanks when I was convinced to by the group from Utah to hang with them for dinner. I found a camping cabin next to their hotel and the place was extraordinary. I ate a dinner at the hotel next to the cabins and took in a great Buffalo Burger.
The cabin was self contained with all modern upgrades that a fine hotel. The evening ended with a fire pit where all of the travelers sat around we enjoyed each other’s travel stories and activities.
I met and spoke with guy named Aiden from eastern Canada north of Nova Scotia who works with and knows the drivers from the “Ice Road Trucker” show. He works for the company that extracts natural gas from the Ice fields north of Yellow Knife.
The cabin owners brought me out a beer and took my photo to post on her face book page she has for the hotel.
I smoked a La Gloria #5 cigar for the “Brothers of the smoke” at the Old Virginia Tobacco Shop back in VA for my accomplishment of arriving in Alaska.
Great day of riding except for the first part, however that ride was a bit like life, nothing in life is gain without a little hard work, adventure and excitement. These sections of the Alaska hwy provide all of the memories that I will treasure for the rest of my life.
This has been a true adventure that was shared be people who seek the same type of excitement of viewing nature at it best and enjoying what the open road adventures.
Well in the morning it is on to Fairbanks Alaska. It is 11:00 pm and the sun is still up in the sky, man this is so weird.
I began the ride with heavy overcast low clouds, light rain, and temperatures hovering around 45 degrees, yeah a little raw. This portion of the Alaskan Hwy from Haines Junction to Tok Alaska is well known as challenging to say the least. After getting gas I began along the road with the three bikes riding behind me. It wasn’t long before my glasses fogged up and a short stop needed to make corrected gear changes.
None of the beautiful mountains were visible because of the low cloud layer. Fifty miles into the ride the road began to show signs of what people were talking about. The locals call it frost heaves, I believe the correct term should be ATV trails.
There were sections of the roadway with sink holes as you drove into them, offset different levels in the left and right tracks. Most of the problems areas were broken into sections that gave you an opportunity to recover and prepare for the next section.
There were gravel sections some packed and depending on the construction taking place some were muddy and slick.
As the day wore on the clouds broke up and the sun began to shine the temperature increased to 75 degrees. I took several conquering photos at the welcome to Alaska sign, along with the group from Utah.
The road conditions began to get better several miles after the border check point into Alaska. The fifty miles of road towards Tok Alaska was the best part of the day.
I was initially planning to continue on toward Fairbanks when I was convinced to by the group from Utah to hang with them for dinner. I found a camping cabin next to their hotel and the place was extraordinary. I ate a dinner at the hotel next to the cabins and took in a great Buffalo Burger.
The cabin was self contained with all modern upgrades that a fine hotel. The evening ended with a fire pit where all of the travelers sat around we enjoyed each other’s travel stories and activities.
I met and spoke with guy named Aiden from eastern Canada north of Nova Scotia who works with and knows the drivers from the “Ice Road Trucker” show. He works for the company that extracts natural gas from the Ice fields north of Yellow Knife.
The cabin owners brought me out a beer and took my photo to post on her face book page she has for the hotel.
I smoked a La Gloria #5 cigar for the “Brothers of the smoke” at the Old Virginia Tobacco Shop back in VA for my accomplishment of arriving in Alaska.
Great day of riding except for the first part, however that ride was a bit like life, nothing in life is gain without a little hard work, adventure and excitement. These sections of the Alaska hwy provide all of the memories that I will treasure for the rest of my life.
This has been a true adventure that was shared be people who seek the same type of excitement of viewing nature at it best and enjoying what the open road adventures.
Well in the morning it is on to Fairbanks Alaska. It is 11:00 pm and the sun is still up in the sky, man this is so weird.
Motorcycles Motorcycles everywhere!
Sunday July 11, 2010
I began the day with the intentions of traveling as far west as White Horse along the Alaskan Hwy. It was definitely possible as I drove away from the small town of Watson Lake. I rode just a short while when I rode upon motorcyclist traveling in the same direction. The weather was nice and sunny and with the typical beautiful scenery.
The day was filled with encountering all of the bikers and recreational vehicle people I have met and spoke with for the past four or five days. A large group of bikers gathered together for lunch at a stop along the way when we encountered a guy who had his med sized dog “Sandy” riding on the back seat of his BMW.
Sandy was held in by a harness and looked very happy and was friendly towards all of us who walked up and took photos. After arriving in White Horse, I decided to ride on to Haines Junctions where I met up with the group from Utah. During this portion of the ride I encountered two groups of horses just standing in the rode. Kind of wierd.
I met up with the group from Utah and we ate dinner and enjoyed a great evening of talking about the day of riding and the upcoming ride towards Tok Alaska.
Haines Junction sits just below a mountain range that was spectacular to view. I spent the night or should I say dusk to dawn in Haines Junction looking at these mountains.
I began the day with the intentions of traveling as far west as White Horse along the Alaskan Hwy. It was definitely possible as I drove away from the small town of Watson Lake. I rode just a short while when I rode upon motorcyclist traveling in the same direction. The weather was nice and sunny and with the typical beautiful scenery.
The day was filled with encountering all of the bikers and recreational vehicle people I have met and spoke with for the past four or five days. A large group of bikers gathered together for lunch at a stop along the way when we encountered a guy who had his med sized dog “Sandy” riding on the back seat of his BMW.
Sandy was held in by a harness and looked very happy and was friendly towards all of us who walked up and took photos. After arriving in White Horse, I decided to ride on to Haines Junctions where I met up with the group from Utah. During this portion of the ride I encountered two groups of horses just standing in the rode. Kind of wierd.
I met up with the group from Utah and we ate dinner and enjoyed a great evening of talking about the day of riding and the upcoming ride towards Tok Alaska.
Haines Junction sits just below a mountain range that was spectacular to view. I spent the night or should I say dusk to dawn in Haines Junction looking at these mountains.
Sunday, July 11, 2010
Gravel Roads Ugh!!!
Saturday July 11, 2010
I began the day with breakfast and gas at the Fas-N-Go and took off along the Alaskan Hwy. With bright sunshine on my back and clear blue skies through my windshield I was thirty miles or 15 Kilometers Canadian when the road turned into a mix of gravel and one way lane traffic for several miles.
Some portions of the roads had several inches of gravel and other portions had hard packed gravel enough to drive fairly comfortable. To keep the dust down the used water which made for a muddy adventure and a ugly bike. Either way it made for some slow maneuvering along the road.
While waiting for the pilot truck to return at one section I made friends with the road the flag girl named Brittany who is a college freshman working in the Canadian heat and dealing with the bugs. She had enough bug spray on her that I could smell the off and cutters ten feet away. The driver behind me was a gentleman from China who visited his daughter in New York and drove across the US toward Alaska where he will fly out to back to China. We all took photos.
I took some photos of the ride of beautiful vistas, including a bear, and a couple of Elk alongside the road. I met up with a couple of guys who I road with the day before where we ate lunch and talk with two truck drivers from Canada.
While there, a slender black gentleman rolled up on his bicycles which at first startled me since I thought I was the only black guy in these parts. He was on his way to Key West from Fairbanks Alaska. His journey will take six months. He said he is riding for Christ. A very inspirational man, since he has a long way to travel.
I spent the night in Watson Lake in the Yukon Territory of Canada at the Air Force Lodge. This place reminds me of the German Guest Houses, very quaint with individual rooms. Mine had no televising and the bathrooms and showers were separated for men and women.
One group of bikers showed up to get rooms however the women decided they didn’t like sharing toilet and shower facilities with other women.
The place soon filled with mixed group of older couples and one in particular a gentleman who at the age of 72 has an 18-month old son named Jordan. Yes 72, and his wife is thirty years his junior. One brave man!
We all sat around the dinner table and chatted for about two hours with other staying the night. Great times had by all.
It is 11:06 pm and the sun is just below the horizon. I will attempt a photo of this while in Fairbanks. It is really weird seeing the sun never setting and just sitting just below the horizon.
I began the day with breakfast and gas at the Fas-N-Go and took off along the Alaskan Hwy. With bright sunshine on my back and clear blue skies through my windshield I was thirty miles or 15 Kilometers Canadian when the road turned into a mix of gravel and one way lane traffic for several miles.
Some portions of the roads had several inches of gravel and other portions had hard packed gravel enough to drive fairly comfortable. To keep the dust down the used water which made for a muddy adventure and a ugly bike. Either way it made for some slow maneuvering along the road.
While waiting for the pilot truck to return at one section I made friends with the road the flag girl named Brittany who is a college freshman working in the Canadian heat and dealing with the bugs. She had enough bug spray on her that I could smell the off and cutters ten feet away. The driver behind me was a gentleman from China who visited his daughter in New York and drove across the US toward Alaska where he will fly out to back to China. We all took photos.
I took some photos of the ride of beautiful vistas, including a bear, and a couple of Elk alongside the road. I met up with a couple of guys who I road with the day before where we ate lunch and talk with two truck drivers from Canada.
While there, a slender black gentleman rolled up on his bicycles which at first startled me since I thought I was the only black guy in these parts. He was on his way to Key West from Fairbanks Alaska. His journey will take six months. He said he is riding for Christ. A very inspirational man, since he has a long way to travel.
I spent the night in Watson Lake in the Yukon Territory of Canada at the Air Force Lodge. This place reminds me of the German Guest Houses, very quaint with individual rooms. Mine had no televising and the bathrooms and showers were separated for men and women.
One group of bikers showed up to get rooms however the women decided they didn’t like sharing toilet and shower facilities with other women.
The place soon filled with mixed group of older couples and one in particular a gentleman who at the age of 72 has an 18-month old son named Jordan. Yes 72, and his wife is thirty years his junior. One brave man!
We all sat around the dinner table and chatted for about two hours with other staying the night. Great times had by all.
It is 11:06 pm and the sun is just below the horizon. I will attempt a photo of this while in Fairbanks. It is really weird seeing the sun never setting and just sitting just below the horizon.
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