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Friday morning I opened the blackout shades in the room to a clear blue sky day.  I think we are owed this after getting rained on all day yesterday.  It had also obviously continued to rain hard the night before as the dirt lot was flooded with huge puddles not present when we parked the. night before.  This is the first day in a while I didn’t gear up with the heated jacket liner.  It was a cool 50 degrees but the sun was shining so didn’t feel so cold.

The ride to the Alaska border station was short and the gruff agent was trying to scare us with word of the haul road to Deadhorse in the worst shape in years due to the large amounts of rain they have received this summer.  She asked us if we have more tires.  No.  Oh, those are going to be destroyed.  Do we know not to screw with the truckers, she asked?  They will radio ahead to let each other know of “ass hole” bikers.  Yes, of course we don’t plan to screw with the truckers.  Didn’t seem necessary pile on even more fear then I already had about riding the haul road.

We rode another hour after the border to Tok where we stopped for breakfast/lunch at Fast Eddy’s.  I chose the spot just due to the name and it actually turned out to be an excellent restaurant.  I had the Alaskan Omelet that had reindeer sausage, mushrooms, onions and jack cheese – gigantic and excellent.  They let you choose your side car so I added the biscuits and gravy – a nice light breakfast.  There would be no need for lunch today!  After gassing up I check my oil and it was down again.  I finally finished off the liter I had started out with.  I’ve leaked/burned a liter of oil in about 3000 miles so not too horrible.  With the help of Joe, I also was able to identify the horrible rattle I’ve lived with for the duration.  I couldn’t identify by the sound exactly where it was coming from.  I rode past Joe a few times and he saw it was coming from the chain guard.  Sure enough the bolts had worn a ring around the attachment holes and it was rattling around inside.  Now that I know what it is I can’t wait to get to the hardware store in Fairbanks to purchase some washers to fix it – was driving me crazy to have to listen to the racket all day.

After a quick trip to the Santa Clause store in North Pole just south of Fairbanks we arrived at the University of Alaska dorm rooms that would be our sleep for the night.  They lease out the dorm for overnight guests in the summer months – only $35 per night!  Much cheaper than the overpriced Fairbanks hotels – Super 8 goes for $180 per night!

Hardware store, dinner, some quick repairs then to bed.  Saturday we will make the run up to Wiseman to stage for the final approach to Deadhorse.  The weather is calling for rain so we may wait it out a few days in Wiseman.  The haul road turns into a skating rink when it rains due to the Calcium Chloride they thrown down on the dirt and gravel as a hardener.  We are hoping to find a weather window to get up and back so looking for two days of dry – hopefully we will get it.

At the North Pole…

Woke up Tuesday morning in Carcross with a plan to take the 14 mile ferry ride from Skagway to Haines.  Skagway is a cruise port and there are 4 giant cruisers scheduled in port today – guaranteed to be a shit show!  The ride is only a couple of hours but comes down a nice canyon so promises to be a good one.  The reason for the ferry is to do the ride from Haines into Haines Junction –  amazing by all reports!  The ferry isn’t scheduled to leave until 5:30pm so we have the day to kill in Skagway.  Luckily we have the England/Croatia football match to kill some of the time!

It was cold and threatening rain when we hit the road – and sure enough, we did get rained on almost immediately after a quick stop at the Carcross Desert.  Yes thats right, desert.  The river brings sediment down the river, deposits it on the shore, and then wind slowly moves it up the hillsides.  It’s a 14 square mile desert in the southern Yukon – very odd against the traditional Yukon landscape we had ridden through so far.

The ride down through the canyon was spectacular, but wet as it was raining steadily.  Lots of cool waterfalls were visible from the roadside.  We stopped at a historic suspension bridge but they wanted $18 for the full tour and $5 to just get a look at the bridge – so we skipped it.  Just before Skagway is the US border to Alaska – this one is actually manned with agents unlike the one in Hyder.

Skagway was pretty much exactly as expected – a cool historic town ruined by the cruise line.  Word has it they own 90% of the town.  Historic Main Street was full of shops catering to cruisers.  After parking the bikes near the ferry dock, we quickly found a taco stand, grabbed some halibut tacos and popped in the bar across the street to catch the second half of the football match.  We lucked out with an exciting match going into extra time where as we know Croatia was the eventual winner.

We were told to be back to the docks at 3:30pm to line up for loading so just spent a couple of hours wading through the sea of cruisers on Main Street trying to soak up some of Skagway history.  It was basically a hub for the Yukon Gold Rush of the late 1800’s so it’s past is quite interesting.  We even managed to find a delicious pint of IPA at the Skagway Brewing Company (probably owned by the cruise line).

We returned to the parked motorcycles and then lined up with the other bikers waiting to load into the cargo hold.  This ferry was going all the way to Prince Rupert with our stop in Haines the first.  We were the only bikes getting off – the other 5 continuing on to PR.  It was fun chatting it up and trading stories from the road.  Their trips were winding down while ours had barely started.  The ferry ended up sailing 2 hours late so we stood around in the cold and wind for a long time.  We finally got the load call and we’re leaving the dock around 7:30pm.  The skies an seas were angry but the ride was quite smooth.  Joe and I went out on the deck and up to the bow and could barely stand as the wine was so strong.  I would have blown into the sea  if I hadn’t had a death grip on the railing.

The one hour ride went quick and soon we were at the Haines dock with just a short 6 mile ride into town and our hostel for the night – a small compound of cabins on the edge of the dense forest.  Since we have been heading back south it actually started getting dark around 10pm.  We even got to squeeze in a load of laundry so now have some fresh clothes to wear!

We packed up and left the hostel around 8am, grabbed some breakfast in town and hit the road with Beaver Creek the target destination for the day.  Just outside town we crossed back into The Yukon after chatting with the friendly Canadian border agent about motorcycling – he also rides a DR650.  Shortly after the border we got crushed with rain.  Then it let up a bit and we got crushed again.  That pattern would continue all day long.  The temps ranged from 40 – 50 degrees – freaking cold while wet on a motorcycle.  The mountains all around were snow-capped and we learned at our lunch stop stop that the snow wasn’t there yesterday – it had just came overnight.

Around 4pm with still 120 miles to go, I was miserable and just wanted to get off the bike – but we gutted it out and made our destination in Beaver Creek.  Luckily one of the three lodges wasn’t sold out and we got a room.  Camping, our original plan, would have been horrible as it was still pissing rain when we arrived.  We grabbed dinner at Buckshot Betty’s and hit the sack.  Luckily their were really good blackout curtains in the room – sun now sets after midnight up here.  Hoping for sunny weather tomorrow!

Lunch stop at the Bus…

Larger than life…

The famous sign post forest at Watson Lake…

Our ferry fueling up in Skagway…

Crossed over into the YT this morning after free camping on a lake in northern BC.  Great spot shared with a couple from Vermont in a bad ass original Land Rover.  In original I mean a first generation rig from the 50’s.  He told me but I can remember exactly what year.  They had it decked out with a roof top tent and solar – super cool way to travel.  As it is an original the suspension is rough so they slow travel at around 100-150 miles a day.  Nice chatting with them until it got dark enough to go to bed around midnight.

So I need to back up a bit to where I left off on my last post.  I woke up Sunday morning at the B&B Austria House in Stewart after a terrible nights sleep.  No idea why because the room, bed, everything was great.  I was planning to return to the Salmon Glacier if the promised sunny day arrived, but it was not to be.  The sky was dark with low hanging clouds hugging the mountainsides.  So I packed up and headed back out to the Cassiar continuing north.

The day started with low threatening clouds but blossomed into the best day yet as far as weather goes.  The Cassiar north of 37A was beautiful and I made pretty good time running up to Bell II where I stopped for gas and a sandwich.  I chatted with a guy from North Carolina on a 1200GS that had just come down from his trip to Prudhoe Bay and he was able to give me some good beta on his trip. As I was starting to leave, Lee pulls up so we end up riding together to Dease Lake.  This is where I wanted to stop for the day so I could make the ride into Telegraph Creek in the morning – a 75 mile ride on a dirt road boasting 20% grades.

We hadn’t figured out a place to camp quite yet but grabbed some dinner at a pizza place at the Northway Motor Inn.  The guy from North Carolina stayed there the night before and said the pizza was pretty good.  We struck up a conversation with a local guy and his wife and it turns out he is the facilities manager at the local college and offered tent space on the grass behind school.  The only other camping option in town was at an RV pack so a nice quiet spot behind the school sounded appealing – and free!  As we were finishing eating, Joe who we had met the night before in Stewart appeared.  Funny how everyone keeps leap frogging on the way up.  Anyway, Joe was planning to go to Telegraph Creek as well so we made plans to meet up for 9:00am start.  Lee would not be joining us as he had been there a few times before and wanted to stay on his schedule.

The camp spot at the college was great – freshly cut grass behind the buildings blocking the road noise a bit.  Not that there is much traffic on the Cassier – especially at night where it is a bit dangerous to drive with all the animals out and about.  The overnight temps were in the high 40’s testing the limits of my camping gear.  I have a 35 degree bag and my sleeping pad is not insulated.  I was a bit cold and didn’t sleep all that great.  Adding to the cold, the sun doesn’t set until late and come back up at 4am.

I met up with Joe at 9am as arranged and we took off to Telegraph Creek.  It was an absolute amazing morning with clear blue skies with no clouds in sight. The road started out very smooth with a firm calcium chloride base – great when dry but super greasy when wet.  If it were raining or had just rained I wouldn’t have made the trip.  We covered the 75 miles in a couple of hours and agreed that the ride was as awesome as advertised.  There were a couple of steep drops with loose rock and sand but for the most part it was manageable.  We had lunch at the cafe in town and then made the return trip back arriving back to Dease Lake around 6pm.  Also added a couple more black bear sightings to the tally.  We grabbed some halibut sandwiches at The Shack, a little food hut near the highway junction.

While eating, we ran into a guy traveling with his two dogs by car that had come from the north and recommend a free camp spot about 250k out.   About three hours later we pulled in about 10:30 pm with all the camping spots full.  That’s were we ran into the couple from Vermont that invited us to share their spot.  They were sleeping in the roof-top tent so there was plenty of space to set up our tents.  Again it was still light out at midnight when we hit the sack.  I slept better as it wasn’t as cold as the night before.  Around 7:30am we packed up and were on the road by 9.

Next stop was Watson Lake which took us into the Yukon.  We grabbed some breakfast at Kathy’s Kitchen and stopped by the visitors center to check on the status of the fire that had evacuated a town on our route for the day.  We were told the highway was still open so all good.  Next to the highway was the famous sign post forest that hosts over 80,000 signs dating back to 1942.  Visitors are allowed to add their own signs so it’s and ever-growing attraction.

We ended the day just outside Carcross, YT at the Spirit Lake Lodge.  We panicked as the weather was sketchy throughout the day – cold, windy and rainy – and booked a hotel about an hour from Carcross.  Turns out sunny (but still cold and windy) in Carcross but I’m still glad we aren’t camping.  As I’m outside typing this it is about 50 degrees and windy.  I have my down jacket on but my hands are freezing.  The WIFI doesn’t reach the room so I am on the patio outside the closed reception area where there is coverage.  The innkeeper closes up shop around 8pm so if you don’t arrive before that you are out of luck.

Tomorrow we plan to spend the day in Skagway and take a 5:30pm ferry into Haines were we will spend the night and is billed as interesting town.  My hands are now frozen and typing hurts so I’m out…

End of the road at the Stikine River…

The ride in to Stewart on 37A yesterday was a gem.  I can’t even imagine what it would have been like on a sunny day.  The skies were overcast with low clouds but it was still amazing riding along a raging creek with views of snow-capped mountains, glaciers and waterfalls.  And that was just the appetizer for the day!

I left New Hazelton not so early to dark stormy clouds and a slightly mist in the chilly air.  The lows have been in the 40’s overnight so the morning starts have been quiet cool.  I fully expected to get wet but it never happened thankfully.  A few hours of riding brought me to the 37/37A junction.  My plan was to ride into Stewart and then cross into Hyder, Alaska to see the Salmon Glacier.  I stopped for a break at the gas station/shop at the Junction and pulled up next to a fully loaded 1200 GSA.  After taking care of business in the restroom I came back out to Lee who was the owner of the GSA.  He was on a month-long hall pass from his life in Seattle exploring the great white north – something he gets to do every summer.  He was also heading to Stewart so we agreed to ride together – beneficial for me as he has ridden this area many times.

We arrived into Stewart mid-afternoon after the amazing ride in on 37A.  Lee didn’t have plans for the night yet so while he checked availability at the King Edward Hotel, I went to check in at the B&B House Austria that I had reserved before I left New Hazelton.  Stewart is a tiny town with limited options so I wanted to be sure I had a place to stay.  Camping is always an option but camping in the cold and rain wasn’t appealing to me when I woke up that particular morning so pre-booked a sure thing.

I threw my duffel into my room and then re-joined Lee in front of the King Edward where we started our ride to the glacier.  The ride to Hyder is only a few kilometers and strangely there is no US customs crossing over – only Canadian customs coming back into Stewart.  I read where this is the only US border that is not protected by US customs and immigration.  Don’t tell Trump the Canadians are freely invading the town of Hyder, AK – population 87!

Soon after passing through Hyder the road turned to dirt for the 20 mile ride up to the glacier.  Again no shortage of amazing scenery!  Bubbling creeks, wide glacial rivers and snow-capped peaks around every turn.  The glacial viewing area boasts a commanding view overlooking the glacier snaking through the canyon.  There were also a half-dozen more glaciers peaking through other side canyons around the mighty Salmon Glacier – a pretty amazing area!  The dirt road continues about another 3 miles or so past an abandoned mine (reason for the road) to a wooden bridge crossing a creek.  This is where we turned around but the road continues off into the distance.  The bridge was as far as Lee had ventured in the past so we didn’t know where this unmarked road ends.  Hyder is water locked from the rest of Alaska so definitely doesn’t go anywhere resembling civilization.  On the way back past the observation area we ran into 3 more adventure bikes carrying 3 couples riding two up from Monterray, Mexico on a couple of BMW’s and a Triumph.  They were also staying the King Edward hotel in Stewart.  And then to top off the day I had my first bear sighting on the way down to Hyder.  A cub scampering across the road into the brush.  Up to that point had only seen the scat droppings along the road.

We returned to Stewart around 8:30pm and got to the restaurant at the King Edward just in time – they close at 9pm along with all the restaurants in Stewart.  The Halibut fish and chips were amazing!  We also ran into a couple of other ADVrider inmates Trasch and fjmartin in front of the Edward.  Trasch is heading south but fjmartin is on the way up so may ride with him for a bit as he is also solo.

If it was sunny I was planning to go back up to the glacier, but sadly it is still socked in.  I’m probably just going to head back to the Cassiar and continue north.  Hopefully I can get a second day of staying dry!

Obligitory bike with glacier pic…

Lee from Seattle…

Fellow moto travelers…

Today I rode the Yellowhead Highway (Hwy 16) towards the famous Stewart-Cassiar Highway (Hwy 37).  I was pretty much rained on throughout the entire day.  The worst came right when I left Prince George – it just opened up tropical style.  My wet streak is still alive – been rained on at least once every day on the bike so far.  All part of the adventure!

When the skies did open up the snow-capped mountain views were really nice. I also passed by several lakes beautiful and rivers – the Bulkley River was raging as it came into the narrow canyon just before Moricetown.  Tonight I opted for a hotel in a small town a few clicks before the Hwy 37 junction.  I was soaking wet with more rain on the way so didn’t feel like camping.  I’m also sleeping in a bed tomorrow night as I have booked a room in Stewart – which is right on the Southern Alaska border.  Hwy 37A into Stewart boast views of several glaciers – some that come very close to the highway.  I don’t plan to cross the border into Hyder – just do the out and back to Stewart and then continue to Cassiar on the 37.

Yesterday I did some bike maintenance – I attempted to seal up the oil leak w/ the Seal-All and cleaned out the air filter.  My gas mileage has been crap so I tried cleaning the filter and airing up the tires a bit.  Didn’t change a thing as today I still averaged only 16k per liter or 37.5 mpg.  Should be getting we getting around 21/50 + or – a few points.  The next culprit in line is most likely the carborator – much more difficult for me to deal with.  It doesn’t seem to be running rich but the fuel consumption is saying yes.  I’ll mess around a bit with the air/fuel screw and idle tomorrow after warming it up.  This current range will mean buying a fuel can for the gap between Coldfoot and Deadhorse in Alaska – something I had hoped to avoid by adding the 25L/6.6 gal. tank before I left.  Hopefully I can get the range up a bit before getting to Fairbanks.

Looking forward to the ride tomorrow – the reviews on 37 and 37A are pretty much calling for stupid good scenery.  Hopefully the weather will cooperate!

Little waterfall near the river…

Below is what I carried for this trip to Alaska.  For this most part, this is also what went on the previous two big trips – except the redundant items like parts tools, etc. were split between two bikes.  A bit more to pack and carry going solo.  I absolutely have items I will most likely not use in terms of parts, clothes, etc, but had them on hand and they were small enough to not affect volume much.

Helmet, BMW Rallye 3 Jacket, BMW Rallye 2 Pants, Sidi Canyon Boots, Klim Leather Gloves, Ikon Waterproof Gloves.

2 Pair Convertible Pants, 1 Pair Shorts, 2 Short Sleeve Synthetic T’s, 2 Short Sleeve Cotton T’s, 2 Long Sleeve Synthetic T’s, 1 Wool Long Sleeve T, 1 Long Sleeve Synthetic Collar, 1 Short Sleeve Synthetic Collar, 4 Socks, 4 Boxer Briefs

35/50 Degree Flip Sleeping Bag, Inflatable Sleeping Pad, Sleeping Bag Liner, Inflatable Pillow, LED Headlamp, LED Lantern, Soup Pot, Drinking Cup, Jack Knife, Water Filter, Water Purification Tablets, Head Mosquito Net, DEET, Bear Spray, Air Horn, Zip Ties, Koozie

Tool Kit, Tire Irons, Tube Patch Supplies, Jumper Cables w/ Lithium Battery Pack, WD40, Volt Meter, Oil Filters, Rope

MSR Stove, Fuel Can, LED Tail Light, Wheel Bearings, Brake Pads, O-Rings, Spare Bolts, Chain Master Link, Spark Plugs, Plug Socket

Garmin In-Reach, Sunglasses, Camera, Passport, Oil, Ear Plugs, Pressure Gauge

Not Pictured:  Nemo 2-Man Tent, Ground Cloth, Small Toiletry Kit, Small Camp Towel, Trail Shoes, Choco Sandals, Small First Aid Kit, Garmin Montana 600 GPS, Heated Jacket Liner, MacBook Pro, iPhone, 2000 Suzuki DR650