Category: Alaska 2018

Friday morning we left Golden to light rain showers that turned into a steady rain by Revelstoke.  We arrived to the ferry dock at Shelter Bay to a 45 minute wait for the next boat.  The ride to the opposite shore was about 30 minutes across the smooth misty lake.  We were spared the rain during the wait and ferry ride but it started spitting again minutes after riding off.

The twisty roads to Nakusp were a bit wasted due to the wet conditions – had to be a bit cautious with the speeds.  Nakusp is a cool little village on the lake and is where we stopped for gas and lunch.  By the time we had finished lunch it had stopped raining and the clouds had begun to clear out.  Good news as there were more twisty roads in the route ahead!

The roads to Balfour were some of the best of the trip in terms of curves, snaking along creeks and then Kootenay Bay.  I enjoyed a delicious cherry tart from a small bakery near the dock during the 45 minute wait for the ferry at Balfour.  3A greeted us on the other side and traced the Bay all the way down to Creston.

We had booked a room at a motel just outside town earlier in the day when the weather looked dismal but it was sunny and warm when we arrived in Creston. We grabbed some dinner at an Indian restaurant in town and it was spicy and delicious!  Before leaving for dinner Cynthia stopped by on the way to meeting up with her friends Rosie and Vanessa camped just down the road.  She was on her first multi-day moto trip riding out from Cawston.

The next morning Joe and I met up with Cynthia and Vanessa (Rosie was working) for breakfast in town.  After breakfast Joe and I said our goodbyes and he headed east for Seattle – its been great riding with him over the past several weeks!

We supplied up at a local vegetable/fruit stand and headed out to the girl’s camp spot.  It was a great shady spot right along a rocky creek – and free!  The afternoon was spent lounging around the creek and playing dice games.  It is now getting dark around 8:30pm so tent sleeping is much easier – no blackout eyeshades needed anymore!

The next morning I said goodbye to the girls and pointed the motorcycle south towards Spokane.  The girls were headed to some hot springs near Nelson and then back to Cawston.  It was a bit sad knowing that this would be my last day on the bike.  By the time I reach Coeur d’Alene the temps were in the mid 90’s. By Spokane it was just under 100.  I reached the storage facility and my camper, de-rigged the bike and loaded up.  I found an RV park to stash the camper while I got a much-needed oil change on the truck.  Next stop is Colorado in about 3 days.  Then I will head back to Virginia to ditch the camper and pick up the BMW for a ride to Michigan and then through the northeast US and Canada.

We loaded up the bikes at 8:00am and it had just rained wetting down my bike but wasn’t raining when we left.  It looked like it could start raining any minute but the morning ended up staying dry.  It took about an hour to reach the Jasper park entrance and to our surprise it was only $10CAD each to enter.  The first stop was a pretty impressive river flowing through a slot canyon creating an impressive waterfall.  Then it was the famous Icefields Parkway and massive glaciers flowing over the mountains.  This road through Jasper reminds me of the ride through Torries del Paines in Chile – but much longer.  Beautiful snow-capped mountains and aqua blue glacial rivers flowing along the roadside.  Pretty amazing.

We stopped at Lake Louise and Lake Moraine in Banff and both were also amazing.  I definitely prefer Lake Moraine as it is a bit more low-key and much less tourist there.  Both lakes had lots of activity in the form of kayakers and stand up paddle boarders cruising around the lakes.  I think I need to come back to this area someday and explore a bit more.

We left Lake Louise for Golden and almost instantly hit a wall of cars.  We found out there was a multi car accident 25k up the road closing the road in both directions.  The electronic signs said to expect 6 hour delays to Golden which was only about 75k away.  We googled the only other route to Golden where we had booked beds in a hostel and it was about 200k to go around via Highway 93.  We backtracked to 93 only to find that road closed due to an out of control forest fire.  The guys blocking the road said that the original route to Golden on Highway 1 was now open but moving slow due to the backed up traffic.  So we then went back to Lake Louise to grab some dinner and hopefully wait for traffic to clear on the route to Golden.

An hour and a half later we jumped back on Highway 1 only to hit a wall of cars instantly.  My Central and South American training taught me to avoid waiting in traffic by any means possible.  In this case it meant running the shoulder – totally illegal.  So for the next 50k I ran the shoulder until traffic was moving normally.  My excuse if a cop pulled me over would be that my bike is air-cooled and would overheat in stop and go traffic (true fact).  We had to get to the hostel by 10pm as that was the advertised latest check-in allowed.  I rolled into the hostel at 5 minutes to 10 so mission accomplished.  Joe and I had become separated in the traffic but we arrived to the hostel minutes apart.

The Kicking Horse Hostel is owned by a hospitable Scottish woman who showed us the layout and to our bunks.  I chatted a bit with an interesting couple from Eastern Canada who were on a 14 day ride in BC.  They had also got caught up in the road closure in the opposite direction and had turned around and come back to the hostel for a second night.

Heading west tomorrow but have no idea the route or destination at this point – the way I like it!

Tuesday morning was fortunately a bit cooler than the previous morning and the skies were hazy with several fires burning in the area.  The destination was Prince George – only about a 445km ride.  I need to buy some oil for another change as I’m approaching the 4000 mile mark since the last change in Fairbanks.

I was feeling a bit rough on this morning – most likely due to the sketchy Chinese food I ate the night before.  Always trust your instincts.  The place was convenient as it was right next door to the place we were staying but didn’t give me a good cleanliness impression upon walking in.  I should have walked out but didn’t and am now paying the price.  First stomach issues of the trip.

The ride was about 20 degrees cooler than the day before at peak daytime heat.  The only challenge was the smoke in the air from the fires.  It was definitely stinging my eyes a bit as we rode.  We arrive in Prince George around 3pm and I walked to the auto store to buy some oil and a pan.  The parking lot of the motel where we were staying was a bit cramped and crowded so I opted to carry the supplies to the next stop and do the change there.  Dinner consisted of a grocery store deli salad as that was all I could stomach.  Prince George gives the impression of a sketchy town and the motel was in a sketchy area so I had to do a full de-rig of the bike – first time in ages and a PITA.  To bed early hoping I would feel better in the morning.

Wednesday morning was cool and partly sunny with rain in the forecast.  I geared up prepared for the first rain in over a week.  The destination was Valemount and only a short 3 hour ride.  Joe has decided to tag along for a couple more days before heading back towards Seattle.  He has been to Jasper but not Banff so decided to extend his trip.  The goal was to get within striking distance of Jasper NP and the Icefields Parkway.  All campgrounds and lodging in Jasper were booked or over $500 per night so staging 70 miles out was the only sane option.  I stayed dry until the last hour and then got dumped on.  Luckily it was only for about 20 minutes and then was able to dry out during last few miles into Valemount.  It started raining (and hailing) again just as we pulled into the motel lot.  So I took a nap and waited for the rain to stop so I could change my oil and filter.  The forecast was for clearing late after noon and it turned out to be correct.  By 4:30pm the sun was peaking through the rain clouds.  I changed the oil and filter, cleaned and oiled my chain and checked all the bolts for tightness.  Several had backed out again.  This bike vibrates a bunch and I’ve already lost two bolts to backing out during this trip.  Glad I checked and saved them this time.

I’m looking forward to tomorrow and the ride through Jasper and Banff.  Hopefully traffic would be too terrible in the park as we have to cover about 450k.  The destination for tomorrow after touring the parks is a hostel in Golden.  The forecast is again for rain but hopeful that the visibility will decent to get a glimpse of some of the glaciers.

Saturday’s ride out of Whitehorse was uneventful but I was happy to be on new tires and a clean(er) bike.  The skies were clear and the temps hot by late morning – probably in the mid-90’s.  We ended the day at French Creek for free camping once again after deciding to bypass Watson Lake.  This time we arrived in the early afternoon and had our pick of the sites.  Ironically we chose the same spot we had shared with the couple from Vermont in the Land Cruiser – it was the best site there.  The day was so hot and I had run out of water in my pack during the ride so had to filter from the creek for the first time on this trip.  Another Ramen with tuna dinner and to bed early.  We are now far enough south that there is actually some darkness at night.  I slept better this time at French Creek – the first time the cold temps exceeded my sleeping bags temp rating.

Sunday morning started out clear and warm so we knew it was going to be one of those days.  By mid-day it was in the 90’s again.  This stretch of the Cassiar is quite beautiful with snow-capped peaks rising from crystal clear lakes.  The cloudless blue sky reflects down to the lakes providing dramatic color.  We arrived to Bell II mid-afternoon and paid $30CAD for the tent camping area.  The cabins are $200 each – ouch!  There is nothing else out there so they can charge what they wish.  Bell II is a heli ski operation in the winter time and the lodge has tons of photos with guests cutting up sick powder.  This time of year it is just hot and dusty.  It was hard to get to sleep as it didn’t really cool off until after midnight.  I’m surprised how hot it is up here.

This morning we to the Junction and shot down 37A to Hyder to see if the salmon were running and the bears were out feeding.  The salmon were definitely upstream to Fish Creek viewing platform but the bears apparently were still down at the mouth and had not come upstream yet.  Bummer as I was hoping to get to see a grizzly bear.  I’ve seen tons of bears on this trip but all black bears.  The consolation prize was lunch at the Seafood Bus and halibut fish & chips – probably the best I’ve ever had.  Her husband catches the fresh halibut and the catch goes straight to the bus for Diane to cook up for the patrons.

The ride from Hyder/Stewart to New Hazelton was probably the hottest I have ever been riding a motorcycle.  Joe has a temp gage on his BMW and it read 101 degrees at the hottest point of the afternoon.  I soaked my shirt twice during stops to try to get some evaporative cooling going.  This helped for about 30 minutes and then it was back to the convention oven.  When we arrived at our destination in New Hazelton we just couldn’t bring ourselves to set up tents in the stupid crazy heat so we got a hotel room with A/C.  Best decision ever!

Tomorrow we will be in Prince George and probably part ways at that point.  Joe heading south back to Seattle and me towards Jasper and the famous Icefields Parkway.  It’s been great traveling with Joe over the last 3 weeks and has definitely helped the pocket-book when sharing a hotel.  I’m looking forward to visiting Jasper and Banff national parks in Alberta and hoping for good weather to see the beautiful landscapes.

We left Inuvik Wednesday morning with a 700km goal to get near the end of the Dempster before the rain started that evening.  We heard that it had rained heavily around Eagle Plains overnight so were not looking forward to that stretch.  The calcium chloride coated road becomes soup in the rain – no fun at all on a motorcycle.  My bike seemed to be running a bit better after having cleaned out the air filter the night before.  The day started out super dusty so it was likely that it would need to be cleaned again somewhere south of Dawson City.

Coming into Eagle Plains was a bit soft and slippery but nothing too crazy.  It was obvious that the area had received a lot of rain and the road had been recently graded.  We stopped in Eagle Plains to gas up and have lunch and this is where Tim decided to split – I could tell he was the type that didn’t like to take breaks, even for lunch.  We ran into some riders heading north despite the  forecasted rain – they were hoping to get up to Tuk and back to Inuvik that day which was a pretty crazy goal considering it was already 3pm and they had over 500km to Tuk.  We told them the last bit from Inuvik would take at least 3 hours in dry conditions.  We assume they continued north and hope they made it safely.

As we left Eagle Plains it was clear the clouds were building up in the south.  After about an hour it started to rain.  The positive part was that the wet roads cut down the dust – the negative was the roads became slick so we had to slow down a bit.  It was now a race to beat the heavy rain.  We rode past a recent land slide that had apparently closed the road earlier in the day to clear the debris.  The temperature had dropped by 30 degrees so we had to stop to quickly gear up for the cold wet weather.  Hard to believe it was 85 degrees just a few hours earlier.  We reached the campground but decide to carry on as it was still raining and we didn’t want to ride in the morning in potentially worse conditions and road.

By the time we got back down to Highway 2 at the start of the Dempster it was 10pm and the skies were clear to the south.  We rode another hour and a half towards Whitehorse before pulling off to camp after riding for over 15 hours that day.  I quickly set up my tent and went to sleep instantly as I was exhausted as well as relieved to be off that road before the weather got too ugly.  The rest of the way to Whitehorse is all paved minus the construction sections so Thursday would be an easy day.

I got up Thursday morning and was not really motivated to ride at all.  It was just one of those days – probably due to the huge day put in on Wednesday.  The riding was easy as promised but I had a hard time staying awake and really couldn’t wait to get to Whitehorse for a layover day.  We need to clean the corrosive calcium chloride off the bikes and do some needed maintenance.  As soon as we got into town we stopped by the Yamaha dealership to inquire about the needed parts and service.  Joe needed a chain and oil change and I needed tires.  This shop is known to assist travelers and they told us to come back first thing in the morning and they would try to squeeze us into the schedule.  We then went to the spray car wash to clean up the bikes and then back to the hotel to clean ourselves.  Found a good meal at a pub down the street and got to sleep at a decent hour.

We got to the shop on Friday morning about 15 minutes before their 8:30am opening and I already had my back wheel off and ready by the time they opened the doors.  By 9:30am they had done both tires and I had my wheels back on and ready to go.  Joe’s work took a bit longer but by 10:30am we were off and rolling.  While they were doing my wheels I had a chance to go over the bike thoroughly and noticed some strange wear on the chain.  Upon closer inspection, I discovered the aluminum chain guard was cracked and had been rubbing on the chain.  We stopped at Canadian Tire (kind of like a Walmart but better) and I picked up some hardware to do a makeshift repair to the cracked chain guard.  I also put the second bolt I had purchased in Fairbanks on the auxiliary light that had backed out the second time.  Checked the air filter and it was actually good due to the wet instead of dusty conditions the day before.  I also swapped to a 16T on the front sprocket – probably won’t be seeing much dirt for the next week or so.

The rest of the afternoon was spent having a kick ass sandwich at The Deli and touring the Klondike – a 240 foot river paddle wheel boat from the early 1900’s that serviced the mining operations along the Yukon River.  It had been restored and was dry docked next to the river.  Dinner for the night was Halibut Fish & Chips at Klondike Rib & Salmon – a touristy spot but delicious just the same.  Saturday we will push back down towards Watson Lake and most likely cross back into BC.  With the day of rest and all the work complete on the bike I’m feeling a bit more motivated to ride again!

Wow, a lot has happened in the last 4 days.  All nights have been camping with limited access to the internet so only just now with the chance to update.  It’s now Tuesday evening and we are safe and enjoying a hotel in Inuvik.  We still have 775k of the Dempster dirt to ride back down towards Dawson City so not completely out of the woods, but the forecast is to be fairly dry all day Wednesday.  At least the hard part is over – the part where multiple motorcyclists have had to been airlifted out with serious injuries and others with $700 flat-bed rides back to Inuvik getting after stuck in the mud.

So here’s a quick catch-up…  We left Fairbanks Friday morning to ride to Tok (not to be mistaken for Tuk in the NWT (the short for Tuktoyaktuk) and set up the stretch of roads around Top of the World Highway.  We had ridden this route on the way up but this time got some close up looks at several moose.  It was a nice day with no real chance of rain and easy tarmac all the way.  We camped the night in a cool spot – Thompson’s Eagle Claw Motorcycle Park and Rental Cabins.  It was a series of campsites for pitching tents and an eclectic mix of “cabins” consisting of a bus for the bunk house, several hand-made small cabins and an ambulance with a king bed inside.  Several motorcycle travelers that we had connected with earlier also ended up camping there so it was a bit of a reunion.  The owner/camp host was an interesting lady originally from Pennsylvania that had lived in Alaska the past 25+ years.  She got the campground in the divorce!

The next day after another breakfast at Fast Eddie’s (we had stopped for breakfast on the way through going north) we turned on to the Taylor Highway towards Dawson City, but our destination for the day was a side trip to the town of Eagle.  It is a historic site as it was a military outpost in the early 1900’s called Fort Egbert.  The road in is all dirt and the views were outstanding.  We also got to ride along a herd of Caribou that had taken over the road.  We ended up camping at the BLM site just past the fort.  After setting up a guy on a BMW 1200 pulled up and we shared stories of all just having competed the ride up the Dalton to Deadhorse.  He ending up throwing up a hammock at our site and is currently still riding with us.

We all got up Sunday morning with plans to ride the side track up to Forty Mile, a ghost town on the Yukon River.  It is only about 38k off the Top off the World Highway one way.  It had prime real estate at the confluence of the Forty Mile and Yukon Rivers back in the day.  The town is billed as the older town in Canada’s Yukon.  It was established in 1886 at the confluence by prospectors and fortune hunters in search of gold.  It was worth the two-mile hike in and out from the end of the road.  After crossing the border back into Canada we soon reached the turn off to Forty Mile.  The road was narrow with tight vegetation and I was constantly watching for animals to jump out in front of me but never saw a one.  The road was very nice for an unimproved road.  Lots of elevation changes and twists and turns.  After a short visit to the ghost town and some pics we were back on the bikes and heading across the Top of the World Highway for Dawson City.  The road certainly lives up to it’s name as you are riding up above the rolling hills.

Dawson City is across the Yukon river and there is no bridge at the highway so a short ferry ride is required.  The line was a bit long late in the afternoon so we waited about an hour to get across.  We heard there was a music festival in town over the weekend so we hoped would find a place to camp for the night.  Turns out that the town sectioned off the softball fields for free tent camping so we pitched along the concert goers.  Dawson City is a very interesting town with its own history.  Google it – pretty interesting.  We walked in and went to a recommended greek spot for dinner.  The Gyro and Greek Salad really lived up to the hype!

Somewhere over dinner it was mentioned that the weather was supposed to be dry up north for the next three days – something that has rarely happened this summer season above the Arctic Circle.  We thought about it and took a vote and made the call to make a run up to Tuk and back during the three-day weather window – 1100 miles of the Dempster Highway and basically all dirt.  The last 100 miles between Inuvik and Tok were just completed this spring – or so they say.  Those that have attempted it have said the last 25 miles or so are far from ideal and not quite finished.  Wet weather can turn the road into an impassable bog.  Many this year have been stuck and injured attempting the ride up.  We hoped the weather forecasted was correct.

We got up somewhat early and left the campground around 8am set for a long 450 mile day on all dirt.  The Dempster has a stunning landscape with 360 views.  The road itself is mostly in good shape except for the construction zones – albeit extremely dusty.  The dust clouds from a motorcycle are impressive and a semi creates a massive cloud that often requires stopping as it is impossible to see.  Two gas stops later we ended up at our campground around midnight to full on daylight and mosquitos from hell.  The mosquito head net was necessary and used.  The only thing that made them less annoying than the Alaska mozzies were that they were smaller.  But that also meant they could squeeze through holes between tent zippers.  A couple of them breached into my tent during the night and had to be assassinated after too many buzzes past my ear.

The next morning after getting attacked by mozzies again while packing up, we rode the short distance to Inuvik to gas up and grab a coffee.  The weather report was still forecasting dry conditions for Tuk but there were already dark clouds forming in the distance.  The rain luckily turned out to be just east of us.  We could see it falling off in the distance and hoped it wouldn’t head in our direction.  The winds were definitely coming out to the east so it was a possibility.  The  final piece of the road connecting Inuvik is about 95 miles  and in questionable condition.  There was obviously excessive gravel thrown on to cover up the defects and get the road open.  The problem is that under the gravel is soft dirt so makes for some interesting riding.  You never really feel stable for most of the 95 miles.  I can see how people were blowing up in wet conditions.  It would have been horrible and I would never attempt it in the rain and wet.

We covered the distance in about 3 hours with nobody coming off their bike.  Joe did have a close call when he got into the deep stuff in the shoulder but kept it upright.  Tuk is right on the Beaufort Sea – and technically the Arctic Ocean.  Lots of mosquitos up there too – downright brutal.  We got our pics, stickers and muskox burgers and turned around and rode back down to Inuvik without incident.  I arrived back to Inuvik tired, sore and relieved to have that section over with.  We checked into the Mackenzie Hotel, took much needed showers and even got laundry done.  I cleaned out my air filter that was clogged with road grime.  The calcium chloride had hardened onto my filter.  I’ll most likely have to clean it again after this next 450 mile stretch.  It’s 1:00am as I finish this post and it’s still full on daylight outside.  Hope the blackout curtains in the room are good!