We left Deadhorse Tuesday morning with 40 degree temps and threatening skies. I was hoping not to have a repeat of the miserable ride in two days prior. After taking a one day break, the mozzies were back in full force. I couldn’t even lift my visor while fueling up on the way out. The road was further destroyed from two straight days of rain and we had heard rumors of snow on Atigun Pass. It only took about 20 minutes or so of riding before it started raining. Not a bunch, but just enough to distort the visor and make it difficult to see the potholes in the road. The skies looked a bit less dark to the south and after about 1.5 hours of riding the rain stopped and the sun started to break through.
By about 50 miles from Atigun Pass we were riding in sunshine and on reasonably dry roads. The Brooks Range was covered in fresh snow and the views were outstanding. It was difficult to see the beauty of this ride on the way up – clouds covered the range and the conditions were so horrible it was all you could to just concentrate on the road and not crash. But now we were able to look around, stop for postcard quality pictures and actually enjoy the ride. By the time we got to Atigun Pass the freshly melted snow was still visible on the shaded shoulders but had covered the peaks for a dramatic scene. Temps were still in the 40’s so most of the fresh snow was preserved. Now I see why people come up here to conquer this track of road. It’s pretty special on a sunny day.
Boreal Lodge in Wiseman was books so we stayed next door at the Arctic Getaway – a few cabins built around the historic house built-in the early 1900’s and owned by a German couple. The stay was great and we were served a breakfast of sourdough pancakes and eggs for breakfast on Wednesday morning. Picked up some more go juice in Coldfoot and ran into Lee in the restaurant by the fuel depot. The three of us rode the 265 miles back towards Fairbanks together. Lee picked up a piece of metal in his tire and it became a flat when he pulled it out. A quick plug and air up and we were on our way again. It is Lee’s second flat of the trip – a bit unlucky. I have yet to have a flat on any of my trips so far. Hopefully the streak of good luck continues for me!
Coming in two days earlier I had noticed a strange vibration on the bike in 4th and 5th gear. Once I got on smoother roads I could tell it was getting worse. We had planned to stay at the University dorms again but this time for two nights to have a day of bike cleaning and maintenance. Can’t beat the price of $35 per single room with dorm style shared bathrooms. Fairbanks, and Alaska in general is very expensive. Even the Super 8 in Fairbanks is $175 per night. The calcium chloride they put on the roads if very corrosive and our bikes and riding gear was literally covered in it.
We enjoyed a nice dinner and a celebratory beer at The Pumphouse in Fairbanks – first beer in 4 days as Deadhorse and Wiseman are both dry. Then early to bed as we were all a bit tired from all the riding on somewhat difficult roads. Thursday was to be a day off the bikes but there was a lot that needed to get done.
After a quick breakfast we were off to Autozone for oil and supplies, then to the car wash to spray down the bikes. I used over $20 in quarters to get the hardened calcium chloride clay off my bike. It now looks pretty normal except for where it had baked on to the header pipe and exhaust – probably will never come off there. We got back to the University and I changed my oil and filter in the parking lot. Then went on to checking the cause of the heavy vibrations. By the time I got to Fairbanks the day before it had got so bad my hands would get numb in minutes from holding the bars. The first thing I checked was the wheels and sure enough the rear wheel had a ton of side to side play – typically wheel bearing issues. I was carrying rear bearings so had the parts but didn’t really have the tools or confidence to tackle the job myself. I had assisted Ken a couple of times so had an idea of the process but decided to try to find a mechanic to do the job. Many travelers had used a local guy Dan who works out of his house just outside of town. I left him a few voice mails and he finally called me back around 5pm. He offered to come pick up the wheel and take it back to his shop and do the bearing job. By 9pm he was back with the fresh wheel and I was back in business. I couldn’t believe the guy makes house calls and only charged my $30 for the work – he refused to take any more than that. He even stuck around for another hour sharing stories about life in Alaska and motorcycle travelers he had helped. What a character and great guy he is!
It’s now Friday morning and we plan to head for TOTWH – Top of the World Highway billed as an amazing dirt road between Chicken and Dawson. Hopefully we have good weather as the views on a clear day are supposed to be amazing. I’m excited to get on the clean bike, hopefully with no horrible vibrations now.