The Denali Highway to Chitina

One of our best days of riding yet!

We awoke to a really pretty day.  The temps were in the upper 50’s, the sun was out and there was a zero % chance of rain.  We got a late start and grabbed coffee and a muffin at the local gas station.  Then we got on the Denali Highway and hit dirt and gravel right away.  Since there were huge mountains all around us, including Denali, we stopped to snap photos more than a few times.  I’ll go ahead and describe them as majestic, though I could throw a thesaurus at these stately mountains and still not do them justice.  Just amazing.  

We saw some other motorcyclists and RVs, though there was very little traffic on the 135-mile road. After 80 or so miles of smooth to rough road conditions, pavement appeared.  Old, poorly-maintained pavement full of deep potholes.  

We fueled up then ate at a Thai restaurant in Glennallen before heading south to the small village of Chitina. On the way, we saw a big moose and two blacks bears…one ran across the road ahead of us.  We checked into an old hotel, bellied up to the bar and called it a day.  

We rode close to 270 miles today.  

Chena Hot Springs to Fairbanks to Cantwell

 Denali! McKinley! Whatever you call it, it’s stunning.  

We left the hot springs refreshed and ready to ride.  The weather was nice and the ride was easy.  We arrived to Fairbanks within an hour and grabbed some chow.  Then WalMart for supplies and a stop to a car wash to spray down the bikes.  The Dawson mud —infused with calcium chloride—just refuses to come off.

We then headed south to the tiny town of Cantwell where the unpaved Denali Highway starts, running 135 miles east to Paxson.  En route, we rode through some truly spectacular mountains, with Denali always to our right. Beautiful snow-covered monsters   

We found a campsite right on the Denali Highway and set up the tents.  Steve had yet another bolt on his Africa Twin come loose and we quickly McGuyvered it. Boom! Fixed. 

We met several other riders in the camp and one of them rode with us to a nearby lodge for dinner…Taco Tuesday of all things.  Afterward, we sat around a campfire until almost 1am…it was still pretty light out.  

All in all, a really good day.  

Coldfoot to Chena Hot Springs

Well, the Dalton Highway was good to us today.  The road was dry and the sun was out.  Temps started in the 50’s and had reached the mid-70’s by the time we ended the day.  Fairly easy ride all the way down the road.  

We stopped for fuel and a break at the Yukon Crossing but really just pushed along hoping to reach the Chena Hot Springs by 5pm.  And we did.  

Just before the hot springs, we stopped along the road to watch a big moose grazing out in the middle of a pond.  Just beautiful. 

Two sore riders checked into the resort, grabbed beers in the bar, got out of our very dusty, very dirty riding gear and headed right for the springs.  

While the water was mostly 130 degrees, some of the areas where the springs come out are 150 or hotter.  The other guests were from all over the US, Alaska…and the rest of the world.   Everyone was chill and enjoying the laid back environment.  

Soaking in the hot springs, I felt the day’s fatigue fade away.  Sore muscles were no match for the healing waters.  

Aaaaaaaahhhhhhhhh……

Only 300 miles today.  

More to follow, including photos when the wi-fi is better.  

Recap: Prudhoe Bay! Arctic Circle, Coldfoot and Deadhorse.

Saturday:

We departed Fairbanks yesterday headed for the Arctic Circle for the ubiquitous photo. But just as we hit the Dalton Highway,probably about 100 miles before the Arctic Circle, Steve looked over and said, “I’m feeling it.” And by that I knew he meant we’re going to Prudhoe Bay—Deadhorse—on the Arctic Ocean. 

And so we did: We rode to the Arctic Circle, snapped the photo, then continued up to Coldfoot, which is about midway on the 500+ mile Dalton Highway…also referred to as the Hail Road. 

In Coldfoot, we fueled up it was the last time we’d be able to get gas for 240 miles. It was just after departing that the weather turned bad… and on the Dalton Highway, you shouldn’t be riding that road if the weather is bad…and it was really bad.  

The road, mainly dirt and gravel, turned to a slick mucky mud that cling to everything—bikes, riders and our gear.  Going was slow, mostly 2nd and 3rd gear.  Every once in a while there’d be a sign notifying us of “Rough Road Ahead” or “Motorcycles use extreme caution.”   Good info, thanks.  

Going over the Atiguin Pass was something.  Cold, rainy and the road wAs 3” of slick mud.  Pretty, though.  

The temperatures never got above the 40’s so that was nice.  

Long story short, we arrived to Deadhorse just before 10pm. No restaurant or other place to get food was open.  The only hotel was closed and a “work camp,” basically a small room with bathrooms down the hall for oil workers, was asking $215 a night.  We chose to tent camp outside of town and the guy at the desk warned us about bears.  “We’ve been seeing a lot of bears in that camping area.  Have fun, guys!”

It wasn’t fun at all.  As soon as we set up the tents, it began to rain.  What a combo: Cold and rain and mud.  All three were all over us.  

We curled up in our sleeping bags and called it a night.  Final mileage for the day: 528, the vast majority of that was unpaved.  

Sunday:

It was 44 degrees when I woke up this morning. We packed up our tents and other gear—mostly wet, like ourselves—and rode over though muddy streets to take the famous Deadhorse photo and buy a sticker.  And then we left town en route to somewhere south.  Kinda neat, we saw lots and lots of caribou and a small fox on the side of the road as we were leaving town. 

Not unexpectedly, the sun came out, the rain stopped, the rod dried up and the temperatures shot up the the balmy mid-50’s. A lovely ride.  

We came up in roadwork about 75 miles out of Deadhorse.  The lone sign girl asked us to turn off our bikes as it would be 45 minutes to an hour wait.  She then proceeded to tell us that two motorcyclists dropped their bikes while riding through the mud yesterday.  I’m conversation, we mentioned we hadn’t eaten since 4pm the previous day.  She promptly came back from her truck with sandwiches, juice, hard boiled eggs, donuts and carrot sticks.  Boom!  We didn’t even attempt to decline the offer but started scarfing it all down right away.  Very friendly, that sign girl.  

We were fortunate to make great time as we enjoyed a quite different view from the day before.  And by the way, those who say there’s nothing to see on the Dalton Highway—and I’ve heard that quite a bit—they just don’t know a thing about beauty because it is an absolutely stunning and scenic road: The mountains all snow covered, the streams and lakes, the trees… it’s just incredible, truly an amazing sight to see. 

Steve and I both had slight issues with our motorcycles:  The mud clogged my radiator and it was overheating; I had to find some water alongside the road and wash off the radiator fins so it will cool down.  Steve’s fork seals started leaking from all the bumps.  Neither is a major issue.  

We decided to make Coldfoot our final stop for the day. We pulled in by 4:30, fueled up, paid $14 for a shower and $27 for a buffet— that was quite good— talked to our fellow travelers, set up our tents and called it a night. 

We only rode 248 miles today.  

 

Fairbanks to Prudhoe Bay! Arctic Circle, Coldfoot & Deadhorse

It was a hard slog yesterday.  It started to rain outside of Coldfoot.  Temps stayed in the 40's the entire time.  Mud, mud, mud.  

We arrived before 10pm and gassed up ($8+ a gallon is very fair).  Rooms in a dorm were $215 so we tented outside of town.  We were warned there were bears about.  Saw a nice fox and some elk.  No bears yet.  

It’s chilly and still raining.  Will try to rustle up some breakfast and get going by noon.  

The plan was to ride to the Arctic Circle. Then, right at the Dalton Highway sign, Steve says, “I’m feeling it.”

No way! OK.  We’re doing it.  

So we are in Coldfoot, 240 miles from the Arctic Ocean, enjoying the ride.  

More to follow.  

 

Tok to Fairbanks

We awoke to a brisk and somewhat moist Tok. It was 46 degrees and we needed coffee.  We left the cabin a mess and rode down to a small diner to get breakfast: Mugfuls of steaming java, sourdough pancakes and reindeer sausage made for a great morning.  

We rolled out of the campground after speaking with fellow riders but without seeing Vanessa. 

The road to Fairbanks is only 200 miles and, like most of Alaska, was scenic. We had a few sprinkles of rain, and it was clear and in the 50’s all day.  Our heated grips were set to HIGH.  

We stopped by Delta Junction, about midway, to snap photos of the ALCAN’s terminus.  It’s hard to believe that we’d started the Alaska Highway only a week ago.  

There was road construction before reaching Fairbanks so we followed a pilot truck over miles of gravel.  That doesn’t count as part of the 1K miles of off-road riding we’ll be doing…

Out first stop was Trail’s End BMW, a motorcycle shop where our friend Brad used to work.  It’s not actually a BMW dealership as they service all sorts of bikes—even Harleys.  Steve needed a bolt for his exhaust and the service department just gave it to him.  

While Steve was dealing with the exhaust issue, I called and scheduled routine maintenance for my Beemer in Anchorage, as well as the ferry ride from Valdez to Whittier.  It appears both appointments will be tough to keep.  

From there we rode over to a Vietnamese place for huge bowls of pho.  Just perfect for a chilly day.  While we were eating, Steve booked a cabin in a ski area north of Fairbanks.  We rode over via some twisty-turny roads and checked in.  Again, these two old guys didn’t feel like tenting tonight.  

We broke out what whiskey remained, charged all of our devices, prepped our gear for tomorrow’s ride to the Arctic Circle and called it a night.  

234 easy miles for the day.  

Again, photos to follow as wi-fi just ain’t cooperating. 

Dawson to Eagle, Chicken and Tok

Thanks We left Dawson at about 9 o’clock yesterday morning and caught the ferry across the Yukon. Very  interesting and it only took about 10 or 12 minutes total including the wait. While on board the ferry, Steve saw a large animal— likely a moose— swimming all the way across. 

From there we got going on the Top of the World Highway where we rode among and across the tops of mountains overlooking other mountains. The Top of the World Highway is aptly named. 

It was a chilly day, mostly between 49 and 54 degrees  all day.  

After about 60+ miles of dirt road we came to the Poker Creek immigration checkpoint, referred to as, “The most northerly land port in the USA.”  The process was quick and easy and we were on our way in under a minute. 

Then, not too much longer, we veered north on a 65-mile dirt road that took us to the small village of Eagle right on the Yukon River. We filled up on gas, took a look around, got a bite to eat and got right back on the road. 

Eagle was a mission for me.  I wanted to leave something of my father’s there.  Like me, he was a traveler and we spoke of places we’d been and places we wanted to see.  He always wanted to see Canada and Alaska, and Eagle was a place he would’ve really enjoyed seeing.  I thought of him the entire way there and back.  

A quick 65 miles later we reached the highway. And still on a dirt road, we went another 30 or 40 miles over to Chicken. Note: I skipped this little town when I came through here in 2014 because it was too touristy for me.  And after one beer at their saloon, I was reminded of why I really didn’t care for this place. Yes, it has a lot of history and yes it’s very kitschy, but it just wasn’t for me.  On a positive note, we took a look at a large dredge from the late 1800s/early 1900s and we were on our way again. 

For those taking notes, we had done 233 miles and only three miles of that was paved.   

Shortly after leaving chicken we got onto a paved road, although it was just really terrible. I’d like to meet the joker who put up the sign that said, “Rough road next 4 miles,”  because he really should’ve apologized for the previous 200 miles of truly poor road.   

We rode another 75 miles into Tok, had dinner at Fast Eddie’s, and rolled over to Thompson’s Eagle Claw campground where I also stayed in 2014.  Vanessa was there waiting for us showed us to our cabin and turned on the woodfired sauna for us. We decided to stay in the cabins as there was a light rain we did not wanna unpack all of our gear.. so we just pulled our bikes up to a rustic cabin and did that for the night. 

Our overall mileage for the day was 333 miles. 

(Photos to follow…wi-fi issues)