Alaska 2013

[Zwartie]

Dalton Highway here we come!


With the boys


I have proof!


This would be our "Long Way Round" shot


The mud was unbelievable!

Will need to clean this mess up when we're done!


Helping Chris get his bike back on the road.


Fortunately it's common for campgrounds to have a pressure washer so the campers can clean the dust and mud off their vehicles. I gave my baby a wash the following morning.


More to follow!

[bcguide]

   Any up dates?
If you can stop in Hudson's Hope I'll get the wife to make you a saskatoon pie

[Zwartie]

Sorry for the delay between the last post and this one. It's been a action-packed, fun-filled journey and I am now safe and sound at home in London, ON.  By the time we got to settle down in the evening I maybe had enough time to post a few pics on Facebook and only if we had WiFi which wasn't too often. Here's a summary. I'll post day by day (as much as I can recall, anyway)

Tuesday July 23:  This was one of our down-time days in Fairbanks. Jack took his GS to the local Harley/BMW dealership (great combination) for a tire change. Albert went into town to run some errands and I went on a mission to change the oil on my FJ. I really didn't want to spend $100 to get it done at a dealership and didn't feel like explaining to them how to do it on the bike as I have the spin-on adapter and with the V&H exhaust system the oil drain plug is inaccessible so I disconnect the lower-left oil cooler fitting instead. I went to the Fairbanks Wal-Mart Auto Center and asked the girl at the counter if I could change the oil in the parking lot outside the shop. Before I could finish with my explanation she stopped me and said that motorcyclists do this all the time and all I had to do was ask the guys at the shop for an oil catch pan and I could do it right outside the shop doors. So I bought some Shell Rotella synthetic oil and changed the oil right there. Jack stopped by and gave me a hand checking the level (I have no center stand) and commented that the dealership he was at had a sign outside saying that no oil changes were allowed in their parking lot. We both thought that was pretty shitty as there are a lot of motorcyclists that ride up to Alaska (lots and lots of GS's and KLR's) and often they are on a shoe-string budget. So the oil was changed and we were ready to go! Jack was on a quest for some Arctic Circle stickers or T-shirts and had been told to go to the Hilltop Restaurant just outside town as they may have something but no luck. We did stick around for a bite, though. Jack had breakfast and I stuffed myself with a huge slice of blueberry pie. After that we went into town to meet Albert and check out some souvenir shops but no luck. We were told that the best place for souvenirs is Wal-Mart (go figure) so back we went. Still nothing that specifically says "I was at the Arctic Circle" or something along that line. Back to the campground to get ready for the next big ride tomorrow – the Top of the World Highway!

Time for an oil change in Fairbanks. $24 at Wal-Mart beats $100 at a dealership any day!


Jack having breakfast while I attack a huge slice of blueberry pie a la mode!

[Zwartie]

Wednesday July 24: Fairbanks, AK to Dawson City, YT – 625km including 275km along the Top of the World Highway. Up to this point I thought we had seen it all in terms of stunning views and difficult roads. Fortunately I was mistaken. This was one of those rides that others had either warned us about or told us we cannot miss, or both. Let's just say they did not have the FJ in mind when they built the Top of the World Highway. We hit everything from smooth asphalt with big sweepers to rough tar-n-chip with potholes that can be seen from the International Space Station to hard-packed gravel to "road under construction" with baseball sized rocks to something that felt like a mix of gravel and quicksand. So much for keeping the bike clean. I spent most of the last 275km riding on the pegs and was really thankful for the RPM front fork upgrade and the rear shock rebuild from Protech suspension. I was also surprised that none of us ended up with a flat tire. Speeds ranged from 100 down to 20 km/h depending on road conditions and the three of us spread out which may have been for the best. Toward the end of the ride I was getting really proud of my off-road riding skills when I turned a corner to see some guy on a scooter, yes, a Vespa styled old piece of crap scooter fully laden with luggage riding the same shitty road in the opposite direction. I guess riding an FJ on the Top of the World Highway wasn't so special after all. We all met up at the US/Canada border which is the most remote border crossing I've ever seen and which we found out is only open from April to September anyway. Did I mention the scenic views? Breathtaking! We finally made it to Dawson City but not after having to cross the Yukon River on a small ferry that held maybe 8 vehicles max. The river was running fast and the landing area on the other side looked like a makeshift bank that was chipped away by Ewan and Charlie on the Road of Bones. Dawson City is an authentic Klondike town. If you get a chance to make it there, be sure to enjoy a meal at Klondike Kate's – great food!

Stopping for a break between Fairbanks and Tok


The one gas stop along the Top of the World Highway – in Chicken, AK. A very interesting little mining camp


Stopping for a break after some intense riding


Really glad it didn't rain as these roads could have gotten very messy!


Just before crossing back into Canada


It was like riding in a different world


...and the road just seemed to wind on and on and on...


Waiting for the ferry to Dawson City


Dawson City is a really cool town that takes you back to the days of the Gold Rush, complete with dirt roads and wooden board walks

[Klavdy]

Yay!
This is the best R/R for a very long time, please keep us updated.

[ribbert]

Love the reports, love the photos, but just where do you have to go over there to find a narrow road?

Noel

[FJscott]

Sounds like an incredible adventure ride. im green with envy. thanks for documenting and sharing with us. did you have any issues trying to find fuel on such a remote ride?

Scott

[Zwartie]

Thursday July 25: Dawson City to Whitehorse – 535km. This was the first day where we actually hit some wet weather. No problem, though – the Road Toadz raingear worked flawlessly as did the Alpinestars Web Gortex boots. Up to this point I believe my choice of riding gear has done the job nicely. The only thing I haven't had to make use of yet is my heated vest. That being said, we haven't hit any real hard rain so far – it's all been quite tolerable. We rode for a good 350km before stopping for a bite to eat at the Gold Panner Restaurant in Carmacks, YT. As we rolled in it was not difficult to spot 4 BMW GS1200's parked in front so Albert and I immediately knew that Jack would have to talk to the BMW "brethren". Until this ride through northern BC, Yukon and Alaska I had no idea so many GS's even existed. You see them here the way you see Harley's in the Midwestern US. Kind of annoying, really. Now don't get me wrong, think they are a great purpose-built machine. You love a GS the way you love a tractor – not for how it looks but for what it does. That being said, I think Jack's GS is actually not that hard on the eyes (but I did just start wearing glasses about a year and a half ago).  Between the GS and the GoPro camera mounted on his helmet, Jack's been quite the attention getter. It seemed as though everywhere we stopped someone would walk up and ask him about the bike or the camera, or both. And Jack is not shy so he would talk about each in great detail. Albert and I were beginning to feel neglected (sniff, sniff). So we walked into the restaurant and sat down as the 4 other riders were getting ready to head out. Jack talked to them for a bit and we found out they were from Montana. After a few minutes out in the parking lot one of them came back in the restaurant and walked over to our table only to ask "Who owns the FJ?" What, did I hear this correctly??? I looked and Jack and Albert and said Yessssss!!! Someone noticed my FJ!!! We all had a good laugh. The fella said he really likes the air cooled bikes. One point for the Blue Bunny!
We continued our ride and stopped for the night at the same campground in Whitehorse that we stayed at on the way up. We set up camp and then each of us had an errand to run. I believe Jack had to get a towel because he left his at the last campground and I had to get a couple 1157 bulbs – one for the rear and one for the front signal/marker lights. I went to the local Canadian Tire and on the way back to the campground thought I would stop in at McDonalds. While there I noticed a solo GS in the parking lot so I talked to the owner of the bike. Carl was from San Diego, 62 years old and had been on the road since April. I just assumed he was single but turns out he's married, has two kids in University and was on this trek as he was burnt out from too many years of working as a marketing executive. Guess he needed some time to recharge the batteries. I told Carl where we were camping so he followed me to the campground and checked in there as well. I introduced him to Jack and Albert and of course, Carl and Jack got into the obligatory "all things GS" discussion. Carl also shared some bourbon with us at the lounge area next to the campground office. One of the great things about this trip is the people you meet along the way, whether they be local or passing through. It seems as though few people in the far north are actually originally from the far north – everyone has a story to tell.

No, this is not a GS rally, just the parking lot outside the Gold Panner Restaurant


Yeah, that's an FJ1200 alright!


A quick pic with Carl


Jack and Carl having a GS talk. Is there a secret handshake?

[Klavdy]

Good onya Ben!
Well done mate.
Hey Mods, how about making this a "SDticky" and using it as a great example on how to write a ride report.

[racerman_27410]

Great ride report..... hard to beat a good adventure!   


KOokaloo!

[ribbert]

I did a trip last year and was starting to wonder if they had passed a law making it mandatory that only GS's were allowed beyond the city limits.

Funny thing with GS's, I ride a late model fully optioned one frequently, they are a real mile muncher and do everything brilliantly, which is why I guess the whole world copied them, but I don't want one. Never been able to put my finger on why.

I have had the opposite experience to Zwartie, much to the GS owner's disgust, the FJ is always the attention grabber.

Noel

[Firehawk068]

Aside from the mud........................I am insanely jealous!
Keep the ride report, and the pics coming!

PS......................I hate mud!

[rktmanfj]

Nice ride report, Zwartie!

Looks like your meticulous trip prep paid off...   

[Zwartie]

Friday July 26: Whitehorse, YT to Liard River Hot Springs, BC – 650km. We've been on the road for 3 weeks now. Where did the time go? Things that happened just a couple weeks ago seem like they were part of a completely different trip. Since about the third day of the trip I've had to remind myself or even check my phone to determine what day of the week it is – which is a good thing. The days have been long (in terms of daylight as well as riding) and we've always had a task to accomplish – get in so many km's today or get this or that task done. And there has always been the element of the unknown – you never know what's around the next corner or if/when something completely unexpected is going to happen. Which is what we expect. I would have it no other way and I am pretty sure that Jack and Albert feel the same way too. Today delivered on its promise of some cold and damp weather. A great day for putting the electric vest on under the raingear and jacket. I had debated about whether to bring it or not, especially when riding through the 38.5C heat in Wyoming but boy am I glad I found a place to stuff it in the luggage now! The rain held off long enough for us to make it to Watson Lake, BC which is where we made a stop at the signpost forest. There's something like 10,000 signs in the forest which apparently was started back in 1941 when a homesick G.I. put up a sign with the name of his hometown and it just sort of grew from there. Albert had some stickers that he had taken along for the ride showing his journey from Garmerwolde, NL to Anchorage so we stuck a couple of them in key places – on signs for other Dutch towns, of course. We stopped for fuel in Watson Lake and then headed on – and that's when the floodgates opened up and we got our first taste of a hard rain. It only lasted for a few minutes and then backed off to just a normal, annoying rain. Our destination for the day was Liard River Hot Springs where there is a Provincial Park and we were hoping to camp there. The Park has no facilities so fortunately there was a campground right across the road with showers and a restaurant so we set up camp there instead. The mosquitoes were in full force as we set up camp so we made good use of the mosquito nets that we had picked up in Vancouver – not pretty, but they keep the bugs from biting! After supper it was a walk over to the Provincial Park for a dip in the hot springs. There was a board walk leading to the hot springs and it was interesting to see trees with moss hanging off them that looked like it had no business being in Northern BC. Apparently there are also fish that are only found in that area as they have evolved to live in the hot water. Albert didn't bring his bathing suit and since there were families there he didn't want to scare anyone by going commando so it was just Jack and I and some of the other tourists and campers. Jack struck up a conversation with a guy from Yukon who had taken early retirement from the oil industry 20 years ago and now lives completely off the grid with his wife. He told us about how great it is to live in the Yukon and how much they enjoy winter camping – snowshoeing and tenting in -40C is not my idea of a good time, but then he may say the same about motorcycling to Alaska. The advantage of camping in the winter, you may ask? No mosquitoes, rain or bears to contend with!

At Johnson's Crossing, YT, at the start of the Canol Road – built by the US Government during WWII to have access to oil in the North.


The Sign Post Forest in Watson Lake


One of the signs where Albert left his mark


The only thing I could find with my name on it..sort of


Used Cows, anyone?


A well-deserved soak in the hot springs after a long day of riding

[Zwartie]

Saturday July 27: Liard River Hot Springs, BC to Dawson Creek, BC – 755km. It rained through the night as it's done before but as has always been the case at least to this point in the journey, it's never raining when we're packing up in the morning. Must be the clean living. Today is going to be another damp-cool day as the low hanging clouds indicate but thanks to the good 'ol Gerbing heated vest I'm nice and toasty. I do sometimes wish I had a variable heat controller instead of the on/off switch that I use which can make the ride seem somewhat menopausal at times. Apparently, this stretch of road is where the Buffalo roam, quite literally – or at least the Bison. I can't tell the difference and some say there isn't a difference. All I know is that they are huge and I have no intention of pissing them off. At first there would be one or two hanging around the side of the road but as we finished going through a few miles of road construction there was an entire herd lounging on and off the road. I would have liked to stop for a photo op but after sizing them up decided that the FJ is no match for an angry Bison. We've definitely gone through our share of construction today and our theory that all of the flag people on the highway construction sites in the north are female is still proving to be true. They also typically call the motorcycles up to the front of the line-up so that we're right behind the pilot vehicle. No complaints on either count. We stopped at the Toad River Lodge for a hearty breakfast and it wasn't hard to notice that the ceiling in the place was tiled with hats – we're told there are 8,000 hats in the place. And of course there were other motorcyclists stopped at the Lodge for a meal – mostly BMW GS's (go figure). We continued on to Dawson Creek, BC where we found a decent campground and got a bite to eat at a local diner. We also noticed two other bikes that rolled in and ended up camping beside our site – one guy on an early 2,000 BMW K1200LT and another on an early 70's Honda CB500. We didn't say too much to them that evening – just checked email, cleaned up and called it a night. Note to self – don't camp next to the main highway. At least it actually got dark by about 11:00. We're finally getting a little south!

The local wildlife. Apparently there are some 200 Bison in the region. We must have seen half of them


The pilot vehicle leads the way for us. Except for Jack, he got a bit impatient and started riding before he saw that there was a pilot vehicle on this site. Jack thought we may have gotten there before the crew started working so he decided to take off – or at least that's his story...


Here's Jack discussing the weather with the flag person. Either that or she has just finished asking him "is that a GoPro on your helmet or are you just happy to see me?"


Our usual pose waiting for construction


Anyone need a hat?


Outside the Toad River Lodge


Some dogs just can't be trained!