Stickers: I have quite a collection of stickers started on all my luggage on the bike. I figure if I ever sell the bike, the luggage is so banged up, it might actually look better this way, so I am indulging. I have seen a few other motorbikes on the trip with stickers. It is typically just one or two, artfully placed. In contrast, my panniers and tail case look like a 13 year old girl's notebook. Whatever, it's how I like it!
Pit Toilets: I know, everyone likes a good pit toilet, right? Well, here's the deal. Most of them have signs to close toilet lid and door when one is finished. Most people seem incapable of doing these things, yet are totally grossed out by the toilets. Okay, no one really wants to touch one, but they work on a very simple venting system that will draw fresh air in, across all the refuse, and fit up into the building if the seat is left up. Well, that smells nice! Thanks. If it is closed, the turbines on the top of the vent tube can work properly and vent it to the outside, keeping it reasonable inside. The other thing is the door. How hard is it to close the door, and latch the outside if one is provided? Oh right it's not! And quite frankly, I hate walking up to ones with open doors, wondering if there will be a swarm of mosquitos, a raccoon, or in this area a GRIZZLY, waiting inside for me. So please, for all our sakes, CLOSE THE LID AND THE DOOR!
Poo: Keeping on my Mom's favorite thing (uh, no, not really), let's talk about poo. It has become quite important to us and our survival while out in the wilderness. Being able to determine what poo belongs to what critter (and whether it is fresh or not) helps us keep an eye out. The wolf and grizzly bear are the least of the worries. Apparently you treat the former as a bad dog, and just talk to the grizzly. Even if the grizzly's charge turns into an attack, they just want to play with you. The black bears are the ones to watch out for, as they want to kill you. So, when a guy driving by us the other night mentioned he saw a new bear sign that day that hadn't been there before (and I thought, "oh, a bear must have been spotted and a ranger put up a sign," Josh asked what kind of sign and we were told poo. Right. Glad I kept my mouth shut! We saw it later, and not only was it fresh, but it was about 50 yards from our campsite. We were extra cautious that night. We've also kept an eye on moose poo, cuz they are super protective of their new babies right now and will trample you to death. That doesn't sound fun to me. Tonight we are going to experiment with moose poo as fire pellets.
Mileage: As of leaving Talkeetna on Thursday, June 7, we have put more than 5000 miles on for this trip. Pretty sure that is more motorcycle miles than I have done in my whole motorcycling life. The roads tend to have little traffic, with the majority of it being big trucks and locals. However, the further south we got, we ran into more and more tour/cruise company buses, and a hugely increasing number of RVs. For the most part, people are good drivers up here, with the locals wanting to drive faster than everyone else, and the RVs driving slower. I will say that each time we have been annoyed with someone driving a car, it has had Texas plates. And there are a few RV drivers who think they own the road and will pull out in front of us on a highway, forcing us not to slam on the breaks, but decrease our speed very quickly. That is getting old pretty quickly. We aren't in the southern portion very long though, so we'll see what the next few days bring.
09 June 2012
Talkeetna
Our friend Robin Appleton lives in Talkeetna in the summer. We work together in Denver, and when she is done with her contract, she loads up her two dogs, Bailey and Chuey, and spends six consecutive days driving up to Talkeetna. She spends her summer months in an awesome log home that she designed and built, and she welcomed us for a couple of nights to rest, relax, shower, do laundry and check out the sights of Talkeetna.
Bailey, in the chair, and Chuey! They've got tough lives!
We arrived in the afternoon of June 5, just as Venus was making a pass between us and the sun. The Talkeetna rangers were in the park with the solar glasses to watch it happen on one's own, and a simple contraption that allows several people to see it at once. The occurrence will not happen again in our lifetime, and to be honest, we thought we had already missed it. Josh was especially excited to see it happen, and then run off to the brewery!
That night we headed to the bar with a number of locals, and a large number of climbers just down off the mountain. Talkeetna is the jumping off point for most climbs on Denali, with climbers regularly being flown up to land on a glacier and hike their way to base camp. They spend a couple days getting acclimated, and then about three weeks making the ascent, descent, and flight home. When they are done, they seem to be ready for a beer. In fact, most seem so ready for a beer, that they head straight for the bar when they get off the plane. Yup, the bar is alive with the scent of unwashed mountain climbers. It hits you full on when you walk in, and the really scary thing is that about ten minutes later, you realize you have become accustomed to the smell.
The next day, planned bike maintenance day, it rained. Shocker! We read, watched a movie, and played with the dogs. In the afternoon, it finally stopped so Josh went out and did oil changes. Robin got home and we eventually all headed out to her friend Chip's house, where two bands from Seattle had come up to play for his party that evening. That night was locals only, except me and Josh, and we had a great time talking with lots of new people.
Thursday morning dawned full of sunshine. We had a fantastic breakfast at the Roadhouse, walked the river, and then Robin took us up to the lodge to see the view. It was AMAZING! The lodge itself was quite beautiful also, and I would recommend anyone wanting to stay in Talkeetna to stay there. At least early in the season as I expect it is insanely crowded during high season.
We left that afternoon, thanking Robin for her hospitality. It was such a nice stop. It was nice to have a bed, and nice to be able to do laundry, but it was really great being able to meet locals and see what they do when the tourists aren't looking!
We arrived in the afternoon of June 5, just as Venus was making a pass between us and the sun. The Talkeetna rangers were in the park with the solar glasses to watch it happen on one's own, and a simple contraption that allows several people to see it at once. The occurrence will not happen again in our lifetime, and to be honest, we thought we had already missed it. Josh was especially excited to see it happen, and then run off to the brewery!
That night we headed to the bar with a number of locals, and a large number of climbers just down off the mountain. Talkeetna is the jumping off point for most climbs on Denali, with climbers regularly being flown up to land on a glacier and hike their way to base camp. They spend a couple days getting acclimated, and then about three weeks making the ascent, descent, and flight home. When they are done, they seem to be ready for a beer. In fact, most seem so ready for a beer, that they head straight for the bar when they get off the plane. Yup, the bar is alive with the scent of unwashed mountain climbers. It hits you full on when you walk in, and the really scary thing is that about ten minutes later, you realize you have become accustomed to the smell.
The next day, planned bike maintenance day, it rained. Shocker! We read, watched a movie, and played with the dogs. In the afternoon, it finally stopped so Josh went out and did oil changes. Robin got home and we eventually all headed out to her friend Chip's house, where two bands from Seattle had come up to play for his party that evening. That night was locals only, except me and Josh, and we had a great time talking with lots of new people.
Thursday morning dawned full of sunshine. We had a fantastic breakfast at the Roadhouse, walked the river, and then Robin took us up to the lodge to see the view. It was AMAZING! The lodge itself was quite beautiful also, and I would recommend anyone wanting to stay in Talkeetna to stay there. At least early in the season as I expect it is insanely crowded during high season.
We left that afternoon, thanking Robin for her hospitality. It was such a nice stop. It was nice to have a bed, and nice to be able to do laundry, but it was really great being able to meet locals and see what they do when the tourists aren't looking!
07 June 2012
Beautiful Denali National Park
We took tons of pictures in Denali Natl. Park, but all of them on the real cameras. They will all be posted at the end of the trip!
Seventy percent of park visitors never get to see Denali. The tallest peak in North America is usually so socked in with clouds that it can't be viewed from the park. Well, we registered for our campsite at the entrance and about three miles into the park, the clouds parted and there it was--beautiful Mount Denali.
That was the start of three great days in the park. We camped at Savage River Campground and the first day hiked all around the eastern part of the park. We also went to the dog kennels to play with the dogs and watch the demonstration. Muddy is a beautiful dog from the River litter who is retiring. I love him. I could really go around this state and collect retiring mushing dogs!
We visited the 49th State Brewery on the way to the park and were told we had to go to the Denali Salmon Bake. So, in a raging downpour (cuz it's not a day of riding for us if it doesn't rain...) we rode out to the town for a late dinner. It was fantastic! If you visit the park, go have dinner there and have the Cedar Plank Salmon. Yum!
We took one of the shuttles into the park looking for wildlife and learning about the park. With few exceptions, individuals are not allowed to drive more than 15 miles into the park. One has to pay to take a shuttle which seems to be a little controversial among visitors. Quite honestly, after driving through other national parks, I am happy to sit back and let someone else do the driving, while I get to look around. But more than that, I am so happy to not drive behind a huge line of vehicles driven by tourists who stomp on the brakes in the middle of the road when they see a mule deer half a mile in the distance. It cuts way down on idiots on the road. I suppose it raises the number of idiots on the bus, but we had great people on our bus who were having a great time looking for critters.
We had the driver drop us off at another spot to hike and we spent the rest of the afternoon hiking out and finding a glacier we didn't know we would see and spying on arctic ground squirrels.
The park is not to be missed. It is gorgeous! The changing scenery, every time you come around a turn, something new comes into view. I could have stayed there for weeks, except by that time the mosquitoes would probably have been numerous to eat me alive. So, as all good things must, it came to an end. The next day as we drove out of the park we saw a big moose on the side of the road. We dropped a couple of postcards at the post office and were on our way to Talkeetna for three days!
Seventy percent of park visitors never get to see Denali. The tallest peak in North America is usually so socked in with clouds that it can't be viewed from the park. Well, we registered for our campsite at the entrance and about three miles into the park, the clouds parted and there it was--beautiful Mount Denali.
That was the start of three great days in the park. We camped at Savage River Campground and the first day hiked all around the eastern part of the park. We also went to the dog kennels to play with the dogs and watch the demonstration. Muddy is a beautiful dog from the River litter who is retiring. I love him. I could really go around this state and collect retiring mushing dogs!
We visited the 49th State Brewery on the way to the park and were told we had to go to the Denali Salmon Bake. So, in a raging downpour (cuz it's not a day of riding for us if it doesn't rain...) we rode out to the town for a late dinner. It was fantastic! If you visit the park, go have dinner there and have the Cedar Plank Salmon. Yum!
We took one of the shuttles into the park looking for wildlife and learning about the park. With few exceptions, individuals are not allowed to drive more than 15 miles into the park. One has to pay to take a shuttle which seems to be a little controversial among visitors. Quite honestly, after driving through other national parks, I am happy to sit back and let someone else do the driving, while I get to look around. But more than that, I am so happy to not drive behind a huge line of vehicles driven by tourists who stomp on the brakes in the middle of the road when they see a mule deer half a mile in the distance. It cuts way down on idiots on the road. I suppose it raises the number of idiots on the bus, but we had great people on our bus who were having a great time looking for critters.
We had the driver drop us off at another spot to hike and we spent the rest of the afternoon hiking out and finding a glacier we didn't know we would see and spying on arctic ground squirrels.
The park is not to be missed. It is gorgeous! The changing scenery, every time you come around a turn, something new comes into view. I could have stayed there for weeks, except by that time the mosquitoes would probably have been numerous to eat me alive. So, as all good things must, it came to an end. The next day as we drove out of the park we saw a big moose on the side of the road. We dropped a couple of postcards at the post office and were on our way to Talkeetna for three days!
The Dalton Highway!
The Dalton Highway began as a dirt road, closed to the public, and open only to people working on the pipeline. It's sole purpose was to provide a way to get people and supplies to any part of the pipeline at anytime. It was simply known as the "haul road" then. Eventually they began paving parts of it, and later it was open to the public. This road, about 422 miles long and beginning 80 miles outside of Fairbanks, has become the Mecca for dual sport motorcycle riders touring North America.
The start of the Dalton Highway
Our original plan had been to take four days to ride up and back. The miles aren't super long, but large portions of the road are dirt/gravel, and the speed limit is 50mph the whole way along. At the end of the road is a town (and I use that term very lightly) called Deadhorse. That is as far as one can go unaccompanied by oil company security. For about $50, a shuttle will take a group of people to Prudhoe Bay to see the Arctic Ocean and dip their toes in. The shuttle is very strict about where they can and cannot go, as even the oil workers are not allowed onto the tundra. They may only use the road along the pipeline and the roads that go from the highway to the pipeline.
About a week in to the trip, we started discussing whether we wanted to drive the road at all. We finally decided we wanted to get to the Arctic Circle, about 120 miles north on the road. There is a campground there, and we thought we would ride there, take the pics we wanted, camp and ride back. We thought we would use the extra two days to spend a little more time in Fairbanks and add a day to Denali National Park.
The weather was great the day we rode up the highway. We were quite thankful for that, since we seem to have been hitting rain, at least a little, every single day since Lake Louise. Once getting used to the dirt road, it wasn't too bad. In fact, when it turned back to pavement for a few miles, it was so potholed and full of frost heaves, we were wishing we could have the dirt and gravel back! Josh sometimes calls back to me problems in the road, "pothole on left" or "rough road on right." Rough road? I guess you could call it that. Nature was basically trying to take back the road, or it was just falling off the side. I guess one could refer to it as rough.
We stopped at Yukon Crossing, about 56 miles into the highway, and were talked into going 60 miles past the Arctic Circle to the town of Coldfoot, and then camping five miles further on at Marion Creek Campground. It wound up being a fantastic ride with amazing views of mountain range after mountain range.
Standing at the Arctic Circle: We had to shed layers up there as it was the warmest day of the trip thus far!
The next morning, we stopped back in Coldfoot to gas up and get a cup of coffee. We met two motorbikes who had camped there on the way back down. One was on a 1200GS, and one was on a KLR. They had gone all the way up and said the last 35-50 miles was brutally cold. It seemed to be a sign that we made the right decision. I was glad for that because that morning, I stood there in our campsite thinking maybe we should go the rest of the way. It just sort of called to me. But, even now, I think we made the right decision and spending the extra days doing and seeing other things was great.
The END of the Dalton Highway!
Our return trip was a little more rough than the day before. Weather did not cooperate, and we got rained on. A lot. And we all know what happens when rain mixes with a dirt highway. MUD! We got a little dirty, and I got some experience riding in mud! There was a little calcium chloride left on the road from the previous storm, but they hadn't laid down more. This chemical does two things: The chemical holds the dirt road together when it rains, (which is a pretty important feature) and makes it incredible slippery. (which sucks) If you're on a motorbike, it makes the dirt stick to your chain and sprockets. My bike was making horrible clunking sounds and we had to stop a couple times to try and clean it and re-tension the chain. It also seems to have taken out Josh's horn. (But it was a Stebel horn and seeing as how they don't seem to be particularly reliable, who knows what the real cause was.)
For us it meant the road was a little slippy,but not too bad, and the mud that got on the bikes held together really well and was difficult to clean off. We slowed our speed a bit and kept on moving, pulling over and letting working vehicles which wanted to go faster than us pass. The rules of the road are pretty simple up there. The trucks own the road so pull over or stop to let them go by, knowing they may throw rocks as far as 30 feet that will crack your windshield. Don't wander off the road and go out to the pipeline. If you want pics with it, there are plenty of places where you can drive up to it or under it to take them. Take two full size mounted spare tires. Getting a flat out there is likely and the road is narrow. You don't want to have to be fixing a flat for more than the few minutes it takes to take a wheel off and put another one on--see what I said above about rocks thrown from trucks. Also, there are really no services other than Colfoot and Wiseman (which are 20 miles apart) once you leave Yukon Crossing.
Before leaving on this trip, I read everything I could about this road. Info from the state and pipeline, people's blogs about riding, and tour brochures. We realize we got really lucky and our planning worked for us. We had a great experience and an awesome ride. We met nice people--chatted with people in the cafe and the visitor's centers-- saw some beautiful scenery and learned a bit about the history of the pipeline.
I highly recommend this trip to anyone on a dual sport motorbike. On the other side of that, I would NEVER want to make that trip in a car, much less an RV. The road is rough on four or more wheeled vehicles. Plan well and give yourself some bumper days on each side of the trip for inclement weather. I can see how it is a dangerous road when it is raining heavily. Try for dry days and you'll have a blast like we did!
Our original plan had been to take four days to ride up and back. The miles aren't super long, but large portions of the road are dirt/gravel, and the speed limit is 50mph the whole way along. At the end of the road is a town (and I use that term very lightly) called Deadhorse. That is as far as one can go unaccompanied by oil company security. For about $50, a shuttle will take a group of people to Prudhoe Bay to see the Arctic Ocean and dip their toes in. The shuttle is very strict about where they can and cannot go, as even the oil workers are not allowed onto the tundra. They may only use the road along the pipeline and the roads that go from the highway to the pipeline.
About a week in to the trip, we started discussing whether we wanted to drive the road at all. We finally decided we wanted to get to the Arctic Circle, about 120 miles north on the road. There is a campground there, and we thought we would ride there, take the pics we wanted, camp and ride back. We thought we would use the extra two days to spend a little more time in Fairbanks and add a day to Denali National Park.
The weather was great the day we rode up the highway. We were quite thankful for that, since we seem to have been hitting rain, at least a little, every single day since Lake Louise. Once getting used to the dirt road, it wasn't too bad. In fact, when it turned back to pavement for a few miles, it was so potholed and full of frost heaves, we were wishing we could have the dirt and gravel back! Josh sometimes calls back to me problems in the road, "pothole on left" or "rough road on right." Rough road? I guess you could call it that. Nature was basically trying to take back the road, or it was just falling off the side. I guess one could refer to it as rough.
We stopped at Yukon Crossing, about 56 miles into the highway, and were talked into going 60 miles past the Arctic Circle to the town of Coldfoot, and then camping five miles further on at Marion Creek Campground. It wound up being a fantastic ride with amazing views of mountain range after mountain range.
The next morning, we stopped back in Coldfoot to gas up and get a cup of coffee. We met two motorbikes who had camped there on the way back down. One was on a 1200GS, and one was on a KLR. They had gone all the way up and said the last 35-50 miles was brutally cold. It seemed to be a sign that we made the right decision. I was glad for that because that morning, I stood there in our campsite thinking maybe we should go the rest of the way. It just sort of called to me. But, even now, I think we made the right decision and spending the extra days doing and seeing other things was great.
Our return trip was a little more rough than the day before. Weather did not cooperate, and we got rained on. A lot. And we all know what happens when rain mixes with a dirt highway. MUD! We got a little dirty, and I got some experience riding in mud! There was a little calcium chloride left on the road from the previous storm, but they hadn't laid down more. This chemical does two things: The chemical holds the dirt road together when it rains, (which is a pretty important feature) and makes it incredible slippery. (which sucks) If you're on a motorbike, it makes the dirt stick to your chain and sprockets. My bike was making horrible clunking sounds and we had to stop a couple times to try and clean it and re-tension the chain. It also seems to have taken out Josh's horn. (But it was a Stebel horn and seeing as how they don't seem to be particularly reliable, who knows what the real cause was.)
For us it meant the road was a little slippy,but not too bad, and the mud that got on the bikes held together really well and was difficult to clean off. We slowed our speed a bit and kept on moving, pulling over and letting working vehicles which wanted to go faster than us pass. The rules of the road are pretty simple up there. The trucks own the road so pull over or stop to let them go by, knowing they may throw rocks as far as 30 feet that will crack your windshield. Don't wander off the road and go out to the pipeline. If you want pics with it, there are plenty of places where you can drive up to it or under it to take them. Take two full size mounted spare tires. Getting a flat out there is likely and the road is narrow. You don't want to have to be fixing a flat for more than the few minutes it takes to take a wheel off and put another one on--see what I said above about rocks thrown from trucks. Also, there are really no services other than Colfoot and Wiseman (which are 20 miles apart) once you leave Yukon Crossing.
Before leaving on this trip, I read everything I could about this road. Info from the state and pipeline, people's blogs about riding, and tour brochures. We realize we got really lucky and our planning worked for us. We had a great experience and an awesome ride. We met nice people--chatted with people in the cafe and the visitor's centers-- saw some beautiful scenery and learned a bit about the history of the pipeline.
Fairbanks
After we left Tok, we headed for Fairbanks. We were there for one night before heading up the haul road, now known as the Dalton Highway. When we were done riding that highway--it is an up-and-back road--we stayed Chena Hot Springs for a night, and then stayed the next night in the same place we did the very first night we had been in Fairbanks.
This whole part of the trip marks some very special points of the trips. Part of that was riding the Dalton Highway, which I will tell you all about in a separate post. Another special part of this is where Josh and I stayed the first and third nights in Fairbanks. Before leaving on the trip, Josh and I went to couchsurfing.org and checked several of the cities we would be staying to see if the was anybody around to host a couple of couch surfers. If you don't know about couch surfing, look it up. It is a great community of travelers/hosts, kind of along the lines of exchange programs. It offers travelers a place to stay, while being able to meet new people, and even join in the local doings. Josh and I listed our house as having an empty sofa, and in the past we have had someone from Vienna, and someone from Philadelphia stay with us.
This time, we were looking for someone in Fairbanks we could stay with. We found Melissa and Tom Kurkowski. About eight years ago, they moved from Wisconsin to Fairbanks for Tom to do his master's degree work at the University of Alaska, Fairbanks. They fell in love with the area and stayed! (By the way, this seems to be a popular idea.) We really enjoyed our first night with Tom and Melissa and their two rescue Alaskan Huskies, Elka and Wader. Melissa made us a fantastic dinner of halibut with potatoes and asparagus, and as we were finishing eating outside, their neighbor Brandon came over and had dessert with us. We sat outside for a while longer (because of the long daylight, it is SO hard to tell what time it is!) and finally all turned in. They invited us to stay with them again when we returned, and we said we would love to.
Melissa, Tom, Wader, and Elka!
Our last night in Fairbanks, we drove in from the Hot Springs, spent half an hour at the BMW dealership trying to get my new speedometer/ABS sensor, and then met Melissa downtown for First Friday Fairbanks. We ran around historic downtown, ducking into art galleries and out of the rain. We had little snacks and saw a lot of local Alaska art. I really enjoyed seeing the art and talking with a few of the artists who all seem to be transplants from the lower 48. We ended the tour at the community history museum where they had an entire room dedicated to the state sport of dog mushing. I am totally hooked by the way. I'll be looking for an Alaskan Husky rescue when we get home!
We picked up Tom and had dinner at Silver Gulch brewery, tasting a range of their brews, and went back to give the dogs some love and crash for the night. The next morning, Melissa and I walked the dogs, coming across a number of runners doing the Two Way Torture Run. Doesn't that sound like something you want to sign up for? Actually, my cousin Seth probably would. Tom made fantastic whole wheat and Alaska blueberry pancakes, and we finally said we needed to be moving on. We would have loved to stay with them for a much longer time. They were such fun people, and we are so grateful for the chance to stay with them and get to know them.
The night before our last night in Fairbanks, after we came down off the Dalton, we stayed one night at the Chena Hot Springs, correctly assuming our battered joints could use a soak. The campground wasn't anything great, but we put up the tent, had some dinner and made our way to the soaking pools. They have a natural stone pool which is huge and super hot outside. It is also ONLY for grownups. Bonus! Watching the moose come down out of the hills to feed while we were soaking was awesome!
The next morning we were able to use all the water we needed to clean the mud off our poor motorcycles, and get all the moving parts moving properly again. Then we had a chance to go to the dog kennels and visit with the 80 or so dogs they currently have. I was,of course, in love with most of them. In fact, I really wanted to take Skip, a retired and adoptable dog, home with me. No really, I WANT HIM!!! The girl who was there feeding them was great, giving us a lot of historical info on the dogs and the sport, as well as relating hilarious stories about tourists who just dont know how to deal with dogs!
We had a late lunch in the restaurant there. The night before, while in the soaking pool, I overheard a group of women talking about how great the food was. We ordered smoked salmon burgers (yum!) and clam chowder (double yum!). Earlier that morning, while spending close to three hours cleaning off the bikes, we smelled breakfast cooking. We missed breakfast time, but the menu looked really great.
By the end of that visit, we started thinking about returning in the winter (yes, it is open all year round) and staying for a few days to soak and take in the Aurora Borealis. We would fly for that trip....
This whole part of the trip marks some very special points of the trips. Part of that was riding the Dalton Highway, which I will tell you all about in a separate post. Another special part of this is where Josh and I stayed the first and third nights in Fairbanks. Before leaving on the trip, Josh and I went to couchsurfing.org and checked several of the cities we would be staying to see if the was anybody around to host a couple of couch surfers. If you don't know about couch surfing, look it up. It is a great community of travelers/hosts, kind of along the lines of exchange programs. It offers travelers a place to stay, while being able to meet new people, and even join in the local doings. Josh and I listed our house as having an empty sofa, and in the past we have had someone from Vienna, and someone from Philadelphia stay with us.
This time, we were looking for someone in Fairbanks we could stay with. We found Melissa and Tom Kurkowski. About eight years ago, they moved from Wisconsin to Fairbanks for Tom to do his master's degree work at the University of Alaska, Fairbanks. They fell in love with the area and stayed! (By the way, this seems to be a popular idea.) We really enjoyed our first night with Tom and Melissa and their two rescue Alaskan Huskies, Elka and Wader. Melissa made us a fantastic dinner of halibut with potatoes and asparagus, and as we were finishing eating outside, their neighbor Brandon came over and had dessert with us. We sat outside for a while longer (because of the long daylight, it is SO hard to tell what time it is!) and finally all turned in. They invited us to stay with them again when we returned, and we said we would love to.
Our last night in Fairbanks, we drove in from the Hot Springs, spent half an hour at the BMW dealership trying to get my new speedometer/ABS sensor, and then met Melissa downtown for First Friday Fairbanks. We ran around historic downtown, ducking into art galleries and out of the rain. We had little snacks and saw a lot of local Alaska art. I really enjoyed seeing the art and talking with a few of the artists who all seem to be transplants from the lower 48. We ended the tour at the community history museum where they had an entire room dedicated to the state sport of dog mushing. I am totally hooked by the way. I'll be looking for an Alaskan Husky rescue when we get home!
We picked up Tom and had dinner at Silver Gulch brewery, tasting a range of their brews, and went back to give the dogs some love and crash for the night. The next morning, Melissa and I walked the dogs, coming across a number of runners doing the Two Way Torture Run. Doesn't that sound like something you want to sign up for? Actually, my cousin Seth probably would. Tom made fantastic whole wheat and Alaska blueberry pancakes, and we finally said we needed to be moving on. We would have loved to stay with them for a much longer time. They were such fun people, and we are so grateful for the chance to stay with them and get to know them.
The next morning we were able to use all the water we needed to clean the mud off our poor motorcycles, and get all the moving parts moving properly again. Then we had a chance to go to the dog kennels and visit with the 80 or so dogs they currently have. I was,of course, in love with most of them. In fact, I really wanted to take Skip, a retired and adoptable dog, home with me. No really, I WANT HIM!!! The girl who was there feeding them was great, giving us a lot of historical info on the dogs and the sport, as well as relating hilarious stories about tourists who just dont know how to deal with dogs!
We had a late lunch in the restaurant there. The night before, while in the soaking pool, I overheard a group of women talking about how great the food was. We ordered smoked salmon burgers (yum!) and clam chowder (double yum!). Earlier that morning, while spending close to three hours cleaning off the bikes, we smelled breakfast cooking. We missed breakfast time, but the menu looked really great.
By the end of that visit, we started thinking about returning in the winter (yes, it is open all year round) and staying for a few days to soak and take in the Aurora Borealis. We would fly for that trip....
Side Notes Part 2
Socks: Socks are not smart wool unless they are Smart Wool. I brought four pairs of socks which will seem excessive to most motorcycle tourers, and lacking by most other people's standards. When temps are really low, I double up on them. Wool keeps body parts warm even when it is wet, breathes when temps are warm, and has anti-bacterial properties. All of this naturally, and inherently better than synthetic fibers. For the life of wool, it is blended with synthetics that help keep those properties and keep it from shrinking insanely. Three pairs I brought are Smart Wool socks and one pair is made by Wigwam. The two days I rode through pouring rain and my boots proved to be not waterproof, my feet were kept warm by the Smart Wool socks. The Wigwams failed to keep them as warm. Lesson learned.
Midnight Sun: We left the restaurant in Denali around midnight and rode back to the campsite being able to see the road, no problem. Last night, here is Talkeetna, we left to go to the bar at midnight, and it was still light out enough when we came home at two to easily see our way. We have naturally changed our schedules as we've gotten used to this. We sleep in a little longer, eat lunch around three and dinner around nine or ten. The way it has affected us mostly is that it feels more like vacation somehow. Apparently, up here, the veggies feel that way and though they have such a short season, they grow the largest veggies here due to the never ending growing time during the day.
Rain: It has rained on us, in some way, every day since Lake Louise. It also rained on us the second day we were riding through Wyoming and just getting into southern Idaho, and the next day into Montana. I don't care much for the rain as many of my friends know. Josh says it would seem silly to think we would ride for six weeks and not encounter the rain. I tell him he doesn't remember California very well. I think it is silly that we have ridden for 21 days and seen rain at some point of the day for 18 of them. our day off to do motorcycle maintenance in Talkeetna--it has rained all day.
Post Offices: In Canada, they have cute baby moose and caribou on their stamps. We bought stamps in Denali National Park, in the good old U. S. of A., and they had Hawaiian shirts on them with the word "Aloha" written across the bottom. Really!?!
Luxury: I brought one item of true luxury with me, not sure if it would get much use--my red Cashmere turtleneck sweater. I am sooooo glad I did! That one little item feels so nice and is such a vibrant color. It can immediately make me smile putting it on, and it jazzes up the zip-off cargo hiking pants and hiking boots I have with me to wear off the bike if we go out.
Midnight Sun: We left the restaurant in Denali around midnight and rode back to the campsite being able to see the road, no problem. Last night, here is Talkeetna, we left to go to the bar at midnight, and it was still light out enough when we came home at two to easily see our way. We have naturally changed our schedules as we've gotten used to this. We sleep in a little longer, eat lunch around three and dinner around nine or ten. The way it has affected us mostly is that it feels more like vacation somehow. Apparently, up here, the veggies feel that way and though they have such a short season, they grow the largest veggies here due to the never ending growing time during the day.
Rain: It has rained on us, in some way, every day since Lake Louise. It also rained on us the second day we were riding through Wyoming and just getting into southern Idaho, and the next day into Montana. I don't care much for the rain as many of my friends know. Josh says it would seem silly to think we would ride for six weeks and not encounter the rain. I tell him he doesn't remember California very well. I think it is silly that we have ridden for 21 days and seen rain at some point of the day for 18 of them. our day off to do motorcycle maintenance in Talkeetna--it has rained all day.
Post Offices: In Canada, they have cute baby moose and caribou on their stamps. We bought stamps in Denali National Park, in the good old U. S. of A., and they had Hawaiian shirts on them with the word "Aloha" written across the bottom. Really!?!
Luxury: I brought one item of true luxury with me, not sure if it would get much use--my red Cashmere turtleneck sweater. I am sooooo glad I did! That one little item feels so nice and is such a vibrant color. It can immediately make me smile putting it on, and it jazzes up the zip-off cargo hiking pants and hiking boots I have with me to wear off the bike if we go out.
02 June 2012
Top of the World Highway to Alaska!
We finally made it! Not that the whole trip hasn't been a complete adventure, but Alaska was the reason we were doing it all. This morning we left our gorgeous campsite on the Yukon River, across from Dawson City, and rode what is known as the Top of the World Highway. It was a gravel road to the border, and then hard packed dirt from the border to Chicken, AK. (way back when, the residents wanted to name it Ptarmigan, but no one knew how to spell it. Not a joke.)
The gravel road was challenging, and surprisingly enough, really dusty! My bike and I are FILTHY! When we got to the border,we were the only ones for miles crossing. It is the northernmost U.S. border, and it has a population of 2. We waited for a while at the red light, until the border agent came out and very sternly said we had to go one at a time. Josh went first and got the interrogation, (we have communication systems so we were able to listen in on each other's conversation) and then I went next. The border agent was all smiles for me and asking about the trip and weather, and wishing me good weather along the way. Sometimes it pays to be a girl on a motorbike.
We continued riding on a fantastic dirt road into Chicken. There wasn't much to see, but we saw it and had lunch before riding on to Tok. Of course, it rained on us. Doesn't seem to be a day of riding if it doesn't rain on us.
At the visitor's center in Tok, we ran into a guy who was riding a Goldwing around B.C. and Alaska. He told us about a motorcycle campground nearby and then rode off. We walked over to The Burnt Paw where they have mushing equipment and husky puppies that you can play with. Only once we got there, there was a sign up saying all puppies had found happy homes--more puppies next week. OH COME ON! I have been looking forward to playing with sled dog puppies since I discovered this place in October. Total letdown!
We walked back across the street, and as we were getting ready to pullout, another rider on a BMW F800GS pulled up. We chatted and Ovi from Vermont said he would follow us to the campground. What a find this place was! It is called Thompson's Eagle's Claw Motorcycle Campground, and the woman who created it and owns it is great! There were tent sites, a small bunk house, a cabin, a walled tent (we took that one), a tee-pee, and--get this--an ambulance! Seriously. She had an old ambulance she turned into a cabin like sleeping area. Ovi took that.
There was a kitchen area, and after everyone had eaten--Ovi, Josh, myself, Jay from Estes Park, and Don from Vancouver--it was discovered that Ovi's back tire was bad. Well, there was a shop on site, and all the guys went to fix the tire. They said it would take thirty minutes, so I counted on it taking two hours and headed for the sauna! Heavenly!
It was a great night and we all slept really well. We said goodbye the next morning, exchanging contact info, and headed for Fairbanks.
The gravel road was challenging, and surprisingly enough, really dusty! My bike and I are FILTHY! When we got to the border,we were the only ones for miles crossing. It is the northernmost U.S. border, and it has a population of 2. We waited for a while at the red light, until the border agent came out and very sternly said we had to go one at a time. Josh went first and got the interrogation, (we have communication systems so we were able to listen in on each other's conversation) and then I went next. The border agent was all smiles for me and asking about the trip and weather, and wishing me good weather along the way. Sometimes it pays to be a girl on a motorbike.
At the visitor's center in Tok, we ran into a guy who was riding a Goldwing around B.C. and Alaska. He told us about a motorcycle campground nearby and then rode off. We walked over to The Burnt Paw where they have mushing equipment and husky puppies that you can play with. Only once we got there, there was a sign up saying all puppies had found happy homes--more puppies next week. OH COME ON! I have been looking forward to playing with sled dog puppies since I discovered this place in October. Total letdown!
We walked back across the street, and as we were getting ready to pullout, another rider on a BMW F800GS pulled up. We chatted and Ovi from Vermont said he would follow us to the campground. What a find this place was! It is called Thompson's Eagle's Claw Motorcycle Campground, and the woman who created it and owns it is great! There were tent sites, a small bunk house, a cabin, a walled tent (we took that one), a tee-pee, and--get this--an ambulance! Seriously. She had an old ambulance she turned into a cabin like sleeping area. Ovi took that.
There was a kitchen area, and after everyone had eaten--Ovi, Josh, myself, Jay from Estes Park, and Don from Vancouver--it was discovered that Ovi's back tire was bad. Well, there was a shop on site, and all the guys went to fix the tire. They said it would take thirty minutes, so I counted on it taking two hours and headed for the sauna! Heavenly!
It was a great night and we all slept really well. We said goodbye the next morning, exchanging contact info, and headed for Fairbanks.
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