metal bridge... ideal for you bikers then
metal bridge... ideal for you bikers then
Originally Posted by Advice Trinity by Knoxville
There is no more commentary here as TeePee got eaten by the bear shortly after the shot was taken.
BTW fantastic shots, what camera you using?
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'The Fox is cunning and relentless, and has got his Fibre Optic Broadband'
Want to take my Weestrom and ride the bits with bears! Small matter of an ocean in the middle... Might have to settle for Romania instead. Not quite the same - Europe is just so flat and overpopulated in comparison.
How did the bike hold up to the endless mile munching? Mechanical issues? Squared off tyres?
Good News everyone! I fed the Australian to the Bear, (who mentioned something about a barbie) and can continue! Making friends on a long trip is important!
Thee next day was wetter still. I needed all my waterproofs, but fortunately it was a short day. Some Alacan, then the Haines Highway down across the border to catch a ferry in Haines.
I didn't take many pictures thanks to the weather, but the Haines highway reminded me of Scotland. Very pretty, and a long mountain pass above the tree line. The rain obscured almost everything. I took the boat down to Juneau, a town of more than thirty thousand people that has no road access, the only ways in and out are by sea and air. My friend is an Alaska native who I met in Oregon. He was my student while I was a Flight Instructor, and went on to replace me when I left. He's now part owner of a seaplane charter company. As you can tell from the picture that has lived in my sig line for years, floatplanes are a big love of mine, but it's been years since I last flew one. I got to ride around with him for a day as he flew mail, boxes and people out to the small communities near JNU. Pretty much a dream job!
Camera is a Canon Powershot HS340. It's a pretty 1basic pocket camera. I like it because when you turn it on there's a sticky-out bit to stop me from putting my finger over the lens.
Wow TeePee, looks like you're having an amazing trip.
you got/getting your SES?
throw new ArgumentException (String, String, Exception)
I got my SES in FL in 2007, great fun!
With the weather improving, I tool the boat back up to Haines, and headed North again!
Yep, that's another glacier! I crossed the border twice in the same day, once into Canada, and then back into the US on the main Alcan Highway. This will be the last border crossing of the trip. I have to say, Canada was great. Very nice people and even their Border Control officer was a very pretty girl! I stopped for lunch at a little bakery in Haines Junction. I just made it over the border before stopping for the night at a campsite beside Deadman's Lake. A very appropriate name, as I was almost killed by the mosquitoes!
I spent a couple of days in Fairbanks to have a chance to rest. I did a Parking Lot oil change on the bike, and checked it over. It's in pretty good shape. The rear tyre is worn, but serviceable. It's about to face some pretty good challenges, so really needed to make sure it was ready. The next destination is further North. There is only one road North of Fairbanks. The Dalton Highway. 414 miles of dirt track, built to service the Alaska pipeline. On every list of the World's most dangerous roads, it crosses into the Arctic Circle, winds it's way up over the Brooks range via the infamous Atigun pass, and across the Arctic tundra to Prudhoe Bay's oil fields and the most Northerly point which can be reached by road in North America: The town of Deadhorse.
Did TP make it to the end of the world? Did he survive? Find out next time...
csgohan4 (07-07-2014)
this is a man's set of quotes.. it's typed by someone to whom lengthy explanations have... dried up. That's not a negative.. it's positive reinforcement that for you.. the world has shrunk.
It's someone who has, over two weeks, seen more of his vast nation than I have in my whole life, and who ain't stopped.
not blowing smoke up your arse mate.. this thread rocks.. but the story behind it.. it's vast!
Originally Posted by Advice Trinity by Knoxville
Disturbedguy (07-07-2014)
Amazing sights, wish I could smell the fresh mountain air too
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'The Fox is cunning and relentless, and has got his Fibre Optic Broadband'
I left Fairbanks early on the 4th of July. It's some kind of holiday in the US, something about the Fresh Prince and aliens, so I hoped there would be less traffic. It had also rained the day before, but the forecast was for sunshine for the next couple of days. This would be important. The start of the Dalton Highway is about 80 miles North of Fairbanks.
You can see I have some extra gas. I'd filled up some extra cans in Fairbanks. There are only two places to buy gas on the entire 414 mile highway, and having a bike with only about a 200 mile range this could be a problem. The extra gas boosts my range a little bit. Enough to make the trip but not enough. Should I have to turn around before reaching Deadhorse, I might struggle to get back. The extra gas is high up, but widespread, to help with balance.
The road surface is good, at least at the beginning of the Highway. Mostly hard packed dirt, there are sections of packed and loose, deep gravel. The only scary thing is the sections which are still wet from the rain the day before. The hard packed dirt is coated with a layer of slippery mud with a snot like consistency.
I find it's first casualty about ten miles from the start. An older guy on a shiny 1200GS Adventure is trying to pick it back up again. I stop to help. Even with the best lifting technique it takes all of our strength to pick it up again. That 10+ gallon fuel tank, combined with all his adventuring gear piled high on the back is a nightmare. It might make a great touring and distance bike, but at as a solo traveler I'm glad I can lift my bike on my own!
The wilderness is breathtakingly beautiful. Other travelers are few and far between. Aside from the occasional lorry, there are other bikes and 4x4 vehicles. Most are only going as far as the Arctic Circle, about 115 miles in.
Hexus.Arctic?
I stopped for lunch in Coldfoot at mile 175, the last gas stop before Deadhorse. North of Coldfoot there are even fewer vehicles. Most of the adventure tourists have given up, and the prospect of 240 miles of nothingness is too much for them. For me, it's why I came.
The lorrys are really moving, some at 90+ mph, which is scary enough on a motorway, but on a dirt road where they are throwing up rocks the size of cricket balls, I'm very cautious. Every truck I see I pull over to the side of the road and stop. It gives the truck plenty of time to see me and slow down to pass. I'm pelted with gravel on occasion, but really not so bad. Trucks have right of way on the Haul road. They're doing an incredibly dangerous job, and trying to get home to their families.
I crossed Atigun Pass at around 7pm.
North of the pass the terrain gave way to arctic tundra. At this time of year the top layer melts and there are a few inches of water everywhere. This means lots of mosquitoes. Every time I stop I am surrounded by a cloud of hundreds. I stop for the night at Galbraith Lake, and am immediately attacked before I can DEET myself.
The next morning I head out across the tundra. I'm quickly in the worst section of road yet. A 20 mile construction zone, where the road has been bulldozed to make way for new grading. I'm riding through loose dirt, and much of it has been turned into slick mud by water trucks with the objective of reducing dust. It takes almost two hours to negotiate this 20 mile section. Once clear, the hard packed dirt is a massive relief!
At about mile 350 there is a reminder of how dangerous this road can be:
Sadly the occupants were eaten by mosquitoes before help arrived.
neonplanet40 (10-07-2014)
It's easy to get up early, when the sun doesn't set. I use the early hours to ride while I have the road to myself, and so, at around 9am, I arrive in the beautiful, picturesque town of Deadhorse, Alaska!
It's an oil field town. There is nothing here for tourists, apart from a few T-Shirts at the General Store. It's an open air factory filled with everything needed to pump oil, and nothing else. There is no reason for anyone to go there, apart from the challenge of going there.
Mission achieved? What now? I mean, it's a massive achievement. The farthest North that you can get to by road vehicle in North America. Where do we go from here? Well, the only answer is South. If we're going South, then far from being The End, this is The Start Line.
For now, the good weather is holding out, and I ride back to Fairbanks, arriving at around 1am. I'm worn out and I have brought the road with me.
The next day is spent cleaning, and a gentle ride South to Anchorage. I have a few extra days, which is spent meeting friends and seeing another city. Real life requires my presence. I'm posting from the Alaska Airlines lounge, waiting for my flight home. The journey will continue, but for now the bike has a temporary home.
This little journey of mine has a lot further to go. Want to see how far?
neonplanet40 (10-07-2014),peterb (13-07-2014),Redroth (13-07-2014)
Brilliant
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