Nikolajsen
"Keep it simple"
Almost like a scary movie
.
Let's get the next chapter
.Let's get the next chapter
Glaciers and Deserts and meeting great people
- Thread starter jeckyll
- Start date
B
ballisticexchris
Guest
!! I'm enjoying the story more than the pictures!! This is like a book I can't put down!! I have every confidence you are making it through that section ok.
Continued - Dawson -> Eagle plains (or maybe not!)
I pulled in and talked to Marco from Argentina. He was struggling to make it up as well, was riding a 250 Yamaha but not with proper knobbies. And he had been on the Dempster for a couple of days, having started the afternoon before and camped.
He was concerned about making it up the hills and was also beyond his turn around (at this point Eagle Plains was about 120 km ahead of us, the highway 250 km behind us). He had a couple of extra cans of gas, but had already used one.
I asked him if he wanted to ride the next 100+ km together so we could help each other out, he said he was pretty slow and was worried about being too slow, but I figured there was strength in numbers at this point. And after all, neither of us had enough gas to get back to the highway.
Just after I snapped the above photo a guy pulled in driving a Jetta and asked us if we were trying to get North, he was heading South. I asked if this was the worst part that we'd just come up and he said that it got way worse further ahead. More slippery, deeper and worse mud and steeper hills. Apparently there were 4 bikes stuck in the middle of the road, he said bikes and riders were covered in mud and they couldn't get anywhere. And cars and trucks were splashing them on the way through. He couldn't stop as he was afraid he'd never get going again.
Well s**t. Now what? Couldn't go forward, sounded like I wouldn't make it through. Couldn't go back, wouldn't make it to the highway.
So, I talked it over with Marco and told him that given it was so much worse, I'd try and head back, maybe I could give my gas canister to someone and have it brought back to me once I ran out of gas. Or get some help...
We both turned around and slowly headed down the hill. I'd struggled to get my gloves back on and realized just how wet they'd gotten, the heated grips kept my hands feeling OK, but things were not good on the gloves front.
Made it down the hill, cursing and sliding, and started to do some math on what I thought I had left on gas, given my run rate. Best case, I was going to get to withing 20 - 50 km of the highway. Not close enough, but better than stranded in the muck.
I'd need to average 4.5 l / 100 km to have a shot at it. Which I'd never done. I'd gotten to about 5.1 l on an easy flat highway. But my rear wheel was constantly slipping now, so I switched to my live mileage display and found that if I did 75 km/h in 6th gear at or below 3000 rpm I could get close. I'd wished Marco good luck, but realize that if I did his speed I had no chance.
What a miserable ride. The road now had standing water in the small dips and pot holes and maneuvering at that low and rpm was, well it wasn't pleasant.
Hills obviously required downshifting and burning more gas, I tried coasting down the backsides but it was just as good leaving it in gear and keeping a steady speed.
Once the "E" started flashing and I was on reserve I did more math. 3.5 l or so of reserve, 180 km to go. 5 liters spare, which would get me _maybe_ 100 km. Well, I had a small chance.
After 63.5 km of reserve I was still north of Tombstone, but there was a rest area and I pulled in. Had a couple of close calls with trucks driving down the middle of the road and not moving, and I didn't want one sliding into me as I filled up with the spare gas.
I tried to get the gas in without taking my gloves off, but it was not to be. Couldn't afford to spill any.
So very carefully I filled up, tapping the jerry can to get every last drop out. And once I secured the canister again, I couldn't get my glove back on. Four finger were fine, the pinkie just wouldn't fit.
After what seemed like 5 minutes I had it sort-of on, went to start the bike and ... nothing. Dead. Not a whisper. Lights were on but not turning over. Kill switch? Nope, it was in the proper position.
Task loaded, tired and hungry (I hadn't eaten anything since having breakfast, which had just been some oatmeal, it was after 3 pm or maybe even 4 pm by now), I'd left the kickstand down. Man was I happy when I flipped it up and she fired right up.
Got up towards Tombstone park and the hail started. Now, it was so wet that I'd been riding with my faceshield up as everything was fogging up. I had a yellow lens glasses on and they were also fogging up. But my best option was faceshield up, glasses on. The hail didn't improve my mood as I couldn't find a way to ride with the faceshield low enough to keep it from hitting my cheeks at 75 km/h. Well, screw it, I couldn't afford to stop and try to fix this.
The road improved significantly after Tombstone, still raining, but I felt like I gained some steering back. This also improved my gas mileage as the rear wheel was no longer constantly slipping.
Annnnd my "E" came back on, flashing at me. 80 km to the highway. Maybe I'd walk the last 10 km out, get gas and walk back. No worries, totally doable. At this point, it dawned on me that I was definitely having an adventure on the Dempster. I mean, I came for one, and was having it, even though it sure wasn't the one I thought I'd have.
Then, with about 20 or so km to go another rider was heading in. I waved him down to warn him.
Jonathan, from WA, was looking incredibly clean and nice and dry. I explained what I'd experienced and we talked about the fact that the road was in such nice shape at the beginning.
Guess what else, he had 5 liters of gas! He graciously let me have a couple of liters and I was going to make the Highway!!!
I was so damn happy, it's hard to describe. Even as I write this I'm smiling.
No longer having to hold back, I let the SuperT run and made it out in no time (not saying I was doing 120+ the whole way out, but ... maybe ).
Filled up and met a crazy guy with his big 5th wheel who heard about the conditions and turned around to head back to Dawson City to wait out the weather.
I gassed up, and Jonathan joined me for a bit, getting back to the car wash. I was so out of it I never even got a photo with him, though I swore I took one. What happened I don't know.
So, she was a bit dirty:
And this stuff stinks on a hot motor...
I had a chocolate bar while I waited, and my blood sugar improved. I should have washed the bike a lot more, but man, I just wanted to find a hotel and a shower. My pants had leaked a bit towards the end and well, let's just say I'm glad I wasn't wearing cotton _anywhere_ because I'd have been miserable.
Jonathan and I talked about other rides in the area and since he wanted to keep riding in the Yukon he decided to turn East and ride the South Canol road, which is supposed to be beautiful and very lonely. I wished him luck. And really regret not getting a photo here. If you happen to stumble across this ride report Jonathan, thanks again!
Now to find a hotel in Dawson on a Friday night. Downtown hotel was booked solid. I rode back out to the Bonanza Gold (right next to where I pressure washed my bike) and ... yup, they were full to. But the woman behind the counter never hesitated, grabbed her phone and called the Info Center. They told me about the Bunkhouse that they figured there was a room and if not to come to the info center and they'd sort me out.
I got the last room at the Bunkhouse, they'd had a cancellation. Things were starting to look up. They even had rags so I could wipe more of the muck off my bags before lugging them up to my room.
As I was taking stuff off the bike I heard someone say my name and looked up, Verana, came over to see what happened.
Aside: I had to look up their names, but the German couple I met in the campground were Verena and Raoul: https://www.lasdosmotos.com/ check out their trip!)
She'd seen me and knew things went sideways, as it was 4 days round trip. We talked for a bit and caught up, they'd had rain all day in Dawson so they stayed around for a day, but were riding the 'Top of the World" highway tomorrow.
I kept gathering up my stuff when I heard my name again!
It was Rodolfo walking down the street waving! Apparently he also decided to stick around due to the rain. I told him I needed food, but would catch him up and asked where he was staying. He pointed at the Bunkhouse. I told him I was staying there as well! We laughed and I asked what room he was in. 22. I was in 21. And he was riding the Top of the World highway tomorrow. Guess we were meant to ride together for another day I had originally planned to spend a day in Dawson sight seeing, but you've got to go with the flow.
I pulled in and talked to Marco from Argentina. He was struggling to make it up as well, was riding a 250 Yamaha but not with proper knobbies. And he had been on the Dempster for a couple of days, having started the afternoon before and camped.
He was concerned about making it up the hills and was also beyond his turn around (at this point Eagle Plains was about 120 km ahead of us, the highway 250 km behind us). He had a couple of extra cans of gas, but had already used one.
I asked him if he wanted to ride the next 100+ km together so we could help each other out, he said he was pretty slow and was worried about being too slow, but I figured there was strength in numbers at this point. And after all, neither of us had enough gas to get back to the highway.
Just after I snapped the above photo a guy pulled in driving a Jetta and asked us if we were trying to get North, he was heading South. I asked if this was the worst part that we'd just come up and he said that it got way worse further ahead. More slippery, deeper and worse mud and steeper hills. Apparently there were 4 bikes stuck in the middle of the road, he said bikes and riders were covered in mud and they couldn't get anywhere. And cars and trucks were splashing them on the way through. He couldn't stop as he was afraid he'd never get going again.
Well s**t. Now what? Couldn't go forward, sounded like I wouldn't make it through. Couldn't go back, wouldn't make it to the highway.
So, I talked it over with Marco and told him that given it was so much worse, I'd try and head back, maybe I could give my gas canister to someone and have it brought back to me once I ran out of gas. Or get some help...
We both turned around and slowly headed down the hill. I'd struggled to get my gloves back on and realized just how wet they'd gotten, the heated grips kept my hands feeling OK, but things were not good on the gloves front.
Made it down the hill, cursing and sliding, and started to do some math on what I thought I had left on gas, given my run rate. Best case, I was going to get to withing 20 - 50 km of the highway. Not close enough, but better than stranded in the muck.
I'd need to average 4.5 l / 100 km to have a shot at it. Which I'd never done. I'd gotten to about 5.1 l on an easy flat highway. But my rear wheel was constantly slipping now, so I switched to my live mileage display and found that if I did 75 km/h in 6th gear at or below 3000 rpm I could get close. I'd wished Marco good luck, but realize that if I did his speed I had no chance.
What a miserable ride. The road now had standing water in the small dips and pot holes and maneuvering at that low and rpm was, well it wasn't pleasant.
Hills obviously required downshifting and burning more gas, I tried coasting down the backsides but it was just as good leaving it in gear and keeping a steady speed.
Once the "E" started flashing and I was on reserve I did more math. 3.5 l or so of reserve, 180 km to go. 5 liters spare, which would get me _maybe_ 100 km. Well, I had a small chance.
After 63.5 km of reserve I was still north of Tombstone, but there was a rest area and I pulled in. Had a couple of close calls with trucks driving down the middle of the road and not moving, and I didn't want one sliding into me as I filled up with the spare gas.
I tried to get the gas in without taking my gloves off, but it was not to be. Couldn't afford to spill any.
So very carefully I filled up, tapping the jerry can to get every last drop out. And once I secured the canister again, I couldn't get my glove back on. Four finger were fine, the pinkie just wouldn't fit.
After what seemed like 5 minutes I had it sort-of on, went to start the bike and ... nothing. Dead. Not a whisper. Lights were on but not turning over. Kill switch? Nope, it was in the proper position.
Task loaded, tired and hungry (I hadn't eaten anything since having breakfast, which had just been some oatmeal, it was after 3 pm or maybe even 4 pm by now), I'd left the kickstand down. Man was I happy when I flipped it up and she fired right up.
Got up towards Tombstone park and the hail started. Now, it was so wet that I'd been riding with my faceshield up as everything was fogging up. I had a yellow lens glasses on and they were also fogging up. But my best option was faceshield up, glasses on. The hail didn't improve my mood as I couldn't find a way to ride with the faceshield low enough to keep it from hitting my cheeks at 75 km/h. Well, screw it, I couldn't afford to stop and try to fix this.
The road improved significantly after Tombstone, still raining, but I felt like I gained some steering back. This also improved my gas mileage as the rear wheel was no longer constantly slipping.
Annnnd my "E" came back on, flashing at me. 80 km to the highway. Maybe I'd walk the last 10 km out, get gas and walk back. No worries, totally doable. At this point, it dawned on me that I was definitely having an adventure on the Dempster. I mean, I came for one, and was having it, even though it sure wasn't the one I thought I'd have.
Then, with about 20 or so km to go another rider was heading in. I waved him down to warn him.
Jonathan, from WA, was looking incredibly clean and nice and dry. I explained what I'd experienced and we talked about the fact that the road was in such nice shape at the beginning.
Guess what else, he had 5 liters of gas! He graciously let me have a couple of liters and I was going to make the Highway!!!
I was so damn happy, it's hard to describe. Even as I write this I'm smiling.
No longer having to hold back, I let the SuperT run and made it out in no time (not saying I was doing 120+ the whole way out, but ... maybe
).Filled up and met a crazy guy with his big 5th wheel who heard about the conditions and turned around to head back to Dawson City to wait out the weather.
I gassed up, and Jonathan joined me for a bit, getting back to the car wash. I was so out of it I never even got a photo with him, though I swore I took one. What happened I don't know.
So, she was a bit dirty:
And this stuff stinks on a hot motor...
I had a chocolate bar while I waited, and my blood sugar improved. I should have washed the bike a lot more, but man, I just wanted to find a hotel and a shower. My pants had leaked a bit towards the end and well, let's just say I'm glad I wasn't wearing cotton _anywhere_ because I'd have been miserable.
Jonathan and I talked about other rides in the area and since he wanted to keep riding in the Yukon he decided to turn East and ride the South Canol road, which is supposed to be beautiful and very lonely. I wished him luck. And really regret not getting a photo here. If you happen to stumble across this ride report Jonathan, thanks again!
Now to find a hotel in Dawson on a Friday night. Downtown hotel was booked solid. I rode back out to the Bonanza Gold (right next to where I pressure washed my bike) and ... yup, they were full to. But the woman behind the counter never hesitated, grabbed her phone and called the Info Center. They told me about the Bunkhouse that they figured there was a room and if not to come to the info center and they'd sort me out.
I got the last room at the Bunkhouse, they'd had a cancellation. Things were starting to look up. They even had rags so I could wipe more of the muck off my bags before lugging them up to my room.
As I was taking stuff off the bike I heard someone say my name and looked up, Verana, came over to see what happened.
Aside: I had to look up their names, but the German couple I met in the campground were Verena and Raoul: https://www.lasdosmotos.com/ check out their trip!)
She'd seen me and knew things went sideways, as it was 4 days round trip. We talked for a bit and caught up, they'd had rain all day in Dawson so they stayed around for a day, but were riding the 'Top of the World" highway tomorrow.
I kept gathering up my stuff when I heard my name again!
It was Rodolfo walking down the street waving! Apparently he also decided to stick around due to the rain. I told him I needed food, but would catch him up and asked where he was staying. He pointed at the Bunkhouse. I told him I was staying there as well! We laughed and I asked what room he was in. 22. I was in 21. And he was riding the Top of the World highway tomorrow. Guess we were meant to ride together for another day
I had originally planned to spend a day in Dawson sight seeing, but you've got to go with the flow.Too many characters, needed to split into more parts:
We met up with another guy who was staying at the Bunkhouse, Waleed (I'm probably spelling that wrong, sorry bud), who was from Morocco and was now in Dawson. He spoke a bit of Spanish and I kept trying to get him to switch and chat with Rodolfo, my mind was mush and I couldn't take in any new info.
But, we had excellent food at the TrippleJ.
I needed to crash and Rodolfo and I agreed to leave around 9 am.
I'd turned on the fan and had my gear hanging everywhere in my room to dry out for the next day ... and mud covered everything despite the pressure washing...
... but I had a bed, had eaten and was damn happy not to be stuck out on the Dempster. And I remembered I had booked a room. I called Eagle Plains to let them know to give my room to any biker stuck there due to the weather. They told me that their refund policy didn't all apply and I interrupted them. I wasn't looking for a refund, I just wanted to make sure those two beds could be used by someone who needed them.
They paused and said that they thought they had people who'd want the room and if they sold it I wouldn't get charged. Not why I called, but I never did have a credit card charge from them, so hopefully someone stuck there for the night got a bed instead of crashing in the lobby or having to camp in a tent in the rain.
Before I conclude this day, this was the forecast for Inuvik, I took a screenshot Monday morning before leaving:
I wasn't going to wait around for a weather window.
Next: Onto Alaska! And, I crash
We met up with another guy who was staying at the Bunkhouse, Waleed (I'm probably spelling that wrong, sorry bud), who was from Morocco and was now in Dawson. He spoke a bit of Spanish and I kept trying to get him to switch and chat with Rodolfo, my mind was mush and I couldn't take in any new info.
But, we had excellent food at the TrippleJ.
I needed to crash and Rodolfo and I agreed to leave around 9 am.
I'd turned on the fan and had my gear hanging everywhere in my room to dry out for the next day ... and mud covered everything despite the pressure washing...
... but I had a bed, had eaten and was damn happy not to be stuck out on the Dempster. And I remembered I had booked a room. I called Eagle Plains to let them know to give my room to any biker stuck there due to the weather. They told me that their refund policy didn't all apply and I interrupted them. I wasn't looking for a refund, I just wanted to make sure those two beds could be used by someone who needed them.
They paused and said that they thought they had people who'd want the room and if they sold it I wouldn't get charged. Not why I called, but I never did have a credit card charge from them, so hopefully someone stuck there for the night got a bed instead of crashing in the lobby or having to camp in a tent in the rain.
Before I conclude this day, this was the forecast for Inuvik, I took a screenshot Monday morning before leaving:
I wasn't going to wait around for a weather window.
Next: Onto Alaska! And, I crash
B
ballisticexchris
Guest
Sir, a good story is better than any picture!! Looks like you are running back and forth between plan A to plan Z. This is by far one of the very best ride reports ever!! I only dream of doing that kind of ride and struggle. I'm stuck these days with personal commitments and work. So to watch and listen to another fellow rider share his journey is almost as good as being there. And I like the fact that you manage a smile even with a really rough undertaking in your adventure.Sorry for the large amount of text, and relatively few photos, but if you read the posts, it should be pretty clear why.
Thanks again for the positive comments!
escapefjrtist
Searching for Dry Roads
Great story, thanks for sharing the Dempster adventure!
~G
~G
This has been great, I've not ridden much this year and this brings back a lot of memories (which I need). Thank you for taking the time to do the report and sharing.
Interlude: A quick update on some of the folks mentioned so far this report...
Ibrahim and Marko made it to the Arctic Circle but "the return was not easy". I'm trying to see if I can have coffee with them soon to get the story.
Bill: He's on his way home from Anchorage right now, he did escape Dease lake... and we're going to stay in touch and he's looking to buy an Adventure bike for next season. Maybe we'll ride Oregon together next year.
Chip: Got home OK though his rear shock needs a rebuild.
Rodolfo: He's been offline for a number of days, but then he's in Alaska and I don't know what his cell coverage is going to be like
Ibrahim and Marko made it to the Arctic Circle but "the return was not easy". I'm trying to see if I can have coffee with them soon to get the story.
Bill: He's on his way home from Anchorage right now, he did escape Dease lake... and we're going to stay in touch and he's looking to buy an Adventure bike for next season. Maybe we'll ride Oregon together next year.
Chip: Got home OK though his rear shock needs a rebuild.
Rodolfo: He's been offline for a number of days, but then he's in Alaska and I don't know what his cell coverage is going to be like
Day 7 - Dawson City - Tok
I was up fairly early even though I was feeling pretty tired. Stepped outside and Dawson was completely socked in. So I got some water went about making some breakfast. Yup, coffee from a package and oatmeal
View from the 2nd floor of the Bunkhouse (and by this time the fog had actually lifted a bit)Non
None of my neighbours appeared to be up
Bikes were resting below
After a while Rodolfo appeared and we decided to push out our departure time (sounds so official ). Maybe 10, we'd see when it looked like the fog was lifting a bit, it was too thick to ride in and not-seeing didn't sound like a good plan.
We made the ferry around 10:30 am I think
The current is a lot faster than I thought, when I saw how much the ferry was having to push to get in, it reminded me that the steamers brought so many people to Dawson during the gold rush.
But, more importantly, there was some sunshine appearing! Very welcome after yesterday's rainstorm
Two guys on KTM's rolled on behind us. Their wifes had decided to walk on instead of riding on 2-up.
We got to chatting and they said that they came down the Dempster yesterday. I was intrigued, because I hadn't seen them. Apparently they left at 8 am and got out at 2 pm. I went in shortly after 10 am. Never saw them, which is very curious when you consider that there is truly only one road up and down and the only places to pull out and not be seen are the visitor center at Tombstone or a campground.
How we didn't see each other I'll never understand, as I'm not a big believer in invisibility or magic. Maybe those new KTM's come with some Klingon cloaking technology, they certainly look the part
We would pass them several times as Rodolfo and I ended up taking a lot of photos, such an amazing place.
Climbing above the clouds, we were soon treated to some truly spectacular views. Rodolfo approved
The valley's below us
And the sun on the tops of the ridges
We took a lot of photos, kept passing a Swiss guy in a VW Camper and the two couples on the KTM's (not saying we were speeding between the photo stops, though the road was tacky and had zero dust, it truly felt like a gravel highway ).
At the turnoff to 40 mile we passed the KTM's again, they looked to be taking a longer stop.
If I'd been in a car with my full camera kit, I probably would have wanted to stop ever 2 - 5 minutes and spend 10 minutes composing and taking photos... but I wasn't
And then suddenly we were in the clouds and visibility dropped right down. We stopped and Rodolfo wandered off into the landscape and disappeared over a ridge
Going to hit picture limits and will break into multiple parts
I was up fairly early even though I was feeling pretty tired. Stepped outside and Dawson was completely socked in. So I got some water went about making some breakfast. Yup, coffee from a package and oatmeal
View from the 2nd floor of the Bunkhouse (and by this time the fog had actually lifted a bit)Non
None of my neighbours appeared to be up
Bikes were resting below
After a while Rodolfo appeared and we decided to push out our departure time (sounds so official
). Maybe 10, we'd see when it looked like the fog was lifting a bit, it was too thick to ride in and not-seeing didn't sound like a good plan.We made the ferry around 10:30 am I think
The current is a lot faster than I thought, when I saw how much the ferry was having to push to get in, it reminded me that the steamers brought so many people to Dawson during the gold rush.
But, more importantly, there was some sunshine appearing! Very welcome after yesterday's rainstorm
Two guys on KTM's rolled on behind us. Their wifes had decided to walk on instead of riding on 2-up.
We got to chatting and they said that they came down the Dempster yesterday. I was intrigued, because I hadn't seen them. Apparently they left at 8 am and got out at 2 pm. I went in shortly after 10 am. Never saw them, which is very curious when you consider that there is truly only one road up and down and the only places to pull out and not be seen are the visitor center at Tombstone or a campground.
How we didn't see each other I'll never understand, as I'm not a big believer in invisibility or magic. Maybe those new KTM's come with some Klingon cloaking technology, they certainly look the part
We would pass them several times as Rodolfo and I ended up taking a lot of photos, such an amazing place.
Climbing above the clouds, we were soon treated to some truly spectacular views. Rodolfo approved
The valley's below us
And the sun on the tops of the ridges
We took a lot of photos, kept passing a Swiss guy in a VW Camper and the two couples on the KTM's (not saying we were speeding between the photo stops, though the road was tacky and had zero dust, it truly felt like a gravel highway
).At the turnoff to 40 mile we passed the KTM's again, they looked to be taking a longer stop.
If I'd been in a car with my full camera kit, I probably would have wanted to stop ever 2 - 5 minutes and spend 10 minutes composing and taking photos... but I wasn't
And then suddenly we were in the clouds and visibility dropped right down. We stopped and Rodolfo wandered off into the landscape and disappeared over a ridge
Going to hit picture limits and will break into multiple parts
Continued...
I didn't realize until I hiked after Rodolfo a bit to get a shot or two, that we were actually right at the border
Anyway, I wandered around a bit and took a few photos
Right at the edge of the clouds
The border crossing was pretty quick, the border guard wanted to know if I had the normal banned stuff stuff, including food, and I said I had some "ChefBoy for emergencies" and she said "Gotta be a real emergency". We had a good laugh.
I definitely look a little tired, but happy
Looking down into Alaska
(doesn't look any different than the Yukon, does it? )
A much easier day than yesterday.
We pushed on and the road switched between tarmac and gravel, I was standing for the gravel parts and waved at the trucks when they made space. Most people waved back. Including one that had lights on top. Guess the cops were cool
Next stop: Chicken Alaska.
And it turned into a very different stop than I expected, as I pulled to a stop right by the gas pump, I couldn't get my foot off the footrest, it was stuck! So I "crashed" right there. Some folks came over right away and we picked up the bike.
I now have a short brake-lever
Using my Wave multi-tool I filed down the sharp edges, no big deal, everything still worked. In all the trips, this never happened. Then I thought, what if this had happened yesterday in the mud somewhere... well, good thing it didn't!
I vowed to tighten up the pants more, they are a bit loose around the adventure boot, probably OK around a full motocross boot.
The crash bars I put on did a great job, no damage to the radiator!
Once I'd finished getting gas, I got the mandatory chicken picture (Michelle likes chickens...)
She wanted me to ride the chickens, but they specifically had a sign on the lower one saying not to. So I didn't.
We hung out a bit and had a snack, and a guy on a fully loaded AfricaTwin pulled up.
Greg from New Zealand (NZ2OZ).
We talked for a long time. He'd come down from Deadhorse, blown both fork seals and was not happy with the repair (exorbitant cost, slow to repair, and still leaking apparently). But a super chill guy, we traded stories, talked about riding and he had some tips for where to stay in Tok, AK where we were headed.
Very friendly guy, says he only wanted to go from New Zealand to Australia, but took a wrong turn somewhere so now he's going the long way, around the world, to get there Hope you're doing well on your travels around the world Greg!
There were some dark clouds as we were riding South to Tok, and at times the road was wet, but we never had any rain. Our long stop at Chicken had worked perfectly to avoid any rain!
We only made one more stop
Took a bit to find the campground we wanted, many people here know the one: http://thompsonseaglesclaw.com/
When we got there, Rolando and I had a slow and challenging conversation, but I found out he had his heart set on a photo with the 'Welcome to Alaska' sign and because we took the northern route, we never saw it. He was going to ride back and get his photo, then see about continuing on to Deadhorse.
A few days later when I had cell-signal again I received this:
With a note in Spanish that ended with ... " I leave you this photo, my dream photo! 300 km to take it!"
I can certainly see why he rode that far to get it. Safe travels Rodolfo!
When I finally figured out how the camping / cabin situation worked (the sign was covered up by the entrance) I decided to pick the cabin in case more rain came through. For a while I was all alone in the campground and it felt really nice, quiet and not a lot of mosquitoes.
Venessa came around after a while and chatted, let me know she'd be around later to get some money. Super nice lady
No pictures of the rest of the night, but the campground got more busy, we had 6 riders staying there. Some bikes were worked on. One dead GS with side-car resurrected (people, don't pressure-wash your electronics). Many beers were drunk (including in the sauna), stories were told, arguments (friendly ones) were had and I have no idea what time I actually went to bed.
What a great day of riding.
Next: I turn South-East and head back into Canada.
I didn't realize until I hiked after Rodolfo a bit to get a shot or two, that we were actually right at the border
Anyway, I wandered around a bit and took a few photos
Right at the edge of the clouds
The border crossing was pretty quick, the border guard wanted to know if I had the normal banned stuff stuff, including food, and I said I had some "ChefBoy for emergencies" and she said "Gotta be a real emergency". We had a good laugh.
I definitely look a little tired, but happy
Looking down into Alaska
(doesn't look any different than the Yukon, does it?
)A much easier day than yesterday.
We pushed on and the road switched between tarmac and gravel, I was standing for the gravel parts and waved at the trucks when they made space. Most people waved back. Including one that had lights on top. Guess the cops were cool
Next stop: Chicken Alaska.
And it turned into a very different stop than I expected, as I pulled to a stop right by the gas pump, I couldn't get my foot off the footrest, it was stuck! So I "crashed" right there. Some folks came over right away and we picked up the bike.
I now have a short brake-lever
Using my Wave multi-tool I filed down the sharp edges, no big deal, everything still worked. In all the trips, this never happened. Then I thought, what if this had happened yesterday in the mud somewhere... well, good thing it didn't!
I vowed to tighten up the pants more, they are a bit loose around the adventure boot, probably OK around a full motocross boot.
The crash bars I put on did a great job, no damage to the radiator!
Once I'd finished getting gas, I got the mandatory chicken picture (Michelle likes chickens...)
She wanted me to ride the chickens, but they specifically had a sign on the lower one saying not to. So I didn't.
We hung out a bit and had a snack, and a guy on a fully loaded AfricaTwin pulled up.
Greg from New Zealand (NZ2OZ).
We talked for a long time. He'd come down from Deadhorse, blown both fork seals and was not happy with the repair (exorbitant cost, slow to repair, and still leaking apparently). But a super chill guy, we traded stories, talked about riding and he had some tips for where to stay in Tok, AK where we were headed.
Very friendly guy, says he only wanted to go from New Zealand to Australia, but took a wrong turn somewhere so now he's going the long way, around the world, to get there
Hope you're doing well on your travels around the world Greg!There were some dark clouds as we were riding South to Tok, and at times the road was wet, but we never had any rain. Our long stop at Chicken had worked perfectly to avoid any rain!
We only made one more stop
Took a bit to find the campground we wanted, many people here know the one: http://thompsonseaglesclaw.com/
When we got there, Rolando and I had a slow and challenging conversation, but I found out he had his heart set on a photo with the 'Welcome to Alaska' sign and because we took the northern route, we never saw it. He was going to ride back and get his photo, then see about continuing on to Deadhorse.
A few days later when I had cell-signal again I received this:
With a note in Spanish that ended with ... " I leave you this photo, my dream photo!
300 km to take it!"I can certainly see why he rode that far to get it. Safe travels Rodolfo!
When I finally figured out how the camping / cabin situation worked (the sign was covered up by the entrance) I decided to pick the cabin in case more rain came through. For a while I was all alone in the campground and it felt really nice, quiet and not a lot of mosquitoes.
Venessa came around after a while and chatted, let me know she'd be around later to get some money. Super nice lady
No pictures of the rest of the night, but the campground got more busy, we had 6 riders staying there. Some bikes were worked on. One dead GS with side-car resurrected (people, don't pressure-wash your electronics). Many beers were drunk (including in the sauna), stories were told, arguments (friendly ones) were had and I have no idea what time I actually went to bed.
What a great day of riding.
Next: I turn South-East and head back into Canada.
EricV
Riding, farkling, riding...
2011 Site Supporter
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Keep it coming. You're doing great! You did perfect in Tok. Not a better place to stay.
cyclemike4
Well-Known Member
Excellent coverage of a great trip! When i do have time and money for trip there is no way i could document it as well as you are doing. i am really enjoying your trip as well! thanks.
Day 8 - Tok, AK to Haines Jct, YT
Woke up around 8 am and yup, definitely had one too many last night. But, so had some of the other folks. As I was boiling water and getting ready to make some coffee, Chris was ready to head out. Last night he'd taken off early, and I thought we'd annoyed him in the sauna, but it turned out that with all the slang he couldn't follow the conversation all that well, being German (not sure I mentioned this earlier, but I was born & grew up in Germany but have been in Canada for over 30 years).
So we chatted in German and he decided to have some coffee with me. Seeing my choices, he broke out the real Starbucks coffee he carried and we found a french press in the 'kitchen' area (great campground!).
I think we probably sat and had coffee and talked for an hour. I shared some tips about riding Vancouver Island, where we was going as I had ridden it as part of last summers trips, and he marked up his map so he'd remember. When I got back to someplace with WiFi I promised to send the GPX files for the island.
Super guy.
I'm not sure if Chris got the email I sent, I had him type in the address on my phone so I wouldn't mess it up, but I know he only had WiFi and no cell coverage. Hopefully he enjoyed the rest of his travels in North America
Shot from the cabin
And from the outside
Note the airplane propeller on the outside, the cabin had an aero theme
I'd gotten a bit antsy as we were talking as it was getting 'late' and I didn't know how far I would travel today. I was feeling fairly bushed, partly from riding so many days without taking a rest day, partly from the previous night and so I didn't want to delay too long.
As I gassed up in Tok I saw Chris' bike in front of Fast Eddies, but I had already had oatmeal and didn't want to eat again. He said he needed about 5 coffees so I guess he was filling up.
Riding too the border took longer than I was expecting, I had gotten the math wrong when Rodolfo and I looked at the map before he left yesterday. I kept wondering if I'd see him on the road heading the other way, but didn't
It was strange riding past the US border and seeing a sign for 'Canadian border 20 km'. So for 20 km I was outside the US but hadn't officially re-entered Canada.
Some folks were taking pictures of swans on one of the lakes by the highway, but I wanted to make time.
At the Canadian crossing the mosquitoes were _thick_ and I put my gloves back on and left my faceshield down to keep them at bay. Worst of the trip.
After the border, and getting gas, I came around a turn and man ...
the scale and size of the place ...
If there was a person on those flats they would have been a small dark spec
The scenery was stunning, though it was hazy and anything south facing was completely 'blow-out' and I didn't stop for as many photos as I probably could have.
Around Destruction Bay I had to stop again though
Just afterwards, there was a section with fresh chip-seal a semi going the other way kicked up a rock about 2 inches in diameter ... and it was heading right for my face.
You know that feeling where something bad is going to happen, but it's so fast that you can't stop it? Yup, that's the one. The rock hit my visor, made a large cracking sound and ... I assessed quickly (was traveling 100 km/h and had moved as far to the right as I could):
Thank you Shoei for making quality helmets and shields! There are 2 impact marks on my shield, about an inch apart. I figure the rock was moving over 180 km/h when it hit me (me moving at 100, the truck moving at 100, the rock also close to 100). Luckily a glancing blow!
I pulled into Haines Jct and there were a couple of places with decent ratings and thought "I'm done for the day"
I'd previously called the B&B in Whitehorse where I'd stayed when I met Chip, but they were full for the day. And I was ready to get off the bike.
The lady at the front desk was super helpful and I got a great tip for dinner, as well as for breakfast the next morning (I wanted a real breakfast at this point, having had oatmeal 3 days in a row )
After getting cleaned up and washing some stuff in the sink, I went over to the Guys & Dolls Bistro.
The food was great and I tried a Yukon Brewing beer
And the view was pretty nice as well
A good day.
Next: I got a desert!
Woke up around 8 am and yup, definitely had one too many last night. But, so had some of the other folks. As I was boiling water and getting ready to make some coffee, Chris was ready to head out. Last night he'd taken off early, and I thought we'd annoyed him in the sauna, but it turned out that with all the slang he couldn't follow the conversation all that well, being German (not sure I mentioned this earlier, but I was born & grew up in Germany but have been in Canada for over 30 years).
So we chatted in German and he decided to have some coffee with me. Seeing my choices, he broke out the real Starbucks coffee he carried and we found a french press in the 'kitchen' area (great campground!).
I think we probably sat and had coffee and talked for an hour. I shared some tips about riding Vancouver Island, where we was going as I had ridden it as part of last summers trips, and he marked up his map so he'd remember. When I got back to someplace with WiFi I promised to send the GPX files for the island.
Super guy.
I'm not sure if Chris got the email I sent, I had him type in the address on my phone so I wouldn't mess it up, but I know he only had WiFi and no cell coverage. Hopefully he enjoyed the rest of his travels in North America
Shot from the cabin
And from the outside
Note the airplane propeller on the outside, the cabin had an aero theme
I'd gotten a bit antsy as we were talking as it was getting 'late' and I didn't know how far I would travel today. I was feeling fairly bushed, partly from riding so many days without taking a rest day, partly from the previous night and so I didn't want to delay too long.
As I gassed up in Tok I saw Chris' bike in front of Fast Eddies, but I had already had oatmeal and didn't want to eat again. He said he needed about 5 coffees so I guess he was filling up.
Riding too the border took longer than I was expecting, I had gotten the math wrong when Rodolfo and I looked at the map before he left yesterday. I kept wondering if I'd see him on the road heading the other way, but didn't
It was strange riding past the US border and seeing a sign for 'Canadian border 20 km'. So for 20 km I was outside the US but hadn't officially re-entered Canada.
Some folks were taking pictures of swans on one of the lakes by the highway, but I wanted to make time.
At the Canadian crossing the mosquitoes were _thick_ and I put my gloves back on and left my faceshield down to keep them at bay. Worst of the trip.
After the border, and getting gas, I came around a turn and man ...
the scale and size of the place ...
If there was a person on those flats they would have been a small dark spec
The scenery was stunning, though it was hazy and anything south facing was completely 'blow-out' and I didn't stop for as many photos as I probably could have.
Around Destruction Bay I had to stop again though
Just afterwards, there was a section with fresh chip-seal a semi going the other way kicked up a rock about 2 inches in diameter ... and it was heading right for my face.
You know that feeling where something bad is going to happen, but it's so fast that you can't stop it? Yup, that's the one. The rock hit my visor, made a large cracking sound and ... I assessed quickly (was traveling 100 km/h and had moved as far to the right as I could):
- Face - intact
- Faceshield - intact (seriously? Yup!), but clear marks from the impact.
- All good!
Thank you Shoei for making quality helmets and shields! There are 2 impact marks on my shield, about an inch apart. I figure the rock was moving over 180 km/h when it hit me (me moving at 100, the truck moving at 100, the rock also close to 100). Luckily a glancing blow!
I pulled into Haines Jct and there were a couple of places with decent ratings and thought "I'm done for the day"
I'd previously called the B&B in Whitehorse where I'd stayed when I met Chip, but they were full for the day. And I was ready to get off the bike.
The lady at the front desk was super helpful and I got a great tip for dinner, as well as for breakfast the next morning (I wanted a real breakfast at this point, having had oatmeal 3 days in a row
)
After getting cleaned up and washing some stuff in the sink, I went over to the Guys & Dolls Bistro.
The food was great and I tried a Yukon Brewing beer
And the view was pretty nice as well
A good day.
Next: I got a desert!
Last edited:
B
ballisticexchris
Guest
Yes Sir!! The Shoei helmets always amaze me. I have been wearing that brand since a teen.
Uh....is this in the right place?
B
ballisticexchris
Guest
Oops, I was just commenting on his rock hit to the face of his helmet. Carry on......
Don in Lodi
Well-Known Member
Founding Member
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Looked like a good place to me.
I certainly understood the reference and thought it was in the right place