Our ride to the Yukon

Twisties

Active Member
2011 Site Supporter
2012 Site Supporter
Joined
Aug 12, 2011
Messages
709
Location
Brookings, OR, USA
Wanting to give the Yukon a little more time with all the road washouts, we figured we'd start on the coast and work our way back through the Ice Fields Parkway.

Our first stop was Lassen. A nice place, we rode on through. The next day a great ride on this route:

http://maps.google.com/maps?saddr=Redding,+CA&daddr=41.06354,-122.70246+to:41.29805,-123.12615+to:Brookings,+OR&hl=en&ll=41.281935,-122.780457&spn=1.859598,3.169556&sll=41.180721,-122.910919&sspn=0.931254,1.584778&geocode=FSxNawIdhXO0-CkvIEo71pHSVDFXDzZ77FgzHw%3BFXSUcgIdhLWv-CntvwcTHA7SVDGPAg5bhGGTCQ%3BFYIodgIdej6p-CkfPOcpIO7RVDGQQtOoM_EEMg%3BFQOsgQIdspOX-CkXQ39SCKXaVDGfevQAYkezsQ&oq=Broo&mra=dpe&mrsp=1&sz=10&via=1,2&t=m&z=9

By the time we got to Brookings it was dumping buckets, and cold. We had to gear up, and we stayed geared up the next two weeks. Photography was difficult, often impossible. The riding was endurance, not miserable, but not fun.

We worked up the coast through heavy all day rains and then turned inland, hoping for some respite.

It was dumping buckets at Mt St. Helens:





We caught some breaks in the N. Cascades, but got dumped on as we set up camp and again when we broke it:





We ran into Rod in Vernon, BC, but rode on. The next night we met up with Rod, Al, Jim and Ryan in Vanderhoof. We rode with them to the Stewart/Hyder turn off in the morning. I think it may have been raining.

It was dumping buckets when we rode in to Stewart:



It dumped buckets all night, and it was dumping buckets when we rode out of Stewart:









Next installment coming soon...

Teaser...

 

tomatocity

Active Member
2011 Site Supporter
2012 Site Supporter
2013 Site Supporter
2014 Site Supporter
Joined
Mar 1, 2011
Messages
5,251
Location
Sacramento, CA USA
Very nice. How was the ride from Happy Camp CA to O'Brien OR? Sorry for the rain but you did leave California :D
 

Twisties

Active Member
2011 Site Supporter
2012 Site Supporter
Joined
Aug 12, 2011
Messages
709
Location
Brookings, OR, USA
tomatocity said:
Very nice. How was the ride from Happy Camp CA to O'Brien OR? Sorry for the rain but you did leave California :D
Paved. It was nice. Not as sporty as it looks on the map, but pretty good. Google didn't have a street view for it and we kept getting conflicting info on whether it was paved or not. Turn at the Sasquatch statue in Happy Camp. Now 3 was really something... a couple of jaw dropping turns on that. The road from Etna to Somes Bar is mostly one lane with blind corners, and a whole bunch of heavy truck traffic. Sharon didn't like that part.
 

Ollie

New Member
Founding Member
2011 Site Supporter
2012 Site Supporter
Joined
Dec 1, 2010
Messages
258
Beautiful images, twisty. I had similar challenges getting good images. If it wasn't rain it was inversion or smoke. Thanks for sharing.
 

tomatocity

Active Member
2011 Site Supporter
2012 Site Supporter
2013 Site Supporter
2014 Site Supporter
Joined
Mar 1, 2011
Messages
5,251
Location
Sacramento, CA USA
Twisties said:
Paved. It was nice. Not as sporty as it looks on the map, but pretty good. Google didn't have a street view for it and we kept getting conflicting info on whether it was paved or not. Turn at the Sasquatch statue in Happy Camp. Now 3 was really something... a couple of jaw dropping turns on that. The road from Etna to Somes Bar is mostly one lane with blind corners, and a whole bunch of heavy truck traffic. Sharon didn't like that part.
Have never ridden (snow) the Indian Creek / Grayback / Happy Camp road to O'Brien OR http://goo.gl/maps/O7ks but I have ridden the piss out of... Sawyers Bar Road http://goo.gl/maps/xf25 and Scott River Road http://goo.gl/maps/Qj4i . Another route to get from Etna to Somes Bar is... http://goo.gl/maps/Y2MV . I will ride it in August.

If you are ever in the Etna area again take an extra day and some of the other roads.
 

Twisties

Active Member
2011 Site Supporter
2012 Site Supporter
Joined
Aug 12, 2011
Messages
709
Location
Brookings, OR, USA
We left Stewart in heavy rain, but by midday it began to dry out a bit and we only had a few showers. Temps reached a balmy 60 F. We thought of camping at Boya Lake, but the pit toilets were the pits, and I wanted no part of them. So we rode on. Lots of mushroom hunters camped along 37, looking for morels we were told. It was nice enough, but we didn't camp. Made for the Yukon. Finally pulled off and got a room at the Nugget just onto the Alaska Highway. Nice folk. You get a little closet room with a shared bath and shower across the way for $80 plus tax. Food prices were a bit high, and we talked them into letting us use the internet for free. They also had some nice rooms for about double that. We chatted it up. I can't blame them. They haul everything from Whitehorse where they buy at retail. Then they stay open year round. Claim they lose money in the winter, but view it as an obligation to the community. No arguments from us. We were done, and needed a place to sleep.

Then in the morning it was on to Whitehorse, through showers. It was dry enough when we pulled up in the early afternoon, but the forecast was for rain, and it was about 55 F. We took a room at the Mtn Ridge, where we found a fair gathering of our fellow riders. It was Saturday the 30th. The Canada Day ride to Atlin was happening in the morning.

We made the group photo shoot:



But when folks pulled out for Atlin, Sharon dropped her glasses. It took us a while to get sorted and moving. We headed towards Atlin on our own. The road went to gravel, and then turned to construction in the gravel. After her recent spill, and not having had any dirt time on the Tenere, Sharon had no stomach for it, so we made for Carcross. Got a fine coffee and lunch, and then headed towards Skagway.

















Inukshuk





It was chilly, in the 40's F, but didn't rain, well other than a brief spit. The only dry day we had. Absolutely spectacular ride through the Krummholz, the Inukshuk, and yes, even twisties, to Skagway. The town itself proved to be a cruise ship town. We had dinner, made a few phone calls at US rates, and headed back to the Mtn Ridge.

Tiger_one arrived and we put him on our floor. It rained.

Monday it rained and we did laundry, got oil, headed out to Rem's, changed our oil, hung out a bit and enjoyed the overwhelming hospitality, and then headed back to the Mtn Ridge. Tuesday it rained. Tiger_one was itching for home, and we were vacilating between heading into Alaska, or heading home. Finally, after breakfast, the three of us decided to light out east. We went over to Yukon Yamaha to say our goodbyes, and then set out in the heavy rain.

In three hours we hit dry road.

The bears were out, as were the Caribou, Bighorn and Bison. You've already seen one pic. Here are few more:







Ok, enough for today. I'll pick back up shortly.
 

phplemel

Member
Joined
May 28, 2011
Messages
263
Location
Whitehorse Yukon
Awesome pic's glad you enjoyed what passes for summer in our parts of the world :)) I'm really sorry you couldn't make the Atlin ride , I knew we were missing some bikes when we got to Jakes Corner :mad:. Too bad :'(, the construction portion as only about 2 km long and only 1 spot was soft (abou 50ft worth) Photo ops were VERY plentiful :exclaim: oh well, you have an excuse to come back
 

Twisties

Active Member
2011 Site Supporter
2012 Site Supporter
Joined
Aug 12, 2011
Messages
709
Location
Brookings, OR, USA
phplemel said:
Awesome pic's glad you enjoyed what passes for summer in our parts of the world :)) I'm really sorry you couldn't make the Atlin ride , I knew we were missing some bikes when we got to Jakes Corner :mad:. Too bad :'(, the construction portion as only about 2 km long and only 1 spot was soft (abou 50ft worth) Photo ops were VERY plentiful :exclaim: oh well, you have an excuse to come back
Hey Pat, Thanks for all the goodies in the sacks! Above and beyond! Yeah, we have a lot of excuses to come back! We had a great day in any event, although we missed the fun with the group.
 

Twisties

Active Member
2011 Site Supporter
2012 Site Supporter
Joined
Aug 12, 2011
Messages
709
Location
Brookings, OR, USA
The area from Liard Hot Springs, through Muncho Lake and Stone Mountain is very nice. We made Liard and camped across the street. We saw a bear a mile away, on the way in. Bison were roaming our camp, and bull moose had been seen recently in the springs. We got a nice walk and a nice soak in. Talked with all the friendly people. In the morning we headed on:





We spent the night in Dawson Creek. Mr. Hanson, Tiger_one, went on in the morning, he was itching for home. We were still on vacation and had been holding him up. We made Jasper and the Ice Fields Parkway in time to find a camp site at Snaring River.







We woke to a misty dawn, and rode for Jasper for breakfast, but the views demanded a stop or two on the way in.





We made a stop at Athabasca Falls:







and continued south:





stopping for the night at The Crossing:



In the morning we headed south:











After Radium Hot Springs, we beat for home, arriving in 102 F conditions two days later, despite a 4 am alarm and hopes of beating the heat.

All in all, a great trip!
 
Top