road trip

[frankdawg]

planning a trip to Alaska, what are your must haves or have nots, also camping along the cassier hwy any thoughts or spots I should look into

 

[Don in Lodi]

Mosquito netting and bear spray. Some have done the entire ride without seeing a bear. Mosquitos from Hell though.

 

[Pterodactyl]

Join in this ongoing thread.

http://www.yamahasupertenere.com/index.php?topic=21507.0

I lived in Fairbanks for many years and Spousal Unit and I have made the trip several times. When we ride to AK we pack the same way we do if we are riding to AZ or OH except: copious bug spray, bug net, passport, bear spray and no firearm.

 

[hogmolly]

When I rode to AK from TX, I carried bear spray. I was reading the can and it said "sprays stream upto 40 ft". I also know that bears in a full charge can approach 60 ft per second.

So.....one thing I wondered about. If a bear is charging me, then I have 0.67 seconds to hit the bear in the eyes. I'm not that good or accurate with a can of spray (wasp spray is similar and it takes me a second or two to adjust once I'm spraying). If a bear is just wandering by, is it wise to spray it and make it mad?

Anyone with experience using bear spray? I'd love to know how it should be used. I carried the stuff and I'm glad I never had a need to use it.

 

[frankdawg]

Well I got bear spray, and about as accurate as hogmolly lol, I will go get myself a mosquito net and some deet.
thanks guys keep them coming

 

[snakebitten]

All I can say is if someday yaw read on here that snake was on some epic ADVENTURE in the Yukon\Alaska but that he's gone now at the behest of a mighty grizzly.........

Please don't mourn, but instead give me 3 cheers!

What a distinguished end to a fairytale life, considering all the stupid stunts I have gotten away with.

 

[Super10NJ]

If there's two thing I can't stand, it's mosquitos and grizzlies. True story.

 

[Cycledude]

We have done the Alaska trip twice, seen lots of bear both times ! Never bought any bear spray but if u do buy some all I can say is good luck using it !
Had mosquito net along but never used it, there was only one night that the mosquito was bad and wow bad is an understatement ! but once we got into our tents no issues.
Good gear and a well maintained bike are probably a lot more important than bear spray and mosquito nets.

 

[Madhatter]

bear spray , kinda like shark repellant....

 

[IslandTractor]

All I can say is if someday yaw read on here that snake was on some epic ADVENTURE in the Yukon\Alaska but that he's gone now at the behest of a mighty grizzly.........

Please don't mourn, but instead give me 3 cheers!

What a distinguished end to a fairytale life, considering all the stupid stunts I have gotten away with.

Should that be your premature end, we will not only celebrate with three cheers but will make clear to anyone who ever told you that "you'll never amount to sh*t" was wrong!

 

[scott123007]

Should that be your premature end, we will not only celebrate with three cheers but will make clear to anyone who ever told you that "you'll never amount to sh*t" was wrong!

::025:: ::025:: ::025::

 

[Checkswrecks]

Should that be your premature end, we will not only celebrate with three cheers but will make clear to anyone who ever told you that "you'll never amount to sh*t" was wrong!

Classic!
LOL

 

[Checkswrecks]

I've done a lot of dumb stuff and am usually the one who goes a few steps too far, but having seen what bears can do to cars and wrecked airplanes, they have my total respect. Having spent days with Alaskan State Police and F&G, I know most bears will leave us alone but there are two ways a bear will come up to you. If they amble in to look for food or out of curiosity, bear spray is the way to go because their nose is their guide. The guys said to make noise and take the usual other steps first but if you need to use the spray then shoot a short burst or two up from a spot just in front of them and give ground.


If they already are eating something the guys just back off and wait. Fire a gun and they'll disappear just far and long enough to come back in when you aren't paying attention. If you've somehow pissed off a brownie or grizzly you probably will already know how you f-d up.

 

[Pterodactyl]

The most dangerous bear is a starving bear. They get old, they get abscesses or they get injured. If a bear perceives a human as an easy meal then it will hunt you, kill you and eat you (or at least the good bits). These kind of encounters, although uncommon, are the ones you hear about where a bear rips open a tent and kills someone in a sleeping bag. A few years back a kid was hunted down on the boardwalk at Liaird Hotsprings; that bear was starving and was going to get a meal no matter the cost. There have been occasional similar stories in the Mountatian west over the years. Two years ago a rider headed to the BMW rally in billings was attacked while in his sleeping bag. Luckily he survived because he had friends to help. The general rule is that if you contact a bear inadvertently and the bear is upon you then you should try to protect yourself by rolling to your stomach, crossing your legs and placing your hands over the back of the neck. If a desperate bear is hunting you for a meal, then fight back with every bit of energy you have. Blows to the nose and eyes are your last best hope. Cubs are a huge danger signal. If you see cubs then move away from the area and prepare your weapon or spray. Those cute moose calves are also an invitation to meet an angry and dangerous cow. We assisted a fellow who had been knocked off his moving motorcycle by an angry cow on the Haul road because her calf was on the other side of the road. The rider was in very bad shape and had to be medivaced to Seattle; the bike was totaled.

Let's be careful out there.

 

[Don in Lodi]

Ever wonder how to tell if that pile of scat on the trail is bear or not? The bells and the smell of pepper spray will give it away... ::008::

 

[The GYMMY]

Im with cycledude......We just completed Alaska in 2016. No bear spray and brought extra fuel but never used it.

Bring a mosquito net but even that, we didn't use. Maybe we just got lucky.

Left from Virginia on 6/18/16 and we were back home on 7/11/16. 12,558 miles of Fantastic weather and no issues with food or lodging.

Even the Dalton to the Arctic circle was a breeze. Like I said, maybe we just got lucky. We are heading back next year for more.

This year its Labrador and Newfoundland!

 

[limey]

This year its Labrador and Newfoundland!

The Blackflys in Labrador are the worst I have ever experienced in North America.

 

[Checkswrecks]

The elk and moose are a bigger threat than the bears here in the east. They just somehow magically appear in the road to be hit, and I know a couple of people who have had really bad accidents due to them.