Two Bob's OH to AK 2016 - Ram + Hawk + Husky + Wing

[DYNOBOB]

Teaser shots.

Dalton Hwy

Myself and Dad (Bob Jr, Bob Sr)

Homer

Big dipper and aurora over the Yukon river, Dawson City

Denali Hwy

McCarthy

Seward

Valdez

Top of the World Hwy

Cassiar Hwy

Icefields Pky

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[DYNOBOB]

Some stats and thoughts from the trip:
- Traveled for 30 days. Aug 18 to Sept 18, 2016.
- 11,853 miles on the truck.
- 7,500 combined miles on the bikes.
- Alaska is a long way away from Ohio.
- Three tire punctures on truck - thankfully no major mechanical failures, accidents, or illness.
- Rain on 5 of 30 days.
- Temps from 28f to 78f.
- Ate at restaurants only three times.
- Marked all the Walmarts on gps ahead of time.
- In Homer I hit 'home' on gps = 4360 miles.
- Alaska is a long way away from Ohio.
- 10 bear sightings, 1 black wolf, eagles, moose, elk, caribou, mountain goats, buffalo - lots of critters...
- Witnessed a stunning aurora borealis.
- Spent under $300 on lodging (campgrounds).
- Consumed ~1000 gallons of diesel fuel.
- Alaska is a long way away from Ohio.
- Keep in mind that this was a trip covering a lot of ground, not a photo outing. That being said, I'm pleased with what we brought back.

So this is our route.

This is the rig.

Made some steps for Dad (73/bad knees).

And a storage box on the trailer.

My strategy was to push hard miles the first few and last few days so we could slow down in the good stuff. We covered 2400 miles (to Banff/Lake Louise) non-stop the first 50hrs and 1800 the last 30hrs home. The rest of the trip we did 150-450 mile days, getting going around 10am and stopping at 7pm. The camper was key, we could stop and make lunch wherever we found ourselves and camp almost anywhere. Showers were every 2-3 days when we were at proper campgrounds. Thankfully the pace was never too much for Dad (or me) - it was a concern I had.

First installment of pics is home to Waterfowl Campground north of Lake Louise. We departed Cinci 8:30pm Friday evening and arrived at Lake Louise 8:30pm Sunday evening. I've got to think 2460 miles in 50hrs elapsed time is close to a record .

Wildlife overpass near Banff

Icefields Parkway at the bottom

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[DYNOBOB]

Monday Aug 22. Lake Louise to Dawson Creek (Mile Zero of AK Hwy). 475 miles

I intended to pull the Wing off the trailer and start riding today (Icefields Pky), but awoke to rain and it's forecasted for most of today. So, decided to leave it on the trailer and cover as much ground as we could instead. The roads from Jasper to Dawson Creek are not the most remarkable anyway.

Overcast Icefields Pky...

We stopped at Walmart in Grand Prairie for supplies at 7pm and decided to push on to Dawson Creek for the night. Fortunately, the rain stopped mid-afternoon and the forecast looks great going forward. 475 miles of two-lane with truck and trailer is a pretty good day.

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[DYNOBOB]

Tues Aug 23. Dawson Creek to Tetsa River Campground (near Toad River). 368 miles.

Awoke to a beautiful day - time to unload the bike. After a visit to the carwash (bike was filthy after 3000 miles on trailer), we found the Mile Zero signs for requisite pics and got rolling.

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[DYNOBOB]

Wed Aug 24. Tetsa River CG to Yukon River Motel/Campground in Teslin. 397 miles.

More blue skies this morning as we depart the campground. The scenery is improving a bunch today. The first 350 miles of the AK Hwy yesterday were pretty, but not so different than driving thru Tennessee (bigger spaces/straighter roads). Today's cool stop is the Signpost Forest in Watson Lake.

Tetsa was a nice, primitive campground with pit toilets only. In hindsight, I think we should have pushed 15 miles further to Toad River and had showers.

Early in the day we're traveling thru the Stone Mountain area.

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[DYNOBOB]

Continued.


Yeah baby...

This is an ok campground/truck stop/restaurant with decent showers.

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[DYNOBOB]

Thur Aug 25. Teslin to Beavercreek. 387 miles.

Today was an overcast affair.

Between Whitehorse and Haines Junction we pulled over to make lunch and discovered the back window of the camper had shattered. Luckily, we had a piece of plexiglass and could drill holes to make a temporary window. A couple hours later we hit rain for the last 100 miles into Beavercreek.

Destruction Bay on Kluane Lake has a strange, other worldly feel to it. A constant plume of glacial silt is blowing across the road and into the bay from Slims Creek. They're not sure why, but Slims Creek is drying up, a shadow of it's former self.

Just past Burwash Landing we hit rain and about 60 miles of road construction. When not behind a pilot car, traffic kept a nice 60+ mph pace, even on gravel. The Wing was rock solid.

Temps were dropping into the upper 40s F, time for the heated jacket.

Arriving at Beavercreek, we opted to camp behind the gas station and have dinner next door at Buckshot Beatty's. The rain has slowed down and the sun is peaking thru. We're hoping for good weather tomorrow as we enter Alaska.

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[DYNOBOB]

Fri Aug 26. Beavercreek, YK to Fairbanks. 326 miles.

Just up the road from Beavercreek was our first stop this morning and a major trip milestone, the Alaska border. 3953 miles since leaving home six days ago.

Skies are clearing and the forecast is dry to Fairbanks. Those experienced in Alaska motorcycle travel will tell you "follow the weather". Indeed, yesterday we had to make a major route decision in Whitehorse. My original plan was to take the Klondike Hwy north to Dawson City and the Top of the World Hwy. This would have added 2-3 days to arriving at Fairbanks. However, the part of this trip that has me the most nervous is the 1000 mile run from Fairbanks to Prudhoe Bay and back. I've been watching the weather for Prudhoe for the last week and Sat/Sun look beautiful with highs in the mid-50s F. Monday forward calls for low 40's and overcast/rain. This is exactly why I've had the hammer down to this point in the trip, we'll arrive Fairbanks tonight and catch that good weather on the Dalton tomorrow. Forward ho...

Just before you get to Fairbanks is North Pole, AK. As we entered town I noticed an auto glass shop advertising "we fix your panes". A quick U-turn and 45 minutes later, they had cut me a proper piece of plexi, given me a roll of doublestick tape, and the camper window was good as new. Thank you Santa...

Tonight we're staying with old friends just outside of Fairbanks. We'll leave the trailer and Goldwing here for a few days while we run the Dalton. She had dinner waiting when we arrived and most of it was from her outstanding garden. You'll notice the 8ft high fence to keep the moose out and the raised beds because the ground is always frozen a few feet down. These are not problems you have in OH .

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[GroovyDad]

What serendipity that you happened to have a piece of Plexiglass on hand to fix the window. Looks like you all had an incredible trip.

 

[DYNOBOB]

It's the protection that keeps you from kicking thru the screen at the bottom of the door. Not sure if that's standard FWC or if the previous owner added it?

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[Old Crow]

Love your maps and photos, Bob. Thanks!

A couple of questions if you don't mind....

- what do you think broke the window?

- can you tell us a bit more about the tire punctures, i.e., do you think they were related to road surface, bad luck picking up debris, tire condition, etc....

 

[DYNOBOB]

Our best guess is a rock bounced off the trailer and hit the window? It was safety glass and I think the plexi is prob tougher.

All three punctures occurred on gravel when Dad was keeping up with the dual-sport. One was for sure a stone puncture because I had to work to get it out. We think the pace contributed but who knows? These were new 10ply/E tires in Feb. My feeling is the Firestones are a soft road tire and maybe a poor choice. Wheels/tires were cheap though - take offs from a 2015 Ram for $550. Tires are 2/3 worn at this point.

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[Old Crow]

Thanks for the explanations, Bob.

 

[Dughlas Stiubhart]

Wow, thanks for all the great photos. They bring back great memories. I did a similar drive one summer back in 1973 in a red and white Dodge Polara. Most of the roads weren't paved then so I had many broken headlights, a broken windshield plus I ripped off the dual exhaust trying to drive to Denali (McKinley then) NP. The fabulous scenery hasn't changed, though, as your photos show so well!

 

[mitch h]

Great trip and pics. Thanks

 

[DYNOBOB]

Wow, thanks for all the great photos. They bring back great memories. I did a similar drive one summer back in 1973 in a red and white Dodge Polara. Most of the roads weren't paved then so I had many broken headlights, a broken windshield plus I ripped off the dual exhaust trying to drive to Denali (McKinley then) NP. The fabulous scenery hasn't changed, though, as your photos show so well!

Alaska claimed the exhaust system on my truck also... I'm envious of you guys who made the trip back in the day. They've pretty much paved the adventure of it now.

Great trip and pics. Thanks

Thanks you! Lots more to come.

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[DYNOBOB]

Sat Aug 27. Fairbanks to Galbraith Lakes. 370 miles.

Without a doubt, this is the segment of the trip that has me the most nervous. 1000 miles thru wilderness to Prudhoe Bay and back with no towns and only two small outposts with fuel. A catastrophic mechanical or tire failure up here likely means a very expensive tow bill (thousands) and multiple days to resolve. Beyond that, you hear horror stories of flying rocks from semis, broken windshields, broken headlights, tire eating holes in the road, cement like mud covering your vehicle, dense clouds of mosquitoes, alien abductions, etc. When you mention you're riding the Dalton to most 49th State residents they look at you like you're an alien, why would you even want to ride up there? If you're reading this though, you know why. Without a doubt, this is my favorite day of the trip!

By the time I had the bikes/truck/trailer sorted Sat morning, we got away much later than I wanted to (11am). Knowing the distance faced the next couple days this was frustrating, I also forgot my throttle rocker on the Wing and box of spare Husky parts. Grrrr... Gotta put that out of your mind though - remind yourself of where you are - and be thankful for the stunning conditions. Get ready for a lot of pics... 90% of our Dalton pics were taken northbound. For a couple reasons there were very few taken southbound.

So north we go... and very quickly you spot the pipeline/reason this road exists.

Approaching the Yukon River

Gas is over $5/gal anywhere on the Dalton. If you have at least 260 mile fuel range you can skip this stop and hit Coldfoot. Or...you can "never pass up a gas up".

Finger Mountain area

 

[DYNOBOB]

Nearing Coldfoot

This is Coldfoot. There are about 4 buildings and seemed to be about 10 people working at the complex. The restaurant serves pretty good food and showers are $14. Tomorrow we'll find out how much tire repairs are...

Just north of Coldfoot you're getting into the Brooks Range. Why would anyone want to drive this road...?

Shortly before the climb to Atigun Pass the road returns to gravel. If you've been confused by the pavement, roughly 50 miles on either side of Coldfoot is nicely paved. It's a nice break from the gravel and is especially welcome on the return from Prudhoe.

 

[DYNOBOB]

The climb to Atigun.

Looking back south from the pass.

The north side of Atigun - if you squint you can see me in the lower right.

The truck gives scale to the immensity of the view here. They were shot at 45mm which is how your eyes see it standing here.

Taken from where the truck was in the last shot.

Dad in the distance.

On the north side of the Brooks Range now, looking back south at Galbraith Lakes.

Now approaching 8pm, we pull over a little ways up the road to make some dinner. After eating, we decide this is where we'll camp for the evening. One thing we've been doing every night after dinner is watching a dvd on the laptop. Tonight we watch the final episode of "Long Way Around" where they're traveling thru Alaska. It's beyond surreal to be camped on the North Slope tundra...

A couple critters have met their demise 100ft from the truck, that's something to keep in mind if you have to leave the camper in the dark..

370 miles covered today with lots of picture stops so I'm happy. 130 miles left to Prudhoe.

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[Dughlas Stiubhart]

Alaska claimed the exhaust system on my truck also... I'm envious of you guys who made the trip back in the day. They've pretty much paved the adventure of it now.





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Bob, it looks to me like you are having plenty of adventures!! Keep the photos coming.