Day 1:
534 miles to Hixon, BC. Nothing out of the ordinary here. Early, 6 am departure with first stop at McDonald’s in Hope BC for a late breakfast. BC highways/freeways are more scenic and less tedious than the slabs in WA. We camped in Hixon at Canyon Creek campground. Nice place with good prices. We cooked our dinner; steak, hotdogs, salad and what-not over the fire while celebrating with a little bubbly. I was pleasantly surprised that the mosquitos preferred my travel companions.
Day 2:
8 am, kickstands up to cover 470 miles to Bear River RV park in Stewart BC. The original plan was to stay in Hyder, AK, just a few hundred yards away, but the operator of that campground (Run-A-Muk) was not interested in negotiating to a reasonable price. Just a few miles before arriving in Stewart, we visited Bear Glacier. More than stunning.
After setting up camp, dinner was found at the restaurant in the King Edward hotel. Everyone was happy with their food and the staff was fun/saucy. My pork cutlet was spectacular. Today was the day I was introduced to the Canadian version of the rough road sign. Usually just some heaves or heavy cracks in the roads. Pretty easy to deal with so far…
Day 3:
On to the Yukon… 538 miles of beautiful, backcountry highway. I didn’t enjoy as much of it as I should have. We had off and on rain all morning and came across a black bear My first, within just a few miles of leaving Stewart. We’re heading for Teslin. I got nervous after coming across the bear and have never liked pushing limits in the rain. My companion riders had no issues and seemed to have no fear, so my tension increased; believing I was holding the group back.
Not long after we came across the bear, the regularity of those rough road signs became more common. Nothing terrible but I noticed the leaders were slowing down for them. Still no gravel just yet, but I think I’m prepared because of those signs. Then, bam! I was hanging back a bit because of that earlier nervousness and had lost sight of the 3 bikes in front of me on a corner to the right. We’re traveling around 80 mph. Just before I reached the end of the bend, all I see is 3 dust clouds and suddenly, a loose gravel sign. That loose gravel started mid-corner and about 10 yards past the sign. I quickly started down-shifting but hit the gravel around 50 mph and pulled the clutch in. The gravel was deep and not packed at all. We were all surprised but somehow made it, shiny side up, without incident. About a ½ mile later, my wife and I shared a “holy-f******-s***” over our Sena headsets. There were a couple of gravel incidents to follow but all had much better warning and were much more prepared for speed.
We arrived at the Yukon Motel (plus campground) in Teslin, set-up camp and then dinner in their restaurant. Food was nothing special but hit the spot plus they had beer. Pretty view of the lake in their campground area and free showers and laundry to boot. Can’t complain.
Day 4:
Teslin to Dawson, 440 miles. The morning we leave, we start talking and researching whether taking the “Top of the World Highway” is a possibility. It had just re-opened a week earlier. Conditions are unknown, but it is sort of a bucket-list item, so the consensus is to go for it. Then they tell me it is around 80 to 100 miles of gravel, sometimes in condition of constant repair. Ugh.
On our way to Dawson, we traveled about 60 miles of gravel. I became much more comfortable running my Angel GTs across the well packed gravel. My nervousness about the Top of the World subsided a bit. We passed through beautiful scenery, just as we had almost everyday beforehand. There were huge, unmarked potholes, driving rain and even a stretch of ball-bearing hail. Side question, how the heck does it hail at 60 degrees Fahrenheit?
After we arrived in Dawson, we quickly discovered that most of the campgrounds wouldn’t allow fires for us to cook on. We finally found one, the Dawson City R.V. Park and Campground. Also a gas station. What a dump! I won’t bother listing all the details but watch out for the gypsies and don’t depend on their promises. We did have a fire to cook over so that was a bonus.
Day 5:
Just like every day so far, we set off at 8 am. Short trip, just past downtown Dawson to the ferry to cross the river. I’ve taken ferry trips like this before so no big deal. Except, once we load, I can’t get good footing because of all of the wet, silty/sandy residue on the deck. I cannot get good footing to put my side-stand down. One of my fellow riders comes over to assist. Thank you! It’s a short ride to the other side of the Yukon river; maybe 5 minutes. One of the other riders left his bike on but not running while we crossed. Guess what? Dead battery… The ferry operators pushed him off and continued on with their duties. Thankfully, another rider had a spare battery in his trailer. They swapped it quickly and we were off to travel that “Top of the World Highway”.
It’s going to be our shortest mileage day so far. Just short of 400 miles to Fox, AK. That first 100 miles of gravel takes us almost 4 hours to traverse. That’s partially due to a flat about 2/3 of the way through. No worries, fairly quickly taken care of via tire plug.
Eventually, we reach the Canada/Alaska border crossing at Poker Creek, Ak. Yup, I get to brag! How may of you have been here? What’s almost more amazing is the pavement that greeted us on the other side. Around 17 miles of the most scenic, perfect pavement produced by man. It made the previous 4 hours well worth the strife. Of course, that was abruptly interrupted by around 25 more miles of dirt/gravel into Chicken, AK.
We had lunch at the Chicken Creek Café. Amazing food! Even better personalities running the place. Go here if you make it this far!
On to Fox. While the scenery is still beautiful, the rest of the day is pretty uneventful. We traveled to North Pole, AK and stopped at the Santa Claus House on our way. Rushed from there to the Northern Moosed RV park. Nothing special there but some folks in our group had previously stayed and the rates/amenities were good. Side note, their water is rusty. Dinner was sort of across the street at Silver Gulch Brewing. Good food and good beer.
And one of the most coveted motorcycle related passport stamps:
Day 6:
Again, a short mileage day. Just 360 round trip. We left late; around 10 am. Super easy, right? We’re returning to the Northern Moosed later today after going to claim our fame by reaching the Arctic Circle. 180 miles each way, the first and last 60 miles paved. No big deal, right? Ugh…
That 60 miles of pavement was sketchy at best. Huge heaves, breaks and potholes everywhere. My fellow riders were antsy and forgive me, hauling ***. They’d had their bikes many years and had done a lot of suspension mods. Mine is bone stock. Keeping up was tough. Many times I’d find them taking it easy through less interesting sections to let me catch up.
Then, we hit the dirt. 120 miles to the Arctic Circle and another 120 miles back. Smack dab in the middle of that 120 miles is a single gas stop. Thankfully, my range exceeds everyone except one guy with a modified FJR tank. We stop and fill-up, knowing we will have to return to the same station on the way back for the other riders. Quick gas up and munch down some snacks and hit the road shortly after.
About 20 miles after the gas-up, we hit the nastiest, slick section of the dirt. The water truck had just passed through. When my front tire hit it around 50 mph, my handlebars went sideways; hard right. I had just enough momentum and arm strength to pull it out straight. Shortly after, one of my fellow riders got a flat. We fixed that up, lickety-split with a plug and were off again. The road dried out a bit and felt much more comfortable. Then, I got a flat around 2 miles short of the Circle. Turned out to be 2 separate punctures so it took a little longer to fix. Plus, we were in a spot that wasn’t quite level so I lost my ST off the center stand while working on the tire (1[SUP]st[/SUP] tip-over). Side note: I’ll be needing a right mirror plus cover and the mosquitos in that spot were horrendous…
Made it to the Arctic Circle, took our pictures and headed back. We’re a little worried that that gas station is going to be closed by the time we get back to it. Thankfully, no more events and we caught him just before closing and hauled butt to get back to Fox and dinner at the Turtle Club. They are known for their prime rib. I was skeptical. You should not be…
Day 7:
Not much riding today. Just 135 miles, 2 hours, to Riley Creek Campground in Denali National Park. Before leaving Fox, we take a jaunt into town to find a car wash and knock some of that Dalton Highway road grime with the consistency of concrete off our bikes. I’m not a fan of pressure washing bikes but this stuff is bad. We had to get as much of it off before it was impossible to do so. I used the nozzle, without pulling the trigger, for up close stuff and then stood back 3 to 5 feet when I was giving it the full blast. After about $16 in quarters, the ST looked semi-presentable again. I crossed my fingers when I hit the starter and she fired right up with no lingering effects from the washdown.
My wife got here first moose picture. A pretty scrawny specimen, just outside the park. We settled into camp rather quickly and wasted away the rest of the day cooking hot dogs, and wild game sausages over the fire. Adult beverages were liberally applied.
Day 8:
Our shortest riding day yet. Just a ½ mile or so from camp to the Wilderness Access Center. From the WAC, we hop on a tour bus that takes us on a 6 ½ hour, round trip tour of the park. It’s pretty cloudy out so we don’t get to actually see Denali. Which isn’t all that uncommon. We hear that the trip is normally 8 hours but we are early in the season and the park road is not quite ready for end to end bus travel. After the tour, we headed into town. Dinner was found at the Denali Park Salmon Bake. Decent food and good beer.
Day 9:
I broke my wife’s camera last night, so on our way through Anchorage, we make a stop at Costco for a new one. Its an upgrade so my wife is very, very happy. It was untimely though. The day was perfectly clear and just an hour or so outside the park, we discovered one of the best views of Denali. Unfortunately, I have no pictures of it. Maybe I can track one down from one of the others in the group… We also stop at Gwennie’s Old Alaska Restaurant for lunch. All the wait staff seem to be little old grannies so its gotta be good comfort food, right? Yes, sir! I had a marvelous chili cheese burger. I was full halfway through, so I skipped the rest of the bun. Its their own chili and was delicious so I couldn’t waste that.
Two in the group were needing tire attention. One had been experimenting with some Pirelli 90/10 tires that were wearing incredibly fast. Almost to the cords after just around these 3000 miles so far. The other rider was quickly going through his tires on his trailer. He had already consumed a spare. We found a place in town that could accommodate, and they took care of us within just a couple of hours.
While I was waiting, I decided to look for groceries. By groceries, I mean beer. I found a liquor store that would fill my travel growler and I picked up another 6-pack of an IPA that looked interesting. While loading these into my trailer, my ST tipped over (#2), along with my wife who was still perched on her seat. After dusting her off and picking up the bike by myself, I realized I had made a terrible error when I parked with the trailer attached. The bike was aimed downhill and I had made a partial U-turn. When I lifted the trailer’s lid, it added additional leverage to the rear and forced it down. Luckily, no further damage was done and my wife was ok.
After the tires, we headed south to finish up the rest of the 290 miles for the day. We arrived at Portage Valley Cabins and RV Park and had camp setup by about 6. Everyone was still pretty full from lunch so we mostly snacked and enjoyed the company around the fire.
Day 10:
We’re up early for quick ride to Whittier, AK. It’s just 10 miles to the pier where we’ll meet our iceberg-cruise, tour-boat. Although the ride is short, there is some excitement. The final 2.5 miles are via the Anton Anderson Memorial Tunnel. The only land access to Whittier. The tunnel is actively used for rail-road traffic. They shut that down at scheduled intervals for vehicle traffic. Motorcycles are sent through at the end of each cycle and ride between the rails. Although the speed through the tunnel is slow, it is a unique experience that I would definitely recommend.
We spent just less than 6 hours aboard the vessel touring parts of Prince William Sound. They provide a small lunch and serve various libations throughout the cruise. It was another glorious weather day. I’ll let the pictures speak for themselves…
Day 11:
We have to make a quick stop at REI in Anchorage on our 350 mile trip to Valdez today. A couple of our tents didn’t stand up to the previous day’s, late afternoon wind gusts. The scenery along the 50 mile stretch back into Anchorage, along the Turnagain Arm is just as beautiful as it had been two days before.
After a quick breakfast and sorting things out with REI, we exit Anchorage along Hwy 1. It’s again a day filled with beautiful scenery, wildlife and stretches of some very fun pavement. Occasionally interrupted by construction and rough-road signs. Side-note: I bet being in the road-repair business in Alaska is very lucrative.
We see various wildlife along the way. Its actually pretty easy to pick out when you’re coming down the road because everything is cut back so far off the road. Don’t let yourself get complacent though. Although we didn’t have any close calls, the animal strikes are plentiful.
Just 15-20 miles before reaching Valdez, we reach some of the most amazing scenery yet. Its hard to believe because it seems it gets better with each mile of each day. We make a few stops for roadside photos along the way. Finally reaching our destination. A hotel in Valdez; our first luxury stop.
Day 12:
Back to the Yukon, Eh? Apologies my Canadian friends… We double-back, 122 miles out of Valdez as far as Glennallen on our way back to the Yukon today. No problem, the scenery is worth seeing twice. Before our departure, someone in our party warns this is the same road that he just missed an early morning moose somersaulting down a hillside and into the road a couple of years ago. It’s very foggy climbing the peak just outside Valdez. Once we’re on the other side, it clears up.
While gassing up in Glennallen, we come across a small group that are taking part of the trip we have already been on. They’re Australians on rented Africa Twins. Some of us admire the bikes. We’re surprised they’re not going to try their chances to get to Prudhoe. The remaining 280 miles to and through the Alcan Border crossing are spectacular. Scenic beauty, on top of scenic beauty, on top of pavement that’ll keep your interest. I’ve become much more familiar with my ST and keeping up nicely now. We’re starting to see a lot of other motorcycles and RV’s. Thankfully they’re heading the other direction. Our timing was perfect to avoid crowded highways and still have good weather and reasonable road conditions. These RV’s seem to travel in caravans. 5 to 10 of the same in a line. You can tell they all rented from the same place and made it easier on themselves by playing follow the leader.
We setup camp at Discovery Yukon Lodgings. A nice private campground with cabins. Free showers and flushing toilets. Neither were working while we were there but hey, it was really nice otherwise. Taxidermy was apparently a side business for the operator. Had hundreds of horns/antlers all around and numerous examples of kills in the office. One was a fairly small, female grizzly that happened to be taken down in the same spot of the office where it stands today. We had a seafood smorgasbord over the fire with adult beverages that night.
Day 13:
We’re going to make a big push to get near Liard Hot Springs today. Every single one of us has been looking forward to that part of the trip and the place fills up fast. We want tonight’s camp to be close, so we can assure ourselves a camp spot on Day 14.
Someone in our group turned 50 today. We decided she should pick the lunch venue. Mexican was her choice. Not one in the group argued. I think we were all getting a little tired of hot-dogs, subway sandwiches and bar-food. Sanchez Cantina in Whitehorse, YT was the place. It was excellent and so was the service.
In the end, we only make it 355 of the planned 520 miles today. We’re back to Teslin and the Yukon Motel instead. One of the FJR’s rear tire is showing cords. The last 75 miles have been full of lengthy sections of construction which means gravel. It’s amazing its even holding air. Even though its fairly early, we decide it is best if we have the local amenities to deal with the tire change and decide to camp there again. We’re not all that far from where we were thinking we’d stop anyway. Dinner was at the same hotel restaurant as before.
Day 14:
On our short trip to the hot springs today, we’re welcomed by pretty good and fun road conditions, some wildlife and again, spectacular scenery. It’s really cold, barely above freezing, when we wake but by the time we’re on the road, it’s warmed up quite a bit.
Our first stop is Watson Lake. Their claim to fame is an odd tourist attraction called the sign forest. Random signs and license plates from everywhere. We also do some grocery shopping for dinner by the fire tonight. They can’t sell me beer until 10 am so we dilly-dally through the sign forest and have snacks for an early lunch.
We arrive at Liard in the early afternoon and grab a fabulous group spot. Camp is set up rather quickly and then we tend to another tire issue. It’s the same from the day before. He has a slow leak in the valve stem. Turns out the rubber gasket had gone bad. Replacements were on hand so within an hour or so, we were off to the springs.
As with most hot springs, there’s a hot and a cold end. I couldn’t get within 20 feet of the hot end. My wife was loving it and ventured right up to the hottest spot. Sulfur fills the air here and will cling to you afterward. We relax for a couple of hours, enjoying our camouflaged adult beverages, then return to camp and have dinner. My wife is getting better, not great, with her new camera. It's harder to decide what to weed out...
Day 15:
Going to be a long day. We’re told that the first 1 ½ to 2 hours of riding will be absolutely stunning scenery, pavement and have good opportunities to see wildlife. No disappointments here. The rest of the day would be a lot of monotony. Lots of long straightaways with scenery that would otherwise be considered beautiful but far short of what we’ve seen thus far. That’s exactly how it went down.
Our first stop, around 35 miles away, is at the Northern Rockies Lodge. Just fuel up and on our way. The ride along Muncho Lake is fun and beautiful. The Alaska Hwy. leads us along the Toad River, then the Racing River, into a valley. Eventually, we start climbing Mt Saint Paul where we come across mountain goats. Our next stop is 85 miles from the last is at Tetsa River Lodge. Most enjoy a homemade cinnamon roll and pickup trinkets to remind themselves of the trip. I grab some elk and venison sausages and salamis.
Not long after leaving, the day goes on as promised. It was long and the scenery nor riding was very inspiring. We passed through Fort Nelson, Wonowon and Fort St John with eyes on staying in Grande Prairie. As we were passing through the town, we noticed a municipal park/campground. Made a quick stop at a grocery store just past it to grab steaks and such for dinner.
After the store we U-turn to return to the park. After locating some nice sites, I pull in to one and begin to make a U-turn around a tree, so I don’t have to attempt to backup or unhitch the trailer. While doing so, we very suddenly fell to the right. Turns out there was a tree root there that I didn’t notice. I slightly crushed my right hand between the handlebars and a fire-pit but was otherwise ok. My wife didn’t fair as well. She was pinned between the bike and earth. Help from my fellow riders came quickly but she was in pain. Her lower right leg/ankle was very sore. We iced/elevated it, gave her ibuprofen, etc. Swelling wasn’t too bad just yet though. She rested while I set up camp and dinner was made but retired to the tent shortly after. A crumby way to end the day. I felt awful. Yes, my ego was damaged but more importantly, I’d injured the love of my life.
We discussed options and both my wife and I thought she’d be able to make the rest of the trip. We had emergency transport insurance, but she wanted to finish the trip and thought she could make it. It would put a little extra load on me for packing and things for the next two nights, but I could deal with it. Everyone else was onboard and offered to assist where I may need it.
Day 16:
I wake early to tackle the extra packing I have on my plate. Coffee first and then a protein bar. Soon after my wife wakes up. She’s much more sore than last evening and didn’t get much sleep. I get everything packed that I can while she is struggling to dress for the day. Once she’s ready, I help her to a picnick table so I can finish up the tent and sleeping bags. She really can’t put any weight on her right foot but still doesn’t want to quit. Everyone else is very accommodating; we hit the road just before 8:30. My wife is nearly silent along the way. After gassing up nearby, we head for Grande Cache. A stop for lunch at an A&W. I have to pick my wife to get her on or off the bike. I help her inside, we order and eat. Everyone is pretty silent at this point. They can see my wife struggling. My good friend, our unofficial leader, mentions that we should consider dropping out. We’re a little surprised but certainly understanding. We decide to check to see if we can acquire some better pain-meds in town. I find a pharmacy and pick her up a small amount of codeine 1 and we hope it helps.
The next gas stop is mid-afternoon in Jasper. I again have to pick my wife up off the bike for a bathroom break. This time, I carry her all the way to and from. Our group gets more concerned. After some persuading, my wife and I reluctantly decide to drop out of the group. We’re not going to use that transportation insurance just yet. There’s a small hospital here. We make it just a few blocks away to the emergency room and are seen right away. They’re not busy at all.
After the doctor looks her over, takes some x-rays, etc., he explains she has at least 2 fractures; possibly a 3[SUP]rd[/SUP]. He doesn’t want my wife to continue riding but relents when my wife refuses to leave me alone now that we’re separated from the group. We get an air-cast (walking-boot) and some more pain-meds from him and decide to find a hotel nearby for the night. By this time of the day (6 pm), every place in town is now booked so I start looking for a place down the road. The next I find is around 1 ½ away in Valemount. Some cabins at the Dream Catcher Inn. This place is awesome! I will return. The lady that runs it is named Doreen. Sweetest, most accommodating lady I’ve met in a long time.
We are enjoying the posh-feeling accommodations after all the tenting we’ve been up to. Bedtime is early though. If my wife can handle it, I want to push through the remaining 510 miles to home tomorrow.
Day 17:
I wake around 6 and start getting the few things we unpacked back on the bike. My wife sleeps a bit longer but is trying to get going by about 7. It’s slow going. The soreness is a bit greater and the pain-meds don’t seem to be helping. We finally hit the road at around 9:30.
Our first stop is nearly 3 hours later in Kamloops. I find gas and then off to a Subway for lunch. My wife needs a break from the bike so it’s a pretty long lunch. After I carry her back out to the bike, we hit the road and drive straight through to the west side of Hope. Another break is in order but we’re so close to home, we both want to keep going. Sorry for the lack of pictures but my wife just wasn’t up to it this day. I will say that although this section of road was mostly freeway, it is still far more picturesque than the examples of the slab in Washington.
We ended the trip around 7 pm at our home in Des Moines, WA. It was a short ride from Hope to the Sumas border crossing. The border guards had sympathy for my wife. Beyond questioning her leg being wrapped up in a kitchen garbage bag, they hardly asked us any other questions.
I really like that idea! Especially, since you have just received the bike. Give him a PM to see what he can do for you.
