We're back, back in the U.S.A.! Endless Days.

Day 11, No surprise we started the day with a light rain that stopped when we crossed the US/Canada border.  The low lying clouds made it difficult to see the mountains, but we did see a moose and her 2 calves.  No pics though, didn't want to stop in the rain.  Entering Alaska is a BIG bucket list for me, I've planned this trip for 6 years and attempted to make the journey 4 times, and for one reason or another did not start.  A couple times my riding group canceled and the others were due to business. Standing at the border was AWESOME!  West Canada is a beautiful country, Alberta, British Columbia, and Yukon are great Provinces to travel, we will be back.  Canada sent us out the way we arrived, WET.  I've been riding motorcycles along time, and this is the first ride with seemingly never ending rain.  We've had 3 dry days out of 11.

Re-entry to the US was a little more time consuming than entering Canada.  The Custom's agent wanted to look in our panniers...really, what amount of anything could I be smuggling on a motorcycle?  After riding 144 miles, we stopped in Tok, AK for a late breakfast and pick up my bear protection that was shipped prior to our departure.  Thank you Barb and Brian.  The last 100 miles into Fairbanks was dry, and the sun made it's first appearance.  Upon arrival to Fairbanks we went straight to Adventure Cycleworks to have the new tires installed in preparation for the Haul Road.  Dan was great and my daughter played with his American Spaniel, Zena.  About an hour later, we were back on the road, headed to our hotel for the night.  We dined at a local Japanese restaurant, then went to the hotel to start unpacking what we don't need for the next 4 days.  We reduced our load by more than half, which will make the bike easier to manage.  For the next 4 days, I may not be able to post.  I'm told there is not wi-fi or mobile connectivity once we start the Dalton Highway.  Along the 1,000 mile out and back route, there are two places to get fuel, Coldfoot (halfway) and Deadhorse at Prudhoe Bay.

In Fairbanks the sun doesn't set, you have a dusk setting for about an hour, other than that the sun is shining.  In the Arctic, it doesn't go to dusk, there is no sunset or sunrise.  Endless days....  Yesterday there was a Fairbanks golf tournament that started at midnight.

Being cool in the parking lot, she looks like a jet fighter pilot...

That's it...?  What a welcome sign.

Standing in Canada and US.

Finally!

The BIG one

If you’re sitting on the edge of your seat wondering who won Crazy Eights (I forgot to post on Day 9), my daughter put an old fashion whoop’n on me 12-7. 

Day 10 started in the sun and a beautiful morning.  We rode to Whitehorse (Yukon Provincial Capital) for breakfast.  Whitehorse was the first city we’ve been in for a while where we could replenish provisions before heading back into the Yukon. After breakfast, about 120 miles into our 322 mile ride, we saw nothing but black skies, not clouds like the previous 9 days.  We pulled over, put on our heated gear and prepared for what we’ve been accustomed too, rain.  Within 3 minutes of starting the bike, we were in a downpour.  For the next 1 ½ hrs we enjoyed a free bike wash (it needed it).  Once we approached Destruction Bay, the rain stopped, just in time for us to see the largest bear yet, a HUGE brown bear.   This bear made the past 9 bears look like cubs, he had a massive head and behemoth paws.  He was enjoying the intoxicating cream flower and wasn’t concerned with us at all. 

After lunch, the Alaska Highway turns into a rough road, with long sections of pavement missing, man sized pot holes, deep gravel and construction areas that last for miles.  Mix in a little mud and you have an exciting last 90 mile ride to our camp.  Due to the rain we’ve been staying in small roadside lodges versus the tent.  Once we pulled into our camp area, the clouds opened up again and the rain came down off and on all night.  Glad we slept in a small cabin. 

Our camp is close to the Alaska border and we’re excited for Day 11 when we cross into the Last Frontier….Alaska.  3,000 miles and 10 ½ days riding.  Due to a wet forecast for the North, I’ve moved our plans up a day to try and get to the Arctic Ocean and be on the return ride before the rain starts again.  The Haul Road is no fun in the rain, it is muddy and slick.  After 344 miles to Fairbanks, new tires will be installed (knobby off road tires) at Adventure Cycle Works, we will leave some gear at the shop to lighten our load, then depart for Coldfoot (halfway point and only town on the route) first thing in the morning.  I’m being told there is no internet access after Fairbanks, so the blog posts may be delayed and we will communicate with the family via satellite system.  

Larger Than Life...Yukon Territory

Day 9 was our first day of sun, the clouds looked threatening at the end of the day, but no rain!  The Yukon is a very desolate but beautiful province.  Yukon is sparsely populated. We encountered more motorcycle and camper traffic on this leg of the adventure.  We visited the Sign Post Forest in Watson Lake, it is larger than expected.  We posted a couple of our ADV stickers and enjoyed lunch at Kathy's Kitchen.  Like British Columbia, the Yukon has an abundance of wildlife.  I learned why we're seeing so much wildlife along the highway, it is due to the cream flower blooming.  It is like candy and irresistible to the bears and buffalo.  This ride we saw 4 bears, 4 buffalo, and 2 fox (1 orange, one black)  We're a day's ride from Alaska now with over 2,600 miles behind us.  The toughest part of the ride is still ahead, the Dalton Highway from Fairbanks to Prudhoe Bay (Arctic Ocean).  At the end of today's ride we met a Canadian couple, riding 2-up on a BMW, they are returning from Prudhoe Bay.  They had great information to share.  When we have the new tires installed in Fairbanks, we will shed all extra weight from the bike in order to make it lighter and more agile for the 1000 mile ride on the Haul Road.  If you've watched Ice Road Truckers on the History Channel, this is where they film it.  The last 50 miles are the worst due to heavy construction on the road.  It took the Canadian couple 2 hrs to cover the 50 mile section.  Of course you travel the same road back to Fairbanks.