Alaska 2010 - I'm going

[strsout]

Now is official.
I will take 28 days vacation in July and will do Alaska trip the way I think it's suppose to: Deadhorse, Dampster and Ferry on the way back.

I will post here and at my web site how preparation and then how the trip is going.

We are going in 4 crazy Brazilians and one American courageous enough to bear with us. :)

The departing date is July 4th. returning July 30

The route so far is:
Home (California) - Abbotsford(Canada) as fast and short we can
Prince George
Watson Lake by Highway 37 (Cassier)
Whitehorse
Then:
Option 1: Dawson - Inuvik - Dawson - Tok
Option 2: Tok

Tok - Fairbanks
Faibanks - Deadhorse - Fairbanks
Denali
Highway 8 cut across 3 and 4
Tok
Then:
Option 1: Tok - Whitehorse
Option 2: Tok - Dawson - Inuvik - Dawson - Whitehorse

Whitehorse - Skagway

Ferry from Skagway - Juneau
Ferry from Juneau - Prince Ruppert

Prince Ruppert - Home (California) as fast as we can.

I will post my web site as soon as I have something good there for you guys to see.

[Lappeman]

I'll be up in those areas around the same time frame. Blue 09 KLR riding solo.

Don't forget to do a short side trip on 37a into Stewart, BC/Hyder, AK and up the Granduc road to the glaciers. Worth the time. There's also the Stewart Abestos mine Ghost Town further up 37.

The first 550kms of the Dempster is well worth the effort. The rest into Inuvik was pretty boring.

Good luck!

[strsout]

Hi Lappeman,
Thank you for the tips
Hyder I been there on my 2005 trip, but chances are that I will take the guys there again. Nice little town.

The Stewart Abestos mine Ghost Town is the one about 2 miles from Good Hope Lake? I could not find any with that specific name, but this one seams to be the one. Let me know.

I also put the Salmon Glacier on my route. Thank you for the tip. Now: is that road (Granduc) duable in a touring bike? Couple of my friends will be doing this in a Valkirie.

At the last, the Inuvik info was a good one. Where the 550 km. end? Fort Mcpherson or before?

Thank you

[AdventurePoser]

Hey guy,

Have fun in AK! I spent about 40 days riding around the far Northwest a few years back, and it was the best. Well, except for the abscessed tooth in Deadhorse… I thought I knew pain until this happened! Anyway, if you can jump on the ferry at Valdez and go to Cordova, it’s well worth checking out the glacier. Watching house-sized chunks of glacier splashing into the river, and feeling the pounding under your feet as you watch the waves race across the lake is something I guarantee you’ll never forget!

Before you do the Haul Road, make sure you eat Chinese food in North Pole. Pretty amazing stuff!

Cheers,
Steve in So Cal

[Lappeman]

Originally Posted by strsout

Hi Lappeman,
Thank you for the tips
Hyder I been there on my 2005 trip, but chances are that I will take the guys there again. Nice little town.

The Stewart Abestos mine Ghost Town is the one about 2 miles from Good Hope Lake? I could not find any with that specific name, but this one seams to be the one. Let me know.

I also put the Salmon Glacier on my route. Thank you for the tip. Now: is that road (Granduc) duable in a touring bike? Couple of my friends will be doing this in a Valkirie.

At the last, the Inuvik info was a good one. Where the 550 km. end? Fort Mcpherson or before?

Thank you

Did you get Hyderized in Hyder

The Ghost Town is called Cassiar on the map, it's on your left when heading north on 37, just before Good Hope Lake as you've stated. There's a very old worn sign with "Cassiar Closed" on it. Huge piles of raw mined asbestos are near the old plant. There's a few old houses, gas station (bags of asbestos at the gas station). Someone lives in the last house by the plant, so I never ventured into the old plant.

Granduc is Gravel/Dirt, should be doable on a touring bike when dry. I was there in June last year and there was still 7' of snow lining the road (supposedly a late winter last year up there) but if I remember correctly, the road was pretty good condition. Uphill all the way to the Glacier.

Fish Creek is right at the start of Granduc just past Hyder, you might want to stop there and see the bears catching Salmon.

It might be a tad bit more than 550km but basically past the MacKenzie River Ferry gets flat and boring, lots of rocks kicked up in your face by passing vehicles. The river is about 60kms past Fort McPherson. You hit the Peel River Ferry, then Fort McPherson and then the MacKenzie Ferry (which goes to Tsiigehtchic and then across, took about an hour to make the whole crossing when I was there). Zillions of Mosquitoes on the Dempster, had to camp out on the high windy ridges to get away from them. Wildlife comes out after 9pm, I saw 3 grizzlies and a huge Timber Wolf and just about anything else you can think of. Great thing was that it's light up there almost 24 hours a day end of June. Watch the weather, when it rains, the Dempster becomes very slick with mud but otherwise pretty good up to the Arctic Circle, after that it's a bit worse condition until after the rivers where it is coarse gravel. Watch the dust in the distance for oncoming Trucks and pull over for them, saves you a dustout or rocks in the face. I think it was around 730+ kms to Inuvik. Deffinitly an Adventure!

Enjoy

[Patrick58]

Hello all. I've had a great time looking for a riding partner. Looks like I can get close, but no cigar. If anyone is interested in hooking up, including all you that have PM'ed me . please get in touch. Time is short, I leave from East Tennessee on the 25th of this month. I'm interested in a riding partner for all or part of the trip. I'm thinking 4-5 weeks for the trip. Like I have said before, it's gonna be a dandy!!

Patrick

[strsout]

The day is getting close. Less then a month: 29 days, 14 hours, 16 minutes and 3 seconds

I finally had it on my web site:
http://viajareua.com/Alaska_2010.html

now you will be able to see the trip preparation and if the internet is good, one day delay photos and report.

[AKtracks]

If you need anything in/around Fairbanks, including a beer on your rest day, give me a call (info included in signature link).

Have a fun, safe ride.
Shawn

[drakehouse]

I like many of you are headed north this next month.
My friend who has been planning this last year to go had a medical issue come up and I will be traveling SOLO.
Plan on leaving July 3 from Arkansas and head north. Plan to be in Fairbanks about 4 days later.
Lookforward to seeing - visiting with many along the way. Who knows we may ride a few miles together.
Safe Motoring to All.

[AKtracks]

Originally Posted by drakehouse

Plan to be in Fairbanks about 4 days later.
Lookforward to seeing - visiting with many along the way.

If you're planning to cover the 4,000 miles from AR to AK in 4 days, I don't think you'll be doing much visiting along the way.

Have a good ride, let us know if you need anything in Fairbanks.

[strsout]

I tought I was riding fast, but you bet me on that... I assume you already did the Alcan and Cassier Higw and could care less about all those nice places that you can stop and explorer there, but still I don't now how you could make 1000 miles/day on that road.
Good luck and I hope we can cross each other there!.

Originally Posted by drakehouse

I like many of you are headed north this next month.
My friend who has been planning this last year to go had a medical issue come up and I will be traveling SOLO.
Plan on leaving July 3 from Arkansas and head north. Plan to be in Fairbanks about 4 days later.
Lookforward to seeing - visiting with many along the way. Who knows we may ride a few miles together.
Safe Motoring to All.

[drakehouse]

My goal is to get there in a hurry. Spend a few days in Fairbanks and take a more leasurly / senic route back. Will hit several Nat Pks back in lower 48 (MT / WA / OR / CA / NV / UT / CO. If the other stuff does not happen not too big a deal. But Wanted to get to AK and see what lyes ahead after.
Thanks for the support and best to you all.

[Commuter Boy]

Originally Posted by strsout

Couple of my friends will be doing this in a Valkirie.

Rather than hit the Cassiar mine ghost town, consider a run to Telegraph Creek from Dease Lake. A twisty two-lane dirt and gravel road with some serious elevation changes. Beautiful scenery, off the beaten path, and if the Valkirie rider can handle that, he'll manage anything else farther north.

[FJR_ski]

I'm leaving from Seattle on June 25 to Alaska and planning to be in Alaska in 4 days. Then I will spend 8 days visiting Alaska before heading home to Chicago.

[strsout]

we probably will be crossing paths sometime there.
You can check where I'm suppose to be here:

http://viajareua.com/Alaska_2010.html

see you there.