I plan on June 1 start date from Atlanta....hope to see some of you on the road. Did June last year; things to watch for: Offspring are born in early spring and are cute and curious. And Moms are very protective. Watch especially for both black and brown (especially grizzly) bear but to me and more important stay clear of MOOSE. I ran up on a moose around a curve and startled the huge Mama and her calf. Instead of running into the bush she ran down the road; straight toward a big truck. When she saw the truck coming towards her she ran straight toward me since there was a lake on one side of the road and a steep hill on the other side. She chose to run straight at me. Dropped the bike and dove in a ditch. Mom's hooves were within 3 feet of my helmet. And note they kick with their front hooves. Survived but was a very close call. Highlight of last year was in Whitehorse there is a Sled dog training school that takes 4 hours and about $35 but you get a real education of sled racing and meet about 120 dogs in some guy's front yard. 4 miles west of Whitehorse (starts with a K but can not remember the name). Best campsite experience was 30 miles before the Ak state line (before Beaver Creek) The propreiitor of the campsite served a great steak dinner and after dinner takes you on a 1 hour hike through the bush and permafrost. I love Homer, Seward, Coopers Landing and Valdiz but I think it would take 10 days to see those as well as Arctic Circle, Denelli, etc up north. Best Glazier - Bear Glazier down by Hyder. Musts sees: Arctic Circle; Glen Allen, Tok, Whitefish; Lake Louise; Wildlife Museum b4 U get to Haines Junction. Most wildlife: (Definately on the way to and in Jasper - I guess it is in Alberta (right next to British Columbia :) Most remote road: return on Cassier (sp?) Hwy toward Hyder. Worst Campsite: Pink Mountain, BC Most facinating animal: in Palmer, AK at the Musk Oxen ranch (amazing animals) Favorite Region: Definately Yukon Territory Best Part by FAR: The people at the campsites. They are all doing what you are doing...heading to AK. Worst Mistake to make: Not having enough time in AK when you get there; I spent 7 days in AK and needed 7 more days just to see the important stuff. Internet: I took a PC but a lot of Public Libraries have free internet access. (Whitehorse Libarary is especially good and the gift shop in Tok has access for $10 or $12 an hour.) Experience: I'm not good on dirt but probably 10% to 15% of AK Hwy is dirt. Final Suggestions: Take 1 or 2 days off Sunday or Saturday each week (or a rainy day) for rest/washing clothes/maintenance; pack lite as possible or you may find yourself throwing away stuff. (someone above suggested weighing your stuff - that's an excellent idea)
Regarding Mace for Bear: Personally I think if you are close enough to a bear to use Mace you are already too close and it is too late and all you will do is piss-off a bear. Mase would only be useful if you are up a tree and trying to get ride of one. Ive never purposefully harassed a wild animal but have had some very close calls with moose, elk, buffalo and bear. In most cases it was running up on an animal with young offspring close by .but the 600 lb grizzly was simply eating grubs in a rotten log on the side of his road and did not like my presence. Buffalo (especially male) are just mean and sneeky. I do a lot of snow mobiling in Idaho and Montana and respect the moose (with offspring) because moose are both mean, stupid and aggressive. But remember more people get hurt on motorcycles from deer, elk, and caribou than any other animal. I have found that deer, etc quickly run from a big car/truck but sometimes think a motorcycle is another animal and are curious. Something special about remote areas of Alaskan and the Yukon Territory is many bear and moose have rarely seem humans and as a general rule have no fear of mankind. 99% of the time if you leave them alone they will leave you along. Regarding the camping question someone ask Id rather pay $10 for a campsite with a shower & toiler and other people around, than camping solo on the side of a trail. Carrying a g-u-n? Just remember in Canada standard operating procedure is repossession of not only your gun but your vehicle/bike .and jail time. I have heard of several people ship a weapon by a registered dealer to a dealer in AK and pick it up at the gun dealer when they get there.
The Haul Road up to Prudhoe and the Dempster Hwy to Inuvik will eat your tires up in no time at all. You will get 1/4 the mileage that you would on asphalt (if you are going more than 35 mph). If you are doing one or the other roads plan on changing your rear tire. On my last trip I got a new tire for my F650GS from the Fairbanks BMW dealer. What a trip! Fairbanks is a real city but this dealership is in a couple of shacks in the middle of some woods in the middle of town. There are a half dozen ancient 3-wheel Messerschmidt cars rusting in the weeds surrounded by hundreds of used tires in stacks. The owner/mechanic did a great job at a fair price. I have no trouble recommending him but Anchorage is certainly a good choice, too.
There are other, more modern shops in Fairbanks, some even carry Tourances! I'd recommend Northern Power Sports, great bunch of folks there!
Hi Mike, Hows tricks over your way, I see im just gonna have to go back to Alaska and go to the Howlingdog. And you got that appointment at Prudohe as well. Cheers Toddy With regards to camping I preferred to camp with other people as it lowers the odds.
as for the bears dont cook food in your campsite. dont bring food into your tent,not even toothpaste hang your food from a tree,buy a bear bag from aerostich. if you go for a walk wear your stupid little bear bell. they do work(i think) if you follow the rules for camping with bears you shouldnt need bear mace.(i still slept with mine under my pillow) i saw about 30 bears in about 2 weeks this may,but none in my campsite.
I think June is the best month for the portion of your trip that you will actually be in Alaska, but you've got to factor that it isn't the best month for your routes coming and going. Ironically, If you leave too early, it can be wetter and colder in lower Canada and points south than the far north. Here in California, some of the twisty Sierra pass roads still might not be open.
COMET2000 wrote: "Carrying a g-u-n? Just remember in Canada standard operating procedure is repossession of not only your gun but your vehicle/bike .and jail time. " Since I brought along my Remington 870 12 gage from Chicagoland, through Canada to Alaska and back the past 3 out of 4 summers, I thought maybe they changed the gun regulations for non-residents in Canada in this regard. Nope. See: http://www.cfc-cafc.gc.ca/info_for-renseignement/factsheets/visitin_e.asp Ron
I always got my permit at the border. In 2002 I printed up and filled out the forms from the internet, (in triplicate) but the folks at the border would not accept those. They insisted on their 3 or 4 page "burst" form. Somewhere on the Canadian firearms site I remember there was actually a way to view the list of firearms which they will not allow. Generally, unless you are participating in a Registered handgun competition, you can forget about bringing one of those. Ron
Hey looks like I got sumthin right at last---I've extended my stay stateside to nine weeks to give me time to visit Alaska. I'm planning on picking my old/new airhead GS up in Michigan late April---cutting across to the Oregon coast more or less following the old Oregon Trail (US20) then making my way north to Alaska. No doubt I'll get sum shit weather but if I was made of sugar I would have melted by now. I expect to be up there late-May and I'm tryin to work it that I'm still around for the Dawson weekend --- lookin forward to meeting sum of you guys & gals and yes---I'm already talkin to Barb about a Butt Pad. Don
That's true. You should never have a problem with a rifle. Don't even THINK about trying that with a handgun...
Once again, let me repeat......There has never been a substantiated report of anyone successfully defending themselves from a "Grizzly" bear attack with a handgun. Black bears, yes.....Grizzly, no. It didn't matter what size handgun, 454 Cassull, 50 Linbaugh, 50 cal XYZ........ In fact, the article I read about this suggested if you do buy a handgun for Grizzly bear defense, buy the smallest one you can find.....Because when the grizz takes it and shoves it up your ars, you don't want it to hurt too much!
Hey Jim...........Nope, not fight em........But when Bob H and I go to Alaska this summer I'll be prepared............A jar of honey and a pair of running sneakers! Get it? Going to miss you at the YB dinner this Saturday night.........Sure you can't make it? Kit, Bob and I are going up to BCM Ducati on Saturday to pick up Kit's new Ducati. Then we are taking it with us to the party and riding it right into the country club dining room. I kid you not...pictures at 11.....
My Dad used to hunt with a bunch of boys for years on Kodiak Island. Alaska Browns will not be stopped by a hand gun! A 30-06 right through the heart will not stop it for 10-15 seconds, enough time to knock over an alder tree or two getting at you. Seconday hits in legs, gut, chest do nothing but piss the things off even more. Once they had one land right on their campfire that had taken 10 hits with big rifles. Bear spray should only be used if you need to stop people, not these bloody things. As far as hand guns in Canada, I wouldn't try it, they will take away everything you have at the border. Hand guns are getting bad press these days here because of the innocent girl shot in Toronto a while back. Local shootings as well, so they are really looking for them. Ciao, Steve G.
After extensive investigation and calls: Hunting weapons are not a big problem to get into Canada as I thought. I'm a hunter too. Getting a hand gun into Canada by a non-Canadian citizen is not impossible, but with last years new Canadian law(s) IT IS NEAR IMPOSSIBLE for a foreigner TO GET A HAND GUN INTO CANADA "LEGALLY", and my 30.6 rifle won't fit in my Jesse's or tank bag. I guess it's Honey and Snikers.
