North to ALASKA!

bogriffinrides said:

I sure agree about Valdez
I'm sure I could tell from the pictures (if I could see better), but I can't determine which town this is that y'all went through. Can you help me?
http://s14.photobucket.com/albums/a...aska Paul 2/?action=view&current=DSCF0142.jpg

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Sure is Skagway.

Voni
sMiling

Skagway

I thought that might have been Skagway. I have spent the night in Haines and I like that area. I will have to visit Skagway in the future. I have heard that it gets somewhat overwhelming when the cruise ships get to town. I like to avoid that sort of thing.

Have you seen my good friend Fletcher Clark today? He was on his way from Glennallen to Valdez. He's from Mississippi and rides a GS Adventure. His friend B.B. is up at Fairbanks along with Jack Shoalmire (from Tulsa). Fletcher said that the Aerostitch group is also up at Fairbanks headed toward Prudhoe. It sounds like y'all are among plenty of folks up that way. Be sure and wave at all the friendly bikers.

Voni said:

Sure is Skagway.

Voni
sMiling

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Paul or Voni
How many miles did you get out of your tires and which town did you buy your tires?

Lee said:

Paul or Voni
How many miles did you get out of your tires and which town did you buy your tires?

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Now you've gotten me started with the tire story. I had MEFO 99 Adventure tires on my bike. A 50-50 dual sport tire - very good in gravel. Voni had a MEFO 99 on the rear and a TKC 80 (knobbier) on the front.

I had about 6,000 miles on mine - started in Texas. Voni had about 5,000 miles on hers - started in Kansas. My rear had maybe 1,000 left. My front had maybe 2,000 left. Either number would have me somewhere on the Alaska Highway heading south when I would need tires. Most likely in the middle of someplace, but not much of a place. I could have lasted to Edmonton or Calgary maybe but didn't intend to go that far east. We are headed to Olympia, Washington and Seattle looked like too big a gamble.

So I opted to change tires in Anchorage where I could get tires I wanted in the right sizes. I changed both my tires and Voni's rear tire. I installed Anakees on the rear of both bikes and put a TKC 80 knobby on the front of my bike.

We bought the tires from our friend Barb Smart at Alaska Leather. As the name implies they mostly sell leather gear - and textile gear - and sheepskin seat pads - but they also sell tires. Take your wheel off and they will install them. Decent prices too.

We did both tires on my bike one late afternoon, and I decided to do Voni's back tire the next day. Since the guy who installs tires wasn't there at the moment I mounted it myself. Now I've changed a few hundred tires by hand using tire irons, but had the opportunity to use their tire machine. With a few tips on the controls and a little help I dismounted the old and mounted the new.

Our F650s use tube type tires. A goofball (technical term for accomplished motorcycle technician) using a strange machine can do interesting things. Like - pinch the tube between the tire and rim, and not know it until there is no pressure in the tire the next morning. So I got to do it again by hand, the good old fashioned way. Everything is better now.

Sometime I'll write about curing the pesky exhaust leak - but that's another story.

Not bad mileage, and I thought Voni's front knobbie would go first. I would have changed early also, I don't remember much south of Whitehoarse for a place to get tires. BTW is George in Fairbanks still in business? I think Gearge was the owner's name of the BMW shop. Interesting guy, if not a bit odd

Lee said:

BTW is George in Fairbanks still in business?

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Trail's End BMW is the name of the dealer and George is still in the business. He now has a partner, Scooter, and they have moved the operation from George's home into the local HD dealership. It's my understanding that they rent space from the HD dealer, but it appears seamless. They now have a certified mechanic and all the diagnostic equipment a BMW dealer should have. It's a small operation by most people's standards, but a big leap forward for Fairbanks. I, and I imagine many others, was leery of how a BMW operation would mix with the HD dealership. I've been pleasantly surprised. I've had to deal with many of the HD people for parts and service scheduling. They are great to work with, professional and surprisingly interested in and knowledgeable about Beemers.

Sometimes we take the weather reports with a grain of salt. We finished putting tires on the bikes, shopping, fixing a few odds-n-ends, and regrouping while staying at the house of friends who had gone to Europe. So today we looked at the weather forecasts trying to decide whether to take a day-trip down to Seward, or to head north towards Denali National Park and Fairbanks. One of our friends who is a lifelong Alaskan (I think) told us the ride to Seward was spectacular in nice weather and not worth the bother in the rain.

So this morning the forecast for Seward was for a cloudy day with some rain, predicted to total up to a third of an inch over six hours. But the weather in Anchorage was partly cloudy but dry. So we decided to head down toward Seward and if/when we didn't like the weather we'd just turn around and come back.

We rode down to Seward - all the way! It was cloudy but reasonably warm. As we crested the last hill before descending into Seward we saw blue skies. We stopped at "mile zero" of the original 1910 Iditarod - the sled dog caravan from Seward to Nome carrying medicine to halt/cure a diptheria outbreak. We had to go to the harbor, and found a nice bakery with great sweets for a snack. We hiked to Exit Glacier in Kenai Fiords National Park on the way back north.

We stopped at the local supermarket and bought a mix of seafood - squid, crab meat, mussels, cuttle fish, and shrimp - and cooked up a mess of seafood, sauted in a garlic butter sauce to eat with blueberries for dinner.

Tomorrow we head north towards Fairbanks, into predicted sunny skies and temperatures in the 70s. Given the reliability of recent forecasts, I think I'll wear my long johns and rain gloves.

Paul

It all sounds so impressive from this perspective. I hope you are keeping a written log of these adventures.

Saving Fuel

Thank y'all. I am saving fuel! I won't have to make any more trips up that way if y'all keep doing this good a job with the pictures. I can't even remember Valdez being that nice. If y'all keep doing this good of a job all the way through Gillette I may sell my bike and just hang out at the computer.

PGlaves said:

Paul is ; )

I just keep a picture log.

Greetings from Fairbanks.





Voni
sMiling

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Hey You Two In The Tent

Greetings From Dawson City, Yukon Territory

We have settled in at Dawson City for a few days. The Adventure Riders "Dust to Dawson" get together is Friday here so we plan to stay until Saturday. We left Fairbanks and rode to Tok - camped there at "Thompsons Motorcycle Camp." Small campground in the woods with a delightful couple who own it. A bit rustic but perfect, including the sauna done the old fashioned way. Ceder cabin, wood stove, hot rocks, water for steam! If ever in Tok you should find Thompsons.

We left Tok headed up the Taylor Highway from Tetlin Junction to Chicken, Alaska, population about 17 give or take. This is an outpost on the way to Eagle, Alaska, or to Boundary, AK and back in to the Yukon by way of the Top of the World road. Back in 1991 when last we visited, the entire road from Dawson City to Chicken was unpaved. Now the 48 or so mile stretch from Chicken to the border is unpaved. The 60 or so mile stretch in Canada from the border to Dawson City was theoretically paved a few years ago. About 10% of the paving remains: the rest has returned to its rocky roots. And to make it worse they keep trying to improve it with grading, and new gravel, and water. The old road in the U.S. was much better than the improved in Canada. Progress isn't all it's cracked up to be. But nobody crashed and nothing got broken so it was a good day in the north country. Beautiful country as the road winds up and down and around, often above the tree line.

I did have one unscheduled stop - beside the road - about half way up to Chicken from Tok. Flat tire!! We removed the wheel and installed the spare inner tube. Pumped it up! Off we go again!!

Now back to the "Hey You Two in the Tent." We arrived in Dawson late yesterday afternoon. Found the campground, set up the tent next to a couple from Europe riding a Honda Africa Twin, and headed back downtown for a good restaurant dinner. When we got back Voni wandered off to the store, or laundry, or restroom, and the guy said, "You are five minutes late. There was a bear just here." I pointed towards Voni and said, "Don't tell her." But secrets are hard to keep. An hour or so later a conservation officer drove up and asked, "Did he come back?" So the cat was out of the bag, or the bear was out of the woods, so to speak.

About 12:15 in the morning (it was still light out) we were awakened to, "Hey you two in the tent." It was an RCMP officer - a real Mountie, but in a car, with no dog sled in sight. He just wanted us to know that the pesky bear had once again been spotted in the campground just down the road, about 100 yards from ours. I said thanks. After asking Voni "What do we do now?" and having no answer, I went back to sleep. Voni will have to speak for herself regarding her overactive imagination and nervous system.

Today is a "tourist" day here in Dawson. Laundry, etc!! The riders mostly start arriving on Thursday so today is a "chill" day until friends and soon to be friends arrive.

Pictures soon

Paul

Bear Country

PGlaves said:

He just wanted us to know that the pesky bear had once again been spotted in the campground just down the road, about 100 yards from ours.
Paul

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Bear Protection

Paul, can you out run Voni? That is all that is required.

3bears?

Thank goodness the bear was not in your tent as well. Thanks to the RCMP who do a lot. Here are what they do to get their jobs. Hope you enjoy.

<object width="425" height="344"><param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/ak-BoQiDImE&hl=en"></param><embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/ak-BoQiDImE&hl=en" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" width="425" height="344"></embed></object>
try that with you drill instuctor

Great ride report Thanks.
Bears

Tough training!

They told us this morning that bear won't be bothering anyone.

This next is from Paul, too . . .


We are hanging around Daawson for the Adventure Rider's "Dust to
Dawson." Maybe it ought to be renamed "Mud to Dawson."

http://www.advrider.com/forums/showthread.php?t=295576&highlight=dust+dawson

Today is Thursday. The busiest business in Dawson on Wednesday was the
car wash. Cars, trucks, RVs, and motorcycles, including a very nice
Ural two=-wheel drive sidecar rig lined up to remove mud, grime, and
calcium chloride slime from everything they could spray with the washer
nozzle.

Last Friday we looked at the weather and decided Tuesday was the day to
ride from Chicken to Dawson on the Top of the World Highway. The
forecast was for a few showers (maybe) Tuesday, but rain Tuesday night
and Wednesday. We rode on a few slick spots from earlier showers, and
one soft spot where a grader had been disinproving the road. But we had
it easy compared to Wednesday's riders.

One pair of riders came in on a Triumph Bonneville scrambler and Harley
of some sort. I asked the Triumph rider"How was the road." He said,
"It was pretty slick. I would have been scared if I'd been able to see
but I had mud and fog all over my face shield." I nodded to the Harley
rider but he wasn't much up to talking just yet.

We spent two days camped at a pretty nice campground just at the edge of
town. Some RVs, but a nice wooded circle for tents near a nice babbling
creek! Today we are moving in to town to a room at White's Cabins - in
a block of three rooms/cabins arranged by our friend Barb at Alaska
Leather. Barb is bringing a new front tire (which we will need later
down the road) for Voni's bike and a replacement spare inner tube so I
don't havae to patch the semi-shredded one from my encounter with a nail
on Tuesday.

When we leave here Saturday we will head down the Alaska Highway to
Whitehorse, Watson Lake, and Fort Nelson. We plan to detour north from
Fort Nelson up to Fort Liard in the Northwest Territories before we
continue southward, eventually to Lacey, Washington to visit Voni's Aunt
Genevieve. Then on to Gillette, Wyoming for the BMW MOA rally in mid
July.

I just hate this having to be in such a hurry all the time

Paul

Say Hi to D2D riders

for us from Malaga, Spain. One of these years we may make the ride but the world abroad keeps us away for the summer! We meet up with Griz and Sherri next week back in Germany! Glad you are having a real adventure with bears, mud, rain, sun, and all that... We are all sun for the last week here on the beaches of the Mediterranean. Back on the road tomorrow. Enjoy Dawson and tell Dick (you'll meet him) that Gina and Jerry wish him luck maintaining order in Dawson!

Still enjoying your visit from my arm chair. Sounds like a great adventure.

Most likely will win the most miles award at the Rally?

Hello from Michigan...

soon to join the Eurodactyls in Germany, as well.

Please give everyone my best - Katoomer, Dapman, Barb, Dick... wish I could be there, too. Hey ask Dick about that ticket he got a few years ago at Glacier National Park on the way to Spokane. heh heh

Sounds like you're having a great time. Too bad about having too be in such a hurry all the time.