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Alaska

womanridge

New member
Does anyone have an interest in being part in a women's ride to Alaska prior to the National? Wouldn't that be cool? We could meet and leave from Cour d Alene or something like that or one could join up along the way. Is this doable, or is it too difficult to put together? We could do a group ride or just meet up each night, kinda like a roling rally.
 
Does it have to be an all women thing? Can guys go to alaska? How about a trip planning party?
 
Guys certainly can go to Alaska.
Seriously, the idea of a women's ride doesn't seem to be coming together, so maybe posting some itineraries is a start. I think I should move this to another forum. Maybe ride reports? Find out if anyone, men or women are riding up there before the Rally, what route they're taking and where they plan to stop each night. Kind of like the Rolling Rally (Heritage Ride) we had between the MOA & RA last summer.
There's a good chance we can have a final destination dinner in Fairbanks, before we all turn around and head back to the lower 48.
So, for anyone that's interested, let's hear you ideas.
 
Might I suggest, you start in May and allow 4 to 8 weeks.
Do the Cassiar Highway Loopby way of Vancouver to Whistler and up Fraiser River Canyon and consider using the Alaska Marine Highway system in the loop.
Let me know if you are coming by way of Ketchikan.

The Alcan is a lot of big trucks.
 
If you plan on riding back from Fairbanks to the rally, I would be interested in participating on that portion of the trip...
 
This is a rough Itinerary I had planned:
Leaving Wisconsin, crossing into Canada above Minot N.D., West to Edmonton, then Dawson Creek, Fort Nelson, Whitehorse, finally the Alcan to Fairbanks.
Two nights in Fairbanks and 3 nights in Anchorage. While in Anchorage, I hope to take a day flight to the Katnai Penninsula for bear/salmon watching at Brooks Lodge.
On the return, back to Whitehorse, Watson Lake, the Cassier Highway to Prince George, Cache Creek and enter the U.S. at Sumas, WA.
I also hope to squeeze in the loop around Olympia National Park before dropping down to Redmond.
I'm giving myself 4 weeks which includes a straight shot back to Wisconsin after a few days at the Rally. 8 weeks would be nice, but I think $$'s are a bit of an obstacle for that much time.
Some questions I have for some of the veteran Alaska visitors;
I've been told not to try more than 400 mile days in B.C., Yukon Terr. and Alaska, even though I'm no stranger to 600+ mile days. Any thoughts on that?
I'll post more specific stops for each night in the next few weeks.
 
Good tip.
I needed mine a few years ago when I did the Lake Superior Circle Ride.
(And a few times to Europe)
 
I suggest reducing your time in the "big cities" of Alaska. Instead of two nights in Fairbanks how about one night in town and one at Chena Hot Springs (60 miles out of town)? And Los Anchorage is just another large American town with good lighting in the summer. Other than Alaska Leather there is nothing special to see. A trip down to the Kenai Peninsula to Seward for a night would be easy to do; or leave LA early and travel the Glenn Highway to Valdez for a night. Bottom-line is that you don't want to ride all the way up here to see a slightly different version of the town you live in.
 
Thanks for the advice Kevin. Your suggestions are only going to make my planning that much more fun.
And yes, I Did want to go to the Kenai Penn. I never thought of spending the night there though.
I sure don't need to spend any more nights in big cities, but I'm still hoping to take advantage of Univ. dorms that you've mentioned, if only for a night or two.
 
Your route to fairbanks is similar to mine. When do you expect to be in fairbanks?
 
Might I suggest, you start in May and allow 4 to 8 weeks.
Do the Cassiar Highway Loopby way of Vancouver to Whistler and up Fraiser River Canyon and consider using the Alaska Marine Highway system in the loop.
Let me know if you are coming by way of Ketchikan.

The Alcan is a lot of big trucks.

I'm curious. I have the 2008 version of "Milepost" and it shows two stretches of gravel on the Cassiar. One area is 12 miles of gravel north of Iskut and another 12 mile stretch north of Deese Lake. Do you know if that is still the case?
 
This link provides a suggested itinerary for a tour of Alaska. It was prepared by a former tour bus driver and rider. While the whole itinerary may not fit your needs, you can pull from it to tailor your schedule.

Alaska Tour
 
Some thoughts

Some questions I have for some of the veteran Alaska visitors;
I've been told not to try more than 400 mile days in B.C., Yukon Terr. and Alaska, even though I'm no stranger to 600+ mile days. Any thoughts on that?
I'll post more specific stops for each night in the next few weeks.

I think the 400 mile maximum day is correct, more or less in Northern BC, Yukon and AK. I would spend less time in the cities, unless there is a reason. For example, Homer is much more interesting than Anchorage. Also, there is always the issue of road construction. The Canadians and Alaskans will irregularly tear up and rebuild up to 30 mile segments (more likely 10 miles pieces) of road, leaving you with a wide variety of surfaces to navigate. I have run into blasting work, that has closed roads for an hour.

There is a saying among AK travelers that is very, very true: "Never believe any advice on road conditions that comes from travelers who haven't been over the road in the past 24 hours." It's true. Things happen that fast. Be alert for any change in color or texture of the road ahead. Slow down for them. They could be unrepaired frost heaves that can throw you off your bike. They can be the beginning of construction zones, where there's NO PAVEMENT. Hit one of those at touring speed, and you're going home on an airplane. If it has just rained, unpaved segments can be treacherous. After a day or two of dry weather, they might be good, plain fun.

Don't underestimate the scenic beauty of Yukon and BC. I think many riders find these roads just as good as (or even better than) the Alaskan roads. Study your Milepost carefully. There are lakes to camp on and hot springs to soak in that are real high points of the journey. The BC road 37A, which tees off from the Cassiar to Hyder, is one of the most beautiful roads I've even been on, bar none.

Haines is a nice visit, especially the Eagle refuge, where you will see more Bald Eagles in five minutes than in the rest of your lifetime. You can take your bike from Whittier to Valdez on a wonderful ferry ride past a calving glacier. From Skagway, the train ride is well worth the time.

I think those who have been to AK can close their eyes, and be right back there. It's a pretty nice ride.

Jim

 
The ferry ride lets one see parts of Alaska that are difficult to see in any other way. The scenery as you steam through the passages along the southeastern part of Alaska is spectacular. The Bellingham ferry makes short stops at Petersburg, Ketchikan, Wrangell, Skagway, Haines and Juneau. At each of the stops, except Juneau, there is enough time to make a quick recon of the town. You can camp on the deck if you want to save money or get a berth for a bit more comfort.
 
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A ride to Whittier is a must do. Not only is it a neat place with some nice history and a beautiful harbour but the ride through the tunnel to get into Whittier is certainly different. You can also cach the ferry there onto other places. Some of the places the ferries take you to aren't reachable by any other means.
 
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