The Dalton Highway

On June 22, we left Tok, AK (where we had camped out after getting into Alaska) for Fairbanks, AK stopping at Eielson AFB and the North Pole.

End of the Alaskan Hiway Gerstle River, AK B-52 @ Eielson AFB, AK Kathy dancing at Santa's House Kathy at Santa's House in Alaska Alaskan Pipeline

Then with the Sun still up and never setting I made a wild decision and decided to ride on to the Arctic Circle (66˚33’N Latitude).

The Goal at a section of the pipeline The beginning of The Dalton Highway  

We got to see the Sun descend down to the horizon and start rising again, it never went below the horizon.  At midnight the Sun is due North and makes driving very hard on the roughest highway in the US, The Dalton Highway, which is 75% dirt and gravel. If you know your cardinal directions telling time is real easy. When the Sun is in the East it is 0600, South – 1200, and West – 1800. My GPS does not give me a sunset/sunrise anymore; it was fun watching it read less and lesser time between sunset and sunrise as I traveled further North. When the sun gets low it does cool off here, but temperatures are still mild.

The Dalton Highway, Roller Coaster section Assessing the conditions in the beginningLook at the mud, and we just started Runway Sign Bull Moose on Dalton Highway Moose departing under the pipelinePetrified Lynx Yukon River Bridge Riding across the wooden Yukon Bridge Yukon - Pipeline Visitor Center Finger Mountain Yawning at the Arctic Circle

Saw more wildlife on the way up to the Arctic Circle via the Dalton Highway. One big Bull Moose, a Lynx, a Black Bear, Snowshoe Hares (pretty white feet there whole body turns white in the winter), and Mosquitoes!!!!!. Mosquitoes are no bigger than they are in the lower 48, just more numerous if you stop moving! I’ve noticed there bigger after they have sucked your blood. We arrived at the Arctic Circle around 0045 the next day and set up a base camp, as I don’t want to pull the trailer anymore on the Dalton Highway that would be called a fire road in the lower 48.

Arctic Circle Arctic Circle same morning Arctic Base Camp GPS on the way north

The same day after some rest we commit to driving the remaining 300 miles to Prudhoe Bay (AKA Deadhorse, AK), the farthest North one can drive in the US (70˚N latitude). I filled up with gas and water for the radiator at Coldfoot, AK as there are no more services for the next 244 miles to Deadhorse, AK. Without the trailer in tow I would make it to Deadhorse on my normal fuel tank without having to use the extra fuel being carried. This highway was very dangerous in spots, the mud caused by construction made it like riding in wet snow. Many other motorcyclists were riding up and surprised to see a touring bike making the trek up with a passenger at that (I would soon find out why). They were mostly riding big Dual-Sport type motorcycles (BMWs, Kawasaki, and KTM), which are street legal dirt bikes like I ride back home.

Coldfoot, AK Visitor Center Trans-Alaska Pipeline 1The Dalton Highway 2 Crossing the pipeline

Semi-panoramic view of a section on the Dalton Highway.  One motorcyclist did not do so well, it was a yellow Goldwing 1800 (mine is a 1500) that was missing its back tire and looked like it had gone down.

Glad it is not me Victim of The Dalton Highway Missing rear wheel, gone to be fixed   

I believe I have 4 points right now and a mean trucker just gained one as he passed me in one of the muddiest sections completely covering my windshield with mud. I could go no further, had to stop and clean it off the best I could. Angels are here in the North too. Fellow trucker stops and offers me some cleaning spray and towels. When I return it to him he says, “We’re not all @#*%&?!” I asked if he saw it, he said no but heard about it. Then I remembered the CB radio was the only form of communication out here, glad I have one in case of an emergency.

Trucker-1 vs Griz-4 Stan trying to clean the windshield 

Griz-4 vs Trucker-1

So we continue on and get to see Caribou as we get within 30 miles of our destination. I have seen many ground squirrels that look a lot like Prairie Dogs, just smaller, along the route. When you get closer to the Arctic Ocean the wind howls at you and it reminds you that you are in the Arctic Tundra. Despite the Sun being up 24 hours it is cold now! It started after we past the last northern range of mountains called the Brooks Range. We got as high as 4,800’ going through the Atigun Pass, the highest highway pass in Alaska. It was warmer there, then at Deadhorse, AK.

Resting prior to crossing Atigun Pass Atigun Pass The Road North Atigun Pass 2 Brooks Range 1 Atigun Pass, look out for the trucks

Shortly after leaving the Caribou the wind became increasingly harder to deal with, blowing out of the east. Weather here in Alaska is different from the lower 48, it comes from the east instead of the west. It has to do with the circulation which pilots and hopefully some of my students remember me talking about. It’s a crosswind somewhere between 30-40mph and I’m on loose gravel all the way to the hotel. I’m starting to get frostbite, I can’t feel my fingers and my right side of my face is numb. I’m counting every mile and I have to slow to 25mph. My passenger hangs in there as I’ve been thinking about the past miles we have covered. What a trooper, I always have said you have to have total trust in the driver of a motorcycle to ride as a passenger. Personally I could not have been a passenger on the Dalton Highway or even the Alaska Highway. Maybe because I know too much and they don’t see the risk as I do. At times the bike is sliding, my arms are so tired from having to hold on to both handlebars for so long, usually I have the cruise control set and just one hand. It’s different when on a dirt bike, but I’m riding a bike that weighs almost 1500 pounds wet. One time my foot actually has to come off the peg to kick the bike back on course. My passenger knows nothing about it, but later starts to congratulate me every time I recover from a slide, mostly on the return trip.

 Brooks Range Caribou prior to Prudhoe Bay,AK

Well we made it to the hotel ($190) and the next morning took the tour ($40 x 2)to the Arctic Ocean and saw the oilfields and their equipment.  The hotel was no bigger then some of the barrack’s rooms I’ve stayed in earlier in my life.  It was 33F with a wind chill of 20F at the ocean where there is still ice in the water.  Some people actually stick their feet in the ocean.

Stan & Kathy at the Arctic Ocean It's cold out here!!!!!!!! 

See the ice flow on the horizon?  It was so cold Kathy went back to the bus.

Getting wet in the Arctic Ocean Arctic Ocean Only forest in Prudhoe Bay

We start our way back on the Dalton Highway, which by the way follows the Trans-Alaskan Pipeline which we see most of the time on our trip. Our return trip to our base camp is mostly uneventful and the yellow Goldwing got fixed as it is not there when we return through.

Caribou at Prudhoe Bay,AK Brooks Range 2 Mud paint job Calcium ClorideAlmost finished with the Dalton Highway Mud paint job 1 Water pump has been sealed! The Arctic CircleColdfoot, AK Visitor Center return trip Servicing the radiator The Wooden Yukon Bridge Black Bear on the road-runway       

The rain has returned not helping in breaking our Arctic Base Camp. I delay as long as I can and then move on down the muddy roads. Only have about 200 more miles to get to Livengood, AK were the road stays hard surface. Other than the bear encounter which most of you should have seen by now, we survived The Dalton Highway.

 

Griz-5 vs Dalton Highway-0

The Dalton Highway sign We survived the Dalton Highway

Enjoy the pictures, tried to pick the best for you all,

Griz

Posted by at

No comments:

Post a Comment

Subscribe to: Post Comments (Atom)