Day 16 - Home

The ride ended today with a very quick, no nonsense blast from Port Hardy to Nanaimo, no stopping off to see anything, take pics or go anywhere, as it's all very familiar territory.

Wifey and I both gave the little V-Strom a kiss when we arrived in the driveway and I think we will both have a soft-spot for this bike for the rest of our days, truly a fantastic little bike.

I hope you have enjoyed the photograph's and comments we have been blogging as much as I have enjoyed posting them. This was the quick version....... I will write up the trip in detail with processed photographs and video etc and upload it as one big new post in a few days ( or weeks ) time. Thanks for looking.

Day 15 - Prince Rupert - Port Hardy

Last day of the trip with an easy ride south down Vancouver Island to Nanaimo and home.
Yesterday was a relaxing 15 hour cruise down the inside passage ( known to us as the "back passage" ) we were lucky enough to see plenty of whales. Humpbacks, Grey's and a huge pod of Orca. Sunset from the rear of the boat as we approached Port Hardy confirmed we are finally getting south.

Bed for the night is Bear Cove Cottages in Port Hardy, very nice with a fantastic ocean view.

Day 14 - Prince Rupert B.C

From Hyder to PR..cloudy and windy all day but not a drop was dripped.
Inn on the harbour - view from the room.
Will post more pics etc when on the ferry which we are getting up at 4.30 am to catch.
Trip starting to wind down.........

Day 13 - Hyder, Alaska - Stewart B.C.

Today's bear count - 2 - one being the biggest black bear either of us has ever seen, strutting his stuff in the middle of the road, even I was getting twitchy he was that big, Wifey was very quiet.........

Bell Two bridge on the Stewart- Cassiar highway has been undergoing crucial maintenance following it being struck by an over-height truck and load a few days ago, and its only open for an hour, then closed for three hours on and off during the day, so it was imperative that we got there in good time. We did, I rode straight to the front of the line, pulled off my helmet and lit a cigarette, before I had finished my smoke the flag girl had us start our engine and prepare to cross, perfect. Perfect is how I would describe this day.

I have been using all the superlatives I can think of in the last few days to describe the scenery and experience of riding through this land, but today I don't have any words that will do it justice.

Lunch break was taken at Kinaskan Lake Provincial Park

Then it was onto Stewart B.C. / Hyder Alaska

and the magnificent Bear Glacier on Highway 37/a

We checked into the superb Ripley Creek Inn and set-off up 25 kms of dirt-road to see the glacier and then headed back to Hyder and the Glacier Inn.

There is no U.S. border to cross into Hyder but sadly when returning the Canadian border post is actually a stones throw from the pub so getting "Hyderized" was not an option.

STEWART - CASSIER HIGHWAY - Great road, surely one of the worlds best.

Day 12 - Dease Lake

On any given day I would choose to do this ride - The Cassiar Highway is a revelation, its how I imagined the original Alaska Highway to look like. Twists and turns, mountains, rivers, lakes, gold-mines, jade-mines, all illuminated by a "simpsons" sky. Also, any day that starts with sausage and ends with sausage is a good day.

Today's animal count is a couple of black bear ( one far too close for Wifey ) and a large Moose sprinting down the middle of the road. The bike is still performing like new and even Wifey is developing a deep love for this machine, she even wanted to take it inside the cabin the other day out the shower.

So right now I am sitting in the front garden of the inn drinking beer and relaxing and tomorrow we are heading back to Hyder, Alaska. 

Day 11 - Teslin - Yukon

Within 30 seconds of leaving our cabin and hitting the road we saw a big assed bear, actually that's all we saw, its big black ass as it disappeared into the bush.
Other wildlife viewing was limited to one wild horse and a squirrel.
Again the weather held up and we just hit a few very brief showers but nothing that troubled us and the biggest part of the day was sunny.

Yukon Motorcycle Centre in Whitehorse were accommodating and allowed me to have a drive in, drive out tire change for the worn out front, great service if a little expensive.

Wifey and I sat around for an hour or so chatting with some local bikers and a father and son team from Kansas, Don & Dustin who were heading up the Alcan. Dustin had been having a few clutch and starter nightmares with his Harley and his dad was struggling a little pulling his trailer. Again the folks in Whitehorse had them sorted and on their way. Wifey was enjoying the camaraderie of the fellow bikers.

Again the day was spent heading back down the the Alaska Highway but we took a scenic detour via the Carcross - Tagish loop, crossing over the broad Tagish River and then it was heads down to Teslin and the Yukon Motel. The view from the room features the Teslin Bridge, a metal grated deck makes for an interesting start to our ride on Tuesday.

The shortest ride on our trip proved to be relaxing with a picnic stop and a lunch from the same bakery in Haines Junction as when we were northbound.

Tuesday will take us off the main highway and onto Highway 37 - The Cassiar Highway and back into beautiful British Columbia.

Living the Dream

Day 10 - Haines Junction - Yukon

Animal count - plus 2 x Moose

Delta Junction to Haines Junction, the longest day we have planned on our itinery and the forecast was pretty gloomy but again the weather god's played their hands and dealt us a sunny day. We skirted around some huge black clouds and were able to watch full storms develop and play out before our eyes.

We back-track for 2 days but the views are just as stunning in the reverse direction with the Alaska Range on our right hand side all the route today. Kluane Lake was fabulous and we were surprised to see that stretches of the lake that were still frozen over 2 days ago have now thawed and just azure, glacial water remains.

Our cabin for the night is Kathleen Lake Lodge and after the luxury of the last few nights its back to the reality of the road. This place has amazing views but very poor wifi and no TV so catching up on weather/road reports & global news is a little difficult. What it lacks in 21st century bling it makes up for with beauty, I am sitting at our cabin table and cannot count the glaciers I can see through the window.

A shorter day is planned for today as we head back through Whitehorse and may look into replacing the front tire as its starting to look a little bare......

Day 9 - Fairbanks Alaska

Well I played my "dumb Englishman" card today as the plan was to head to the Denali Highway and just ride the first 30 paved miles before the gravel begins, for some photography and video. An easy 60 mile ride to reach the road.......except I went north instead of south.

I knew I had made the mistake after an hour so we decided to carry on to Fairbanks which proved to be a good idea as we had a wonderful day doing the tourist thing in Pioneer Park.

A museum detailing all aspects of Alaskan life that pays special attention to the building of the road, the gold-rush and the early pioneers.
Amazing diorama's like this brothel.

Weather remained good for the day and as we approached Eielson Air base we were lucky enough to ride alongside a huge military cargo plane as it was landing, tried to keep up with it but failed miserably.

We passed through the town of North Pole, Alaska which is kind of surreal as there is a huge Santa Claus at the side of the road and Reindeer with sleigh's everywhere, the lamp poles were candy canes, all with blue skies and 25 degree weather.

So we completed the highway all the way to Fairbanks but took our pictures of the official end here in Delta Junction. Just north of here you get the first sight of the Trans Alaska Pipeline that carries oil from Prudoe Bay to Valdez an incredible 800 miles. The 48 inch diameter pipe is powered by 12 pump stations and the first oil was pumped through in 1977.

The pipeline has been subjected to maintenance failure & sabotage but most common cause for leaks is gunshot holes when bored Alaskan locals use it for target practice.

As of 2010 the pipeline had conveyed over 16 billion barrels of oil and remains a crucial lifeline to keep oil prices down in the U.S. and creating employment in Alaska.

Today is the day we turn around and head south towards the Yukon again with our longest day ahead of us. Forecast is not great and I know we have to ride the roughest sections of all again......

So its heads down and get the miles covered as we head to Haines Junction and probably stop in and see Jim & Dorothy again for a good old brew.

Day 8 - Delta Junction - Alaska

We have completed the official Alaska Highway
From Dawson Creek  to Delta Junction - 1,387 miles.

Friday was an interesting day with some of the worst road conditions of the trip, the first 30 miles to the U.S border consisted of roadworks, gravel, mud and the worst frost heaves to date. The whole surface of the road is broken up in places and sure made for high levels of concentration to keep the bike on the straight and narrow.

Border crossing was a piece of cake with the most pleasant U.S guards ever encountered, taking only about 15 minutes for me to complete the compulsory visa waiver form due to travelling on a U.K. passport. Once into Alaska the road improved dramatically and we were back up to cruising speed....55 mph is the speed limit in most places but on the straight sections it's upped to 65 mph.

I thought I would swap up the helmet cams today for a different angle and mounted Wifey's cam onto the crash-bars, it wasn't to last, just short of the border I felt and heard it hit my foot, then the road and saw it bouncing down the highway in my mirrors. Turning round there was a large road construction truck barreling down the highway and for a moment I thought it was going to get flattened....thankfully the truck missed it and we were able to recover it with a few nice chunks taken out of the casing but the lens cover unmarked, it appears to be fully functional. Nice job Contour for making  a robust product, pretty sure a Go-Pro would have been in pieces.
As we crossed the border we could see the Alaska Range in the far distance and it stayed there all morning.
Weather forecast for the day called for sun and 40% chance of rain but we were lucky and had beautiful weather the whole way.

Passing the Nutzotin and Mentesa mountains we approached the town of Tok where the main range was very close, stunning. An endless vista of snowy, glacial mountains framed against blue skies, took our breath away and we rolled into town for lunch.

Jim and Dale where headed to the "top of the world highway" on their 2 well equipped Goldwings and have been travelling all around Alaska taking side trips wherever possible and hitting the gravel roads in comfort.

 After riding the longest, straightest stretches of highway I have ever seen, we find ourselves with a day to rest here in Delta Junction at the garden B&B with a delightful little cabin called "Forget me Not". After a week on the road we need a break so will enjoy some local fare :)

The perfect place to rest after a long ride and prepare for the long ride home......................................

Day 7 - Beaver Creek - Yukon

Bear count - plus one -
1 big assed grizzly.
Wild horses a plenty
Sun
Sun

A wonderful day on the road with no rain or wind.
Leaving Whitehorse it was only 3 degrees so we broke out the thermals for the first time in anticipation of getting a little chilly, however the day just got warmer and sunnier  as we rode along.
Fantastic scenery all day and even managed to stop and get a few pics of this big grizzly who like all the bears was more interested in his dandylions than us.


Plenty of times today we could see sections of the old highway which must have been a lot more twisty than the modern two lane piece of engineering we are on. Roadworks were a feature again with about 12 kms of gravel and hard-packed mud, but still easy going. The last 50 miles into Beaver Creek had the worst surface we have seen yet with frost heaves big enough to swallow the wheels up to their axles....certainly keeps you alert making sure you miss them.

The highlight for me was the ever present mountains including the St Elias Range which includes the 15 highest peaks in Canada and the highest peak in North America - Mt Logan, sadly not visible from the main highway.
Situated within Kluane National Park a region renowned for its beauty.
We spent all day looking at mountain ranges and we still haven't got into the Alaska Range.


Kluane Lake was simply stunning and here is a few views from the road today and if you want proof that any vehicle can drive the Alaska Highway check out the early Honda Civic from California.

This is the gas pump at Koidern River Lodge and it is fully functional and possibly one the most interesting places I have seen. Owned and operated by a lovely couple who built the lodge back in the 1960's and supplied us with the warmest welcome and a great pot of tea mid afternoon.
A little gem of a rock shop that would make any geologist happy and an eclectic mix of trinkets.

The bike is running superb with not a hiccup and continues to impress me, the little 650 buzzes along nicely at a relaxed pace and soaks up all the bumps even with a full load.
The luggage has proved to be waterproof and very convenient, now we have our packing sorted out we have some spare room to pack in beer etc if we need.

Our cute little cabin here at Buckshot Betty's is ample for our needs and the rest-stop itself has a great deck, bar and restaurant.
Wifey is fine on the bike and really enjoys the ride, no aches, pains, sore butt etc but she is still nervous of the wildlife and doesn't like me stopping to take pics.


Its hot and sunny this evening and we still haven't seen the sunset in the Yukon as we are in bed by 10.30pm and the sun is still up which is really strange.
Next stop the U.S. border.............................