Mileage @600 again, I didn't count. 250 + 150 + 225 = 625
Woke up in the Ghetto a.k.a. the Gateway pretty early for me and packed up. I headed to the hotel for some coffee and uploaded the pictures from the day before. (Day 4 was updated with pictures). Considering it wasn't high class I made my own boot dryer in the room and it worked. I didn't get all that much sleep as the Mounties or something decided to blow through town at 2 a.m. with sirens blearing. It was a weird sound that in my sleep got me thinking there might be a tornado or something coming. I also kept getting woken up by the locals or work crews that were also in the Ghetto.
The night before everyone kept saying, don't go near the Campbell Highway because it was too hard to drive. Especially for a motorcycle. That just sparked my interest. The couple on the Harley pulling a trailer at the Ghetto said it would be nuts to do it. I asked which way they got into town and they told me the Campbell. Well sir, you may not have teeth but if you could drive it on that thing I should have no problem as long as it wasn't all mud.
It was dry out so I decided to go for it. I had filled up the night before knowing it was 250 ish miles to the next gas stop. The Campbell like every other road here starts out as pavement with construction then turns to gravel. Once I hit the gravel I didn't see another person until about 15 km before the turn off to Ross River. I found the gravel/dirt to be in great shape. It was packed and the mounds between the tracks were not deep. The cool thing about the road is that it gets very narrow at stretches. Barely wide enough for one vehicle. Most of it was maybe a lane and a half wide. Being I was by myself i went for a ghost rider picture (read Neil Pert's book)
From there I stopped at Finlayan lake cause nature called. You have to love pit toilets. I was going to take a picture but decided I didn't need to remember it. I did take a posed picture though. I thought it was funny that my foot was lifted a bit.
I had purposely been saving gas for this section. I wanted to see if I could make it without using aux fuel. I pulled into Ross River for gas. I had read in the milepost about the one gas station that was open but their hours were spotty. I really didn't want to get stuck there. (side note: ran into a guy that did get stuck there the night before, I informed him that gas was available 24/7) Any ways, I went through town and didn't see a gas pump that looked open. So I drove down to the river to look at the milepost. The bluff here looked like a painting.
There was also a ferry to take you across the river.
While here I had an encounter with the Mounties. They pulled up and asked how I was doing. I told them I was looking for gas and would the service station be open and where it was. They informed me the service station has been closed for a while, but then told me where to get gas. They very nicely started asking me questions like my name, where I was going. He claimed it was just in case anyone asked if they had seen "so and so". We chatted for a while about hockey (go figure) and the Celtics then they wished me well and drove off.
So i drove up to the pumps and looked around for the card closet they were talking about. I eventually found it at the end of the tank but the CC machine would not work. I then noticed the other sign that said to pay at the general store. I hadn't see it but it was right next door. So I went in to pay for gas and the worker there told me i had to pump first. I then got a snickers bar because I had not eaten yet. This was a mistake because that was all I ate until dinner at 9 p.m. this evening. Good thing I did eat it as I wouldn't have had the energy to contine.
I headed out of town towards Dawson and ran into a guy on a BMW. We chatted for a bit and he told me how he couldn't get gas there yesterday and had to camp out. I told him about the card machine and he just laughed. He was taking his time and I was cranking out miles at this point so we didn't ride together. I headed towards Carmacks and the only thing of note was the construction zone that had really loose wet dirt (mud). I nearly lost it there, but was able to ride through it.
I entered Carmacks to get gas and hung out on the porch there for a bit. I then headed up the Klondike highway. I didn't mention that today was nice out, I had an absolute blast on the first half (232 miles). This is what I wanted on the trip. So I'm on the Klondike and it starts raining. It never got bad, all it did was slow me down a bit on the corners. The Klondike has many long straight aways which lets you make some time. I was making tons of time and got to the entrance of the Dempster. I wanted to run up it, but only rode the first 50 feet.
I made a big mistake here, with the speed I was travelling at, I had not gauged my fuel consumption correctly. the mistake was not gassing up at the gas station at the head of the Dempster.
So there I was with low gas lights blinking and nothing to do. I pulled over at a lookout and put in the fuel from my Primus bottles. I had hoped that it would get me there so I didn't have to pull out the 1 gallon tank. I entered into town and found gas on the outskirts. However I was driving at 45 mph at this point. . I took on a monumental amount of fuel.
I got to town and went to the place all the other riders go. The downtown hotel. I went in and got a discount on the room because she thought I was with some bicycling tour :) I was going to camp across the river but it was getting late. I was starving and well I wanted to be in town to hang out and go to Gerties and take a sour toe shot. One campground is on the outskirts of town, the other is across the river via ferry.
I talked to a bunch of the other riders in town, then headed into the hotel for a great dinner of Arctic Char. After that I took a shower and headed into the bar for a sourtoe shot. It's a nasty brown shriveled up toe that they put in a shot of Yukon Jack. However you get a card and a certificate. :) Oh and they put a stupid hat on your head.
Got the card and certificate. This is the second weird shot of the week.
I then headed to Gerties for the show and I played (and lost) some Black Jack
I walked around town some more and then back to the Downtown. I sat at the bar and wound up talking to the bartender. She was cool, had a crazy story about her life. We talked for a while and then I went back out on the street.
12:30 at night and almost as light as day.
That brings me to now. It's late and I'm tired. Not yet sure of my destination tomorrow. I'll ride the top of the world highway, check out Chicken AK (first time in AK proper). Then head to Tok to look for a pharmacy to get eye drops and another antenna. I'd like to make it to Paxton but we'll see. I know I'm not getting up early :) Plus my back needs a rest. It's been screaming all day along with the knot between my sholders and the blister on my right hand.
Animal score:
1 dead yellow bird
8 chipmunks
2 groundhog lookingthings that almost committed suicide.
1 Moose ass. He was running away
2. Wolves.
0 Bears
countless bear turds in the road.
Woke up in the Ghetto a.k.a. the Gateway pretty early for me and packed up. I headed to the hotel for some coffee and uploaded the pictures from the day before. (Day 4 was updated with pictures). Considering it wasn't high class I made my own boot dryer in the room and it worked. I didn't get all that much sleep as the Mounties or something decided to blow through town at 2 a.m. with sirens blearing. It was a weird sound that in my sleep got me thinking there might be a tornado or something coming. I also kept getting woken up by the locals or work crews that were also in the Ghetto.
The night before everyone kept saying, don't go near the Campbell Highway because it was too hard to drive. Especially for a motorcycle. That just sparked my interest. The couple on the Harley pulling a trailer at the Ghetto said it would be nuts to do it. I asked which way they got into town and they told me the Campbell. Well sir, you may not have teeth but if you could drive it on that thing I should have no problem as long as it wasn't all mud.
It was dry out so I decided to go for it. I had filled up the night before knowing it was 250 ish miles to the next gas stop. The Campbell like every other road here starts out as pavement with construction then turns to gravel. Once I hit the gravel I didn't see another person until about 15 km before the turn off to Ross River. I found the gravel/dirt to be in great shape. It was packed and the mounds between the tracks were not deep. The cool thing about the road is that it gets very narrow at stretches. Barely wide enough for one vehicle. Most of it was maybe a lane and a half wide. Being I was by myself i went for a ghost rider picture (read Neil Pert's book)
From there I stopped at Finlayan lake cause nature called. You have to love pit toilets. I was going to take a picture but decided I didn't need to remember it. I did take a posed picture though. I thought it was funny that my foot was lifted a bit.
I had purposely been saving gas for this section. I wanted to see if I could make it without using aux fuel. I pulled into Ross River for gas. I had read in the milepost about the one gas station that was open but their hours were spotty. I really didn't want to get stuck there. (side note: ran into a guy that did get stuck there the night before, I informed him that gas was available 24/7) Any ways, I went through town and didn't see a gas pump that looked open. So I drove down to the river to look at the milepost. The bluff here looked like a painting.
There was also a ferry to take you across the river.
While here I had an encounter with the Mounties. They pulled up and asked how I was doing. I told them I was looking for gas and would the service station be open and where it was. They informed me the service station has been closed for a while, but then told me where to get gas. They very nicely started asking me questions like my name, where I was going. He claimed it was just in case anyone asked if they had seen "so and so". We chatted for a while about hockey (go figure) and the Celtics then they wished me well and drove off.
So i drove up to the pumps and looked around for the card closet they were talking about. I eventually found it at the end of the tank but the CC machine would not work. I then noticed the other sign that said to pay at the general store. I hadn't see it but it was right next door. So I went in to pay for gas and the worker there told me i had to pump first. I then got a snickers bar because I had not eaten yet. This was a mistake because that was all I ate until dinner at 9 p.m. this evening. Good thing I did eat it as I wouldn't have had the energy to contine.
I headed out of town towards Dawson and ran into a guy on a BMW. We chatted for a bit and he told me how he couldn't get gas there yesterday and had to camp out. I told him about the card machine and he just laughed. He was taking his time and I was cranking out miles at this point so we didn't ride together. I headed towards Carmacks and the only thing of note was the construction zone that had really loose wet dirt (mud). I nearly lost it there, but was able to ride through it.
I entered Carmacks to get gas and hung out on the porch there for a bit. I then headed up the Klondike highway. I didn't mention that today was nice out, I had an absolute blast on the first half (232 miles). This is what I wanted on the trip. So I'm on the Klondike and it starts raining. It never got bad, all it did was slow me down a bit on the corners. The Klondike has many long straight aways which lets you make some time. I was making tons of time and got to the entrance of the Dempster. I wanted to run up it, but only rode the first 50 feet.
I made a big mistake here, with the speed I was travelling at, I had not gauged my fuel consumption correctly. the mistake was not gassing up at the gas station at the head of the Dempster.
So there I was with low gas lights blinking and nothing to do. I pulled over at a lookout and put in the fuel from my Primus bottles. I had hoped that it would get me there so I didn't have to pull out the 1 gallon tank. I entered into town and found gas on the outskirts. However I was driving at 45 mph at this point. . I took on a monumental amount of fuel.
I got to town and went to the place all the other riders go. The downtown hotel. I went in and got a discount on the room because she thought I was with some bicycling tour :) I was going to camp across the river but it was getting late. I was starving and well I wanted to be in town to hang out and go to Gerties and take a sour toe shot. One campground is on the outskirts of town, the other is across the river via ferry.
I talked to a bunch of the other riders in town, then headed into the hotel for a great dinner of Arctic Char. After that I took a shower and headed into the bar for a sourtoe shot. It's a nasty brown shriveled up toe that they put in a shot of Yukon Jack. However you get a card and a certificate. :) Oh and they put a stupid hat on your head.
Got the card and certificate. This is the second weird shot of the week.
I then headed to Gerties for the show and I played (and lost) some Black Jack
I walked around town some more and then back to the Downtown. I sat at the bar and wound up talking to the bartender. She was cool, had a crazy story about her life. We talked for a while and then I went back out on the street.
12:30 at night and almost as light as day.
That brings me to now. It's late and I'm tired. Not yet sure of my destination tomorrow. I'll ride the top of the world highway, check out Chicken AK (first time in AK proper). Then head to Tok to look for a pharmacy to get eye drops and another antenna. I'd like to make it to Paxton but we'll see. I know I'm not getting up early :) Plus my back needs a rest. It's been screaming all day along with the knot between my sholders and the blister on my right hand.
Animal score:
1 dead yellow bird
8 chipmunks
2 groundhog lookingthings that almost committed suicide.
1 Moose ass. He was running away
2. Wolves.
0 Bears
countless bear turds in the road.
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