**I'm a few days behind. Day 8 was typed up already. Day 9 and 10 will have to wait till tomorrow. I still feel like crap and had alot to deal with when I got back in town. Let's just say welding had to occur**
I woke up not feeling any better. I have a cold. The problem is I never ever get just a cold. I get SICK. I'm trying to avoid that at all costs as I don't need to be laid up in the land of 200.00 hotel rooms. So I pack up the bike at the University and say good buy to all the other riders there. They are all on the Aerostich tour that leaves on the 18th. I had joked that I'd be back to see them off. If I hadn't felt like crap I so would have been able to.
So I made a reservation last night for the tour to the Ocean. 5 p.m. on the 17th. Well, that kind of stinks. I was hoping for a mid afternoon tour to make my life easier. I was orignally going to camp at the 12 dollar campground just north of Coldfoot or if I felt ok, go to Galbraith lakes which I heard was beautiful. BUT(yes a big but) I feel like crap and know a night in a tent will not help. So I start calling Wiseman to get a room. I got nothing for tonight, but got a room at the Boreal Lodge for tomorrow. She knows I'm coming in late and will tape an envelope with my name on it.
I then head for Walmart to get some Vicks Sinus. Sure enough they don't have it. I wound up with some other Vicks stuff and squirtted. It worked (however I'm stuffing up again).
I head out on the Steese Highway as it's 76 miles to the start of the Dalton. You then have to turn onto the Elliot highway. Sure as sh*t as soon as I did it started pouring. Well it looks a bit lighter over the mountains let me keep going, I could go 100 miles before having to turn around. There is a small pick up in front of me pulling a boat. All of a sudden I see this 12 foot branch pop out the back of he truck, pivot on the bed walls and hit the ground in front of me. I started honking not for the branch to move but so the driver will know to stop and save me. It was surreal. I wasn't doing anything stupid but there I was about to crash and it was just bad dumb luck.
This is where karma takes over. I've been very nice to everyone I meet. I've also been very honest with everyone. At Denali park they under charged me for the pass to go up the road. I also knew I could go without the pass, but karma can be a b*tch. So, I'm watching the branch spin as I break and honk and I pick a line where I think the branch won't be, but is at the moment I pick it.
Whew! Missed me by about a foot. The guy stops, I stop and he waves, like he knows his branch fell out. Normally, I would have started yelling at him, but 1. I don't feel well and 2. I'm the only person up here not packing. So much is that every road sign is riddled with bullet holes. Its kind of funny.
Any way I get stuck at a construction site and two bikes were coming the other way. I gave him the thumbs up/thumbs down sign and he gave a thumbs up. I hope he knew I meant was the road ok. So I hit the Dalton. The first section is dirt with a bit of gravel thrown in. It's soaked and full of mud sections. Even with my tires as soon as I hit mud the bike wants to just go to a place it shouldn't. So I fight through this and through the rain and then there is a long paved section. Hey, wait a minute. Paved? Yep, I forgot a whole bunch off the Dalton is paved. Then another horrible section of dirt with a bit of gravel. It's still pouring, I'm cold, I'm wet and I don't feel good. I instantly was about to turn around. I talked myself into going atleast to the Yukon River and you've come this far, you have to atleast go to the Arctic Circle.
<insert Dalton sign>
I make it to the Yukon river and pass over the wooden bridge. Now, so far this is all surreal as I've seen pictures and even have seen it on "Ice Road Truckers" but it wasn't as long or as sloped as I had pictured it. I stopped to get gas at the Yukon River Crossing. Met up with a guy on a BMW RT with street tires. He was having trouble. I had seen his tracks and he was wallowing in even the good sections.
<insert yukon river pics>
As I leave there I realized I was hungry but wanted to stop by the Hot Spot Cafe as I've heard so much about it. A few miles up the road I did. I was the only one there and had to find the person who lives/works/owns it. She was out back working in her garden. I ordered up a cheeseburger and grabbed some magnets. She sat down and chatted a bit. Told me about the young thin bear that had been coming around and how here dog was chasing it, until it realized it was bigger then the dog. Pebbles the dog is an attack dog. She didn't like the swishyness of my boot covers and kept trying to attack me. I thought it was funny so I kept making them swish and she would run in and try to bite the covers. Pebbles is going to lose that battle with the bear.
<inser hotspot and pebbles pictures>
As I ate lunch the weather got real nice. I was so happy the road was dry and I was cruising at 60 mph. I was hoping that would continue, but I got to see some things while it was nice. The Beaver Slide was crazy. It was steep long and has super loose gravel. Luckily I'm the king of all gravel roads and thought it was kind of fun. I then ran up to Finger Mountain and took a picture of the finger and then headed to the Arctic Circle. Now, last year carl had trouble finding the sign. So I was super vigilant looking. Well there was a big sign that said "Arctic Circle --> " It was so nice there I was going to camp. At this rate though I was thinking of crossing over the Brooks range and camping on that side so I would be able to sleep late and have an easy ride to Prudhoe in the morning. Well as soon as I hit Pump station 5 it started pouring again.
<insert pics>
By this time I had my food hangover and was feeling super tired. I was not happy being on the Dalton and not able to pay full attention. I struggled through it and finally made it to Coldfoot. I went to the visitors center to ask about the weather and if they knew anywhere that might have a room. Heidi from the Boreal Lodge works there and once we realized that I had talked to her this morning she was very concerned about me. I was even going to pay the crazy money to stay at the coldfoot inn (219) but they were full up. So, Heidi called her mom and she has a bunk house she rents and the guy cancelled. I said, I was interested but might still camp. She said no problem,
I went across the road to the Coldfoot camp and got gas. Up on the centerstand and put in every drop itwould hold. I'd like to make it to Prudhoe Bay without having to use my bottles or the 1 gallon aux tank. I went in and asked about the showers. Milepost said it was 10 bucks, It's not. It's 14. I'm desperate at this point and I need to feel better so I paid. I went into the workers dorm and took a 1/2 hour hot shower. Hey, you make me pay 14 bucks, I'm taking a long shower, I don't care if you have to truck the water in. (900 gallons is 75 bucks, I overheard a water conversation)
By the time I was done he buffet had opened. It looked good so I paid the man for it and ate. It was good. I can't tell you what it was, but the meat looked like chicken and tasted good and the lasagna looking thing was good also. I also got a beer but didn't even drink have of it. The funny thing was Ice road truckers was on on the t.v. I thought it was ironic. The worker said it's actually funny to see them on t.v. because he see's them all the time (not the canadians) I knew I was going down hill fast and wanted to get to grandma's house.. umm June's house to snag that bunk house. So I geared up and headed the 13 miles of easy ride there.... or so I thought.
<coldfoot pics>
I get stuck in a construction zone and stop, the guy tells me to go to the front and it will be about 15 minutes. He asks where I'm going I said Wiseman, he said to the Boreal. I said sort of, her mom has a bunk. He said ohhh Heidi's husband is my brother. Everyone seems to be related up here. Well the pilot car comes, bangs a 3 point turn and takes off. My new friend says, I guess that means go and sends me on my way. That Pilot car took the F off. I was trying to keep up and then I got sideways in a deep mud section and they just slowed down. I eventually got to the turn off for Wiseman and headed into "town". I have to take pictures of the place It's straight out of old school Alaska. June is the sweatest lady and was worried I'd be cold or the accomodations wouldn't be sufficient. In the land of 200+ night flea bag hotel, the 50 bucks for the bunk works for me. No running water or electricity but the outhouse is close by and there is a stove to light the top burners if I get cold. I was told not to fall asleep with the burners going though.
Tommorrow is the big push to Prudhoe bay and then back here. My tour is 5-7 so I'll have to jump off the bus and jump on the bike to hopefully get back here at midnight/1 a.m. Sleep, shower and then head back to the University and bike maintenance. If I still feel like crap, I may try and stay another night at the University and take a full day off, maybe go see a movie or something.
bug note: so far not that bad. However here in wiseman the mosquito's are the size of teradactyls
Story I forget to tell about the Denali highway: We all know I did alot of things to the bike. However, I questioned if I needed all the off road type stuff. Well, I did. I had packed the rear seat bags wrong and the bear box was digging into my back. On the Denali Highway there aren't any good pull offs. They neglect to groom the road to them. So I find one with an easy entry and stop to repack the bag. The ground is real soft and I'm pointed a bit downhill so there is no way I can back up the bike. In front of me is basically a dirt/gravel "ramp" about 2 feet high to get back on the road. I know I can't go slow as my legs are too long. So, I just said screw it and hit the gas then twisted some more up into the air I went (not that high), front wheel in the air, bash plate scraping on ground and there I was on the road pointed towards a gully (perpendicular to the road). Just grabbed some more throttle and spun it around and on my way I went. This might be the stupidest and one of the most fun things I have done on the trip. I wish I had set up the video camera. Since then I've been fully airborne twice. none on purpose both of them today on the Dalton.
I woke up not feeling any better. I have a cold. The problem is I never ever get just a cold. I get SICK. I'm trying to avoid that at all costs as I don't need to be laid up in the land of 200.00 hotel rooms. So I pack up the bike at the University and say good buy to all the other riders there. They are all on the Aerostich tour that leaves on the 18th. I had joked that I'd be back to see them off. If I hadn't felt like crap I so would have been able to.
So I made a reservation last night for the tour to the Ocean. 5 p.m. on the 17th. Well, that kind of stinks. I was hoping for a mid afternoon tour to make my life easier. I was orignally going to camp at the 12 dollar campground just north of Coldfoot or if I felt ok, go to Galbraith lakes which I heard was beautiful. BUT(yes a big but) I feel like crap and know a night in a tent will not help. So I start calling Wiseman to get a room. I got nothing for tonight, but got a room at the Boreal Lodge for tomorrow. She knows I'm coming in late and will tape an envelope with my name on it.
I then head for Walmart to get some Vicks Sinus. Sure enough they don't have it. I wound up with some other Vicks stuff and squirtted. It worked (however I'm stuffing up again).
I head out on the Steese Highway as it's 76 miles to the start of the Dalton. You then have to turn onto the Elliot highway. Sure as sh*t as soon as I did it started pouring. Well it looks a bit lighter over the mountains let me keep going, I could go 100 miles before having to turn around. There is a small pick up in front of me pulling a boat. All of a sudden I see this 12 foot branch pop out the back of he truck, pivot on the bed walls and hit the ground in front of me. I started honking not for the branch to move but so the driver will know to stop and save me. It was surreal. I wasn't doing anything stupid but there I was about to crash and it was just bad dumb luck.
This is where karma takes over. I've been very nice to everyone I meet. I've also been very honest with everyone. At Denali park they under charged me for the pass to go up the road. I also knew I could go without the pass, but karma can be a b*tch. So, I'm watching the branch spin as I break and honk and I pick a line where I think the branch won't be, but is at the moment I pick it.
Whew! Missed me by about a foot. The guy stops, I stop and he waves, like he knows his branch fell out. Normally, I would have started yelling at him, but 1. I don't feel well and 2. I'm the only person up here not packing. So much is that every road sign is riddled with bullet holes. Its kind of funny.
Any way I get stuck at a construction site and two bikes were coming the other way. I gave him the thumbs up/thumbs down sign and he gave a thumbs up. I hope he knew I meant was the road ok. So I hit the Dalton. The first section is dirt with a bit of gravel thrown in. It's soaked and full of mud sections. Even with my tires as soon as I hit mud the bike wants to just go to a place it shouldn't. So I fight through this and through the rain and then there is a long paved section. Hey, wait a minute. Paved? Yep, I forgot a whole bunch off the Dalton is paved. Then another horrible section of dirt with a bit of gravel. It's still pouring, I'm cold, I'm wet and I don't feel good. I instantly was about to turn around. I talked myself into going atleast to the Yukon River and you've come this far, you have to atleast go to the Arctic Circle.
<insert Dalton sign>
I make it to the Yukon river and pass over the wooden bridge. Now, so far this is all surreal as I've seen pictures and even have seen it on "Ice Road Truckers" but it wasn't as long or as sloped as I had pictured it. I stopped to get gas at the Yukon River Crossing. Met up with a guy on a BMW RT with street tires. He was having trouble. I had seen his tracks and he was wallowing in even the good sections.
<insert yukon river pics>
As I leave there I realized I was hungry but wanted to stop by the Hot Spot Cafe as I've heard so much about it. A few miles up the road I did. I was the only one there and had to find the person who lives/works/owns it. She was out back working in her garden. I ordered up a cheeseburger and grabbed some magnets. She sat down and chatted a bit. Told me about the young thin bear that had been coming around and how here dog was chasing it, until it realized it was bigger then the dog. Pebbles the dog is an attack dog. She didn't like the swishyness of my boot covers and kept trying to attack me. I thought it was funny so I kept making them swish and she would run in and try to bite the covers. Pebbles is going to lose that battle with the bear.
<inser hotspot and pebbles pictures>
As I ate lunch the weather got real nice. I was so happy the road was dry and I was cruising at 60 mph. I was hoping that would continue, but I got to see some things while it was nice. The Beaver Slide was crazy. It was steep long and has super loose gravel. Luckily I'm the king of all gravel roads and thought it was kind of fun. I then ran up to Finger Mountain and took a picture of the finger and then headed to the Arctic Circle. Now, last year carl had trouble finding the sign. So I was super vigilant looking. Well there was a big sign that said "Arctic Circle --> " It was so nice there I was going to camp. At this rate though I was thinking of crossing over the Brooks range and camping on that side so I would be able to sleep late and have an easy ride to Prudhoe in the morning. Well as soon as I hit Pump station 5 it started pouring again.
<insert pics>
By this time I had my food hangover and was feeling super tired. I was not happy being on the Dalton and not able to pay full attention. I struggled through it and finally made it to Coldfoot. I went to the visitors center to ask about the weather and if they knew anywhere that might have a room. Heidi from the Boreal Lodge works there and once we realized that I had talked to her this morning she was very concerned about me. I was even going to pay the crazy money to stay at the coldfoot inn (219) but they were full up. So, Heidi called her mom and she has a bunk house she rents and the guy cancelled. I said, I was interested but might still camp. She said no problem,
I went across the road to the Coldfoot camp and got gas. Up on the centerstand and put in every drop itwould hold. I'd like to make it to Prudhoe Bay without having to use my bottles or the 1 gallon aux tank. I went in and asked about the showers. Milepost said it was 10 bucks, It's not. It's 14. I'm desperate at this point and I need to feel better so I paid. I went into the workers dorm and took a 1/2 hour hot shower. Hey, you make me pay 14 bucks, I'm taking a long shower, I don't care if you have to truck the water in. (900 gallons is 75 bucks, I overheard a water conversation)
By the time I was done he buffet had opened. It looked good so I paid the man for it and ate. It was good. I can't tell you what it was, but the meat looked like chicken and tasted good and the lasagna looking thing was good also. I also got a beer but didn't even drink have of it. The funny thing was Ice road truckers was on on the t.v. I thought it was ironic. The worker said it's actually funny to see them on t.v. because he see's them all the time (not the canadians) I knew I was going down hill fast and wanted to get to grandma's house.. umm June's house to snag that bunk house. So I geared up and headed the 13 miles of easy ride there.... or so I thought.
<coldfoot pics>
I get stuck in a construction zone and stop, the guy tells me to go to the front and it will be about 15 minutes. He asks where I'm going I said Wiseman, he said to the Boreal. I said sort of, her mom has a bunk. He said ohhh Heidi's husband is my brother. Everyone seems to be related up here. Well the pilot car comes, bangs a 3 point turn and takes off. My new friend says, I guess that means go and sends me on my way. That Pilot car took the F off. I was trying to keep up and then I got sideways in a deep mud section and they just slowed down. I eventually got to the turn off for Wiseman and headed into "town". I have to take pictures of the place It's straight out of old school Alaska. June is the sweatest lady and was worried I'd be cold or the accomodations wouldn't be sufficient. In the land of 200+ night flea bag hotel, the 50 bucks for the bunk works for me. No running water or electricity but the outhouse is close by and there is a stove to light the top burners if I get cold. I was told not to fall asleep with the burners going though.
Tommorrow is the big push to Prudhoe bay and then back here. My tour is 5-7 so I'll have to jump off the bus and jump on the bike to hopefully get back here at midnight/1 a.m. Sleep, shower and then head back to the University and bike maintenance. If I still feel like crap, I may try and stay another night at the University and take a full day off, maybe go see a movie or something.
bug note: so far not that bad. However here in wiseman the mosquito's are the size of teradactyls
Story I forget to tell about the Denali highway: We all know I did alot of things to the bike. However, I questioned if I needed all the off road type stuff. Well, I did. I had packed the rear seat bags wrong and the bear box was digging into my back. On the Denali Highway there aren't any good pull offs. They neglect to groom the road to them. So I find one with an easy entry and stop to repack the bag. The ground is real soft and I'm pointed a bit downhill so there is no way I can back up the bike. In front of me is basically a dirt/gravel "ramp" about 2 feet high to get back on the road. I know I can't go slow as my legs are too long. So, I just said screw it and hit the gas then twisted some more up into the air I went (not that high), front wheel in the air, bash plate scraping on ground and there I was on the road pointed towards a gully (perpendicular to the road). Just grabbed some more throttle and spun it around and on my way I went. This might be the stupidest and one of the most fun things I have done on the trip. I wish I had set up the video camera. Since then I've been fully airborne twice. none on purpose both of them today on the Dalton.
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