Yukon Alaska Bound 09... 4 riders 4 bikes one crash one truck also ride the 3D's!

Great RR & pics.. Thanks for posting.

I hope to do it next yr.. (I think I can take 11 days.. Not sure if I can make the arctic circle.)

Day 12


Its a Girl! Now I can post a pic on Dads and Daughters. Its weird writing this nine months ago I was at Watson lake and now I finally write the report and have the baby.

Day 12 June 17th

This morining we get up to a cold windy rainy day. We ride to Inuvik and back to Eagle Plains for the night where we camp.
Make some grits and coffee and head north on the Dempster over the Continental divide and into the Northwest Territories. How cool is that to say? We had an extreme cross wind on the Yukon side and then rain and mud in the NWT side. The rain made a glare on the wet mud and we all had some close calls, put your foot down close calls where you are flat tracking it. I thought this mornings ride was a blast. We make it to the first ferry crossing and meet up with a physical therapist from Montreal that works in Inuvik on and off. They were driving up?

Todays pics and more descriptions.
This is the first pic of the day due to all the rain and mud. Here we are waiting for the ferry Crossing the Peel river.








Now we are on the ferry. There was a kind guy washing cars license plates and brake lights. He also washes dads bike too.


Physical Therapist from Montreal.




Ride another 40 miles and cross another ferry. I think this is the Mackenzie river.


Check out this mornings mud.








Crossing the Mackenzie






Now we ride north next stop Inuvik. Well I thought. We were riding along and there was a grader in the right lane so we went to the left and then noticed there was a large burm so we were riding along in the left when we all notice there was a semi coming and not slowing down at all so I jump the burm at a 45 deg angle and Mark the same Dad ends up spinning out and crashing at least on the safe side of the burm. Alvin stops right next to it and the truck just speeds on by. Dad was alright but the right Jesse bag popped off. So we just pop it back on and take a little break and away we go.






We make it to Inuvik.






Cool plates






Eat some lunch at the place in the backround. The guy in the bicycle helmet came over because a friend told him that some bikes were in town. He was telling us about Inuvik and the motorbikes he rides. He was really friendly too.


Nice deli. The girl that works there was born and raised in Inuvik.


Power Wagon at the post office.


Time to go to church.


I felt bad for this guy. He was so wasted. He staggered over from across the street at the post office and followed us here.


Now we head south after lunch and mailed some post cards. About 30 miles out of town there is a bad washboard part of the road so I stand up and the Handle bars come out of my hand and next thing I know I am in a bad tank slapper. I just try to grab the bars sit down and hold the tank with my legs. That will sure wake you up.

This part of the road is about a 10 miles without a single turn.












ferry crossing south alot less busy.


NWT we take these pics on the way back.








Our first Grizzly bear. This is almost exactly across the road from Rock river where we camped last night.




Back to Eagle plains. First stop brews.




We meet up with Ron and Mike again. They rode up today from Dawson city and are staying here in the motel.


Some more adv riders. Really nice group of guys. Look like HD ridersbut all riding GS's The guy on the front right crashed Yesterday on the Dempster over the NWT border in the slick mud.


bikes outside of the Eagle plains motel. Notice the yellow straps holding the Pannier on the GS. That is the bike that fell in the really slick mud.


We head over to the camp spot and meet up with a nice couple traveling with there dog. They were from Juneau AK. She sees us eating little dehydrated camp food and offers us some of there food. We say thanks and eat our dehydrated dinner.




Dad got a shot at a bird




View from camp that night. This is as dark as it got.


That night we fuel up the bikes before driving over to camp and Marks bike would not start. Finally it fires and we set up camp and we pull off the fuel tank to check the filter. We noticed that before we left he must have pinched the filter gasket outside of the cover and there was a pile of dirt in the air box. I am talking alot of dirt and sand. So we clean it all out and clean and fix the air filter.
The good think is that Mark had brought 4 quarts of oil and two oil filters. So first thing the next morning at the gas station in Eagle we change the oil. That will be in Day 13 report.

Awesome ride report. Love all the pix too. (they speak a thousand words) I plan to take the trip, so seeing the road and conditions speak volumes. I"m hooked. Keep it coming.

Awesome! I was planning on only doing the dalton this summer but the dempster looks amazing, I may have to swing both if possible! Great RR, one of the best! :slurp

Love the RR, now I need to try and do some work....lol

I've got to admit to a tinge of jeaulousy, to get to do a ride like that with your oldman! You can hardly find one shot that you don't have this look of pure happiness on your faces. Great pix! I often thought of a ride like that, now I'm hooked, all I can really say is WOW!

Day 13


Day 13 June 18th 2009

This morning we eat some breakfast at the motel in Eagle plains. The plan today is to ride from Eagle plains to Chicken AK. Via Top of the World Highway.
When we fill up this morning there was a helicopter dropping off something and we ask the attendent if he had an oil drain pan for Marks black strom.
He said no problem pull the bike in and let us use the shop. We changed the oil since Marks air box was full of dirt and sand.
Now we head south behind Ron and Mike.
On the way south we see one large Cow Moose. So we stop and I walk into the trees and she is not but 25 feet from me.
Then later about 50 miles from the bottom of the Dempster we had to stop because crossing the road was a Mom moose and her calve. We ride into Dawson and get some gas and are filling up when Alvins bike takes a break. It just falls over.
We conquered the Dempster.
Now we head to Dicks, pick up our tires we left and head to his Downtown Hotel. In the back of the Hotel he has a steel grat and a hose where we wash out the radiators and oil coolers. We also washed the tail lights. I did not wash anything else. I wanted to bring home all the dirt with me.

Todays pics from Eagle to Chicken AK.







Dirt from the Dempster

Never be clean again



After the Dempster





Waiting to board the ferry. The only way to get to the Top of the World Hwyl









Here is a spot Dick told us about. so we stop here to eat some lunch and enjoy the views.





Here the Yukon and the Klondike river meet. I think the Yukon is the clean one not sure.





















Snow!





Nice gloves!











To be continued Chicken Alaska.

Buen reporte y buenas fotos! Great report and awesome pics! The opportunity to spend this quality time with your father and brother is wonderful.

I'm taking notes for our trip this summer.

Is your camera waterproof (resistant)? You took lots of nice pics! Keep it coming!

whata great story

Continuation of day 13.

When we entered Alaska it was raining. It rained all the way to Chicken AK. So when we got to chicken we showed up at the new part. We drove on a little then found good old Chicken.
When we got there I asked a young man where the motorcycle camping is? He said right behind the place. So we pull over there set tents up in the rain quickly and head to the only place open for food, the Chicken Saloon.
There we ask if they have any food and he said all we have left is frozen pizza's. So pizza it is we said. Two large pizza's after a very long day were great.

We all had some beers and sat and ate. When we got there and were waiting for our food there was a chick or girl hanging out with some guys. Then she came over to Mark and I and started hanging all over us and drinking Marks beer. She was trying to dance with all of us. She was wasted.

Later dad calls it a night and Mark, Alvin and I stay in the bar and meet a couple from New Zealand and were up till Midnight in AK. Which is 4 a.m. In North Carolina. Then all of the sudden boom the drunk chick hits the floor. She passed out so one of the guys picked her up to take her home. All the guys in there work at the Chicken stores and bar we thought they were with the girl.
Nobody new who she was. So one of the employees takes her to her motorhome and her dad was there waiting for her and her kids. What a parent.

The roof of the bar is full of blown up womens panties and hats. They have a little cannon they fill with black powder and get a female bar patron to put her panties in the cannon and blow them up outside. The employees were trying to get the New Zealander to but she had a little more selfrespect so no luck.

We had a blast that first night in AK.


We made it.








Set up camp behind shop.




Free to camp here




The crew.


New Zealanders Keren and John



Tired


Drunk chick puking at Midnight in AK.



Thirsty Chipmunk.


The bartender is from Lafayette Louisiana and is the Helicopter Mechanic in the Day for Chicken. Here he is posing to be some guy from Chicago. He did a great job with the pose.


We all went to our tents and slept great.

AWESOME report... Looks like you guys are having a ball.

However, need photo's of the drunk chick.....

The only pic I got was her puking. She wasn't bad looking.

I love it.
Sitting here on my day off, reading your RR, drinking my fav beer-Moose Drool- and there are bottles of it inside the fridge, second shelf.

Great Report!!

Great RR, congrats on the baby!

If you have the time could you comment about logistics of the trip.
Examples:
Were the knobbie tires needed?
How far between gas stations?
How far between towns?
Lodging in case you are not a camper?
Safety from wild animals or bad dudes.
Do you need a passport?
Anything else you think is "need to know".
Most of these things are simple valuable.
Thanks, Izzy

Enjoying your report...Looks like an epic ride....

Day 14



Day 14 June 19th 2009

We ride from Chicken AK to Fairbanks AK. When we get up this morning and load the bikes there are tourist in Chicken. They arrived via big bus. They were eating breakfast at the Chicken cafe and alot of the people would mosey over to us as we loaded our bikes. They were courious of what we were doing and wished they could be or have done what we are doing.

We wait till they all leave and head over to the Chicken Cafe. There Susan and her helper have prepared one hell of a breakfast.
She gets up at about 3-4am and makes all these awesome baked goods.

We buy some souveniers and head out.
Todays pics.
Early morning pic.














A little after breakfast chores.

The nicest pit toilets of the whole trip.

If you get out of line in Chicken.


The second bike parts failure. Dads Dakar rear mud flap, we leave it at camp. First failure was Marks center stand springs.

Chicken to Tok.














Filling up in Tok I took this pic just wondering what kind of mileage that monstrosity in the back round gets. It was only hauling two people.

Tok to Delta Junction.














The end of the Alaska Hwy.




Goofing off with the Alaskan skeeters.










Now we eat some lunch and look at some of the old AK hwy equipment.







Alvins Dad served in the Army in 1960 and was stationed here. We tried to find the bar that was only 100 yards from here but nothing is the same as it was in the 60s.







Look out Chipmunk!








We happen to be going by when they were taking off.


We stop in the visitor center and the lady was super nice. She gave us a map and directions made us coffee and pleasant to talk with. There we bought some letters from Santa for my boy back home and Marks kids.
They got them this last December they all thought it was really cool.






Now we arrive in Fairbanks first thing we do is head for a parts store. We find a Shukks or something. There we all buy some oil and a cheap drain pan and change our oil in the parking lot. We all had brought filters.
Oh yeah it started to rain pretty hard while we were in the middle of our oil change then it let up.
When we were fininshing up the oil changes a guy drove over and was talking to us about the Dalton. He warned us over and over and over and over about the trucks and the rocks. Literally he would get in his truck drive 30 feet then stop come back and tell us about the road. He was really nice though and very helpful.

Mark helping Dad.






Now we head over to Safeway grocery to stock up our food supplies.
On the way out we run into Dr. Greg Frazier. He is an ADV rider and writer.
He told us of a Hostile to camp at and that he was riding up the Dalton tomorrow with the Aerostich crew.

When we get to camp it was pretty neat with a kitchen and clean bathrooms. There we meet up with a guy named Paul from Ontario on a 750 Honda shadow. We stay up a little late worring and deciding what to do with dads bike. He has a badly worn rear sprocket and the chain just keeps stretching. Our plan is in the morning head over to the Harley/Bmw shop to see about a chain and sprocket. We will see about that tomorrow.

Hi I hope this helps.
Knobbies not absolutely needed. We rode the Campbell with the Tourances and had no problems. After we put the Knobbies on we did the Dempster. Where it did feel more stable and you could travel a little bit faster with the knobbies. It is kind of like having the right tool for the job. Yeah you can loosen that with pliers but a wrench is better. The other reason we brought the tires is I do not think that one set of tires could have gone 12,400 miles safely. That is the amount we end up riding.
Gas stations on the asphalt are no problem no more than 120 miles or less. The dirt like the Dempster start to Eagle plains is about 230 miles and the Dalton up top Coldfoot to Prudhoe 240 miles if I remember right.
We bought Bear spray in Grand Praire before the AK hwy just for peace of mind. I bet it would nock out some dead beat bad dudes too.
All the places like Coldfoot, Inuvik, Eagle plains, Chicken all have places to motel it.
We all got passports in the States about five months before the trip.
We only had maps that we got for free from the AAA store. Then the visitor centers have free maps in the Canadian Provinces.
Be sure to get your Arctic circle Certificates at Eagle on the Dempster and Coldfoot on the Dalton and in Inuvik at the visitor center. Also in Delta Junction they have an AK hwy completion certificate. I know it is just paper but it is kind of cool to have. Show your wife and kids. Don't bring a camp chair. We hardly used them.
Let me know if you have any more questions.
Matt.

Saw that you would not bring a chair as hardly used. Also noticed some of the campsites looked like parking lots. Did you have trouble pitching the tents at times?

I will be making the trip first of June '10 and really liked the way you had your bikes arranged and thought it was great you included your bikes in so many pictures.

Couple quick questions: Would you have left some other items at home? Would you have brought some things you left or did not think of? Would you bring an extra tarp for additional cover when cooking in the rain?

Thanks for sharing your special time with family - its all about family!