Thanks for the pics and stories, Stretch! All of these posts are only stoking the fire. I´m thinking it´s going to have to happen in July... I just got off a 6 day hike in Colombia where I had the same prehistoric feelings many a times. http://photosynth.net/view.aspx?cid...537209738237:0.0807409613130289&p=0:0&t=False - unfortunately ADV bikes won´t make it up there (challenge?).
Took another little jaunt to Deadhorse this past weekend - leaving home at 9 minutes past midnight, arriving in Deadhorse (after many delays at various construction sites) around 7:30 PM with 841 new miles on the odometer. Spent a little over an hour signing witness forms for riders who had made a long trek from Key West, FL, then turned around and headed back south. Managed to get a few new photos on both north- and southbound legs, but not as many as usual. Weather was phenomenal and the road was - comparatively speaking, of course - in superb condition. From Mile 236.5, a look at the road up to Chandalar Shelf, the beginning of the final climb to the top of Atigun Pass. A few of the riders hitting the bottom of Atigun Pass, northbound. Another shot, with 3 riders and more of the mountains. Near the bottom, looking toward the top. And going back down, into the Atigun Valley. Even out across the vast reaches of barren tundra there's something to see. Here, the Franklin Bluffs are nicely illuminated by the evening sun. Clouds often provide welcome subject matter when viewed from far north of the Brooks Range mountains. And clouds sometimes produce rainbows. That one developed into a really nice full bow a little later. At 1:00 AM the sun in the northern sky provided nice lighting to the mountains lining the Atigun Valley. Reaching out with the telephoto provided this nice shot. Wasn't able to complete the 1500 miles in 36 hours that I had optimistically aimed for, thanks to a rear Tourance that was wearing far faster than expected, but still managed to get 1588 in a little over 42 hours by the time I arrived back home. All in all, a very good trip.
When I came by that sign this past weekend I noticed that DOT had raised it considerably higher - maybe to avoid having to replace it every year with one that has no stickers?
That's pretty funny. There's a street here locally named... ... wait for it... Knob Lick Drive. :huh Gub'mint Streets and Roads had to bolt the street sign 15 feet up on a phone pole because it kept getting stolen. Also, if I recall correctly, the Hot Spot at Dalton Highway mile 60 or so has a Dalton Highway sign that reads "James D Dalton Highway". I guess when DOT corrected their mistake, they gave the old one to the Hot Spot.
Just caught up with this, great report. Love the photos. Am planning to cruise this next year in July...
Alcan - That last picture... wow... Thanks for sharing! Out of curiosity, what did you shoot these with? I'm on track to head up there around August 5th. Anyone thinking about a similar timeframe?
All those were with my trusty Nikon Coolpix P90, a fairly capable point-and-shoot that stays handy in the tank bag.
GREAT PHOTOS RIDER !!! a oldy but goody , my ride to the AC in 2008 <iframe src="http://player.vimeo.com/video/7780879" width="500" height="375" frameborder="0" webkitAllowFullScreen mozallowfullscreen allowFullScreen></iframe>
Maybe they had to raise the sign to keep it visible above the deep snow? This photo was taken in mid April when I spent several days backcountry skiing with some friends at Tolovana Hot Springs on the Elliot Highway. When I stepped off the snow berm to go stand beneath this famous sign I promptly sunk up to my crotch and still didn't touch the ground! Of course my friends were laughing at me and weren't about to come help me as I floundered around in that deep stuff. I decided NOT to ski up the Dalton and wait for summer when I could ride up the highway... Jack - as always - your photos are incredible.
It varies slightly, as northbound it gets steeper near the bottom. But I'd guess it's about 15% at the worst, with most of it 12% or less. Many of the hills are easier northbound than southbound, as it was assumed most of the heavy loads would be northbound with lighter loads coming back to Fairbanks.
Good stuff - you just made my morning (stuck out of town, solo, working the holliday and bikeless), thanks! Cole
A sneak peek at a forthcoming RR... The Dalton Highway - North Slope (HDR Panoramic comprised of 33 RAW images)
