Bug Murderers Assault Alaska! (with some time-lapse)

[drrags]

Ah yes, the fancy yellow tent. Nice of you to notice it's absence. It was replaced by the little blue 1-1/2 man tent. The tent saga has not ended yet!

Originally Posted by Mr. Fisherman

Hey! Where did the fancy yellow tent go? Did the state birds fly away with it?

Keep it comin.... This is likely the only way I am gonna make this trip....

[drrags]

That was ... ... epileptic?
I own a few different riding suits and if I had to get rid of everything except one, I'd keep the one-piece Aerostich. I've tried the two-piece twice now and I always go back to the one-piece - easier to get on and off, no air leaks, no bulking up, mosquito proof, etc. And, when everyone else is pulling over to put on the raingear, I just sit there and light up a smoke. Sure, folks bitch about it being a dated design, not enough vents, whatever, it works for me. On this trip, which I estimated reached as low as 34F (but mostly 40's through high 50's with an occasional 80), I wore a t-shirt, long-sleeve t-shirt, then the BMW electric vest, then a 100% wool sweater, and finally the 'stich. On the colder days I wore long-johns. It was exactly enough. If it had gotten any colder, I would have been under-dressed.

Originally Posted by Flameout

Great write up! And let me be the millionth guy to say that we're all jealous! Thanks for taking all the time to do the write up and share your extraordinary trip with us! How'd the gear work? Would you change anything? Or did I miss that in one of your posts? Sorry if I did and this is a re-peet question. I've been jonesing to get a 'stich and I'm curious what combo you wore under it in what temps. Thanks! I seen your post of what you took with you and I guess I'm in need of a more specific description...wow, ok, now I just re-read that... Thanks again for the time spent and all the pics taken! Look forward to reading about the way home...see ya, Walt

[drrags]

Yeah, I thought it was quite clever, I wonnnddder where I picked that one up?

Originally Posted by edeslaur

Drrags, love the clothes quote Not sure what I'm talking about? Scroll up to the naked guy with flourescent legs...

[drrags]

Thanks Dukeryder! It was cold enough, that's fer sure! Why do you think there's no picture of my junk? Because you wouldn't have been able to see it anyway due to the shrinkage factor
If you can do 52F, you can do 32F, and just think how warm it feels when you get out!
You have to go, it was extraordinary!

Originally Posted by Dukeryder

Fantastic RR!!!! That Artic Circle Polar Bear Swim is destined to be classic ADVrider material. I don't even wanna know how cold that water was, 52* at Acadia NP was the coldest I've ever been in and ever want to go in.

I never get tired of the AK reports. I can't wait to do it someday.

[JMead11]

I did the Dalton on July 15, 16, up and then down on the 17th. On the 16th I went up over the pass, and road looked exactly the same as in your pictures. Three inches of the slipperiest goop I had ever ridden in on two wheels. I am glad you managed to take pictures, because I didn't have the nerve to either stop or take my hands off the bars for a picture.

Great adventure or living hell? You're right, depends on your attitude. I was asking myself what I was doing up there at times, but I think it was just the "never been so far North" thing going on, that and being all alone so much. Not many people out there. I think this is a trip anybody could really do, just need to go for it. I have, despite the rain, which I got plenty of, mosquitos that love me more than anyone else, and the sore ass from 550 mile days, now experienced something that I will never forget. I am glad to see your report and hope that it will encourage others to take the challenge on do it.

I have been thinking since I got home that I should jumped in the Arctic rather than just stand in it. Then I saw your photos and I am glad I didn't. Now there's a memoriable moment.

Thanks so much for your report and photos....absolutely fantastic. I hope your next adventure is just as unforgetable.

[drrags]

A Tucson Brother! I lived on N Rosemont between Swan and Craycroft (behind TMC). Man, I miss it!
Not much for me to say; you've said it all. Just do it! It's more than just a long ride, it's a mental and emotional journey as well. I had my doubts at times too, that's for sure

Originally Posted by JMead11

I did the Dalton on July 15, 16, up and then down on the 17th. On the 16th I went up over the pass, and road looked exactly the same as in your pictures. Three inches of the slipperiest goop I had ever ridden in on two wheels. I am glad you managed to take pictures, because I didn't have the nerve to either stop or take my hands off the bars for a picture.

Great adventure or living hell? You're right, depends on your attitude. I was asking myself what I was doing up there at times, but I think it was just the "never been so far North" thing going on, that and being all alone so much. Not many people out there. I think this is a trip anybody could really do, just need to go for it. I have, despite the rain, which I got plenty of, mosquitos that love me more than anyone else, and the sore ass from 550 mile days, now experienced something that I will never forget. I am glad to see your report and hope that it will encourage others to take the challenge on do it.

I have been thinking since I got home that I should jumped in the Arctic rather than just stand in it. Then I saw your photos and I am glad I didn't. Now there's a memoriable moment.

Thanks so much for your report and photos....absolutely fantastic. I hope your next adventure is just as unforgetable.

[crazybrit]

Originally Posted by drrags

A Tucson Brother! I lived on N Rosemont between Swan and Craycroft (behind TMC). Man, I miss it!

8th and Campbell for 2 years, basically between Speedway and Broadway. I miss US191. Never rode dirt then, was prohibited from owning anything dirt-bike-esque. Gotta get back down there and do some riding in the des. Every so often AdvRider will torture me with that pic of Gaspipe riding thru the Saguaro, the desert in full-bloom. That pic should be removed

[edeslaur]

Originally Posted by crazybrit

8th and Campbell for 2 years, basically between Speedway and Broadway.

Prince and Campbell, Oracle and R-something (Rutherford? Ruthrauf? I'm old now), and I grew up near Sahuarita where riding was a matter of opening the garage and going. Before I got a plated bike, I totally missed that experience. Thank gawd Husky put together a real dirt bike with a plate instead of a fire road monkey with a plate. And that many mfgrs are following the trend (how cool is it that KTM comes with White Power parts? That was the shiznit when I was growing up.). Now to get real hard bags for the thing!

I miss the smell of the desert during the monsoons. Maybe I should be getting out there in the next few weeks with mah Husky, throw on the knobbies, and go hang out in Reddington near Frog's Hollow, Chevo Falls, or up near the foothills and Charleau Gap (still open?), or down near Tubac, Rio Rico, or Arivaca.

In the meantime, I need to find friends who live near me and ride dirt. And pavement for my other bike. I'll bet SoCal has a lot to discover.

[drrags]

Even after waiting for a while for your turn, you're still not guaranteed to get through in one shot. There was one construction site in the Yukon where it took longer to get through the construction than the wait for the turn.

[drrags]

The ubiquitous Fireweed.

[drrags]

Man, it just doesn't get any better than this. Well maybe.

[drrags]

As we were coming down the hill near Fox, I saw three bikes on the oncoming shoulder. Giving the signal asking if everything was ok, I saw one guy hold a chain up in the air - a clear signal that it's not a smoke break! Fortunately I had a master link and a Motion Pro Chain tool (I never leave home without this badass, indestructable tool) and in a minute they had the chain repaired. In gratitude I was given this cool patch! It seems that these rental KLR's were fitted with new chains, but I have my suspicions. I think if you rent a bike, give it a good once or twice over before you take off.

Anyway, ZAK PAK sounds cool, and the ZAK part is the first letter of their first names. You'd think with that mnemonic (why the hell is this word, which means "help you remember something", so damm hard to spell?) that I'd remember their names? Nooooo, of course not. Geez. Guys, if you see this, chime in, ok? Anyway, they do this trip every year, how cool is that!










And while we're fixing the chain, look what we see!

[drrags]

In the hallway at the Coldfoot truck stop are a bunch of pictures on the wall of the recent history of the Haul Road, and some of the pics depict loads being hauled with *3* tractors in the front of the load, and *3* tractors in the rear of the load, pushing. Can you imagine doing > 500 miles at slow speed being the last driver? Well, we didn't get to see anything that massive, but this will have to do. I count 60 tires on the ground.

[drrags]

So once again, we're all split up and waiting at a predetermined point, in this case, a car wash. We didn't mind the wait though




Does this t-shirt make me look fat? Look at the filthy bikes instead, ok?



Come on, do you expect me to remember everybody's name?



Can you say $10 worth to clean all the junk off the bike? Make sure you do though, because the calcium chloride will eat and stain your aluminum!







Ahhh, a nice restaraunt with a pleasant wait staff

[drrags]

Wow, I make it sound catastrophic, just like the news! 950 owners are paranoid about their fuel pumps, and rightly so as we'll see

So we're on the road from Fairbanks to Denali when Wyatt's bike mysteriously dies.




And here, you can pinpoint exactly where it happens





Sadly, I failed in my duty to document what we had to go through to get the bike running, but with creative hose rerouting, you can go up to 70 miles without a fuel pump on the big KTM.

Fortunately, we were exactly 2.00 miles from our campsite for the night.



It is at this point that Brauhausbier went his own way. His wife was flying into Anchorage from Portland, and he had an extra week to spend with her, and you know about 5's a crowd!