Modern Vespa

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Hey I'm a year late in getting this thing out. I don't want to get ahead of myself!

Everyone riding was pretty much so-so, not very friendly. On the way back much more friendly because we'd all been to Alaska and few all the to the top so we had some bragging rights. I don't think anyone I met on the ferry on the way up tried to go to Prudhoe.

Yeah duct tape. But I highly recommend the deck chairs great experience. Pricey but you knock huge miles out of the trip. If I hadn't done the AK Hwy in 2010 I wouldn't have done this. I had nothing to prove - been there, done that.

Boarding the Bellingham Ferry.

I woke up about 0300 and the heaters had been turned on for the entire solarium. I got up because of the heat. There are radiant heaters hanging from the ceiling of the solarium and I didn't think that they would be that efficient but they were. It was quite warm throughout the night. Several people were sleeping in their underwear on top of their sleeping bags. Don't ask me how I know this.

I walked around to take a look at the ship and I found people sleeping everywhere; the movie theater, a children's play area, the floor of the viewing lounge and any random couch in hallways. Apparently the ship has an open policy regarding sleeping.

Back to bed about 45 minutes later. I got up again at 0700 and went to breakfast. It was a pretty good omelet from the dining room. As an added bonus I was able to see some whales and Orcas while waiting for the omelet to arrive.

The one glaring thing that I don't like so far about the ferry is the lack of places to charge devices. I've found two and they are not 'official' charging stations just random outlets. While I sat there charging the computer about 10 people came by and eyed the outlet that I was plugged in to. Within a few minutes the other three plugs were quickly taken. My secret was out.

It was overcast and drab in the morning but the sun came out after noon. Then it was pretty much clear skies for the rest of the day.

Several warnings were given about the Queen Charlotte Sound crossing, a large section of open water. It was quite smooth when we entered the Sound but the wind picked up and the ship began to roll. It wasn't too bad but we were definitely in open water.

We passed several small communities/villages, towns and resorts that line the many of the small harbors. We also passed through a narrow passage that there was only about 100 feet of clearance on either side. Pretty cool.

In mid afternoon announcements were made overhead that if you're sleeping in the movie theater to move your stuff from your chair as there is no saving of seats in the theater. Several movies or documentaries were shown in the theater during the day. And just like a hotel there were crews out cleaning and vacuuming common rooms.

Also there were occasional 'car deck' announcements that allow you to go to your vehicle to get anything you need or to walk your pet. The pet is allowed to crap or pee on the deck and the owner is responsible for wiping it up. Not a pleasant thought after the 3rd or 4th 'pet walk'. Hopefully they hose the deck down every once and awhile.

The evening turned quite chilly. All in all a great day.

Ferry

Interesting your take on crossing the ocean compared to mine as a salty sailor who has crossed the Pacific multiple times starting on a Liberty Ship @ the age of 5, a Destroyer Tender between Long Beach & Hawaii, on a Destroyer from San Diego to Vietnam in my youth. Oh the stories I could tell...........

The heaters can keep up. It was quite hot at 0200 when I woke broiling in my sleeping bag. I ended up sleeping on top of the sleeping bag for several hours. I did keep my clothes on.

I went out on the deck to see if I could see some stars. Surprisingly I couldn't as the ship itself put out so much light. And at the same time we were passing a small town that was hugging the shoreline and it pretty much lit up the night.

We docked at Ketchikan at 0700. Quite a few vehicles left the ship and there was a sizable group waiting to get on.

We were there for about 6 hours, which enabled anyone who wanted an opportunity to go into the main section of town. There were taxis and small tour buses at the ferry terminal to shuttle you there. The ferry docking seems to be a pretty big deal. The ferry docks on the north end of town and the 'downtown' area where the cruise ships dock is on the south end.

There were three cruise ships docked when we arrived. I decided to walk rather than ride down there. It's quite a walk but well worth it.

At the cruise ship dock there had to be at least 50+ busses waiting to take passengers on tours. Also most of the bars were open and doing a pretty good business even though it was relatively early.

We rolled out at 1300 with our new passengers and cars. The solarium tent city ended up with about 1/2 of what it was when we started. We have quite a few stops scheduled in the next 18 hours.

There were several short stops throughout the evening and night. This ferry system is really the lifeblood of this part of the country.

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"ferry lifeblood of the country".............I found that to be the same way crossing the USA back in `99 via Greyhound bus from Sacramento, Ca. to Daytona Beach, Fl. for Daytona Bike Week. Up to Dallas , Tx. it was pretty much non-stop. From there on it was stops @ 1 bus depot after another all the way to Daytona. Found out in the South many use Greyhound like a taxi cab for getting around. Not disappointed, just surprised. I was retired and had more time than $. Round trip was $159 then and took us 4 days each way. 8) 3 of us reitired bikers decided to do it for the hell of it. 1 of us flew back home after Bike Week.

It was such an interesting experience I feel every high school student should do it to see what this USA is really all about. It was a heck of an education!

Duct tape ... never leave home without it!

Stunning pictures of Yosemite and the Valley ... ever think of publishing postcards?

I bought some today for my next scooter trip...........you never know when you might need it.

Thanks, but no. I don't think they're that good.

During the day we pulled into Juneau, the capitol of Alaska. Air or sea is the only way to get here.

Surprisingly, Juneau has a very small docking area and there was minimal amount of traffic on and off the ferry. There was a sign across the parking lot that said that it was 24 miles to the 'end of the road and 12 miles to the City Center'. So there is some pavement here.

As the day wore on the the solarium tent city was quickly down to one pitiful tent blowing in the wind. It began raining late in the morning off and on. Not too bad but it was enough to dampen my enthusiasm for the coming ride. I had my fingers crossed that it would end shortly. The rain not the ride.

The ferry terminal for Haines is 5 miles north of the city. While small it was bigger than the ones at Sitka, Juneau and Wrangell. As I was getting ready to make my way to the car deck some other riders came up and told me that just a few miles or so north from the terminal is a great place to look for bears. As I didn't have time now I put it on the list of things to do should I return to Haines on the return leg rather than making the ride back to the states.

The car deck was chaos. Actually it was chaos getting to the car deck, as everyone just had to be the first one off. It's ALL ABOUT ME.

For a moment I thought someone had pulled the 'abandoned ship' alarm so many people were lined up in the halls and stairs. The line for the elevator wrapped around the deck. I'm really surprised that a fistfight didn't break out. I thought about taking a swing at a few people that rolled over my toes with some huge Samsonite luggage.

As all the scooters, excuse me, motorcycles were bunched up together it was a hassle in trying to get out. As we had picked up new riders at the stops after Bellingham they were blocking in the original group so no one could easily get out.

Overwhelmingly most part everyone seemed in a pissy mood with yelling and shouting back and forth like our lives depended on getting off the ship within five minutes of docking. I'm really surprised that a fistfight didn't break out with me in the middle of it either as an instigator or willing participant. Grow up guys! Finally the damn broke and I was able to maneuver out and head up the ramp and out onto land. Alaska 2013!

It was chilly in Haines. I had put on both the top and bottom rain gear to break the wind and I had my fingers crossed that it wouldn't rain that much.

I spent maybe 15 seconds in downtown Haines. Not even sure if it was the downtown area. I was trying to get to Haines Junction today in order to get a jump on the run to Fairbanks.

The wind was terrible outside of town. You're heading out of a valley runs down to the Inside Passage and then Haines. The road runs next to the Chilkoot River which gave no cover and seemed to add to the misery. I kept thinking that if I get up and out of this valley it had to be better.

As I crossed a bridge over the Chilkoot River it began to rain. I was soaked and cold in short order and its July!

I had filled up in Bellingham before boarding so regardless of what the gauge said I had a full tank. A few miles out of town is the last gas station for some time. I didn't stop their, as I felt pretty good that I could make it to Haines Junction.

From Haines it's about 35 miles to the Canadian customs. It was a pretty straightforward crossing. They don't stamp you passport anymore and haven't done so for several years. And as far as I could tell recorded no information about you other than a wave and a goofy 'have a great time in Canada'. I'm assuming they figured anyone coming from Haines was suitable to be in Canada as it was only accessible via small air or water.

Right after the border crossing is a sign notifying you that there were no services for 180 km. My higher brain functions kicked into high gear trying to do the math. It wasn't pretty, the higher brain function and the outcome of the math

180 km is 111 miles. Taking into account that plus the 35 or so miles from Haines to Canadaian customs I should just have enough to the next fuel stop.

To get to the border crossing it's a long climb out of the valley. A long climb and then you climb some more and then finally drop into a large valley with minimal vegetation. This is Canadian large like the views go on forever; you'll never be able to walk out, break down and it will be hours before Western Canada's Karla Homolka swings by to offer you a ride. Large.

The wind kicked up as I was making the crossing of this valley. I would get lots of wind and intermittent rain for some time. I was semi-miserable yet pretty happy riding in such a beautiful location.

Early on the Kluane National Forest borders the road to the west. It is a remote and desolate area with incredible beauty. After 2 hours or so I finally did the last math equation for figuring out if I would make it to the next station and came to the conclusion that I wouldn't. I'm sure a Cray computer couldn't have any quicker. Screwed, perhaps.

I started to see a large lake in the distance and I was thinking that that was Lake Kluane just up the road. I remembered a gas station, restaurant, a hotel and a bunny rabbit from 2010 there so I was sure that my math was off and I would in fact not have to use the spare fuel.

Wrong! It was Lake Dezadesh. Never heard of it. It was big but it was no Lake Kluane. Right before the Dezadesh I saw a few signs for cabins and even one for a hostel but nothing for fuel. I was tempted to stop as I was freezing from the rain.

Finally I decided to get ahead of this and pull into a large newly paved parking area next to the road to fuel up with the spare can. What I didn't realize when I purchased it that it was a safety can with some sort of intricate system of knobs, dials and thing-a-ma-jigs that you had to do to deal with to get the fuel out of the can and into the scooter. I'm sure that I could have figured out that CIA Kryptos mural that makes the news every few years quicker than this given the chance.

I ended up getting fully a third of the fuel on me rather than into the scooter. It was everywhere. As the parking area was newly paved and it was raining there was this large rainbow of fuel slowly spreading across the lot. I'm sure it could be seen from the air. If there had been an open flame I'm sure I would it would have went like Thích Quảng Đức, minus the international press coverage.

After the quick fill up I laid down on the pavement and let the water run over me in an attempt to get the fuel off me. It was everywhere. I was making gas angels on the pavement.

In quick succession several cars slowed to look but then quickly sped on. I probably set the Canadian environmental effort back a few years in my attempt to get clean. Pulling away I was shaking terribly from the cold. I could see hypothermia just down the road.

Starting out the fuel gauge barely went above red. On I went. One time I saw a break in the clouds and I could see a bit of blue. I was so hopeful that the road would turn towards it but I was denied.

Just before Haines Junction the road dried out and while there was still a lot of cloud cover it cleared a bit. I ended up using the same gas station that I used in 2010 to fill the scooter. This time it's just 24 hour pumps as the convenience store is closed.

I ran across to the Alcan Motor Inn and grabbed a room. They have a bar with takeout sales, which had nothing to do with my decision to stay there. And the Wi-Fi is pretty good for an extra $2 Canadian.

In the parking lot was a pretty large group of BMW 1200 GSAs with European Union tags on them. All I could think of was 'posers!'

A short day but I was cold, wet and tired.

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After getting into Canada I noticed a car stopped by the road ahead of me. The only thing you stop for in this part of Canada is wild life. Sure enough it was a small black bear. I would have turned around but rather than crossing the road he began walking parallel to the road towards me.

Check out the weather in the distance. Full screen and HD are not a bad thing.

A fairly short day. Haines Junction to Tok, AK.

Out past Kluane Lake which is massive. Lot's of rain and I started to run into road construction so lots of mud. The road to Alaska from Haines is probably the worst road in North America. Just a few years ago it was redone and quickly turned to shit and is now being repaired again. Truly tough on the vehicle and body.

Crossing into the US was fairly straightforward.

In Tok I finally snagged a room at Young's. I've been trying for years but due to limited supply it's always been Goose Egg. Surprisingly there was a liquor store in the parking lot!

Tok pics

This is why I like being out there; the weather, the wind in my hair and that big ole' super slab out in front of me.

I got up pretty early. I was hesitant to get breakfast at Fast Eddy's thinking I should just head out. However, the thought of a slab of bacon and some eggs won out over common sense. On the way to breakfast I noticed that the price of gas had jumped from $3.99 to $4.09 overnight!

Awesome breakfast with an added surprise I ran into some people I met on the ferry. They were staying across the street and getting ready to make the final push to Anchorage. Good times.

The weather was fair but I bundled up as I didn't want a repeat of the previous day. I gassed up and headed out. I've never gone this way before so I didn't know what to expect. So ignoring the sign for Anchorage to the left I rolled on Alaska Hwy 2 north.

Tok, is in the middle of a broad valley and the road out is straight and level. There was some frost heave damage but altogether it was in pretty good shape. There is a footpath that runs for miles out of town along the road.

Eventually you're running next to Tanana Valley State Forest and then cross the Tenana River. The Alaska pipeline runs parallel to the bridge crossing; pretty impressive.

After this you run into some small passes. The rain had started up and would be with me for most of the day. While it wasn't as cold as the day before it was pretty miserable.

The road spends a lot of time near water, as the road seems to parallel whatever body of water is close. I ended up crossing the Robertson River and Johnson River in a short period of time.

The Robertson River Bridge catches you by surprise on a curve. You come around the curve and you're on it. It has some height to it as well and being very narrow with a very low railing that looked to only be knee height added to the urgency to get across. Thankfully there was no heavy truck traffic. Pretty cool crossing.

The Johnson River is an old steel girder bridge that is on a curve as well and while not as a big a surprise as the Robertson River Bridge it comes up pretty quick. Nice old bridge.

A few miles south of Delta Junction I noticed that the road seemed to be drying out a bit as the rain had left off. Five minutes after I noticed it the rain started up harder than before. Note to self: Stop noticing things.

I pulled in for fuel at Delta Junction. They only had regular and it wasn't on sale. As I got ready to pull off I tried to get my so-called waterproof gloves on but couldn't as the polypro lining was soaked and I wasn't able to work my fingers into it. I gave up and went with the vented summer gloves. Pulling out I saw a motorcycle with a sidecar; first one of the trip.

Rain and more rain. I knew I was less than 100 miles from Fairbanks so I soldiered on. It was wet for about the next hour and then the rain let up finally. The sun didn't come out just less rain. I'll take it though.

The route passes right next to Eielson AFB outside of Fairbanks. There is a short stretch where signs are posted saying no stopping, no photography, no video, no shoes, no service. I pulled over anyway to change the battery in my GoPro and realized that at Delta Junction when I had changed the battery I had not put the camera back door back on. So if anyone finds a postage-sized piece of plastic anywhere between Fairbanks and Tok please contact me. There is a reward.

After Eielson AFB is the city North Pole. I was tired even though it was short day so I didn't stop to get a picture of the city name. On the north side of town there is a welding service next to the road that has pretty cool candy cane gate. Still didn't stop.

I headed on in to the Holiday Inn with expectations of sugarplums and beer. My room was OK but there was no heat available. I called the front desk and I was told they shut off the heat in the summer. I was offered extra blankets though. OK, it's 1400 in the afternoon do I just walk around with the blankets on for the rest of the day?

Finally I got maintenance to the room and he confirmed that the heat 'be broke'. He promised to fix it by the next day and offered me a room heater, which I took him up on.

The other issue I had here was the speed of the Internet, which was slower than dialup. I went round and round with the front desk and finally got a call from the provider. His reply; 'Yo, it is what it is.' Defeated by the corporate world again. I went to the Holiday Inn corporate site to lodge a complaint but I got an automated reply that it takes 5 working days for a response. What if I was trapped in an elevator?

Why did you find it beneficial to ride down the center of the road, bridges? I would be concerned of getting a puncture doing that among other things.

My favourite video so far... I actually thought that police car was real until you passed it

How does the scoot handle on the gravel roads?

Thanks for taking us along with you.

Because I can. No other reason than that.

Very difficult on gravel, all over the place. Throw in some water and it's quite a handful. I almost go down a few times on this run.

Pretty easy day. I made reservations at Coldfoot, the halfway point to Prudhoe and reservations for Prudhoe. Price; $199, each. I asked how about if I want to stay 10 days what's the rate? $199. If I bring 20 people in a group with me? $199. Sort of an everything is $199 type place.

One company owns the Yukon River fuel stop, Coldfoot and Deadhorse Camp which makes ti pretty easy for reservations. Also, on occasion, Yukon or Coldfoot are out of fuel so touching base with one will let you know what the other has.

I'm planning to only stay one night in Prudhoe. I made reservations for the tour to the Arctic Ocean at 0900 on the day I leave. I didn't make reservations at Coldfoot on the return leg as I'm hoping to make the entire length in one day. Pretty risky as I probably won't roll out until noon, ouch!

To get the tour to the Arctic Ocean you have to make reservations 24 hours in advance as they do a 'soft' background check. I can't imagine that this soft check is doing anything but to place another impediment in the way of enjoying your vacation. I'm surprised they didn't have a surcharge for this check above and beyond the $49 they charge for the tour.

I finally have water behind the screen of my Garmin Nuvi. Also, I'm running across gas stations that aren't listed on the 3+ year old maps I have loaded on it. I've been avoiding doing any updates as I want to get the model that has the 7" screen but GPS City did not have a cradle for it as I was leaving. So I went to Wal-Mart and bought another 5" one with lifetime maps and traffic. Two things screwed me; the new 5" doesn't fit the cradle of the old 5", to get traffic I need to buy a supplemental antenna. Oh, one more thing I can't up date because of the slow Internet speeds here. I going to try the suction cup mount on the face of the speedometer since it's flat. The screen on this new one is very flimsy so I'm pretty sure I'm dropping $180 down a long dark hole of frustration.

I went to the Sportsman's Warehouse, which almost shares a parking lot with the hotel and picked up a pair of waterproof gloves and another gallon gas container. I'm not into camouflage but Sport's Authority and Wal-Mart didn't have any winter gloves so my hands are now invisible to all sorts of wild game I may come across.

With the new can I now have 2 gallons of spare fuel for the run. The weather looks pretty good for the next several days with no rain in the forecast. The state roads report looks good as well. Not so sure about that riding the entire length back in one day though.

Surprisingly anticlimactic on the first leg to Prudhoe Bay.

I left early and pretty much had the road to myself. I pulled into the last gas station down from the entrance to the Dalton but ended up just taking a picture and rolled on. They've changed the 'metal Dalton sign' it's smaller and much higher probably to prevent people from putting stickers on it. A couple of hundred yards down the road is a really nice marker that you can pull into and get some 'hero' shots.

The road was fairly dry and there was equipment out doing maintenance on the road in a few locations. I met Karl Park who was up from Seattle for the ride. He road with me to Coldfoot.

I stopped for breakfast at Yukon and then pushed on to the Arctic Sign. There were just a few cars there and the state had some employees there handing out brochures and taking your picture in front of the Arctic Circle sign. The mosquitos were out in force at the sign. I almost got carried away. Brutal!

I've been having problems with the handbrake so when I park I've been putting a rock under a tire to prevent it from rolling on me.

Traffic was minimal with more cars and campers than big rigs.

I got into Coldfoot fairly early and even had to wait for the dinner buffet to open up. Excellent food, really excellent.

The accommodations were pretty Spartan but I had a shower in my room so there were no complaints. There must be 2-300 rooms in this complex.

There is a visitor's center across the road from the camp. Well worth going over there as they have historical items, an overview of the area and you can get an update on the road conditions.

All in all just another day at the office.

Coldfoot pics.

About what you say on riding a MP3 on gravel/loose roads, yeah, the MP3 front end does NOT like that and it makes your day a lot harder(wears you out) just staying upright ! MP3 is made for smooth roads only. Now if the road is hard with grooves in it, the MP3 is better on that surface compared to a 2 wheeler.

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For those of us attempting to read the Informational Markers.

HD, Full screen, sound.

Best not even think about touching the front brake!!

Really nice Alaska story!! Thanks!

Very early day for me. The sun was up of course and at a very low angle on the horizon. Again, I pretty much had the road to myself for about 2 hours.

As you head North the trees began to thin out and then it just low lying scrub. It would be this way all the way to Prudhoe.

From Coldfoot to North of the Atigun Pass you're in a valley so the sun takes quite a bit of time to rise. I really didn't get a good look at it until I topped Atigun.

I've heard about Atigun a lot; how difficult it is, steep, dangerous, etc. I'd have to say that maybe on a day that's raining cats and dogs it might be dicey as it's a dirt road. It is steep with a sheer drop off and there were a few sections that the edge of the road was 'calving' but it didn't pose any real problem. I had someone in front of me for a short while but other than that there was no traffic here.

At this point the road had been a bit tougher than yesterday but nothing too bad. After dropping out of Atigun the road got a worse and then I hit a long stop for construction where I got eaten alive by mosquitos.

A huge portion of the road was being rebuilt and I saw more traffic here than anywhere on the Dalton. There had to be 40+ huge gravel trucks going back and forth. Following the pilot truck at times was difficult because of the condition of the road and it went on for quite some time.

After breaking out of the construction zone I would come across intermittent bad patches, pavement, then decent dirt roads. I hit one long stretch of pavement thinking it would take me all the way in but I was denied about 60 miles short of Deadhorse.

The last miles were brutal. At times I would only putt along at 20mph because the road was so bad. It was all washboard and no matter where I rode I couldn't get a good line. Terrible. I stopped several times to take a break. At times I felt I couldn't go on it was so bone jarring.

Finally way in the distance I began to make out buildings; Deadhorse.

The place I was staying was Deadhorse Camp and it is literally one of the first buildings in Deadhorse. I pulled in dead tired but really happy to have made it.

I went to check in and since it was only 1330 I asked if I could get on the 1500 Arctic Sea trip. All they did was move my name from one spreadsheet to another and it was a done deal - so much for Homeland Security. As I hadn't breakfast the kitchen made me up a huge sandwich, which I am eternally grateful for as I was starving.

The room in s bit bigger than Coldfoot and it's dry. Oh, there are no locks on the doors. Not sure about this policy but what can you do?

The trip to the Arctic sea is pretty cool. You get to drive out among some of the oil production equipment. The walk in the sea was neat. But beware as the area was formally a dump and there are metal objects everywhere.

After the sea trip I rode around a bit and got some gas, went to the NAPA store for a hat and had my picture taken in front of the Deadhorse sign. Early to bed as I'm heading out early again I'm already dreading the first 60 miles.

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Just another day at the office.