Day 13, Anchorage, AK to Anchorage AK, 152 mi

10 July 2015

Since we are overnighting in the same location the post title is Anchorage to Anchorage.  While this implies that we didn't go anywhere, that assumption would be false.

In the morning I rode up to Team CC in Eagle River (about 20 miles north of Anchorage) to get the rear tire on the Spyder replaced.  I arrived shortly after they opened at 9:00 am and put myself in a corner and had myself a timeout while playing on the Internet.  Of course I also mentioned about the intermittent cruise control issue, even though it has been working perfectly all day.

Well after a couple of hours, the Spyder had a new paw on it.  Since the job took less than the estimated 3 hours the service manager gave me a sweet break on the price. The people at Team CC in Eagle River are good people.  So Team CC is RECOMMENDED (note that they also have a location in Wasilla)!

The AFTER picture

While I was off retreading the Spyder, the spousal unit was busy doing the laundary thing.  The dorm here a the University of Alaska has a washateria (that's a laundromat for those of you who haven't spent any time in Texas) that does a good job for just a little coin,

Now that the Spyder is again safe for human conveyance, we had a healthy lunch of convenience store bratwurst (2 for $3.00 - cheap!) and headed south down the Seward Highway to see the Portage Glacier.  There is a nifty tour boat that will take people on a glacial lake (fresh water) for a close-up and personal view of a glacier for less than $40.  The ride is about an hour long, and has running commentary from a knowledgeable parks person.

Here is what the glacier looks like.  Sorry I didn't get a picture of the boat itself, but if you really want to see what it looks like here is a link.  What you really want to see is the glacier, right?  Well, wait no more.

Portage Glacier

Now, up close and personal:

Future cocktail ice?

Now, I know what you are thinking.  What about the icebergs? Well the captain had to do her darndest to navigate around those floating bits of ice.  Really though, they were quite small.  Anyway, while we were close in we even heard a loud report, like thunder or a bomb and saw some iceberg calving action right before our eyes!  In real time even!  Overall, I would say that the Portage Glacier cruise is RECOMMENDED!

After the excitement of the glacier cruise, we took a little hike towards another nearby glacier.  We didn't feel like hiking all the way to it, so we let the telephoto camera lenses do the last bit of walking for us.

We don't have glaciers like this back home

So much blueness

After a glacial afternoon we did the usual Alaska thing of looking for salmon and moose, but they again proved to be too elusive for us.

Today's summation:
Number of recommendations 2
Number of wildlife seen none (other than birds) 0
Number of new tires installed 1

Day 12, Glacier View, AK to Anchorage, AK, 145 mi

9 July 2015

Thee day started out cool, around 53 deg and slowly warmed up to the mid 60s.  Since it was overcast with low clouds, we weren't able to take any of the superlative inspired photos that you may have become used to.

The Spyder now has just over 7000 miles on it, and the high temps last week and the chip sealed roads in Canada have taken their toll on the rear tire, so it is now time for a replacement.

Hmm...tread wear bars showing in center

 This is not as simple as it sounds.  Unlike an automobile, one cannot go to just any tire shop and get something that will fit, as the tire is specially designed for the Spyder (compound, tread, ply count,etc.).  Therefore, one must present oneself to a Can Am dealer for a replacement.

Our first attempt was at Alaska Mining and Diving Supply in Anchorage.  Yes, they are a Can Am dealer, but the service manager made it very clear that he didn't want to help us and that we should just go away.  He was, however helpful enough to suggest that we contact another dealer in Eagle River, about 20 miles away named Team CC.  Their service manager was kind enough to locate another tire for us from their other store and said that they could have it mounted for us the following morning.  Sweet!

Alaska Mining and Diving Supply is NOT RECOMMENDED!

Next, I asked what I should expect for the cost and heard $514.00, installed.  Not so sweet!  However, two things that I never skimp on are motorcycle tires and helmets. So I am not going to risk another 1,500 miles on a thin skin, so I made an appointment for the next morning to have the tire installed.

With that set up, we made arrangements to staying a dorm room at the University of Alaska at Anchorage (UAA).  We heard from another rider in Laramie, WY that the university in Fairbanks will host visitors for about $40 per night, so we checked with the university in Anchorage and found out that they do too.  For the two of us, we are being charged about $90 per night, including taxes.  This isn't too bad considering that other hotel rooms are being listed north of $200 per night, and even the local hostel is more than $100 per night for two people.

Bring back memories for anyone?

After checking into our dorm suite, we explored Anchorage and found provisions for dinner.  Smoked salmon on flat bread with cole slaw and some cheap (but tasty) red wine to wash it down with.  A nice thing about universities is that they have decent internet, so we were able to have a Netflix experience as well.

Day 11 Valdez, AK to Glacier View, AK, 233 mi.

8 July 2015

This is one more full-on high-quality day in Alaska!  A few pictures are included now, but more will be added later.

The day started out overcast and drizzly, but soon dried out with temps in the mid 70s.  We rode into Valdez to check out the sights w/o the fog of the previous evening.  After checking out the harbor we went back to where the salmon are running.  Again, we saw otters and eagles and the usual fabulous Alaska stuff, but we also saw sea lions and watched the salmon fishermen working their nets.

We saw the fish...

...but not the bears

We the started our trip up out of Valdez (only one way in/out by road).  On route we made slow going due to the fact that we had to keep stopping to take pictures of fabulous glaciers (you know how it is).

Fabulous glacier 

Making our way to Anchorage, we camped at Glacier View where we did, in fact have a lovely view of the Matanuska glacier.  While at this camp site we met a nice couple from Utah on a Large BMW and newer model Triumph twin.  These people travel 'civilized' with such amenities as a large 'stand up in' type tent, cots with air mattresses, fold-up chairs with backs, and even gin and tonics with ice.  Now that is civilized!

We also met a guy who just rode 100+ miles from Anchorage, uphill, on his loaded bicycle.

The cruise control on the Spyder worked only intermittently today (did I mention how much I like cruise control?).  I now believe the clutch switch to be the culprit.  When the cruise control quits, I discovered that I could get it to work again by playing with the clutch switch lever.  Of course it would shut itself off again after a little while, but playing with the clutch switch lever would get it working again.

Day 10, Beaver Creek, YT to Valdez, AK 391.3 miles

7 July 2015

We finally filled bucket 1, immediately by bucket 2.  That is, we reached Alaska via the Alcan highway.  Here is proof:

Buckets 1 & 2

Today we made a spur of the moment decision and decided to bag Fairbanks and go to Valdez.  We had already seen 4 fires this morning, ridden through some serious smoke, and heard that there are a lot more fires in the Denali area.  We can do that later.

The Spyder was getting plastered with bugs, which really stink and attract more bugs.  The radiators were about 1/3d filled with dead locusts and dragon flies (I even removed a dead bird somewhere in BC).  So when we arrived in Tok, AK we found a car wash and and gave the Spyder a little bath.  It wasn't too effective since the water was cold with no soap.

Our bug collection

The spousal unit would like  to make today's post.  But let me just say that we are now actualizing the full-on Alaska experience.

Everyone reading this blog must absolutely stop what you are doing, buy a plane ticket to Anchorage, rent a car or motorcycle (even better for viewing  scenery) and drive to Valdez!!!!It is so breathtaking it will sooo be worth the money spent. There are huge mountains that meet the road, glaciers that  produce waterfalls, rivers from the glaciers, green upon green upon green, steep walls carved out by water and then there's  the ocean which the glaciers flow into with the salmon spawning right now. Sea otters and seagulls and bald eagles are munching away and bears soon to come from what the locals say. The fishermen have their boats all lined up in the bay ready to start on the salmon run when word is given. All this and it is still light out at 11:00

Glacier view on way into Valdez

One of many waterfalls near Valdez

Weir preventing salmon moving upstream

Fishing boats lined up at 11:30 pm

We ran into our first rain today near Valdez and into Valdez and it didn't  matter with such gorgeous scenery. We rented a cabin for the night to dry out a bit. The new rain gear is working great. The Spyder got a bath today. Too many gross bugs and dirt.

Day 9 Tesin, YT to Beaver Creek YT 634 km

6 July 2015

Today was another day chock full of YAFRs, YAFLs, and YAFMs.  The  landscape just continues and continues, each view more fabulous than the last, as the road just goes on and on.

Having been across the US a number of times, I thought that I understood grand-scale landscapes.   West Texas.  Wyoming.  South Dakota.  But these landscapes are nothing compared to British Columbia and the Yukon.  I expect more of the same in Alaska.  The  vastness of these landscapes continues to keep us in awe.

Ok, so let's talk about the road.  Once past Whistler, BC, the road has been primarily a fairly fast two-lane road, mostly with 100 km/h posted speed limits.  This makes distance calculations easy;  100 km at 100 km/h means it will take about an hour to go the next 100 km.  Easy!

Few people keep to the 100 km/h though, with most pushing 110 to 120 km/h (if you want to know what that is in MPH, consult the Internet).  To protect the guilty, I won't say how fast I have the cruise control set (did I mention that the Spyder has cruise control?  This is a truly splendid feature, as it is the first motorcycle that I have ridden that has a real cruise control and not just a throttle stop).  Interestingly, we have yet to see a law enforcement officer monitoring highway speeds, which is probably why everyone is driving faster than 100 km/h, including the construction guys, one of which had his work truck airborne while passing us after his work shift.

Coming up on a slow camper is no need for concern (as it is in Colorado), for in just a short while there will be a passing lane into which the slow camper will move to let traffic pass.  Or there will be a passing zone that will allow for an easy view to see for passing safely.  Or even better, the camper will slow down and let faster vehicles pass.  How refreshing for a Coloradan used to camper drivers who ignore the road hog law.

The Alaska highway is well marked with good signage, including orange cones with flags on the shoulder indicating road dangers, such as a frost heaves.  If one ignores these cones, one does so at one's own peril, as some of these dangers are real doozys!

The roads are only bounded by the forest.  There arent't really any fences, or ugly signs.  And trash along the highway is nearly nonexistent.

One thing I learned today - What I would do for a Klondike bar:

I would go to the Yukon for a Klondike bar (and did)!

Tonight's accommodation is the Beaver Creek Motel/Campsite.  At $15CAD, it is an excellent deal and rather homey.

Now this looks like home!

They even have roof joists should one be in need of one.

Need a roof truss?

Sightings today:
1 Bobcat
1 Grizzly bear

So at this point I know what you are thinking:  "You did not see a bobcat, no one ever sees a bobcat".
Well here is the proof!

Told you we saw a bobcat!

Day 8, Tetsa River Campground, BC to Tesin, YT 691 km

5 July 2015

Up and out of the campsite we passed through a couple of construction zones.  Nice of  the road crews to place motorcycles at the front of the queues through the construction zones.  That way we don't have to deal with all of the dust from the other cars, and they think that it is safer for us.

Just after the construction zones we stopped for 'galactically famous' cinnamon rolls which were, in fact quite tasty!  At $5.00 each, a fair price

Continuing on, we watched the forest become almost pure deciduous and then back to mixed deciduous and pine.  Most of the day the air was heavy with the smoke from forest fires.  The smoke was so thick that one could smell it.  Just past Watson Lake we could see the fires from a distance, and passed a fire camp with something like 6 helicopters parked on the side of the road.

At Watson Lake we found the famed Signpost Forest.

People have placed signs here from all over the world.

Lots of YAFVs, YAFRs, and YAFMs (no pics yet).

Finally, we are now here:

Camped at the Yukon Motel near YAFL where we we met a woman from Oregon (who told us she is pushing 80) on her way from Oregon to Fairbanks and Anchorage to see her kids.  She was riding the red Spyder in the picture below.

See, we are not the only Spyder riders up here

Wildlife count:
5 Caribou
24 Mtn Sheep
1 Bear
5 Bison

Day 7 Dawson City, BC to Tetsa River Campground, BC 561 km

4 July 2015

Mile 0 Campground in Dawson City was very nice with a grassy tent area separated from the travel trailers and motor coaches.  Showers were clean and the laundry was convenient. Also, the WiFi was nice in the morning when people weren't competing for it as in the previous evening.  Definitely RECOMMENDED for $20.00/night.

Moving on from Dawson City, we began to fill 'bucket 1' by  starting our journey on the Alaskan Highway, which was built  by the US military starting in 1942.  Shortly out of town we drove over one of the original curved timber bridges built in 1942, now maintained as a monument to the original highway builders/designers.

Continuing on, we ran into a little rain and the temperature dropped to 55 degF for a couple of hours.  Running low on fuel at Pink Mountain we got gasoline and had lunch at the Buffalo Inn across the street where the spousal unit an I split a Buffalo burger and soup/bread combination.  We should have stopped at the burger, which was two 6-ounce beef patties + Canadian bacon + egg + the usual fixins and a mound of french fries.  We should have known what to expect when we walked in and saw the 'No Muddy Boots' sign, below which were tubs for muddy boots and rubber runways on OSB flooring.  Yes, this place definitely caters to the outdoors working man.

Keep yer guns and muddy boots at home, boys

There is absolutely no reason to leave hungry from this place!

Finishing lunch we continued north where we saw more YAFLs and YAFRs, as well as new YAFVs (Yet Another Fabulous View)s.  The sheer vastness of the landscapes continues to amaze me.  After about 1:00 pm, the weather cleared and started to warm up.  In a little while it reached 75 degF and we again started shedding clothes as the day turned into a beautiful one for motorcycling.

In Dawson City the landscapes were primarily agricultural.  As we moved north, we saw more pine timber with logging and oil/gas extraction operations dotting the roadside.  Continuing north, now all we see is forest and more forest, with the pines becoming more mixed with deciduous trees. 

We wound up at a lovely campground next to the Tetsa River, complete with mosquitoes at no extra charge.  At 8:30 the sun is still quite high and dinner is complete.

We had a nice conversation with a guy, probably in his '70s riding solo on a Kawasaki dual-purpose machine.  He said that he has made the trip to Alaska from California a number of times.  Good to see these guys on the road.

Things learned today:

* My jacket, zipped to the pants with a fleece is good to 55 degF, and with the hand warmers on (the Spyder comes standard with hand warmers) even my hands were comfortable with just leather work gloves on.

* Canada is vast!

* The people who built the Alaska Highway must have been very resourceful