The Journey North continues

Monday 27th July;
Fairbanks to Coldfoot


Started early and made some changes to bike, namely moving the fuel can from the side to the top on the pillion seat at the suggestion of the more experienced riders. I put the tool kit on the side tray to keep the weight down low as we were to riding dirt roads today. We started early, 8.30 am and rode out of Fairbanks and along Highway 3, we stopped at the oil pipeline display area where the actual trans-Alaskan pipeline was visible. We then rode most of the morning on normal roads till getting to the turn off to the "Haul" road or Dalton Highway, which was only fully opened to the public in 1994. This is when the proper dirt roads start and I took it easy to start as I needed to get used to riding with full panniers. The initial part of the road had a lot of gravel sections where the bike would get loose sliding sideways in an unnerving way, the road the improved and I could up the speed at points getting up to 60/70 on the better sections. Some of the road was paved though this would lull you into a false sense of security as regular patches of the road would suddenly be gravel or very bumpy tarmac. The road continued through some fantastic scenery, till we got to the Yukon River crossing were we took more photos, had lunch and re-fuelled. After lunch we continued along the road remaining as part dirt and part tarmac, until we got to the Arctic circle, marked by a small stopping area and a large sign, again we stopped for group photos and a cup of tea. It was surprising how many people were driving this part of the road, tourists and such but a lot of bikes were travelling in the opposite direction, obviously having been to the end of the road and back. The most surprising thing were the numbers of large low ride custom style Harleys and GoldWings travelling on these difficult roads.

After the Arctic circle we made the 70 more miles to Coldfoot, our stop for the night, little more than a collection of porta-cabins and a fuel station (two pumps in the rough gravel area in front of the main shop and dining unit). We stayed in the cabins some distance across the parking area for trucks, the rooms being very small but at least clean.

Miles
Today : 266
Total : 636
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Tuesday 28th
Coldfoot to Deadhorse (Prudhoe Bay)



I had to start early 8.00 as the next section of dirt road was to be more difficult, having fuelled up the bike the previous evening and filled the two 5 litre cans, strapped to the pillion area on my bike, started out on the 240 miles to Deadhourse on the shore of Prudhoe Bay. There is nothing between and so we have to have enough fuel to get the distance, there are no stops, no shops, nothing. The road started OK as before, but soon got more difficult with more gravel around and no tarmac, there were a lot of large trucks hauling stuff to and from Deadhorse, as they passed they had a habit of throwing large rocks my way, I had to duck many of these as I think they would have made a severe dent I my helmet! We all met up just before the Atigun pass were we put on the thermal clothes and linings as we were warned that it could be cold. The Atigun pass goes up to 4500 feet, it was also wet and muddy so the climb up was especially difficult and slow with the bike sliding about, once over the temperature rose and we had to take off the warm gear. The weather was pretty good to us and as we got more northerly it got warmer. The land flattened out and some miles along we met our first “graders”, this is the equivalent of laying tarmac, but using dirt instead, then tip load of dirt and soil and then compact it, to keep the road above the Arctic tundra. I met the roadwork first and had to follow the “pilot car” we stopped for a while and then had to move to the other side of the road, however the other side was a least 2 feet higher, bounded by a soft earth bank that had just been tipped there. As I rode the bike up the bank the front wheel dug in and the back could not get traction, so down I went. No damage just a dent and scratch on the panniers, and a lot of embarrassment. The rest of the ride was OK for me but for the last 5 miles the road had been sprayed with water and was treacherous. One of our riders came off at 30 mph and damaged his pannier and his wrist though not broken. Deadhourse was not what I expected and looks like an Industrial work area rather than a town, all industrial complexes, containers, machinery and vehicles.

Miles
Today : 244
Total : 880