Leaving home in the rain - 9 am on June 5th. This setup shows pretty much how I roll now on long trips. In the left side I was carrying a 22 LB toolbag, water, food, octane booster, oil, spare gloves, overgloves, In the right side I had 2 gallons of spare fuel, the "Milepost" book, my tent, a bivy sack, more oil, an Icom The top Ortlieb bag contained all my clothes, sleeping bag, an extra pair of sneakers, and a sweatshirt.
The start of the Alaska Highway in Dawson Creek, British Columbia. I didn't take many pictures until now.
Saw a bear every now and then. This little guy appeared alone, but mama was probably near.
Muncho Lake, BC. Most expensive fuel on the Alaska Highway is at these two pumps. $1.81 / Liter CAD.
Happy GS rider here doing my first oil change at 3,900 miles in Whitehorse, Yukon. Took me 3 tries to find
Made the Alaska state line after 6 days. Could have easily done it in five, but I was constantly replying
Another shot here of the Alaska / Yukon border. The treeless line through the woods between the flags
Also at the border, looking back southbound towards the Yukon at the dusty road I had just came up.
Waiting in line to enter Alaska - a fairly small border station here, compared to where I crossed a few days
I had just eaten dinner at Fast Eddies restraunt in Tok, AK, and had taken off again towards Fairbanks
Leaving the Best Western in Fairbanks after a good night's sleep and a visit to the washing machine at the
Little ways north of the Hilltop, the Dalton begins. When I was here last in 1998, the sign marking the
A few yards into the Dalton the pavement ends. Now at about 7 am, I start up the road.
Reality quickly sets in while reading the news on the mileage signs.
A sure sign of muddy times to come....
But mud there was none...at least not yet. Made the Arctic Circle in excellent time. I was the only one there.
Surprisingly
I made Coldfoot without needing any of my spare fuel, but I soaked up 5+ gallons at the pump. To this point from Fairbanks, I was amazed at how much of the Dalton is now paved, as will also be the case
The weather is absolutely remarkable as I hit the base of 4,700' Atigun Pass here in the Brooks Range.
Cresting the top of Atigun Pass, I take a few photos and walk around a little.
Still on top of Atigun - looking north up the Dalton into an avalanche zone.
Brief 10-minute wait here for the pilot car. The guy holding the sign said he saw a pack of wolves just
Making excellent headway up the road, and now well above the Brooks Range and on open tundra, I spot
A closer look with a bit of help with the camera zoom. This all reminded me of the last time I was here,
Since I was already off the bike spying the caribou, I take a little break and walk around, still amazed
Delineators
seen here marking the sides of the road. In winter, Phase 3 whiteouts occur on this very stretch
About 50 miles south of Deadhorse now, more caribou seen here on the west side of the road with antlers
Making amazingly good time all day, I hit the Tesoro pumps in Deadhorse some 12 hours after leaving
In Deadhorse / Prudhoe Bay, fuel spill prevention is a high priority for all vehicles. Containment mats like
Here at the Prudhoe Bay Hotel - same exact place I stayed at 12 years ago when I was here in my 1996
I drew just a bit of attention at this place, and a nice fellow offered again to take my picture, just as I was
My room inside the Prudhoe Bay Hotel Sunday night, June 13. No idea who left the can of Lysol sitting on Because of the 24-hour daylight here at 70 Degrees north, they had cardboard taped to the inside of the This place serves huge, all you can eat meals - dinner and breakfast - inclusive with the room cost. It's
Monday morning now, preparing myself for the ride back down the Dalton, but not without taking a spin
Just a few photos of the area around Deadhorse here I took while riding around. Still very early in the
Very typical scene looking down a road in town.
Off-road vehicles for oil field work.
The still-frozen Colville Lake. An oil rig is visible in the distance across the lake. This location, just a few
The famous "End of the Dalton Highway" sign - which I found purely by accident. There's a pretty nice
Everything about this area is industrial, and everything that is here is here for a reason. The guys that
The Deadhorse airport. Lots of flights to and from Fairbanks.
One last picture before I get down to business and put away some miles heading back south.
As soon as I got 30 miles south of Deadhorse, the weather improves greatly. I was talking to a guy at the
The Alaska Pipeline following this section of the Dalton. I also took a good bit of video while riding here.
Another shot looking south at the pipeline, approaching the Brooks Range once again.
Part way up the north side of Atigun here, facing north with the Dalton in the distance.
Long steep grades. Pulling these hills in the winter would be a challenge.
Heading down the south side of Atigun now, I surprise these mountain goats.
Again making good time, the above photo I took at exactly 12:00 midnight, facing south, just a few days
Skipping ahead now - back in the lower 48 - sitting here near Driggs, ID on Rt. 33 looking at the Tetons.
Very near the Idaho & Wyoming line, approaching Jackson, WY.
In downtown Jackson, WY - I stop at this tire place to change my oil again outside. The guy who runs
On WY. Rt. 287, in the Wind River Indian Reservation.
Big storm brewing near Dubois, WY - again on Rt. 287.
Same storm - I was glad it wasn't following me.
Wyoming scenery.
I like these wooden fences - they're about 12' tall.
I took a day and explored a lot of roads in northern Colorado / southern Wyoming that I hadn't been on.
Crossing back into Wyoming on Rt. 230, headed towards Laramie.
The following day I found some great dirt trails off Rt. 77 near Casper, WY.
I spend an afternoon on this road...what a place! Looking at the GPS, this road above could have led me
Old Tourance / new Tourance. I'm very impressed with these tires. Nearly 12,000 miles and I still had
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