Two Bob's Ohio to Prudhoe 2016 - Ram/Hawk, Husky, and Wing.

DYNOBOB

Adventurer
Sunday Aug 28. Galbraith Lakes to Prudhoe to Coldfoot. 370 miles. -- Monday Aug 29. Coldfoot to Fairbanks. 270 miles.

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The sun breaks the horizon on another beautiful day. We'll cover the last 130 miles to Prudhoe this morning - fuel up, take pics, and return south as far as we can tonight.

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Just after ^^ this ^^ shot we hit major road construction. The last 30 miles of roadbed into Deadhorse is being raised 8ft (!) to prevent flooding. It was some of the deepest, loosest, tire sucking gravel I've ever ridden and you are following a pilot car the whole way. I'd read about it on ride reports though so it was not unexpected. There were a couple of "moments" on the Husky - might have put my feet down a couple times - but not a big deal. It would have been nasty on a heavy adventure bike though. My guess is the construction folks have helped pick up a few bikes during 2016. This 30 miles was the only place on our 12k miles that would have been impossible for me to do on the Goldwing. When done, I'm sure it will be a nice stretch of road and a non-issue for 2017.

Deadhorse/Prudhoe could almost be a lunar outpost. Everyone who works there does some combination of X weeks on/X weeks off and their company flies them home. It's actually a bigger, more confusing complex than I was expecting.

The first building entering town is Deadhorse Camp. It's here you can sign up for the $75 van ride to the Arctic Ocean (we passed on this). Because of security concerns since 9/11, you can no longer drive thru the oil fields on your own to reach the ocean.
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Never seen tracked trailers before...
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After driving around a bit we finally found the gas station. It's a 1000 mile round trip to get fuel here from Fairbanks so it's not cheap.
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225 miles since Coldfoot. (And what's with these overcast skies - it's supposed to be sunny and mid-50s...)
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At some point coming north, the Dalton had claimed the truck's 11yr old exhaust system. It was still hanging, but I was concerned it might drop down, hit the road, and jam up into the undercarriage ... and take out a brake line or something in the process. I asked a young lady walking past the gas pumps where I might find a repair facility. She suggested I stick my head in the door of the Colville trucking repair shop next door and talk to them. At first the boss man said no-go, but after a bit more talking and explaining I just wanted the exhaust removed the boss said "Joe, pull that thing in the big shop and help them out". The two mechanics were brothers from Wasilla and nice as could be, refusing to take anything for doing it. We eventually forced a $20 on them for a six-pack or pizza, they informed us there was absolutely no drinking allowed and that everything was free up there - food, lodging, and flights home.
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Everything except 4' of straight pipe off the turbo removed.
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With the Cummins rumblin and my mind at ease, the last stop before turning south is the Prudhoe Bay General Store for the picture and some souvenirs.
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Since it was 2pm we decided to make some lunch before heading out. While eating, it started to rain. The temp is 45F. Keeping the faceshield clear of rain and fog added to the fun of 30 miles of soft gravel getting out of town (hey there cupcake, no one said it was all going to be fun). Thankfully, the Husky has a strong charging system that can run heated grips and a heated jacket.

So I thought staying warm and dry would be the biggest challenge the rest of the day. I was wrong.

Two hours and 80 miles south of Prudhoe, I pulled over for a snack break and discovered both rear tires on the truck are going flat. That's not good. Within 5 minutes one tire is completely flat - it's still raining - we have one spare - we're parked on a very soft berm - it's going to be tough to jack the truck - the occasional semi passes and sprays us with muddy water. That said, I don't really feel sick until I flip the switch for the truck's on-board air system and nothing happens. ******k, ******k, ******k - now I feel sick. Standing there in the rain, 250 miles north of the Arctic Circle, you realize the nightmare has come true. But, all you can do is set about working the problem until you're out of options. Cutting to the chase - I fixed the air system, plugged the hole in one tire, filled the second tire (couldn't find a hole), and never need the jack. Seeing those tires standing tall felt like hitting the lottery. With 150 miles remaining to Coldfoot, I told Dad to stop every 10 miles and let me check things. As unlucky as we'd been, I knew we were very lucky to have caught it before he was driving on flats and I wanted to keep it that way. We had to refill one tire twice, but at 11pm we pulled into Coldfoot. This may not have been the successful return of Apollo 13, but it's been a while since I felt more relieved. Their tire guy starts at 8am so tonight we camp here.

It stopped raining as we got to the Brooks Range and I stopped to get a pic just before Atigun Pass.
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DYNOBOB

Adventurer
So Monday morning, I'm waiting at the service door by 8am. A guy named Mud who obviously knew his way around tire patches made pretty quick work of the job. $120 later we were back in business.
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Going south, we stopped and spent a minute at Finger Mountain.
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You can tell from the dirt that this was taken coming off the Dalton.
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Back in Fairbanks, we hit the carwash and made it to our friends in time for supper. After 3 day, a shower sure felt good!
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We definitely got our money's worth from the Dalton. It gave us the highest highs and lowest lows of the trip. As we pulled into Fairbanks I felt the pressure was off. Even though we're not 1/3 of the way thru the trip, it will all be down hill from here!

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GR8ADV

Explorer
Been there done that. And pardon my language. Those are some ********** good pictures. Thank you.
 

DYNOBOB

Adventurer
Tuesday Aug 30. Fairbanks to Mclaren Summit, Denali Hwy. 232 miles.

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It's probably impossible to express the feeling of victory and relief I had with Prudhoe Bay checked off the list. A motorcycle ride to Alaka is a challenge, the Dalton makes the rest of the trip feel easy. With nearly half (5400) of our trip miles behind us the first 10 days, I feel like we can slow down, relax, and enjoy the next 20. Early September in southern Alaska is consistently nice weather and you're really never far from civilization the rest of the trip.

We have a bit of packing/reorganizing/bike loading to do this morning so we're 11:00 getting underway. Just before departing, our host drove us down to the end of her street for our first view of Denali. Think of this, we're 130 miles from the mountain as the crow flies!
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WARNING: The more research you do for this trip, the more "must see" things you find. The hard part becomes connecting the priorities in the amount of time you have. I've laid out our route to incorporate as many highlights as possible with minimal backtracking. The next few days to Anchorage are shaped by the following:
1. The north section of the Parks Hwy is said to be kind of plain, whereas the northern Richardson Hwy thru the Alaska Range (Isabelle Pass) is spectacular.
2. Some suggest it's preferable to do the Denali Hwy from east to west so you're traveling toward "the mountain".
3. Hatcher Pass Road is a gem of southern Alaska and a great way to bypass the unremarkable urban area around Wasilla.
So our route to Anchorage is basically a backwards S. Today we'll do the top of the S.

Fairbanks to Delta Junction parallels the Alaska Range and is beautiful on a clear day. Once you head south on the Richardson, things get really good. Make sure you fuel up at Delta Junction.
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The pipeline runs along the Richardson all the way to Valdez.
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Isabelle Pass
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DYNOBOB

Adventurer
Summit Lake
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Just past Summit Lake, we turn west on the Denali Hwy. It's 140 miles of gravel that runs straight toward Mt McKinley and ends at the Parks Hwy. If you're on a bike, BEWARE! It seems like a pretty easy gravel road and you're tempted to run fast. However, there are some turns that can catch you, and if you end up out of the tire tracks the gravel can get deep/loose. I've read multiple ride reports where riders went down hard on this road. I stayed on the Wing for the first 40 miles to our campsite at the Mclaren Summit.
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There's only two places for fuel on the Denali. Tangle II is about 30 miles in and is the first place you can gas up since turning off the Al-Can at Delta Junction. They have a nice restaurant, a small hotel, and some sweet cabins across the street. The area has a bit of the arctic tundra feel to it and would be a great place to bring your better half and spend a few days. It seems to be a popular place for van tour groups to stay.
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With the sun nearly setting, we pull off the road at the Mclaren Summit to snap some pics. There is nooo doubt this is where we're camping tonight. 1/4 mile down the road we found an empty pull-off right on the edge of the bluff looking west.
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I talked to these hunters back at Tangle II and knew they were planning to camp nearby also. When they came down the road a few minutes after us I offered to share our pull-off with them. Caribou season has started and Moose starts in 2 days so nearly every parking area on the Denali Hwy had a truck, camper, and atv. It's fun to talk to locals and get a window into life up there. They're going to float hunt the Mclaren river tomorrow with their jet drive outboard (I never knew such thing existed, he said he could run in as little as 6 inches of water). They lived in Anchorage but one fellow worked in Prudhoe.
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We made dinner and enjoyed this view. It was a Top 3 place we camped on the trip. With hardly any wind, it may have been the quietest.
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DYNOBOB

Adventurer
Wednesday Aug 31. Mclaren Summit to Talkeetna. 218 miles.

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Our weather luck continues this morning and we're extra thankful since we're driving the Parks Hwy thru Denali today. We're told that because of rain and cloud cover, only 30% of visitors to Denali NP get to see the mountain.
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The neighbors have spotted a legal moose so they're happy too.
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With 100 miles of gravel before the Parks Hwy, I swapped bikes this morning. It was not tough to ride the Wing, but the loud popping of gravel under the tires had me concerned about punctures.
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Susitna River valley
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Gracious House is the second place you can get fuel and food.
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It was actually further across the Denali than I expected before you can see McKinley (15 miles from the end). In hindsight, I'm not sure it matters too much which direction you do this road from a scenery perspective. However, for incorporating the stuff we wanted to see, this was the best plan.
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DYNOBOB

Adventurer
This seems like a good place to interject some facts regarding peaks over 14,000': Alaska - 19, Colorado - 56. No contest. Peaks over 15,000': Alaska - 10, other states - 0. No contest. It occurs to me that the lower peaks around 20,310' McKinley are probably the height of the tallest stuff in Colorado. It's not just that McKinley is a mile taller, it's mass dwarfs them. It's one big rock.
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Shortly after turning south on the Parks Hwy we pulled over to make lunch. Guess what? Yep, another tire going flat. This was definitely a rock puncture because I had to dig the stone out and it wasn't easy. Got lucky again though and caught if before it destroyed the tire. It seems there's a trend here, the punctures always happen when Dad is matching the pace of the Husky on gravel... These were new 10ply/E tires when we left, but I think they're too much of a ride comfort/road tire.
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Tire repairs in view of McKinley.
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More views.
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Given the beautiful weather forecast, we decide to stay in Talkeetna tonight so Dad can do a Denali flight in the morning. Talkeetna is a hoppin', hip little town. Between its airport, railroad station, and Susitna River activity there's a lot going on. Our campground is nice and has fantastic showers. If you want high-end accommodations, the Talkeetna Alaska Lodge is famous for its view of Denali from the outdoor dining area and lodge.
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unkamonkey

Explorer
Nice report and great pictures. I have a friend that was in Prudoe for a few years. He never shared any pictures with us.
 

DYNOBOB

Adventurer
Thursday Sept 1. Talkeetna to Homer. 337 miles.

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Another beautiful morning! (I know, I know, some of you can't believe this weather...)
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Dad has a 8am Denali flight scheduled this morning, and conveniently the airport is a couple minute walk from the campground. The plane is an old de Havilland Otter that has been re-powered with a modern engine.
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Dad said the mountain filled the windshield several time.
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His flight was late getting away so they gave them a little extra time aloft which meant we didn't get rolling until 11am. I decided yesterday that we'd skip Hatcher Pass so the Husky's back on the trailer. We need to stop in Anchorage and talk to the muffler guy, and I want to make Homer tonight.

There are flight facilities all along the Parks Hwy..
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DYNOBOB

Adventurer
We had lunch in Anchorage and stopped to check out the exhaust shop. They have 4" mufflers so we made an appt for Monday when we're coming off the Kenai (it's supposed to rain Mon).

Having now seen the better part of what you can drive to in AK, I tell people that there are three things you don't want to miss. 1. The Seward Hwy. 2. The Richardson Hwy to Valdez. 3. Denali NP (obviously). The Seward Hwy hugs the edge of the Turnagain Arm (the bay) and takes you onto the Kenai Peninsula. It is a very unique drive.
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Because it's at the very tip of the Cook Inlet, the Turnagain Arm has a bore tide. In this shot you can see it. Per the interweb: The bore tide is a rush of seawater that returns to a shallow and narrowing inlet from a broad bay. Bore tides come in after extreme minus low tides created by the full or new moon. Bore tides occur all over the world—there are around 60 of them—but only a few are large enough to make a name for themselves. Alaska's most famous bore tide occurs in Turnagain Arm, just outside Anchorage. It climbs up to 6 – 10 feet tall and can reach speeds of 10 to 15 miles per hour. It takes not just a low tide but also about a 27-foot tidal differential (between high and low tide) for a bore to form in Turnagain Arm.

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Canyon Creek.
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Kenai Lake at Cooper Landing.
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A little village on the Cook Inlet near Anchor Point.
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Even though I had a waypoint, this sign was the devil to find. Go to the public launch and hang a left into the campground entrance, then look toward the ocean.
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15 miles down the road we reach our destination. Homer is a definite highlight of visiting AK, and is the only place on the trip where we'll stay 2 nights. It and Prudhoe are both "the end of the road", as far as you can drive in North America.
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Flying over Denali and covering 340 miles, we got our money's worth today!

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DYNOBOB

Adventurer
Friday Sept 2. Homer. 2 miles.

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Today we're just going to relax and enjoy one of the coolest places of the trip. Last night we stayed at Mariner's Park which is the first place you can camp out on the peninsula. It's basically a public park for day use access to the beach, but also has $10/night primitive camping. While it has a gorgeous view, its only facilities are a few porta-johns. If you want to hang w/ the hippies, this is where you go.

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A few of these rigs are putting down roots..
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To give you some bearings, the spit is a couple miles long (a lot bigger than I was expecting), has a working harbor at the end, a bunch of tourist shops, condos, and two private campgrounds. The southern part of the Kenai has a surprisingly temperate climate so Homer seems to be a popular place for the affluent retired. It also has the "real deal" commercial fishing folks, plus tourists, so it's an interesting mix of people. Anyway, tonight we want showers so we'll move further out the spit. About half way out is a very nice, modern campground that wants $80/night. All the way at the end is the famous Homer Spit Campground. It's facilities are more rustic but will do just fine at $45/night. Having been on the road for 2 weeks, it has completely snuck up on us that it's Labor Day weekend, and apparently half of Anchorage flees to Homer for holiday weekends. We got the last campsite. The truck is overdue for an oil change and needs another tire patch so we'll get that knocked out today. Other than that, I just wandered around taking pics.

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A beautiful but very sad monument.
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