Based in the Thompson / Okanagan region of beautiful British Columbia

Associated with:

MOACharter CLUB #186

Alaska or bust 2004

I began riding my 2002 Kawasaki KLR from Dawson Creek -- the
start of the Alaska Highway.


Firstly through northern B.C.and then into the Yukon. At Johnston's Crossing I took off onto a 226 km long gravel road called the South Canol Road.
Beautiful scenery and the most number of curves and dips I ever road on a gravel road. I only saw one vehicle during the entire ride. Rode to the very top of Keno Mtn. past the old mining town of Keno. While at the top at about 9,000 ft. I was taking daylight pictures between 11 p.m. and 12 midnight. The 10km rock strewn and bumpy road to the top is known as the Signpost Road.
At the very top stands a metal signpost indicating the mileages to various cities around the world.
Arrived in Dawson City, Yukon, amidst thunder, rain, lightning and hail and a motel was in order that evening. Dawson City can transfrom a person back into the gold rush era of the 1890's.
You must, however, look beyond the tourist images and you wil see and hear how the miners lived, died and spent their gold and fortunes.
Every day you can see performances depicting the mining and frontier life of a hundred years ago.
Dawson City is best seen by walking -- step into the saloons and walk the wooden sidewalks and hear the music, dancing and gambling at Diamond Tooth Gerties.
And don't miss the Robert Service poem recitals at the cabin in which he lived during the gold rush.
And a short distance away you will see and can step into Jack London's cabin and read the Call of the Wild -- his most famous short story.
Before leaving Dawson City, take in a river boat trip on the Yukon River -- a three hour trip along the Yukon will show you Fish Wheels, old Indian settlements and history of the area together with Bannock and tea.

Before leaving Dawson City, take a side trip up to the famous Discovery Claim on Bonanza Creek -- you can stand right where gold was firstly discovered over a hundred years ago.
You cross the Yukon River on a ferry and then you start climbing onto the "Top Of The World Highway"- it truly feels like the top of the world.
You can see for miles and miles and the vegetation is very short and sparse -- an all gravel road which takes you to the Alaska border crossing at Poker Creek and on to Tok Junction where you will again be riding on pavement.
Then north on highway 2 to Fairbanks but be sure to stop at the North Pole firstly -- Santa Claus House is here.
Stayed for two days in a very nice hostel in Fairbanks and met two Spanish travellers. Drive up to Chena Hot Springs, northeast of Fairbanks -- you are almost guaranteed to see moose and other wildlife.
The hotsprings are big and have facilities to stay overnight as well as camping.
If you are interested in dog sledding, and have followed the two famous Dog Sled Races, the Iditarod in Alaska and the Yukon Quest in the Yukon, then you can meet some of the competitors at various locations throughout Alaska and the Yukon.
The first woman who completed the gruelling 1,000 km. race, Mary Shields, lives in Fairbanks and she invites people to visit her acreage and see her sled dogs and hear her adventures.
Near Seward, Alaska, you can also take a dog sled tour along a river for about a mile and get a bit of a feel of what it must be like to have the real Iditarod dog teams pulling your sled.
The Alaska Pipeline goes from Prudhoe Bay to Valdez -- a distance of 800 miles. You can walk right up to the four foot diameter pipeline near the small community of Fox.
The pipeline is raised five feet off the ground so that wildlife can cross underneath.

From Fairbanks head south on the Parks Highway and be sure to take in the tour bus to Mt. McKinley, otherwise known as Denali.
The scenery is definitely worth it and there is a good chance of seeing Grizzly and black bear and other wildlife.
There are many interesting side roads to explore and the area is very rich in history right from the time that Alaska was purchased from Russia.
You will see many glaciers while travelling in Alaska -- after Anchorage, you come to the Kenai Penninsula -- one of the most beautiful areas in all of Alaska.
In places you can ride right up to the base of glaciers and test the icy cold glacial waters. When you arrive in Seward, you will see cruise ships and every small port will have a fishing fleet.
Be sure to go down to Valdez and have a look at the old Valdez townsite. In 1964 a Tsunami wiped the town almost off the map and since then, the new town of Valdez is relocated four miles farther inland. And you can also see the huge storage tanks where the Alaska pipeline ends.
Ride down highway 1 through Kluane Park and take the ferry from Haines to Skagway, Alaska.
This is now strictly a tourist town but let yourself again be transformed back a hundred years and walk the wooden sidewalks and listen and see history reveal itself through the guided walks and talks and be sure to take in the Soapy Smith stage show.
Soapy Smith was a local gangster during the turn of the century a hundred years ago and he eventually got shot -- the play portrays this well.
And no trip is complete unless you take the White Pass and Yukon narrow guage railroad from Skagway to Frazer Lake -- a distance of 30 miles up the steepest railway grade in North America. The railroad follows along the White Pass which was one of the routes the miners could take up to the gold fields.

Approximately ten kilometres from Skagway is the beginning of the famous Chilkoot Pass where the gold seekers climbed up steep slopes with 100 lb. packs over a thirty mile section on the way to Bennett Lake. If you are interested and in fairly good physical condition, you can also take a two to five day hike up to Bennett Lake but you must register with the local authorities firstly.
From Skagway you work your way back to Watson Lake in the Yukon and down the Alaska Highway again. The most wildlife that I saw was in northern B.C., especially around Stone Mtn. Park and past Muncho Lake -- black bears, wild buffalo, stone sheep, caribou, moose.
Have your motorcycle well prepared with good or new tires and be prepared to wear out at least one set of tires. The pavement in the Yukon is mostly sealcoating and this acts like rough sandpaper on your motorcycle tires.
There is a good BMW and Kawasaki dealer in Anchorage but if you know that you will need new tires, phone ahead firstly and arrange to have them hold the tire for you.
I wore out 2 1/2 rear tires but the front was still good after 9,500 kilometres. Many roads in both the Yukon and Alaska are now paved as compared to 33 years ago when I made my last trip to Alaska -- with a truck and camper at that time.
But you can still find many challenging gravel and dirt backroads which lead you into some beautiful country which most travellers would never see.
Many motorcycles travel to the Yukon and Alaska but the two most popular ones on the road are the BMW GS's and the Kawasaki KLR.
Expect at least one flat tire especially if you take the Dempster Highway from Dawson City to Inuvik. Many motorcyclists get flat tires on the sharp shale roadway. Generally, most small places also have gasoline, but don't always count on it -- if in doubt, fill up where you can find some gas.

The longest stretch with no gas or facility of any kind is on the Dempster Highway from Dawson City to Eagle Plains.
This is a distance of 370 kilometres. Some motorcyclists carry a small plastic gas can. If you ride a KLR, as I did, you won't have to go onto reserve until you have gone at least 430 kilometres.
I know, I ran my KLR until I had to go onto reserve at 430 kilometres -- I tested it out before I made the trip.
You see numerous signs that say "Motorcycle Friendly" by various stores and businesses.
When I travelled I did not make any prearanged accommodations. I tented mostly, also stayed in a few hostels and a couple of nights in a motel.
I found everyone friendly wherever I went with one exception -- a tire shop in Seward.
I had a flat tire just outside of Seward and I was directed to the only tire shop in this town. The boss told me very gruffly that they don't fix motorcycle tires. And when I asked him if there is someone in town who does he said "I don't know" and walked away.
I saw an elderly lady in a small office and I asked her if I could make a few phone calls to find someone who can help me change my flat tire. After a few minutes I found a small garage, only a half block from the tire shop, where the boss himself gave me a hand in fixing the flat.
Mosquitoes were not much of a problem -- not until I returned back to B.C. by the end of July.
Some mornings were quite cold for several hours while riding and one morning at Burwash Landing, in the Yukon, I awoke to see snow in the surrounding hills and mountains but the highway was only wet.
I had mostly good weather and a few days of intermittent rain.
Met some interesting riders along the way with their adventuresome stories.
Would I go again?
Definitely -- bad weather forced me to cancel some of the valley and mountain roads that went off pavement, and these still beckon me.

For a look at my trip photos go here and look at Herman’s Alaskatrip album

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