Alaska 2023

[greiffster]

On 6/12/2023 at 8:51 PM, TEWKS said:

Some beautiful pictures! Even without the drone.   Keep them coming! 

Here's a shot from the drone of Purden Lake...

and our first bear on the GoPro.

and our camping spot on Fraser Lake.

 

 

 

 

 

[TEWKS]

Wow, and I thought you were kidding about the drone, awesome! 

[greiffster]

7 hours ago, Indy Dave said:

Do you mean S.O.B.? [B.O.B. works too, and it's spelled the same forwards and backwards - which is nice for guys like me.]  

Ha. I can’t remember cuz he switched it. He had like 50 post in 10 years or something so he was  barely on board (B.O.B) or sometimes on board (S.O.B).

[szurszewski]

8 hours ago, MikeRC said:

From the Glacier National Park Vehicle Registrations page:

Vehicle Reservation Release Dates

• A portion of vehicle reservations were released 4-months in advance. The remaining reservations will be released 24-hours in advance.
• 24-hour reservations become available daily at 8 am MDT the day before the planned visit.

Just remember that 8am MDT is for all of Montana, but parts of British Columbia and Idaho are Pacific Daylight Saving Time (one hour earlier).  

Yep - this is what you want to do. We did this for Rocky Mt. this past summer. Make sure you know exactly when tickets will open up, make sure you are parked early with a good signal or wifi, go to the reservation page, make sure you’re logged in to your recreation.gov acct and then when it’s really close to opening start hitting refresh. Have a few ideas for what times you might want and grab a spot as soon as you see it. 
 

In our case it was just minutes before all the slots were taken and I suspect more people do glacier than RMNP in a day (though maybe there are also more slots).  
 

Lovin the pics - Laura won’t allow pajama pics of her on the internet, but she really likes the one of Nicol - you look like you’re having a great time!

[szurszewski]

3 hours ago, TEWKS said:

Wow, and I thought you were kidding about the drone, awesome! 

This is clearly the REAL reason Nicol HAD to get the Spyder. 

[mickeym3]

I’ll be very curious to know how the Spyder does, particularly in the heavy construction areas.  Know my wife would never consent to doing Alaska two up and a Spyder just may be the ticket to get her up there. I’m itching to do the Icefield Parkway and Top of the World again. Enjoy the adventure!

[mickeym3]

Hopefully this is in your sights pretty soon…

[TEWKS]

2 hours ago, mickeym3 said:

I’ll be very curious to know how the Spyder does, particularly in the heavy construction areas.  Know my wife would never consent to doing Alaska two up and a Spyder just may be the ticket to get her up there. I’m itching to do the Icefield Parkway and Top of the World again. Enjoy the adventure!

Can Am would kill it with an Adventure Touring Spyder. Chain or shaft drive, sufficient ground clearance, maybe a three wheel drive button, off road grippy tires… Sign me up! 

[greiffster]

22 hours ago, TEWKS said:

Can Am would kill it with an Adventure Touring Spyder. Chain or shaft drive, sufficient ground clearance, maybe a three wheel drive button, off road grippy tires… Sign me up! 

They kind have been trying that with the Ryker Rally. But that thing is really a toy.  

[greiffster]

Hyder and Stewart. 

 

 

 

[TEWKS]

Congrats on making it there!  Looking at your original map, I do have to say You have a long way to go and a short time to get there  But, it appears as though you haven’t broken a sweat yet, so you’ve got this!  BTW, I’m not sure if I mentioned this but, I’m really enjoying your journey! 

[szurszewski]

8 minutes ago, TEWKS said:

Congrats on making it there!  Looking at your original map, I do have to say You have a long way to go and a short time to get there  But, it appears as though you haven’t broken a sweat yet, so you’ve got this!  BTW, I’m not sure if I mentioned this but, I’m really enjoying your journey! 

They’ve covered crazy miles already!

[Dennis Andress]

1 hour ago, greiffster said:

They kind have been trying that with the Ryker Rally. But that thing is really a toy.  

Aren’t they all?

[greiffster]

10 hours ago, Dennis Andress said:

Aren’t they all?

The Spyder has a whole other feel than the Ryker. But if you mean anything with 3 wheels….

[greiffster]

On 6/13/2023 at 6:43 AM, szurszewski said:

This is clearly the REAL reason Nicol HAD to get the Spyder. 

This is how you wait out pilot cars on a Spyder…..

[greiffster]

This guy helps you out at the “coffee bar” at the Stewart Lodge.

Somewhere south of Dease Lake

 

[greiffster]

Bear Glacier near Stewart from the drone....

 

[greiffster]

The last stretch of the Cassiar into Watson Lake.

 

Welcome to the Yukon.

 

The required stop at Watson Lake's Sign Post Forest

 

 

Teslin's Yukon Lodge perogies and elk sausage.

 

The only moose we say today.

 

 

[TEWKS]

Mike, did you hit the maximum range with the drone or could you have gone closer to the glacier? Sorry, Done Boy asked me to ask… 

[Foot]

Fun fact. To get to the the Yukon Lodge in Teslin you have to cross the Teslin bridge. 1466ft steel decked bridge, made me pucker a few times!

 

[greiffster]

10 hours ago, Foot said:

Fun fact. To get to the the Yukon Lodge in Teslin you have to cross the Teslin bridge. 1466ft steel decked bridge, made me pucker a few times!

 

Yes. The damn thing likes to grab your front tire. The Spyder don’t care. Score one for the Can-am. 

[greiffster]

15 hours ago, TEWKS said:

Mike, did you hit the maximum range with the drone or could you have gone closer to the glacier? Sorry, Done Boy asked me to ask… 

No. I ran out of nerve. Nicol says as I launch it…”what happens when you drop it in the lake…?

 

It was about 450 meters when I turned it around. But, I’ve had it out to its maximum range of about 1000 meters. So I could have got it there. It’s a very inexpensive and small drone so I think it’s perfect for a trip like this. 

[szurszewski]

11 hours ago, greiffster said:

No. I ran out of nerve. Nicol says as I launch it…”what happens when you drop it in the lake…?

 

It was about 450 meters when I turned it around. But, I’ve had it out to its maximum range of about 1000 meters. So I could have got it there. It’s a very inexpensive and small drone so I think it’s perfect for a trip like this. 

You free up luggage space for souvenirs! 

[TEWKS]

12 hours ago, greiffster said:

Nicol says as I launch it…”what happens when you drop it in the lake…?

Umm…. We get to “very expensively” document the aquatic life near Bear Glacier.  
 

 

[wbw6cos]

Get it get a signal from the controller if you get close enough?   (asking for a friend)  Maybe try to swim it out with propulsion.   It appeared that the props were still running for a bit.   

[greiffster]

So past Teslin we got off the Alcon and headed down 8 and 2 toward Skagway.  The ride down is spectacular, but it was cold, windy, foggy, and rainy so we didn't stop to take any pictures.  The weather got better the lower we went and not bad in town.

 

Skagway is kind of a stupid cruise port town with stupid cruise port things.  But, the Klondike Gold rush history is worth checking out. 

 

I asked a cashier at a shop and he said they get about 3 cruise ships per day during the summer.  There were 3 cruise ships there and a ton of people.

 

 

The local brewery was fun.  We had a couple hours before we loaded on the ferry to Haines.

 

 

 

[greiffster]

Haines on the other hand is cool town.  Maybe our favorite stop since the start of the trip.  We had originally planned on heading straight toward Haines Junction after a short stop.  But, we couldn't find any lodging in Haines Junction do to a bike race.  The weather didn't look great so we stopped for the night in Haines at the Beach Roadhouse.  A great little place owned by a real nice guy.  

 

 

This is picture of the landslide just a couple hundred yards from Beach Roadhouse.  It happened Dec 2020 and he lost 2 friends that were never found.

 

  

[greiffster]

The local distillery and fireweed pizza.  A couple boys pickin'

 

 

 

Don't miss the hammer museum if you're there on Wednesday or Thursday.  Supposedly he has 2500 hammers.  Darn the luck.

 

[greiffster]

The trip down to Skagway and up from Haines are worth doing and the ferry might be the easiest way without back tracking.

 

 

 

 

[greiffster]

West of Haines Junction we spot this girl and her three cubs...

 

[Hosstage]

10 hours ago, greiffster said:

West of Haines Junction we spot this girl and her three cubs...

 

Too close for me.

[szurszewski]

We had similar feelings about Haines and Skagway. To be fair, I only went to Skagway once (maybe twice?), but the few days we camped there one summer seemed like more than enough. The visual of the giant cruise ships docked right behind the "skyline" dwarfing all the buildings in town is neat to see, and when the lead mine in Faro was still shipping out through Skagway those logistics were also interesting...but that was about it. 

 

Haines though feels much more like a "real" Alaska town and not so much just built up for the tourists. We made some good friends the first time we stopped there - they had just opened a now closed winery making only things the prospectors could have made back in the day (so, no grapes!). We stayed with them every time we came through town after that, and we'd go out of our way to see Haines even if we were driving and not using the ferry (which, as you now know, means a good bit of detour). Favorite Alaska detail: we first met when we showed up at the winery one summer to do a tasting. The next time we came through town - which was probably the next year, I called to see if they'd be open when we were there. "Oh yeah, of course we remember you, but gosh - we won't be there - too bad. But if you want to stay at the winery (a small building on a small lot right in town) you're welcome to camp out back. We'll leave the back door unlocked so you can use the bathroom and pick up some wine - and if the bears come back and bother you, the shotgun is just behind the door." 

 

Enjoying all the pics - keep 'em coming :)

 

 

 

[greiffster]

4 hours ago, Hosstage said:

Too close for me.

To be fair, I was rolling by on the bike. That shot was from the go pro. I wasn’t about to piss her off. 

[RT_Jim]

Have you tried reindeer meat yet? 

Yep, a thing (tourist thing?) in Alaska that was offered for breakfast many times while I was there. 

 

Enjoy the adventure! 

 

Jim

 

[greiffster]

4 hours ago, RT_Jim said:

Have you tried reindeer meat yet? 

Yep, a thing (tourist thing?) in Alaska that was offered for breakfast many times while I was there. 

 

Enjoy the adventure! 

 

Jim

 

Yes. Had caribou sausage at the Caribou Hotel in Glenallen. Tasty. 
 

[greiffster]

We didn’t want to try and make it to Tok after our stay in Haines, so we wound up at the Discovery Yukon Lodge about 50 miles from the border. It’s a quirky campground with cabins and wall tents and a military vehicle graveyard. No food, but the have plenty of wine and beer. Also an odd little display of old outboard motors. Fun night.

 

 
 

 

 

 

Some more drone.  Maybe I’ll get good at flying the damn thing some day.

[greiffster]

Found these guys at Worthington Glacier. What are the odds. Lol

 

[S.O.B.]

On 6/12/2023 at 8:38 PM, Indy Dave said:

Do you mean S.O.B.? [B.O.B. works too, and it's spelled the same forwards and backwards - which is nice for guys like me.]  

Never thought of myself as a palindrome.  When I joined the group I was barely on the board (B.O.B).  Then as I got more involved I find myself sometimes on the board (S.O.B).  
Michelle often says “you crack yourself up”… she’s correct. 

[greiffster]

The ride down to Valdez is the real deal.  Mountains, waterfalls, glaciers, canyons.  It's ridiculous.

 

Mt. Drum

 

 

 

 

Thompson Pass

 

[greiffster]

 

 

 

Thompson Pass and Horsetail falls.  My drone skills have not improved.

[BamaJohn]

4 hours ago, greiffster said:

 

 

 

Thompson Pass and Horsetail falls.  My drone skills have not improved.

All good stuff..thanks for sharing!  Looks like good weather.

[Indy Dave]

Looks great, thanks for sharing! Looks like Nicol's fingers are locked in place from (photo or riding) fatigue?

[greiffster]

On 6/22/2023 at 6:20 AM, Indy Dave said:

Looks great, thanks for sharing! Looks like Nicol's fingers are locked in place from (photo or riding) fatigue?

Must be photo fatigue because she’s got cruise control, unlike me. 

[greiffster]

Nicol and I enjoyed Valdez a lot. We rolled into town and Nicol instantly found ice cream.

The boats were coming back in after the fishing derby.  I think there is a perpetual fishing derby in the summer.  Mostly halibut and a few salmon and rock fish.  I can look at boats all day.

 

 

 

Had a few beers at Valdez Brewing and dinner at The Fat Mermaid.

 

A couple of bald eagles atop the marina light poles pissing off the shore birds.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

[wbw6cos]

Short Bus.   Classic!

[RandyShields]

Really enjoying your journey!  Great photos along the way; glad you're getting the chance to do this. 

 

BTW, Haines is the hometown of my wife's and my favorite TV vet, Michelle Oakley.  Her husband taught their girls to hunt, so my guess is it would be a risk to stop by and take photos.   About Dr. Oakley, Yukon Vet TV Show Series (nationalgeographic.com)

 

[greiffster]

So skipping ahead to today….

 

We got to the Dalton and we decided to turn back as I have a leaky final drive seal. It’s not real bad, but it has me concerned. It’s an easy fix if I had the damn thing. Trying to source one from the anchorage dealer, but they are not open until Tuesday. 

I cleaned the area so I can better watch how much is leaking. 

[Indy Dave]

@Boxflyer

[Boxflyer]

4 hours ago, greiffster said:

So skipping ahead to today….

 

We got to the Dalton and we decided to turn back as I have a leaky final drive seal. It’s not real bad, but it has me concerned. It’s an easy fix if I had the damn thing. Trying to source one from the anchorage dealer, but they are not open until Tuesday. 

I cleaned the area so I can better watch how much is leaking. 

I’ve had good success using the same method for cleaning a leaking fork seal that you could try on the bearing seal. 
Even if you have to use a cut up plastic drink bottle with a dull curved shape on the end of a 4-5 inch long section so you can hang on to it, you may be able to extract whatever debris is allowing the gear oil to leak out. 

I’ll find a picture of the profile that works with this emergency seal cleaner…

Be right back…

Brad

[Boxflyer]

I made the one on the top from a Do Not Disturb sign from the Anchorage Marriott on a trip to Alaska back in 2014.

This exact one cleaned out the leaking fork seal on my '08RT as well as 3 other BMW Boxers with leaking Final Drive small bearing seals.

The "Real Deal" is the Seal Mate in blue, but just about anything with a gentle hook shape on it with a thickness of what is on the caliper will work.

 

KEEP GOING!!!  you don't want to miss Dead Horse!