Alaska?

[Bud]

OK - I have to admit that Whip has gotten me interested in making the epic journey from S. IL to AK and back. Those pictures he has posted (most likely Mrs. Whip's) have really sparked an interest for me.

 

I'm thinking '09. And I'm also thinking riding from home to Washington, State ferry north to ?, ride Alaska and then back home. I'm retired and have unlimited time.

 

So what I'm asking for is any and all advice re: Best time frame, ferry experiences, what not to miss and anything else laying heavy on your heart and you just want to tell someone.

 

I'm somewhat seat of the pants on a lot of things but for a trip of this magnitude, I think I should pay attention to those who have been there, done that (T shirt not necessary).

 

So bring it on you Alaska vets. Inquiring minds (at least mine) want to know.

[Whip]

Whatever you think it's gonna cost.......double it

 

 

[Francois_Dumas]

Still, cheaper than Europe I reckon ......

[Dennis Andress]

Dad always said: Double it and add 40%.....

[Bud]

Whatever you think it's gonna cost.......double it

 

 

 

Thanks a lot for the encouragement.

[Bud]

Dad always said: Double it and add 40%.....

 

You really know how to cheer a guy up.

[Bud]

Still, cheaper than Europe I reckon ......

 

Now there is good news I can use.

 

Nancy, Nancy, at least I'm not going to Europe, this trip will be cheap.

[Whip]

For the record I would not go north of the Park next time. Talkeetna was great, maybe some river fishin next time. The coastal area was great, Homer for sure, not a big fan of Valdez, except for the ride into Valdez over Thompson Pass.

You gotta go out on a boat ride(Pix and Tale in a couple days)......I would prolly try Seward and maybe some of the inside passage when I go back. The Haul Road and Deadhorse do not interest me. I feel like it would waste 4 days if your on a tight schedule. If not go for it. If I was solo I'd prolly do more un-paved road stuff. I think the window is rather small to have the best chance at good weather. Late June through August is about all ya have. By August 20th the leaves were startin to change and the nights were gettin colder. I would love to be in Dawson for D to D(Summer Solstice). It looks like a great time. Most of the road side places still had rooms at 5pm, by 7 they were all booked.

Get started early and you should be fine. Destinations were different, Talkeetna and Homer were booked months in advance.

 

Call me if you have questions(pm on the way)

 

Whip

[szurszewski]

 

I'm somewhat seat of the pants on a lot of things but for a trip of this magnitude, I think I should pay attention to those who have been there, done that (T shirt not necessary).

 

If you don't have to stick to a schedule, you've got a little budgetary flex, and you're the sort who likes to talk to other travelers and the locals, I think seat of the pants will produce the most memorable trip. Like Whip said, a lot of places are full by evening, but only the main tourist spots are fully booked in advance.

 

Being on a bike, ferry reservations aren't even a necessity - especially if you have the flexibility to wait for the next boat if need be. The caveat there is that the cabins do book in advance (though you can get on a stand-by-esque list once you're on the boat) - deck sleeping space, inside and out, is always available and free though.

 

If you really have lots of time, you can take a local BC ferry over to Vancouver Island and ride though its scenic beauty up to Port Hardy, take a big fancy BC ferry to Prince Rupert, and then either ride up the Cassiar (almost all paved now) or take the AK Marine Highway (ferry) up through southeast.

 

In my travels between AK and "lower 48" I've found that the more money you spend, the more comfortable you'll be; the less money you'll spend, the more interesting your stories will be when you get home. Either way, you're in for a great trip.

 

I could go on forever, and I've got a bunch of information stored up in my head and such - so as you start planning feel free to send me any particular questions any time.

 

josh

[RichEdwards]

Some good suggestions so far. In '05 I rode through Canada starting toward Prince George, then over to Hyder (the most Southern part of Alaska that you can reach by road). It was a neat little town. Dirt road, quite primitive. Then it was north on the Stewart-Cassiar Hwy. to Watson Lake, then the Alaska Hwy (Rt. 1), then the Klondike Hwy (Rt. 2) to Dawson City. From there you take a ferry to cross the Yukon River to the beginning of the Top of the World Hwy, then on to Chicken, Alaska. From there, the gravel Taylor Hwy. to Tetlin Juction. From there you decide where to go: Be certain to hit Anchorage, Fairbanks, and, especially, the Kenai Peninsula all the way to Homer. Whip is right about Valdez--an unimpressive town--but the road in is one of the most beautiful in Alaska. Denali National Park won't allow you to ride in far. You must take one of the tourist buses if you want to see the interior.

I brought camping gear and never used it. I check into motels early (around 4 p.m.) and at that time there was always room available (I went in late June.) The weather at that time was fine, cool in the a.m. warming up to 75 or so during the day. I had very little rain.

I returned from Haines, AK on the ferry. I did book it in advance so I would have a cabin. I'm glad I did because the rain I missed riding through Alaska came down in buckets during my three day ferry ride. The campers had to make do inside since they could not pitch tents on deck. By the way, the ferry is quite expensive. But the food was excellent.

Enjoy what should be one of your life's best adventures!

[Rider1200RT]

Did the Alaska trip this past summer from Key Largo Fl and back. It was a 15K mile trip and I had a blast. I did one 18 hour day on the pegs riding into Ross River where I found out that they had no gas. Faro was the next town over and the station there has bankers hours but the owner was nice enough to open up early the next day . If anything, the locals are truly amazing and very friendly . I wish it hadn't rained as much but other than that a trip of a lifetime for now......

[Bud]

PM'd ya.

[motorman587]

When and where did you go? I went to in June and went as far as Prudoe Bay and my round trip was 12K. Had a great time and will do it again.

[Keith S]

Bud

The one thing that was a favourite topic among riders up there was gravel and construction. If you are not comfortable riding on gravel then get some practice before you go. The hard packed gravel really is not too much of an issue but the freshly laid down gravel will get your attention.

 

Keith

[KDeline]

From the pictures I saw this year they had better weather then is usual, wife and I went in 2006, had rain and cold 19 days out of 28, June 15 through July 15, and when I went in 89, had about the same so keep that in mind also. That being said I want to go again.

[Keith S]

From the pictures I saw this year they had better weather then is usual, wife and I went in 2006, had rain and cold 19 days out of 28, June 15 through July 15, and when I went in 89, had about the same so keep that in mind also. That being said I want to go again.

 

I've heard stories about the 2006 season. Even the guys in Alaska felt bad because people were doing the ride of their lifetime and the weather sucked.

 

Keith

[Bud]

Bud

The one thing that was a favourite topic among riders up there was gravel and construction. If you are not comfortable riding on gravel then get some practice before you go. The hard packed gravel really is not too much of an issue but the freshly laid down gravel will get your attention.

 

Keith

 

Keith,

 

Thanks for the heads up. I've ridden over some mountain passes in Colorado that were gravel so I have had some experience. But it's good to know ahead of time what to expect in order to be mentally prepared.

 

Regards,

 

Bud