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Thread: Jatz's travels

  1. #466
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    I sort of know the area Laava, that bit comes at the end.

  2. #467
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    Next day the weather must've been looking a bit better and we had places to be again. Off through Liard hot springs ish, I think Saw our first Moose.



    Just a li'l one, but it was big enough We'ed also spotted bears on the side of the road.



    Not sure how close you can get before they take offence and I didn't really want to find out.
    We grabbed a bit of gas at this place, just because it was so old skool.



    We buzzed through Liard hot springs, without taking a dip..... just buzzing along soaking it all up... nek minit



    And...



    That was way cool
    Then onwards to Watson lake, past this sign...



    and the sign post forest







    There's an interesting story behind it, but IMHO it's become a bit over the top. It's a place I've wanted to visit for a while and I'm glad I did, but I wouldn't go out of my way to revisit it. We had some lunch and deliberated about fuel range and availability of said fuel then made the call to head to Ross river, finally a bit of gravel and getting away from the crampervans and 5th wheelers. Mind you, they don't dawdle around over there, they go the same pace as everyone else on the road, about 110 to 120.
    Anyway it was nice to get down a little back road.
    I saw this guy from quite some distance, so stopped to get a pic. that is full zoom from where I stopped, and even then you could tell he/she was a BIG animal



    Not long after I stopped to chat to a lone cyclist who was passing through, he was heading for South America Had his bear spray in easy reach on his handle bars, but seemed unconcerned about camping all alone in the area.
    Moving right along we were nearly at Ross river and thinking about bedding down for the night, this had nice indoor out flow but seemed a bit rundown



    when I spied a sign saying... The View camping, or something, ADV riders welcome. Awsome That'll do. We went up a fairly steep driveway and ended up at a couple of houses surrounded by forest and old machinery, and some random guy leaning against the steps.
    He said... "You guys wanna stay ? Neil'll be out in a sec" Next thing Neil comes out and proclaims we look thirsty, would we like a beer ?I nodded but Si couldn't, he's gluten intolerant. Bear in mind this all happened before I'd even got off the bike or taken my helmet off.
    Here's the view from The View



    It's better in the flesh, trust me I pitched my tent on the front yard while Si took the soft option and bunked down in a spare cabin with a random hitch hiker Neil had picked up earlier that day and a sparky who was there to do a bit of wiring. June (?) the wife cooked us all a meal while the rest of us made a dent in the beer stocks, except Si. and learnt about the history of the area, the last trapper and trapping in general, which Neil and June did from there other cabin, deep in the woods, during the winter. I crawled into bed about 10:30 or 11. After taking this snap out the door of the tent.



    We must've been getting fairly well north by this stage.

  3. #468
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    Next morning, after a home cooked breakfast and leaving a few $$ on the table, hopefully enough to cover costs( he just said make a donation and sign the guest book) we saddled up and headed for Ross river town. We passed this guy who just looked miserable



    and made it to town for gas and a peek at some giant wooden suspension bridge



    and a church



    we buzzed off towards Dawson city and a rendevous with another couple of bikers. Once again it was just main rds, buzzing along at speed that would get a reasonable fine here, dodging rain and showers



    Only stopping for gas, the odd snack and once or twice to take in the epic vistas
    We rolled into Dawson City late in the day, both pretty shattered and found out where Mike (from Wellington) had booked us into accom, on the other side of the river...

    TBC tomorrow... maybe

  4. #469
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    Thanks for the ride report Looks awesome.

  5. #470
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    So, we found out where Mike was, he'd sorted the accom for the stay in Dawson, and took a guick ferry ride across the Yukon to meet up.



    the ferry runs 24/7 and there's no charge We stayed at a place called Dawson City River Hostel, very rustic and basic, but it served its purpose. After offloading our crap we caught the ferry back to town and picked up some supplies and I got robbed at one of the hotels $18 Can for a six pack of beer, Dang, just aswell I wasn't reeeal thirsty. Back to camp and we spent the evening getting to know each other and waiting the 4th member of the team to show up, which he did. A Norwegian guy who'd been travelling the world on his Tenere for the last 5 yrs.
    We spent the next day cruising around town, picking up some last minute things and just hanging out.



    Doesn't matter where you go, there's always a Chinese restaurant/takeaway









    It makes for a long day when the sun comes up around 5 am and it doesn't get dark till after 12
    Next morning we gathered up Norwegian guy, we'll call him Kurt, and made our way to the start of the Dempster



    We'd all been reading RR's and watching youtube vids about this stretch of road. It's claimed a few lives and there's been a LOT of casualtys, souls who haven't made it to the end. I couldn't see why, it's just a gravel road
    What followed was a full days riding on rolly gravel, with the odd bit of dirt thrown in, smooth gravel with embedded rocks, and some deep thick sandy stuff, which almost had some pulling pin. It was similar to Aussie sand, so I just lent back and powered through, although I'll admit it got a bit messy at times and a little bit of weee's may have escaped.
    As always, the scenery was stunning, I'll just let the pics describe it













    Through Tombstone.... and over the Ogilvie ridge



    You'll have to excuse the smokeyness of the pics as it was forest fire season and there was a bit of haze about. After a full day riding we got to Eagle plains



    and washed the dust out with a cold frosty ale, as you do (not quite like that smiley though, just 1) I did take a pic of the Wangamomona Hotel bar towel on the bar on my phone, but....
    We paid for a campsite and managed to get 4 tents on it so it was quite economical, they have BIG sites, although they're mostly gravel. It was at this point that I discovered I'd lost my phone
    All travel details, the diary I keep when travelling, electronic copies of entry visas, access to bank accounts, pics of work stuff, absolutely everything, the shot of the Wangamomona bar towel. FREAKING OUT !!!
    I thought maybe the Crows had run off with it ? They have a reputation for getting into everything, even unzipping tank bags, very destructive and very inteligent



    Its got me stuffed why the owners don't shoot them.
    Ayway, I hunted through all my stuff, all my pockets, we all asked around,I hunted through all my stuff, all my pockets, I spoke to the owners, I could make a phone call to the bank but it would cost $75 Cad cause it was a sat phone, and wouldn't work when I entered extra numbers after being connected, so I hunted through all my stuff, all my pockets, tried a pay phone, I hunted through all my stuff, all my pockets.... But it was gone No point ringing it, no cell coverage and it was on flight mode. It was a sad day.

  6. #471
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    It was a restless night, it never really gets dark at this time of year, and I kept waking up to check through all my shit, multiple times. Ahhh well, best move on, maybe someone will hand it in while I'm gone and I'll pick it up on the return.
    More "interesting" gravel followed, long straights, hills, bends, cool scenery. The sort of place where speed can get away on you Nek Minit you'll hit some deep stuff, or something changes and it all goes pear shaped. THIS is why it claims so many, it's a long way and you can never fully relax.
    Ayway... another Milestone



    Then into another territory...



    And an idea of how far we had to go



    Some more long straight roads



    Nice scenery



    We all stopped for lunch after the first ferry crossing. People actually live here, I imagine it gets pretty bleak in winter



    Then on to ferry number 2 for the day, at a little place called...





    Then it was just a grind, the scenery didn't change much, the road didn't bend much, the surface didn't get any better, but it was still really fricken cool to be there
    After some hours, its hard to tell as it stayed properly light by this stage, almost 24 hrs, we arrived in Innuvik.



    Kurt and I opted for a campground while Si and Mike pussied out and got a BnB



    With a Slovak guy and his wife who'd ridden from up from Argentina, we'd met them the night before at Eagle plains. He's a really interesting guy, been riding for years all over the world.
    Sewer lines



    I had a shower/feed then went for a wander round town, taking pics of interesting things, I eventually found a police station and reported the lost phone, just incase someone handed it in, and for insurance purposes. then tried to get some kip, next day was gunna be awsome.
    Next day we all met at the BnB and offloaded panniers/excess gear and hit the fuel station, before the last 150k's to Tuktoyuktuk. I'd seen this place on a map years before and decided I wanted to go there, and now I almost was
    Damn It was cool, the road surface was the worst yet, the gravel was thick thick thick, even taking off normally with no excess throttle would have the TC light winking at me. we were all glad to have lost the luggage.
    Some intersting flora.



    And a road sign



    I didn't see one though. Bit of a shame.
    There was some Pingos (google it)



    and we made it to the destination



    Just a little bit further to the end of the road



    George was there too



    Some celebrated by taking a partial dip



    Perhaps they didn't see the sign.I just picked up a small stone

    Then it was off to Grandma's Kitchen for a feed of Whale It was a wee bit difficult to find, but we got there in the end



    It's a bit different, I'm not sure I could do a whole fillet though I needed some fries too. We mucked about a bit, taking pics and posting postcards.



    before heading back to Inuvik. We had a meal out to mark the occasion and Si lent me his spare phone (who carries a spare phone ? ) so I could hook into the wifi at the BnB and let those at home know I was ok.

  7. #472
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    So the year round highway extension from Inuvik to Tuk is complete...

    Definitely on my to-do list.
    Quote Originally Posted by Jane Omorogbe from UK MSN on the KTM990SM
    It's barking mad and if it doesn't turn you into a complete loon within half an hour of cocking a leg over the lofty 875mm seat height, I'll eat my Arai.

  8. #473
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    It's a cool place Gremlin, but getting busier and busier apparently. The locals were very friendly and it still has that untouched feel to it, I'm not sure how long it'll last though.

    After a night in Inuvik I packed up and headed around town again, armed with the camera.
    Giant log structure



    Some houses



    A store



    After working up an appetite I headed up to the BnB where the host had offered to cook breakfast. It was delicious too. I also got a bit of insight into living so far North, F'rinstance they only go into town every couple of months to do the grocery shopping. Town being Whitehorse, a mere 1200+k's away thats one way. It's a different way of life.
    Moving right along, Si, Mike and I began the long trek south. Kurt would catch up with up with us further down the road (He doesn't do early mornings )
    Heading South...



    We headed into Fort Mcpherson for some gas and a snuffle round the place that makes canvas goods and sends them all over the world and the visitors center. We got chatting to a local there who was trying to offload a genuine NT, bear shaped licence plate. It was a red one which made it quite rare. I ended up scoring it for a reduced price
    Then we carried on covering the miles. getting along pretty good when all of a sudden a big GS went flying buy, rider up on the pegs, showering gravel everywhere, he was certainly shifting along, followed closely by his mate on an ST 1300, up on the pegs, showering gravel all over We caught up with them at Eagle plains that night, they'd ridden from Inuvik to Tuk and back to Eagle that day. We also caught up with Kurt there, He'd gone past us when we were at Fort McP.
    Next day was more of the same heading back to Dawson City, the road had smoothed out a bit and the deep sandy stuff had disappeared. Back in Dawson we found a place to stay on the right side of the river and settled in. Having ridden just shy of the entire length of SH 1 on gravel roads. It's a big place. Time for a debrief... I shot into town for a little something malty and alcoholic and came back with that and this..



    Damn that was good

    We spent the next day just hanging round town, I showed Kurt how to change the tyre on his Tenere, without pinching the tube It also started raining offnon, we picked the weather perfectly.
    Funnily enough we were chatting do some people in a caravan who'd we'd past, stopped on the Dempster. They'd had several punctures, and run out of spares. It took 2 days for them to get mooving again. Waiting for a tyre guy from Whitehorse. It is a busy road at times, but when it does go bad your a long way from help.
    Next day, Si and I said goodbuy to Mike who was heading west and south, and Kurt who was still sleeping , crossed the river one last time and headed off over the top of the world h/way. Apparently the views are stunning, on a good day, it was still damp and a bit cloudy for us but still cool, none the less





    Then through the Northernmost border crossing on the mainland and into the USofA. Si got through ok, but they couldn't find my ETA so I had to fill out forms Change the speedo readout to Mph, change the $$ to green backs and ride off over some of the smoothest tarseal I've ever had the pleasure of riding on... for about 5 miles After which it turned into a slippery slidey dirt track, staying upright was a challenge



    That's a good bit.
    Pretty soon we got to Chicken



    Downed a cup of US coffee, got another fridge magnet and carried on. Spied this critter on the side of the road, she dived into the pond and swam away.



    She clambered out and just melted into the trees. I don't know how they can just disappear like that buts its crazy. Maybe they are still in Fiordland.
    Anyway... we carried on and rolled into Tok (pronounced Toke ) Still raing, and grabbed the nearest cabin for the night, went out for tea and agonized over/debated the whole tipping thing. I think we left enough
    After checking out multiple weather forecasts, consulting the map, working out a timeline and checking the weather again it was decided to head south and check out Valdez. The first bit was just boring h/way.... get on with it , highlight for me was seeing the speedo get to 100 After the turnoff to Anchorage it started to get more interesting, getting into some hills. There was roadworks



    Glaciers



    Views



    and



    Those posts indicate the snow level, apparently they get up to 30 ft in winter

    and signs. I would've called it a mountain



    We eventually got into town



    We ended up scratching round, looking for a campground that measured up, didn't leave you feeling like a goldfish or have "Bear in the area" advisory notices. We settled on one just on the edge of town. I'm not sure what Si got up to but I ended up with a bunch of GI medics who were on a team trip before they got sent to Afganistan. It was an interesting evening/night/morning. Good guys and girls

  9. #474
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  10. #475
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    It was a fairly leisurely start the next morning, we were both following the Norwegians example somewhat, by this stage. We bumbled into town for brunch.



    Checked out the port



    went on a Valdez fridge magnet hunt, unfortunately with out any success , but did learn a bit about the town from a store keeper
    Then it was time to get mooving, back the way we'd come. Almost to the turn off to Anchorage we turned the other way and headed for a little place called Chitina, then the seal got narrow and a little bumpy. I spied these souls catching salmon, i similar setup/method to how we catch whitebait.



    The road turned to gravel not long after that, and once again it was that trying rolly stuff, I think we both struggled a bit. Nice views though



    Maybe it was hunger causing the lack off concentration Time for a snack



    Notice the French ? everything has both English and French on the label, Perhaps we could look at doing that with both our official languages ?
    Carrying on nothing had changed, then we came across a couple of graders grading the road, and it got even worse, no wheel tracks, just thick loose marbles. The end of the road was a welcome sight, at an old mining town called McCarthy. we were fairly late getting there but managed to have a bit of a poke around









    It's a nice spot, and well worth the trek in to see it. Under those piles of gravel in the last to pics is ice, it's the foot of a glacier
    There was an accom house there, we did consider briefly getting a room but the prices started around $1100 for a night and went up from there , so tenting it was.
    We paid for the site and I went riding around to select something suitable, it turns out the Vstrom has a lower ride height than I'm used to, or maybe it was the size of rocks in the morraine Easy fix with a big spanner and a couple of rocks though
    Here's the site.



    and a friendly local



    I't the first night where we actually packed all food in a pannier and took it well away from camp, probably wouldn't make any difference though as personally I'd had food in panniers/gear bag/tank bag and pockets. Something I need to work on in future. Got up the next morning, packed up and started heading back out, it didn't seem so bad on the return journey (it never does) and got back to Chitina



    Time for some lunch, at the only place in town



    Mostly satisfied,we carried on, back over familiar territory, and got to the servo at the turnoff to Anchorage. Now, this place was absolutely humming with people, cars,trucks R.V;s, people all over the place, and the line for the single toilet was unbelievable. We turned towards Anchorage and went about a K up the road to get fuel, use the toilet and get a drink. There was nobody there seems sheeple are sheeple the world over eh ?
    We wobbled into Anchorage later that day and found a spot to stay, and that's about it.... pretty uneventfull.
    Next day after Si had to get some telecomunication issue sorted, which he did, and I had to get some telecommunications. which I did, i didn't get robbed either which was cool. Mike had given me a US sim card to use which still had data so I was fully self contained mobile again. Si had been getting more and more frustrated with his tent too. Macpac do make a good product, but I could have my tent up, bedding sorted and tea half cooked by the time he got his up, so we went tent shopping After getting organised we buzzed off down toward Seward, apparently there's a campground where you can stay right on the beach. There was. We got a spot next to a Mexican (?) fullah, Martine, who'd been riding his little XT250 around for a couple of years.



    Notice Si's palatial new MSR, the thing was HUGE !! but his wife was coming to join him later hence the extra space. And it was way cheaper than buying the same item here in NZ

    It's a nice spot Seward, otters playing just off shore



    Art instalations on the beach



    or maybe that was an old jetty, still looked pretty arty, in an arty sort of way

    The RV park was just along the beach a bit. An essential piece of motorhome equipment seemed to be a flag for these people, patriotism is alive and well it appears



    We spent a day in Seward just mooching around, doing domestics and relaxing. Looks like it's mile 0 of the Idditarod trail to Nome too



    I took of for look at some glaciers, a salmon weir, a waterfall and some other random shit, but I won't bore you all with more pics.

  11. #476
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    Next day....
    Si had discovered one of his fork seals was leaking, just as well we were heading back through Anchorage, he made a couple of calls and found a shop who had a seal saver device/tool/thing, who carries a spare phone but not a vital tool like that ?
    We found the store, I don't recall the name of it but I liked it.... a lot.
    Free coffee
    Some cool bikes on show







    And a seal saver as well as super friendly staff, I picked up a rotopax, just in case.
    I'd been googling accom for the night while Si was busy and managed to find a place in a little town called Talkeetna, a bit further north. So north we went
    Found the place alright, and once again was offered refreshment before even getting off the bike.





    Travis cut us a real sharp deal on a room each too If your ever in the hood, I can recommend it. We wandered into town to get some tea and ended up at a cool spot, once again the name escapes me. Here's a little bit of the town



    Youve gotta love a place where you can take the side by side to town sorry for the blurry pic, but I was in a hurry and that thing wasn't hanging round.
    Here's a small selection of the different beers available, apparently there's quite a few craft breweries in this neck of the woods



    crappy/wobbly cell pic again. The long white handle looked interesting so I had a couple (?) of pints from that one. I found out its actually an Oosik, you'll have to Wiki that one. Travis showed up later in the evening so we had to stay for another, then Si went back to the unit and left me and Travis to it, once again it was a long night, with multiple stops I even scored a pint glass from the Denali brewing co, which Travis posted home for me, quite chuffed with that
    Consequently it was a slow start the next morning, we headed back into town again, but the tourists had arrived and it was super busy. It seems the cruise liners dock in Seward and punters catch the train up for the day. Time to move on...
    Past this place, it would've been nice to take a tour,



    but there was another weather window opening up so we needed to get cracking
    past this random looking, rundown structure, next to an equally dilapidated, disused gas station



    Through Denali state park and McKinley despite the ominous looking clouds it was supposed to get better



    although I did have to stop and put another layer on under the jacket.
    We made it to Fairbanks and found some digs for the night
    Next day was time for a service and some new rear tyres, no fork seal available at the only shop we found open. We ended up at the local BMW/Harley/Honda/Polaris dealer, they wouldn't touch our Suzuki's because they weren't a brand they deal with. But we could take the wheels off and they'd put new tyres on, and we'd have to do the oil/filter change ourselves though ( Si had 2 spare oil filters what a guy) and not on the propety, liability issues I guess Just as well they were down a dead end street



    Once that was taken care of we still had a some time to kill so went to somewhere I'd seen while flicking around google maps, it seemed like a must do destination while in Fairbanks, and only 20 miles out of town...



    It was full of all sorts of touristy tatt so we both picked up some fridge magnets and stickers.
    New digs for the night and an interesting conversation with the waitress about tips and tipping., it was still doing both our heads in
    Next day, with clearing skies we headed out of town and onto the start of the Dalton





    For some reason most of Si's shots with me in them, I'm fussing about in my tank bag

  12. #477
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    Si and I trundled off up the road, mind full of how slick that dirt road surface be when wet. They also spray it with calcium/water to help bind it together. When its wet it's like riding on ice and builds up on the wheels to the point they wont even turn. Hence the reason we had been watching the forecasts so intently.
    The road alternated between dirt, gravel and potholed seal, with some sizable potholes and roughly follows the Alaska pipeline



    That's it on the left. Quite a bit of truck traffic on the road, but they're pretty good at keeping right.



    Back over the Arctic circle



    I'd seen this thing making it's way towards the road, but I wasn't sure if he'd cross, so I stopped anyway.



    He just sauntered accross befor melting into the undergrowth on the other side. We eventually made it to Coldfoot and fueled up, before heading for Wiseman. I stopped outside the first accom place we came to and the owner virtually came running out. He made a good offer for a tent cabin with breakfast thrown in, how could we resist
    Tent cabin...



    It was an interesting place to wander round, which we both did taking pictures and snuffling. Lots of history there.
    Next day we off loaded panniers and headed north, for Deadhorse, what a cool ride,



    Over Atigun pass





    It's waaaay steeper than it looks on ice road truckers, those guys definitely are skilled operators, getting over it in the winter. The consequences of getting it wrong are almost certainly fatal.
    Here's some wildlife...



    and out onto the North Slope



    Looong straight roads, sometimes dirt, sometimes gravel, you could really open the taps until hitting some corrugations, not little garden variety corrugations, but seriously big ones, filled with deep soft marbles We ran into Kurt at one stage, Si did some repairs to his bike which had developed some rattles We arranged to meet up again that night, and he gave us a heads up on where th get a feed in Deadhorse.
    Deadhorse itself is just a massive industrial area, very hard to find your way around. We eventually found the sign, after Si had had a runin with the Prudhoe bay security guy ( He needs to work on customer relations, pays not to argue though, he has a gun

    Here's "the Sign"



    Drilling rig parking lot, they drive them out onto the tundra when it's frozen, otherwise they'd sink



    And here's Brooks Camp where we got into "the spike room"



    for $15 a head. All sorts of food and drink, pretty much anything you could want. and as much as you could eat We had to wear these little overboots though



    anywhere in the building, and disposable gloves and hairnets while in the spike room. I'll never forget the sight of a guy in there dressed in full camo, sporting the required sanitary extras and carrying a sidearm, bizzare.
    After eating plenty and loading up packpacks for tea we fuelled up and headed back to Wiseman. The plan was to just ride and not stop, but we couldn't resist stopping regularly and staring at the gobsmaking scenery.
    And wildlife





    We were cruising along between 60/70 m/ph and the big trucks were catching us up, best to pull over and let them past (and take more pics )
    Made it back to Wiseman in one piece, where Kurt had pitched his tent and we were joined by 3 other mototravelers from various parts of the globe, but all travelling together. A very social time.
    Here's our host for the stay.



    Apparently it gets down to -40 there in the winter, when asked how he deals with winter he said "I shut the door, get in my truck and head into town to (Fairbanks) to stay with the wife sounds perfect.
    After breakfast we saddled up and started the trek back to Fairbanks. Only stopping for pics and a feed at Yukon river, where we met a couple of Aussies who'd started in Antarctica (on a boat) then ridden up from Ushuia. I'd been following their RR on Adv rider for a while. Was good to meet them.
    A sobering reminder to be carefull. It was a straight piece of road.



    Just out of shot is the panniers and gear scattered about the place. It had been there a while.

    Once in Fairbanks we grabbed a room and found a shop that had 1 fork seal, so tomorrow would be a maintenance day.
    Morning.... Off to Northern power sports, where Si got the seal and was directed out the back where he could dismantle the bike. Much more betterer service for touring riders

    Fork...off



    He had the other one serviced too and also decided to change out the chain and front sproket too, the dust/dirt/calcium is really hard on chains, despite regular maintenance. I rode off to look around town. And Kurt showed up.... his rear brake hose had given up days before. The mechanic found a hose that may work, so we got into installing it, hoping it wouldn't upset the abs, it didn't, and we got it working
    They're serious about riding in winter there too, these things were sharp



    That took care of most of the day, so we went to find a campsite and get some supplies in for tea


    TBC...

  13. #478
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    Great Pics and write up Thanks. That's a lot of PK screws.

  14. #479
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    Good stuff. Nice to see those centre stands being put to good use

  15. #480
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    3,549
    Next day Si and I packed up and exited the campground, passing a guy who seemed to be setting up for a wedding or summat, chairs were out and a big decorative arch, he may have been a pastor, what was surprising was the pistol hanging on his hip Sometimes it's the little details like that that stick in ya brain.
    We'd made plans to hook back up with Kurt and go through the Denali h/way. He'd been free camping in someones yard about 20 miles outside town. form memory he met us a bit south of town at a roadside diner. We carried on South, stopping at MacKinley for a break. There was this cool old bar thing there, the floor and walls were all twisted and warped due to the permafrost heaving or something. The pics don't do the warping justice really.



    Filled up at Cantwell and made our way onto the Denali. It was supposed to be quite remote and one of those places you don't want to have any issues, due to hungry wildlife, however we found it was nothing like that at all... It was berry season so there was a few families out camping/harvesting and further along LOTS of hunters, buzzing around on quads and side by sides. Hunting season had just started





    Still a cool ride though.







    We exited the Denali unscathed and started looking for lodging for the night. This place at the intersection looked a bit rundown



    the BnB up the road was full but there looked to be a reserve a few miles south. Turns out there was a cmpground there too. Tents up, food sorted and time for a fire, I like fire



    Kurt was heading south next day, to Valdez or somewhere . Si and I shot north on the Richardson h/way, the scenery was simply outstanding. I saw what I assumed was my first Bald Eagle here somewhere, no pic though, as it was a long way away.



    Crossed over the pipe line



    here's some basic facts about it



    there was a whole board of interesting info but I won't bore you all with that
    Then hit some more straight bits



    There's a BIG airforce base in there somewhere. Lunch at Delta junction. Bison burger



    Then we swung west, heading back to Tok and the Eagle Claw campground



    There was a number of options for places to doss down... Including an old converted school bus for larger groups







    The ambulance was pretty cool, the smell inside not so much. We settled on erecting our own accom.

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