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Counting down is in full form now. I've started running through sanity checks and the good news is I haven't developed any.
I had a momentary scare when I was put into contact with a dude at the Motoquest office in Alaska, and he emailed me to say "call me to check availability".
No, ****ing thank you...I ensured availability months ago when I paid. Luckily he just didn't realize that my reservation was confirmed, and sitting on his desk. So, crisis averted...so far so good.
The dude I'm riding with left his home town the other day headed to Sturgis, and then is heading towards Alaska.
The movie "Roadhouse" is always what comes to mind whenever I hear of the Dalton Hwy.
No matter...Alaska here I come. I was extended an invitation to meet up with someone doing a long ride from NYC to Alaska, and once I told him I was down we started talking about riding up the Dalton to the Arctic Circle. I am beyond ****ing excited for this trip.
Pros/Cons, I won't be doing it on my bike, but at least I won't have to worry about the wear and tear on my own ride. I actually won't be doing it on a Harley at all. I'm flying to Anchorage from this little rock I live on, and renting a GS from Motoquest. The lady I have been dealing with on the phone and via email at Motoquest's main office has been awesome. If the rest of the experience I have with that company goes as it has so far, then I will be sold as a life long customer when a rental is needed.
The ride looks to take me from there to Tok, meet up with my bro, then Tok to Fairbanks, roundtrip from there up the Dalton and back, then down to Cantwell, and on back to Anchorage to fly out.
I guess the biggest difficulty I face is really just being able to pack all my stuff so it survives the flight. I have a non-stop ticket there and back, so it shouldn't be too bad.
I have seen on here that a few members have done this. Any insight?
A GS is a prefect bike for that trip ..... Enjoy beautiful Alaska!
My red-eye got me to Anchorage at 5 A.M. on the 26th. Getting to the hotel it was a nice foggy morning. This didn't exactly give me a great feeling for riding, but I figured it would burn off as the morning progressed so I didn't concentrate on it too much. Instead, I walked down the street to find Gwennies for a hearty dose of eggs & reindeer sausage.
Later on in the afternoon, I called Motoquest to let them know I was in town. Since it was already late in the day they went ahead and let me come pick the bike up. Kevin and Robyn were awesome to work with. Robyn suggested I ride south and get a feel for the bike since there was plenty of daylight left. This is also the last time this bike was this clean and not covered in dead bugs.
I took off from Anchorage the morning of the 27th and headed to Tok. The riding was incredible with the exception of a little construction here and there.
In Tok I met up with a friend that I would be riding with the rest of my time in Alaska. After some grub and brew at Fast Eddie's, we grabbed a sixer to-go, and head to set up camp at Thompson's Eagle's Claw Motorcycle Park. Really nice joint, ran by a great lady named Vanessa. She has this place specifically set up for bikers from all over to kick it around the campfire and shoot the ****.
When we got there we had the run of the place, but a young rider named Trina showed up before night fall. This little girl couldn't have been more than 20 y.o. and was riding from her work up at a camp north of Coldfoot on the Dalton to Haines, by herself, on a 1983 BMW trailbike. This little chick had us floored the way she talked about working up there and her normal commute on the Dalton like it was a Sunday drive in the suburbs.
Anyway, if any of ya'll find your way up there, camping at Vanessa's place is a must.
Pic is a little fuzzy because of how much I cropped it. Original picture credit goes to M. O.
Last edited by Joker Relentless; Sep 12, 2016 at 08:51 PM.
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