#klr 650

PAST RIDES: RIDE TO THE ARTIC CIRCLE 2013

Ok, so maybe me messing up the order of my 2013 posts was actually a good thing.  It puts my two interesting points on the earth back to back.  The southern most point in the Continental US in January, and the Artic Circle in May. The only thing that could have made it better was if I had been on the same bike for all of it. 

May had me back on orders in Alaska for three weeks.  I was there over Memorial Day Weekend, so because I was missing Rolling Thunder in DC, I made my own weekend ride.  During my three weeks there, I only had the Friday and Saturday of the holiday weekend off.  As soon as I realized this, I called Keith and Nancy of Alaska Motorcycle Adventures and rented a bike.  As it turned out, I was their first rental of the season, and would hold that honor for the next three two years.

Throughout the week before heading out for my adventure, I had no idea where I would be going.  But talking to guys on base, I heard that the Dalton Highway could take me up to the Artic Circle, and they thought there was a sign there.  A sign - that means a photo opportunity for me, a bike, and Timmy.  I am not one to pass up opportunities like this, so I mapped out my ride to the Artic Circle.

I picked up the bike, another Kawasaki KLR-650, from Keith and Nancy during my lunch on Friday, and had it ready to go as soon as I was done working for the day.  After work I hopped on and headed out for the Parks Highway.  Riding north I was amazed at the rugged Alaskan terrain, and the snow that was still on the ground.  I headed north towards Fairbanks where I had a hotel reserved for the night.  As I was passing through Denali National Park and stopped to look out over at Mt McKinley, I called the hotel to let them know that I was still coming but may be a little late.  I didn't hit the road until about 4:30 PM and I had over 360 miles to ride to get there.  

I continued north under clear but brisk skies.  Every time I put my camera away, I would take it out again for another picture. It was still bright and sunny when I rode into Fairbanks and checked into my hotel.  As I was checking in, I grabbed a cup of coffee from the pot in the lobby and asked the  desk clerk where I could find a good steak in town.  The clerk looked at me with a confused dog look in his eyes and offered McDonalds or Carl’s Jr. next door.  I took a sip of my coffee and shook my head at him and told him, no; I had ridden a long way and wanted a nice steak.  He shook his head as he looked at me and told me that he didn't think there was any place else still open at this time.  I took another sip of my coffee and questions him over my cup, “Still open at this time?  What time is it?”  I almost spit out my coffee when he told me it was almost 11:30 PM.  I looked outside, it looked like early evening after a bright sunny day.  Setting my coffee down, I laughed as I asked him, “Then why the hell are you letting me drink this?  I have to get up early tomorrow!”  I grabbed a banana from their bowl, and headed up to my room to go to sleep.

The following morning, I filled up on the free breakfast, and filled my ice bucket bag with a mix of granola, dried cranberries, raisins, walnuts and cheerios from their breakfast bar. I loaded up the bike and set off for the Dalton Highway and the Artic Circle.  Riding through North Pole following the signs to the Dalton, I was amazed at the sweeping turns of the highway.  It was a great motorcycle road.

I hit the Dalton and was immediately glad I was on the KLR and not my Voyager.  While it would be cool to say I rode my Voyager up to the Artic Circle, I probably wouldn’t have made it there.  Although it was the end of May, it was still early Spring in Alaska.  They were just getting the Dalton ready for the season, meaning there were sections that were rutted and muddy, and there were sections that were nice and smooth as they had just been graded.  Then there were the sections they were grading, complete with the 12 inch berms of dirt I had to ride through and over to make my way around the graders or other trucks in front of me.  Yeah I was very glad I wasn't on the Voyager.

My head was on a swivel as I rode, trying to take in the scenery and wildlife while safely navigating the road.  The road was challenging, even in the sections where there was no grading going on.  There were sections of the road that were paved, they were a light brown color from all the dirt being dragged up and over them, but they were generally smooth paved portions of roadway.  Then there was the packed dirt, These also were a light brown color, and though not as smooth as the paved portions, still offered a nice ride as long as I slowed down about ten miles an hour to safely traverse these sections.  Then there was the loose dirt parts.  These also were, you guessed it, light brown in color but they required me to slow down significantly or else risk dumping the bike.  On more than one occasion, I was cruising over a paved portion at 55-60 mph and not notice the changing surface until I was almost upon it.  Not too big of a deal when going from the paved to packed dirt.  But definitely a high pucker situation when going from paved to loose dirt.  When this happened I would grab a handful of front brake while applying the back and down shifting to bleed off as much speed as I could before leaving the paved road.  then when I left the paved road, I got off the brake and held on as the engine decelerated the bike. Chanting “bleed off seed, bleed off speed,” accepting that there was a good chance I was going down and knowing that the more speed I was able to bleed off, the less it would hurt.  Fortunately, I never did go down.  

Aside form the scenery and the wildlife, I loved all the people I ran into on my stops along the Dalton.  It definitely wasn't crowded, but with each stop came new people with new stories and adventurous spirits.  Crossing the Yukon river, I got off the bike and walked down to the river to watch the ice flow.  The ice was massive, and it was moving over the river.  Truly amazing.

I knew I was close to the circle when I saw certificates in a little store by the Yukon.  The woman asked if I wanted one, and I told her not yet - I haven't been there yet.  We calculated our times and knew she would still be open on my way back through, so I promised to stop by and pick it up after I earned it.  Oh, and she confirmed with that there was in fact a sign I could get a picture in front of.  I knew my journey was not for naught!

There was no magical feeling as I crossed that imaginary line that defines the Artic Circle.  But there was a great sense of accomplishment.  I had done it!  I pulled into the area where the sign was.  There was a small tour bus loading up and I took some pictures for them and they took some for me. Of course they loved Timmy, and some of them have pictures of them standing by a guy and motorcycle at the Artic Circle.  

I enjoyed the views of the Tundra at the circle for a little while before getting back on the bike and heading south, and riding back to Fairbanks for the night.  Unfortunately, I had to be back at work at Monday, otherwise I would have been tempted to shoot for Prudhoe Bay.  But that will be a ride for another time and it is still on my Bucket List.