THE VERY FIRST POST…

Well, here we are getting ready for the Alaskan moto-adventure of 2024! I’ve only done some simple planning so far, but we’ll get this party started with what has been accomplished to date and bring everyone up to speed.

HIGH-LEVEL TRIP GOALS…

So far, I’ve made some general planning progress by outlining simple wants. This trip is a gift to myself for my fiftieth birthday so I have every intention to Ride My Own Ride and make the most of every kilometer. This is probably why I elected to do this trip solo. That and my Kindergarten teacher told me that I don’t play nice in the sandbox with others…

The number one priority for this trip is to NOT test the Alaskan Health Care System. Don’t worry, I’ll cover insurance and safety in another post as I think that’s a pretty important part of the planning process. At the end of the day, it would be fabulous if I didn’t drop the bike on myself, snap a femur and bleed out in the ditch. That would be a total bummer.

Secondly, I don’t really want to ride all the way TO Alaska from Vancouver. I’d much rather magically teleport there and ride around for three weeks. If you can believe it, I’ve actually found a viable solution that doesn’t involve Voodoo and rattling of the chicken bones.

I have no intention of sleeping on the ground, trying to dry out every evening, cooking for myself and wrestling bears in the middle of the night. Ugh. The thought of being cold, wet and repacking the bike every morning and evening gives me acid flashbacks to my years in the military. No thanks. I’m a self-proclaimed softie now and I want to focus on the ride, not the time consuming logistics of keeping myself warm, dry and fed. Yes, this is a hotel tour.

Lastly, I want to take my time. I want to see the sights on a relaxed schedule and not be stressed about crushing miles to maintain a timeline. If that means I only ride 200 kilometers some days, that’s totally cool.

SO WHERE DID I START…

Google was and still is a planner’s best friend. I went down numerous rabbit holes night after night researching roads, hotels, attractions and the all-important gas stops. I’ve joined some Facebook groups, chatted with other Veteran Road Warriors and discovered how I will get to Alaska without having to actually ride up there.

If you’re planning an Alaska trip by whatever means, and you could only have one source of information, it would be The Milepost. This is the Alaskan road tripper’s bible that is published annually in print as well as digitally. Think of it as the 200-page soft cover Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy. It essentially details every mile of drivable road in Alaska, the Yukon and British Columbia and covers literally EVERYTHING.

Obviously, Google Maps and the lesser-known little brother Google My Maps should be your next research tools followed by the incredibly knowledgeable people at Alaska Adventure Riders on Facebook. These local riders are a wealth of information and they’re incredibly welcoming. Some members even mentioned riding along with me when I pass through!

THE AMHS…

I’ve driven from Vancouver to Dease Lake on the Stewart Cassiar Highway far too many times and I don’t really need to see that again from two wheels. It’s a ‘been there done that’ situation. Also, I’ll be wasting a lot of time by not being in Alaska. I was debating taking the BC Ferry from Port Hardy to Prince Rupert, but I’d still have to ride 1,400 kilometers to get to Whitehorse. Nope.

Then I found it. The Holy Grail. The Alaska Marine Highway System.

Oh yeah baby! Stumbling into this gem was a game changer. Here’s the quick and dirty. You can take a ferry from Bellingham WA for three days up the inside passage. The ferry services all the communities that are ocean locked in the Alaskan Panhandle as well as ports of call all the way through to the Aleutians. Remember that a lot of coastal towns can’t be accessed by roads because the mountain ranges get in the way. Their fleet of ships allow for free personal camping on the aft upper decks or you can pay for a berth. Seriously - you can pitch and tape down a tent on the rear deck! If you elect to skip the sea camping and berth ideas, you can stake out a recliner and call it yours for three days. Unfortunately, you’re not allowed to sleep in your vehicle.

For me, this is perfect. I essentially get to go on an Alaskan cruise up the inside passage with my motorcycle, hop off and start my touring without the time suck of driving all the way up there. I’ve never done an Alaskan cruise nor seen the Inside Passage before so I’m killing two birds with one stone on this one. Just because I can, I may even overnight in Juneau and ride up to the Mendenhall Glacier.

ON THE ROAD ACCOMMODATIONS…

At 50 years old, I have no desire to be uncomfortable on this excursion and I value my sleep. So, I’ll be getting a berth on the ferry and when I’m touring, I’ll be hotel hopping. But here’s the kicker. I’ll be travelling in peak tourist season and the locals have graciously informed me that lodging books up fast.

This is where it gets a little complicated. Alaska Ferries won’t release their 2024 schedule until January-February 2024, which means I can’t even book the departure from Bellingham until then. The trickle-down effect is that I can’t book any nightly hotel stays until I know when I arrive in Skagway. The clock is ticking…

Not to worry though, I’m currently planning daily ride legs and pre-shopping for accommodations so that when I do book the ferry, it’ll be easy to pull the trigger on the hotels.

ALASKA ACTUALLY HAS AMAZING INFRASTRUCTURE…

I’m embarrassed to admit this, but having never visited Alaska, I had some wildly preconceived notions of what the towns and roads would look like based on the infrastructure that you see in the equivalent Canadian North. I’ve learned very quickly that this state is an economically vibrant powerhouse largely due to the oil production at Prudhoe Bay as well as contributions from the seasonal tourism.

As a gauge of how civilized an area may be, and in terms that all adventure riders can understand, Alaska is home to forty-nine (49) Starbucks locations. Yes, there are some long expanses of nothingness in the eastern and northern portions of the state, but once you get around Denali and Anchorage, things appear to light up. Get this. On one of my Google Street rabbit hole excursions, I discovered that some of the freeways in Anchorage are divided with up to 8 lanes. Most Canadian cities are nowhere near this well endowed. My sincerest apologies Alaska, I totally underestimated you!

ALL THE OTHER ROADS…

From what I can tell, major highways are two-lane and paved. Sorta. In the valley plains between mountain ranges, these roads are built on sub-tundra permafrost and are subjected to wicked freeze thaw swings. The net result is frost heaves in the spring and lots of scheduled road repair in the summer months. Apparently, some of these construction stretches can go on for tens of miles and after a good rain can turn to a muddy slurry. I’m glad I found this out because it will definitely be a consideration when I choose my tires. You’ll quickly learn that I’m a lazy individual that doesn’t want to unnecessarily pick up a heavily laden dropped bike. Let’s also not forget about the bugs. Head nets have been recommended as the waits for the pilot vehicle may be long.

There is dirt as well but most of the attractions that I really want visit are pavement accessible. The Denali Highway, Dalton Highway and Top of the World are favorites for adventure riders. The Denali is something I may ride as it’s relatively manicured and stunning. I’m on the fence about the Top of the World Highway which straddles the AK-YT border. It’s out of the way and doesn’t appear to be as picturesque as other areas. Also, I’d have to detour north to Dawson City from Whitehorse which I’ve been told is a very uneventful drive. Meh. Finally, there’s the Dalton Highway which essentially runs from Fairbanks to the Arctic Ocean at Prudhoe Bay. This road is what a lot of adventure seekers ride. The road parallels the Alaskan Pipeline and is now used as a resupply truck route for the oilfields at Prudhoe. Be warned. Do your research for this one as its a long haul of 800 kilometers from Fairbanks to Prudhoe with very few services and the road can turn into a muddy gong show after a rain. I likely won’t be doing this one. This time…

LET’S STOP HERE FOR NOW…

I could go on and on, but then I wouldn’t have any ‘A Material’ left over for future posts. Until I actually do the ferry booking, I’ll be talking about the bike setup, luggage, resupply, safety and many other things! I have a list of topics to cover but if you have any questions or ideas, I’m totally open to other topics. Drop me a line! Stay tuned!

All the best!

Paul

Ride Your Own Ride

Alaska - Home To 49 Starbucks