Fairbanks

After a few days R+R in Talkeetna we headed up to Fairbanks, I had managed to secure some tires from an Indie shop which is run by a few guys off ADVrider Dan and Shawn( Adventure Cycleworks). these guys were fantastic and we had a real laugh with them, they changed the tires and the oil on both bikes and because of the midnight sun we worked till 2pm. That night we got some accommodation in the The University of Alaska, for a very cheap price you can a get a room in the halls of residence and the uni is used to biker coming up there to ride the Dalton Highway. Next the Dalton Highway 500 miles of dirt road, with very few gas stations.......

Trapper Johns Cabin Talkeetna

Talkeetna

Talkeetna is a small town 160ish miles North of Anchorage, it has an interesting mix of climbers, prospector history and travelers. As we arrived there was musicians playing guitars in the town square, huskies and their owners sipping beer and looking all chilled out lime only alaskan can. If you want to get out of the rat race this is the place to do it. Even with the tourist here it still feels totally chilled. It even has its own brewery here, to keep you warm in the 19 hours of dark they have in the winter.
As you approach the town there is a float plane tour company and I managed to talk Taz into a flight, heheheh if you have seen the helicopter footage you will ubderstand, although there was a lot of clouds we did glimpse of Denali " Mckinley" the biggest mountain in North America: 20322 feet. We landed on a lake with a hunters cabin, perched by the waters edge. As soon as we got out of the plane the Mosquitos attacked. No deet! we got eaten! The cabin was all shut down complete with nails protruding from the walls and doors to discourage the beers attemting to brake in, still the claw marks on the walls reminds us that we are not at the top of the food chain here.

We are staying here a few days to recharge our batteries before we push on to Fairbanks to get some tires for my bike, before we hit the Dalton Highway. We have had lot of help from the guys on ADVrider forum and I recommend them if you are riding here, these guys know their stuff.

Its father day today, so we rang our fathers to send our love but my thoughts all day are with my children who I miss so much Cameron and Sadie. Love you guys.

Anchorage Bikes Repair

We are sat in sisi's cafe in Anchorage having some fantastic coffee and chicken and bacon wraps. The Motorcycle Shop has taz's bike and they have got to be one of the most un organized BMW dealers I have come across. First they say they have the part and then they don't, they tell you to arrive at 9.30 am for your appointment to get your work done and they open after 10 am ! Four to five hours to change a chain a sprocket.? When you ask why it takes nearly all day they say "hey were fitting you in" I reply" I made an appointment with you guys ! If you couldn't do it just say"
You know I'm easy going but when travellers have to get extended accomodation because they lie about having the parts in, and they won't even look you in the eye and apologyse then it gets my back up.. I know this is Alaska but simple customer service is evident here, infact most of America excels in it so why can't these plonkers get their act together?

If I ever come by here again I will avoid this crew at all costs..

Top Of The World Highway making friends...in the strangest places

In Dawson we met a couple who were riding two up on GS and they were planning on doing the same route as us. After sharing the Sour Toe experience we planned to cross the Top of the World Highway together, a 50 mile dirt road that winds up and over some magnificent mountains and crosses in to the US border. Joe and FLora LLoyd are making a film about their journey through Canada, as a motorcycle film duo they are capturing the essence of motorcycle travels and were fantastic to listen to and share stories. I highly recommend their films. You never know you may even glimps us in the back ground.. Check them out at: http://www.openfilm.com/users/curbsyde/

After crossing on the ferry we headed up the hill on Tarmac and were soon on winding roads that were a joy to ride and then the tarmac ends and your doing 50 mph with a plume of dust pirouetting off your rear tire..The mountains in the back ground top the whole experience off, I felt like a real adventure rider.. Taz was going for it, great speed and confidence, for some one who hasn't passed her test long she was here, ripping up this adventure road...

Joe and Flora were amazing on the dirt even two up we struggled to keep up, a testament to their skill and experience. When I grow up want to be that good.

Over the US border and on to Alaska!

The Yukon Quest: White Horse to Dawson City

Dawson City is the end of probably the most grueling Dog Sled Race 1000 miles of high mountain passes and extreme cold. What lay a head of us was a taste of those passes and thankfully not the cold weather.

As we rolled into White Horse there was an Old Steamer Ship that used to run supplies to the prospectors that forged into this country in search of gold. The town is a large by Yukon standards.

We had a need: mechanical advice and some new tires for Taz's bike. We had some one look over the bike and managed to buy some tires: so we stripped the wheels off and got the new rubber fitted.. They had no way to balance the tries so i had to do it myself.

We spent the day chilling and even managed to catch a movie.

Coming into Dawson is a trip back in time and there are old fashioned buildings with swinging doors and the is a famous drink here called the Sour Toe: basically its a human toe that was pickled back in the day for some unknown reason. Today it is right of passage. The challenge to drink a shot with the pickled toe in the glass and it must touch the lips!! A dead mans big toe in your drink! Well we had to do it! I even managed to put it completely in my mouth but the nail caught on the roof of my mouth and made it difficult to get out .. eeerrrhh!

Yukon Delights

Along our rout in the Yukon we had to stop at the Hot Springs in Liard. Its a short walk from the campsite to get to a boarded swimming area that has natural hotsping bubbling from the volcanic tubes nearby. It so hot that you really struggle to get to the top of the pool, in fact the challenge is to collect a stone from the cool pool and take it to the top. As you approach you can see the water bubbling\boiling in front of you. We didn't manage it! The views are stunning as is the wild life on route; Grizzly, Black Bear, Moose and Buffalo line up along the road side for your delight.

On a more pressing note we seemed to have developed a problem with Taz' 650. It runs fine but there is a strange noise and few little niggles. As we have bumped in to many bikers on this leg of our journey they all have had a look, no diagnosis as yet, so we are going to limp the next few hundred miles into White Horse and get it checked out by some mechanics. The roads are well used and there is always fellow travelers here ready to help or give a lift or even transport the bike on the back of a truck.

Tonight we stay in a type of Hostel, which is in fact the oldest building in Watson Lake that was once Royal Canadian Air Force accommodation. 1050's music plays in the background with pictures of the winged heros don the walls.