I left Anchorage at 0900 yesterday 2 Sept 23 right on schedule. I said goodbye to some old friends, took a few departture photos and said a sad and happy goodbye to my partner of over 35 years, Mary Beth. It was hard to get going but something about this adventure seemed to pull at me physically. Once on the road, my emotions seemed to fade (at least for awhile).  

I headed out toward Tok (pronounced like poke), Alaska which would be my first nights stop. It is 320 miles from Anchorage and the Glenn Highway parallals the Matanuska River until about 50 miles before Glenallen. There are some stunning views of the Matanuska River, Matanuska Glacier and the Chugach Range.  I took my time and will post a few in the photo gallery. The road itself is two lane paved in fairly good condition but the 55 mph (90 kph) speed limit should be respected due to frost heaves and wildlife on the road. The road goes north and east out of Anchorage before splitting to north and south at Glenallen. The Glenn Highway climbs to over 3300 feet (1000 m) before a slight descent to Glenallen. Temperatures were in the mid to low 40's (4-6 degrees C) with a few rain showers.  

For those of you who do not know or are not familiar with the adiabatic cooling rate (a pilot thing!) I want to provide a little information. The standard temperature cools at 4 degrees F for each 1000 feet in elevation (or 1.5 degrees C/300m) so any time you climb, the temperature gets cooler.  So besides rain and clouds, the Far North can throw lower temperatures your way just due to climbing elevations. Being on a motorcycle puts you in the environment much much more than a car or truck.

I refueled in Glennallen (180 miles/292kms) from Anchorage. I met a young couple two up on a Honda Africa Twin from Columbia. They had been riding Alaska for a month. We talked about getting around the Darien Gap south of the Panama Canal between Columbia and Panama.  It is the only portion of the drive south that does not have a road.  We will talk more of it in the future. They put themselves and their bike in a small 25' motor launch and spent two days at sea. I may fly.

Anyway, if you turn south at Glennallen the road takes you to Valdez while turning left (north) puts you to either Delta Junction and Fairbanks or you can take the Tok Cutoff which puts you on the ALCAN Highway about 90 miles/146kms from the Yukon/Alaska border. I turned north and had to slow as there were potholes in the road that could have swallowed me and my motorcycle. And lots of road construction and pavement patched with gravel or some other less than desirable substance. It took me a bit longer to reach Tok but I made it. Normally, you can see Mount Drum and some of the spectacular peaks in the St Elias National Park along the Tok cutoff but yesterday everything was covered with low clouds so stopping for photos would have been a waste of effort. If you don't live in Alaska you will have to visit just to see. If you live here, you already know!

I spent the night at Young's Motel. Tok is a small village which is the first place people driving the ALCAN north can resupply once they reach Alaska. It consists of a road junction, a couple RV parks, gas stations and hotels.  Young's was cheap at $117. I think the rates drop at the end of August. Young's restaurent gets a five star rating as the prices are Alaskan but the portions are large as well.  They have great food, good pizza and a great salad bar. I think I was in bed by 7pm even though I wanted to write some here.

I departed Tok about 8am.  It was sunny, clear and cold with temperatures in the 30's.  Accuweather said it was 32F/0 degrees C but the thermometer on the bike showed a few degrees higher.  I added another layer and headed toward Canada.  Now the ALCAN between Tok and the border was simply the worst I have encountered so far on this trip.  There was almost constant road construction and lots of gravel which is not pleasant on any motorcycle.  

Ten miles east of Tok is the Teslin Junction which is the turn off for Chicken, Eagle and Dawson City in the Yukon via the Top of the World Highway.  I went to D2D in June, 2022, in Dawson City.  It is a rally with a couple hundred riders from Canada and Alaska and even attracts some crazys from Florida or Texas.  Chicken has a permanent population of seven and legend has it the original inhabitants wanted to call it Ptaragin but did not know how to spell it.  It is a great place to stop for some incredible homemade pies.  Eagle sits on the Yukon and where Scott notified the world that he had reached the North Pole back in 1910 (I may be off on the exact year Scott reached the Pole).  Eagle had the farthest north telegraph station in Alaska.

It is 185 miles/300kms from Teslin Junction to Dawson City, the home of the original Yukon Gold Rush.  Do not confuse Dawson City with Dawson Creek which is the start of the Alaska Canada Highway.  Dawson City was the capital of the Yukon until the 1960's and is still a gold mining center and tourist draw.  It can be reached by riding the Top of the World Highway (mixed gravel/pavement) and is 500 miles from Anchorage.  You can also reach it by staying on pavement via Whitehorse but the drive is 400 miles longer.  You choose!

If you have never been, go!  The history is amazing and you can find out what life was like back in 1898 during the height of the Gold Rush.  Both Robert Service and Jack London were there as are their cabins.  Check out what mucking for gold really meant.  In the summer, there is a free ferry across the Yukon to the western bank and the start of the Top of the World Highway.  It runs 24/7.  You have to clear Customs entering either country so be sure to check for summer hours.

My first time in the Klondike was back in 1986 for a seven day canoe trip on Forty Mile Creek and the Yukon River.  The Forty Mile was heavily mined during the Gold Rush and winds between Chicken, Eagle and the Yukon.  It is a wild and beautiful river.  I remember rigging our two canoes with logs to catamarans.  We floated the Yukon at 7 mph without paddling a stroke and you could hear the glacier silt suspended in its waters rubbing along the canoe making a sound like frying bacon.  I believe I was reading JITTERBUG PERFUME by Tom Robins while laughing my ass off.  If you have never read Robins, he comes highly recommended and JITTERBUG PERFUME is a great way to approach life!

I crossed the border and cleared Canadian Customs 20 miles later in Beaver Creek. It was easy and simple as usual.  If you are thinking of bringing a weapon to Canada because of bears, don't. Buy bear spray as it works 98% of the time according to the US Forest Service. The ride for the first 150 miles was cold, lonely and slow. The ALCAN in the northern Yukon has a 56mph/90kmph speed limit.  The mountains are covered with snow and I am escaping just in time but low clouds and dull light pervented any scenic photos. 

I made it to Haines Junction, Yukon where I will be spending the night.  I must ride 150miles/240kms tomorrow to Haines, Alaska to catch the ferry to Bellingham, Washington.  The ferry leaves at 6pm so I have all day.  The roads are clear.  I will continue this later as bed is calling.  And I will post photos and want to write about the BEAST.