watch our.....
DVD!
see scenes from 2004!
|
When
the mother split away from her calf and came charging up the hill,
I knew it was too late to do anything. "Martin!!
Danger zone!!", was all I could come up with from within the
restricted confines of my helmet. By then, Martin had done the bio-mass equation, and backed away. The cow stopped, propped up one inquisitive ear, and returned to her calf…..
view map (Guinea Pig Tour Route)
To my
knowledge, this was the first commercially organized road tour featuring
Harley-Davidson motorcycles in Alaska. The itinerary included some
great roads, and even better scenery. In a matter of 5 days riding,
we covered 1,007 miles of spectacular country. We passed the tallest
mountains on the continent, visited the farthest North Harley-Davidson
outpost anywhere, soaked in natural hot springs, and crossed Prince
William Sound by ferry. We toured a mountainous loop, which linked
the vast interior of Alaska with its rugged coast. Along the way,
we saw animals of different kinds, sampled pie, and chewed on glacial
ice thousands of years old. Because
it was my very first time running this all-road tour, I knew there
were bound to be some glitches in the itinerary. I was looking for
the right adventuresome souls to try it out. I found
them! Martin Selig came up from Seattle to ride a 2003 Heritage
Sotftail. Lisa Mandell accompanied him two-up. Together, we rode through some amazing countryside, stopping along the way to helicopter flight-see around Mt. McKinley, fish for Copper River Reds and boat up to enormous tidal glaciers in Prince William Sound. Through sun and rain, these Guinea Pigs were tough. They were up for anything ! They experienced the very best Alaska had to offer. Before the scheduled trip, Martin and Lisa wanted to spend a few days on their own, exploring the Kenai Peninsula. I put together a brief itinerary for them, including hotel arrangements and maps. All the main highways on the Kenai Peninsula are paved, and the scenery is full of sensational mountains, wildlife, clear-water streams, lakes, and coastline. There is no wonder why the Seward Highway on the Kenai Peninsula is a National Forest Scenic Byway.
view map (kenai Peninsula) Their first
day out, they rode to the little gold-rush town of Hope and sampled
the pie at Tito's Cafe, and then went on to spend the night in Cooper
Landing on the banks of the Kenai River. The next day they cruised
down to the sea-side town of Seward, with its dramatic fiords, erupting
thousands of feet out of the ocean. After a brief helicopter ride
and a visit of Exit Glacier, they joined up with my driver, Dan
Patino, and I in Girdwood to start the official trip. For the welcome dinner, we enjoyed live acoustic guitar music and Thai food at Jack Sprats restaurant that night. We sat out on the porch and took in the mountains on all sides. Excitement was in the air, as the next day we were headed north! view map (Guinea Pig Tour Route)
The ride was
super : All mountains were out - including Denali. At 20,230 feet,
Mt. McKinley (Denali) is an impressive sight. It rises so far above
everything else, that it does not seem real. The farther you go
away from it, the larger it seems to get! We spent a good part of
the day admiring it as we rode north. When we got
to the McKinley Princess, at mile post 132.9 of the Parks Highway,
we boarded a helicopter, and enjoyed a 50 min. flight-see of McKinley,
the Amphitheater, and the Ruth Glacier. The scenery was spectacular!
The weather was absolutely clear as we flew as high as 10,000 feet
near the summit. The cascading glaciers were blanketed with fresh
snow, giving them the appearance in the sunlight of whipped topping.
Swans, moose, black bears, and grizzly bears were spotted during
the flight. Though an hour long, the flight seemed to be over no
more than five minutes after take-off. I have lived up here all
of my life, and flown to some gorgeous places, but I cannot recall
seeing so much from an aircraft in just one hour. I recommend this
flight to anyone. After landing,
we donned our riding gear, and rode north to Cantwell. The town
of Cantwell has pretty big letters on all the maps, but I swear
it is just a couple of gas stations. It is located in an area called
Broad Pass, in the Alaska Range. Just south of town, there is a
pull-off on the highway which borders on tree-line. From there,
you can see 360 degrees of mountains, including "the great
one". Stunted firs dot the surrounding tundra giving testament
to the harsh climate. It is the type of nature scene you see when
you watch a travel shows on Alaska. When you see it first hand,
you realize that you are finally in there! view map (Guinea Pig Tour Route) JUNE 4th: 222 miles.
Cantwell to Chena Hotsprings. The weather
was kind to us as we headed north on the Parks Highway to Fairbanks.
We again had breakfast at The Perch, and got on the road. The pass
was very pleasant to ride. All the mountains were out, as we wound
our way through the Alaska Range. Since it was the beginning of
June, there was relatively no traffic. You could feel the summer
tourist season starting up…but the hoards of Winnabagos had
not arrived yet. No bugs, no Winnys, and great weather: early June
in Alaska is a special time. "Best
pie filling of the trip" said Martin of the Backwoods Inn in
Nenana. It was down right hot in Fairbanks! We stopped at Harley-Davidson's farthest north outpost there, and then headed on to the Hotsprings at Chena. The hotsprings were soothing that evening. I asked Martin what he loved about motorcycling today. He replied, "You can only think about two things when you are riding: the road, and one other thing. That's all." view map (Guinea Pig Tour Route) JUNE 5th: 324 miles. Too much for one day of riding in Alaska. We had 75 degree weather in Chena and all was going very well. The ride back
to Fairbanks was pleasant. We stopped for pie at Susies Homestead
Cafe, 34 miles from Chena. We bypassed
Fairbanks and briefly stopped in North Pole for some water and peaches.
As we pulled up , a man noted that it was strange to see a Harley
and a Suzuki DR riding together. A road bike rider, he asked me
some questions about the DR. He wanted to explore more of Alaska,
but with only a road bike, he felt limited. We stopped for
lunch at Rika's Roadhouse, a historic site. Kind of a trough for
Holland America/Princess bus groups. Food was OK, Pie was OK. The weather
turned foul when we entered the Alaska Range at Isabel Pass. Then,
it got worse. We put on the rain gear, put our heads down, and went
for it. Near the top
of the pass, the rain got worse. We came across a mother moose and
her calf. They wanted to cross the road. We stopped to take a better
look. Martin decided to walk close…too close to it seemed,
as the mother half-charged him. Moose are dangerous in certain circumstances,
and this was one of them. There seems to be one or two fatalities
a year due to moose attacks in Alaska. Luckily, the scene quickly
turned safe when Martin stepped back. How terrible and embarrassing
to be attacked by a herbivore! After the incident,
the mother and calf eventually crossed the road, and slipped into
the brush. Martin and I
pushed it….making the entire stretch. I have to hand it to
Martin, he took that road bike over some tough terrain, and came
through fine. If I had known
the road would be so bad, I would have redirected the tour. Mind
you, dual sporters would have loved it, but it was no place for
a Heritage Softtail. (I did run the same stretch a few weeks later,
and all of the gravel sections were again paved.) Well, we are
fine here in Glennallen. Fed and watered, we have not long to go
to Valdez tomorrow. The road is in good condition…so it seems
we are in the clear. I will look
to make this tour itinerary more palatable next year. Shorter days
and more side activities. view map (Guinea Pig Tour Route) JUNE 6th: We turned south
on the Richardson Highway, and rode to Copper Center. There, we
went to a small campground located on the Klutina River, called
Klutina Salmon Charters. They rented us some fishing poles, hip
waders, and some tackle, and Martin, Lisa and Dan tried their luck
at catching the famed Copper River Red Salmon. We had the river
to ourselves, with the sun beating down. The owner, Eric, was kind
enough to give some lessons on the technique, and then they were
off… Bald eagles
soured overhead as they patiently fished. At first, nothing happened.
I started to wonder if there were fish moving up through the silty
glacial river yet. It was, after all, a bit early in the season.
Then, Martin hooked one and fought it to shore. After a picture
and a moment of reflection, he decided to let it go. The sockeye
run in the Klutina is completely natural and healthy. It is refreshing
to know that there are still places that are wild. After fishing,
we headed south into the Chugach mountains, towards Valdez. The
stretch of highway between Cooper Center and Valdez is arguably
the most beautiful ride in the state. The road winds its way up through several different river valleys. There are jagged peaks on all sides as you hit the top. Once above treeline, the ancient fingers of glaciers reach for the road. After you hit the summit, the next three miles lose around 2,500 feet of altitude. So, within a span of a few minutes, you go from alpine to rain forest. The temperature warms up and you head into a very narrow canyon, with a raging river at the bottom. The canyon walls on both sides of the road rise to hundreds of feet, with a multitude of waterfalls cascading down on both sides. It is almost too much to see from a motorcycle, if you ride by just once. Keystone Canyon is a three-mile motorcycle paradise. If you ever travel the state of Alaska by motorcycle, make the ride between Glennallen and Valdez. view map (Guinea Pig Tour Route) JUNE 7th: Today, we woke
up bright and early to catch the ferry across Prince William Sound.
The Alaska Marine Highway has a fleet of sea-going vessels which
services the Alaska Panhandle, Prince William Sound, Kodiak Island,
and even Dutch Harbor. The HMS Bartlett of Prince William Sound
has been running the same route for years, ping-ponging between
Valdez, Whittier, and Cordova. The trip from Valdez to Whittier
lasts 6 and a half hours, and features spectacular scenery and abundant
wildlife. They even go out of their way to show you the terminal
of one of the largest tidewater glaciers in Alaska: Columbia Glacier. The weather
was good once again, as we relaxed, and watched the heavily forested
mountains, hanging glaciers, and waterfalls drift by. At the end
of the trip, Martin and Lisa wanted to see some of the tidewater
glaciers in the area up close. So, I arranged a charter with a friend
of mine, Brook Whip, who operates a 12 passenger aluminum boat out
of Whittier called the Fera Mare. He had designed this boat himself,
and has been running water taxi in the area for years, but this
is his first year on his own with his company called Epic Charters.
We boarded his
boat in Whittier, and he took us on a 2 hour cruise to Blackstone
Bay, where there are several tidewater glaciers converging at the
head of the bay. When we drew close to the glaciers, it was almost
impossible to take in all of the splendor at once. Dramatic waterfalls,
the crackle of the icebergs, and the sheer size of the glacier faces
bring you back in time. We spent some time exploring all of the
glaciers, and even witnessed some calving! On return, Martin and
Lisa were smiling from ear to ear. What can you say? The weather
was wonderful, and scenery was remarkable. We left Whittier
for Anchorage, our final stop. On leaving Whittier, we exited through
the Whittier Tunnel. At 2.5 miles, it is one of the longest in North
America. It is one lane, and built on top of railroad tracks. The
traffic has to go in intervals to allow traffic and trains from
both directions through. It is a bit scary for the first time. The
train tracks are almost level with the tarmac, and easily negotiated
by car. For the motorcyclist, catching your tire in one of those
tracks could have some serious consequences, as the rails are wet
from the constant dripping from the roof of the tunnel. So, you
must stay focused on the center... an almost hypnotic proposition.
I don't want to scare folks from the tunnel, but I will say, it
does get your attention! The last portion
of riding to Anchorage was pleasant and without incident. The Seward
Highway south of Anchorage is very scenic, full us coastal and mountainous
scenes. At last we pulled into the Captain Cook Hotel front in downtown
Anchorage. The dead bugs and dirt on the bikes gave testament to
our adventurous travel. What a scene it was, compared to the well-manicured
front of the Hotel! That dirt is pride, baby! The ignition turned off, Martin had a grin on his face like a little kid! I could see in his eyes that the trip was everything and more than he expected. He had come to Alaska, and seen and done as much as one could do in one short week. He shook my hand, and said he would recommend this tour to anyone! The Richardson
Highway is fixed, with no bad parts…until the next earthquake.
Early
June is a special time. It is not the hectic atmosphere of the season,
has great weather, no bugs, and features the midnight sun. It is
a great time to visit the state. As I approach
next years' tour, I am thinking of passing on Chena Hotsprings and
the ferry portion of the trip. I also am going to design shorter
riding days, for those who want to do side activities. For those
who love to ride…there will be some options for you to keep
you busy on those days. Thanks for checking out the Guinea Pig Road Report. Phil
Freeman
view map (Guinea Pig Tour Route)
Articles about Alaska Rider Tours - Bike Rider Magazine "Northern Exposure" December/January 2003 issue - Bike Rider Magazine "Northern Exposure Part ll" February/March 2003 issue
Road Reports
|
*To Register for any of our motorcycle tours or rentals,
please print, fill out, sign and send in our
Click
here to download Adobe Acrobat Reader to view forms.
Join our
Mailing List!
keep informed on Alaska Rider Tours
specials and Alaska riding!
Alaska Rider Tours Proudly
uses
Happy Trails Products
on all of our Dual Sport Motorcycles!
Welcome to Happy Trails Products!
Your Motorcycle Accessories store, specializing in
Dual-Sport and Adventure touring.
 |
|
|
|
|
|
Join our keep informed on Alaska Rider
Tours specials and Alaska riding! |