UPDATE 17 - ALASKA PRUDHOE BAY 05 SEP 06

ALASKA PRUDHOE BAY.
31 Aug 06 (Thu). Whitehorse – Fairbanks: Route 1, 2: 625 Miles

(Double click on the photos to enlarge them)

There was a fresh dusting of snow on the high hills around Whitehorse this morning with a crispness in the air that would require an extra layer of clothes. It was also the first morning that we had really ridden into the autumn with its vibrant colours of gold, bronze, yellows and every shade of reds and pinks. Riding along highway 1 through Destruction Bay and Burwash Landing alongside Lake Kluane in bright sunshine was a real pleasure as you can see from the photos.

We crossed the Canadian border at Beaver Creek into the US without a hitch and a friendly welcome, making straight for Fairbanks, to be ready for the final 500 mile push to Prudhoe Bay in the morning. We will do this over two days as we understand that the Dalton Highway or locally know as The Haul Road is not in great shape and it would be more than a challenge for a single long days riding.

01 Sep 06 (Fri). Fairbanks – Cold Foot: Route 2, Elliot Highway, Dalton Highway (The Haul Road): 270 Miles.
The Haul Road has surprised us; we had been led to believe that it was a graded track in poor condition that would require considerable care and time to travel. In reality, where it is a graded track it is generally in good condition and with very little traffic we were able to maintain a good speed. And what really surprised us was that the greater percentage of the road was paved making it any easy days ride, at only 270 miles today.

We crossed into the Artic Circle at 1600 hrs this afternoon in glorious sunshine at latitude North 66,33.345 longitude West 150,48.649 where everyone stops to have there their photo taken; we were no exception. The autumn colours continue to increase, vibrant and as varied as you’d get in the UK, with the countryside in this part so similar to Dartmoor or parts of Scotland. The only difference is that we do not have a massive oil pipe line cutting through the landscape and the temperature can drop to -40 degrees in midwinter.

Cold Foot Camp claims to be the furthest north truck stop in the world; it sits halfway between the civilisation of Fairbanks and the head of the oil pipe line at Deadhorse, Prudhoe Bay and is the last fuel stop before you tackle the final 240 miles north. The original town of Cold Foot was founded in the summer of 1900, due to the gold rush, 5 miles further south of the current location. It is thought to have been names after a group of green Stampeders reached this point up the Koyukuk, then got cold feet and ran! The current Cold Foot camp was built on Slate Creek in 1970 to accommodate 260 workers who constructed the Alaskan State Highway in this area, and then accommodated workers who built the oil pipe line after the oil find in 1977. Its claim in the temperature range is that its coldest winter temp was -82 degrees Fahrenheit and the highest summer temp of +97 degrees Fahrenheit; a temp range of 179 degrees, that is some temp range!!

02 Sep 06 (Sat). Cold Foot – Deadhorse, Prudhoe Bay – Cold Foot: Route The Haul Road: 480 Miles.
A very crisp start to the day with a colourful sunrise and good layer of ice on the bikes, but it was a bright clear and sunny morning for that final run to the top and journeys end (phase 1). Only 240 miles along the Haul Road riding higher into the autumn season as the colours became more vivid with the terrain changing as we approach the North Slope Borough and with it our first bit of mountain scenery for a few days. As we’d ridden north about 100 miles the clouds had started to form and we stopped before the first rise into the high ground to change tapes on the helmet cameras and zip up collars and cuffs as it looked a little colder.

Climbing the first slope brought us into the snow line with a light dusting on the track followed by a wall of freezing fog that froze the visors and cut the visibility to a matter of metres making this section very tricky as the oncoming trucks were oblivious to the fog and us!! Thirty miles later we cleared the fog and were on the wide open tundra of the far north. Flat and desolate from horizon to horizon; all that was visible was the oil pipe that was the reason for the road in the first place, hunters with bows and arrows as firearms are banned within a 5 mile corridor either side of the pipe, but someone had a couple of pot shots at the warning sign!

We spent only 2 hours in Prudhoe Bay as it is just an industrial site supporting the oil industry; unless you make a long stay to visit the industry there was nothing that really caught our fancy. Also, we had ridden up through some atrocious conditions, so we decision was to ride back to Cold Foot the same afternoon as we stood a better change of clearer visibility than waiting until the next morning. It was a good decision; after a hundred miles we left the overcast tundra and we were in bright sunshine and what we had missed in the fog in the morning was a superb ride in the snowy mountains with spectacular views and colours.

That’s it! We’d done it and we were on our way south, the first time that we have deliberately headed south in over 4 months with our objective achieved.

The declared end state has been achieved; the undeclared end state is still to be firmed-up. Do we go home or go on for some more and if so where? West to Magadan is not really an option as we’re too late in the season and have lost the weather window and haven’t packed enough winter woollies! A ride trans-Canada to Halifax Nova Scotia is an option, but the weather there is starting to chill quickly too. Back through the USA and then Christmas in Cape Town or somewhere in Africa is looking good. The critical factors for us to continue were; getting to Prudhoe Bay first, done that. Still to be talking to each other; most of the time. Do we want to ride anymore; yes. Is the weather on our side; in Africa it is. Are our wives still on our side; think so?

03 Sep 06 (Sun). Cold Foot – Fairbanks: Route The Haul Road: 270 Miles.
The Sun God is with us again today; an even sharper frost this morning but not a cloud in the sky and that’s how the day would remain. With the self induced pressure off as we’ve reached the top and the urgency has gone it was a very sedate ride south with frequent stops to take photos in this superb light and the spectacular colours. We even saw a bear on the side of the road about 100 metres in front of us but unfortunately it did not stay long enough for us to get a good photo; just its backside as it wandered back into the bushes.

04 – 05 Sep 06. Fairbanks.
We are now sitting in Fairbanks having returned from Prudhoe Bay via Cold Foot; time to change the tyres (again), wash the bikes (last washed in Bogota), bit of maintenance, catch up on the writing and decide what next? A new rear tyre for each bike was a high priority as the last 1000 mile took the treads down very quickly. The easiest way, but not necessarily the cheapest way to get the right size tyres for these bikes is to contact the local BMW dealer. We had already got the dealers details from the internet and made an appointment to have the tyres change.

It was a little bit of a surprise when we arrived at BMW Fairbanks! Now BMW are pretty anal about corporate image and presentation; so when we arrived at an overgrown wooded track with a BMW sign at the top we were a little surprised and as we rode into the Agency we were even a little concerned! But George, who had been running bike dealerships for over 40 years, said that he had the tyres, could change them and balance them too; all at a competitive price, in fact he was the only one with the TKC 80s that we wanted! It took nearly 4 hours for him to change two rear tyres, but he was thorough and diligent, making sure that the brake pads were still within acceptable thickness and decided that we should have the rear axel oil check as it’s his experience that not enough attention is paid to this, causing catastrophic failure! Although it was long drawn out process, it was a good lesson to us on how to change tyres and balance them without the sophisticate equipment of a modern garage. He said that he will be handing over the BMW Dealership, probably to Harley Davidson next year as its getting a bit too much for him, but I’m sure that he’ll still be tinkering with bikes, so if you’re in the area and stuck for help I’m sure he’ll be delighted to help, just make sure that you have plenty of time.

Good news, bad news. Just before we arrived in Fairbanks last Friday Mick S received a job offer that would be too good not to apply for but if he was successful it would put an end to the possibility of him commencing phase two. He was successful and got the job and will have to be home at the latest by mid November which means that phase 2 will not be on his radar…………..YET!

Journeys End, Phase 1, Cape One,
Arriving in Prudhoe Bay, our target destination to end this phase of our ride from Ushuaia Argentina, we have completed 22,000 mile in 135 days, covering the length of the continent of the Americas visiting 21 countries, including The Falkland Islands, but only 20 with the bikes, cause we didn’t take them to Antigua.

We are supporting:
Charity:
Macmillan Cancer Support – www.justgiving.com/MickDaly-Hereford

Schools:
Christ College Brecon - www.christcollegebrecon.com
St Richard’s Bredenbury - www.st-richards.co.uk

Some statistics:
Days away 135
Days Riding 85
Days not riding 50
Miles covered per bike 22000
Av miles per riding day 259
Fuel used in litres per bike 2228
Fuel consumption 9.8 miles per Litre or 44 MPG
Tyres used per bike 5 sets
Counties visited 21
Number of border crossings 31 entries = 4 x Chile, 4 x Argentina, 2 x Brazil,
4 x USA. 1 x the rest

Breakages in total:
1 x Rear view mirror
1 x Left & 1 x right cylinder guard
3 x Speedo cables
2 x Spotlight bulbs
4 x Touratech short reach rear indicator arms. 100% failure
1 x Clavicle
1 x Ankle #
1 x Handlebar throttle bracket
1 x Rear spray guard

Bashed in total:
1 x Fuel tank (slightly)
4 x Side panniers
1 x Windscreen (slightly)
1 x Crash bar
1 x Big toe
2 x Wallets

Our intentions next.
The aim of this jaunt was to ride two motorbikes from the southern most habitable city navigable by bike, on the planet; the city of Ushuaia in Argentina to the northern most point navigable by bike in Alaska; Prudhoe Bay, visiting every or as many countries as we can en-route. That done we will wander south through Jasper, Banff, Calgary and into the USA for a while until the middle of October 06. With Mick S destined for home, I have to decide what I will do; join him on the trip home, stay on this continent or go to Africa to ride home from the second Cape an our list; Cape of Good Hope?