Re: [Motorcycling Rotarians] Alaska Aerostich tour


Hello Joe;
If you like riding with a group and need support by all means join up
with Aerostitch.
Getting there for an exact date/time departure could be stressfull and
limit your enjoyment of just doing your own thing on the way up.
10 days is about right but gives no slack or allows for problems..
I have done organized tours offshore and liked them but they
were where I flew in and they picked me up at the airport for a 2 or 3
week ride.
I made the trip from Fairbanks to PB alone in 07 and it is not that
difficult.
The road is paved the first 160 miles to the Artic Circle, you can
drive a Cadillac to it..
I went from the Super 8 in Fairbanks 524 miles straight thru to the
Purdohe Bay Hotel (cheaper than
the Artic Caribou Inn and great food) in 10.5 hours riding at what I
will admit was tooo fast but my BMW GSA loved it.
You must stop at the Artic Carbou Inn to register for the 8:30am daily
bus ride to the Artic Ocean.
Register ASAP upon arrival in Deadhorse as they need time to do a
security check.
Make reservation at Prudhoe Hotel to insure you have a room.
Ask for directions to the gas pump or you will never find it (It's
inside the 8x8 building next to the storage tanks).
There are things to beware of and bad sections on any of the paved
roads
due to frost heaves but all in all the road to Prudhoe Bay is well
maintained to keep
the trucks rolling.
There is plenty of traffic should you have a problem and there is a Hwy
Maintance station about every 100 miles.
Your choice of motorcycle and tires (highly recommend TKC knobbies)
will determine how difficult the trip is and carry enough gas for the
last 250 mile section.
All types of bikes and tires have made the trip.
The worst section is the last 50 miles into Deadhorse if they have
freshly graded it, beware, many rides have ended in this section as you
are tired and not concentrating.
If the weather catches you either ride thru it, stop and try 24 hours
later.
They are always grading the whole road so watch out for the loose
gravel. Pull over and wait for a few trucks to pack a path.
If worried I would rent a satellite phone
(www.satellitephonesdirect.com) and spend
the rest of the $395 on hotel rooms and go on your own at your pace not
having to worry
about arriving in time for the tour or riding with all the other riders
when in a group.
Chances are somebody is going to screw up or have a mechanical problem
affecting the whole group.

If you have the time I recommend the D2D Rally in Dawson City, Yukon
Terr on June 21-22 (I attended 2010).
Last year there were 177 riders from around the world.
Make reservation NOW at the Dawson Hotel to ensure a room, or camping
is available at the end lof main street.
http://www.advrider.com/forums/showthread.php?t=735855
If looking for someone to ride to with, just ask around as many leave
Dawson and head for Deadhorse.

From Dawson City you can also go to the Artic Circle 250 miles up the
Dempster Hwy toward Inuvik, again many will do so and you can tag
along.
This is a prettier ride than the Dawson Hwy IMO.
Make reservations at the Eagle Plaines Hotel before going.
Then after returning to Dawson City, take the ferry across the Yukon
River (free) and travel the Top Of the World Hwy (100 miles of
dirt/gravel well maintained, unless you do it in the rain like I did
last year) to Tok, then up to Fairbanks. Trust me, the Dempster and TOW
Hwy's are amazing and worth going this route (if only for the pie in
Chicken, AK).
We changed from dual sport Tourances to TKC's at Yukon Honda in
Whitehorse (say high to John). They saved our tires and we switched back
going home. Tires there are very expensive so may want to see about
shipping some to them or a local Rotarian.
Get a copy of the Milepost magazine off Amazon and have a great trip.

Doug Holck
Lodi Rotary