The road mostly parallels the Trans Alaska Pipeline over mountains, along pristine rivers and over mosquito laden tundra. The road is a mix of gravel, dirt, mud, chip-seal and asphalt. If its raining, then about half the road SUCKS!!! If you luck out like I did, and the weather was DRY for a few days in a row, about 50-75 mile SUCK! The bad parts were thru the construction zones (better name should be DESTRUCTION ZONES). They lay this thick, wet, dirty, nasty gravel down that will make your heart skip a few bests as you fight for your life to keep your bike up-right and going straight.
It took about 16 hours to reach Deadhorse!! I met a couple dual sport guys from the Seattle area and we leap frogged north. I hope my go-pro videos turned out!!
The highlight for me was in Deadhorse!! I pulled into an abandoned warehouse to wait out a rain storm. I cooked some dinner and had got the bike ready to leave on s moments notice if security kicked me out.
I was sound asleep when something was "kicking" my boots (feet still in my boots)... I thought "must be the security guy about to kick me out" so I uncovered my eyes only to find s big mamma brown bear and cub staring at me!!! SHIT!!! I jumped up and my tarp went flying and the bears bounced back about three feet!!! Now we are sizing each other up.... Her looking at me as a Scooby Snack for junior and me thinking.... The same thing!!!! My mind kicks into overdrive! Gun? On the bike!!! Shit! Knife??? On the bike!! Play dead???? Too late for that!!!! I reach over and turn on the ignition and honk the bike horn!! Cha Ching! It worked!! The mamma bear did a 180 retreat with baby bear in hot pursuit!!
I wish my go-pro was running thru all this!!! I would've had a winning You-Tube!!!
I wish you had written a journal of all your experiences. What a story you could have written. And what an experience you have had. AND WHAT A LIFE.....
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