Forking Fork seals

July 5^th, 2026

Fairbank, Alaska

Woke up around 7 and dressed to go look at the bike.

Spent some time removing the front fender and cleaning all the built-up oil and dirt from the forks.

Popped the dust cap seals up and cleaned around and inside the fork as best as possible, did get more oil and lots of grime.

Put the dust caps back into place and cleaned a 2^nd time to get any last bits of dirt.

Bike was still a bit oily, so decided I would run over to a nearby car wash and give it a good hose down.  There was still lots of built-up dirt all over the lower part of the bike and luggage, so probably good idea.

I found a car wash not far and also laundromat just a block away from there.

Gathered the dirty laundry and a few things and rode to car wash.

Spent about 5 minutes cleaning the forks and fender, and spraying the lower parts of bike off.  Also gave a quick spray to the luggage and front part of bike, enough to get heavy dirt and some of the bugs, but not all.

They went up a block to the laundry place.

Went inside and walked all over to find a machine.  1/3 of the machines were out of order and everything else was full, except one top loading washer.  Put my clothes in, and then tried to find changer. 

Turns out they do not have one, need to get change from counter person, who never seems to be at counter.  5 minutes later I had my $5 in quarters.  Went to insert first one and slot is jammed with another quarter?

Ask and the attendant is oh yea, out of order.  Well, think you could have put up a sign?  Or did they run out as so many were broken.

By now at least 4 more people were in looking, so decided to hell with this place and left.  There were a few people in there I saw checking at least 10 machines, and these tend to be high-capacity machines, so did they wait 2 months to do laundry or something?

I found another place across town, but its really just a 10-minute ride, so figured I would go over there.

Much larger place, much bigger machines and lots of them.

Found an empty machine, huge things, but no way to put money in.

Went to counter and asked.  They have some kind of cashless system, have to get a card from a kiosk to use on the machines.

So started process, had to pay $1 to get the card, and no, that money is not put on the card, just gone!  They had to add money to the card in whole dollar amounts.  As I had no clue what machine I was using, I could not figure out the price list, so assumed it was the smaller machine as I had not seen smaller.

Put $10 on card, when over to machine and it was $15 for a load!!!!

So put another $10 on card, then activated machine.  Since I was using cold wash instead of warm wash, I saved $1, so $14 for a load.

I walked around a bit and found smaller machines on other side, so I used way to large a machine, could have washed for $8 in smaller machine.

Once washing was done, went over to dryers and they were all $6 to run.  That gives you 25 minutes, but still!!

Then had some odd issue where I tried to use the card on top dryer and it did not work, but it had actually put the money on the bottom dryer.

Just cannot believe they took a simple process like washing clothes and over complicated it to this degree!

So now have a card with 20 cents still on it, never get used of course.

Also noticed here people with 5 or 6 huge bags of clothes, again, do they wait months between laundry?

Left the laundry as was going to eat at sub shop in parking lot next door.

Took a wrong turn and missed the connection between the lots, so had to get on street.

Did not turn into gas station as I wanted building on other side, but of course no way to turn in there, so had to go down and around the block to come back in the backside and find the building.

Then I managed to get inside 30 seconds before an entire tour bus dumped itself on the restaurant.

So busy, noisy place while trying to eat.

Once done I got out of there, managed to get in wrong lane and end up going a few miles around to get back to highway again.

Got back to hotel and checked the seals, they are all wet again!

Thinking it could just be from the car wash, water working out of crack, I dried it all up again.

I then let it sit awhile, and went to office to see if I could reserve two more nights at the room.  Thankfully they had the space, so reserved it, but did not pay yet.

Took the bike for 40-minute drive around the entire city on the highways that circle the town.

Once back, found it leaking quite heavily again, definitely still bad, the dust caps were not the issue (though probably bad as well as so much is getting out).

Went ahead and paid for the room nights.

So now I am $400 more out of pocket to wait as none of the bike shops are open on Monday!

Will call Suzuki on Tues morning, see what they can do, and also have a place across from the hotel, but looks more like just snowmobile place (50 of them sitting in lot).

If either can get me in on Tuesday, have the parts and fix it, then we are good.

If not, but can get me in on Wednesday, still good.

If not, then trip is over.

I might see if the shops in Whitehorse can do something, would take 2 days to get there, get fixed and still able to do the Dempster, but looking like the Dalton is not going to happen.

Guess we will find out in a few days.

For now, will spend tonight catching up on these blogs, doing a few other small tasks related to it and work on video stuff. 

Probably just walk over to Arby’s for dinner tonight, only thing close, and do not want to ride bike anywhere tonight, just mentally and physically drained right now.

A bit later I got to thinking, the small store card I was using earlier was not flexible enough to insert into the seal inside the fork, so I just cleaned the dust cap seal. 

I really need to clean the actual fork seal, and recalled something about a plastic bottle.

Some research found those references and the other data on the special tool made just for this; however, I could not find any confirmed location of that tool being sold anywhere here in Fairbanks.  Wal-Mart carries them, but not in stock here.

Amazon will take a week to get one here, so that’s not an option either.

So cut the empty water bottle I had down to approximate shape and went out and popped off the dust seals and clean everything, then tried that home made tool.  On the left side it went in okay, but really did not bring out much dirt.

The right side pulled out lots of grime, so still a bit unsure if they are clean, will test ride tomorrow and I am just not in the mood to gear up now and already paid for the extra room nights, so staying 2 more nights regardless.

Will still call on Tuesday, see if I can get someone bit more skilled to check it out, or perhaps they will have correct tool to try cleaning to see if that will resolve issue for now.

So, catch you down the road?  Guess we will see.

Northbound with crazy weather.

July 4^th, 2026

Fairbanks, Alaska

Woke at 8am this morning and looked outside.  Good and wet, but appeared to be done raining.

I tossed on my clothes and ran outside to check the bike cover; it always has a few spots where water collects.  Sure enough, a few pools or water.  Pulled them up and let them drain.  With the breeze, should be dry before I pack it up in an hour or so, unless it rains again.

Went back inside to shower and get geared up.  Then packed everything up and prepared it for loading.

Went down and was lucky there was still one luggage cart left, so took it down to the room and loaded it up.

Final check of the room and final visit to bathroom and we then left room and took cart out to the bike.

Removed cover, still bit damp, but nothing too bad.

Stuffed it in its sack and then removed the security locks.

Loaded the bike, and about half way through is starts to rain, very lightly, but enough to start getting things wet.  Just cannot get a break, seems to always rain when loading or unloading for me.

Once loaded up, I took cart back, checked out of room and then back to bike to get cameras ready, route plotted and last gear on.

Got out of the parking lot and Google Maps said to go a direction that did not make sense, then immediately had me to a U-Turn.  Stupid thing.

Once back on the main road, took it up to another which brought me to the main highway.

By now it is actually raining, not hard, but enough to make things less than fun on a bike.

The fuel station I plan to use is about 15 miles up the road, so just made my way there.

Once at the fuel stop the rain had stopped thankfully, though nicely covered area, so filled the tank and then took bike over to the store to park.

Went inside to use restroom and look at food, but nothing jumped out at me so decided I would just eat later.

Got on bike and plotted my next stop at an old bridge on the old highway.  It’s about 20 miles round trip out of my way, but looks cool, so going to do it, plus I enjoy riding the old highways that get replaced by new ones.  They tend to still move good, but can be far less busy as everyone is on the new road.

I noticed that part of the old highway was the road the fuel station was on.  So followed it up through the north edges of Eagle River until it went into the countryside.

It eventually reconnected with the new highway (which was only about 1 mile to the west running a parallel course)

The new part took me another few miles before it split off again.

The old part of the highway follows the hills where it crosses the river at a smaller area.  The new highway was built across the estuary and wetlands, something they lacked engineering for when road was first built.  This cuts about 15 miles off the travel, but nothing around and exposed to all the winds coming in off the bay.

The old route has lots of trees around it and meanders up and down the small hills alongside the river Knik.

I saw my 5^th bear this morning along this stretch of road.  Young one, coming up out of the ditch to cross the road.  He did not seem to really notice me when I passed.  I slowed a bit as I was not sure if he would walk in front of me or not, but hardly gave me a glance, and crossed after I passed by.

Soon arrived at the old river bridge.  This is the original bridge that connected Anchorage to Palmer in 1936.  It was replaced years later by a more modern bridge right next to it, and later the highway was re-routed as I mentioned earlier, crossing a wider spot several miles downriver.

I parked the bike and walked up through the over growth to the bridge.

The bridge is an iron framed bridge with wood decking.  At some point they poured a layer of asphalt on top of the wood to provide a smoother surface, I guess.

Today the bridge is an historic landmark, and acts as a walking path.   Lots of graffiti art is on the road surface and parts of the bridge structure, and some amazing views off the bridge deck.

I only walked a short way onto the bridge for some photos, and then returned to the bike.

Rode across the newer bridge to check out the other side.

It has a long section of bridge that does not have the iron supports above it.  Did not walk much on this side.  Moved the bike across the road to try getting a photo and then got back onto the old highway heading up to Palmer. (Known as the Glenn Highway, name still applies to the modern highway today).

Arrived at the smaller river crossing in Palmer which also has an old bridge, this one converted into part of a bike path, so better restoration.  I did not stop, but should have it on video.

Back in Palmer I picked up the same highway I had ridden into the area a week ago and headed back south a short distance to the junction with Alaka Highway 3 which will take me north to Fairbanks. (The Parks Highway)

The first half hour of this highway is mostly urban, going through Wasilla, Meadow Lakes, and Houston.

You then get into the wilderness again.

By now the rain had mostly stopped and roads were dry.  Still very overcast, and while temperature had actually warmed some, it actually seemed colder?  Still getting a good wind coming in off the bay though.

Stopped a few times along the road for restroom stops till I reached my first fuel stop.  This one would give me enough fuel to maybe make it into Fairbanks, but definitely enough to reach a last fuel stop before a 50-mile gap of nothing leading into Fairbanks.

I bought something to drink and eat here as I was very hungry by now, but had not seen anything interesting to stop at, and being the 4^th of July, many places were closed, or packed with people.

While eating at my bike, I saw a Toyota truck with camper pull in with Brazil plates.  Talked a bit with the driver through limited English.  He and his wife have left Brazil in December and driven all the way to Alaska.

Strange that I have now met two couples driving up here from Brazil.

Back on the highway I headed north and soon came into the area where I should have been able to see Denali, the highest mountain withing the United States.  But the clouds were still heavy over the mountains, so could see lower parts, but not the peaks.  Not sure even which one was Denali.

Denali is somewhere in those clouds.

Over the next hour I saw several spots where you could see them, and clouds looked thinner each time, but never cleared out completely.

Did get quite a few nice photos and hopefully some good video as well.

I reached the Denali Park entrance where I originally thought I might stop, before I realized the holiday weekend.  As expected, the place was just jammed with people.

I stopped for a bit at a river with a nice pedestrian bridge over it and then hit the road north.

Reached the last town with gas, and while my range said it was possible, the margin of error was too close, so decided to top up now versus stress about it the last hour.

First pump I went too had an issue reading my card, so had to move.  Was wishing I had stopped at the Shell station only a few miles prior, this Chevron was a rundown dump.

Hit the road, and the road started to climb some, but also hit some pretty big road works.  Had to stop for a bit to wait for a pilot car, though oddly the road was two lane the whole way, nothing working on the road, and nothing blocking it, so not sure why they are guiding cars through it?

Not long after that we came into the edge of Fairbanks.

Note that it is now just over 70 degrees (F) and we started the day at 53.  Been going up a few degrees every hour as I moved north.  Opposite of what I would have expected.

Sun is also been shining for few hours, though north of town it looks dark and menacing, which does not bode well for the Dalton being dry.

The motel I booked was just north of the Airport which lies on this edge of town, so was quick and simple to get off the highway and to the lodging.

Checked into the room, unloaded the bike and then took the bike over a few blocks to get food at Taco Bell.  Was almost 8:00pm, most of the other places were either closed for holiday or getting ready to close.

I arrived back at the room and noticed some oil drops on the roadway.

I went inside and ate and then came back out to cover bike and check for leaks, and that’s when I found the problem.

Both of my front fork seals are leaking.

The left fork was far worse, and had been splattering oil all over the fender and back onto the bash plate and around the fairing some.

Looking back at old photos, it appears it may have been leaking from early in the trip.  The right fork only started about 10 days ago from what I can see, though hard to say.  However, seems it really got bad on the left sometime after I left the camp at Whitehorse.  While I can see the oil stain prior, after that I start to see the splatters on the bash plate in images.

Can only assume the 84 miles of dirt road in Nevada probably did something as I did not have the issue prior to leaving Arizona.

I will try cleaning them in the morning, as that is a common issue with dirt getting into the dust cap seals, but the amount of oil that has come out leads me to believe it might be the seal inside the tube.

I took care of a few things and then as I was exhausted, I am going to go to bed early.  A lot to do tomorrow, so will get a good night’s sleep.

Todays Route:

Side trips and disappointments

July 3^rd, 2026

Anchorage, Alaska

Woke at 8am and showered and geared up.

Went down for breakfast since I had never done that yet just to see what it was.

Not much to choose from, but had a bagel with cream cheese and some cranberry juice.

Went over to the bike and uncovered it, and then moved it over to the area next to the stairs to reduce the amount of walking.

Spent about 30 minutes loading everything on the bike and securing it and then grabbed rest of the gear and went down to the office to check out.

On the bike we set our route for Seward Alaska and rode north.

Was a bit cool, made a few stops to use restroom, add layers and take a few photos.

We reached the junction of the highway and turned south again

This route was a short one, and scenic, but the road was just horrible.  Probably the worst surfaced road I have been on yet.

Arrived in Seward and rode down to the end of the town where there was a parking lot next to the water.

There are several statues and signs related to the Iditarod dog sledders which started from this area when the trail was first created.

I next rode over to a small waterfall at the edge of town before heading back into town to find some food.

The main street was closed down for some street fair, so went a bit farther up to a place I had seen on the way in.  Another burger place setup in an old bus.  They even have another bus that acts as the dining room.

Took about 40 minutes to get my food, but was a nice wait. 

Spent some time talking with a guy about my travels while waiting.

Once done eating, I got back on the road and headed north to the highway that goes back toward Whittier.

Road was bit nicer this time since it was warmer and not as rainy, but still tired enough I did not make too many stops, just a few to rest or use restroom, but still scenic.

I had seen some nice campgrounds here last time, so figured that would be a good stop for tonight.

That was wrong.  In my travels I have sort of lost track of time, and never realized this is the 4^th of July weekend.  Every person in a 200-mile radius is out camping this weekend!

Both campgrounds were full, and the few I had passed on the way had looked busy as well.

This means camping is out, and now I am going to have to do what I was trying to avoid, and that is pay the criminally inflated hotel prices around Anchorage.  I mean there are places charging close to $600 a night for a room that would cost $175 anywhere else.

I rode over toward a small town nearby and tried to find a place there, but only place open was the ski resort ($550 a night).

I then looked up in Anchorage, but mostly over 400 a night.  Finally found a place for $300 and decided to book it.  The only other option was to ride another 5 hours and try reaching Fairbanks, but likely have same issue there anyway this weekend.

Hotel is a fairly new place, but sits in a somewhat industrial area closer to the airport.  Not much around it.  Cannot see how they get these prices here.

Once room was reserved, I rode the hour up to the hotel and got checked in.

Guy running the desk saw the helmet and at least was cool enough to get me a ground level room.  And since it is a hotel vs motel, they had luggage carts that allowed me to unload the bike in one action.

I then went out to move the bike over to a better spot I can see from the room and got to talking to some guys from Denmark who are in a motorcycle club over there.

They invited me to link up online with them and if ever in that region to reach out and they can assist with things if need.

I gave him my card as well to follow along if they so choose.

I then asked the front desk about pizza places and he had the name of one nearby.

I checked them out and decided to just order a pizza from them, otherwise only option was to walk across the road to Burger King.

I had the video from last night that was almost done, so worked on it while waiting and finished it while eating the pizza later.

Now going to finish this blog, and then probably going to go to bed or at least watch something on TV, just word out today.

Catch ya down the road!

Todays Route:

Bike Maintenance Day and Editing Day

July 2^nd, 2026

Soldotna, Alaska

Up at 8am this morning and quickly got showered and geared up.

Today we will take the bike over for an oil change as we have done roughly 5000 miles since the last one which was done a few weeks prior to my departure on the trip.

I found a local shop that was able to get me in this morning and can do the job.

Doug’s Motorcycle Shop and Hauling Service.  He is located on the north end of Soldotna and works from a building at his home.

Was a short ride up there this morning, and arrived a few minutes before my appointment time of 9:30am.

Doug came out shortly after I pulled up and after quick introductions, he went over and opened up the shop and then pushed the bike inside and onto the lift.

We talked about various things while the worked on the bike.  Have to remove the crash plate to access the oil drain plug, so takes a few extra minutes to perform the job.

Doug works up on the oil fields near Prudhoe Bay, but has every other 2-week period off, so I was lucky he was in one of those and could get me in.

Once done, we rolled the bike outside and let it run for a bit to make sure nothing was leaking.

We then talked a bit more and I gave some attention to one of the horses in the pen next to the shop that came up to the fence.

Finally decided to get going, wanted to ride a few miles north toward Kenai to get the bike some exercise after the change and Doug recommended a restaurant in town to try.

Once back to the highway, headed northward, but I had noticed that I would arrive at restaurant just a few minutes before it opened, so decided to ride up to the last populated spot on the road before it goes into the wilderness. 

Turned around there, and then headed back and made a quick stop at the Visitor Center in Kenai to check out a fishing boat on display in the yard.  Walked around a few other displays outside and then drove over a few buildings to the restaurant.

The Burger Bus is a small burger place built inside an actual bus.  Looked to be an older 1960s era school type bus which was gutted and the kitchen built inside.  Bus was skirted like a trailer around the wheels and front and had an enclosed space built on the side to keep people out of the colder winds while ordering.  Original door was still the entrance and you ordered from one of the windows.

Checked out menu, then waited my turn to order, busy place already.

Once food was ready, I walked over to some picnic tables in the parking area and sat down to eat.

Got to talking with another guy there who was also travelling around the state, but in a pickup.

Food was excellent, and was priced nicely for this region.

Once done eating, I got back on the bike and then rode back toward town.  I decided to take the bridge over the Kenai River which Doug had mentioned just to see something different.

This brought me down to the loop road I was on yesterday, and came back into Soldotna from the south like then.

I stopped at the fuel station to fill the tank as was pretty low by now, and this would save me time in the morning.

Once back at the motel, we secured the bike and changed into normal clothes, then sat down to convert more videos.  Eventually had to lay down as I was falling asleep, and ended up taking a 2-hour nap.

Woke up, finished my conversions and then completed a video and got it scheduled for release in a few days.

Also did some packing and such during exports.

I took some time to research my plans for tomorrow, looks like I will make a fairly short riding day, not much for places to stay once I head north, only a few and most are just outrageously priced ($300+ a night for not that great a place).

Looks like I will be camping tomorrow, but found a decent campground and then from there I can hopefully make a long day’s ride and get well north of Anchorage region, prices are just crazy here for lodging, and those affordable are in sketchy parts of town.

 Going to try and knock another video out, might not complete it, but at least get it half way done so I can finish it tomorrow perhaps.

Catch ya down the road.

Day trip down the cost and market day

July 1^st, 2026

Soldotna, Alaska

Woke about 8am this morning and sat around for a bit to finish waking up.

Showered and got geared up and then grabbed the few things I would need on the bike for the days sightseeing.

Uncovered and loaded the bike and then plotted my route.

Rode a few blocks to the fuel station to fill the tank as it was almost empty.

We then headed south out of town and skirted along the coast for much of the distance, though the trees between road and coast block the view most of the time. 

But a few spots where you could see the water and across the inlet at the mountains on the other side.

Stopped at a view point for a few photos and then made my way south.

Came into Homer Alaska and found the road out onto the spit.

This 4.5-mile narrow spit of land stretches out into the bay and has several restaurants, shops and places to stay as well as the ferry terminals and lots of fishing options along it.

I rode out to the end (other than last short section which is part of a resort), and stopped at a public area to take some photos and watch boats coming and going and lots of people on the beach fishing. 

Talked a bit to a guy from Michigan here with his family before using the nearby restroom and then heading back toward the shops and such.

I thought about stopping for a snack, so pulled into one of the parking lots and looked over what was around.  I then decided to plot my next ride up to a small town north of here with a deep Russian heritage to eat at a small Russian restaurant.

However, as I was looking up the place, I found out that this year they place is not always open, and then you need to call and see if the owner will be cooking that day, and place orders ahead of time.

Since I did not even know what I wanted, and was hoping to get some advice at the place, and the hassle of getting there and not being open even, decided to just skip it and will find another place to try some Russian cuisine.

I looked again at the places around me to find a spot for lunch.  I decided to try a taco stand at the small boardwalk of shops right across from me, so rode over and parked again (very loose sand in this lot, could be fun getting out).

I walked up onto the boardwalk and decided to look over all the menus before I made a final choice.

One place was just pastries; another was closed for lunch.  Of the 3 open, the taco shop sounded the best, but by time I walked back over to it, the line was huge.  So, I decided the little shack at the end with the corn and other oddities would be it.

I decided to get the panini sandwich and a thing or mac and cheese.  I ordered and the girl asked me if I wanted a bowl or on the cob?  I thought perhaps she was asking about the size of the mac and cheese and I misheard, so said bowl.  Then clarified I wanted the panini and mac and cheese.

I thought the price was a bit high, so while waiting I looked over the receipt and turns out she has sold me some kind of corn curry in a bowl, along with what I wanted.  Not sure where she got it from, but decided it was far enough along I would just eat it, sounded like it could be good (Thai Curry Corn).

Everything arrived and it was all very good.  It was all very overpriced as well.

Once done eating I got back on the bike and headed north.  I decided I would skip going to the Russian village since I was not going to eat there, no other reason really to visit.

I plotted two side trips to ride two loops that would bring me back to the main highway each time, just to get off the main road, and closer to the coast, but again, mostly blocked views by trees or homes.

Once done with those detours it was a short ride back into town (last detour dropped my just a mile outside of Soldotna).

Once back at the hotel I got unloaded, secured the bike and then changed out of the riding gear.

I then got to work converting the 360 footage for use in videos so I can hopefully put a few more out in the next day or so.

While waiting for some exports to finish I was scrolling on Facebook and saw a post by a music group called the Harp Twins (Twin girls who play the harp).  They were giving a free concert at the park just down the street later tonight as the final stop on their Alaska tour.

I decided I would go eat at the same Mexican place I visited the other day for dinner, and then walk across the road to check it out.  Figured there must be something going on there today as the area was packed with cars and signs saying Event parking or no Event parking.

Grabbed my laptop and walked over to the restaurant and had a great dinner while I continued to convert files.

Once ready, I walked over to the park and saw signs for the Wednesday Market.

Looked like a local art/food fair.  At least 2 dozen food truck and quite a few vendor booths in the open park space. 

A small pavilion across the park was where the band was playing with everyone seated in front.

The group was doing a lot of talking along with music, and later included the Volfgang Twins as well on drums.  From the FB posts, I think the twins might be married couples that are both musical and touring, not sure though, not really looked up the history of the groups.

I also walked around the vendors a bit and talking to one vendor she indicated they do this every Wednesday and that half the non-food vendors had already packed up and left for the day, so it was much busier earlier.

I wandered a bit and then headed back to the hotel.

I noticed my mother had called while I was at the concert, so called back and talked while I walked.

Back in the room I took care of a few things and then got the laptop out so I could write this day’s blog and then will continue to convert files.

I have to be up earlier tomorrow to take bike over to a local shop to get oil changed.  So will try to get to bed bit earlier tonight.

Catch ya down the road!

Todays Route:

More editing and other tasks

June 30^th, 2026

Soldotna, Alaska

Woke a bit earlier today, but still slept in some.  Was around 10:00am.

Showered and then did some extra grooming as I needed to shave the head and face, been long enough.

Once done, then I called a local motorcycle shop to see if I can get bike in, and the guy said he could get me in on Thursday, so will get the oil changed and bike checked out before I head north.

I then finished the video from the night before and have it scheduled to release in a few days.

I then walked a mile over to a small restaurant selling lots of fried types of foods and odd sodas.

Had a thing of waffle fries with lots of junk on the top.  Was good, but way overpriced for the size.

Walked next to the Safeway and bought some more tea to drink in room rest of my stay, probably bought too much, but will get it all down, I am sure.

Back at the hotel room I then reviewed all my receipts, and balanced my accounts and paid off the credit cards again and verified all was good financially.

I decided I was not really hungry, so will just skip dinner and finish off the bag of chips I have as a snack, and work on more video stuff.

But first I needed to get last nights blog and todays done.

Rest of the night I will convert 360 footage and hopefully get another video at least started.

Tomorrow I am going on a ride for much of the late morning/afternoon to see a few places south of here.  Then will work more in the evening, I hope.

Till later.

Off the bike task day!

June 29^th, 2026

Soldotna, Alaska

Slept in today, like really slept in.  Woke just before 11:00am.

Showered and then put on the bike pants and by long sleeve shirt I had not used yet so I could take the rest of the stuff over to laundry place a block down the street.

Once I had all the dirty stuff bagged up, walked over to the laundromat.  Figured out the cost and changed a $10 for quarters. (Load was 4.25, but .25 for 5 mins on dryers).

I also needed detergent, left mine in room, so was another 2.50 in quarters.

Ran the single load and then took 20 minutes to dry, so was there about an hour.

Walked back to room and hung up the shirts which had a few damp spots to let them air dry, then laid rest on table to let dry if need, though could not feel any moisture on them.

I then grabbed my laptop and walked a few blocks more to a local Mexican restaurant.

Place was in small strip mall, 3 doors.  First one I could not see in, so thought it might be blocked, second clearly had a table in front of it, so went inside the third which had the lighted open sign next to it.

This door was actually for the bar; first door was the dining room.  But decided I would eat in the bar, was actually empty at the moment and bartender immediately struck me as a cool dude.

Sat at the bar, really high bar with really high stools.

Ordered a Coke and read menu and the bartender brought me chips and salsa.

Decided to get a big combo plate with 3 different items to have some variety.

Then worked on my video while we talked about other things.

Few others came in while there, and discussion was mostly about the World Cup game which was on the TV.

I finished food and then decided I would return to room, too noisy to do video editing in a bar.

Walked back and worked on the video and managed to get it uploaded that evening.

I then did a few other small social media updates and put away the clothes from earlier.

Then I started another video and had it mostly done by the time I went to bed about 1:00am.

Will finish in in the morning.

Wind and rain, and a really cool tunnel.

June 28^th, 2026

Soldotna, Alaska

Woke at 8am this morning and just sat around for a bit to finish waking up.  Then showered and dressed before packing up all the gear.

The weather was looking a bit grim for today, but currently it was not raining, just overcast and a bit cool, but was good time to load up the bike.

Took a bit of effort to carry it all back up the steps to the bike from the cabin, but managed to get all the stuff there and secured.

Did a final walk of the room and then took myself up and prepared to hit the road.

Rode up to the highway and headed toward the south.

Temps were only in low 50s, so was a bit cool, and humidity was up, but things did not get really wet, just a few sprinkles now and then.

Pulled off for one view point of the Matanuska Glacier, much wider view than I had from the room.

I then set myself to put miles under me and get to my first stop for fuel somewhere around Anchorage.

A few extra stops along the way for a photo or two, and lots of road construction were about all I ran into.

Made it into Palmer where traffic picked up, but not horrible yet.

It started to get a bit colder around here, and then we rolled through what I thought was the outskirts of Anchorage, but was not a single stop on the highway.  Tuned out we were still north of town, but something was off to the right on other side of trees, not sure what.

Stopped finally for fuel before reaching Anchorage, mainly as I also needed to use the restroom and get something to drink.

Stopped in Eagle River to do all that and then back on the road, but then needed to fix the camera battery as I forgot to change it, so had to pull off again at next exit and sit in a parking wayside to change the battery.

Now we could get going and head through Anchorage.

This was a bit slow going, traffic picked up and the highway had several stop lights to go through.

Went through some really seedy parts of town, but soon were on our way south along the coastal regions.  It cooled off again, and the winds picked up.  Blowing quite hard on some corners along the coast.

Stopped for a few viewpoints, and then reached my turn off to head over to Whittier.

This road was a bit quieter, and I soon reached the toll gate for the Whittier Tunnel.

This tunnel is a 2.5-mile corridor under the mountain, first constructed in the early 1940s as a railroad tunnel.  It was upgraded in the late 1990s to be a dual use passage allowing both rail and road traffic to use it.

As the tunnel is single lane, it can only accept traffic or trains going in a single direction.

To mange this, each side has a checkpoint for cars and automated control systems for the rail portion.

Heading east toward Whittier, you stop and pay the toll ($13 for normal cars/motorbikes, goes up for larger vehicles) and then queue up and wait for the allotted time for your direction of travel.  Typically, they switch the direction every 30 minutes, but the arrival of a train can disrupt that schedule some, though the trains also have to wait at times when the cars are already using the tunnel.

So, I arrived at the toll station, paid my money and as this was my first time using the tunnel they had to go over a few things for me to know.  First of all, motorbikes always go last, after all cars and trucks have gone into the tunnel.  Not really sure why, but it works.  Secondly, they instruct us to ride in the middle of the rail tracks, and avoid getting close to the tracks.

Also warn you about speed limit and that they would signal the bikes when it was time for us to ride.

Today I would have to wait about 45 minutes for my time to ride and the traffic had just started coming from the other direction, so 30 minutes to allow that to pass, and then roughly 15 minutes to get all the cars going into the tunnel.

I used the restroom and checked all my bags to make sure secure, then took a few photos.  When it got closer, I geared up and got on the bike and prepared all my cameras that I wanted to use.

As the cars were finishing up, a train actually did arrive, and stop just outside the tunnel.

About that time, I was given the signal to proceed, so started the bike and road from the bike holding zone into the car lanes and down to the entrance.  This means I was probably 1 minute behind the last car now.

It is a bit tricky at the entrance as you do need to cross one side of the track to get into the middle and it is at an odd angle, so just took it slow and got inside the tracks and proceeded into the tunnel.

It’s a bit dark, and cool inside, and fairly wet, so the road surface has water on it for much of the route.

The track on one side it not too bad, but the other side has a large gap along it big enough for a motorbike wheel to fully enter, so drifting into that would be a bad thing.

The first thing I noticed was the train light behind me, while the train did not enter the tunnel, was a bit unnerving knowing it was back there.

It takes about 10 minutes to get from one side to the other, then you again have an odd angled track crossing.

I actually caught up with the car in front of me, think I might have been going a bit faster than I should have, but was focused on the road more than my speed.

We exited the tunnel, got out of the tracks and then rode the last mile or so to reach the town of Whittier.

I turned off to ride through town and reach a small road that went out along the coast, the plan being to reach a view point a few miles out.

However, only a mile up the road they had it signed that the road was closed a bit farther on.  So, I had to settle for turning around and going into the small park and beach that was right there.

Got off the bike and hiked over to the waters edge in a small bay and did a few photos, then rode back into town and stopped for lunch at a small café (Wild Catch Café).

I ordered some chicken strips and a cup of reindeer chili.

Chili came out right away, and was really good.  I then sat and played on phone drinking my Coke.  After a while I was beginning to wonder where my food was, when the people who came in after me got theirs.

The guy at counter noticed about then as I was looking around and asked about my food.  Somehow the order had been missed, so they needed to cook things yet. He gave me another Coke for the delay without charge.

Finally received my food, and ate.  Was starting to think I might miss the tunnel and have to wait around, so rushed best I could.

Got back outside and geared up, got on bike and of course it starts to rain lightly now.

Reached the tunnel checkpoint and was directed to the bike holding zone, but they were already letting cars enter.

Thankfully they were still allowing cars in, so I just had to wait till that was stopped, and then they cleared me to follow the last car in, which was quite a bit ahead of me.

Rode through this time without speeding and reached the other side, then stopped to use restroom.

Back on the highway I stopped for one view point and then picked up the pace as it was getting later than I had hoped and also starting to cool off again.

Not long after getting back to the main highway we went up in altitude again, and it managed to cool off more and winds also stayed up.  Then the rain came, and it came down steady for quite some time.

I finally had to stop and change to my heavier gloves as my hands were staring to go numb.  Also, for some unknown reason, I had water in my left boot now as well.

Finally came back down and the rains let up, but winds did not.

Then the skies cleared and sun came out and it warmed up by almost 20 degrees over the last 30 minutes of the ride.

I came into town and found the hotel, but entered on the wrong side of building, so cheated and rode the 20 feet down the sidewalk to the other side and while making a sharp turn to park in first spot I put my foot down and again loose gravel made is slip and the bike almost went over.

I stopped it, but was now stuck and it took a significant amount of effort to push myself back upright, and managed to aggravate my bruised leg again.  Think this must be how I bruised it, I am holding my leg against the side of the bike so hard it is causing damage to the leg.  The bruise is now much darker and larger than it was last night!  Might need to find a walk-in clinic and just have someone look at it, make sure I did not do something serious.

Once I had bike stable, I parked, and walked into the door, only to find out this was the restaurant under the rooms in the front half of building, and it was closed.

I looked around and noticed the office for hotel was at back of building, so moved the bike there, and went inside.

Checked in and then talked with the desk clerk for a bit, then unloaded my bike and took stuff up to the room.  On the second floor again, so bit of effort to get it all up here.

I am staying here for 5 nights.  So tonight was just getting here, and organized the room some, and working on the blog.

I did ride the unloaded bike over to the grocers a few blocks down to buy some snacks and drinks.  Nice to be in a larger city where competition keeps prices down.  The costs for stuff here is not much more than it was in Arizona, unlike the 2 and 3 times increases on same items as small shops up north where there is only 1 option usually.

I stopped at Taco Bell and bought dinner as I was not hungry enough to find anything else.

Back in room I ate, then took a shower and got into normal clothes.

Over the next 4 days I will make at least 1 day trip, maybe 2, and then try to work on videos so I can get a few more done.

Then I will head out and starting working my way north again.

Catch ya down the road.

Todays Route:

Back on the road and plans change again.

June 27^th, 2026

Glacier View, Alaska

Woke up early, but just laid there till the alarm went off.

Got up, and immediately started to tear down the camp:  air mattress, sleeping bag, misc. gear.  Changed into the riding gear and the packed up all the bags and put them on the picnic table.

I then started the bike and moved it up where the tent had been to turn around and then road a few feet up the road way to a level spot that I hoped it would stand good in.

Loaded bike up and then geared up the rest of the way.

Was a real challenge to ride out in the large rock covered field on a slight angle, had to just slowly walk it up to avoid hitting big rocks or tipping it over.

Once on top, then was down the small hill to the rock lot which was a bit of fun as well.

Once onto the main road I was able to make decent time, keeping the bike around 30-35 MPH most of the time except for 1 slow moving car which let me pass and a few corners that were way too tight and loose surfaced for those speeds.  Few hills I had to slow down and shift down for as well.

Made it to the same rest area I had dropped the bike at the other day and pulled over to use the toilet, then back on the road.

Temps were not bad, winds were low and while overcast, was an okay ride out.

Once back on the paved sections, made bit better time, though still have to keep eye out for large dips, bumps and occasional gravel sections.

Arrived back in Chitina and pulled over to use the toilet there.  I then decided to eat at the little food stand right next to the rest area.  The Grubstake Grill.  Mostly burgers and hot dogs.

I went up to order and guy said the tour group in front of me had about 8 orders, so would be about 20-30 minutes, but he could take my order when ready.

So ordered a fancy hot dog and a coke.

Waited about 25 minutes, and then food was ready.

By then everyone else had left, so had the tables to myself, but wind had picked up and was blowing in from the small lake across the road, so was a cold wind.

Finished my food and then back on the bike.

I was still watching my fuel.  I know I have enough to get back to the main highway, but not sure if I will have enough to make it to Valdez, my intended destination.  The only station I knew of was back in Glenallen.

I did pass a pump in Chitina on my ride in, but when I rode past again, the place looked abandoned and pump had a decent number of weeds around it, so not sure if it was active, decided not to waste time trying.

I rode onward and winds stayed up, temps were down a bit, but not too bad.  Eventually I looked at phone and noticed I was back in range of cell service and internet.  I slowed a bit while I brought up the Gas Buddy app to see if it had anything nearby in its database.

I took a bit of time as signal was weak, but listed 2 stations in the next 10 miles.

I recognized the name of the general store as I had passed it on the way in and guy running the pizza place had talked about it as well, being the main shop in the area to buy stuff.

While I had not seen gas pumps when I rode past the other day, and nothing showed on Google Maps for it then either, I figured I would check it out.

Came up quick, pulled off and yes, pumps were over on side of building.

Pay at pump, not sure the store staff can even do anything, looks like a self-contained setup.

Fueled up the bike and felt some relief as now I had enough fuel to reach Valdez.

Went into the store to buy a drink and use the restroom, then went outside to get things ready to ride and started talking with a guy loading his truck with stuff he just bought. (was in front of me at checkout).

He lived elsewhere, but had a cabin about halfway out toward the Kennecott region I had just left.  We both talked about various trips we have taken, though he does his in cars, not bikes.

He then left and I got back on the road so I could reach the main highway.

Once there I turned and headed toward Valdez, looking for a place to pull over so I could check on a few things.

While I wanted to visit, I needed to know the ferry schedule to see how long I might stay.

I found a pull out 2 miles down the road and checked maps.  Was only 90 minutes away, so not a bad ride.

Got on the ferry site and found that the ferry from Valdez to Whittier had left that morning, next ferry was on Thursday.  Today in Saturday!!  I did not want to hang out there for that long, so then had to decide if I wanted to ride the distance, then backtrack or just head north now.

If I was going to go back north and around the long way to Anchorage, then I would need a place to stay.  As I had just spent enough day’s camping, I wanted a room so I could shower, get things dry and clean some of the gear.

Looked around Palmer, which is an hour north of Anchorage and was a 3-hour ride from me.

Holy hell are hotels costly here.  $300-$500 a night, for a Super 8 level room or bit better, but definitely not anything fancy.

Found a few motels for $150 area, but all were booked up.

Rest of places were glamping or other tent related which I wanted to avoid, or B&B places which almost always need reservations.

I started working my way up the road to find someplace in the middle, but most were just RV parks, campground or big lodges and likely big prices.

I finally found a small cabin complex that while not cheap, was at least reasonable.

So, I decided to just skip Valdez; I did not need to spend the extra 4 hours going there and back to my current spot and still need to ride 2 hours to the cabin.

I turned around and headed up the road. 

Arrived back at the highway interchange outside Glenallen and stopped there again to use restrooms and buy something to snack on and drink for tonight.

The rest area out on edge of lot was a mess.  The toilet room was scattered with toilet paper, but nothing on the rolls (did not need it thankfully).  Trash bins outside were so full that they could not close (bear proof lids).

Some others came up and I warned them the TP was out, but turns out all 4 rooms were same.  Not sure how maintains this site, but not doing the job.

Moved the bike up in front of the chamber of commerce office near a few others and then walked next door to the c-store at the fuel station to buy some drinks and food.

Got side tracked and forgot the food, but had the drinks.

Loaded them up and then rode over to the other side of c-store as they had better parking there.

Pulled up next to another bike and then realized it was same bike I had seen in McCarthy, ridden by one of the guys on the mill tour I took.  Saw him sitting nearby and went over to talk more.

Spent probably 15 minutes chatting, then went inside to buy some chips to snack on, ended up with pringles as they pack in the back pack better.

Back outside the other guy was getting ready to leave as well, bid each farewell as we are heading in opposite directions from here on.

I moved onto highway 1 and towards Anchorage.  My stop for the night was just over an hour away.

Road was nothing special, just more forest and occasional mountain views, though missed seeing a large mountain vista with glacier, but that was also about the time the winds picked up, temps dropped and the rain started.

We had reached a bit higher altitude along this stretch of road (over 3300 feet).  Was getting bit miserable with the moderate rain, high winds and temps reach down to 50, which at 60 MPH feels more like 40!

I finally reached the place which thankfully was about 800 feet lower, so temps did come back up a bit.

Rode in and parked in front of the main house of the property, cabins were all off to the side, looks like 3 of them total.  Place is called Tundra Rose Guest Cottages.

Owner came outside and told me room was ready and where to park and what I needed to do to complete the check in and payment.

I drove over and parked and then realized that cabin was down the hill a bit and had a few steps going down!

Unloaded the bike in the light drizzle and got it all inside.

Amazing cabin with a great view.  While the cost was bit more than I would have preferred, it is fair price for what you get and would make great place to hang out for a few days.

Sadly, I only have the one night, mainly as that was all I planned for, but also room was only free tonight, so could not have stayed longer any way.

I unpacked a few things, got out of riding gear and checked in online as I had been offline for 2 days, so a few people I needed to reach out too and a quick Facebook update to let people know I was still here.

I then took a nice hot shower since I had not had one in nearly 60 hours.

Once done and dressed, I got as much gear as I could on the chargers, used up several of my battery packs and drained a few camera batteries as well the last few days.

Checked my left shin out as is still hurts from the bike fall 2 days ago, had better light here and it is definitely bruised.  I figure I either hit the foot peg as it fell and I pulled my leg over to step out of the way, or when I did that, I impacted the mirror (I found the mirror loose a bit farther down the road, so might be it?)

I then grabbed my stuff and walked the short distance over to the restaurant at the RV park next door.

Had a pizza and a coke (for $31!!) and typed up much of the blogs I was behind on and then came back to the room to finish that, swap out batteries and clean cameras and helmet from all the dust buildup.

Will work on getting the blogs up tonight, and all the footage copied over to laptop, then maybe put a few more photos up.  Probably not going to get another video going though, just beat, but hopefully tomorrow, going to try and do a shorter route tomorrow, though still need to research that too, might try that in the morning before I leave.

Catch ya down the road!

Todays Route: