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:

Exploring the past, 19,000 steps later.

June 26^th, 2026

McCarthy, Alaska

It rained again last night.  Just a light rain, but still got the tent and bike cover wet.  Thankfully they will stay up another day, so unless it rains again, should be dry by time I pack them tomorrow.

Woke up a few times at night to piss, and also from general discomfort.  My arms especially were just numb and tingling for a while till I fell asleep.  Think the constant vibration on the bike today just got to them.

Woke up feeling better though.  Was up by around 7:30, but then just sat in the tent and zoned out for a while.

Since there are no showers here, I will just wear the same clothes except shirt today.

Got up and decided what I wanted to do and repacked my backpack to carry stuff I needed and leave stuff I did not in the tent. (Hoping no one messes with tent during the day).

I walked back farther into the camp area to check out the Glacial Lake which forms at the end of the Kennecott Glacier.  Not sure if the very dirty mounds of what looked like dirt was just that, or dirty ice at the head of the glacier, but elevation was such that I could not see farther to see it, and the valley farther up was misted over and snow covered.

Walked out of the camp after stopping to drop off my SLR, battery is dead, completely forgot to check it before I left, and no way to charge it right now.

Went to the foot bridge, which would be a nice ride across, and saw another local on a bike using it. (Found out later that I could have ridden across and came into town on the bike instead of walking.  Oh well).

Saw some old rail road trestle remains near the next river crossing and an old cable crossing system as well.  Suspect that the road we rode in on is actually the original rail road route to the mine. (confirmed this later).

Walked the road into town and stopped at the small historical museum.  Mainly lots of left over junk from the mining days, and some personal effects of various people left behind in the area or found in attics, I am sure.  Lots of photos of the area over the years of the mine operations.

McCarthy was the town built to support the Kennecott and Bonanza mines (among others) and was founded around the same time as the mines in 1907.  The Railroad was built and went into operation by 1911 and rain till 1938.  I am guessing that was when the mines were no longer functioning and line was given to the state who turned it into the road we use today.

The rail route runs almost 200 miles from the mines to the port city of Cordova which was where the ore was shipped out to Washington for processing.  These mines were copper mines by the way.

I then walked down the “main” street of the town to see some of the old buildings and check out the restaurants to get some food.

I stopped at the general store and bought a few cans of soda for tonight and found out only one of the food spots was open this early, so went over to that one (The Potato) and ordered a breakfast type food. (A bowl of curly fries covered with sausage, gravy, eggs, and jalapenos.

Soon as I finish lunch then will catch the shuttle ($5) up to the mine and see what the tours cost.  Also, might check and see what some of the flights over the glaciers cost, and perhaps hit the other spot for dinner as they have live music usually as well.

Or I might just go back to camp and sit out in the air and read or daydream!

Walked over to the shuttle stop and stood around for several minutes.  I noticed one of the other shuttles coming, but not the one I was expecting to use.  Guy stopped and told me that for $15 I got an all-day pass on the shuttle, so this would get me to and from the mine and back to camp which is same cost the other guy would have been anyway, and the other runs a much looser schedule, so got in the van and rode back into town to the general store and bought my pass for the day.

Another older guy was on the shuttle that he must have found walking up from the camp as he too when in to buy a pass.

Once we were both done, and no other passengers were waiting, we got in and made the 20-minute drive up to the Kennecott.

Kennecott is the town and ore processing center that serviced several copper mines working in the higher elevations around this area.  There are huge mines inside the mountains above the town and the ore was shipped down via cable trolleys to the processing center where it was then gone through a massive 14 story structure to break down the ore and sort it into various grades.

That was then bagged and loaded onto the trains for transport down to the coast for shipment back to Washington for use.

They also had two other processes that pulled out every last drop of copper from the ore that would process the tailings from the main building.

Once we arrived, I spent some time looking at the signs and the views from the shuttle stop, then went inside the NPS office to see a few maps and such.

I then walked over to the tour operator and booked the tour of the processing mill as that is not open to the pubic without a tour, mostly for safety reasons and much of the building is in a state of decay.

The main mill, 14 stories top to bottom.

I had 90 minutes to burn before the tour, so walked around to all the other buildings open to the public.

Much of the surface town was sold off when the mine was closed down, some of it going to other mining operations, who failed and later sold it off.  Some of it ended up with a private organization to preserve the place, but many building are privately owned and used for businesses or lived in at least part of the time.

The National Park Service took over management of the area in 1998 in partnership with the private organization and the original mining company that still owned the underground assets.

I visited the old mercantile store, post office, meat storage locker and general manager office before returning to the tour office.

We then walked among most of the buildings I had just visited getting history of the town and then walked up the hill for a few other sites to reach the very top level of the main mill.

Once we entered, we toured one floor at a time going down various stairs and even ladders to the levels below.  Some of the spaces were nice still, others were a bit decayed and only walkable on the modern walkways added.  Lots of structural restoration work was seen, new load bearing beams or reinforcements to existing members.

The guide had a good grasp of the history of the processes on each floor and what occurred and the conditions under which the men worked (pretty brutal).

We reached the bottom level and then went across the road (old railroad line) and visited the leaching plant where they leached copper out of the rock using ammonia.  A building next door used oils and flotation to leach out from even the fine dust, but we could only look inside that one other than front room used for other exhibits.

Looked inside the main power plant, but could not go beyond the simple viewing platform.

I then returned to the main park office which is next to the shuttle stop to wait for the shuttle which was still 25 minutes away.

I took lots of photos and video during this, so hopefully will get a nice video out all the footage.

When the shuttle arrived, it was a full load, all seats full and even a few people standing in the rear area.

We arrived back to McCarthy where I got off to go have and early dinner, and then perhaps walk over to the cemetery, heard they did some nice work on the old places there.

Will then try to catch shuttle back to the bridge and walk back to the campsite and hope no one disturbed it.  

Probably catch and early night again.  Want to get up about 8 so I can be on the road by 10, should miss the early rush out at least that way.

Going to be a slow ride out, need to be very careful on fuel, should be good, but hard to say, and not 100% sure where I am going since I have no internet here, hard to plan.  But if I have the range, or can find fuel (the part I cannot research) I will head for Valdez.  I think it is about same distance as going back to Glenallen, so hoping that works out.

I did have dinner at the Saloon.  Big plate of nachos, though they were not really that good.  Had a coke as well, but the refills were messed up and then machine died, so did not even get some extra soda.

I then walked over the ½ mile to the old McCarthy cemetery.  Place was off the road in the forest about 200 feet, and was not too large, only about 2 dozen identified graves.  Mostly over grown with only some paths that people walking through have beat down in the grass/weeds.  A few stone markers, mostly wooden posts or crosses.  Most had no names, or the original names were worn off completely.

The NPS signs at the beginning indicated that most of the people in here were interned prior to the mine shutdown in 1938, and as early as 1910s.

The signs listed the names, country of origin, birthdate and death date when known and cause of death as well.  Quite a few unknown causes, lots of diseases or botched surgeries.  Several accidents, mainly burns.  Also, two murders and one suicide.

Some of the graves had updated plastic signs on them where they park service must have been able to read them, but many are just unmarked or the position was listed on a sign, but nothing is on the actual grave (though the layout that I walked through did not match the layout on the sign, so not sure what that was all about).

Did not stay too long as the mosquitos were out in force in there.

Walked back to town and down toward the general store and got lucky to find the shuttle there and getting ready to go down to the bridge near the campgrounds.

Rode back with them and then walked over bridge and about half way to camp I noticed my head was hot, and then realized I was not wearing my hat, and did not have it in hand.  Recalled that I had taken it off inside van to cool down some and it must have fallen off my lap and I did not notice it.

I walked back over the bridge to see if it had fallen out on the ground, but no such luck.

I am planning to return to town to see the band tonight at 9:00pm, so will inquire at the shuttle office and see if they found it.

I pulled out my camp chair, found my other hat, started my mosquito repelling machine and then sat in the chair and listened to the water and just let my thoughts roll, kind of a mental unplug.

That lasted roughly 90 minutes, then put stuff away and walked over the bridge, but no shuttles, so walked into town.  I did find the ¼ mile shortcut through the forest, complete with 2 stream crossings on narrow boards.

Went down to the general store they operate out of, but it was closed!

So hung out waiting for the shuttle, would ask a driver.

Another group was waiting as well.

After about 20 some minutes, and no shuttles, we saw one of the drivers walking down and asked him, he said the other driver was going, but then she was just up the road, so turns out they were in a 2-hour gap where no shuttles run after all the shops closed but before the bars close down later.

He offered to take the group since it was a large group with a child and they still had to drive 3 hours back home once to their car.

As he was loading them into the van I asked about my hat, he said we could go check the van parked nearby that I was riding in, but girl was actually washing it.  He asked her she said yes, it was found and was on table behind building.  I looked over and saw it.  Grabbed it and then grabbed a ride back to the bridge as well.

We pull up to the saloon and one of the patrons asked if we were going up to mine, but several others heard we were going to the bridge and hopped on as well.

Quick ride down, then walked back to the camp site.

I brought everything into the tent area and zipped up for the night, was tired.

Laid there for a while listening to the water.  Alarm is set for 8am tomorrow, hopefully no rain tonight.

South, and back country camping.

June 25, 2026

McCarthy, Alaska

Woke early again, so just stayed up and showered and got dressed enough to start loading the bike.

Once loaded and geared up, I checked the room over one last time and then rode up to the office to turn in the key.

I then backtracked about ¼ mile to the Chevron station to fuel the bike.

Once done I went inside and bought a breakfast burrito as I know lunch would be later today.

Pulled into the back of store, same place I ate lunch yesterday, and had my burrito while I setup the GPS and Maps to navigate today’s route.

Once ready, we pulled onto the highway and headed south.

The road was nice for quite a while and as normal around here, the views were stunning.

I stopped at some of the view points to take photos and video and always good to get off the bike occasionally.

Got stopped at a 1-way road again, had to wait a bit on that one, but then road was open again.  It did get rougher, and like other highways had sections that were gravel for a few hundred feet, but over all made good time, though still keeping speed down to maximize fuel usage.

Eventually reach the town of Glenallen where I stopped to fuel up again as the next leg of my trip is long and no fuel along it that I know of.  I also filled up the spare bag as well.

I then pulled over to try and strap the bag down in a different way, but was not going to work, so had to unload half the bike to get my other bungee cord so I could attach it on top again like I did on the Cassiar highway.

I thought about eating at some Mexican food truck, but wasn’t even sure if it was open, so decided to just aim for a pizza place I had seen on map that was about half way to my next turn.

The road here also had some 1-way sections, but both were quite short.  But did have some very rough areas and hit the one bump on edge of bridge must faster than I wanted.

Finally came upon the restaurant, just a beat-up old building on side of road with lots of other stuff around it, signs of a much larger life in the past as many places around here seem to be.

Went inside, small bar and a few tables, plus a big room next to it where live music could be played (probably a weekend or evening thing for the locals, lots of ranches and homes back behind the trees lining the roads.)

Grizzly Pizza was the name.  Older gentleman running the place and 1 customer inside, though eventually figured out they were a regular and knew the family well.

While a pizza sounded good, I thought that a bit much for lunch, especially with the harder roads I had ahead today.  So just ordered a cheeseburger and a soda.

While he was preparing food, the 3 of us had conversations about life choices and things people do that they regret.

Food came and it was very good.  The other customer left to continue on to Valdez where she lives and the guy and I continued to talk while I ate.

When done, I paid the bill (Cash only here, and ATM runs out of money often if I understood the conversation when it did it on the lady that was there), then used restroom and left.

Back on the highway I reached the turn off that heads down to Chitina.  So far, I have not seen any more fuel stops, so will need to make it back out quite a distance when I leave, this could be interesting.

The road here was again filled with amazing views and had a large number of steeper hills to navigate.  Stopped a few times for photos and eventually reached Chitina where there was another restaurant, maybe will stop there on way out of area.  I saw a fuel stop, but sign made me think it might be diesel only, but will swing by on my way out to check, might make things less tight on the trip back out of here.

Shortly past town the road had a short section of gravel on a 1-way road cut through a large rock.

Then it was rough asphalt till the big river crossing, then some more gravel for a mile or so before going back to rough asphalt.  This continued for several miles.  Pulled off for some views, and even turned around when I pass a view point and noticed the large bridge in distance I would ride over shortly, but getting a view from this angle was cool.

Back on road and across this 1 lane bridge and the road then turned to gravel and stayed that way.  It was not thick at least, mostly won off in the wheel tracks, but lots of rocks in road in places, even what looked like tree stumps?  Also spots of bumps and holes and then the ever-present wash boarding.

I found if maintained about 31-32 MPH, then the vibration was minimal, seemed to be the idea speed to go over them.  But some hills, and a few corners needed to slow down and then had to deal with roughness till I could get up to speed again.

Was really needing to find a restroom at this point, even a pull out so I could find a tree! 

Came around a corner on a down hill section and there it was, my rest stop!

But was going around 30MPH and needed to rapidly slow down before I crossed the little bridge and into a tight corner.  Going that far would make turning around difficult as road was bit narrow here.  I managed to get the bike almost stopped just at end of the parking area, and went to put my foot down.

The incline of the lot meant my foot did not quite reach the ground, and the loose gravel slipped what part of my boot did touch, and bike leaned over.  I could not get traction with that foot, and had to let it fall.

Went down about 10 feet before that sign.

Not sure what my left leg impacted when I lifted it over the bike as I stepped away from it, but my shin hurt like hell, and felt like it might be bruised, will check it later tonight.

I went back to turn off engine, though it killed itself about then as well, and turned off the key.

Then stepped away a bit to walk out the shin, and take off gloves and helmet.

Laid them on ground and cursed a bit, then started to figure out best way to unload so I could lift it.

But at that moment a van came around the corner and they stopped.  I knew they were behind me, but not sure how far back and they kept stopping more often.

The guy got out and helped me lift the bike up where it would stand on the side stand.  Smelled fuel, and looked like a bit of wetness on the engine housing, so not sure where that came from?

Bike started back up okay, and I pulled it around next to the restrooms so I could use them and the guy then drove off after I thanked him again for the assist.

Once done, got back on the road, but this time I got stuck behind some slower moving cars and a camper that had passed me as I was getting ready to leave.

They were going too fast, and too close to each other for me to pass them on these roads, but not fast enough to maintain my speed for the wash board. Had to keep slowing down and letting them get ahead and then catch up and repeat.  Any speed between 15 and 30 would vibrate my teeth out of my mouth, so had to slow way down if I could not maintain 31 or higher.

Eventually I got far enough behind them and they also seemed to pick up speed finally.  I then caught up with the guy in the van and followed him for a bit, but they eventually pulled over so I passed them.

After 40+ miles of this dirt, dust and gravel, we arrived on the outskirts of McCarthy.  Basically, we arrived at the foot bridge that crosses the river and goes into town ½ mile away.  The car bridge farther down is private, and no for public use.

People that visit the town park in lots all around the river on this side, and then shuttles take them or they walk.

I think if you are staying at the places in town, you might get a pass for the bridge, but not sure about that.

Most people are here for the Kennecott mine.  I will do that tour tomorrow.

I found the primitive campground that I was looking for.  Not even a camp ground as much as the guy owns lots of empty land and lets people park and camp for a fee and provides a few outhouse toilets.

I went inside, paid my $35 a night for a spot and he told me where I could ride the bike back into the river shore where it was more sand than rock and there were some tables in the area to use.

I rode across the rocky parking lot, then up a small hill, which ended with a rocky grass area that I had to navigate to get down to the small sandy area.  Still about 15 feet above the river at this point, though I would guess it has flooded up here at times to deposit the sand.

Getting back into the spot was a challenge and almost lost the bike again, but this time my foot had enough grip to hold and I kept it from falling.  Getting out will be a fun time.

Once into the area, I was able to find just enough level space to park the bike and use the side stand, but did put my stand food down for better support in the soft soil.

Unloaded the bike, and then setup the tent and got stuff stored away.

Took some photos and video, then sat down and ate a pack of tuna and finished the chips I bought yesterday.  Just have my water to drink, forgot to stop and buy something else.

Put my food over by the table, and put the trash into a crevice of a tree branch, will take it out tomorrow and find a better spot.

Now in the tent typing this up and then will probably just go to bed.  Its about 9pm, but tired and nothing else to do.

Catch ya down the road.

Todays Route:

Catch up work day

June 24^th, 2026

Tok, Alaska

Slept in today.  I was so tired, so stayed in bed till around 10am.

Woke up, sat around a bit, then showered and dressed.

I then pulled out the brush from my bag to clean off the bottom of my shoes as I had been walking around the campsite the night before and they were bit dirty.

I then cleaned the road grime off my riding boots as well.  Boots are starting to look a bit worn, so probably be the last year they get used, will get something new over the winter most likely.

I then pulled out the tent and took it outside and draped it over the motorcycle to dry in the warm air and winds.

The outer shell was the worst.  The actual tent only had a few damp spots, so just left it on the floor of the room.

The ground cover wasn’t too bad either, but dirty, so used some napkins to clean off the heavier dirt and some sap spots left over from 2 years ago when it was used in Arizona.

I then worked on writing a few blog entries that were pending, and going through some photos.

I also had to deal with some personal financial business that needed my attention back in Arizona, nothing serious, just some missing documentation for something I am trying to setup.

Once the tent was dry, I packed it back up and also sorted and organized a few other items.

I then took the brush out and cleaned off the rest of the bike.  The mud, dust and calcium chloride residue was caked on much of the lower parts of the bike and my panniers.  While some of that is not a problem, the calcium crap they add to the water to keep down the dust on road works in the north here can cause rust issues if left on too long.

I was of course not able to get everything, but pulled of the thicker build up and will eventually wash the bike, probably more than once on the trip.

Once done, I continued to work on blogs and setting up a VPN on the laptop and phone, need to be able to work on sensitive things and my phone connection is not always good enough, so having to use Wi-Fi many places.  My phone as also giving me odd issues today saying all the websites I tried were unable to support HTTPS.  Wondering if my phone got infected from some website or something, will need to keep looking.  For now, I did put the VPN on it and the laptop, but still only working on laptop for most stuff that has any sensitive data.

I also worked on updating my financial tracking and balancing accounts and paying credit cards and such.

Since it was now past 3pm, I decided to walk over to the nearby c-store and get some food and drink for lunch.  I also was going to check and see if the motel laundry service could take my clothes and still have them ready in the morning (service stated next day delivery).

Otherwise, I will walk over to the laundromat near the c-store.

Thankfully they were able to take the stuff today, and for such a small load could even have it done today as well, told me to come by in about 3 hours.

I then walked over to the store which was about 1/3 of a mile away.

On the walk over I noticed a small VW Bus with lots of decals and such on it and setup for camping.  It had signs and license plates from Brazil!  There was a lady doing something inside the back section of the van, but could not tell what.

I visited the c-store and bought some drinks for later; some water to refill my hydration pack and some food.  $10 for a bag of chips, $7 for a burger from deli, $5 for a gallon of water….sheesh!

I went outside to the back of the store and sat on a small wall to eat the burger, and other hot foods I bought and drank an ice tea.

I then went to walk back to motel.

The VW bus had moved up to the water station and the lady was washing dishes, so I stopped to talk with them a bit.

Her and her husband had driven the bus all the way from Brazil over last 7 months and were finishing up their time in Alaska and heading back to Canada.  At least that was best I could get.  While she spoke English, it was a bit hard to follow sometimes, and I do not know any Portuguese.

They have a YouTube channel as well – Kombi Haus.

It is of course in Portuguese, but looks like they have gone to some interesting places.  I will have to watch more sometime.

I also gave them my channel card, perhaps they will watch some of my stuff.

I returned to the motel and worked more on the computer,

I then picked up my laundry, cost me about $6 to have 9 pieces of clothing washed, but still better than washing in sink and trying to dry in the room.  It can work, but annoying.

I then spent more time on social media stuff and decided to skip driving over to restaurant and again and just ate my bag of chips and drank my last tea.  Not a great dinner, but cost far less and saved me the hassle of uncovering bike and such.  While I could have walked, it is 1.5 miles to restaurant, and not sure my feet would enjoy that much.

I then watched some YouTube stuff to catch up on a few channels and finished this day’s blog.  Will get it posted yet tonight and then probably go to bed.

I have my route figured out for tomorrow and a shorter one, so I can leave a bit later than normal, but still be on the road by 10 at latest.

Catch ya down the road.

Roads from hell to Alaska

June 23^rd, 2026

Tok, Alaska

Woke up early, probably 5 or 6 am and it was raining outside.  Looks like I get to tear down the camp in rain at worst, put away wet gear at best.

I stayed in bed as I did not really want to be up till around 8 am anyway.

When my alarm finally went off, I was already awake, and thankfully the rain had stopped, though was still lots of dripping out there.

I got up and started to tear down the inside of the tent (air down the mattress, undo the pillow and roll up the bag and inserts.

I then put away things I had gotten out and changed back into my riding clothes (and doing that inside a tent is a feat of contortion and discomfort!)

Then opened up and crawled outside.  Went to restroom and then started up my mosquito shield again to keep them at bay while I tore down the tent and packed bike.

Got all that done, trying my best to shake off most of the water from things going into bags and then loaded up the final pieces and geared up.

All I had left was to stop at the bear lockers and get my food, which thankfully straps onto the back of the bike without needing any other item in place first! (

Some of my gear depends on other gear to be secured.)

Rode over to the locker and got that squared, then rode up the gravel and back to the highway.

The weather was still cool, but showing signs of warming.  Skies were overcast and the wind was light, but roads were only lightly damp at this point, so we could make better time.

The scenery stayed amazing all the way into Haines Junction where we drove through town and stopped for fuel.

While fueling up I had a conversation with an older couple from Colorado who were also exploring the area and heading in my general direction, they might even had stayed in this town tonight.

Once fueled up I bought a candy bar and ice tea since I had nothing to eat for breakfast as usual.

I rode back down the road toward the highway and pulled off at the other gas station in town which I had a small outdoor garden and seating spot in the corner of the lot. 

I pulled up there and then as I now had internet access again, I started to research my route to figure out how far I wanted to go, where my next fuel might be and how many lodging options were along the way, but at this time did not choose any since I was still not sure I would make the full distance to Tok, which is where I was hoping to get.

I ate my candy and drank my tea while there.

I took a few photos of the majestic mountain range visible across the horizon, then as I needed to use the restroom, and was still hungry, I would go inside the nicer c-store here and buy more food. (Probably should have just used this place for fuel as well).

Rode up and parked under the canopy by the steps into store, then went inside to use toilet, then bought another tea and a chicken and potato pastry from the deli counter.  Bit expensive, but was really good.

I ate outside by the bike and talked with two other bikers that had pulled up for fuel.  The one guy was interested in the YouTube channel, so passed him a card.  They were heading for Fairbanks, so thought I might see them on the road later as we both had to take same highway.

I hit the road and started toward the Alaska border.  Several hours away, and had been hearing several comments for days that road conditions were rough in spots.

For the first hour things were nice, no worse than any other road, but then shortly past the campground I had originally planned to use last night, but was too tired to drive the extra distance, the road started to get rougher, but still manageable.

Made a few stops for restroom breaks or just to get off the bike for a bit.  Some nice scenic views all around.

Then all of a sudden, the road just vanished and became a flat stretch of hard packed dirt with muddy spots, loose gravel and plenty of wash boarding!

Had to slow down to 30-35mph to keep the bike stable in the looser stuff.

Then pavement returned, but riddled with pot holes and “patches” that were worse than the original holes probably were.

Next up was a stop for a one lane road, which was also gravel.  Sat there for 15 minutes waiting for the pilot car and that stretch of road was several miles long and slow going, rougher than most, and much muddier as they were still spraying it down to keep dust under control.  I was in front, so slowing the rest down since I could not keep up speed on this crap.

Once on asphalt most cars passed me, but then we came up on another one lane and again had to wait, and again long stretch of gravel and wet dirt.  This time I was in the middle of the group and has a large semi-truck behind me that was very impatient and riding my ass often until we hit larger hills or very rough spots that I could weave through easier.

Once we finally finished that, the truck passed myself and the two cars that had been in front of me the whole time and vanished, doing at least 25-30 over the posted limit.  But so far, I have seen almost zero law enforcement outside of towns.  Everyone up here speeds like crazy, thought we were fast driving in the USA.

I stopped for a few views along all this, and eventually passed by the Canada custom station, so knew the US stop was not much farther, but again there was a mountain pass, so had a bit of distance between them.

In the middle was the actual border with the welcome to Alaska sign, though this one was not easy to get in front of with the bike, so just did a selfie.

Reached US Border station and was through quickly, only odd question was the guy asking me for my license plate number, which was odd with all the cameras around.

After I pulled over to side of lot to get my passport secured and jackets all zipped, I did a check of the luggage and notices my plate was completely covered with grime from the road, so no wonder they had asked.

Cleaned it and my lights off and then got back onto the road.

It was still about 1.5 hours to get to Tok, so I started looking at other motels along the way, just in case I wanted to stop early, but most were just to run down, or too fancy, and few had any kind of food or other services nearby, so just kept going.

I was starting to feel the miles and hours though.

Finally pulled into Tok and stopped at a Shell gas station to do some checking for motels.

I had seen one on edge of town, but looked derelict, not a car there, so was either not open, or really bad place. Saw the Fast Eddies restaurant (which is somewhat famous in the area, though that can happen when you are the only restaurant) and the had a motel sign, but could not find the contact info on phone, so looked around and found two others on the highway heading south that I will take next.

The one did not look like much on the google maps, but might be newer and not on the image yet.  But the one I chose was a nice place, and while a bit higher cost than I would have liked, was not going to find much cheaper, I am sure.

Called them up and they had a room for me for 2 nights.

As it was late, and I had got nothing done in camp last night, I wanted an extra day to catch up on writing and get all the footage uploaded to the laptop at least.  Also wanted an extra day to dry out the tent as well.  Hopefully will be able to get laundry done again as well.

I went into gas station to buy more to drink for tonight, then rode over to the motel and checked in.

As I was leaving, some people walking up asked me about my trip and then noticed the Arizona plates.  Turned out they lived in Bullhead City.  Truck driver and he had worked out a load all the way to Alaska and brought his wife along making a vacation out of the job as well.

I then got on the bike and rode around to the back of the place where my room was.

Unloaded the bike and shed a few layers of clothing, but wanted to go eat and as the restaurant was a mile away, would ride over, so just left the riding gear on, took my back pack and went out to ride over.

And now I cannot find my gloves.

I then remembered laying them on the back of the luggage when the people stopped my buy the office, and had ridden off without checking.

So, I got on the bike and rode back up front and there both were on the drive way, about 10 feet apart.  Had been roughly 30 minutes, so shocked they had not been run over yet.

Picked them up, then headed to restaurant.

Lot was a bit full, but parked and went inside.  Plenty of space still.

Seated and checked out the menu.  Pricey, but good options.

I decided to just have some boneless chicken wings and fried mushrooms.  Server warned me the mushrooms were big, but did not think much of that and I was starving since I had eaten very little today.

Wow, she was not kidding.  The mushrooms were HUGE.  Golf ball sized on average and light flaky dough instead of the cheap crust you usually find.  Very tasting as well.  Wings were good, nice kick to the sauce.

Spent the time getting all the memory cards and phone data moved to the laptop. 

Once done with dinner, I went out and got onto the bike to ride back.  Had laid wallet and phone on back of bike while trying to get jacket pocket sorted to put wallet back.  Once done with that I got on bike and started down the road, and few blocks down noticed my phone was not in the cradle. 

SHIT!  I immediately stopped and reached behind me and luckily the phone was still in the notch between seat and rear rack.   Last few days I have been losing or forgetting stuff too often.  I need to get better and staying focused on what I am doing when off the bike, seems I burn up all my awareness riding and then mess up when not riding.

Back at the room I got online to work and had a phone call to make, then realized I had left the mushrooms (I could not eat them all) in the bike pannier!

Got them and put into the fridge and then tried to work on stuff, but just too tired, so guess I am heading to bed.

I will get the blogs updated tomorrow and make a few other posts as needed and then hopefully get another video done, and maybe some laundry, oh, after I pull out the tent to dry it off. (Bike cover will dry as I put it on the bike earlier).

Catch ya down the road.

Todays Route:

Amazing Scenery and a Ferry ride

June 22^nd, 2026

Million Dollar Falls Campground, Yukon Territory, Canada

Woke up early this morning and got things packed up.  Then walked over to take a shower and get dressed.

Loaded the bike and geared up.

Left key in the tent and rode off for the next adventures after 2 full days off the bike trying to get other things done.

Just a short distance down the road we turned off onto the highway that heads over to the coast and the town of Skagway.

Amazing drive, and it just keeps getting better as you go.

I passed by a few of the scenic overlooks as I was not wanting to spend too much time and had an idea of those I really wanted to stop at.

The first was the Carcross Desert.

This desert looking landscape is dropped into the midst of mountain peaks and pine trees!

The reality is that this sandy region of dunes is the remains of an ancient lake bed.

During the last ice age, the glaciers built up around here started to melt and huge lakes of meltwater were created.  Sediments washed into the lakes settled to the bottom.  As the ice finally melted away the lakes were drained off (though todays rivers were created at that time) leaving behind the region of sandy soils.

The region around Carcross town itself was nice with the huge bodies of water nearby.

Shortly after that you go back into British Columbia for a bit.

Farther down were some other lake views and the one near the town of Fraser also had view of the railroad that run up the Chilkoot pass between Skagway and Fraser.

This was also where the Canadian customs office is, though they do not check things going out, only in, same with the US borders up here.

About 15 minutes past the custom stop, you reach the top of the pass and this is where the actual border is.  You also get the large Welcome to Alaska sign here as well.

15 minutes down the roads you reach the US Border station to officially enter Alaska.  This stretch of no mans land (area between two countries border stations), which is roughly 8 miles, is one of the larger gaps between border stations.

Once through the US Border, it was only a short distance down the canyon to reach the coastal town of Skagway.

I got stuck behind a tour bus coming into town, and then the entire main road into town is under construction.  As I could not see around the bus, I did not realize this right away and sat there waiting for something to move so we could go.

Eventually I went over a block to another street parallel to the main road and made my way to the port area where I needed to go for the ferry crossing. This is where I also noticed two massive cruise ships were in port (actually 4, but I did not see the other two until later).

I turned to go back toward downtown, as I was hoping to find a place to have lunch, but thought I would be screwed due to the thousands of people dumped on the town at the moment.

I cruised a few roads and passed a pizza place that I had found on map earlier as a good option, but missed the turn as I was looking at the odd “Godzilla” statue at some sausage food truck place.

I went around the block and pulled up near the pizza place, the street was empty outside, so was not sure it was open, but sign was lit and I saw someone being seated near front window.

Shocked that the place was empty, I quickly parked the bike right in front of the window and went in to get a table by the window.

Ordered the big nachos and enjoyed a nice long lunch as I had about 90 minutes before I needed to check in at the ferry terminal.

Talked a bit to a guy who was sitting at nearby table who had seen the bike and connected me to the bike from the jacket and helmet sitting on the chair at my table.

Once outside as I was checking over the luggage and fixing a few straps another guy stopped to talk for a bit as well.

I have noticed a bit more interest in my travels when people see the Arizona plates or are bike riders themselves.  Also seeing far more riders up here than I did the first few days of the trip.

I finally headed over toward the ferry terminal, but stopped first to get a photo of the sausage Godzilla, and again near some old railroad engines.

Once at the ports, I went inside to see what I might need other than the ticket that was on my phone.

They printed up the boarding passes and destination badge that had to go on the bike.  Then they told me where to queue up to wait for the ferry.  They had all the bikes line up against the railing at edge of lot instead of using any of the numbered lanes in the large lot.

Parked the bike and then went inside again to use restroom.  I then sat on the railing and waited along with everyone else.  Talked some with several of the other bike riders and a few of the car drivers as well.  Probably spent 40 minutes talking with one older guy who had lived in the region most of his life.

The ferry finally arrived, running a bit late, and then took forever to unload.

The sailing time was supposed to be 2:00pm, but that was when we started to board.

About 2 dozen cars had to go on, most of them RVs, and we had roughly 20 bikes.

As this ferry is part of the Alaska Marine Highway System, it makes multiple stops between Skagway Alaska and Bellingham Washington.  They had to load the vehicles in an order that would make sense for letting those out at the earlier stops, and I am guessing to leave room for those cars that might join at other ports as well.

The route to Haines, which was the first stop, was only an hour long.  The final stop in Bellingham was almost 4 days later.

I was getting off at Haines.

This meant we were the last group to board and they put the cars on first, so the 8 bikes going to Haines were the last to board of all vehicles, which kind of sucked as the wind had picked up, temps had dropped and rain was on the horizon as we waited.

Once aboard, had to figure out how to strap the bike down and then make way up to the passenger decks.

I headed to the top deck where the main lounge was, the aft deck and snack bar and cocktail lounge.

Lower decks were mostly cabins and a few other shops, none of which I needed.

By time I reached the front seating lounge, we had already pulled away from the dock and were starting to turn around.

I went outside and walked along the side of the ship to photo and video and eventually ended up on the rear deck 1 level up.   This level was a partially enclosed space (open on 1 side) with lounge chairs where many people were sitting for the voyage.  Also, the deck some pitched their tents for the voyage. (That is one cool thing about some multi-day ferries is they allow you to tent on the deck if you do not want to buy a cabin).

I then went to the snack bar to get a drink and something to snack on, and then found a chair up front in a quieter spot.

I watched outside a bit and ran out to get photos when needed as the windows were too dirty for photo out.

I eventually grabbed my stuff and wandered around the decks more doing photos as we were getting close to the port in Haines.

I watched the docking process, and then as soon as they announced we could go below, I got in elevator with a few of the other riders, same ones I had rode elevator up with.

The elevator has some odd issue (even had a sign to press a button if it got stuck).  It did not seem to want to move and when it did, just went down one level, and then back up.

We all decided to take the stairs, which was confusing as half way down they moved the stairway to and different area, so had to find the last section of stairs.

Once down, I unstrapped the bike and loaded up my gear and got ready, then when we were given the signal, we all backed out and rode off the boat. 

At the top of the exit ramp we had to get scanned out by the port officer, and then we were on the road toward Haines.

I stopped in town to refuel as the next leg was a long one and would take most of my tank.

The first few miles were right along the river which was over flowing, in some cases just a foot or two below the road bed.  We were pretty much at sea level near here.

Eventually started to head up in elevation and move away from the river.

The road soon reached the Canadian border (after passing the US Border station) where we again had to go through a series of questions.

Once past there the road started to climb into the mountains, reaching average elevations near 3000 feet for many miles.

The winds picked up, clouds moved it and temps dropped.  Thankfully no rain actually came down along the road, but could see it in the distance over the mountains.

Very few cars on this road, guessing most of the people getting off the ferry stayed in Haines.  I did meet 4 of the riders heading up the road, but they pulled off before the border and never saw them again.

I was hoping to reach a campground back up in Yukon (was still in British Columbia for the time being), but that was nearly 4 hours away from Haines.

As things got colder, I was also getting tired, and the thought of riding that much longer was a bit of a drag.

As I came down off a hill, I saw a sign for one of the provincial campgrounds they have all over this part of Canada.  The places have basic services and only cost $20 Canadian dollars a night.

I decided at that point I was too tired, so would pull off and tent camp tonight.

Pulled off the highway onto the side road which soon turned to gravel road.  It went back about ½ mile before reaching the first part of the campground.  I road in a bit, saw a few empty spots, but did not see the kiosk where I would pay.  I went back, but all I found there were trash bins and bear proof food lockers.

I rode a bit farther into the park and eventually found the payment station.  I took out the envelope and pencil, then got on bike and rode the circle till I found a camp spot that looked okay, was close to a restroom and not too far from the pay station (actually ended up roughly 200 feet away.

I parked the bike, then walked over and filled out the form and put my money in the payment vault.

Hung my copy on the post for the spot, then got to work unloading the bike onto the ground or the picnic table.  I then setup the tent and moved stuff inside it, all while trying to not be carried away by the mosquitos.

I had sprayed a little repellent on me and then setup the new bug repellant device that runs off the gas cannister I have for my camp stove.  Has seen them in use back in Whitehorse and they worked great.

Took about 15 minutes, but then the air was mostly free of mosquitos in a 15-foot circle.

I kept my mosquito net hat on though as I was moving around in and out of that range.

Once everything was in tent, got the bike secured and covered and the sat down to eat a pack of tuna for dinner.

Once done, I decided to put the rest of the food in a bear locker as we were in active bear country, and also needed to toss the packaging.   The trash that was supposed to be near pay station was not there, so had to carry it all they way to the locker as well.

Then realized I had not brought a padlock to lock things (to protect it from human theft), so had the make the ¼ mile hike twice.

I then hiked over to the trail to go see the water fall, and that was impressive.

What I at first thought was just a series of impressive rapids turned out to end with a small, but powerful waterfall.  No way you would ever kayak this narrow but powerful stream.

Once done with that I went back to the camp spot and got into tent to get air mattress setup and then went to bed, it was late and I was beat.

Catch ya down the road.

Todays Route: