Rolled into TOK at the top end of the Alaskan Highway last night... well... the last post or two... I might have said this road is no big difficulty...
yeah... right...
This Ol' Geezer pushed through 698 miles today from Watson Lake, Yukon Territory to Tok, Alaska on of a chunk of road that keeps the rep of the ALCAN as a "Bad" road goin.
'... more like a jeep trail somebody spread asphalt over... for the last 100 miles or so... Starting about Burwash Landing... and running till quite a few miles across the border...
Now... I wasn't riding a Goldwing with windshields and fairings... and drink holders... I was sittin' in the wind on a Naked Yamaha RoadStar Raider... and this weren't no roll down I-5... twist the throttle and go enterprise...
Ruts in the asphault... 4" deep and 6" wide, running with the road, across the road... and any way they want to... frost heaves... places the road just seemed to want to quit being a road... pavement breaks... pot holes and spots where they took out the pavement and replaced that section with gravel you just... Float across...
There's spots you can see the heave coming... so you stand up on the pegs a bit... only to have the seat come back up and whack your tail... as you settle back down... from the next hump... you didn't see... HooYa!
Yes sir... Liver quivering Squirrely is how I think of it... but then... I'm gettin' old an' wore out... so it could just be my imagination.
Good thing that Raider is more nimble than I am... it got me through that 100 mile or so stretch...though... I don't want to repeat it today... and knowing that in a couple... I must ! :o)
Today... I'll ride down from TOK to Anchorage... to get a pair of tires the bike needs... for the return run...
Met some guys yesterday, that shipped their bikes to Anchorage... and are riding down... I know some that do the opposite... ride up and ship it home. Me? glutton for punishment I guess... gonna ride that sucker... both ways...
So...
Grab Your Handles and Ride!
Brian
Return to the Home page of Motorcycle Touring on Freedom Road
Visit our sister site goin' RV Boondocking
Share your stories and opinions;
*Tell us Which you think is the... The Best Touring Motorcycle
*Share... Your Personal Motorcycle Philosophy with us!
*Tell us about your... Great Motorcycle Roads
2 comments:
Glad to see you made it. Just in case you had any idea of swinging round to check out Dawson City in the Yukon, be advised the road from Chicken AK to Dawson is closed indefinately.
Hope you have a great time and clear out all those cobwebs that have been haunting you.
--Pleinguy
Fulltimer wannabe
Couple roads up here are closed... mostly due to fires I think... that's ok... There's plenty of country a guy ain't gonna see, if he comes up here every summer for the next 40 years... and only sleeps on Sunday! :o)
Post a Comment