Day 6 7/4/18
Fairbanks, AK to Deadhorse, AK
Can I do a Saddle Sore on the haul road?
Haul Road
Coldfoot, AK
Chandler Pass
Atigun Pass
North Slope
Aurora Hotel
Auxiliary Tank Mounting Hardware
This is where it really gets interesting. Time to face the most challenging ride of my life. I know the haul road is mostly gravel. I grew up on unpaved roads and my first rides were all on gravel. Still, this will not be easy, and I do not take it lightly. But I do have to face it or turn back without even reaching the start of the UCC. Those are the options.
My friend opts to stay in Fairbanks until I get back. The weather looks decent for my ride up to Deadhorse. Did I mention how difficult it is to get good forecasts this far north? That will come into play this afternoon.
For now, I get up and have breakfast at the hotel. It’s included in the room price, and I figure eating anywhere else today will not be cheap. I fill up and make sure I have plenty in my belly for the long ride ahead.
I have 3 plans for today. Having these spelled out helps my friend in Fairbanks know what my expectations are so that he will have some idea of what’s going on even if I can’t communicate directly:
Plan A will be to ride to Deadhorse, stay overnight and return to Fairbanks the next day. This means everything went normally.
Plan B would be a pie-in-the-sky execution. If, by some miracle, I make it to Deadhorse in 10 or even 11 hours, check the weather, fuel up and turn around. I figure if everything is going well, I will just keep riding. I would need to be self-aware for energy levels or physical exhaustion. This would save me some hours and help keep the budget down because it isn’t cheap to stay the night in Deadhorse.
Plan C is the contingency plan. If weather is bad or I need extra recovery time from the ride up, this is what I have in place. It includes staying in Coldfoot, Deadhorse, or even the camp at the Yukon river.
So those are my plans. Now we’ll see which one gets called up. Heading north out of Fairbanks, the road is still paved but undulates frequently because of the severe frost heaves during the cold months (which is probably most of them). I stop at the turnoff for Elliot Highway and take a quick picture of the bike. The pace is going well. I also stop a little further up the road to take a picture of the bike with the Dalton Highway sign. By now the road is gravel with some patches of pavement. I can maintain about 50 MPH, so that is about perfect. I point my sights on the Yukon river bridge as my next real landmark. As I approach it, I confirm that there’s no need to stop and fuel. I have plenty in the main tank and a full aux tank still.
The next stop is Coldfoot. The road is about as I expected, with mostly gravel, and some sections of loose or rough surface and occasional bad sections needing attention. Before I get to Coldfoot, I open the valve and let the Aux tank drain into the main. I was going to be close on range, and I felt there was no need to push it, when it was so easy to just turn the valve and keep riding.
In Coldfoot, it’s pump the gas and then pay inside. I add over 6 gallons, so the aux tank is a good idea for me. I decide I don’t need to eat or rest, so it’s a quick-turn stop. There is some pavement before and after the camp, and it’s welcome, but doesn’t last long. The next area of note will be the Chandler and Atigun passes. These are about 4,500-5,000 ft, but at this latitude, it wouldn’t take much elevation to become very cold and there’s always the threat of frozen precipitation.
As I get closer to the passes, the sky clouds up and I start to get the occasional drop of rain. It isn’t until I’m on the shelf between the passes that it starts to rain lightly. This definitely raises the anxiety level significantly. I have no idea what is around the next corner, or over the next rise. A wet gravel road can be nearly as slick as ice. I know that Atigun pass will be steeper than Chandler. All I have are questions with the only answers boil down to Press On or Turn Around. The temperatures are falling too but haven’t dropped to dangerous levels yet.
As I head up the steep incline to Atigun, I’m scanning continuously for semis coming down, or from behind. The sign advising against stopping due to avalanche danger is not very comforting either. The rain is steady but not heavy yet. I regularly check the temperature display to confirm that it’s not dropping to freezing too quickly.
The road in this area is rough. Most of it from here on in to Deadhorse is washboard or potholed to the point that 30 MPH on my big Harley is plenty fast. Vigilant awareness of the road surface is a must, as frost heaves and other large hazards can sneak up on you quickly.
Eventually, I make it up and down Atigun pass. It was less dramatic than I feared, but still required my full attention to avoid road hazards and to maintain the appropriate speed, as it has a few areas with steeper inclines than most of us are used to experiencing. The rain has picked up a bit and the temperature keeps dropping ever so regularly. My hopes that it would recover once I came back down in elevation are dashed over the next half hour or so.
As I head down the valley, the road is now rain soaked and getting muddy. I finally stop to put on some heavier gloves, conceding thoughts of the temperature recovering. The wind is picking up. It is from my left rear flank, which is usually a welcome development. In this case, though, it is blowing my muddy road spray back up over my shoulder and making a mess of me and the bike. Anything exposed is now covered in whatever substances make up the road surface. My bottle of water now mocks me in its muddy cupholder on my handlebars.
I stop for every truck, oncoming or overtaking from the rear. They slow courteously, but still sling up dirty road spray from all 18 wheels. I consider stopping on the opposite shoulder, which would put me upwind, to avoid this treat, but figure it would only cause confusion, so I just turn my head and try to preserve my face shield.
I slog along like this for the rest of the trip north. I don’t recall encountering any wildlife during the day, but that isn’t a horrible thing when you’re on a motorcycle, 100 miles from phone service. Eventually, I start to see the structures near Prudhoe Bay. I’ve watched enough YouTube videos to know what to expect.
But, the roads taunt me. As you get out of the DOT maintained zone and into the commercially maintained area, it gets even worse. So now, I’m cold and getting tired, but I can only manage about 15 MPH. Any faster, and the washboards in the road would shake my bike to the point that I could easily lose control.
As I pull into the Aurora hotel, the marque greets me with a reassuring 35 degrees F. I park near the front entrance and head inside. Just inside the door, I put on my booties. They provide shoe covers that are mandatory to keep the constant trail of mud from outside from infiltrating the living quarters. I struggle to get them to stretch over my size 15 steel toe riding boots, but they relent.
I approach the desk and book a room for the night. It’s a princely sum of $160 but includes all I can eat from the dining area. It’s not like I’m going to go down the street to price check either. She recommends that I hurry as they are about to clean up dinner for the night. A hot meal after the long cold day sounds great, so I park the bike in a designated area and grab my gear.
Back into the room, I dump my gear on the floor and head to the dining facility in my riding pants and LDComfort shirt, along with my blue bootie covered boots. I go through the buffet line and fill my plate. It’s a bit awkward, as I am not familiar with the facility. I have to search for the cups and water dispenser, as well as track down the cart with silverware and napkins. Finally, I have all my mess kit assembled and find a table to relax and consume.
It is a good meal. Considering the environment in which I am in, it might even be great. I make sure I have a pass at the salad bar and try to my best attempt at a balanced plate, but really, I’m just trying to eat so I can get back to the room to shower. I take a banana and full cup of water back to the room.
I remove and hang my gear so that any wet areas can dry overnight. The left sleeve of my jacket is a bit damp. I suspect that the wind has somehow driven rain into it or allowed my sleeve to wick moisture. It is not bad, but I want it dry for the return trip.
Then it’s into the shower to warm up and clean off. Before the road got muddy today, it was a bit dusty. It is refreshing and finally I am ready to lay down for the night. I have sent a few texts so that the folks who are monitoring my progress know what I have in mind. I turn out the lights and hope to wake up to sunshine.