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I've had a yearning to visit Alaska for years, I do not know why but I have. The plan now is to have a 3 week holiday in Alaska on a Harley. Click on any photo to see a bigger image, then use your return button to get back .

This is where I currently am!

You can have a full screen interactive version of our trip HERE.

You can view our itinerary in MSExcel HERE.

You can view the route in Garmin Map Source HERE.

The above route locations are achieved by using my SPOT personal locator beacon. SPOT is a fantastic tool and gives peace of mind to love ones following the trip in the knowledge that however remote we can reassure them that we are OK; it also adds to the fun of following a trip, so come along to Alaska with us.

I hate flying! BA check in at Newcastle and you have to use a computer then the staff are there to piss you off, then you have border control on entry into USA and the one and a half hour que that had some very angry people missing connections because there were not enough border control agents and we all had to wait patiently in line even if you would miss that all important connection. We missed ours.

But we did get here and our warm Alaskan welcome soon eased away the pain of travel. Our first day chilling in Anchorage was punctuated meeting nice, interesting people and the ace in the hole was Ole Jack, Furrier at Fur Alaska 329 w.5th Avenue; a real character interested in anyone who happened to enter his emporium, we had a good exchange of views from David Cameron, my Queen and Hilary Clinton whom according to Ole Jack had a low Delectability Quotient (DQ)! Next was the Trooper museum a couple shops down from Fur Alaska where a gentleman with 25 years service from Trooper to Commissioner ensured we had a good visit to this interesting feature. Third person of the day was Cory Ignatius, Dog Musher. This beach bum surprised his Mom by moving to Alaska to follow his dream of competing in the Iditarod Dog Sled race a grueling 1,049 mile race.

	Harley Davidson Anchorage		Most Float Plane activity in the World		Ole Jack, what a guy
	State Flower of Alaska, Forget me Not, this is Lobelia!		Jen tries out a sled at Ulu knife factory Anchorage		Cory Ignatius, Sled Dog Musher and an Alaskan Husky
	Malamute the Semi Truck of dog sledding		12 week old Alaskan Husky		Huge Salmon in Ship Creek, Anchorage

We walked Sunday, at least 10 miles around Lake Hood, watched the float planes in and out and met a commercial pilot doing pretty much what we were doing. It was then we met a young bull Moose, Jen spotted him first and I took the pictures.

Later we read how dangerous these animals can be; we should have been scared but I guess ignorance is bliss.

Monday and bike pick up day, as pick up was after noon we went to the Anchorage Museum and got a great insight to the indigenous people of Alaska. A Harley was calling and all the paperwork sorted and we were once more with transport. During my assimilation ride I realised that a downside of bringing walking boots only and not motorcycle boots was the low height of the boot left a gap between my trousers and the tops of the boots and as the rental was a Classic, not an Ultra, so had no fairing lowers I had a one inch gap that would be like a magnet to the rain. I got stirrups, sorted. An American Bald Eagle was on our wildlife hit list and at Indian Creek, about 20 miles South of Anchorage on the Seward Highway we got hit number two on the wildlife list, one being Moose, two being American Bald Eagle. We also saw a real big snow plough train, don't think the 'wrong snow' or leaves on the line would stop this railroad company.

American Bald Eagle

What they really look like (a picture I took in Maspolamas)

Snow plough train

Today's focus was Salmon Fishing, and we also had fair weather so two out of my four Flower Sniffing Ride Rules we had covered ( rule three also covered as we have about 22 hours daylight!). About sixty miles South East of Anchorage on the Seward Highway we entered the Alaska Wildlife Conservation Centre. The centres main claim to fame was the plan to reintroduce the Woods Bison to Alaska, Woods Bison is a little bigger than its standard cousin and has not been native in Alaska since the turn of the century when they were hunted into extinction. About 100 beasts are getting ready to be set free into Alaska soon.
Our fist salmon fishing sighting was on the Russian river on the Kenai Peninsula at K'Beq, we saw one caught but at Kenai there was a sight like one could imagine the Klondike looked like. but here it was Salmon not Gold. Alaskans are permitted to subsistence fish here and can land $1,000's of Dollars worth of fish which can be preserved in various forms to eat over the whole year, it was an amazing sight. Blonde Bear B&B had an equally amazing sight in the size of our bed; Jen was in real trouble!

	Perching Eagle		Close up with 300mm lens		Captive Musk Oxen
	Captive Coyote		Captive Wood Bison (there are no wild ones yet)		Casting at K'Beq, Cooper Landing, Russian River
	Caught		Klondike like scene, dip net fishing for Salmon at mouth of Kenai River at Cook Inlet		Bed almost chest high, "Who's been sleeping in my bed" said Daddy Bear.

Wednesday and after a fantastic Blonde Bear B&B breakfast we headed down the Kenai Peninsula. I like B&B's because at breakfast you get to talk to your fellow guests and today we had Pat and Maria who were here for the fishing. Back on the Sterling Highway with Cook Inlet to our right we saw what the Kenai Peninsula boasts in that it has all Alaskan habitats (except Arctic Tundra) so it is teaming with wildlife. Eagles soar above, across the Inlet we could see Mount Redoubt puffing steam. At first I thought it was Mount McKinley it was so big, but that is for another time. Arriving at Wild Rose Cottage we got the full 9 yards welcome not only by the Annie and Bob (the owners) but by their four dogs too.

Mount Redoubt

Entering Homer AK

Wild Rose Cottage

Last night I tried the Alaskan King Crab at Cups in Main Street Homer, you know from the TV series Deadliest Catch, today I would try two other new things, experience a small plane and get up close and personal with Grizzly's. Our day started in a mundane manner, looking for breakfast, doing laundry and a shop at Safeway. Two Sisters Bakery was a great breakfast experience, and the city laundry was painless with the benefit of drop off laundry, Safeway was Safeway.

We choose KBay, also known as Alaska Bear Adventures because we wanted the real wilderness experience not the very commercial Bear Watching packages that are more about packing tourists in than about the wildlife and boy did we choose well. It was a day of firsts. A five passenger Cessna was boarded after donning our thigh high waders, this in itself was an adventure. Then a one hour flight, me in the front right seat, not because I'm pushy but because I'm fat so needed to sit up front for ballast! It was great, had my own joy stick and all the fiddly controls, two Garmins, oh what joy, and a plethora of other guy gizmos to play with; why they even had a generation two SPOT! Landing on the beach from our cruise altitude of 11,000 feet was stunning and loads of little black dots that as we descended were obviously bears. We followed our guides instructions closely as there were Bears everywhere. We saw American Bald Eagles, a Wolf Cub (long way off) and of course Grizzlys. We were not allowed to get closer than 50m, which I thought was close as the park book says 300m (why I got a high powered zoom lens), at 50m we sat on the grass and watched the bears munch their way through the grass (yes Grizzly's eat a lot of grass) 'till they were no more than 15m from us - wow! We had about four hours of close bear observation before making our way back to the beach, on the way seeing mama bear catch a salmon. Adventure was not quite over as on the way bach our taxing plane bogged down in soft sand, we had quite a jolt, so it was all out, dig a route out of the soft sand and put me in the back, once again for ballast, to power out of the soft and onto the hard sand; just another day in the wilderness of Alaska, with no AA to call.

	Eagle in Homer		Hallo Glacier		Wolf print with a quarter (10p size).
	Bear and 6 month cub, digging for clams. Photo courtesy of Mike, KBay Aviation.		Me and Jen in the wild with the Bears. Photo courtesy of Mike, KBay Aviation.		Wolf, right in centre of picture, honest!
	Getting really close		Natural Grizzly country		Big isn't she?
	Yearling cub		Momma Grizzly		Mum and cub
	Fed up with grass time for salmon. Photo courtesy of Mike, KBay Aviation.		Mum and cub		Two plane loads of adventurers. Photo courtesy of Mike, KBay Aviation.
	Plane dug into beach whilst taxing		Dug in deep and fast		End of the adventure

Seward was the kick off point for our Kenai Fjords Tour. Fun was started even before we got out of the harbour with Sea Otters to entertain us, then we later saw Hump Back Whales, Seals, Stella Sea Lions, Puffin, Orca and American Bald Eagles along with getting really close to the Aialik Glacier. So close in fact we could hear it as it cracked and groaned it's 3m a day travel into the Fjord. We witnessed huge lumps falling off. We also witnessed a rare site of Hump Back Whales fishing as a group in what is termed Bubble Net fishing. A group work together to gather the fish and shoot up the middle of the shoal eating as they go, a once in a lifetime experience, all very close to our boat, awesome!

	Our vessel Orcas Voyager		Sea Otter		Stella Sea Lion
	Orcas		Puffin		Jens dressed for the weather
	Hump Back Bubble Net feeding		Three Humpbacks		Aialik Glacier
	Hump Back Bubble Net feeding		Hump Back waving bye bye

We used Sunday to finish our exploring of Seward, first on the list was the Sea Life Centre in Downtown, then the Iditarod Mile 0 marker where this historic race used to start and in the afternoon we took a Ranger led walk to Exit Glacier. Katie, our ranger, made the walk not only very informative but also interesting by using the analogy of what we saw around us as an artists canvas and the things we found as the textures and colours painted by our 'artist' the Glacier.
Our only scheduled early start to the trip and we were up and at 'em by 05:30 for the 90 mile run to our Prince William Sound high speed ferry from Whittier to Valdez. I was hoping to see more wildlife at this early hour but we only saw a couple of ground squirrels scurrying across the road and one Coyote who majestically strolled across the road in front of us. The memory of sheep on the Grossglockner Pass last year ensured I kept the speed well down. The main challenge of the day is the two mile tunnel into Whittier. It is single lane and shared by Alaskan Railroads. At the $12 toll booth the agent gave us dire warnings of the difficulties we faced should we go through the tunnel, mainly the road was steel checker plate between the rail tracks; he made the tunnel ride sound as though we had a slim chance of making it though without falling off - he said one in ten bikes fell off! We didn't and on the far side we met four other riders who made it too, so the odds are staking up for the next five through. Bragging rights with the other riders was won hands down by me who had been through the Laerdal Tunnel in Norway at 26km the longest road tunnel in the World - I think they were impressed.

Our ferry ride was misty but Jeannie, our ranger guide on the ferry, because Prince William Sound is part of the second biggest National Park, gave us a commentary and we were lucky enough to see one Humpback Whale and some Stella Sea Lions, also an erie boat came out of the gloom. Being wet and dreary was tough for Valdez as we did not see her at her best. We did see Stigs boat in the harbour (from Deadliest Catch) and saw a good film of the 1964 Earthquake.

	Iditarod Mile 0		Alaskan Train		Katie giving it large
	Trail to Exit Glacier		Jen and I at Glacier		Glacier from river bed
	Trail to Glacier		The most colourful thing in Whittier		The least colourful thing in Whittier
	Fishing boat in gloom of Prince William Sound		Valdez sign		Stigs boat from Deadliest Catch

Because the Taylor Highway was washed out our route to Chicken and Dawson Creek was not viable so Jack (AlcanRider from the MTF Forum) suggested a more scenic route to Delta Junction along the Richardson Highway with a 20 mile cut off along the Denali Highway at Paxson for lunch. Jack had met us at Caribou Inn Glennallen and taken us to a roadhouse south of town and show us the sites, well those visible through the cloud. It had been a wet ride from Valdez to Glennallen. We left Glennallen at about ten and went the few miles south to the Wrangell St.Elias National Reserve ranger station, it is very new and had very good facilities and exhibits also the best Rest Rooms this side of the Smokies! We experienced our first road construction on the Richardson Highway where the road is dug up and an escort vehicle leads you through the gravel and construction. Arriving at Paxson the weather was closing in and there was a garage/roadhouse at the junction so we forewent the extra 40 mile round trip Jack had suggested and ate there; an experience. We had called ahead to Alaska 7 at Delta Junction for a room, as Jack suggested, but they were full and on arrival in Delta Junction we decided to ride onto Fairbanks. Just before Delta we saw our first Caribou of the trip and got shots with our Ixus 850 and our Nikon with the 300mm lens - see the difference below. Roger (Wheeldog from MTF) had suggested we get Silk Pie at Rikas Road House, just North of Delta, well Silk Pie had been off the menu for a while but the Rhubarb and Strawberry pie was well worth the stop, also taking the opportunity to call ahead to Fairbanks for a hotel, again the two we called were full, this was looking bad. Fortunately my planned stop at North Pole we got a lakeside room at Beaver Lake Resort, sorted.

	Troopers in Alaska get Quads!		Jack and I with Wrangells St.Elias National Preserve		Road Construction
	Richardson Highway, Alaska		Caribou with Ixus850		Carabou with Nikon 300mm!
	Caribou along Richardson Highway		Getting interested		Rikas Roadhouse, no silk pie but good other pie

North Pole Alaska, what a great place, we always try to get a Christmas Bauble for our Christmas tree from all the places we visit and Santa's shop in North Pole, AK, has much more than most, pity we have limited space on the Glide. Onto Harley Davidson Farthest North Outpost and get the suspension up to 30lbs (House of Harley Anchorage had no pump and there are some bumps on this trip!), the heel shifter fixed but no facility to balance the front wheel unless I paid and at $185 per day rental I'm not spending anything on this Glide! Harley Davidson Farthest North Outpost were fantastic, suspension sorted and shifter removed so toe shifting only, no big deal (also offered to call House of Harley but I did not want to waste time working on the bike whilst on holiday), and as for the speed shimmy due to unbalanced wheel, I'll stay below 65mph.

Jen and Me in Santa's hot seat

Me and a Mega Santa

Jen as one of his helpers

Downtown Fairbanks was closed! But we had day two in Fairbanks sorted, first laundry, then University of Alaska Museum, then Ester, then two costumes required and finally Pioneer Park. The day went to plan! Chena Hot Springs were next on the agenda, about 60 miles North East of Fairbanks these thermal springs were discovered in 1905 and the gold prospectors used to come here for the soothing, healing hot springs; they are very restorative. We also had our first dog sled ride but at 85F the dogs were not happy so were given the rest of the day off after our whiz around the circuit.

	WW2 Memorial, Fairbanks		University of Alaska Museum		Malamute Saloon Ester
	Pioneer Park		Husbands waiting seat!		Paddle steamer from restaurant at Pikes Landing
	Haul road mud		Beaver at side of road		Sled dog ride at Chena Hot Springs
	85F Wow!		Dog Sled ride		Chena Hot Springs

On towards Denali, the jewel in the crown of Alaska, a National Park billed as Americas best idea. Yellowstone was the first but Denali is definitely the wilderness park. It has more than 6 million acres bigger than many countries, and has the highest mountain in North America, Mount McKinley. About 190 miles the ride from Chena to Denali was punctuated with wildlife and Skinny Dicks Roadhouse. I also managed to get a shot of the super long lorries (trucks) which are huge.

	Chena Hot Springs		Skinny Dicks Roadhouse		Long Truck
	Moose		Another Moose

Denali was a 5am start. I had booked the first bus into the park all the way to Eielson Visitors Centre at mile 66 on the parks only road. We were so lucky to get Craig Lewis as our driver. Craig was a no nonsense committed backs woods man. He not only loved his job but wanted to share his passion for Denali National Wilderness Park and Preserve. It was a long day but we were among the few, about one third who go, not only to be able to see Mount McKinley but to see it in its full wall to wall blue sky glory. Truly blessed today with many mammal sightings and a blistering sight of McKinley so well worth it.

	Bull Moose		Dall Sheep		Coyote
	First view of McKinley		Getting closer		McKinley
	From Eielson Visitors Centre		Old Glory and the tallest Mountain in USofA		Close up shows perfect weather
	Tourist shot!		Carabou		Craig Lewis (in shirt) and Bus
	The road in		Red Fox		Brown bear, as close as we got
	Golden Eagle		Willow Ptarmegen, State bird		Dog Sled demo in Denali

Rafting! Who'd have thought I could get Jen to agree to a raft ride. I sold it as a 'seniors' float down the river and chose Raft Denali as our guides and we got Laser (Anthony), a good 'ole Southern Boy who certainly knew his stuff and wanted us to have a great couple of hours, thoroughly recommend it to you.

	Float? Photo courtesy: Raft Denali		Getting kited out		Safety talk
	Jen enjoying herself		Me too		Mushers Monument, see on the ridge?
	Jen holding on		Laser (Anthony)		Me Rowing
	Me rowing again		Journeys end

Journeys end today was Meandering Moose Talkeetna and what a fortuitous find, we got a 'dry' cabin. This means our cabin has no running water but what I do have is a fire pit so we can have a wood fire tonight to roast any varmints we catch! The ride from Denali was wet and cold with poor viability but the wide open ruggedness of Alaska was there to soak up, the sign on the gas station pump said it all - there were many a cousin sitting a spell in this gas station.

	It took me a while to follow this!		Dry Cabin has a new meaning at 2am!		Inside our Dry Cabin
	Dry Cabin, a place to sit a spell		Wheeldog (First Beers on Me), me and Jim		Gravel Road

Our last town was to be Wasilla, where Roger (WheelDog) was waiting to welcome us. Roger and I had corresponded on the Motorcycle Tourers Forum (MTF) and he has a catch phrase that if you ever make it to Wasilla then the first beer is on him - he traded that beer for a Coke in my case! Also from the MTF was Jim and Mimi who were doing the Alaska tour the other war round to us. It was a fantastic reception and we got the full red carpet treatment, enjoying good company and great food.

All good things must come to an end and the ride into Anchorage had that feeling about it. MOnday was washing and returning the bike and final souvenir shopping in Anchorage then the flight home.

Was it worth it. It cost obout £10,000 to do Alaska this way and four weeks time and I do not regret a single penny or minute of the investment. Alaska is large and has many people with large hearts. In fact our last night in town and two complete strangers, John and Judith invited us to their house to break bread with them, just like that. Jen and I experienced the wild remoteness of this vast state, we loved it.

Hope you enjoyed your virtual tour with us.

Later

Dave