Day 23 - Ride to Valdez

This post is a continuation of my Alaska trip in 2012 for anyone reading my blog for the first time.

I left Copper Center early in the morning, planning on riding to Valdez, about 150 miles, and have breakfast or lunch there.  I will then turn around and head north passing Copper Center again on the way north to Tok, another 255 miles.  There's only one road to Valdez, the Richardson Highway, but it's one of the most beautiful rides in Alaska.  The views are stunning, the snow capped mountains surround you most of the way and there's a constant fog. Valdez is a small city of about 4000 inhabitants but has one of the most important ports in Alaska.  It is also the end of the oil pipeline that starts in Prudhoe Bay, the place I had been just a few days earlier.

The vistas are stunning along the Thompson Pass, it's mid July but the mountains are still topped with snow and the fog is a constant along the way, it made for a very cold ride.  I had my scarf wrapped around my neck, had to put and extra layer under the jacket and the grip heaters were on maximum setting.

About 30 miles before Valdez you pass the Worthington Glacier.  I stopped at the state recreation site but did not walk all the way to the glacier.  The sign said it's unsafe to walk on glaciers without special equipment due to the danger of falling in a crevasse, the last thing I wanted after having ridden over 6000 miles so far on this trip was to break a leg by falling through a crevasse.

As you get closer to Valdez you go through Keystone Canyon, carved by the Lowe River, where you get to see lots of beautiful waterfalls.  It's a narrow Canyon and I encounter almost no traffic, at one point I stop the bike and I'm able to stand in the middle of the road to capture a few pictures.

The air was cold, mid 40's, colder than when I was further north and colder than Prudhoe Bay but I was enjoying myself just admiring the beautiful scenery and the low fog.

I arrive in Valdez, located at the head of a fjord on the eastern side of Prince William Sound, head straight to the ferry terminal and ride my bike onto the pier, luckily for me the ferry was not in and there was no one at the terminal.  I had envisioned this moment multiple times in my head and found a perfect spot on the empty pier.  Right across from where my bike is parked is the oil loading terminal.  No one is allowed to go near but I didn't need to, the view from this side was amazing, I stood there for a while simply enjoying life.

Below you can see an oil tanker on the other side.  These two guys were leisurely going by on their canoe.

Valdez is also a fishing port, I head next over to the fishing area and find the port full of all kinds of fishing boats, commercial and for sport fishing.  You can read all about Valdez here

These guys were having fun picking the bones of leftovers from the fishing boats and seeing them eating remind me that I needed to eat too, I tend to forget when I'm having fun.

I find the perfect place for breakfast at the Totem Inn Restaurant.  The place was packed and that's a good indication the food is good.  I look through the menu looking for the typical, two eggs and bacon but instead find two eggs and "reindeer" sausage.  I had never had reindeer sausage and didn't even know they existed.  I ask the young waiter if they are good and she tells me they are the specialty of the house, that was enough for me, I'm always ready to try anything.  I can attest they were really good.

The view from outside the restaurant.

I couldn't leave Valdez without one last stop by the pier.  I pull out the zoom and manage to get a closer view of the oil terminal.  Since I was there, might as well get another photo of the bike.

With one last look, I turn around and head out of Valdez and back on to the Richardson Highway.

On the way out I stop at the old railroad tunnel, cut by hand into the solid rock, never completed because the workers from competing mines fought a gun battle which interrupted progress and the tunnel was never finished.

I continue my return to Tok where I plan on spending the night at a famous motorcycle campsite.

Luckily there's only one route to follow back to Tok because my WorldNav GPS was having problems locating itself.  I never figured out what the problem was, it had the maps for Alaska and had been working fine further north.

To be continued.....

Day 22 - Denali Highway - Part 2

This post is a continuation of my Alaska trip in 2012 for anyone reading my blog for the first time.

After the bear paw prints incident I get back on the bike and continue east along the Maclaren River Valley, the lush green valley and the mountains always in the background providing one of the most scenic rides I have ever taken.

I stop again at the next bridge over the Clearwater Creek and walk down to the water edge.   I wanted to put my hands in the water, to feel how cold it was.

Yes, it was really cold but extremely clear too.  I wonder what kind of fish you would find out here.  Hadn't seen anyone along the way but these must be good fishing waters.  I sit under the bridge just listening to the roar of the rushing water, a very soothing sound.

I get back on the bike and a little later spot this house in the distance.  I pull out the camera and zoom in, the place seemed empty but not abandoned.  There were no cars or bikes anywhere but I didn't dare go near, people in this part of the country always carry weapons and might not like intruders on their property. 

Towards the end of the Denali Highway I come upon the Crazy Dog Kennel.  I go in and chat with a young attendant that had come out when I arrived.  While chatting with him I see a KTM go by but the rider never even slows down, must have been in a hurry to get away from the beautiful scenery.  We walk around admiring the dozens of dogs and he tells me the story of the owner of this place.  The owner, Zoya DeNure, was a former super model that moved out here after her modeling career ended to take care of sled dogs and race the Iditarod race.   You can read more info on the link below about this amazing lady.
Link

Zoya DeNure new house being built up on the hill behind the Crazy Dog Kennel and the office building of the Maclaren River Lodge.  I go inside and have a snack and a warm cup of coffee while chatting with the lady inside.

It was getting late and I still had a long ride south, my plan was to head towards Valdez and find a place along the way.  I start going a little faster but had to stop for photos when I saw the glacier in the distance.

The last 21 miles of the Denali Highway are paved and soon I was on a newly paved road and able to pick up my speed.  I come around a bend and there's a pullout area and a single bench facing the mountains, I had to stop again, couldn't miss the opportunity to get a photo.  I stayed there for a few minutes just admiring the scenery and taking photos.  The place was extremely quiet, only the sound of the wind breaking the silence.

Another glacier in the distance.

I get to Paxson and start looking for gas but the only gas station hadn't had gas in its tanks in a very long time, the place was falling apart.   The temperature had dropped quite a bit and the drizzle continued falling as I speed south now on the Richardson Highway (Alaska Route 4) towards Copper Center.   From Paxson to Copper Center is about 85 miles, about an hour and a half riding.  I arrive in town and set my GPS to the Caribou Hotel only to find the hotel fully booked.  The lady tells me the Mccarthy Lodge across the street is also fully booked but then she suggest a motel on the other side of town and she knows the owner, she quickly calls him and there's a room.  She gives me the address and I point my GPS to it.  I get there and it's maybe a one star motel but I was tired and just needed a place to crash and there's a bar, a bonus for sure.  I enter the bar and the owner signs me up for a room.  I quickly unpack the bike and get back to the bar where I proceeded to have a tasty burger and a local beer while chatting with a few couples sitting at the bar.  I retreat to my room much later, get in bed and quickly pass out.  It was one of the best days of my trip.

Copper Center link

To be continued.....