Alaska and The Yukon 2026 ride

[Sgt Bilco]

Up early and go out of the hotel to get some breakfast and what's this??? Bloody hell, it's warm and bright sunshine I actually sent a message to everyone to get their arses out of bed as there was something wrong with the sky The rain and cold yesterday was the last we'd see on teh whole trip thank the bloody lord.


After a pretty healthy breakfast we headed off to see the brilliant Dredge No 4 which was used to get the gold out of the ground until the early 60's. It's a fascinating machine and the tour is always worth going to.







You may notice that everyone has left their helmets and jackets on their bikes which would be unheard of in the UK or Europe. In over 15 years of riding up here in the Alaska and Yukon, I've never even heard of something being taken.

We all fel in love with this little pooch who travelled on the bike of a guys bike. He found her as an abandoned pup and didn't realise she was a Coyote. He said she took some training but she was a lovely sweet dog who went everywhere with him.



Lesley found a slightly smaller pooch.

 

[Sgt Bilco]

On our way back to Dawson we rode up Midnight Dome which gives brilliant views of the area especially in this glorious weather.




Everyone glad of the sun.





Back to Dawson and a chance to look around this great little town which is rich in Klondike Gold history.







The Sourtoe challenge is an age old thing to do in Dawson and it's something everyone just has to do. It's supposedly a miners toe in teh glass which is then filled with Whiskey. You have to knock it back in one and let the toe touch your lips before you get your certificate. I did it back in 2007 and have no desire to do it again and I'm sure it's the same old guy doing it.

Guys and Lesley were the only ones to have enough courage to do it and fair play to them. Sorry about the pics as they are just a screen grab from a video.





The rest of just enjoyed the local beer.

 

[G&T]

Excellent photos and what a great looking bunch of people. Nice for a couple of lasses to be on your trip too Chris

 

[Sgt Bilco]

Woke up to another

Excellent photos and what a great looking bunch of people. Nice for a couple of lasses to be on your trip too Chris

I always get a fantastic mix of people on my trips. It's one of the big reasons I keep doing it

 

[Sgt Bilco]

We wake up to a beautiful day in the Yukon for our longest riding day of the trip. We are heading for Whitehorse which is the capital of Yukon and is 330 miles away. Regular readers of trip reports will note this is a new addition and I've changed the route around.

I've dropped the ride up to the Arctic circle for safety reasons and added a loop around the Yukon which in my opinion really enhances the trip.

I've not ridden this road for 10 years so really looking forward to it as there is plenty to see as we ride and I have to keep an eye on fuel range on the 900.


First stop was the start of the Dempster Highway which takes you to a tiny town called Inuvik which is as far north as you can ride on the American continent. It's a very remote road of packed dirt and gravel of about 400 miles each way and it's a minimum of 4 days return.

It's only for the very well prepared and needless to say it's not on our itinerary.





So we head south with cruise set and enjoy the fantastic environment and empty road.




It's not as straight as it looks and is actually quite curvy. Lots of stops as there is plenty of construction. You generally don't have to wait longer than about 15 minutes for the pilot car to take you through the rough 10 miles of construction.




It's all abit much for some people and Lesley is probably still having nightmares about the Sour Toe



On this highway, you fuel at every opportunity so we pull into Selkerk station for fuel and a snack.



Met this guy on a fully loaded GS who had been on the road for nearly a year! You do meet quite a few people up here who seem to be out for months and are just riding around.




Next stop is five finger rapids which is a set of rapids the original prospectors had to negotiate in there paddle steamers on route to the klondike gold rush. Braver men than me that's for sure.



Get to our next fuel stop and pull up to the pumps. Go to get my wallet out and it's not in my usual pocket so I must have put it somewhere else. I frantically check all my pockets and come to the realisation that it's gone..........shit fuck and double bollox!

I know exactly what happened and whilst we were getting ready to leave, I was chatting to someone, got distracted from my normal routine and left it on one of my panniers. Jesus H..........., over 20 years of doing this and this is the first time I've done it.

Guy remembers seeing something fall of my bike about half a mile up the road from the garage and just though it was some dirt or rubbish kicked up.

There wasn't much cash in the wallet but had the cards I use over here and my drivers licence in it.

With that info it made sense to go back and at least try and find it so everyone headed to the hotel in Whitehorse whilst I went back 70 miles.

Flew back and had a good look but couldn't find it. It was one of those things were it either be sitting there or gone forever and it was the latter. Strangely, there was the only police station for about 200 miles over the road so I reported it and they said they would contact me if they found it.

No pics as I was so angry with myself, I simply forgot to take any.

I headed south and now it's getting late and I've still got about 180 miles to go so I wound the 900 up to about 80 and flew along the empty roads barely slowing down for the construction which was now clear of the machinery.



I really don't like riding after 7pm out here as the animals start to appear so I was on a full concentration mode and trying to weigh up a speed that I felt comfortable with so about 75 seemed right.

The plus point is I saw 2 bears and a wolf on my way which was definitely a bonus.

I eventually pulled into Whitehorse at 22-15 after a 13 hour day and 550 miles with my eyes on stalks.

Jesus what a day but it's only a lost wallet and I was still pissed off with myself.

 

[Mikey]

Takes me back, I went through five finger rapids in a canoe many, many years ago.

It’s a fabulous place.

 

[Sgt Bilco]

After yesterday's issues, we had a very short ride today down to the port of Skagway which was one of the big gateways for the goldrush and has some great history.



The weather was a bit cool and windy but at least it wasn't raining.

This is Emerald Lake and is a beautiful green colour but sadly, an Iphone really doesn't show it at it's best.




About halfway is Carcross which is right on the edge of a proper desert which feels a little bizarre in the Yukon.




A nice breakfast and walk around the town followed which is very touristy.



We left Carcross and headed toward Skagway on an absolutely stunning road which I'd not ridded for 10 years. The scenery is breathtaking and oif you can imagine Scotland on steroids, you'll be close.



Your glorious leader in his element





A very happy group and why wouldn't we be riding in this gorgeous area.








Then a small border crossing back into the US where the immigration officers were the guards wore their usual American straight face.

 

[King Rat]

Best I got was about 190.

Panniers add drag, and they rob mileage on any bike, as does a topbox without a pillion to fill the gap between rider and top box.

Catching up slowly - just got the Pizzas and beer page!

 

[King Rat]

I'm glad the sun came out eventually. The Yukon area is great. For our Alaskan adventure by boat we launched in Dawson and went downstream to the sea, then up the coast to Nome.

 

[Monsieur]

Another great write up!
Bad luck about your wallet but weather seems to have improved

 

[Mad Hatter]

Looks like it was a great trip despite the weather. Are you planning something similar in 2027?

 

[Sgt Bilco]

Looks like it was a great trip despite the weather. Are you planning something similar in 2027?

Yes mate

We were unlucky with the weather as I've never know it like that before but you do have to expect anything!!

 

[Sgt Bilco]

We got into Skagway nice and early and what a difference 3000ft of elevation makes!! It was warm and very busy with tourists off the cruise ships. They park right at the end of the street and disgourge their walking cargo straight into town.

They arrive early in the morning and leave between 6pm and 8pm so the town gets very busy between 9 and 4 when all teh shops have to make their money. I'm guessing up to 12,000 people wandering around makes for a good turnover!!



After 4, the town turns into a ghost town and everything closes apart from a few bars and restaurants and it's a great time to explore.








Our hotel is a cracker and the oldest in town so it's full of Klondike charm. Bizzarely, there are only a few hotels in town because not many people actually stay there. They all waddle back to their cabins on board the floating palaces.







They even have a garden which is very rare up here. They grow their own veg and quite successfully and they sell it in their restaurant. Would have been nice to eat in there but of course they shut at 4!!

 

[JonnyBravo]

Looks like it was a great trip despite the weather. Are you planning something similar in 2027?

I'm hoping so ..........

 

[Sgt Bilco]

I'm hoping so ..........

Definitely

 

[JonnyBravo]

Definitely

Let me know when you have rough details please

 

[Sgt Bilco]

We had a little wander down to the port after dinner to have a look at the cruise ships that were departing to their next destination up the coast.

The sound here has a depth of 900ft so it can accommodate even the biggest floating hotels. Not my cup of tea that's for sure but they do keep the local economy alive.



As we stood there looking at the ship slowly depart, Michalis shouted there is a whale and true enough, an Orca surfaced a couple of times before heading off. You can just about see it in the pic and one of us really needed to have a good camera but it was a real thrill to see one so close. Apparently, they chase the Salmon all the way into the sound so are seen regularly. What a treat.....



We were taking a ferry down the sound in the afternoon so had a bit of time to kill so after a very healthy breakfast at the hotel, we set off on a gorgeous morning to see the town of Dyea which was a thriving stop off point for the prospectors before they headed inland looking for their fortunes up in the wilds of the Yukon.

Six miles down a gravel track soon got our attention and it was probably the worst of the trip but very easy with care.


Well worth the effort......


Constant reminders of how life hung on a thread in those days.




The town itself has long gone and there are few remains but it's a beautiful spot to visit totry and think how they's people actually survived.




Obviously not everyone did and this cemetery is here for the people who died in an Avalanche. Not a bad place to spend eternity I guess amongst the trees by the sea. walking round, it's amazing where people came from to find their fortune and they came from all over the US and probably most of the world at that time.






Then it was time for a gentle ride back to Skagway to catch the ferry to Haines. One last view of this stunning location.

 

[Sgt Bilco]

Let me know when you have rough details please

PM me your email and I'll get it done asap.

 

[Sgt Bilco]

A port is a port no matter where you are and Skagway just happens to be one of the more beautiful ones. We are taking a ferry across to Haines which not only means a saving of about 300 miles but it means riding one of the best roads anywhere in the North.

A quick sandwich before we go to the port from this great little food truck.



A face off with one of the trains.......not many health and safety barriers around here.



And down to the port and a close look at this monstrosity. We reckoned about 4000 people on board........



As I said, a port is a port but is there anywhere to queue up?





The smallish boat was delayed for about an hour which was a pain but I'm used to that being a regular crosser of the channel in a truck.



Loading was pretty funny as it was just a matter of riding to the end of the boat and leaving it on it's side stand. The crew weren't at all bothered and no one seemed to give a shit..




Eventually we set off down the sound into what can only be described as a howling gale. You could barely stand up at the from of te ferry but well worth it for the view.



Not bad from the back either.



After about 90 mins we arrived in Haines and were quickly disembarked before the ferry headed to Juneau.

We will be riding a section of road from Haines to Haines Junction which is probably the only road I've not ridden up here and is one of the most scenic. It really didn't disappoint and for 3 hours we were treated with nice curves and staggering views with perfect Alaska and the Yukon scenery all around.

Everything from big wide rivers with mountains to a high plateau at 3000ft which was windswept but beautiful. If you've ridden in North West Scotland you'd no doubt recognise it but this is on steroids!!

 

[Sgt Bilco]

An absolute beautiful ride and my pics just don't do it justice.







As I mentioned, the ferry was late which meant we'd be late into the hotel. It didn't help that I had to keep my speed down as the message of doom flashed up on the TFT screen reminding me I was pushing my luck. There are some big gaps between fuel here and as I'd planned it, I knew I would be fine but having this keep reminding you doesn't help the enjoyment of the ride.



We rocked up to the hotel a couple of hours late and the owner had kindly let everyone know where the keys were



The motel itself was the only one available when I booked it and it looked good on t'internet but the reality was it has seen better days much like a lot of places up here. Saying that, the rooms were large, clean and comfortable which was fine for our short stay.



The owner was Chinese and as soon as she heard us pull up she was out like a flash and asked us if we we hungry. Now, everything shuts early in these small towns and her restaurant closed at 8.

However, she said she'd cook us a 3 course Chinese meal in 20 mins which we could eat in our rooms and we all said yes. Dollar signs spinning in her eyes she ran across to her restaurant and set about it.


Sure enough, 20 mins later we were treated to a delicious meal for about £20 each and there were real actual vegetables on the plate.



Washed down with a couple of cold ones of course. For me, this non alchoholic was the best I've ever tasted



One of those days and evenings which will stay long in the memory.