Posts Tagged ‘Dalton Highway’
June 21st, 2009 | 
Author: 3:12 PM: SPOT shows them at Coldfoot Camp. They made great time!!!
4:23 PM: The decision is made!! They fueled up, probably had lunch, a little R&R then mounted up to continue to Fairbanks! It’s 175 miles to Junction and another 84 miles to Fairbanks.
8:33 PM: Junction – End of Dalton Hwy. They are on the Elliott Hwy, 84 miles to Fairbanks.
10:20 PM: Just got off the phone with JV & BS. They are at a Fairbanks car wash cleaning all the mud from their radiator and oil coolers. They’re back to hard liquor, beer, cigars, fast food, fast women, the Suzuki dealership, wireless internet and a 30 degree average temperature increase.
Hope everyone had a great Fathers Day!
It’s been fun! I’m signing off to become a regular blog reader/subscriber. Later this evening, after the guys check in, clean up, get some chow, this blog will return to it’s two adventure riders … JimmyV and Big Steve.
ND – Notorious Dean
Posted in 
I am sad to report there are no new member’s in the Arctic Ocean Blue Ball’s Association. JV & BS took the excursion out to the Arctic Ocean but with 35 degree F in rain and snow AND gusting winds, they chose not to even dip their toes into the Arctic. I think this decision was made because there is no alcohol in Deadhorse. If alcohol was permitted, those two would have been very white floating blubber for the Killer Whales!!!! Without the influence of Johnny Walker, it was common sense over a manly dare!
There are 4 other riders at the Arctic Caribou and a couple riders staying at other locations. Last night JV & BS had dinner with a few of them and exchanged road warrior stories.
8:39 AM: Our “Northbound Two” are now southbound. Both had fixes to do before they left. It was very difficult to work on the bikes in front of the Arctic Caribou Inn in 35 degree F in rain and snow AND 35 mph winds.
Learned a little more about Big Steve’s “bottoming out” problem. At first I thought that BIG Steve was getting too B-I-G. But I learned that the previous owner had lowered the bike and Big Steve left it that way. So it was a combination of Big Steve, lowered bike, taller knobby tires and dirt/gravel/frost heaved roads that resulted in a hole wearing through the plastic rear fender. Steve worked finding a patch for the hole. He found help and was able to cut an old mud flap to pattern and then layered a towel to keep it in place.
JimmyV reported a loss of power to his accessories (heated grips and phone charging station). They could not find a reason but the alternative is going straight to the battery bypassing the relay. He does not need this power to return down the Dalton Hwy.
If the bikes stay running, the return trip will be quicker. They are on a familiar road and are in a road warrior state-of-mind.
The road south is a slow climb from the tundra to the Atigun Pass, 169 miles. The snow and rain stacks up against the north side of the Brooks Mountain range. There is a good chance it will be snowing or at least raining on the approach to the pass. The weather should be warmer on the southern side.
Their goal is Coldfoot, 239 miles, but if the weather is good and they feel strong, they might power through to Fairbanks. Remember, there is no night here. The entire ride would be made in daylight!! The decision will be made at Coldfoot.
3:30 PM: The SPOT shows them next to the Deadhorse Airport. They made it!!
4:47 PM: JimmyV just called. That 1-hour stop was Steve’s bike coming to a stop again. All the mud and sludge from the Atigan Pass mucked up the Power Commander and shorted it out. They had to remover the main connection in the harness to get the electronics back to stock.
JimmyV reports it 45 degrees F with a 15 mph wind. Very, very cold ride in and the last 60 miles was treacherous. He said his accessories went out which included the heated grips but with the Hippo Hands the cold was not a problem.
If you’re watching the SPOT “Track” you can see JimmyV & Big Steve went out to the Arctic Ocean. Don’t know if they are official member’s of the Blue Ball’s Association.
10:15 AM: JimmmyV and BIg Steve are on the Atigun Pass!!
The SPOT shows massive snow and the road is indiscernible. That visual is the Google Map taken months/years ago. It’s 31 degrees F in Deadhorse now and will warm up to a high of 35.
There may be some snow on the pass road today. It will be muddy and slick.
From the top of the pass, it’s 169 miles to Deadhorse!! All down hill.
8:24 PM: I just got a SPOT “OK/Check-In” sent at 8:05 AM in the Coldfoot Camp. If you zoom in you will see the camp covered with snow. There should be no show now.
I thought there might be a SPOT “OK/Check-In” or “Track” problem. Last night the last “Track” ping that I received was made ~30 miles from Coldfoot at 10:11 PM. I did not get a SPOT “OK/Check-In” at the Coldfoot Camp.
When I talked to JimmyV & Big Steve last night at the Coldfoot Camp, Steve said they did send a SPOT “OK/Check-In” at the Coldfoot Camp. He was going to resend but I did not receive a final end-of-day “OK/Check-In”.
All seems good now. JimmyV and BIg Steve on on their final push to Deadhorse!
The first big challenge is the Atigun Pass, 60 miles away. This is the crossing of the Brooks Range and the Continental Divide and the highest pass in Alaska. The elevation is 4,800 feet and the grade is a whopping 12-13%. Typically the pass is perpetually in snow or rain. The road is dirt/gravel which results in a very mucky, sloppy, mud surface. There are Avalanche warning signs all the way up and down the other side. This is where the Continental TKC 80 Twinduro knobby tires pay for themselves!
The north decent side is also 12-13% grade. I thought the down side was scarier than the up side. As they descend on the other side there are several stretches of chip-seal. The landscape is tundra. First rolling hills the plain flat marshy, tundra.
The last 60 miles can the most dangerous. There have been more recorded motorcycle crashes 60 miles out of Deadhorse. Riders get antsy and start pushing to the finish. Kinda like a plow horse heading for the barn. They just want to finish the ride ASAP and get surprised by the chip-seal ending and entering deep gravel/dirt/mud faster than they can handle.
SPOT “Track” is good at 8:20 AM. They’re on the road!!
11:10 PM: JimmyV and Big Steve are at Coldfoot Camp.
They’re sitting back, having a brewski, smokin’ cigars, eating a late dinner then … sleep.
Weather was good all the way from Yukon River Camp. JimmyV said they took their time and rode with minimal cold weather clothing.
They plan to start early – 6AM or so. They have 239 miles to go tomorrow which includes the infamous “Atigun Pass”. At 5PM tomorrow evening, they plan to swim in the Arctic Ocean. Yikes!!!! Some folk call it the “Polar Bear” Club but I think it has something to do with the “Blue Ball’s” Association.
7:45 pm – Steve found the problem. He had bottomed out on a big bump and the rear tire rubbed/wore a hole through the top of the rear fender. This exposed the tire to a wire on his Power Commander module. The wire was ripped out of the Power Commander. The bike started running on one cylinder and all kinds of warning lights were lit.
Big Steve fixed the problem and rode back to the Yukon River Camp to find JimmyV. A couple miles outside the camp, he met JimmyV riding out with a guy in a pickup.
Both riders are back on track and heading north 119 miles to Coldfoot. Their next stop is the Arctic Circle, 60 miles from Yukon River.
Hi,
This is Dean in southern California … JimmyV and Big Steve’s Stromboli cohort.
Just testing the ability to post as a “user” on their Alaska blog pages.
Since the next leg, ~450 miles, from Fairbanks to Deadhorse/Prudhoe Bay has virtually no wifi or internet I’ll fill you in on some details and attempt to answer any questions.
Hi There – JV here..
I’ve asked Dean to fill in while we are in this ride up north. We won’t have internet access, but the SPOT will be working. Dean will fill in any details while we are gone – so be nice to Master Stromboli Dean, aka, ND, aka, Grand Pooba (sp?), aka – I know there is more….. And that includes you Churro, but have fun with Dean – don’t be too nice…
We’ll look forward to the conversations when we return.
JV
JimmyV & BIg Steve left the Fairbanks Super-8 approx 1:20PM. They’ve been on the Elliott Hwy-2 northbound. It’s paved all the way to Junction.