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After a buffet breakfast we left the Coldfoot Hilton for our ultimate goal; Prudhoe Bay & the Arctic Ocean. This is the farthest place North in Alaska accessible by road. Fortunately, Peter had managed to contact the Caribou Inn Tour people so we could have the necessary security check done 24 hours before the tour. All we had to do was get there.
Things started out great. More paved road through the Boreal forest until we had to cross the final mountain range. Then the road turned to washboard for the accent & decent. It was manageable. Later we hit some distruction ( road construction). We had been warned that this part of the road contained large sharp edged rocks about the size of your fist & larger, but our tires survived.
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| Nice road, eh! |
It must be mating season for the Arctic Squirrels. The sound of our motorcycles caused them to run across the road in front of us. Presumably to see their sweethearts on the other side. Several times I thought Peter was going to crush one of these little guys, but each one survived.
Yesterday, I just about hit a suicidal rabbit. He dashed across the road in front of me before I could react. When he hit the shoulder his left front leg slipped out from under him & he tumbled into the weeds. After contemplating bunny's fate I looked back at the road to discover the pavement was ending with a 4 inch drop. Holy crap! I had no time to slow down. I just flew out into space like the General Lee. Bo & Luke Duke would have been proud of me. I landed safely & continued on; at a slower pace.
We caught to a couple of guys on Harleys during a gravel section. Naturally, we had to pass them. I stood straight up on the foot pegs (as Dave had taught me) & did my best Charlie Boorman impression as I went by them (childish I know, but I couldn't resist.) Actually, these guys were nice guys & deserved more respect. They were very close to finishing an Iron Butt Sea to Sea Mission. They had started riding in Pennsylvania, had gone down to Key West & were on their way to the Arctic Ocean in Prudhoe Bay on Harleys. Pretty amazing.
We were now above the treeline. Grassy plains surrounded us on all sides and were ahead of us as far as we could see. Caribou & muskoxen kept us company for about 50 kms. The caribou seemed startled by the sound of our bikes or maybe it was the deer whistles. Each time as we approached them, their heads would go up & they would move away. I clocked a couple of caribou running @ 60 kph. Amazing. The muskoxen looked funny to me. Almost like a mirage. Their long coats hung down & brushed the ground as they moved long. The look like a mop with a Bison head.
Eventually, we were all alone. The last 100 kms was brutal. Now it was cold. We had our rain suits on to help keep us warm, but they weren't doing a good job. The gravel and high winds were challenging. It was like riding on marbles with someone trying to push you off the road. Not nice. Full concentration was required to balance the bike. All we could do was look ahead, hoping to see Deadhorse on the horizon.
After what seemed like an eternity, Deadfoot came into view. Exhausted & frozen we stopped at the Prudhoe Bay Motel to ask directions. The lady mentioned that there was a cancellation we could have if we were interested. Peter & I took one look at each other & quickly agreed. The room was the same price as at Coldfoot but it included all your meals for 24 hours. Bonus! The room was way better as well. Double bonus! In fact the whole place was so nice I would have stayed longer, but I'm sure I would have gained a lot of weight from the meals.
Today is the 21st of June. We were going to see the summer solstice in the Arctic. 24 hours of sunlight!
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| Sleeping Beauty @ midnight |
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