Joined
·
25 Posts
New to this web. Riding to Alaska in June of 2007 looking for others to ride with.
Hey, Jeff - didn't see you up here this fall, and haven't heard how your trip went. Did you get to do the tour you were planning? Still ready to give you the custom Valdez tour if you want it.Jeff in Ferndale WA said:there's some riders from Alaska that run a board.
They are pretty helpful.
http://www.gl1800riders.com/forums/view ... highlight=
If you're looking for the potentially warmest time of year to visit up here, late June - early July is probably it. But we often see our wettest time of year start in July. Due to the length of days shortly before and after summer solstice, our summer more or less begins around the end of May and with the first day of summer we are counting down to the beginning of winter, as the weather will soon start to grow cooler.Zorrin said:I am also new at this forum, and also planning to ride round trip to Alaska from Houston with a buddy. We are also interested in riding through the scenic California coast. As far as dates, a fellow from Alaska mentioned July is the time to be there, but open to suggestions.
zorrin
Note that I edited the link to the AK Riders forum above.....AKLDRIDER said:Hey, Jeff - didn't see you up here this fall, and haven't heard how your trip went. Did you get to do the tour you were planning? Still ready to give you the custom Valdez tour if you want it.Jeff in Ferndale WA said:there's some riders from Alaska that run a board.
They are pretty helpful.
http://www.gl1800riders.com/forums/view ... highlight=![]()
If you expect to be stopping at some of the more popular tourist spots, it's a good idea to book well in advance. For instance, at the one hotel here in Glennallen, most of the rooms are already reserved for the summer of 2007, and this isn't even a tourist destination (but we serve as the hub for some great day trips). The hotels, motels, cabins, and B&B's near the entrance to Denali are some of the first to go, so reservations need to be made early if you intend to go there. In the bigger cities - Anchorage and Fairbanks - while they house thousands of tourists every summer - have enough facilities that you can usually get a room without a reservation, although it might not be something you'd choose if you had another option.Zorrin said:As far as booking motels months in advance, what is your advise?
Hmmm, that's not easy, since you won't have time to see everything the first time around. But something I'll point out - if you're after "typical" Alaskan scenery, don't bother going to Fairbanks. You'll find the best photo opportunities along the coast or in the coastal range of mountains, and in the Alaska Range. Fairbanks should be reserved for any extra time you have.Zorrin said:If you had to make a MUST VISIT list while in Alaska, what would you recomend the most?
Chicken, eh?davidmc said:Akldrider.....
What can you tell us about "Chicken, Ak". I've seen several pictures posted on this board, but little text. All our plans for Ak have been postponed, at least for a little while. Had to make room for WingnutZZ's Colorado adventure.
I have been recieving a lot of information from the state of Ak. Your Dept of Tourism is OUTSTANDING! Before I die, I WILL see Alaska.
Are the mosquitoes bad?Big Dreams said:AKLDRIDER
one question are the mosquitoes bad ?
Jeff
I rode the Top of the World this past summer through Chicken to Dawson City. It started pouring down rain about 30 miles out of Chicken and the road was very slick. We were riding Dual-Sport bikes with full blown knobby tires and I can't even imagine how bad it would have been on a Goldwing with street tires. We stayed in Chicken for an hour and waited out the rain. The US/Canadian was about to close for the night, so we had to haul ass to get to there before it closed. At the border the weather was great, but we hadn't gone 3 miles into Canada when the wind kicked up and it started sprinkling rain. We stopped and put the rain suits back on and what happened next I can only describe as "Pure Hell". We're riding across the top of the mountains in a down pouring rain with 50 mph cross winds on a dirt & gravel road. Windshields and face shields were all fogged up, the pot holes in the road are full of water, and the wind is blowing us sideways. It's 65 miles from the border to Dawson City and the only thing we could do was keep riding. As we started down the mountain to the Yukon river the weather changed back to dry and overcast. I'm sure a lot of riders have made this trip on a Wing, but you had better watch the weather, which when your that far North can change without notice. Another thing that would keep me from making this trip on a Wing is that you will more than likely run into section of road where they have put down calcium chloride, and you don't even want to know what that stuff will do to your ride.davidmc said:Akldrider.....
What can you tell us about "Chicken, Ak". I've seen several pictures posted on this board, but little text. All our plans for Ak have been postponed, at least for a little while. Had to make room for WingnutZZ's Colorado adventure.
I have been recieving a lot of information from the state of Ak. Your Dept of Tourism is OUTSTANDING! Before I die, I WILL see Alaska.
In some places the mosquitoes can be horrendous, but in others you won't find any mosquitoes. Stopping along a highway in the interior in the cool of the evening you can be swarmed by bugs, but when the sun is high in the sky they seem to retreat into the shade. Along coastal areas you won't find many at all. There are only a few times each summer that I bother to apply repellent, but one night last summer I would have given quite a bit for a headnet, when I ran out of gas around midnight and flies, mosquitoes, and every other manner of flying insect were attracted to me and the heat of the bike.Big Dreams said:AKLDRIDER
Thanks for the info. on Alaska. I watch the travel channel alot to gather info. one question are the mosquitoes bad ?
What trip is that? (Be patient with me, I've been out of town for a week and with my memory, five minutes is a long time. :lol: )Big Dreams said:What are the most important up grades to make to a Goldwing for the trip that you wrote about ?