Kennicott Red, an Amish strike, and a Very Expensive Day...

*The Kennicott Mill is located in Wrangell - St. Elias National Park and Preserve

The town of Kennicott is one of the most interesting places to visit.

We woke up in the brothel this morning and meandered across the street for breakfast before heading up to the mill town to shoot more photos. Jaz was in heaven on account of all the rusting industrial parts laying all over the place. She loves to photograph rust. Kennicott is her town! The old mill produced a ton of copper before it shut down for good in the 1930s. Today, it is an National Historic Landmark and one of the coolest places to visit. Off the beaten path, there are no large crowds here like Denali, and the coffee with a view at the Glacier Lodge is not that bad.

Sipping coffee from the deck at the Kennicott Glacier Lodge.

We kept running into a couple of Pennsylvanians on this trip. They stood out on account that they were in search of cigarettes at the end of the road last night and came up short handed. They needed to back track 8 miles to get a pack (not as far as our gas fiasco yesterday), and they sweet talked the shuttle driver into waiting for them in McCarthy. We leaped frog with these two gentlemen several times throughout the day. They were planning on seeing all of Alaska by car and were headed to Valdez via Anchorage, Denali, Fairbanks and McCarthy. They had a trusty little red rental car they were racking up the miles on.

It rained today on a muddy road. It was pleasant. I like the mud. At some point Jaz and I got separated. I just enjoyed the mud and the rain, and played the “Miss the railroad ties with your front tire game”…  GUESS WHAT.. no flat tires.

Old railroad ties can pop your tire.. you must be diligent and pay attention to the road

I finally caught up with Jaz and we made it off the dirt road into Chitina for lunch. Victoria, a local, had us laughing at all her jokes and soon we were on the road again.

We stopped at Liberty Falls and tragedy of the Amish kind struck Jaz. What is the tragedy of the Amish you ask… let me tell you little grasshopper. The Amish strike when modern equipment stops working (for whatever reason). Earlier Jaz’s phone stopped working - at first we thought the one Brothel plug didn’t work properly, but then we realized the phone just wasn’t holding a charge. The second act of Amish occurred when her camera stopped working.  Of course, dropping it in Liberty Falls could also explain the reason why her $1,700 camera stopped working, too. I glanced over just in time to see her slip on one rock and fall forward over another rock that was about the size of a chair. She hit the rock hard with her chest and her camera flew away from her body (still attached to her neck) and landed in the fresh mountain spring water. She grabbed after her camera, but it was too late, the entire thing camera, lens and all got submerged. Sigh. This is going to be an expensive trip for her. The camera was on at the time, so the sudden water/battery combo is not good. It’s completely dead. The lens has water in it.

We headed just a little ways down the road to the Copper Moose B and B. What a wonderful place to dry out and clean up the gear. We plan on leaving here very early so I can make a half day of work in Anchorage tomorrow.

Liberty Falls claimed Jaz's camera.

Even though the day was challenging and Jaz faces a trip to Stewart's Photo Shop (she will live to shoot another day) in the morn... a rainy day on the bike is better than a full day in the office.

Below is an image from the GoPro of Jaz crossing two bridges at the end of the dirt road to McCarthy. Most people give up their cars for a shuttle for the last 4 miles to Kennicott. We crossed the foot bridge. Check it out here:

Souvenirs from Tok

So I rolled into the driveway, 1784 miles later from my Klondike Loop motorcycle ride. Exhausted enough that I almost couldn't climb off the bike, let alone unpack it, wash it, and do the maintenance needed for the next trip.  Sigh.  It looked like rain.

When Jaz and I rolled out of Tok last Tuesday, the sky looked angry. Angry enough to take extra precautions. We both suited up with all the warm clothes we brought. Jaz joked about having lots of empty space in the saddlebags for souvenirs from Tok. I looked like a condom meets Michelin Woman! I was wrapped in rain gear over my heavier riding gear. I had my heated jacket and gloves. I was a toasty warm slug.

Images: http://scientopia.org (condom), and http://www.sporkmedia.com

So the trip is over and I have all this maintenance I need to do on the bike. The chip seal on the Canadian roads ate my rear tire tread away. All the shops in Anchorage want way too much to change this tire (~$200) or can't get to it until the summer is over.  I guess I'm going to have to spend a weekend fixing my bike rather than riding it.  But not this weekend, I'm going to Seattle for some R and R from my ride.

Chip seal takes it's toll on factory KLR tires - ~5000 miles

                               Here are the trip details:

Click on map for a larger image

Total mileage was close to 1800 miles, and it is referred to by the locals as the Klondike Loop. 

• We did it in roughly 7 days. 
• The trip was mostly paved road, but there was a section from points H to C (Taylor Highway and the Top of the World)  that contained mostly dirt/challenged road. This portion of the road is weather dependent on how safe/good you can travel. It is roughly 130 miles of dirt/challenged road.
• The worst part of chip seal occurred between points C and D.This part of the road was also very repetitive (granted gorgeous repetition) and it's easy to fall asleep here. Do this section after a good nights rest!
• There are two ferry crossings. One is free and a no brainer. That is the Yukon River near Dawson, at point C. The second ferry crossing requires you to pre-purchase tickets from the Alaska Marine Highway system. This is a one way ticket between Skagway, Alaska and Haines, Alaska. The boat trip is about 45 minutes, but they require you to check in 2 hours prior to departure. We have no idea why, we stood around and waited. You should have your own tie down straps for the boat ride.
• We took one day off in Dawson to drink Black Death at Klondike Kates. WE HIGHLY RECOMMEND THIS.
• There are two liquior stores in Dawson... the best one is on 3rd Street.
• Our schedule allowed a leisure pace to photograph and take our time. Even so, some of the roads are hard... the mileage should not be measured with Freeway/Interstate mileage in mind.  It is tiring because the roads are filled with potholes and heaves, dirt and water trenches. You waste a lot of energy looking for road issues.
• Gas was not a problem.. anywhere along the way.
• There are numerous US Border/Canadian crossings. Make sure your papers are in order.
• It is highly recommended that you carry both US and Canadian Money.
• Don't forget to call your credit card company and tell them you are traveling between two countries... or you might end up like Jaz.... threatening the guy at Wells Fargo that your going to reach down his throat and rip his fucking lungs out if your card doesn't work tomorrow... oh wait. She did call, but they still fucked her. Have a back up plan.
• Cell phone coverage could not be counted on while traveling the roads, but we had internet service at all hotels/B and B's we stayed in.

We stayed at:
Red  Eagle Lodge @ Chistochina (on account of having to work the same day we left)
5th Avenue B and B in Dawson (Highly Recommended - They are cool)
Casey's B and B in Whitehorse ( Okay... but nothing to write home about)
The Historic Halsingland (It is historic.... but I like old buildings) Not right in town, but they have a nice place to eat and a bar right on the premises.
Kluane B and B (very rustic!) but gorgeous. If you want a view this is the place for you - right on the beach of Kluane. It is right next to an old ghost town, so you can take pictures. BE WARNED - it is remote... bring your own dinner/lunch. They serve a nice breakfast. Closest cup of espresso: 30 miles.
The Golden Bear in Tok (as always... they are very biker friendly and highly recommended)

DO NOT EAT or STAY in Glennallen, AK at the Caribou!!!
DO NOT EAT in Beaver Creek, YT. Canada at Buckaroo Betty's. The one thing this place has been over the last 15 years is consistently bad! It looks nice outside... but trust me!