Atigun Pass in the Arctic northernmost region of Alaska. The view at our destination, over 5,000 miles since we departed home. How did we get here?
we spent all our money on gas and gear, and crashed with friends in Portland (pictured) or camping on free land.
we got to haul ass at times through cities as we preferred to stay close to nature and make miles North
Washington State means ferries! You get to go on and get off first as a motorcyclist and hang out with other riders.
As we wanted to chronicle the changes in landscape and nature, we went on hikes. Here's one of the higher places in Washington, Hurricane Ridge, with a big stag chilling in the evening light.
On our way North we occasionally rode with riders that pulled wheelies for hundreds of meters on end. Rock on dude!
We camped in places we found by riding up random dirt roads and setting up a fire ring and a tent. Home for the night usually came with incredible views.
... and started getting set up later and later in the day. This was at 10 PM or so. Late light was very nice.
Sometimes we camped in funny places. This is a cow pasture. Briefly after this shot we were chased off by a herd of curious cows and a big bull.
But, thanks to this fence we could sleep and set up camp on the side that was safe from the bovine menace.
We met other riders, like this guy from Bolivia. Some people ride from the top of America to the bottom...
Late light and long sunsets in boreal forests, the last forested areas before the tundra. Not pictured: intense shitloads of mosquitoes.
We hit the Alaskan Highway in the Yukon and found it quite decent as far as pavement goes! Incredible scenery and scale.
Maintenance involved Yukon Walmart parking lot oil changes and mechanical adjustments. The bikes did great!
Our first trip to the small Alaskan town of Skagway was breathtaking. The White Pass, known well from the time of the Klondike Gold Rush is insane.
Skagway, old port town of the Klondike Gold Rush. We met some super fun local girls who were incredibly cool and showed us around.
We camped for a night with our new Alaskan friends and then rode up further North. We had an Arctic Circle to reach!
At the end of the day we'd cross incredibly janky 'roads' to find camping spots and were at times cut off by fallen trees and / or moose.
Time to cross the Yukon river. This far North, this ferry runs 24/7 and is the only way to get into Alaska.
Yet, there is an inescapable beauty and vastness about the lower Alaskan landscape. It makes you feel small.
Making good time for the Arctic, it was time for new tires. Fairbanks (where this was taken) was our last stop with any kind of population over 50 people.
2:30 AM, still light. And beautiful. We set off on the road to the Arctic on America's most dangerous road: the Dalton Highway.
You may know this road from Ice Road Truckers. It's known to take many lives each year, due to the bad road conditions and how remote you are. There's only 1 stop for gas in 500+ miles.
We made it to the sign delineating the Arctic Circle! But, we weren't there yet - we wanted to ride North until the road ran out.
The foothills of the Brooks Range showed us the last mountain ridge we'd see until the Arctic Ocean (and if you'd kept going, the North Pole). The Brooks range separates the forested landmass from the inhospitable Arctic North Slope.
Actually, all vegetation vanished except for some bog grass. Meanwhile, we shared the road with nothing but massive speeding trucks leaving us in clouds of dust and rocks.
The Dalton Takes its toll often. You see lots of wrecks and memorial signs for lost souls next to the road.
We made it!!!
We were too freezing and cold to be excited. In the distance is the final human outpost before the Arctic Ocean: the Prudhoe Bay oil field and Deadhorse outpost.
It's the biggest oil field in the US. We were amazed and felt strange being here, as it is all oil machinery and workers and the sun never sets.
