Seward Holiday

We returned from the Kenai Fjords fishing trip to stay in Seward over the 4th of  July and go fishing on a party boat.  Apparently everyone from Anchorage makes this same trek to the Kenai Peninsula over the holiday and the town in packed.  No room at any campgrounds, so we stayed here...

Ditch Hotel

It was common practice, we followed the lead of others.  The price was right, too.  Since the town was packed, w made our own restaurant which served halibut for every meal the week we stayed there.

Livin' It

After fishing, we went for a walk in the woods.  We saw a glacier, and the mixing of glacial run off with stream/rain water run off.  Neat stuff.  We drank some glacial water, and let me tell you the marketing strategies of water bottle companies is pretty good.  Iit doesn't taste as well as they'd lead you to believe.

And then this.  

Maybe we should haveve brought the shotgun with.

Clouds & LingCod

a couple days of lingcod & fog/clounds/rain in addition to the halibut and rockcod.  When a lingcod hits, its as if your pole has been struck by lightning.

Lingcod are eating machines, their heads and mouth are twice as big as the rest of their body.  pointy sharp nasty ripping teeth.  I think they just sit and wait for something tasty to swim by, then ambush it.  they are delicious.

halibut are still good though

Fishing Camp

Bellies now full of a delicious halibut appetizer, freshly tossed halibut salad, salty and savory halibut main course and rich halibut dessert we slept contently.  And woke up to this view.  Lucky to be alive.

fishing camp

Halibut

halibut is the best tasting fish ever

Arctic Ocean Round Trip, day 3 1/2

Deadhorse was neat, but uneventful.  It is a 100% work-gets-done-here-now kind of place.  The people are there for one reason - to extract oil from the ground.  That is, unless they are crazy scumbucket motorcyclists.

Anyways, we got there in the late afternoon, filled up the tanks wit expensive gasoline, and wondered "huh.  what now?"  food?  No bars up here to celebrate with, all alcohol is banned.  We were trying to figure out where to get food... all there is around there is raised gravel roads (the tundra itself can't be driven on with normal vehicles), work shops, drilling rigs, neat crazy tired tundra rigs, barracks to house the workers and that is about it.  No real maps are available, and everything is pretty well closed up tight, its not like a guy can walk up to these shops.  They need to keep out -60F weather with 60 mph winds in the winter!!!!

We were trying to figure it out, when a dude in a pickup pulled up and started a conversation.  Turns out he is a bush pilot who hauls scientists out to study whatever they study.  He gave us directions to a steak feed taking place tonight - $50 a head, but the best meal in town.  We opted for door #2, the Arctic Caribou Inn buffet.  But scaled back to salad and dessert only... $12.  It was the best tasting crappiest food I've ever had.

white-greenish thick paper to put sugary red salad dressing on followed by spongy yellow cake-like cushion (I think I'm going to use this as my next motorcycle seat) covered in bright red colored strawberryish gooey sauce topped by miracle whip?  no musta been cool whip... who knows.  I ate at least 3 servings of each.  Plus the first milk I've had for a long time.

Way. Too. Much. Food.

Rolling out of the place, I thought I was going to hurl.  Need to walk it off.

oil rig

arctic ocean redwood tree infront of oil rig

Everything up on the tundra is smaller, for instance the rare arctic ocean redwood tree as seen above.  The ducks in the water could fit inside the palm of your hand.

It was about time to start thinking about heading south.  weird.

Firejumpers

The Firejumpers post. Alternatively: Don't party with people who jump out of planes onto the burning earth for a job post.

Due to the crazy terrain, lack of pavement, pull-outs, and wildlife in Denali, the Park Service does not allow private vehicles along the one road into the park.  All tours must be by bus or on foot.  this was a good thing for me because I was having trouble walking the morning of my tour, and certainly was in no position to drive.

We met some firejumpers in the parking lot since we had to walk into camp.  They had been on the job in the brush for the past few months.  Due to heavy rains they had the weekend off and came to see Denali and take part in the bluegrass festival.  They were real dudes, super cool and hooked us up with some beer jerky.

We set up camp and decide to grab the shuttle bus to the nearby pizza joint to eat, have a chill night and wake up early to go on our pre-purchased tour.  Along the way we saw the firejumpers again, apparently the bluegrass festival was a bust.  Now its a group of dudes headed to the Bar-grill chugging beers, with pocket reserves.

The shuttle driver wouldn't let us take beers on the bus, something about responsibility? So we did the responsible thing and chugged a few each.  Ordered food, round after round came through.  Next thing we know, the firejumper is taking off his shirt and dancing.  Then trying a shirt nailed to the wall on for size!  Each and every girl comes through our table.  morebeers, more shots and we are sitting in the middle of a wedding party.  after seeeing the brides (there were 3 right?) we decide its time to go, the firejumpers are still the life of the party... waiting outside in the rain for the shuttle bus, not sure which way is up. all the sudden someone steals the shuttle van!  people are running and yelling outta the bar.  The wedding party can't wait to get back.  Can't blame 'em, I guess.  somehow we make it back, not quite sure how.

Sometime the next morning I make it to the Denali Park tour bus, as seen in pictures here.  Thankfully I could seperate myself from the families during this time.  I get back @ 9 pm to find Harper still sleeping in the tent, and this on my motorcycle, courtesy of the firejumpers....

A big, hearty Thanks, firejumpers.  You guys rock, all the important things to make our life, a HighLife.  Also, Thanks, US taxpayer, for supplying us with the above necessities via firejumpers.

finally, a note to self and suggestion to you, don't party with people who jump out of planes onto the burning earth for a job.

Last Smelly Meal

We'd been subsisting mainly on beans and rice, but in a moment of cold-induced weakness bought some overpriced bacon and eggs aka comfort food.  Before Entering Denali Nat'l Park, we though it would be wise to eat all the smelly, powerful scenty, bear-attracty food.

It was sunny and we made it to Denali Nat'l Park with no bacon and a six pack.  nuff said.

the day's route about 80 miles.

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The Best and Worst Day on Denali Highway

We woke with Denali covered by the looming rainstorms.  We quickly packed up camp and started heading towards the Denali Highway.  No breakfast today, the rain immediately commenced and the temperature plummeted.  We rode alongside the pipeline for the first time, and stopped along the way to admire it and wring our drenched socks.  Afterwards we lined our boots with plastic bags.

Arriving in Paxson, AK we were freezing cold, hungry, and out of gas.  The only store in town has a monopoly on everything... although I wouldn't suggest, ordering anything there (in fact I recommend going hungry) or purchasing the most expensive gas we saw on the trip... we did.  Learn from our mistake.

Luckily the Denali Highway's views and great riding quickly erased any memories of Paxson from our minds.

Do stop @ milepost 42 for the Maclaren River Lodge, Mmmmmm Hmmmmmmm.  In fact, go out of your way to stop by there, friendly service and the
best fresh made bread ever.
best warm soup ever.
best hot coffee ever.
basically the best ever.

Mmmmmmm Hmmmmmmm!

@ EOB June 19th

The neatest thing about this day was after we got settled in camp a kid on a bicycle waved at us as he rode by.  The rest of the evening, he rode his bicycle around camp making motor noises, ala "On Any Sunday" introduction.

The day's route: 190 miles

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Finally Alaska?

Time to get a move on, the AK border crossing closes promptly @ 9pm.  Its 7:30pm, and 60 miles to Alaska.  We gotta full tank a-gas, half pack a-smokes, its never getting dark out and we’re wearing helmets.  HIT IT!

But then we get sidelined by the views.

Which means 5 minutes late at the border, therefore… No Entry.  We gotta sleep in Canada again. dang, it woulda been nice to make it, especially because the only campground was 60 miles back, near the Yukon River.  Since the scumbucket motto is never go back, we find a wide spot alongside the road.

Also, time crunch that we were on to pass that hitchhiker and make the border, we forgot to fill the water bottles up.  We only have about a half-liter of water between the two of us for the night.  On the Top-of-the-World Hwy, there is no water because the whole road is on a ridge.  All our food is the dehydrated variety, except the few packets of Indian food that Mama Z set with!!!  Curry, whiskey and a side of mosquitoes it is.

the evening's route: 106 km


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Thanks to Mama Z we ate well

best dehydrated pasta sauce ever.

With full bellies, we rode towards Hyder, AK.  On the way, we drove past no less than seven black bears, one grizzly bear and our first glacier.  People sometimes ask what is the difference between the bears, I can assure you when you see a Grizzly bear, you will know the difference.  How fitting this is called Bear Glacier

Bear Glacier

Hyder, AK

Hyder, AK is a crazy boom/bust mining town.  There is no pavement, no law enforcement or fire fighters, no border guards, a huge dump near the intersection of the two main streets, ridiculously talented sculpture artists and the best fish bus ever.