I’m not sure I’ve ever slept that hard before. The sun really never sets so I’ve brought a sleeping mask that came in super handy. Today we journey to the Arctic Circle. We’re not doing it on our motorcycles though. Since I’m on an Eaglerider Triumph and we still have 20 days and thousands of miles left on our trip, we decide to rent a special SUV to drive the Dalton Highway up to the Arctic Circle . It came equipped with a CB radio. We would soon learn the value of that radio. We picked it up yesterday so we make an early start this am with a quick stop at Albertsons for lunch supplies and snacks. We’re doing this trip in a day deciding not to go on to Coldfoot. We’re opting for another adventure tomorrow.. more on that in the next post.
Lots of people ask how the Dalton Highway is to ride or drive. I’m going to do my best to describe conditions.. because they change. Often and quickly. That’s probably why when you read blogs, some folks have an easy journey and some don’t. No rain, easy trip. Rain and it could mean the end of your trip.
The first portion of the Dalton is paved and rides quickly. The road becomes dirt after 30 miles or so but was a good grade up to the Yukon River Camp. This is your only stop until Coldfoot. There are no facilities or gas at the Arctic Circle. There is one pump. The camp has a restaurant with surprisingly good food. They do take credit cards but not at the pump, lol.
We stop to fill up and eat. It begins to rain. When we emerge, the dusty landscape now looks completely different. Mud is everywhere and potholes with mud seem to magically appear from under the ground. The drive to the Arctic Circle was a tough one. Not impossible, but tough. As if riding in mud weren’t bad enough, in the summer work crews try and rebuild sections of the road. They do this by digging dirt (pitfill) and making a new road. Keep in mind the Dalton is not flat so if you encounter mud or construction, be prepared to lay your bike down. The key is to try and maintain enough speed but not enough to need breaks.
We reach the famed “Beaver Slide” and going down seems pretty easy. I could see my motorcycle sliding like a hotdog in a hallway. :). We reach the Arctic Circle around 2 pm I think. I believe our average speed was about 40 or so miles an hour.
It was 84 degrees at the Arctic Circle. There were 2 volunteers collecting donations for charity in exchange for Arctic Circle certificates that they would write your name on. We met a biker from Argentina, another lady rider on a Triumph Explorer from Seattle, and her friend who was on a Motoguzzi.
We snapped pics, shook hands and set back for Fairbanks. The rain, which had stopped was back. It was slow going as we approached the Beaver Slide. My favorite man was driving and I was manning the CB radio. We saw the Beaver Slide and by now a construction crew had the northbound lane blocked. In the southbound lane (our lane) we saw the lady rider and Mr. Motoguzzi struggling to start the climb up the Beaver. I radioed to the construction crew, “4 wheeler southbound on the Beaver, permission to get in the northbound lane”. After a few seconds a voice came back. “10-4”. We carefully passed the struggling motorcycles and climbed the slide as an 18 wheeler got to the top of the slide. Luckily he’d heard us so he slowed down instead of barreling down the Beaver like they normally do.
Moral of that story. Cell service doesn’t exist right now on the Dalton. I think they are building some towers but even so, safety on the Dalton depends on your ability to communicate with the truckers. They use this road to make a living and have to deal with all us thrill seekers checking items off our bucket list . If you can get a CB radio you will be safer on the Dalton. Road conditions can change in 10 minutes so you need to be mentally and physically prepared to ride in mud, pitfill, water and dust. Carry extra tires, water and camping gear. I’d also recommend a satellite phone. You can rent one through Verizon for a reasonable daily rate.
