Acclimitisation

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Having arrived safely in Anchorage at 11pm on 22nd July and greeted the bike who was waiting for us in the hotel car park (with a new battery as she had refused to start when un-crated at the airport) we immediately went off to sample the wares of the local micro-brewery with a couple of other midnight arrivals.

Next day we went off for a pootle around to get used to being back on the bike and driving on the 'wrong-side' of the road. Pointed the bike out of town and turned on the GPS, it said 'next left turn in 80 miles' and we are in the most densely populated part of Alaska. Even round Anchorage there is a lot of spectacular scenery and every one says its going to get better as we get out into the more remote areas.

A local motorcycle group, Team Pterodactyl, played host for us and gave us some genuine Alaskan hospitality and introduced us to the lifestyle. Firstly a trip to the local gun club where we got to shoot all sorts of machine guns, AK47s, M16s, Uzi 9mms, a Gatling gun, a my favourite a Thompson sub-machine gun as used by Bonnie & Clyde - I'm told it suited me very well. Secondly a Friday night trip to the Alaskan Bush Company - not a gardening meeting through there were lots of ladies giving demonstrations on the stage and I did seem to be decidedly over dressed!!!! Finally a wild salmon & steak BBQ with the most enormous pieces of succulent, tasty meat & fish you have ever seen.

Well fed and watered (we made time to scientifically compare & contrast the offerings of the numerous micro-breweries) the time has come to head north to the true starting point of the journey; Prudhoe Bay on the Arctic coast of Alaska. This means 386 miles up to Fairbanks then 500miles along the notorious Dalton Highway, allegedly one of the most difficult roads on the trips having long gravel sections, unpredictable weather conditions (it snowed last year) and a 'trucks have priority' rule - many riders & bikes arrive in Prudhoe battered and bruised. So while we are keen to get going there is also a slight sense of apprehension in the air

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Photos

Two Yorkshire folks gazing out to sea
getting re-acquainted with Captain Cook