Geo: 60.1042, -149.442 We left our great little motel in Homer under cloudy skies and balmy temperatures for our third day on the Kenai Peninsula and retraced our route along the Sterling Highway 1. Along the way we had one quick moose sighting near Kenai Lake. Riding along Steward Highway 9 we made our way over Moose Pass as the cloud cover gave way to patches of blue skies and the temperature began to rise. Just outside of Seward we entered the Kenai Fjords National Park for a visit to the Exit Glacier. The approach to the ice field along Resurrection River under clear skies was stunning. We hiked to the base of the glacier where the runoff from melting ice created the river. After sharing our lunch with flies and mosquitoes, we headed into Seward(the ... read more

Geo: 60.944, -149.169 We modified our plans, deciding not to stay in Talkeetna a third night after we found that the local auto parts store didn't have the oil we needed to service the bike. Combined with the fact that we were not too happy with our tiny room at the motel (they screwed up our reservation for a double room), we decided to check out on Sunday and head down to Anchorage where larger auto parts stores were in abundance. After looking for motels online, we decided to splurge and stay at the Alyeska Resort in Girdwood, about 28 miles south of Anchorage. We would use the special location to celebrate our anniversary a few weeks early. We headed south again on Hwy 3 into Wasilla along the Knik Arm of the Cook Inlet. The ... read more

Geo: 62.3239, -150.109 Finally! A beautiful, sunny morning, with clear, blue skies. We left our hotel in Fairbanks for Denali at 8:30, heading west on Hwy 3 along the Tanana River, with little or no traffic and temperatures in the 60's. After an hour we crossed over the river and turned south, thrilled at our first glimpse of Mt. McKinley surrounded by billowing clouds in the distance. Eventually we picked up the Kenana, continuing along the George Parks Hwy 3 towards Denali National Park. We hit some major road construction along the way, and found ourselves following a pilot truck for about 5 miles, at one point traveling in a caravan right behind an earth grader. Along the way we had to yield to the caravan led by the pilot car coming from the opposite direction ... read more

Geo: 63.3357, -142.984 After the rain stopped last night, we went to Diamond Tooth Gerties Gambling Hall and watched the dance hall review. It was a very entertaining show, with can-can girls that fit right in with this Yukon Klondike gold rush town of Dawson City, and Gertie's great sing-alongs. We took advantage of the late evening sun to take more pictures of this quaint town, This morning was another cloudy, overcast sky when headed down to the Dawson Ferry to cross the Yukon River about 7:30. Fortunately it didn't rain much overnight, and the mucky streets had a chance to firm up. The brown layer of mud on the road after a rain has the consistency of topping compound drywall mud. Temperatures were a balmy 55 to 60. We headed up Highway 9, the Top ... read more

Geo: 62.0876, -136.292Note: Yesterday's entry into Alaska was a major milestone for the trip: 8 travel days and just over 2800 miles - longer than going from S.F. to New York City. It was a balmy 55 degrees as we packed up the bike, the sky covered with low hanging clouds. A gentle drizzle motivated us to don our rain gear again, and we finally hit the road about 7:30. We took a quick ride out to the wharf area of Skagway to see the cruise ships and the dozens of buses loading up with tourists ready to hit the area. The White Pass & Yukon Railroad passenger cars were lined up close by for their trip over the summit to Carcross. We pretty much had the road to ourselves for ride back up the White ... read more