In order to see around the corners, the driver has to swing wide over the edges - an interesting study in bus driver trust - more so as I was in row 1, right side. The drivers said it gets more interesting when wet. Mind you, this driver is navigating the road, but also looking for wildlife at the same time for us to observe and photograph. If something is seen, he'll stop the bus and back it up to position for the best view (even on the sheer cliffs). Having driven the road fo many years, and this season starting in May, he has pretty good ideas where the wildlike will be. As we entered the park, it was clear the haze was bad, but got worse the higher we went in - the explanation was 9 separate wildfires buring in or on the edge of the park. Denali is hands-off, so they don't fight them - unfortunately for us, the wind was blowing the smoke in over the peaks. We did see some nice wildlife - a ptarmigan:
We finally saw our elusive moose:
Several golden eagles:
And for me, the highlight, several grizzly bears (from a distance).
The blog only allows me 5 pictures for some reason, so please check out the SmugMug site (will hopefully be loaded soon):
The things we did not get close to seeing were the high peaks or Denali - visability was maybe 2-3 miles, and Denali is 36 miles from the road. What we saw was spectacular, so it was what it was. The tour began at 6am, finished at 7:30pm - the dust and firesmoke had our heads pretty clogged, so some fresh air riding was a good thing. Our goal was to make Wasilla, or as close to Anchorage as possible, to make for an easy run to the maintenance stop on Day 15 (Wednesday). We made Wasilla at 10:30pm, cold, hungry, and still dusty.
Wednesday 15-July (Day 15) preamble
I'm not saying we limped in to Anchorage, but the maintenance day was needed badly. I'm sure P-Rock will describe his experience (and hopefully the rides before/after) - for me, I had several issues to resolve. First, I needed my 6000 miles service (the bike now has 6700 miles - left PA with 1300). Second, and of some concern, was a wobble that had developed in the steering over the last few days. It was worst at around 45mph, but didn't feel right most of the time. I could control the bike, but it clearly was not right and not likley to improve during the 5500 miles yet to go. Third, my left front turn signal light and plastic cover were broken, no doubt by a flying rock encoutered in previous adventures. I had planned to make a tire assessment here, but frankly hoped to defer the tire change until return. Enter The Motorcycle Shop of Anchorage AK - we had booked our maintenance a while ago, so had us in the shop right away. It was clear going in I was going to need a front tire, and it was clear that might have been triggering the wobble. The tire had developed round patches (bumps), nickel size, at regular intervals along the rolling surface - wierdest tire wear pattern I have ever seen - must have developed in the last few days, as we have been checking the tires and pressure pretty regularly. The mechanic checked out the suspension, and agreed the tire was the cause. Fortunately, they had one. He also fixed the turn signal and "mended" the housing using the same method I had planned to - duct tape. That will get me home (I also carry spare duct tape). The bike is running great now I am happy to report, so a shout out to the team at The Motorcycle Shop in Anchorage - great job, fair price - back on the road. So day 15 - Wasilla to Anchorage to Seward (see the P-Rock post - we are working on a new schedule due to ferry issues (again).
The ride from Anchorage to Seward was among the best we have encountered - absolutely superb. Will get pictures posted ASAP.
Blackie out.
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