{"id":315,"date":"2008-08-26T08:00:46","date_gmt":"2008-08-26T08:00:46","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/jc4ever.co.za\/?p=315"},"modified":"2022-03-16T14:21:06","modified_gmt":"2022-03-16T14:21:06","slug":"alaska","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/jc4ever.co.za\/?p=315","title":{"rendered":"Alaska"},"content":{"rendered":"

26 August 2008\u00a0<\/strong><\/h2>\r\n

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In cold Alaska, did the top of the World Highway – crossed the border while the\u00a0snow was falling! Slept in Tok, heading for Fairbanks.<\/p>\r\n

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31 August 2008<\/strong><\/h2>\r\n

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\u00a0 31 August in Fairbanks, had an awesome time riding the Haul Toad to Prudhoe Bay and back.<\/p>\r\n

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2\u00a0\u00a0September 2008<\/strong><\/h2>\r\n

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\u00a0Gee whiz it is fresh in this place 2.5’C this morning, thankfully no rain Staying\u00a0in Fairbanks another day. \u00a0<\/p>\r\n

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4 September 2008<\/strong><\/h2>\r\n

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\u00a0We are staying with John Lang in Wasilla, Alaska. Met him in Deadhorse.\u00a0See his website Star Bound Alaskan Adventures\u00a0and The Alaskan Wet Dog Race.<\/p>\r\n

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8 September 2008<\/strong><\/h2>\r\n

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\u00a0Safely in Tok, had good weather, average 10’c, being through stunning scenery. Tomorrow back in Canada aiming for Watson lake.<\/p>\r\n

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Whitehorse<\/strong><\/h1>\r\n

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10 September 2008<\/strong><\/h2>\r\n

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Ons is veilig by Whitehorse (Yukon). Dis vrek koud (5-9gradeC),\u00a0berge is dik gesneeu, was nie so gewees twee weke terug toe ons noord gery\u00a0het nie. Vanag sneeu dit dalk? weerman voorspel -2!<\/p>\r\n

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Chicken to Coldfoot, Alaska<\/strong><\/h1>\r\n

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12 September 2008<\/strong><\/h2>\r\n

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We left Alaska and are currently heading south towards Vancouver\u00a0(Canada).\u00a0Alaska has been our favourite country\/area we have\u00a0visited on our entire\u00a0journey. It is awesome, the landscape absolutely stunning, with plenty of\u00a0wilderness areas and wildlife all over the state. The roads were not as\u00a0good as the southern part of the USA, but good enough for the GS to handle\u00a0it well.<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n

Ons het Alaska ingekom op die ‘Top of the World Highway’ vanaf Dawson City\u00a0(Yukon). Die pad gee jou werklik die gevoel of jy ‘on top of the world’\u00a0ry. Dit loop op die rug van ‘n bergreeks met asemrowende uitsigte aan\u00a0weerskante van die pad. As die uitsigte nie klaar mooi genoeg was nie, het\u00a0die Here ons nog meer geseen om met Sy pragtige herfs-kleure af te show.\u00a0Die blare van die bome en bossies het gewissel tussen groen, geel, oranje\u00a0en rooi, so ver soos die oog kon sien. Namakwaland se blommetjies op hul\u00a0mooiste sal maar sukkel om met hierdie kleure te kompeteer. Ons het die\u00a0grens oorgesteek terwyl die sneeu val, en ook die tempratuurmeter se\u00a0esing het geval tot 0\u00b0C. Die grens formaliteite was eenvoudig en ons was\u00a0gou weer aan die gang in die rigting van Tok – Alaska.\u00a0Ons was deur die\u00a0bekende dorpie Chicken, en het die aand in Tok\u00a0deurgebring. Die volgende\u00a0dag het ons reguit na Fairbanks\u00a0gery, waar ons die nuwe voor\u00a0rim kon\u00a0vervang en ook ‘n nuwe agterband opsit. Die voor rim het destyds in Kenia\u00a0n knou weg\u00a0gekry, en het nou gekraak weens die koue temprature. Ek het\u00a0ook die ‘rusdag’ in Fairbanks gebruik om die motorfiets goed deur te gaan\u00a0en seker te maak dat hy reg is vir die bekende ‘Haul-road’ na Prudhoe Bay.\u00a0Tussen Fairbanks en Prudhoe Bay is dit 850km, en daar is daar slegs een\u00a0dorpie in die middel, Coldfoot, en ‘n breakdown op daardie pad sal nie ‘n\u00a0aangename ervaring wees nie.<\/p>\r\n

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Die GS het die ‘check-up’ geslaag, en die volgende oggend, die 28ste\u00a0Augustus, val ons in die pad. Die pad na Prudhoe Bay vat ons reguit noord,\u00a0en verder noord as wat ons al ooit was, en seker ooit weer sal kom.\u00a0Volgens my kennis is ons die eerste Suid Afrikaners wat vanaf Suid Afrika\u00a0ry tot so ver soos ons gery het. Die pad noord is nie so goed soos die\u00a0ander hoofpaaie in Alaska nie, die alewige sneeu en ondergrondse ys\u00a0(Permafrost) maak dat baie dele van die teerpad se fondasie wegsak. Die\u00a0natuurlike hobbels is nie baie goed vir die GS se skokbrekers nie, daarom\u00a0het ek dit baie rustig gevat (60-80km\/h) op die geteerde dele van die pad.\u00a0Die grondpad (so 300myl hiervan) was baie beter om te ry, aangesien dit\u00a0makliker is om in stand te hou (snaaks genoeg). Die oppervlak is\u00a0soortgelyk aan ons Karoo paaie, en die GS is mos gebou vir die soort van\u00a0pad. Hoe verder noord ons gaan, hoe meer sien ons van die herfs kleurige\u00a0blare aan bome en bossies,\u00a0 meer oranje en rooi. So 200km noord van\u00a0Fairbanks kom ons by die bordjie wat dui ons betree nou die 66\u00b033.3′\u00a0breedtelyn, beter bekend as die Arctic Circle. 4 jaar gelede het ek een\u00a0van my drome bereik toe ek die ewenaar oorsteek met ons GS), en nou merk\u00a0ons nog so mylpaal en droom op die kerfstok af, en dank die Here vir die\u00a0geleentheid om dit te kan doen.<\/p>\r\n

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Verby die Arctic Circle verander die\u00a0plantegroei en omgewing al hoe vinniger, hoe verder Noord ons gaan. 200km\u00a0verder Noord van die Arctic Circle le ‘n klein ‘outpost’ met die naam van\u00a0Coldfoot. Ja, dit is wel koud daar, maar die naam van die plek het niks te\u00a0doen met die tempratuur van jou voete nie. Die dorp is gestig in die jare\u00a0toe hulle Goud ontdek het in die area. Die winters is egter baie erger en\u00a0kouer as wat die meeste mense gewoond was, en meeste van die dorpie se\u00a0populasie het ‘koue voete’ gekry en suid getrek voor die aanbreek van die\u00a0wintermaande, vandaar die naam, Coldfoot. Die 400km tussen Fairbanks en\u00a0Coldfoot is afgelee, en daar is slegs een ander padstal met petrol tussen\u00a0in. Dis by die brug wat oor die magtige Yukon rivier loop. Hier het ons ‘n\u00a0tannie ontmoet wat haar ‘art’ goedjies verkoop vir ‘n inkomste. Sy bly\u00a0daar naby, iewers langs die rivier, en kan slegs by haar huis uitkom met\u00a0‘n boot. Ek weet nie wat sy in die winter doen nie, want die rivier is vas\u00a0gevries in die winter. Sy het ons fotos gewys van haar huis in die\u00a0boendoes en hoe hulle dit gebou het. Syt ook ‘n foto van ‘n groot beer wat\u00a0sy raakgeloop het een dag daar in die bos, sy’t gelukkig haar geweer by\u00a0haar gehad, en die beer het nie ‘n kans gehad nie. Ek haal my hoed af vir\u00a0die mense wat in daardie omgewing bly, want die dag toe ons daar besoek,\u00a0het ons gebibber van die koue, en vir hulle is dit ‘n lekker somersdag vir\u00a0hulle!\u00a0\u00a0Die aand by Coldfoot het die tempratuur weer gedaal tot amper\u00a0vriespunt.\u00a0Die -1\u00b0C slaapsakke wat ons gekoop het in New York hou ons nie\u00a0so lekker warm soos ek verwag het hulle sou nie, en wens ek het eerder die\u00a0-8\u00b0C sak gekoop, soos die verkoopsman voorgestel het. Op daai tyd (In New\u00a0York) het ek gedog die ou wil net meer geld maak om ‘n duurder slaapsak\u00a0aan ons te verkoop, maar nou reken ek dat hy dalk geweet het waarvan hy\u00a0gepraat.<\/p>\r\n

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Die vrydag oggend het ons weer laat by die kampplek wegekom, aangesien die\u00a0tent soos gewoonlik nat gedou was, en dit vat maar lank om droog te raak\u00a0in die koue. Teen 12:00 was dit ‘n ‘lekker warm’ 10\u00b0C en ons het in die\u00a0pad geval. Die 400km tussen Coldfoot en Prudhoe Bay is werklik wildernis,\u00a0met geen stoppe of dorpies tussen in nie, hier moet jy seker maak jy kan\u00a0dit al die pad maak met jou brandstof. So 150km noord van Coldfoot sien\u00a0ons die laaste bome, verder noord kan bome nie groei nie, dis te koud.\u00a0Net\u00a0na die laatse bome klim ons oor die Brooks Range Berge met ‘n bergpas,\u00a0seker die mees noordelikste pas in die wereld? Dis hier waar dit begin\u00a0koud raak, want dit was ook die laaste son wat ons gesien het, te danke\u00a0aan die dik wolke wat in die lug hang. Die tempratuur het gesak tot 5\u00b0C,\u00a0en so 180km voor Prudhoe Bay kon ons dit nie meer hou nie, ons moes\u00a0eenvoudig iets warm\u00a0inkry om van binne af op te warm. Na ek afgetrek het\u00a0van die pad, en die sakke afgelaai het, het\u00a0Charmaine vir ons ‘n lekker\u00a0koppie koffie met die kamp stoof gemaak. Dit maak die wereld se verslik in\u00a0koue soos die. Ons Suid Afrikaners is nie die soort van koue gewoond nie,\u00a0selfs die keer toe ek destyds met my bike Sutherland (Weskaap) toe was in\u00a0die winter (Julie) kom nie\u00a0naby wat ons nou voel niel. Die kouie hier in\u00a0die Arctic is duidelik in ‘n ander klas, dit trek so in jou bene in.\u00a0Enewil, na die koffie drink kon ons darem weer ons ligamente knak en\u00a0beweeg, en ons het toe die laaste 180km veilig afgele. Die pad vir Jan\u00a0publiek (dis nou ons) stop by Deadhorse (70\u00b0 Noord), 10km suid van Prudhoe\u00a0Bay en die Arctic Ocean. Dis ‘n dorpie soos geen ander, ‘n industriele\u00a0dorp. Akomodasie van werkers lyk soos die ‘labour camps’ wat jy in Dubai\u00a0kry, net so bietjie kleiner. Daar is heelwat swaar inustriele voertuie met\u00a0sulke Caterpillar tiepe bande, seker vir die sneeu omstandighede. Die\u00a0tempratuur het gesak na 3\u00b0C, en ons het geweet kamp is verseker buite die\u00a0kwessie. Die enkele oop kamer in die hotel in die dorp was ‘n God send,\u00a0want ons was koud tot in ons diepste bineste. Die kos was uit die boekke\u00a0uit en ons het die aand vir die eerste keer sedert Montana weer in ‘n warm\u00a0bed geslaap!<\/p>\r\n

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Die volgende oggend toe ek uitgaan om die bike te pak, merk ek op dis 2\u00b0C\u00a0en besluit om te wag dat dit bietjie warmer raak voor ons vertrek. Teen\u00a012:00 was dit steeds 2\u00b0C, en ons besluit maar om die koue aan te durf en\u00a0suid te ry, eerder as om weer $180 op te dok vir verblyf in Prudhoe Bay.\u00a0Vir die eerste 200km was dit vrek koud, onder 5\u00b0C, maar ons het geweet dit\u00a0kan net warmer raak in die suide. Op pad het ons ‘n hele spul Musk-Ox en\u00a0Arctic Squirrels gesien, 2 tiepes diere wat jy net in die Arctic kry.\u00a0Musk-Ox lyk\u00a0soortgelyk aan ‘n Bison buffel, maar is so bietjie kleiner,\u00a0het ‘n ander tiepe gesig en sulke unieke krul horings. Een ou met wie ons\u00a0gesels het, het die aanmerking gemaak en gese hulle lyk ‘pre-historic’.\u00a0Dis ‘n goeie beskrywing, want hulle lyk werklik asof hulle in die tyd van\u00a0die ‘Mammoth’ moes geleef het. Die Arctic Ground Squirrels is sulke vet\u00a0eekhorinkies met ‘n baie klein stertjie. Dis die enigste dier in die\u00a0Arctic wat hiberneer in die winter. Ons het ook Caribou, Dall Sheep en\u00a0verskillende voel soorte gesien. Die terein en plante hier is baie uniek,\u00a0iets wat ons nog nooit tevore gesien het nie.\u00a0 Dis werklik ‘n vooreg om\u00a0hier te kan wees, in die deel van die wereld waar dit 24 uur lig is in die\u00a0somer en 24 uur donker in die winter!\u00a0Die aand slaap ons weer by Coldfoot, en die keer is daar nie wolke in die\u00a0lug nie, en ons kon sien hoe die son ondergaan, baie anders as wat ons\u00a0gewoond is. Dis die laaste dag van Augustus, en dit raak donker teen so\u00a022:30. Die son sak nie 90\u00b0 met die horison soos in Suid Afrika nie, hy kom\u00a0af met ‘n geweldige skuinste, ek skat so 30\u00b0 of dalk minder, ja, dis ‘n\u00a0baie besonderse ondervinding om hier te kan wees. . . . . . . . \u00a0<\/p>\r\n

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12 September 2008<\/strong><\/h2>\r\n

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Ons is veilig by ‘n kampplek langs die pad op die Cassiar Highway, 65km\u00a0vanaf Stewert, BC (British Colombia).\u00a0Ons het gister 550km vanaf Whitehorse gery tot by Boya Lake, en vandag\u00a0weer 500km. Vandag was ‘n nice dag, het 4 Bere gesien, een pragtige Red\u00a0Fox, en ‘n blou voel wat se naam ek nie ken nie. BC is mooi, en die pad\u00a0wat ons nou ry (Casssiar Highway) is baie mooier as die Alaska Highway.\u00a0Dis nog steeds vrek koud, en die berge rondom ons is wit gesneeu. En julle\u00a0het gedog ons het dit lekker hier in die Noordelike halfrond se somer! Die\u00a0laaste 3 dae se max temp. was 9 gradeC!\u00a0Die GS loop nog tops, ons geniet hom nou eers op hierdie lang paaie.\u00a0Ons ry more na Stewert en Hyder op hopelik Grizzlys te sien Samon vang!………………….Ons praat weer, lekker dag<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n

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Coldfoot to Tok – Last of Alaska<\/strong><\/h2>\r\n

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12 September 2008<\/strong><\/h2>\r\n

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August 31, Charmaine’s birthday, we woke up\u00a0in temperatures just above\u00a0freezing, and the sky is completely overcast. We had breakfast at the\u00a0restaurant in Coldfoot and drove the 450km to Fairbanks on her birthday.\u00a0A special day indeed, the road was good, and the weather improved to a\u00a0nice sunny afternoon in Fairbanks. On the way, we saw our first Moose, a\u00a0big cow and her calf. The cow was grazing grass on the bottom of a small\u00a0lake, head completely underwater! We stood and watched it for a few\u00a0minutes, and took some nice photographs and videos. Moose is the biggest\u00a0antelope in North America, similar in size and weight to our Kudu back\u00a0home. It is however a bit taller than the Kudu (and the Eland) and looks\u00a0quite impressive. We’ve yet to see a Bull with its massive horns\u00a0The\u00a0night at the campsite in Fairbanks we looked up to the clear sky in hopes\u00a0to see the Northern Lights, but no luck. We have not had many clear\u00a0nights, and when the sky is clear, we set the alarm at 01:00 AM to see if\u00a0the Northern Lights is out. Easier said than done, as it is not nice to\u00a0get out of bed when the temperature outside is close to 0. The next\u00a0morning when I checked my email I saw an email from Cheri, a CMA member of\u00a0the Fairbanks Chapter. We called her and later that afternoon she and her\u00a0husband spoiled us with a wonderful lunch at a local restaurant. We\u00a0clicked immediately and talked for hours, by the time we left the\u00a0restaurant it was almost time for dinner!\u00a0She mentioned that she would like to introduce us to some other CMA\u00a0members the next evening, and at 19:30 the next evening 8 CMA bikers\u00a0showed up for a last-minute organised evening ride-out. They took us to the North Pole (20km South-East of Fairbanks). One of their members, Coleen,\u00a0has a real American roadside diner (restaurant) at the North Pole, called the\u00a0Harley’s Diner. The diner is built on a Harley Davidson-Theme, and even\u00a0the menu is written in motorcycle slang. It was a real experience eating\u00a0there, and the fellowship of the CMA members who came out that evening was\u00a0more than wonderful! I’m sure they are the Northern-most CMA chapter in\u00a0the world, their chapter slogan is “God’s frozen chosen”, and here we\u00a0are, having dinner and fellowship with them, Praise the Lord!<\/p>\r\n

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The next morning we left for Anchorage,\u00a0about 550km south of Fairbanks. We\u00a0called John, a guy we met in Prudhoe Bay, and asked him if his\u00a0offer to\u00a0stay over at his place still stands. It sounded as if he was quite excited\u00a0to have us stay over at his place, so we headed for John’s town instead.\u00a0John lives in Wasilla, 60km north of Anchorage. The scenery next to the\u00a0road to Wasilla was again painted in all sorts of green, yellow, orange\u00a0and red, stunning! On a journey like this, you get the unique opportunity\u00a0to meet all sorts of people, from all sorts of cultures. John is a hard\u00a0worker; he is a professional electrician that just finished working in\u00a0Prudhoe Bay (16 years or something like that). Anyone that worked in\u00a0conditions as you get up there must be of a special breed, 65\u00b0C below\u00a0freezing in winter and 24 hours dark is not for sissies. Anyway, he, like\u00a0so many other wonderful people we’ve met has spoiled us tremendously the 5\u00a0days we stayed with him. We shared experiences with each other with every\u00a0conversation. He has a sideline business that takes tourists out to sea\u00a0with his Jet-skis. He showed us footage of some of his trips and it looked\u00a0like great fun. He loves the sport and is working hard with the local\u00a0tourism authorities to host the world’s longest Jetski race, 2000miles\u00a0along the Alaskan coast. (Check out his website at\u00a0www.wetdograce.com<\/a>)<\/p>\r\n

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The Saturday some of the local Anchorage CMA members came out to Wasilla\u00a0to meet us. Again, we had great fun and laughter together. Keith and his\u00a0crew are a wonderful bunch of people. It is amazing how united\u00a0we are in\u00a0this CMA family. We had the same response with every single CMA chapter\u00a0we’ve met throughout the world, Zimbabwe, England and the USA.\u00a0Monday morning,\u00a08 September we left Wasilla and drove once again an\u00a0awesome Alaskan road to Tok. The Autumn colours of the leaves are like\u00a0we’ve never seen before, yellow, orange, red, green, and every manageable\u00a0colour in between.\u00a0The weather was good enough to enjoy the ride.\u00a0 The\u00a0night we stayed again at the same place we stayed at when we came up. It\u00a0is a motorcycle-only campsite with the name of Thomson’s Eagle Claw\u00a0Motorcycle Park and is located at N63\u00b019.374′ W143\u00b000.425′\u00a0(www.thomsoneaglesclaw.com<\/a>). Vanessa and Brain, the couple that owns the\u00a0place are wonderful. Needless to say that they are also bikers, and just\u00a0love to be friendly to other bikers. We stayed in their cabin ($40), as we\u00a0wanted to leave the next morning early, and did not wish to fold up a wet\u00a0tent. We had a wonderful night’s rest and were refreshed when we got up\u00a0the next morning.<\/p>\r\n

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26 August 2008\u00a0     In cold Alaska, did the top of the World Highway – crossed the border while the\u00a0snow was falling! Slept in …<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":316,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[14],"tags":[53,54],"class_list":["post-315","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-north-america","tag-alaska","tag-anchorage"],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/jc4ever.co.za\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/03\/pexels-errin-casano-2356064.jpg","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/jc4ever.co.za\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/315","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/jc4ever.co.za\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/jc4ever.co.za\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/jc4ever.co.za\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/jc4ever.co.za\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=315"}],"version-history":[{"count":4,"href":"https:\/\/jc4ever.co.za\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/315\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":629,"href":"https:\/\/jc4ever.co.za\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/315\/revisions\/629"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/jc4ever.co.za\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/media\/316"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/jc4ever.co.za\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=315"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/jc4ever.co.za\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=315"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/jc4ever.co.za\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=315"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}