Day 24 - Fairbanks to Talkeetna. Distance today 293 miles. Total from Indianapolis - 5,569 miles.

The morning brought a change to the Iron Horse Alaskan Adventure.  Heeding medical advice, Stu made the prudent decision to withdraw from the group.  There will be more on Stu's plans later.  From here forward, five guys will advance on their way home.

Appropriately under gloomy skies, with a light rain falling, the six had to say their goodbyes.  Leaving Stu in Fairbanks, Mike, Fred, Ron, David and Joe would work their way south towards Denali National Park.  

They will spend the night in Talkeetna, Alaska.

When they arrived in Talkeetna they had no cell phone service and very limited internet access.  These photos were sent one at a time.  That process was very slow.  Check back on this day, images will be added when the group reaches an area with better services.

Road construction and more warnings of safety for motorcyclists.

Hello, who's calling?  Uh, that would be Mother Nature.

Mike took advantage of the port-o-let in the construction zone.  

Ron was so kind to hold the door closed for Mike.  Must have been a bad latch on the door.

This trick, never gets old.

Just outside Cantwell, Alaska the guys spied this giant Igloo.  This structure was built in the 70's as a hotel.

Unfortunately because of not being able to meet building codes the building/hotel never opened.

This building is so large it is visible from airplanes at 30,000 feet.  Vandalism has taken its toll over the years.

At the entrance of the igloo.

Did anyone check these guys for spray paint?  Toilet Paper?  Silly String?

David

Mike

The five are sitting on the wall at a scenic over look.  

What you are seeing is the South Denali Viewing Point.

Joe, in the same location.

Joe

These guys had lined up a special adventure for the afternoon. 

They found the bed and breakfast and hurriedly dropped their gear.  Next up, off to the airport.

David, Joe, Fred, Ron and Mike reached the airport.

They chartered a sightseeing plane for a tour of Denali National Park.

It is difficult to tell what specie of animal that is in this picture. 

 The guys saw these two Moose hanging around in that marsh below the plane.

After returning from this tour they all thought that taking pictures was a huge waste of time.  

The beauty of mountains, glaciers, sky, snow and well, everything did not translate well to the camera.

That would be Mt. McKinley, or Denali.  Either name for this mountain is correct.

David and Fred appear to be enjoying the plane tour.

Collectively the guys agreed that this was the coolest thing they have done so far.

In some areas the ice in the glaciers was estimated to be one mile thick!

David, Joe, Fred and Mike with pilot Doug (pictured right in the middle of the group).  Doug with Talkeetna Air Taxi or TAT for short took the guys up on their flightseeing tour of Denali.  He was full of information and has been flying in Alaska for 27 years.  Having taken skiers, fishermen, hunters to destinations in and around Talkeetna Doug was full of interesting stories.

Sunshine B & B - located in a White Birch woods.

David, Joe, Ron, Mike and Fred arranged lodging in Talkeetna at Sunshine Lake Bed and  Breakfast.

Even though the cabin the boys had reserved had their own kitchen and grill, Nancy the owner, insisted that the fellas dine in her kitchen!  She fixed a delicious meal.  Everything was made from scratch.

 Fred, Mike, Joe, Nancy, Ron and David

The guys thoroughly enjoyed their stay at Sunshine Lake Bed and Breakfast.

Day 23 - Fairbanks, Alaska. Zero miles ridden today.

Can you imagine how dirty those bikes were after being in all of that rain and mud the day before yesterday, then the dust today?  Well, today those filthy things finally got washed.  The guys also took them to the Harley shop to have the oil changed and the bikes serviced.

Using the down time wisely everyone caught up on their laundry.

There have been some long, hard days of travel for these six adventurers.  It was great to have a day of rest up and be able to re-charge before being on the road again.

There he is!  Stu is up and about.

Stu has ridden an impressive number of miles on this trip.  

Originally starting this trip from Key West, Florida, riding to Fairbanks, Alaska he has logged 6,916 miles!

Out of the group of six, this has been the most miles traveled by motorcycle to date.

Dr. Wendy Boucher and her fantastic assistant!  They fitted Stu with that fine looking Orthopedic appliance.

Thank you for fixing up our Stu!

Tomorrow's plan is to leave Fairbanks heading south towards Denali National Park.

Day 22 - Fairbanks, Alaska to the Arctic Circle and back to Fairbanks. Day trip miles - 412. Total miles since leaving Indianapolis - 5,271 miles ridden.

Mother Nature decided to smile on the guys today.  Yesterday's rain yielded to a clear, blue sky.  There was a 0% chance of rain in the forecast.

The group's excitement level ran high with the hopes of making the ride to the Arctic Circle.  To make this trip everything must work exactly right.  The weather is absolutely critical, 120 miles of the route that the guys planned to take is hard packed dirt.  It is almost impossible to ride on this surface even with a light rain shower occurring, let alone a long rain.  This area is mountainous.  In a moments' notice the weather can change.  If you make the ride to the Arctic Circle, you must return on that same 120 mile stretch of dirt road in order to get back.  There is no other route.  As excited as the guys were to make the trip, their hearts were heavy too.  A piece of the group was left behind as Stu remained in Fairbanks.

Many motorcyclists come to Fairbanks hoping to make the run to the Arctic Circle.  Bad weather might make them have to wait four or five days, or until, the weather breaks.  Even with the long wait, some still don't get the chance to make the trip.  Given the weather conditions yesterday, along with Stu's injury, today we were blessed with the perfect day.

It was Joe's turn to lead the group today.  They were preparing for a dusty ride.

The road is called the Dalton Highway.  This is known to the locals and truckers as the Haul Road.  This is the only road from Fairbanks to Prudhoe Bay.  It passes the Arctic Circle.  The Dalton Highway is also the service and construction road for the  Alaskan Pipeline.

The road runs almost parallel to the Alaskan Pipeline.

The guys approaching the Yukon River

Vast, open country.

Six hours, and 206 miles later, the group arrived at the Arctic Circle.

 Joe and David at the Arctic Circle.

Joe has ridden 6,189 miles from his home in New Hampshire.

From Memphis, David has ridden 5,632 miles to this point.

During the geography session, Fred points out their location on the world map.

Fred has traveled 5,475 miles from Canal Fulton on his motorcycle.

 

Proof indeed that Mike reached the Arctic Circle.

Since Mike left Bemus Point, he has ridden 5,631 miles.

 Fred, Mike, David, Ron and Joe

Having arrived at the Arctic Circle, the five were now 5,631 miles from Indianapolis, Indiana, which was the official starting place for their Alaskan adventure.

Documenting that he also arrived at the Arctic Circle, Ron stands by the sign.

Ron and his bike are now 5,216 miles from home in Sunman.

The five guys represent their buddy Stu, at the Arctic Circle.  He was truly there in spirit!
Will somebody please tell Fred and David that their mustaches are on upside down?

Hey Mike!  Did somebody say picnic?

Actually, Ron's been talking about picnics for several weeks now.  

It's a wonder they haven't bound and gagged him over the subject.

Mike, Joe, Fred, David and a swarm of mosquitoes.
  David's smiling with the hopes that RP will finally stop talking about picnics.

Heading back towards Fairbanks down that same long, dusty dirt road.

How many guys, dressed in black leather, does it take to hold up a section of the Alaskan Pipeline?

Answer - This has never been done, so nobody knows for sure.

Everybody else reads the No Trespassing signs!

Busted by the Trans-Alaskan Pipeline Doyon Security Guard.

He has to explain to the guys that the sign meant them too!
These guys really need chaperons.

The guys have made the return trip on that same 120 mile dirt road.  They are back in Fairbanks.

Safety is a must on this road.  There is a fair amount of semi traffic on this road.   Drive it like you stole it, is the motto for these truckers!

Have you ever watched the television show Ice Road Truckers?  Well, if you have, this is the road that they drive on.  Only this road is full of ice and snow.

Day 21 - Dawson to Fairbanks, Alaska. 402 miles today. Total from Indianapolis - 4,859 miles

Today's goal was to reach Fairbanks by evening.  Leaving Dawson, at their usual departure time, the guys found the only way to cross the river was by ferry.  There is no bridge.

David and Fred on board the ferry.

Once off the ferry they started onto The Top of the World Highway.  Normally this "highway" is 116 miles of hard packed dirt with a little gravel  thrown in here and there.  On a nice day travel wouldn't be too bad.

The weather was good for about an hour into the trek across the highway.   As the six adventurers climbed in elevation they reached the rain.

They were high enough to be in the low hanging cloud cover.  Visibility was poor.  They could only see about 50 feet in any direction.  

Travel was extremely slow.  The guys were only able to go as fast as 5 - 10 mph.  

At approximately 10:00 a.m. the group crossed the border from the Yukon to the United States.  The border agent didn't seem all that glad to see them returning.  He did take the time to warn the six of the weather and poor road conditions.  They thanked the border agent and headed on.

Just into the United States the guys found an area of road construction.  One of the construction workers, in a pick up truck,  stopped at the group and struck up a conversation with them.  The worker told the guys that the road wasn't good and that the visibility was even worse.  He offered to lead them through the construction.  Taking him up on his offer the guys followed the truck, with its 4-way flashers on, as far as that truck could travel before having to turn off and around.

That worker also informed the guys that within this construction area, there was a one mile stretch of fresh fill dirt.  The fill area was extremely soft with deep ruts and covered with almost three inches of mud.  Riding this section downhill the guys would soon find this to be worse than they had imagined.

Each man was riding in the lowest gear possible and traveling an estimated 3 miles per hour. In an effort to avoid a collision with another one of the guys that had temporarily stopped in that muck, Stu chose to lay his bike down.  Unfortunately his foot was caught and pinned under the weight of the bike.  He heard the crack.

Having helmet headsets the guys were able to work together to get safely to the side of that roadway.  They up-righted Stu's bike.  Next they had to stabilize that ankle.  They found a steel rod in their gear and duct taped it to the lateral portion of Stu's ankle.  

Stu with the makeshift splint

 Being the tough guy that he is, and without other alternatives, Stu gutted out the conditions and injury and went on to ride another 320 miles to Fairbanks.  

The rest of the day the guys rode in steady to moderate rain.  The weather had become terrible.

The guys stopped in the town of Chicken for lunch.

Chicken was a town founded on the gold rush.  Early miners wanted to name the town Ptarmigan, after the bird the frequents the area.  The town residents couldn't exactly agree on how to properly spell Ptarmigan.  So, after some time they decided to just name the town Chicken.

The population of Chicken in the summer is roughly 50.  In the winter, the census drops to 6.

Ron moves Stu, and gear, into the hotel in Fairbanks.  Ron said, "we cleaned him up a little, called a taxi and sent him off to the hospital."  The ER physician did confirm a fracture of the fibula and put Stu in a boot cast.

The Arctic Circle is the destination for tomorrow!