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07-09-2023, 04:21 PM #1
TR: Motorcycle to Tuktoyaktuk on the Arctic Ocean
Took a trip Northeastward to the End of the Road, Tuktoyaktuk in the Northwest Territories, to dip my toes in the Arctic Ocean.
~2300 miles
8 full days of riding
6 nights tent camping, first night bunkhouse
Riding: my 2016 KTM 1290 Super Adventure T
Thompson's Eagle Claw motorcycle campground in Tok, bunkhouse solo night 1.
I love this place!
It had rained most of the day and rained all night.
I was happy to not have to pack up camp in the rain on night one.
Top of the World highway
Stunning valley views on both sides of the ridge ride…
Yukon River ferry to Dawson City
Important pit stop!
Starting up the Dempster Highway
Two guys had died on the motorcycles in the last few weeks...be smart
Tombstone Park campground
1 moose at 2 Moose Lake
Arctic Circle
-always had some great onion rings when I was growing up
Out of the hills and down into these interesting Arctic wetlands
-very different than the Haul Road to Deadhorse, (did that last year)
Peel River ferry
ferry guide cable
Nitainlaii campground
Free Hot Showers!
McKenzie River ferry
mud swallows nests under the pilot house, they were zipping all over the place
Northwest Territories
-Is bear spray effective on Polar Bears?!
Inuvik, 93* Whoa!
I thought the igloo would melt
stocked up on Free Bananas!
-a Gatorade was over $7....
Hundreds and hundreds of lakes
Last 70 miles to Tuk was 2" of pea gravel, oof, my hands were cramping
Tuktoyatuk!
Land of the Pingos
-natural permafrost domes
Made it to the Arctic Ocean!
Camping on the Arctic Ocean
This is 11 PM btw, Sun never set.
Blowing a solid 20mph with gusts to 30 all night...earplugs, thank you
The only thing brighter than the Sun was my legs!
I camped at all the same spots as the way up.
-I had done zero route planning prior to d=my departure and that turned out perfect, Ha!
All in all it was an amazing trip that was very different than the Dalton to Prudhoe Bay.
Particularly in geography, climate, and the fact that this road serves First Nation communities as opposed to oil.
-They are both interesting and worthwhile
I really hit the weather right, on purpose, in fact it was the hottest temperatures and the most Sun I had seen all Summer.
Every local I met was very kind and I had some great interactions.
If you get the chance, take the opportunity to experience the Arctic Circle.
It imparts a unique feeling that has really affected a positive perspective change in me, and I will try to get back every year.
Frog Lakes, must get back!
Hope you enjoyed.Last edited by DeathVan; 07-19-2023 at 01:25 PM.
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07-09-2023, 04:32 PM #2
This is fantastic.
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07-09-2023, 04:53 PM #3
story about the speed record with the steam motorcycle popped up on my phone the other day. Made me think about the trip you posted with your dad. Way to put out the effort to do this trip. Glad it went smooth. Amazing how nice the weather can be in the summer up there.
off your knees Louie
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07-09-2023, 04:58 PM #4
As I said in the motorcycle thread:
FKNA!
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07-09-2023, 05:13 PM #5
Yeah this is great. Burly trip solo that far our. Well done.
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07-09-2023, 09:09 PM #6Registered User
- Join Date
- Mar 2008
- Location
- northern BC
- Posts
- 31,129
my ski bro is up there, just rode a bicycle to Tuk with a questionable heart, if you see a couple of old farts on recumbents that is Deb & Lothar so stop and say hi, Lothar is a total character
Buddy is looking for a way home but the ferry doesnt stop in PR so i think he will have to ride all the way home
same guy rode 55000 kms across Canada/ down the eastern seaboard/ all the way to Tiera Del Fuego and all the way homeLast edited by XXX-er; 07-09-2023 at 09:40 PM.
Lee Lau - xxx-er is the laziest Asian canuck I know
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07-10-2023, 02:22 AM #7Mike Pow
- Join Date
- Apr 2005
- Location
- Between a rock and a soft place. Aberdare and The Brecon Beacons, Wales
- Posts
- 3,217
Very cool
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07-10-2023, 05:23 PM #8Registered User
- Join Date
- Feb 2020
- Posts
- 17
Epic! Especially the free bananas!
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07-11-2023, 08:58 AM #9
Fucking awesome! I've spent time in AK but never been that far north. Great TR.
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07-11-2023, 10:23 AM #10
Rad. Thanks for sharing.
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07-11-2023, 11:42 AM #11
Awesome!
Is that a fishing rod next to the north face bag? Should be good fishing up there...
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07-11-2023, 11:52 AM #12Registered User
- Join Date
- Apr 2021
- Posts
- 2,903
Very cool! Love the 'no planning' aspect too. I favor road trips with loose goals but it also can be annoying for some (anxious) people going with me.
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07-11-2023, 12:29 PM #13
RAD!
I also love the no planning aspect. It’s nice to know of places where that’s still possible.
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07-11-2023, 01:46 PM #14
dam, hell of a TR. Well done
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07-11-2023, 11:08 PM #15
Wow. So cool. FKNA.
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07-11-2023, 11:35 PM #16
FKNA that was cool
"fuck off you asshat gaper shit for brains fucktard wanker." - Jesus Christ
"She was tossing her bean salad with the vigor of a Drunken Pop princess so I walked out of the corner and said.... "need a hand?"" - Odin
"everybody's got their hooks into you, fuck em....forge on motherfuckers, drag all those bitches across the goal line with you." - (not so) ill-advised strategy
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07-12-2023, 07:15 AM #17
I like your style.
Solo trip to dangerous places, no plan, sweet fuckin ride, fully self contained...
I 'spect that's a dream trip for lotsa dual purpose riders.
The smooth roads were warranting a comment until the pea gravel shot. Holding onto to a swimmy big bike is sketchballs when the front end washes out a little at speed.
70 miles of it would make my brain cramp up.
Love the Eagle claw and tombstone spots. Ocean camp looks special albeit breezy.
Thanks for taking the time.
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07-12-2023, 07:19 AM #18
Way to go and thanks for sharing - I always look forward to hearing about your adventures.
Sent from my iPhone using TGR ForumsSamuel L. Jackson as Jules Winnfield: Oh, I'm sorry. Did I break your concentration?
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07-14-2023, 09:37 PM #19
Awesome adventure well documented!
Sent from my iPhone using TGR Forums
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07-18-2023, 11:22 AM #20
Simply outstanding! Thanks for posting up and nice work not dying on the numerous miles of pea gravel. Makes me sweat just thinking about it.
That's a sweet ride you've got there, and love the "wish you were here" sticker!!!“I tell you, we are here on Earth to fart around, and don't let anybody tell you different.”
― Kurt Vonnegut, A Man Without a Country
www.mymountaincoop.ca
This is OUR mountain - come join us!
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07-19-2023, 12:09 PM #21
Thanks for all the kind words guys.
I hope that this can encourage others to take on adventures in life.
re: No Planning
I like to have an end goal, a target to fix my mind on, then I take what comes at me in stride and solve the problems that arise along the way with no set timeframe.
-I was once stuck in Hyder Alaska once for 6 days waiting for a bike part…
I understand this time is a luxury that not all can afford.
This has worked perfectly at times, like an amazing syncopation of integrated circumstances that you can flow with and through, like meeting people and accepting their generosity or taking the opportunity to experience the actual moment at hand, instead of always being in a rigid and fixed mindset focusing on a predetermined outcome that may not satisfy your actual needs.
Other times it has meant searching for a camp in the dark, tired, wet, and cold, and sleeping in a literal dump.
It is all part of the grand adventure of a life lived and you have to be able to laugh when it goes sideways.
I love fishing and brought the rod to cast if any of my campsites were near water, it didn’t work out on this trip, but I had a lot of fun and luck fishing on the Dalton last year for grayling.
The Dalton and Dempster highways are remote, that is the appeal to me.
You must be self confident, self reliant, and determined to succeed.
It is not that the roads are so challenging when dry, everything changes when it’s wet though…
It is this personal test I seek, along with the character illumination it can reveal, plus the world is so beautiful if you just take the time to open your eyes and truly see it.
On another front, here is the current state of the Hyperbike my Dad has been designing and building for the last number of years.
The Nagual, a mesoamerican shapeshifter and guardian spirit.
Last edited by DeathVan; 07-19-2023 at 01:27 PM.
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07-19-2023, 12:14 PM #22
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07-20-2023, 02:19 PM #23
Great TR
That area of the Dempster where you cross over from the Yukon to the NWT is an amazing zone.
Props for playing it safe - a lot of people hear Dempster “Highway” and think it must be some well maintained, safe, easy trip on a bike.
As you said it probably will be when dry but it can snow any day of the year up there and any precipitation on that road bed turns an easy ride into a no room for error situation. A lot of bad bike accidents on that road every summer.
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