2009 Summer Motorcycle Trip: Day 15 - July 4th Dawson City to Gakona AK – about 500 kms across the Top of The World Hwy

Slept good, woke past 8 am. Breakfast and a start on the Top of the World Hwy to Alaska. This road is 107 kms to the US border which is open 8 to 8 only for US Customs. Before that is the 107 kms of Gravel road... rough and rougher... washboard, potholes, short paved sections, and very scenic at times. Stopped for photos along the way, including at the point where I figured the Top of the World was. Many cars and RV’s along the way. Finally past customs, greeted along the way with a welcome to Alaska sign and a bit further a VW Beetle changing a flat tire... not the only one I saw. Tough road on tires. Not as bad as the Dempster... but close.
Passed the turn-off for Eagle.. a town on the Yukon river downstream from Dawson. It was practically wiped out this spring but ice flooding and the chunks of ice dislodged the homes from their foundations. Quite the local disaster. I found all this out in the Tok visitor welcome centre later. I finally made it to Chicken AK. The town was originally supposed to be named Ptarmigan after the abundance of those birds in the area... but nobody knew how to spell it. So Chicken stuck. Chicken is a village with gas, shops, restaurant and RV park and also a place you can pan for gold. Had a lunch of Hot dog and potato salad, gassed up and headed out. The Hwy following was paved... but lots of sections of chip seal which is okay once you understand it is chip seal and not loose gravel which it looks like. Scenic ride. Found a hatchet on the highway and picked it up.... it may have messed up someone’s tire. Finally arrived at the end of this route to Dawson at the Alaska Hwy and made a right turn west to Tok... where there is a crossroads to several places. Decision time to head for Fairbanks or Anchorage direction. The road to Fairbanks is faster and smoother I was told, the other is 55 mph and has lots of frost heaves. I took it. Should have gassed up but didn’t. Not much on this road.. hwy 1. Lots of land, scenery and few places to camp or gas up. There is a town called Glenhaven but judging by the stuff along this route and the fact the campground was sold out of tent sites... I picked a place here 25 miles short of Glenhaven in Gakona. Still 2.5 hours short of Valdez or Anchorage. Ferries are $189 one way to connect the 2 so I think I will ride tomorrow instead. Good fishing area apparently, from what I found out at the local restaurant 2 miles down the road. Set up camp in wind. It turned my tent turtle before I had a chance to anchor it. A gentleman from Texas came over and offered assistance. A short rain immediately after I set the tent and before dinner. Mosquitoes here... more I was told down at the next RV park in Glenhaven. I gave him my found hatchet which he said would be handy.
Waiting for the key to the shower while I type this. Not bad RV park here. Near a river where there is fishing I think. Signing off for today. 9:30 local time. 4 time zones from home. Should sleep well. Still lots of light though.