Denali to Valdez

Valdez in the rain is a dreary experience. Dense clouds obscure the view of surrounding mountains and glaciers, and Valdez is the sort of town that needs a view because there isn't much else.

I spent a couple of days camping in Denali National Park. Having arrived in the first camp site I found, I noticed a couple of BMW F650s and chose the tent pitch across from them. The guys came over when they saw my VStrom pull up and we got chatting. Hans and Volker are two crazy German doctors that had ridden to Alaska from Germany, via Eastern Europe, Russia, Khazakstan and Siberia. It turned out they had also done a trip around Central and South America many years before, so they were full of useful information. Then the campsite host turned up and I got into trouble for having parked my bike in a no vehicle zone :)

The park road into Denali is closed to traffic but shuttle buses run down the length of it. I'd heard that going to Eielson on the park road would give me a good view of Mount McKinley (picture above), however it was only ever visible through the clouds 30% of the time. So I booked myself onto an Eielson shuttle the next day. The bus ran out some 60 miles through the Alaska Range, mountains which bisect Alaska into North and South. McKinley itself is mostly obscured from view by closer peaks, but occasionally you get a tantalising glimpse. In the earlier part of the trip clouds completely wreathed the mountain.

The shuttle bus runs to a loose timetable - any wildlife that is spotted the bus stops for pictures. We saw a Caribou, a Grizzly which was almost blonde in colour and some Dall sheep. I thought the whole thing a little too touristy for my tastes and preferred the bleakness of the Brooks Range and the wildlife there, but will be the first to admit I was pressed up against the window trying to photograph the bears. Plus someone else driving meant I didn't have to worry about bumping into the scenery for a second time :)

I got talking to a lady called Anja, from Zurich and when the bus stopped at Eielson we went for a brief hike down to the river, something I wasn't going to do on my own (call me paranoid). We didn't see any bears but I saw a moose hiding in some trees by a lake.

The bus ride back to the park entrance was much quieter, it stopped to let everyone photograph another bear and a red fox, but then most people (me included) fell asleep. Getting off the bus we bumped into Hans and Volker and the four of us had a good chat, during which Hans suggested that it would be rude to speak anything other than English. As the only non German this was much appreciated :)

Anja had to catch a bus and Hans went into town to a bar which allowed him Internet access, leaving Volker and me to chat. We built a fire back at the tents and sat down with a beer. During our chat a chance mention of back pain I have been suffering for a few years led Volker to perform a manouver which "cracked" my back - and my sore ribs from the crash - and I've not had pain since. No sign of Aurora Borealis (the Northern Lights) unfortunately even though it actually got quite dark by 1am when Hans returned.

The next day we broke camp and went for breakfast. The guys had offered me some excellent advice over the last couple of days and it was hard to part company, but they were off to Fairbanks and I was headed south.

I crossed the Denali Highway which is a gravel road through the Alaska Range, a very demanding ride (for me, anyway) but well worth the effort just for the scenery.

I turned south to visit Valdez on the coast and got as far as Sourdough Creek where I stopped for the night. I camped outside the Sourdough Lodge, vintage 1903, which is about as historic as Alaska gets. Pretty basic but the food was amazing. Sourdough is an Alaskan speciality, and at the Lodge they have their own recipe and make most of their bread with it. The old couple running the place are typical Alaskans, rugged like the land, with lifestyles about as far removed from mine as possible.

A family from Indianapolis asked me to share a glass of wine with them after dinner and we had a chat until the sun started to sink.

In the morning I had to keep running for cover whilst I was breaking camp as I found I was sharing the site with about 3 million biting insects.

The road to Valdez just kept getting better, all mountains and glaciers, then after crossing the Thompson Pass it ran through the Keystone Canyon and became all waterfalls. I was rolling along swearing softly in my helmet, in awe of the dramatic scenery.

Then at the end of the road is Valdez, an oil terminal and the end of the Trans Alaska pipeline I had followed from Prudhoe Bay. They try to dress it up for tourists but it's essentially Milford Haven and about as interesting. Then the rain closed in and it seemed to suit Valdez.

Meantime the bruising on my legs is getting better, and my side is much improved. My feet still hurt but the bruising is fading.

Fraser.