Alaska

August in Alaska is really the beginning of autumn, which most visors don't understand.  In the Smaller States (as the cognoscenti call the 48 contiguous States of America), autumn is the final summer month, with sunshine and warmth -- the hallowed stuff of summer vacations.  In Europe it is much the same, with most of Europe shutting down as almost everyone takes their summer holiday.  However, Alaska is usually cooler and wetter in August, and in higher elevations, the colors of the tundra and the trees start to change.

On Saturday, I rode with two friends from Anchorage, down Turnagain Arm, over Turnagain Pass, and down The Longest Sixteen Miles In America to Hope.  Not everyone has faith, but Alaska always has Hope, a small former mining community on the southern edge of Turnagain Arm -- or perhaps you could call it the far northern edge of Kenai.

I rode my R1200GS Adventure, and what a joy it was to ride a bike that powerful, and that unladen, on unbroken pavement.  It was a profound difference from riding the smaller, less powerful G650GS, heavy with over 100 pounds of gear, on the roads (?) of Central Asia.  It was a mostly clear day, and the traffic was not bad at all.  We saw the train several times that day as it hauled tourists to Seward to catch their cruise ships, and to pick up the fresh boatload of the same who were just beginning their Alaska Adventure.  It was the last day of sunshine for the newcomers for a more than a few days . . .

Hope is always pleasant, with a choice of two cafes -- Tito's or the Sea View.  I always choose Tito's, as the hamburgers are always (a) large and good, and (b) they always have fresh "homemade" pie.  Saturday they had coconut cream pie, a favorite of mine, with whipped cream fresh from the can.  Excellent pie regardless of the source of the topping.  

The Sea View (or "Seaview") came into play as the rental company failed to put "enough" gas in the F800GS that Bryan rented, and we needed to refuel it.  However, the only place where gas was available in Hope was closed until 5:00 pm, and we wanted to be back in Anchorage long before then.  I went into the Seaview to ask around, and a nice guy at the bar left his beer on the bar (!) and volunteered to give us a gallon -- which in the ordinary course of events should have been enough to get Bryan and his lightly laden F800 the 50 miles or so to Girdwood where there is a (very large) gas station.  As it turned out, it was about ten miles short of sufficient to make it the distance.  As you recall, it is not an adventure unless something goes wrong, and after Bryan coasted to a stop, I rode into Girdwood, bought a gas can and a gallon of gas, returned to to the stranded biker, and Bryan was then sufficiently fueled to got to the (very large) gas station.  Another Alaska Adventure.

On Sunday I drove to Fairbanks to assume some grandfatherly duties for a week.  I thought about riding the bike, but the forecast was for rain all week, and I decided I would ride in the rain on another day, like when I didn't have much of a choice.  This is in line with my philosophy of choosing comfort over discomfort when possible, because life will always let you be uncomfortable.  And indeed, I saw wet biker after wet biker riding south into Anchorage for most of the morning.  Lots of road bikes and cruisers, but even more dual sports.  Many riders coming north to get riding to Alaska off their bucket list.  And thinking it was still summer.  

I stopped in Broad Pass (in the Alaska Range, and the Southern Gateway to Denali National Park) to take some photographs.  I love Broad Pass, and think it is a grand example of Alaska.  The colors were changing, and there was a bite in the wind that felt of winter coming soon.  

So that was the weekend.  The drive to Fairbanks was longer than usual because of construction on the highway.  Twice I had to wait for about half an hour for pilot cars.  But at least I was inside a car.  When I return to Anchorage next Saturday, I think I will drive down the Richardson Highway and perhaps visit my friends Joy and Jack and Victoria and Anna in Glenallen.  Or is it Glennallen?