Riding a Dirt Ribbon North to Alaska - Jeff Davison

Image: Approaching Atigun Pass from the north, Jeff Davison pauses beside the Sagavanirktok River.

Deadhorse, Alaska is an unincorporated community that supports oil operations in nearby Prudhoe Bay and is the temporary home for two to three thousand nonpermanent workers. To get to Deadhorse you have to ride the Dalton Highway, commonly referred to as the Haul Road, and it’s not for the faint of heart. Road conditions vary greatly with gravel, mud, dust, snow and ice. Why has it become a destination for motorcyclists, not to mention loads of other tourists? So why all the fuss? On this episode, Jeff Davison tells us what it was like for him to ride a test motorcycle from Suzuki all the way to Deadhorse Alaska.

Jeff Davison

Wild camping on the Top of the World Highway near Poker Creek where Jeff is awakened by the passing of the enormous “Porcupine Herd” of caribou.

At 66°33′ North, the Arctic Circle marks the southernmost latitude at which, on the December solstice the sun will not rise, and on the June solstice the sun will not set. The farther north, the more pronounced is this phenomenon. For example, merely travel another 3° and the sun will not set for 40 successive days in midsummer, nor rise for 40 days midwinter.

Sukakpak Mountain rises 1,338 metres and reflects in the still, blue waters of the Koyukuk River. Sukakpak is an Inupiat word meaning “marten deadfall” because, seen from the north, the peak resembles a carefully balanced log used to trap marten.

The Deadhorse General Store is the Holy Grail for riders of the Dalton who add their sticker to the wall and proudly pose for a selfie.

Booties must be worn throughout the Arctic Oilfield Hotel in order to limit the amount of mud tracked in from the oilfields.

New friends gather on Atigun Pass to take in the majesty and celebrate their accomplishment.

Calcium chloride can destroy brake pads, clog radiators, and shred fork seals. Graders leave berms down the middle of the road. And then there’s the dust. Gravel roads, however, are preferable to many paved sections which are often riddled with massive potholes, crevices, and heaves due to the ever-shifting permafrost.

Riding in the drizzle above Salmon Glacier, Hyder, AK.

The deep blues of the Salmon Glacier are surreal. Hyder, AK.

Hiking on the Byron Glacier near Whittier ,AK.

Traveling west on Glenn Highway (Hwy 1), an 18-wheeler is dwarfed by Mt. Drum where it rises in Wrangell-St. Elias National Park and Preserve near Glennallen AK.

Having ridden together for all or most of the Dalton, and joining up for dinner in Coldfoot and Deadhorse, the “Dalton Dinner Club” celebrates their accomplishment.

A moose and her calf browse in the warm-water swamp near Liard River Hot Springs. Water temperatures in the mid-40°C range create a unique microsystem in a harsh winter climate.

The range for this herd of wood bison includes downtown Fort Liard, NWT.

A black bear stands guard over her twin cubs near Whitehorse, YT.

A grizzly fishes for salmon in Fish Creek near Hyder, AK.

A grizzly fishes for salmon in Fish Creek near Hyder, AK.

Just east of the Dalton Highway, Muskoxen roam the windy tundra of the North Slope near the Sagavanirktok River. They live naturally only in Canadian arctic tundra, Alaska, and Greenland. Members of the goat family, their underwool is eight times warmer than wool yet surprisingly light.

Wild camping on the Top of the World Highway near Poker Creek where Jeff is awakened by the passing of the enormous “Porcupine Herd” of caribou.

Wild camping on the Top of the World Highway near Poker Creek where Jeff is awakened by the passing of the enormous “Porcupine Herd” of caribou.

Bighorn sheep stand on the precipice along the Alaska Highway near Summit Lake in northern BC.

A Humpback whale dives in the rich waters of Resurrection Bay off the Kenai Peninsula near Seward, AK.

The sun barely sets in the far north.

All Images: Jeff Davison

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