Alaska-Canada Adventure Ride
Day 15 - Fairbanks, Alaska to Chena Hot Springs, Alaska (69 miles)
Our original plan was to take the Dempster to Tuk, but if the weather was not cooperative to do the Dalton Highway to Prudhoe Bay instead. Given we were successful in reaching Tuk on the Dempster, I was not particularly motivated to repeat this with the Dalton. From what I heard, the Dalton is not necessarily more scenic than the Dempster, the truck traffic is worse, and both can be treacherous when wet. When we woke up in the morning, the rain started to come down hard, so this cemented the decision to skip the Dalton and instead to ride up to Chena Hot Springs, enjoy a good soak, and spend the night there.
On the ride up in the rain, it was odd to notice that the smoke from the wildfires had still not dissipated. Apparently many of these fires just smolder under the canopy of the trees, taking a more continuous and heavy rain before they get extinguished.
As recommended by Vicki and Jon who were up here the previous year, Chena Hot Springs did not disappoint. Given the rain was constant for most of the day, the three of us decided to rent a yurt. These are surprisingly spacious and provided enough space for three cots and room to hang our gear from the walls to help dry it out. The outside hot springs were well worth it, while other aspects of the nicely manicured grounds provide plenty of ways to spend the day, including a rec room with WiFi, and a decent restaurant/bar. While there soaking in the hot springs, for the third time we ran into our friend, the Swiss rider Franc on his 1200GS. We first met Franc at the campground at Eagle Plains and later at Inuvik and on the ride up to Tuk. A T-shirt he was wearing inspired me to make a customized motorcycle license plate frame with the saying: "Adventure before dementia!"
Images (click to select the larger view at bottom)
All content and images are property of Stephen Fischer Photography, copyright 2019 - 2020. Last updated: 1/10/2020