Combine Alaska with a motorcycle ride and you've got an
interesting proposition. Wide open spaces and majestic views around every
turn. Tundra and glaciers and dozens of mountain ranges I've never heard
of. Wild rivers flowing through an untouched wilderness, inhabited only by
moose, grizzlies, wolves and eagles. While fewer than 900 grizzlies
inhabit the lower 48, some 50,000 brown bears live in Canada and Alaska.
Adventure abounds on a motorcycle trip to Alaska. There's a sense of
uncertainty around the corner, of not knowing what will happen next. Joining me on this journey will be my friend Chuck
Frederick, who will be riding his brand new BMW R1150GS. I'll be aboard a
1998 BMW R1100GS. You may remember Chuck as a riding acquaintance from my
last journey, 100 Days 48
States. A recently retired TWA Captain and
former naval aviator, Chuck shares my enthusiasm for motorcycling, and BMW
motorcycles in particular. It was actually Chuck who told me he was
thinking of riding to Alaska, and when a friend of his couldn't make the
trip, I suggested we do this together. After all, it's not a ride you
would necessarily want to take alone. Say, for example, you have the
unfortunate luck of running into some of that abundant wildlife, a moose
or a caribou perhaps. And you're lying along the road, unable to ride
away. And then a grizzly smells the animal you just ran into and comes by
to have some dinner. Suddenly, you give a whole new definition to the term
"Meal on Wheels." You have become the meal! Our route will lead us from Montana, up the Continental
Divide and into the Canadian Rockies. In British Columbia, we'll follow
the Alaskan Highway from Dawson Creek into the Yukon Territory and its
capitol of Whitehorse. Turning north towards Dawson City, we'll cross into
Alaska along the "Top-Of-The-World" Highway on July 4th. After
touring Anchorage and the Kenai Peninsula we'll turn north once again and
the real adventure will begin. From Fairbanks we'll travel up the Dalton
Highway, past the Artic Circle along the Pipeline Haul Road. If we make it
through the 450 miles of gravel, mud, and rocks the size of footballs,
we'll reach Prudhoe Bay and the town of Deadhorse, on the shores of the
Arctic Ocean. This is literally the end of the road, and the northern most
road in North America. The last stretch of the Dalton Highway, from
Coldfoot to Deadhorse, is 244 miles of nothing. No gas, no food, and no
lodging. I'm only 32 years old but I can say I've already had a
very thrilling life. I've traveled the world. I've met many fascinating
and famous people. I've seen war and its horrors. I've seen hundreds of
oil fields on fire and felt their smoke in my lungs. I've been successful
in business. I created something from nothing and then reaped the rewards.
I've done all these things, but I'm sure that making this trip to Alaska,
riding my motorcycle to the end of the road and the top of North America,
will be the most exciting and fascinating experience of my life. It might
also be the most difficult. So, come join the adventure and see what unfolds. We're
in for quite a ride. Sincerely, Daniel Cohen
Alaska. The Final Frontier. The Land of
The Midnight Sun. Home to Denali and Mount McKinley, the highest mountain
on the continent. A land so vast with so few people that the population
density compares to Manhattan; if there were only 30 people living in New
York City. Alaska contains more coastline than all the other states
combined. At low tide you could cut Alaska in thirds and Texas would be
the fourth largest state. Simply put, it's a big place.
June, 2000
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