The Road to Tuktoyaktuk – A Motorcycle Ride Story

Episode I- The planning and preparations

If you at once rush your views and any observations quickly into print, you might end up with an interesting story but, there’s so much more that usually comes along that gets missed. And now here’s my first unedited draft version with a little backstory to go along with it.

One of our three riders (Roberto ) is now a victim of circumstances much as “Curly” (as in Larry, Moe and Curly of the Three Stooges) whose one particular catchphrase when caught in a precarious situation; would remark, in a Brooklyn accent; “I’m just a victim of soikemstance! [circumstance].”

My friend was recently caught in a similar situation by way of a Canadian immigration change that occurred over two months ago that he just now became aware of. The current law now requires a visitor visa for entry for any Mexican national wanting to enter Canada with a US visa.

And since the second person who is on this trip is almost to Canada now from Southern California and well on his way to our meet up destination in Dawson city, Yukon Territory, Canada, our ride is still on.

And now I sit here in the comfort of my friends Anchorage home contemplating if I’m Moe or Shemp; the other two stooges for agreeing to continue with the ride. Earlier today I dropped off my little adventure bike; a 2017 or 2018 Kawasaki Versys 300 bike to the motorcycle shop for new tires; brakes, oil change new chain and sprockets. The labor along was estimated to be nearly $1,000. For that price I could rent a perfectly good KTM 790 bike for nearly a week but, wouldn’t be able to take it all the way to our planned destination in Tuktoyaktuk.

And while waiting for the repair I received a call telling me that I literally have no back brakes and that in all of Alaska there’s no replacement parts even though they are a Kawasaki dealership.

Maybe I am just a victim of circumstances; please to meet you my name is now Shemp!

And since it’s now pouring rain here in Anchorage I can see that I’ll also have to upgrade my adventure pants and rain gear.

The weather outside today called for an 80% chance of rain and 49 degrees. If you’re presently in a heat wave I don’t want to hear about it.

My other two travelers are the real deal motorcycle riders; me, I’m just along for the adventure with the added benefit of using some keen observations and imagination to bring light to the madness.

We’re on what can best be described as a “scouting mission “. A scouting mission in its formal sense is an exploratory operation conducted to gather information, assess the situation in a particular area or situation, and in other words assess what we don’t know.

In our particular case we are gathering intelligence, identifying potential risks, opportunities, and using Shemp (yours truly) as the perpetual ginnie pig and then deciding if there’s a future ride suitable for you to go on.

Let’s just say that you want to go on a watercraft trip up Lake Powell for about five days this September Well, you can do so; as Roberto, Todd and I have already scouted that ride out for you. We chose December 2023, to do this ride and seeing that we survived and now have all our extremities, you are now able to sign up and go ride Lake Powell on a paid trip. For more information and details visit; https://www.gpskevinadventurerides.com/upcoming-rides/lake-powell-explorer

So far what I have done in this unedited story from the comforts of a spacious and beautiful Anchorage home that belongs to my friends Todd and Angie is: plan for my upcoming ride; eat Angie’s outstanding dinner cuisine and enjoy some amazing hospitality and the most relaxing days and adventure rider can.

Last night I told everyone that I wanted to take them out to dinner. A way of me showing my appreciation for their food, lodging, a place to work on my motorcycle and prepare for the long journey ahead. We ended up at Gallo’s Mexican restaurant. The best place in all of Anchorage for Mexican cuisine. The food was excellent. Angie ordered us the best drinks possible.

And when the bill arrived I looked at it and thought that’s it, $120, for four people.

And then I quickly realized that my wallet was back at their house. Yeah, yea, yeah I know; I just became a victim of my own circumstances and you can now just call me Shemp!

The Tuktoyaktuk trip has now turned into a solo ride for Shemp. My journey is now looking to be the complete opposite of a “heatwave “ that you all recently experienced in the lower forty-eight states.

My 2017 Kawasaki Versys 300x only puts out 39 horsepower so I won’t get in much trouble.

I used google maps and YouTube videos to already get a feel for the journey and since there’s not many options as far as roads go that part of planning is pretty much done

The route that we are taking is the only route available and it’s basically the Dempster Highway which is Canada’s most northern highway the only highway in Canada that crosses the Arctic Circle.

From the Klondike Highway near Dawson City to Tuktoyaktuk and minus a small stretch in Inuvik, it’s an unpaved highway with varying road conditions. Someone recently wrote that if the scenery along the Dalton (Alaska ) is a 10, the Dempster (Canada) goes to 11.

Final destination is Tuktoyaktuk before backtracking another 500 miles.

Tuk is a native village that promises to be quaint and picturesque on the shores of the Arctic Ocean.

And that my friends and family is now the unabridged version of my story while I look out onto the falling freezing Alaskan rain.

End