[Rollin']

After months of planning and preparing I made it to the Arctic Ocean. It was an adventure!

 

[Doc Samson]

Wow. That is too cool! :smile_big:

Congrats! They should have a little vending machine that gives you your "Arctic Circle" badge when you get there!

 

[oldenslow]

My late dad did almost the same drive years ago, except he was driving a little Isuzu P'up truck with a tiny 4-cylinder Diesel. He might have stayed drier, but you had him trumped in power, for sure! Great tour!

 

[Critter]

Another great trip under your belt. What is next?

Link to the writeup please.

 

[BWB75]

Fantastic. Great pictures. That mud looks so slippery!

 

[Rollin']

Wow. That is too cool! :smile_big:

Congrats! They should have a little vending machine that gives you your "Arctic Circle" badge when you get there!

There is this.

 

[Rollin']

Another great trip under your belt. What is next?

Link to the writeup please.

No write up yet. Still unpacking. :smile:

 

[Rollin']

Fantastic. Great pictures. That mud looks so slippery!

Thank you!

Had rain the last 200 miles of the Dempster Highway. Took 11.5 hours to travel that 200 miles, it was nightmarish. Slick mud with hill climbs and descents. Mud and deep loose gravel were a challenge.

 

[BWB75]

Thank you!

Had rain the last 200 miles of the Dempster Highway. Took 11.5 hours to travel that 200 miles, it was nightmarish. Slick mud with hill climbs and descents. Mud and deep loose gravel were a challenge.

Tremendous determination in an incredibly challenging, isolated situation in one of the most remote places on earth. Your ride is an inspiration to aspiring motorcyclists like me. Mud and deep loose gravel were "a challenge?" Hope to get to the point where that is just "A challenge."

Seeing what you were able to accomplish makes me feel way more confident and excited about an upcoming highway trip in the lower 48.

Where did you sleep? How did you do this?

 

[Unkle Krusty]

Brilliant. More words to follow later.

UK

 

[hogcowboy]

This looks like my road out to pavement not more than a month ago in spots. Others spots have big boulders they call gravel. If it isn't like that then I go out in a cloud of dust. Fun stuff. NOT !!!!

Way to go Rollin'. Congratulations on getting another one done.

 

[Critter]

How many Iron butts did this qualify for Rollin?

BMW - this is not his first trip like this. He is quite the long distance, challenging terrain rider. His blog or maybe it is threads on the iron butt site are great reading. Hopefully he will post the links again.

 

[Critter]

Here is a google link to some of his rides.

https://www.google.com/search?q=rollin+iron+butt+rides&oq=rollin+iron+butt+rides&aqs=chrome..69i57.7348j0j8&sourceid=chrome&ie=UTF-8

 

[Retired Guy]

Looks like half of Canada is clinging to your bike!

 

[Rollin']

How many Iron butts did this qualify for Rollin?

BMW - this is not his first trip like this. He is quite the long distance, challenging terrain rider. His blog or maybe it is threads on the iron butt site are great reading. Hopefully he will post the links again.

Just one, completed an SS1000 on day one of the trip the rest was just the quest to Tuk. I also rode through Jasper and Banff National Park on the way back.

The other arctic road trips -

https://advrider.com/f/threads/top-of-the-world.827740/

https://advrider.com/f/threads/back-to-the-arctic-circle-inuvik.1086309/

 

[Rollin']

Today I started the cleaning and repairs, that will keep me busy for awhile.

On the way back from Tuk I crashed hard on the Dempster Highway, hard enough that I don't remember any of it. I don't remember hitting a berm in the road, or hitting the ground, standing up, taking off my helmet or the people that stopped and lifted the bike. The last thing I remember is seeing a grader in the road and thinking that will be a problem to deal with.
I was standing there and kind of came to and saw people standing but by my bike and asked "what happened?"
Per the people that saw it happen I hit a berm in the road and the bike went back and forth across the berm and then I went face/head first into the gravel. All of my gear paid for itself, I will need a new helmet and gloves. No damage to my coat but had deep cuts and bruises on my left elbow.
I was 125 miles from the nearest town and the dash was bent back into the fork so I couldn't move the bars. Damage to the windshield, headlight, dash, gas tank, all of the left side body panels, crash bars slider and left saddle bag. I was more that 3000 miles from home and the little DL got me home.
Was able to bend the dash enough to move the bars enough to get to the next town.
Had a headache for a few days and other injuries, some that are still healing.

What happened? I wish I knew. At the time I had the best conditions of the ride on the Dempster, sun, warm and almost pavement like conditions. I had completed 1000 miles of gravel travel and crashed in the last 100 miles. I left a lot of bike parts in Canada but I still feel very lucky.

 

[Critter]

Damn Steve that was an important detail you left out. Glad you are healing and the bike survived. This is the first hard fall you have taken on one of these trips isn't it?

 

[Rollin']

Damn Steve that was an important detail you left out. Glad you are healing and the bike survived. This is the first hard fall you have taken on one of these trips isn't it?

Yes, first real issue on the arctic roads.

I have crashed before years ago and I still remember it in almost second by second detail almost as if it was in slow motion but this one I can't remember at all but I think my head took a hard hit.

This could have been bad and 125 miles from the nearest town. I was very lucky there were people close to me, some of the construction crew also came to help.

This was 7 days later.

 

[hogcowboy]

Damn Steve that was an important detail you left out. Glad you are healing and the bike survived. This is the first hard fall you have taken on one of these trips isn't it?

Boy, you are right there. Dang Rollin' !!!! I know exactly what you mean by the grader work. They usually leave a road here that I simply can't ride for a few days. It's like riding on marbles in places and then 8 inches of snow in others. I did it once and never again. Have to let the road traffic pack things back down and kick the biggest portion of the loose stuff back off the road.

I'd bet money you saw you would have to cross that loose pile of crap they throw out to get to something more stable. It's nearly impossible but I've done it by duck walking through it. If you tried it at speed which looks possible when you are clipping along, boom, you'll go down and rather fast. You'll get several swivels and down you go. It's just too thick and loose.

But as far as not remembering, I get that too. I wish I could remember what happened in my rain crash. It's still a total blank to this day. One person said it's your body's way of protecting you from additional pain. I'd like to know how close I came to saving it. I know I started to ease off on the throttle and that's where it stops. Nothing after until the pain and trying to figure out where I was.

So, I hope you completely recover Rollin'. At least you didn't break any of your parts. Or you didn't mention that so I assume so. One question. Did you let your wife know soon after because you would be delayed a little or did you wait and surprise her once you got home. Just wondering how many nights in the dog house you were in.:grin: :devil: :surprise:

 

[mike721]

Wow! Congratulations on the ride and glad your more or less intact after the mishap.
That helmet belongs on the wall somewhere, it sure did it's job!