BajaNomad - Hyder, AK motorcycle trip

Hyder, AK motorcycle trip

tripledigitken - 8-7-2015 at 12:35 PM

We just completed our annual MC trip, this year to Hyder AK. About 2500 miles one way from San Diego. There are four of us who do this trip each summer, this is our 4th trip in a row.

We went up through Bend and on up to the WA border on 97, then followed the Columbia River to Portland and up 5 to cross at Sumas, just east of Vancouver. It was hot in WA this year making BC a welcome relief with its cooler temps.

We lucked out in missing any delays due to fires, only seeing some isolated fires on the peaks as we journeyed through Fraser River Canyon.

After 6 days from leaving my house we arrived in Stewart, BC/Hyder, AK. The day we arrived was the only day for a week with some afternoon sun and very little rain. We wasted no time checking in and heading out to see the Salmon Glacier. This involves 20 miles of unpaved road going from sea level to nearly 4000 ft. A bit of a challenge riding the 625# road bike that I was on. My travel companions all have mid weight Adventure Bikes.

Salmon Glacier is unique in that your viewpoint is looking down rather than looking up from the toe. Highly recommend doing this trip. Most any 4 wheel vehicle with some ground clearance can make this trip.

Other than that afternoon it rained the three days we were there. Don't miss the Seafood Express restaurant for the fresh catch of the day, ours being halibut and sockeye salmon.
Stewart/Hyder was the local for the Robin Williams movie Insomnia by the way.

We backtracked to Prince George and struck out for Whistler, BC and the ferry crossing to Vancouver Island. Spent a few days there and ferried to Port Angeles in WA to travel down the west coast back home.

An Epic trip I have to say, Hyder,AK being everything and more than I expected it to be.

Thanks to Motoged for tips on camping spots around Whistler, sorry we didn't get to meet up this year.

Lee Vining Creek, my favorite camping spot the first night north from home.

sunset at campground first night in BC

map of BC showing Stewart, BC some 800 road miles from the US border.

Bear Glacier near Stewart/Hyder

Fellow rider from Mexico outside our hotel in Stewart, he rode further than I did to get there!

our first view of the Salmon Glacier

Salmon Glacier

our restaurant choice for the two nights

main street of Stewart

Nairn Falls Provincial Park, BC, the crew

view of the Green River, adjacent to our campground

Rain Forest near Tofino, BC

Thanks for looking!

[Edited on 8-14-2015 by tripledigitken]

motoged - 8-7-2015 at 12:38 PM

Great pics....sounds like a good ride....thanks

chuckie - 8-7-2015 at 01:15 PM

Man! That brings back some good memories!!! Love that place...You didn't mention getting Hyderized????? BMW R100RS

BigBearRider - 8-7-2015 at 01:28 PM

Awesome pics. Absolutely beautiful.

A couple of weeks ago I came back from a trip on my GSA from LA to Prudhoe Bay, Alaska. I saw the Stewart/Hyder cutoff, but made a right and headed to Dawson City, Yukon. Then on to Fairbanks, Deadhorse, Denali, Kennecott, Valdez, Whittier, Homer, Seward, and ended the trip in Anchorage. There were some side adventures here and there, too. It's a beautiful country.

[Edited on 8-7-2015 by BigBearRider]

tripledigitken - 8-7-2015 at 04:19 PM

Quote: Originally posted by chuckie

...You didn't mention getting Hyderized????? BMW R100RS

short answer.......we didn't have a designated driver.

The agents at the Canadian Border Crossing were having a good time with the motorcyclists crossing back into Stewart. One even asked if we had been to the Glacier Inn, where you get "Hyderized". Not wanting the drama that a Breathalyzer would bring, we stuck to beers the following day rather than the shot of everclear.

Thanks for the comments!

[Edited on 8-7-2015 by tripledigitken]

wessongroup - 8-7-2015 at 04:36 PM

Thanks much ...

StuckSucks - 8-7-2015 at 04:36 PM

Hyderized:

I’ve never been much of a drinker. I much prefer downing a Coca-Cola to a beer and when I do drink I tend to go from zero to sick way before the point of actually getting inebriated. And don’t get me started on shots and that one time that I took one and threw up on a bar table in college. Is that a little TMI for a travel blog? Possibly. But I swear I have a point here…

You see, when I was told that one of the number one things to do in Hyder, Alaska — the initiation into the entire Hyder experience, if you will — was down to a shot of 150 proof alcohol, I was torn between my desire to experience everything possible when travelling and my desire to not vomit on a table.

They call it getting “Hyderized” and the place to do it is the Glacier Inn, the first bar on the left you’ll see when entering into Alaska.

The Glacier Inn is a rather unassuming Bar, nearly empty as we entered except for a table of people eating lunch. The walls were plastered with signed dollars from Canada and the US and other places in the world. Somewhere between $20 and $60 thousand adorned the wall. There were also signed life preservers and signed construction hats and taxidermied animals decorating every square surface of the walls. There were cans of Budweiser and Clamato in the fridge.

We walked into the bar with my traveling companions and three of the four of us asked to get Hyderized. The bartender started to pour what looked like half a glass of liquid. Luckily it was just water, but the actual shot didn’t look to be much less.

Before handing us our shots of 150 proof everclear she explained the rules to us:

No smelling.

No tasting.

It has to be downed in one go.

If you don’t finish or (as they would say in competitive eating) have a reversal we’d have to buy for the lunch of the occupied table and would not receive our certificate of achievement.

With that we grabbed our glasses, toasted each other, and took it down the hatch.

I’m not going to lie. It burned and felt like hell. My throat felt like it was simultaneously expanding and contracting, burning and frostbitten. But maybe that’s just me.

I chased it with my water and then ordered up a Coke.

As clumsily as I took it though, I took it. I took it in one go (well, one go enough) and I managed to keep it down (well, for at least a half an hour…) and that is what matters.

The bartender turned our empty shot glasses upside down and lit the droplets that remained on fire setting the bar to a beautiful blue blaze. She then presented us with our official certificates, dated and initialed, which we signed to verify that we had, in fact, been Hyderized.

BigBearRider - 8-7-2015 at 04:43 PM

"I wanna get chocolate-[Hyderized]."
-Grown Ups

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tFGqx7i1MdQ

AKgringo - 8-7-2015 at 04:51 PM

Last time I was in Hyder, it was a family thing, and I try not to hurl in front of my sons.

This July in Anchorage has been about the most pleasant weather I have seen in the thirty five years I have been here.

Tough fire season though, last I heard,4.7 million acres have burned! The peak of fire season is over though, and most fires are so remote there is no attempt to fight them.

BigBearRider - 8-7-2015 at 05:25 PM

The firefighters had set up command central at the UA dorms in Fairbanks. I took a picture of map showing all the active fires. There were several hundreds of them. There were some fires leaving Fairbanks on the way to the Dalton Highway. Coming back, it was pretty smoky from Coldfoot to Fairbanks.

MulegeAL - 8-7-2015 at 06:15 PM

TripleD,

Good post! I got the Hyderized card somewhere around here, but haven't seen it for years.

Guess it's time to go back for a renewal!

Scary job!

AKgringo - 8-7-2015 at 06:53 PM

Driving the snow plow that clears the road into Hyder must be terrifying! I drove in there in the spring of 1989 and looked at the rubble and blown down trees from that year's avalanches (my winter job included avalanche control)

That canyon is high enough to catch a lot of snow, and steep and narrow enough that in some places the sllde runs across the road and river and part way up the opposite side.

No thanks.....I would rather be on top with a pack full of explosives!

Mula - 8-7-2015 at 06:59 PM

Excellent.

Was born and raised in Sitka and always stopped by Stewart and Hyder when having the chance to do the 'alcan"

Ateo - 8-7-2015 at 08:10 PM

Are you kidding me!!!???!!!!???

I love AK.

Thanks Ken.

BeemerDan - 8-8-2015 at 04:26 AM

Great pics and RR, Thanks!
I go up every year, and Hyder, Bear and Salmon Glacier are on the top of my list, the ride into Hyder/Stewart is one of the most scenic roads in BC.
I went up this year too early to view the Grizzly at fish creek

willyAirstream - 8-8-2015 at 07:48 AM

As always Ken, great fotos. Thanks!
I like the aspen sticker, my home for 10 years.

capt. mike - 8-8-2015 at 09:10 AM

outstanding Ken!!

tripledigitken - 8-8-2015 at 10:27 AM

Quote: Originally posted by BeemerDan

The brown bears were just starting to show up while we were there though in small numbers. We only saw one. The chum were just starting their run. Late August seems to produce the best chance of sightings according to the ranger.

tripledigitken - 8-9-2015 at 08:57 PM

Quote: Originally posted by AKgringo

Last time I was in Hyder, it was a family thing, and I try not to hurl in front of my sons.

This July in Anchorage has been about the most pleasant weather I have seen in the thirty five years I have been here.

Tough fire season though, last I heard,4.7 million acres have burned! The peak of fire season is over though, and most fires are so remote there is no attempt to fight them.

Luckily these were the only fires we saw, in the Fraser River Canyon.

Great post and pics

captkw - 8-9-2015 at 09:15 PM

Its like stepping back in Time....me and my sis had a shot and then made the mistake of buying a bottle !! Yikes !! I still have the pain .....Thanks

basautter - 8-10-2015 at 04:53 AM

Very cool! I have a similar trip on my bucket list. must retire soon :bounce:

BeemerDan - 8-10-2015 at 09:26 AM

I remember the fires along the Frasier river, This pic was taken by my riding partner behind me on June 11th near Lytton BC.

DianaT - 8-10-2015 at 05:52 PM

Great photos, as always. It looks like you had a great trip!

Right now we are sitting in a campground in Inuvik in the North West Territories. After visiting the east part of the Northwest Territories on our way west, at Toad River in BC, we met a Mexican man from Veracruz who was riding his BMW motorcycle to Alaska. Unfortunately he broke down and somebody who was headed back toward Fort Nelson gave him a ride.

We have had a fair amount of rain at times, but no problems yet with any fires. I don't know if we will end up visiting Hyder, but your photos make it look very interesting so I never know. We will decide as we go. In the rain on the gravel roads we have seen a number of motorcycle riders, and it never looks very pleasant.

So glad you shared your pictures and I hope we see you the next time you head north.

[Edited on 8-11-2015 by DianaT]

CortezBlue - 8-10-2015 at 09:25 PM

Great B&W

Tack on focus and great DOF

tripledigitken - 8-11-2015 at 06:29 PM

Quote: Originally posted by DianaT

Great photos, as always. It looks like you had a great trip!

Right now we are sitting in a campground in Inuvik in the North West Territories. After visiting the east part of the Northwest Territories on our way west, at Toad River in BC, we met a Mexican man from Veracruz who was riding his BMW motorcycle to Alaska. Unfortunately he broke down and somebody who was headed back toward Fort Nelson gave him a ride.

We have had a fair amount of rain at times, but no problems yet with any fires. I don't know if we will end up visiting Hyder, but your photos make it look very interesting so I never know. We will decide as we go. In the rain on the gravel roads we have seen a number of motorcycle riders, and it never looks very pleasant.

So glad you shared your pictures and I hope we see you the next time you head north.

[Edited on 8-11-2015 by DianaT]

You've traveled some of my bucket list roads. Have a great time. Thanks for the kind words.

tripledigitken - 8-11-2015 at 06:39 PM

Quote: Originally posted by CortezBlue

Great B&W

Tack on focus and great DOF

I try to always post at least one B&W in my reports. Glad you liked that one. Those old bldgs. with the overcast sky and rain seemed appropriate for a B&W conversion.

Thanks

here's another shot taken just down the street........

DianaT - 8-12-2015 at 08:44 PM

Quote: Originally posted by tripledigitken

You've traveled some of my bucket list roads. Have a great time. Thanks for the kind words.

BTW--- my two favorites are the sunset at the campground and the Seafood Express. Both are VERY expressive --- beauty and a slice of life.

If you ride the Mackenzie or the Dempster, try for dry weather-- :-)

We say motorcycle riders and bike riders and really felt for them. On our way up the Dempster, it was dry and parts are really dusty, and on the way, mud all the way.

But the beauty of the Dempster and the Arctic is so majestic that it leaves one helpless in capturing it.