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tripledigitken
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Hyder, AK motorcycle trip
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]
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motoged
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Great pics....sounds like a good ride....thanks
Don't believe everything you think....
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chuckie
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Man! That brings back some good memories!!! Love that place...You didn't mention getting Hyderized????? BMW R100RS
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BigBearRider
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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]
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tripledigitken
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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]
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wessongroup
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Thanks much ...
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StuckSucks
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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.
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BigBearRider
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"I wanna get chocolate-[Hyderized]."
-Grown Ups
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tFGqx7i1MdQ
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AKgringo
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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.
If you are not living on the edge, you are taking up too much space!
"Could do better if he tried!" Report card comments from most of my grade school teachers. Sadly, still true!
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BigBearRider
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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.
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MulegeAL
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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!
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AKgringo
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Scary job!
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!
If you are not living on the edge, you are taking up too much space!
"Could do better if he tried!" Report card comments from most of my grade school teachers. Sadly, still true!
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Mula
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Excellent.
Was born and raised in Sitka and always stopped by Stewart and Hyder when having the chance to do the 'alcan"
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Ateo
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Are you kidding me!!!???!!!!???
I love AK.
Thanks Ken.
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BeemerDan
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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
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willyAirstream
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As always Ken, great fotos. Thanks!
I like the aspen sticker, my home for 10 years.
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capt. mike
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outstanding Ken!!
formerly Ordained in Rev. Ewing\'s Church by Mail - busted on tax fraud.......
Now joined L. Ron Hoover\'s church of Appliantology
\"Remember there is a big difference between kneeling down and bending over....\"
www.facebook.com/michael.l.goering |
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tripledigitken
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Quote: Originally posted by BeemerDan  |
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 |
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.
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tripledigitken
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| 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.
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captkw
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Great post and pics
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
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