Alaska: nobody is accidentally in Alaska
Note: the routes shown below are approximate. I took every possible detour along the way. If you are interested in a long travel log, checkout the blog entry [ Going South ].
So, I have ridden the Dragon (my Suzuki DR650) 4,900 miles (7,900 KM) from my home in Browns Park Utah to Panama City, Panama:
Then flown the Dragon to Bogota Columbia, and ridden 7,000 KM to Santiago:
Then another 2,250 KM to Vila O'Higgins, Chile along the Carretera Austral:
Followed by another 2,200 KM through several National Parks in Argentina, ending up in Porvenir on Tierra del Fuego:
And of course a 1,200 KM round-about trip to Ushuaia, Argentina via Cerro Sombrero, Chile (to see a rodeo) and then down the coast:
Which put me at 'The Ushuaia' gate.
Followed by a 3,000 KM ride up to Buenos Aries:
Having run out of blank pages in my passport, I few back (and shipped the Dragon) to Denver and road another 510 KM home:
All of this leads up to an obvious next step:
5,700 KM (3,400 miles) each way, to Prudhoe Bay Alaska from Browns Park Utah.
All the videos on YouTube make this Alaska trip look like an amazing and difficult endeavour, but I think it may be a cakewalk compared to the trip south to the southern tip of Argentina?
Gravel: consider Routa 41 and Routa 40 in Argentina. Been there and I have the rippio merit badge. Potholes: again Argentina. I definately have the pothole badge too.
Did you know they speak English in Canada and Alaska?
I am ready for mosquitoes, I have DEET!
I am ready for rain.
I am packing even lighter.
The Dragon is running like a top. It now has heated grips, new bark-busters, new handlebars, a new oil cooler, new spark plugs, new lithium battery, new super-bright-LED front lights, new really good tires (Dunlop Trailmax Raid) , a new chain and sprokets, new gas filters, the Starlink Mini is setup to run continuously.
I am planning to camp most of the time and I have 3 times as much time as it should take. But, the southern end of this trip has proven that I am not a good judge of time--I expected a 6 week trip and took 6 months.
My amazing buddy Rob, who I met in El Salvador, is coming too!
So, get ready for another crazy great trip to the end of the earth. The top end.
Having just finished a 7,000 KM (4,300 mile) side trip around the Great Lakes, I have tested my Magic Button and I know it is still working.
The next blog entry Alaska Travel Log has links to photo and snarky commentary bins that will be updated continuously after the trip starts on Saturday the 14th of June 2026.
Top to Bottom!
In about 3 weeks, I will have ridden from the top of the world to the bottom of the world.
The Pan-American Highway is 18,640 miles (30,000 KM). Because I can't stay on task, I have already ridden 29,000 miles (47,000 KM).
Honestly, I really like to ride motorcycles. I would probably be just as happy riding around in circles, but having a big goal makes it even more fun.
Who gets to do this? Well, the luckiest guy you know gets to do this:
Get ready to ride!