Jesse At Deadhorse/Prudho Bay
The boys returned from Deadhorse on Friday night near midnight, in bright sunlight, only to find that there was no campsite available where they had planned to stay. This after another 13-hour, 521 mile day. It rained for the final 30 miles on the Dalton and the roads, as predicted, turned slippery as “owl snot”, the local’s words to describe treacherous conditions. (Rudi suggests that “owl snot” is really “owl s..t”, only cleaned up for the tourist brochures.)
Rudi at Deadhorse/Prudho Bay
After being turned down at four motels, they found one as desperate as they were, and their $2o.00 campsite turned into a $200.00 hotel room, but with a shower! Gray dust turned into gray mud and washed down the drain as grog was consumed in larger quantities than usual.
Jesse allowed as how he was hit with a feeling of accomplishment as he rode the final few miles of the Dalton is the slippery conditions. Rudi did too. Not pride, just a feeling of having seen a part of the world few people have the opportunity to visit, and done it on a motorcycle, a joy just by itself. More on the awesome views in later posts.
The boys spent Saturday cleaning 50 pounds of caked mud and dust off the bikes, fixing a few issues exacted by the Dalton, and re-packing their stored gear for a 100-mile ride south to meet the girls in a RV campground on the Nenana River, heading for Denali.
It was a joyful reunion, with some late sleep and quiet fishing on Sunday. Monday is blog update day, briefly, and then on to Denali State Park for fishing, hiking, and more R&R.
But before we go, here from the boys is a 3:20 video of the first part of their Deadhorse Ride. Enjoy it as much as they did, friends. Thanks for your good wishes and e-mails, promise we’ll respond as we get back to some routines.
Rudi & Jesse
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Rudi G & Jesse
Rudi G & Jesse's Ride to Alaska 
Renee
July 13, 2010
Ha! Just found out I could post back to you. So very happy for you and Jesse . What an awesome picture of the two of you and the Arctic Circle Sign. We have enjoyed your blogs….. keep them coming. Praying for your safety and good grog at the end of the day. ( Well, since there is not really an end of the day , maybe we should change that to good grog after 5 pm.) Love you all, R
Rudi G
July 16, 2010
Hi Sam & Renee!
Just saw your post as we have been “off the grid” again for three days camping at Denali State and National Parks, no cell, no wifi, just mammoth views and a trip on the bus into Denali where Jesse and Angel combined to spot nine …NINE … grizzilies for the tourists. This included three cubs of various ages and some huge cinnamon bears digging up roots and rodents. Young eyes trained for wildlife spotting are the ticket. Rode down to Talkeetna in a cold driving rain today and now doing laundry and showers … grog too … you ‘betcha’! Thanks for the well-wishes … means a lot … even cynical Rudi gets a tear in the eye thinking of all the friends out there … but enough of that! Stay tuned for the next video. Jesse and Angel have critiqued it, so I only have another five hours or so of work left to do. Maybe tonight! Adios.
Bill Williams
July 13, 2010
I’ve been following you and your “spot” closely. What a trip and what an accomplishment! Congratulations!
Rudi G
July 16, 2010
Hi Bill & Wanda: Thrilled to hear from you a few days (weeks?) ago. This is right up your alley, my friend. Can’t tell you how much it means to keep in touch this way and share some fun and adventure with you. We’ll try to keep things going, tech challenged though we may be. Not much different that running wrecks and chasing bad guys in the live van anyway, eh? I wish Newt were here too, lots of bad guys for him to provoke!. We’ll keep going so check us out now and then. Celeste says, “Hi”, too. You are a big part of our happy lives.
Bill Williams
July 16, 2010
I’m not sure it’s “right up my alley,” but the pictures you have posted are amazing! I would have loved to have been there, but via motorcycles? I dunno. Newt would have been so busy taking pictures he might have missed the bad guys.
Peter
July 14, 2010
Apparently you would know . . . what’s the difference between the “gay” dust you accumulated and pixie dust?
Looks like quite the adventure. Thanks for taking time to share it with us.
Rudi G
July 18, 2010
It felt like concrete, gay, gray or pixie and it will never be completely washed off. Hi, Peter. Good to hear from you up here in the frozen north. Lot different than a Georgia rive bank in June, for sure. We haven’t had our fleeces off since Missoula. Headed to the Kenai today for a few days. Hope your summer is being good to you.
Rudi & Jesse
KP
July 16, 2010
Yep, you’ve got folks rooting for you from all over. We here on Spring Branch Farm in Maryland are enjoying the vicarious ride. So excited for you guys! Any pics of the “girls”?
Rudi G
July 17, 2010
Yep! Camera shy though they may be, Rudi never let politeness stand in the way of a provocative picture. Stay tuned for gratuitous use of the fairer sex!