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The following log was written by my brother, Eldon.
On January 16th he departed Portland Oregon in an attempt to go as far North on a road that you could go. He was traveling to Inuvik, The Northern Territories, Canada. 6,000 miles round trip. He did this on a 2004 Ural Patrol. He faced 1,500 miles of rain, ice and fog on his way up. Temperatures -10 and below.
The farther North that he got the colder, -20º, -30º, blowing powder snow. The truck and auto spray was terribly bad, turning the road in front of him into miniature blizzards. Accidents were common as well as big trucks being blown off the road.
No matter where he went, no matter where he stopped, he found the people to have old time generosity. The following pages only reveal a small portion of what he received.
Eldon got as far North as mile post 41 on the Dempster highway before being turned back, and it is a good thing that he was. He was already sick with Lymphoma. Eldon was less than 400 miles from his goal.
It in no way detracts from the effort and the adventure of it. He feels that the experience meeting the people that he did, was more than worth the trip.
Now, Eldon's Arctic Adventure Log
Sunday Jan. 16 - Departed the Leukemia, Lymphoma parking lot at 08:30 Arrived Bellingham Washington, at Ural Northwest, Mark Watson was waiting for me. I got there about 1600, the bike was put in Marks shop. Mark took me to his home where I met his wife and daughter. We had a good Italian supper and they gave me a room for the night. The next morning we had breakfast and then Mark and I went to his shop. He had noticed that my headlight was out when I rode in the day before. A loose connection was the rat. That done, Mark took pictures to post on their web site.
The ride up to Bellingham was uneventful. Truck stop scales said that I tipped out at 1420 lbs. rider and machine.
January 17 - Here I sit in Hope Canada, all roads North are closed, two to weather and one to a burning wrecked tanker, so I am staying in the Hope Mountain Motel, in the hostile section. The time right now is 2241, I'll see what tomorrow brings.
January 18, 10:30 am - The roads North are open again. I guess at the time, 1710, a nasty accident happened in front of me. Four cars in heavy rain mixed with fog and huge amounts of road spray, coupled with excessive speed may have been the cause. I was running at 90 kph with the speed limit at 100, everybody and 18 wheelers blowing by like I was sitting still. Brake lights coming on, I backed off to 50 kph. The pick up in front of me locked up and lost it, at the same time that a car passing me T boned another car, and then the truck went into the ditch with his bed in my half of the lane. I zigged around them all like an obstacle course, my dirt riding days saved my butt! I continued on the East bound on Canada 1.
On January 16th he departed Portland Oregon in an attempt to go as far North on a road that you could go. He was traveling to Inuvik, The Northern Territories, Canada. 6,000 miles round trip. He did this on a 2004 Ural Patrol. He faced 1,500 miles of rain, ice and fog on his way up. Temperatures -10 and below.
The farther North that he got the colder, -20º, -30º, blowing powder snow. The truck and auto spray was terribly bad, turning the road in front of him into miniature blizzards. Accidents were common as well as big trucks being blown off the road.
No matter where he went, no matter where he stopped, he found the people to have old time generosity. The following pages only reveal a small portion of what he received.
Eldon got as far North as mile post 41 on the Dempster highway before being turned back, and it is a good thing that he was. He was already sick with Lymphoma. Eldon was less than 400 miles from his goal.
It in no way detracts from the effort and the adventure of it. He feels that the experience meeting the people that he did, was more than worth the trip.
Sunday Jan. 16 - Departed the Leukemia, Lymphoma parking lot at 08:30 Arrived Bellingham Washington, at Ural Northwest, Mark Watson was waiting for me. I got there about 1600, the bike was put in Marks shop. Mark took me to his home where I met his wife and daughter. We had a good Italian supper and they gave me a room for the night. The next morning we had breakfast and then Mark and I went to his shop. He had noticed that my headlight was out when I rode in the day before. A loose connection was the rat. That done, Mark took pictures to post on their web site.
The ride up to Bellingham was uneventful. Truck stop scales said that I tipped out at 1420 lbs. rider and machine.
January 17 - Here I sit in Hope Canada, all roads North are closed, two to weather and one to a burning wrecked tanker, so I am staying in the Hope Mountain Motel, in the hostile section. The time right now is 2241, I'll see what tomorrow brings.
January 18, 10:30 am - The roads North are open again. I guess at the time, 1710, a nasty accident happened in front of me. Four cars in heavy rain mixed with fog and huge amounts of road spray, coupled with excessive speed may have been the cause. I was running at 90 kph with the speed limit at 100, everybody and 18 wheelers blowing by like I was sitting still. Brake lights coming on, I backed off to 50 kph. The pick up in front of me locked up and lost it, at the same time that a car passing me T boned another car, and then the truck went into the ditch with his bed in my half of the lane. I zigged around them all like an obstacle course, my dirt riding days saved my butt! I continued on the East bound on Canada 1.
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