Attached is a picture showing some of the reasons that Alaska is an interesting place.

The first picture was taken after a mountain bike ride in February. The second one after a ride in June. And the third picture was taken two minutes before midnight on June 21, the longest day of the year.

tanstaafl.

Wow. And no thanks!

Wow, that's a real change in temp. If the third one was taken just before midnight, what time did it actually get dark? Or didn't it?

what time did it actually get dark? Or didn't it?


That's pretty much as dark as it gets this time of year.

tanstaafl.

So does it staying light all night ever get old ? It sounds like it would be fun for a while anyway.

While not living quite that far north (I'm only at about 57.4N, polar circle is at about 66.5N), I can say that in the summers you can always draw the curtains, so it isn't really a problem (at least to me). The light also gives you lots of time to do work outdoors in the evenings.
In the winter though, it is less fun.... dark when you go to work and dark when you leave for home.

/Michael

dark when you go to work and dark when you leave for home

Reminds me of working the night shift.

Thanks for the photos! I was in AK on my motorcycle a couple of years ago. I spent 5 weeks there in July-early August riding every road in the state (and seeing only about .1% of the state that way!). I still think about Alaska every day and I dream about it once a week at least. Its an amazing place. I would love to live there, but then, I've never been there in the winter. I live in Minneapolis, though, and Anchorage has more mild winters than Minneapolis (but darker). I don't think I would want to put up with winters in central Alaska...

Do you, by any chance, know George Rahn, the Fairbanks BMW motorcycle "dealer"?

I can't wait to get back. I don't remember if I posted any of my pictures on this BBS, but here is one from the haul road to Prudhoe Bay taken at about 3am, well past the Brooks Range and into the tundra.

Jim

smaller picture file attached.

Do you, by any chance, know George Rahn, the Fairbanks BMW motorcycle "dealer"?

Only for the last 42 years.

Really. I first met him in 1962 when I had my first BMW motorcycle (a 250cc R-26). In 1967 he was my landlord until the big '67 flood pretty much washed away the trailer I was renting from him.

George and I made many a trip together -- he usually rode his antique R-68, I rode my new R-69S.

When I traded the R-69S in on my first Porsche, George and I drifted apart. He still rides, sometimes I see him in the winter time riding his BMW with the sidecar on it.

He once told a good story about a trip he made down the Al-Can highway in the middle of winter. Riding at night, overcast sky, complete darkness, he slid out, the bike went down and (of course) him along with it. No big deal -- sliding along on the ice doesn't hurt, he and the bike probably slid for a hundred yards before stopping. He picked up the bike, engine still idling, got on, and.... uh, oh -- which way to go? In the dark, the road is just a featureless white strip extending to the limits of the headlight in each direction. He finally had to get down on the ice and look for the scrapes made by his footpegs to figure out which way he'd come from from.

Last I heard, George had given up the BMW franchise, said he didn't like the direction the company was going. My interpretation of that is that he couldn't deal with all the electronics in the new bikes, perhaps BMW was requiring him to purchase test equipment he couldn't afford.

Ah, Tiger, you bring back memories...

tanstaafl.

That's really cool! I liked George immediately. What a great guy. BMW has really strict standards for showrooms, displays, inventory, etc. He told me that they hadn't bothered him for years but he figured they'd be catching up with him pretty soon. Its too bad they did.

I knew that George rode around Fairbanks on his R60 in January, but I had NO idea that he took one "outside" in the middle of winter. That's nuts. I can see him doing it, though...

Do you still ride?

Do you still ride?


Oh, hell yes!



tanstaafl.

nice action shot

took me a few seconds to find the attachment