Back Home via the Longer Route

I had not been on the Glenn Highway for probably 20 years so this seemed like a good opportunity. Bridget had flown home on Monday evening so it was just me. On Tuesday morning, I visited the Ural dealer in Anchorage to pick up some more oil filters and get some winter advice (more later) and then stopped at Alaska Leather for another Gerbings controller for Bridget's new-to-her heated jacket. (Thank you, Bob!). And a replacement Pinlock insert for my Nolan helmet. After two winters, the plastic insert is pretty scratched up from where I would try and clear off the ice while riding.

It wasn't very scenic at all on this day. This is just a quick snapshot showing the typical weather during the trip (windy, overcast, raining, snowing, all of the above at the same time). Coming into Glennallen from the west, all you could see was the base of Mt. Sanford. The link shows what it looks like on a clear day coming in from the west. The road north from Glennallen to Delta through the Alaska Range was uneventful except for blowing snow. Very little was actually sticking to the ground and none on the road but the crosswind wind was pretty fierce. After coming through Delta, things cleared up nicely with blue skies all the way into Fairbanks. No photos of magnificent, snow covered peaks and glaciers as all was shrouded by low hanging clouds. It did bring back a lot of memories of my bicycle trip back in 1983. The campgrounds and turnouts looked familiar but most of the lodges and cafes are now either closed or no longer around. The locations and overgrown parking lots are still there but no structure. But it rained for most of that trip as well. How things change. This route from Anchorage to Fairbanks is only about 100 miles longer but is a completely different feel to it.

I talked to Mickey, the Anchorage Ural dealer, about winter driving and he mentioned that the throttle cables tend to freeze and bind. This may happen in Anchorage more often due to the damp climate and wet snow. He says that the engine will start up fine even well below 0°F and suggests switching to a 10w30 full synthetic oil for the engine and to give the engine some time to warm up. The Ural crankshaft bearings rely on a sling lubrication system only and not on the oil pump. The oil pump lubricates the rocker arms and camshaft only as well as run it through the filter. He also mentioned that he has had some problems with carburetor icing. We'll see how it goes...

It was nice to get on the Ural again this morning after driving the car all weekend. The heated gear came out again as it was 30°F on the ride in.