Alaska's Hatcher Pass - Ducati.ms

hogrocket · Mar 27th, 2007, 1:25 am

I live at the base of the Hatcher Pass road near Palmer, Alaska and decided to post some pics I took last Fall, just before I had to put the bikes away for Winter. I have the blues bad looking at these photos. This is one of the finest rides in Alaska, albeit a very short ride by comparison to some in the lower '48. Unfortunetly, we still have too much snow and ice to bring the sport bikes out to play. Not to mention sub-freezing temps.

SlewofDamascus · Mar 27th, 2007, 2:02 am

I like the photo of the 3 amigos side by side at an angle with the mountain backdrop. Well done.

I can't help but notice how nice the Triumphs look. I say that because I am very close to buying a 675 Triumph sports bike as my second bike (it will always be #2 to my 749s). Next to Ducati, Triumph is making a very nice looking machine. If I get so lucky to own one, I think I will have the two best bike manufacturers in the world covered.

David
749s
ST2

Bill_Anderson · Mar 27th, 2007, 3:13 am

Quote:

Originally Posted by hogrocket

This is one of the finest rides in Alaska, albeit a very short ride by comparison to some in the lower '48.

Beautiful pics. I would take quality over quantity any day.

dietrichpfeifer · Mar 27th, 2007, 3:53 am

Nice pics! But I don't remember Hatcher Pass looking anything like that...the last time I was there I broke my leg snowboarding and had to be carted out on the back of a snowmobile!!! (1989?)

**Chuckracer** · Mar 27th, 2007, 2:04 pm

Wow..those are some nice pics!

How much of a riding season do you get? I mean, without freezing ones tail off?

hogrocket · Mar 28th, 2007, 2:26 am

Alaskan riders are for the most part, very hardy people. We have a very short season and make the most of it, much of it in the rain. Last summer was a bad one for weather and I still managed to put 4000 miles on my Daytona over the summer and 950 on my Duc in about 3 or 4 weeks. We probably get about 4 months with very chilly days on both ends. As soon as I can get a bike out to the pavement, I will be riding. But with new snow and sub-zero temps in the last couple of weeks, we are still a few weeks away at the least for riding weather. There are folks that ride all Winter but with studded tires and heated everything! The danger there is the folks in cars on icy streets! Not all of the pics are late Fall but the ones with the Duc were shot after mid-September when I took delivery of the 999 and I only had about three weeks of riding at best. And with all this, I hear that Alaska is tops in per capita motorcycle ownership in the US. Go figure!

hogrocket · Mar 28th, 2007, 2:40 am

Quote:

Originally Posted by dietrichpfeifer

Nice pics! But I don't remember Hatcher Pass looking anything like that...the last time I was there I broke my leg snowboarding and had to be carted out on the back of a snowmobile!!! (1989?)

The Borough and the State got together to upgrade the road to increase tourist traffic and hopefully a ski area someday. In the meantime, bikers and others get to enjoy this wonderful, paved, curvy, scenic highway. I am not sure what year it started but it has been ongoing since the mid-90's I think. The State just repaved the main road leading to the pass access and that added several miles of nice, fast paved highway to the trip. The actual Hatcher Pass is still a dirt road but the access to it is all paved and beautiful to ride.

hogrocket · Mar 28th, 2007, 2:55 am

Quote:

Originally Posted by SlewofDamascus

I like the photo of the 3 amigos side by side at an angle with the mountain backdrop. Well done.

I can't help but notice how nice the Triumphs look. I say that because I am very close to buying a 675 Triumph sports bike as my second bike (it will always be #2 to my 749s). Next to Ducati, Triumph is making a very nice looking machine. If I get so lucky to own one, I think I will have the two best bike manufacturers in the world covered.

David
749s
ST2

I love my Daytona and the 675 has sure done well but I am waiting for another liter bike from Triumph. I am hoping they come out with something soon. It is bound to be a good bike as the 955 is awesome! As for photogenic, they are very nice looking machines and with a backdrop like Alaska, what wouldn't look good? A buddy of mine owns the black one and the 996 as well.

akducati · Mar 28th, 2007, 4:13 am

Nice write-up, Les! Yep, I've been calling Hatcher's THE BEST sportbike ride in AK for years. I was talking to Kim, the lady Ranger for Hatcher Pass, and she said it'll be getting paved all the way over within next 2 years.

http://www.midnightsunrider.com/ may be using this shot on their cover coming up. Mark H.

VIVID1 · Mar 29th, 2007, 2:54 am

Quote:

Originally Posted by hogrocket

decided to post some pics I took last Fall

Les, great pictures of your new bike.

The other picture brings back some nice memories. That was a great ride up to Hatcher Pass. Wow, that was memorial day weekend last year, it was like 70 degrees that day. It was warmer in Anchorage that day than in Chicago.

It is a great road. One of these days I'll have to get my butt back there and ride it again. Next time I'll do it on my bike, although the 996 is one sweet bike.