Day Nine, June 14, 2008
Today was Heaven; today was Hell. After a rainy night in Whitehorse, we awoke to a crystal-clear blue sky with temperatures in the low sixties, perfect for riding.
We departed the Mountain Ridge Motel & RV Park at 0900 hours, where we were treated very well by Kathryn, the friendly and very competent manager. We also managed to finally wash some dirty clothes after more than a week on the road. Kathryn alleged that I tried to con her into doing our laundry, but the truth is I was just getting her to familiarize me with the washer and dryer controls. I don’t think I convinced her that my intentions were good.
The 100 mile ride from Whitehorse to Haines Junction was everything a motorcycle ride in the far North Country should be. The road conditions were prefect, the weather was clear and comfortable, and the scenery spectacular. It was Heaven.
Arriving in Haines Junction for gas, one is greeted by the massive snow capped St. Elias Mountain range of the Kluane National Park, an awesome sight after riding through miles and miles of nothing but evergreen trees. Departing Haines Junction the speed limit suddenly decreased from 100 kph (62 mph), which was pretty much the standard across Canada, to 90 kph, (56 mph) an ominous sign of things to come.
Enter Hell. Departing Haines Junction, we were introduced to “frost heaves,” a condition where the roadway, which is constructed on permafrost here in the north county, constantly expands and contracts with the changes of the season, resulting in unintended “speed bumps” and dips in the roadway, sometimes resembling ribbon candy. Some are marked by small orange cones or flags; some just sneak up on you until your butt sends a message to your brain, via your spine, that you are driving too fast for the roads conditions, “Ouch, there’s another one.”
All afternoon we experienced miles of road construction, more gravel and clouds of dust, requiring us to wear bandanas over our mouths and noses to breathe. And just when we got back up to cruising speed came another “Road Construction Ahead” sign and it all began again. This scenario occurred over and over all afternoon. We’re almost getting to the point where it feels normal for the 1,000 pounds of motorcycle to be out of control, slip sliding and plowing through the soft gravel, or “chip seal’ as the locals call it. We call it road construction Hell!
To add insult to injury, after the construction laid a thick coat of dust on you, your motorcycle, and every crevice of you clothes, bike and being, the God Lord would send us a thunderstorm shower to turn everything to mud. Swell, thank you Lord!
One of the bright spots along the way today was Kluane Lake, a thirty mile long point of scenic wonder and great spot for Lake Trout and Grayling fishing. Unfortunately, the most scenic spot for a photo was negated by a ten mile long stretch of road construction—no stopping.
At about 1800 hours (6:00 PM) we entered the land of the Tlingit, the native peoples of this land, and crossed the Canadian/Alaskan Border, after displaying our passports and reaffirming our US citizenship.
Touring Canada has been a wonderful and rewarding experience, and the people treated us well, contrary to what we had been told to expect. Now we can finally stop paying 12% tax on every purchase, plus a service charge for using US dollars, and adding “Eh?” to the end of every sentence, and still be understood. Welcome back to the United States of America, land of the free, home of the brave.
As far as the critter count goes, today we saw two young blond Grizzly Bear cubs playing alongside the highway (wouldn’t want to meet their parents), two white swans and beaver paddling across his pond.
We pulled into Tok (Rhymes with smoke), in the evening and found accommodations at the Golden Bear Motel. Although we are carrying our camping gear, setting up camp and sleeping in a tent after eight to ten hours in the saddle, dust, and afternoon showers is just not an attractive option. Plus, the mosquitoes swarm around you every time you stop. For you WWII history buffs, Tok was established as a construction site for the Alaskan Highway in 1942.
We concluded our riding day at Fast Eddy’s restaurant with a nice Rib Eye steak dinner and toasted our arrival in Alaska with a shot of Cognac. I carried it in my saddle bag since leaving Santa Clarita for this occasion.
Tok marks the 1,314 mile mark of the 1,500 mile long Alaskan Hwy. Note: The official end of the Alaskan Highway is actually Delta Junction at mile marker 1,422; however, the highway continues on to Fairbanks as the Richardson Hwy., another 100 miles away. Since leaving Santa Clarita Nine days ago, we have ridden over 3,600 miles.
Tomorrow, Father’s Day, we’re headed for Fairbanks, a short 200 miles away. In spite of the foul weather and lousy road conditions, no one is complaining and everyday is a new adventure for the Three Amigos and the Highway Princess.
Today was Heaven; today was Hell. After a rainy night in Whitehorse, we awoke to a crystal-clear blue sky with temperatures in the low sixties, perfect for riding.
We departed the Mountain Ridge Motel & RV Park at 0900 hours, where we were treated very well by Kathryn, the friendly and very competent manager. We also managed to finally wash some dirty clothes after more than a week on the road. Kathryn alleged that I tried to con her into doing our laundry, but the truth is I was just getting her to familiarize me with the washer and dryer controls. I don’t think I convinced her that my intentions were good.
The 100 mile ride from Whitehorse to Haines Junction was everything a motorcycle ride in the far North Country should be. The road conditions were prefect, the weather was clear and comfortable, and the scenery spectacular. It was Heaven.
Arriving in Haines Junction for gas, one is greeted by the massive snow capped St. Elias Mountain range of the Kluane National Park, an awesome sight after riding through miles and miles of nothing but evergreen trees. Departing Haines Junction the speed limit suddenly decreased from 100 kph (62 mph), which was pretty much the standard across Canada, to 90 kph, (56 mph) an ominous sign of things to come.
Enter Hell. Departing Haines Junction, we were introduced to “frost heaves,” a condition where the roadway, which is constructed on permafrost here in the north county, constantly expands and contracts with the changes of the season, resulting in unintended “speed bumps” and dips in the roadway, sometimes resembling ribbon candy. Some are marked by small orange cones or flags; some just sneak up on you until your butt sends a message to your brain, via your spine, that you are driving too fast for the roads conditions, “Ouch, there’s another one.”
All afternoon we experienced miles of road construction, more gravel and clouds of dust, requiring us to wear bandanas over our mouths and noses to breathe. And just when we got back up to cruising speed came another “Road Construction Ahead” sign and it all began again. This scenario occurred over and over all afternoon. We’re almost getting to the point where it feels normal for the 1,000 pounds of motorcycle to be out of control, slip sliding and plowing through the soft gravel, or “chip seal’ as the locals call it. We call it road construction Hell!
To add insult to injury, after the construction laid a thick coat of dust on you, your motorcycle, and every crevice of you clothes, bike and being, the God Lord would send us a thunderstorm shower to turn everything to mud. Swell, thank you Lord!
One of the bright spots along the way today was Kluane Lake, a thirty mile long point of scenic wonder and great spot for Lake Trout and Grayling fishing. Unfortunately, the most scenic spot for a photo was negated by a ten mile long stretch of road construction—no stopping.
At about 1800 hours (6:00 PM) we entered the land of the Tlingit, the native peoples of this land, and crossed the Canadian/Alaskan Border, after displaying our passports and reaffirming our US citizenship.
Touring Canada has been a wonderful and rewarding experience, and the people treated us well, contrary to what we had been told to expect. Now we can finally stop paying 12% tax on every purchase, plus a service charge for using US dollars, and adding “Eh?” to the end of every sentence, and still be understood. Welcome back to the United States of America, land of the free, home of the brave.
As far as the critter count goes, today we saw two young blond Grizzly Bear cubs playing alongside the highway (wouldn’t want to meet their parents), two white swans and beaver paddling across his pond.
We pulled into Tok (Rhymes with smoke), in the evening and found accommodations at the Golden Bear Motel. Although we are carrying our camping gear, setting up camp and sleeping in a tent after eight to ten hours in the saddle, dust, and afternoon showers is just not an attractive option. Plus, the mosquitoes swarm around you every time you stop. For you WWII history buffs, Tok was established as a construction site for the Alaskan Highway in 1942.
We concluded our riding day at Fast Eddy’s restaurant with a nice Rib Eye steak dinner and toasted our arrival in Alaska with a shot of Cognac. I carried it in my saddle bag since leaving Santa Clarita for this occasion.
Tok marks the 1,314 mile mark of the 1,500 mile long Alaskan Hwy. Note: The official end of the Alaskan Highway is actually Delta Junction at mile marker 1,422; however, the highway continues on to Fairbanks as the Richardson Hwy., another 100 miles away. Since leaving Santa Clarita Nine days ago, we have ridden over 3,600 miles.
Tomorrow, Father’s Day, we’re headed for Fairbanks, a short 200 miles away. In spite of the foul weather and lousy road conditions, no one is complaining and everyday is a new adventure for the Three Amigos and the Highway Princess.
1 comment:
I had a good chuckle about the frost heaves.
We drove horses to AK, from S. Dakota. When we bounced over the "unmarked" heaves, we had to yell, "Float the ponies!"
We did our best to slow down, but they snuck up on you.
We always wondered what the bikers thought when they had to drive through all of the dust....
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