Day 12 - Whitehorse to Squanga Lake

It was a particularly cold and blustery day for us getting started out of Whitehorse.  After clumsily maneuvering our loaded bikes down the elevator and out of the hotel, we stuffed our hands into our mittens and set off in the search of food.  While it was available, McDonald's was too good to pass up, and the novelty of "McDonald's Canada" hadn't worn off yet. 

Day 11 - Champagne to Whitehorse

Tuesday, June 3, 2008

We were on the road earlier than ever--9:30 am.  I was excited because the day was supposed to be only about 56 miles of riding with our sights set on the city of Whitehorse, the capital of the Yukon Territory.  We had poked our heads out of our tent happily surprised to see the sun shining brightly as the air carried a warm tail wind.  All days prior had been too cold for shorts, but we were feeling optimistic and dressed for warm weather.  On days like the one prior where there was hardly a cloud in the sky, even the SPF 80 sunblock we were using couldn't completely keep my ears from being cooked like bacon in the intense sunlight.  I decided to try something new to protect my ears, and wrapped a bandanna around my head with my ears tucked beneath.  The day was looking like it was going to be great--except for one looming problem.

Day 10 - Kloo Lake to Champagne... Kind Of

June 2, 2008

 

We were beginning to wise up a bit regarding the wind.  The pattern we noticed was that the winds ceased at night, and started up again around 10 A.M..  As it so happened, our morning was wind free as we quickly broke down camp--but just as we had hypothesised, the wind picked up just as we were hitting the road around 10:00.  It was a familiar foe that we were beginning to love to hate.

Day 9 –Burwash Landing to Kloo Lake

Sunday, June 1, 2008

Whoever told us that it would be windy by Kluane Lake wasn’t kidding. In the morning as we packed our things, the wind wasn’t yet blowing with full force, but it was licking at the lake, upsetting its surface and sending small waves into the North-Western shore. It was cold too -- Cold enough that we were wearing our wool mittens.  We had pretty much blown our food budget on the $15 burgers the night before, and the store at Burwash Landing didn’t have much in the way of sustainable food, so we ate the last of what we had on hand, which wasn’t much at all. They warned us at the lodge that there weren't any grocery stores untill Haines Juction, but we knew to take that with a grain of salt. Destruction Bay was coming up, and roadhouses like that usually had the kind of food we needed. We made sure to grab a map from the pamphlet rack in the lobby since the GPS wasn’t being too much help, then we hit the road.

Down the road just a bit we saw a small round owl perched in one of the dead trees to our right. Apparently the dead woods were not void of all life. It was comforting to see, but perhaps it was a bad omen of what our day had in store…

Day 8 – “Chainsaw Massacre” Campgound to Burwash Landing

Saturday, May 31 2008

It was kinda nice to be back home—nice warm bed, a fridge full of food, TV, etc. But it just didn’t feel right that I was back home already. It kinda felt like cheating to have stopped at home while I was in the middle of this incredible journey on my bike… Actually, I didn’t recall how I’d gotten home. It didn’t make a whole lot of sense, but I went with it.

Day 7 – Yukon Border to “Chainsaw Massacre” Campground

Friday, May 30, 2008

By morning the rain had cleared up and we had a bright clear sky, so as we packed our things I charged another batch of batteries, and we set some of our things out to dry in the sun.

At the roadhouse gift shop, we had a chance to check our email, and we bought Alaska decals to put on our bikes like badges of honor. It had taken about a week, and the Alaskan highways had proven to be a worthy challenge that had broken us in more than enough. My whole body ached from the previous day of riding, but it was time to head back out on the road. We called home from the roadhouse payphone, then set out to cross the Canadian border.

The Yukon

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I really don't have time now to post details, but we made it through the Yukon territory! It was ROUGH. The wind was killer the whole time. We had headwinds most days, and the gravel sections were no good to ride on.

We are on day 3 of the Cassiar Highway, and it is BEAUTIFUL. They weren't kidding when they said it was the scenic route. The road isn't even as bad as people made it sound... at least, not that bad for bikes. We are able to easily dodge the potholes and such, and actually, the dirt/gravel sections aren't too bad.

Time to go!

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