Good Bye Alaska, Hello Canada!
Fairbanks was a hard place to leave. I find that the longer you stay and the more time you spend with people the harder it is to get going again. Tony and his daughter Reagan took me up to the hot spring pools at Chena for a lovely soak and game of ball. Reagan and I took a nice long hike up Angle Rocks then headed back into town for some ice cream at Hotlicks - with a name like that - you know its got to be good. We played an interesting game and watched a movie, then the next morning they took me out for a pretty huge breakfast to send me on my way. After 3 days of relaxing in town after the Dalton - it was time to hit the road again! Thanks again guys!
Took a quick stop off at the North Pole - where it is Christmas all year round
I headed on down the road to the Knotty Pine.
Yup - I guess it had to be said.
The road from Fairbanks isnt a particularly hilly one.... but with a head it seemed like a slog.
The scenery made it worth the effort. Three days and about 200 miles later I arrived in Tok, AK. Here I took yet another detour north up the Taylor Highway and headed for Canada and the Top of the World Highway.
Just would like to give a quick shout out to my two brosifs - Chris and Nick - they just had their birthdays. Happy Birthday you two old farts! Hope you had a good time and wish I could have been there.....
A days ride from Tok takes you to Chicken. It is rumored that the people here wanted to name their town Ptarmagin - but like me - they couldnt figure out how the hell to spell it - and instead settled on Chicken - the common name for the bird that always seems to wait next to the roadside until the very moment I decide to ride my bike by.... at which point this pigeon like fat little ground birds will retreat with a loud flap and squawk and scare the living crap out of me. Quirky little bar - many a beer and good times were had here!
I wonder what the original locals - the hardened pioneering mining types - would think of what has been done in this touristy little town and chickens.
Leaving Chicken meant leaving pavement and the last Alaskan 'town' behind until reaching Canada. It is amazing that out here the ol mining mentality still exists. With gold topping out at around $1600 an oz Gold Fever is taking over the area again.... a small mine in the area just pulled out a 10oz nugget a week before I passed by - you do the math. People are out in full force up and down these rivers dredging and doing who knows what to the environment - no EPA out here! That's not all either... I would hear things like so and so stole some gold from so and so.... this person burned down my piece of property so I am gonna do this in retaliation... it really is kind of like the wild west out here. No real law so people are taking things into their own hands.
It still was a beautiful stretch of highway!
Spent my last night having meat and potatoes with an 'apprentice' miner Rick in the aptly named border town of Boundary. Here's Rick in the 'honeymoon suite' scaring the tourists as they try to take photos of the old roadhouse. You creeper! Thanks for the company and the cozy cabin!
TOP OF THE WORLD HIGHWAY
The next day finally made it up the huge climb into Canada and onto the 'Top of the World Highway' 100km (yes - we are in Canada now and they use kilometers here.... about 1.6 km = 1 mile) over dirt that bobs up and down along the ridge line into Dawson City, Yukon. This sign should have read: Yukon, larger than life; boring to death. No really it wasnt that bad - will explain later.
Ran into these guys WAY back on the Dalton highway in Deadhorse - for at least a little while I was making better time than a VW.
Spectacular road that follows the ridgeline for about 100km..... nothing like riding a ridgeline,,,, expect for when you are riding along and hear something kind of grumble... you pay it no mind - or at least try to dismiss it.... until you hear it again and this time it is accompanied by a light show as well. Best advice I can give when finding yourself in a thunderstorm up here is to turn up the music and ride faster!
After cowering in my tent for a couple of hours waiting for the rain to finally pass, the views came back and I was able to ride most of the way into Dawson.
The old river boat the Keno retired on the banks of Dawson City, Yukon CANADA!!!!
Quaint old mining town that really has done a lot to keep the character!
I have no idea what that is - but it was moving fast on the horizon!
Arrived in Dawson luckily on the same weekend that they put on a Gathering in Moosehide - a traditional feast where the locals open up their communities and invite everyone for a Bannock - the feast - and other festivities such as games, dancing and signing. It was a great time!
HEADWIND AND THE ANGRY CYCLIST
It is a LONG 500ish km ride from Dawson City to Whitehorse - and the sign is right - the Yukon is larger than life. This place is huge and the highway I was following is only a mere scratch on the surface.... however; when your headphones break less than a days ride from town the road can seem longer and larger than you would like... add that onto a blistering headwind and you have yourself one angry cyclist. I dont mind going uphill.... I actually enjoy it. Knowing that in the end I will be able to release all that potential energy stored in the form of a nice and relaxing and speedy downhill. But when one goes against the wind - you do not gain anything from the extra energy output. Nothin. Sometimes you find yourself struggling to pedal DOWN the hill.
So, I'd have to say that I was one angry and disgruntled cyclist going headstrong into the wind with no tunes and no one to chat with to help me keep my sanity. It is amazing what a horrible disposition can do to ones self and it can be hard to bounce back from sometimes. By the end of the third day of riding into the wind it got to the point when the tourists in the RVs would pass by as they usually did and hang their heads out their windows with their cameras to try to get a shot of me struggling up hill and up wind on my cute little bicycle.... I wanted to grab my conveniently mounted bear spray - now named people stray - and teach them to hang their heads out at the 'wildlife' and take photos... yup - I was that low.
Good thing I reached Carmmacks that evening and their amazing everything store had a pair of ear buds!
Sanity Check
Mario Cart anyone?
After 4 days and 500km of riding finally made it down to civilization. Spent the day relaxing at the Talkini hotsprings outside of Whithorse.... a day in the sun and water did me some good. With water temperatures up to 40ish C - felt like I was in the Caribbean again!
Made my way to the actual town of Whitehorse today and am staying with the amazing warm showers host Philippe. He is a bike whiz and artist to boot. Planning on heading out again tomorrow south towards Watson Lake and eventually into BC - British Columbia... not too sure which route I will take or where I will take it to.... but that will all work itself out later.
