Sunday Morning August 23 7AM
Hotel in Watson Lake, Yukon Territories
oh my, so much to blog about since my last post. It is 7 Am in Tok, Alaska. Bates is still asleep (shocking huh?) We got to the hotel last night at 11:30 PM after having left Watson Lake,YT at 7:45AM. With the time change, we were on the sleds for about 17 hours, 650 miles. Like the night before, we were too late to get dinner because everything closes in these remote towns early. So even though the sun is up till 10-11 PM and rises around 5AM, you can’t just drop in and expect food.
Saturday was the hardest day Of riding I have ever experienced. It was also one of the most beautiful days as well. I can sum it up like this, we thought we had seen the “best” in Glacier and Banff National parks, no. The Yukon and this north country is breathtaking. Yesterday, we had rain, sun and we were about 2000 feet below (thankfully) the snow line.
Most of the ride was good roads, but as with this trip, just when you think it’s going to run smoothly, something pops up. But, as my brother put it, that’s part of the challenge of the ride itself.
About 100 miles from the Alaska border we ran into stretches of construction. Some dirt, which as you can guess was mud. Some loose gravel and a mixture of potholes that made just keeping the bike upright a constant struggle. And I do not say struggle lightly. We had a good 50-60 miles of construction, one section I measured at over 10 miles long.
So, all was good when we stop for our last gas before the border with Alaska. We were trying to Get to Tok in time to eat. So we gassed and left for the border.
Then there was this lovely US CBP officer that made a big deal about the Go Pro recording it’s time lapse as we got to border. She made Bates erase any recordings from the crossing! So, after that delay, we are off to Tok, about 90 miles. What can go wrong? We are in the U.S., the roads are in much better shape than anything we had been for days.
Bates tells me over the intercom he is having a control problem. We are now 30 miles from Tok, in the mountains, rain Fog and 48 degrees. Perfect weather to be working on a bike in bear country. God has been watching over us this entire trip, and he did not stop then! Praise Him!
We found that Bates had two holes in his rear tire. After plugging them and airing the tire up we were on our way! Not as easy as it sounds, but nothing has been easy on this trip. Preparation pays off!
The last 30 miles was hard. We were tired, visibility was low, our helmet shields had lost all their anti fogging ability earlier in the day due to heavy cleaning at the gas stops. We basically had to ride with the shields up and rain in our faces so we could see! Kind of like the old days before we went to full coverage helmets.
So we arrived at Young’s motel at 11, and you guessed it, Fast Eddy’s, the only restaurant closes at 11! I asked the for any leftovers, and she gave us to big cups of soup. I have no idea what kind it was, or if I would have normally eaten it but I ate it all like I was a starving kid from Africa! Had a few power bars and a shower and went to bed.
Plans for the trip have changed. We were going to see more of Alaska but now we are forced to head straight to Fairbanks for new tires.
Bates and I will upload more pictures today and Monday as we have a little more time.
Thanks for praying for us. We know that without Him watching over us on this trip, we could not have made it this far.